39.9292° N, 75.2300° W

PHILADELPHIA

Most Famous People Born in Philadelphia, USA

Notable people
5,575
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1928
Most distinctive
Baseball 6.0×

The original American capital, then the capital of nothing in particular, then a sports town. Philadelphia's notables run thick through the 18th century — lawyers, philanthropists, financiers — and then settle into a long, steady output of baseball players, basketball players, jazz bandleaders, and character actors. The city has one of the highest shares of notables in organized labor of the early 20th century and one of the deepest benches of soul singers of the late 20th.

Standouts

What Philadelphia Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Philadelphia's biggest profession — 9% of all notables (482).

Philadelphia over-indexes on baseball 6.0× the global rate.

Philadelphia under-produces football — only 0.4× the global rate.

  1. Politician 482 0.7×
  2. Actor 414 1.4×
  3. Baseball 383 6.0×
  4. Basket 260 3.7×
  5. Football 251 0.4×
  6. Music 206 2.6×
  7. Lawyer 185 1.9×
  8. Singer 161 1.4×
  1. Baseball 383 6.0×
  2. Basket 260 3.7×
  3. Boxer 72 3.3×
  4. Rower 57 2.8×
  5. Music 206 2.6×
  6. Officer 84 2.3×
  7. Lawyer 185 1.9×
  8. Film 113 1.6×
  1. Football 251 0.4×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Philadelphia's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Art & Design
  • Other
All5,575
Sort By

Showing 556 of 5,575 notable people

2777 COMPOSER

Leon Bates (pianist)

Born 1949

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2784 JOURNALIST

R. Foster Winans

Born 1948

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2807 POET

John Balaban

Born 1943

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2809 MUSIC

Susan Starr

Born 1942

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2815 PROFESSOR

Ruth Faden

Born 1949

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2818 FOOTBALL

Al Atkinson

Born 1943

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2848 POET

Margaret Gibson (poet)

Born 1944

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2850 JUDGE

Paul Redmond Michel

Born 1941

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2855 BASEBALL

Lance Clemons

1947 - 2008

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2867 NOVELIST

John F. Carr

Born 1944

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2879 MUSIC

William Schimmel

Born 1946

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2883 PHYSICIAN

Bennett Lorber

Born 1943

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2900 DRUMMER

Earl Young (drummer)

Born 1940

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2901 BASKET

Greg Fillmore

Born 1947

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2902 PROFESSOR

William W. Park

Born 1947

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2904 SINGER

Bonnie Scott

Born 1941

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2908 WRITER

Jack A. Apsche

1947 - 2014

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2910 SPORT

Dick Stockton

Born 1942

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2913 PRIEST

J. Delano Ellis

1944 - 2020

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2924 HISTORIAN

Joseph R. Conlin

Born 1940

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2959 HISTORIAN

Bruce Kuklick

Born 1941

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2962 PIANIST

Barbara Nissman

Born 1944

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2966 SCREENWRITER

Ed. Weinberger

Born 1945

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2981 BIOLOGIST

David R. Soll

Born 1942

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2995 BASKET

Levi Fontaine

Born 1948

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3008 BASKET

Tyrone Britt

Born 1944

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3035 FILM

Cecelia Condit

Born 1947

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3038 MISSING

Robert Greenstein

Born 1946

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3069 BASKET

George Sutor

1943 - 2011

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3088 LAWYER

Janet Bond Arterton

Born 1944

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3108 SINGER

Bernard Wilson (singer)

1946 - 2010

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3114 WISSENSCHAFTLER

Jeffrey B. Berlin

Born 1946

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3121 FOOTBALL

Harry Schuh

1942 - 2013

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3140 DIPLOMAT

Marilyn Ware

1943 - 2017

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3145 LINGUIST

Lise Menn

Born 1941

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3148 CONSERVATIONIST

Gordon Waterman Chaplin

Born 1945

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3186 FILM

John Aglialoro

Born 1943

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3213 SONGWRITER

Allan Felder

1943 - 1999

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3230 POET

Bruce Smith (poet)

Born 1946

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3244 PRODUCER

Carol Sauvion

Born 1947

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3252 BASEBALL

Pete Cimino

Born 1942

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3263 JOURNALIST

Mindy Aloff

Born 1947

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3266 FILMMAKER

Alfred Guzzetti

Born 1942

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3272 ACTOR

Rhoda Gemignani

Born 1940

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3278 ANIMATOR

Jack Polito

Born 1941

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3288 PAINTER

Moe Brooker

Born 1940

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3300 GUITAR

Jerry Ricks

1940 - 2007

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3308 SPORT

Merrill Reese

Born 1942

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3310 ARTIST

Barbara Schwartz (artist)

1949 - 2006

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3321 SWIMMER

Andy Strenk

Born 1949

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3328 SINGER

Rosetta Hightower

1944 - 2014

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3330 MATHEMATICIAN

Joan Hutchinson

Born 1945

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3331 PSYCHOLOGIST

Eugene Taylor (psychologist)

1946 - 2013

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3340 FOOTBALL

Mike Dennis

Born 1944

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3341 ACTOR

Sandra Knight

Born 1940

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3344 BASEBALL

Bill Lewis (American football coach)

Born 1941

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3356 POLITICIAN

Stephen Freind

Born 1944

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3365 ARTIST

Bascove

Born 1946

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3385 ILLUSTRATOR

Avi Katz

Born 1949

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3393 MUSIC

Robert Martin (singer)

Born 1948

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3407 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Anna Sofaer

Born 1940

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3415 ENGINEER

Bob Dobkin

Born 1944

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3417 POLITICIAN

Vince Fumo

Born 1943

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3439 POET

Martha Zweig

Born 1942

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3448 PHILOSOPHER

Frederick Grinnell (biologist)

Born 1945

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3464 BASKET

Frank Card

Born 1944

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3467 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Martha Rhoads Bell

1941 - 1991

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3492 SWIMMER

Nina Harmer

Born 1945

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3493 POLITICIAN

Curtis Thomas

Born 1948

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3495 METEOROLOGIST

Elliot Abrams (meteorologist)

Born 1947

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3518 POLITICIAN

Michael Barbieri

Born 1949

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3526 RADIO

Bob Brinker

Born 1941

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3538 ARTIST

Maxon Crumb

Born 1945

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3547 POLITICIAN

LeAnna Washington

Born 1945

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3556 SENATE

Andrew von Eschenbach

Born 1941

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3566 JOURNALIST

Alan Richman

Born 1944

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3569 ILLUSTRATOR

Jason Van Hollander

Born 1949

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3572 BIOLOGIST

Fred W. Allendorf

Born 1947

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3591 PROFESSOR

Diana Reiss

Born 1948

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3594 POLITICIAN

Nathaniel J. McFadden

Born 1946

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3614 AUTHOR

George Anastasia

Born 1948

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3622 DIPLOMAT

Steven J. Green

Born 1945

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3643 COMPOSER

Richard Nanes

1941 - 2009

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3646 ASSYRIOLOGIST

Joan Goodnick Westenholz

1943 - 2013

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3647 PAINTER

John E. Dowell Jr.

Born 1941

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3657 MUSIC

David Chackler

Born 1945

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3671 ARMY

Michael Crescenz

1949 - 1968

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3682 BASEBALL

Buster Narum

1940 - 2004

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3693 POLITICIAN

Bill Adolph

Born 1949

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3695 POLITICIAN

Lois Wolk

Born 1946

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3703 POLITICIAN

John R. Leopold

Born 1943

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3707 HANDBALL

Harry Winkler (handballer)

Born 1945

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3714 FENCER

Tyrone Simmons

Born 1949

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3718 COMEDIAN

Lotus Weinstock

1943 - 1997

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3720 JOURNALIST

Phil Jasner

1942 - 2010

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3721 POLITICIAN

Rosita Youngblood

Born 1946

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3726 SAXOPHONIST

George Bishop (Musiker)

1947 - 2005

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3744 BUSINESS

Dick Molpus

Born 1949

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3746 POLITICIAN

Alan Robbins

Born 1943

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3758 BASKET

Erv Staggs

1948 - 2012

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3774 PRODUCER

Joe Isgro

Born 1948

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3780 LAWYER

William H. Ginsburg

1943 - 2013

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3781 MUSIC

Mark Kramer (jazz pianist)

Born 1945

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3783 JUDGE

Mary A. McLaughlin

Born 1946

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3785 ORIENTALIST

Harold Rhode

Born 1949

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3797 PAINTER

Paul Rickert

Born 1947

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3799 BUSINESS

Charles E. Haldeman

Born 1948

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3810 PAINTER

Jim Morphesis

Born 1948

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3813 CHEMIST

Bruce E. Maryanoff

Born 1947

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3825 LAWYER

Joseph James Farnan Jr.

Born 1945

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3845 COMPOSER

Tyrone Brown

Born 1940

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3857 FOOTBALL

Ollie Dobbins

Born 1941

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3860 WRITER

J. C. Amberchele

Born 1940

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3880 SPORT

David Montgomery (baseball)

1946 - 2019

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3881 BASEBALL

Buddy Harris

Born 1948

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3884 MOBSTER

Andrew Thomas DelGiorno

Born 1940

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3896 FOOTBALL

Alvin Mitchell (defensive back)

Born 1943

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3899 POLITICIAN

Darrell L. Clarke

Born 1940

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3903 POLITICIAN

Ted Blunt

Born 1943

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3913 POLITICIAN

Edward M. Bernstein

Born 1949

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3914 BASEBALL

Joe Bonikowski

Born 1941

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3923 DIPLOMAT

Anne Forrester

1941 - 2006

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3931 BASKET

Bobby Lewis (basketball, born 1946)

Born 1946

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3933 LAWYER

Steven P. Perskie

Born 1945

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3946 POLITICIAN

Bob O'Donnell

Born 1943

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3957 CHOIR DIRECTOR

Catherine Roma

Born 1948

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3959 CONVICT

Russell Melvin Shoats

Born 1943

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3972 ACTOR

Karen Ingenthron

Born 1945

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3973 CERAMIST

Lizbeth Stewart

1948 - 2013

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3982 LAWYER

Cynthia M. Rufe

Born 1948

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3984 FILM

Harold Lee Tichenor

Born 1946

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3994 SINGER

David Gordon (tenor)

Born 1947

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3995 POLITICIAN

James R. Roebuck Jr.

Born 1945

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4006 FILM

Mark Forstater

Born 1943

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4010 ARTIST

Lowry Burgess

1940 - 2020

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4025 JOURNALIST

Susan Braudy

Born 1941

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4038 LAWYER

Timothy J. Savage

Born 1946

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4040 SPORT

Glenn Brenner

1948 - 1992

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4043 DESIGNER

Willi Smith

1948 - 1987

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4063 OFFICER

George R. Christmas

Born 1940

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4076 PHYSICIST

Gerald J. Dolan

1945 - 2008

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4088 BASEBALL

Nick Bremigan

1945 - 1989

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4102 POLITICIAN

Brian J. O'Neill

Born 1949

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4104 POLITICIAN

John F. White Jr.

Born 1949

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4125 POLITICIAN

Harold James (Pennsylvania politician)

Born 1942

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4128 COMPOSER

Gerald Shapiro (composer)

Born 1942

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4129 PAINT

John F. Dunn

1943 - 2018

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4154 PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

Joe Del Campo

Born 1943

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4177 POLITICIAN

Leland Beloff

Born 1942

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4183 REPUBLICAN

Dick Kravitz

Born 1941

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4198 WRESTLER

Bill White (wrestler)

Born 1945

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4204 BUSINESS

Ed Savitz

1942 - 1993

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4209 BASEBALL

Scott Northey

Born 1946

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4210 AUTHOR

Gerry Czarnecki

Born 1940

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4212 POLITICIAN

Frank Rizzo Jr.

Born 1943

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4217 NEUROSCIENTIST

Robert L. Barchi

Born 1946

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4232 TEACHER

Mary Schmidt Campbell

Born 1947

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4233 POLITICIAN

David P. Richardson (Pennsylvania politician)

1948 - 1995

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4234 BASKET

Bruce Parkhill

Born 1949

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4248 FOOTBALL

Tom Laputka

Born 1947

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4252 FOOTBALL

Wendell Tucker

Born 1943

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4273 WRITER

Peggy Rae Sapienza

1944 - 2015

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4278 PHYSICIST

Fred Tappert

1940 - 2002

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4283 EDITOR

Bill Henderson (publisher)

Born 1941

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4286 OFFICER

Lance W. Lord

Born 1946

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4293 LAWYER

Richard B. Teitelman

1947 - 2016

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4306 POLITICIAN

Mario Civera

Born 1946

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4322 POLITICIAN

Frank DiCicco

Born 1946

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4328 LAWYER

Arthur Alan Wolk

Born 1943

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4337 BASEBALL

Jerry Crawford

Born 1947

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4367 POLITICIAN

Tom Gannon

Born 1943

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4373 WRITER

Ben T. Elliott

Born 1944

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4376 RADIO

Jim Braude

Born 1949

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4380 FOOTBALL

Bob Bell (American football)

Born 1948

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4383 FOOTBALL

Roger LaLonde

Born 1942

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4393 BASKET

Speedy Morris

Born 1942

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4404 BUSINESS

Mike Jackson (auto)

Born 1949

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4406 POLITICIAN

Michael Horsey

Born 1949

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4411 WRITER

Barry Beckham

Born 1944

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4437 AVIATOR

Lou Rell

1940 - 2014

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4469 SENTENCED

George Martorano

Born 1948

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4472 FOOTBALL

Chuck Zapiec

Born 1949

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4475 FOOTBALL

Mike Evans (offensive lineman)

Born 1946

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4484 HOCKEY

Lou Nolan

Born 1945

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4487 POLITICIAN

Ronald Donatucci

Born 1948

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4502 LAWYER

Jerry Segal

Born 1941

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4522 BASKET

Fang Mitchell

Born 1948

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4549 POLITICAL

Frank Ursomarso

Born 1942

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4552 MUSIC

Sid Simmons

1946 - 2010

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4555 POLITICIAN

Joseph Daning

Born 1942

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4583 PHOTOGRAPHER

Ralston Farina

1946 - 1985

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4587 POLITICIAN

Robert A. Rovner

Born 1943

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4590 POLITICIAN

Walt Tomenga

Born 1946

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4619 POLITICIAN

Gordon Linton

Born 1948

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4626 PIANIST

Craig Sheppard

Born 1947

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4639 WRITER

Sharifa Alkhateeb

1946 - 2004

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4643 OFFICER

Conrad C. Lautenbacher

Born 1942

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4668 POLITICIAN

Earl M. Baker

Born 1940

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4676 LAWYER

Richie Phillips

1940 - 2013

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4681 ACADEMIC

Thomas F. George

Born 1947

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4685 BUSINESS

Michael McCafferty

Born 1942

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4701 LAW

David Gottesman (politician)

Born 1948

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4716 ARTIST

Jamie Bennett (artist)

Born 1948

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4748 POLITICIAN

Lita Indzel Cohen

Born 1940

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4760 FOOTBALL

Dave Crossan

1940 - 2019

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4761 POLITICIAN

Mitchell Melton

1943 - 2013

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4763 ARTIST

Charles E. Dagit Jr.

Born 1943

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4788 MUSIC

Russell DaShiell

Born 1947

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4793 POLITICIAN

John L. Myers

1947 - 2015

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4822 BUSINESS

Nelson Obus

Born 1947

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4851 POLITICIAN

Bill Welch

1941 - 2009

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4876 POLITICIAN

Francis Tenaglio

Born 1949

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4900 MILITAR

Stephen Silvasy Jr.

Born 1941

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4922 CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Peter O. Price

Born 1940

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4938 GUITAR

Hermon Hitson

Born 1943

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4977 POLITICIAN

Martin Laub

Born 1944

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4984 FOOTBALL

Joe Williams (defensive end)

Born 1942

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4985 FOOTBALL

Dave Dunaway

1945 - 2001

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4996 POLITICIAN

Charles Hammock

1941 - 2014

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5008 POLITICIAN

Lois Sherman Hagarty

Born 1948

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5031 FENCER

Paul Makler Jr.

Born 1946

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5032 POLITICIAN

Patrick B. Gillespie

Born 1945

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5042 POLITICIAN

Matthew Cianciulli

1942 - 2008

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5043 PHYSICIST

Melvyn J. Shochet

Born 1944

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5065 POLITICIAN

Wilmer Carter

Born 1941

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5067 BUSINESS

Earl Greenburg

1947 - 2008

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5069 LAWYER

Wesley S. Williams Jr.

Born 1942

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5074 POLITICIAN

Stephen S. Aichele

Born 1948

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5103 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

William D. Strecker

Born 1944

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5119 POLITICIAN

Joseph Howlett

Born 1943

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5126 POLITICIAN

Isabella Fitzgerald

Born 1949

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5137 POLITICIAN

Leonard Gruppo

Born 1942

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5141 FOOTBALL

Charles Duccilli

Born 1946

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5142 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Mark Nathan Cohen

Born 1943

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5143 PHYSICIAN

Bruce L. Gewertz

Born 1949

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5146 COLUMNIST

Tom Ferrick

Born 1949

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5157 POLITICIAN

John Swaim

1949 - 2013

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5169 WRITER

Evelyn Mattern

1941 - 2003

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5170 POLITICIAN

Clifford Gray (politician)

Born 1940

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5200 ACTIVIST

Cindy Marano

1947 - 2005

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5205 PHYSICIST

Donald S. Bethune

Born 1948

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5208 ACTIVIST

Reggie Schell

1941 - 2012

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5237 POLITICIAN

Thomas J. Stapleton

Born 1947

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5240 ROWER

Tony Martin (rower)

1947 - 2005

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5271 FENCER

Joseph Freeman (fencer)

Born 1948

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5287 SINGER

Butch Kellem

Born 1944

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5296 JOURNALIST

Walt Hunter

Born 1949

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5299 POLITICIAN

John Sytek

Born 1943

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5327 HORSE TRAINER

James J. Toner

Born 1940

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5340 FOOTBALL

Lew Meehl

Born 1946

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5352 SCULPTOR

Barbara Zucker

Born 1940

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5360 PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurence Salzmann

Born 1944

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5414 LAWYER

Vance A. Funk III

Born 1942

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5416 LIEUTENANT

Robert L. Ord III

Born 1940

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5487 BISHOP

J. Michael Garrison

Born 1945

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5492 SPORT

Tina Sloan Green

Born 1944

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