Evanston is a city in the Chicago area. It is just 12 miles from downtown Chicago and it is reported to be one of the wealthiest communities in Illinois. It is also home to Northwestern University.
With a prestigious university in its midst, it is no surprise that Evanston has been home to several Hollywood stars. Here are some of the biggest stars who once lived in Evanston.
Julia Louis Dreyfus
Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld and Veep fame lived in Evanston when she attended Northwestern University. She was a 1983 graduate of the School of Communication at Northwestern University.
Northwestern gave her a start in comedy as she acted in several comedies during her time as a student. Louis-Dreyfus has never forgotten her Northwestern background and often returns to Evanston to give talks as an alumna. There is also another reason for Louis-Dreyfus to visit Evanston. Her son, Charlie Hall was a student there also and played basketball for Northwestern. She used to attend many of his basketball games at Northwestern.
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty, a classic movie star of films like Bonnie and Clyde and Dick Tracy once lived in Evanston when he attended Northwestern from 1954 to 1955. Beatty was a star football player in his youth and was accepted to many different colleges but he chose to go to Northwestern. At Northwestern, he studied liberal arts and joined the Sigma Chi fraternity. Unfortunately, Beatty never graduated and left after one year to pursue acting in New York.
Beatty has praised his parents for encouraging him to leave Northwestern.
I think it was easier for me to drop out of Northwestern than if I had come from a family which had no education. I think my father secretly admired it. He was happy that I would do something. - Warren Beatty
David Schwimmer
With all the recent news and hoopla about the Friends reunion, it would be remiss not to mention David Schwimmer.
Schwimmer graduated from Northwestern in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts in theater and speech. He was drawn to Northwestern and Evanston because he had attended a summer drama course there. At Northwestern, he associated with another famous Northwestern student, Stephen Colbert.
Schwimmer has also returned to Northwestern as an alumni member to talk about his experiences at the school to current students.
And more,
Other famous stars who lived in Evanston include Stephen Colbert, Zach Braff, Zooey Deschanel, Seth Meyers, Craig Bierko, Laura Linney, Meghan Markle, and many more. The Northwestern alumni majoring in the arts reads like a Who's Who list. There are also many other famous stars from Evanston who have passed away such as Charlton Heston.
Sources: List of Northwestern University alumni, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, The Daily Northwestern