100 Notable alumni of
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Updated:
The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is 40th in the world, 22nd in North America, and 21st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. 1 individual affiliated with the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities won Nobel Prizes in Economics.
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Brock Lesnar
- Occupations
- mixed martial arts fighterprofessional wrestlerplayer of American football
- Biography
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Brock Edward Lesnar is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and professional American football player. He is currently signed to WWE. In WWE, he is designated a "free agent", allowing him to appear on both the Raw and SmackDown brands. Often regarded as one of the most prolific combat sport athletes in the world, Lesnar is the only person to have won the primary heavyweight championships of WWE, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
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Jessica Lange
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorphotographerfilm actor
- Biography
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Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress. She is one of the few performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having received two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, along with five Golden Globe Awards and one Screen Actors Guild Award.
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Ron Perlman
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- 1971-1973 graduated with master's degree
- Occupations
- comedianfilm actordub actorcharacter actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Ronald Perlman is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in Quest for Fire (1981), Salvatore in The Name of the Rose (1986), Vincent in the television series Beauty and the Beast (1987–1990), for which he won a Golden Globe Award, One in The City of Lost Children (1995), Johner in Alien Resurrection (1997), Koulikov in Enemy at the Gates (2001), Hellboy in both Hellboy (2004) and its sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), Clay Morrow in the television series Sons of Anarchy (2008–2013), Nino in Drive (2011) and Benedict Drask in Don't Look Up (2021). As a frequent collaborator of film director Guillermo del Toro, he has had roles in the del Toro films Cronos (1993), Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004), Pacific Rim (2013), Asher (2018), Nightmare Alley (2021), and Pinocchio (2022).
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Ric Flair
- Occupations
- writermanagerprofessional wrestleramateur wrestlerpodcaster
- Biography
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Richard Morgan Fliehr, known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanning over 50 years.
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Henry Fonda
- Occupations
- television actoractorstage actornaval officerscreenwriter
- Biography
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Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters that embodied an everyman image.
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Kris Humphries
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Kristopher Nathan Humphries is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA for the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey / Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, and the Atlanta Hawks. Humphries played college basketball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota, and for the United States men's national basketball team.
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Robert Vaughn
- Occupations
- television actorstage actorfilm actoractorvoice actor
- Biography
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Robert Francis Vaughn was an American actor and political activist, whose career in film, television and theatre spanned nearly six decades. He was a Primetime Emmy Award winner, a four-time Golden Globe Award, an Academy Award, and a BAFTA Award nominee.
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Walter Mondale
- Occupations
- lawyerautobiographerpoliticiandiplomat
- Biography
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Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota from 1964 to 1976, he was the Democratic Party's nominee in the 1984 presidential election, but lost to incumbent Ronald Reagan in an Electoral College and popular vote landslide.
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T. R. Knight
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Theodore Raymond Knight is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. George O'Malley on the ABC medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy (2005–2009, 2020), which earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2007.
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Kevin Sorbo
- Occupations
- television actorfilm directorfilm actoractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Kevin David Sorbo is an American actor and producer. He has had starring roles in two television series: as Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–1999) and as Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda (2000–2005). In between his years playing Hercules, Sorbo played his first leading film role in the 1997 fantasy film Kull the Conqueror.
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Loni Anderson
- Occupations
- film actorvoice actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Loni Kaye Anderson is an American actress. She played receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982), which earned her three Golden Globe Awards and two Emmy Award nominations.
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Yanni
- Occupations
- pianistcomposer
- Biography
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Yiannis Chryssomallis, known professionally as Yanni, is a Greek composer, keyboardist, pianist, and music producer.
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Valerie Solanas
- Occupations
- writerdirectorwomen's rights activistfilm actorplaywright
- Biography
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Valerie Jean Solanas was an American radical feminist known for the SCUM Manifesto, which she self-published in 1967, and for her attempt to murder artist Andy Warhol in 1968.
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James Hong
- Occupations
- voice actoractorfilm directorstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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James Hong is an American actor, producer and director. He has worked in numerous productions in U.S. media since the 1950s, portraying a variety of roles. He is known as one of the most prolific character actors of all time. In 2022, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the American film and television industries.
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Ko Wen-je
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Studied in 1993-1994
- Occupations
- physiciansurgeonpolitician
- Biography
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Ko Wen-je is a Taiwanese politician and physician who served as the mayor of Taipei from 2014 to 2022. He has been the chairman of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) since founding it in 2019.
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David Soul
- Occupations
- singer-songwriteractordirectortelevision directorstage actor
- Biography
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David Soul was an American and British actor and singer. With a career spanning five decades, he rose to prominence for portraying Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the American television series Starsky & Hutch from 1975 to 1979. His other notable roles included Joshua Bolt on Here Come the Brides from 1968 to 1970 and as the lead actor in the 1979 American TV movie Salem's Lot. Soul also had moderate success as a film actor when he portrayed Officer John Davis in Magnum Force in 1973.
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Peter Graves
- Occupations
- television actorfilm actoractortelevision director
- Biography
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Peter Graves was an American actor who portrayed Jim Phelps in the television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973 and in its revival from 1988 to 1990. His elder brother was actor James Arness. Graves also played airline pilot Captain Clarence Oveur in the 1980 comedy film Airplane! and its 1982 sequel Airplane II: The Sequel.
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Hubert Humphrey
- Occupations
- trade unionistpharmacistpolitician
- Biography
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Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. was an American politician and statesman who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 1949 to 1964 and 1971 to 1978. As a senator he was a major leader of modern liberalism in the United States. As President Lyndon B. Johnson's vice president, he supported the controversial Vietnam War. An intensely divided Democratic Party nominated him in the 1968 presidential election, which he lost to Republican nominee Richard Nixon.
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Yoweri Museveni
- Occupations
- writerpoliticianmilitary personnelinternational forum participantdictator
- Biography
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Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa is a Ugandan politician, military officer and revolutionary who has been the ninth President of Uganda since 1986. His government is considered autocratic. After Museveni lost the election of 1980, he started the Ugandan Bush War which led to the removal of Milton Obote.
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Aya Cash
- Occupations
- film actorstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Aya Cash is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Gretchen Cutler in the FX/FXX dark comedy series You're the Worst (2014–2019), as Stormfront in the Amazon Prime Video superhero drama series The Boys (2020–2022), and most recently as Cheryl Peterson in the Fox sitcom Welcome to Flatch. She was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy for You're the Worst. Cash also appeared in numerous films, including The Oranges (2011), Sleepwalk with Me (2012), Begin Again (2013), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Mary Goes Round (2017), Game Over, Man! (2018), and Scare Me (2020).
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Peter MacNicol
- Occupations
- film actortelevision directorcharacter actorscreenwritervoice actor
- Biography
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Peter MacNicol is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play Crimes of the Heart. His film roles include Galen in Dragonslayer (1981), Stingo in Sophie's Choice (1982), Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II (1989), camp counselor Gary Granger in Addams Family Values (1993), and David Langley in Bean (1997).
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Tony Dungy
- Occupations
- American football coachplayer of American footballbasketball player
- Biography
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Anthony Kevin Dungy is a former American football safety and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. His teams became perennial postseason contenders under his leadership, missing the playoffs only twice with Tampa Bay. He led the Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI, making him the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl.
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Eddie Albert
- Occupations
- television actoractorhumanitarianstage actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Edward Albert Heimberger was an American actor and humanitarian. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and the second in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid. Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing Edwards in the Brother Rat films, traveling salesman Ali Hakim in the musical Oklahoma!, and the sadistic prison warden in 1974's The Longest Yard. He starred as Oliver Wendell Douglas in the 1960s television sitcom Green Acres and as Frank MacBride in the 1970s crime drama Switch. He also had a recurring role as Carlton Travis on Falcon Crest, with Jane Wyman.
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Mychal Thompson
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Mychal George Thompson is a Bahamian sports commentator and former professional basketball player. The top overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Thompson played the center position for the University of Minnesota and center and forward for the National Basketball Association's Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson won two NBA championships with the Lakers during their Showtime era in the 1980s. He is the father of basketball players Klay Thompson and Mychel Thompson, and baseball player Trayce Thompson.
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Christiaan Barnard
- Occupations
- physiciansurgeonwriter
- Biography
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Christiaan Neethling Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first human-to-human heart transplant operation. On 3 December 1967, Barnard transplanted the heart of accident victim Denise Darvall into the chest of 54-year-old Louis Washkansky who regained full consciousness and was able to talk easily with his wife, before dying eighteen days later of pneumonia, largely brought on by the anti-rejection drugs that suppressed his immune system. Barnard had told Mr. and Mrs. Washkansky that the operation had an 80% chance of success, an assessment which has been criticised as misleading. Barnard's second transplant patient, Philip Blaiberg, whose operation was performed at the beginning of 1968, returned home from the hospital and lived for a year and a half.
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Kevin McHale
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Kevin Edward McHale is an American former professional basketball player, coach and analyst who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. Sometimes nicknamed "The Torture Chamber", he is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
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Norman Borlaug
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Studied in 1937
- Occupations
- biologistuniversity teacheragronomistengineergeneticist
- Biography
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Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the Green Revolution. Borlaug was awarded multiple honors for his work, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, one of only seven people to have received all three awards.
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Cheryl Strayed
- Occupations
- women's rights activistessayistwriterjournalistblogger
- Biography
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Cheryl Strayed is an American writer and podcast host. She has written four books: the novel Torch (2006) and the nonfiction books Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (2012), Tiny Beautiful Things (2012) and Brave Enough (2015). Wild, the story of Strayed's 1995 hike up the Pacific Crest Trail, is an international bestseller and was adapted into the 2014 Academy Award-nominated film Wild.
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Nick Clegg
- Occupations
- writerpoliticianinternational forum participantcommunicator
- Biography
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Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg is a British media executive and former politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015 and as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Hallam from 2005 to 2017. An "Orange Book" liberal, he has been associated with both socially liberal and economically liberal policies. In 2018, Clegg became vice‑president of global affairs and communications at Facebook, Inc. (renamed Meta Platforms in 2021), before being promoted in 2022 to president for global affairs.
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Keith Ellison
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- In 1990 graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Keith Maurice Ellison is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 30th attorney general of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Ellison was the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district from 2007 to 2019. He also served as the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2017 to 2018 and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007. In Congress, Ellison built a reputation as a progressive leader.
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Kimberly Elise
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Kimberly Elise Trammel is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in Set It Off (1996), and later received critical acclaim for her performance in Beloved (1998).
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Eric Bischoff
- Occupations
- entrepreneurscreenwriterprofessional wrestlertelevision producerpodcaster
- Biography
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Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and subsequently, the on-screen General Manager of WWE's Raw brand. Bischoff has also worked with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) where he served as Executive Producer of Impact Wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
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Pete Docter
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm producerfilm directoranimatorvoice actor
- Biography
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Peter Hans Docter is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator. He has served as the chief creative officer (CCO) of Pixar Animation Studios since 2018, and is best known for directing the animated feature films Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Soul (2020). He has been nominated for nine Oscars and has won three for Best Animated Feature—for Up, Inside Out and Soul—making him the first person in history to win the category three times. He has also been nominated for nine Annie Awards (winning six), a BAFTA Children's Film Award and a Hochi Film Award. He has described himself as a "geeky kid from Minnesota who likes to draw cartoons".
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Russell M. Nelson
- Occupations
- cardiologistsurgeonmilitary physician
- Biography
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Russell Marion Nelson Sr. is an American religious leader and retired surgeon who is the 17th and current president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Nelson was a member of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for nearly 34 years, and was the quorum president from 2015 to 2018. As church president, Nelson is recognized by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator.
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Santino Fontana
- Occupations
- film actoractorcomposerfilm editortheatrical director
- Biography
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Santino Fontana is an American actor and singer. He began his career in 2007 and soon gained wide acclaim for his leading performances on Broadway and Off-Broadway. He has received a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Obie Award, and Clarence Derwent Award. In 2019, Fontana won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his lead performance as Michael Dorsey in the stage adaptation of Tootsie.
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Maria Bamford
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in creative writing
- Occupations
- television actorscreenwriterfilm actorvoice actorcomedian
- Biography
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Maria Bamford is an American actress and stand-up comedian. Her work often uses self-deprecating and dark topics, including her dysfunctional family, depression, anxiety, suicide, and mental illness.
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Deke Slayton
- Occupations
- air force officeraerospace engineertest pilotastronautautobiographer
- Biography
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Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton was a United States Air Force pilot, aeronautical engineer, and test pilot who was selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts. He went on to become NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office and Director of Flight Crew Operations, responsible for NASA crew assignments.
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Phil Kessel
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. is an American professional ice hockey winger who is an unrestricted free agent. He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes, and the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kessel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, winning back-to-back championships with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and with the Golden Knights in 2023.
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Garrison Keillor
- Occupations
- voice actorwriterhumoristtelevision producerscreenwriter
- Biography
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Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show A Prairie Home Companion (called Garrison Keillor's Radio Show in some international syndication), which he hosted from 1974 to 2016. Keillor created the fictional Minnesota town Lake Wobegon, the setting of many of his books, including Lake Wobegon Days and Leaving Home: A Collection of Lake Wobegon Stories. Other creations include Guy Noir, a detective voiced by Keillor who appeared in A Prairie Home Companion comic skits. Keillor is also the creator of the five-minute daily radio/podcast program The Writer's Almanac, which pairs poems of his choice with a script about important literary, historical, and scientific events that coincided with that date in history.
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Thomas Friedman
- Occupations
- writerinternational forum participantcolumnistscreenwriterjournalist
- Biography
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Thomas Loren Friedman is an American political commentator and author. He is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner who is a weekly columnist for The New York Times. He has written extensively on foreign affairs, global trade, the Middle East, globalization, and environmental issues.
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Arlene Dahl
- Occupations
- modelcostume designercolumnistentrepreneurbusinessperson
- Biography
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Arlene Carol Dahl was an American actress active in films from the late 1940s. She was one of the last surviving stars from the Classical Hollywood cinema era.
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Herb Brooks
- Occupations
- ice hockey coachice hockey player
- Biography
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Herbert Paul Brooks Jr. was an American ice hockey player and coach. His most notable achievement came in 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team at Lake Placid. At the Games, Brooks' American team upset the heavily favored Soviet team in a match that came to be known as the "Miracle on Ice."
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Ernest Lawrence
- Occupations
- nuclear physicistuniversity teacherphysicist
- Biography
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Ernest Orlando Lawrence was an American nuclear physicist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939 for his invention of the cyclotron. He is known for his work on uranium-isotope separation for the Manhattan Project, as well as for founding the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
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Eugene McCarthy
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Studied in 1939
- Occupations
- politicianMilitary Intelligence Divisionteacher
- Biography
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Eugene Joseph McCarthy was an American politician, writer, and academic from Minnesota. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the United States Senate from 1959 to 1971. McCarthy sought the Democratic presidential nomination in the 1968 election, challenging incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson on an anti-Vietnam War platform. McCarthy unsuccessfully ran for U.S. president four more times.
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Lila Downsgil
- Occupations
- singer-songwriteropera singerfilm actoractorrecording artist
- Biography
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Ana Lila Downs Sánchez is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music. She also incorporates indigenous Mexican influences and has recorded songs in many indigenous languages such as Mixtec, Zapotec, Mayan, Nahuatl and Purépecha. Born and raised in Oaxaca, she primarily studied at the Institute of Arts by Oaxaca and briefly attended the University of Minnesota, before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She soon began performing in the traditional music scene of Oaxaca City.
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Clara Ponsatí i Obiols
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- economistpolitician
- Biography
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Clara Ponsatí i Obiols is a Catalan economist and politician from Spain. She was appointed Minister of Education of the Government of Catalonia by President Carles Puigdemont on 14 July 2017, and was dismissed by the Spanish Government pursuant to Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution on 27 October 2017, due to the organisation of the 2017 Catalan independence referendum and the subsequent declaration of independence. On 30 October 2017, she went into exile in Brussels together with Carles Puigdemont and three other members of his government, Lluís Puig, Antoni Comín and Meritxell Serret. In May 2018, she returned to the University of St Andrews (Scotland) as a professor. In the 2019 Spanish municipal elections, she was placed last on the list of the candidacy Barcelona és capital - Primàries, led by Jordi Graupera. Since February 2020, she is a Member of the European Parliament within the Junts i Lliures per Europa grouping.
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Andreas Papandreou
- Occupations
- university teacherpoliticianeconomist
- Biography
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Andreas Georgiou Papandreou was a Greek economist, politician, and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, which he led from 1974 to 1996. He served three terms as the 3rd and 8th prime minister of Greece.
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Warren E. Burger
- Occupations
- politicianjudgelawyer
- Biography
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Warren Earl Burger was an American attorney and jurist who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the St. Paul College of Law in 1931. He helped secure the Minnesota delegation's support for Dwight D. Eisenhower at the 1952 Republican National Convention. After Eisenhower won the 1952 presidential election, he appointed Burger to the position of Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Division. In 1956, Eisenhower appointed Burger to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Burger served on this court until 1969 and became known as a critic of the Warren Court.
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Dave Winfield
- Occupations
- baseball playerbasketball player
- Biography
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David Mark Winfield is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He is the special assistant to the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Over his 22-year career, he played for six teams: the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians. He had the winning hit in the 1992 World Series with the Blue Jays over the Atlanta Braves.
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Kevin McCarthy
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Kevin McCarthy was an American stage, film and television actor, remembered as the male lead in the horror science fiction film Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).
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Flip Saunders
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Philip Daniel "Flip" Saunders was an American basketball player and coach. During his career, he coached the La Crosse Catbirds, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards.
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Verne Gagne
- Occupations
- coachplayer of American footballamateur wrestlerprofessional wrestler
- Biography
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Laverne Clarence Gagne was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association (AWA), the predominant promotion throughout the Midwest and Manitoba for many years. He remained in this position until 1991, when the company folded.
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Paul Molitor
- Occupations
- baseball playerbaseball manager
- Biography
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Paul Leo Molitor, nicknamed "Molly" and "the Ignitor", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. During his 21-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992), Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995), and Minnesota Twins (1996–1998). He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed. He made seven All-Star Game appearances, and was the World Series Most Valuable Player in 1993. Molitor currently ranks tenth on the all-time MLB career hits list with 3,319. He is one of only five players in history with 3,000+ hits, a lifetime.300+ batting average, and 500+ career stolen bases.
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Joseph M. Juran
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- 1920-1924 graduated with bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
- Occupations
- economiststatisticianbusinesspersonelectrical engineerconsultant
- Biography
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Joseph Moses Juran was a Romanian-born American engineer, management consultant and author. He was an advocate for quality and quality management and wrote several books on the topics. He was the brother of Academy Award winner Nathan Juran.
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Robert M. Pirsig
- Occupations
- novelistautobiographerwriterphilosopher
- Biography
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Robert Maynard Pirsig was an American writer and philosopher. He is the author of the philosophical novels Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (1974) and Lila: An Inquiry into Morals (1991), and he co-authored On Quality: An Inquiry Into Excellence: Selected and Unpublished Writings (2022) along with his wife and editor, Wendy Pirsig.
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Bud Grant
- Occupations
- basketball playerCanadian football playerAmerican football coachplayer of American footballbaseball player
- Biography
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Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. was an American professional gridiron football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). Grant was head coach of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings for 18 seasons; he was the team's second (1967–83) and fourth (1985) head coach, leading them to four Super Bowl appearances, 11 division titles, one league championship and three National Football Conference championships. Before coaching the Vikings, he was the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for 10 seasons, winning the Grey Cup four times.
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Richard Riehle
- Occupations
- film actorstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Richard Riehle is an American character actor. He portrayed Walt Finnerty on Grounded for Life (2001–2005) and The Warden on The Young and the Restless (2007). He has also appeared in over 200 films, including Glory (1989), The Fugitive (1993), Casino (1995), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) and Office Space (1999).
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Alan Page
- Occupations
- lawyerradio personalityplayer of American footballtelevision presenterpolitician
- Biography
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Alan Cedric Page is an American retired Minnesota state Supreme Court judge and former professional football player.
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Gable Steveson
- Occupations
- collegiate wrestleramateur wrestler
- Biography
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Gable Dan Steveson is an American professional wrestler, freestyle wrestler and folkstyle wrestler who is currently signed to the WWE.
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Kate Millett
- Occupations
- artistwriterpedagoguewomen's rights activistpainter
- Biography
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Katherine Murray Millett was an American feminist writer, educator, artist, and activist. She attended the University of Oxford and was the first American woman to be awarded a degree with first-class honors after studying at St Hilda's College, Oxford. She has been described as "a seminal influence on second-wave feminism", and is best known for her book Sexual Politics (1970), which was based on her doctoral dissertation at Columbia University. Journalist Liza Featherstone attributes the attainment of previously unimaginable "legal abortion, greater professional equality between the sexes, and a sexual freedom" in part to Millett's efforts.
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Tay Zonday
- Occupations
- singer-songwriterYouTubersingeractormusician
- Biography
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Adam Nyerere Bahner, better known by the pseudonym Tay Zonday or as "Chocolate Rain Guy", is an American YouTube personality, singer-songwriter, and voice actor. He is known for his bass singing voice.
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Poul Anderson
- Occupations
- novelistauthorwriterscience fiction writer
- Biography
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Poul William Anderson was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until his death in 2001. Anderson also wrote historical novels. He was nominated seven times for the Hugo Award and five times for the Nebula Award.
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Sara McMann
- Occupations
- amateur wrestlermixed martial arts fighter
- Biography
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Sara McMann is an American female mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA, competing in the Women's Featherweight division. McMann is a former Olympic wrestler and received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and was a World Silver Medalist and 2-time Bronze Medalist. She would then transition to MMA, most notably competing in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
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Stéphane Bancel
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Studied in 1994-1995
- Occupations
- international forum participantbusinessperson
- Biography
-
Stéphane Bancel is a French business executive. He is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna, known for its COVID-19 vaccine. Before joining Moderna, Bancel was the CEO of French diagnostics company BioMérieux. Bancel is a partner at Flagship Pioneering, and has served on the boards of Indigo Agriculture, Boston's Museum of Science, and Qiagen. As of May 2023, his net worth was estimated at US$4.1 billion, owning about 8% of Moderna.
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Dean Phillips
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Dean Benson Phillips is an American businessman, politician, and candidate for the 2024 Democratic Party presidential nomination who has served as the U.S. representative from Minnesota's 3rd congressional district since 2019. Phillips's district encompasses the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Bloomington, Minnetonka, Edina, Maple Grove, Plymouth, and Eden Prairie. A member of the Democratic Party, Phillips has both owned and started several companies in addition to serving as president and CEO of his family's liquor business, the Phillips Distilling Company. He is the former co-owner of Talenti gelato and co-owns Penny's Coffee. On November 24, 2023, Phillips announced that he would not run for reelection.
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Son Seokhee
- Occupations
- announcerjournalistbusinessperson
- Biography
-
Sohn Suk-hee is a former South Korean anchor and currently serving as general director and president of JTBC and JTBC Studios. He was also a former professor at Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, South Korea.
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Jacky Rosen
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- In 1979 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- politicianbusiness executivesoftware developer
- Biography
-
Jacklyn Sheryl Rosen is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Nevada since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the U.S. representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district from 2017 to 2019.
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Tahsan Rahman Khan
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Graduated with Master of Business Administration
- Occupations
- actorsingermusician
- Biography
-
Tahsan Rahman Khan is a Bangladeshi musician and actor. He was the former keyboardist and second vocalist of the Grunge and Alternative rock band Black. Currently he is the lead singer of his own band ‘Tahsan and the Band.’
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Lorena Hickok
- Occupations
- biographerjournalist
- Biography
-
Lorena Alice "Hick" Hickok was a pioneering American journalist and long-term romantic interest of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
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Cory Wong
- Occupations
- guitarist
- Biography
-
Cory Wong is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer based in Minneapolis. He has released many works as a solo artist and in partnership with others. His background spans several genres including jazz, rock, and funk. He has performed with Vulfpeck, Dave Koz, Stay Human, The Fearless Flyers, Ben Rector, Dr. Mambo's Combo, Chris Thile, Dave Matthews Band, and Dirty Loops. He released several albums in 2020, including Live in Amsterdam, a collaboration with the Metropole Orkest, and Meditations, a new-age album with Jon Batiste. His recent works include two albums released in conjunction with his variety show.
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Arthur Holly Compton
- Occupations
- physicisttheoretical physicistnuclear physicistuniversity teacher
- Biography
-
Arthur Holly Compton was an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927 for his 1923 discovery of the Compton effect, which demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radiation. It was a sensational discovery at the time: the wave nature of light had been well-demonstrated, but the idea that light had both wave and particle properties was not easily accepted. He is also known for his leadership over the Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago during the Manhattan Project, and served as chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis from 1945 to 1953.
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Richard Carlson
- Occupations
- film actorwriterscreenwritertelevision actorfilm director
- Biography
-
Richard Dutoit Carlson was an American actor, television and film director, and screenwriter.
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Michael T. Osterholm
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- In 1980 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- epidemiologistacademicprofessor
- Biography
-
Michael Thomas Osterholm is an American epidemiologist, Regents Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
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Dave Arneson
- Occupations
- game designerrole-playing game designer
- Biography
-
David Lance Arneson was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published role-playing game (RPG), Dungeons & Dragons, with Gary Gygax, in the early 1970s. Arneson's early work was fundamental to the role-playing game (RPG) genre, pioneering devices now considered to be archetypical, such as cooperative play to develop a storyline instead of individual competitive play to "win" and adventuring in dungeon, town, and wilderness settings as presented by a neutral judge who doubles as the voice and consciousness of all characters aside from the player characters.
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Blake Wheeler
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
-
Blake James Wheeler is an American professional ice hockey player for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. After failing to come to terms on a contract with the Coyotes, he signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent.
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Barbora Špotáková
- Occupations
- athletics competitorjavelin thrower
- Biography
-
Barbora Špotáková is a former Czech track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. She is a two-time Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion, as well as the current world record holder with a throw of 72.28 m.
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John Stumpf
- Occupations
- entrepreneur
- Biography
-
John Gerard Stumpf is an American business executive and retail banker. He was the chairman and chief executive officer of Wells Fargo, one of the Big Four banks of the United States. He was named CEO in June 2007, elected to the board of directors in June 2006, and named president in August 2005. He became chairman in January 2010. Stumpf resigned as chairman and CEO of Wells Fargo on October 12, 2016, after a scandal involving customer accounts and subsequent pressure from the public and lawmakers. He was succeeded by Timothy J. Sloan.
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John Stapp
- Occupations
- physicianbiophysicistaircraft pilotsoldier
- Biography
-
John Paul Stapp was an American career U.S. Air Force officer, flight surgeon, physician, biophysicist, and pioneer in studying the effects of acceleration forces on humans. He was a colleague and contemporary of Chuck Yeager, and became known as "the fastest man on earth". His work on Project Manhigh pioneered many developments for the US space program.
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Erik Johnson
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
-
Erik Robert Johnson is an American ice hockey defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed the "Condor", Johnson previously played for the St. Louis Blues, who selected him with the first overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, as well as the Colorado Avalanche. Additionally, he has represented the United States in numerous tournaments. Johnson won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.
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Tim Pawlenty
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
-
Timothy James Pawlenty is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 39th governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Pawlenty served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003, and as House Majority Leader from 1999 to 2003. He unsuccessfully ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2012 presidential election. As of 2024, Pawlenty's 2006 victory is the last time a Republican has been elected to statewide office in Minnesota.
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Nik Lentz
- Occupations
- mixed martial arts fighter
- Biography
-
Nik Lentz is an American retired mixed martial artist. He most notably fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in the lightweight division.
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Johnny Olson
- Occupations
- actorradio personality
- Biography
-
John Leonard Olson was an American radio personality and television announcer. Olson is perhaps best known for his work as an announcer for game shows, particularly the work he did for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Olson was the longtime announcer for the original To Tell the Truth and What's My Line?, and spent over a decade as the announcer for both Match Game and The Price Is Right, working on the latter series at the time of his death.
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Everett Dirksen
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- commissionerlawyerpoliticianentrepreneur
- Biography
-
Everett McKinley Dirksen was an American politician. A Republican, he represented Illinois in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. As Senate Minority Leader from 1959 until his death in 1969, he played a highly visible and key role in the politics of the 1960s. He helped write and pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968, both landmark pieces of legislation during the civil rights movement. He was also one of the Senate's strongest supporters of the Vietnam War. A talented orator with a florid style and a notably rich baritone voice, he delivered flamboyant speeches that caused his detractors to refer to him as "The Wizard of Ooze".
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Nick Begich
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- In 1954 graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Nicholas Joseph Begich Sr. was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alaska. He is presumed to have died in the crash of a light aircraft in Alaska in 1972; his body was never found. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
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Thomas Vanek
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
-
Thomas Vanek is an Austrian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played fourteen years in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets. Vanek was drafted by the Sabres fifth overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, making him the highest-drafted Austrian in NHL history along with David Reinbacher in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
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Seymour Cray
- Occupations
- computer scientistapplied mathematicianelectrical engineerbusinesspersonengineer
- Biography
-
Seymour Roger Cray was an American electrical engineer and supercomputer architect who designed a series of computers that were the fastest in the world for decades, and founded Cray Research which built many of these machines. Called "the father of supercomputing", Cray has been credited with creating the supercomputer industry. Joel S. Birnbaum, then chief technology officer of Hewlett-Packard, said of him: "It seems impossible to exaggerate the effect he had on the industry; many of the things that high performance computers now do routinely were at the farthest edge of credibility when Seymour envisioned them." Larry Smarr, then director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois said that Cray is "the Thomas Edison of the supercomputing industry."
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Kelly Catlin
- Occupations
- sport cyclist
- Biography
-
Kelly Catlin was an American professional racing cyclist who rode for UCI Women's Team Human Powered Health. Catlin won gold medals in the women's team pursuit at the 2016, 2017, and 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. She also won a silver medal in the same event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
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John Bessler
- Years
- 1967-.. (age 57)
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
-
John David Bessler is an American attorney and academic. He is a professor of law at the University of Baltimore School of Law and an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. He is the husband of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.
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Ryan Saunders
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
-
Ryan Philip Saunders is an American basketball assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is known for his work as a head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves and in player development with the Washington Wizards staff. He is the son of longtime NBA coach Flip Saunders.
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Melvin Calvin
- Occupations
- biologistuniversity teacherbiochemistengineerchemist
- Biography
-
Melvin Ellis Calvin was an American biochemist known for discovering the Calvin cycle along with Andrew Benson and James Bassham, for which he was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He spent most of his five-decade career at the University of California, Berkeley.
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David Carr
- Enrolled in the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Studied journalism and psychology
- Occupations
- journalistbloggercolumnistmemoirist
- Biography
-
David Michael Carr was an American columnist, author, and newspaper editor. He wrote the Media Equation column and covered culture for The New York Times.
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Perng Fai-nan
- Occupations
- economist
- Biography
-
Perng Fai-nan is a Taiwanese economist. He served as the governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 25 February 1998 to 26 February 2018, the longest-serving governor in the bank's history. Perng held the distinction as "Best Central Banker in the world" for 14 years (2000, 2005-2017) per Global Finance.
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Mohamed Azmin Ali
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Mohamed Azmin bin Ali is a Malaysian politician who is the current Leader of the Opposition of Selangor and member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Hulu Kelang since August 2023. Formerly a member of the Malaysian Parliament for Gombak from 2008 to 2022, Azmin served in the cabinets of Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob as Senior Minister of the Economic Cluster and Minister of International Trade and Industry from 2020 to 2022. A member of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU), which is a component party of Perikatan Nasional coalition, Azmin also served as a member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Bukit Antarabangsa from 2008 to 2023.
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Greg Gagne
- Occupations
- professional wrestler
- Biography
-
Gregory Alan Gagne is an American retired professional wrestler. He is the son of Verne Gagne. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he achieved his biggest success as one-half of tag team the High Flyers with Jim Brunzell. The High Flyers enjoyed a number of high-profile feuds within the American Wrestling Association (AWA) with the likes of Bobby Duncum and Blackjack Lanza, Pat Patterson and Ray "The Crippler" Stevens, the East-West Connection (Adrian Adonis and Jesse "The Body" Ventura), and the Sheiks (Ken Patera and Jerry Blackwell).
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James Rosenquist
- Occupations
- painterprintmakerphotographersculptordesigner
- Biography
-
James Albert Rosenquist was an American artist and one of the proponents of the pop art movement. Drawing from his background working in sign painting, Rosenquist's pieces often explored the role of advertising and consumer culture in art and society, utilizing techniques he learned making commercial art to depict popular cultural icons and mundane everyday objects. While his works have often been compared to those from other key figures of the pop art movement, such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, Rosenquist's pieces were unique in the way that they often employed elements of surrealism using fragments of advertisements and cultural imagery to emphasize the overwhelming nature of ads. He was a 2001 inductee into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.
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Kyle Okposo
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
-
Kyle Henry Erovre Okposo is an American professional ice hockey right winger and captain of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted seventh overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders, for whom he played from 2008 to 2016.
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Roy Wilkins
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
-
Roy Ottoway Wilkins was a prominent activist in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. Wilkins' most notable role was his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in which he held the title of Executive Secretary from 1955 to 1963 and Executive Director from 1964 to 1977. Wilkins was a central figure in many notable marches of the civil rights movement. He made valuable contributions in the world of African-American literature, and his voice was used to further the efforts in the fight for equality. Wilkins' pursuit of social justice also touched the lives of veterans and active service members, through his awards and recognition of exemplary military personnel.
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Louis Ignarro
- Occupations
- pharmacistbiochemistuniversity teacherpharmacologist
- Biography
-
Louis José Ignarro is an American pharmacologist. For demonstrating the signaling properties of nitric oxide, he was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Robert F. Furchgott and Ferid Murad.
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Harry Reasoner
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
-
Harry Reasoner was an American journalist for CBS and ABC News, known for his adroit use of language as a television commentator and as one of the original hosts of the news magazine 60 Minutes (1968–1970, 1978–1991).
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Dessa
- Occupations
- songwriterrecord producersingerrapper
- Biography
-
Margret Wander, better known by her stage name Dessa, is an American rapper, singer, writer, and former record executive. She is a member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree.
