Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy.

When you relocate to Maryland, you could find yourself in the middle of a movie set. 

You may see Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Bruce Willis, Will Smith, Nicole Kidman, Clint Eastwood, Meg Ryan, George Clooney or another film star browsing the historic streets of Annapolis when they're in town again to shoot their next movie.

That's because the film industry generates about $70 million annually in Maryland.

As Maryland's Film Office points out, Maryland is "America in Miniature", offering varied settings that range from the gritty inner city of HBO's The Wire (2002-06) to the idyllic period towns of Disney's Tuck Everlasting (2001); from the urban landscape of NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street (1991-98) to the historic civil war battlefields of Ted Turner's Gods and Generals (2001); from the Amish farmland doubles of Universal's For Richer or Poorer (1997) to the Washington D.C. doubles of Touchstone's Enemy of the State (1997), shot in Baltimore.

They go on to say "Maryland offers a rich array of landscapes from which to choose - from the mountains in the west across the rolling hills and farmlands of central Maryland to the beautiful waterfront and sandy beaches of the Eastern Shore. Architecture that spans the centuries from colonial to modern and illustrates a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds can be found throughout the state." A slideshow featuring some of this beautiful Maryland scenery is located on the Maryland Film Office website.

Whether you are transferring into the area for a job at the U.S. Naval Academy, or visiting there as a tourist, you may recognize the grounds and buildings inside the Academy gates or on the nearby streets of Annapolis from the Harrison Ford movie, Patriot Games.

If you visit the towns of Berlin and Snow Hill in Worcester County or New Windsor in Carroll County, you may notice a resemblance to the fictional Maryland town of Hale in Runaway Bride, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.  Other scenes for the movie were shot in Baltimore. 

John Travolta fans may have seen his Ladder 99, shot in and around the City of Baltimore including Curtis Bay, near the Baltimore Inner Harbor, and at events such as the 2003 St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Are you a sports fan?  When you go watch the Orioles play at Camden Yards, you'll be in the same stadium where most of Major League II was shot.  In fact, I remember when they were advertising for extras to fill the stands - I seriously considered going. 

If you go to a home game for the Baltimore Ravens or Washington Redskins, you'll see them play in M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore or FedEx Field in Largo, where The Replacements was filmed.

'Bet you didn't know that some scenes for Sleepless in Seattle were filmed in Annapolis, at Fells Point, and at the Sun building.

Die Hard: With a Vengeance was set in New York and Canada but it was actually filmed in Baltimore and Jessup, in Anne Arundel County.

When you fly home for the holidays out of BWI Airport, you'll be walking through the same airport where Home for the Holidays was filmed.  Other scenes were shot at the Baltimore Museum of Art. 

Scenes for Syriana were shot in several locations around the Baltimore area, including the Avenue at White Marsh, downtown Baltimore, a mansion in Guilford and a yacht in the Inner Harbor. George Clooney and Matt Damon were reportedly just as charming and handsome in real life, as on-screen.

If  you happen to stay at The Inn at Perry Cabin when you visit St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore, you'll probably recognize it from scenes shot there and at other local sites for Wedding Crashers. 

The Annapolis schooner Woodwind II also plays a role, helmed by Christopher Walken sailing along the Choptank River.

Clint Eastwood starred in Absolute Power, which was centered around Northeast Baltimore.  The cliff scenes were filmed at Elk Neck State Park in Cecil County and other scenes were shot in Towson and Brooklandville . 

Ohio homestead scenes in Beloved were filmed at Fair Hill Natural Resources area in Cecil County.  Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover starred in this film adaptation of Toni Morrison's award winning novel about a former slave's struggle with the ghosts of her past.

There are many more films featuring scenes in Maryland, as far back as the 1945 movie about the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Anchors Aweigh, starring Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Kathryn Grayson. 

When you started planning for your relocation to Maryland and Anne Arundel County, this probably wasn't something you were expecting.  Yet, as you can see, it's actually quite a common occurrence in Maryland.

Celebrity-watching is further enhanced in Maryland by visits from big-name performers in film and music who travel to Washington, D.C. to advocate for their favorite issues  - and then make side-trips to Maryland.  We have a few celebrities living in the immediate area, too, such as Pat Sajak and Walter Cronkite, not to mention some retired politicians.  For example, Vice-President Chaney has already purchased a home on the Eastern Shore for his retirement, and a number of prominent Senators and Congressman are Naval Academy alum who visit from time to time - sometimes as speakers, and occasionally for a home football game.

Now you have one more thing to tell your friends and relatives about moving to Maryland! 

And who knows, maybe someday soon you'll be telling them to watch for you in a crowd scene on the big screen.

Other films  that  include scenes shot in Maryland:

Accidental Tourist - Based on the book by Ann Tyler, a resident of Roland Park and filmed in that area. Starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner and Geena Davis, the movie is about an author of a  book for people who want to travel with the least amount of trouble in their lives

Dirty Shame- The home and workplace of the main character are located on Harford Road in Baltimore.  Cast includes Tracey Ullman, Johnny Knoxville, Selma Blair, and Chris Isaak. 

Along Came a Spider - Starring Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter and Penelope Ann Miller.  Much of the movie was filmed in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.  It's a movie about a daughter of a senator who is taken from school by one of her teachers 

And Just For All- Filmed in a Baltimore courtroom and other Baltimore sites including Baltimore City Court House, City Hall, the War Memorial and its plaza, Mount Vernon Place, Federal Hill, Maryland State Penitentiary and Fort McHenry. Other scenes were filmed at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and in Lutherville

Avalon- This movie was written and directed by Barry Levinson a Baltimore native. The movie is a story of a Jewish family in Baltimore beginning with the patriarch's arrival in 1914.   Some of the sets include the Baltimore City Court House, the Broadway Pier in Fells Point and the Hollins Market.

Blair Witch Project- Filmed entirely in Maryland - in Burkittsville in Frederick County, Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County, and Patapsco Valley State Park along the border of Howard County and Carroll County.  

Cecil B. Demented - Filmed in and around the city of Baltimore. 

The Contender - Filmed primarily in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. by Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Sam Elliott, and Philip Baker Hall

Deep Impact - Starring Vanessa Redgrave, Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, and Elijah Wood.  Filmed in various parts of Washington, D.C., Baltimore

Distinguished Gentleman - Eddie Murphy appeared in this film, shot in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Eraser - Scenes filmed in Maryland in this Arnold Schwarzenegger movie with James Caan, and Vanessa Williams. 

Failure to Launch- Sarah Jessica Parker filmed a scene in Annapolis and her co-star Matthew McConaughey spent time filming in Easton, on the Eastern Shore, for this story about a slacker who moves back home rather than start a family of his own.

For Richer or Poorer - Starring Tim Allen, Kirstie Alley, Jay O. Sanders, and Michael Lerner. Filmed primarily in Baltimore and Westminster. 

From Within - Elizabeth Rice poses on the set at the Perry Point Veterans Affairs Hospital in Cecil County. 

Guarding Tess -  Nicolas Cage, Edward Albert, Susan Blommaert, and Stephen S. Chen were in this movie, set at Mount Washington, in Baltimore

Hamilton -A film by Baltimore native Matthew Porterfield set in the Northeast Baltimore neighborhood of the title. 

Invasion - Ncole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, and Jackson Bond were in the area for filming in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. 

Liberty Heights-  Werner's Restaurant was one of the many places in Baltimore used during the filming of Barry Levinson's movie "Liberty Heights." (Sun photo by Algerina Perna)

Minority Report - Tom Cruise and Max von Sydow, Steve Harris, and Neal McDonough were in town for scenes shot in Washington D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland.

Pecker- Filmed entirely in Baltimore, primarily in the Hampden area, by Bess Armstrong, Mo Fischer, Edward Furlong, and Patricia Hearst  

Random Hearts- The plane crash was filmed on the Patapsco River. Cast includes Dylan Baker, Christina Chang, Bill Cobbs, and Peter Coyote.

Red Dragon - Scenes were filmed in Baltimore, including a scene using The Baltimore Sun building as a location for a tabloid newspaper.   Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, and Harvey Keitel appeared.

Riders- This film is set on the Eastern Shore, writer-director Doug Sadler is also a longtime Easton resident. The film played at the 2001 Maryland Film Festival.

Rocket Science - Some scenes were shot at various Baltimore locations in 2005.  Cast includes Reece Thompson, Anna Kendrick, Dionne Audain, and Nicholas D'Agosto.

Salon- Filmed in Baltimore in 2005 and released in 2007, starring Vivica Fox

Serial Mom - Shot in and around the city of Baltimore.  I'm not familiar with the names in this cast: John Badila, Tim Caggiano, Mary Jo Catlett, and Patricia Dunnock.

Shadow Conspiracy - Filmed partially in Baltimore, with Charlie Sheen, Donald Sutherland, Linda Hamilton, and Stephen Lang.

Shooter  - Based on a book by former Sun movie critic Stephen Hunter and filmed partly in Federal Hill and several other Maryland locations. (Paramount Pictures)

St. Elmo's Fire - Filmed at University of Maryland, College Park, directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore and Ally Sheedy

Step Up - Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum are dancers at a fictional Maryland Institute for the Arts, filmed and based in Baltimore. (AP photo / Walt Disney Pictures / August 7, 2006)

Sum of All Fears - With Ben Affleck, Alan Bates, John Beasley, and Michael Byrne.  Filmed in Baltimore as well as around Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Swimmer - Starring Burt Lancaster, Janet Landgard, Janice Rule, and Tony Bickley.  Filmed in Oxford, Bozman and Easton, on the Eastern Shore (Sun photo)

There's Something About Mary - Starring Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, and Lee Evans . Shot partly in Baltimore.

True Lies - Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold,  Some scenes were filmed in Bethesda.

Twelve Monkeys - Another Bruce Willis film shot mostly in Maryland.  Why don't I remember ever hearing about this one?

Violets Are Blue - Two high school sweethearts rekindle their lost love while vacationing in Ocean City. The movie was filmed in Ocean City, Worcester County with Baltimore scene for Dublin, Ireland.

Washington Square - Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Albert Finney, Maggie Smith, and Ben Chaplin.  Filmed completely in Baltimore.

This information was gathered from a number of sources including The Baltimore Sun, the Maryland Film Office, The Baltimore Examiner, and online reviews; I accept no responsibility for the accuracy of this content.  All photos are VHS, CD or DVD covers of the actual films.

RELATED LINK:  Entertainers from Maryland

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