The recent Emmy nomination for Tal Anderson shined a light on Southwest Florida, which over the years has been home to movie and television stars.
Southwest Florida has had its share including a few who have co-starred on some of the most popular shows in the last few years.
Here’s actors and actresses who call Naples, Fort Myers, Cape Coral and other Southwest Florida towns their home.
Fedor Steer in ‘Scary Movie 6,’ ‘Haunting of Hill House’
Many may not know his name but they’ve seen him in mainly scary films and television shows in recent decades.
Fedor Steer for a year taught at Bonita Springs Charter School. And when he wasn’t in the classroom, he was terrifying millions playing the floating Tall Man in the Netflix series first season of “The Haunting of Hill House” in 2018.
Born in Holland and raised in Canada, Steer spent 10 years in the Canadian Coast Guard before becoming a swimming coach and earning a master’s degree in education. Steer and his wife settled in Naples to live and raise their family.
Other movie credits for the 6-foot-5 Steer include Disney’s 2023 version of “Haunted Mansion”; “Doctor Sleep” and many others. His next work will be in a movie called “Crossed” coming out in 2027, an American post-apocalyptic horror movie based on the comic series by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows.
Steer has also made appearances on streaming shows like AppleTV’s “Pluribus,” the Netflix hit “Stranger Things” and others.
Tal Anderson received Emmy nomination for ‘The Pitt’
Former Cape Coral resident Tal Anderson has enjoyed a breakthrough in the last year with her role on Season 2 of “The Pitt” on HBO.
Anderson — who grew up in Cape Coral and now lives in Los Angeles — plays the autistic, high-needs sister of ER doctor Mel King. That role expanded on the show’s second season, when Becca gets admitted for treatment at the Pittsburgh ER lovingly known as The Pitt.
And she recently was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role on “The Pitt.”
Bailey Chase, starred in ‘Longmire’
Bailey Chase became really well-known as an actor as a co-star on “Longmire,” a crime series from 2012-2017 that ended up on Netflix in its final seasons. Chase played an ambitious Wyoming sheriff’s deputy, Branch Connally.
His other credits include TV roles on “Saving Grace,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “As the World Turns.” His most recent film was in 2025, “Sod & Stubble” an American Western drama film based on a 1936 nonfiction book of the same name.
Born in Chicago, Chase grew up in Naples from age 4 through his freshman year at Naples High School. He transferred to the Bolles School in Jacksonville, where he played football and baseball and graduated from the private school. After graduating from Duke with a bachelor’s degree in sports psychology, Chase fulfilled “a boyhood dream” and headed to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
Orli Gottesman was on ‘Yellowstone’
A co-star on the popular drama “Yellowstone,” actress Orli Gottesman has attended Cypress Lake High School and has been active in its vocal and theater program.
The Fort Myers native plays Halie on the Paramount Network series, led by actor Kevin Costner as its main character.
Dominic Fike co-starred on HBO’s ‘Euphoria’
Known originally as a musician, Naples native Dominic Fike has branched out and has shown has talent as an actor.
Fike has co-starred in the HBO teen drama “Euphoria,” where he plays Elliot. Fike is best known for his music, when he became an international star after first big single, “3 Nights” in 2018, reached the Top 10 in numerous countries and the video on YouTube alone garnering nearly 50 million views.
Leighton Meester grew up on Marco
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Leighton Meester grew up on Marco Island for part of her childhood.
She co-starred in CW’s “Gossip Girl” as socialite from 2007-2012. Her film credits include “Country Strong” (2010), “The Judge” (2014) and “The Weekend Away” last year.
Alan Powell
Actor and singer Alan Powell has portrayed Mike McQuigg in the ABC thriller drama television series “Quantico” in recent years.
While he was born in Nashville, Powell graduated from Fort Myers High School in 2003. Before he pursued an acting career, Powell formed the Christian group Anthem Lights.
Haley Bennett
Born in Fort Myers, Haley Bennett grew up in Naples and graduated from Barron Collier High School.
She made her film debut in the romantic comedy “Music and Lyrics” in 2007, with other appearances in “The Equalizer” in 2014, “The Magnificent Seven” in 2016 and “Hillbilly Elegy” in 2020.
And Bennett has co-starred in “Virginia Woolf’s’ Night and Day,” a romantic drama first released in June 2026 in Great Britain.
Jan Hooks
Jan Hooks made her mark as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” with impersonations of former first lady Nancy Reagan, televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker and others.
Hooks, who died in 2014 at age 57, was an SNL regular from 1986 to 1991. Born in Decatur, Georgia, Hooks in her junior year of high school moved to Fort Myers when her father’s job was transferred.
She attended Cypress Lake High and participated in the school’s theater program before graduating in 1975. Hooks also attended then-Edison Community College, now Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers, before leaving to pursue an acting career.
Angela Watson
Co-starring in the 1990s TV sitcom “Step by Step,” Angela Watson grew on a farm in Danville, Illinois, before her parents move to Southwest Florida when she was 10 years old.
On “Step by Step,” Watson portrayed Karen Foster, the middle daughter of Carol Foster-Lambert, played by Suzanne Somers.
Jamison Webb
You probably don’t know Jamison Webb by name, that’s him getting killed by vampires in the very first episode of “What We Do In The Shadows.” And stealing a mobile home ― with his ex-wife inside ― on “9-1-1: Lone Star.” And, in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” having an awkward conversation with star Larry David about someone nicknamed “Brookie.”
Webb, who graduated from Fort Myers High in 2003, moved to Chicago and ended up doing improv for the famous improv troupe The Second City. That’s the same place famous actors such as Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Alan Alda, Amy Poehler and Eugene Levy got their start.
Vandit Bhatt
Vandit Bhatt graduated from Fort Myers High School and, like his fellow Green Wave alum, Bhatt also appeared on the TV series “Quantico” and played Jagdeep Patel. About a decade ago, Bhatt played Kevin on the short-lived “The Michael J. Fox Show,” an NBC sitcom.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: ‘The Pitt’ to ‘Euphoria’: Actors from Naples, Fort Myers: Exclusive
Reporting by Dave Osborn and Charles Runnells, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dave Osborn and Charles Runnells, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
