Binghamton Is No Stranger To Famous People (Sorry Hugh Grant)

Everyone was in a tizzy this morning from the news that Hugh Grant was spotted in town this weekend. Oh my gosh, a star in our quaint little town! Well, it shouldn't phase anyone because of the talent that has come from this town.

Rod Serling anyone? Johnny Hart. Bridget Moynahan. Amy Sedaris even! Then there are the famous folks who went to Binghamton University. I won't go through the entire list of Bingo A Lister's , but will shine it on three people.

Jim Hutton was one of my favorite actors. He was Ellery Queen on TV. He was in Where The Boys Are with Paula Prentiss and starred alongside John Wayne too. You may know his son, Timothy Hutton. Jim Hutton frequently mentioned Binghamton fondly and even appeared on Rod Serling's Twilight Zone. Sadly, he passed away at age 45.

Our next brag is Bill Hallahan, a professional baseball player that was the star pitcher of the 1931 World Series, shutting down the Philadelphia Athletics in the 3 games he pitched against them. He started with the Syracuse Stars in 1924, then moved up to their major league team - The St. Louis Cardinals, where he stayed until 1936. His career wrapped up as a Philadelphia Philly in 1938.

One of Hallahan's most important role was after he retired. He lived on Davis Street on Binghamton's Westside and became a legend to the kids there, talking baseball and rooting for them at Rec Park.. He also worked at GAF in Johnson City.

And finally, we have a master makeup/special effects artist who has won 9 OSCARS (most for his category) and 11 nominations - Rick Baker.
His early work included The Exorcist, King Kong and Star Wars. Later came the Thriller video, Ed Wood and the Men In Black series of movies.

He even had acting roles in some his movies. To give you an idea of how big Rick Baker is, he was given a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame last year. Baker is considered a wizard in Hollywood and is called upon to create complicated monsters and makeup.

After it was announced that there will be new Star Wars movies, Baker through his name into the fray, saying he would love to do the job. Let's hope he gets to!

So, you get the idea? Binghamton's history is chock full of people who became famous or contributed something special to humanity. We live in a great place.