7 People You May Not Know Are from Hampton Roads
Famous people from the Seven Cities
You may know some of the more famous people from Hampton Roads — music icon Pharrell, baseball’s Ryan Zimmerman, Las Vegas crooner Wayne Newton, and rapper and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Missy Elliott. But you may not know some other fairly high-profile celebrities who have roots in the Seven Cities.
Suffolk native James Avery played Uncle Phil for six seasons on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (via The Savannah Tribune)
James Avery (“Uncle Phil”) is from Suffolk
Everyone’s favorite uncle, James Avery, portrayed Will Smith’s “Uncle Phil” for six season’s on TV’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. But did you know that he was born in Suffolk, Virginia? Avery was raised in the Pughsville community in Suffolk. In honor of Suffolk’s very own James Avery, the inaugural AveryFest was held at Bennett’s Creek Park in Suffolk. The purpose of the festival is to not only honor Pughsville’s “Uncle Phil” but also to honor other African American artists and asrtisans from Suffolk. James was born on November 27, 1945 in Suffolk, Virginia. He died on December 31, 2013 in Glendale, California.
Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News (via Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images - Billboard)
The “First Lady of Song” Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News
Her voice had a unique bell-like quality. She could scat better than any other singer (even to this day). Her phrasing was unparalleled. Her timbre was unmatched. In a time when such musical qualities were held as sacred and pure in a segregated nation, Ella Fitzgerald was an African American icon who transcended the color barrier in song to become one of our region’s most cherished children. Ella was born in Newport News on April 25, 1917. She died in Beverly Hills on June 15, 1996.
First Colonial High School alumnus Mark Ruffalo (via SKpop)
The Avengers’ Hulk, Mark Ruffalo graduated from high school in Virginia Beach
Though born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Mark Ruffalo’ family moved to Virginia Beach where Mark attended First Colonial High School. While at First Colonial, he competed in wrestling and acted for the Patriot Playhouse.
Ruffalo is a three-time Oscar nominee and a two-time Emmy winner. He married Sunrise Coigney in 2000, and they have three children. They currently live in the Catskill Mountains in New York.
David Wright (via SBNAtion/Al Bello)
New York Mets’ third baseman David Wright was born in Norfolk
A true hometown hero, David Wright was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and attended Hickory High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. Recruited out of high school, Wright played in the minor leagues for a few years, ultimately winding up playing with the Norfolk Tides and then the Mets. Hailed as “one of the best players in Mets history,” with the stats to back it up, ranking first in team history in runs scored (949), hits (1,777) and RBIs (970). Wright retired from the Mets after the 2018 season. He married Molly Beers in 2013; they have three children and maintain homes in New York and Chesapeake, Virginia.
Portsmouth native Patton Oswalt (Via Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock/EW)
Comedian & actor Patton Oswalt was born in Portsmouth
Known as the voice of Remy in the animated film Ratatouille and as Spence Olchin in the sitcom The King of Queens, Patton Oswalt was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Patton’s dad was a career Marine Corps officer and named his eldest son after General George S. Patton. After graduating from Broad Run High School in Ashburn, Virginia, and from The College of William & Mary with a degree in English in Williamsburg, Virginia, Oswalt embarked on a career as a stand-up comic, writer, and actor.
Oswalt was married to writer Michelle McNamara from 2005 until her death in 2016; they have one child. Oswalt has been married Meredith Salenger since 2017.
Comedian and Chesapeake native Jay Pharoah (via Salon/Getty Image)
Stand-up comedian and actor Jay Pharoah was born in Chesapeake
Born as Jared Antonio Farrow in Chesapeake, Virginia, “Jay Pharoah” attended Indian River High School and Tidewater Community College. Known for spot-on impressions of Barack Obama, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, and more, Pharoah spent six seasons on Saturday Night Live. Since his time ago SNL, Pharoah has become a staple of TV and film.
Roy "FutureMan" Wooten at Rialto Theatre (via C Elliott Photos)
“Futche” aka Roy “FutureMan” Wooten was born in Hampton
“FutureMan” is a Grammy-winning musician and composer with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. He was born in Hampton, Virginia, and graduated from Denbigh High School in Newport News, Virginia. Wooten and his brothers are all musicians, and they toured as The Wooten Brothers in the 1970s. FutureMan’s brother Victor currently performs and tours with the Flecktones.
In addition to composing and performing music, FutureMan is an inventor, too. He invented the SynthAxe Drumitar, the “RoyEl,” which resembles a piano but plays notes not found in the traditional western music scales, and the Dorothy Graye, dedicated to his mother. According to his Flecktones bio, “[t]his instrument is based to play off of the composer’s scriabin color to sound keys, with the universal mathematics guiding the exploration of tunings, such as the periodic table of elements and the golden ratio.”
