Alison Butcher Many talented and influential women have had the privilege of calling Bergen County “home.” Whether these women are known worldwide for breaking records on the playing court or winning awards on the stage, they all share the same roots. They also have in common their creativity, passion, and strength as they work to push boundaries and empower others. To celebrate Women’s History Month, The Bergen County Girl is giving the spotlight to these actresses, singers, athletes, and businesswomen. Read on to learn more about these 17 famous women who were born and raised in Bergen County.
070 Shake (1997-present)
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070 Shake, born Danielle Balbuena, is an alternative hip-hop and experimental pop artist, born and raised in North Bergen. She graduated from North Bergen High School, where she played on the school’s basketball team, earning the nickname “Shake” for her skills on the court. The 070 prefix of her stage name represents her association with the 070 music collective, named after New Jersey’s 070 zip codes!
Anne Donovan (1961-2018)
Anne Donovan, American women’s basketball player and coach, was born and raised in Ridgewood. Throughout her career she won a national championship, won two Olympic gold medals, and went to three Final Fours. She was the first woman and youngest person to coach a WNBA Championship team, and the only person to have both played for a national women’s college title and coached a team to a professional title!
Barbara Corcoran (1949-present)
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Barbara Corcoran, American investor, businesswoman, author, and TV personality, was born and raised in Edgewater. She graduated from Leonia High School, after she transferred from St. Cecilia High School in Englewood. She is best known for her appearance as an investor on all seasons of ABC’s Shark Tank (2009-present). In 1973 she founded the Corcoran Group, a real estate brokerage in New York City, and has written several books and magazine columns for well known publications.
Carolina Rial (2003-present)
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Carolina Rial, singer, songwriter, and performer, was born and raised in Ridgefield. She is best known for her performance on season 20 of The Voice in 2021, where she sang a rendition of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me.” She began singing at age 10, and has since then released many songs of her own, her most popular song being “Invisible Battles.”
Chloe Troast (1997-present)
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Chloe Troast, American comedian and actress, was born and raised in Ho-Ho-Kus. She graduated from Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale. She is a performer of improv, stand up, and sketch comedy in New York City, best known for her featured appearance on the 49th season of the NBC sketch comedy series SNL in 2023.
Elizabeth Gillies (1993-present)
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Elizabeth Gillies, American actress and singer, was born and raised in Haworth. She attended Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest for her freshman year, but continued high school online to focus on acting. She is best known for her role as Jade in the Nickelodeon series Victorious (2010-2013). In 2008, she made her Broadway debut performing in the musical 13.
Hezly Rivera (2008-present)
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Hezly Rivera, American artistic gymnast, was born in Hackensack and raised in Oradell. She was the 2025 U.S. national champion and the 2023 junior U.S. national champion. Competing at just 16 years old, she was the youngest athlete on Team USA at the 2024 Olympics—the year in which she was a member of the gold medal-winning team, “The Golden Girls.”
Read More: New Jersey Athletes to Watch at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Hope Davis (1964-present)
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Hope Davis, American actress, was born in Englewood and raised in Tenafly. She graduated from Tenafly High School. Throughout her career she was nominated for 3 Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. She is best known for her roles as Joyce in American Splendor (2003) and Jeannie in About Schmidt (2002). She made her Broadway debut in 1992, performing in the play Two Shakespearean Actors (1992).
Jacklyn Zeman (1953-2023)
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Jacklyn Zeman, American actress, was born in Englewood and raised in Bergenfield, where she graduated from Bergenfield High School. She is best known for her role as Bobbie on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital (1963-present), which she played for 45 years. She has appeared in several comedies and off-broadway productions.
Katrina Bowden (1988-present)
Katrina Bowden, American actress, was born and raised in Wyckoff. She attended Saint Thomas More School in Midland Park and Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township. She is best known for her role as Cerie on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2006–2013)—as part of the series’ ensemble cast, she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2009.
Linda Bove (1945-present)
Linda Bove, American actress, was born and raised in Garfield. She is best known for playing the role of a fictionalized version of herself on PBS’s Sesame Street from 1971-2002. She was the first deaf actress to appear on Sesame Street, and the longest-working deaf actress on a single series in TV history! Through her role on Sesame Street she introduced millions of children to sign language and increased public awareness about deaf culture. She has been an active member of the deaf arts community throughout her career.
Liv Morgan (1994-present)
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Liv Morgan, American actress and professional WWE wrestler, was born and raised in Elmwood Park. She dropped out of Becton Regional High School in East Rutherford, but got her GED and attended Bergen Community College. She is a former two-time Women’s World Champion, and four-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion.
See More: 33 Famous Women From New Jersey in Honor of Women’s History Month
Melissa Fumero (1982-present)
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Melissa Fumero, American actress and TV director, was born and raised in Lyndhurst, where she graduated from Lyndhurst High School. Her family moved to Guttenberg for a brief period before permanently settling in Lyndhurst when she was 6 years old. She attended dance and acting lessons up until she graduated high school. She is best known for her starring role as Amy in Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021).
Rachel Zegler (2001-present)
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Rachel Zegler, American actress and singer, was born in Hackensack and raised in Clifton. She began voice and acting lessons at age 12, and attended Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi where she starred in several musicals. She is best known for her roles as Snow White in the 2025 live-action Snow White, and Lucy in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023).
Regina Belle (1963-present)
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Regina Belle, American singer and songwriter, was born and raised in Englewood. She graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, and became the first female vocalist of Rutgers University’s jazz ensemble. She is best known for her Grammy winning duet with Peabo Bryson, “A Whole New World” from Disney’s Aladdin (1992). Her song “Far Longer than Forever” from The Swan Princess was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1995 for Best Original Song.
Tara Reid (1975-present)
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Tara Reid, American actress, was born and raised in Wyckoff. She is best known for her roles as Vicky in the American Pie franchise (1999-2012) and Bunny in The Big Lebowski (1998). She began acting at age 6, appearing in the game show Child’s Play (1982-1983) and many commercials. To further her acting career, she moved to Hollywood at age 22.
Trish Van Devere (1941-present)
Trish Van Devere, American actress, was born and raised in Tenafly. She attended Tenafly High School, but graduated from Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest. She is best known for her roles in the films One is a Lonely Number (1972), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and The Changeling (1980), for which she won a Genie Award. In 1996 she moved to New York City to pursue acting, where she co-founded the Free Southern Theater and the Poor People’s Theater in New York City with actor Scott Cunningham.
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