There is no shortage of both small and big-screen movie stars who claim to follow sports teams. Spike Lee is a regular courtside at Madison Square Garden watching his beloved New York Knicks, while Jack Nicholson is almost a fixture at what is now called the Crypto.com Arena cheering on the Lakers.
New York and Los Angeles tend to get most of the film star love – which makes sense, as the two cities are the two main creative hubs in the industry. But it does seem a little convenient that all these stars root for teams from those two cities, especially when the actors and directors might not even have grown up there.
We are more impressed with celebrities who don’t forget their roots and keep getting behind their hometown teams. Baltimore may not be the most movie and TV-friendly city in the country but sports is big in Maryland and these are some of the biggest – and most well-known – Ravens fans in the country.
Duff Goldman
TV chefs are some of the biggest stars on the planet these days and manage to get invited onto all kinds of shows when they are not busy creating in the kitchen. Chef Goldman was actually born in Detroit but went to the University of Maryland in Baltimore and obviously fell in love with the place.
His Charm City Cakes featured on Food Network show Ace of Cakes and he proved to be so popular that he was able to open another restaurant in Los Angeles. He is regularly seen wearing Ravens jerseys and other apparel and became well-known in Baltimore for making cakes for the players and fans. He also has a history of organizing tailgate parties at the games, so we can safely assume he’s the real deal when it comes to liking the Ravens.
Barry Levinson
This award-winning film director, screenwriter, and producer was born in Baltimore in 1942 and grew up in the Forest Park area of the city. Although he has not worn his love for the Ravens on his sleeve so much throughout his career, he is a fan and has definitely shown love for his hometown through his work.
Levinson was nominated for an Academy Award with his very first feature, Diner, in 1982. It became the first of his series of four “Baltimore” films set in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Tin Men, Avalon, and Liberty Heights are the other three. He went on to win an Academy Award for Rain Man and has enjoyed box-office hits throughout his career. Judging by his work, he was a huge Colts fan – but the Ravens are the city’s team now and we can’t see Levinson rooting for anyone else.
Ellen Barkin
A Hollywood celebrity whose big breakthrough was Diner, Ellen Barkin may have been born in New York City, but still, she does have her own Baltimore connections – and it could well be because of her work with Barry Levinson. She was one of the big stars of the 1980s and has continued to work in television and film ever since.
Barkin showed an affiliation for the Ravens during Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 when Baltimore beat San Francisco, at a glamorous A-list party but has not really been as vocal since. Still, we’re including her here as she was a big part of the success of Diner and therefore has impeccable Baltimore connections.
Stacy Keibler
Not many Hollywood actors can boast such a close relationship with their favourite sports team. But this Baltimore native was actually a cheerleader for the Ravens before her career really took off and has been seen at games on many occasions ever since.
Keibler went from cheerleading duties to becoming a star of WCW and WWE as one of the Nitro Girls dance team.
The money she won for winning a competition to become part of that team was actually even spent on Ravens season tickets. Her modeling and acting career has really taken off since then but there is no way you are taking the Baltimore out of this girl!
Josh Charles
Another native of the city, Josh Charles’ first film role was in Hairspray, directed by Baltimore legend John Walters. But it was his performance in Dead Poet’s Society, alongside Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke that really showed his acting chops and catapulted him into the spotlight.
He has a long and varied television and film career behind him already but is probably best known for his role in The Good Wife, for which he won a People’s Choice Award in 2014. He famously got Jimmy Fallon to place an Ed Reed bobblehead on his desk and is a huge Ravens fan. His love for his hometown doesn’t stop there though. He also roots for the city’s Orioles baseball team and has been known to wear an O’s cap in a number of films.
Ed Norton
Our final celebrity Ravens fan is routinely regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation. After getting rave reviews and being nominated for an Academy Award for his very first feature film, Primal Fear, Ed Norton has gone on to become one of the most sought-after names in Hollywood and has recently appeared in movies such as Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.
Although he was born in Boston, Norton spent his formative years in Columbia, Maryland and grew up to be a huge fan of the local sports teams. His love for the Orioles was proved when he attended Cal Ripken’s Hall of Fame ceremony in 2007. But his affection for the Ravens runs even deeper, so much so that he leapt at the chance to narrate the America’s Game documentary about the Super Bowl XLVII champions.
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