Northern Irish-American celebrities

1. J.D. Cannon

Actor | Cool Hand Luke

John Donovan Cannon graduated from high school in his hometown of Salmon, Idaho, in 1940. His subsequent studies at the Academy of Dramatic Arts were interrupted as a result of wartime military service from 1942 to 1945. After the war, Cannon returned to New York to complete his training and acting...

2. Donna Dixon

Actress | Spies Like Us

Donna was raised in Lorton, Virginia, where her father owned the local nightclub, "Hillbilly Heaven". She was working as a model and attending college when she landed her first regular role on TV's Bosom Buddies (1980). While filming Doctor Detroit (1983), she met and married co-star Dan Aykroyd. ...

3. Alice Dovey

Actress | The Commanding Officer

Alice Dovey was born on August 28, 1884 in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, USA. She was an actress, known for The Commanding Officer (1915), The Romantic Journey (1916) and The Reformer (1915). She was married to Jack E. Hazzard. She died on January 12, 1969 in Tarzana, California, USA.

4. Kelly Duncan

Self | The Bachelor

5. Meagen Fay

Actress | That's My Boy

Meagen Fay was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, studied classical theatre abroad, and served her apprenticeship in the theatre in Dublin, Ireland. After garnering rave revues for her work in The Dublin Theatre Festival production of "Lysistrata", Meagen returned to the US and became a part of ...

6. Stephen Gaghan

Writer | Syriana

Stephen Gaghan was born on May 6, 1965 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Syriana (2005), Traffic (2000) and Dolittle (2020). He has been married to Minnie Mortimer since May 19, 2007. They have two children.

7. Pamela Gidley

Actress | Cherry 2000

Pamela Gidley was born on July 11, 1965, in Methuen, Massachusetts, and raised in Nashua, New Hampshire. Pamela was the only girl among four older brothers. After high school, she moved to New York and was discovered by a modeling agent while walking down a Manhattan street and soon afterward she ...

8. Peri Gilpin

Actress | Broad City

Born in Waco, Texas, Peri Gilpin grew up in Dallas, where her family encouraged her acting abilities. After studying at the Dallas Theater Center, she pursued acting at the University of Texas at Austin and then at London's British-American Academy. She appeared in guest roles on such popular ...

9. Rhonda Glenn

Producer | Heroes of the Game: Mickey Wright

Rhonda Glenn was a producer, known for Heroes of the Game: Mickey Wright (1994), Heroes of the Game: Patty Berg (1994) and Heroes of the Game: Arnold Palmer (1994). She died on May 26, 2010 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

10. Linda Gray

Actress | Dallas

Linda Gray was born on September 12, 1940 in Santa Monica, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Dallas (1978), Oscar (1991) and Star of Jaipur (1998). She was previously married to Ed Thrasher.

11. Roger Gray

Actor | Hit the Deck

Roger Gray was born on May 26, 1881 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. He was an actor, known for Hit the Deck (1929), Lightning Strikes Twice (1934) and Barefoot Boy (1938). He was married to Ellen Best. He died on January 20, 1959 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.

12. Fred Gwynne

Actor | My Cousin Vinny

Fred Gwynne was an enormously talented character actor most famous for starring in the television situation comedies Car 54, Where Are You? (1961) (as Officer Francis Muldoon) and The Munsters (1964) (as the Frankenstein clone Herman Munster). He was very tall at 6'5" and had a resonant, baritone ...

13. Catherine Hickland

Actress | One Life to Live

Catherine Hickland is an American actress, best known for her starring roles on Daytime Television, most notably in the award-winning role of "Lindsay Rappaport" on ABC 's One Life to Live (1968). Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, her first professional job got her nationwide attention, ...

14. Steve Kanaly

Actor | Dallas

Steve Kanaly was born on March 14, 1946 in Burbank, California, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Dallas (1978), My Name Is Nobody (1973) and Dillinger (1973). He has been married to Brent Power since March 27, 1975. They have two children.

15. Emily Kinney

Actress | The Walking Dead

Emily Kinney is an American actress. She is best-known for her role as "Beth Greene" in the AMC television series, The Walking Dead (2010). Kinney was born in Wayne, Nebraska. She graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2006. Kinney has had reoccurring roles and guest appearances on ...

16. Kathy Kinney

Actress | The Drew Carey Show

Despite her role as Mimi on The Drew Carey Show (1995), Kathy Kinney's first memorable television role is generally considered to be the regularly-appearing Ms. Goddard, the town librarian on Newhart (1982). Over the years, she has worked hard as a character actress making appearances on several ...

17. John Logan

Writer | Skyfall

John Logan was a playwright in Chicago for ten years before writing, on spec, his first screenplay, "Any Given Sunday." He won the 2010 Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle awards for his play RED, which premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in London and the Golden Theatre on ...

18. David Lowery

Editor | A Ghost Story

David Lowery is an American writer and director. He is best known for The Green Knight (2021), Pete's Dragon (2016), A Ghost Story (2017) and Pioneer (2011). He has been making movies since he was seven years old, but his first work to be widely seen was the short film A Catalog Of Anticipations (...

19. Dick Lundy

Animation_department | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Dick Lundy was born on August 14, 1907 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA. He was a director and assistant director, known for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), The King of Ads (1991) and Charlotte's Web (1973). He was married to Anne and Juanita Sheridan. He died on April 7, 1990 in San ...

20. Laura Lundy

Actress | Guns on the Clackamas: A Documentary

Laura Lundy is a New York-based producer and director. She is the founder of Blue Panther Productions and co-founder of Creative Consultants. Lundy was born in Portland, Oregon, the child of Michael David Lundy, an artist, and Renee Therese Dearborn, a writer. She has two children with San ...

21. Caroline Lunny

Actress | Varsity Gold

Caroline Lunny is known for Varsity Gold (2015), Egg Whispers and The Bachelorette (2003).

22. Sunny Mabrey

Actress | Hillbilly Elegy

Sunny Mabrey is an actress, writer, and comedian who hails from Rainbow City, Alabama. After traveling the world on the modeling circuit for a year following high school, Sunny went on to graduate with a B.A. in Theatre from University of Mobile, a small liberal arts school where she discovered her...

23. Moss Mabry

Costume_department | Giant

Moss Mabry was born on July 5, 1918 in Marianna, Florida, USA. He was a costume designer and actor, known for Giant (1956), The Way We Were (1973) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962). He died on January 25, 2006 in Oceanside, California, USA.

24. Kelli Maroney

Actress | Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Kelli Maroney is an American actress whose career spans several decades, with 72 production credits, including 31+ films and over 540 hours of television. She first came to recognition as the bad seed Lolita "Kimberly Harris" in the ABC Daytime drama Ryan's Hope, winning the plum role only two ...

25. Matt Mattox

Actor | Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Matt Mattox was born on August 18, 1921 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), The United States Steel Hour (1953) and Hot Blood (1956). He was married to Martine Limeul and Jean Marie Caples. He died on February 18, 2013 in Perpignan, ...

26. Reiley McClendon

Actor | Pearl Harbor

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and raised in Roseland. Reiley McClendon first told his parents that he wanted to be an actor at the age of four. At six years old when he was still interested in acting his parents, Eric and Holly decided to allow and help Reiley to pursue his dream. After getting a...

27. Bernard McEveety

Director | Gunsmoke

Bernard McEveety was born on May 13, 1924 in New Rochelle, New York, USA. He was a director and assistant director, known for Gunsmoke (1955), Knight Rider (1982) and Cover Up (1984). He was married to Marion F Bremner and Marion Frances Bremner. He died on February 2, 2004 in Encino, Los Angeles, ...

28. Vincent McEveety

Director | The Untouchables

Vincent McEveety was born on August 10, 1929 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a director and assistant director, known for The Untouchables (1959), Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958) and Star Trek (1966). He was married to Mary Ann O'Dell. He died on May 19, 2018 in Los Angeles, California...

29. Bruce McGill

Actor | Law Abiding Citizen

Bruce McGill grew up in San Antonio, Texas. His mother, Adriel Rose (Jacobs) is an artist, and his father, Woodrow Wilson McGill, is a real estate and insurance agent. He graduated from Douglas MacArthur High School San Antonio, where he acted in the department of theatre, and from The University ...

30. Scott McGinnis

Actor | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Scott McGinnis has over twenty-five years experience in the Entertainment industry with dozens of credits to his name. He began his career as an actor, performing in Network TV Series and theatrical films co-starring with Actors Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, James woods and Paul Reiser (McGinnis is best...

31. John McGiver

Actor | Breakfast at Tiffany's

John Irwin McGiver came to acting relatively late in life. He held B.A. and Master's degrees in English from Fordham, Columbia and Catholic Universities and spent his early years teaching drama and speech at Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx. He had an early flirtation with the acting ...

32. Michael McGreevey

Producer | Fame

Michael McGreevey began his professional career at the age of seven, appearing in The Girl Most Likely (1957) with Jane Powell, the first of 18 films he would act in over the next 20 years. A successful child actor, Michael also appeared in over 100 television shows, including stints as a series ...

33. Doug McKeon

Actor | On Golden Pond

Doug McKeon was born on June 10, 1966 in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and director, known for On Golden Pond (1981), Come Away Home (2005) and The Boys of Sunset Ridge (2001). He is married to Kathy McKeon. They have three children.

34. David McLean

Actor | Days of Our Lives

Mr. McLean appeared for years on television commercials as the Marlboro Man. After he learned he had cancer, he became an anti-smoking crusader. At a meeting of stockholders of Philip Morris, maker of Marlboro, Mr. McLean asked them to limit their advertising. In addition to his movie credits, Mr. ...

35. Poppy Montgomery

Actress | Without a Trace

Montgomery was born Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue in Sydney, Australia, to Nicola (Montgomery), a market researcher and executive, and Phil Donahue, a restaurateur. She was raised in Sydney. Since the age of 12, Poppy had a near obsession with cultural icon Marilyn Monroe.

Her parents ...

36. Van Morrison

Soundtrack | Belfast

Sir George Ivan Morrison OBE known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans six decades. He has won two Grammy Awards.

As a teenager in the late 1950s, he played a variety of instruments such as guitar, harmonica, ...

37. Don Most

Actor | Happy Days

Don is probably best known for his co-starring role as Ralph in the long running television series "Happy Days." During this time, he worked with such emerging talents as Ron Howard and Garry Marshall. Recently, Don was seen in a recurring role on the hit TV show - "Glee," as well as starring roles...

38. Liam Neeson

Actor | Kinsey

Liam Neeson was born on June 7, 1952 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, to Katherine (Brown), a cook, and Bernard Neeson, a school caretaker. He was raised in a Catholic household. During his early years, Liam worked as a forklift operator for Guinness, a truck driver, an assistant architect and an ...

39. Jesse Plemons

Actor | Game Night

Jesse Lon Plemons is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and achieved a career breakthrough with his major role as Landry Clarke in the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights (2006-2011). He subsequently portrayed Todd Alquist in season 5 of the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad...

40. Sonia Rockwell

Actress | Pam & Tommy

Sonia Rockwell was born in Anchorage, Alaska, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Pam & Tommy (2022), American Crime (2015) and Being Mary Jane (2013).

41. Shawn Toovey

Actor | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

Shawn Toovey was born on March 1, 1983 in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. He is an actor, known for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993), The Fire Next Time (1993) and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Heart Within (2001). He has been married to Marianne Toovey since May 2007.

42. Kenneth Branagh

Actor | Henry V

Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to parents William Branagh, a plumber and carpenter, and Frances (Harper), both born in 1930. He has two siblings, William Branagh, Jr. (born 1955) and Joyce Branagh (born 1970). When he was nine, his family ...

43. Clara Blandick

Actress | The Wizard of Oz

Clara Blandick was an American actress born as Clara Dickey and born aboard an American ship off the coast of Hong Kong on June 4, 1880. Little is known about her early life until she became an actress. She grew up in Boston and first acted on stage in E.H. Sothern's 'Richard Lovelace'. Although ...

44. Russ McGinn

Actor | Footloose

Russ McGinn is known for Footloose (1984), Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) and Police Story (1973).

45. Helen Gahagan

Actress | She

This beautiful Broadway singer and actress appeared in only one film, portraying the forever-young ice goddess ("she who must be obeyed"), the title character in RKO's 1935 adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's tale, She (1935), opposite Randolph Scott. In the latter 1940s, having entered politics, she ...

46. Peter Laird

Writer | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Peter Laird is an American comics artist and writer from North Adams, Massachusetts. His main claim to fame is co-creating the hit series "Teenage Mutants Ninja Turtles" with his then-partner Kevin Eastman.

Next to nothing is known about Laird's family background and his early life. Unlike Kevin ...

47. Julia McIlvaine

Actress | KaBlam!

Julia McIlvaine is known for KaBlam! (1996), Dark (2017) and Scarlet Nexus (2021).

48. Nick McLean

Cinematographer | The Goonies

Nick McLean was born on May 29, 1941 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for The Goonies (1985), Spaceballs (1987) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

49. Garet Allen

Actor | Studio C

Garet Allen is known for Studio C (2012), Love Everlasting (2016) and Christmas at Rosemont (2015).

50. Barry Cahill

Actor | Hang 'Em High

Barry Cahill was born on May 28, 1921 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor, known for Hang 'Em High (1968), Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) and Tick, Tick, Tick (1970). He was married to Rachel Ames. He died on April 9, 2012 in Ventura, California, USA.

51. Todd Boyce

Actor | Spy Game

Todd Boyce was born in Columbus, Ohio.

He was raised in upstate New York, Germany, Chicago and Brazil. At age 16 Todd moved with his family to Australia where he finished his schooling at Sydney Church of England Grammar School and promptly joined the Australian soap opera "The Restless Years". ...

52. Myia Elliott

Actress | The Tudors

Myia was born in Belfast in Northern Ireland and grew up in Dublin, Ireland. She lives in Los Angeles, California where she has a digital media company. She has a Post Graduate degree in creative production & screen finance, and a degree in Philosophy from University College Dublin (UCD).

She is an ...

53. Shug Fisher

Actor | Mister Roberts

This country singing-and-playing perennial earned the nickname of "Shug" early in life from his mother, who used to call him "sugar" as an infant. The native Oklahoman was born George Clinton Fisher in 1907, the son of a Scots-Irish father and part Choctaw mother. He learned how to play the ...

54. Steve Monroe

Actor | Promising Young Woman

Steven Alan Monroe is a veteran actor, known from over 150 film, television, and commercial roles. Additionally, he is a practicing psychotherapist, specializing in treating entertainment professionals and others in recovery from addiction. He also performed stand-up in clubs in and around Los ...

55. Beverlee McKinsey

Actress | Another World

Beverlee McKinsey was born on August 9, 1935 in McAlester, Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress, known for Another World (1964), Guiding Light (1952) and Texas (1980). She was married to Berkeley Harris, Angus Duncan and Mark Howard McKinsey Jr.. She died on May 2, 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

56. Josh Taylor

Actor | Days of Our Lives

Armed with a Burt Reynolds-like laid-back grin, virility and swagger, handsome soap actor Josh Taylor was first noticed tending bar near the popular Burbank Studios, where Days of Our Lives (1965) was being cast. He won the role of working-class "Chris Kositchek" (a bartender, natch) and, for four ...

57. Kimberlin Brown

Actress | The Young and the Restless

Born in Hayward, California as Kimberlin Ann Brown, Brown made daytime television history by successfully crossing over her character from the number one daytime drama The Young and the Restless (1973) to The Bold and the Beautiful (1987) causing the latter show's ratings to skyrocket in the early ...

58. Jason Brooks

Actor | Star Trek

Jason began his career with his memorable portrayal of the dark, but likable villain, "Peter Blake", on NBC's long-running drama, Days of Our Lives (1965), for which he garnered Soap Opera Digest's coveted Best Villain award.

After leaving "Days" to pursue other projects, Jason continued to work ...

59. John McLiam

Actor | First Blood

John McLiam was born on January 24, 1918 in Hayter, Alberta, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for First Blood (1982), In Cold Blood (1967) and Sleeper (1973). He was married to Roberta Claire Robinson. He died on April 16, 1994 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

60. Kinsey McLean

Actor | Thor

Kinsey McLean was born in Winter Park, Florida, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Thor (2011), Greek (2007) and Justified (2010).

61. Albert Sharpe

Actor | Darby O'Gill and the Little People

Albert Sharpe was born on April 15, 1885 in Belfast, Ireland [now Northern Ireland], UK. He was an actor, known for Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959), Royal Wedding (1951) and Brigadoon (1954). He was married to Margaret Waterson. He died on February 13, 1970 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, ...

62. Holt McCallany

Actor | Mindhunter

In a career spanning over 30 years, Holt McCallany has worked with some of the world's best directors including David Fincher, Guillermo Del Toro, David O'Russell, Guy Ritchie, William Friedkin, Lawrence Kasdan, Walter Hill, Clint Eastwood, David Twohy, Brian De Palma, and Michael Mann among others.

...

63. Mike Monroe

The Sentinel

Mike Monroe is known for The Sentinel (2006), Almost 40 (2020) and Survivor (2000).

64. Deborah Allison

Actress | Remington Steele

Deborah Allison was born on April 3, 1955 in Miami, Florida, USA. She is an actress, known for Remington Steele (1982), Supertrain (1979) and Knight Rider (1982).

65. Ray Stevenson

Actor | The Three Musketeers

An imposing figure (standing at 6'3") with intense, penetrating eyes and possessed of a larger-than-life personality, the actor George Raymond Stevenson began life as one of three sons, born in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, to a British pilot in the Royal Air Force. Raised near Newcastle in ...

66. Travis McKenna

Actor | Batman Returns

Travis McKenna was born on July 18, 1960 in Lutherville, Maryland, USA. He is an actor, known for Batman Returns (1992), National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002) and Road House (1989).

67. Willy Allen

Sound_department | La marche de l'empereur

Sound Designer Willy Allen (March of the Penguins), has a wall full of awards and credits on dozens of major motion pictures. He's been called the Hollywood miracle man for saving films that need a sound rescue, and often helps indie films that otherwise would be unable to pass theatrical sound ...

68. Jill Gorey

Writer | Rugrats

Jill Gorey is known for Rugrats (1991), Rugrats in Paris (2000) and Rugrats Tales from the Crib: Three Jacks & a Beanstalk (2006).

69. Don McDougall

Director | Jungle Jim

Don McDougall was born on September 28, 1917 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was a director and writer, known for Jungle Jim (1955), Toke (1973) and Star Trek (1966). He died on February 7, 1991 in California, USA.

70. Mark McCorkle

Producer | The Penguins of Madagascar

Mark McCorkle was born on August 16, 1961 in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Penguins of Madagascar (2008), Kim Possible (2002) and Big Hero 6: The Series (2017).

71. Tucker Cawley

Producer | Everybody Loves Raymond

Tucker Cawley is known for Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), Men of a Certain Age (2009) and Hank (2009).

72. James Vallely

Producer | Arrested Development

James Vallely was born on August 30, 1954 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Arrested Development (2003), My Wife and Kids (2000) and The Golden Girls (1985). He is married to Myra Turley. They have one child. He was previously married to Maggie Rowe.

73. Guymon Casady

Producer | Game of Thrones

Guymon Casady is known for Game of Thrones (2011), Steve Jobs (2015) and The Terror (2018).

74. John McGreevey

Writer | The Waltons

John McGreevey was born on December 21, 1922 in Logansport, Indiana, USA. He was a writer, known for The Waltons (1972), The Farmer's Daughter (1963) and Lights Out (1946). He was married to Nota Louise Scholl. He died on November 24, 2010 in Laguna Hills, California, USA.

75. Robert Mitchum

Actor | Out of the Past

Robert Mitchum was an underrated American leading man of enormous ability, who sublimated his talents beneath an air of disinterest. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Ann Harriet (Gunderson), a Norwegian immigrant, and James Thomas Mitchum, a shipyard/railroad worker. His father died in a ...

76. Amber Heard

Actress | Aquaman

Amber Laura Heard was born in Austin, Texas, to Patricia Paige Heard (née Parsons), an internet researcher, and David C. Heard (David Clinton Heard), a contractor. She has English, Irish, Scottish, German, and Welsh ancestry.

Heard appeared in the Academy Award-nominated film, North Country (2005), ...

77. Tom McCrory

Assistant_director | The Black Hole

Tom McCrory was born on November 21, 1920. He was an assistant director and production manager, known for The Black Hole (1979), A Small Town in Texas (1976) and One Step Beyond (1959). He died on August 5, 2001 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

78. Cam Neely

Actor | Dumb and Dumber

Cam Neely was born in Comox, British Columbia and grew up in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Professional hockey player for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins, 1983 to 1996. He currently serves as the president of the Boston Bruins. Furthermore, Neely portrayed the character of Sea Bass in the ...

79. Tom Lackey

Location_management | Iron Man

Tom Lackey is known for Iron Man (2008), Ride Along (2014) and Twilight (2008).

80. Mark McGann

Assistant_director | The Final Countdown

Mark McGann is known for The Final Countdown (1980), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) and Addams Family Values (1993).

81. Scoot McNairy

Actor | Argo

During the early 2000s, actor Scoot McNairy quickly came to specialize in portrayals of colorful and individualistic young men with a slightly rebellious edge. McNairy began during the early to mid-2000s, with bit parts in films including Wonderland (2003), Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), and Art ...

82. Colleen Moore

Actress | So Big

Colleen Moore was born Kathleen Morrison in Port Huron, Michigan. Her father was an irrigation engineer and his job was good enough to provide the family a middle-class environment. She was educated in parochial schools and studied at the famed Detroit Conservatory. Colleen's family moved to ...