Composed of guitarist John McCauley, bassist
Ian O’Neil, drummer Dennis Ryan and keyboard
player Rob Crowell, Deer Tick is an American
rock alternative band from Providence.
Born in Providence, Sarah Potenza was a fan
favorite contender during the eighth season of
NBC’s “The Voice.”
Also born in Providence, Jeffrey Osborne is a
successful rhythm and blues musician who
released his self-titled album in 1982, which
featured the smash single “On the Wings of Love.”
Involved with vaudeville since he was an infant,
George M. Cohan, born in Providence in 1878,
was a lifelong entertainer best known for writing
“You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “Over There.”
TV AND FILM
A Newport native, Richard Hatch was the first
ever winner of the CBS reality series “Survivor”
in 2000. Since winning the million dollar prize,
Hatch has become a household name in reality
television and tax evasion.
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Academy Award winner Viola Davis moved to
Rhode Island with her family when she was two
months old. She credits her love of stage acting
to her involvement in the arts at Central Falls
High School, as well as her participation in the
Young People’s School for the Performing Arts
in West Warwick. Later, at Rhode Island College,
she majored in theater and graduated in 1988.
Most recently, she has earned high praise for
her portrayal of the formidable Annalise Keating
on the ABC hit, “How to Get Away with Murder.”
Most famously known for her portrayal of Grace
Adler on the critically acclaimed TV show “Will
and Grace,” Emmy Award-winner Debra
Messing moved to East Greenwich when she
was three. Messing was an active participant
in various theater productions at her alma
mater, East Greenwich High School.
Born and raised in Cranston, Bay View Acad-
emy alum Elisabeth Hasselbeck first appeared
on the scene as a cast member in “Survivor:
The Australian Outback.” Hasselbeck was a host
on the daytime talk show “The View” and was
a co-host on “Fox and Friends.”
A self-described nerd and movie lover, Olivia
Culpo, a.k.a. Miss Universe, graduated from
Bay View Academy in 2010. The Cranston native
is also a cellist, Boston University alumna and
is the first Miss Rhode Island to earn the distinc-
tion of Miss USA. In December 2012, she was
named Miss Universe and was the first U.S.
victor since 1997.
Johnston-raised and URI-educated, Mat Franco
became the first magician to win NBC’s
“America’s Got Talent” in 2014.
After coming in fourth on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s
season of “The Bachelorette,” Jared Haibon
went on to break a few hearts of his own on
ABC’s “Bachelor in Paradise.” The Warwick
native is now married to fellow Bachelor alum,
Ashley Iaconetti Haibon, and makes regular
appearances at Bachelor Nation events.
Raised in Scituate, Robert Capron Jr. is most
commonly recognized for his big-screen portrayal
of loveable side-kick Rowley Jefferson in the
successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise. Robert
has also appeared in Bride Wars, Hachiko: A Dog’s
Story and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
Best known for his comical role as Charlie
Kelly in the sitcom “It’s Always Sunny in Phila-
delphia,” Charlie Day grew up in Rhode Island
and attended high school in Portsmouth. Char-
lie made the jump to the big screen with starring
roles in Horrible Bosses and Horrible Bosses 2
and as a voice actor for Monsters University
and the Lego Movie.
A former co-host of “Today" and the original
moderator of "the View," journalist Meredith
Vieira was born in East Providence and gradu-
ated from the Lincoln School, a Quaker all-girls
institute, in 1971. She began her career in TV
news at WJAR-TV, Rhode Island’s NBC affiliate.
Born in Pawtucket and a graduate of Brown
University, Irving Levine was a well-known jour-
nalist and longtime NBC news correspondent.
Winner of three Emmy Awards and nominated
for two Oscars, James Woods grew up in
Warwick. Woods started his acting career on
Broadway in 1970 and later appeared in Salvador
and Ghosts of Mississippi, while also lending his
voice to “Family Guy” and Disney’s Hercules.
74 YOUR ULTIMATE SUMMER GUIDE 2020