List of people from Belfast

This is a list of notable people born, raised or resident in Belfast.

Arts
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• Siobhan McKenna 1959.jpg

• Derek Bell (1935–2002), harpist and composer

• Eric Bell (born 1947), guitarist; former member of Them and Thin Lizzy

• James Bingham (1925–2009), artist

• Doris Blair (born 1915), artist

• Kenneth Branagh (born 1960), actor and director

• Jake Burns (born 1958), musician (Stiff Little Fingers)

• Vivian Campbell (born 1962), musician (Dio, Def Leppard)

• Ciaran Carson (1948–2019), poet and novelist

• Catoan, band

• Nathan Connolly (born 1981), musician (Snow Patrol)

• Mairtín Crawford (1967–2004), poet

• Gerald Dawe (born 1952), poet

• Gerald Dillon (1916–1971), artist

• Laura Donnelly (born 1982), actress

• Jamie Dornan (born 1982), actor

• Barry Douglas (born 1960), concert pianist

• Garth Ennis (born 1970), comics writer

• Padraic Fiacc (1924–2019), poet

• Olga Fielden (1903–1973), playwright and novelist

• James Galway (born 1939), musician

• Joe Graham (1944–2021), writer and historian

• Stuart Graham (born 1967), actor

• Ceara Grehan, theatre and opera singer

• Karen Hassan (born 1981), actress

• Hector Heathwood (born 1957), photographer of erotica, fetish and burlesque

• Paul Henry (1876–1958), painter

• John Hewitt (1907–1987), poet

• Ciarán Hinds (born 1953), actor

• P.J. Holden (born 1969), comic artist

• David Holmes (born 1969), DJ

• Brian Desmond Hurst (1895–1986), film director

• Oliver Jeffers (born 1977), artist

• Brian Keenan (born 1950), hostage and writer

• Ian Knox (born 1943) comic artist and political cartoonist

• Sam Kydd (1915–1982), actor

• Ben Kyle (born 1981), musician, leader of Romantica

• Sir John Lavery (1856–1941), artist

• C.S. Lewis (1898–1963), author and scholar

• Michael Longley (born 1939), poet

• Ian Masterson, musician

• Paul Masterson, music producer

• Gerry McAvoy (born 1951), musician

• Christopher McCafferty, DJ, club promoter

• Gerard McCarthy (born 1981), actor and television presenter

• John McCrea (born 1966), comic artist

• Ian McDonald (born 1960), science fiction author

• Siobhán McKenna (1922–1986), actress

• Ali McMordie (born 1959), musician (Stiff Little Fingers)

• Katie Melua (born 1984), musician

• Seaneen Molloy, blogger and columnist

• Brian Moore (1921–1999), novelist

• Gary Moore (1952–2011), musician, blues and rock guitarist formerly of Thin Lizzy

• Van Morisson (born 1945), musician

• Clara Mulholland (1849–1934), writer

• Ruby Murray (1935–1996), singer/actress

• Doc Neeson (1947–2014), musician

• Una O'Connor (1880–1959), actress

• Jonjo O'Neill (born 1952), actor

• Patricia Quinn (born 1944), actress in The Rocky Horror Picture Show

• Stephen Rea (born 1946), actor

• Bob Shaw, science fiction (1931–1996), author

• Duke Special (born 1971), musician

• Bronágh Taggart, actress

• Austin Trevor (1897–1978), actor

• Rachel Tucker (born 1981), actress (West End)

• And So I Watch You From Afar (formed 2005) Instrumental Math Rock Band

Business

 * Thomas Andrews, shipbuilder
 * Andrew Mulholland, flax manufacturer
 * William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, shipbuilder and politician
 * Frank Carson, comedian
 * Nauheed Cyrusi, actress, model, VJ
 * Mary Gormley, beauty queen (Miss Universe Ireland 2000)
 * Mickey Marley, street entertainer
 * Declan Mulholland, actor
 * Ruby Murray, singer
 * Holly Quin-Ankrah, actress
 * Roy Walker, comedian
 * Adrian Zagoritis, songwriter

Law

 * Robert James McMordie, QC, Irish barrister, politician, and Lord Mayor of Belfast
 * Professor Denis Moloney OBE, solicitor

Media

 * Gerry Anderson (1944–2014), radio and TV presenter; born and raised in Derry
 * Christine Bleakley (born 1979), TV presenter; born in Newry; grew up in Newtownards
 * Andrea Catherwood (born 1967), newsreader; born and raised in Belfast
 * Eamonn Holmes (born 1959), television presenter; born and raised in Belfast
 * John Irvine, broadcast journalist; born and raised in Belfast
 * Shauna Lowry (born 1970), television presenter; born and raised in Belfast
 * Abeer Macintyre (born 1964), television and radio presenter; born in Amman and moved to Belfast in 1969
 * Lyra McKee (1990–2019), journalist; born and raised in Belfast
 * Colin Murray (born 1977), radio DJ and journalist; born and raised in Belfast
 * Denis Murray (born 1951), broadcast journalist; born in Worcestershire and raised in Belfast
 * Bill Neely (born 1959), broadcast journalist; born and raised in Belfast
 * Stephen Nolan (born 1973), radio and TV presenter DJ; born and raised in Belfast
 * Julian Simmons (born 1952), UTV, TV presenter and public figure; born in Kent and raised in Belfast
 * Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN presenter and reporter; born and raised in Belfast

Military

 * Bryan Budd, soldier and posthumous VC recipient
 * Patrick Carlin, Victoria Cross recipient
 * Colonel Tim Collins OBE, former commander, Royal Irish Regiment, British Army
 * James Joseph Magennis, submariner and VC recipient
 * William Frederick McFadzean, soldier and posthumous VC recipient

Politics

 * Gerry Adams (born 1948), republican political leader
 * Paddy Ashdown (1941–2018), former leader of the Liberal Democrats; born in New Delhi, brought up near Comber
 * Tony Banks (1942–2006), later Lord Stratford, politician; born in Befast, grew up in London
 * Sarah "Venie" Barr, political and community activist
 * May Blood, Baroness Blood (1938–2022), Labour member of the House of Lords
 * Robert Bradford (1941–1981), assassinated unionist politician; born in Limavady
 * Sir William Cairns (1826–1886), colonial administrator and Governor of Queensland, Australia
 * Mairead Corrigan (born 1944), Nobel Laureate (Peace)
 * James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon (1871–1940), Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
 * Reg Empey (born 1947), unionist political leader
 * Frank Gault (1826–1896), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Gerry Fitt (1926–2005), later Lord Fitt, nationalist political leader
 * Chaim Herzog (1918–1997), sixth President of Israel
 * Mary McAleese (born 1951), eighth President of Ireland
 * David McCalden (1951–1990), far-right activist and AIDS victim
 * Arlene McCarthy (born 1960), politician; Member of the European Parliament for North West England for the Labour Party from 1994 to 2014
 * Henry Joy McCracken (1765–1798), leading member of the Society of the United Irishmen
 * Adam McGibbon (born 1988), environmentalist and writer
 * Julia McMordie (1860–1942), Ulster Unionist Party politician; first female High Sheriff of Belfast; born in Hartlepool
 * Peter Robinson (born 1948), unionist political leader and First Minister of Northern Ireland
 * Bobby Sands (1954–1981), anti H-Block MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone; hunger striker
 * David Trimble (1944–2022), Nobel Peace Prize winner; first First Minister of Northern Ireland
 * Betty Williams (1943–2020), Nobel Laureate (Peace)

Religious

 * William Conway (1913–1977), Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh
 * Henry Cooke (1788–1868), Presbyterian minister
 * Robin Eames (born 1936), Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh

Science

 * Thomas Andrews (1813–1885), chemist and physicist
 * Isobel Agnes Arbuthnot (1870–1963), botanist and botanical collector based in South Africa
 * John Stewart Bell (1928–1990), physicist
 * Jocelyn Bell Burnell (born 1943), astronomer (discoverer of pulsars); born in Lurgan
 * Sidney Elisabeth Croskery (1901–1990), doctor; born in Gortgranagh, Killinure, County Tyrone
 * John Boyd Dunlop (1840–1921), inventor and veterinary surgeon; born in Dreghorn, North Ayrshire, and studied to be a veterinary surgeon at the Dick Vet, University of Edinburgh, moving to Downpatrick, Ireland in 1867
 * George Crawford Hyndman (1796–1867), biologist
 * Charles Lanyon (1813–1889), architect; born in Eastbourne, Sussex; moved to Antrim in 1836 to become county surveyor until 1860; elected Mayor of Belfast in 1862
 * William Lewis (1885–1956), Professor of Physical Chemistry, Liverpool; propounded collision theory
 * Samuel Martin Stephenson (1742–1833), prominent Belfast doctor who founded a hospital, the medical society and medical school
 * William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, OM, GCVO, PC, PRS, FRSE, (1824–1907), mathematical physicist, engineer, and leader in the physical sciences of the 19th century

Sport

 * Tom Armstrong, football player
 * George Best, football player
 * Billy Bingham, football player and manager
 * Danny Blanchflower, football player
 * William Clay, football player
 * Sammy Clingan, pro footballer
 * Ray Close, boxer
 * David Cullen, basketball player and 2007 winner of the Arthur Ashe for Courage Award at the ESPY awards for work with Peace Players International
 * Joey Dunlop, international motorcycle champion
 * Dave Finlay, professional wrestler
 * Johnny Flynn, football player
 * John Graham, NASCAR driver
 * David Healy, football player
 * Alex Higgins, former world snooker champion
 * Eddie Irvine, Formula One driver
 * Damaen Kelly, former professional boxer and Olympic bronze medalist
 * Jim Magilton, football player and manager
 * Wayne McCullough, former world champion boxer and Olympic medalist
 * Alexander McDonnell, early 19th-century chess master
 * Sammy McIlroy, football player
 * Eric McMordie, football player
 * Rinty Monaghan, former undisputed world flyweight boxing champion
 * Alanna Nihell, boxer
 * Owen Nolan, Ice hockey player
 * Andrew Patterson, cricketer
 * Mark Patterson, cricketer
 * Mary Peters, athlete and Olympic gold medalist
 * Paul Stirling, cricketer
 * Tucker, professional wrestler
 * John Watson, Formula One driver
 * Norman Whiteside, football player

Other

 * John Bodkin Adams (1899–1982), doctor and suspected serial killer; born and raised in Randalstown; attended Queen's University Belfast; obtained post as general practitioner in Eastbourne in 1922
 * Hamish Kippen (1987–2008), Canadian fashion photographer and former junior athlete; born in Belfast, emigrated with family to Toronto in 1989
 * Alexander Robinson (c. 1901–1995), boxer and loyalist paramilitary; born and lived in Belfast