Notable Alumni of San Jose State University [Sorted List]

1. Carol Liu

1941-. (aged 85)

teacher politician

Carol Jean Liu is an American politician who is a former member of the California State Senate. A Democrat, she represented Senate District 25, which includes portions of the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys.

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2. Greg Massialas

1956-. (aged 70)

fencer

Gregory David Massialas is an American foil fencer and fencing coach.

3. Mike Swain

1960-. (aged 66)

judoka

Michael Lee Swain is one of the most successful American judoka. He competed in countless international competitions. He is now the VP of Martial Arts at Dollamur, Sports LP where he develops and sells Martial Arts equipment and continues to be a spokesperson and board member for USA Judo.

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4. André LaMothe

1972-. (aged 54)

computer scientist engineer

André LaMothe is a computer scientist, author, hardware engineer, and game programmer, known for writing books about game development.

5. Hank Pfister

1953-. (aged 73)

tennis player

Hank Pfister is a former tennis player from the United States, who won two singles titles (1981, Maui and 1982, Newport) during his professional career. The right-hander reached his highest individual ranking on the ATP Tour on May 2, 1983, when he became world No. 19.

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6. Ray Norton

1937-. (aged 89)

athletics competitor American football player

Otis Ray Norton is a former American sprinter who competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

7. Jim Beall

1952-. (aged 74)

politician

James Thomas Beall Jr. is an American politician who served in the California State Senate from 2012 to 2020. A Democrat, he represented the 15th Senate District, which encompasses the South Bay and Silicon Valley.

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8. Hal Plotkin

1957-. (aged 69)

journalist

Hal Wayne Plotkin is an American journalist and activist. He is currently the senior open policy fellow at Creative Commons.

9. William J. Borucki

1939-. (aged 87)

meteorologist planetary scientist physicist

William J. Borucki (born 1939) is a space scientist who worked at the NASA Ames Research Center. Upon joining NASA in 1962, Borucki joined the group conducting research on the heat shield for Apollo program spacecraft. He later turned his attention to the optical efficiency of lightning strikes in the atmospheres of planets, investigating the propensity that these lightning strikes...

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10. Omari Moore

2000-. (aged 26)

basketball player

Omari Kamau Moore is an American–born naturalized North Macedonian professional basketball player for Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the San Jose State Spartans of the Mountain West Conference. As a senior in 2023, Moore was the Mountain West Player of the Year.

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11. Helder Antunes

1963-. (aged 63)

computer scientist businessperson

Hélder Fragueiro Antunes is a Portuguese-American executive, computer scientist, entrepreneur, and former racecar driver. A Cisco Systems executive for over twenty years, as well as founder and first Chairman of the OpenFog Consortium, Antunes is currently the chief executive officer of Crowdkeep. His car racing career in the 1980s and '90s made him one of the most preeminent open road...

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12. Liz Climo

1981-. (aged 45)

cartoonist caricaturist animator illustrator comics artist

Liz Climo is an American cartoonist, animator, children's book author, and illustrator. She is best known for her webcomics, which she posts regularly to her website, The Little World of Liz, and her Rory the Dinosaur children's book series. She has also been animating on the television series The Simpsons since 2003.

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13. Andre Chachere

1996-. (aged 30)

American football player

Andre Maleek Chachere is an American professional football safety. He played college football for the San José State Spartans.

14. Viliami Fehoko

American football player

Viliami Taopa Fehoko Jr. is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Jose State Spartans and was named the 2022 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. Fehoko was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft and...

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15. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry

1954-. (aged 72)

politician

Cecilia Aguiar-Curry is an American politician serving as the majority leader of the California State Assembly since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she has represented the 4th Assembly District since 2016.

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16. Christos Papanikolaou

1941-. (aged 85)

athletics competitor

Christos Papanikolaou is a Greek retired pole vaulter. On 25 October 1970, he set the world record at 5.49 m (18 ft 0 in), significant to Americans as the first man to pole vault 18 feet. He competed at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics and finished in 18th, 4th and 11th place, respectively. He won a silver medal at...

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17. Yosh Uchida

1920-2024 (aged 104)

judoka

Yoshihiro Uchida was an American judo coach, businessman, and educator who was best known for his contributions to judo. Uchida had been the head judo coach at San Jose State University for over 70 years, and had played a leading part in the development of the university's judo program. His brother George Uchida was the 1972 US Olympic judo coach....

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18. Stu Inman

1926-2007 (aged 81)

sports executive basketball player basketball coach

Stuart Kirk Inman was an American basketball player, coach and executive. He was selected in the sixth round of the 1950 NBA draft from San Jose State University by the Chicago Stags; however, he did not play in the NBA.

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19. Edward Soriano

1946-. (aged 80)

military personnel

Edward Soriano is an American retired lieutenant general. He is the highest-ranking Filipino American officer to have served in the United States military, and the first promoted to a general officer. Born in the Philippines, Soriano moved with his family to the United States and graduated from Salinas High School before being commissioned as an officer through Army Reserve Officers'...

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20. Béla H. Bánáthy

1919-2003 (aged 84)

linguist professor writer

Béla Heinrich Bánáthy was a Hungarian-American linguist, and Professor at San Jose State University and UC Berkeley. He is known as founder of the White Stag Leadership Development Program, established the International Systems Institute in 1982, and was co-founder of the General Evolutionary Research Group in 1984.

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21. Cindy Chavez

1964-. (aged 62)

politician

Cindy Chavez is an American politician serving as the Manager of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, since 2024. She previously served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors from 2013 to 2024 and on the San Jose City Council, where she was also Vice Mayor. She ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of San Jose twice, in 2006 and 2022.

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22. Eddy Howard

1914-1963 (aged 49)

singer songwriter jazz musician

Edward Evan Duncan Howard was an American vocalist and bandleader who was popular during the 1940s and 1950s.

23. Lyn Nofziger

1924-2006 (aged 82)

writer political adviser spokesperson journalist

Franklyn Curran "Lyn" Nofziger was an American journalist, conservative Republican political consultant and author. He served as press secretary in Ronald Reagan's administration as Governor of California, and as a White House advisor during the Richard Nixon administration and again during the Reagan presidency.

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24. Sig Mejdal

1965-. (aged 61)

statistician

Sig Mejdal is the assistant general manager for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball.

25. Mark Hubbard

1989-. (aged 37)

golfer

Mark Hubbard is an American professional golfer.

26. Arnnon Geshuri

1969-. (aged 57)

psychologist business executive

Arnnon Geshuri is an American corporate executive. He was vice president of human resources at Tesla, Inc. from 2009 until 2017, senior director of human resources and staffing at Google from 2004 to 2009, and vice president of people operations and director of global staffing at E-Trade Financial Corporation circa 2002. 2023-24 he was the Chief People Officer at Teladoc...

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27. Randy Johnson

1963-. (aged 63)

photographer baseball player

Randall Glenn Johnson is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. He played three full seasons in the Majors, from 1982 through 1984, for the Atlanta Braves. He also played two seasons in Japan, 1987 and 1988, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He served as the minor league field coordinator for the San Diego Padres from 2010-2015. He is...

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28. Linda Le

1982-. (aged 44)

costume designer cosplayer model

Linda Le is an American cosplayer, costumer, model, artist and Internet personality of Vietnamese descent. She is also known as Vampy Bit Me, or just Vampy or Vamp; "Vampy" is also a name she has given to her own fictional character persona.

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29. Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston

1964-2024 (aged 60)

writer

Jeanne Toyo Wakatsuki Houston was an American writer. Her writings primarily focused on ethnic identity formation in the United States of America, the experience of Japanese American incarceration, and navigating biculturalism. She is best known for her memoir Farewell to Manzanar that narrates her personal experiences in World War II incarceration camps. The book has been credited with sharing the...

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30. Titus Kaphar

1976-. (aged 50)

painter draftsperson film actor activist film director

Titus Kaphar is an American contemporary painter and filmmaker whose work reconfigures and regenerates art history to include African-American subjects. His paintings are held in the collections of Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum, Yale University Art Gallery, New Britain Museum of American Art, Seattle Art Museum, Mississippi Museum of Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and University of Michigan...

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31. David Gorodyansky

1982-. (aged 44)

chief executive officer

David Gorodyansky is an American entrepreneur and angel investor best known as the CEO of AnchorFree, a company he co-founded in 2005 with Eugene Malobrodsky. AnchorFree is the developer of Hotspot Shield, a virtual private network provider. In 2019, Fast Company named AnchorFree the 13th most innovative company in the world and the #1 most innovative security company. AnchorFree's most...

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32. Joe Trippi

1956-. (aged 70)

consultant politician

Joseph Paul Trippi is an American political strategist. A member of the Democratic Party, Trippi most notably served as campaign manager of former Vermont governor Howard Dean's 2004 presidential bid, and has served as a political commentator for CNN since 2018. He has worked on a number of prominent gubernatorial and United States Senate campaigns, including the successful bids of...

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33. Michael Deaver

1938-2007 (aged 69)

politician lobbyist

Michael Keith Deaver was a member of President Ronald Reagan's White House staff who served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff under James Baker III and Donald Regan from January 1981 to May 1985.

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34. Tate Forcier

1990-. (aged 36)

Canadian football player American football player

Robert Patrick "Tate" Forcier is an American former football quarterback. He was a starting quarterback for the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team ahead of Denard Robinson, and Robinson's backup for the 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team. He left the program in January 2011 when head coach Rich Rodriguez was replaced by Brady Hoke. He missed the January 1, 2011 Gator...

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35. Bill Walsh

1931-2007 (aged 76)

television presenter American football coach non-fiction writer

William Ernest Walsh was an American professional and college football coach. He served as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Stanford Cardinal, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense. After retiring from the 49ers, Walsh worked as a sports broadcaster for several years and then returned as head coach at Stanford for three seasons.

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36. Patricia A. McKillip

1948-2022 (aged 74)

writer science fiction writer children's writer novelist

Patricia Anne McKillip was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. She wrote predominantly standalone fantasy novels and has been called "one of the most accomplished prose stylists in the fantasy genre". Her work won many awards, including the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008.

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37. Robert Scoble

1965-. (aged 61)

writer podcaster blogger technology evangelist television producer

Robert Scoble is an American blogger, technical evangelist, and author. Scoble is best known for his blog, Scobleizer, which came to prominence during his tenure as a technology evangelist at Microsoft. He later worked for Fast Company as a video blogger, and then Rackspace and the Rackspace-sponsored community site Building 43 promoting breakthrough technology and startups.

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38. Pat Hughes

1955-. (aged 71)

sports commentator

Virgil Patrick Hughes is an American sportscaster. He has been the radio play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1996. The 2025 season marked the 43rd consecutive year that Hughes served as an MLB announcer.

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39. Juli Inkster

1960-. (aged 66)

golfer sports commentator

Juli Inkster is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. With a professional career spanning 29 years to date, Inkster's 31 wins rank her second in wins among all active players on the LPGA Tour; she has over $14 million in career earnings. She also has more wins in Solheim Cup matches than any other American, and...

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40. Lee Evans

1947-2021 (aged 74)

sprinter

Lee Edward Evans was an American sprinter. He won two gold medals in the 1968 Summer Olympics, setting world records in the 400 meters and the 4 × 400 meters relay, both of which stood for 20 and 24 years respectively. Evans co-founded the Olympic Project for Human Rights and was part of the athlete's boycott and the Black Power...

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41. Evan Low

1983-. (aged 43)

politician

Evan Low is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the 26th Assembly district, which encompasses parts of Silicon Valley, including Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and portions of northern and western San Jose. He was a member of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus (and served...

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42. Neeru Khosla

Neeru Khosla is the co-founder and chair of the non-profit CK12 Foundation.

43. Bryan Mantia

1963-. (aged 63)

drummer

Bryan Kei Mantia, known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis, and Godflesh, and with other performers such as Tom Waits, Serj Tankian, Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins, and Buckethead. He has also done session work for numerous artists and bands.

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44. David Fales

1990-. (aged 36)

American football player

David Daniel Fales is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football for the San Jose State Spartans.

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45. Michael Whelan

1950-. (aged 76)

painter visual artist illustrator

Michael Whelan is an American artist of imaginative realism. For more than 30 years, he worked as an illustrator, specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art. Since the mid-1990s, he has pursued a fine art career, selling non-commissioned paintings through galleries in the United States and through his website.

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46. Harry Edwards

1942-. (aged 84)

activist writer sociologist university teacher athletics competitor

Harry Thomas Edwards is an American sociologist and civil rights activist. After working as an assistant professor of sociology at San Jose State College, he completed his Ph.D. at Cornell University and is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. Edwards' career has focused on the experiences of African-American athletes. He is widely regarded as the father...

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47. Ed Oates

1946-. (aged 80)

computer scientist

Edward A. Oates is an American businessman. He co-founded Software Development Labs in August 1977 with Larry Ellison and Bob Miner. Software Development Labs later became Oracle Corporation.

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48. Luis Valdez

1940-. (aged 86)

actor playwright director writer film director

Luis Miguel Valdez is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and actor. Regarded as the father of Chicano film and playwriting, Valdez is best known for his play Zoot Suit, his movie La Bamba, and his creation of El Teatro Campesino. A pioneer in the Chicano Movement, Valdez broadened the scope of theatre and arts of the Chicano community.

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49. Mahmoud Vaezi

1952-. (aged 74)

diplomat

Mahmoud Vaezi is an Iranian engineer, politician and former diplomat. He was minister of communication from 2013 until 2017 and chief of staff of the president of Iran from 2017 to 2021.

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50. Stanley Anderson

1939-2018 (aged 79)

actor television actor

Stanley Anderson was an American character actor who played Drew Carey's father on The Drew Carey Show.

51. Ron Conway

1951-. (aged 75)

investor

Ronald Crawford Conway is an American venture capitalist, super angel and philanthropist. He is co-founder of SV Angel.

52. Ray Dolby

1933-2013 (aged 80)

inventor electrical engineer

Ray Milton Dolby was an American engineer and inventor of the noise reduction system known as Dolby NR, which has been said to have "transformed sound reproduction".

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53. Tien Pei Chun James

1947-. (aged 79)

entrepreneur justice of the peace politician

James Tien Pei-chun, GBS, OBE, JP is the former chairman and Leader of the Liberal Party (LP) and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco). Originally an entrepreneur, he was also a non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong (Exco), member of Central and Western and Kwai Tsing District Council and Hong Kong member to...

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54. Shinichi Ishizuka

1971-. (aged 55)

mangaka

Shinichi Ishizuka is a Japanese manga artist. He made his debut in 2001 and began his first series, Gaku: Minna no Yama, a manga about mountain climbing, in Big Comic Original in 2003, where it was serialized until 2012. He also created Blue Giant, a manga about jazz, and its sequels, which have been serialized in Big Comic since 2013.

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55. Gaylord Nelson

1916-2005 (aged 89)

lawyer environmentalist politician

Gaylord Anton Nelson was an American politician and environmentalist from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which launched a new wave of environmental activism.

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56. Aftab Iqbal

1961-. (aged 65)

journalist

Aftab Iqbal is a Pakistani television host, journalist and businessman who founded an international Pakistani news channel, Aap Media Group. He is a former host of TV programs Hasb-e-Haal on Dunya News (2009–2010), Khabarnaak on Geo News (2010–2015), Khabardaar on Express News (2015–2018), Himaqatain (2018–2019) on 92 News, Khabarzar on Aap News (2019–2020), Khabaryar on Neo News (2020–2021), Khabardaar Season...

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57. Brian Krzanich

1960-. (aged 66)

engineer businessperson entrepreneur chemist

Brian Matthew Krzanich is an American engineer who was CEO of Intel from May 2013 to June 2018. Krzanich joined Intel as an engineer in 1982 and served as chief operating officer (COO) before being promoted to CEO in May 2013. During Krzanich's term as CEO, Intel went through major restructurings and pulled out of the mobile chip market. Because...

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58. Mary Blair

1911-1978 (aged 67)

painter concept artist illustrator

Mary Blair was an American artist, animation concept artist, colorist, and designer. She was prominent in producing art for The Walt Disney Company, drawing concept art for such films as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Song of the South and Cinderella. Blair also created character designs for enduring attractions such as Disneyland's It's a Small World, the fiesta scene in...

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59. Peter Ueberroth

1937-. (aged 89)

functionary water polo player businessperson

Peter Victor Ueberroth is an American sports and business executive known for his involvement in the Olympics and in Major League Baseball. A Los Angeles–based businessman, he was the chairman of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee which brought the games to Los Angeles in 1984. Ueberroth was named 1984's Time Man of the Year for his success in organizing...

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60. Esther Wojcicki

1941-. (aged 85)

pedagogue professor journalist

Esther Denise "Woj" Hochman Wojcicki is an American journalist, educator, and vice chair of the Creative Commons advisory council. Wojcicki has studied education and technology. She is the founder of the Palo Alto High School Media Arts Program in Palo Alto, California.

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61. Mike Honda

1941-. (aged 85)

Peace Corps politician

Michael Makoto Honda is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in Congress from 2001 to 2017.

62. Debrah Farentino

1959-. (aged 67)

film actor television actor model

Debrah Farentino is an American actress, producer, and journalist. She began her career starring in the CBS daytime soap opera Capitol from 1982 to 1987, before moving to prime time with a female leading role in the ABC comedy drama series Hooperman (1987–88).

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63. Patrick Simmons

1948-. (aged 78)

singer guitarist composer

Patrick Simmons is an American musician best known as a founding member of the rock band The Doobie Brothers, with whom he was inducted as into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. He is the only member of the band to appear on every release.

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64. Omid Kordestani

1963-. (aged 63)

philanthropist entrepreneur computer scientist manager businessperson

Omid R. Kordestani is an Iranian-American businessman who was the executive chairman at Twitter from October 2015 to June 2020 and a board member of the company until October 2022. He was a senior vice president, the chief business officer, and most recently a special advisor to the chief executive officer and founders at Google from July 2014 to October...

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65. John Carlos

1945-. (aged 81)

sprinter athletics competitor Canadian football player American football player

John Wesley Carlos is an American former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics, where he displayed the Black Power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith. He went on to tie the world record in the 100-yard dash and beat the 200 meters world...

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66. Tom Johnston

1948-. (aged 78)

singer-songwriter recording artist guitarist singer

Charles Thomas Johnston is an American musician. He is a guitarist and vocalist, known principally as a founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter for the rock group the Doobie Brothers, as well as for his own solo career. He has played off and on with the Doobie Brothers for 50 years, in several styles.

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67. Lou Henry Hoover

1874-1944 (aged 70)

geologist president politician

Lou Henry Hoover was an American philanthropist, geologist, and the first lady of the United States from 1929 to 1933 as the wife of President Herbert Hoover. She was active in community organizations and volunteer groups throughout her life, including the Girl Scouts of the USA, which she led from 1922 to 1925 and from 1935 to 1937. Throughout her...

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68. Dave Meltzer

1959-. (aged 67)

journalist

David Allen Meltzer is an American journalist, author and historian who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), a dirtsheet primarily addressing professional wrestling. He has also written for the Oakland Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Yahoo! Sports, SI.com, and The National Sports Daily....

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69. Dick Smothers

1939-. (aged 87)

composer television actor racing driver actor

Richard Remick Smothers is an American actor, comedian, composer, and musician, best known as one half of the folk‑comedy duo the Smothers Brothers, alongside his older brother Tom Smothers.

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70. Coby Bell

1975-. (aged 51)

musician television actor film producer actor film actor

Coby Scott Bell is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Jesse Porter on the USA Network original series Burn Notice and professional football player Jason Pitts on The CW/BET comedy-drama The Game. He also co-starred as police officer Tyrone "Ty" Davis, Jr. on the NBC drama Third Watch and as Aaron in the Amazon original...

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71. Tom Smothers

1937-2023 (aged 86)

comedian composer winemaker screenwriting musician

Thomas Bolyn Smothers III was an American comedian, actor, composer, and musician, widely known as half of the musical comedy duo the Smothers Brothers, alongside his younger brother Dick. In the 1960s they were known for their network comedy and variety shows, The Smothers Brothers Show and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

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72. Omar Benson Miller

1978-. (aged 48)

film director television actor voice actor actor film actor

Omar Benson Miller is an American actor. He is known for his work as Walter Simmons on CSI: Miami (2009–2012), as Charles Greane on Ballers (2015–2019), as the voice of Raphael on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018–2020) and its 2022 film, and on the CBS comedy series The Unicorn (2019–2021).

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73. Gordon Moore

1929-2023 (aged 94)

philanthropist physicist entrepreneur engineer chemist

Gordon Earle Moore was an American businessman, scientist, engineer, and the co-founder and emeritus chairman of Intel Corporation. He proposed Moore's law which makes the observation that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit (IC) doubles about every two years.

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74. Dick Vermeil

1936-. (aged 90)

American football coach winegrower television presenter American football player

Richard Albert Vermeil is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for seven seasons, the St. Louis Rams for three, and the Kansas City Chiefs for five. Prior to the NFL, he was the head football coach at...

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75. Jan Koum

1976-. (aged 50)

computer scientist programmer engineer

Jan Borysovych Koum is an American billionaire businessman and computer programmer. He is the co-founder and former CEO of WhatsApp, a mobile messaging app which was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for US$19.3 billion. According to Forbes, he has an estimated net worth of US$15.2 billion as of October 2023, making him one of the richest people in the world....

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76. Christopher Darden

1956-. (aged 70)

lawyer

Christopher Allen Darden is an American lawyer, author, and lecturer. He worked for 15 years in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, where he gained national attention as a co-prosecutor in the murder trial of O. J. Simpson.

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77. Joey Chestnut

1983-. (aged 43)

competitive eater reality television participant

Joseph Christian Chestnut is an American competitive eater who holds 55 world records across 55 disciplines, and is ranked first in the world by Major League Eating. He has won the Mustard Yellow Belt a world record 17 times. Chestnut is considered to be the greatest competitive eater in history.

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78. Kevin Pollak

1958-. (aged 68)

television actor film director film producer comedian film actor

Kevin Elliot Pollak is an American actor, comedian, impressionist and podcaster. He has appeared in over 90 films; his roles include Sam Weinberg in Rob Reiner's A Few Good Men, Jacob Goldman in Grumpy Old Men and its sequel Grumpier Old Men; Todd Hockney in The Usual Suspects, Phillip Green in Martin Scorsese's Casino, and Bobby Chicago in End of...

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79. Kurtwood Smith

1943-. (aged 83)

actor television actor character actor film actor dub actor

Kurtwood Larson Smith is an American actor. He is known for playing Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop (1987), Robert Griggs in Rambo III (1988), Tom Perry in Dead Poets Society (1989), Stump Sisson in A Time to Kill (1996), as well as Red Forman in That '70s Show (1998–2006) and That '90s Show (2023–2024), along with his many appearances in science...

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80. Stevie Nicks

1948-. (aged 78)

singer singer-songwriter diarist songwriter recording artist

Stephanie Lynn Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.

81. Lindsey Buckingham

1949-. (aged 77)

composer guitarist singer record producer

Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released seven solo studio albums and three live albums. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the...

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82. Paul Kantner

1941-2016 (aged 75)

singer-songwriter recording artist guitarist banjoist

Paul Lorin Kantner was an American rock musician. He is best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and a secondary vocalist of Jefferson Airplane, a leading psychedelic rock band of the counterculture era. He continued these roles as a member of Jefferson Starship, Jefferson Airplane's successor band.

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83. Paul Fong

1952-. (aged 74)

politician

Paul J. Fong is an American politician. He is a former Democratic California State Assembly member from the 28th district.

84. Robert Rivas

1980-. (aged 46)

politician

Robert A. Rivas is an American politician currently serving as the 71st speaker of the California State Assembly. A Democrat, he represents the 29th Assembly District, which encompasses the Pajaro and Salinas valleys of the Central Coast. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, he served on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors. Rivas was first elected to...

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85. Lee Patrick Brown

1937-. (aged 89)

politician police officer

Lee Patrick Brown is an American politician, criminologist and businessman; in 1997 he was the first African-American to be elected mayor of Houston, Texas. He was re-elected twice to serve the maximum of three terms from 1998 to 2004.

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86. Aisha Wahab

IT consultant politician

Aisha Wahab is an American politician who has served as the California state senator from the 10th district since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Wahab is the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the California State Senate. She previously served on the Hayward City Council from 2018 to 2022.

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87. Hamza Yusuf

1958-. (aged 68)

writer podcaster university teacher ulema

Hamza Yusuf is an American Islamic scholar. A pioneer of Islamic neo-traditionalism, he has promoted Islamic sciences and classical teaching methodologies throughout the world.

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88. Chevan Cordeiro

1999-. (aged 27)

American football player

Chevan Cordeiro is an American professional football quarterback for Fujifilm Ebina Minerva AFC of the X-League. He played college football for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and San Jose State Spartans.

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89. Carlos Torres

1982-. (aged 44)

baseball player

Carlos Ephriam Torres is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Nationals, and Detroit Tigers, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants.

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90. Joseph Fil

1953-. (aged 73)

Major General Joseph Frederick Fil Jr. is a former military officer, who was demoted from Lieutenant general following a scandal.

91. Bill Brown

1855-1941 (aged 86)

Bill Brown is a Republican politician from Oklahoma who was a member of the Oklahoma Senate. A native of Henryetta, Oklahoma, he lives in Broken Arrow and represented District 36. He cannot run for reelection in 2018 because of state term limits law.

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92. Amy Tan

1952-. (aged 74)

screenwriter essayist novelist writer children's writer

Amy Ruth Tan is an American author best known for her novel The Joy Luck Club (1989), which was adapted into a 1993 film. She is also known for other novels, short story collections, children's books, and a memoir.

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93. Tommie Smith

1944-. (aged 82)

coach sprinter American football player

Tommie C. Smith is an American former track and field athlete and wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold medal in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20-second barrier was broken officially. His Black Power salute with John Carlos atop the medal podium caused...

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94. Michael Forest

1929-. (aged 97)

actor television actor film actor stage actor voice actor

Gerald Michael Charlebois, better known as Michael Forest, is an American actor who provides the voices for many animated titles, and played the god Apollo on Star Trek.

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95. Brandon Clarke

1996-. (aged 30)

basketball player

Brandon Clarke is a Canadian-American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and San José State University Spartans men's basketball team. He was drafted 21st overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2019 NBA draft and then immediately traded to the Grizzlies. He was named...

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96. Chang Chia-juch

1950-. (aged 76)

politician

Chang Chia-juch is a Taiwanese engineer and politician who was the Minister of Economic Affairs of Taiwan from 2013 to 2014.

97. April Yao

1969-. (aged 57)

politician

Yao Ching-ling, also known by the English name April Yao, is a Taiwanese political scientist and politician who has served as the magistrate of Taitung since 2018. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT), she was previously elected as a member of Taitung County Council in 2005 and became speaker in 2010.

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98. Ben Nighthorse Campbell

1933-2025 (aged 92)

judoka husbandry worker politician

Ben Nighthorse Campbell was an American politician and United States Air Force veteran who served in both chambers of the United States Congress; representing Colorado's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993 and as a member of the United States Senate from 1993 to 2005. He served as one of the 44 members...

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99. John Powell

1947-2022 (aged 75)

athletics competitor discus thrower

John Powell is an English film composer and music conductor. Based in Los Angeles, California since 1997, he has composed music for over 70 feature films, including Face/Off, the Bourne franchise, Happy Feet (and its sequel Happy Feet Two), United 93, X-Men: The Last Stand, Wicked (and its sequel Wicked: For Good), Evolution, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Migration, Drumline, Hancock,...

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100. Dian Fossey

1932-1985 (aged 53)

ecologist ethologist writer academic biologist

Dian Fossey was an American primatologist and conservationist known for undertaking an extensive study of mountain gorilla groups from 1966 until her murder in 1985. She studied them daily in the mountain forests of Rwanda, initially encouraged to work there by paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey. Gorillas in the Mist, a book published two years before her death, is Fossey's account of...

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