39.9292° N, 75.2300° W

PHILADELPHIA

Most Famous People Born in Philadelphia, United States

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.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Philadelphia during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 556 notable births.

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 baseball6.0× the global rate.

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

  1. Politician482
  2. Actor414
  3. Baseball383
  4. Basket260
  5. Football251
  6. Music206
  7. Lawyer185
  8. Singer161
  1. Baseball3836.0×
  2. Basket2603.7×
  3. Boxer723.3×
  4. Rower572.8×
  5. Music2062.6×
  6. Officer842.3×
  7. Lawyer1851.9×
  8. Film1131.6×
  1. Football2510.4×

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.

1700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Science
  • Writing
  • Other
All5,575
Sort By

5,575 notable people

3901 WRITER

Asali Solomon

-

Preview
3902 ASTRONOMER

Hannah Mary Bouvier Peterson

1811 - 1870

Preview
3903 POLITICIAN

Ted Blunt

Born 1943

Preview
3904 LAWYER

Robert N. C. Nix Jr.

1928 - 2003

Preview
3905 ACTOR

Stephen Carr (attore)

1906 - 1986

Preview
3906 ACTOR

Robert X. Golphin

Born 1982

Preview
3907 POLITICIAN

Alan Butkovitz

Born 1952

Preview
3908 BASEBALL

John Hobbs (baseball)

Born 1956

Preview
3909 KILLER

Juan Covington

Born 1962

Preview
3910 ACTOR

Joseph Roman

1927 - 2018

Preview
3911 BASEBALL

Joe Yeager

1875 - 1937

Preview
3912 WRITER

Jonathan Blum (writer, born 1967)

Born 1967

Preview
3913 POLITICIAN

Edward M. Bernstein

Born 1949

Preview
3914 BASEBALL

Joe Bonikowski

Born 1941

Preview
3915 ECONOMIST

Mary M. Cohen

1854 - 1911

Preview
3916 BIOLOGIST

Philip Siekevitz

1918 - 2009

Preview
3917 ACTOR

James T. Lane

Born 1977

Preview
3918 PUBLISHER

David Laventhol

1933 - 2015

Preview
3919 FOOTBALL

Nick Bibbs

Born 1991

Preview
3920 BASKET

Steve Vasturia

-

Preview
3921 BASEBALL

Josh Ockimey

Born 1995

Preview
3922 BASEBALL

Nolan Jones

Born 1998

Preview
3923 DIPLOMAT

Anne Forrester

1941 - 2006

Preview
3924 ENGINEER

Nick DeWolf

1928 - 2006

Preview
3925 LAWYER

Petrese B. Tucker

Born 1951

Preview
3926 SINGER

Laura Shay

Born 1982

Preview
3927 BUSINESS

Barclay Harding Warburton I

1866 - 1954

Preview
3928 DIPLOMAT

Wanda Nesbitt

Born 1956

Preview
3929 BASEBALL

Dave Oldfield

1864 - 1939

Preview
3930 LAWYER

Jim Eisenhower

-

Preview
3931 BASKET

Bobby Lewis (basketball, born 1946)

Born 1946

Preview
3932 LAWYER

Herbert J. Hutton

1937 - 2007

Preview
3933 LAWYER

Steven P. Perskie

Born 1945

Preview
3934 BASEBALL

Bill Clymer

1873 - 1936

Preview
3935 POLITICIAN

S. Howard Woodson

1916 - 1999

Preview
3936 BOXER

Demetrius Hopkins

Born 1980

Preview
3937 WRITER

Joe Lunardi

-

Preview
3938 FOOTBALL

Ray Abruzzese

1937 - 2011

Preview
3939 BASEBALL

Lefty Hoerst

1917 - 2000

Preview
3940 BASKET

Kevin Burwell

Born 1989

Preview
3941 MUSIC

Giora Schmidt

Born 1983

Preview
3942 PRIEST

Frank W. Creighton

1879 - 1948

Preview
3943 FOOTBALL

Rick Lackman

1910 - 1990

Preview
3944 PHYSICIAN

Bushrod Washington James

1836 - 1903

Preview
3945 LAWYER

John Thomas Taylor

1886 - 1965

Preview
3946 POLITICIAN

Bob O'Donnell

Born 1943

Preview
3947 FOOTBALL

James Brown (offensive tackle)

Born 1970

Preview
3948 PHOTOGRAPHER

Allan Porter

Born 1934

Preview
3949 COSTUME DESIGNER

Amy Westcott

-

Preview
3950 PRODUCER

Alexander A. Aarons

1890 - 1943

Preview
3951 JOURNALIST

Jill Wolfson

-

Preview
3952 PAINTER

Kate Vrijmoet

Born 1966

Preview
3953 CHEF

Wes Lieberher

Born 1979

Preview
3954 FOOTBALL

Steve Coleman (American football)

Born 1950

Preview
3955 PHYSICIAN

Henry Cadwalader Chapman

1845 - 1909

Preview
3956 BASKET

Erik Copes

Born 1993

Preview
3957 CHOIR DIRECTOR

Catherine Roma

Born 1948

Preview
3958 ORGANIST

John C. Bowers

1811 - 1873

Preview
3959 CONVICT

Russell Melvin Shoats

Born 1943

Preview
3960 WRITER

J. Aubrey Tyson

1870 - 1930

Preview
3961 BASEBALL

Bill Harbridge

1871 - 1924

Preview
3962 POLITICIAN

Jenifer Branning

Born 1979

Preview
3963 SCIENTIST

Harry Raymond Eastlack

1933 - 1973

Preview
3964 FILM

Joey Coyle

1953 - 1993

Preview
3965 ARMY

William Henry Harrison Benyaurd

1841 - 1900

Preview
3966 OFFICER

Thomas H. Neill

1826 - 1885

Preview
3967 POLITICIAN

John A. Lawless

Born 1957

Preview
3968 GEOLOGIST

Wilhelm Hoyer

1854 - 1932

Preview
3969 MILITAR

Francis X. McGraw

1918 - 1944

Preview
3970 MUSIC

Wilmer Wise

1936 - 2015

Preview
3971 LAWYER

Louis Charles Bechtle

Born 1927

Preview
3972 ACTOR

Karen Ingenthron

Born 1945

Preview
3973 CERAMIST

Lizbeth Stewart

1948 - 2013

Preview
3974 LAWYER

Mitchell S. Goldberg

Born 1959

Preview
3975 WRITER

Celeste O. Norfleet

Born 1959

Preview
3976 HOCKEY

Tom Brennan (ice hockey)

1922 - 2003

Preview
3977 ENTREPRENEUR

Nicholas Schorsch

Born 1961

Preview
3978 POLITICIAN

Barrie Ciliberti

Born 1936

Preview
3979 RESEARCH

Kay Dickersin

Born 1951

Preview
3980 BASEBALL

Henry Myers (shortstop)

1858 - 1895

Preview
3981 FOOTBALL

Brandon Shippen

Born 1994

Preview
3982 LAWYER

Cynthia M. Rufe

Born 1948

Preview
3983 HISTORIAN

Elizabeth Kite

1864 - 1954

Preview
3984 FILM

Harold Lee Tichenor

Born 1946

Preview
3985 JOURNALIST

Eli Lake

Born 1972

Preview
3986 FOOTBALL

Kirk Hershey

1918 - 1979

Preview
3987 ACTOR

Dap 'Sugar' Willie

1939 - 1994

Preview
3988 ACTOR

Bill Britten

Died 2020

Preview
3989 BASEBALL

Bill Crowley (baseball)

1857 - 1891

Preview
3990 BASKET

Lou Pucillo

Born 1936

Preview
3991 SOLDIER

John M. Vanderslice

1846 - 1915

Preview
3992 CLERGY

William Henry Gilder (clergyman)

1812 - 1864

Preview
3993 MUSIC

Billy Root

1934 - 2013

Preview
3994 SINGER

David Gordon (tenor)

Born 1947

Preview
3995 POLITICIAN

James R. Roebuck Jr.

Born 1945

Preview
3996 BUSINESS

Benjamin Tingley Rogers

1865 - 1918

Preview
3997 WRITER

Jeannette Walworth

1835 - 1918

Preview
3998 ACTOR

Frances Carson

1895 - 1973

Preview
3999 BUSINESS

Grayson M.P. Murphy

1878 - 1937

Preview
4000 BUSINESS

Burton Goldfield

-

Preview
4001 WRITER

Ruth Hale Oliver

1910 - 1988

Preview
4002 FOOTBALL

Bruce Perry

Born 1981

Preview
4003 BASEBALL

Socks Seibold

1896 - 1965

Preview
4004 PRELATE

George Aloysius Carrell

1803 - 1868

Preview
4005 DANCE

Marion Cuyjet

1920 - 1996

Preview
4006 FILM

Mark Forstater

Born 1943

Preview
4007 FOOTBALL

Christopher Williams (soccer)

Born 1984

Preview
4008 CINEMA

Mike Moyer

Born 1971

Preview
4009 FOOTBALL

Dominique Curry

Born 1988

Preview
4010 ARTIST

Lowry Burgess

1940 - 2020

Preview
4011 MILITAR

Louis R. Jones

1895 - 1973

Preview
4012 FARMER

Nathan Kleinman

Born 1982

Preview
4013 ATTORNEY

William Axton Stokes

1814 - 1877

Preview
4014 MISSING

William Wilson (Medal of Honor)

1847 - 1895

Preview
4015 POLITICIAN

Barbara Buckley

Born 1960

Preview
4016 SINGER

Jena Kraus

Born 1979

Preview
4017 CLOWN

Tom Belling jun.

1873 - 1934

Preview
4018 POLITICIAN

James Tayoun

1930 - 2017

Preview
4019 BASEBALL

Ed Carfrey

1863 - 1921

Preview
4020 MILITAR

Lee R. Hartell

1923 - 1951

Preview
4021 FOOTBALL

James "Quick" Parker

1958 - 2018

Preview
4022 FOOTBALL

Cliff Roberts

Born 1933

Preview
4023 DESIGNER

Rick Fisher (lighting designer)

-

Preview
4024 BASEBALL

Tommy Madden

1883 - 1930

Preview
4025 JOURNALIST

Susan Braudy

Born 1941

Preview
4026 POLITICIAN

Frederick Fraley

1804 - 1901

Preview
4027 ACTOR

Brember Wills

1883 - 1948

Preview
4028 ARTIST

Josh Kline (artist)

Born 1979

Preview
4029 RADIO

Harvey (announcer)

Born 1951

Preview
4030 MUSIC

Ruth Mountaingrove

1923 - 2016

Preview
4031 JUDGE

Benjamin Faneuil Dunkin

1792 - 1874

Preview
4032 GOLF

Frank Sprogell

1895 - 1978

Preview
4033 FOOTBALL

Horatio B. Hackett

1880 - 1941

Preview
4034 OFFICER

Francis E. Patterson

1821 - 1862

Preview
4035 HERPETOLOGIST

Carl Frederick Kauffeld

1911 - 1974

Preview
4036 POLITICIAN

Israel Wilson Durham

1855 - 1909

Preview
4037 BASEBALL

Patsy O'Rourke

1881 - 1956

Preview
4038 LAWYER

Timothy J. Savage

Born 1946

Preview
4039 CARTOONIST

Edwin George Lutz

1868 - 1951

Preview
4040 SPORT

Glenn Brenner

1948 - 1992

Preview
4041 HISTORIAN

Charles Jacobs Peterson

1818 - 1887

Preview
4042 MAYOR

George Hewston

1826 - 1891

Preview
4043 DESIGNER

Willi Smith

1948 - 1987

Preview
4044 BASEBALL

John Knight (baseball)

1885 - 1965

Preview
4045 LAWYER

John Milton Younge

Born 1955

Preview
4046 PEDAGOGO

Albert Giesecke

1883 - 1968

Preview
4047 LOYALIST

Rebecca Franks

1760 - 1823

Preview
4048 BASEBALL

Harry Arundel

1855 - 1904

Preview
4049 DIPLOMAT

Benjamin H. Oehlert Jr.

1909 - 1985

Preview
4050 RADIO

George Weber (radio personality)

1961 - 2009

Preview
4051 BUSINESS

Dave Calhoun

Born 1957

Preview
4052 ARTIST

Charles Goldhamer

1903 - 1985

Preview
4053 COACH

Albert Barron

1888 - 1962

Preview
4054 WRESTLER

King Kaluha

Born 1958

Preview
4055 BASEBALL

Ed Nottle

Born 1939

Preview
4056 FIDDLER

Jonathan Yudkin

Born 1960

Preview
4057 BASEBALL

George Ulrich

1869 - 1918

Preview
4058 PAINTER

Hugh Reinagle

1790 - 1834

Preview
4059 BOTANIST

William Marriott Canby

1831 - 1904

Preview
4060 BASEBALL

Count Sensenderfer

1847 - 1903

Preview
4061 FOOTBALL

Ed Cook (American football)

1932 - 2007

Preview
4062 ACTOR

David Wike

Born 1969

Preview
4063 OFFICER

George R. Christmas

Born 1940

Preview
4064 MATHEMATICIAN

Michael Wolf (Mathematiker)

Born 1960

Preview
4065 PLAYER

Elizabeth Rastall

-

Preview
4066 BASEBALL

Henry Luff

1856 - 1916

Preview
4067 JOURNALIST

Kristen Welker

Born 1976

Preview
4068 FOOTBALL

Dave LaCrosse

Born 1955

Preview
4069 POLITICIAN

Thomas B. Smith

1868 - 1949

Preview
4070 BOXER

Lajuan Simon

Born 1979

Preview
4071 MUSIC

Papo Vázquez

Born 1958

Preview
4072 SPORT

Joe Judge (American football)

Born 1981

Preview
4073 FOOTBALL

Jim Fraser (American football)

1936 - 2020

Preview
4074 MILITAR

John W. Comfort

1844 - 1893

Preview
4075 LAWYER

William S. Duffey Jr.

Born 1952

Preview
4076 PHYSICIST

Gerald J. Dolan

1945 - 2008

Preview
4077 MATHEMATICIAN

Edward L. Kaplan

1920 - 2006

Preview
4078 MARINE

Hugh Purvis

1843 - 1922

Preview
4079 PRIEST

James Burke (bishop)

1926 - 1994

Preview
4080 SAILOR

George Szabo III

Born 1970

Preview
4081 COACH

Marty Brill (American football)

1906 - 1973

Preview
4082 DIPLOMAT

Stanley Woodward

1899 - 1992

Preview
4083 RADIO

Ron Bennington

Born 1959

Preview
4084 COMPOSER

David K. Israel

Born 1967

Preview
4085 PHILANTHROPIST

Murray Guggenheim

1858 - 1939

Preview
4086 PAEDIATRICIAN

Henry Silver

1918 - 1991

Preview
4087 MILITAR

John J. McVeigh

1921 - 1944

Preview
4088 BASEBALL

Nick Bremigan

1945 - 1989

Preview
4089 PAINTER

George Emerick Essig

1838 - 1923

Preview
4090 BASKET

Rodney Green

Born 1988

Preview
4091 WRESTLER

Joker (wrestler)

Born 1983

Preview
4092 PAINT

Christine Wetherill Stevenson

1878 - 1922

Preview
4093 BASEBALL

George Riley (baseball)

Born 1956

Preview
4094 OFFICER

William R. Rush

1857 - 1940

Preview
4095 ENGINEER

Octavio M. Salati

1914 - 2001

Preview
4096 MISSING

Merritt Yerkes Hughes

1893 - 1971

Preview
4097 SINGER

Steve Guyger

Born 1952

Preview
4098 FOOTBALL

Sean Scott (American football)

Born 1978

Preview
4099 POLITICIAN

Jean Wilson (politician)

Born 1928

Preview
4100 FOOTBALL

Reds Bagnell

1928 - 1995

Preview
4101 HERO

Joseph Bonnell

1802 - 1840

Preview
4102 POLITICIAN

Brian J. O'Neill

Born 1949

Preview
4103 FILM

Earl Lestz

1939 - 2017

Preview
4104 POLITICIAN

John F. White Jr.

Born 1949

Preview
4105 EDITOR

John P. Young

1849 - 1921

Preview
4106 BOOKSELLER

Samuel F. Bradford

1776 - 1837

Preview
4107 OFFICER

John Cummings Howell

1819 - 1892

Preview
4108 COACH

Mike Barwis

Born 1973

Preview
4109 BASEBALL

Art Allison

1849 - 1916

Preview
4110 SINGER

Derek George

-

Preview
4111 ARCHITECT

Rai Okamoto

1927 - 1993

Preview
4112 COLONEL

John A. Dramesi

1933 - 2017

Preview
4113 FOOTBALL

Carmen Cavalli

Born 1937

Preview
4114 MUSIC

Mark Castillo

Born 1980

Preview
4115 BASEBALL

Jim Jackson (baseball)

1877 - 1955

Preview
4116 WRESTLER

David Flex

Born 1987

Preview
4117 AUTHOR

Howard MacNutt

1859 - 1926

Preview
4118 ARTIST

Manuel Bennett

Born 1921

Preview
4119 PREACHER

Christian Frederic Crusé

1794 - 1865

Preview
4120 PAINTER

Frederick James (artist)

1845 - 1907

Preview
4121 ENGINEER

Carl Hering (Ingenieur)

1860 - 1926

Preview
4122 BASKET

Chris Mooney (basketball)

Born 1972

Preview
4123 LAWYER

John R. Padova

Born 1935

Preview
4124 JUDGE

Marvin Katz

1930 - 2010

Preview
4125 POLITICIAN

Harold James (Pennsylvania politician)

Born 1942

Preview
4126 FOOTBALL

Rod Coleman (American football)

Born 1976

Preview
4127 POLITICIAN

Henry Cianfrani

1923 - 2002

Preview
4128 COMPOSER

Gerald Shapiro (composer)

Born 1942

Preview
4129 PAINT

John F. Dunn

1943 - 2018

Preview
4130 TRADE UNION

Gerald McEntee

Born 1935

Preview
4131 WRESTLER

Romeo Valentino

Born 1968

Preview
4132 ARTIST

Jon Rubin

-

Preview
4133 PAINTER

Willard Nash

1898 - 1943

Preview
4134 JUDGE

Robert Lowe Kunzig

1918 - 1982

Preview
4135 CHOREOGRAPHER

Rennie Harris

Born 1964

Preview
4136 SONGWRITER

Richie Rosati

-

Preview
4137 WRITER

Nick Yarris

Born 1961

Preview
4138 PHOTOGRAPHER

Edward Jackson (photographer)

1885 - 1967

Preview
4139 MARINE

Richard Binder

1839 - 1912

Preview
4140 BIOLOGIST

Ellen Heber-Katz

-

Preview
4141 ACADEMIC

Steven Drizin

-

Preview
4142 BUSINESS

George W. Strawbridge Jr.

Born 1937

Preview
4143 FOOTBALL

Harp Vaughan

1903 - 1978

Preview
4144 SINGER

Joanna Pascale

Born 1979

Preview
4145 MISSING

Jacob R. Eckfeldt

1803 - 1872

Preview
4146 ACTOR

George Gaul

1885 - 1939

Preview
4147 BASEBALL

Highball Wilson

1878 - 1934

Preview
4148 FOOTBALL

Ben Clime

1891 - 1973

Preview
4149 SPORT

Tony Bruno

Born 1952

Preview
4150 COMPOSER

Andrea Clearfield

Born 1960

Preview
4151 BASEBALL

Ed Knouff

1868 - 1900

Preview
4152 RUNNER

John Gallagher (athlete)

Born 1890

Preview
4153 MILITAR

Samuel Gross (Medal of Honor)

1891 - 1934

Preview
4154 PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

Joe Del Campo

Born 1943

Preview
4155 BASEBALL

Norm Baker (baseball)

1863 - 1949

Preview
4156 POLITICIAN

Kevin J. Schreiber

Born 1980

Preview
4157 PHYSICIAN

Daniel J. McCarty

Born 1928

Preview
4158 BASKET

Ashley Howard (basketball)

-

Preview
4159 POLITICIAN

Luigi Di Paolantonio

1921 - 1976

Preview
4160 LAWYER

Adolph A. Hoehling Jr.

1868 - 1941

Preview
4161 NOVELIST

Diana Cavallo

1931 - 2017

Preview
4162 BASEBALL

Rob Sasser

Born 1975

Preview
4163 ENGINEER

Tom Bagley

Born 1939

Preview
4164 JOURNALIST

Chris Hurst (Virginia politician)

Born 1987

Preview
4165 MUSIC

Lafayette Harris

Born 1963

Preview
4166 ENTREPRENEUR

Michael Baum (entrepreneur)

Born 1962

Preview
4167 BASEBALL

Charlie Bastian

1860 - 1932

Preview
4168 YOUTUBER

Rachel Levin

Born 1995

Preview
4169 MOBSTER

Steven Mazzone

Born 1964

Preview
4170 ZOOLOGIST

Emily Ray Gregory

1863 - 1946

Preview
4171 BASEBALL

J. T. "Blondy" Black

1920 - 2000

Preview
4172 BASEBALL

Walter Plock

1869 - 1900

Preview
4173 JOURNALIST

Madge Macbeth

1878 - 1965

Preview
4174 ARTIST

Robert Douglass Jr.

1809 - 1887

Preview
4175 SOLDIER

Richard Conner

1843 - 1923

Preview
4176 GOLF

Dave Douglas (golfer)

1918 - 1978

Preview
4177 POLITICIAN

Leland Beloff

Born 1942

Preview
4178 SHOW

Wendell Holland

Born 1984

Preview
4179 COMPOSER

Derrick Murdock

Born 1957

Preview
4180 AUTHOR

James R. Fitzgerald

Born 1953

Preview
4181 ENTOMOLOGIST

Edwin Horace Bryan junior

1898 - 1985

Preview
4182 MILITAR

Jacob Ford Kent

1835 - 1918

Preview
4183 REPUBLICAN

Dick Kravitz

Born 1941

Preview
4184 WRESTLER

Glen Osbourne

Born 1971

Preview
4185 BASEBALL

Heinie Kappel

1863 - 1905

Preview
4186 SCREENWRITER

Bruce Graham (Drehbuchautor)

Born 1957

Preview
4187 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Clarence Stanley Fisher

1876 - 1941

Preview
4188 BUSINESS

Steve DeAngelo

Born 1958

Preview
4189 LAWYER

Charles Louis McKeehan

1876 - 1925

Preview
4190 ACTOR

Barney Gilmore

1869 - 1949

Preview
4191 LAWYER

Joseph Reed (lawyer)

1771 - 1846

Preview
4192 BASEBALL

Jeff Jones (outfielder)

Born 1957

Preview
4193 FOOTBALL

Vic Bellamy

Born 1963

Preview
4194 BASEBALL

Jim Tyng

1856 - 1931

Preview
4195 OFFICER

William Carleton Watts

1880 - 1956

Preview
4196 DESIGNER

Gustave Tassell

1926 - 2014

Preview
4197 FOOTBALL

Darius Madison

Born 1994

Preview
4198 WRESTLER

Bill White (wrestler)

Born 1945

Preview
4199 RAPPER

Jasmine Solano

-

Preview
4200 NAVAL

Lawrence Addicks

1878 - 1964

Preview