Chicago history is intimately tied to the rise of the Irish in America. Shortly after incorporating as a city, Chicago’s population was one-fifth Irish immigrants. From poor neighborhoods like Bridgeporton and Kilglubbin, Irish Americans rose to become one of Chicago’s most identifiable communities today.
As a result of Chicago’s great Irish history, many famous Irish Americans originated from Chicago or spent many important years in the city. The following is a list of famous Chicago Irish Americans.
Also See:
Famous New York Irish Americans
Famous Boston Irish Americans
Famous Philadelphia Irish Americans
Famous Baltimore Irish Americans
Famous Boston Irish Americans
Famous Philadelphia Irish Americans
Famous Baltimore Irish Americans
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| Bill Murray |
Anastacia | Singer and songwriter whose debut album, Not That Kind, achieved multi-platinum sales in Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe
Bill Murray | Actor and comedian best known for his role on Saturday Night Live and in the films Caddyshack (1980), Ghostbusters (1984), and Groundhog Day (1993)
Billy Corgan | Singer and lead guitarist of the grunge rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins
Bonnie Hunt | Actress, comedian, writer and host of The Bonnie Hunt Show
Brian Doyle-Murray | Comedian, screenwriter, and actor best known for his roles in Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day, in which he performed alongside his younger brother and actor, Bill Murray
Campbell McGrath | Poet who has written many full-length collections of poetry, including Seven Notebooks and Shannon: A Poem of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
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| Chris Farley |
Chris Farley | Comedian and actor who was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and a cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live
Chris O'Donnell | Film and television actor best known for his role in two Batman films and the hit TV show, NCIS: Los Angeles
Colonel James Hickey | US Army leader of Operation Red Dawn which captured Saddam Hussein
Dean O'Banion | Chicago mobster and founder of the North Side Mob who engaged in brutal bootlegging wars with Johnny Torrio and Al Capone during Prohibition
Donald O’Connor | Dancer, singer, and actor best known for his role as Gene Kelly's friend and colleague in Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Frank McErlane | Chicago mobster and partner of bootlegger Joseph "Polack Joe" Saltis during Prohibition who is credited with introducing the Thompson submachine gun to Chicago's underworld
George "Bugs" Moran | Chicago mobster and last leader of the North Side Gang who has been credited with popularizing drive–by shootings
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| Harrison Ford |
Harrison Ford | Film actor and producer best known for his role as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series
James M. Ragen | Chicago mobster involved in bootlegging and illegal gambling who co–founded the Ragen's Colts street gang
James Patrick "Big Jim" O'Leary | Chicago mobster and saloon owner involved in illegal gambling who was the son of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary, in whose barn the Great Chicago Fire is believed to have begun
James Thomas Farrell | Novelist whose work, the Studs Lonigan trilogy, was made into a film in 1960 was voted number 29 on the Modern Library's list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century
Jenny McCarthy | Model, comedian, and actress who was named Playboy Playmate of the Year and went on to become an activist against childhood vaccines
John C. Reilly | Film and theater actor, singer, and comedian who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Chicago
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| John Cusack |
John Cusack | Film actor and screenwriter best known for his roles in Say Anything, Grosse Point Blank, and High Fidelity
Kathy Griffin | Actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, and New York Times best-selling author who was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
Lee DeWyze | Winner of the ninth season of American Idol
Lester Joseph Gillis aka Baby Face Nelson | Chicago bank robber and murderer who partnered with John Dillinger and became public enemy number one
Maurice "Mossy" Enright | Chicago labor racketeer and associate of the North Side Gang who was instrumental in the rise of mobster Johnny Torrio
Michael Flatley | Hosted the Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger
Myles O'Donnell | Chicago mobster and Prohibition bootlegger who founded the O'Donnell Mob
Neil Flynn | Actor and comedian best known for his roles in the TV shows Scrubs and The Middle
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| Roger Ebert |
Robin Tunney | TV and film actress best known for her lead roles in the movie The Craft and the television series Prison Break and The Mentalist
Roger Ebert | Film critic and longtime co-host of At the Movies who became the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
Roger Touhy | Chicago mobster and Prohibition bootlegger who was framed for the 1933 faked kidnapping of gangster John "Jake the Barber" Factor and murdered one month after leaving prison
Roy Disney | Cofounded The Walt Disney Company with his younger brother, Walt Disney, and later became chairman of the company
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| Walt Disney |
Terry "Machine Gun" Druggan | Chicago bootlegger and boss of the Valley Gang who was known for his diminutive stature, short temper and lisp
Vince Vaughn | Film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian best known for his roles in Swingers, Old School, and Wedding Crashers
Walt Disney | Film producer, director, screenwriter, and animator who cofounded The Walt Disney Company with his older brother, Roy Disney