Van Morrison came from Hyndford Street off the Beersbridge Road. Probably the most famous entertainer to come out of East Belfast he was always a keen musician. Van has numerous albums to his credit and draws on his background in East Belfast for many of his recordings, such as 'Cyprus Avenue'. In the 1960s Van owned a record shop on the Beersbridge Road which is now a tyre depot. Recently a plaque has been erected on the house he grew up in on Hyndford Street.

George Jones, a radio personality, has been in the local entertainment business for many years and his band 'Clubsound' was well known as one of the showband greats. Growing up on Greenville Street off Bloomfield Avenue, he and his mates practised at being a 'skiffle band' using the back of his father's lorry as the stage! George formed a group which played at local venues and included a saxophone-playing newcomer called Van Morrison.

Under the stage name Ronnie Carroll, East Belfast boy Ronnie Cleghorn became one of the most popular artists of the 1950s. He dominated the charts at that time.

East Belfast has produced a high number of top-class football players including George Best, Danny and Jackie Blanchflower, Sammy McIlroy, David McCreery, Derek Dougan, Bill Bingham, and Eric McMordie. The entertainment industry has also benefited from the wealth of talent in East Belfast.