They were (or are) Catholic

This blog isn't dedicated to religion, but it does explore a lot of personalities.  Moreover, there are frequent references to Catholicism here, so we're including this page to list people who are notably Catholic, in our view. Some will surprise you, and some will not.

Of note, this page lists those who actively practiced Catholicism, not people who were simply baptized Catholic or lapsed Catholics.  Indeed, people who lapsed aren't really interesting, in that giving up your faith for the world, or compromising it in significant ways, is quite a bit easier than keeping it

Creighton Abrams

Abrams entered the Army following West Point as a cavalry officer.  He was a highly successful commander under Patton during the Second World War.  His tenure as commander in Vietnam was less successful.  Following that, he was appointed Chief of Staff by President Nixon.

All three sons of the general and his wife became Army general officers and all three daughters married Army officers.  Raised as a Methodist, he converted to Catholicism in Vietnam.

Terry de la Mesa Allen.

"Terrible Terry" Allen, the famous World War Two general, was devoutly Catholic and was known to pray for the souls of his soldiers who would be killed before their going into battle.

Batallón de San Patricio

A unit in the Mexican Army during the Mexican War, the unit was made up of U.S. Army deserters of Irish and German origin or extraction and was nearly all Catholic.  Their mistreatment in the U.S. Army, at a time at which its officer corps was heavily Southern and nearly uniformly Protestant (Episcopalian) was a major factor in their defection to the Mexican side.

Their crossing over to the enemy is the only large scale example of this in U.S. military history.

Stephen Colbert

Late night show host Stephen Colbert is almost militantly Catholic, and makes his faith regularly known on his television show.

Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper was a convert to Catholicism, coming to the faith through his daughter.

Charles de Gaulle

Legendary French general and political figure Charles de Gaulle is often discussed for enigmatic personality.  Rarely noted is that he was a devout Catholic with a profoundly disabled daughter, to whom he was fiercely devoted.

Dom DeLuise

Actor and comedian Dom DeLuise was a devout Catholic, with a particular devotion to the Virgin Mary.

Black Elk (Nicholas Black Elk, Heȟáka Sápa)

Famous for his book Black Elk Speaks, Black Elk converted to Catholicism and was very devout.  His has been designated Servant of God by the Church.  Efforts to discredit his conversion have proved flat and are frankly self-serving by those who originated them.

Margaret Gibson.

Silent screen actress Margaret Gibson was a late in life convert to Catholicism, which likely played a role in her deathbed confession to the murder of William Desmond Taylor.

Stan Hathaway

Stan Hathaway, Governor of Wyoming from 1967 to 1975,and briefly Secretary of the Interior, was born in Osceola, Nebraska.

Hathaway, whom I saw argue in front of the Wyoming Supreme Court many years ago, was the fifth of six children born to Lily (Koehler) and Robert C. Knapp.  He was raised and adopted by a cousin and her husband, Velma and Frank Hathaway, following his mother's death, on their farm near Huntley Wyoming.  He served on a B-17 in World War Two as a radioman, and was shot down over occupied France where he avoided capture with the crew through the assistance of the French Resistance.  He term of Governor was marked by the passage of environmental laws and the enactment of the first mineral severance tax in Wyoming and the creation of the Trust Fund from the same.

He was a great Governor who would no doubt be constantly attacked as being a RINO by populist who think they're Republicans today.  

Hathaway was an Episcopalian for most of his life, but late in life, converted to Catholicism.

George Herriman, 

Herriman was the creator of Krazy Kat.

Herriman was creole and born in New Orleans, although he spent much of his adult life in Los Angeles.  The Creole are their own distinct ethnicity, with some noting that means by default that they are of "mixed race", something that a lot of non Louisianians don't realize as they confuse creole with Cajun, the two not being the same.  Under the bizarre rules of American culture, Herriman would have been regarded as "black" in some regions of the United States, although legally, and equally bizarrely, he could at the time choose to self identify as white or black, neither of which really describes his ethnic heritage.  He self identified as white, which makes sense, as to do otherwise would have hindered his career.

Herriman was a shy and gentlemanly man.  A Catholic, he married his childhood sweetheart and had two children, as well as a lot of pets, of which he was very fond.

Patricia Heaton

Famous for her role in Everyone Loves Raymond, Patricia Heaton was raised in a devoutly Catholic family and fell away.  She returned to the Faith aggressively and is now dedicated to the extent that her faith is the essential part of her identify.  Her sister is a nun.

Katie Holmes

Katie Holmes is an actor who was married to fallen away Catholic, Tom Cruise.  Her divorce brought her back to the Catholic faith.

Alice T. Jefferson

The United States Coast Guard accepted its first regular female members, Chief Warrant Officer Alice T. Jefferson, Yeoman First Class Wanda May Parr and Yeoman Second Class Margaret A. Blackman.

This came about due to the elimination of the Coast Guard's Women's Reserve.

Jefferson had jointed the SPARS in 1943 and remained in the Coast Guard until 1984, when she retired.  She passed away in 2019 at age 96.

She was an active and practicing Catholic.

Boris Johnson

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is a convert to Catholicism.

Nicole Kidman

Another Cruise marriage veteran, Nicole Kidman, returned to Catholicism after her divorce from fallen away Catholic Tom Cruise.

Jimmy Kimmel

Like Stephen Colbert, Kimmel is a devout Catholic in the same occupation.

Shia LaBeouf

Actor Shia LaBeouf converted to Christianity during the filming of the movie Fury and to Catholicism thereafter.

John Major

Former British Prime Minister John Major is a convert to Catholicism.

Rocky Marciano

Not too surprising here, but legendary boxer Rocky Marciano was openly and devoutly Catholic.

Neal McDonough

Famous for Band of Brothers, actor McDonough has been fired from roles for his refusal to perform scenes that are contrary to his faith.

Red Cloud (Maȟpíya Lúta)

Famous Sioux warrior Red Cloud, the only Native American leader to win a war against the U.S. Army, was a sincere convert to Catholicism.

Leah Remini

Actress Leah Remini returned to Catholicism after having been involved in Scientology, against which she is now an active opponent.

Rob Schneider.

Upon reaching age 60 comedian Schneider, whose mother was Catholic and his father Jewish, announced his conversion to Catholicism.

Martin Sheen

Born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez, Sheen is devoutly Catholic.

Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake)

Perhaps a controversial one here, as little is actually known about it, Sitting Bull was baptized a Catholic in his latter years.

Gwen Stefani

That Stefani was raised Catholic is no surprise, but she seems to have returned to her faith as an adult following a trip through the pop music world.  Her husband, Blake Shelton, converted to the faith in order to marry her.

Mark Wahlberg

Veteran actor and one time rapper Mark Wahlberg is a devout Catholic who attends Mass twice on Sundays.

John Wayne

John Wayne was a late in life convert to Catholicism, but had been a Mass attendee for many years prior to his conversion.

Patrick Wymark

British character actor Patrick Wymark, perhaps most famously remembered for his role as Col. Turner in Where Eagles Dare, was Catholic and from a Catholic family.