56 Notable alumni of University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
University of North Carolina School of the Arts is ranked #4,572 in the world and #1,191 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 56 notable alumni from University of North Carolina School of the Arts 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 North Carolina School of the Arts won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Gab Cody
1971-. (aged 55)
filmmaker
Gab Cody is an American filmmaker and theatre artist. She wrote, produced and directed the feature film Progression, and her plays Fat Beckett, Crush the Infamous Thing, The Alchemists' Lab, Prussia:1866 and Inside Passage have premiered at theaters. She served as Lead Writer on the immersive theatre pieces STRATA, OjO and DODO, produced by the Bricolage Production Company.
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2. Liz Myers
pianist
singer
composer
Elizabeth Myers is an American musician, composer, pianist and singer. She co-wrote the Eddie Money song "Shakin'", but is best known for her collaborations with her husband, John Trivers on the music for several award-winning commercials and films. Their music company Trivers Myers Music, established in 1984, has composed or arranged music for many clients, and received multiple Clio Awards....
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3. Megan LeCrone
ballet dancer
dancer
Megan LeCrone is an American ballet dancer and soloist with the New York City Ballet.
4. Brian Sidney Bembridge
1973-. (aged 53)
lighting designer
Brian Sidney Bembridge is an American scenic, lighting, and costume designer for theater and film. His work has been seen on stages and screens throughout the country and Internationally in Australia, Germany, Prague, Ireland, and Great Britain. Mr. Bembridge has also taught and lectured at many universities across the country. He holds a BFA from University of North Carolina School...
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5. Jonah Bokaer
1981-. (aged 45)
scenographer
choreographer
dancer
artist
Jonah Bokaer is an American choreographer and media artist. He works on live performances in the United States and elsewhere, including choreography, digital media, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and social enterprise.
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6. Dennis Delaney
1953-. (aged 73)
writer
Dennis Delaney is an American writer and actor, and former environmental activist. A founding member of Greenpeace USA, he became its first National Director in 1980. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. A 1987 recipient of the Robin Williams Scholarship in Acting, he won two...
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7. Ryan Butler
1979-. (aged 47)
film director
politician
Ryan Townsend Butler is an American politician and filmmaker. He directed the first documentary about same-sex marriage to air on national television in the United States, is the former president of the LGBT Democrats of North Carolina and is a former member of the Democratic National Committee.
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8. Ronald Braunstein
1955-. (aged 71)
conductor
Ronald Braunstein is an American orchestral conductor. He is currently the music director and conductor of Me2/, the world's only classical music organization created for individuals living with mental illnesses and the people who support them. He lives in Malden, Massachusetts with his wife, Caroline.
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9. Ransom Wilson
1951-. (aged 75)
conductor
music educator
university teacher
musician
Ransom Wilson is an American flutist, conductor, and educator.
10. Kelly-Anne Lyons
1985-. (aged 41)
actor
television actor
model
Kelly-Anne Lyons is an American actress, television presenter, writer and model. Lyons' breakthrough role was as the female lead, Kelly-Anne Manhattan, in the BBC comedy Dick and Dom's Funny Business. Before this, Lyons played the title role in Chelsey: OMG!, produced by British comedy and entertainment company Channel X. She is known for her characters in hidden camera sketch shows...
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11. Camille A. Brown
1979-. (aged 47)
choreographer
dancer
Camille A. Brown is an American dancer, choreographer, director, and dance educator. She is a five-time Tony Award-nominated director and choreographer who began her career as a professional dancer with Ronald K. Brown's/Evidence company in the early 2000s. In 2006 she founded her own dance company, the Camille A. Brown & Dancers, producing several dance productions, winning a Princess Grace...
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12. Miles Doleac
1975-. (aged 51)
actor
screenwriter
film director
Miles Christopher Doleac is an American actor, director, writer and producer. He has had acting roles in several films and television shows since 2011 including Watchmen, Lovecraft Country, Treme, Sleepy Hollow, American Horror Story, Salem, Complications, Roots, and several episodes of the CW's Containment. He also has acting roles in the films The Magnificent Seven and Don't Kill It.
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13. Cooper Harris
businessperson
Cooper Harris is an American entrepreneur and actress. She is currently the CEO & founder of Klickly, a payments platform, based in Venice, California. Harris had a career as an actress on such TV shows like Young and the Restless and As the World Turns, among others.
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14. J. T. Rogers
1968-. (aged 58)
playwright
J. T. Rogers is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his play Oslo (2016) about the 1990s Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and Palestine. The play received widespread acclaim as well as the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Obie Award for Best Play. He is also known for his plays Madagascar (2004),The Overwhelming (2006), Blood...
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15. Blake Cooper Griffin
actor
television actor
Blake Cooper Griffin is an American actor. He is best known for his roles on HBO Max's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, AMC's Preacher, TNT's Animal Kingdom, and Ryan Murphy's Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Griffin was also the star of Beerfest: Thirst for Victory, CW Seed's first original film. His notable film work includes...
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16. Kurt Yaghjian
1951-. (aged 75)
singer
actor
Kurt "Frenchy" Yaghjian is an Armenian-American actor and singer best known for his appearance as Annas in the 1973 film Jesus Christ Superstar.
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17. Matthew Ashford
1960-. (aged 66)
screenwriter
television actor
film producer
actor
Matthew Nile Ashford is an American actor and producer. He is known for playing the role of Jack Deveraux on the NBC Daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives for various stints since 1987. In 2012, he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role on Days of Our Lives....
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18. Rebecca Naomi Jones
1981-. (aged 45)
television actor
stage actor
actor
singer
Rebecca Naomi Jones is an American actress and singer best known for her performances in the Broadway rock musicals Passing Strange, American Idiot, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch as well as being the first woman of color to play Laurey in Oklahoma! on Broadway. She also starred more recently in New York City's Shakespeare in the Park adaptation of...
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19. Paul Tazewell
1964-. (aged 62)
costume designer
Paul Tazewell is an American costume designer for the theatre, dance, film, opera and television industry. After training at New York University Tisch School of the Arts he started his career on Broadway. He has since won an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Tony Awards.
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20. Celia Rowlson-Hall
1984-. (aged 42)
film director
dancer
artist
actor
choreographer
Celia Rowlson-Hall is an American dancer, choreographer, and film director. She has choreographed numerous music videos and commercials, and has directed several short films. Her debut feature film, MA, was released in 2015.
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21. Craig Zobel
1975-. (aged 51)
screenwriter
film director
film screenwriter
film producer
Roger Craig Zobel is an American filmmaker and actor whose work includes music videos, film, and television. He has directed the films Compliance, Z for Zachariah (2015), and The Hunt (2020). On TV he has directed episodes of The Leftovers, American Gods, and Westworld. In 2021, he directed the miniseries Mare of Easttown on HBO. He also helped to co-create...
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22. Akihiro Kitamura
1979-. (aged 47)
seiyū
actor
film director
Akihiro Kitamura is a Japanese actor and director, who appeared in The Human Centipede (First Sequence) and Cobra Kai as Young Sato.
23. Natalia Cordova-Buckley
1982-. (aged 44)
film actor
actor
television actor
Natalia Cordova-Buckley is a Mexican-American actress. She is best known for starring as Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez / Slingshot in the ABC superhero drama series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
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24. Joe Mantello
1962-. (aged 64)
television actor
screenwriter
film actor
theatrical director
stage actor
Joseph Mantello is an American actor and director known for his work on stage and screen. He first gained prominence for his Broadway acting debut in the original production of Tony Kushner's two-part epic play Angels in America (1993–1994), for which he received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play nomination. He has since acted in acclaimed...
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25. Hynden Walch
1971-. (aged 55)
film actor
singer
voice actor
Hynden Walch is an American actress best known for voicing Starfire in the Teen Titans franchise and Princess Bubblegum in Adventure Time. She also voiced Penny Sanchez in ChalkZone, Elsie in Stanley, Alice May in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, young Nia Teppelin in Gurren Lagann and Yutaka Kobayakawa in Lucky Star. Outside of animation, Walch has appeared in live-action films like...
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26. Randy Jones
1950-2025 (aged 75)
baseball player
Randolph Edward Jones is an American disco and pop singer and best known as the cowboy from Village People from 1977 to 1980, and again from 1987 until 1990.
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27. Berlinda Tolbert
1949-. (aged 77)
film actor
actor
television actor
Berlinda Tolbert is an American film and television actress. Tolbert is best known for her role as Jenny Willis Jefferson, the daughter of Tom and Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons, which originally aired from 1975 until 1985.
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28. Dylan Arnold
1994-. (aged 32)
actor
Dylan Arnold is an American actor. He is known for playing Noah in the romantic drama After (2019), and its sequel After We Collided (2020), Cameron Elam in Halloween (2018), and its sequel, Halloween Kills (2021), Theo Engler in You (2021), and Frank Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer (2023). On stage, he portrayed Justin in Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Good Boys and True at...
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29. David Gordon Green
1975-. (aged 51)
screenwriter
director
film director
film producer
television producer
David Gordon Green is an American filmmaker. Green began his career in 1997 and gained fame with the independent film George Washington (2000). He directed two additional independent dramas, All the Real Girls (2003) and Snow Angels (2007), as well as the thriller Undertow (2004), all of which he wrote or co-wrote.
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30. Matt Lauria
1982-. (aged 44)
musician
model
television actor
actor
film actor
Matthew Lauria is an American actor and musician. He made his television debut on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock in 2007. He is best known for his roles as Luke Cafferty on the NBC/DirecTV drama Friday Night Lights, Ryan York on the NBC family drama Parenthood, and Ryan Wheeler on the Audience drama Kingdom. In 2021, Lauria appeared as a...
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31. Nick Searcy
1959-. (aged 67)
stage actor
film director
television actor
actor
film actor
Nicholas Alan Searcy is an American character actor best known for portraying Chief Deputy United States Marshal Art Mullen on FX's Justified. He also had a major role in the Tom Hanks–produced miniseries From the Earth to the Moon as Deke Slayton, and directed Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer, a film released on October 12, 2018.
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32. Brett Gelman
1976-. (aged 50)
comedian
television actor
screenwriter
film actor
podcaster
Brett Gelman is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Murray Bauman in Netflix's horror-supernatural series Stranger Things and as Martin in the BBC comedy Fleabag.
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33. Katherine LaNasa
1966-. (aged 60)
ballet dancer
television actor
actor
choreographer
film actor
Katherine LaNasa is an American actress. Since 2025, she has portrayed Nurse Dana Evans in the HBO Max medical drama The Pitt (2025–present), for which she earned her first Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
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34. Paul Schneider
1976-. (aged 50)
actor
television actor
screenwriter
director
film actor
Paul Andrew Schneider is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dick Liddil in the epic western film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and his lead role as Mark Brendanawicz on the first and second seasons of the NBC political satirical sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–10). He also appeared in lead roles...
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35. Stephen McKinley Henderson
1949-. (aged 77)
director
stage actor
television actor
actor
film actor
Stephen McKinley Henderson is an American actor. Henderson trained at Juilliard School for acting and later became a resident member of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis from 1976 to 1981. He came to prominence as a character actor often performing the plays of August Wilson. He has received nominations for two Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and two...
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36. Chris Parnell
1967-. (aged 59)
singer
television actor
comedian
voice actor
actor
Thomas Christopher Parnell is an American actor and comedian. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Parnell found wider success during his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2006. After leaving SNL, he played the role of Dr. Leo Spaceman on the...
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37. Bridget Regan
1982-. (aged 44)
film actor
television actor
stage actor
Bridget Catherine Regan is an American actress best known for her lead roles as Kahlan Amnell in the ABC adventure romance series Legend of the Seeker (2008–10) and Sasha Cooper in the last three seasons of the TNT action drama series The Last Ship (2016–18), as well as her recurring roles as Rebecca Lowe / Rachel Turner in the USA...
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38. Diedrich Bader
1966-. (aged 60)
voice actor
television actor
comedian
film actor
Karl Diedrich Bader is an American actor. He is best known for his comedic and voice acting roles. He has appeared as a series regular in television sitcoms The Drew Carey Show, American Housewife, and Outsourced, along with recurring roles in Better Things and Veep. His film credits include The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), Office Space (1999), and Napoleon Dynamite (2004).
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39. Missi Pyle
1972-. (aged 54)
actor
television actor
film actor
songwriter
stage actor
Missi Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in films such as Galaxy Quest (1999), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), Bringing Down the House (2003), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), The Artist (2011), Gone Girl (2014), Captain Fantastic (2016), and Ma (2019).
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40. Debbie Allen
1950-. (aged 76)
film actor
television producer
film producer
stage actor
film director
Deborah Kaye Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated for 22 Emmy Awards (winning six), and two Tony Awards. She has won a Golden Globe Award, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991. In 2025,...
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41. Lucas Hedges
1996-. (aged 30)
actor
television actor
stage actor
Lucas Hedges is an American actor. A son of filmmaker Peter Hedges, he studied theater at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Hedges began his acting career with a supporting role in Wes Anderson's comedy-drama Moonrise Kingdom (2012). He had his breakthrough in 2016 playing a sardonic teenager in Kenneth Lonergan's drama Manchester by the Sea, which...
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42. Elizabeth Lail
1992-. (aged 34)
film actor
actor
television actor
Elizabeth Dean Lail is an American actress. She is known for portraying Anna in the fantasy series Once Upon a Time (2014), Guinevere Beck in the thriller series You (2018–2025) and Vanessa Afton in the Five Nights at Freddy's films (2023–2025).
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43. Jake Lacy
1985-. (aged 41)
television actor
stage actor
actor
film actor
Jameson Griffin "Jake" Lacy is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Pete "Plop" Miller on the ninth and final season of The Office, as Fran Parker in the fourth and fifth seasons of HBO's Girls, and Shane Patton on the HBO series The White Lotus, the latter of which earned him a nomination for the Primetime...
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44. Billy Magnussen
1985-. (aged 41)
stage actor
songwriter
television actor
actor
film actor
William Gregory Magnussen is an American actor. He has been featured in the films Into the Woods (2014), Bridge of Spies (2015), Birth of the Dragon (2016), Game Night (2018), and Aladdin (2019), and has had supporting television roles in Get Shorty (2017) and Maniac (2018). In 2021, Magnussen starred in the sci-fi series Made for Love on HBO Max...
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45. Dane DeHaan
1986-. (aged 40)
television actor
stage actor
actor
film actor
Dane William DeHaan is an American actor. His roles include Andrew Detmer in Chronicle (2012), Jason Glanton in The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Lucien Carr in Kill Your Darlings (2013), Harry Osborn / Green Goblin in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), Lockhart in A Cure for Wellness (2016), Valerian in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017),...
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46. Danny McBride
1976-. (aged 50)
film producer
film actor
comedian
television actor
director
Daniel Richard McBride is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. Known for his unique acting and writing style, the accolades he has received include nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and four Satellite Awards.
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47. Anna Camp
1982-. (aged 44)
television actor
stage actor
singer
film actor
Anna Ragsdale Camp is an American actress. She portrayed the villainous Sarah Newlin in the HBO vampire drama True Blood (2009, 2013–2014), Aubrey Posen in the Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017), and the dual role of Reagan and Maddie Lockwood in the Netflix thriller You (2025).
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48. Jada Pinkett Smith
1971-. (aged 55)
film director
television personality
television actor
voice actor
executive producer
Jada Koren Pinkett Smith is an American actress, businesswoman, and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show Red Table Talk, for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Award. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021.
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49. Hunter Schafer
1998-. (aged 28)
screenwriter
model
actor
LGBTQ rights activist
Hunter Schafer is an American actress, model and activist. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, she came to public attention after joining a 2016 lawsuit against North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, a so-called "bathroom bill" which prevented transgender people from using public bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity. For her activism, she...
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50. Mary-Louise Parker
1964-. (aged 62)
actor
television actor
writer
film actor
stage actor
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress. After making her Broadway debut as Rita in Craig Lucas's Prelude to a Kiss in 1990 (for which she received a Tony Award nomination), Parker came to prominence for film roles in Grand Canyon (1991), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), The Client (1994), Bullets Over Broadway (1994), A Place for Annie (1994), Boys on the...
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51. Anthony Mackie
1978-. (aged 48)
film actor
television actor
stage actor
Anthony Dwane Mackie is an American actor. He gained wide recognition for portraying Sam Wilson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and later starring as the titular character in Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
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52. Jon Daly
screenwriter
television actor
podcaster
voice actor
television producer
Jonathan Barney Daly, sometimes credited as Jonathan C. Daly, Jon C. Daly, or Jon Daly, is an American actor, comedian, writer and producer best known for his sketch comedy work on the Comedy Central series Kroll Show. In 2013, he starred as Hobbes in the Amazon Studios original series Betas, and also played Agent Filippo in Zoolander 2 (2016).
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53. Judge Reinhold
1957-. (aged 69)
theatrical director
film producer
film actor
television actor
actor
Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. is an American actor who is best known for his work in Hollywood films during the 1980s. He has starred in several popular films such as Stripes (1981), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and Ruthless People (1986). He has co-starred in all of the films in the Beverly Hills Cop series (1984, 1987, 1994,...
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54. Katy Pyle
performing artist
Katy Pyle is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. They are the founder and artistic director of Ballez.
55. Tom Hulce
1953-. (aged 73)
singer
television actor
film actor
voice actor
stage actor
Thomas Edward Hulce is an American actor and theatre producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the Academy Award-winning film Amadeus (1984), as well as the roles of Larry "Pinto" Kroger in Animal House (1978), Larry Buckman in Parenthood (1989), and Quasimodo in Disney's animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). Hulce's awards...
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56. Jennifer Ehle
1969-. (aged 57)
television actor
stage actor
actor
film actor
Jennifer Anne Ehle is an American and British actress. The daughter of writer John Ehle and English actress Rosemary Harris, Ehle started her career acting on stage in the United Kingdom, with the Edinburgh Festival, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the National Theatre. She earned a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and a nomination for the Laurence...
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