13 Celebrities Searched For The Most in Western New York

When you have a device that can give you answers to anything faster than a single blink, you are prone to become Google (and Wikipedia) savvy, but turns out, we’re looking up more than just “restaurants near me” or “what is the COVID-19 protocol for….”

We are heading to Wikipedia to look up some of Buffalo’s most famous people.

They say “there’s always a Buffalo connection,” and the connection here is that people in these Western New York towns have taken to Wikipedia for this celebrity the most. 

Take a look below and be honest, have you gone to Wikipedia for any of these people?

Rashad Evans (Niagara Falls)

The mixed martial artist was born in September 1979 and has been a fighter since 2003. Most recently, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame back in 2019. 

Timothy McVeigh (Pendleton)

Born in Lockport in 1968, McVeigh was a domestic terrorist responsible for the 1995 Oklahome City bombing that killed 168 people (19 were children) and injured more than 680 others. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001, the first federal prisoner to be executed since March 15, 1963.

Robert Mangold (North Tonawanda)

Robert Mangold is an American artist born in 1937 specializing in minimalism. He is also the father of film director and screenwriter James Mangold.

Rob Gronkowski (Amherst)

Born in Amherst in May 1989, Gronk is an American football tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He previously played nine seasons for the New England Patriots.

Patrick Wilson (Clarence)

Patrick Wilson was born in Virginia, but like I said, these celebrities have connections to Western New York, and for some reason, Clarence loves to check out Patrick on Wikipedia. He is an actor, director, and singer who began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway musicals, and he is a two-time Tony Award nominee for his roles in The Full Monty and Oklahoma!.

Dorothy Thompson (Lancaster)

Dorothy Thompson was born in Lancaster back in July 1893. She was a journalist and radio broadcaster, known for being the first American journalist to be expelled from Nazi Germany in 1934. She was also one of the few women news commentators on radio during the 1930s.

Mark Twain (Buffalo)

Born in 1835 in Missouri, Mark Twain became known as “The Father of American Literature. He is known as a writer, but he was also a publisher, lecturer, entrepreneur, and humorist. He really seemed like he could do anything.

Dick Shawn (Lackawanna) 

Dick Shawn was born in Lackawanna in December 1923,  he was an American actor and comedian. 

James A. Pawelczyk (Elma)

Pawelczyk was born in Buffalo in 1960. He is an American researcher of physiology and Kinesiology, known for flying aboard the NASA STS-90 Space Shuttle mission as a Payload Specialist.

Lex Luger (Orchard Park)

Known by his ring name Lex Luger, he is an American retired professional wrestler, television producer, bodybuilder, and football player, born in Buffalo. 

E. Howard Hunt (Hamburg)

Born in Hamburg in 1918, Everette Howard Hunt Jr. was an American intelligence officer and author who served as an officer in the Central Intelligence Agency, particularly in the United States involvement in regime change in Latin America including the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état and the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion.

Christian Laettner (Angola)

Originally from Angola, Christian Donald Laettner is an American former professional basketball player who played in college for the Duke Blue Devils. He is regarded as one of the best players in the National Collegiate Athletic Association history.

Pop Warner (Springville)

Born in Springville, NY back in 1871, Pop Warner was a college football coach at various institutions who is responsible for several key aspects of the modern game, included the single and double wing formations, the three point stance, and the body blocking technique.