Philadelphia
Philadelphia ranks 15th in number of biographies on Pantheon, behind Saint Petersburg, Tokyo, and Madrid. Memorable people born in Philadelphia include Grace Kelly, Noam Chomsky, and Will Smith. Memorable people who died in Philadelphia include Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Winslow Taylor, and Erving Goffman. Philadelphia has been the birth place of many actors, and musicians and the death place of many politicians, and athletes. Philadelphia is located in United States.
Philadelphia, colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 1,603,797 in the 2020 census. The city is the urban core of the larger Delaware Valley, also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the nation's eighth-largest metropolitan area and seventh-largest combined statistical area with 6.245 million residents and 7.366 million residents, respectively. Read more on Wikipedia
People
Between 0 and 2003, Philadelphia was the birth place of 414 globally memorable people, including Grace Kelly, Noam Chomsky, and Will Smith. Additionaly, 109 globally memorable people have passed away in Philadelphia including Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Winslow Taylor, and Erving Goffman.
People Born in Philadelphia
Go to all RankingsGrace Kelly
ACTOR
1929 - 1982
HPI: 82.91
Rank: 1
Noam Chomsky
LINGUIST
1928 - Present
HPI: 74.91
Rank: 2
Will Smith
ACTOR
1968 - Present
HPI: 74.25
Rank: 3
Robert K. Merton
SOCIOLOGIST
1910 - 2003
HPI: 72.42
Rank: 4
Richard Gere
ACTOR
1949 - Present
HPI: 71.42
Rank: 5
Frederick Winslow Taylor
ENGINEER
1856 - 1915
HPI: 70.78
Rank: 6
Pete Conrad
ASTRONAUT
1930 - 1999
HPI: 70.33
Rank: 7
Edward Drinker Cope
ARCHAEOLOGIST
1840 - 1897
HPI: 68.26
Rank: 8
Man Ray
PAINTER
1890 - 1976
HPI: 68.03
Rank: 9
Billie Holiday
SINGER
1915 - 1959
HPI: 67.97
Rank: 10
Wilt Chamberlain
BASKETBALL PLAYER
1936 - 1999
HPI: 67.59
Rank: 11
Margaret Mead
ANTHROPOLOGIST
1901 - 1978
HPI: 65.58
Rank: 12
Newly Added People Born in Philadelphia
Go to all RankingsWalter Jackson Freeman II
PHYSICIAN
1895 - 1972
HPI: 53.69
Rank: 71
Anna Lea Merritt
PAINTER
1844 - 1930
HPI: 50.56
Rank: 107
John du Pont
BIOLOGIST
1938 - 2010
HPI: 49.16
Rank: 125
Val Avery
ACTOR
1924 - 2009
HPI: 48.72
Rank: 131
Edward Marsh
ATHLETE
1874 - 1932
HPI: 48.52
Rank: 133
Joseph Sweeney
ACTOR
1884 - 1963
HPI: 48.42
Rank: 136
Elizabeth Becker-Pinkston
ATHLETE
1903 - 1989
HPI: 47.70
Rank: 147
Al Harker
SOCCER PLAYER
1910 - 2006
HPI: 46.89
Rank: 162
Paul Costello
ATHLETE
1894 - 1986
HPI: 46.44
Rank: 172
William Barton Rogers
GEOLOGIST
1804 - 1882
HPI: 46.33
Rank: 174
Harry DeBaecke
ATHLETE
1879 - 1961
HPI: 45.95
Rank: 182
Joseph Dempsey
ATHLETE
1875 - 1942
HPI: 45.58
Rank: 195
People Deceased in Philadelphia
Go to all RankingsBenjamin Franklin
POLITICIAN
1706 - 1790
HPI: 82.51
Rank: 1
Frederick Winslow Taylor
ENGINEER
1856 - 1915
HPI: 70.78
Rank: 2
Erving Goffman
SOCIOLOGIST
1922 - 1982
HPI: 69.54
Rank: 3
Joe Frazier
BOXER
1944 - 2011
HPI: 69.16
Rank: 4
Edward Drinker Cope
ARCHAEOLOGIST
1840 - 1897
HPI: 68.26
Rank: 5
Otto Fritz Meyerhof
PHYSICIAN
1884 - 1951
HPI: 67.51
Rank: 6
Robert Venturi
ARCHITECT
1925 - 2018
HPI: 63.68
Rank: 7
Aaron T. Beck
PSYCHOLOGIST
1921 - 2021
HPI: 63.61
Rank: 8
Clifford Geertz
ANTHROPOLOGIST
1926 - 2006
HPI: 63.46
Rank: 9
Astrud Gilberto
SINGER
1940 - 2023
HPI: 63.24
Rank: 10
Wallace Carothers
CHEMIST
1896 - 1937
HPI: 60.87
Rank: 11
Uziel Gal
INVENTOR
1923 - 2002
HPI: 57.71
Rank: 12
Newly Added People Deceased in Philadelphia
Go to all RankingsÉleuthère Irénée du Pont
BUSINESSPERSON
1771 - 1834
HPI: 56.06
Rank: 21
Edward Marsh
ATHLETE
1874 - 1932
HPI: 48.52
Rank: 49
Melitta Brunner
SKATER
1907 - 2003
HPI: 46.44
Rank: 60
Paul Costello
ATHLETE
1894 - 1986
HPI: 46.44
Rank: 61
Harry DeBaecke
ATHLETE
1879 - 1961
HPI: 45.95
Rank: 66
William Carr
ATHLETE
1876 - 1942
HPI: 45.95
Rank: 67
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
GEOLOGIST
1829 - 1887
HPI: 45.63
Rank: 68
Joseph Dempsey
ATHLETE
1875 - 1942
HPI: 45.58
Rank: 69
John Wanamaker
BUSINESSPERSON
1838 - 1922
HPI: 45.54
Rank: 70
Thomas Sully
PAINTER
1783 - 1872
HPI: 45.28
Rank: 71
Thomas S. Gates Jr.
POLITICIAN
1906 - 1983
HPI: 42.80
Rank: 85
Rembrandt Peale
PAINTER
1778 - 1860
HPI: 42.05
Rank: 87
Occupations
Most individuals born in present day Philadelphia were actors (99), musicians (37), athletes (28), basketball players (25), and singers (22), while most who died were politicians (16), athletes (13), musicians (10), biologists (10), and writers (7).
Occupational Trends
Over the past 100 years, actors have been the top profession of globally memorable people born in Philadelphia, including Grace Kelly, Will Smith, and Richard Gere. Whereas, throughout history, actors have been the profession with the most memorable people born in present day Philadelphia, including Grace Kelly, Will Smith, and Richard Gere.
Places
Overlapping Lives
Below is a visual represetation of the lifespans of the top 25 globally memorable people born in Philadelphia since 1700.