This is a list of notable people born, raised or resident in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Arts
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)
- John Kelly, coal merchant, shipowner
- Sir Samuel Kelly, coal merchant, shipowner
- Mickey Marley, street entertainer
- Declan Mulholland, actor
- Ruby Murray, singer
- Holly Quin-Ankrah, actress
- Roy Walker, comedian
- Adrian Zagoritis, songwriter
Law
Media
- Gerry Anderson (1944âÂÂ2014), 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 (1990âÂÂ2019), 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
Politics
- Gerry Adams (born 1948), republican political leader
- Paddy Ashdown (1941âÂÂ2018), former leader of the Liberal Democrats; born in New Delhi, brought up near Comber
- Tony Banks (1942âÂÂ2006), later Lord Stratford, politician; born in Befast, grew up in London
- Sarah "Venie" Barr, political and community activist
- May Blood, Baroness Blood (1938âÂÂ2022), Labour member of the House of Lords
- Robert Bradford (1941âÂÂ1981), assassinated unionist politician; born in Limavady
- Sir William Cairns (1826âÂÂ1886), colonial administrator and Governor of Queensland, Australia
- Mairead Corrigan (born 1944), Nobel Laureate (Peace)
- James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon (1871âÂÂ1940), Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
- Reg Empey (born 1947), unionist political leader
- Frank Gault (1826âÂÂ1896), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Gerry Fitt (1926âÂÂ2005), later Lord Fitt, nationalist political leader
- Chaim Herzog (1918âÂÂ1997), sixth President of Israel
- Mary McAleese (born 1951), eighth President of Ireland
- David McCalden (1951âÂÂ1990), 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 (1765âÂÂ1798), leading member of the Society of the United Irishmen
- Adam McGibbon (born 1988), environmentalist and writer
- Julia McMordie (1860âÂÂ1942), 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 (1954âÂÂ1981), anti H-Block MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone; hunger striker
- David Trimble (1944âÂÂ2022), Nobel Peace Prize winner; first First Minister of Northern Ireland
- Betty Williams (1943âÂÂ2020), Nobel Laureate (Peace)
Religious
Science
- Thomas Andrews (1813âÂÂ1885), chemist and physicist
- Isobel Agnes Arbuthnot (1870âÂÂ1963), botanist and botanical collector based in South Africa
- John Stewart Bell (1928âÂÂ1990), physicist
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell (born 1943), astronomer (discoverer of pulsars); born in Lurgan
- Sidney Elisabeth Croskery (1901âÂÂ1990), doctor; born in Gortgranagh, Killinure, County Tyrone
- John Boyd Dunlop (1840âÂÂ1921), 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 (1796âÂÂ1867), biologist
- Charles Lanyon (1813âÂÂ1889), architect; born in Eastbourne, Sussex; moved to Antrim in 1836 to become county surveyor until 1860; elected Mayor of Belfast in 1862
- William Lewis (1885âÂÂ1956), Professor of Physical Chemistry, Liverpool; propounded collision theory
- Samuel Martin Stephenson (1742âÂÂ1833), prominent Belfast doctor who founded a hospital, the medical society and medical school
- William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824âÂÂ1907), 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
References