List of people from Sicily

Sicily is the largest region in Italy with a population of over five million and has contributed many famous names to all walks of life. Geographically, it is the largest and most populated island in the Mediterranean sea.

Philosophers and scientists

Ettore Majorana, theoretical physicist who worked on neutrino masses; the Majorana equation and Majorana fermions are named after him.

Empedocles (c. 490 – 430 BC), scientist and philosopher
Gorgias (c. 483 – 375 BC), philosopher
Archimedes (c. 287 – 212 BC), engineer and mathematician
Muhammad al-Idrisi (1100–1166 AD), geographer and author of Tabula Rogeriana
Constantine the African (c. 1020 – 1087), physician and translator
Giovanni Aurispa (1376–1459), anthropologist
Francesco Maurolico (1494–1575), mathematician
Giuseppe Piazzi (1746–1826), astronomer, discovered the minor planet Ceres
Niccolò Cacciatore (1780–1841), astronomer
Stanislao Cannizzaro (1826–1910), chemist
Giuseppe Sergi (1841–1936), anthropologist
Gaetano Mosca (1858-1941), political scientist
Giovanni Gentile (1875–1944), philosopher
Ettore Majorana (1906 – ?), physicist
Antonino Zichichi (1929), physicist

Religious figures

Saint Agatha (231 – 351AD), martyr
Saint Vito (c. 290 – c. 290AD), martyr
Saint Lucy (283 – 304AD), martyr
Pope Leo II, Pope from 682 to 683
Saint Albert (1240-1307)

Writers

Luigi Pirandello, dramatist, novelist and poet; he was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre."

Timaeus (c. 345 – 250 BC), historian
Theocritus (c. 310 – 250 BC), poet
Diodorus Siculus (c. 90 – 30 BC), historian
Cielo d'Alcamo (13th century), poet
Giacomo da Lentini (1210–1260), poet
Guido Delle Colonne (1215–1290), poet
Giovanni Luca Barberi (1452–1520), historian
Tommaso Fazello (1498–1570), historian
Antonio Veneziano (1543–1593), poet
Giovanni Meli (1740–1815), poet
Luigi Capuana (1839–1915), writer
Giovanni Verga (1840–1922), novelist
Giuseppe Pitrè (1841–1916), historian
Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936), dramatist, Nobel laureate
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (1896–1957), writer, poet
Julius Evola (1898–1974), political philosopher
Ignazio Buttitta (1899–1997), poet
Salvatore Quasimodo (1901–1968), poet, Nobel laureate
Vitaliano Brancati (1907–1954), writer
Elio Vittorini (1908–1966), writer
Gesualdo Bufalino (1920–1996), writer
Leonardo Sciascia (1921–1989), writer and politician
Andrea Camilleri (born 1925), novelist
Vincenzo Consolo (1933-2012), novelist
Dacia Maraini (1936), novelist
Gaetano Cipolla (born 1937), Sicilian-to-English translator, author, publisher of the journal Arba Sicula

Journalists

Mauro De Mauro (1921-1970), investigative journalist
Giuseppe Fava (1925–1984), writer and dramatist
Candido Cannavò (1930-2009) sportive journalist
Santi Visalli (1932), photojournalist

Politicians

Sergio Mattarella politician, judge and current President of Italy.

Dion of Syracuse (408 – 354 BC), politician and friend of Plato
Hassan al-Kalbi (r. 948 – 964 AD), founder of the Emirate of Sicily
Maio of Bari (died 1160), emir and admiral
Giuseppe La Farina (1815–1863), politician
Francesco Crispi (1819–1901), politician
Ruggero Settimo (1776–1863), politician
Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (1860–1952), politician
Ugo La Malfa (1903–1979), politician
Giorgio La Pira (1904–1977), politician
Giovanni Falcone (1939–1992), judge
Paolo Borsellino (1940–1992), judge
Luigi Sturzo (1871–1959), politician
Rocco Chinnici (1925–1983), judge
Peppino Impastato (1948–1978), journalist and political activist
Piersanti Mattarella (1935–1980), politician
Sergio Mattarella (1941), judge and politician, current president of Italy
Pietro Grasso (1945), judge and politician

Painters, sculptors and architects

Antonello da Messina, painter from Messina, active during the Italian Renaissance; Giorgio Vasari credited him with the introduction of oil-painting into Italy.

Antonello da Messina (1430–1479), painter
Antonello Gagini (1478–1536), sculptor
Angelo Italia (1628–1700), Jesuit architect
Filippo Juvarra (1678–1736), architect
Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (1702–1768), architect
Pietro Novelli (1603–1647), painter
Giacomo Serpotta (1656–1732), sculptor
Renato Guttuso (1912–1987), painter
Ernesto Basile (1857–1932), architect
Giorgio de Chirico (1888–1978), painter
Manfredi Beninati (1970), visual artist
Emanuele Viscuso (1952), sculptor

Musicians

Vincenzo Bellini, opera composer who was known for his long-flowing melodic lines for which he was named "the Swan of Catania"; some of his works such as La sonnambula, made him one of the most famous composers of his time in Italy and Europe.

Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835), opera composer
Sigismondo d'India (1582–1629), composer
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725), composer
Frank Sinatra (1915-1998), singer-songwriter
Giuseppe Di Stefano (1921–2008), operatic tenor
Roberto Pregadio (1928–2010), composer, conductor, TV personality
Pippo Caruso (born 1935), composer, conductor
Umberto Balsamo (born 1942), singer-songwriter
Salvatore Adamo (born 1943), singer
Nico Tirone (1944–2012), singer
Aldo Stellita (1944–1998), composer, musician, member of Matia Bazar
Salvatore Sciarrino (born 1947), composer
Franco Battiato (born 1945), musician, filmmaker
Gianni Bella (born 1945), singer-songwriter, composer
Frédéric François (born 1950), singer
Giuni Russo (1951–2004), singer-songwriter
Marcella Bella (born 1952), singer
Vincenzo Spampinato (born 1953), singer-songwriter
Lucia Aliberti (born 1963), operatic soprano
Rosario Di Bella (born 1963), singer-songwriter
Gerardina Trovato (born 1967), singer
Salvatore Di Vittorio (born 1967), composer
Francesca Alotta (born 1968), singer
Roy Paci (born 1969), trumpeter, singer-songwriter
Lorenzo Fragola (born 1995), singer
Paolo Buonvino (born 1970), composer, conductor, music arranger
Mario Biondi (born 1971), singer
Carmen Consoli (born 1974), singer-songwriter
Silvia Salemi (born 1978), singer-songwriter
Marracash (born 1979), rapper
Giusy Ferreri (born 1979), singer
Romina Arena (born 1980), singer
Cristina Scuccia (born 1988), singer
La Bionda, composers, record producers
Piero Barone (born 1993), singer, member of Il Volo

Actors, directors and producers

Maria Grazia Cucinotta, actress who has featured in many films and television series since 1990, and internationally known for her role in the Italian film Il Postino.

Henry Armetta (1888–1945), actor
Frank Capra (1897–1991), actor, director
Salvo Randone (1906–1991), actor
Turi Ferro (1921–2001), actor
Adolfo Celi (1922–1986), actor
Ciccio Ingrassia (1922–2003), actor, director
Nino Terzo (1923–2005), actor
Carlo Sposito (1924–1984), actor
Franco Franchi (1928–1992), actor
Massimo Mollica (1929–2013), actor, theatre director
Franco Indovina (1932–1972), director, screenwriter
Michele Lupo (1932–1989), director
Pino Caruso (born 1934), actor, author, TV personality
Tuccio Musumeci (born 1934), actor
Robert Hundar (1935–2008), actor
Daniela Rocca (1937–1995), actress, model
Lando Buzzanca (born 1938), actor
Michele Gammino (born 1941), actor
Elio Zamuto (born 1941), actor
Luigi Maria Burruano (born 1945), actor
Leo Gullotta (born 1946), actor
Nino Frassica (born 1950), actor
Antonio Catania (born 1952), actor
Lucia Sardo (born 1952), actress
Riccardo Schicchi (1953–2012), director, producer
Tony Sperandeo (born 1953), actor
Giuseppe Tornatore (born 1956), director
Aurelio Grimaldi (born 1957), director
Anna Kanakis (born 1962), model, actress
Enrico Lo Verso (born 1964), actor
Luigi Lo Cascio (born 1967), actor
Francesco Benigno (born 1967), actor
Salvatore Termini (born 1968), actor
Giuseppe Fiorello (born 1969), actor
Maria Grazia Cucinotta (born 1969), actress
Ficarra e Picone (born 1971), actors, comedians
Paolo Briguglia (born 1974), actor
Daniele Gangemi (born 1980), director
Nicole Grimaudo (born 1980), actress
Isabella Ragonese (born 1981), actress
Margareth Madè (born 1982), actress
Valeria Bilello (born 1982), actress, model

Others

Miriam Leone, television personality and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss Italia 2008 beauty contest.

Laura Lanza, Baroness of Carini (1529–1563), noblewoman
Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (1743–1795), traveller, occultist
Maria Paternò Arezzo (1869–1908), noblewoman and philanthropist
Josephine Terranova (1889–1981), accused murderess
Lucky Luciano (born 1897), gangster
Nunzio Filogamo (1902–2002), television and radio presenter
Nicolò Carosio (1907–1984), sport journalist
Salvatore Giuliano (1922–1950), bandit
Nuccio Costa (1925–1991), television presenter
Nino Vaccarella (born 1933), racecar driver
Pippo Baudo (born 1936), television presenter
Pietro Anastasi (born 1948), footballer
Giucas Casella (born 1949), hypnotist
Domenico Dolce (born 1958), fashion designer
Rosario Fiorello (born 1960), singer, television personality
Angelo d'Arrigo (1961–2006), aviator
Salvatore Antibo (born 1962), runner
Salvatore Schillaci (born 1964), football player
Fabrizio Corona (born 1974), photographer, actor, television personality
Eleonora Abbagnato (born 1978), ballet dancer, model
Giuseppe Gibilisco (born 1979), pole vaulter
Eva Riccobono (born 1983), model
Vincenzo Nibali (born 1984), road bicycle racer
Miriam Leone (born 1985), model, television personality
Luca Marin (born 1986), medley swimmer
Damiano Caruso (born 1987), road bicycle racer