Check out six famous celebrities who call Salisbury and the Eastern Shore home

Salisbury is a hotbed of fame.

From a renowned star of the "Terminator" film franchise to two former NFL players to televised supervillains plaguing small towns, check out these six noteworthy celebrities who are from or grew up in the city of Salisbury and a select few other Eastern Shore locales.

Linda Hamilton

Actress Linda Hamilton, best known for her role as Sarah Connor in the "Terminator" film franchise, was born and raised in Salisbury. Hamilton’s first big claim to fame was the original “Terminator” film, released in 1984. She later reprised her role in the film’s sequel, “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” in 1991, and again in “Terminator: Dark Fate” in 2019.

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Hamilton also starred in the 1984 horror cult classic “Children of the Corn,” as well as the 1997 disaster flick “Dante’s Peak.” She is also known for her role as Catherine Chandler on the 1987 television series “Beauty and the Beast”, which earned her two Golden Globe nominations and an Emmy.

Hamilton’s career has shown no signs of slowing down through the years. Just recently, Netflix’s “Stranger Things” added the “Terminator” actress to its season 5 cast. However, as of right now, season 5 does not have a premiere date and production has been put on pause due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

John Glover

Another native of Salisbury is actor John Glover, known for a wide array of villainous roles in films and television. Glover is best known for his role as Lionel Luthor on the Superman-inspired television series "Smallville," which premiered in 2001 and ran for 10 seasons on the WB and then the CW. Glover was intended to be a special guest star, but his character then became a series regular in season 2 until being written out of the show in season 7.

Glover also appeared in the 1990 horror film "Gremlins 2: The New Batch," the 1997 film "Batman & Robin" and the 1986 crime flick "52 Pick-Up." In 1993, he co-starred in the dark comedy "Ed and His Dead Mother" with Steve Buscemi and Ned Beatty, according to his IMDb page. Glover is also the voice of popular supervillain Riddler in the DC Animated Universe.

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Alexis Denisof

American actor Alexis Denisof is yet another famous face from Salisbury. Denisof is best known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, a mentor for vampire slayers, in the popular 1997 television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," as well as its 1999 spinoff, "Angel." Denisof appeared in nine episodes of "Buffy" before leaving the series for "Angel."

Throughout the years, Denisof has also appeared in a handful of other well-known television series, including the 2005 American sit-com "How I Met Your Mother," 2014 series "Finding Carter" and 2018 American fantasy drama "Legacies." Denisof also had a role in the celebrated 2014 superhero film "Guardians of the Galaxy," which recently became a three-film series.

Since 2003, he has been married to "Buffy" and "How I Met Your Mother" star Alyson Hannigan.

Jay Copeland

"American Idol" personality Jay "Jeremiah" Copeland has been wowing his hometown of Salisbury for years. Before starring on the popular television singing contest "American Idol," Copeland graduated from James M. Bennett High School. There, he spent four years involved with the school’s yearly musical production, Rock & Roll Revival.

Copeland's musical talent led him to being selected to star on season 20 of "American Idol," led by judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, which premiered in 2022. He made it to the top 7 before ultimately being voted off. Copeland continues to make great strides in his music career, which he continues to update on his social media.

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Ben Tate

Former Stephen Decatur and Snow Hill high school student and football star Ben Tate made waves in the NFL before retiring. The running back, born in Woodbridge, Virginia, was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Tate spent three years with the Houston Texans under former head coach Gary Kubiak. In addition to playing college football with the Auburn Tigers at Auburn University, he played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Alex Ellis

Alex Ellis, currently a tight end for the DC Defenders of the XFL, is yet another Eastern Shore native born and raised in Delmar, Delaware. Ellis was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent after the 2016 NFL Draft. Ellis has played for eight NFL teams since leaving college in 2016, reported the XFL News Hub, and been on and off NFL active and practice rosters his entire pro career.

Ellis spent part of the 2019 NFL season with the Philadelphia Eagles but was eventually released with an injury settlement, reported the FanSided Network. He was re-signed to the practice squad two months later, signed to a reserve/future contract with the Cardinals on Jan. 19, 2022, and released on July 17. Ellis was last in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021/2022.

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Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Did you know these 6 celebrities, sports stars are from Eastern Shore?