All the inductees in the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame have deep ties to the Steel City — but the impact of 2026’s honorees was felt globally.
Meet the New Inductees Joining the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame in 2026
The Pittsburgh Walk of Fame announced the second set of names to be added to the Strip District landmark. The lineup: broadcaster Myron Cope; choreographer Martha Graham; photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris; athlete Franco Harris; ketchup namesake and entrepreneur H.J. Heinz; actress Shirley Jones; athlete Mario Lemieux; composer Henry Mancini; actor Jimmy Stewart; and inventor George Westinghouse.
Those ten luminaries will be enshrined on the Walk of Fame, which is embedded in the sidewalk at the Strip District Terminal, on Oct. 13. Lemieux is expected to attend the ceremony, alongside representatives of the other inductees.
The inaugural class for the Walk of Fame was immortalized last year. Those first selections — George Benson, Nellie Bly, Andrew Carnegie, Rachel Carson, Roberto Clemente, Michael Keaton, Fred Rogers, Jonas Salk, Andy Warhol and August Wilson — were inducted on Oct. 20, 2025, with Keaton accepting the honor in person.
“There’s nothing like being recognized by your hometown,” Keaton said at that ceremony, “because it’s the place that made you who you are.”
The Pittsburgh Walk of Fame, a nonprofit organization, was established in 2024 by founder and executive director — and longtime Shady Ave editor — Nancy Polinsky Johnson. This year’s inductees were selected by a 150-member selection committee. (Current Shady Ave editor-in-chief Sean Collier is a member of that committee.)
The induction ceremony, which kicks off at 10:30 a.m., is open to the public and will feature a performance by River City Brass and appearances from individuals representing all of this year’s inductees.
“This dynamic group really represents the diversity of the talented people who have come out of southwestern Pennsylvania and made a noteworthy mark on American culture,” Polinsky Johnson said in a statement. “And that’s what this Walk is designed to celebrate.”
Story by Sean Collier
Photo Courtesy Pittsburgh Walk of Fame