# List of people from Philadelphia

The following is a list of notable people presently or previously associated with the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

## Academia

* Joseph Addison Alexander (1809–1860), clergyman and biblical scholar
* E. Digby Baltzell (1915–1996), sociologist, author, and professor at the University of Pennsylvania
* Ellen Bass (born 1947), professor, poet, and author
* Leon Bass (1925–2015), educator and Benjamin Franklin High School principal
* Aaron Beck (1921–2021), psychiatrist, inventor of cognitive therapy, and Penn School of Medicine professor
* Algernon Sydney Biddle (1847–1891), lawyer and Penn Law School professor
* Ray Birdwhistell (1918–1994), anthropologist, University of Pennsylvania professor, and inventor of kinesics
* Atherton Blight (1834–1909), lawyer, businessperson, author, diarist, philanthropist, and Art Club of Philadelphia founding member
* Alfred Bloom, linguist, professor, and Swarthmore College president
* Francis Bohlen (1868–1942), Penn Law School professor
* Derek Bok (born 1930), lawyer, Harvard Law School dean, and former Harvard University president
* Lisa Bowleg, George Washington University social psychology professor
* Ruby Chappelle Boyd (1919–2024), librarian
* David D. Burns (born 1942), psychiatrist, author, Penn School of Medicine psychiatry professor
* Noam Chomsky (born 1928), linguist, Far-left political activist, anarchist, and professor
* Gordon Clark (1902–1985), Christian theologian and professor
* Leda Cosmides (born 1957), psychologist, helped develop evolutionary psychology field
* Philip D. Curtin (1922–2009), Africa historian on Atlantic slave trade
* Steven Drizin, lawyer and professor
* Drew Gilpin Faust (born 1947), historian, University of Pennsylvania administrator, and Harvard University president
* R. Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983), architect, systems theorist, author, University of Pennsylvania design professor
* Andrew Gelman (born 1965), Columbia University professor, statistics and political science
* Gaylord P. Harnwell (1903–1982), University of Pennsylvania professor and president
* Earl G. Harrison (1899–1955), Penn Law School dean and former INS commissioner
* Marc Lamont Hill (born 1978), professor, journalist, activist, and BET News correspondent
* Agnes Irwin (1841–1914), Agnes Irwin School founder and first dean of Radcliffe College
* Seymour S. Kety (1915–2000), neuroscientist and schizophrenia researcher
* Lawrence Klein (1920–2013), economist, Nobel laureate, University of Pennsylvania economics professor
* C. Everett Koop (1916–2013), U.S. Surgeon General
* Byard Lancaster (1942–2012), avant-garde jazz saxophonist and flutist
* Alain LeRoy Locke (1885–1954), writer, philosopher, educator, and first African-American Rhodes Scholar
* Margaret Mead (1901–1978), cultural anthropologist and author
* William Augustus Muhlenberg (1796–1877), considered father of parochial schools
* John Pittenger (1930–2009), lawyer, academic, and former Pennsylvania House of Representatives member
* Philip Rieff (1922–2006), sociologist, cultural critic, and University of Pennsylvania professor
* Louis B. Schwartz (1913–2003), University of Pennsylvania Law School law professor
* Dora Adele Shoemaker (1873-1962), educator, writer
* Jacob Soll (born 1968), historian and MacArthur Fellow
* Lawrence H. Summers (born 1954), economist, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and Harvard University president
* Howard M. Temin (1934–1994), Nobel Prize co-laureate in physiology or medicine
* Cornelius Van Til (1895–1987), Christian theologian, professor, originator of modern presuppositional apologetics
* Lawrence Venuti (born 1953), translation theorist and translation historian
* Andrew Weil (born 1942), celebrity doctor and alternative medicine advocate
* Gayraud Wilmore (1921–2020), writer, historian, ethicist, educator, and theologian
* Walter E. Williams (1936–2020), economist, commentator, and academic
* Harris Wofford (1926–2019), Peace Corps director, Bryn Mawr College president, U.S. Senator appointee
* Bernard Wolfman (1924–2011), University of Pennsylvania Law School law professor and dean
* Josh Wurman (born 1960), meteorologist on Storm Chasers

## Art and architecture

* Julian Abele (1881–1950), architect who contributed to the design of over 400 buildings
* Robb Armstrong (born 1962), African American cartoonist, creator of Jump Start
* Edmund Bacon (1910–2005), urban planner, architect, educator, and author
* Bill Bamberger (born 1956), documentary photographer and photojournalist
* Albert C. Barnes (1872–1951), creator of the Barnes Collection of Art and Argyrol inventor
* Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter (born 1981), multimedia artist and activist
* Cecilia Beaux (1855–1942), portrait painter
* William Bell (1830–1910), photographer
* Alexander Calder (1898–1976), sculptor
* Alexander Milne Calder (1846–1923), sculptor
* Alexander Stirling Calder (1870–1945), sculptor
* John Carlin (1813-1891), painter
* Mary Cassatt (1844–1926), impressionist painter and printmaker
* Florence Van Leer Earle Coates (1850–1927), poet
* Robert Crumb (born 1943), underground comics artist, writer
* Heather Dewey-Hagborg (born 1982), information artist and bio-hacker
* Marley Dias, activist and writer
* Thomas Eakins (1844–1916), realist painter, photographer, sculptor, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts professor
* Frank Heyling Furness (1839–1912), architect who designed over 600 buildings
* Sonia Gechtoff (1926–2018), abstract expressionist painter
* William W. Gilchrist Jr., impressionist painter
* Ginger Gilmour (born 1949), sculptor and first wife of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour
* Phoebe Gloeckner (born 1960), cartoonist, illustrator, painter, novelist
* Elizabeth Shippen Green (1871–1954), children's books illustrator
* Donelson Hoopes (1932–2006), art historian
* Ian Hornak (1944–2002), draughtsman, painter, and printmaker
* Amy Ignatow (born 1977), illustrator, cartoonist, and author
* Louis Kahn (1901–1974), architect
* Bil Keane (1922–2011), cartoonist, The Family Circus
* Walt Kelly (1913–1973), cartoonist, Pogo
* Henry P. McIlhenny (1910–1986), art and antique connoisseur, philanthropist, curator, and Philadelphia Museum of Art chairman
* John Moran (1831–1902), photographer and artist
* Alice Neel (1900–1984), painter
* Albert Newsam (1809–1864), born deaf and former artist
* Linda Nochlin (1931–2017), feminist art historian and Bryn Mawr College professor
* Martin Nodell (1915–2006), comic book artist and creator of the original Green Lantern
* Charles Willson Peale (1741–1827), artist and progenitor of the Peale family of American artists
* Edmund R. Purves (1897–1964), architect
* William H. Rau (1855–1920), photographer]
* Seymour Remenick (1923–1999), artist
* Elizabeth Wentworth Roberts (1871–1927), painter and founder of Concord Art Association
* Judith Schermer (born 1941), artist and writer
* Carolee Schneemann (1939–2019), visual experimental artist on sexuality and gender
* Mary B. Schuenemann (1898–1992), painter
* Denise Scott Brown (born 1931), architect, planner, writer, and educator
* Sarai Sherman (1922–2013), painter and sculptor
* Grover Simcox (1867–1966), illustrator, naturalist, and polymath
* Jessie Wilcox Smith (1863–1935), illustrator
* Willi Smith (1948–1987), fashion designer
* Zoe Strauss (born 1970), photographer
* William Strickland (1788–1854), architect and civil engineer
* Thomas Sully (1783–1872), portrait painter of national political leaders
* Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859–1937), one of first African-American painters
* Daniel Traub (born 1971), photographer and filmmaker
* Horace Trumbauer (1868–1938), architect
* Robert Venturi (1925–2018), architect
* Thomas Ustick Walter (1804–1887), architect and American Institute of Architects co-founder and president
* Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009), visual artist
* Jamie Wyeth (born 1946), painter
* N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945), artist and illustrator
* Lily Yeh (born 1941), artist

## Business

* Frank Baldino Jr. (1953–2010), pharmacologist, scientist, and Cephalon co-founder
* John C. Bogle (1929–2019), investor, money manager, and Vanguard founder
* Amar Bose (1929–2013), founder and chairman, Bose
* David L. Cohen (born 1955), senior executive vice president and chief lobbyist for Comcast, chief of staff to Philadelphia Mayor, U.S. ambassador to Canada nominee
* Pat Croce (born 1954), entrepreneur, Philadelphia 76ers executive and part-owner, author, and television personality
* George Dashnau (1923–2001), advertising executive who started first mail order delivery service to supply human skulls
* Charles Henry Davis (1865–1951), businessperson, civil engineer, philanthropist; founded World Peace Movement
* Warren Lyford DeLano (1972–2009), advocate for increased open sourcing and PyMol creator
* George H. Earle Jr. (1856–1928), attorney
* Maria Anna Fisher (1819–1911), African American baker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist
* Kenneth Frazier (born 1954), Merck & Co. chief executive officer
* A. O. Granger (Arthur Otis Granger; 1846–1914), industrialist and soldier
* Albert M. Greenfield (1887–1967), local realty magnate, philanthropist, and political activist
* Solomon R. Guggenheim (1861–1949), Yukon Gold Company founder and philanthropist who established Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
* Richard Hayne (born 1947), Urban Outfitters founder and chief executive officer
* Michael Johns (born 1964), healthcare executive and former White House presidential speechwriter
* Eldridge R. Johnson (1867–1945), Victor Talking Machine Company founder
* Tom Knox, UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania chief executive officer and former Philadelphia mayoral candidate
* John Leamy (1757–1839), Spanish Empire trade pioneer
* J. Howard Marshall (1905–1995), oil businessman, Koch Industries stakeholder, husband of Anna Nicole Smith
* George Meade (1741–1808), merchant
* Richard W. Meade (1778–1828), merchant and art collector
* Samuel Meeker (1763–1831), merchant
* Jim Murray, Ronald McDonald House Charities co-founder and former Philadelphia Eagles general manager
* Joel Myers (born 1939), AccuWeather founder and executive chairman
* Pat Olivieri (1910–1970), founder of Pat's King of Steaks and reputed creator of the cheesesteak
* William S. Paley (1901–1990), CBS chief executive
* Randal Pinkett (born 1971), entrepreneur and The Apprentice 4 winner
* Felix Rappaport (1952–2018), Foxwoods Resort and Casino chief executive officer
* Lynda Resnick (born 1943), co-owner of Roll International, which owns POM Wonderful, FIJI Water, and Teleflora
* Brian L. Roberts (born 1959), Comcast Corporation chairman and chief executive officer
* Michael G. Rubin (born 1972), Kynetic founder and chief executive officer, Philadelphia 76ers part owner, and GSI Commerce founder and former chief executive officer
* Stephen A. Schwarzman (born 1947), The Blackstone Group founder and chief executive officer
* Ed Snider (1933–2016), Comcast Spectacor chairman
* Justus Strawbridge (1838–1911), department store founder
* Brian Tierney (born 1957), The Philadelphia Inquirer publisher
* John Wanamaker (1838–1922), department store founder
* Walter E. Williams (1936–2020), economist, commentator, and academic
* James Hood Wright (1836–1894), banker, financier, and corporate director, associate of J. P. Morgan and Thomas Edison
* William Wrigley Jr. (1861–1932), Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company founder

## Criminals

* Sydney Biddle Barrows (born 1952), escort service proprietor known as "The Mayflower Madam"
* Grover Bergdoll (1893–1966) draft dodger and escaped convict; brother of Erwin Bergdoll
* Antuan Bronshtein, convicted murderer, reputed Russian Mafia associate
* Angelo Bruno (1910–1980), Philadelphia crime family boss
* Legs Diamond (1897–1931), nemesis of mobster Dutch Schultz known as the "clay pigeon of the underworld"
* Ira Einhorn (1940–2020), environmental and anti-war activist, convicted murderer, and speaker at first Earth Day event in Philadelphia
* Mary Jane Fonder (1942–2018), convicted murderer of Rhonda Smith
* Kermit Gosnell (born 1941), convicted of 21 felony counts of illegal late-term abortion
* Gary Heidnik (1943–1999), convicted murderer
* Philip Leonetti (born 1953), underboss of Philadelphia crime family and government informant
* Nicodemo Scarfo (1929–2017), mafioso and head of Scarfo crime family

## Film, television, and theater
### A–K

* Joe Augustyn, writer and producer
* Kevin Bacon (born 1958), actor and half of The Bacon Brothers
* Jim Bailey (1938–2015), singer, film, television, and stage actor
* Chuck Barris (1929–2017), actor, composer, writer, director, producer, and game show host
* Ethel Barrymore (1879–1959), actress
* John Barrymore (1882–1942), actor
* Lionel Barrymore (1878–1954), actor, Mr. Potter in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life
* Eddie Barth (1931–2010), actor and voiceover artist
* Jules Bass (1935–2022), director and composer
* Laurie Beechman (1953–1998), Broadway singer and actress
* Willam Belli (born 1982), actor, drag queen, model, and recording artist
* Maria Bello (born 1967), actress and writer
* Ed Bernard (born 1939), actor
* John Biddle (1925–2008), yachting cinematographer and lecturer
* Edward Binns (1916–1990), actor
* Joey Bishop (1918–2007), entertainer
* Danny Bonaduce (born 1959), actor
* David Boreanaz (born 1969), actor
* Jim Boyd (1933–2013), actor
* Peter Boyle (1935–2006), actor
* El Brendel (1890–1964), vaudeville comedian and actor
* David Brenner (1936–2014), stand-up comedian, actor, and author
* Richard Brooks (1912–1992), screenwriter, film director, novelist, and film producer
* Quinta Brunson, (born 1989), creator Abbott Elementary
* Matt Bush (born 1986), actor, Adventureland
* Eugene Byrd, (born 1975), actor
* Michael Callan (1935-2022), actor
* Gia Marie Carangi (1960–1986), supermodel
* Joan Carroll (born 1932), coloratura soprano
* Dick Clark (1929–2012), host, American Bandstand and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, game show host, and producer
* Bessie Clayton (1875–1948), Broadway, vaudeville, and burlesque specialty dancer and choreographer
* Imogene Coca (1908–2001), actress and comedian
* Nathan Cook (1950–1988), actor
* Bradley Cooper (born 1975), actor
* Bill Cosby (born 1937), comedian, actor, and author
* David Crane (born 1957), writer and producer
* Broderick Crawford (1911–1986), actor
* Susan Webb Cushman (1822–1859), stage actress
* Blythe Danner (born 1943), actress
* Mildred Davis (1901–1969), actress
* Bruce Davison (born 1946), actor
* John de Lancie (born 1948), actor
* Francis De Sales (1912–1988), actor
* Kim Delaney (born 1961), actress
* Kat Dennings (born 1986), actress
* Curly Joe DeRita (1909–1993), comedian, actor, and member of The Three Stooges
* John Doman (born 1945), actor, The Wire
* Mike Douglas (1920–2006), singer and television talk show host
* Gary Dourdan (born 1966), actor
* Rel Dowdell, filmmaker
* Ja'net Dubois (c. 1932–2020), actress and singer
* Cheryl Dunye (born 1966), director, writer, and producer
* Kevin Eubanks (born 1957), musician and leader of The Tonight Show Band
* Lola Falana (born 1942), dancer and actress
* Norman Fell (1924–1998), actor
* Tina Fey (born 1970), actress and comedian
* W. C. Fields (1880–1946), actor and comedian
* Mademoiselle Fifi (1890-1982), dancer
* Larry Fine (1902–1975), comedian, actor, and member of The Three Stooges
* Linda Fiorentino (c. 1958), actress
* Kate Flannery (born 1964), actress
* Jeremy Gable (born 1982), playwright and game designer
* John Gallaudet (August 23, 1903 - November 5, 1983), actor
* Ralph Garman (born 1964), actor and radio personality
* Janet Gaynor (1906–1984), actress
* Richard Gere (born 1949), actor
* Todd Glass (born 1964), comedian
* Adam F. Goldberg (born 1976), television and film producer
* Robert X. Golphin (born 1982), actor and filmmaker
* Kate Gosselin (born 1975), reality television personality, Jon and Kate Plus Eight
* Bruce Graham (1925–2010), playwright
* Seth Green (born 1974), actor
* Grayson Hall (1922–1985), television, film, and stage actress
* Chief Halftown (1917–2003), children's television personality
* Veronica Hamel (born 1943), actress and model
* Kevin Hart (born 1979), comedian and actor
* Rodney Harvey (1967-1998), actor
* Sherman Hemsley (1938–2012), actor
* Emmaline Henry (1928–1979), actress, I Dream of Jeannie
* Marc Lamont Hill (born 1978), television host
* Tigre Hill, producer and director
* Paul Hipp (born 1963), actor, musician, and producer
* Wendell Holland (born 1984), Survivor: Ghost Island winner
* Billie Holiday (1915–1959), singer
* Kevin Hooks (born 1958), actor and director
* Abby Huntsman (born 1986), co-host of The View
* Mark Indelicato (born 1994), actor, singer (Justin Suarez on Ugly Betty)
* Abbi Jacobson (born 1984), actress, comedian, and co-creator of Broad City
* Barry Jenner (1941–2016), actor
* Aleeza Ben Shalom, matchmaker, relationship coach, and author
* Clark Johnson (born 1954), actor and director
* Nicole Kassell (born 1972), director and writer
* George Kelly (1887–1974), playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor
* Grace Kelly (1929–1982), actress and Princess of Monaco
* Michael Kelly (born 1969), actor
* Irvin Kershner (1923–2010), director, The Empire Strikes Back
* Taylor Kinney (born 1981), actor, Vampire Diaries and Chicago Fire
* Jack Klugman (1922–2012), actor, The Odd Couple, Quincy, M.E., and You Again?
* Da'Vine Joy Randolph (born 1986), Oscar-winning actress.

### L-Z

* Patti LaBelle (born 1944), R&B and soul musician, actress, and entrepreneur
* Michael Landon (1936–1991), actor, producer, and director
* Mario Lanza (1921–1959), singer and actor
* Stan Lathan (born 1945), film producer, television producer, and director
* Andrew Lawrence (born 1988), actor
* Joey Lawrence (born 1976), actor
* Matthew Lawrence (born 1980), actor
* Raw Leiba (born 1975), actor, stuntman, and sports model
* Aaron Levinson, producer, musician
* Brooke Lewis (born 1975), actress, producer and television personality
* Shari Lewis (1933–1998), children's television personality
* Gene London (1931–2020), artist and local children's television personality
* Lisa Lopes (1971–2002), rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer
* Donja R. Love, playwright
* Sidney Lumet (1924–2011), film director
* David Lynch (1946-2025), film director
* Jeanette MacDonald (1903–1965), actress and singer
* Stephen Macht (born 1942), actor
* Abby Mann (1927–2008), film writer and producer
* Melanie Mayron (born 1952), actress
* Adam Mazer, writer and Emmy winner
* Bob McAllister (1935–1998), children's television personality
* Andrea McArdle (born 1963), singer, actress, Broadway's original Annie
* Joan McCracken (1917–1961), dancer and actress
* Paul McCrane (born 1961), actor and musician
* Rob McElhenney (born 1977), actor and creator of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
* Andrew Repasky McElhinney (born 1978), film director, writer, Museum of Modern Art artist
* Adam McKay (born 1968), director and writer
* Mary Lou Metzger (born 1950), singer, The Lawrence Welk Show
* David Mirkin (born 1955), writer and director
* Silas Weir Mitchell (born 1969), actor
* Katherine Moennig (born 1977), actress
* Kelly Monaco (born 1976), model and actress
* George W. Munroe (1857-1932), actor famous for female impersonation
* Natalie Nevins (1925–2010), singer, The Lawrence Welk Show
* J. J. North (born 1964), actress
* Clifford Odets (1906–1963), playwright, director, and screenwriter
* Leslie Odom Jr. (born 1981), actor and singer
* Ana Ortiz (born 1971), actress, Hilda Suarez on Ugly Betty
* Daphne Oz (born 1986), author, television host on The Chew
* Holly Robinson Peete (born 1964), actress
* Lisa Peluso (born 1964), actress, Saturday Night Fever
* Gervase Peterson (born 1969), contestant, original season of Survivor
* Teddy Pendergrass (1950–2010), R&B and soul musician, lead singer for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
* Robert Picardo (born 1953), actor
* S. Henry Pincus (d. 1915), actor, impresario, and inventor
* Noam Pitlik (1932–1999), actor, television director, and producer
* Jack Polito (born 1941), animator
* Jon Polito (1950–2016), actor, Miller's Crossing
* Joe Renzetti, musician, Oscar-winning film composer, The Buddy Holly Story
* Adele Ritchie (1874–1930), singer
* Matt Robinson (1937–2002), Sesame Street actor
* James Rolfe (born 1980), creator and star of Angry Video Game Nerd internet series and film director
* Lisa Roma (1892–1965), operatic soprano and music educator
* J. D. Roth (born 1968), actor and game show host
* Bob Saget (1956–2022), actor, comedian, and game show host
* Mathew St. Patrick (born 1968), actor
* Diane Salinger (born 1951), actress
* Camillia Sanes, actress, The Shield
* Jessica Savitch (1947–1983), local and national news broadcaster, NBC
* Bill Scott (1920–1985), voice actor, voice of Bullwinkle J. Moose, Mr. Peabody, and Dudley Do-Right
* Vivienne Segal (1897–1992), actress
* Susan Seidelman (born 1952), film director, television director, Desperately Seeking Susan and Sex and the City
* Howard Merrill Shelley (1879-1956), playwright
* Craig Shoemaker (born 1962), stand-up comedian and film and television producer
* Jimmy Shubert, stand-up comedian
* M. Night Shyamalan (born 1970), film director, The Sixth Sense and Signs
* Penny Singleton (1908–2003), radio, film, and voice actress
* Jack Thomas Smith (born 1969), horror filmmaker
* Toukie Smith (born 1952), model and actress
* Will Smith (born 1968), actor, hip-hop recording artist, half of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, record producer, four time Grammy-winner
* David Smyrl (1935–2016), actor and television writer, Sesame Street
* Harry Snodgrass (born 1963), sound designer, supervisor, and editor, Alien 3, Napoleon Dynamite, Hot Shots! Part Deux, Robin Hood Men in Tights
* Tom Snyder (1936–2007), news and entertainment personality, NBC
* Sally Starr (1923–2013), children's television personality
* Joey Stefano (1968–1994), dancer, actor, and gay porn star
* Parker Stevenson (born 1952), actor
* Charles Stone III (born 1966), film director and creator of Budweiser's "Whassup?" advertising campaign
* Holland Taylor (born 1943), actress
* Teller (born 1948), magician and half of Penn & Teller
* Frank Tinney (1878–1940), vaudeville comedian
* Paul F. Tompkins (born 1968), actor and comedian
* Jean Vander Pyl (1919–1999), actress, voice of Wilma Flintstone and Rosie the Robot Maid
* Tom Verica (born 1964), actor
* Nancy Walker (1922–1992), actress and director
* Brendan Walter (born 1986), actor, director, and guitarist
* Bruce Walsh, playwright
* Jeff Ward (born 1986), actor
* Wee Willie Webber (1929–2010), local radio and television personality
* John Sylvester White (1919–1988), television actor
* Karen Malina White (born 1965), actress
* Nafessa Williams, actress
* Kenya D. Williamson, actress and screenwriter
* Thomas F. Wilson (born 1959), actor and stand-up comic
* Danny Woodburn (born 1964), actor and comedian
* Ed Wynn (1886–1966), actor and comedian, Uncle Albert in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins
* John Zacherle (1918–2016), actor, producer, and television horror host

## Historical figures

* David Hayes Agnew (1818–1892), surgeon and teacher
* Robert Aitken (1734–1802), publisher of first Bible in North America
* Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), novelist
* Andrew Allen (1740–1825), delegate to Continental Congress
* Harrison Allen (1841–1897), anatomist and physician
* Joseph Anderson (1757–1837), United States Senator
* Henry Graham Ashmead (1838–1920), historian of Delaware County, Pennsylvania
* Mary Stevens Beall (1854–1917), historian, writer, librarian
* Charles John Biddle (1819–1873), U.S. House of Representatives member
* Edward Biddle (1738–1779), American Founding Father, soldier, lawyer, statesman, and delegate to Continental Congress
* Francis Biddle (1886–1968), U.S. Solicitor General, U.S. Attorney General, and Nuremberg trials principal judge
* Nicholas Biddle (1786–1844), financier and Second Bank of the United States president
* Nicholas Biddle (1750–1778), Continental Navy original captain
* Richard Biddle (1796–1847), U.S. House of Representatives member
* John C. Bowers (1811–1873), entrepreneur, organist, and vestryman, and founding member of first Grand United Order of Odd Fellows
* Thomas Bowers (c. 1823–1885), concert artist
* Ed Bradley (1941–2006), CBS News radio journalist and television journalist
* Henry "Box" Brown (c.1815–1897), abolitionist who escaped to freedom by arranging to have himself mailed in crate to abolitionists in Philadelphia
* William C. Bullitt, Jr. (1891–1967), diplomat who conducted special mission to negotiate with Vladimir Lenin on behalf of the Paris Peace Conference and first U.S. ambassador to Soviet Union and U.S. ambassador to France during World War II.
* Hetty Burr (c. 1796-1862), abolitionist and clubwoman
* John Pierre Burr (1792-1864), abolitionist and community leader. He was an illegitimate child of Aaron Burr
* Bebe Moore Campbell (1950–2006), author, journalist, and teacher
* Samuel Carpenter (1649–1714), first Pennsylvania Treasurer and deputy governor to William Penn
* Octavius Valentine Catto (1839–1871), educator, civil rights activist, and baseball player
* Emilie Davis (1839–1889), writer who kept American Civil War diary
* Emma V. Day (1853–1895), missionary to Liberia
* Marguerite de Angeli (1889–1987), author and illustrator
* Branson DeCou (1892-1941), photographer and traveler
* Sarah Jane Corson Downs (1822-1891), president, New Jersey Woman's Christian Temperance Union
* Benjamin Franklin (1705-1790), American Founding Father and polymath
* Harriet Schneider French (1824–1906), physician and temperance movement activist
* Henry George (1839–1897), political economist and author, inspired economic philosophy known as Georgism
* T. Adelaide Goodno (1858-1931), social reformer
* Charlotte Forten Grimké (1837–1914), abolitionist, poet, and educator
* Benjamin Guggenheim (1865–1912), businessman who died aboard the RMS Titanic
* Andrew Harris, abolitionist and minister; first African American to graduate from the University of Vermont
* John von Sonnentag de Havilland (1826–1886), American officer of arms in England
* A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. (1928–1998), Kerner Commission commissioner, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit judge, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
* Antonija Höffern (1803–1871), Slovenian noblewoman and educator, first Slovenian woman to immigrate to the United States
* John A. Hostetler (1918–2001), author, educator, and Amish and Hutterite scholar
* Rebecca Jones (1739-1818), Quaker minister and educator
* Grace Kelly (1929–1982), princess of Monaco and actress
* George Lippard (1822–1854), novelist, journalist, playwright, social activist, and labor organizer
* Alain LeRoy Locke (1885–1954), writer, Harlem Renaissance figure, and first African American Rhodes Scholar
* Henry C. McCook (1837–1911), entomologist, clergyman, author, and Philadelphia city flag designer
* Joseph McKenna (1843–1926), U.S. Supreme Court associate justice, U.S. Attorney General, and U.S. House of Representatives member
* Thomas Mifflin (1744–1800), Continental Army major general, fifth president of U.S. Congress, first Pennsylvania governor, and Founding Father
* Anna Balmer Myers (1884–1972), author
* Robert N. C. Nix Jr. (1928–2003), chief justice, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
* Mrs. A. M. Palmer (1848-1923), clubwoman and civic leader
* Anne Parrish (1760–1800), Quaker philanthropist
* George W. Pepper (1867–1961), attorney and U.S. Senator
* William Pepper (1843–1898), Free Library of Philadelphia founder and University of Pennsylvania provost
* Henry L. Phillips (1847–1947), African American social reformer and Episcopal priest; born in Jamaica
* Philip Syng Physick (1768–1837), physician known as father of American surgery
* Marcus Aurelius Root (1808–1888), leading daguerreotypist and author
* Betsy Ross (1752–1836), sewed first American flag known as the Betsy Ross flag
* Benjamin Rush (1746–1813), physician, politician, social reformer, humanitarian, educator, and Founding Father who signed the Declaration of Independence
* Peggy Shippen (1760–1804), to American Revolution traitor Benedict Arnold and highest-paid spy in the American Revolution
* Leon Sullivan (1922–2001), Baptist minister and social activist
* Manuel Torres (1762–1822), first Colombian ambassador to the U.S.
* Thomas Truxton (1755–1822), American naval officer who rose to commodore
* Frank J. Webb (1828–c. 1894), novelist, poet, essayist, and writer

## Media and literature

* Isaac Ashmead (1790–1870), printer who served in the War of 1812
* Isaac Asimov (1920–1992), science fiction author
* Tony Auth (1942–2014), editorial cartoonist and Pulitzer Prize and Herblock Prize winner
* Doug Banks (1958–2016), nationally syndicated morning radio host
* Leslie Esdaile Banks (1959–2011), author
* Donald Barthelme (1931–1989), author
* Stan and Jan Berenstain (1923–2005), children's writing and illustration couple
* Evelyn Berckman (1900–1978), author
* Ben Bova (1932–2020), science fiction author
* Mary D. R. Boyd (1809–1893), children's book author
* Ed Bradley (1941–2006), journalist, 60 Minutes
* Tony Bruno (born 1952), sports radio talk show host
* Maxwell Struthers Burt (1882–1954), novelist, poet, and author
* Nathaniel Burt (1913–2003), novelist, poet, composer, and author
* Francesca Anna Canfield (1803–1833), linguist and writer
* Angelo Cataldi (born 1951), sports radio host
* Renee Chenault-Fattah (born 1957), WCAU-TV news anchor and wife of U.S. Representative Chaka Fattah
* Mary M. Cohen (1854–1911), social economist, journalist, belletrist, and educator
* Fritz Coleman (born 1948), KNBC chief meteorologist
* Michael Connelly (born 1956), author
* Benjamin De Casseres (1873–1945), journalist, critic, essayist, and poet
* Joseph Dennie (1768–1812), essaysist, The Lay Preacher, and The Port Folio founding editor
* Pete Dexter (born 1943), journalist, novelist, and National Book Award-winner
* Catharine H. Esling (1812–1897), hymn writer and poet
* John Facenda (1913-1984), broadcaster and sports announcer
* Courtney Friel (born 1980), KTLA-TV news anchor and reporter
* Charles Fuller (1939–2022), playwright, Pulitzer Prize for Drama recipient, and Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play winner
* Jim Gardner (born 1948), WPVI-TV news anchor
* Mike Golic (born 1962), ESPN radio and television personality, Philadelphia Eagles professional football player
* David Goodis (1917–1967), author
* Terry Gross (born 1951), radio host and co-executive producer, Fresh Air
* John Harvey (born 1951), radio and television personality
* Evalena Fryer Hedley (1865-1943), journalist, editor, and author
* Aries Keck, author and radio reporter
* Suzy Kolber (born 1964), television sportscaster
* Andrea Kremer (born 1959), television sportscaster
* Bob Lassiter (1945–2006), left-wing radio host
* Mark Levin (born 1957), lawyer, author, and radio personality
* Rachel Levin (born 1995), YouTuber, and beauty guru
* Jonathan Maberry (born 1958), suspense author, anthology editor, comic book writer, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator, writing teacher and lecturer
* Michelle Malkin (born 1970), political commentator
* Chris Matthews (born 1945), NBC and MSNBC journalist and talk show host
* Edith May (1827–1903), writer and poet
* Brian McDonough, medical editor, author, and physician
* Jim McKay (1921–2008), ABC sports journalist
* Chris McKendry (born 1968), ESPN SportsCenter anchor
* Larry Mendte (born 1957), KYW-TV news anchor
* James A. Michener (1907–1997), author
* Aubertine Woodward Moore (1841–1929), musician, writer, musical critic, translator, and lecturer
* Frances Trego Montgomery (1858 – 1925), American children's book writer
* Christopher Morley (1890–1957), novelist, short-story writer, and poet
* Wesley Morris (born 1975), film critic and podcast host
* Thom Nickels, author and journalist
* Joe Queenan (born 1950), author and humorist
* Matthew Quick (born 1973), author, The Silver Linings Playbook
* Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), novelist and short-story writer
* Chaim Potok (1929–2002), novelist and author, The Chosen and The Promise
* Richard P. Powell (1908–1999), novelist
* Beasley Reece (born 1954), KYW-TV sports journalist and former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles
* Dave Roberts (born 1936), WPVI-TV meteorologist and former co-host, AM Philadelphia
* Lisa Scottoline (born 1955), author and attorney
* Peter Shellem (1960–2009), Patriot News journalist who obtained release of five wrongfully convicted innocent people
* Vai Sikahema (born 1962), WCAU-TV sports journalist and former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles
* Michael Smerconish (born 1962), WPHT-AM radio talk show host, Philadelphia Daily News columnist, and MSNBC political analyst
* Anna Bustill Smith (1862–1945), author, genealogist, and suffragist
* Stephen A. Smith (born 1967), ESPN radio and television personality, Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist
* Arthur R. G. Solmssen (1928–2018), attorney and novelist
* Louise Stockton (1838-1914), author, journalist, club organizer
* Kristie Lu Stout (born 1974), journalist
* Duane Swierczynski (born 1972), author and former Philadelphia City Paper editor
* Omar Tyree (born 1969), author
* Jeannette Walworth (1835–1918), novelist and journalist
* Ukee Washington (born 1958), KYW-TV news anchor
* Jesse Watters (born 1978), political commentator and author
* Jennifer Weiner (born 1970), author
* Kristen Welker (born 1976), television journalist and NBC News White House correspondent
* Walt Whitman (1819–1892), poet, essayist, and journalist
* William Wharton (1925–2008), author, Birdy

## Military figures

* Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold (1886–1950), U.S. Army general, Air Force general, and World War I hero known as father of the U.S. Air Force
* Upton Birnie Jr. (1877–1957), US Army major general, raised and educated in Philadelphia
* Albert Blithe (1923–1967), U.S. Army paratrooper featured in Band of Brothers
* Louis H. Carpenter (1839–1916), Brigadier General, Medal of Honor recipient and veteran, Civil War, American Indian War, and Spanish–American War
* George F. Good Jr. (1901–1991), U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant general, commanded Marine defense battalions during World War II
* William Guarnere (1923–2014), U.S. Army staff sergeant featured in Band of Brothers
* Alexander Haig (1924–2010), U.S. military officer, diplomat, U.S. Secretary of State
* Edward Heffron (1923–2013), U.S. Army Private featured in Band of Brothers
* Washington Hood (1808–1840), captain, U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers
* John Lawson (1837–1919), U.S. Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient
* George B. McClellan (1826–1885), Union Army general and presidential candidate
* H. R. McMaster (born 1962), major general and presidential chief of staff
* John J. McVeigh (1921–1944), Medal of Honor recipient for actions during Battle for Brest
* George Gordon Meade (1815–1872), Union army general and victor at the Battle of Gettysburg
* Thomas H. Neill (1826–1885), Union Army general
* John C. Pemberton (1814–1881), Commander of Confederate defenders at Siege of Vicksburg
* Charles Sutherland (1831–1895), Surgeon General of U.S. Army
* Franklin W. Ward (1870–1938), Adjutant General of New York

## Music

* Andrew Adgate (1762–1793), musician, founder of music schools, and choir director
* Al Alberts (1922–2009), singer, The Four Aces
* Emily Yacina, singer-songwriter
* Marian Anderson (1897–1993), opera singer and contralto
* Frankie Avalon (born 1940), singer and actor
* Baauer (born 1989), DJ and producer
* Rachel Bagby, author, composer, singer, and composer
* Bahamadia (born 1966), rapper known as Bahamadia
* Pearl Bailey (1918–1990), singer, dancer, and actress
* Charli Baltimore (born 1974), hip hop artist
* Samuel Barber (1910–1981), composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, music educator, and composer
* Len Barry (1942–2020), recording star, vocalist, songwriter, lyricist, record producer, author, and poet
* Toni Basil (born 1943), singer, "Mickey"
* Eric Bazilian (born 1953), singer and musician, co-founder of The Hooters
* Diane Meredith Belcher (born 1960), concert organist, teacher, and church musician
* Steve Berlin, (born 1955), keyboardist and saxophone player, Los Lobos
* Emile Berliner (1851–1929), inventor of the flat disc record, the gramophone, founder of Victor Talking Machine Company, and Gramophone Company
* Frankie Beverly (1946–2024, R&B singer and musician, founder and lead singer of Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
* Charlie Biddle (1926–2003), jazz bassist
* Bilal (born 1979), neo-soul singer and musician
* Cindy Birdsong (born 1939), founding member, Labelle, and replacement member, Diana Ross & the Supremes
* Joe Bonsall (born 1948), country music singer and member of The Oak Ridge Boys
* Dante Bucci (1980–2014), handpan musician
* Lil Dicky (born 1988), rapper known as "Lil Dicky"
* Solomon Burke (1940–2010), R&B singer
* Uri Caine (born 1956), composer, arranger, and jazz pianist
* Sabrina Carpenter (born 1999), singer, songwriter, actress
* Cassidy (born 1982), rapper
* Sarah Chang (born 1980), child prodigy violinist with major orchestras
* Chubby Checker (born 1941), singer
* Stanley Clarke (born 1951), bassist
* Alice Cohen (born 1958), singer and songwriter known as Alice Desoto
* John Coltrane (1926–1967), jazz saxophonist
* Norman Connors (born 1947), singer
* Tommy Conwell (born 1962), guitarist, songwriter, and performer
* Cool C (born 1969), rapper
* Jim Croce (1943–1973), singer
* Dalex (born 1990), singer
* James Darren (1936–2024), singer and actor
* Rick DeJesus (born 1983), lead singer, Adelitas Way
* James DePreist (1936–2013), orchestra conductor
* Dieselboy (born 1972), drum and bass DJ and producer
* Fred Diodati, lead singer, The Four Aces
* Diplo (born 1978), DJ and producer
* Bill Doggett (1916–1996), jazz and R&B organist and pianist
* Gail Ann Dorsey (born 1962), bassist
* Charles Earland (1941–1999), organist
* Nathan East (born 1955), jazz, R&B, rock bass player, and vocalist
* Kevin Eubanks (born 1957), jazz guitarist
* Robin Eubanks (born 1955), jazz trombonist
* Duane Eubanks (born 1969), jazz trumpeter
* Eve (born 1978), rapper and actress
* Fabian (born 1943), singer and actor
* Nick Falcon (born 1968), guitarist, composer, lyricist, and singer
* Sheila Ferguson (born 1947), singer, The Three Degrees
* Wilhelmenia Fernandez (born 1949), opera singer and soprano
* Rachelle Ferrell (born 1961), jazz vocalist
* Eddie Fisher (1928–2010), singer and actor
* Sam Fogarino (born 1968), rock music drummer, Interpol
* Freeway (born 1978), rapper
* Kenny Gamble (born 1943), producer and co-founder, Philadelphia International Records
* Melody Gardot (born 1985), jazz singer
* Stan Getz (1927–1991), jazz saxophonist
* Benny Golson (1929–2024), jazz saxophonist
* Charlie Gracie (1936–2022), rock singer
* Gogi Grant (1924–2016), singer, "The Wayward Wind"
* Anthony Green (born 1982), singer, Saosin and Circa Survive
* Vivian Green (born 1979), R&B singer
* Daryl Hall (born 1946), singer and half of Hall & Oates duo
* Joseph Hallman (born 1979), composer, arranger, singer, and producer
* Rufus Harley (1936–2006), jazz musician and first jazz musician to use Great Highland bagpipe as primary instrument
* Robert Hazard (1948–2008), new wave musician and composer
* Albert Heath (born 1935), jazz drummer
* Jimmy Heath (1926–2020), jazz saxophonist
* Percy Heath (1923–2005), jazz bassist
* Leon Huff (born 1942), producer and co-founder, Philadelphia International Records
* Phyllis Hyman (1949–1995), R&B and jazz vocalist
* DJ Jazzy Jeff (born 1965), hip-hop DJ, neo-soul producer, and half DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince duo
* Joan Jett (born 1958), rock musician
* Philly Joe Jones (1923–1985), jazz drummer
* Kitty Kallen (1921–2016), pop singer
* Jason Karaban, singer and songwriter
* Tom Keifer (born 1961), glam metal vocalist, Cinderella
* Keith (born 1949), singer who wrote "98.6"
* Bill Kenny (1914–1978), singer
* Khia (born 1977), rapper
* King Britt (born 1968), house DJ and producer
* Kurupt (born 1972), rapper
* Patti LaBelle (born 1944), R&B & soul singer and actress
* Mario Lanza (1921–1959), operatic singer
* Lil Uzi Vert (born 1995), rapper and hip hop artist
* Lynda Laurence (born 1949), part of Stevie Wonder's backup group The Third Generation and part of The Supremes
* Amos Lee (born 1977), folk and blues singer
* Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes (1971–2002), member, TLC
* Monie Love (born 1970), rapper and radio personality
* Leonard MacClain (1899–1967), theatre organist
* Al Martino (1927–2009), singer and actor, Johnny Fontane in The Godfather
* Pat Martino (1944–2021), jazz guitarist
* Barbara Mason (born 1947), R&B singer and composer
* Christian McBride (born 1972), jazz bassist
* Marian Anderson (1897–1993), gospel singer
* Marshmello (born 1992), DJ and producer
* Meek Mill (born 1987), rapper
* Lizzy McAlpine (born 1999), singer and songwriter.
* Ms. Jade (born 1979), hip hop artist
* Lee Morgan (1938–1972), jazz trumpeter and composer
* James Mtume (1946-2022), R&B and jazz musician and founder of Mtume
* Musiq Soulchild (born 1977), R&B and neo-soul singer
* James E. Myers (1919–2001), songwriter, actor, and co-writer of "Rock Around the Clock"
* Marc Nelson (born 1971), R&B singer, Boyz II Men and Az Yet
* Lobo Nocho (1919–1997), jazz singer
* John Oates (born 1948), singer and half of Hall & Oates duo
* Maurie Orodenker (1908–1993), journalist, music critic, and advertising agency executive who coined the term "rock and roll"
* Hugh Panaro (born 1964), tenor singer, Broadway and opera
* Billy Paul (1934–2016), Grammy Award-winning soul singer
* Vinnie Paz (born 1977), rapper, founder of Jedi Mind Tricks and Army of the Pharaohs
* Peedi Peedi (born 1977), rapper
* Teddy Pendergrass (1950–2010), R&B singer, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
* Christina Perri (born 1986), singer
* Vincent Persichetti (1915–1987), composer and music educator
* Pink (born 1979), R&B and rock music singer
* Fayette Pinkney (1948–2009), singer, The Three Degrees
* Trudy Pitts (1932–2010), jazz keyboardist
* Princess Superstar (born 1971), hip hop performer
* Questlove (born 1971), drummer, producer, DJ, writer, journalist, and photographer
* Sun Ra (1914–1993), jazz pianist and band leader
* Danny Rapp (1941–1983), singer, Danny & the Juniors
* Joe Renzetti, guitarist and Oscar Award winner
* Res, R&B singer
* RJD2 (born 1976), producer
* Paul Robeson (1898–1976), singer, activist, attorney, and All-American collegiate athlete
* PnB Rock (1991–2022) rapper
* Jack Rose (1971–2009), guitarist
* Todd Rundgren (born 1948), musician, singer, songwriter, and producer
* Bobby Rydell (born 1942–2022), singer and actor
* Santigold (born 1976), punk singer
* John Sebastian (1914–1980), classical harmonica player and composer
* Danny Sembello (1963-2015), R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist
* Michael Sembello (born 1954), R&B singer, guitarist, keyboardist, and songwriter
* Schoolly D (born 1962), rapper
* Jill Scott (born 1972), R&B and neo-soul singer
* Shirley Scott (1934–2002), organist
* Musiq Soulchild (born 1977), R&B and neo-soul singer
* Dee Dee Sharp (born 1945), singer and actress
* Gene Shay (1935–2020), folk music musician
* Oscar Shumsky (1917–2000), violinist and conductor
* Beanie Sigel (born 1974), rapper
* Bunny Sigler (1941–2017), R&B singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer
* Steady B (born 1969), rapper
* Jazmine Sullivan (born 1987), R&B and soul singer-songwriter, 2-time Grammy award winner, and 2-time BET Award-winner
* Taylor Swift (born 1989), singer-songwriter, 14-time Grammy award winner, 2023 Apple Music Artist of the year
* William Takacs (born 1973), trumpet player
* Tammi Terrell (1945–1970), soul, R&B, and Motown singer
* Russell Thompkins Jr. (born 1951), soul and R&B singer
* Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter (born 1973), lead MC and co-founder, The Roots
* Robbie Tronco, DJ
* Ira Tucker (1925–2008), lead singer, The Dixie Hummingbirds
* McCoy Tyner (1938–2020), jazz pianist and composer, John Coltrane quartet
* Charlie Ventura (born 1916), tenor saxophonist and band leader
* Kurt Vile (born 1980), guitarist and vocalist
* Lee Ving (born 1950), singer and songwriter, frontman of hardcore punk band Fear
* Johannes von Trapp (born 1939), singer and member of Trapp Family
* Evan Sewell Wallace (1982–2017), singer, songwriter, and rapper known as "E-Dubble"
* Clara Ward (1924–1973), gospel singer
* Grover Washington Jr. (1943–1999), jazz saxophonist and founder of smooth jazz genre
* Crystal Waters (born 1961), dance and house music singer
* Ethel Waters (1896–1977), blues singer and actress
* André Watts (1946–2023), pianist
* Pamela Williams (born 1963), jazz saxophonist
* Josh Wink (born 1970), DJ and electronic music producer
* Karen Young (1951–1991), disco singer

## Politics

* Leon Abbett (1836–1894), New Jersey governor
* Lynne Abraham (born 1941), Philadelphia district attorney
* William Allen (1704–1780), Philadelphia mayor
* Chris Bartlett (born 1966), LGBT activist
* Raj Bhakta (born 1975), Congressional candidate and contestant, The Apprentice Season 2
* Michael J. Bradley (1897–1979), U.S. House of Representatives member
* Winfield S. Braddock (1848–1920), Wisconsin State Assembly member
* Bob Brady (born 1945), member, U.S. House of Representatives, Philadelphia mayoral candidate, NBC Universal and Independence Blue Cross lobbyist
* Raymond J. Broderick (1914–2000), U.S. federal judge
* William T. Cahill (1912–1996), New Jersey governor
* Ashton Carter (born 1954), physicist, Harvard University professor, and U.S. Secretary of Defense
* Augusta Clark (1932–2013), librarian, politician, lawyer, and second African-American woman to serve on Philadelphia City Council
* Joseph S. Clark (1901–1990), Philadelphia mayor and U.S. Senator
* Mark B. Cohen (born 1949), member, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Democratic leader of Pennsylvania House, and chairman, House Labor Relations Committee
* Henry Conner (1837–1918), member, Wisconsin State Senate
* George M. Dallas (1792–1864), U.S. vice president
* Richardson Dilworth (1898–1974), attorney, Philadelphia district attorney, and Philadelphia mayor
* Dwight E. Evans (born 1954), member, Pennsylvania House of Representatives and former Philadelphia mayoral candidate
* George H. Earle Sr. (1823–1907), founder of the Republican Party, abolitionist, and lawyer who represented fugitive slaves
* Chaka Fattah (born 1956), member, U.S. House of Representatives and former Philadelphia mayoral candidate
* Douglas J. Feith (born 1953), Undersecretary of Defense and Iraq policy adviser
* Tom Feeney (born 1958), Florida politician
* James Forten (1766–1842), African-American businessman, abolitionist leader, and sailmaker
* Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), Founding Father, polymath, writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, political philosopher
* Shirley Franklin (born 1945), Atlanta major
* Mifflin Wistar Gibbs (1823–1915), lawyer, judge, diplomat, and banker
* Benjamin Goldman (born 1960), political advisor
* W. Wilson Goode (born 1938), Philadelphia mayor
* W. Wilson Goode Jr. (born 1965), Philadelphia City Council at-large member
* Oscar Goodman (born 1939), attorney and former Las Vegas mayor
* James P. Gourley, Pennsylvania House of Representatives member
* William H. Gray (1941–2013), Baptist minister, U.S. House of Representatives member, and former United Negro College Fund president
* William J. Green III (born 1938), Philadelphia major and U.S. House of Representatives member
* Simon Guggenheim (1867–1941), U.S. Senator and philanthropist
* Alexander Haig (1924–2010), U.S. Secretary of State and White House Chief of Staff
* Richard Helms (1913–2002), Central Intelligence Agency director
* Charles W. Heyl (1857–1936), businessman, fire chief, and politician
* Michael Johns (born 1964), White House presidential speechwriter
* Joseph L. Kun (1882–1961), judge, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
* George Landenberger (1879–1936), American Samoa governor
* Frank J. Larkin (born 1955), U.S. Senate sergeant at arms
* John J. McCloy (1895–1989), Chase Manhattan Bank and Ford Foundation chairman, Assistant U.S. Secretary of War during World War II, and Allies' high commissioner of Germany
* Robert F. McDonnell (born 1954), Virginia governor
* Katie McGinty (born 1963), U.S. Senate nominee, chair, Council on Environmental Quality, and former chief of staff to Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf
* J. Whyatt Mondesire (1949–2015), president, NAACP Philadelphia chapter
* Cecil B. Moore (1915–1979), Philadelphia city council member and civil rights activist
* Patrick Murphy (born 1973), member, U.S. House of Representatives
* Benjamin Netanyahu (born 1949), current Prime Minister of Israel
* Robert N.C. Nix Sr. (1898–1987), member, U.S. House of Representatives
* Michael A. Nutter (born 1957), Philadelphia mayor and member, Philadelphia City Council
* Dennis M. O'Brien (born 1952), member, Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Pennsylvania House of Representatives speaker
* Tony J. Payton Jr. (born 1981), member, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
* Boies Penrose (1860–1921), U.S. Senator and party boss
* Harriet Forten Purvis (1810–1875), abolitionist leader
* Charles H. Ramsey (born 1950), Philadelphia police commissioner
* Samuel J. Randall (1828–1890), U.S. House of Representatives member and Speaker of the House
* Ed Rendell (born 1944), Pennsylvania governor, Philadelphia mayor, and Philadelphia district attorney
* Frank Rizzo (1920–1991), Philadelphia mayor and police commissioner
* John Robbins (1808–1880), U.S. House of Representatives member
* Allyson Schwartz (born 1948), member, U.S. House of Representatives
* Thomas Smith (born 1805), Indiana Supreme Court justice, Pennsylvania General Assembly member, and writer
* Arlen Specter (1930–2012), U.S. Senator and Philadelphia district attorney
* Ben Stahl (1915–1998), labor leader and activist
* John F. Street (born 1943), Philadelphia mayor
* Milton Street (1941–2022), entrepreneur, Pennsylvania state legislator, and Philadelphia City Council candidate
* Norman Sussman (1905–1969), Wisconsin state senator
* Joel Barlow Sutherland (1792–1861), member, U.S. House of Representatives
* Al Taubenberger (born 1953), Philadelphia mayoral candidate
* John Timoney (1948–2016), Philadelphia police commissioner and Miami police chief
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), Sheriff of Broward County, Florida
* C. Delores Tucker (1927–2005), civil rights activist and Pennsylvania Secretary of State
* Anna C. Verna (1931–2021), Philadelphia City Council member and president
* Charles A. Waters (1892–1972), Pennsylvania Auditor General, State Treasurer, and president judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas
* R. Seth Williams (born 1967), Philadelphia district attorney
* Fernando Wood (1812–1881), Mayor of New York

## Sports

* Chris Achuff (born 1975), defensive line coach, Syracuse University
* John Abadie (1854–1905), professional baseball player, Brooklyn Atlantics and Philadelphia Athletics
* Cal Abrams (1924–1997), professional baseball player, Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates
* Chris Albright (born 1979), soccer player
* Dick Allen (1942–2020), professional baseball player, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals, National League Rookie of the Year, and seven-time All-Star
* Anthony Allison (born 1987), soccer player
* Doug Allison (1846–1916), first professional baseball player ever to use a baseball glove
* Eddie Alvarez (born 1984), mixed martial artist, ONE Championship, UFC Lightweight Champion
* Rubén Amaro Jr. (born 1965), professional baseball player, general manager, and coach
* Dan Antoniuk (born 1981), soccer player
* Paul Arizin (1928–2006), professional basketball player, Camden Bullets and Philadelphia Warriors
* Matt Bahr (born 1956), professional football and soccer player
* Walter Bahr (1927–2018), soccer player, manager, and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee
* Deion Barnes (born 1993), professional football player, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets
* Barry Barto (born 1950), soccer player and coach
* Reds Bassman (1913–2010), professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles
* Bert Bell (1895–1959), founder of Philadelphia Eagles football team and former NFL commissioner
* Erwin Bergdoll (1890–1965) former auto racer and draft dodger; brother of Grover Bergdoll
* Barney Berlinger (1908–2002), 1928 Summer Olympics decathlete
* Mohini Bhardwaj (born 1978), 2004 Summer Olympics gymnast
* Nick Bibbs (born 1991), soccer player
* Tyrell Biggs (born 1960), boxer, 1984 Summer Olympics gold medalist
* Ed Blaney (born 1951), soccer player
* Audrey Bleiler (1933–1975), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, South Bend Blue Sox
* Chaim Bloom (born 1983), Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer
* Tony Bono (born 1963), soccer player
* Thomas Brennan (1922–2003), professional hockey player, Boston Bruins
* Charles Brewer (born 1969), boxer and IBF super middleweight champion
* Derek Bryant (born 1971) former heavyweight boxer
* Kobe Bryant (1978–2020), professional basketball player and five-time NBA Finals champion
* Michael Brooks (1958–2016), professional basketball player
* Roy Campanella (1921–1993), professional baseball player, three-time National League Most Valuable Player
* Wilt Chamberlain (1936–1999), professional basketball player and two-time NBA champion
* Ben Clime (1891–1973), professional football player
* Randall "Tex" Cobb (born 1950), boxer and actor
* Tim Cooney (born 1990), professional baseball player
* Don Cohan (1930–2018), 1972 Olympic bronze medalist, sailing
* Brian Cohen (born 1976), professional boxer
* Julia Cohen (born 1989) professional tennis player
* Steve Coleman (born 1950), professional football player
* Bobby Convey (born 1983), professional soccer player for the San Jose Earthquakes and the U.S. Men's National Soccer team
* Tyrone Crawley (1958–2021), boxer
* Fran Crippen (1984–2010), professional swimmer
* Maddy Crippen (born 1980), swimmer in 2000 Olympics
* Ray Culp (born 1941), Phillies right-handed pitcher and runner-up to Dick Allen for National League Rookie of the Year
* Steve Cunningham (born 1976), boxer and cruiserweight champion
* Brandon Davies (born 1991), American-born Ugandan professional basketball player
* Matthew "Super" DeLisi (born 2000), esports player
* Ollie Dobbins (born 1941), football player
* Buster Drayton (born 1952), boxer and light middleweight (super welterweight) champion
* Jon Drummond (born 1968), track and field athlete, 1996 and 2000 Olympic medalist
* Dave Dunaway (1945–2001), professional football player
* Angelo Dundee (1921–2012), boxing trainer
* Fred Dunlap (1859–1902), professional baseball player
* John Edelman (born 1935), professional baseball player
* Gary Emanuel (born 1958), defensive line coach, Atlanta Falcons
* Julius Erving (born 1950), Philadelphia 76ers 11-time All-Star, 2-time NBA champion, two-time ABA champion, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member
* Jahri Evans (born 1983), professional football player
* Paul Felder (born 1984), mixed martial artist with UFC and Cage Fury Fighting Championships
* D'or Fischer (born 1981), Israeli-American basketball player, Israeli National League
* Craig Fitzgerald, professional football coach
* Joe Flacco (born 1985), professional football player
* Francine Fournier (born 1972), professional wrestling valet, Extreme Championship Wrestling
* Joe Frazier (1944–2011), boxer, 1964 Olympic gold medalist and former world heavyweight champion
* Marvis Frazier (born 1960), boxer
* Harry Fritz (1890–1974), baseball player
* Jim "Sandman" Fullington (born 1963), professional wrestler, Extreme Championship Wrestling and WWE
* Mark Gerban (born 1979), first world champion rower, Palestine
* Eddie George (born 1973), professional football player and Heisman Trophy winner
* Kerry Getz (born 1975), professional skateboarder
* Joey Giardello (1930–2008), professional boxer and middleweight champion
* Tom Gola (1933–2014), professional basketball player, La Salle University men's basketball head coach, and Philadelphia mayoral candidate
* Brent Grimes (born 1983), professional football player
* Randy Grossman (born 1952), professional football player and four-time Super Bowl Champion
* Mark Gubicza (born 1962), professional baseball player
* Drew Gulak (born 1987), professional wrestler
* Matt Guokas (born 1944), professional basketball player and coach
* Brendan Hansen (born 1981), Olympic swimmer
* Eric Harding (born 1972), boxer
* Marvin Harrison (born 1972), professional football player
* Kirk Hershey (1918–1979), professional football player
* Bill Holland (1907–1984), 1949 Indianapolis 500 winner and three-time second-place finisher
* Bernard Hopkins (born 1965), boxer and world middleweight champion
* Demetrius Hopkins (born 1980), boxer
* Allen Iverson (born 1975), Philadelphia 76ers professional basketball player, 11-time All-Star, NBA MVP, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member
* Michael Iaconelli (born 1972) professional bass angler and winner of 2003 Bassmaster Classic
* Reggie Jackson (born 1946), Hall of Fame baseball player
* Judith Jamison (born 1943), dancer; choreographer, and artistic director, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
* Joe Judge (born 1981), professional football head coach, New York Giants
* Gabe Kapler (born 1976), professional baseball player and manager
* John B. Kelly Sr. (1889–1960), triple Olympic gold medal winner, rowing
* John B. Kelly Jr. (1927–1985), champion rower
* Florian Kempf (born 1956), football player
* Matt Kilroy (1866–1940), professional baseball player
* Sam Kimber (1854–1925), professional baseball player
* Bart King (1873–1965), cricket bowler
* Darnell Kittrell (born 1975), professional wrestler
* Kenny Koplove (born 1993), baseball player
* Mike Koplove (born 1976), professional baseball pitcher
* Julian Krinsky, tennis player
* Rick Lackman (1910–1990), professional football player
* Dave LaCrosse (born 1955), professional player
* Sonny Liston (c.1930–c. 1970), boxer and world heavyweight champion
* Tommy Loughran (1902–1982), boxer and light heavyweight champion
* Harry Luff (1856-1916), Major League Baseball player
* John Macionis (1916–2012), Olympic swimmer, 1936 silver medalist
* Brooke Makler (1951–2010), Olympic fencer
* Paul Makler Jr. (born 1946), Olympic fencer
* Paul Makler Sr. (1920–2022), Olympic fencer
* Donovan McNabb (born 1976), professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles
* Dick McBride (1847–1916), baseball player and manager
* John McDermott (1891–1971), professional golfer
* Benny McLaughlin (1928–2012), professional soccer player and member, U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame
* Jake Metz (born 1991), football player
* Levi Meyerle (1849–1921), professional baseball player
* Nate Miller (born 1963), boxer and cruiserweight champion
* Alvin Mitchell (born 1943), football player
* Tony Morgano (1913–1984), boxer
* Willie Mosconi (1913–1993), professional billiards player
* Matthew Saad Muhammad (1954–2014), boxer and light heavyweight champion
* Browning Nagle (born 1968), professional football player
* Jim O'Brien (born 1952), NBA coach
* Vince Papale (born 1946), professional football player, inspiration for the movie Invincible
* Kyle Pitts (born 2000), professional football player, Atlanta Falcons
* Mike Powell (born 1963), track and field athlete, 1988 and 1992 Olympic silver medalist and current long jump world record holder
* Zahir Raheem (born 1976), boxer and 1996 Olympian
* Jack Ramsay (1925–2014), basketball coach, Saint Joseph's College men's team, NBA coach, general manager, television commentator, and Hall of Famer
* Merrill Reese (born 1942), Philadelphia Eagles radio broadcaster
* David Reid (born 1973), boxer, 1996 Olympic gold medalist, light middleweight
* Stevie Richards (born 1971), professional wrestler, Extreme Championship Wrestling and WWE
* Robin Roberts (1926–2010), Phillies right-handed pitcher, Cy Young Award recipient, and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
* Ivan Robinson (born 1971), boxer
* Allen Rosenberg (1931–2013), rower and rowing coach
* Mike Schmidt (born 1949), Phillies Golden Glove third baseman and member of Baseball Hall of Fame
* Vic Seixas (1923–2024), tennis player
* Kirk Shelmerdine (born 1958), NASCAR driver and crew chief
* Ed Sheridan (born 1957), retired professional soccer player
* Steve Slaton (born 1986), NFL player
* Gunboat Smith (1887–1974), boxer turned actor and boxing referee
* Frank Spellman (1922–2017), Olympic champion weightlifter
* David Starr (born 1991), professional wrestler
* John Sterling (1865–1908), professional baseball player
* Harry Stovey (1856–1937), professional baseball player
* Joe Sugden (1870–1959), professional baseball player
* Cavan Sullivan (born 2009), professional soccer player; youngest person to appear in a league match for a major professional league in the United States
* Quinn Sullivan (born 2004), professional soccer player
* Eric Tangradi (born 1989), professional hockey player
* Meldrick Taylor (born 1966), boxer, 1984 Olympic gold medalist, welterweight and junior welterweight champion
* Aaron Torres (born 1978), boxer and contestant on The Contender 2
* Najai Turpin (1981–2005), boxer and contestant on The Contender
* Harp Vaughan (1903–1978), professional football player
* Iosif Vitebskiy (born 1938), Soviet/Ukrainian Olympic medalist and world champion fencer and fencing coach
* John Waerig (born 1976), professional football player
* Steve Wagner (born 1967), Olympic field hockey player
* Bobby "Boogaloo" Watts (born 1949), boxer
* Charles Way (born 1972), professional football player
* Maia Weintraub (born 2002), national champion and Olympic foil fencer
* Reece Whitley (born 2000), swimmer and former Sports Illustrated Kid of the Year
* Erik Williams (born 1968), professional football player, Dallas Cowboys
* Ike Williams (1923–1994), boxer and lightweight champion
* Joe Williams (born 1942) former football player
* Stevie Williams (born 1979), professional skateboarder
* Brad Wanamaker (born 1989), professional basketball player, Boston Celtics
* Ned Williamson (1857–1894), professional baseball player
* George Winslow (born 1963), professional football player
* Jimmy Young (1948–2005), boxer

### Philadelphia native basketball players

* Ryan Arcidiacono (born 1994), professional basketball player, New York Knicks
* Mike Bantom (born 1951), professional basketball player, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, and Seattle Seahawks
* Gene Banks (born 1959), professional basketball player, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs
* Joe "Jellybean" Bryant (1954–2024), professional basketball player, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Diego Clippers
* Kobe Bryant (1978–2020), professional basketball player, Los Angeles Lakers
* Rasual Butler (1979–2018), professional basketball player
* Tony Carr (born 1997), basketball player in the Israeli Premier Basketball League
* Fred Carter (born 1945), NBA
* Wilt Chamberlain (1936–1999), professional basketball player
* Dionte Christmas (born 1986), NBA
* Bryan Cohen (born 1989), American-Israeli - Israel Basketball Premier League
* Mardy Collins (born 1984), NBA
* Dallas Comegys (born 1964), NBA
* Mark Davis (born 1960), NBL (Australia) – Adelaide 36ers
* Wayne Ellington (born 1987), NBA
* Tyreke Evans (born 1989), NBA
* D'or Fischer (born 1981), American-Israeli
* Eddie Griffin (1982–2007), professional basketball player
* Gerald Henderson Jr. (born 1987), NBA
* Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (born 1995), professional basketball player
* De'Andre Hunter (born 1997), current NBA player for the Atlanta Hawks
* Marc Jackson (born 1975), NBA
* Amile Jefferson (born 1993), NBA G League
* Wali Jones (born 1942), NBA
* Bo Kimble (born 1966), NBA
* Red Klotz (1920–2014), American Basketball League basketball player
* Betnijah Laney (born 1993), WNBA
* Howard Lassoff (1955–2013), American-Israeli basketball player
* Ryan Lexer (born 1976), American-Israeli former basketball player, Israeli Basketball Premier League
* Kyle Lowry (born 1986), NBA
* Aaron McKie (born 1972), NBA
* Cuttino Mobley (born 1975), NBA
* Earl Monroe (born 1944), NBA
* Marcus Morris (born 1989), NBA
* Markieff Morris (born 1989), NBA
* Ronald "Flip" Murray (born 1979), NBA
* Jameer Nelson (born 1982), NBA
* Aaron Owens (born 1974),
* Red Rosan (1911–1976), American Basketball League professional basketball player
* Malik Rose (born 1974), NBA
* John Salmons (born 1979), NBA
* Art Spector (1920–1987), professional basketball player
* Dawn Staley (born 1970), WNBA
* Dion Waiters (born 1991), NBA
* Rasheed Wallace (born 1974), NBA
* Hakim Warrick (born 1982), NBA
* Mike Watkins (born 1995), professional basketball player, Antwerp Giants in the BNXT League
* Maurice Watson (born 1993), Maccabi Rishon LeZion of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
* Maalik Wayns (born 1991), NBA
* Alvin Williams (born 1974), NBA
* Khalif Wyatt (born 1991), NBA G League

## Other

* Richard Allen (1760–1831), African Methodist Episcopal Church bishop and abolitionist
* Gloria Allred (born 1941), women's rights attorney
* Hart O. Berg (1865–1941), engineer and businessman
* Anna Pierce Hobbs Bixby (c. 1810–c. 1870), midwife, frontier doctor, dentist, herbologist, and scientist who discovered the cause of milk sickness
* Guion Bluford (born 1942), astronaut and first African-American in space
* Frank Erdman Boston (1890-1960), physician
* Stanley Branche (1933–1992), civil rights activist and Philadelphia night club owner
* William E. Carter (1875–1945), a survivor of the RMS Titanic
* Pete Conrad (1930–1999), astronaut, the third man to walk on the Moon with Apollo 12
* Percy Crawford (1902–1960), clergyman and religious broadcaster
* Wilbur Davenport (1920–2003), engineer and scientist
* Steve DeAngelo (born 1958), social activist
* Anthony F. DePalma (1904–2005), orthopedic surgeon and medical school professor
* Katherine Drexel (1858–1955), Roman Catholic saint
* William Duane (1872–1935), a former physicist
* Daniel Faulkner (1955–1981), Philadelphia police officer killed in the line of duty; Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of his murder
* Christopher Ferguson (born 1961), astronaut
* Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde (born 1961), Philadelphia municipal court judge and boxer
* Barbara Harris (1930–2020), Anglican Communion bishop
* Paul B. Higginbotham (born 1954), judge, Wisconsin Court of Appeals
* Gino Jennings (born 1963), religious leader,
* Ruth Malcomson (1906–1988), Miss America
* James Martin (born 1960), Jesuit priest, writer, and commentator on modern Catholicism
* Seamus McCaffrey (born 1950), justice, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and presiding judge, "Eagles Court"
* Carol McCain (c. 1938), ex-wife of U.S. presidential candidate John McCain
* Silas Weir Mitchell (1829–1914), physician, scientist, novelist, and poet considered father of neurology
* Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (?–1986), Sufi mystic
* Clarence Charles Newcomer (1923–2005), U.S. district judge, U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Pennsylvania
* John Joseph O'Connor (1920–2000), Roman Catholic cardinal and archbishop, Archdiocese of New York
* George A. Palmer (1895–1981), clergyman and religious broadcaster
* David L. Reich (born 1960), academic anesthesiologist, professor, Mount Sinai Hospital president
* Marjorie Rendell (born 1947), judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and First Lady of Pennsylvania
* Amber Rose (born 1983), model and actress
* Charles Sanna (1917–2019), Swiss Miss creator), director
* Samuel Gilbert Scott (c. 1813–1841), daredevil
* Lester Shubin (1925–2009), inventor, Kevlar bulletproof vest
* Marion Turner Stubbs (1910–1994), founder of Jack and Jill of America
* Nancy Spungen (1958–1978), girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious
* Kee Taylor (living), hair stylist, business executive, and YouTuber
* [[Robert ('Rob') Teir]] (1961- ), Lawyer and legal historian. Teir co-wrote, with Dr. Maeva Marcus, the leading article on the U.S. Supreme Court's first 'case and controversy' suit, Hayburn's case.]]. Teir also published dozens of articles in the mainstream and legal press, and graduated at the head of his class at Georgetown University Law Center.}}*
Michael Tollin, film producer
* Floyd W. Tomkins (1850–1932), Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia rector
* Walter E. Williams (1936–2020), economist, commentator, and academic
* Jeremiah Wright (born 1941), pastor Trinity United Church of Christ
* Joshua Wurman (born 1960), meteorologist and VORTEX2 leader