Bruce Springsteen made Asbury Park famous around the world, but the Jersey Shore city also has connections to Hollywood stars, television personalities, professional athletes, legendary comedians and a businessman who built a gasoline empire.
ASBURY PARK, NJ — Mention Asbury Park and one name almost always comes up first: Bruce Springsteen. But here’s something many people don’t realize. The Boss wasn’t actually born or raised in Asbury Park.
Springsteen was born in Long Branch and grew up in Freehold. His connection to Asbury Park developed through the city’s music scene, where he performed in local clubs and helped turn a struggling seaside community into a destination for rock music fans.
But Asbury Park has produced plenty of celebrities of its own.
From a Hollywood actor who became one of television’s most recognizable personalities to the founder of the Hess gasoline empire, the small Monmouth County city has some surprisingly famous connections.
Here are eight notable people who were born in Asbury Park, grew up there or have strong ties to the city.
1. Danny DeVito — Hollywood actor and comedian
Before becoming a Hollywood star, Danny DeVito was just another kid growing up in Asbury Park.
Born in nearby Neptune Township in 1944, DeVito was raised in Asbury Park, where his father operated several small businesses. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel School before eventually pursuing acting.
His breakthrough came playing Louie De Palma on Taxi. He went on to star in Twins, Batman Returns, Matilda and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
In 2018, the city honored him by declaring November 17, his birthday, Danny DeVito Day.
2. Wendy Williams — Television and radio personality
Wendy Williams was born in Asbury Park in 1964 before her family moved to nearby Ocean Township when she was a young child.
Williams built her career as an outspoken radio personality, becoming one of the most recognizable voices in New York-area broadcasting.
She eventually brought her celebrity interviews, gossip and commentary to national television with The Wendy Williams Show, which ran from 2008 to 2022.
Her broadcasting career earned her induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
3. Bud Abbott — Half of Abbott and Costello
Long before television sitcoms and stand-up comedy specials became household entertainment, Bud Abbott was making America laugh.
Abbott, whose full name was William Alexander Abbott, is widely identified as an Asbury Park native, although some biographical accounts differ on his precise birthplace.
He became internationally famous alongside Lou Costello, forming one of the most successful comedy duos of the 20th century.
Their legendary Who’s on First? routine remains one of the most recognizable comedy performances in American entertainment history.
Abbott and Costello were inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2009.
4. Leon Hess — Founder of the Hess oil empire and former New York Jets owner
One of America’s best-known gasoline brands traces its beginnings to Asbury Park.
Leon Hess was born in the city in 1914 and graduated from Asbury Park High School in 1931.
During the Great Depression, he started a small fuel oil delivery business using a secondhand truck. That operation eventually grew into the Hess petroleum empire.
The company became famous for its gasoline stations and collectible holiday toy trucks.
Hess also became a longtime owner of the New York Jets, helping bring professional football into the business empire he built from humble beginnings.
He died in 1999, leaving behind a business and philanthropic legacy extending far beyond the Jersey Shore.
5. Fletcher — Pop singer and songwriter
Pop singer Cari Elise Fletcher, known professionally as Fletcher, was born in Asbury Park in 1994 and grew up in nearby Wall Township.
A graduate of Wall High School, Fletcher developed an interest in music at an early age before attending New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.
She gained national recognition with songs including Undrunk and Becky’s So Hot, building an international audience through her candid songwriting and energetic performances.
Her debut studio album, Girl of My Dreams, arrived in 2022, followed by In Search of the Antidote in 2024.
Fletcher remains one of the Jersey Shore’s notable contemporary pop music exports.
6. Richard Jarecki — The doctor who beat roulette
One of the more unusual success stories connected to Asbury Park belongs to Richard Jarecki, a physician who became famous for beating European roulette tables.
Born in Germany in 1931, Jarecki fled Nazi persecution with his family and grew up in Asbury Park, where he attended Asbury Park High School.
He later studied medicine and developed an interest in roulette.
Rather than relying on luck, Jarecki carefully studied individual roulette wheels, identifying tiny mechanical imperfections that made certain numbers appear more frequently than others.
His system reportedly earned him more than $1 million in European casinos during the 1960s and 1970s.
Jarecki died in 2018, remembered as both a physician and one of gambling history’s most remarkable analytical minds.
7. Naz Reid — NBA basketball star
NBA player Naz Reid was born in Asbury Park in 1999 and grew up in the city before emerging as one of New Jersey’s promising young basketball players.
Reid attended Roselle Catholic High School, where he became a highly recruited prospect and earned recognition as a McDonald’s All-American.
After one season at Louisiana State University, Reid entered the NBA in 2019.
He established himself with the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award for the 2023-24 season.
The 6-foot-9 forward and center went from playing basketball in New Jersey to competing against some of the biggest names in professional sports.
8. Bam Bam Bigelow — Professional wrestling legend
Wrestling fans from the 1980s and 1990s remember Bam Bam Bigelow for his enormous size, surprising agility and unmistakable flame tattoos covering his head.
Born Scott Charles Bigelow in 1961, the wrestler had strong Asbury Park ties and was billed throughout his career as being from the Jersey Shore city.
He became a major attraction in WWE, World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling.
One of his most memorable matches came at WrestleMania XI in 1995, when he faced NFL star Lawrence Taylor in the main event.
Despite weighing nearly 400 pounds, Bigelow was known for performing athletic moves rarely attempted by wrestlers his size.
He died in 2007 at age 45.
Bruce Springsteen wasn’t born in Asbury Park, but he helped make it famous
Although Springsteen is arguably the celebrity most closely associated with Asbury Park, he was born in Long Branch in 1949 and raised in Freehold.
His connection to the city began through its lively music scene, particularly the clubs and venues where he performed with musicians who would eventually become members of the E Street Band.
His 1973 debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., forever linked the city’s name to his music.
The Stone Pony and other Asbury Park venues became symbols of the New Jersey music scene, drawing fans from around the world.
A small shore city with an oversized cultural legacy
Asbury Park covers just over one square mile of land, but its influence on American entertainment, business and sports extends well beyond its borders.
The city helped launch careers in comedy, television, music and professional athletics while producing entrepreneurs who built nationally recognized companies.
Some of those famous figures were born in Asbury Park. Others were raised there or adopted the city as an important part of their personal and professional identities.
And while Bruce Springsteen may be the city’s most famous musical connection, the people who actually called Asbury Park home have quite a few stories of their own.