The Grand Canyon State is home to many famous people, from Stevie Nicks and Steven Spielberg to Emma Stone and Alice Cooper.
While the list of celebrities from the state may seem never-ending, we’ve simplified things by focusing on those who chose to act.
Some faces you may remember from “Wonder Woman,” while others you’ve probably seen on “Saturday Night Live.” And while some of these celebrities are famous for their acting roles, they may no longer act; perhaps they are pursuing other passions, such as music, social media or the production side of things.
Here’s a list of actors and actresses from Arizona.
Noah Beck
Noah Beck attends iHeartRadio Z100 Jingle Ball 2021 on Dec. 10, 2021, in New York City.
TikToker Noah Beck was born in Peoria. He attended Ironwood High School and Desert Valley Elementary School. Beck played for the SC del Sol club football team in Phoenix and was a team captain in the U.S. Youth Football Olympic Development Program in Arizona from 2014 to 2017.
Beck will be acting in the reboot of “Baywatch” coming to Fox during the 2026-2027 season.
Beck’s older sister, Haley Beck, was fired from the Peoria Unified School District after an internal investigation found that she “groomed” a student. Beck’s mother, Amy Beck, is a teacher at Coyote Hills Elementary School. She was put on leave from the Peoria Unified School District after a video resurfaced that appeared to show her simulating oral sex with her son.
Aidy Bryant
Aidy Bryant arrives for the Saturday Night Live 50: The Anniversary Special at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, U.S., February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
Actress and comedian Aidy Bryant is best known for her role as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” for 10 seasons from 2012-2022. While on “SNL,” Bryant was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.
She was born in Phoenix, she attended Xavier College Preparatory in 2005 and she took improv workshops at the now-defunct Arizona Jewish Theatre Company. Her mother owned the popular Frances boutique in Phoenix before she sold it in 2021.
Lynda Carter
Actress Lynda Carter, famously known as the original ‘Wonder Woman,’ attended ASU for two years before dropping out to pursue her career in entertainment.
Actress, singer and beauty pageant contestant Lynda Carter, known for her role as Wonder Woman, was born in Phoenix.
Kaitlyn Dever
Kaitlyn Dever attends the “See You When I See You” Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on Jan. 27, 2026, in Park City, Utah.
Kaitlyn Dever is an actress, producer, director and voice actor. She has starred in “The Last of Us,” “Booksmart,” “Last Man Standing” and “Apple Cider Vinegar.”
Dever was born in Phoenix. After she developed an interest in the performing arts at a young age, her parents enrolled her in an acting school. Her father also ventured into acting, most notably voicing Barney the Dinosaur in PBS’s children’s show “Barney & Friends.”
Ted Danson is back in the spy game with “A Man on the Inside” Season 2 on Netflix.
Ted Danson
Ted Danson is an actor beloved for his roles in “Cheers” and “The Good Place.”
Danson grew up in Flagstaff where his father, Edward B. “Ned” Danson Jr., was the director of the Museum of Northern Arizona, which is a “very prestigious scientific community,” according to a 2011 article by Danson titled “My Favorite Mistake” in Newsweek.
Danson said his father helped shape his own activist spirit.
“Growing up, I was surrounded by a scientific community that wanted to conserve and protect Arizona’s heritage,” Danson said to Tucson.com. “There was always this instinct in me that wanted to protect something beautiful.”
Danielle Fishel
Danielle Fishel was born in Mesa and is known for her roles on shows such as “Full House,” “Boy Meets World” and “Girl Meets World.”
Bill Hader
Bill Hader attends CinemaCon on April 1, 2025, in Las Vegas.
An actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer and director, Bill Hader, known for his role on “Saturday Night Live,” attended The Art Institute of Phoenix and later Scottsdale Community College. He was also an usher at a Tempe cinema but was fired for spoiling the ending of “Titanic.”
David Henrie
David Henrie is an actor, writer and director who grew up in Phoenix. He has starred in roles on “How I Met Your Mother,” “Wizards of Waverly Place” and its sequel “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.”
Joe Jonas
Joe Jonas sings during the Jonas Brothers’ performance at Footprint Center on Sept. 6, 2023.
Singer, songwriter and actor Joe Jonas was born in Casa Grande. He rose to fame as a member of the pop-rock band the Jonas Brothers alongside his brothers Kevin and Nick. Along with releasing music, the group starred in “Camp Rock,” “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam,” “Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream” and “Jonas” on Disney Channel.
Chelsea Kane is best known for her role as Stella Malone in Disney Channel’s “Jonas”
Chelsea Kane
Chelsea Kane is an actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Stella Malone in Disney Channel’s “Jonas” and as Riley Perrin in the Freeform sitcom “Baby Daddy.”
Kane was born in Phoenix and worked at the Valley Youth Theatre.
Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton
Singer and actor Wayne Newton, known as “The Midnight Idol” and “Mr. Entertainment,” moved to Phoenix with his family as a child because of his severe asthma. He won a local television competition, “Lew King Rangers,” with his brother and they got their own TV show. Newton attended North High School in Phoenix.
Busy Philipps attends the People’s Choice Awards 2018 at Barker Hangar on November 11, 2018 in Santa Monica, California.
Busy Philipps
Actress, singer and comedian Busy Philipps, known for her roles in “Freaks and Geeks,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “Cougar Town,” was raised in Scottsdale and graduated from Chaparral High School.
Haley Lu Richardson attends the “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” premiere during the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Berlinale Palast on Feb. 13, 2026 in Berlin, Germany.
Haley Lu Richardson
Actress Haley Lu Richardson is best known for her roles in “Five Feet Apart,” “The White Lotus” and “Columbus.” Richardson was born in Phoenix and was a regular in theatrical productions and regional dance competitions throughout the Southwest. From 2001-2011, she was a leading dancer in Phoenix’s Cannedy Dance Centre.
Alexandra Shipp
Alexandra Shipp attends the opening night reception for “Barbie to Anna Karenina: the Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer” at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on May 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Alexandra Shipp is an actress and singer. She has acted in “Tick, Tick … Boom!,” “Anyone but You,” “Barbie,” “X-Men: Apocalypse” and “Love, Simon.”
Shipp was born in Phoenix. She attended Squaw Peak Elementary School, Arizona School for the Arts and St. Mary’s Catholic High School in the city. She moved to Los Angeles at 17 to pursue an acting career.
David Spade
Comedian David Spade and his sister-in-law, fashion designer Kate Spade, both graduated from Arizona State University.
David Spade is a stand-up comedian, actor and podcaster. He has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, and he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.
He and his family moved to Scottsdale when he was 4. Spade attended Saguaro High School and then Scottsdale Community College before transferring to Arizona State University. There he was a member of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon and performed stand-up at the university’s long-running sketch comedy show, “Farce Side Comedy Hour.” In the mid-1980s, he did stand-up at the Monday night comedy show at Greasy Tony’s Pizza in Tempe. He dropped out of ASU after making a decent living doing stand-up.
Actress and producer Emma Stone has had many popular roles, including in “La La Land,” “Easy A,” “Poor Things” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
Emma Stone
Actress and producer Emma Stone has had many popular roles, including in “La La Land,” “Easy A,” “Poor Things” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
Stone was born in Scottsdale where she went to Sequoya Elementary School and Cocopah Middle School for sixth grade. She lived on the grounds of the Camelback Inn resort from ages 12 to 15. Stone participated in local theater productions and attended Xavier College Preparatory, but dropped out after one semester to pursue acting.
Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. In 2017, she was the world’s highest-paid actress and was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
Actor Mason Thames was born in Phoenix.
Mason Thames
Actor Mason Thames is known for his roles in “The Black Phone,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Regretting You.” He was born in Phoenix.
Actress Kate Walsh briefly attended the University of Arizona in 1988 before dropping out.
Kate Walsh
Kate Walsh is an actress and businesswoman known for her role as Dr. Addison Montgomery in ABC medical dramas “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice.”
Walsh grew up in a Catholic household in Tucson. She graduated from Catalina Magnet High School and studied acting at the University of Arizona before dropping out.
Is there anyone we missed? Tell the reporter at [email protected]. Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Instagram @dina_kaur.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 18 famous actors from Arizona, from Emma Stone to Ted Danson
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