Image by from

10 Most Famous People from Pittsburgh


 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is one of the most remarkable cities in the United States. There Pittsburgh is known both as “the Steel City” for its dominant role in the history of the U.S. steel industry. There are 446 bridges in Pittsburgh, making it the city with the most bridges in the world; hence the name, “The City of Bridges. A fun fact is that it is home to the world’s first T-rex fossil. These and many more are some of the interesting facts that Pittsburgh is known for. However, in this article, we shall look at people who hail from the state and who have helped put the state on the map. They made their local and national contributions to various fields from business, government, and culture. Let’s take a look at some notable people that hail from Steel City.

Read more on Top 10 Famous People from Pittsburgh

1. Maddie Ziegler 

Maddie Ziegler. Image by Margaret Gardiner –

Ziegler is a multitalented person who discovered her abilities as a young girl. She is both a dancer and an actress. From a tender age, she often took part in dancing competitions and went home with numerous awards. She was scouted and got into television. One dance program, Lifetime’s ‘Dance Moms, put her name out there. From then on she got various roles as a guest star in television programs like Ultimate Dance Competition. At eight years, she was making big moves in the industry.

2. Julie Benz

Julie Benz. Image by Crosa from Nuernberg –

Benz is a renowned actress who is best known for her roles as Darla in the TV series Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She started out as a figure skater but later followed her dreams of becoming an actor. She mainly got small roles before working her way to bigger and more prestigious parts. Her extraordinary skills in Buffy the Vampire Slayer propelled her to greater heights. She soon landed roles in some popular shows like Supernatural, CSI: Miami, Law & Order. Her part in Dexter got her critical acclaim.

3. Mac Miller

Rapper Mac Miller. Image by Nicolas Völcker –

Malcolm James McCormick, known by his stage name Mac Miller, was a famous American singer, rapper, and record producer. His interest in music, particulars hip hop was aroused while still in school. His album first album, Blue Slide Park, made him an overnight sensation. In 2013, he launched his record label, REMember Music, and entered into a distribution contract with Warner Bros Records for US$10 million.  The albums that followed were commercial successes. He became one of the biggest artists at the time. In 2018, he was found unresponsive in his home. His death was said to be an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol. He was 26 years. Pittsburgh lost a great one.

Read more on Top 10 Famous Singers from Pittsburgh

4. Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban. Image by Gage Skidmore –

Mark Cuban is a businessman, investor, author, television personality, and philanthropist. His ability to sell just about everything manifested at a young age. The self-made billionaire started modestly. He established businesses in diverse fields, such as software, and film distribution, investing in social startup companies, and owning the NBA basketball team Dallas Mavericks. He took advantage of the internet boom and made a killing. The first company he started, MicroSolutions, was a system integrator and software reseller. Mark sold MicroSolutions in 1990 for $6 million. On a personal level, he is talkative and his choice of words often lands him in trouble. He is never afraid to voice his opinions.

5. Joe Manganiello

Joe Manganiello. Image by Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX –

Born in Pittsburgh this great actor is best known for his work in theatre, film, and TV. He also works as a producer, director, author, and narrator. His passion had always laid in the film industry. His film debut was in Spiderman as Peter Parker’s rival. However, True Blood is what really put his name out there. He got critical acclamation and bagged several awards. As a narrator, he received the Emmy Award for his work in the documentary film Pittsburgh is Home: The Story of the Penguins. Recently, he got a role in Justice League and a voice role in the animated film Smurfs: The Lost Village. His marriage to Columbian Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara is also another notable major aspect of his life.

6. Gillian Jacobs

Gillian Jacobs. Image by Gage Skidmore –

Gillian Jacobs is another incredible actress best known for the comedy series Community as Britta Perry and in a Netflix series called Love. She started acting as a child and later made her debut with the 2005 film Building Girl. However, Jacobs’s most noteworthy role remains CJ in the 2010 film Nonames. The role catapulted his career to a whole new level. He even received the Method Fest Award in the Best Actress category. Some of her best works in theater include A Feminine Ending, The Little Flower of East Orange, and The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero.

7. Billy Porter

Billy Porter. Image by Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Venue –

William Elis Porter is an actor, singer, writer, and director. He acquired popularity while performing on Broadway and then went on to start a solo career as a singer and actor. He has won many prestigious awards including the 2013 Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and a Grammy Award. He starred in the film Pose which he received three Golden Globe Awards nominations and won the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The award made him the first gay black man to be nominated and succeed in any lead acting category at the Primetime Emmys. The man kept winning as in 2020 he was included in the Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Recently, in 2022, he won another Tony Award, for Best Musical as a producer for the musical A Strange Loop. As a director, his first stint is a romantic comedy film Anything’s Possible.

8. Andy Warhol

Portrait of the American artist Andy Warhol. Image by unknown author –

 Andy Warhol is an iconic visual artist and director who is a pioneer in the Visual Art Movement Known as Pop Art. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh. He began as a commercial illustrator and went on film directing and producing. His art encompasses artistic expressions, celebrity culture, and the 1960s style of advertising. He worked with major brands in the market including Coca-Cola and Campbell Soup. He is a man who lived before his time. As much as his work was appreciated it was also harshly criticized for making it commercial. Many of the films he directed were regarded as unconventional. Today, he is a legend and a lot of his work has been put up in different exhibitions across the US. The Andy Warhol Museum, located in Pittsburgh, shows how much Pittsburgh and the rest of America are proud to be associated with this great artist.

10. H.J. Heinz

Henry John Heinz in 1917. Image by
Bain – Wikimedia

Henry John “H.J.” Heinz was born in Pittsburgh in 1844. He is the founder of, a food processing company, H.J. Heinz Company, Inc. he started out as a teenager trying to make extra money by selling products from his garden. He was full of determination and pushed through all the setbacks he came through.  His company was all about quality and purity which made his products a hit. The most famous product is ketchup. It came out just at the right time, it was thick and of great quality which is some of the qualities that made it a commercial hit.  His obsession with pure products saw him lobby for the passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, which was nearly universally opposed by large-scale food manufacturing companies.

Read more on 10 Interesting Facts about Heinz Field, Pittsburg

Planning a trip to Paris ? Get ready !


These are Dz’-Բ travel products that you may need for coming to Paris.

Bookstore

  1. The best travel book : Rick Steves – Paris 2023
  2. Fodor’s Paris 2024 –

Travel Gear

  1. Venture Pal Lightweight Backpack –
  2. Samsonite Winfield 2 28″ Luggage –
  3. Swig Savvy’s Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle –

We sometimes read this list just to find out what new travel products people are buying.