Famous People From Pennsylvania

The former professional basketball player, Kobe Bryant, was drafted into NBA immediately after his school and went on to become one of the most successful basketball players of his generation. During his career of two decades, the Los Angeles Lakers player created numerous new records. He authored a book and one of his poems even inspired an animated short film.

American pop and country music singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift is a multiple Grammy award winning artist who has inspired a number of hopeful musicians. A talented artist since a young age, she achieved success with her first single and debut album in 2006. Since then, the Fearless star has not looked back and also made her acting debut in 2009.

The charismatic, versatile and bankable American artist, Will Smith, tasted early success with rapping. A successful transition into films and television soon followed and made Smith a phenomenal success. With solid earnings, he has also frequently secured himself a place in the list of highest paid actors in world.

American comedian and actor, Kevin Hart attained fame as a stand-up comic and then established himself as a leading comedic actor on the big screen with films like Get Hard, About Last Night, Ride Along and The Wedding Ringer. He has also been part of two Jumanji films. He was critically acclaimed for the 2019 comedy-drama film The Upside.

Aptly named by her parents, Grace Kelly was one of the most graceful and talented actresses of her era, starring in 11 feature films and over 60 TV productions. A darling of Alfred Hitchcock movies, this Oscar winning actress left her successful Hollywood career after her wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, and thus became the Princess of Monaco.

Pink is an American singer-songwriter known for her acrobatic stage presence and raspy voice. Having sold more than 90 million records worldwide, Pink is one of the best-selling musicians in the world. A recipient of several prestigious awards, Pink was named in VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music list. Her work has inspired many other artists like Taylor Swift.

Andy Warhol was an artist and filmmaker who played a key role in the visual art movement. Thanks to his extensive body of work, he has been the subject of various films, books, and retrospective exhibitions. Described as the bellwether of the art market, some of Warhol's works are among the most expensive paintings ever sold.

Maddie Ziegler owes her fame to the show Dance Moms and to Sia’s music videos Chandelier and Elastic Heart. Named one of Time’s 30 Most Influential Teens thrice, she has written a bestselling memoir, works for charities, has appeared in movies and on magazine covers, and owns a fashion line.

Best known for his everyman screen persona, James Stewart was ranked third in the greatest American male actors list published by the American Film Institute (AFI) in 1999. During his 55-year acting career, he displayed strong morality both on and off the screen, as a result of which he epitomized the ideal American man of the 20th century.

Richard Gere's performance in the movie American Gigolo cemented his position as a sex symbol in the 1980s. He also established himself as a leading man, becoming one of Hollywood's most bankable and popular actors during the '90s. One of the most dedicated actors, he learned karate for his role in An Officer and a Gentleman and tap dance for Chicago.

Lil Uzi Vert is an American rapper whose music is defined by dark subject matters, which complements his androgynous fashion, eccentric hairstyles, facial piercings, and face tattoos. Lil Uzi Vert has often courted controversy by saying phrases associated with Satanism and adding satanic imagery to his Instagram account. He has also been accused of worshipping Satan.

Regarded by many as the father of modern linguistics, Noam Chomsky has authored over 100 books on varied topics, such as politics, linguistics, and war. A multi-talented personality, Noam Chomsky is considered a popular figure in analytic philosophy. Apart from influencing a wide array of academic fields, he has also contributed to the development of cognitivism.

Olympic gold-medal-winning wrestler Kurt Angle is a 13-time world champion. He became a Triple Crown champion and a Grand Slam champion with WWE before joining TNA. He has been named to the WWE, the TNA, and the International Sports Halls of Fame. He has also participated in Japanese wrestling championships.

Joan Jett, also known as The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, is the frontwoman of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, best known for their rendition of the Arrows song I Love Rock 'n Roll, which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Jett also released the hit Cherry Bomb with the Runaways. 

Joe Namath is a former football player who was named on The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Football Players list in 1999. He established himself as a sports icon and a pop culture icon after guaranteeing a victory to his team, New York Jets, over the favorites, Baltimore Colts, and then helping his team win Super Bowl III against the Colts.

Actor, dancer, singer, and filmmaker, Gene Kelly, was one of the most popular Hollywood figures in the 1940s and 1950s. Among his other achievements, he is credited to have popularized the genre of musical films in Hollywood. As a filmmaker, he often experimented with camera techniques and special effects. He received an Academy Honorary Award in 1952.

Arnold Palmer was an American golfer who won 62 PGA Tour titles in a career spanning over 60 years. Nicknamed The King, Palmer is considered one of the most charismatic and greatest players in the history of professional golf. He is seen as the first superstar who helped popularize the sport in the television age, which started in the '50s.

One of the highest-paid actors in the world, Bradley Cooper has been active in Hollywood for over two decades, playing roles ranging from comedic to dramatic. He was named on Time's list of 100 most influential people in the world in 2015. He supports the charity, Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

Before his death at the age of 26, Mac Miller had a major impact as a rapper and songwriter. Blue Slide Park, his studio album, became the first independently distributed maiden album since 1995 to top the US Billboard 200. His personal life was marred by depression, substance abuse, and legal issues. He died of drug overdose.

Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, woodsman, explorer, and frontiersman. His exploits as an American frontier made him one of the earliest folk heroes of the US. Widely regarded as the founder of Kentucky, Daniel Boone is popular for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky. His life and work have inspired several movies, such as the 1936 movie Daniel Boone.

Hailed as the leading figure of the emo rap scene of the mid-late 2010s, Lil Peep went on to inspire many youth subcultures. Peep achieved tremendous success in less than three years' time. In his personal life though, he struggled with mental health conditions. He died at the age of 21 due to an accidental overdose of drugs.

Amanda Seyfried is an American actress, singer and model, who started acting as a teenager. She became famous when she starred in the teen comedy Mean Girls and then for her recurring role in the television series Veronica Mars. Mamma Mia, Solstice, Chloe, Letters to Juliet, Les Misérables, The Big Wedding and Gringo are some of her notable and successful films.

TV personality, musician, and author, Fred Rogers, is best remembered for hosting the preschool TV series, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran for over 30 years, from 1968 to 2001. His work was widely lauded and he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. Besides his TV career, he was also an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Trent Reznor is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and composer. Reznor is credited with founding the popular band Nine Inch Nails, where he serves as the principal songwriter, lead vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist. Trent Reznor is also credited with mentoring Marilyn Manson and has contributed to the latter's albums. . 

Having starred in some of the highest-grossing films, such as Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum is one of the most bankable actors of his generation. He has also had an impact on the American TV and theatre scene. Also a musician, Goldblum has a couple of studio albums to his credit. He is married to Emilie Livingston, 30 years his junior.

As an actor, Michael Keaton gained international fame after playing the title character in Batman and its sequel Batman Returns. A vastly experienced actor, Michael Keaton serves as a visiting scholar at the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University. He has supported PETA, asking tourists not to exploit animals, although he is an avid fisherman.

A model who was active during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Gia Carangi was considered by many to be one of the first supermodels. She was featured on the covers of multiple fashion magazines, including editions of Vogue and Cosmopolitan. She also worked with various famous designers. She died of AIDS at the young age of 26.

Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American actor well-known for his work in the film and TV industry. One of the most versatile and talented actors of his generation, Bacon was named in The Guardian as one of the best actors to have never received an Oscar nomination. Also a philanthropist, Kevin Bacon established a charitable foundation called SixDegrees.org in 2007.

Miles Teller is an American actor best known for his impressive performance as Andrew Neiman in the 2014 award-winning film Whiplash. A self-made man, Teller pursued acting out of his own interest; he even studied method acting before starting his acting career. Apart from acting, he can also play musical instruments, such as the piano, guitar, drums, and alto saxophone.

Bob Saget was an American actor, director, television host, and stand-up comedian. Renowned for his adult-oriented stand-up comedy routine, Saget hosted popular TV shows, such as America's Funniest Home Videos. Also known for his charity work, Bob Saget served as one of the members of the board of the non-profit organization, Scleroderma Research Foundation.

One of the early Playboy Playmates, Jayne Mansfield was a popular sex symbol of Hollywood during the 1950s. Although she had a short-lived film career, she was very popular for her well-publicized publicity stunts, including wardrobe malfunctions. She started a new trend by becoming the first major actress of the post-silent film era to act in a nude scene!

American actor, Charles Bronson, had a tough-guy on screen persona and is best known for numerous action and vigilante movies. The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Dirty Dozen and Hard Times are some of his notable films. Death Wish was his most popular film and it led to four sequels starring him. He worked from the 1950s to 1990s.

Marshmello is an American DJ and electronic music producer. In 2017, he was named as one of the world's highest-paid DJs by Forbes magazine. He wears a custom helmet, which looks like a marshmallow, for public appearances, and his identity was unknown at the beginning of his career. He is also a well-known philanthropist and a generous donator.

Kat Dennings is an American actress who gained international fame after appearing in the popular TV series 2 Broke Girls. Known for her attractive curvaceous figure, Kat Dennings has been the dream girl of men around the world. A teetotaler who practices Transcendental Meditation, Dennings serves as an inspiration to people who believe in sobriety.

Nellie Bly was an American industrialist, journalist, inventor, and charity worker. She is remembered for her circumnavigation of the world in 72 days. She is also known for pioneering a new kind of investigative journalism as she worked undercover from within a mental institution to report on the institution. Nellie Bly’s life and work have inspired several works of art.

B. F. Skinner was an American behaviorist, psychologist, inventor, author, and social philosopher. Skinner, who taught psychology at Harvard University, is credited with founding a school of thought in psychology called the experimental analysis of behavior. Regarded as a pioneer of modern behaviorism, Skinner was named the 20th century's most influential psychologist, according to a survey conducted in June 2002. 

Todd Rundgren is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is credited with forming popular rock bands, such as Utopia and Nazz. Regarded as a pioneer in the fields of progressive rock, electronic music, Internet music delivery, and music videos, Todd Rundgren's works, such as A Wizard, a True Star remain influential in the world of music.

Entrepreneur, television personality and media proprietor Mark Cuban is a prolific inventor. He is a named inventor of 11 patent families. He displayed an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age and started many business ventures while still in college. A sports fan, he is the owner of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Dallas Mavericks.

Sharon Stone is an American actress who is best known for her performance in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct in 1992. The film gave her the tag of sex symbol. Thereafter, she went on to do notable films like Casino, The Muse, The Mighty, The Last Dance and Alpha Dog. By 2010s, she gravitated towards the small screen.

Krysten Ritter is an actress and model. She uses her popularity to promote animal rights; she has posed for advertisement campaigns organized by PETA. Also a singer and guitarist, Ritter formed an indie rock duo named Ex Vivian along with her friend William Thomas Burnett. Krysten Ritter is also a writer; her debut novel Bonfire was released in 2017.

A Radio Disney Music Award winner, Sabrina Carpenter is a popular actress and singer. After finishing third in a singing contest called The Next Miley Cyrus Project, Sabrina landed acting roles before launching her music career. Although described as a teen pop singer, she has explored various other genres, such as country, folk pop, and acoustic.