Top 20 high schools with the most famous alumni

Now imagine that the boy and the girl out front are future singers Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, the basketball player is future ABA standout Doug Moe and the chess player is future world champion Bobby Fischer.

Such was life at Erasmus Hall in the 1950s.

Although the school has since closed and is now home to five smaller schools, Erasmus Hall, in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn was once home to future NFL, NBA and MLB Hall of Famers, state governors, award-winning writers, Oscar-winning actors and actresses and world-famous entertainers.

Erasmus Hall leads our list of the Top 20 high schools with the most famous alumni.

The list is a subjective one with no real rules or guidelines other than a variety of entertainers, athletes and other notable alumni are given preference over schools that tend to be heavy in any one category. The lists below are just a sampling of the notable alumni at each school, but they represent, perhaps, the more recognizable names on the lists.

Top 20 High Schools with the most famous alumni
1. Erasmus Hall, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Entertainment: Joseph Barbera (cartoonist), Clive Davis (record producer), Neil Diamond (singer, attended, did not graduate), Mort Drucker (cartoonist), Susan Hayward (Oscar-winning actress), Moe Howard ("Three Stooges"), Dorothy Kilgallen (journalist), Bernie Kopell (Doc on "Love Boat"), Beverly Sills (opera singer), Mickey Spillane (mystery writer), Barbara Stanwyck (actress), Don Most (actor, "Happy Days"), Barbra Streisand (singer), Eli Wallach (actor), Mae West (actress), Bernard Malamud (author, "The Natural"), Roger Kahn (author, "The Boys of Summer").
Sports: Billy Cunningham (NBA), Al Davis (Owner of Oakland Raiders), Bobby Fischer (chess champion), Waite Hoyt (MLB Hall of Fame), Ned Irish (Founder of New York Knicks), Sid Luckman (NFL Hall of Fame QB), Doug Moe (NBA), Jerry Reinsdorf (Owner of Chicago Bulls, White Sox), Sam Rutigliano (NFL coach), Sonny Werblin (owner of New York Jets).

2. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
Entertainment: Candice Bergen (actress), Mindy Cohn (actress), Dominique Dunne (actress), Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (actor), Bridget Fonda (actress), Jake Gyllenhaal (actor), Maggie Gyllenhaal (actress), Mark Harmon (actor "NCIS," UCLA QB), June Lockhart (actress), Jon Lovitz (actor/comedian, "Saturday Night Live"), Myrna Loy (actress), Danica McKellar (actress, "Wonder Years"), Elizabeth Montgomery (actress, "Bewitched"), Tracy Nelson (actress), Jason Segel (actor, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"), Tori Spelling (actress), Shirley Temple (actress)
Sports: Jarron Collins (NBA), Jason Collins (NBA), Jack Flaherty (MLB), Max Fried (MLB), Lucas Giolito (MLB), Dara Torres (swimmer, Olympics).
Politics: Gray Davis (former California governor), Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles Mayor), H.R. Haldeman (President Nixon Chief of Staff).
Others: Jean Paul Getty (businessman, billionaire), Sally Ride (astronaut)

3. Santa Monica (Calif.)
Entertainment: Dean Cain (actor), Carson Daly (TV personality), Robert Downey Jr. (actor), Daryl Dragon (musician, Captain and Tenille), Emilio Estevez (actor), Glenn Ford (actor), Rob Lowe (actor), Sean Penn (actor), Chris Penn (actor, "Footloose"), Holly Robinson-Peete (actress), Charlie Sheen (actor), Heather Thomas (actress), Robert Wagner (actor).
Sports: Glyn Milburn (NFL), R.C. Owens (NFL), Ronda Rousey (UFC), Dennis Smith (NFL), Tyler Skaggs (MLB), Tony Tarasco (MLB), Dennis Thurman (NFL).
Politics: John Ehrlichman (counsel to President Nixon); Steven Miller (assistant to President Trump).

4. Hollywood (Los Angeles)
Entertainment: Anthony Anderson (actor, "Blackish"), Meridith Baxter (actress, "Family Ties"), Vincent Bugliosi (lawyer, author, "Helter Skelter"), Carol Burnett (comedian), Keith Carradine (actor), Robert Carradine (actor, "Revenge of the Nerds"), Lon Chaney Jr. (actor, "The Wolf Man"), Linda Evans (actress, "Dynasty"), Mike Farrell (actor, "M*A*S*H"), Laurence Fishburne (actor, "The Matrix"), Judy Garland (actress, "Wizard of Oz"), James Garner (actor, "Rockford Files"), Alan Hale Jr. (actor, "Gilligan's Island"), John Huston (director, "The Searchers"), Sally Kellerman (actress, "M*A*S*H"), Carole Lombard (actress), Ricky Nelson (singer), Sarah Jessica Parker (actress, "Sex in the City"), John Ritter (actor, "Three's Company"), Jason Robards (actor), Mickey Rooney (actor), Joseph Wapner (judge, "People's Court").
Sports: Rod Dedeaux (USC baseball coach),

5. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Entertainment: Mel Brooks (actor, comedian, director), Neil Diamond (singer, graduate), John Forsythe (actor, "Dynasty"), Louis Gossett Jr. (Oscar-winning actor), Joseph Heller (author "Catch-22"), Harvey Keitel (actor), Arthur Miller (Playwright, "Death of a Salesman"), Buddy Rich (drummer), Neil Sedaka (singer).
Sports: Marv Albert (Sportscaster), Stephon Marbury (NBA), Lee Mazzilli (MLB), Lance Stephenson (NBA), Sebastian Telfair (NBA).
Other: Leona Helmsley (hotel owner)

6. Laguardia Performing Arts (New York, N.Y.)
Entertainment: Jennifer Aniston (actress), Ellen Barkin (acgress), Richard Benjamin (actor), Chaz Bono (son of Cher), Adrien Brody (actor), Dom DeLuise (actor), Al Pacino (actor), Brock Peters (actor), Ving Rhames (actor), Omar Epps (actor), Sarah Michelle Gellar (actor), Hal Linden (actor), Wesley Snipes (actor), Helen Slater (actress), Lesley Ann Warren (actress), Jessica Walter (actress), Marlon Wayans (actor), Billy Dee Williams (actor), Niki Minaj (singer), Azealia Banks (rapper), Diahann Carroll (actress), Eartha Kitt (actress), Shari Lewis (performer), Melissa Manchester (singer), Liza Minneli (singer, actress), Freddie Prinz (comedian, actor), Paul Stanley (singer KISS), Suzanne Vega (singer), Ben Vereen (performer), Steven Bochco (producer), Jackee Harry (actress).

7. Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.)
Entertainment: Willow Bay (CNN News Anchor), Buzz Bissinger (author "Friday Night Lights"), John Berman (CNN News Anchor), Humphrey Bogart (actor), Edgar Rice Burroughs (author, "Tarzan"), Dana Delaney (actress), Oliver Wendell Holmes (author), John F. Kennedy Jr. (publisher), Jack Lemmon (actor), James Spader (actor), Olivia Wilde (actress), Dick Wolf (Producer, "Law & Order").
Sports: Bill Belichick (NFL coach), Bartlett Giamatti (MLB Commissioner),Bill Veeck (owner of the White Sox).
Politicians: George H.W. Bush (41st President of the United States), George W. Bush (43rd President of the United States), Jeb Bush (Governor of Florida).
Other: Samuel Morse (inventor of the telegraph), Benjamin Spock (pediatrician), Christopher Wray (FBI director).

8. Beverly Hills (Calif.)
Entertainment: Desi Arnaz Jr. (actor, son of Lucille Ball), Lucie Arnaz (actress, daughter of Lucille Ball), Corbin Bernsen (actor, "LA Law"), Albert Brooks (actor), Nicolas Cage (actor), Shaun Cassidy (actor, singer), Richard Chamberlain (actor), Jackie Cooper (actor, "Addams Family"), Richard Dreyfuss (actor), Carrie Fisher (actress, "Star Wars"), Bonnie Franklin (actress), Crispin Glover (actor, "Back to the Future"), Angelina Jolie (actress), Rob Reiner (actor, director), David Schwimmer (actor, "Friends"), Pauly Shore (actor), Jonathan Silverman (actor), Slash (guitarist, Guns n Roses), Betty White (actress), Lenny Kravitz (musician).
Other: Monica Lewinsky (did not graduate)

9. Long Beach Poly (Calif.)
Entertainers: Cameron Diaz (actress), Snoop Dog (singer), Lita Ford (singer).
Sports: Milton Bradley (MLB), Tony Gwynn (MLB), Randy Moffitt (MLB), Chase Utley (MLB), Jordan Bell (NBA), Tyus Edney (MLB), Mark Carrier (NFL), Hershel Dennis (NFL), Tony Hill (NFL), DeSean Jackson (NFL), Winston Justice (NFL), Marcedes Lewis (NFL), Willie McGinnest (NFL), Stephone Paige (NFL), Marquez Pope (NFL), Leonard Russell (NFL), Billy Jean King (tennis), JuJu Smith-Schuster (NFL), Gene Washington (NFL).

10. Highland Park (Dallas)
Entertainment: Angie Harmon (actress, "Law & Order"), Jayne Mansfield (actress), Stephanie March (actress, "Law & Order"), Dorothy Malone (Oscar-winning actress).
Sports: Clayton Kershaw (MLB), Matt Stafford (NFL), Doak Walker (NFL), Bobby Layne (NFL), Kyle Rote Jr. (NASL), Kyle Williams (NFL), Chris Young (MLB), Dave Richards (NFL), Kelli Kuehne (LPGA), Shaun Jordan (Olympic gold medalist swimmer), David Browning (Olympic gold medalist diver).
Other: John Hinckley Jr. (convicted would-be assassin of President Ronald Reagan), Bill Clements (Governor of Texas), John Leedom (Texas Senator)

11. Fairfax (Los Angeles)
Entertainment: Byron Allen (talk show host), Herb Albert (musician), David Arquette (actor), Larry Gelbart (writer, "M*A*S*H"), Darla Hood (actress," Little Rascals"), Timothy Hutton (actor), Tito Jackson (musician, Jackson Five), Jackie Jackson (musician, Jackson Five), David Janssen (actor), Mila Kunis (actress), Demi Moore (actress), Ricardo Montalban (actor), Phil Spector (record producer), Warren Zevon (musician).
Sports: Jack Kemp (NFL, congressman), Chris Mills (NBA), Norm Sherry (MLB).

12. McClymonds (Oakland, Calif.)
Entertainment: MC Hammer (musician), Ruth Pointer (singer).
Sports: Antonio Davis (NBA), Joe Ellis (NBA), Curt Flood (MLB, attended, did not graduate), Wendell Hayes (NFL), Jim Hines (Olympic Gold Medalist sprinter), Lee Lacy (MLB), Ernie Lombardi (MLB), Marcus Peters (NFL), Vada Pinson (MLB), Frank Robinson (MLB), Bill Russell (NBA), Paul Silas (NBA), Nate Williams (NBA).

13. Punahou (Honolulu)
Entertainment: Joan Blondell (actress), Kelly Preston (actress).
Sports: Buster Crabbe (Olympic Gold Medalist swimming; actor, "Tarzan"), Lindsey Berg (Olympic medalist volleyball), Norm Chow (NFL coach), Mosi Tatupu (NFL), Mark Tuinei (NFL), Manti Te'o (NFL), DeForest Buckner (NFL), Michelle Wie (LPGA),
Other: Barack Obama (44th President of the United States).

14. Serra (San Mateo, Calif.)
Entertainment: Bob Fitzgerald (Golden State Warriors play-by-play)
Sports: David Bakhtiari (NFL), Barry Bonds (MLB), Tom Brady (NFL), Jesse Freitas (NFL), Jim Fregosi (MLB), Gregg Jefferies (MLB), John Robinson (NFL coach), Lynn Swann (NFL).

15. Van Nuys (Calif.)
Entertainment: Paul Abdul (singer), Ed Begley Jr. (actor), Julie Brown (actress), Kim Darby (actress), Tony Dow (actor, "Leave it to Beaver"), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (actor), Steve Kanaly (actor), Stacy Keach (actor), Marilyn Monroe (actress), Robert Redford (actor), Jane Russell (actress), Natalie Wood (actress).
Sports: Don Drysdale (MLB), Don Prudhomme (drag racer), Bob Waterfield (NFL).

16. Choate Rosemary Hall School (Wallingford, Conn.)
Entertainment: Glenn Close (actress), Jamie Lee Curtis (actress), Bruce Dern (actor), Michael Douglas (actor), Paul Giamatti (actor), Buck Henry (comedian, actor), Ali McGraw (actress), James Whitmore (actor).
Sports: Jim Pyne (NFL), Bill Simmons (sports writer, The Ringer).
Politics: John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States), Joseph Kennedy (brother of John F. Kennedy), Adlai Stevenson (Governor of Illinois), Ivanka Trump (daughter of President Trump).

17. DeWitt Clinton (Bronx, N.Y.)
Entertainment: Don Adams (actor, "Get Smart"), Martin Balsam (actor), George Cukor (director, "My Fair Lady)", Budd Friedman (founder of the IMPROV), Bill Graham (rock promoter), Judd Hirsch (actor, Taxi), Stubby Kaye (actor), Robert Klein (actor, comedian), Burt Lancaster (actor), Garry Marshall (producer, "Happy Days"), Richard Rodgers (composer), Sherwood Schwartz (creator of "Brady Bunch"), Neil Simon (playwright), Larry Storch (actor).
Sports: Nate Archibald (NBA), Tom Henderson (NBA), Butch Lee (NBA), Sugar Ray Robinson (boxer), Dolph Schayes (NBA), Ricky Sobers (NBA), Ozzie Virgil (MLB).
Other: William Kunstler (attorney for Chicago Seven), Ralph Lauren (designer), Stan Lee (Marvel Comics).

18. Oakland Tech (Oakland, Calif.)
Entertainment: Clint Eastwood (actor), Bernie Hamilton (actor, "Starsky & Hutch"), Ted Lange (actor, "Love Boa"t), Rod McKuen (musician), Frank Oz (puppeteer for "The Muppets"), Ruth, Anita, Pat Pointer (The Pointer Sisters), Jack Soo (actor, "Barney Miller"), Robert Webber (actor, "12 Angry Men").
Sports: John Brodie (NFL), Curt Flood (MLB), Bud Hafey (MLB), Tom Hafey (MLB), Rickey Henderson (MLB), Cookie Lavagetto (MLB), Marshawn Lynch (NFL), Jim Pollard (NBA), Leon Powe (NBA),
Other: Huey Newton (founder of Black Panther Party)

19. Madison (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Entertainment: Andrew Dice Clay (comedian), Carole King (songwriter), Martin Landau (actor), Chris Rock (comedian), Judith Sheindlin (Judge Judy).
Sports: Maury Allen (sportswriter), Harry Boatswain (NFL), Marty Glickman (Olympian), Rudy LaRusso (NBA), Marvin Miller (MLB players union director).
Politics: Ruth Bader Ginsburg (U.S. Supreme Court Justice), Bernie Sanders (U.S. Senator), Chuck Schumer (U.S. Senator).
Other: Roy DeMeo (mobster, inspiration for Robert DeNiro's character in "GoodFellas").

20. Crossroads (Santa Monica, Calif.)
Entertainment: Sean Astin (actor), Jack Black (actor), Gary Coleman (actor), Zooey Deschanel (actress), Jonah Hill (actor), Gwyneth Paltrow (actress), Maya Rudolph (actress), Kate Hudson (actress).
Sports: Baron Davis (NBA), Shareef O'Neal (son of Shaquille O'Neal), Austin Croshere (NBA).