MEET LITTLE RHODY

They may not have grown up here , but they sure hit the books at these local universities .

Emma Watson KNOWN FOR : Playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series and Little Women . SCHOOL : Brown University

John Krasinski KNOWN FOR : Playing Jim Halpert in “ The Office ” and starring in A Quiet Place . SCHOOL : Brown University

John King KNOWN FOR : CNN ’ s chief national correspondent . SCHOOL : URI

Christiane Amanpour KNOWN FOR : CNN ’ s chief international correspondent . SCHOOL : URI

James Franco KNOWN FOR : Playing Harry Osborn “ The Goblin ” in the Spider-Man series alongside Tobey McGuire . SCHOOL : RISD

Seth MacFarlane KNOWN FOR : Voicing characters and creating Fox ’ s “ Family Guy ” set in the fictional city of Quahog , Rhode Island . SCHOOL : RISD

Emeril Lagasse KNOWN FOR : Celebrity chef and restaurateur . SCHOOL : Johnson and Wales University

Debra Messing KNOWN FOR : Playing Grace in NBC ’ s “ Will and Grace ” and Kat Ellis in The Wedding Date . FROM : East Greenwich

Viola Davis KNOWN FOR : Playing Annalise Keating in ABC ’ s “ How to Get Away with Murder ,” Rose Maxson in Fences and Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey ’ s Black Bottom . GREW UP IN : Central Falls

Peter and Bobby Farrelly ( the Farrelly Brothers ) KNOWN FOR : Writing and directing Dumb and Dumber , There ’ s Something About Mary and Me , Myself and Irene . FROM : Cumberland

Rocco Baldelli KNOWN FOR : Playing outfield in Major League Baseball and managing the Minnesota Twins . FROM : Woonsocket

Jared Haibon KNOWN FOR : Appearing on Season 11 of “ The Bachelorette ” and Seasons 2 and 3 of “ Bachelor in Paradise .” GREW UP IN : Warwick

Olivia Culpo KNOWN FOR : Being crowned Miss Rhode Island , Miss USA and Miss Universe in 2012 . FROM : Cranston

Charlie Day KNOWN FOR : Playing Charlie Kelly in “ It ’ s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ” and Dale Arbus in both Horrible Bosses films . GREW UP IN : Middletown

Mat Franco KNOWN FOR : Being the first magician to win NBC ’ s “ America ’ s Got Talent .” FROM : Johnston

Richard Hatch KNOWN FOR : Winning the first season of CBS ’ s “ Survivor .” FROM : Newport County

Paul D . DelVecchio Jr . aka DJ Pauly D KNOWN FOR : Being a cast member in MTV ’ s reality series “ Jersey Shore .” FROM : Providence

Meredith Vieira KNOWN FOR : Being a broadcast journalist and television personality on shows like

Just a few celebrities you might not have known were born and / or grew up in Rhode Island .

“ Today ,” “ The View ” and “ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ?” FROM : Providence / East Providence

Billy Gilman KNOWN FOR : Becoming the youngest artist to reach number one on Billboard ' s Country Chart at age eleven and coming in second during season eleven of NBC ’ s “ The Voice .” FROM : Westerly / Hope Valley

James Woods KNOWN FOR : Playing Byron De La Beckwith in Ghosts of Mississippi and voicing himself in “ Family Guy .” FROM : Warwick

George M . Cohan KNOWN FOR : Writing and composing “ Give My Regards to Broadway ,” “ The Yankee Doodle Boy ” and “ You ’ re a Grand Old Flag .” FROM : Providence

H . P . Lovecraft KNOWN FOR : Writing horror fiction like The Call of Cthulhu and At the Mountains of Madness . FROM : Providence

GRAPHIC : GETTY IMAGES .

2016 America ’ s first offshore wind farm is built off the coast of Block Island .

2021 Former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo is sworn in as President Joseph R . Biden ’ s commerce secretary .

2023 Actress and Central Falls native Viola Davis achieves EGOT status after winning her first Grammy for best audiobook , storytelling and narration in her memoir , Finding Me , making her the third Black woman to win an Emmy , Grammy , Oscar and Tony award .

10 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY ’ S NEWCOMERS ’ GUIDE l 2023