Editing Belleville, New Jersey (section)

==Notable people==
{{Category see also|People from Belleville, New Jersey}}
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Belleville include:

{{div col}}
* [[Platt Adams]] (1885–1961), track and field athlete who was winner of gold and silver Olympic medals<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171431/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ad/platt-adams-1.html Platt Adams], [[Sports Reference LLC]]. Accessed September 14, 2017.</ref>
* [[Russell Baker]] (1925–2019), [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning writer of ''[[Growing Up (memoir)|Growing Up]]''<ref>Rowe, Jonathan. [https://web.archive.org/web/20071001043741/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/csmonitor_historic/access/365315072.html?dids=365315072:365315072&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Jan+24,+1991&author=JONATHAN+ROWE&pub=Christian+Science+Monitor&desc=The+Gap+Between+Us&pqatl=google "The Gap Between Us"], ''[[the Christian Science Monitor]]'', January 24, 1991. Accessed August 14, 2007. "IN his book ''Growing Up,'' Russell Baker; the New York Times columnist, described the kitchen table of his childhood. It was in Belleville, N.J., during the depths of the Depression."</ref>
* [[Chico Borja]] (1959–2021), former professional soccer player<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/18/sports/results-plus-533092.html "Results Plus"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 18, 1992. Accessed July 11, 2012. "Jeff Agoos and Chico Borja of Belleville, N.J., scored two goals each as the United States beat Russia, 8–3, last night in its opening match of the FIFA world indoor championship in Hong Kong."</ref><ref name=Borja>Lewis, Michael. [https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2021/02/in-memoriam-former-usmnt-midfielder-chico-borja "In Memoriam: Former USMNT Midfielder Chico Borja"], [[United States Soccer Federation]], February 11, 2021. Accessed February 7, 2025. "The Borja family emigrated to the USA and resided in Belleville, N.J. Borja became the first NJIT player to attain All-American status."</ref>
* [[Ramiro Borja]] (born 1961), retired professional soccer player<ref name=Borja/>
* [[Lonnie G. Bunch III]] (born 1952), museum director and historian<ref>[https://mikelamberti.wordpress.com/2019/05/28/belleville-new-jerseys-own-lonnie-bunch-iii-ascends-to-the-top-of-his-profession-as-the-new-secretary-of-the-smithsonian-bunch-is-the-first-african-american-in-the-173-year-history-of-the-smithso/ Lamberti, Mike], May 28, 2019. "Belleville, New Jersey’s own Lonnie Bunch III ascends to the top of his profession, as the new Secretary of the Smithsonian; Bunch is the first African-American in the 173-year history of the Smithsonian to be named its Director."</ref>
* [[Gilbert Luis R. Centina III]] (born 1947), Roman Catholic priest and author<ref>[https://www.poemhunter.com/gilbert-luis-r-centina-iii/biography/ Gilbert Luis R. Centina III], Poem Hunter. Accessed September 10, 2019. "Author Gilbert Luis R. Centina III of Belleville, New Jersey is a leading Christian voice in contemporary literature."</ref>
* [[Ralph R. Caputo]] (born 1940), member of the [[New Jersey General Assembly]] who has represented the [[New Jersey's 28th legislative district|28th Legislative District]]<ref>Milo, Paul. [http://patch.com/new-jersey/belleville/report-caputo-bidding-adieu-to-belleville "Report: Caputo Bidding Adieu to Belleville; Redistricting Compelling Move, Assemblyman Says"], Belleville Patch, April 8, 2011. Accessed December 22, 2014. "There's been another development in what is proving to be an eventful week in local politics: Assemblyman Ralph Caputo is leaving Belleville and relocating to Nutley, where he plans to seek re-election from the 28th District, according to a published report."</ref>
* [[Kacy Catanzaro]] (born 1990) is a gymnast noted for being the first woman to qualify for the finals of the television sports challenge ''[[American Ninja Warrior]]''<ref>Iannetta, Jessica. [http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/07/kacy_catanzaro_american_ninja_warrior_belleville_gymnast_nj.html "'American Ninja' star Kacy Catanzaro of N.J.: 'I didn't realize how many other people would care'"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', July 18, 2014. Accessed December 22, 2014. "Kacy Catanzaro grew up watching ''American Ninja Warrior'' with her dad on the TV in their Belleville, N.J. home."</ref>
* [[Samuel Cornish]] (1795–1858), abolitionist and publisher of the first newspaper in the United States owned by African Americans<ref>Di Ionno, Mark. [http://blog.nj.com/njv_mark_diionno/2011/02/lonnie_bunch_history_in_the_ma.html "N.J.'s Lonnie Bunch: History in the making at African-American museum"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', February 13, 2011. Accessed April 14, 2013. "Not the first, though. Many years later, as a historian, Bunch learned Belleville had been a place where free blacks from New York City bought land for country houses in the 19th century. 'One was Samuel Cornish, owner and publisher of the first black-owned paper in the United States (founded 1832),' Bunch said."</ref>
* [[Bob Crewe]] (1930–2014), songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist best known for producing, and co-writing together with [[Bob Gaudio]], a string of Top 10 singles for [[The Four Seasons (band)|The Four Seasons]]<ref>Woo, Elaine. [http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-bob-crewe-20140913-story.html "Bob Crewe dies at 83; songwriter behind Frankie Valli, Four Seasons"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', September 12, 2014. Accessed December 22, 2014. "Crewe was born Nov. 12, 1930, in Newark, N.J., and grew up in nearby Belleville, where a couple of future members of the Four Seasons were born."</ref>
* [[Jack Cullen]] (born 1939), pitcher who played for the [[New York Yankees]]<ref>Constatntino, Rocco. [https://ballnine.com/2022/04/08/jack-cullen/ "Jack Cullen"], Ball Nine, April 8, 2022. Accessed January 3, 2025. "Despite the fame that has come from the Essex County town, only one person has ever graduated from Belleville High School and gone on to play Major League Baseball. That man is Jack Cullen, who pitched for the Yankees in the 1960s, and he joins us for this week’s edition of Spitballin'. The street where Cullen grew up, White Oak Terrace, is located just 11 miles from Yankee Stadium in North Jersey."</ref>
* [[Robert Curvin]] (1934–2015), researcher and theorist on issues related to urban poverty<ref>[[Sam Roberts (newspaper journalist)|Roberts, Sam]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/nyregion/robert-curvin-scholar-who-fought-bias-and-poverty-in-newark-dies-at-81.html "Robert Curvin, Scholar Who Fought Bias and Poverty in Newark, Dies at 81"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 30, 2015. Accessed May 23, 2016. "Robert Curvin was born on Feb. 23, 1934, in Belleville, N.J., a township adjacent to Newark."</ref>
* [[Michael Devaney (runner)|Michael Devaney]] (1891–1967), track and field athlete who competed in the [[1920 Summer Olympics]] and in the [[1924 Summer Olympics]], and was part of the team that won the gold medal in 1920 in the [[Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 3000 metres team race|3000 meter steeplechase competition]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418061917/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/mike-devaney-1.html Mike Devaney], [[Sports-Reference.com]]. Accessed December 22, 2014.</ref>
* [[Tommy DeVito (musician)|Tommy DeVito]] (1928–2020), musician and singer<ref name=FourSeasons/>
* [[Dennis Diken]] (born 1957), drummer with [[The Smithereens]]<ref>[https://archive.today/20130629221516/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/509151/its-your-birthday-smithereens-dennis-diken.jhtml "You Say It's Your Birthday: The Smithereens' Dennis Diken"], [[MTV News]], February 25, 1997. Accessed April 14, 2013. "Today is the birthday of Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken, who was born in 1957 in Belleville, New Jersey."</ref>
* [[Cornelius Ennis]] (1813–1899), cotton shipper and railroad executive who served as [[List of mayors of Houston|Mayor of Houston, Texas]]<ref>Benham, Priscilla Myers. [https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ennis-cornelius "Ennis, Cornelius (1813–1899)"], ''[[Handbook of Texas]]''. Accessed December 28, 2020. "Ennis, Cornelius (1813–1899). Cornelius Ennis, mayor of Houston, merchant, Confederate blockade runner, and railroad entrepreneur, was born on September 26, 1813, in Belleville, New Jersey."</ref>
* [[Connie Francis]] (born 1938), singer<ref>Bondy, Halley. [http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/10/belleville_to_honor_hometown_g.html "Belleville to honor hometown girl, the resilient Connie Francis"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', October 22, 2009. Accessed January 3, 2011.</ref>
* [[Dany Garcia]] (born 1969), businessperson, professional bodybuilder and film/television producer<ref>Strauss, Gerry. [https://www.nj.com/inside-jersey/2015/09/nj_woman_finds_winning_tag-team_partner_in_the_rock.html "N.J. woman finds winning tag-team partner in 'The Rock'"], ''[[Inside Jersey]]'', September 18, 2015, updated March 29, 2019. Accessed October 21, 2020. "Growing up in Belleville was 'a great American experience. I loved it,' says Dany Garcia, who, with ex-husband Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, has built a multimillion-dollar film and TV production company."</ref>
* [[Bob Gaudio]] (born 1942), singer, songwriter and producer<ref name=FourSeasons/>
* [[Kay Gardella]] (1923–2005), reporter, critic and columnist for almost 60 years at the ''[[New York Daily News]]''<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/business/media/15GARDELLA.html "Kay Gardella, 82, Daily News TV Critic, Dies"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', April 15, 2005. Accessed December 22, 2014. "Ms. Gardella was born in Belleville, N.J., and graduated from the old Upsala College in East Orange."</ref>
* [[Frances Goodrich]] (1890–1984), dramatist and screenwriter, best known for her collaborations with her partner and husband [[Albert Hackett]]<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0007_0_07661.html Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett], [[Jewish Virtual Library]]. Accessed December 22, 2014. "Goodrich, Frances (1890–1984) and Hackett, Albert (1900–1995), U.S. writers. Born in Belleville, New Jersey, Goodrich attended Passaic High School."</ref>
* [[Scott Graham]] (born 1965), [[Philadelphia Phillies]] broadcaster<ref>Staff. [https://archive.today/20130201002121/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courierpostonline/access/1844784351.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+11,+2000&author=&pub=Courier+Post&desc=Sicklerville's+versatile+Scott+Graham+is+quickly+forging+a+career+in+sports+announcing&pqatl=google "Sicklerville's versatile Scott Graham is quickly forging a career in sports announcing"], ''[[Courier-Post]]'', May 11, 2000. Accessed November 4, 2012. "This summer, the Belleville, Essex County, native will spend most of his on-air time with the Phillies."</ref>
* [[David Grant (American football)|David Grant]] (born 1965), former NFL player<ref>via [[Associated Press]]. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hW0zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vOgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2639,4398414 "Seminar stresses school to college-bound athletes"], ''[[Lawrence Journal-World]]'', June 25, 1983. Accessed January 3, 2011.</ref>
* [[Phil Grippaldi]] (born 1946) was an Olympic [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifter]] who competed for the United States at the games in 1968, 1972 and 1976<ref>[http://www.njsportsheroes.com/philgrippaldios.html Phil Grippaldi], NJSports.com. Accessed November 23, 2017. "Philip Salvatore Grippaldi was born September 27, 1946 in Newark and grew up in Belleville."</ref><ref>Fremon, Suzanne S. [https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/13/archives/state-has-13-on-olympic-team.html "State Has 13 on Olympic Team"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 13, 1972. Accessed November 22, 2017. "Other New Jerseyans on the various Olympic teams are Phillip Grippaldo{{sic}} of Belleville and Frank Capsouras of River Edge, weight lifters; Robert Sparks of Clark and Thomas Hardiman of Trenton, team-handball players, and Reginald Jones of Newark a light-middleweight boxer."</ref>
* [[Creighton Gubanich]] (born 1972), catcher who played professionally in 15 games for the [[Boston Red Sox]] in 1999 and had a [[grand slam (baseball)|grand slam]] as his first career hit and only career home run<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gubancr01.shtml Creighton Gubanich], [[Baseball-Reference.com]]. Accessed December 22, 2014.</ref>
[[File:Gen. Lewellyn F. Haskell - NARA - 528379 Restored.jpg|thumb|right|Gen. Llewellyn F. Haskell]]
* [[Llewellyn F. Haskell]] (1842–1929), [[United States Army]] officer and a [[Union Army|Union]] [[General officer|general]] during the [[American Civil War]]<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=4IxIAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA482 ''Herringshaw's American Blue-book of Biography''], p. 482. [[American Publishers Association]], 1914. Accessed May 27, 2016. "Haskell, Llewellyn Frost, soldier and manufacturer of Belleville, N.J., was born Oct. 8, 1842, in Belleville, N.J."</ref>
* [[George Hrab]] (born 1971), drummer, guitarist, composer and [[podcaster]] known for performing rock, [[funk]] and [[jazz]]<ref>Howell, Dave. [http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/music/mc-george-hrab-bethlehem-ice-house-20160121-story.html "George Hrab to perform his 'Broad Street Score' in Bethlehem"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125010813/http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/music/mc-george-hrab-bethlehem-ice-house-20160121-story.html |date=January 25, 2016 }}, ''[[The Morning Call]]'', January 21, 2016. Accessed December 3, 2017. "The 44-year-old Hrab (pronounced with a near silent 'h') was born in Belleville, N.J. His parents immigrated to the United States as youngsters. 'I grew up speaking Ukrainian, went to Ukrainian Saturday school, ski and canoe trips, and scouts. You were given demerits if you spoke English,' he says."</ref>
* [[Frank Iero]] (born 1981), musician best known as the rhythm guitarist for the band [[My Chemical Romance]], lead vocalist for the band [[Leathermouth]] and lead vocalist and guitarist for the band [[Pencey Prep]]<ref>Bruder, Jessica. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/29/nyregion/29njCOVER.html "Loud, Proud and Important"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 29, 2005. Accessed March 28, 2008. "Among some of the station's most ardent fans are the bands that WSOU has boosted. ''That's all I listen to when I go home,'' said Frank Iero, a guitarist in My Chemical Romance and a Belleville native."</ref>
* [[Nick Massi]] (1935–2000), early member of [[The Four Seasons (group)|the Four Seasons]]<ref name=FourSeasons/>
* [[Tony Meola]] (born 1969), soccer goalie<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF46C31660E209&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Jersey-kid Meola ready for KC], ''[[The Kansas City Star]]'', February 6, 1999, "Born and raised in Belleville, N.J...."</ref>
* [[Paul Mirabella]] (born 1954), [[MLB]] player for the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]], [[New York Yankees]], [[Toronto Blue Jays]], [[Baltimore Orioles]], [[Seattle Mariners]], and the [[Milwaukee Brewers]]<ref>[[Red Smith (sportswriter)|Smith, Red]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/16/archives/homecoming-for-a-yankee-fan-sports-of-the-times-the-view-from.html "Homecoming for a Yankee Fan; Sports of The Times The View from Jersey A Seat in the Bull Pen"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 16, 1979. Accessed June 19, 2009. "He was born in Belleville, N.J., attended high school in Parsippany, now lives in Boonton Manor."</ref>
* [[Doris Kopsky Muller]] (1922–1997), cyclist who was the first woman to win a national title in cycling<ref>[http://www.usbhof.org/inductee-by-year/24-doris-kopsky-muller Doris Kopsky Muller] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609104647/http://www.usbhof.org/inductee-by-year/24-doris-kopsky-muller |date=June 9, 2017 }}, [[United States Bicycling Hall of Fame]]. Accessed June 27, 2019. "When the Amateur Bicycle League of America, predecessor to the U.S. Cycling Federation, expanded its national-championship format in 1937―in a program in Buffalo, New York―to introduce the women’s title competition, fifteen-year-old Doris Kopsky of Belleville, New Jersey, won the first women’s national title, officially designated as the girls’ championship."</ref>
* [[Joe Pesci]] (born 1943), actor<ref>Colford, Paul D. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104234721/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/33209300.html?dids=33209300:33209300&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+19,+1998&author=VARIETY%3B+BY+PETER+GOODMAN.+STAFF+WRITER%3B+BY+PAUL+D.+COLFORD.&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=FLASH!+The+latest+entertainment+news+and+more.+.+.&pqatl=google "Flash! The latest entertainment news and more"], ''[[Newsday]]'', August 19, 1998. Accessed January 3, 2010. "Pesci, a high school dropout who grew up in Belleville, NJ..."</ref>
* [[Daniel H. Rucker]] (1812–1910), U.S. Army brigadier general<ref>{{cite book |last=Magoffin |first=Susan Shelby |author-link=Susan Shelby Magoffin |date=1926 |title=Down the Santa Fé Trail and Into Mexico |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-r1iAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA239 |location=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |page=239 |isbn=9780300094671 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
* [[Diane Ruggiero]], ''[[That's Life (2000 TV series)|That's Life]]'' series creator and ''[[Veronica Mars]]'' writer<ref>Sato, Steven. [http://www.newsnet5.com/sh/entertainment/ontheset/entertainment-ontheset-20000918-123236.html "CBS' 'That's Life' Is All That: Paul Sorvino, Creator Diane Ruggiero Talk About New Show"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208090437/http://www.newsnet5.com/sh/entertainment/ontheset/entertainment-ontheset-20000918-123236.html |date=February 8, 2012 }}, ''[[WEWS-TV]]''. Accessed July 14, 2008. "Cinderella had nothing on a young woman named Diane Ruggiero. Ruggiero, a native of Belleville, N.J., was working as a waitress and a part-time writer."</ref>
* [[Roxana Saberi]] (born 1977), Iranian-American journalist arrested in Iran in February 2009<ref>Stephey, M.J. [http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1896532,00.html "Imprisoned Journalist Roxana Saberi"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', May 7, 2009. Accessed September 14, 2017. "Born April 26, 1977 in Belleville, New Jersey to a Japanese mother and Iranian father. When she was 6 months old, the family moved to Fargo, North Dakota."</ref>
* [[Ron San Fillipo]] (1942–2024), [[athletic director]] and athletics coach<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/verona-cedar-grove-times-appointed-by-co/172095888/ "Appointed By College"], ''Verona-Cedar Grove Times'', September 16, 1971. Accessed May 12, 2025, via [[Newspapers.com]]. "Ron San Fillipo has been named assistant director of student personnel assigned to the Jersey City State College's Sip Avenue (Rutgers) campus, it was announced by Julian Robinson, dean of student affairs.... A native of Belleville, he lives at 27 Brookdale Ave., Cedar Grove and is a graduate of Belleville High School and Montclair State College, where he was an outstanding football player."</ref>
* [[Junior Sanchez]] (born 1977), DJ, record producer and remixer<ref>Staff. [http://beatmag.com/bali/here-now/junior-sanchez.html Junior Sanchez] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904141839/http://beatmag.com/bali/here-now/junior-sanchez.html |date=September 4, 2014 }}, The Beat, September 8, 2012. Accessed February 4, 2013. "Originally from suburban Belleville, New Jersey, Junior Sanchez had his DJ beginnings with a jerry rigged DJ set made up of his parents' two stereo systems when he was 11."</ref>
* [[Peggy Santiglia]] (born 1944), singer, songwriter and lead singer [[The Angels (American group)|The Angels]]<ref>Childs, Marti Smiley; and March, Jeff. [https://books.google.com/books?id=XtwTAQAAIAAJ "Then and Now: Peggy Santiglis"], ''Echoes of the Sixties'', p. 85, [[Billboard Books]], 1999. {{ISBN|0-8230-8316-0}}. Accessed May 15, 2011. "Raised in Belleville, New Jersey, Peggy grew up in a musical household."</ref>
* [[Fred Schneider]] (born 1951), singer, songwriter, arranger and musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band [[the B-52's]], of which he is a founding member<ref>Lustig, Jay. [https://www.njarts.net/350-jersey-songs/rock-lobster-the-b-52s/ "'Rock Lobster,' The B-52's'], NJArts.net, August 2, 2015. Accessed June 24, 2019. "The B-52's formed in Athens, Ga., in 1976, but its two most high-profile band members have Jersey roots: Fred Schneider was born in Newark and grew up in Belleville and then Long Branch; Kate Pierson was born in Weehawken and grew up in Rutherford."</ref>
* [[Andrew E. Svenson]] (1910–1975), [[children's literature|children's author]], [[publisher]], and [[partnership|partner]] in the [[Stratemeyer Syndicate]], who authored or coauthored more than 70 books for children, including books in the ''[[Hardy Boys]]'' and ''[[Bobbsey Twins]]'' series<ref>[https://thehappyhollisters.com/the-author/ "Andrew E. Svenson Aka Jerry West - The Author Of The Happy Hollisters Book Series"], The Happy Hollisters. Accessed February 6, 2022. "Andrew Svenson was born in Belleville, NJ, in 1910, and his interest in writing started early."</ref>
* [[Frankie Valli]] (born 1934), lead singer of the musical group [[The Four Seasons (group)|The Four Seasons]]<ref name=FourSeasons>[[Lauren Glassberg|Glassberg, Lauren]]. [https://archive.today/20130124052218/http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=3697242 "A Sneak Peek At Broadway's 'Jersey Boys'"], [[WABC-TV]], December 5, 2005. Accessed September 25, 2007. "The music is contagious and the story about four guys from Belleville, New Jersey is more intriguing than you may have expected. It's Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.... Here's a bit of trivia: Joe Pesci the actor introduced Tommy Devito, Nick Massi, Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio in 1959."</ref>
* [[Sharon Van Etten]] (born 1981), singer-songwriter<ref>Kaplan, Ilana. [https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/sharon-van-etten-are-we-there "Sharon Van Etten Is Right There"], ''[[Interview (magazine)|Interview]]'', May 27, 2014. Accessed June 29, 2018. "Sharon Van Etten: Oh, nice! I can’t let go of it. I was born in Belleville. Then I grew up in Nutley and in the sixth grade we moved to Clinton."</ref>
* [[James Wallwork]] (1930–2024), [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] politician who served in both houses of the [[New Jersey Legislature]]<ref>Romano, Jay. [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/16/nyregion/campaigning-with-jim-wallwork.html "Campaigning With Jim Wallwork"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 16, 1993. Accessed December 1, 2024. "James L. Wallwork, 62 years old, was born in Belleville, where he lived until he was 8 and his family moved to Montclair."</ref>
* [[Gerard Way]] (born 1977), musician, singer-songwriter, and comic book writer best known as the lead singer of the band [[My Chemical Romance]] and writer of the comic series ''[[The Umbrella Academy]]''<ref name=NYT2004>LaGorce, Tammy. [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/nyregion/bellowing-like-iron-maiden-but-very-very-sensitive.html "Bellowing Like Iron Maiden, but Very, Very Sensitive"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 7, 2004. Accessed August 26, 2018. "Wait too long, and the cartoonish geek punk who leads My Chemical Romance – the guy dipped in the requisite all black, with thick mascara and smudges of orange shadow beneath both eyes before a recent show at Irving Plaza in Manhattan – overtakes the boyish 27-year-old from Belleville given to explaining the band's progression through stories about his grandma and his Dungeons and Dragons addiction."</ref>
* [[Mikey Way]] (born 1980), musician best known as the bassist for the band [[My Chemical Romance]]<ref>[[Sia Michel|Michel, Sia]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/arts/music/22mich.html "Fresh From the Garden State, in Black Leather and Eyeliner"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 22, 2006. Accessed July 11, 2012. "Perhaps the key to understanding the band's macabre nature is a dim basement apartment with low ceilings. It was there that Gerard and Mikey Way, the band's singer and bassist, grew up, in the belly of a two-family home in Belleville, N.J., a blue-collar town about 10 miles from Manhattan."</ref>
* [[Gus Wickie]] (1885–1947), German-born American [[Bass (voice type)|bass]] singer, stage actor and voice of Bluto in the [[Fleischer Studios]]' [[Popeye]] cartoons from 1935 until 1938<ref>[[David Gerstein|Gerstein, David]]. [http://ramapithblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/out-of-vaults-from-binko-to-bluto.html?m=1] "Out of the Vaults: From Binko to Bluto”, November 30, 2013. Accessed March 22, 2022. "Gus Wicke, 61, for 12 years member of the quartet at Bill Hardey's Gay Nineties, New York nitery, died Jan. 3 in Belleville, N. J. Wicke, who had once been with the Shanley trio, is survived by two sisters."</ref>
* [[Leonard R. Willette]] (1921–1944), [[Tuskegee Airmen|Tuskegee Airman]] pilot killed in action in [[World War II]] flying over Germany while protecting a group of American bombers<ref>Kadosh, Matt. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/essex/belleville/2018/02/21/bellevilles-tuskegee-airman-soars-history/350305002/ "Belleville Tuskegee Airman soars in history"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', February 21, 2018. Accessed March 3, 2018. "Willette, of the Tuskegee Airmen's 99th Fighter Squadron, had died in the crash while escorting B-17 bombers over Germany in 1944. The 1939 Belleville High School graduate was one of 66 black Tuskegee Airmen killed in World War II combat."</ref>
{{div col end}}