100 Notable alumni of
Carnegie Mellon University
Updated:
Carnegie Mellon University is 112th in the world, 50th in North America, and 48th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from Carnegie Mellon University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. 3 individuals affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University won Nobel Prizes in Physics and Economics.
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Andy Warhol
- Occupations
- sculptordiaristprintmakergraphic artistmerchant
- Biography
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Andy Warhol was an American visual artist, film director, producer, and leading figure in the pop art movement. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished by the 1960s, and span a variety of media, including painting, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture. Some of his best-known works include the silkscreen paintings Campbell's Soup Cans (1962) and Marilyn Diptych (1962), the experimental films Empire (1964) and Chelsea Girls (1966), and the multimedia events known as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable (1966–67).
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Ethan Hawke
- Occupations
- comics writerwritertelevision actorstage actortheatrical director
- Biography
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Ethan Green Hawke is an American actor, author and film director. He made his film debut in Explorers (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in Dead Poets Society (1989). Hawke starred alongside Julie Delpy in Richard Linklater's Before trilogy from 1995 to 2013. Hawke received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Training Day (2001) and Boyhood (2014) and two for Best Adapted Screenplay for co-writing Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013). Other notable roles include in Reality Bites (1994), Gattaca (1997), Great Expectations (1998), Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), Maggie's Plan (2015), First Reformed (2017), The Black Phone (2021) and The Northman (2022).
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Gabriel Macht
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Gabriel Swann Macht is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Harvey Specter in the USA Network series Suits (2011–2019). Macht retired from acting after Suits, but briefly returned to acting in February 2024 when he appeared in a Super bowl half time commercial with his co-star Patrick J. Adams both portraying their characters from the hit American legal drama television series Suits.
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John Forbes Nash
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- 1945-1948 graduated with Bachelor of Science in mathematics
- Occupations
- economistuniversity teachermathematician
- Biography
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John Forbes Nash, Jr., known and published as John Nash, was an American mathematician who made fundamental contributions to game theory, real algebraic geometry, differential geometry, and partial differential equations. Nash and fellow game theorists John Harsanyi and Reinhard Selten were awarded the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. In 2015, he and Louis Nirenberg were awarded the Abel Prize for their contributions to the field of partial differential equations.
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Joe Manganiello
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- In 2000 graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting
- Occupations
- television actoractortelevision directorstage actorstunt performer
- Biography
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Joseph Michael Manganiello is an American actor. His professional film career began when he played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. His breakout role was as werewolf Alcide Herveaux in five seasons of the HBO series True Blood.
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Matt Bomer
- Occupations
- television actorstage actorfilm actoractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Matthew Staton Bomer is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award, in addition to a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
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Ted Danson
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- In 1972 graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts
- Occupations
- television actorfilm actoractorfilm producertelevision producer
- Biography
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Edward Bridge Danson III is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom Cheers, for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. He was nominated for more Emmy Awards for roles in the legal drama Damages (2007–2010) and the NBC dramedy The Good Place (2016–2020). He was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 1999.
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Zachary Quinto
- Occupations
- television actorfilm actoractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Zachary John Quinto is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series Heroes (2006–2010); Spock in the film Star Trek (2009) and its sequels Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016); Charlie Manx in the AMC series NOS4A2, and Dr. Oliver Thredson in American Horror Story: Asylum, for which he received a nomination for an Emmy award. His other starring film roles include Margin Call (2011), Hitman: Agent 47 (2015), Snowden (2016), and Hotel Artemis (2018). He also appeared in smaller roles on television series, such as So Notorious, The Slap, and 24, and on stage in Angels in America, The Glass Menagerie, and Smokefall.
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Holly Hunter
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorfilm producerstage actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Ada McGrath in the 1993 drama film The Piano. She earned three additional Academy Award nominations for Broadcast News (1987), The Firm (1993), and Thirteen (2003). She won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for the television films Roe vs. Wade (1989) and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993). She also starred in the TNT drama series Saving Grace (2007–2010).
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Josh Groban
- Occupations
- film actormusiciansinger-songwriteropera singeractor
- Biography
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Joshua Winslow Groban is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, with over 22.3 million records. As of 2022, he had sold over 25 million records worldwide.
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Cote de Pablo
- Occupations
- television actormodelstage actorfilm actorvoice actor
- Biography
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María José de Pablo Fernández, known professionally as Cote de Pablo, is a Chilean-American actress and singer. Born in Santiago, Chile, she moved to the United States at the age of 10, where she studied acting.
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Kurt Vonnegut
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Kurt Vonnegut was an American writer and humorist known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfiction works; further collections have been published after his death.
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James Cromwell
- Occupations
- film actorcharacter actortelevision actoractorstage actor
- Biography
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James Oliver Cromwell is an American actor and activist. Known for his extensive work as a character actor, he has received a Primetime Emmy Award as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Babe (1995). Other notable roles include in Star Trek: First Contact (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), Deep Impact (1998), The Green Mile (1999), The Queen (2006), W. (2008), Secretariat (2010), The Artist (2011), Still Mine (2013), Marshall (2017), and Emperor (2020). He has also voiced roles in Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), and Big Hero 6 (2014).
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Pablo Schreiber
- Occupations
- television actorstage actorfilm actoractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Pablo Tell Schreiber is a Canadian-American actor. He is best known for his stage work and for portraying Nick Sobotka on The Wire (2003), William Lewis on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2013–2014), Mad Sweeney on the Starz series American Gods (2017–2020), and as George "Pornstache" Mendez on Orange Is the New Black (2013–2017), for which he received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. He stars as Master Chief in the Paramount+ live-action series Halo (2022–present) which is based on the franchise of the same name.
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Cherry Jones
- Occupations
- stage actorvoice actortelevision actorfilm actor
- Biography
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Cherry Jones is an American actress. She started her career in theater as a founding member of the American Repertory Theater in 1980 before transitioning into film and television. Celebrated for her dynamic roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards, as well as nominations for an Olivier Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
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Ming-Na Wen
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- Studied in 1986
- Occupations
- film actorvoice actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Ming-Na Wen is an American actress. She is best known for playing Melinda May / The Cavalry in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020). Wen made her breakthrough in The Joy Luck Club (1993) as June Woo. She also voiced the eponymous character in the animated film Mulan, its sequel, and reprised the role as Mulan in the video game. Additionally, Wen made a cameo appearance in the live-action remake of Mulan (2020).
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George Peppard
- Occupations
- television actorfilm directorstage actorfilm actorfilm producer
- Biography
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George William Peppard was an American actor. He secured a major role as struggling writer Paul Varjak when he starred alongside Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), and later portrayed a character based on Howard Hughes in The Carpetbaggers (1964). On television, he played the title role of millionaire insurance investigator and sleuth Thomas Banacek in the early-1970s mystery series Banacek. He played Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, the cigar-smoking leader of a renegade commando squad in the 1980s action television series The A-Team.
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Leslie Odom Jr
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- Graduated with undergraduate degree
- Occupations
- voice actoractordancerstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical Hamilton, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the same year. His performance was captured in the Disney+ live stage recording of Hamilton which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Limited Series or Movie nomination.
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Michael McKean
- Occupations
- composerscreenwriterwriterfilm producercomedian
- Biography
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Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in Laverne & Shirley, David St. Hubbins in This Is Spinal Tap, and Chuck McGill on Better Call Saul.
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Patrick Wilson
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts
- Occupations
- voice actoractorfilm directorstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Patrick Joseph Wilson is an American actor. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in The Full Monty (2000–2001) and Oklahoma! (2002). He co-starred in the acclaimed HBO miniseries Angels in America (2003), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
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Bennet Omalu
- Occupations
- neuropathologistmedical examiner
- Biography
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Dr. Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu // is a Nigerian and American physician, forensic pathologist and neuropathologist who was the first to discover and publish findings on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in American football players while working at the Allegheny County coroner's office in Pittsburgh. He later became the chief medical examiner for San Joaquin County, California, and is a professor at the University of California, Davis, department of medical pathology and laboratory medicine. He is currently the President and Medical Director of Bennet Omalu Pathology.
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Aron Ralston
- Occupations
- engineermountaineermotivational speakerautobiographer
- Biography
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Aron Lee Ralston is an American mountaineer, mechanical engineer, and motivational speaker, known for surviving a canyoneering accident by cutting off part of his own right arm.
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Albert Brooks
- Occupations
- actorfilm directorscreenwriter
- Biography
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Albert Brooks is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1987 comedy-drama film Broadcast News and was widely praised for his performance in the 2011 action drama film Drive. Brooks has also acted in films such as Taxi Driver (1976), Private Benjamin (1980), Unfaithfully Yours (1984), and My First Mister (2001). He has written, directed, and starred in several comedy films, such as Modern Romance (1981), Lost in America (1985), and Defending Your Life (1991). He is also the author of 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America (2011).
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Sutton Foster
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorsingermusicianstage actor
- Biography
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Sutton Lenore Foster is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and in 2011 for her performance as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, a role which she reprised in 2021 for a production in London and for which she received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her other Broadway credits include Grease, Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein, Shrek the Musical, Violet, The Music Man, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. On television, Foster played the lead role in the short-lived ABC Family comedy-drama Bunheads from 2012 to 2013. From 2015 to 2021, she starred in the TV Land comedy-drama Younger.
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George A. Romero
- Occupations
- directorscreenwriterfilm actoractorfilm producer
- Biography
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George Andrew Romero was an American-Canadian film director, writer, editor and actor. His Night of the Living Dead series of films about a zombie apocalypse began with the original Night of the Living Dead (1968) and is considered a major contributor to the image of the zombie in modern culture. Other films in the series include Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985). He later revived his attachment to the sub-genre with Land of the Dead (2005), Diary of the Dead (2007), and Survival of the Dead (2009), his final film. Aside from this series, his works include The Crazies (1973), Martin (1977), Knightriders (1981), Creepshow (1982), Monkey Shines (1988), The Dark Half (1993), and Bruiser (2000). He also created and executive-produced the television series Tales from the Darkside from 1983 to 1988.
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Katy Mixon
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Katy Mixon is an American actress and model. She began her career playing supporting roles in films such as The Quiet (2005), Four Christmases (2008), and State of Play (2009), before landing the female leading role in the HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down (2009–2013).
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Laura San Giacomo
- Occupations
- television actorvoice actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Laura San Giacomo is an American actress. She played Cynthia in the film Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, Kit De Luca in the film Pretty Woman (1990), Crazy Cora in the film Quigley Down Under (1990), Nadine Cross in The Stand (1994), and Maya Gallo on the sitcom Just Shoot Me! (1997–2003). A BAFTA and two-time Golden Globe Award nominee, she played the regular role of Rhetta Rodriguez on the drama Saving Grace (2007–2010), and the recurring role of Dr. Grace Confalone on the drama NCIS (2016–2022).
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Dagmara Dominczyk
- Occupations
- writertelevision actorstage actorfilm actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Dagmara Domińczyk is a Polish-born actress. She has appeared in the films Rock Star (2001), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Kinsey (2004), Trust the Man (2005), Lonely Hearts (2006), Running with Scissors (2006), Higher Ground (2011), The Letter (2012), The Immigrant (2013), Big Stone Gap (2014), A Woman, a Part (2016), The Assistant (2019), and The Lost Daughter (2021). Domińczyk also had a main role in the HBO comedy-drama television series Succession (2018–2023).
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Judith Light
- Occupations
- film actorstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Judith Ellen Light is an American actress. She made her professional stage debut in 1970, before making her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of A Doll's House. Her breakthrough role was in the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live from 1977 to 1983, where she played the role of Karen Wolek; for this role, she won two consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1980 and 1981. In 2024, Light won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Poker Face.
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Renée Elise Goldsberry
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actoractorsingerstage actor
- Biography
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Renée Elise Goldsberry is an American actress and singer known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Her other Broadway credits include Nettie Harris in the original Broadway cast of The Color Purple, and Mimi Marquez in Rent. She has portrayed many roles on television, including Geneva Pine on The Good Wife, and Evangeline Williamson on One Life to Live, for which she received two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. As of 2021, she stars in the Peacock musical comedy Girls5eva. Also that year, she received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series or Movie for her performance in the Disney+ live stage recording of Hamilton, which was released in 2020.
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René Auberjonois
- Occupations
- television actorstage actordub actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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René Murat Auberjonois was an American actor and director.
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David Hornsby
- Occupations
- film actorfilm producerscreenwritervoice actortelevision producer
- Biography
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David Alan Hornsby is an American actor. He is best known for a recurring role as defrocked priest Matthew "Rickety Cricket" Mara on the FX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, for which he also writes and co-produces. Hornsby also had a regular role on the NBC comedy-crime series Good Girls (2018–2020). He is also the voice of Fanboy in the Nickelodeon animated TV series Fanboy & Chum Chum.
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Jack Klugman
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorscreenwriterfilm actor
- Biography
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Jack Klugman was an American actor of stage, film, and television.
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Ian Harding
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Ian Michael Harding is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ezra Fitz in the Freeform mystery drama Pretty Little Liars from 2010 to 2017.
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Sam Hyde
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- Studied in 2003-2004
- Occupations
- comedianscreenwritertelevision actor
- Biography
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Samuel Whitcomb Hyde is an American comedian, podcaster, boxer and a co-founder of sketch comedy group Million Dollar Extreme alongside Nick Rochefort and Charls Carroll. Hyde is the co-creator and producer of series such as World Peace and Fishtank.
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Blair Underwood
- Occupations
- film actorfilm producerwritervoice actoractor
- Biography
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Blair Erwin Underwood is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film Krush Groove and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series L.A. Law.
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Neil Druckmann
- Occupations
- computer scientistwritercreative directorscreenwriter
- Biography
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Neil Druckmann is an Israeli-American writer, creative director, designer, and programmer. He has been co-president (alongside Evan Wells) of the video game developer Naughty Dog since 2020 and head of creative since 2023, and is best known for his work on the game franchises Uncharted and The Last of Us, having co-created the latter.
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Mariette Hartley
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Mary Loretta Hartley is an American film and television actress. She is possibly best known for her roles in film as Elsa Knudsen in Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country (1962), Susan Clabon in Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964), and Betty Lloyd in John Sturges' Marooned (1969). She has appeared extensively on television, with notable roles as Claire Morton in the ABC soap opera Peyton Place (1965), various roles in the CBS television western drama series Gunsmoke, and a series of commercials with James Garner in the 1970s and 1980s.
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Alejandro Villanueva
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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Alejandro Villanueva Martín is a Spanish-American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Army Black Knights and fulfilled his service commitment after graduation, where he reached the rank of captain. Villanueva also served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, earning a Bronze Star. After serving three tours of duty in Afghanistan, he signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014, but was waived prior to the season. He then signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and played for them for six seasons until signing with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021 for his final season.
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Rachel Keller
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Rachel Rye Keller is an American actress, best known for her roles as Sydney "Syd" Barrett in the FX television series Legion and as Simone Gerhardt in the second season of the FX black comedy crime drama anthology series Fargo.
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Nancy Marchand
- Occupations
- film actorstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Nancy Lou Marchand was an American actress. She began her career in theater in 1951. She was most famous for her television portrayals of Margaret Pynchon on Lou Grant and Livia Soprano on The Sopranos.
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Robert Foxworth
- Occupations
- stage actorfilm actorvoice actordirectoractor
- Biography
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Robert Heath Foxworth is an American film, stage, and television actor.
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Andrew Y. Ng
- Occupations
- computer scientistentrepreneurartificial intelligence researcheruniversity teacherinternational forum participant
- Biography
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Andrew Yan-Tak Ng is a British-American computer scientist and technology entrepreneur focusing on machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Ng was a cofounder and head of Google Brain and was the former Chief Scientist at Baidu, building the company's Artificial Intelligence Group into a team of several thousand people.
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Herbert Simon
- Occupations
- university teachersociologistpolitical scientisteconomistcomputer scientist
- Biography
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Herbert Alexander Simon was an American political scientist whose work also influenced the fields of computer science, economics, and cognitive psychology. His primary research interest was decision-making within organizations and he is best known for the theories of "bounded rationality" and "satisficing". He received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1978 and the Turing Award in computer science in 1975. His research was noted for its interdisciplinary nature and spanned across the fields of cognitive science, computer science, public administration, management, and political science. He was at Carnegie Mellon University for most of his career, from 1949 to 2001, where he helped found the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science, one of the first such departments in the world.
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Rob Marshall
- Occupations
- theatrical directorfilm directordirectorchoreographerfilm producer
- Biography
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Robert Doyle Marshall Jr. is an American film and theater director, producer, and choreographer. He is best known for directing the film version of the Broadway musical Chicago, which was based on the play of the same name by playwright Maurine Dallas Watkins. His work on the film earned him the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film, as well as nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director, the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and the BAFTA Award for Best Direction. He also directed the films Memoirs of a Geisha, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns, and the Disney live-action remake The Little Mermaid.
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Tom Savini
- Occupations
- film actorstunt performerdirectorfilm directorphotographer
- Biography
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Thomas Vincent Savini is an American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and film director. He is known for his makeup and special effects work on many films directed by George A. Romero, including Martin, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Creepshow, and Monkey Shines; he also created the special effects and makeup for many cult classics like Friday the 13th (parts I and IV), Maniac, The Burning, The Prowler, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
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William Atherton
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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William Atherton is an American actor. He had starring roles in The Sugarland Express (1974), The Day of the Locust (1975), The Hindenburg (1975) and Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), but is perhaps most recognized for supporting roles in Ghostbusters (1984) and Die Hard (1988).
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David Tepper
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- In 1982 graduated with Master of Business Administration
- Occupations
- hedge fund managerbusinessperson
- Biography
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David Alan Tepper is an American billionaire hedge fund manager. He is the owner of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL) and Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer (MLS). Tepper is the founder and president of Appaloosa Management, a global hedge fund based in Miami Beach, Florida.
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Barbara Feldon
- Occupations
- film actormodeltelevision actor
- Biography
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Barbara Feldon is an American actress primarily known for her roles on television. Her most prominent role was that of Agent 99 in the 1965–1970 sitcom Get Smart.
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Judith Resnik
- Occupations
- engineerastronaut
- Biography
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Judith Arlene Resnik was an American electrical engineer, software engineer, biomedical engineer, pilot and NASA astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. She was the fourth woman, the second American woman and the first Jewish woman of any nationality to fly in space, logging 145 hours in orbit.
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James Gosling
- Occupations
- computer scientistwriterprogrammerinventorblogger
- Biography
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James Gosling is a Canadian computer scientist, best known as the founder and lead designer behind the Java programming language.
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Tamara Tunie
- Occupations
- film directortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Tamara Tunie is an American film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her roles as attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (1987–1995, 2000–2007, 2009) and as medical examiner Melinda Warner in the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2000–2021). Tunie also appeared in films such as Rising Sun (1993), The Devil's Advocate (1997), The Caveman's Valentine (2001) receiving Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female nomination, Flight (2012), and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022).
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Sumire Matsubara
- Occupations
- fashion modelmodelsingeractortarento
- Biography
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Sumire Matsubara, better known mononymously as Sumire (すみれ), is a Japanese actress, singer and fashion model.
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Gaius Charles
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Gaius Charles is an American actor known for his portrayal of Brian "Smash" Williams in the television drama, Friday Night Lights. He also played Dr. Shane Ross on the ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy and a recurring role on the NBC historical-drama series Aquarius, as Black Panther leader Bunchy Carter. He also played a role on NCIS's ninth season as Jason King, an arson investigator for the Baltimore Police Department.
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Christian Borle
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actoractorsinger
- Biography
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Christian Dominique Borle is an American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher and as William Shakespeare in Something Rotten!. Borle also originated the roles of Prince Herbert, et al. in Spamalot, Emmett in Legally Blonde, and Joe in Some Like It Hot on Broadway. He starred as Marvin in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos. He also starred as Tom Levitt on the NBC musical-drama television series Smash, and Vox in the adult animated musical animated series Hazbin Hotel.
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David Lander
- Occupations
- screenwritertelevision actorcomedianactorvoice actor
- Biography
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David L. Lander was an American actor, comedian, musician, and baseball scout. He was best known for his portrayal of Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman in the ABC sitcom Laverne & Shirley. He also served as a goodwill ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
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Frank Gorshin
- Occupations
- stage actorvoice actortelevision actorfilm actor
- Biography
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Frank John Gorshin Jr. was an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He made many guest appearances on television variety and talk shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show, Tonight Starring Steve Allen, The Dean Martin Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
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Michael Chabon
- Occupations
- science fiction writerwritertelevision producercolumnistscreenwriter
- Biography
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Michael Chabon is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, D.C., he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1984. He subsequently received a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of California, Irvine.
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Randy Pausch
- Occupations
- computer scientistwriteruniversity teacherpedagoguemotivational speaker
- Biography
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Randolph Frederick Pausch was an American educator, a professor of computer science, human–computer interaction, and design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Megan Hilty
- Occupations
- modeltelevision actoractorsingerstage actor
- Biography
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Megan Kathleen Hilty is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda in Wicked, Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5: The Musical, and her Tony Award–nominated role as Brooke Ashton in Noises Off. She also starred as Ivy Lynn on the musical-drama series Smash, on which she sang the Grammy Award-nominated "Let Me Be Your Star", and portrayed Liz on the sitcom Sean Saves the World.
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Patina Miller
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorsingeractorstage actor
- Biography
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Patina Renea Miller is an American actress and singer. Miller's breakout role was as originating the role of disco diva wannabe Deloris Van Cartier in the 2009 West End and 2011 Broadway productions of Sister Act for which she earned a Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award nominations respectively. She also starred as the Leading Player in the 2013 Broadway revival of Pippin, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She later returned to Broadway to star as the Witch in the 2022 Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods.
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Seamus Dever
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- Graduated with Master of Fine Arts in acting
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Seamus Patrick Dever is an American actor known for his role as Detective Kevin Ryan in the ABC series Castle.
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Edgar Mitchell
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in industrial management
- Occupations
- aerospace engineerbusinesspersonscreenwriterastronautaircraft pilot
- Biography
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Edgar Dean "Ed" Mitchell was a United States Navy officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, ufologist, and NASA astronaut. As the Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 14 in 1971 he spent nine hours working on the lunar surface in the Fra Mauro Highlands region, and was the sixth person to walk on the Moon.
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Robert Cummings
- Occupations
- screenwritertelevision writeractorfilm actoraircraft pilot
- Biography
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Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) and Princess O'Rourke (1943), and in dramatic films, especially two of Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers, Saboteur (1942) and Dial M for Murder (1954). He received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Single Performance in 1955. On February 8, 1960, he received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture and television industries, at 6816 Hollywood Boulevard and 1718 Vine Street. He used the stage name Robert Cummings from mid-1935 until the end of 1954 and was credited as Bob Cummings from 1955 until his death.
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Sally Jessy Raphael
- Occupations
- actorjournalist
- Biography
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Sally Lowenthal, better known as Sally Jessy Raphael, is an American former tabloid talk show host known for her program Sally (originally called The Sally Jessy Raphael Show).
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Elizabeth Hartman
- Occupations
- stage actorvoice actortelevision actorfilm actor
- Biography
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Mary Elizabeth Hartman was an American actress of the stage and screen. She debuted in the popular 1965 film A Patch of Blue, playing a blind girl named Selina D'Arcy, opposite Sidney Poitier, a role for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, and won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year.
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Karen Lynn Gorney
- Occupations
- stage actorfilm actordancervoice actorsinger
- Biography
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Karen Lynn Gorney is an American actress who had roles in television shows and films including the soap opera All My Children and the movie Saturday Night Fever.
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Vinod Khosla
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Vinod Khosla is an Indian-American businessman and venture capitalist. He is a co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures. Khosla made his wealth from early venture capital investments in areas such as networking, software, and alternative energy technologies. He is considered one of the most successful and influential venture capitalists.
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Nara Lokesh
- Occupations
- international forum participantpolitician
- Biography
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Nara Lokesh is an Indian politician. He is the son of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu. He also served as Panchayat Raj, Rural development and IT and Communication minister through an MLC post. He was severely criticized for not contesting the elections and becoming a minister in his father Chandrababu Naidu's cabinet. However, after great criticism for not contesting any election, he finally chose to contest as an MLA for Mangalagiri Assembly Constituency and lost miserably to YSR Congress Party candidate Alla Ramakrishna Reddy in 2019 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections.
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Aaron Staton
- Occupations
- film actorstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Aaron Staton is an American actor. He played Ken Cosgrove on the AMC series Mad Men (2007–15) and Cole Phelps in the video game L.A. Noire (2011), for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Performer.
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Luis von Ahn
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- 2000-2008 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in computer science
- Occupations
- university teachercomputer scientist
- Biography
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Luis von Ahn is a Guatemalan entrepreneur and a consulting professor in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is known as one of the pioneers of crowdsourcing. He is the founder of the company reCAPTCHA, which was sold to Google in 2009, and the co-founder and CEO of Duolingo.
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Billy Porter
- Occupations
- stage actorfilm directorscreenwriterdirectorsinger
- Biography
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William Ellis Porter II is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor.
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Steven Bochco
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- In 1966 graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts
- Occupations
- film producerscreenwritertelevision producer
- Biography
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Steven Ronald Bochco was an American television writer and producer. He developed a number of television series, including Hill Street Blues; L.A. Law; Doogie Howser, M.D.; Cop Rock; and NYPD Blue.
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Sushma Seth
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Sushma Seth is an Indian stage, film and television actress. She started her career in the 1950s, and was a founder member of the Delhi-based theatre group Yatrik. Her first film was Junoon in 1978. She is known for playing a mother and grandmother role in movies and on television, and notable for her role as Dadi in the pioneering TV soap Hum Log (1984–1985). She received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Ameena Bai in B. R. Chopra's drama Tawaif (1985). She has worked with famous directors like Dev Raj Ankur, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Manish Joshi Bismil and Chander Shekhar Sharma.
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LisaGay Hamilton
- Occupations
- television actorfilm directorstage actorfilm actorfilm producer
- Biography
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LisaGay Hamilton is an American actress who has portrayed roles in films, television, and on stage. She is best known for her role as secretary/lawyer Rebecca Washington on the ABC legal drama The Practice (1997–2003). She also portrayed Melissa Thoreau on the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age (2009-2011), Celia Jones on the Netflix series House of Cards (2016), Suzanne Simms on the Hulu series Chance (2016), and Kayla Price on the Hulu series The First (2018).
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Kali Rocha
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorscreenwriterfilm actor
- Biography
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Kali Michele Rocha is an American actress. She is known for portraying Karen Rooney, the mother of four Rooney children and school's vice principal, in the Disney Channel sitcom Liv and Maddie. She has also co-written four episodes of the show.
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Gretchen Corbett
- Occupations
- film actorstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Gretchen Hoyt Corbett is an American actress and theater director. She is primarily known for her roles in television, particularly as attorney Beth Davenport on the NBC series The Rockford Files, but has also had a prolific career as a stage actress on Broadway as well as in regional theater.
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Lamman Rucker
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Lamman Rucker is an American actor. Rucker began his career on the daytime soap operas As the World Turns and All My Children, before roles in The Temptations and Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? and Why Did I Get Married Too?. He played Will Brown in the 2008 film Meet the Browns and its television adaptation. In 2016, he began starring as Jacob Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Greenleaf. As of 2022, he stars in the BET+ drama series The Black Hamptons.
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Stephanie L. Kwolek
- Occupations
- chemistinventor
- Biography
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Stephanie Louise Kwolek was a Polish-American chemist who is known for inventing Kevlar. Her career at the DuPont company spanned more than 40 years. She discovered the first of a family of synthetic fibers of exceptional strength and stiffness: poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide.
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Paula Wagner
- Occupations
- film produceractor
- Biography
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Paula Kauffman Wagner is an American film producer and film executive. Her most recent credits include the film Marshall starring Chadwick Boseman, Kate Hudson, Sterling K. Brown, and Josh Gad as well as the Broadway, West End, and US Tour productions of Pretty Woman: The Musical.
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Andy Bechtolsheim
- Enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University
- 1975-1976 graduated with master's degree in computer science
- Occupations
- computer scientistelectrical engineerinventorbusinesspersonengineer
- Biography
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Andreas Maria Maximilian Freiherr von Mauchenheim genannt Bechtolsheim is a German electrical engineer, entrepreneur and investor. He co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 and was its chief hardware designer. As of September 2023, his net worth is $11.2 billion.
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Greg Mottola
- Occupations
- film directordirectorscreenwriteractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Gregory J. Mottola is an American film director, screenwriter, and television director.
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Katie Finneran
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Katie Finneran is an American actress best known for her Tony Award–winning performances in the Broadway play Noises Off in 2002, and the musical Promises, Promises in 2010.
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Carl Betz
- Occupations
- television actorstage actorfilm actoractordisc jockey
- Biography
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Carl Lawrence Betz was an American stage, film, and television actor. He appeared in a variety of television series, including the CBS soap opera Love of Life; he is best remembered for playing Donna Reed's television husband, Dr. Alex Stone, from 1958 to 1966 in the ABC sitcom The Donna Reed Show. Then between 1967 and 1969, Betz played defense attorney Clinton Judd in ABC's courtroom drama Judd, for the Defense, winning an Emmy Award in 1969 for his work on that series.
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Corey Cott
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actoractorsingerstage actor
- Biography
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Corey Michael Cott is an American actor and singer. He is best known for playing Jack Kelly in the Broadway musical Newsies, replacing Jeremy Jordan, and for originating the role of Donny Novitski in the Broadway musical Bandstand.
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Sonia Manzano
- Occupations
- television actorstage actorscreenwriterfilm actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Sonia Manzano is an American actress, screenwriter, and author. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street from 1971 to 2015. She received a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy Award in 2016.
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John Wells
- Occupations
- showrunnertelevision producerdirectortheatrical producerfilm director
- Biography
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John Marcum Wells is an American producer, writer, and director. He is best known for his role as showrunner and executive producer of the television series ER, Third Watch, The West Wing, Southland, Shameless, Animal Kingdom, and American Woman, as well as the miniseries Maid and the upcoming series Rescue: HI-Surf. His company, John Wells Productions, is currently based at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California. Wells is also a labor leader, having served as president of the Writers Guild of America, West from 1999 to 2001 and from 2009 to 2011. Wells serves on the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) Board of Governors. In 2011, he developed the series Shameless on Showtime, which ran for eleven seasons ending in 2021.
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James Altucher
- Occupations
- podcasterbloggerfund managerentrepreneur
- Biography
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James Altucher is an American hedge-fund manager, author, podcaster and entrepreneur who has founded or cofounded over 20 companies. He has published 20 books and is a contributor to publications including The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and The Huffington Post.
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David Servan-Schreiber
- Occupations
- university teacherpsychiatristphysician writerpsychologistessayist
- Biography
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David Servan-Schreiber was a French physician, neuroscientist and author. He was a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He was also a lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine of Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1.
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Kai-Fu Lee
- Occupations
- entrepreneurbusinesspersoninternational forum participantcomputer scientistinformation scientist
- Biography
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Kai-Fu Lee is a Taiwanese businessman, computer scientist, investor, and writer. He is currently based in Beijing, China.
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Louisa Krause
- Occupations
- musical theatre actorstage actortelevision actorfilm actor
- Biography
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Louisa Noel Krause is an American actress. After studying drama in college, she appeared in numerous off-Broadway productions while also appearing in episodes of New York-based network television series. Her first film role was in The Babysitters (2007). In 2017, she appeared in the lead role of Anna Garner in the television series The Girlfriend Experience.
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Neal Dodson
- Occupations
- film producer
- Biography
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Neal Dodson is an Independent Spirit Award-winning film producer. His producer credits include the Academy Award-nominated Margin Call, the Golden Globe Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated All Is Lost starring Robert Redford, the comedy Breakup at a Wedding, the dramas Aardvark and Viper Club, and the film A Most Violent Year starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, which won Best Picture from the National Board of Review. Dodson executive produced Another Cinderella Story starring Selena Gomez and Jane Lynch, Banshee Chapter starring Katia Winter, Hollidaysburg starring Rachel Keller, Jonathan starring Ansel Elgort, Love On A Limb starring Ashley Williams and Marilu Henner, Never Here starring Mireille Enos and Sam Shepard, and Periods as well as co-producing Hateship, Loveship starring Kristen Wiig. Dodson also produced and appeared in the Starz documentary filmmaking television series The Chair, which followed two filmmakers making the same film, and was created by producer Chris Moore.
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Jairam Ramesh
- Occupations
- economistpolitician
- Biography
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Jairam Ramesh is an Indian politician belonging to Indian National Congress. He is a Member of Parliament representing Karnataka state in the Rajya Sabha. In July 2011, Jairam was elevated to the Union Council of Ministers of India and appointed Minister of Rural Development and Minister (additional charge) of the new Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. However, in the cabinet reshuffle in October 2012, he was divested of the portfolio of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. He was previously the Indian Minister of State (Independent Charge) at the Ministry of Environment and Forests from May 2009 to July 2011.
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Donna Lynne Champlin
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Donna Lynne Champlin is an American actress, dancer and singer from New York City. She is best known for playing Paula Proctor on The CW comedy-drama series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
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Barbara Bosson
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Barbara Bosson was an American actress and writer. She is best known for her roles in the television series Hill Street Blues (1981–1986) and Murder One (1995–1997), for both of which she received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
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Michael McMillian
- Occupations
- television actorwriterfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Michael McMillian is an American actor and writer, known for his roles as Henry Gibson on What I Like About You, Steve Newlin on the HBO series True Blood, Owen on Hot in Cleveland and Tim in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. McMillian is also the creator and writer of a comic book, Lucid.
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Carmen Yulín Cruz
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto is a Puerto Rican politician who served as mayor of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico from 2013 to 2020. From 2009 through 2013, Cruz served in the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico.
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Rory O'Malley
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
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Rory James O'Malley is an American actor, best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance as Elder McKinley in The Book of Mormon. He is a co-founder of the gay rights activist group Broadway Impact.
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Ivan Sutherland
- Occupations
- computer scientistuniversity teacherprogrammerinventorengineer
- Biography
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Ivan Edward Sutherland is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer, widely regarded as a pioneer of computer graphics. His early work in computer graphics as well as his teaching with David C. Evans in that subject at the University of Utah in the 1970s was pioneering in the field. Sutherland, Evans, and their students from that era developed several foundations of modern computer graphics. He received the Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery in 1988 for the invention of the Sketchpad, an early predecessor to the sort of graphical user interface that has become ubiquitous in personal computers. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, as well as the National Academy of Sciences among many other major awards. In 2012, he was awarded the Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology for "pioneering achievements in the development of computer graphics and interactive interfaces".
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Charles Haid
- Occupations
- television actorfilm directordirectortelevision directoractor
- Biography
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Charles Maurice Haid III is an American actor and television director, with notable work in both movies and television. He is best known for his portrayal of Officer Andy Renko in Hill Street Blues.
