Houston Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were from Here

Houston is definitely the birthplace of stars like Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion, but Hollywood is surprisingly full of H-towners.

Believe it or not, Houston has been home to some of Hollywood’s finest. The more obvious H-towners include stars like Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil’ Keke, and Mike Jones, but the city and its suburbs have produced superstars and notables you might not have expected. Are your favorites on our list?

Liza Koshy, known for viral social media moments and stints on TV, loves her hometown.

Liza Koshy

Known for her booming social media presence and growing comedy career, this Vine and TikTok star is an alum of Lamar High School and the University of Houston. The comedian often comes back home, hitting up local spots like Fajita Pete’s, Lucy’s Ethiopian, Tout Suite, and more.

Perhaps one of the best actors of all time, Patrick Swayze hailed from the Oak Forest neighborhood.

Patrick Swayze

It’s hard to believe that one of Hollywood’s most definitive actors is deeply from Houston. Swayze was born in Houston and grew up in the Oak Forest neighborhood before moving to the Big Apple in 1972. Alma maters for the Ghost and Dirty Dancing star include St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, Frank Black Middle School, Waltrip High School, and San Jacinto Central College.

Hip-hop icon Riff Raff famously sold mixtapes from the Katy Mills parking lot.

Riff Raff

Horst Christian Simco, better known as the “Tip Toe Wing in My Jawwdinz” rapper, was born in Houston and grew up in Copperfield. As a teen, Simco attended Langham Creek High School before dropping out. After stints in Duluth, Minnesota, Simco returned to Houston. He got a job customizing cars with candy paint, continuing to rap on the side. Like most local rappers, Riff Raff made homemade mixtapes and distributed them at several malls across the city, including Katy Mills. 

Gilmore Girls’ Alexis Bledel is a Houstonian through and through.

Alexis Bledel

Despite her New Englandish Rory Gilmore persona, Gilmore Girls star Alexis Bledel is a Texas Latina through and through. Bledel was born and raised in Houston by her Mexican mother, Nanette, and father, Martin, who hails from Argentina. Bledel grew up speaking Spanish and learned English at school. She graduated Asiatown’s St. Agnes Academy in 1999 and later attended New York University before dropping out to film Gilmore Girls.

The award-winning actor spent his adolescence in the Houston suburbs.

Lee Pace

The Pushing Daisies star was technically born in Oklahoma and lived in Saudi Arabia for years. (His dad worked in oil.) After a childhood of globe-trotting, Pace moved to Houston with his family, settling down in Spring. He attended Klein High School (alongside another big-time actor on this list) and even performed at Alley Theatre. Longtime local stage fans may remember Pace in productions like The Spider’s Web and The Greeks, before he moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School.

A Broadway icon, Loretta Devine comes from Acres Homes.

Loretta Devine

Best known for her roles in Grey’s Anatomy, Waiting to Exhale, and the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls, Devine was born in Houston and grew up in the Acres Homes neighborhood. She attended George Washington Carver High School and graduated with a degree in speech and drama from the University of Houston, then headed for NYC and Broadway.

The explosive life story of Anna Nicole Smith begins in Houston.

Anna Nicole Smith

Known for modeling campaigns and a Playboy centerfold, Anna Nicole Smith was, indeed, a Houston gal. Born Vickie Lynn Hogan, the future model attended local schools like Durkee Elementary, Aldine Middle School, and Humble High School, but moved to Mexia as a teenager. After marrying and then separating from her first husband, Smith returned to Houston and worked odd jobs, including as a Walmart cashier and an exotic dancer. She met second husband J. Howard Marshall, an oil magnate more than 60 years her senior, at Gigi’s Cabaret.

The Disney Channel starlets show big love for the H.

Hilary and Haylie Duff

Disney Channel starlet Hilary Duff and sister Haylie were both born here, too. The Duff family split time between Houston and San Antonio, moving to California in 1993 to pursue the sisters’ ambitions. The move paid off, and in the early 2000s Hilary quickly became the face of the Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire. Houston has always remained a part of Duff’s heart; the actor-singer was vocal about her support for the city after it was devastated by Hurricane Harvey.

The Chicago star was a cheerleader at Katy High School.

Renée Zellweger

Miss Bridget Jones herself hails from Katy! Born to Swiss and Norwegian parents, Zellweger grew up in this far-west suburb after her mother, Kjellfrid, a nurse and midwife, moved to Texas to work as a governess. Zellweger was a standout at Katy High, participating in cheerleading and soccer, and even placing in an essay contest featured in the Houston Post. (Zellweger came in third, earning a $50 gift certificate to the Chickadee Bookstore at the Houston Audubon Society.)

Alongside fellow actor Lee Pace, Matt Bomer too is from Spring.

Matt Bomer

Known for the Magic Mike franchise, actor Matt Bomer was born in Missouri but relocated to Spring. The Klein High alum befriended fellow actor Lee Pace and played on the school’s football team. Like Pace, Bomer, too, starred in productions at the Alley Theatre, including A Streetcar Named Desire.

The Sugar Land singer makes his love of Houston well-known.

Keshi

Everyone knows the “Soft Spot” singer reps Sugar Land and Houston hard. Born Casey Luong, Keshi graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School and the University of Texas before launching his short-lived career as a nurse at the Texas Medical Center. Now, music is his full-time gig. Keshi makes sure to light up Houston during tour stops and even released a special “H-Town” remix of his newest song, “Wantchu.”