Notable Alumni

Alumni

Jimmy Breslin, acclaimed columnist for the New York Herald Tribune, the Daily News, the New York Journal American, Newsday, and other venues and author of numerous books. He is also the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. [2]
Eddie Buczynski, prominent Wiccan and gay activist. He attended from 1962 until dropping out in 1964, largely because of the bullying that he had faced at the school.^[8]
Steve Cangialosi, play-by-play voice of the New Jersey Devils on MSG Plus and the New York Red Bulls on the MSG Network.^[9]
Mortimer Caplin, Internal Revenue Service commissioner, law professor and tax attorney
Jackie Gleason, American actor, bandleader.
Keith Gottfried, former general counsel and chief legal officer of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a senior official in the administration of President George W. Bush, is a 1983 graduate and the former Editor-in-Chief of the school's newspaper, The Campus. [3][4]
Jack Lord (John Joseph Patrick Ryan), American actor, director and the star of the long-running TV show Hawaii Five-O (the original version from the 1960s) [5].
Richard (Dick) Parsons, International business leader, former CEO of Time-Warner, Citi-Bank, General-Consul to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, Presidential Advisor.
Bernadette Peters, American actress
Joseph Pintauro, American playwright, novelist and poet
Chester Riley, American actor, editor, and composer.
Nick Santamaria, Mike Mincelli and Vinnie Narcardo, founding members of The Capris vocal Doo Wop group whose most famous recording was "There's a Moon Out Tonight".
Jermaine Turner, American professional basketball player
Jason Wingreen, American actor who was the original voice of Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back.
Joseph Wiseman, American actor.

Former teachers

Lenny Schultz, acclaimed television comedian and stand-up comic who taught physical education at John Adams High School while at the same time appearing on television shows such as the Tonight Show, Late Night With David Letterman, the Merv Griffin Show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1977), Blansky's Beauties (1977), Ball Four (TV series) (1976), The Pink Panther Laugh and a Half Hour and a Half Show (1976-1977), and Drawing Power (a children's Saturday morning TV series) (1980) [6][7]
Bob Sheppard, New York Yankees announcer (English teacher and Chairman of the Speech Dept) [8]