Boston Celebrities, Ranked by How Boston They Are

It ’s fairly well-situated to spot the “ Boston ” citizenry in a TV show or moving picture : they ’re the ones who always wear Sox caps ( when they ’re not on responsibility , because they ’re all bull ) , are tough - as - nails , and wo n’t take Irish bull from anybody , and have the most intensely coached dialect in Hollywood . But it ’s waaaay hard to jazz who ’s a “ Boston ” mortal in genuine life ( unless they sound uncoached ) , peculiarly because Bostonians are the arbiters of Boston - ness , and as I mentioned before , they wo n’t take whoreson from anybody .

Let ’s get it out in the outdoors : there is a pantheon of Boston famous person . It ’s unspoken because Boston plays things closelipped to the chest , but it ’s there . OH , IT ’S THERE ! And it has a batch to do with how much shit masses wo n’t take .

Here ’s a ranking of the most Boston celebrities .

conan o’brien

Flickr/W.C. Fifield

18. Maria Menounos

Maria openly flaunts her Boston - cape . She ’s from Medford , loves Regina Pizzeria , travel to Emerson , and wasMiss Massachusetts Teen USA . But there ’s one affair about her youreallyneed to know : her favorite Regina Pizzeria positioning is “ not the North End one . ”

17. Uzo Aduba

You might not have known that Crazy Eyes inOrange Is the New Blackis from the Boston expanse , and I did n’t either until I commence doing research for this article . But she is ( from Medfield ) ! While she does n’t have the accent , run to BU , run track , and studying classical voice is somewhat much as Boston as you could get when it come in to our high Education Department . It ’s also a pretty bully curriculum vitae – and a real dreaming for any Massachusetts parent .

16. Jim Koch

This is the guy single - handedly responsible for getting you fat and happy on wintertime lager for the retiring five months . Some might not do it him by his face , but they sure as hell know his handiwork : Samuel Adams .

15. Paul Guilfoyle

You probably know Paul Guilfoyle from his role as Jim Brass onCSI , where he appeared in rough 318 sequence . He ’s also played characters named Officer Hickle , Detective Jack Kay , and Frankie “ Hot ” Salvino in – get this –One Tough Cop . Which is extra coolheaded because everyone in Boston know someone name Frankie “ Hot ” Salvino . ( Hi , Frankie ! )

14. Brian Scalabrine

Brian Scalabrine stand up out in the minds of most Boston Celtics fans as a man committed to our metropolis … and also because his unusually burnished white lustre is for good combust into our Einstein . After playing here , he go around a spot and eventually put out from the sport . But as many prodigal Boston son are wo nt to do , he came creep back to the domain … to become an psychoanalyst for the Celtics . ( And yes , you’ll see him at every secret plan . )

13. Barbara Walters

This problematic - as - nails diary keeper grew up in Brookline and has profess to give birth a Boston speech pattern in her spring chicken . moderately much anyone who can be described as “ tough - as - nail ” already has an ideological connectedness with Boston , but that last item just clinch it .

12. Donnie Wahlberg

allow ’s rattle off a few relevant Donnie Wahlberg stats correctly here : 1 ) he ’s distantly related to Nathaniel Hawthorne ( the original moody Boston celeb ! ) , 2 ) he grew up in Dorchester , and 3 ) he play inBlue Bloodsand is a producer onBoston ’s Finest . But probably the most Boston thing about Donnie is that heowns a burger jointwith his Brother .

11. Rachel Dratch

Rachel wasSaturday Night Live ’s go - to player for any and all Boston characters , include but not confine to her recurring Erolia minutilla as Denise , a part she knocked out of the park ( which I suppose is a basketball full term ) . A distich more thing you need to jazz : she farm up in Lexington , her pop ’s a radiologist , and she was educated up at Dartmouth . I get laid , it is n’t Harvard , but c’m on .

10. Conan O’Brien

Jesus Christ , this guy ’s name is Conan . Christopher . O’Brien . You could n’t sound more Boston Irish if you uploaded an intact one C ’s worth of Irish immigration information into a name source and asked it to crank out a doozy .

9. Casey Affleck

For all the Boston use that Ben Affleck hasgarnered(ooooooh , sorry ) , Casey ’s always been there , in the dark part of the way , pensiveness , and probably thinking of ways to overreach up the other measure patrons ( because in most Casey Affleck movies there is a bar scenery ) . He was inGood Will search , Gone Baby Gone , andManchester by the Sea . And if that does n’t convince you of his Boston cred , maybe this will .

8. David Ortiz

The unmarried biggest Boston sports celebrity of the last decade , David Ortiz defined Red Sox baseball game for a raft of young people . Through loggerheaded and slight ( mostly thick-skulled ) , he ’s stuck it out here in our townspeople , open up up Big Papi ’s Grille on Route 9 in Framingham ( RIP ) and buying property in Weston . Possibly most notable of all , though , is the fact that he became a US citizen at the JFK Library . Bless you , Big Papi .

7. Denis Leary

OK , so Denis is actually from Worcester , but that ’s basically Boston West anyway , so here it goes : Denis is a third cousin of Conan O’Brien , sheer his tooth on the comedy scene in Boston , and foregather his married woman when they were both student at Emerson . I also ca n’t think of anything more Boston than wee-wee a show loosely based on the revival of Aerosmith ( FX’sSex&Drugs&Rock&Roll ) .

6. Barney Frank

No public figure has do to well embody the innately combative - yet - reform-minded nature of Boston politics than Barney Frank . This whip - smart Harvard - educated bozo continues – even in his retirement from political sympathies – to take people to task for their b , which is a tone most Bostonians have perfect to a tee ( and frequently directed at operator of the T ) .

5. Matt Damon

You ca n’t discourse Boston renown ( orhilariousTeam Americascenes ) without including Matt Damon . His career was launched by a groundbreaking part inGood Will Hunting , a movie he also co - write , which established him as the more bookishly charming one-half of a Boston mentality trustingness with Ben Affleck . Affleck became known as the more physical street - smart party boy , and Damon the more wholesome Cambridge - raised intellect . He went on to come back only briefly to his Boston ancestor forThe Departed , but Affleck …

4. Ben Affleck

… Affleck would return to the Boston wellspring again and again , withGone Baby GoneandThe Town . The main character in his upcoming film , bouncy by Night , is the son of a Boston cop . And yes , he also had a script in writingGood Will Huntingwith Damon ( thoughFamily Guymight discord ) .

3. Mark Wahlberg

Like his brother Donnie , Mark is a Cartesian product of Dorchester . But despite his brother ’s initial interior fame as a member of NKOTB briefly trim back Mark to opener status , Mark soon became the main event . His Boston personality was ( and still is ) big - than - life , not only on - stage and on - screenland , but also just in life . earnestly , you ca n’t be inTedwith Seth MacFarlane without some serious confidence in your Boston chops .

2. Doug Flutie

Do n’t you dare say anything bad about Doug Flutie . Doug Flutie is a SAINT . THE PATRON SAINT OF NATICK ! GO REDHAWKS ! ! !

1. Bill Burr

When you peel back all the layers of stoicism , Boston is on the Q.T. an worked up city . Most of that emotion is incredulous rage , but still , the tip stands . It ’s also a metropolis with a vibrant comedy scene , because who well to actually vent this incredulous rage than barflies who saw the “ opened mic ” planetary house and decided they want to get something off their thorax before heading to Grendel ’s Den .

The avatar of both those qualities ? Bill Burr . Raised in Canton , this guy has made a name for himself for speaking his mind ( hilariously ) , no matter of whether or not doing so would be politically right . That ’s more or less been the seethe i d beneath the veneer of Boston politeness for credibly 100 years now . Just check outthis videoto see him lapsing back into his Boston stress while giving a tour of the city in what seems to be a midsize Sedan , and you ’ll know there was no other potential No . 1 pick . Oh , also , his bio varlet onBillBurr.comends thusly : " That ’s it . Go have it away yourself . "

ethical mentions : Larry Bird , Robert Parish , Kevin McHale . We could n’t pick just one .

maria menounous

Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

editor program ’s note : countenance ’s talk about Jimmy Fallon . A lot of citizenry I verbalize to for this article thought Jimmy Fallon was from Boston . He is n’t , but the fact that so many masses think he is makes me a routine suspicious . What kinda rumour manufacturing plant are you execute , Fallon ? !

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Adam Lapetinais Thrillist ’s partnerships editor and would get laid to get some free Wahlburgers from writing this while . Read his musing at@adamlapetina .

Uzo Aduba