List of people from Topanga, California
This article is a list of notable people who were born in and/or have lived in Topanga, California.
Actors
In the 1920s, Topanga Canyon became a weekend getaway for Hollywood silent film stars. The rolling hills and ample vegetation provided both privacy and attractive surroundings for some of the famous.
Actors currently or formerly residing in the Topanga area include:
- Richard Dean Anderson (1980)
- Jason Momoa
- Lisa Bonet[1]
- Alex Borstein
- Jordan Bridges
- Keith Carradine
- Kyle Chandler[1]
- John Clark[1]
- Bob Denver
- Tony Dow
- Sharon Farrell
- Teri Garr[1]
- Beau Garrett
- Will Geer[2][1]
- Louis Gossett Jr.
- Billy Gray, and his late mother Beatrice Gray[1]
- Emile Hirsch[1]
- Jennifer Holden[1]
- Dennis Hopper[1]
- John Kassir
- Joshua Jackson[1]
- Cloris Leachman
- Eric Mabius[1]
- Wendie Malick[1]
- D.W. Moffett
- Viggo Mortensen[1]
- Uschi Obermaier, model & actress.[1]
- William O'Leary[1]
- Lynn Redgrave[1]
- Joseph Rosendo
- Ricky Schroder[1]
- Natalie Shaw
- Vinessa Shaw
- Amy Smart[1]
- Sissy Spacek
- Dean Stockwell[1]
- Russ Tamblyn, raising his daughter Amber Tamblyn[1]
- Jeffrey Tambor, with wife Kasia and 2 children.[1]
- Barry Watson[1]
- Robin Williams[1]
- Molly Ringwald[1]
- Blu del Barrio was born and grew up in Topanga.
Musicians
In the musical fields, in 1952 Woody Guthrie was one of the early American musicians who moved to the Topanga area.[3] As nearby Los Angeles grew into a major music industry capital in the 1950s and 1960s, Topanga Canyon was one of the city's bohemian enclaves some performers preferred living in.[1]
Current and former musicians of the Topanga area include:
- Peter Alsop
- Mark Andes[1]
- Christopher Drew
- Lauren Andino
- Devendra Banhart
- Toni Basil
- Ryan Bingham[1]
- Tim Booth
- Vic Briggs[4]
- Randy California[5]
- Linda Ronstadt
- Bryan Senatore[1]
- Ed Cassidy[1]
- Justin Chancellor[1]
- Alice Cooper[1]
- Pee Wee Crayton[1]
- JC Crowley[1]
- John Densmore[1][5]
- Neil Diamond[1]
- J. B. Eckl
- Danny Elfman in 1989 at the time he was composing the Simpsons Theme (see his MasterClass, Lesson 5)
- Don Felder[1][5]
- Jay Ferguson[1]
- Mick Fleetwood[1][5]
- The Flying Burrito Brothers[1]
- Julia Fordham[1]
- Marvin Gaye[1][5]
- Lowell George[1][5]
- Woody Guthrie[3]
- Taylor Hawkins
- Colin Hay[6]
- Richie Hayward[1]
- John Helliwell[7]
- Nick Hexum
- Gary Hinman, music teacher and a victim of the Charles Manson gang; lived on Old Topanga Canyon Road in 1969
- Bob Hite[1][5]
- Jacknife Lee[1]
- Adam Jones[1]
- Bernie Leadon[1]
- John Locke[1]
- Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane[1]
- Joni Mitchell[1]
- Jim Morrison[1]
- Van Morrison[1]
- Hap Palmer
- Gram Parsons
- Billy Preston[1][5]
- Chris Robinson
- Ryan Ross[1]
- Stephen Stills[1][5]
- Fred Tackett[1]
- Taj Mahal[1][5]
- Big Joe Turner[1]
- Alan Wilson[1]
- Neil Young[1][5]
- David Frank of The System[8]
- Grace Potter[9]
Leif Garrett. 1970's teen idol
Writers
- Millicent Borges Accardi, NEA poet, lives in Topanga and writes theater reviews for the local Topanga Messenger newspaper.
- Hampton Fancher, screenwriter, author, and director, lived for years on Old Canyon Boulevard.[10]
- Marija Gimbutas, archaeologist and Indo-European scholar noted for her Kurgan hypothesis and books about neolithic goddess culture, lived in Topanga for decades.[11]
- Al Martinez, Pulitzer Prize winning former L.A. Times columnist, lived for decades in Topanga,[12] often commenting on the nature of life there.[13]
- Jon Povill, writer of Total Recall and some episodes of Sliders, as well as producer of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, resided there until 2008.[14]
- Oliver Sacks, neurologist and author, lived on Iowa Trail in Topanga from 1963 to 1965.[15]
- Jack Doyle, writer Playboy Interview [16]
Others
- Max Biaggi, four-time 250cc Grand Prix Champion and 2010 WSBK (World Superbike) winner; has a home in the community
- Sandstone Retreat, a swingers' resort, was located in upper Topanga.
- Henry Hill, gangster; moved to Topanga Canyon after he was put on probation in 2009
- Clement Meighan, archaeologist and UCLA Professor of Archaeology/Anthropology; resided in Topanga over 30 years
- Satan, devil, sexy man, lovely overall dude. Moved to Topanga on March 3, 2021
References
- "Topanga History & Culture - Teresa Penner". teresapenner.com. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- Lisa Marks (August 8, 2012). "Hounded out of Hollywood: Topanga film festival and the legacy of Will Geer | Film". theguardian.com. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- "Lifetimeline". www.woodyguthrie.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- Vic Briggs Biography, From Rock Star to Ragi; antionmusic. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
- Rock and Roll roadmap.com: Topanga Canyon rock and roll scene. accessed July 17, 2015
- Johnston, Chris (January 19, 2013). "Lunch with Colin Hay". Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- Candela, Miguel (August 12, 2010). "JOHN HELLIWELL Interview, April 2003". Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- Blog post in David Frank | music production
- Varga, George (March 11, 2020). "Grace Potter, a happily remarried first-time mom, on love, divorce and band break-ups". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Archived May 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- "Al Martinez webpage". Almartinez.org. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- Jon Povill at IMDb
- "Oliver Sacks: Tripping in Topanga, 1963 - Los Angeles Review of Books". lareviewofbooks.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- [https://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/linda-ronstadt-playboy-interview/