Famous Alumni
Filmmaker Daren Aronofsky attended Camp Rising Sun in Red Hook, New York.
Babyface attended CYO Camp Rancho Framasa in Brown County, Indiana.
Actor/author/interior designer Bryan Batt (Mad Men) went to Camp Chippewa in Bemidji, Minnesota.
NBC-TV sportscaster Bruce Beck was a camper, waiter, counselor and Color War General at Tyler Hill Camp in Pennsylvania
Economist Ben Bernanke went to Camp Ramah.
Journalist Wolf Blitzer attended Camp Ramah.
Actor Adrien Brody attended Long Lake Theater Camp in New York.
Country star Zac Brown is a former summer camper and staff member and recently founded a new summer camp.
Actor Joseph Charles (The Good Wife) attended Stagedoor Manor in New York.
Comedian and actor Chevy Chase attended Camp Tamakwa in Ontario.
Linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky attended Camp Massad in Pennsylvania.
Television personality and Bravo TV executive Andy Cohen spent six summers at Camp Nebagamon in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin.
Musician Tre Cool (Green Day) attended Camp Winnarainbow.
Comedian and TV actor Dave Coulier (Full House) attended Camp Highlands in Wisconsin.
Actress Courteney Cox attended Camp Mac in Munford, Alabama.
Motivational speaker Reggie Dabbs attended and worked at summer camp.
NFL executive Al Davis went to Camp Roosevelt in Monticello, New York.
Sports writer and college basketball TV analyst Seth Davis went to Camp Equinunk in Pennsylvania.
Dell Computers founder Michael Dell attended Camp Ramah.
Actor Patrick Dempsey went to Camp Wekeela in Maine.
Singer-songwriter Brett Dennen attended and worked at Camp Jack Hazard in San Francisco.
Lawyer and political commentator Alan Dershowitz attended Camp Massad in Pennsylvania.
Actress and musician Zoey Deschanel attended French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts summer camp in Hancock, New York.
Singer Neil Diamond attended Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York.
Actor Robert Downey Jr. went to French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts summer camp in Hancock, New York and Stage Door Manor in Massachusetts.
Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan went to Herzl Camp in Webster, Wisconsin.
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner spent summers at Camp Keewaydin.
Rock band Evanescence was established in 1995 when teenagers Amy Lee and Ben Moody (former lead guitarist) were at a summer camp in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Actor Peter “Columbo” Falk is listed among the notable alumni of Camp Greylock in Massachusetts and made his stage debut at Camp High Point in upstate New York in a production of Pirates of Penzance at age 12.
Actor and comedian Chris Farley went to Red Arrow Camp in Wisconsin.
Actor Jon Favreau attended French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts summer camp in Hancock, New York.
Actor Scott Foley went to Red Arrow Camp in Wisconsin.
Actor James Franco went to Innerspark: California State Summer School for the Arts.
Actress Soleil Moon Frye, who played Punky Brewster in the popular ’80s TV show, went to a now defunct summer camp in Calabasas, California.
Sportswriter and ESPN personality Peter Gammons attended Camp Timanous.
Actor Willie Garson attended Camp Wekeela in Maine for 11 summers.
Actor Christopher Gartin attended Camp Wildwood in Bridgton, Maine.
Actress Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time) attended the URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, Mississippi.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg went to summer camp in the Adirondacks.
Speaker, author and blogger Seth Godin spent summers at Camp Arowhon.
Singer Lesley Gore (“It’s My Party”) went to Camp Scatico in Hudson Valley, New York.
TV personality and legal analyst Nancy Grace was a counselor at Eagle Rock 4-H Center in Georgia.
Actor Bryan Greenberg (How To Make It In America) attended Camp Herzl, where he made his acting debut in a camp production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Actress Anne Hathaway went to Camp Johnsonburg in Johnsonburg, N.J.
Author Joseph Heller (Catch-22) attended Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York.
Actor Dustin Hoffman went to Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp.
Singer-songwriter Lia Ices went to a boarding school arts camp as a kid.
Pop star Michael Jackson attended Camp Billings in Fairlee, Vermont.
Musician Jewel attended Interlochen Center for the Arts Camp in Michigan.
Singer-songwriter Norah Jones attended Interlochen Center for the Arts Camp in Michigan.
Television and radio host Larry King attended Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York.
Writer and comedian Julie Klausner went to Camp Scatico in Hudson Valley, New York.
Advice columnist Ann Landers attended Camp Louise in Cascade, Maryland.
Fashion designer and business executive Ralph Lauren attended Camp Massad in Pennsylvania and Camp Roosevelt in Monticello, New York.
Actress Jennifer Lawrence‘s mother, Karen, runs Camp Hi-Ho Day Camp in Shelby County, Ky.
Singer-songwriter, satirist and mathematician Tom Lehrer attended Camp Androscoggin in Wayne Maine.
Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine went to French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts summer camp.
Actor Samm Levine (Freaks and Geeks, Inglorious Bastards) went to New Jersey “Y” Camps in Milford, Pa.
Director Shawn Levy attended Stagedoor Manor in New York.
Singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb attended Camp Champions in Texas.
Screenwriter Jon Lucas attended Camp Becket in Massachusetts.
Singer Barry Manilow attended Camp Billings in Fairlee, Vermont.
Actress Rooney Mara (Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) worked as a summer camp counselor for one of her first jobs.
Actor Walter Matthau attended Suprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York.
Reggai artist Matisyahu attended Kutsher’s Camp Anawana in Monticell, New York.
Actor Burgess Meredith attended Camp Dudley YMCA camp in Westport, New York.
Television producer Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live, Kids in the Hall) attended Camp Timberlane in Halliburton, Ontario.
Film producer Kevin Misher went to Camp Equinunk in Equinunk, Pa.
Marcus Mumford and Winston “Country” Marshall of the British band Mumford & Sons met at summer camp.
Musician Jennifer Nettles, lead singer of Sugarland, was a counselor at Eagle Rock 4-H Center in Georgia for three summers.
Actor, screenwriter and comedian B.J. Novak (The Office) went to Camp Ramah.
First Lady Michelle Obama worked as a camp counselor at Camp Anita Bliss Coler in New York.
Television talk show host Conan O’Brien went to Cragged Mountain Farm in New Hampshire.
Actress Natalie Portman went to Stage Door Manor in Massachusetts.
Writer Chaim Potok was a former director of Camp Ramah.
Actress and comedian Gilda Radner went to Camp Tamakwa in Ontario.
Film director, producer and writer Sam Raimi went to Camp Tamakwa in Ontario.
Gov. Bob Riley (R-Alabama) attended Camp Mac in Munford, Alabama.
Sportscaster Jimmy Roberts went to Camp Scatico in Hudson Valley, New York.
Actress Julia Roberts attended summer camp – her uncle owns Camp Birchwood in Minnesota – and volunteered at and raised money for Hole In the Wall Camps.
Actor Seth Rogen attended Camp Miriam.
Drag queen Rupaul attended Camp Cuyamaca as a kid.
Punk band Say Anything‘s drummer (Cody Linder) and singer/songwriter (Max Bemis) attended Camp Ramah.
Musician Pete Seeger attended Camp Rising Sun in Red Hook, New York.
Filmmaker Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) went to Camp Roosevelt in Monticello, New York.
Tony award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller (Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights) went to Camp Tamarack in Michigan.
Actor William Shatner attended Camp Massad.
FL agent Howard Shatsky went to Camp Equinunk in Equinunk, Pa.
Television writer and producer David Shore attended Camp White Pine in Halliburton, Ontario.
Gene Simmons of Kiss attended Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York.
Playwright Neil Simon attended Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York.
Lyricist and composer Steve Sondheim attended Camp Androscoggin.
Radio host Howard Stern went to camp at Camp Wel-Met.
Actor Jerry Stiller attended Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York.
Writer and director David Wain attended Camp Modin in Belgrade, Maine.
Actor Denzel Washington worked as a camp counselor at Camp Sloane YMCA in Lakeville, Connecticut.
Henry Waxman, U.S. Congressman, attended Camp Ramah.
Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman attended French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts summer camp.
Sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer attended Camp Louise in Cascade, Maryland.
Actress Reese Witherspoon attended Camp Monterey in Tennessee.
Musician Zal Yanofsky, co-founder of the rock band Lovin’ Spoonful, attended Camp Naivelt as a child.
Have additions or changes to this list? Email info(at)summercampculture.com
Special Thanks to:
David Sapery
Travis Williams
Celia Baczkowski
Kathry Cabral
Emily Lewis
Allen McBride
Jonathan Cohen
Michael Chauveau
Rebecca Leibowitz
Erin McKinney-Prupis
Lisa Fayne
