Great Neck is a region contained within Nassau County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, which covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine incorporated villages, among them

Great Neck Great Neck is a region contained within Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, which covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine incorporated villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Poin ...

, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and

Russell Gardens Russell Gardens is a village on the Great Neck Peninsula in the Town of North Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 978 at the 2020 census. The area was proposed to becom ...

, and a number of unincorporated areas, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success, North New Hyde Park, and the border territory of

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. The incorporated village of Great Neck had a population of 9,989 at the 2010 census, while the larger Great Neck area comprises a residential community of some 40,000 people in nine villages and

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

s in the town of North Hempstead, of which Great Neck is the northwestern quadrant. Great Neck has five ZIP Codes (11020–11024), which are united by a park district, a library district, and a school district. The hamlets are

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

s that consolidate various unincorporated areas. They are statistical entities and are not recognized locally. However, there are locally recognized neighborhoods within the hamlet areas, such as Harbor Hills, Saddle Rock Estates, University Gardens, and

Manhasset Manhasset is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Manhasset area. The population was 8,176 ...

. The Manhasset neighborhood (in ZIP Code 11030) is not considered part of Great Neck. The part of the Hamlet of Manhasset that is considered part of Great Neck includes the Great Neck Manor neighborhood. Great Neck Gardens is featured on many maps as a name of one such hamlet, even as the name is seldom used by local residents.

History

Pre-colonization and colonization

Before the Dutch and English settlers arrived on the peninsula of Great Neck in the 17th century, the Mattinecock Native Americans originally inhabited the shorelines of the peninsula. It was not until 1681 when the European settlers held the first town meeting. The Mattinecock or

Metoac Metoac is an erroneous term used by some to group together the Munsee-speaking Lenape (west), Quiripi-speaking Unquachog (center) and Pequot-speaking Montaukett (east) American Indians on what is now Long Island in New York state. The ter ...

used Long Island Sound as a way to both fish and trade with others. They referred to present-day Great Neck as

Menhaden Menhaden, also known as mossbunker, bunker, and "the most important fish in the sea", are forage fish of the genera ''Brevoortia'' and ''Ethmidium'', two genera of marine fish in the order Clupeiformes. ''Menhaden'' is a blend of ''poghaden'' ...

-Ock. It is speculated that they chose this name because of the large amount of fish in the area. With the arrival of the European settlers on the peninsula in the 1640s, Menhaden-Ock evolved into Madnan's Neck. By 1670, Madnan's Neck had further evolved into the current name Great Neck. Local legend has it that the name "Madnan's Neck" is named after Anne (or Nan) Hutchinson. It is said that

Anne Hutchinson Anne Hutchinson (; July 1591 – August 1643) was an English-born religious figure who was an important participant in the Antinomian Controversy which shook the infant Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. Her strong religious formal d ...

tried to take over what is considered present-day Kings Point upon her arrival to the peninsula. However, Anne Hutchinson could not actually procure a land grant or deed for the land that she desired. Her temper supposedly earned her the nickname Mad Nan. On November 18, 1643, the

Hempstead Plains The Hempstead Plains is a region of central Long Island, in what is now Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, in New York State. It was once an open expanse of native grassland estimated to once extend to about . It was separated from the Nort ...

, which included the peninsula of Great Neck, was sold to the Reverend Robert Fordham and John Carman. In the beginning, the Mattinecock Indians and the European settlers cooperated and coexisted very well together. The Mattinecock would teach the settlers their knowledge of the land in exchange for new technology from the settlers. The settlers even started using the Indian currency of wampum. However, this peaceful coexistence would not last forever, and the relationship between the Mattinecock and the settlers quickly began to deteriorate. Settlers often began complaining of unfriendly Mattinecock behavior, claiming that the natives would damage their homes and hurt their cattle. On November 18, 1659, the settlers passed a law that forced the natives to pay damages for white property that they had damaged. The problem between the settlers and the Mattinecock natives over land and property kept growing and finally came to a head in 1684. A commission of settlers had been elected and given the power to appease the Mattinecock and their leader Tackapousha. Tackapousha was eventually paid off, and received 120 pounds sterling for his land. Tackapousha eventually died, and his body still rests at the Lakeville AME Zion Church's cemetery on Community Drive, across the street from

North Shore University Hospital North Shore University Hospital (formerly known as North Shore Hospital) is a part of Northwell Health. It is one of two primary teaching hospitals for the Zucker School of Medicine (along with LIJ), offering residency programs, postgraduate t ...

. The Lakeville

AME Zion The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, or the AME Zion Church (AMEZ) is a historically African-American Christian denomination based in the United States. It was officially formed in 1821 in New York City, but operated for a number of y ...

Church is one of the oldest churches in New York State. The very first European to look upon the Long Island peninsula of Great Neck was Captain

Adrian Block Adriaen Courtsen Block (c. 1567 – 27 April 1627) was a Dutch private trader, privateer, and ship's captain who is best known for exploring the coastal and river valley areas between present-day New Jersey and Massachusetts during four voyages ...

of the Great

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. Among its founders were Reynier Pauw, Willem Usselincx (1567–1647), and Jessé de Forest (1576–1624). On 3 June 1621, it was gra ...

in 1614, when his men were stranded on the southern tip of

Manhattan Island Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the smallest county by area in the U.S. state of New York. Located almost entire ...

, because their ship ''Tiger'' sank shortly after its landing. The captain and his men then built a ship called the ''

Onrust The ''Onrust'' (; ) was a Dutch ship built by Adriaen Block and the crew of the '' Tyger'', which had been destroyed by fire in the winter of 1613. The ''Onrust'' was the first ship to be built in what is now New York State, and the first fur tra ...

'' out of timber and salvaged parts from ''Tiger''. When the sailors set sail again, they sailed around Long Island, mapping it as they passed. Later, the Reverend Robert Fordham and John Carman first came to Great Neck from New Haven by use of Long Island Sound. During this trip, the deal with Chief Tackapousha was reached. One year later, on November 16

William Kieft Willem Kieft, also ''Wilhelm Kieft'', (September 1597 – September 27, 1647) was a Dutch merchant and the Director of New Netherland (of which New Amsterdam was the capital) from 1638 to 1647. Life and career Willem Kieft was appointed ...

granted a special

land patent A land patent is a form of letters patent assigning official ownership of a particular tract of land that has gone through various legally-prescribed processes like surveying and documentation, followed by the letter's signing, sealing, and publi ...

for the territory, and permission for the community's incorporation. William Kieft was the director general of

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

, and the patent that he granted gave the people of the peninsula the right to religious self-determination. The new community's political independence was so great that only town officials who were in any way elected by the Dutch government or its magistrates, first nominated by a town meeting. The Dutch controlled Long Island from 1642 to 1664. Under Dutch rule, constables, local officers, nominated magistrates, and overseers were elected by town meetings and passed legislation. On December 21, 1656,

Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant ( – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial administrator who served as the Directors of New Netherland, director-general of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664, when the colony was pro ...

, who was the director general of New Netherland after William Kieft, appointed the first two magistrates of Hempstead. These two men were John Seaman and Richard Guildersleeve. The local government of Madnan's Neck at the time was extremely active in passing new laws. A liquor tax was imposed, and half of that tax paid for the town's supply of ammunition, with the other half going to education. A religious code of ethics was also published by the local government, which included conduct on holidays for the entire town. There were also punishments for poor conduct, which included fines, corporal punishment, and banishment. The first reported instance of sexual misconduct in the peninsula's history was recorded on October 3, 1659, against Henry Linnington. After the threat of being banished, Linnington was ultimately allowed to stay, on the condition that he reformed his behavior. Around this time, the boundaries of Madnan's Neck and Hempstead grew increasingly apart. As the population of Madnan's Neck grew, independence from Hempstead became increasingly realistic. In 1672, Robert Jackson, a well-known man in the community of Madnan's Neck, beat out Simon Seryon in the election for constable of Hempstead by a count of 39 to 31. However, Seryon was still declared the victor, due to governmental corruption and back door bribery. Incensed by the fixed election and obviously staged result, residents of Madnan's Neck petitioned the governor for separation, but their request was denied. Finally, on June 9, 1687, the order went out from the government of the New Netherland that Madnan's Neck be "separate, hereafter from Hempstead". The town was then given its own marshal, and its own constable. The first constable of Madnan's Neck was a man named Edward Hare, who helped aid in the movement for Madnan's Neck's independence. Over time, Madnan's Neck grew increasingly politically independent. Throughout the next few years, Madnan's Neck depended even less on Hempstead. Few communities of Madnan's Neck's size had their own highway, grist mill, minister, constable, and marshal, yet Madnan's Neck, emerged from Hempstead as a fully functioning town.

After settlement

During the late 19th century, Great Neck was the rail head of the New York and Flushing Railroad, and began the process of converting from a farm village into a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

. In the 1920s, Great Neck—in particular the Village of Kings Point—provided a backdrop to

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940), widely known simply as Scott Fitzgerald, was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and exces ...

's novel ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...

''. It was thinly disguised as "West Egg," in counterpoint to Manor Haven/Sands Point, which was the inspiration for the more posh "East Egg" (the next peninsula over on

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

), Great Neck symbolized the decadence of the

Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western world, Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultura ...

as it extended out from New York City to then-remote

suburbs A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

. ''The Great Gatsby's'' themes and characters reflected the real-world transformation that Great Neck was experiencing at the time, as show-business personalities like

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...

Sid Caesar Isaac Sidney Caesar (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2014) was an American comic actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he was best known for two pioneering 1950s live television series: ''Your Show of Shows'' (1950–1954) ...

, and the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

bought homes in the hamlet and eventually established it as a haven for

Jewish Americans American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are Americans, American citizens who are Jews, Jewish, whether by Jewish culture, culture, ethnicity, or Judaism, religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of Am ...

formerly of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

Long Island Hebrew Academy Great Neck jeh

In 1943, the

United States Merchant Marine Academy The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Kings Point) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipman, midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) to serv ...

was founded at the former location of Walter P. Chrysler's palatial estate in Kings Point, as the only higher education institution in Great Neck. The end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

saw a tremendous migration of

Ashkenazi Jews Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language ...

from the cramped quarters to the burgeoning suburb. They founded many synagogues and community groups and pushed for stringent educational policies in the town's public schools; it is portrayed in Jay Cantor's 2003 novel ''Great Neck,'' with recently installed residents of all stripes trying to secure the brightest futures for their children. During the construction of the current

headquarters of the United Nations , image = Midtown Manhattan Skyline 004 (cropped).jpg , image_size = 275px , caption = View of the complex from Long Island City in 2021; from left to right: the Secretariat, Conference, and General Assembly buil ...

from 1947 through 1952, the United Nations was temporarily headquartered at the

Sperry Corporation Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the 20th century. Sperry ceased to exist in 1986 following a prolonged hostile takeover bid engineered by Burroughs ...

facility in the Great Neck community of Lake Success due to its proximity to

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

headed the

UN Commission on Human Rights The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of th ...

at this location. During the 1960s, many residents frequented the local pool and ice-skating complex, Parkwood, after which its patronage dramatically increased following years of decline as homeowners built their own in-ground pools. After the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, the ice-skating rink was renamed in honor of Andrew Stergiopoulos, a local resident who was killed in the attack. It was extensively renovated in 2007 and 2008. Beginning in the 1980s, an influx of

Persian Jews Iranian Jews, (; ) also Persian Jews ( ) or Parsim, constitute one of the oldest communities of the Jewish diaspora. Dating back to the History of ancient Israel and Judah, biblical era, they originate from the Jews who relocated to Iran (his ...

who left their country fleeing persecution from the

1979 Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

settled in Great Neck. Beginning in the late 1990s a number of

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

ns, predominantly

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

and

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

, have been moving into the area. The high quality public school education is a key attractor for many of those moving in (the GNPS school district has been ranked by Niche as a #1 public school district in New York in previous years and some of its schools have received Blue Ribbons). Community Church of Great Neck 2 Stoner Av jeh

Community Church of Great Neck 2 Stoner Av jeh

List of communities

Great Neck consists of 9 incorporated villages and 6 unincorporated hamlets: * Village of Great Neck * Great Neck Estates * Great Neck Plaza *

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

* Kings Point * Lake Success *

* Saddle Rock * Thomaston * Great Neck Gardens * Harbor Hills * Saddle Rock Estates * University Gardens The westernmost portion of the Hamlet of

lies between the villages of Thomaston and Lake Success and has Great Neck postal codes (1102x).

Transportation

Great Neck is a 30 to 40-minute commute from

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may refer to: Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * New York Penn Station ** Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), the predecessor to the present New York City station * Newark Penn Station Train ...

on the

Port Washington Branch The Port Washington Branch is an electrified, mostly double-tracked rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It branches north from the Main Line at the former Winfield Junction stat ...

of the

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

via the

station. Some peak LIRR trains terminate at the station.

Nassau Inter-County Express The Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) is the local bus system serving Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. It also serves parts of western Suffolk County, as well as eastern portions of the New York City borough of Queens. ...

connects the villages to the train station and offers service to several destinations in Nassau County and

from the station, while the southern part of the Great Neck area can also directly access the Q46

New York City Bus MTA Regional Bus Operations (RBO) is the bus operations division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City. The MTA operates local, limited-stop, express, and Select Bus Service ( bus rapid transit) services across the city ...

on Union Turnpike at the border with

Glen Oaks A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. The word is Goidelic in origin: ''gleann'' in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, ''glion'' in Manx. ...

and the Q12 bus on

Northern Boulevard New York State Route 25A (NY 25A) is a state highway on Long Island in New York (state), New York, United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, running ...

at the border with Little Neck.

Emergency services

The Village of Great Neck is protected by the

Nassau County Police Department The Nassau County Police Department (also referred to as the Nassau Police & Nassau County Police and abbreviated as NCPD) is the law enforcement agency of Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, New York (state), New York, Unit ...

's Sixth Precinct, as is the rest of Great Neck except for the villages of Great Neck Estates, Kings Point, Kensington and Lake Success. Those villages have their own police departments, which are reinforced by the NCPD during any criminal activity, event, or other incident that falls outside the realm of "routine." Great Neck is served by three all-volunteer fire departments. Th
Great Neck Alert Fire Company
was founded in 1901
The Great Neck Vigilant Fire Company
was founded in 1904. Company 3 of th
Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department
was founded in 1912, and Company 4 of the M-LFD was founded in 1926. Alert covers the northern part of the peninsula, including the Village of Great Neck, providing fire and heavy rescue response. Alert responds to certain medical emergencies with its heavy rescue truck and provides care before the arrival of an ambulance. Vigilant serves the middle portion of Great Neck with fire and heavy rescue response. Th
Vigilant Fire Company
also provides emergency ambulance services to both its own territory and Alert's. M-LFD Co. 3 and 4 serve the southern part of Great Neck, including the villages of Thomaston and Lake Success. These two companies offer fire and rescue services. The M-LFD Ambulance Unit operates two ambulances out of Co. 3's firehouse. In addition, the Nassau County Police Emergency Ambulance Bureau also provides EMS service to the Manhasset-Lakeville fire district.

Parks and recreation

The Parkwood Pool and skating rink complex, the Village Green and sections of Kings Point Park are managed by the

Great Neck Park District The Great Neck Park District (also known as Great Neck Parks and abbreviated as GNPD) is a park district serving much of the Great Neck Peninsula of Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. It is the oldest park district in the St ...

. The Park District serves all Great Neck except the villages of Saddle Rock, Great Neck Estates, and Lake Success, and the neighborhoods (not hamlets) of Harbor Hills and University Gardens. Areas not served by the Great Neck Park District have their own facilities for their residents, run by the villages or civic associations. Parkwood can also provide tennis lessons and skating lessons. During the summer it is a part of the Great Neck day camp program, where young campers use the swimming pool facilities.

Economy

Great Neck has consistently been recognized as one of the most affluent towns both regionally and nationally.

Culture and tourism

Great Neck serves primarily as a "bedroom" community for New York City. As such, it contains few "touristy" attractions. Notable exceptions include: *

Saddle Rock Grist Mill Saddle Rock Grist Mill is a historic grist mill building located in Saddle Rock, a village in the town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York. It is a -story gambrel-roofed structure. Adjacent is a stream-fed millpond that is supplemente ...

, a historical grain-mill powered by tides; known to have been in operation as early as the 18th century. *

in Kings Point * Steppingstone Park, formerly part of the

Walter P. Chrysler Walter Percy Chrysler (April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American industrial pioneer in the automotive industry, automotive industry executive, and the founder and namesake of American Chrysler Corporation. Childhood Chrysler was born ...

estate in Kings Point. Offers summer concerts every Saturday night. * Kings Point Park * Great Neck Arts Center * Great Neck Plaza Shopping District * Great Neck Plaza Promenade Nights – Several summer nights in Great Neck's downtown area, streets are closed off and local restaurants bring seating outdoors for a festive evening of dining, live music, and entertainment. * ''Handful of Keys'', a trompe l'oeil (fool the eye) mural painted by William Cochran located in Great Neck Plaza. *

's House was loosely referred to in his novel, ''

''. "West Egg" referred to Kings Point, a prosperous neighborhood in the northern part of Great Neck, once known for its prevalence of "new money."

Education

Parkville Branch Great Neck Library 10 Campbell St jeh

Great Neck Library is the

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

system serving the community of Great Neck. There are four branches, located throughout the Great Neck area: Main, Station, Parkville, and Lakeville. The Great Neck Union Free School District is the

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

of most of Great Neck. It also includes parts of North New Hyde Park and Manhasset Hills. A small part of eastern Great Neck around Northern Boulevard is part of the Manhasset Union Free School District, whose students attend

Manhasset High School Manhasset Secondary School, also referred to as Manhasset Junior/Senior High School or simply Manhasset High School, is a six-year comprehensive school, comprehensive state school, public middle school, middle and secondary education in the Unite ...

. About 6,200 students, grades K-12, attend the Great Neck Public Schools. There are three high schools: Great Neck North, Great Neck South, and Village (a small alternative high school). There is a district-wide alternative high school program, SEAL Academy (Supportive Environment for All Learners). There are also two middle schools and four elementary schools. Students have diverse backgrounds; they come from more than 40 countries and represent a broad socioeconomic range. Colleges: *

High schools: *

Great Neck North High School John L. Miller Great Neck North High School or simply "Great Neck North," is a public high school, including grades 9 through 12, in the village of Great Neck, New York, operated by the Great Neck School District. As of the 2018–19 school year, ...

Great Neck South High School William A. Shine Great Neck South High School (commonly Great Neck South, South High School, or GNSHS) is a four-year public high school located in the Village of Lake Success, New York, on the bottom of the Great Neck Peninsula. The school serve ...

* Great Neck Village High School (Alternative high school) Middle schools: * Great Neck North Middle School *

Great Neck South Middle School Great Neck Public Schools is a public school district serving students residing in specific areas of Great Neck, North New Hyde Park, North Hills, and Manhasset Hills, New York. It is Union Free School District Number 7 in the Town of Nort ...

Elementary schools: * E. M. Baker Elementary School * John F. Kennedy Elementary School * Lakeville Elementary School * Saddle Rock Elementary School Nursery school: * Parkville School Adult centers: * Cumberland * Clover Drive Great Neck's two major high schools are rated among the top in the country. Its students have been frequent finalists in the

Intel Science Talent Search The Regeneron Science Talent Search, known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, and then as the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) from 1998 through 2016, is a research-based science fair, science competition in ...

, and Great Neck has produced several Intel STS winners since 1999. The district has produced several high school winners of the international First Step to the Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded in Poland. In the 2008 ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' magazine's annual list of the top 1,300 American

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

s, Great Neck South was ranked 49th, and Great Neck North was ranked 68th. Private schools in the region include North Shore Hebrew Academy and Silverstein Hebrew Academy. At one time, the Japanese Weekend School of New York (ニューヨーク補習授業校) conducted lessons in Great Neck.

Notable people

Dan Ahdoot Dan Kamyar Ahdoot (; ) is an American actor, writer, and comedian. He is known for his TV appearances on Netflix's ''Cobra Kai'', Disney's '' Kickin' It'', Showtime's ''Shameless'', and the Seeso series '' Bajillion Dollar Propertie$''. He ha ...

, comedian *

David Baltimore David Baltimore (born March 7, 1938) is an American biologist, university administrator, and 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine. He is a professor of biology at the California Institute of Tech ...

(born 1938), Nobel Prize-winning biologist and former president of Caltech (former resident and high school graduate).Kerr, Kathleen
"They Began Here: Around the country, leading thinkers in health and science can trace their roots to Long Island"
, ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'', July 16, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2008. *

Nikki Blonsky Nicole Blonsky (born November 9, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing Tracy Turnblad in the film ''Hairspray'' (2007), for which she won two Critics' Choice Awards and nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Scre ...

(born 1988), actress who starred as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 version of ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * Hairspray (1988 film), ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** Hairspray (1988 soundtrack), ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundt ...

'' and in '' Harold'', filmed in Great Neck North High School and Middle School. * Enea Bossi Sr. (1888–1963),

Italian-American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...

engineer and aviation pioneer *

Oscar Brand Oscar Brand (February 7, 1920 – September 30, 2016) was a Canadian-born American folk singer-songwriter, radio host, and author. In his career, spanning 70 years, he composed at least 300 songs and released nearly 100 albums, among them Can ...

(1920–2016), folk singer and songwriter (resident) *

Donald Brian Donald Brian (February 17, 1877 – December 22, 1948) was an actor, dancer and singer born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Colony of Newfoundland, Newfoundland (now Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada). In 1907, he sta ...

(1877–1948), Broadway actor, singer, and dancer *

Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedian, Illustrated Songs, illustrated song model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. Sh ...

(1891–1951), comedian, entertainer, theater and film actress, ''Funny Girl'' *

Carol Bruce Carol Bruce (born Shirley Levy; November 15, 1919 – October 9, 2007) was an American band singer, Broadway star, and film and television actress. She had the recurring part of Mama Lillian Carlson on TV's ''WKRP in Cincinnati''. Early year ...

(1919–2007), singer and theater, film and television actress *

Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, copy editing, editor and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome in collaboration with Jerome ...

(1931–2008), science-fiction author and editor (former resident) *

(1922–2014), television pioneer known for ''

Your Show of Shows ''Your Show of Shows'' is a live 90-minute variety show that was broadcast weekly in the United States on NBC from February 25, 1950, through June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Other featured performers were Carl Reiner, Ho ...

'' (resident) *

Barrie Chase Barrie Chase (born October 20, 1933) is an American actress and dancer. Early life Born in Kings Point, New York on October 20, 1933, Chase began formal dance lessons at age three, studying with the New York City Opera's ballet mistress. She ...

, dancer and actress *

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

(1888–1972), actor and entertainer (resident) *

Walter Chrysler Walter Percy Chrysler (April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American industrial pioneer in the automotive industry, automotive industry executive, and the founder and namesake of American Chrysler, Chrysler Corporation. Childhood Chrysler ...

(1875–1940), automobile pioneer, founder of the

Chrysler Corporation FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of ...

Mary L. Cleave Mary Louise Cleave (February 5, 1947 – November 27, 2023) was an American engineer and NASA astronaut. She also served from 2005 to 2007 as NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. Early life Cleave was born in Southam ...

(born 1947),

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

. *

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

(1878–1942), entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, director, and producer (resident) *

Arthur G. Cohen Arthur George Cohen (April 23, 1930 – August 9, 2014) was an American businessman and real estate developer in New York City. Early life and education Cohen was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Frances (née Kostic ...

(1930–2014), businessman and real estate developer *

Steven A. Cohen Steven A. Cohen (born June 11, 1956) is an American hedge-fund manager and owner of the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB) since September 14, 2020, owning just over 97% of the team. He is the founder of hedge fund Point72 Asset Ma ...

, hedge fund manager ( SAC Capital), billionaire and owner of the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

(resident) * Kenneth Cole, designer (attended school in Great Neck) *

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

, film director (graduated from Great Neck High School North) * Andrew W. Cordier,

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

president (former resident) *

Anthony Cumia Anthony Cumia (born April 26, 1961) is an American shock jock, podcast, podcaster and broadcaster. He is the host of ''The Anthony Cumia Show'' on WABC (AM), WABC's ''Talkradio 77'' and the List of online video platforms, online video platform, ...

, latter half of

Opie and Anthony ''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part in ...

(resident) * R. J. Cutler (born 1962), filmmaker, documentarian, television producer and theater director *

Thomas DiNapoli Thomas Peter DiNapoli (born February 10, 1954) is an American politician serving as the 54th and current New York State Comptroller since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was appointed by a bipartisan m ...

, New York State Comptroller (resident) * Gail Dolgin (1945–2010), filmmaker *

Tad Dorgan Thomas Aloysius "Tad" Dorgan (April 29, 1877 – May 2, 1929) was an Irish American cartoonist. He is known for his cartoon panel ''Indoor Sports'' and comic strip '' Judge Rummy'', as well as the many English words and expressions he coined or ...

(1877–1929), cartoonist *

Shay Doron Shay Doron (; born April 1, 1985) is an Israeli professional basketball player in the Israeli league. She plays for Maccabi Ashdod. Biography Doron was born in Ramat Hasharon, Israel, to Yehuda and Tamari Doron. For her first two years in hig ...

, first Israeli to play in the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...

) *

Will Durant William James Durant (; November 5, 1885 – November 7, 1981) was an American historian and philosopher, best known for his eleven-volume work, '' The Story of Civilization'', which contains and details the history of Eastern and Western civil ...

(1885–1981), historian. Author of the multi-volume outline of world history

The Story of Civilization ''The Story of Civilization'' (1935–1975), by husband and wife Will and Ariel Durant, is an eleven-volume set of books covering both Eastern and Western civilizations for the general reader, with a particular emphasis on European (Western) hi ...

. *

Quinn Early Quinn Remar Early (born April 13, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 1988 NFL draft. Early was a wide receiver who played college football for the Uni ...

, football player drafted by

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

(graduated from Great Neck South High School) * Sam Eshaghoff, real estate developer and investor (graduated from Great Neck North High School) *

Percy Faith Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian–American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of instrumental ballads and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizin ...

(1908–1976), Canadian bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor (former resident) *

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American actor, comedian, juggler and writer. His career in show business began in vaudeville, where he attained international success as a ...

, comedian and actor (former resident) *

, author (former resident), lived in Great Neck in the 1920s, at 6 Gateway Drive in Great Neck Estates. He lived here in a modest house not dissimilar to that of Nick, the protagonist of his novel, ''

''. It is said that Fitzgerald modeled West Egg—the fictional town in which Nick lives—after his own Great Neck (specifically Kings Point) and the atmosphere and lifestyle there; and he modeled East Egg after Great Neck's eastern neighbor, Port Washington, or, more specifically, Sands Point. It is possible to see the actual green light referred to in the book, at Stepping Stone Park. The park is located at the top of the Great Neck Peninsula. *

Whitey Ford Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford (October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020), nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played his entire 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees. ...

, (1928–2020)

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

pitcher (former resident) * Arnold and Jesse Friedman, subjects of award-winning 2003 documentary ''

Capturing the Friedmans ''Capturing the Friedmans'' is a 2003 HBO documentary film directed by Andrew Jarecki. It focuses on the 1980s investigation of Arnold and Jesse Friedman for child molestation. The film premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival where it re ...

'' (former residents) *

Julius Genachowski Julius Genachowski (born August 19, 1962) is an American lawyer and businessman. He became the Federal Communications Commission Chairman on June 29, 2009. On March 22, 2013, he announced he would be leaving the FCC in the coming weeks. On Januar ...

FCC chairman under Obama administration * Harry Gideonse (1901–1985), President of

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

, and Chancellor of the

New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR), previously known as The University in Exile and The New School University, is a graduate-level educational division of The New School in New York City, United States. NSSR enrolls more than 1,000 stud ...

Bernie Glow Bernie Glow (February 6, 1926 – May 8, 1982) was an American trumpet player who specialized in jazz and commercial lead trumpet from the 1940s to 1970s. He was born Bernard Abraham Glatzer on Feb 6 1926 in New York to Gustav (Gus) and Frances (F ...

(1926 - 1982), first-call trumpet player and played on thousands of recording sessions *

Jamie Gorelick Jamie Shona Gorelick (; born May 6, 1950) is an American lawyer who served as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States from 1994 to 1997, during the Clinton administration. She has been a partner at WilmerHale since 2003 and has serve ...

Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...

official (former resident) *

Morton Gould Morton Gould (December 10, 1913February 21, 1996) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist. Biography Morton Gould was born in Richmond Hill, New York, United States. He was of Austrian-Jewish heritage. He was recognized ear ...

, concert pianist (former resident) *

Joseph Peter Grace Sr. Joseph Peter Grace Sr. (June 9, 1872 – July 15, 1950) was an American businessman, polo player, and owner of Thoroughbred horses in the sport of steeplechase racing. He was the president of W.R. Grace and Company from 1907-1946. Early life and ...

, businessman (former resident) * Mark Green, former New York City Public Advocate and mayoral candidate (former resident and high school graduate) *

Jim Gurfein Jim Gurfein (born January 4, 1961) is a former professional tennis player from the U.S. Gurfein reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 96 in September 1983. Early years Gurfein was born in New York City, and he is Jewish. Gurfein g ...

(born 1961), tennis player * Betty Haas Pfister (1921–2011), aviator *

Ilan Hall Ilan D. Hall is an American chef, television personality, and restaurateur. He won the second season of ''Top Chef,'' and is owner-chef of Ramen Hood in Los Angeles. Early life and education Hall is a native of Great Neck, New York. His parents ...

, chef and winner of reality television show ''

Top Chef ''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo in March 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional chefs ...

'' (former resident) *

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

, writer, producer and director of musicals (former resident) * Dick Heyward, former deputy Director of UNICEF (1914–2005) (former resident) *

Jackie Hoffman Jacqueline Laura Hoffman (born November 29, 1960) is an American actress, singer, and comedian known for her one-woman shows of Jewish-themed original songs and monologues. She is a veteran of Chicago's famed The Second City comedy improv group. ...

, actress, singer and comedian *

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director, producer and writer.Obituary, '' Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' an ...

(1893–1943), actor, director and producer * Christopher Howes, Yale professor in Cardiology and head of Greenwich Hospital Cardiology (grew up in Great Neck) *

Emily Hughes Emily Anne Hughes (born January 26, 1989) is an American former figure skater. She is the 2007 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, 2007 Four Continents silver medalist and 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, 2007 U.S. national sil ...

, member of the U.S. figure skating team at the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...

Sarah Hughes Sarah Elizabeth Hughes (born May 2, 1985) is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic Champion and the 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies' singles. Personal life Hughes was born in Great Neck, New York, a subu ...

, gold medalist in figure skating at the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...

Marion Hutton Marion Hutton (born Marion Thornburg; March 10, 1919 – January 10, 1987) was an American singer and actress. She is best remembered for her singing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1938 to 1942. She was the sister of actress and s ...

, singer/actor (former resident) * Eric Isaacs (born 1957), physicist, director of

Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Lemont, Illinois, Lemont, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1946, the laboratory is owned by the United Sta ...

* David Kahn, historian, journalist, and writer on subjects of cryptography and military intelligence *

Anna Kaplan Anna Kaplan (née Monahemi) (born August 23, 1965) is an Iranian-American politician from Great Neck, New York. A Democrat, she was a member of the New York State Senate, representing New York's 7th State Senate district, which runs from the No ...

, Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman (resident) * Michael Karlan, founder of the nation's largest networking and socializing group,

Professionals in the City Professionals in the City (commonly known as PNC) is a socializing and networking private organization based out in Washington, DC, with branches in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Boston. It was founded in 1999 by Mich ...

(former resident) *

Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. He has sometimes been called an "anti-humor, anti-comedian". He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was tra ...

(1949–1984), comedian and actor (former resident) * Edward Keonjian (1909–1999), Armenian-American engineer and "father of microelectronics" *

Alan King Alan King (born Irwin Alan Kniberg; December 26, 1927 – May 9, 2004) was an American comedian, actor and satirist known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. He was also a serious actor who appeared in a number of films and televi ...

(1927–2004), comedian and actor (former resident) *

Andrew Klavan Andrew Klavan (; born July 13, 1954) is an American novelist and conservative political commentator. He has also worked in film and as an essayist and video satirist. He is also known for being a political commentator and hosts ''The Andrew Klava ...

(born 1954), author *

Moogy Klingman Mark "Moogy" Klingman (September 7, 1950 – November 15, 2011)
– accessed November 17, 2011 was an American musici ...

(1950–2011), musician and songwriter *

Josh Kopelman Joshua Kopelman is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and philanthropist. Kopelman has consistently been ranked as one of the world's top 20 venture capitalists. He was the founder of First Round Capital, and before that, a founder of ...

, entrepreneur (former resident) *

Dave Kufeld David Kufeld (; born September 27, 1958) is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player. He became the first Orthodox Jew selected in the NBA draft when the Portland Trail Blazers drafted him in the 10th round of the 1980 NBA draft ...

, first Orthodox Jew selected in the NBA draft *

Christopher Lambert Christophe Guy Denis Lambert (; ; born March 29, 1957), commonly known as Christopher Lambert, is a French-American actor, producer, and writer. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally f ...

, actor (born in Great Neck) * Morris S. Levy, television and film producer (resident) *

Jack Liebowitz Jacob S. Liebowitz (; born Yacov Lebovitz, October 10, 1900 – December 11, 2000 DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

; lived in the Saddle Rock neighborhood. *

Ring Lardner Ringgold Wilmer Lardner (March 6, 1885 – September 25, 1933) was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical writings on sports, marriage, and the theatre. His contemporaries—Ernest Hemingway, Virginia W ...

, sports columnist and short story writer (former resident) * Edna Luby (1884–1928), entertainer, lived in Great Neck *

Doug McIntyre Douglas John McIntyre (born November 11, 1957) is the author of '' Frank’s Shadow'', his debut novel, published in July, 2023 and is the former host of ''McIntyre In The Morning'' on KABC 790 Los Angeles. He retired after 22 years in broadcas ...

, author, radio host, producer * The

, stars of vaudeville and movies (former residents) * Mimi Michaels, actress * Minae Mizumura, novelist, essayist, critic, based in Tokyo (former resident) *

Bobby Muller Bobby Muller (born 1946) is an American peace advocate. He was born on Long Island, and grew up in Great Neck, New York. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967, during the Vietnam War. His commission with the Marines began the same day ...

, Vietnam War veteran and anti-war activist (grew up in Great Neck) *

Louise Nevelson Louise Nevelson (September 23, 1899 – April 17, 1988) was an American sculptor known for her monumental, monochromatic, wooden wall pieces and outdoor sculptures. Born in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Kyiv Oblast, ...

, abstract sculptor (former resident) *

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

, actor (former resident) *

Ted Nierenberg Theodore David "Ted" Nierenberg (May 20, 1923 – July 31, 2009) was an American business executive and entrepreneur who created Dansk International Designs, a company that sells Scandinavian Design-style cooking and serving utensils and ot ...

(1923–2009), founder of Dansk International Designs, created in the garage of his Great Neck home. * Roy Niederhoffer (born 1966), founder and President of R. G. Niederhoffer Capital Investments, philanthropist, Chairman of the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

, playwright (former resident) *

Charlotte Blair Parker Charlotte Blair Parker (1858 – January 5, 1937) was an American playwright and actress in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She began her theatrical career as an actress, eventually playing opposite John Edward McCullough, Mary Anderson ...

, playwright; writing under pen name Lottie Blair Parker, remembered most for three plays produced between 1897 and 1906: ''Way Down East'', ''Under Southern Skies'' and ''The Redemption of David Corson'' *

Mazi Melesa Pilip Mazi Melesa Pilip (born ) is an American politician in the Nassau County Legislature representing the 10th district. A Republican, she is an Ethiopian Jew who immigrated to Israel when she was 12 years old, and later served as a gunsmith in the ...

, Ethiopian-born American politician *

Larry Poons Lawrence M. "Larry" Poons (born October 1, 1937) is an American abstract painter. Poons was born in Tokyo; he studied from 1955 to 1957 at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, with the intent of becoming a professional musician. Afte ...

, abstract painter (graduated from Great Neck High School

orth Orth can refer to: Places * Orth, Minnesota, an unincorporated community in Nore Township, Minnesota, United States * Orth an der Donau, a town in Gänserndorf, Lower Austria, Austria * Orth House, a historic house in Winnetka, Illinois, United ...

Neil Portnow Neil R. Portnow is an American music industry executive who served as the chairman and CEO of The Recording Academy and MusiCares from 2002 to 2019. Prior to that, Portnow was the vice-president of the West Coast division of Jive Records and Ar ...

, President of the

National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely known for its Gram ...

(former resident) *

Dan Raviv Dan Raviv (born 1954) is an American journalist. Career Raviv was the senior Washington correspondent for i24 News, headquartered in Tel Aviv and New York, 2017 to 2020. Previously he was with CBS News for over 40 years as their national corre ...

, author and

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

TV and radio correspondent who hosts the ''

CBS News Weekend Roundup The ''CBS News Weekend Roundup'' is a weekly news show that airs on CBS News Radio, designed for a one-hour time slot, though it has an actual length without commercials of about 40 minutes. It reviews the previous week's news and provides insights ...

'' (former resident) * Daniella Rabbani, Yiddish theatre actress *

Anne Ramsey Anne Ramsey-Mobley (March 27, 1929 – August 11, 1988) was an American actress. She was best known for her film roles as Mama Fratelli in ''The Goonies'' (1985) and as Mrs. Lift in ''Throw Momma from the Train'' (1987), the latter of which earn ...

(1929–1988), actress, known for such films as ''

The Goonies ''The Goonies'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus based on a story by Steven Spielberg and starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin (in his film debut), Jeff Cohen ...

'' (1985) and ''

Throw Momma from the Train ''Throw Momma from the Train'' is a 1987 American crime black comedy film starring and directed by Danny DeVito in his theatrical directorial debut. It co-stars Billy Crystal, Anne Ramsey, Rob Reiner, Branford Marsalis, Kim Greist and Kate ...

'' (1987), and was an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominee,

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

nominee, and a two-time

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

winner *

Peter Rennert Peter Rennert (born December 26, 1958) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He achieved career-high rankings of World No. 40 in singles (in 1980), and World No. 8 in doubles (in 1983). At the 1977 Maccabiah Games in Isr ...

(born 1958), tennis player * Jimmy Roberts, composer for musical theater as well as a pianist and entertainer (graduate of Great Neck North High School) * Alan Rosen (born 1969), restaurant and bakery owner, and author *

Bobby Rosengarden Robert Marshall Rosengarden (April 23, 1924 – February 27, 2007) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist and bandleader. A native of Elgin, Illinois, United States, he played on many recordings and in television orchestras and talk show ba ...

(1924–2007), jazz drummer and bandleader (former resident) *

Jordan Rudess Jordan Rudess (born Jordan Charles Rudes; November 4, 1956) is an American keyboardist, composer, and software developer, best known as a member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment. Early lif ...

, keyboard player for the band

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards). Dream Theat ...

(grew up in Great Neck) *

Tamir Sapir Tamir Sapir (born Temur Sepiashvili, ka, თემურ სეფიაშვილი; 1946/1947 – September 24, 2014) was a Georgian-born, Georgian-American businessman, real estate developer and investor. He was the founder of the Sapir ...

, Georgian-born billionaire *

Roxanne Seeman Roxanne Joy Seeman is an American songwriter and lyricist. She is best known for her songs by Billie Hughes, Philip Bailey, Phil Collins, Earth, Wind & Fire, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, The Sisters of Mercy, The Jacksons, Jacky Cheung, and ...

, songwriter and lyricist (graduate of Great Neck North High School) *

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as '' Ship o ...

(1934–2021),

-nominated,

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

-nominated, and

-winning actor *

David Seidler David Seidler (4 August 1937 – 16 March 2024) was a British-American playwright and film and television writer. Seidler is most known for writing the scripts for the stage version and screen version for the story ''The King's Speech''. For ...

, screenwriter of "The King's Speech," 2011 Oscar winner; Great Neck H.S. graduate, 1955 * Burt Shavitz, co-founder of Burt's Bees *

Sarah Sherman Sarah Nicole Sherman (born March 7, 1993), also known professionally as Sarah Squirm, is an American comedian, actress, and screenwriter. Sherman is known for using surreal and body horror comedy. She became a featured player on the NBC sketch ...

, comedian and featured player on

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

Talia Shire Talia Rose Shire (née Coppola; born April 25, 1946) is an American actress and member of the Coppola family. She is best known for her roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather (film series), ''The Godfather'' trilogy and Adrian Pennino, Adrian ...

, actress, known for ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

'' and ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...

'' films, and a two-time

nominee (born in Lake Success) * Jared Siegel (

Jared Evan Jared Evan Siegel (born September 21, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer. He signed with Polow da Don's record label Zone 4, an imprint of Interscope Records, in 2009. He wrote and produced the song "Frozen" fo ...

), singer, songwriter, and producer * Elie Siegmeister, composer (resident) * Laurie Simmons, artist, photographer and filmmaker * Harry F. Sinclair, oil industrialist (former resident) *

Helen Slater Helen Rachel Slater (born December 15, 1963) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is best known for playing the DC Comics superheroine Supergirl in the 1984 film ''Supergirl'', as well as appearing in films such as '' The Legend of Bi ...

(born 1963), actress *

Alfred P. Sloan Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr. ( ; May 23, 1875February 17, 1966) was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a longtime president, chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation. First as a senior executive and later as ...

, president of

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

(former resident) *

Tim Sommer Timothy Andrew Sommer (born March 5, 1962, in New York City) is an American music journalist, musician, record producer and former Atlantic Records A&R representative. Sommer was the bass player for the slowcore/ dreampop band Hugo Largo. ...

, musician in Hugo Largo and record executive and producer *

Seth Swirsky Seth A. Swirsky (born August 5, 1960) is an American pop music songwriter (including the Grammy-nominated "Tell It to My Heart (Taylor Dayne song), Tell It to My Heart"), an author, a recording artist, a filmmaker, a political writer and a noted ...

, songwriter and author *

Jon Taffer Jonathan Peter Taffer (born November 7, 1954) is an American entrepreneur and television personality. He is best known for hosting the reality series ''Bar Rescue'' on Paramount Network and '' Face the Truth'' on CBS with Vivica A. Fox. Early ...

, host and co-executive producer of

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of everything in existence; everything that is not imagination, imaginary. Different Culture, cultures and Academic discipline, academic disciplines conceptualize it in various ways. Philosophical questions abo ...

series

Bar Rescue ''Bar Rescue'' is an American reality television series that airs on Paramount Network (formerly Spike during the first five seasons). It stars Jon Taffer, a long-time food and beverage industry consultant specializing in nightclubs, bars and p ...

Norma Talmadge Norma Marie Talmadge (May 2, 1894 – December 24, 1957) was an American actress and film producer of the silent film, silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among ...

, actress (former resident) *

Richard Tucker Richard Tucker (August 28, 1913January 8, 1975) was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States. Early life Tucker was born Rivn (Rubin) Ticker ...

, operatic tenor (former resident) *

Louis Uchitelle Louis Uchitelle (born March 21, 1932) is a journalist and author. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2010, first as an editor in the business news department (1980-1987) and then as a business and economics writer (1987-2010). He ...

, journalist with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (former resident) * Sim Van der Ryn, architect, researcher and educator, who has applied principles of physical and social ecology to architecture and environmental design. *

William Kissam Vanderbilt II William Kissam Vanderbilt II (October 26, 1878 – January 8, 1944) was an American motor racing enthusiast and yachtsman, and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family. Early life He was born on October 26, 1878, in New York City, the secon ...

, railroad executive and yachtsman (former resident) *

Robert Varkonyi Robert Varkonyi is an American poker player, best known for winning the Main Event of the 2002 World Series of Poker. Early life Varkonyi first started playing poker as an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After ...

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada, and since 2004, sponsored by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best ...

champion (resident) *

Sam Warner Samuel Louis Warner (born Szmuel Wonsal, August 10, 1887 – October 5, 1927) was an American film producer who was the co-founder and chief executive officer of Warner Bros. He established the studio along with his brothers Harry, Albert, and ...

(1887–1927), one of four brothers who were co-founders of

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Mordecai Waxman Mordecai Waxman, KCSG (February 25, 1917, in Albany – August 10, 2002, in Great Neck, New York), was a rabbi in the Conservative Jewish movement for nearly 60 years. He served as rabbi of Temple Israel in Great Neck, New York for 55 years from ...

(1917–2002), prominent rabbi in the Conservative movement and of Temple Israel of Great Neck. *

Max Weber Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German Sociology, sociologist, historian, jurist, and political economy, political economist who was one of the central figures in the development of sociology and the social sc ...

(1881–1961), one of the first American Cubist painters *

Michael H. Weber Michael H. Weber (born January 13, 1978) is an American screenwriter and producer. He and his writing partner, Scott Neustadter, are best known for writing the screenplay for the romantic comedy film ''500 Days of Summer''. The film is based on t ...

(born 1978), screenwriter *

Mort Weisinger Mortimer Weisinger (; April 25, 1915 – May 7, 1978) was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' ''Superman'' during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features ...

, editor (

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

Thrilling Wonder Stories ''Wonder Stories'' was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, ''Amazing Sto ...

) * Charlie Williams, traded by the New York Mets along with cash for

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (May 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of ...

; did not make the Great Neck South Senior baseball team as a senior *

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...

(1881–1975), English comic writer (former resident). Wodehouse, P. G.br>"Dogs and Cats and Wodehouse; Dogs, Cats and Wodehouse"
''

'', October 3, 1971. Accessed August 5, 2009. "When I was married 57 years ago, I lived in Bellport. Then I moved to Great Neck." *

Bruce Wolosoff Bruce Wolosoff (born March 27, 1955) is an American classical composer, pianist, and educator.
retrieved May 23, 2017 He lives ...

(born 1955), composer, pianist and educator (former resident) *

Herman Wouk Herman Wouk ( ; May 27, 1915 – May 17, 2019) was an American author. He published fifteen novels, many of them historical fiction such as ''The Caine Mutiny'' (1951), for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Pulitzer Prize in fiction. ...

(1915–2019), author (former resident) *

Harris Wulfson Harris Wulfson (18 July 1974 – 23 July 2008) was an American composer, instrumentalist and software engineer in Brooklyn, New York. His work employed algorithmic processes and gestural controllers to explore the boundary where humans encounter th ...

(1974–2008), composer, instrumentalist and software engineer (graduated from Great Neck South High School) *

Chic Young Murat Bernard "Chic" Young (January 9, 1901March 14, 1973) was an American cartoonist who created the comic strip ''Blondie (comic strip), Blondie''. His 1919 ''William McKinley High School Yearbook'' cites his nickname as Chicken, source of hi ...

(1901–1973), cartoonist (created '' Blondie'' in his Great Neck studio in summer of 1930) * Michael Zimmerman (born 1970), tennis player

References

{{authority control Great Neck Peninsula Jewish American culture Iranian-American culture in New York (state) Iranian-Jewish culture in the United States Town of North Hempstead, New York Populated places in Nassau County, New York Populated coastal places in New York (state) es:Great Neck Plaza