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100 Notable alumni of University of Massachusetts – Amherst

Updated: June 23, 2026 EliteDegrees

University of Massachusetts – Amherst is ranked #105 in the world and #60 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from University of Massachusetts – Amherst sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with University of Massachusetts – Amherst won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.

Samuel Bowles

1. Samuel Bowles

1939-. (aged 87)
university teacher economist
Samuel Stebbins Bowles, is an American economist and professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he continues to teach courses on microeconomics and the theory of institutions. His work is associated with the neo-Marxian (variably called post-Marxian) tradition of economic thought. However, his perspective on economics is eclectic and draws on various schools of thought, including what he...
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Cady Lalanne

2. Cady Lalanne

1992-. (aged 34)
basketball player
Cady Lalanne is a Haitian professional basketball player for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played college basketball for the UMass Minutemen.
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Karen Akunowicz

3. Karen Akunowicz

1978-. (aged 48)
restaurateur cook
Karen Akunowicz is an American chef in Boston, Massachusetts.
John Edgar Wideman

4. John Edgar Wideman

1941-. (aged 85)
essayist writer cultural critic university teacher novelist
John Edgar Wideman is an American novelist, short story writer, memoirist, and essayist. He was the first person to win the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction twice. His writing is known for experimental techniques and a focus on the African-American experience.
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Leila Ahmed

5. Leila Ahmed

1940-. (aged 86)
writer university teacher
Leila Ahmed is an Egyptian-American scholar of women's studies and religion. In 1992 she published her book Women and Gender in Islam, which is regarded as a pioneering historical analysis of the position of women in Arab Muslim societies. She became the first professor of women's studies in religion at Harvard Divinity School in 1999, and has held the Victor...
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Jeffrey Pollack

6. Jeffrey Pollack

1965-. (aged 61)
entrepreneur
Jeffrey Pollack is an American sports executive and business consultant. After a brief career in politics, Pollack moved into the industry of sports business where he's held executive roles with the NBA, NASCAR, World Series of Poker, Professional Bull Riders, Los Angeles Chargers and XFL.
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Stephane Lasme

7. Stephane Lasme

1982-. (aged 44)
basketball player
Yann Ulrich Stéphane Lasme is a Gabonese former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Massachusetts (UMass), with the UMass Minutemen, and he was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the second round, 46th overall, in the 2007 NBA draft. In 2016 Stephane won the EuroCup Championship and earned the Finals MVP award, as well...
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Sheila Bair

8. Sheila Bair

1954-. (aged 72)
politician university teacher lawyer businessperson economist
Sheila Colleen Bair is an American former government official who was the 19th Chair of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) from 2006 to 2011, during which time she shortly after taking charge of the FDIC in June 2006 began warning of the potential systemic risks posed by the growing trend of subprime-mortgage-backed bonds, and then later assumed a...
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Catherine Coleman

9. Catherine Coleman

1960-. (aged 66)
scientist air force officer engineer chemist astronaut
Catherine Grace "Cady" Coleman is an American chemist, engineer, former United States Air Force colonel, and retired NASA astronaut. She is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, and departed the International Space Station on May 23, 2011, as a crew member of Expedition 27 after logging 159 days in space.
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Edmund Gettier

10. Edmund Gettier

1927-2021 (aged 94)
university teacher philosopher
Edmund Lee Gettier III was an American philosopher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is best known for his article written in 1963: "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?", which has generated an extensive philosophical literature trying to respond to what became known as the Gettier problem.
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Frank Vatrano

11. Frank Vatrano

1994-. (aged 32)
ice hockey player
Frank Vatrano is an American professional ice hockey player who is a right winger for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and New York Rangers.
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Richard S. Sutton

12. Richard S. Sutton

computer scientist engineer university teacher artificial intelligence researcher
Richard Stuart Sutton FRS FRSC is a Canadian computer scientist. He is a professor of computing science at the University of Alberta, fellow & Chief Scientific Advisor at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, and a research scientist at Keen Technologies. Sutton is considered one of the founders of modern computational reinforcement learning. In particular, he contributed to temporal difference learning...
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Greg LaRocca

13. Greg LaRocca

1972-. (aged 54)
baseball player
Gregory Mark LaRocca is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman who played for the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians between 2000 and 2003. He also played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league from 2004 to 2010.
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J. B. Bernstein

14. J. B. Bernstein

1968-. (aged 58)
businessperson
J.B. Bernstein is the CEO of Access Group, an athlete management firm and chief marketing officer of Seven Figures Management, a sports marketing and athlete representation firm.
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Conor Sheary

15. Conor Sheary

1992-. (aged 34)
ice hockey player
Conor Michael Sheary is an American professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014 and won back-to-back Stanley Cups in his first two seasons with the organization. Sheary has also played for the Buffalo Sabres,...
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Rachael Rollins

16. Rachael Rollins

1971-. (aged 55)
lawyer
Rachael Splaine Rollins is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. attorney for District of Massachusetts from 2022 to 2023. Before that, she was the district attorney for Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
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Ishmael Butler

17. Ishmael Butler

1969-. (aged 57)
basketball player musician
Ishmael Reginald Butler is an American rapper, record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his work with such groups as Digable Planets in the 1990s and Shabazz Palaces in the 2010s.
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Brandon Montour

18. Brandon Montour

1994-. (aged 32)
ice hockey player
Brandon Montour is a Haudenosaunee professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Montour was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round, 55th overall, of the 2014 NHL entry draft. Montour won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in 2024.
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Briana Scurry

19. Briana Scurry

1971-. (aged 55)
association football player association football coach
Briana Collette Scurry is an American retired soccer goalkeeper. Scurry was the starting goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team at the 1995 World Cup (3rd place), 1996 Summer Olympics (gold medal), 1999 World Cup (champions), 2003 World Cup (3rd place), and the 2004 Summer Olympic Games (gold medal). She played in the semi-final and playoff for third...
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Audie Cornish

20. Audie Cornish

1969-. (aged 57)
journalist radio personality
Audie N. Cornish is an American journalist who hosts CNN This Morning with Audie Cornish and the weekly CNN Audio podcast, The Assignment with Audie Cornish. Prior to joining CNN, she co-hosted NPR's All Things Considered from 2012 to 2022. She was previously the host of Profile by BuzzFeed News, a web-only interview show that lasted one season, as well...
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Jenny Dell

21. Jenny Dell

1986-. (aged 40)
journalist
Jennifer Sheryl Dell–Middlebrooks is the lead college football reporter for CBS Sports. Dell previously worked as CBS’ #2 NFL sideline reporter in 2014. She also has worked for New England Sports Network (NESN) covering the Boston Red Sox. Since 2016, she has also been the co-host of the food show Campus Eats alongside Troy Johnson on the Big Ten Network.
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L. Fletcher Prouty

22. L. Fletcher Prouty

1917-2001 (aged 84)
banker military officer
Leroy Fletcher Prouty served as Chief of Special Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President John F. Kennedy. A colonel in the United States Air Force, he retired from military service to become a bank executive. He subsequently became a critic of U.S. foreign policy, particularly the covert activities of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which he believed...
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William Monahan

23. William Monahan

1960-. (aged 66)
screenwriter writer novelist film director journalist
William J. Monahan is an American screenwriter and novelist. His second produced screenplay The Departed (2006), an adaptation of Andrew Lau's 2002 gangster film Infernal Affairs, earned him a Writers Guild of America Award and Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
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Michael E. Mann

24. Michael E. Mann

1965-. (aged 61)
geophysicist climatologist meteorologist non-fiction writer university teacher
Michael Evan Mann is an American climatologist and geophysicist. He is the director of the Center for Science, Sustainability & the Media at the University of Pennsylvania. Mann has contributed to the scientific understanding of historic climate change based on the temperature record of the past thousand years. He has pioneered techniques to find patterns in past climate change and...
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Robert Epstein

25. Robert Epstein

1953-. (aged 73)
historian psychologist
Robert Epstein is an American psychologist, professor, author, and journalist. He was awarded a Ph.D. in psychology by Harvard University in 1981, was editor-in-chief of Psychology Today, and has held positions at several universities including Boston University, University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University. He is also the founder and director emeritus of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies...
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Melinda Katz

26. Melinda Katz

1965-. (aged 61)
lawyer politician
Melinda R. Katz is an American attorney and politician from New York City, serving as the district attorney of Queens since January 1, 2020. A Democrat, she previously served as the Queens Borough president. Katz was also a New York City councilwoman from 2002 to 2009. She had previously run for New York City comptroller in 2009. In June 2019,...
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Pearl Davis

27. Pearl Davis

1996-. (aged 30)
YouTuber
Hannah Pearl Davis, better known online as JustPearlyThings or Pearl, is an American YouTuber and political commentator. A self-described anti-feminist, she is known primarily for her cultural and political commentary relating to modern sex relations, dating, and marriage. She is an advocate of traditional dating and marital relations and a critic of modern dating and feminism. Davis argues that modern...
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Augusten Burroughs

28. Augusten Burroughs

1965-. (aged 61)
novelist writer journalist
Augusten Xon Burroughs is an American writer best known for his New York Times bestselling memoir Running with Scissors (2002).
Neal Brown

29. Neal Brown

1980-. (aged 46)
head coach American football player American football coach
Neal Brown is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head football coach at the University of North Texas. He previously served as the head coach at West Virginia University from 2019 to 2024 and Troy University from 2015 to 2018. Brown also previously served as the offensive coordinator at Troy (2008–2009), Texas Tech University (2010–2012),...
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Jack Canfield

30. Jack Canfield

1944-. (aged 82)
chief executive officer motivational speaker writer
Jack Canfield is an American author and motivational speaker. He is the co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, which has more than 250 titles and 500 million copies in print in over 40 languages. In 2005 Canfield co-authored with Janet Switzer The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.
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Amy Cuddy

31. Amy Cuddy

1972-. (aged 54)
university teacher psychologist
Amy Joy Casselberry Cuddy is an American social psychologist, author and speaker. She is a proponent of "power posing", a self-improvement technique whose scientific validity has been questioned. She has served as a faculty member at Rutgers University, Kellogg School of Management and Harvard Business School. Cuddy's most cited academic work involves using the stereotype content model that she helped...
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Peter Laird

32. Peter Laird

1954-. (aged 72)
writer comics artist screenwriter draftsperson
Peter Alan Laird is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman.
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Monica Gill

33. Monica Gill

1990-. (aged 36)
actor beauty pageant contestant model
Monica Gill is an American model, actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She won the Miss India Worldwide 2014 on 21 June 2014. She is also Miss India USA winner on 26 November 2013 while serving as Miss India New England. In 2015, she participated in MTV India show India's Next Top Model.
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Joey Santiago

34. Joey Santiago

1965-. (aged 61)
composer guitarist
Joseph Alberto Santiago is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of the alternative rock band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiago produced musical scores for film and television documentaries, and he formed The Martinis with his ex-wife, Linda Mallari. He contributed to albums by Charles Douglas...
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Kenneth Feinberg

35. Kenneth Feinberg

1945-. (aged 81)
lawyer
Kenneth Roy Feinberg is an American attorney specializing in mediation and alternative dispute resolution. He served as the Chief of Staff to Senator Ted Kennedy, Special Master of the U.S. government's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and the Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation. Additionally, Feinberg served as the government-appointed administrator of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund....
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Dana Gould

36. Dana Gould

1964-. (aged 62)
television actor actor writer voice actor stand-up comedian
Dana Gould is an American stand-up comic, actor, writer, and voice artist who has been featured on HBO, Showtime, and Comedy Central. He voiced the titular character in the Gex franchise, and he wrote for The Simpsons between 2001 and 2007.
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Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar

37. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar

1992-. (aged 34)
politician
Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar is an Indian politician and a royal scion from the Wadiyar dynasty, currently serving as a Member of Parliament from Mysore since 2024. The great-grandson of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, Yaduveer Wadiyar was adopted on 10 December 2013 by Pramoda Devi Wadiyar after the demise of her husband Srikantadatta Wadiyar. He was installed as the titular Maharaja...
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Roxanne Modafferi

38. Roxanne Modafferi

1982-. (aged 44)
judoka mixed martial arts fighter
Roxanne Vincenta Modafferi is an American retired mixed martial artist, who most recently fought for the UFC. Though she last fought in the flyweight division, she has fought in multiple weight classes in her career. She has been a professional competitor since 2003.
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Frederick Heyliger

39. Frederick Heyliger

1916-2001 (aged 85)
military officer
Frederick Theodore "Moose" Heyliger was an American military officer who served with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. He took part in D-Day and Operation Market Garden, before being discharged due to injury sustained from friendly fire.
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Kenny Aronoff

40. Kenny Aronoff

1953-. (aged 73)
musician drummer
Kenneth D. Aronoff is an American drummer, best known for his work as a session and touring musician. He has toured and recorded with a wide range of artists throughout his career, including the Rolling Stones, the Smashing Pumpkins, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sting, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Pharrell Williams, Lenny Kravitz, Kid Rock, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Jon Bon...
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John B. Anderson

41. John B. Anderson

1922-2017 (aged 95)
university teacher politician
John Bayard Anderson was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 16th congressional district from 1961 to 1981. Initially a member of the Republican Party, he also served as the Chairman of the House Republican Conference from 1969 until 1979. In 1980, he ran an independent campaign for president, receiving 6.6%...
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Norm Abram

42. Norm Abram

1949-. (aged 77)
carpenter television personality
Norm Abram is an American carpenter, writer, and television host best known for his work on the PBS television programs This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop. He is a carpenter and has published several books and articles about the craft.
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Jonathan Quick

43. Jonathan Quick

1986-. (aged 40)
ice hockey player
Jonathan Douglas Quick is an American professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Quick was selected in the third round, 72nd overall, by the Los Angeles Kings at the 2005 NHL entry draft.
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J Mascis

44. J Mascis

1965-. (aged 61)
film producer guitarist film actor television actor actor
Joseph Donald Mascis Jr., better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist and played drums and guitar on other projects. He was ranked number 74 in a Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest...
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Cale Makar

45. Cale Makar

1998-. (aged 28)
ice hockey player
Cale Douglas Makar is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman and alternate captain for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Avalanche in the 2017 NHL entry draft.
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Max Roach

46. Max Roach

1924-2007 (aged 83)
bandleader jazz musician composer university teacher percussionist
Maxwell Lemuel Roach was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He worked with many famous jazz musicians, including Clifford Brown, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington,...
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Taj Mahal

47. Taj Mahal

1942-. (aged 84)
composer guitarist blues musician pianist banjoist
Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr., better known by his stage name Taj Mahal, is an American blues musician. He plays the guitar, piano, banjo, harmonica, and many other instruments along with singing and whistling, often incorporating elements of world music into his work. Mahal has done much to reshape the definition and scope of blues music over the course of...
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Phil Laak

48. Phil Laak

1972-. (aged 54)
poker player
Philip Courtney Laak is an Irish-American professional poker player and poker commentator residing in Los Angeles, California. Laak holds a World Poker Tour (WPT) title, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, and has appeared on numerous nationally aired television shows.
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Marcus Camby

49. Marcus Camby

1974-. (aged 52)
basketball player
Marcus Dion Camby is an American former professional basketball player who played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named Defensive Player of the Year during the 2006–07 NBA season, leading the league in blocked shots per game. Camby is also a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team and is 12th on the NBA's all-time career...
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Richard D. Wolff

50. Richard D. Wolff

1942-. (aged 84)
university teacher economist
Richard David Wolff is an American Marxian economist known for his work on economic methodology and class analysis. He is a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor in the graduate program in international affairs at The New School. Wolff has also taught economics at Yale University, City College of New York, University...
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Paul Theroux

51. Paul Theroux

1941-. (aged 85)
literary critic screenwriter novelist professor travel writer
Paul Edward Theroux is an American novelist and travel writer who has written numerous books, including the travelogue The Great Railway Bazaar (1975). Some of his works of fiction have been adapted as feature films. He was awarded the 1981 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel The Mosquito Coast, which was adapted for the 1986 movie of the...
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Camille Cosby

52. Camille Cosby

1944-. (aged 82)
writer television producer
Camille Olivia Cosby is an American television producer, philanthropist, and the wife of comedian Bill Cosby. The character of Clair Huxtable from The Cosby Show was based on her. Cosby has avoided public life, but has been active in her husband's businesses as a manager, as well as involving herself in academia and writing. In 1990, Cosby earned a master's...
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Black Francis

53. Black Francis

1965-. (aged 61)
singer guitarist singer-songwriter record producer musician
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV, known professionally as Black Francis and formerly Frank Black, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who is the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Pixies. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career releasing fifteen albums and forming his band, the Catholics. The Pixies regrouped in 2004, and he...
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Rob Corddry

54. Rob Corddry

1971-. (aged 55)
voice actor television director actor comedian television actor
Robert William Corddry is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (2002–2006) and for his starring role in the film Hot Tub Time Machine. He is the creator and star of Adult Swim's Childrens Hospital and has been awarded four Primetime Emmy Awards. He previously starred...
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Buffy Sainte-Marie

55. Buffy Sainte-Marie

1941-. (aged 85)
composer record producer visual artist singer actor
Buffy Sainte-Marie is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and social activist.
Fardeen Khan

56. Fardeen Khan

1974-. (aged 52)
film actor
Fardeen Khan is an Indian actor who mainly works in Hindi films. Born to actor and film producer Feroz Khan, he is part of the Khan family. He made his acting debut in the film Prem Aggan (1998), for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.
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Ted Hughes

57. Ted Hughes

1930-1998 (aged 68)
playwright astrologer children's writer writer translator
Edward James Hughes OM OBE FRSL was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1984 and held the office until his death. In 2008, The Times ranked Hughes fourth on its list of...
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Jack Welch

58. Jack Welch

1935-2020 (aged 85)
writer businessperson entrepreneur manager engineer
John Francis Welch Jr. was an American business executive. He was chairman and CEO of General Electric (GE) between 1981 and 2001.
Rick Pitino

59. Rick Pitino

1952-. (aged 74)
basketball coach basketball player
Richard Andrew Pitino is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA Division I and in the NBA, including Boston University (1978–1983), Providence College (1985–1987), the New York Knicks (1987–1989), the...
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Natalie Cole

60. Natalie Cole

1950-2015 (aged 65)
television actor voice actor songwriter recording artist jazz musician
Natalie Maria Cole was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut album Inseparable (1975), along with the song "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)", and the album's title track. Its success led to her receiving the...
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Julius Erving

61. Julius Erving

1950-. (aged 76)
business office worker actor basketball player
Julius Winfield "Dr. J" Erving II is an American former professional basketball player. He helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and was the best-known player in the league when it merged into the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1975–1976 season.
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Richard Gere

62. Richard Gere

1949-. (aged 77)
voice actor stage actor human rights defender actor television actor
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and a starring role in Days of Heaven (1978). Gere came to prominence with his role in the film American Gigolo (1980), which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol. Gere's other...
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Bill Bulger

63. Bill Bulger

1934-. (aged 92)
politician
William Michael Bulger is an American former Democratic politician, lawyer, and educator from South Boston, Massachusetts. His eighteen-year tenure as President of the Massachusetts Senate is the longest in history. After leaving office, he became president of the University of Massachusetts.
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Ben Cherington

64. Ben Cherington

1974-. (aged 52)
baseball manager
Benjamin P. Cherington is an American baseball executive serving as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) since November 2019. He previously served as the vice-president of baseball operations for the Toronto Blue Jays, and was the executive vice president and general manager of the Boston Red Sox from 2011 to 2015. He succeeded Theo...
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Jane Yolen

65. Jane Yolen

1939-. (aged 87)
science fiction writer poet writer children's writer novelist
Jane Hyatt Yolen is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 400 books, of which the best known is The Devil's Arithmetic, a Holocaust novella. Her other works include the Nebula Award−winning short works "Sister Emily's Lightship" and "Lost Girls", Owl Moon, The Emperor and the Kite, and...
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David Pakman

66. David Pakman

1984-. (aged 42)
politician YouTuber journalist television producer radio personality
David Pakman is an American-Argentine talk show host and political commentator. He is the host of the talk radio program The David Pakman Show. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is a naturalized citizen of the United States.
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Jeff Corwin

67. Jeff Corwin

1967-. (aged 59)
ecologist film actor actor television writer television presenter
Jeffrey Corwin is an American biologist and wildlife conservationist, known for hosting Disney Channel's Going Wild with Jeff Corwin, The Jeff Corwin Experience on Animal Planet, ABC's Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin/Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin and Wildlife Nation with Jeff Corwin.
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Jeffrey Donovan

68. Jeffrey Donovan

1968-. (aged 58)
actor television actor television director film actor stage actor
Jeffrey Donovan is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Michael Westen in the television series Burn Notice, and has appeared in films such as Sicario and its sequel, Wrath of Man, Shot Caller, Hitch, Believe in Me, Changeling, and Come Early Morning. He played Robert F. Kennedy in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar (2011) and his...
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Liev Schreiber

69. Liev Schreiber

1967-. (aged 59)
voice actor stage actor actor television actor writer
Isaac Liev Schreiber is an American actor. He has received accolades including a Tony Award as well as nominations for nine Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards.
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Yusef Lateef

70. Yusef Lateef

1920-2013 (aged 93)
jazz saxophonist oboist composer non-fiction writer university teacher
Yusef Abdul Lateef was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in the United States.
William Manchester

71. William Manchester

1922-2004 (aged 82)
biographer writer historian professor author
William Raymond Manchester was an American author, biographer, and historian. He was the author of 18 books which have been translated into over 20 languages. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal and the Abraham Lincoln Literary Award.
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John Legere

72. John Legere

1958-. (aged 68)
businessperson
John Legere is an American businessman, former chief executive officer (CEO) and president of T-Mobile US. He previously worked for AT&T, Dell, and Global Crossing. He resigned as CEO following the approval of the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint.
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Betty Shabazz

73. Betty Shabazz

1934-1997 (aged 63)
nurse human rights defender
Betty Shabazz, also known as Betty X, was an American educator and civil rights advocate who was married to Malcolm X.
Samuel R. Delany

74. Samuel R. Delany

1942-. (aged 84)
literary critic journalist cartoonist science fiction writer writer
Samuel R. "Chip" Delany is an American writer and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society.
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Kamila Shamsie

75. Kamila Shamsie

1973-. (aged 53)
writer novelist
Kamila Shamsie is a Pakistani and British writer and novelist who is best known for her award-winning novel Home Fire (2017). Named on Granta magazine's list of 20 best young British writers, Shamsie has been described by The New Indian Express as "a novelist to reckon with and to look forward to." She also writes for publications including The Guardian,...
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Russell Alan Hulse

76. Russell Alan Hulse

1950-. (aged 76)
astrophysicist researcher physicist astronomer
Russell Alan Hulse is an American astrophysicist. He shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics with Joseph Hooton Taylor "for the discovery of a new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation". This was the first indirect detection of gravitational waves, later directly detected by Kip Thorne, Barry Barish and Rainer...
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Bill Pullman

77. Bill Pullman

1953-. (aged 73)
stage actor film director television actor film producer film actor
William Pullman is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting.
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Kelly Link

78. Kelly Link

1969-. (aged 57)
writer science fiction writer children's writer novelist
Kelly Link is an American editor and writer. Mainly known as an author of short stories, she published her first novel, The Book of Love in 2024. While some of her fiction falls more clearly within genre categories, many of her stories might be described as slipstream or magic realism: a combination of science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and literary...
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Bill Cosby

79. Bill Cosby

1937-. (aged 89)
film producer film actor manufacturer television actor television producer
William Henry Cosby Jr. is an American former comedian, actor, and media personality. Often deemed a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy star, with his longest-running live-action role being that of Cliff Huxtable in the sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992). He also released several stand-up comedy albums and was a...
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Joseph Hooton Taylor

80. Joseph Hooton Taylor

1941-. (aged 85)
Nobel Prize winner university teacher physicist astrophysicist astronomer
Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr. is an American astrophysicist. He shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in physics with Russell Alan Hulse "for the discovery of a new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation". This was the first indirect detection of gravitational waves, later directly detected by Barry Barish, Kip Thorne and...
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Koby Altman

81. Koby Altman

1982-. (aged 44)
basketball coach
Koby Altman is an American basketball executive who currently serves as the President of Basketball Operations of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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Archie Shepp

82. Archie Shepp

1937-. (aged 89)
saxophonist composer jazz musician university teacher pianist
Archie Shepp is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz.
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David Berman

83. David Berman

1967-2019 (aged 52)
singer poet cartoonist
David Cloud Berman was an American musician, singer-songwriter and poet who founded – and was the only constant member of – the indie rock band Silver Jews with Pavement's Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich.
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Vernon L. Smith

84. Vernon L. Smith

1927-. (aged 99)
university teacher economist
Vernon Lomax Smith is an American economist who is currently a professor of economics and law at Chapman University. He was formerly the McLellan/Regent's Professor of Economics at the University of Arizona, a professor of economics and law at George Mason University, and a board member of the Mercatus Center. Along with Daniel Kahneman, Smith won the 2002 Nobel Memorial...
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Billy Taylor

85. Billy Taylor

1921-2010 (aged 89)
music educator radio personality composer jazz musician university teacher
Billy Taylor was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the artistic director for jazz at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
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Natasha Trethewey

86. Natasha Trethewey

1966-. (aged 60)
poet writer
Natasha Trethewey is an American poet who served as United States Poet Laureate from 2012 to 2014. She won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for her 2006 collection Native Guard, and is a former Poet Laureate of Mississippi.
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Marilynne Robinson

87. Marilynne Robinson

1943-. (aged 83)
writer science fiction writer novelist essayist
Marilynne Summers Robinson is an American novelist and essayist. Across her writing career, Robinson has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and the 2016 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. In 2016, Robinson was named in Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people. Robinson began teaching at the...
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Chuck Close

88. Chuck Close

1940-2021 (aged 81)
printmaker painter collagist draftsperson photographer
Charles Thomas Close was an American painter, visual artist, and photographer who made massive-scale photorealist and abstract portraits of himself and others. Close also created photo portraits using a very large format camera. He adapted his painting style and working methods in 1988, after being paralyzed by an occlusion of the anterior spinal artery.
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Lynn Margulis

89. Lynn Margulis

1938-2011 (aged 73)
biologist university teacher ecologist microbiologist botanist
Lynn Margulis was an American evolutionary biologist, who was the primary modern proponent for the significance of symbiosis in evolution. In particular, Margulis transformed and fundamentally framed biologists' understanding of the evolution of the Eukaryotes, organisms with nuclei in their cells. She proposed that they came into being by symbiotic mergers of bacteria. Margulis was the co-developer of the Gaia...
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James Foley

90. James Foley

1973-2014 (aged 41)
teacher photojournalist journalist
James Wright Foley was an American journalist and video reporter. While working as a freelance war correspondent during the Syrian Civil War, he was abducted on November 22, 2012, in northwestern Syria. He was murdered by decapitation in August 2014 purportedly as a response to American airstrikes in Iraq, thus becoming the first American citizen to be murdered by the...
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Hau Lung-pin

91. Hau Lung-pin

1952-. (aged 74)
politician
Hau Lung-pin is a Taiwanese chemist and politician. As a member of the New Party, he was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1995, and resigned his seat to lead the Environmental Protection Administration in 2001. Hau stepped down from the EPA in 2003 and served as Mayor of Taipei from 2006 to 2014. He joined the Kuomintang (KMT) in...
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Kang Kyung-hwa

92. Kang Kyung-hwa

1955-. (aged 71)
diplomat politician announcer
Kang Kyung-wha is a South Korean diplomat and politician who was the first female Foreign Minister of South Korea under President Moon Jae-in from 2017 to 2021 as well as the first woman nominated for and appointed to the position. She is also the first South Korean woman to hold a high-level position in the United Nations. Previously, Kang was...
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Hina Rabbani Khar

93. Hina Rabbani Khar

1977-. (aged 49)
economist entrepreneur diplomat politician
Hina Rabbani Khar is a Pakistani politician who served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 2022 to 2023. She previously served as Foreign Minister of Pakistan from July 2011, the first and only woman to hold the position, and was a member of the National Assembly from 2018 to 2023.
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Anshu Jain

94. Anshu Jain

1963-2022 (aged 59)
banker business executive
Anshuman "Anshu" Jain was an Indian-born British business executive. From 2017 to 2022, he was the president of the American financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald. He previously served as the Global co-CEO and co-Chairman of Deutsche Bank from June 2012 until July 2015. Jain was also a member of Deutsche Bank's Management Board. He was previously head of its Corporate...
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Hallie Rubenhold

95. Hallie Rubenhold

1971-. (aged 55)
historian curator writer
Hallie Rubenhold is an American-born British popular historian and author. Her work specializes in 18th- and 19th-century social history and women's history. Her 2019 book The Five, about the lives of the women murdered by Jack the Ripper, was shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize and won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction. In 2025, her book, Story of a...
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William Smith Clark

96. William Smith Clark

1826-1886 (aged 60)
chemist botanist botanical collector writer university teacher
William Smith Clark was an American professor of chemistry, botany, and zoology; a colonel during the American Civil War; and a leader in agricultural education. Raised and schooled in Easthampton, Massachusetts, Clark spent most of his adult life in Amherst, Massachusetts. He graduated from Amherst College in 1848 and obtained a doctorate in chemistry from Georgia Augusta University in Göttingen...
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Abraham Serfaty

97. Abraham Serfaty

1926-2010 (aged 84)
writer engineer activist politician
Abraham Serfaty was a Moroccan Marxist-Leninist dissident, militant and political activist. He was imprisoned for years by King Hassan II of Morocco, for his political actions in favor of democracy, during the Years of Lead. He paid a high price for such actions: fifteen months living underground, seventeen years of imprisonment and eight years of exile. He returned to Morocco...
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Jovo Bakić

98. Jovo Bakić

1970-. (aged 56)
university teacher sociologist
Jovo Bakić is a Serbian sociologist, political activist, and an associate professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. He is primarily interested in political sociology.
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Makaziwe Mandela

99. Makaziwe Mandela

1954-. (aged 72)
anthropologist businessperson
Pumla Makaziwe "Maki" Mandela-Amuah is the daughter of Nelson Mandela and his first wife Evelyn Mase.
Minouche Shafik

100. Minouche Shafik

1962-. (aged 64)
economist
Nemat Talaat Shafik, Baroness Shafik, commonly known as Minouche Shafik, is a British-American academic and economist. She served as the president and vice chancellor of the London School of Economics from 2017 to 2023, and then as the 20th president of Columbia University from July 2023 to August 2024. She was appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor to the UK...
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