With the age-old argument between science and the church regarding the origin of man it is maybe surprising that some of these great scientists were Catholic. The artists and authors may not be as surprising.

The Scientists, Inventors and Pioneers

Chemist and inventor of Pasteurization, Louis Pasteur was Catholic.
Inventor of Penicillin, Alexander Fleming was Catholic.
Physician and astronomer Galileo was famously condemned by the church for his theory that the earth revolved around the sun, but he was a devout Catholic himself.
Nicholas Copernicus first proposed the theory of the earth revolving around the sun (the Copernican Theory) for which Galileo was condemned, but unlike Galileo, Copernicus taught it as theory not fact so his Catholic status remained untouched.
Descartes is thought to be the father of modern philosophy and was not just a devout Catholic but was also thought to have proved the existence of God with near certainty.
Pioneer in radioactivity research, Marie Curie was a lapsed Catholic.

The Authors

A lot of Catholic authors have a poetic sense of the macabre, perhaps brought about by the many interesting and sometimes chilling stories in the bible. Many other authors write less dark works but live lives that are in conflict with the church's teachings.

Anne Rice shows great duality being both a supernatural horror writer and a practicing Catholic. She converted to Catholicism in 1998.
Oscar Wilde was both Catholic and homosexual. He had a love hate relationship with his faith throughout his life but returned to it with force on his death bed.
Playwrite Tennessee Williams was a Catholic/Episcopalian.
It is a supposition rather than a fact, but Shakespeare scholars believe William Shakespeare was a secret Catholic.
University professor and author of Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes was devoutly Catholic.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born into an ancient and aristocratic but poor Catholic family.
Author of Lord of The Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien was Catholic and many feel that his tales of Middle Earth were heavily inspired by his faith.

The Artists

It is perhaps not so surprising when looking at these artists' many religious works that they were Catholic.

Artists Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse were Catholic, as was Salvador Dali, who returned to his Catholic roots in later life.

Painter of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo and painter of The Last Supper (and recent namesake of the controversial Da Vinci Code book) Leonardo da Vinci were Catholic.

Titian, one of the many artists to portray the Virgin and Child, was Catholic.

Goya, painter of many church frescos around Spain, was Catholic.

El Greco, the artist who created many religious paintings and sculptures, was devout Catholic and both loved and was loved by the church.

Another Catholic artist who produced many religious works was Raphael.

Source:http://catholicism.suite101.com/article.cfm/catholic_scientists

Catholic Actors and Singers

Here are some celebrities who are reported to be previous or practising Catholics even though some of their work may seem in conflict with their faith.

The Hollywood Catholics

Jim Calviezel played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ and is a very devout Catholic.
Mel Gibson, director of Passion of the Christ, is Traditionalist Catholic- doesn't accept the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
Nicole Kidman star of the film The Golden Compass, which is said to have a basis in Christianity and which some people are calling anti-Catholic, was raised Catholic and returned to her Catholic roots after divorcing Scientologist Tom Cruise.
Mary Pickford, producer, actress and star of over one hundred movies between 1909 and 1933 was raised Catholic but converted to Christian Science in later life.
Bridget Bardot, blonde bombshell and star of And God Created Woman is Catholic and had publically lamented the downward slide of practising Catholics in France.
Actor and singer Dean Martin was Catholic.
Carmen Miranda was raised in a strict Roman Catholic household.
Award winning actor and star of the thriller Silence of the Lambs Sir Anthony Hopkins is Catholic.`
Star of the Witches of Eastwick, Susan Sarandon was raised in a large Catholic family and attended the Catholic University in Washington DC.
Ever popular actor Will Smith was born in a Baptist house, went to a Catholic school and is now a Scientologist.
Alfred Hitchcock was raised a strict Catholic and despite the macabre theme of his movies he did incorporate much religious imagery in them.
Brooke Shields is a Catholic although she did recently come under some harsh criticism for her choice to have an IVF baby.
Actor Sean Penn is a Catholic and was raised by a devout Catholic mother and a lapsed Jewish father.
Star of the film The Devil's Advocate, Al Pacino is Catholic.
Bill Murray was raised in a Catholic family and his sister, a Dominican Sister, made headlines with her one-woman show on Saint Catherine of Sienna.
Sophia Lauren was Catholic and caused a scandal in Italy when she married a divorcee.
Ben Afleck, star of the movie Dogma, was raised by a Protestant father and a Catholic mother.
Antonio Banderas was raised Catholic but now describes himself as agnostic.
Director, producer and actor Martin Scorcese once considered entering the priesthood but is now a lapsed Catholic.
Nicolas Cage, who stars as a Catholic policeman in The Wicker Man, was raised Catholic.
Sylvester Stallone was raised a Catholic and has recently heavily returned to the faith after a period which he describes as being lost in the temptations of the modern world.
Bela Lugosi, renowned for his work in horror movies and in particular as Dracula, was raised a Catholic.

The Singing Catholics

Christina Aguilera was raised Catholic.
Despite her "Like a Virgin" tour, which enraged several Catholic organisations, Madonna was raised Catholic, though she is now of the Kabbalah faith.
Cyndi Lauper attended Catholic schools as a child and describes herself as a “recovering Catholic”.
Bob Geldof is Catholic despite the inconsistencies between Catholocism disagreeing with the use of condoms and the work Bob does in Africa promoting the use of them to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Bruce Springsteen had a Catholic upbringing.
Despite being a remarried divorcee Luciano Pavarotti returned to his Catholic roots shortly before he died.
Celine Dion comes from a large Catholic family.

So it seems that a life of fame and fortune and the temptations they bring do not necessarily preclude a life of faith.

Source:http://www.suite101.com/content/catholic-actors-and-singers-a46743