Irish immigrants settled into the Philadelphia neighborhoods of Kensington and Southwark, and their population grew so rapidly that Irish immigrants quickly exceeded any other immigrant group in Philadelphia. Over time, the Philadelphia Irish grew in social standing, gained political power, and became an accepted and admired segment of Philadelphia society. Considering the great Irish history in Philadelphia, it’s no wonder there are so many great Philadelphia Irish Americans who rose to fame. The following is a list of famous Irish Americans from Philadelphia.
Also See:
Famous New York Irish Americans
Famous Boston Irish Americans
Famous Chicago Irish Americans
Famous Baltimore Irish Americans
Famous Boston Irish Americans
Famous Chicago Irish Americans
Famous Baltimore Irish Americans
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| Bradley Cooper |
Bob McAllister | Television personality and magician who hosted the popular children’s TV show Wonderama
Bianca Ryan | Singer and guitarist who won the debut season of NBC's America's Got Talent
Bradley Cooper | Film, theater, and TV actor known for his roles in the films The Hangover, The A-Team, and Limitless
Brian Tierney | Advertising and public relations executive and publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer
Charles Thomson | Secretary of the Congress from 1774 to 1789 who read the Declaration before the Congress for the first time and notified George Washington of his election to the presidency in 1789
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| Connie Mack |
Chris Matthews | News anchor, political commentator, and host of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews
Connie Mack | Professional baseball player, manager, and team owner who was the longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, managing the Philadelphia Athletics for the club's first 50 seasons
Daniel "Danny" O'Leary | Philadelphia mobster involved in bootlegging throughout Prohibition
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| Ethel Barrymore |
Ethel Barrymore | Actress and member of the Barrymore family of actors who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1944 film None but the Lonely Heart
Fergy Malone | Professional baseball player in the 1860s and 1870s who was the catcher for Athletic of Philadelphia in 1871, when they became champion of the first professional league season
Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran | Former labor union official in Philadelphia who operated as a freelance assassin for the Genovese crime family
Franklin Benjamin Gowen | President of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad in the 1870s and 1880s
George Edward Kelly | Playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor who was best known for The Torch-Bearers (1922) and The Show-Off (1924) and who was the uncle of actress Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly | Famous 1950s actress who became The Princess of Monaco when she married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
Henry Plumer McIlhenny | Connoisseur of art and antiques who became the chairman of the Philadelphia Art Museum
Jamie Kennedy | Comedian, rapper, and actor who has starred in the CBS drama Ghost Whisperer
James Logan | Politician who served as secretary to William Penn, mayor of Philadelphia, acting governor, and chief justice of Pennsylvania
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| Jeanette MacDonald |
Jeanette MacDonald | Singer and actress of 1930s musical films who sold numerous gold records and appeared in several Oscar-nominated movies
Jim McKay | Television sports journalist who hosted ABC's Wide World of Sports and provided coverage of 12 Olympic Games, most notably the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Jocko Fields | 19th Century Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies
John Barry | Officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War who is considered "The Father of the American Navy"
John Drew Barrymore | Actor and member of the Barrymore family of actors who is the father of John Blyth Barrymore and Drew Barrymore
John Joseph Hughes | Philadelphia priest who later became archbishop of New York and the force behind the building of a new cathedral in 1858
John Joseph O'Connor | Archbishop of New York who was later named a Catholic cardinal
Kate Flannery | Actress best known for playing the role of Meredith Palmer on the NBC hit series The Office
Kevin Bacon | Oscar- and Emmy-nominated film and theater actor whose notable roles include Footloose, A Few Good Men, and Mystic River
Kim Delaney | Actress best known for her starring role on the ABC drama television series, NYPD Blue
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| Lionel Barrymore |
Lionel Barrymore | Actor of stage, screen and radio best known for his Oscar-winning performance in A Free Soul (1931) and his villainous role in Frank Capra's film, It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Michael Connelly | Award-winning author of detective novels and crime fiction best known for his books featuring LAPD Detective Harry Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller
Mike Douglas | Big Band era singer, entertainer, and television talk show host best known for The Mike Douglas Show
Paul McCrane | Film, television and theatre actor best known for his roles in the movie Fame (1980) and the NBC medical drama television series ER
Peter Boyle | Actor best known for his roles in the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and the Mel Brooks' film Young Frankenstein (1974)
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| Samuel Barber |
Pink | Pop music singer-songwriter and musician whose first single peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100
Rob McElhenney | Film and television actor best known for his role as Mac on the FX TV series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Samuel Barber | Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music best known for his Adagio for Strings, his opera Vanessa, and his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Tug McGraw | Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and father of Country music singer, Tim McGraw, best remembered for pitching the final out in the 1980 World Series
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| W.C. Fields |
Walt Kelly | Animator and cartoonist best known for creating the comic strip, Pogo
W. C. Fields | Comedian, actor, and writer best known for his 1930s films in which he played a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist
William Michael Harnett | Painter best known for his trompe l'oeil still life paintings of ordinary objects