32 celebrities that were born in San Antonio, including some that may surprise you

Carole Baskin
When Netflix's true crime series Tiger King thrust Carole Baskin into viral fame in the spring of 2020, we were as surprised as anyone to find out that she was born in San Antonio. The CEO of Florida's Big Cat Rescue, who Joe Exotic tried to have killed in a murder-for-hire plot, revealed on YouTube that she was born at Lackland Air Force Base in 1961 and lived in a house on Wharton St. on the South Side. It's unclear for how long Baskin lived in SA, but it appears her family moved away when she was still a baby.
Photo via Netflix / Tiger King

Ricardo Chavira
Though he's starred in hit TV series from Desperate Housewives to Scandal, Ricardo Chavira arguably landed his greatest role yet in 2019: playing Tejana queen Selena's father Abraham Quintanilla Jr. in Netflix's new series about the pop star. Chavira was born in San Anto in 1971 and graduated from LEE High School — then named Robert E. Lee — and later attended the University of the Incarnate Word.
Photo via YouTube/ Netflix

Megan Thee Stallion
She may have grown up in Houston, but Megan Thee Stallion was actually born in Saan Antonio in 1995. The rapper, singer and songwriter made a huge splash in 2020 with her hit single "Savage" and for collaborating with Cardi B on the summer-shattering, sex-positive anthem "WAP."
Photo via YouTube / Cardi B

Anthony Alabi
Born in San Antonio in 1981, Anthony Alabi went on to attend Antonian College Preparatory High School before moving on to play college football at Texas Christian University. First snagged by the Miami Dolphins in the 2005 NFL draft, Alabi played professional football untill 2009, when he retired to pursue acting. Most recently, Alabi has been featured on Disney's Raven's Home as Coach Spitz and starred opposite Tia Mowry-Hardict in Netflix's Family Reunion.
Photo via Netflix / Family Reunion

Chrysta Bell
Songstress and longtime David Lynch collaborator Chrysta Bell has roots right here in the Alamo CIty — she was born in San Antonio and went to Alamo Heights High School. Though her work with the enigmatic filmmaker originally began in the music sphere, she made her screen debut as FBI Agent Tammy Preston in the hotly anticipated 2017 return of Lynch's iconic TV series Twin Peaks.
Photo via Showtime / Twin Peaks

James Roday Rodriguez
Psych star James Roday Rodriguez recently re-embraced his Latino heritage by retaking his surrname after performing for years under the name James Roday. The San Antonio native was born here in 1976 and went to Taft HS before making his name playing a fake psychic detective on the long-running USA comedy series for eight seasons and two movies. Recently, he also played Gary Mendez on ABC's A Million Little Pieces.
Photo via ABC / A Million Little Things

Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez has been repping SA since being born here in 1968. The director, who went ot St. Anthony High School, is known for everything from Machete to Spy Kids, and announced in 2020 that he'd directed at least one episode of the second season of the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian.
Photo via Twitter / Rodriguez

Jaremi Carey
Born in San Antonio in 1985, Jaremi Carey made his break a the runner-up on the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race as his drag persona Phi Phi O'Hara, and later placed 7th on the second season of RuPalu's Drag Race: All Stars. However, in 2020 Phi Phi went Bye Bye, as Carey announced his planned retirement of the persona on social media in May. Lately, Carey has been streaming on Twitch as ThePocketGay, playing hit games like Fortnite and Overwatch.
Photo via Twitter / JustJaremi

Michelle Rodriguez
Action star Michelle Rodriguez came out kicking in San Antonio in 1978, and lived in Texas until she was 8. Her family later moved to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Rodriguez may be best known for playing Letty in the Fast & Furious movies, but she's also appeared in other iconic franchises including Machete and Resident Evil.
Photo via Universal Pictures

Elizabeth Chambers
Born here in 1982, actress Elizabeth Chambers moved away as a toddler, but the actress couldn't stay out of SA. In 2012, she opened Bird Bakery with her then-husband Armie Hammer in Alamo Heights. In 2020 the couple announced their split, but no need to worry — it doesn't look like Bird's tasty cupcakes are going anywhere anytime soon.
Photo via Instagram / elizabethchambers

Ally Brooke
Born Ally Brooke Hernandez in 1993, San Antonio native Ally Brooke rose to pop stardom as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony. She went to Cornerstone Elementary School, but no high school can claim her since she completed her studies through home-schooling. Since Fifth Harmony went on hiatus in 2018, she has kept busy with work on a solo album.
Photo via Twitter / AllyBrooke

Jesse Borrego
Nobody reps the 2-1-0 like Jesse Borrego. Born in San Antonio in 1962, the Harlandale HS graduate still lives here today. While he may be best known for his roles in Fame and Blood In Blood Out, Borrego's had his share of roles on hit TV series — from Dexter to Fear the Walking Dead — and was mosst recently seen on the third season of Starz series Vida.
Photo courtesy of CineFestival

Steve Howey
Though he was born in San Antonio in 1977, Steve Howey actually spent most of his childhood on a boat his parents sailed up and down the Pacific Coast before his family settled down in Colorado when he was a teen. Howey starred in Reba from 2001-2007, but most people would likely recognize him as Kevin Ball in Showtime's Shameless.
Photo via Showtime / Shameless

Henry Thomas
Most often recognized for his breakout role at Elliott in E.T. the Extra-Terresstrial, San Antonio native Henry Thomas has become a horror fixture of late with starring roles in Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House and its follow-up The Haunting of Bly Manor. The actor was born in SA in 1971 and went to Central HS.
Photo via Netflix / The Haunting of Bly Manor

Austin Mahone
Pop star Austin Mahone got his start covering songs on YouTube, and now has a slew of releases under his belt. He was born in SA in 1996 and even went to Jefferson HS for a year before finishing high school in homeschool. He signed with Elektra Recordss in 2019 to produce the follow-up to his 2017 album Dirty Work.
Photo via Instagram / austinmahone

Jared Padalecki
Jared Padalecki's breakout role may have been playing Dean Forester on Gilmore Girls, but he'll likely always be remembered for his 15-season run as Sam Winchester on Supernatural. The actor was born in the Alamo City in 1982 and graduated from Madison HS and now calls Austin home.
Photo via The CW / Supernatural

Gil Birmingham
Actor Gil Birmingham was born in San Antonio in 1953, but wasn't here for long due to his father's career in the military. The actor has appeared in everything from the Twilight series to Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and now plays Thomas Rainwater in Paramount's Yellowstone.
Photo via Paramount / Yellowstone

Pendleton Ward
You may not recognize his face, but you'd definitely recognize his drawings — Pendleton Ward is the brains behind hit Cartoon Network series Adventure Time, which ran on the channel fom 2010-2018. The animator and voice actor was born in San Antonio in 1982 and graduated from now-LEE High School before moving to California to attend CalArts. In 2020 his new animated series The Midnight Gospel hit Netflix, and the spinoff miniseries Adventure Time: Distant Lands debuted on HBO Max.
Photo via Twitter / buenothebear

Nicholas Gonzalez
Nicholas Gonzalez didn't originally plan to be an actor, but we're glad he became one. He was born in San Antonio in 1976 and went to Central Catholic HS before going to Stanford to study English. While he was there, a professor who saw him in a one-man theater performance convinced him to pursue acting, and the rest is history. The TV star has appeared in Pretty Little Liars, How To Get Away With Murder and Being Mary Jane, and plays Dr. Neil Melendez on ABC's The Good Doctor.
Photo via ABC / The Good Doctor

Noël Wells
Noël Wells was born in SA in 1986, but moved around Texas when she was a kid. The actress and director went to high school in Victoria before studying at the University of Texas at Austin. The SNL aluum is recognizable for her work on Master of None and Mr. Roosevelt, and recengtly lent her voice to the animated series Craig of the Creek and Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Photo via Netflix / Master of None