Editing Berkeley Heights, New Jersey (section)

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

{{div col}}
* [[Al Aronowitz]] (1928–2005), rock journalist who claimed that [[Bob Dylan]] wrote his famous "[[Mr. Tambourine Man]]" in Aronowitz's former Berkeley Heights home<ref>Miller, Stephen. [http://www.nysun.com/article/18088 "Al Aronowitz, 77, a Writer Of 1960s Scene"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002031013/https://www.nysun.com/article/18088 |date=October 2, 2022 }}, ''[[The New York Sun]]'', August 4, 2005. "Aronowitz claimed that Mr. Dylan composed "Mr. Tambourine Man" during a long night of repeated listenings to Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get a Witness" at Aronowitz's home in Berkeley Heights, N.J."</ref>
* [[Steve Balboni]] (born 1957), former [[New York Yankee]]<ref>[[Maury Allen|Allen, Maury]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=R3zxERYt7m4C&pg=PA164&lpg=PA164 YANKEES: Where Have You Gone? By Maury Allen], p. 164, Sports Publishing LLC, 2004. {{ISBN|1-58261-719-8}}. Accessed February 27, 2011. "'I grew up in Massachusetts and I was a Red Sox fan of course,' said Balboni from his home in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey."</ref>
* [[Dennis Boutsikaris]] (born 1952), actor<ref>Staff. [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20105211,00.html "Play It Again, Dennis: In This Week's Mia Farrow TV Bio, Dennis Boutsikaris Shows He Nose Woody"], ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'', March 6, 1995. Accessed February 27, 2011. "His own life doesn't much resemble Allen's. He grew up in Berkeley Heights, N.J., the son of an ad exec and a homemaker."</ref><ref>Mann, Virginia. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140816000309/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22586264.html "The Good Doctor Next Door"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', May 14, 1991. Accessed August 26, 2013. "There are several reasons why "Barney Miller" creator Danny Arnold wanted Dennis Boutsikaris for the lead in his new hospital sitcom ''Stat'' (9:30 tonight, Channel 7).... The actor, who was raised in Berkeley Heights and graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., began his acting career with John Houseman's Acting Company."</ref>
* [[Griffin Maxwell Brooks]] (born 2000), college [[Diving (sport)|diver]], [[TikTok]] influencer, and self-described "digital [[Club Kids|club kid]]" and [[socialite]]<ref>Kagan, Sam. [https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2022/04/queer-princeton-diving-griffin-maxwell-brooks-susanne-bartsch "In a Manhattan nightclub, Griffin Maxwell Brooks comes alive"], ''[[The Daily Princetonian]]'', April 22, 2022. Accessed March 27, 2023. "They grew up just an hour north of Princeton in sleepy Berkeley Heights, a community Brooks calls 'semi-conservative.'”"</ref>
* [[Jim Brown (soccer, born 1908)|Jim Brown]], soccer player<ref>{{cite web |title=JamesBrown |url=https://www.thescotsfootballhistoriansgroup.org/jamesbrown |website=The Scots Football Historian Football Group |access-date=February 14, 2025}}</ref>
* [[James Cagney]] (1899–1986), actor who resided in Free Acres<ref name=Thinking>Cheslow, Jerry. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/11/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-berkeley-heights-nj-quiet-streets-near-river-mountain.html "If You're Thinking of Living In / Berkeley Heights, N.J.; Quiet Streets Near River and Mountain"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 11, 1998. Accessed February 27, 2011. "Among the early residents of Free Acres were the actor James Cagney and his wife, Billie."</ref>
* [[David Cantor]] (born 1954), actor<ref>Keill, Liz. [http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2011/03/chatham_playhouse_glengarry_gl.html "Chatham Playhouse ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' delivers Mamet's rapid dialogue in story of sales office gone awry"], ''Independent Press'', March 9, 2011. Accessed July 3, 2011. "David Cantor of Berkeley Heights, Robert Mackasek of Union and Michael King of New Providence, from left, play real estate brokers chasing a sale, in the Chatham Players' production of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, directed by Chase Newhart of Chatham."</ref>
* [[John Carlini]], [[jazz guitarist]]<ref>Staff. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110629034537/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/mycentraljersey/access/1830261901.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+08,+2003&author=&pub=Courier+-+News&desc=MUSIC+BEST+BETS&pqatl=google "Music Best Bets"], ''[[Courier News (New Jersey)|Courier News]]'', May 8, 2003. Accessed February 27, 2011. "Jazz and progressive bluegrass great John Carlini of Berkeley Heights will perform with his quartet Friday at Watchung Arts Center, 18 Stirling Road."</ref>
* [[Ronald Chen]] (born 1958), former [[New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate|Public Advocate of New Jersey]], nominated to fill the position on January 5, 2006, by [[Governor of New Jersey]] [[Jon Corzine]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090308100449/http://www.state.nj.us/publicadvocate/home/meetronchen.html Meet Ron Chen], [[New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate]], backed up by the [[Internet Archive]] as of March 8, 2009. Accessed January 6, 2012. "A child of Chinese immigrants who came to this country after World War II, Chen has lived most of his life in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey."</ref>
* [[Christopher Durang]] (born 1949), playwright and actor<ref>Drake, Sylvie. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110524180558/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/685074962.html?dids=685074962:685074962&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Apr+10,+1977&author=SYLVIE+DRAKE&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=The+Gospels+According+to+Durang+and+Shepard&pqatl=google "The Gospels According to Durang and Shepard"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', April 10, 1977. Accessed February 27, 2011. "There's gotta be a law against it, but it hasn't caught up with Christopher Durang. Chances are it never will. At 28, this 5-foot-6 black-haired, blue-eyed, babyfaced Irish Catholic lad from Berkeley Heights. N.J. is a fraud."</ref>
* [[Cathy Engelbert]] (born 1965), CEO of [[Deloitte]], first female CEO of a major U.S. accounting firm<ref>Staff. [https://archive.today/20150320025911/https://www.thealternativepress.com/towns/summit/articles/berkeley-heights-resident-engelbert-elected-first "Berkeley Heights Resident Engelbert Elected First Female CEO of a Major U.S. Professional Services Firm by Deloitte LLP "], TAPintoSummit, March 3, 2015. Accessed March 19, 2015. "Cathy Engelbert, a resident of Berkeley Heights, was recently elected chief executive officer of Deloitte LLP, becoming the first female CEO of a major audit and consulting firm in the U.S."</ref>
* [[Lauren Beth Gash]] (born 1960), lawyer and politician who served in the [[Illinois House of Representatives]] from 1993 to 2001<ref>Kuczka, Susan. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/10/30/politics-just-part-of-gashs-resume/ "Politics Just Part Of Gash's Resume"], ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', October 30, 2000. Accessed June 21, 2017. "Gash, who was born in Summit, N.J., and grew up in nearby Berkeley Heights, became a fixture in Highland Park after the family moved there in 1986, the same year their second child, Ben, was born."</ref>
* [[Gina Genovese]] (born 1959), businesswoman and politician who has served as mayor of [[Long Hill Township, New Jersey|Long Hill Township]]<ref>Magyar, Mark J. [http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/04/29/profile-the-woman-who-wants-to-end-nj-s-multiple-municipal-madness/ "Profile: The Woman Who Wants to End NJ's 'Multiple Municipal Madness'"], NJ Spotlight, April 30, 2014. Accessed July 11, 2017. "Born in Union, she moved to Berkeley Heights with her family at the age of 12."</ref>
* [[Scott M. Gimple]] (born 1971), television and comic book writer<ref>LePoidevin, Michelle H. [http://www.goleader.com/02sep26/24.pdf "From Berkeley Heights to Berkeley, Gimple Finds Justice With ''Fillmore!''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829193440/http://www.goleader.com/02sep26/24.pdf |date=August 29, 2014 }}, ''The Westfield Leader'', September 26, 2002, p. 24. Accessed February 27, 2011. "As the Creator and Executive Producer of Walt Disney Television Animation's new Saturday morning program, ''Fillmore!,'' Berkeley Heights native Scott Gimple has brought a new duo of crime-solving intermediate school superheroes to the screen – minus the violence.... Gimple, who attended fifth grade through senior year in Berkeley Heights, graduated Governor Livingston High School."</ref>
* [[Bolton Hall (activist)|Bolton Hall]] (1854–1938), founder of Free Acres<ref name=Thinking/>
* [[MacKinlay Kantor]] (1904–1977), screenwriter and novelist, formerly resided in Free Acres<ref name=Utopia>Buchan, Perdita. [http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/bestplacestolive/utopia-nj.html "Utopia, NJ"], ''[[New Jersey Monthly]]'', February 7, 2008. Accessed February 27, 2011. "Free Acres had some famous residents in those heady early days: actors James Cagney and Jersey City–born Victor Kilian, writers Thorne Smith (Topper) and MacKinlay Kantor (Andersonville), and anarchist Harry Kelly, who helped found the Ferrer Modern School, centerpiece of the anarchist colony at Stelton in present-day Piscataway."</ref>
* [[Harry Kelly (anarchist)|Harry Kelly]] (1871–1953), anarchist<ref name=Utopia/>
* [[Victor Kilian]] (1891–1979), actor<ref name=Utopia/>
* [[P. F. Kluge]] (born 1942), novelist<ref>Zatzariny, Tim. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAEDCD4754D23E5&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "On The Road Again / ''Eddie and the Cruisers'' Makes Another Comeback"], ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', June 27, 2000. Accessed February 27, 2011. "Kluge, 58, grew up in Berkeley Heights, Union County."</ref>
* [[Mary Jo Kopechne]] (1940–1969), political aide who drowned off [[Chappaquiddick Island]] when Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] (D-Mass.) drove his car off a bridge on July 18, 1969 and failed to seek help<ref>Santiago, Katherine. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/us_sen_edward_kennedys_ties_to.html "U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy's career connected to N.J."], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', August 26, 2009. Accessed February 27, 2011. "Kopechne, 28, and her family moved to New Jersey when she was an infant and resided in Berkeley Heights."</ref>
* [[John R. Pierce]] (1910–2002), communications engineer, scientist, and father of the communications satellite<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1960/08/13/archives/satellite-scientist-john-robinson-pierce.html "Satellite Scientist: John Robinson Pierce"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 13, 1960. Accessed June 4, 2007. "Then he drove thirty-five miles to his home on McMane Avenue, Berkeley Heights, N.J."</ref><ref>Kamin, Arthur Z. [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/23/nyregion/state-becomes-a-part-of-celebrating-marconi-s-achievements.html "State Becomes a Part of Celebrating Marconi's Achievements"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 23, 1994. Accessed July 24, 2013. "The recipient in 1979 was Dr. John R. Pierce, then of the California Institute of Technology who had been with AT&T Bell Laboratories at Murray Hill and at Holmdel. Dr. Pierce had lived in Berkeley Heights and now lives in Palo Alto, Calif."</ref>
* [[Jerry Ragonese]] (born 1986), professional [[lacrosse]] player for the [[Redwoods Lacrosse Club]] of the [[Premier Lacrosse League]]<ref>[https://premierlacrosseleague.com/player/jerry-ragonese/ Jerry Ragonese], [[Premier Lacrosse League]]. Accessed July 15, 2020. "Jerry Ragonese is a Berkeley Heights, NJ native who attended Governor Livingston High School."</ref>
* [[Juliette Reilly]] (born 1993), singer and YouTube personality<ref>Staff. [http://www.broadwayworld.com/nashville/article/Juliette-Reilly-Wins-SongDoor-2015-20160122 "Juliette Reilly Wins SongDoor 2015"], BroadwayWorld.com, January 22, 2016. Accessed January 8, 2017. "The winners of the SongDoor 2015 International Songwriting Competition have been announced: the Grand Award has gone to Juliette Reilly of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey for her song, 'Hero,' which also won the Pop category."</ref>
* [[Dennis Ritchie]] (1941–2011), creator of the [[C programming language]] and co-inventor of the [[UNIX operating system]]<ref>Lohr, Steve. [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/technology/dennis-ritchie-programming-trailblazer-dies-at-70.html "Dennis Ritchie, Trailblazer in Digital Era, Dies at 70"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 14, 2011. Accessed October 17, 2011. "Dennis M. Ritchie, who helped shape the modern digital era by creating software tools that power things as diverse as search engines like Google and smartphones, was found dead on Wednesday at his home in Berkeley Heights, N.J. He was 70."</ref>
* [[Bertha Runkle]] (1879–1958), novelist and playwright<ref>[http://www.oldandsold.com/articles27n/women-authors-21.shtml Famous Women Authors: Bertha Runkle]. Accessed February 27, 2011. "The mind of Miss Bertha Runkle was first stimulated to literary expression at Berkeley Heights, New Jersey; a small place, a quiet place, and a distinctly suburban place..."</ref>
* [[Peter Sagal]] (born 1965), [[playwright]], [[screenwriter]], actor, and host of the [[National Public Radio]] [[game show]] ''[[Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!]]''<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2101115 Peter Sagal], [[National Public Radio]]. Accessed February 27, 2011. "A native of Berkeley Heights, N.J., he attended Harvard University and subsequently squandered that education while working as a literary manager for a regional theater, a stage director, an actor, an extra in a Michael Jackson video, a travel writer, an essayist, a ghost writer for a former adult film impresario and a staff writer for a motorcycle magazine."</ref>
* [[Jill Santoriello]], [[playwright]] and author of the Broadway musical ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (musical)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'', graduated from [[Governor Livingston High School]]<ref>Gurewitsch, Matthew. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/theater/17tale.html "Realizing a Musical Dickensian Dream"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 16, 2008. Accessed February 27, 2011. "Still in grade school in Berkeley Heights, N.J., Ms. Santoriello got a first taste of Broadway when her mother took her to ''Shenandoah'' and the first revival of ''The King and I,'' still starring Yul Brynner."</ref>
* [[Thorne Smith]] (1892–1934), author<ref name=Utopia/>
* [[Zenon Snylyk]] (1923–2002), soccer player<ref>Staff. [http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2002/040202.shtml "Zenon Snylyk, former editor of The Weekly, Svoboda, passes away at age 69"], ''[[The Ukrainian Weekly]]'', February 4, 2002. Accessed February 27, 2011. "Mr. Snylyk passed away in the early morning hours of January 21 at his home in Berkeley Heights, N.J."</ref>
* [[Katie Stout]] (born 1989), artist and designer whose work has been described as "naive pop."<ref>Tewfik, Ibrahim. [https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/katie-stout-designer-of-the-day/ "Designer of the Day: Katie Stout; The Brooklyn designer on work that makes you feel good naked, naïve pop, and her current show at R & Company."],''[[Surface (magazine)|Surface]]'', October 2, 2017. Accessed August 16, 2022. "Hometown: Berkeley Heights, New Jersey"</ref>
* [[Betty Wilson (politician)|Betty Wilson]] (born 1932), politician who served in the [[New Jersey General Assembly]] from 1974 to 1976<ref>Melloan, Joan. [https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/14/archives/betty-wilson-busy-bee-in-assembly-puts-in-15hour-day-not-strictly-a.html "Betty Wilson: Busy Bee in Assembly"], ''[[The New York Times]]''. July 14, 1974. Accessed July 15, 2020. "When the Legislature meets in special session tomorrow, primarily to consider a state income tax, the position of Assemblyman Betty Wilson will come as no surprise.... Five years ago, the Wilson family bought their first house in Berkeley Heights, a hilly, semirural suburb in western Union County.... Soon after she became a teacher at Governor Livingston, Mrs, Wilson became the first woman to be elected to the Berkeley Heights Township Committee."</ref>
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