This volume profiles people of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries with a documented connection to Brooklyn: born, raised, educated, living or working in the borough. It complements the volume on notable figures of Brooklyn’s history by turning to music, stage and screen, sport, politics and public life, and the spiritual leaders of the borough’s Jewish communities.
The selection is editorial and illustrative. It is not a ranking, and many equally important people are not yet included; further profiles will be added over time. Each profile states its Brooklyn connection and is based on the sources listed at the end of the chapter. Where sources disagree on a date or a detail, the text says so or leaves the detail out.
Profiles of living people are limited to publicly documented facts and are written in a neutral register; offices and positions are described as they are documented, and views are attributed to the people who hold them. Dates and current roles reflect the sources as of October 2026 and may change. If you notice an error or an omission, please tell us through the contact page.