You may be surprised how many celebrities were born in the Alamo City. While we don’t have the glitzy profile of LA, New York or even Dallas, plenty of talented folks have come up in the 210 — and some have hit the big time.

These film, music and TV stars were all born in San Antonio, and while some quickly moved away, many stayed around for the long haul.

Mina Sharon Myoi K-Pop idol Mina was born in San Antonio in 1997. She didn’t stay in the Alamo City long, but moved with her family to Japan when she was a toddler. She was later scouted by JYP Entertainment while shopping in Osaka, and rocketed to success as a member of TWICE. In a promotional vlog for a 2022 TWICE show in Ft. Worth, Myoi said that she didn’t remember living in Texas, but that she did return to visit every two years with her parents for a while. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Pearly Gates Korea
Michelle Rodriguez Action star Michelle Rodriguez came out kicking in San Antonio in 1978, and lived in Texas until she was 8. Her family later moved to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Rodriguez may be best known for playing Letty in the Fast & Furious movies, but she’s also appeared in other iconic franchises including Machete and Resident Evil. In 2023, she starred in the new Dungeons and Dragons movie, as well as Fast X. Credit: Universal Studios
Henry Thomas Most often recognized for his breakout role at Elliott in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, San Antonio native Henry Thomas has become a horror fixture of late with roles in Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher. The actor was born in SA in 1971 and went to East Central HS. Credit: Netflix / Eike Schroter
Nicolas Cantu Nicolas Cantu spent his first 10 years in San Antonio before moving to LA to pursue acting. His various film and television appearances include The Walking Dead: World Beyond, The Fabelmans and The Amazing World of Gumball, and he recently starred as Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Credit: AMC
Shea Serrano New York Times best-selling author, journalist and former teacher Shea Serrano proudly reps San Antonio – more specifically the South Side. Widely known for his addictive Twitter personality, Serrano graduated from Southwest HS. In 2021, he completed his bestselling book trilogy (And Other Things) with Hip Hop (And Other Things), and in 2023 his TV series Primo debuted on Amazon Freevee. Credit: Larami Serrano
Joan Crawford Actress Joan Crawford, known for her roles in films like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Mildred Pierce, was born in San Antonio at the turn of the 20th century. The Academy Award winner attained a level of infamy in the wake of her adoptive daughter Christina Crawford’s 1978 autobiography Mommie Dearest, which alleged that Joan — who had passed in 1977 — was abusive and an alcoholic. In 1981, the book was adapted into a film of the same name starring Faye Dunaway. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Studio production still
Ally Brooke Born Ally Brooke Hernandez in 1993, San Antonio native Ally Brooke rose to pop stardom as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony. She went to Cornerstone Elementary School, but no high school can claim her since she completed her studies through home-schooling. Since Fifth Harmony went on hiatus in 2018, she has released the book Finding Your Harmony and holiday-themed EP Under the Tree. In late 2023, Brooke told People that she is still working on her planned solo album, and hinted about “possible Fifth Harmony adventures ahead.” Credit: Photo via Shutterstock / lev radin
Jeff Hiller Comedian and actor Jeff Hiller grew up in San Antonio and graduated from Churchill High School. Though he originally planned to become a pastor, he graduated from Texas Lutheran University with a degree in theater. He made a name for himself with appearances in shows like 30 Rock, Community, Broad City and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Recently, he starred as Joel in HBO’s Somebody Somewhere. Credit: Courtesy Photo / HBO
Steve Howey Though he was born in San Antonio in 1977, Steve Howey actually spent most of his childhood on a boat his parents sailed up and down the Pacific Coast before his family settled down in Colorado when he was a teen. Howey starred in Reba from 2001-2007, but most people would likely recognize him as Kevin Ball in Showtime’s Shameless. Recently, he starred in the TV series True Lies. Credit: Shutterstock / Featureflash Photo Agency
Emilio Rivera It’s not often that an actor gets to play the same role on multiple TV shows, but that’s just what Emilio Rivera did as Marcus Alvarez on AMC’s Sons of Anarchy and its spinoff Mayans M.C. Born in San Antonio in 1961, Rivera grew up on the outskirts of L.A. and launched his acting career in the ’90s. He also starred in Eva Longoria’s film Flamin’ Hot, which tells the alleged origin story of the beloved local snack. Credit: FX
Megan Thee Stallion She may have grown up in Houston, but Megan Thee Stallion was actually born in San Antonio in 1995. The rapper, singer and songwriter made a huge splash in 2020 with her hit single “Savage” and for collaborating with Cardi B on the summer-shattering, sex-positive anthem “WAP.” In 2022, she released her second studio album, Traumazine. Credit: Jaime Monzon
SA-born director Robert Rodriguez, who went ot St. Anthony High School, is known for movies such as Machete to Spy Kids. Credit: Shutterstock / Tinseltown
Noël Wells Noël Wells was born in SA in 1986, but moved around Texas when she was a kid. The actress and director went to high school in Victoria before studying at the University of Texas at Austin. The SNL alum is recognizable for her work on Master of None and Mr. Roosevelt, and recently lent her voice to the animated series Craig of the Creek and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Credit: Netflix
Kevin Alejandro Kevin Alejandro was born in SA in 1976 and lived here until he was eight years old. The hunktastic actor has made appearances in True Blood, Arrow and Southland, and played Dan Espinoza in Lucifer. He currently plays Manny Perez on the CBS series Fire Country. Credit: CBS
Anthony Alabi Born in San Antonio in 1981, Anthony Alabi went on to attend Antonian College Preparatory High School before moving on to play college football at Texas Christian University. First snagged by the Miami Dolphins in the 2005 NFL draft, Alabi played professional football until 2009, when he retired to pursue acting. More recently, Alabi has been featured on Disney’s Raven’s Home as Coach Spitz and starred opposite Tia Mowry-Hardict in Netflix’s Family Reunion, and also played Zach Hammond in the 2023 Dead Space video game remake. Credit: Netflix
Carol Burnett Comedian and actress Carol Burnett helped shatter the entertainment-industry glass ceiling with her groundbreaking and successful TV program The Carol Burnett Show, one of the first comedy variety shows to be hosted by a woman. She went on to a variety of roles on TV, movies and stage, including a guest spot on Mad About You that landed her an Emmy. Although she was born in San Antonio in 1933, Burnett eventually moved with her grandmother to Hollywood, California. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Carol Burnett
Nicholas Gonzalez Nicholas Gonzalez didn’t originally plan to be an actor, but we’re glad he became one. He was born in San Antonio in 1976 and went to Central Catholic HS before going to Stanford to study English. While he was there, a professor who saw him in a one-man theater performance convinced him to pursue acting, and the rest is history. In addition to appearances on Pretty Little Liars, How To Get Away With Murder and Being Mary Jane, the TV star played Dr. Neil Melendez on ABC’s The Good Doctor. Now, you can see him on NBC’s La Brea as U.S. Air Force Pilot Capt. Levi Delgado. Credit: NBC
Elizabeth Chambers Born here in 1982, actress Elizabeth Chambers moved away as a toddler, but the actress couldn’t stay out of SA. In 2012, she opened Bird Bakery with her then-husband Armie Hammer in Alamo Heights. In 2020 the couple announced their split, but no need to worry — it doesn’t look like Bird’s tasty cupcakes are going anywhere anytime soon. Credit: Shutterstock / DFree
James Roday Rodriguez Psych star James Roday Rodriguez was born here in 1976 and went to Taft HS before making his name playing a fake psychic detective on the long-running USA comedy series for eight seasons and three movies. Recently, he also played Gary Mendez on ABC’s A Million Little Things. Credit: Peacock
Rick Riordan You may know Rick Riordan for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, but did you know the author’s a tried and true San Antonian? Born and raised in the Alamo City, Riordan went to Alamo Heights High School before heading to college at North Texas State University (now UNT). He transferred to UT Austin to study English and History, then came back to San Antonio and nabbed a teaching certification at UTSA. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Rhododendrites
Gil Birmingham Actor Gil Birmingham was born in San Antonio in 1953, but wasn’t here for long due to his father’s career in the military. The actor has appeared in everything from the Twilight series to Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and now plays Thomas Rainwater in Paramount’s Yellowstone. Credit: Paramount
Austin Mahone Pop star Austin Mahone got his start covering songs on YouTube, and now has a slew of releases under his belt. He was born in SA in 1996 and even went to Johnson HS for a year before finishing high school in homeschool. He has two albums under his belt: 2017’s Dirty Work and 2023’s A Lone Star Story. Credit: Shutterstock / Kathy Hutchins
Pendleton Ward You may not recognize his face, but you’d definitely recognize his drawings — Pendleton Ward is the brains behind hit Cartoon Network series Adventure Time, which ran on the channel from 2010-2018. The animator and voice actor was born in San Antonio in 1982 and graduated from now-LEE High School before moving to California to attend CalArts. Ward is also known for his work on other animated series including Bravest Warriors, Bee and Puppycat and The Midnight Gospel. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Peabody Awards
Chrystabell made her screen debut as FBI Agent Tammy Preston in the 2017 return of Lynch’s iconic TV series Twin Peaks. Credit: Showtime
Jared Padalecki Jared Padalecki’s breakout role may have been playing Dean Forester on Gilmore Girls, but he’ll likely always be remembered for his 15-season run as Sam Winchester on Supernatural. Now, Padalecki stars as the famed Texas Ranger formerly played by Chuck Norris in the TV series reboot Walker. The actor was born in the Alamo City in 1982 and graduated from Madison HS, and now calls Austin home. Credit: The CW
Ricardo Chavira Though he’s starred in hit TV series from Desperate Housewives to Scandal, Ricardo Chavira arguably landed his greatest role yet in 2019: playing Tejana queen Selena’s father Abraham Quintanilla Jr. in Netflix’s series about the pop star. Chavira was born in San Antonio in 1971 and graduated from LEE High School — then named Robert E. Lee — and later attended the University of the Incarnate Word. Credit: Netflix
Summer Glau Perhaps best known for roles in Joss Whedon’s series Firefly and Dollhouse, Summer Glau has been kicking ass onscreen for two decades. She was born here in 1981 and homeschooled while she studied ballet, but she moved into acting when her dance career was ended by an injury. The Arrow and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star most recently made an appearance in two episodes of Netflix’s Wu Assassins in 2019. Credit: The CW
Jessica Collins Jessica Collins is known for her roles in the Oscar-winning film Zero Dark Thirty, the AMC television series Rubicon and NBC’s Revolution. She played Emma Beesly on Netflix’s 2021 miniseries Clickbait, and recently appeared on Apple TV+’s Echo 3 as Amber. Credit: Apple TV+
Bruce McGill Even if you’re not a Bruce McGill stan, you probably recognize him, because he’s made appearances on tons of TV shows since he started acting in the late ’70s. McGill was born in San Antonio in 1950 and went to MacArthur HS before going to the University of Texas at Austin for college, and has been in everything from Animal House to USA’s Rizzoli and Isles in his decades-spanning career. He recently played Mayor Grover Teale in Amazon’s Reacher. Credit: Amazon
Madison Davenport Born in the Alamo City in 1996, Madison Davenport hit the ground running. The young actress was featured in recurring roles in Shameless, Save Me and From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series. More recently, she appeared in the hit HBO miniseries Sharp Objects and Hulu’s Reprisal. Credit: Hulu
Ada Vox Drag queen Ada Vox made a splash on American Idol in 2018, reaching the top 10 in that year’s competition. Vox was born Adam Sanders in San Antonio in 1993, and went to South San Antonio High School. In December 2021, she joined 14 fellow drag queens on the new Paramount+ series Queen of the Universe, singing live to compete for a $250,000 prize, and placed second. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Paramount+
Jesse Borrego Nobody reps the 2-1-0 like Jesse Borrego. Born in San Antonio in 1962, the Harlandale HS graduate still lives here today. While he may be best known for his roles in Fame and Blood In Blood Out, Borrego’s had his share of roles on hit TV series — from Dexter to Fear the Walking Dead. Credit: Courtesy Photo / CineFestival
Yacht rock hitmaker Christopher Cross performs a concert. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Steven Miller
Patricia Vonne Sister to Robert Rodriguez, Patricia Vonne is a powerhouse in her own right. The singer and actress, who’s appeared in some of her brother’s films, was born in San Antonio in 1969 and went to St. Anthony High School. She lived in NYC for a while but later returned to the Lone Star State and settled in Austin. She joined forces with fellow Latina singer-songwriters Tish Hinojosa and Stephanie Urbina Jones to form the Texicana Mamas. In 2021, she dropped the Christmas album My Favorite Holiday. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Frank Schwichtenberg
Actor Jonathan Joss has appeared on the TV shows King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation, and he’s had roles in video games including Days Gone, Wasteland 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. Credit: Netflix
Chris Perez Known best as Selena’s husband, musician Chris Perez was born in San Antonio in 1969 and went to Jefferson HS. Though he’s still active as a musician, Perez has expanded into the food scene with a slate of pepper sauces. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / TheFelixGaribay
Carole Baskin When Netflix’s true crime series Tiger King thrust Carole Baskin into viral fame in the spring of 2020, we were as surprised as anyone to find out that she was born in San Antonio. The CEO of Florida’s Big Cat Rescue, who Joe Exotic tried to have killed in a murder-for-hire plot, revealed on YouTube that she was born at Lackland Air Force Base in 1961 and lived in a house on Wharton St. on the South Side. It’s unclear for how long Baskin lived in SA, but it appears her family moved away when she was still a baby. Credit: Netflix
John Allen Nelson Whether you know him from the original Baywatch or 24, John Allen Nelson is immediately recognizable. The actor was born in San Antonio in 1959 before going on to make a name for himself in Hollywood. In 2016 and 2017, he took a break from a long string of appearances on police procedurals and appeared in three episodes of The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Credit: The CW
John Quiñones TV personality Juan Manuel “John” Quiñones was born in the Alamo City in 1952, and attended Brackenridge HS before heading to St. Mary’s University for college, with the help of the Upward Bound program. Now, he’s best known for hosting ABC’s What Would You Do? He has also served as a correspondent on Good Morning America and 20/20. Credit: ABC
Katie Leclerc Katie Leclerc was born in San Antonio in 1986, but ended up growing up in Colorado. She starred in the ABC Family series Switched at Birth from 2011-2017. Credit: Freeform
Marcia Nasatir Born in San Antonio in 1926, Marcia Nasatir is a pioneer for women in Hollywood — particularly women working as producers. In 1974, Nasatir became the first female vice president of a major Hollywood studio (United Artists). She legit grew up in SA too — she opened up about attending Jefferson HS and going to movies at the Majestic and Aztec as a kid. Nasatir passed away in August of 2021 at the age of 95. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Marcia Nasatir

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