Famous People from Pennsylvania

Ethel Waters (1896 - 1977) Was an American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Born in Chester, PA (1693)

Edward Goodrich Acheson (1856 - 1931) Notable chemist and inventor who invented carborundum; He also received 70 patents during his lifetime.. Born in Washington, PA (494)

Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888) Author of the classic novel Little Women. Born in Germantown, PA (252)

Richard Allen (1760 - 1831) Founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Born in Germantown, PA (80)

Kevin Norwood Bacon (1958 - ) Is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Footloose, Flatliners, A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, and Tremors. Born in Philadelphia, PA (903)

John Barrymore (1882 - 1942) Was an American actor of stage and screen. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III. Born in Philadelphia, PA (1690)

Donald Barthelme (1931 - 1989) Was an American author known for his playful, postmodernist style of short fiction. Barthelme also worked as a newspaper reporter for the Houston Post, managing editor of Location magazine, director of the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston (1961-1962), co-founder of Fiction (with Mark Mirsky and the assistance of Max and Marianne Frisch), and a professor at various universities. He also was one of the original founders of The University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Born in Philadelphia, PA (1691)

Joseph "Joe" Biden (1942 - ) Joe Biden has served 6 terms in the Senate, the first of which he won in an upset by a mere 3,162 votes, after trailing by as much as 30% in polling during the summer. On December 18, 1972, a few weeks after the election, Biden's wife and one-year-old daughter were killed in an automobile accident while Christmas shopping in Hockessin, Delaware. Biden remarried in 1975. In 2008, Biden won the Vice-Presidency of the United States, after Barack Obama picked Biden as his Vice-President. Born in Scranton, PA (738)

John Billingsley (1960 - ) Is an American actor, known for his role as Doctor Phlox on the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. Born in Media, PA (910)

John Sidney Blyth (1882 - 1942) Was an American actor, frequently called the greatest of his generation. He first gained fame as a stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III. Born in Philadelphia, PA (807)

Peter Lawrence Boyle (1935 - 2006) Was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein. Born in Norristown, PA (808)

James Buchanan (1791 - 1868) The 15th president of the U.S.; Was the only president from Pennsylvania and the only president to never marry. Born in Mercersburg, PA (501)

Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976) Famous sculptor who invented the mobile; He also created paintings, lithographs, tapestries, and designed carpets. Born in Lawnton, PA (495)

Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964) American Marine Biologist; She is also the author of the book Silent Spring which started the environmental movement. Born in Springdale, PA (496)

Theodore Crawford Cassidy (1932 - 1979) Known as Ted Cassidy, was an American actor and voice actor who performed in television and films. Extremely tall at 6 feet 9 inches, he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie. He is best known for playing the part of Lurch, the butler on the 1960s television series The Addams Family and performing the opening narration of the 1970s TV series The Incredible Hulk. Born in Pittsburgh, PA (1405)

Charles "Pete" Jr. Conrad (1930 - 1999) Was an American astronaut and engineer, and the third person to walk on the Moon. Born in Philadelphia, PA (810)

Bill Cosby (1937 - ) Born William Henry Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, The Bill Cosby Show, in 1969. Born in Philadelphia, PA (802)

Richard Tiffany Gere (1949 - ) Richard Tiffany Gere Is an American actor. Born in Philadelphia, PA (805)

Martha Graham (1894 - 1991) Dancer and choreographer. She choreographed and danced in the ballet Appalachian Spring. Born in Allegheny, PA (493)

Orrin Hatch (1934 - ) U.S. Senator for Utah. He is also on the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and many others. Born in Pittsburgh, PA (569)

Robinson Jeffers (1887 - 1962) Poet who is known for his narrative, epic, and short verse types of poems; He is considered an icon in the environmental movement. Born in Pittsburgh, PA (499)

Namath Joe (1943 - ) Is a former American football quarterback Born in Beaver Falls, PA (1674)

Russell David Johnson (1924 - ) Is an American television and film actor best known as "The Professor" on the CBS television sitcom Gilligan's Island. He is a graduate of Girard College, a private boarding school in Philadelphia. Born in Ashley, PA (1042)

Shirley Mae Jones (1934 - ) Is an American singer and actress of stage, film and television. Born in Charleroi, PA (809)

Bil Keane (1922 - 2011) An American cartoonist best known for his work on the long-running newspaper comic The Family Circus, which began its run in 1960 and continues in syndication. Born in Philadelphia, PA (795)

Gene Kelly (1912 - 1996) Born Eugene Curran Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer. A major exponent of 20th century filmed dance, Kelly was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks and the likeable characters that he played on screen. Born in Pittsburgh, PA (806)

Tara Lipinski (1982 - ) Figure skater who won the 1998 women's figure skating gold medal at the Olympics in Nagano, becoming the youngest in history (15 yrs., 7 mos.). Born in Philadelphia, PA (500)

Arnold Palmer (1929 - ) Recognized as the player whose aggressive play and winning personality raised golf to national attention, honed his skills on the championship golf team of Wake Forest University. Born in Latrobe, PA (419)

Man Ray (1890 - 1976) Born Emmanuel Radnitzky, was an American artist who spent most of his career in Paris, France. Perhaps best described simply as a modernist, he was a significant contributor to both the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal. Best known in the art world for his avant-garde photography, Man Ray produced major works in a variety of media and considered himself a painter above all. He was also a renowned fashion and portrait photographer. He is noted for his photograms, which he renamed "Rayographs" after himself. Born in Philadelphia, PA (1692)

Betsy Ross (1752 - 1836) She was reported to have made the first American Flag. Born in Philadelphia, PA (497)

Leon Schlesinger (1884 - 1949) Was an American film producer, most noted for founding Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the Golden Age of American animation. Born in Philadelphia, PA (1689)

Will Smith (1968 - ) Willard Christopher Smith II is an African American actor and rapper. He is one of few people who has enjoyed success in the three major entertainment media in the United States: movies, television, and the music industry. Born in Philadelphia, PA (774)

James Maitland Stewart (1908 - 1997) Was an American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime Achievement award. Born in Indiana, PA (770)

Johnny Weir (1984 - ) Is an American figure skater. He is a three-time U.S. National Champion (2004-2006), the 2008 Worlds bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, and the 2001 World Junior Champion. Born in Coatesville, PA (989)

Andrew Wyeth (1917 - 2009) Famous realist painter of the 20th century; His most well-known work is Christina's World which is on display in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Born in Chadds Ford, PA (502)