Notable Alumni of Wesleyan University [Sorted List]

1. Michael Arias

1968-. (aged 58)

film producer director film director

Michael Arias is an American-born filmmaker active primarily in Japan. Though Arias has worked variously as visual effects artist, animation software developer, and producer, he is best known for his directorial debut, the anime feature Tekkonkinkreet, which established him as the first non-Japanese director of a major anime film.

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2. MC Frontalot

1973-. (aged 53)

rapper

Damian Alexander Hess, better known by his stage name MC Frontalot, is an American rapper and web designer. He is widely credited as a pioneer of the nerdcore genre, blending elements of hip hop with themes from nerd culture.

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3. Matthew Senreich

1974-. (aged 52)

screenwriter television director journalist showrunner television producer

Matthew Ian Senreich is an American screenwriter, television producer, director, and voice actor best known for his work with animated television series Robot Chicken, which he co-created with business partner and close friend Seth Green.

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4. Charles Olson

1910-1970 (aged 60)

writer poet literary critic university teacher

Charles John Olson was a second generation modernist American poet who was a link between earlier modernist figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the third generation modernist New American poets. The latter includes the New York School, the Black Mountain School, and some of the artists and poets associated with the Beat generation and the San...

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5. David Jay

1982-. (aged 44)

activist

David Jay is an American asexual activist. Jay is the founder and webmaster of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), the most prolific and well-known of the various asexual communities established since the advent of the World Wide Web and social media.

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6. Bobbito García

1967-. (aged 59)

music journalist documentarian coach actor disc jockey

Robert "Bobbito" Garcia, also known as DJ Cucumber Slice and Kool Bob Love, is an American DJ, radio host, author, and member of the Rock Steady Crew. He is known as a former co-host of hip hop radio show The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show, alongside Adrian "Stretch Armstrong" Bartos, from 1990 until 1999. He later moved to Washington, D.C.,...

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7. Shelly Kagan

1956-. (aged 70)

university teacher ethicist philosopher

Shelly Ian Kagan is the Clark Professor of Philosophy at Yale University, where he has taught since 1995. He is best known for his writings about animal ethics, moral philosophy, normative ethics, and philosophy of death. In 2007, Kagan's course about death was offered for free online, and was very popular. This led him to publish a book on the...

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8. Stephen Trask

1966-. (aged 60)

composer music director film score composer musician

Stephen Trask is an American musician and composer who graduated from Wesleyan University. He was the music director and house band member at the New York City club Squeezebox, where he performed with stars such as Debbie Harry, Lene Lovich, Hole, Green Day, and Joey Ramone.

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9. David Abram

1957-. (aged 69)

ecologist philosopher writer

David Abram is an American ecologist and philosopher best known for his work bridging the philosophical tradition of phenomenology with environmental and ecological issues. He is the author of Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology and The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-than-Human World (1996), for which he received the Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction. Abram is...

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10. Bill Rodgers

1947-. (aged 79)

athlete athletics competitor marathon runner runner essayist

William Henry Rodgers is an American runner, Olympian, and former record holder in the marathon. Rodgers is best known for his four victories in both the Boston Marathon, including three straight from 1978 to 1980, and 4 straight wins in the New York City Marathon, between 1976 and 1979.

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11. Robert Allbritton

1969-. (aged 57)

businessperson publisher

Robert Lewis Allbritton is the founder and former owner of Capitol News Company, the parent company of Capitol Hill political newspaper and website Politico.

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12. Emilio Daddario

1918-2010 (aged 92)

lawyer politician

Emilio Quincy Daddario was an American Democratic politician from Connecticut. He served as a member of the 86th through 91st United States Congresses.

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13. Anna Dewdney

1965-2016 (aged 51)

writer children's writer

Anna Elizabeth Dewdney was an American author and illustrator of children's books. The first book she wrote and illustrated, Llama Llama Red Pajama, received critical acclaim in 2005. She wrote numerous other books in the Llama Llama series, which have all been New York Times bestsellers. Her work has been adapted into stage plays, dance performances, musicals, and an animated...

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14. Amanda Winn-Lee

1968-. (aged 58)

screenwriter film director writer voice actor actor

Amanda Winn-Lee is an American semi-retired voice actress, ADR director and script writer who works mainly on anime dubs. She was the voice of Mimiru in.hack//SIGN, Rally Vincent in Gunsmith Cats, Yohko Mano in Devil Hunter Yohko, Momiji Kushinada in Blue Seed, Yukiko Amagi in Persona 4, and was featured most notably as Rei Ayanami of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame....

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15. Arthur MacArthur

1815-1896 (aged 81)

lawyer judge

Arthur MacArthur Sr. was a Scottish American immigrant, lawyer, politician, and judge. He was the fifth lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, serving from 1856 to 1858, and during that term he served for 4 days in March 1856 as the fourth governor of Wisconsin, due to the dispute over the results of the 1855 gubernatorial election. After his term as lieutenant...

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16. Kim Stolz

1983-. (aged 43)

businessperson model

Kimberly Lynn Stolz is an American fashion model, television personality, author, and financial executive. Stolz was a correspondent for MTV News, and served as video jockey and host for The Freshmen, an emerging artist show on mtvU. Stolz first came to fame as a contestant on Cycle 5 of America's Next Top Model, where she became the ninth eliminated. As...

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17. Saidiya Hartman

literary theorist historian

Saidiya Hartman is an American academic and writer focusing on African-American studies. She is currently a professor at Columbia University in their English department. Her work focuses on African-American literature, cultural history, photography and ethics, and the intersections of law and literature.

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18. Peter Shumlin

1956-. (aged 70)

politician

Peter Elliott Shumlin is an American politician from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 81st governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017.

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19. Lynn Chen

1976-. (aged 50)

actor television actor voice actor stage actor film director

Lynn Chen is a Taiwanese-American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Vivian Shing in the film Saving Face, a role for which she won the "Outstanding Newcomer Award" at the 2006 Asian Excellence Awards. She writes the popular food blog The Actor's Diet. Chen was named a 2013 "New Change Agent" by Marie Claire.

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20. Jack McDevitt

1935-. (aged 91)

novelist science fiction writer writer

Jack McDevitt is an American science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races, and with archaeology or xenoarchaeology. Most of his books concern either galactic relic hunters Alex Benedict and Chase or superluminal space pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins. McDevitt has received numerous nominations for Hugo, Nebula, and John W. Campbell awards. Seeker won...

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21. Steve Englehart

1947-. (aged 79)

novelist comics artist writer

Steve Englehart is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett.

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22. Bradley Fuller

1965-. (aged 61)

film producer

Bradley Fuller is an American film and television producer. He co-owns Platinum Dunes, partnering with both Michael Bay and Andrew Form.

23. Lawrence Sher

1970-. (aged 56)

cinematographer film director

Lawrence Sher, ASC is an American cinematographer and film director, best known for his works in comedy films and for his collaboration with director Todd Phillips, with his work on Joker earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

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24. Miguel Arteta

1965-. (aged 61)

screenwriter film director director actor

Miguel Arteta is a Puerto Rican filmmaker known for his work in independent cinema and television. His film Chuck & Buck (2000) received the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature made for under $500,000, while The Good Girl (2002) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was met with positive critical reception. In television, Arteta has directed episodes for series...

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25. Naomi Ekperigin

screenwriter podcaster actor comedian

Naomi Ekperigin is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, actress, writer, and producer. She wrote for the Comedy Central sitcom Broad City from 2015–2016, the NBC sitcom Great News from 2017–2018, and the Apple TV+ series Mythic Quest from 2020–2025 and Peacock's St. Denis Medical. She has had guest spots voicing roles in the animated series Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, American...

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26. Tavia Nyong'o

cultural historian

Tavia Nyong'o is a critic and scholar of art and performance. He is William Lampson professor of African American studies, American studies and theater and performance studies at Yale University where he teaches courses on black diaspora performance, cultural studies, and critical and aesthetic theory.

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27. Jessica Rosenworcel

1971-. (aged 55)

civil servant official

Jessica Rosenworcel is an American attorney who served as a member and chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). She originally served on the FCC from May 11, 2012, to January 3, 2017, and was confirmed by the Senate for an additional term on August 3, 2017. She was named to serve as acting chair in January 2021 and designated...

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28. L. Shankar

1950-. (aged 76)

composer jazz musician violinist singer

Shankar Lakshminarayana, better known as L. Shankar, is an Indian violinist, singer and composer who also goes by the stage name Shenkar. Known for his contributions to world music, he is often regarded as one of the pioneers of East-West fusion, blending the traditions of Indian classical with Western genres such as rock, pop, jazz, and electronic music. His extensive...

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29. Heems

1985-. (aged 41)

singer rapper

Himanshu Kumar Suri, better known by his stage name Heems, is an American rapper. Suri came to prominence as a member of the alternative hip hop group Das Racist, with whom he released two mixtapes and one album. Suri has also founded independent record labels Greedhead Music and Veena Sounds, and has released three solo albums and two mixtapes. With...

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30. Katie Halper

1980-. (aged 46)

teacher film producer comedian film director journalist

Katherine Rose Halper is an American comedian, writer, filmmaker, podcaster, and political commentator. She is the host of the podcast The Katie Halper Show and co-host of the podcast Useful Idiots with Aaron Maté.

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31. Dar Williams

1967-. (aged 59)

singer guitarist composer writer singer-songwriter

Dorothy Snowden "Dar" Williams is an American pop folk singer-songwriter from Mount Kisco, New York. Hendrik Hertzberg of The New Yorker has described Williams as "one of America's very best singer-songwriters."

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32. Ayelet Waldman

1964-. (aged 62)

novelist short story writer lawyer writer journalist

Ayelet Waldman is an Israeli-American novelist and essayist. She has written seven mystery novels in the series The Mommy-Track Mysteries and four other novels. She has also written autobiographical essays about motherhood. Waldman spent three years working as a federal public defender and her fiction draws on her experience as a lawyer.

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33. Indy Neidell

1967-. (aged 59)

YouTuber historian documentarian presenter television producer

Indiana Richard Alexander Neidell is an American-Swedish documentarian, historian, actor, voice actor, musician and YouTube personality, best known for presenting the video series The Great War on The Great War Channel, which documented World War I in real time using modern research, various secondary sources and archival footage. A similar project, World War Two (about World War II), began in...

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34. Becky Albertalli

1982-. (aged 44)

writer psychologist

Rebecca Albertalli is an American author of young adult fiction and former psychologist. She is known for her 2015 debut novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which was adapted into the 2018 film Love, Simon and inspired the spin-off television series Love, Victor. Albertalli has subsequently published seven additional novel-length works of young adult fiction, along with 2020's novella...

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35. Jed Hoyer

1973-. (aged 53)

baseball player

Jed Hoyer is an American sports executive who is the president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has been the general manager of the San Diego Padres and the assistant general manager of the Boston Red Sox.

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36. Edoardo Ballerini

1970-. (aged 56)

actor television actor screenwriter film actor theatrical director

Edoardo Ballerini is an American actor, narrator, writer, and film director. On screen he is best known for his work as junkie Corky Caporale in The Sopranos and the hotheaded chef in the indie film Dinner Rush (2001). Ballerini is a two-time winner of the Audio Publishers Association's Best Male Narrator Audie Award (2013), Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter; 2019...

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37. Stephen Talbot

1949-. (aged 77)

actor television producer journalist

Stephen Henderson Talbot is a journalist and TV documentary filmmaker. Talbot directed and produced "The Movement and the 'Madman' " for the PBS series American Experience in 2023. He is a longtime contributor to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) who worked for over 16 years for the series Frontline. Talbot has won Emmys, Peabodys, DuPonts and a George Polk Award...

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38. Craig Thomas

1975-. (aged 51)

actor screenwriter writer television producer musician

Craig David Thomas is an American television writer who, along with writing partner Carter Bays, has written episodes of American Dad!, Oliver Beene, Quintuplets and the hit CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which they created in 2005. In 2012, How I Met Your Mother won a People's Choice Awards.

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39. Mary Roach

1959-. (aged 67)

writer journalist medical writer magazine writer

Mary Roach is an American author specializing in popular science and humor. She has published eight New York Times bestsellers: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (2003), Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife (2005), Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (2008), Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void (2010), Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary...

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40. Candace Nelson

1974-. (aged 52)

pastry chef investor chef television personality

Candace Nelson is an Indonesian-born American pastry chef and judge on the television series Cupcake Wars and Sugar Rush.

41. Barton MacLane

1902-1969 (aged 67)

husbandry worker television actor screenwriter film actor stage actor

Barton MacLane was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, including his role as General Martin Peterson on the 1960s NBC television comedy series I Dream of Jeannie, with Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman.

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42. Max Rose

1986-. (aged 40)

politician

Max Rose is an American politician and military officer who served as the U.S. representative for New York's 11th congressional district from 2019 to 2021. A moderate Democrat, he played a key role in bringing a stalled bill for a fund for victims of the September 11 attacks to a vote in the United States House of Representatives. Rose served...

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43. Tim Eriksen

1966-. (aged 60)

singer guitarist singer-songwriter university teacher musicologist

Tim Eriksen is an American musician, musicologist, and professor. He is the leader of the band Cordelia's Dad, a solo artist, and was a performer and consultant for the award-winning soundtrack of the film Cold Mountain.

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44. Herb Kelleher

1931-2019 (aged 88)

chief executive officer lawyer chairperson founder businessperson

Herbert David Kelleher was an American billionaire airline businessman and lawyer. He was the co-founder, later CEO, and chairman emeritus of Southwest Airlines until his death in 2019.

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45. Carter Bays

1975-. (aged 51)

showrunner television producer screenwriter

Carter Loard Bays is an American television producer, writer, showrunner, and musician.

46. Michael E. Knight

1959-. (aged 67)

film actor actor television actor

Michael Edward Knight is an American television actor, best known for his role as Tad Martin on ABC soap opera All My Children.

47. Nobutaka Machimura

1944-2015 (aged 71)

diplomat politician

Nobutaka Machimura was a Japanese politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives of Japan and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He was Chief Cabinet Secretary in the government of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda from 2007 to 2008 and twice Minister for Foreign Affairs, in the cabinets of Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzō Abe. He resigned as...

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48. Maya Kazan

1986-. (aged 40)

film actor stage actor film director television actor actor

Maya Kazan is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Eleanor Gallinger on the television series The Knick (2014–2015).

49. Lael Brainard

1962-. (aged 64)

banker economist politician

Lael Brainard is an American economist who served as the 14th director of the National Economic Council from 2023 to 2025. She previously served as the 22nd vice chair of the Federal Reserve between May 2022 and February 2023. Prior to her term as vice chair, Brainard served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, taking office...

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50. Eric Mangini

1971-. (aged 55)

American football coach American football player

Eric Anthony Mangini is an American former professional football coach and current television sports analyst for Fox Sports 1. He served as a head coach for the New York Jets from 2006 to 2008 and the Cleveland Browns from 2009 to 2010. After departing Cleveland, Mangini became an NFL analyst for ESPN. He returned to coaching with the San Francisco...

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51. Paul Weitz

1965-. (aged 61)

screenwriter film director film producer actor

Paul John Weitz is an American screenwriter, director and producer. He is the older brother of filmmaker Chris Weitz. Together they worked on the comedy films American Pie and About a Boy; for the latter, they were both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Weitz is also a writer, executive producer, and director of the Amazon Prime...

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52. Benjamin Goldwasser

1982-. (aged 44)

pianist guitarist singer-songwriter

Benjamin Nicholas Hunter Goldwasser is an American songwriter and musician in the psychedelic rock band MGMT, for which he primarily plays keyboards and sings. In 2009, his song "Electric Feel" (co-written with bandmate Andrew VanWyngarden), remixed by Justice, won a Grammy Award in the Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical category. In 2010, his band was nominated for a...

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53. Prince Carlos, Hereditary Duke of Parma

1970-. (aged 56)

aristocrat

Prince Carlos, Duke of Parma and Piacenza is the current Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma, which ruled the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza from 1748 to 1802 and from 1847 to 1859. He assumed the role upon the death of his father in 2010.

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54. Tembi Locke

1970-. (aged 56)

television actor activist executive producer actor film actor

Tembi Locke is an American actress who has appeared in television shows and film. She is best known as Dr. Grace Monroe on Syfy's series Eureka and as Dr. Diana Davis in Sliders. Locke is also the author of the bestselling memoir, From Scratch, which was later adapted into a limited series by Netflix.

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55. Sebastian Junger

1962-. (aged 64)

non-fiction writer film producer film director cinematographer journalist

Sebastian Junger is an American journalist, author and filmmaker who has reported in-the-field on dirty, dangerous and demanding occupations and the experience of infantry combat. He is the author of The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea (1997) which was adapted into a major motion picture and led to a resurgence in adventure creative nonfiction writing....

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56. Zak Penn

1968-. (aged 58)

screenwriter film director film producer film actor

Zak Penn is an American screenwriter. Penn wrote and directed Incident at Loch Ness and The Grand, wrote the script for The Incredible Hulk, co-wrote the scripts for X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, and the story for The Avengers. With Michael Karnow, Penn is the co-creator of the television series Alphas on the Syfy network.

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57. Peter Cambor

1978-. (aged 48)

actor television actor stage actor

Peter Cambor is an American actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Barry on Grace and Frankie and operational psychologist Nate Getz on the CBS show NCIS: Los Angeles.

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58. Bozoma Saint John

1977-. (aged 49)

chief marketing officer

Bozoma "Boz" Saint John is a Ghanaian-American businessperson and marketing executive who was the chief marketing officer (CMO) at Netflix from August 2020 to March 2022. Previously, she served as chief brand officer (CBO) at Uber from 2017 to 2018, and CMO at Endeavor from 2018 to 2020. Saint John was also a marketing executive at Apple Music until June...

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59. John Perry Barlow

1947-2018 (aged 71)

farmer husbandry worker blogger Internet activist poet

John Perry Barlow was an American poet, essayist, cattle rancher, and cyberlibertarian political activist. He was also a lyricist for the Grateful Dead, a founding member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and an early fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.

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60. Jon Turteltaub

1963-. (aged 63)

manufacturer director film director film producer screenwriter

Jonathan Charles Turteltaub is an American filmmaker.

61. Matthew Weiner

1965-. (aged 61)

actor screenwriter television director television producer film director

Matthew Hoffman Weiner is an American television writer, producer, and director best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series Mad Men, and as a writer and executive producer on The Sopranos.

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62. Anuradha Sriram

1970-. (aged 56)

singer television actor

Anuradha Sriram is an Indian playback and classical singer. She is also a film composer and a voice artist. She has recorded over 5,000 songs in various Indian languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Hindi and in Sinhala. She is the recipient of Filmfare Best Female Playback Singer Award and Karnataka State Film Award. She has also received the...

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63. Edward M. Kennedy Jr

1961-. (aged 65)

lawyer politician

Edward Moore Kennedy Jr. is an American lawyer and politician. He is a partner at Epstein Becker & Green, a firm headquartered in New York City, and previously represented Connecticut's 12th State Senate district in the Connecticut State Senate from 2015 to 2019. He is a son of United States Senate member Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts and a nephew of...

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64. Angela Yee

1976-. (aged 50)

radio personality

Angela Yee is an American radio personality. She is currently the host of syndicated radio show Way Up. She previously co-hosted the radio show The Breakfast Club from 2010 to 2022. She is also on the Board of Governors of the We Are Family Foundation and a board member of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies....

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65. Santigold

1976-. (aged 50)

composer singer-songwriter recording artist rapper performance artist

Santi White, known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album, Santogold (2008), was released by Atlantic Records and met with widespread critical praise for its cross-genre blending of dub, new wave, and hip hop music. Its second single, "L.E.S. Artistes", peaked within the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart.

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66. Andrew VanWyngarden

1983-. (aged 43)

singer lyricist guitarist

Andrew Wells VanWyngarden is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the band MGMT. One of his songs, "Kids" received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals while the band was nominated in the Best New Artist category.

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67. Ruben Fleischer

1974-. (aged 52)

film producer screenwriter film director

Ruben Samuel Fleischer is an American film director, film producer, television producer, music video director, and commercial director. He is best known as the director of Zombieland (2009), his first feature film, and its sequel Zombieland: Double Tap (2019). He has also directed the films 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad, Uncharted, and 2018's Venom featuring the Marvel Comics character...

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68. Elisabeth Harnois

1979-. (aged 47)

voice actor television actor actor film actor

Elisabeth Harnois is an American actress. Her career started at the age of five, where she began appearing in a number of film and television roles. As a child, she starred as Alice in Disney's Adventures in Wonderland and as an adult, she starred as Morgan Brody in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation from 2011 to 2015.

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69. Kenneth Lonergan

1962-. (aged 64)

playwright film director actor author director

Kenneth Lonergan is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director, and actor. He is known for his works which explore complex emotional and interpersonal dynamics. He has received several awards including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a Tony Award.

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70. Akiva Goldsman

1962-. (aged 64)

television director documentary participant film producer executive producer film director

Akiva Goldsman is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. His filmography as a screenwriter includes The Client; Batman Forever and its sequel Batman & Robin; I, Robot; I Am Legend; Cinderella Man, and numerous rewrites that are both credited and uncredited. He also wrote more than a dozen episodes for the science fiction television series Fringe.

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71. John Hickenlooper

1952-. (aged 74)

lawyer restaurateur geologist politician

John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. is an American politician, geologist, and businessman serving as the junior United States senator from Colorado since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd governor of Colorado from 2011 to 2019 and as the 43rd mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011.

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72. Michael Bennet

1964-. (aged 62)

school superintendent director counsel politician

Michael Farrand Bennet is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat serving as the senior United States senator from Colorado, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed to the seat when Senator Ken Salazar became Secretary of the Interior. He previously worked as a managing director for the Anschutz Investment Company, chief...

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73. Alex Kurtzman

1973-. (aged 53)

film producer screenwriter television producer executive producer film director

Alexander Hilary Kurtzman is an American filmmaker. He is best known for co-writing the scripts to Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) with his writing and producing partner Roberto Orci, and directing and co-writing The Mummy (2017). He made his directorial debut with People...

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74. Edward Thorndike

1874-1949 (aged 75)

university teacher teacher psychologist

Edward Lee Thorndike was an American psychologist who spent nearly his entire career at Teachers College, Columbia University. His work on comparative psychology and the learning process led to his "theory of connectionism" and helped lay the scientific foundation for educational psychology. He also worked on solving industrial problems, such as employee exams and testing.

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75. William Christopher

1932-2016 (aged 84)

television actor stage actor actor film actor

William Christopher was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. from 1965 to 1968 and Father Francis John Patrick Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H from 1972 to 1983 and its spinoff AfterMASH from 1983 to 1985.

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76. Kim Wayans

1961-. (aged 65)

television director film actor television actor actor television producer

Kimberly Nichole Wayans is an American actress and comedian. She is the sister of Keenen Ivory, Damon Sr., Marlon, Shawn, and Nadia Wayans and aunt of Damien Dante among others. She is best known for her numerous roles on the Fox sketch comedy show In Living Color (1990–94), and Tonia Harris on In the House (1995–98). Wayans has also directed...

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77. Daniel Dennett

1942-2024 (aged 82)

university teacher writer philosopher researcher professor

Daniel Clement Dennett III was an American philosopher and cognitive scientist. His research centered on the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science.

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78. Willie Garson

1964-2021 (aged 57)

film actor actor television actor

William Garson Paszamant was an American actor. He appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes. He was known for playing Stanford Blatch on the series Sex and the City, in the related films Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2 and in the spin-off And Just Like That..., Mozzie in the series White...

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79. Mike White

1970-. (aged 56)

reality television participant actor television actor writer film actor

Michael Christopher White is an American filmmaker and actor. He created, writes, and directs the ongoing HBO satirical comedy anthology series The White Lotus, for which he has won three Primetime Emmy Awards.

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80. Joss Whedon

1964-. (aged 62)

cartoonist novelist television actor animator television producer

Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American filmmaker, comic book writer, and composer. He is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) and its spinoff Angel (1999–2004), the short-lived space Western Firefly (2002), the Internet musical miniseries Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008), the science fiction drama Dollhouse (2009–2010), the Marvel...

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81. Dana Delany

1956-. (aged 70)

actor television actor film actor voice actor stage actor

Dana Delany is an American actress. After appearing in small roles early in her career, Delany received her breakthrough role as Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television drama China Beach (1988–1991), for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1989 and 1992. She received further recognition for her appearances in the...

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82. Beanie Feldstein

1993-. (aged 33)

film actor actor television actor

Elizabeth Greer "Beanie" Feldstein is an American actress, singer and comedian. She first gained recognition for her starring roles in the comedy film Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), the comedy-drama film Lady Bird (2017), and the coming-of-age comedy film Booksmart (2019), the last of which earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion...

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83. Lin-Manuel Miranda

1980-. (aged 46)

songwriter librettist film producer playwright translator

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American songwriter, actor, filmmaker and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton, and the soundtracks for the animated films Moana, Vivo, and Encanto. He has received numerous accolades including a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, three Tony Awards, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Emmy Awards, and five Grammy Awards, along with nominations for...

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84. Bill Belichick

1952-. (aged 74)

American football coach coach

William Stephen Belichick is an American football coach who is the head coach of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, including the record of most Super Bowl wins (six) as a head coach, all with the New England Patriots, along with two more...

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85. Michael Bay

1965-. (aged 61)

actor screenwriter director film actor film director

Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special effects, including frequent depictions of explosions. The films he has directed include Bad Boys (1995) and its sequel Bad Boys II (2003), The Rock (1996), Armageddon (1998), Pearl...

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86. D. B. Weiss

1971-. (aged 55)

television director showrunner author director writer

Daniel Brett Weiss is an American screenwriter and television producer. Along with his collaborator David Benioff, he is best-known for co-creating Game of Thrones (2011–2019), the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Martin's series of books, A Song of Ice and Fire. He also wrote and produced the 2022 American teen comedy-drama Metal Lords.

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87. Hari Kondabolu

1982-. (aged 44)

comedian podcaster screenwriter

Hari Karthikeya Kondabolu is an American stand-up comedian and writer. His comedy covers subjects such as race, inequity, and Indian stereotypes. He was a writer for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell and the creator of the 2017 documentary film The Problem with Apu.

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88. Ram Dass

1931-2019 (aged 88)

writer spiritual teacher university teacher guru philosopher

Ram Dass, also known as Baba Ram Dass, was an American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist, and writer. His best-selling 1971 book Be Here Now, which has been described by multiple reviewers as "seminal", helped popularize Eastern spirituality and yoga in the West. He authored or co-authored twelve more books on spirituality over the next four decades, including...

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89. Elliot Aronson

1932-. (aged 94)

writer sociologist psychologist university teacher

Elliot Aronson is an American psychologist who has carried out experiments on the theory of cognitive dissonance, and invented the Jigsaw Classroom, a cooperative teaching technique that facilitates learning while reducing interethnic hostility and prejudice. In his 1972 social psychology textbook, The Social Animal, he stated Aronson's First Law: "People who do crazy things are not necessarily crazy", thus asserting...

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90. Amy Bloom

1953-. (aged 73)

psychotherapist writer novelist film producer psychologist

Amy Beth Bloom is an American writer and psychotherapist. She is professor of creative writing at Wesleyan University, and has been nominated for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

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91. Daniel Handler

1970-. (aged 56)

accordionist musician children's writer novelist songwriter

Daniel Handler is an American author, musician, screenwriter, television writer, and television producer. He is best known for his children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events and All the Wrong Questions, published under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The former was adapted into a film in 2004, as well as a Netflix series from 2017 to 2019.

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92. David McClelland

1917-1998 (aged 81)

university teacher psychologist sociologist

David Clarence McClelland was an American psychologist, noted for his work on motivation need theory. He published a number of works between the 1950s and the 1990s and developed new scoring systems for the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and its descendants. McClelland is credited with developing Achievement Motivation Theory, commonly referred to as "need for achievement" or n-achievement theory. A...

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93. Scott Gottlieb

1972-. (aged 54)

politician physician

Scott Gottlieb is an American physician and investor who previously served as the 23rd commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from May 2017 until April 2019. He is presently a senior fellow at the conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute (AEI); a partner at the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA); and a member of the...

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94. Bradley Whitford

1959-. (aged 67)

actor television actor screenwriter film actor television producer

Bradley Whitford is an American actor and producer. From 1999 to 2006, Whitford starred as Josh Lyman, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, in NBC's political drama television series The West Wing. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the role in 2001.

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95. Benh Zeitlin

1982-. (aged 44)

composer film director film editor cinematographer animator

Benjamin Harold Zeitlin is an American filmmaker, best known for directing and co-writing the 2012 film Beasts of the Southern Wild, for which he received two Academy Award nominations.

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96. Clark Gregg

1962-. (aged 64)

film actor film director television actor actor director

Robert Clark Gregg Jr. is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He portrayed Phil Coulson in films and television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2008 to 2024, and voiced Coulson in an animated television series and video games.

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97. Robin Cook

1940-. (aged 86)

science fiction writer writer novelist physician physician writer

Robert Finlayson "Robin" Cook was a British Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1974 until his death in 2005 and served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 until 2001, when he was replaced by Jack Straw. He then served as Leader of the House of Commons from 2001 until 2003.

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98. Ulrich Wickert

1942-. (aged 84)

news presenter university teacher writer journalist television presenter

Ulrich Wickert is a Japanese-born German journalist. He is one of the best-known broadcasters in Germany.

99. Kohei Saito

1987-. (aged 39)

economist philosopher

Kohei Saito is a Japanese philosopher. He is an associate professor at the University of Tokyo. Saito works on ecology and political economy from a Marxist perspective. His 2020 book Capital in the Anthropocene has been credited for inspiring a resurgence of interest in Marxist thought in Japan.

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100. Amanda Palmer

1976-. (aged 50)

pianist writer playwright street artist composer

Amanda Palmer is an Australian-English media and film executive and international journalist, whose 18-year-career in film and media entertainment, content creation and entertainment platforms has spanned Australia, Britain, United States and the Middle East.

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