MoCo Celebs Archives - Page 2 of 3

Better Call Saul’s Jonathan Banks Graduated From Northwood High School in Silver Spring

Published April 17, 2022 at 12:36PM | Updated April 22, 2022 at 12:12PM

Jonathan Banks, who plays the role of Mike Ehrmantraut, a former police officer turned private investigator in AMC’s Better Call Saul, graduated from Northwood High School in Silver Spring in 1966. Banks first played the role of Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad and later in the film– El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.

Banks was born in Washington DC and grew up in Chillum Heights (Prince George’s County) before moving to MoCo. His first notable film roles were in Airplane!, 48 Hours, and Beverly Hills Cop in the early 80s.

Did You Know Jim Morrison of The Doors Briefly Lived in MoCo?

By MCS Staff

Published April 15, 2022 at 7:56AM

Jim Morrison was the lead singer of the rock band The Doors, who passed away at the age of 27 in 1971. Morrison is widely regarded as one of the “best singers” of all time”, coming in at #5 on Rolling Stone magazines “Best Lead Singers of All Time” list in 2011 and at #47 on the magazines “Best Singers of All Time” list, but did you know he also briefly lived in Montgomery County as a child?

Morrison was born in Florida in 1943. Due to his father being in the military, the family moved around a lot and briefly lived in Bethesda when Morrison was a toddler (photo below courtesy of the Bethesda Historical Society Facebook page

Actress Devika Parikh is From Gaithersburg

By MCS Staff

Published April 13, 2022 at 5:25AM | Updated August 7, 2022 at 10:14AM

Actress Devika Parikh is perhaps best known for her recurring role as Bonnie in the NBC political drama series The West Wing (1999 to 2003) or her current role as Melanie Pierce on OWN Network’s new family drama The Kings of Napa, but did you know she was raised in Gaithersburg?

Parikh was born in Massachusetts, but moved to Gaithersburg with her family in her younger years. She is of Indian and African American origin, born to an East Indian father (from Bombay, India) and an African-American mother. She attended and graduated from Seneca Valley High School where she was the school’s first African-American Homecoming Queen and was voted “Best Personality” and “Most School Spirited.”

Gaithersburg Native Jared Bush Wins Oscar for ‘Best Animated Film’

By MCS Staff

Published March 28, 2022 at 5:53AM

Jared Bush is a native of Gaithersburg who graduated from Quince Orchard High School in 1992.

Last night, Bush won an Oscar when Encanto was announced as the winner for ‘Best Animated Film.’ Bush directed Encanto, and has also written and co-directed other animated Disney films like Zootopia and Moana.

Season 2 of Bridgerton is Here; The Show Was Created by Watkins Mill Alumnus Chris Van Dusen

By MCS Staff

Published March 26, 2022 at 8:30AM

By Madison Tringone

Bridgerton debuted on Netflix on December 25, 2020. With a viewership of 82 million households, it became the most-watched series on Netflix at the time of its premiere, and remains the second most-watched series by total watch time on the platform. The series reached number one in 76 countries on Netflix.

Patrick Goss of Goss’ Garage Has Passed Away

By MCS Staff

Published March 23, 2022 at 10:46PM

Patrick “Pat” Goss was well known for his radio show Goss’ Garage and from television’s MotorWeek, where he hosted a segment with the same name. The local radio and television personality passed away unexpectedly on March 19, 2022 at the age of 80.

Goss got his start as a mechanic at Rollins Park Shell in Rockville. He later owned and managed Goss’ Garage (previously Pat Goss Car World), an automobile repair shop in Lanham (Prince George’s County) where he helped a multitudes of car owners gain understanding and confidence about their cars.

Sue Palka’s Final Newscast Tonight at 10PM

By Patrick Herron

Published March 23, 2022 at 10:41AM | Updated October 27, 2023 at 9:25AM

After 36.5 years, legendary local meteorologist Sue Palka will give her final weather report tonight on FOX 5. “We know you don’t like it when we “disappear” so that’s why we’re giving you this heads up. My last day will be March 23, so I’m going to help get you through the winter,” Sue said during the initial announcement of her retirement.

Fox 5’s Chief Meteorologist began her career in Richmond in 1983 before being hired by Fox 5 in 1985– and place she has remained for over three and a half decades. “Maury Povich and James Adams anchored our only newscast at 10 pm and Ronald Reagan was the President. I’ve been here so long I’ve seen the Brood X cicadas emerge three times!” said Palka in the announcement from Fox 5.

MoCo Native Michael Ealy Joins Cast of ‘Bel-Air’

By MCS Staff

Published March 21, 2022 at 9:43AM | Updated June 15, 2022 at 7:33AM

Michael Ealy has made a splash in his recurring role on ‘Bel Air’, the reimagined version of popular 90s sitcoms ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ which started Will Smith. The actor plays the role of Reid Broderick starting episode 5– a gallery owner who is known for discovering artists, who’s helping Aunt Viv get back into painting.

The show has been one of the most talked about since it debuted earlier this year, and Ealy’s character could play a role in causing some trouble. Michael Ealy, then known as Michael Brown, graduated from Springbrook High School and grew up in Silver Spring (later attending the University of Maryland).

Gaithersburg Alumna Jodie Turner-Smith Stars in ‘After Yang’

By MCS Staff

Published March 10, 2022 at 8:28AM

Jodie Turner-Smith stars opposite Colin Farrell in the recently released movie, After Yang.

Turner-Smith born in England, but moved to Gaithersburg with her family in 1996. When she was a senior at Gaithersburg High School, she was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by her classmates.

Kensington’s Kevin Plank, Founder of Under Armour

By MCS Staff

Published March 7, 2022 at 10:33AM | Updated December 23, 2022 at 1:05PM

Kevin Plank, founder of Under Armour, grew up in Kensington. He is the youngest of five brothers born to William and Jayne Plank. His father was a prominent real estate developer who passed away in 1993. A local project of his was the Al Marah subdivision off River Road, just off of exit 39 on the Beltway. His mother was the mayor of Kensington for 8 years, from 1974-1982. She went on to direct the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at the United States Department of State under President Ronald Reagan, and was a real estate broker until the early 2000s.

Plank grew up playing youth football with the Maplewood Sports Association (photo below). He even featured a Maplewood team in an Under Armour commercial. While growing up in Kensington, Plank has mentioned that one of his favorite places to eat was Continental– a family owned and operated restaurant that has been serving the Kensington community since 1957. Plank attended Georgetown Preparatory School, but left the school due to poor academic performance and behavioral issues. According to Forbes, he was thrown out of private high school after failing two classes and for his part in what Forbes described as a “drunken brawl” with football players from Georgetown University.

CBS Sitcom ‘Ghosts’ Stars Two Wootton High School Graduates

By MCS Staff

Published February 20, 2022 at 1:35PM | Updated August 27, 2022 at 9:24AM

The CBS sitcom ‘Ghosts’ debuted in October of last year and was recently renewed for a second season. Coincidentally, it stars two actors who graduated from Wootton High School in Rockville. The show is about a married couple in New York, Samantha and Jay, who believe that their dreams have come true when they inherit a beautiful country home. They soon find that it is falling apart and inhabited by ghosts who died on the mansion’s grounds and are now bound to the area until they can reach the afterlife. Jay cannot see or hear the ghosts, but Samantha, after having a near-death experience, can.

Jay, the male lead, is portrayed by Utkarsh Ambudkar. Ambudkar was born in nearby Baltimore, but was raised in Rockville while his parents worked at NIH in Bethesda. The 38 year old actor graduated from Wootton High School and is well known for his roles as a VJ for MTV Desi, Donald in Pitch Perfect, Rishi in the Mindy Project, Skatch in Mulan, and more. Below you’ll see Ambudkar’s rap from the 2020 Oscars.