College Towns That Have Unexpected Celebrity Connections

8. Cambridge, Massachusetts – Where Hollywood Meets Harvard

Cambridge is an intellectual powerhouse, home to Harvard and MIT, but it’s also produced some of Hollywood’s biggest names. This historic town has shaped the early years of Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Natalie Portman, and Conan O’Brien, all of whom spent formative years studying or growing up here. Damon and Affleck’s Boston roots run deep, but it was their connection to Cambridge—particularly their time around Harvard Square’s indie theaters and bookstores—that helped inspire Good Will Hunting, the film that launched their careers. Similarly, Conan O’Brien, a Harvard graduate, honed his comedic skills as a writer for The Harvard Lampoon, a legendary campus humor publication that has churned out some of the most influential comedy writers in the industry. Beyond acting and comedy, Natalie Portman attended Harvard, balancing a career in Hollywood while earning a degree in psychology. She often speaks fondly of her time in Cambridge, describing it as a rare blend of academic rigor and creative inspiration.