Famous People From Philadelphia

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Updated January 27, 2020 104.5K views990 items

List of famous people from Philadelphia, including photos when available. The people below are listed by their popularity, so the most recognizable names are at the top of the list. Some of the people below are celebrities born in Philadelphia, while others are simply notable locals. If you're from Philadelphia you might already know that these prominent figures are also from your hometown, but some of the names below may really surprise you. This list includes people who were born and raised in Philadelphia, as well as those who were born there but moved away at a young age.

List people range from Kobe Bryant to Bradley Cooper.

If you want to answer the questions, "Which famous people are from Philadelphia?" or "Which celebrities were born in Philadelphia?" then this list is a great resource for you.

Ranked by
  • Kobe Bryant

    Kobe Bryant

    Dec. at 41 (1978-2020)
    • Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Kobe Bean Bryant (August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships. Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive team and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2008. His four All-Star MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he won gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team. In 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for his film Dear Basketball. Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna and three others, died on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash outside of Calabasas, California, at the age of 41.
  • Kat Dennings
    • Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    Katherine Victoria Litwack (born June 13, 1986), known professionally as Kat Dennings, is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Max Black in the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls (2011–17), and Darcy Lewis in the Marvel superhero films Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013). Since making her acting debut in 2000, Dennings has appeared in films including The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Big Momma's House 2 (2006), Charlie Bartlett (2007), The House Bunny (2008), Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008), Defendor (2009), and Suburban Gothic (2014).
  • Grace Kelly

    Grace Kelly

    Dec. at 52 (1929-1982)
    • Birthplace: USA, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American film actress who became Princess of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. After embarking on an acting career in 1950, when she was 20, Kelly appeared in New York City theatrical productions and more than 40 episodes of live drama productions broadcast during the early 1950s Golden Age of Television. In October 1953, she gained stardom from her performance in director John Ford's film Mogambo starring Clark Gable and Ava Gardner, which won her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination in 1954. Subsequently, she had leading roles in five films, including The Country Girl (1954) with Bing Crosby, for which her deglamorized performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Other films include High Noon (1952), with Gary Cooper; High Society (1956), with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra; and three Alfred Hitchcock films: Dial M for Murder (1954), with Ray Milland; Rear Window (1954), with James Stewart; and, To Catch a Thief (1955), with Cary Grant. Kelly retired from acting at the age of 26 to marry Rainier, and began her duties as Princess of Monaco. They had three children: Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, and Princess Stéphanie. Kelly retained her link to America by her dual U.S. and Monégasque citizenship. Princess Grace died at Monaco Hospital on September 14, 1982, succumbing to injuries sustained in a traffic collision the day before. After her death the French physicians treating her reported that a CAT scan had revealed she had suffered two brain hemorrhages. The first occurred prior to the crash, and is believed to have been the inciting incident that led to the crash. The second, suffered while in hospital, is believed to have been the result of physical trauma sustained in the crash. At the time of her death, she was 52 years old. She is listed 13th among the American Film Institute's 25 Greatest Female Stars of Classical Hollywood Cinema.
  • Chris Matthews
    • Birthplace: USA, Somerton, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Christopher John Matthews (born December 17, 1945) is an American political commentator, talk show host, and author. Matthews is known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, on MSNBC. From 2002 to 2013 Matthews hosted a syndicated NBC News–produced panel discussion program on weekends titled The Chris Matthews Show. Matthews regularly appears on other NBC and MSNBC news programs as well.
  • Lauren Cohan
    • Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    Lauren Cohan (born January 7, 1982) is a British–American actress and model who has dual citizenship in the United States and the United Kingdom. She is best known for her role as Maggie Greene in the horror television series The Walking Dead (2011–2018). Her other notable TV roles are as Bela Talbot in the fantasy-horror series Supernatural (2007–2008), Rose in the supernatural series The Vampire Diaries (2010–2012) and Vivian McArthur Volkoff in the action comedy series Chuck (2011). Her film appearances include the comedy Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj (2006), the psychological thriller horror The Boy (2016), the superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), the biographical drama All Eyez on Me (2017), and the action thriller Mile 22 (2018).
  • Seth Green

    Seth Green

    Age: 49
    • Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    Seth Benjamin Green (born February 8, 1974) is an American actor, voice artist, producer, writer and director. He is best known as the co-creator, executive producer and most frequent voice on Adult Swim's Robot Chicken and has also directed the Robot Chicken Star Wars and DC Comics specials. He has appeared in the films Radio Days, My Stepmother Is an Alien, Airborne, the Austin Powers series, Can't Hardly Wait, The Italian Job, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Without a Paddle, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Lego Batman Movie. He is also known for his roles as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, voicing Chris Griffin on Fox's Family Guy and Jeff "Joker" Moreau in the Mass Effect video games. In 2019, he wrote and released his first movie titled Changeland, starring Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin. The movie was released on June 7, 2019.