Famous People who Majored in English Literature

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Updated June 9, 2017 26.0K views 124 items

List of famous people who majored in english literature, including photos when available. This list of famous english literature majors is ordered loosely by relevance, meaning the most well-known people are at the top. This list includes popular actors, musicians, athletes and more that majored or minored in english literature. You can find various bits of information below, such as what year the person was born and what their profession is. If you're looking for a particular celebrity who majored in english literature you can use the "search" bar to find a specific name.

The list you're viewing has a variety of people in it, like Reese Witherspoon and Stephen Fry.

This list answers the questions, "Which celebrities were english literature majors?" and "Which famous people studied english literature?"
  • Reese Witherspoon, born as Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon on March 22, 1976, in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., is a widely acclaimed American actress, producer, and entrepreneur. Her early years were spent in Germany where her father served as a lieutenant colonel in the US Army reserves. However, her family returned to the U.S when she was four years old. She began her career in entertainment at the age of 14 with the film The Man in the Moon, which earned her a nomination for a Young Artist Award. Witherspoon's breakthrough came in 1999 when she starred in the comedy-drama Election, earning her a Golden Globe nomination. But it was her role as Elle Woods in the comedy Legally Blonde in 2001 that catapulted her into Hollywood stardom. This performance solidified her standing as one of America's most talented and versatile actresses, earning her a second Golden Globe nomination. In 2005, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in the biographical musical film Walk the Line. Aside from her acting career, Witherspoon has made significant strides as a producer and entrepreneur. She established her production company, Pacific Standard, in 2012 to create more roles for women in film and television. This venture produced several critically acclaimed films, including Gone Girl and Wild. In 2016, she extended her entrepreneurial prowess to launch Draper James, a Southern-inspired retail brand that mirrors her personal style and Southern roots. With her diverse accomplishments in acting, producing, and business, Reese Witherspoon continues to be a formidable force in the entertainment industry.
    • Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
    • Legally Blonde
      1Legally Blonde
      1,044 Votes
    • Sweet Home Alabama
      2Sweet Home Alabama
      962 Votes
    • Walk the Line
      3Walk the Line
      814 Votes
  • Megan Mullally, an American actress and singer, is best known for her role as Karen Walker on the popular television sitcom Will & Grace. Born in Los Angeles, California, she moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at a young age where she developed a burgeoning interest in ballet. However, her passion soon shifted to acting, prompting her to study English Literature and Art History at Northwestern University. Mullally's career in entertainment began with commercials and theater performances before she landed her breakthrough came when she was cast as the outlandishly hilarious Karen Walker in Will & Grace, a role that would earn her two Primetime Emmy Awards. Apart from this, she has appeared in other notable television series such as Parks and Recreation and Childrens Hospital, showcasing her range as an actress. In addition to her acting prowess, Mullally is also recognized for her musical talents. She is part of the band Nancy and Beth, alongside Stephanie Hunt, where they perform a variety of genres ranging from punk to folk music. Despite her comedic fame, Mullally has always considered singing her first love, proving herself to be a multi-talented force in the entertainment industry. Whether it's her unforgettable character portrayals or her captivating musical performances, Megan Mullally continuously leaves an indelible mark on audiences worldwide.
    • Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Stephen Fry, a multifaceted British talent, has made immense contributions to the world of arts and literature. Born on August 24, 1957, in London, England, he spent his early years navigating through a challenging educational journey due to his struggles with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Despite these trials, he found solace in the realms of drama and comedy, ultimately securing a place at Queens' College, Cambridge. Here, he became an integral part of the Cambridge Footlights, a student comedy troupe that has been a springboard for many successful British comedians. Fry's career took off in the 1980s when he teamed up with fellow Cambridge alumnus Hugh Laurie to create the sketch comedy show A Bit of Fry & Laurie. The show was a massive hit, catapulting both performers into the spotlight. This was just the beginning for Fry, who would go on to star in a multitude of films and television series, including the globally acclaimed Jeeves and Wooster and Blackadder. His versatility is evident in his ability to effortlessly transition between dramatic roles and comedic performances. Apart from acting, Fry is an accomplished writer and presenter. His extensive bibliography spans across genres, from novels like The Liar and Making History, to non-fiction works such as Moab Is My Washpot, a candid account of his early life. Moreover, his distinct narrative style and rich voice have made him a sought-after choice for audiobook narration, most notably for the Harry Potter series. In addition, Fry has presented several critically acclaimed documentaries on a diverse range of topics, further cementing his status as a versatile artist. Throughout his career, Stephen Fry has consistently demonstrated an uncanny ability to captivate audiences, making him a cherished figure in the entertainment industry.
    • Birthplace: Hampstead, London, England, UK
  • Kris Kristofferson
    Dec. at 88 (1936-2024)
    Kris Kristofferson, a man of many talents, has made significant strides in both the music and film industry. Born in Brownsville, Texas in 1936, Kristofferson earned his Bachelor's degree in literature from Pomona College before becoming a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. His academic achievements, however, did not quell his thirst for music. He abandoned a promising military career to pursue his passion, a decision that led him to Nashville's thriving country music scene. Kristofferson is best known for his songwriting prowess, penning timeless classics such as Me and Bobby McGee, Help Me Make It Through The Night, and For The Good Times. While his songs have been covered by countless artists, he himself enjoyed success as a recording artist, earning several gold records. His musical achievements are punctuated by numerous awards, including multiple Grammy Awards and an induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004. In addition to his musical pursuits, Kristofferson also carved out a successful acting career. His breakthrough role came in the 1976 film A Star Is Born, for which he garnered a Golden Globe Award. He has since appeared in more than 70 films, demonstrating his range as an actor in diverse roles. Despite his multifaceted career, Kristofferson remains a humble and dedicated artist, committed to his craft and his love for storytelling through song and screen. His life and work serve as an enduring testament to his talent, resilience, and unwavering conviction to follow one's passion.
    • Birthplace: Brownsville, Texas, USA
    • A Star Is Born
      1A Star Is Born
      171 Votes
    • Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
      2Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
      111 Votes
    • Convoy
      3Convoy
      145 Votes
  • Andrea Jung (鍾彬嫻, pinyin: Zhōng Bīnxián, jyutping: zung1 ban1 haa4) (born 1958) is a Canadian-American executive, non-profit leader, and prominent women's-issues supporter. In April, 2014, she became President and CEO of Grameen America, a nonprofit microfinance organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus. Grameen is the fastest-growing microfinance organization in the United States, providing the largest number of microfinance loans to individuals and small businesses. From 1999 until 2012, she served as the first female CEO and chairman of Avon Products, Inc., a multi-level marketing company. Jung was also the first woman to serve as Chairman of the Cosmetic, Toiletry & Fragrance Association, and Chairman of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations. Jung received the 2010 Clinton Global Citizen Award for her leadership of Avon Foundation for Women and other public-private partnerships to end violence against women and to stem the breast cancer epidemic. Under her leadership, the Avon Foundation for Women raised and awarded nearly $1 billion to support health and empowerment causes, becoming the largest women-focused corporate philanthropy around the world.After resigning her CEO role at Avon, Jung continued as chair of Avon's board of directors through the end of 2012 and then as a senior advisor to Avon's board through April, 2014.
    • Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
  • Tom Clancy
    Dec. at 66 (1947-2013)
    One of the world's best-known authors, Tom Clancy penned a vast array of densely plotted, action-driven military and spy thrillers over the course of a two-decade career that included such titles as The Hunt for Red October (1984), Patriot Games (1987) and The Sum of All Fears (1991). Clancy's novels, which frequently followed the adventures of CIA analyst - and future President - Jack Ryan, were praised by readers and military personnel alike for their extensive understanding of covert technology and affairs, which led to 10 of his books reaching the top of the New York Times best seller list and Clancy becoming a cottage industry unto himself, with video games like the popular Rainbow Six series and countless tie-in novels to his name. Clancy's work was also frequently adapted into feature films, including 1990's "The Hunt for Red October" and "The Sum of All Fears" (2002). At the time of his unexpected death in 2013, Clancy remained at the top of the publishing industry, with a net worth of some $300 million, and a dedicated readership.
    • Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
  • Asin
    Age: 39
    Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who mostly appeared in Tamil films. She also appeared in lead roles in Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films. She is a trained Bharathanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She began her acting career in the South Indian film industry, but later shifted her focus to Bollywood. She speaks eight languages, and dubs her own films. She is the only Malayali actress, other than Padmini, to have dubbed in her own voice for all her films, irrespective of language. Asin has been referred to as the "Queen of Kollywood" by online portals in 2007. She is a member of the Bollywood 100 Crore Club.Making her acting debut with Sathyan Anthikkad's Malayalam film Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka (2001), Asin had her first commercial success with the Telugu film Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi in 2003, and won a Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award for the film. M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi (2004) was her debut in Tamil and a huge success. She received her Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award for her most noted critically acclaimed performance in her third Tamil film, Ghajini (2005). She then played the lead female roles in many successful films, the most notable being the action Sivakasi (2005), the dramatic thriller Varalaru (2006), the action thriller Pokkiri (2007), the romantic drama Vel (2008) and Dasavathaaram (2008), hence established herself as the leading actress of Tamil cinema and was also honoured by the Tamil Nadu government with the Kalaimamani award for her excellence in the field of art and literature. In 2013, Asin was conferred with the Pride of South Indian Cinema award at SIIMA for her contribution to Tamil cinema.In late 2008, Asin made her debut in the Bollywood film Ghajini (2008), opposite Aamir Khan, which was the first Bollywood film to have collected more than ₹1 billion in the domestic box office, subsequently collecting ₹1.9 billion (US$27 million) worldwide. Asin won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and many accolades for Ghajini. 2011 marked the most successful phase of Asin's Bollywood career, as she starred in Anees Bazmee's romantic comedy Ready, in which she co-starred alongside Salman Khan. The film was a major hit at the box office, collecting ₹1.84 billion (US$27 million) worldwide. In 2012, Asin first starred in Sajid Khan's multistarrer Housefull 2, which collected more than ₹1 billion. She then featured in Bol Bachchan and Khiladi 786, which were also commercially successful with both grossing over ₹1 billion.
    • Birthplace: India, Kochi
  • Abdurrazack "Zackie" Achmat (born 21 March 1962) is a South African activist and film director. He is a co-founder the Treatment Action Campaign and known worldwide for his activism on behalf of people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa. He currently serves as Board member and Co-director of Ndifuna Ukwazi (Dare to Know), an organisation which aims to build and support social justice organisations and leaders, and is the Chairperson of Equal Education.
    • Birthplace: Cape Town, South Africa
  • Kelly Killoren Bensimon is an American actress who appeared in "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip," "The Real Housewives of New York City," and "Innocence."
    • Birthplace: Rockford, Illinois, USA
  • Catherine "Kate" de Castelbajac, Marchioness de Castelbajac (born Katherine Lee Chambers in Santa Barbara, California) is a former model and fashion journalist who now works as an image consultant and educator. She is currently the founder of CdeC Academy of Santa Barbara, and is affiliated with the Association of Image Consultants International.
    • Birthplace: Santa Barbara, California
  • Simon Pegg
    Age: 55
    Hailing from the United Kingdom, Simon Pegg is a highly esteemed actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Born as Simon John Beckingham in 1970 in Gloucester, England, his passion for the performing arts was ignited at an early age. He studied drama at the University of Bristol where he penned his first theatrical production, a play titled David Icke: The Musical. Pegg's career took off after he moved to London where he began to perform stand-up comedy and wrote for several high-profile television shows. Pegg's breakthrough came with the British television sitcom Spaced, which aired from 1999 to 2001. He not only co-wrote the show with Jessica Stevenson but also starred in it. His unique blend of humor and relatability resonated with audiences leading to two successful seasons. This paved the way for him to co-write and star in the critically acclaimed Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy, comprising Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013). These films, directed by Edgar Wright, showcased Pegg's distinct comedic style and storytelling ability, propelling him into international stardom. In addition to his success in comedy, Pegg has also made a significant impact in the science fiction genre. He's best known globally for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the rebooted Star Trek film series. Moreover, he contributed to the screenplay of Star Trek: Beyond (2016). Another notable performance was as Benji Dunn in the Mission: Impossible franchise. With his wide range of roles and contributions to the film industry, Simon Pegg has cemented his status as a versatile and talented figure in entertainment.
    • Birthplace: Gloucester, England, UK
    • Shaun of the Dead
      1Shaun of the Dead
      660 Votes
    • Hot Fuzz
      2Hot Fuzz
      678 Votes
    • The World's End
      3The World's End
      540 Votes
  • Wentworth Miller, born on June 2, 1972, in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, has boldly navigated both small and big screen as an accomplished actor and screenwriter. Known for his striking performances and compelling scripts, he has elegantly crafted a distinguished career that spans over two decades. With parents of diverse descent - his father African-American, Jamaican, German, and English, while his mother Russian, French, Syrian, and Lebanese - Miller's multicultural background significantly influenced his broad perspective, undoubtedly reflected in his versatile roles. Miller began his journey into the world of acting with minor guest roles in television series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ER. However, his breakout role came in 2005 when he secured the part of Michael Scofield in the popular Fox drama, Prison Break. The role required him to tap into a deep well of emotion, intelligence, and physicality which were aptly showcased through his precise performance. This series not only brought him international recognition but also solidified his position as a noteworthy actor in the entertainment industry. Beyond acting, Miller also made significant strides as a screenwriter. Using a pseudonym, he penned the psychological thriller, Stoker, which was released in 2013. The script demonstrated his adeptness at the craft, exploring complex character dynamics and a tightly woven narrative. His accomplishments in both acting and writing have earned him critical acclaim and established him as a multitalented force within the industry. In his personal life, Wentworth Miller came out as gay in 2013 and has since used his platform to advocate for mental health and LGBTQ+ rights.
    • Birthplace: Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, UK
    • Prison Break: The Final Break
      1Prison Break: The Final Break
      297 Votes
    • The Loft
      2The Loft
      88 Votes
    • Resident Evil: Afterlife
      3Resident Evil: Afterlife
      78 Votes
  • Empress Michiko

    Empress Michiko

    Age: 90
    Michiko (美智子, born Michiko Shōda (正田美智子, Shōda Michiko), 20 October 1934) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who served as the Empress consort of Japan as the wife of Akihito, the 125th Emperor of Japan reigning from 7 January 1989 to 30 April 2019. Michiko married Crown Prince Akihito and became the Crown Princess of Japan in 1959. She was the first commoner and the first member of a religious minority (her family is Roman Catholic) to marry into the Japanese Imperial Family. She has three children with her husband. Her elder son, Naruhito, is the current emperor to the Chrysanthemum Throne. As crown princess and later as empress consort, she has become the most visible and widely travelled imperial consort in Japanese history. Upon Emperor Akihito's abdication, Michiko received the new title of Jōkōgō (上皇后), or Empress Emerita.
    • Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
  • Patricia Rozema (born August 20, 1958) is a Canadian film director, writer and producer. She was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave.
    • Birthplace: Kingston, Canada
  • Douglas Adams
    Dec. at 49 (1952-2001)
    Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, screenwriter, essayist, humorist, satirist and dramatist. Adams was author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which originated in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold more than 15 million copies in his lifetime and generated a television series, several stage plays, comics, a video game, and in 2005 a feature film. Adams's contribution to UK radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.Adams also wrote Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988), and co-wrote The Meaning of Liff (1983), The Deeper Meaning of Liff (1990), Last Chance to See (1990), and three stories for the television series Doctor Who; he also served as script editor for the show's seventeenth season in 1979. He also co-wrote the Monty Python sketch “Patient Abuse” which appeared in the final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. A posthumous collection of his works, including an unfinished novel, was published as The Salmon of Doubt in 2002. Adams was an advocate for environmentalism and conservation, a lover of fast cars, technological innovation and the Apple Macintosh, and a self-proclaimed radical atheist.
    • Birthplace: England, Cambridge
    • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
      1The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
      58 Votes
    • The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
      2The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
      41 Votes
    • Life, the Universe and Everything
      3Life, the Universe and Everything
      34 Votes
  • Adrian Chiles (born 21 March 1967) is a British television and radio presenter, currently working for BBC Radio 5 Live. Previously, Chiles co-presented both The One Show (2007–2010) and Daybreak (2010–2011) with Christine Lampard. He was also the chief presenter for football coverage on ITV Sport from 2010 until 2015. His journalistic training and love of football resulted in his presenting business programmes such as Working Lunch and The Money Programme as well as sports programmes like Match of the Day 2.
    • Birthplace: England
  • John Krasinski, an American actor of remarkable talent, is best known for his role as Jim Halpert on the beloved television series The Office. Born on October 20, 1979, in Boston, Massachusetts, Krasinski developed a passion for acting during his time at Newton South High School. His pursuit of the craft led him to the National Theater Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and later to Brown University, where he graduated as a playwright in 2001. His early career saw him working as an intern on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, a stint that provided an invaluable window into the world of entertainment. Krasinski's breakthrough came when he was cast in NBC's version of the British sitcom, The Office, in 2005. His portrayal of the charmingly sarcastic Jim Halpert earned him critical acclaim, along with several award nominations. The show ran for nine seasons, transforming Krasinski from a budding actor into a household name. Yet, aside from The Office, Krasinski has showcased his versatility by taking on a range of roles in films such as Away We Go, It's Complicated, and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. In addition to his acting prowess, Krasinski has demonstrated notable skills behind the camera. He made his directorial debut with the 2009 film Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, which was based on David Foster Wallace's short-story collection. More significantly, he directed, co-wrote, and starred in the critically acclaimed horror film A Quiet Place, and its sequel, proving his mettle as a multitalented force in Hollywood. Throughout his career, Krasinski has consistently displayed an ability to excel both on-screen and off, making him one of the most respected figures in contemporary cinema.
    • Birthplace: Newton, Massachusetts, USA
    • Jim Halpert
      1Jim Halpert
      74 Votes
    • Lee Abbott
      2Lee Abbott
      39 Votes
    • Lancelot
      3Lancelot
      21 Votes
  • Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak (born July 31, 1979) is an American actor, writer, comedian, and director. Novak was one of the writers and executive producers of The Office (2005–2013), in which he also played Ryan Howard.
    • Birthplace: USA, Massachusetts, Newton
  • Joseph Campbell
    Dec. at 83 (1904-1987)
    Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American Professor of Literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the human experience. Campbell's most well-known work is his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), in which he discusses his theory of the journey of the archetypal hero shared by world mythologies, termed the monomyth. Since the publication of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell's theory has been applied by a wide variety of modern writers and artists. His philosophy has been summarized by his own often repeated phrase: "Follow your bliss." He gained recognition in Hollywood when George Lucas credited Campbell's work as influencing his Star Wars saga.
    • Birthplace: White Plains, New York, USA
  • Ellen Alemany is Chief Executive Officer of RBS Americas and Citizens Financial Group, Inc. RBS Americas is the North American and Latin American operations and subsidiaries of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc
  • Ira Levin
    Dec. at 78 (1929-2007)
    Ira Levin was an American writer, producer, and actor who was known for writing "Rosemary's Baby," "Sliver," and "The Boys From Brazil."
    • Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
  • Cynthia Shoshana Ozick (born April 17, 1928) is an American short story writer, novelist, and essayist.
    • Birthplace: New York City, New York
  • Samuel Beckett
    Dec. at 83 (1906-1989)
    Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. A resident of Paris for most of his adult life, he wrote in both English and French. Beckett's work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human existence, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humor, and became increasingly minimalist in his later career. He is considered one of the last modernist writers, and one of the key figures in what Martin Esslin called the "Theatre of the Absurd."Beckett was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his writing, which—in new forms for the novel and drama—in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation." He was elected Saoi of Aosdána in 1984.
    • Birthplace: Foxrock, Ireland
  • Kris Aquino is an actress and producer who appeared in "Crazy Rich Asians," "Etiquette for Mistresses," and "Fatima Buen Story."
    • Birthplace: Quezon City, Philippines
  • Hugh Dancy
    Age: 49
    Hugh Dancy, a British actor of commendable talent and surprising versatility, is celebrated for his impressive body of work spanning across film, television, and theater. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Dancy attended Winchester College and then Oxford University, where he studied English Literature. His fascination with the world of acting was ignited during his time at Oxford, leading him to commence his professional acting career. Dancy's early career comprises an array of noteworthy roles. Among his first notable performances was his portrayal of David Copperfield in the BBC's adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel. He later ventured into Hollywood, starring in films such as Ella Enchanted and King Arthur. His ability to immerse himself in diverse characters demonstrated his acting mettle and established him as a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry. Beyond his cinematic achievements, Dancy's role as Will Graham in the critically acclaimed television series Hannibal earned him widespread recognition. His nuanced performance won him accolades and affirmed his status as a formidable actor in the television landscape. Additionally, Dancy's stage prowess shouldn't be overlooked; his performances in Broadway productions like Venus in Fur and Journey's End further showcase his range as an actor. Hugh Dancy's diverse and accomplished career reflects his dedication to his craft, a testament to his standing as one of the most esteemed actors of his generation.
    • Birthplace: Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK
  • Dev Anand
    Dec. at 88 (1923-2011)
    Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), known as Dev Anand, was a noted Hindi film actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is considered as one of the greatest and most successful actors in the bollywood film industry.
    • Birthplace: Shakargarh Tehsil
  • Chris Dodd
    Age: 80
    Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is a Connecticut native and a graduate of Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Maryland, and Providence College. His father, Thomas J. Dodd, was also a United States Senator from 1959 to 1971. Chris Dodd served in the Peace Corps for two years prior to entering the University of Louisville School of Law, and during law school concurrently served in the United States Army Reserve. Dodd returned to Connecticut, winning election in 1974 to the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut's 2nd congressional district and was reelected in 1976 and 1978. He was elected United States Senator in the elections of 1980, and is the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history. Dodd served as general chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1995 to 1997. He served as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee until his retirement from politics. In 2006, Dodd decided to run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, but eventually withdrew after running behind several other competitors. In January 2010, Dodd announced that he would not run for re-election. Dodd was succeeded by fellow Democrat Richard Blumenthal. Dodd then served as chairman and chief lobbyist for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) during 2011–2017. In 2018, Dodd returned to the practice of law, joining the firm Arnold & Porter.
    • Birthplace: USA, Connecticut, Willimantic
  • Gordon B. Hinckley
    Dec. at 97 (1910-2008)
    Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 12, 1995, until his death. Considered a prophet, seer, and revelator by church members, Hinckley was the oldest person to preside over the church in its history.Hinckley's presidency was noted for the building of temples, with more than half of existing temples being built under his leadership. He also oversaw the reconstruction of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple and the building of the 21,000 seat Conference Center. During his tenure, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" was issued and the Perpetual Education Fund was established. At the time of his death, approximately one-third of the church's membership had joined the church under Hinckley's leadership. Hinckley was awarded ten honorary doctorate degrees, and in 2004, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush. Hinckley also received the Boy Scouts of America's highest award, the Silver Buffalo, and served as chairman of the Church Boards of Trustees/Education. Hinckley died of natural causes on January 27, 2008. His wife, Marjorie Pay, died in 2004. He was succeeded as church president by Thomas S. Monson, who had served as his first counselor in the First Presidency, and, more importantly, was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; therefore, according to LDS doctrine and practice, Monson was Hinckley's anticipated successor.
    • Birthplace: Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon; October 10, 1941) is an American actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audiobooks. He is known for his work in films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Cross Creek (1983), Jagged Edge (1985), Patch Adams (1998), Erin Brockovich (2000), A Walk to Remember (2002), Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012) and Good Kill (2014). He was the "Voice of Oscar" for the 72nd Academy Awards ceremony, the first Oscars announcer to be seen on-camera.Coyote's voice work includes narrating the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Apple's iPad Retina Display campaign. He narrated the PBS series The Pacific Century (1992), winning an Emmy, and seven documentaries directed or produced by Ken Burns: The West (1996), The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009), Prohibition (2011), The Dust Bowl (2012), The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014), The Vietnam War (2017) and The Mayo Clinic: Faith--Hope--Science (2018). He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator in 2015 for his work on The Roosevelts. His voice has often been said to resemble that of actor Henry Fonda.Coyote was one of the founders of the Diggers, an anarchist improv group active in Haight-Ashbury during the mid-1960s. Coyote was also an actor, writer and director with the San Francisco Mime Troupe; his prominence in the San Francisco counterculture scene led to his being interviewed for the book Voices from the Love Generation. He acted in and directed the first cross-country tour of The Minstrel Show, and his play Olive Pits, co-authored with Mime Troupe member Peter Berg, won the troupe an Obie Award from The Village Voice. Coyote became a member, and later chairman, of the California Arts Council from 1975 to 1983. In the late 1970s, he shifted from acting on stage to acting in films. In the 1990s and 2000s (decade), he acted in several television shows. He speaks fluent Spanish and French.
    • Birthplace: New York City, Manhattan, USA, New York
  • Eric Ken Shinseki (; born November 28, 1942) is a retired United States Army general who served as the seventh United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2009–2014). His final United States Army post was as the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army (1999–2003). Shinseki is a veteran of two tours of combat in the Vietnam War, in which he was awarded three Bronze Star Medals for valor and two Purple Hearts. He was the first Asian-American four-star general, and the first Asian-American Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
    • Birthplace: Lihue, Hawaii, USA
    • Birthplace: Santa Rosa, California
  • John Garth Turner, (born March 14, 1949) is a Canadian business journalist, best-selling author, entrepreneur, broadcaster, financial advisor and politician, twice elected as a Member of the House of Commons, former Minister of National Revenue and leadership candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. After serving as a PC MP between 1988 and 1993, he returned to political life as a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada in the 2006 federal election, beating Liberal Gary Carr in the riding of Halton, Ontario. On October 18, 2006, the Conservative Party suspended him from the Conservative caucus for his independent stance and he sat as an Independent MP until February 6, 2007, when he joined the Liberal Party of Canada. His great-grandfather, Ebenezer Vining Bodwell, was also a Liberal Member of Parliament.
    • Birthplace: Woodstock, Canada
  • Chaim Potok
    Dec. at 73 (1929-2002)
    Chaim Potok (February 17, 1929 – July 23, 2002) was an American author and rabbi. His first book The Chosen (1967), was listed on The New York Times’ best seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies.
    • Birthplace: Buffalo, New York
  • Jeff Prucher is an author.
    • Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
  • Suresh Gopi (born 26 June 1958) is an Indian film actor, politician, playback singer and television presenter. He works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and has also appeared in few Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bollywood films. Suresh has acted in more than 200 films and is a recipient of a National Film Award and Kerala State Film Award. He currently serves as a Member of Parliament (MP) in Rajya Sabha. Suresh is also a philanthropist, social worker, and advocates for environmental protection.
    • Birthplace: Kollam, India
  • Aylwin B. Lewis (born May 28, 1954) is an American businessman. He served as the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Potbelly Sandwich Works, June 2008 - August 2017.
    • Birthplace: Houston, Texas
  • MC Lars
    Age: 42
    Andrew Robert Nielsen (born October 6, 1982), known professionally as MC Lars, is an American rapper, cartoonist, YouTuber, game designer, poet and podcaster. He is one of the self-proclaimed originators of "lit-hop" and was one of the first rappers to sample and reference post-punk, pop punk, and emo bands.He is the founder and CEO of the independent record label Horris Records. He is the creator of the comic strip "27th Street", where many of the characters from his songs first appeared. Beginning as a regularly running strip in the Stanford Daily, Lars continues to post the strip on Tumblr. He is one of several people who claim to have coined the term iGeneration, which he is credited with doing in 2003.
    • Birthplace: Berkeley, California
  • Chris Addison is an actor, director, producer, and writer who is best known for his role in "In the Loop" as Toby. Addison won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2016 for "Veep."
    • Birthplace: Didsbury, Manchester, England, UK
  • Chuck is a Co-Founder and General Partner of NEA. His investment activities focus on healthcare services, healthcare information services and biopharmaceutical companies. His board memberships include Bravo by ElderHealth, CoGenesys, Hospital Partners of America, Pharmos, Sensors for Medicine Science, Supernus Pharmaceuticals, TargetRx, Trine Pharmaceuticals, and Vitae Pharmaceuticals. His prior board memberships include among others, AMERIGROUP, Caremark, Chomerics, Genetic Therapy, LifeMetrix, Life Technologies, PatientKeeper, Russ Pharmaceuticals, Scandipharm, Sepracor, Surgical Health, and Zymark Corporation. In 1986 he founded the Mid-Atlantic Venture Capital Association (MAVA), which now has over 80 venture capital firms that are members, and is one of the most active regional venture associations in the country. He is Chairman Emeritus of MAVA. Chuck served in Vietnam commanding an independent platoon including an initial reconnaissance of Hamburger Hill. His decorations include the Silver Star and Bronze Star V (1st OLC.) Before co-founding NEA, Chuck was Vice President of T. Rowe Price Associates (Vice President of their New Horizons Fund). He received his MBA from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business and his BA in English Literature with honors from the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Mika Emilie Leonia Brzezinski Scarborough (; born May 2, 1967) is an American journalist, talk show host, liberal political commentator, and author who currently co-hosts MSNBC's weekday morning broadcast show Morning Joe. She was formerly a CBS News correspondent, and was their principal "Ground Zero" reporter during the morning of the September 11 attacks. In 2007 she joined MSNBC as an occasional anchor, and was subsequently chosen as co-host of Morning Joe, alongside Joe Scarborough. She and Scarborough were married on November 24, 2018, with Rep. Elijah Cummings serving as the officiant.Mika Brzezinski is a visiting fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics. Her main political interest is in wage equality for women. She is also the author of three books; two on her career as a journalist and one on food addiction. Brzezinski is the daughter of diplomat and political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served as adviser to both Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter.
    • Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
  • A striking and compelling British actress, Sonya Walger first caught the attention of American television viewers playing Penelope Widmore, the once-lost love of Desmond Hume who keeps hope alive on the cult hit, "Lost" (ABC, 2004-2010). Prior to her breakthrough on the popular mystery series, Walger appeared on the stage and in episodes of several crime series before venturing across the pond for the ill-fated Americanized version of the British series "Coupling" (NBC, 2003). Though she worked steadily on the small screen in projects like "Sleeper Cell" (Showtime, 2005-06) and even courted controversy in the sexually explicit "Tell Me You Love Me" (HBO, 2007), Walger was still waiting for her first leading role despite the familiarity she gained from "Lost." Adept at portraying strong, complicated women, Walger finally had the chance to prove that she was a leading lady after landing the role of Dr. Olivia Benford, the successful surgeon with conflicting emotions about the future of her marriage on ABC's hit drama "FlashForward" (2009- ). All throughout, Walger brought a thoughtful intelligence to each of her roles, a quality that resonated with her audience over the duration of her career.
    • Birthplace: London, England, UK
  • Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short-story writer. Roth's fiction, regularly set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey, is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophically and formally blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, for its "sensual, ingenious style" and for its provocative explorations of American identity.Roth first gained attention with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, for which he received the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. He became one of the most awarded American writers of his generation. His books twice received the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle award, and three times the PEN/Faulkner Award. He received a Pulitzer Prize for his 1997 novel American Pastoral, which featured one of his best-known characters, Nathan Zuckerman, a character in many of Roth's novels. The Human Stain (2000), another Zuckerman novel, was awarded the United Kingdom's WH Smith Literary Award for the best book of the year. In 2001, in Prague, Roth received the inaugural Franz Kafka Prize.
    • Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey
    • Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska
  • Barry Charles Cryer, OBE (born 23 March 1935) is an English writer, comedian and actor. Cryer has written for many noted performers, including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie Howerd, Richard Pryor, Spike Milligan, Mike Yarwood, The Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise.Cryer also wrote episodes for the television comedy series Doctor in the House.
    • Birthplace: England, Leeds
  • Michael O’Hare
    Dec. at 60 (1952-2012)
    Robert Michael O'Hare Jr. (May 6, 1952 – September 28, 2012) was an American actor who performed on stage and television. He was best known for playing Commander Jeffrey Sinclair in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, a role he left due to serious mental health issues.
    • Birthplace: USA, Chicago, Illinois
  • Chester Dent is a producer/director from the UK with prime-time credits for the BBC, Channel 4 and DCI. Originally trained as a director of actors under Mike Leigh and Stephen Frears at the UK National Film Television School, Chester has directed big-budget television drama as well as music videos and commercials. His short film “Revolver” was shown at more than forty festivals internationally and in competition at Cannes. After a brief sojourn into New Media with Apple in the mid-1990s, he re-invented himself as an observational documentarian with two acclaimed films for BBC2’s “Trouble at the Top” series. In 2006 he was hired by Tiger Aspect to direct the US version of their hit series “The Monastery” for TLC. Chester continues to make signature documentaries in Australia with his latest series “Angels in New York” to be shown later this year on SBS. He now lives and works in the Byron area of NSW.
    • Birthplace: Nongoma, South Africa
  • Trent Olsen is an actor.
    • Birthplace: Los Angeles, USA, California, Sherman Oaks
  • Michael Lerner
    Dec. at 81 (1941-2023)
    Jowly character player who honed his skills with San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre before making his film debut in "Alex in Wonderland" (1970). After several small film roles, Lerner gained notice for his performance as Katz, the Machiavellian lawyer, in Bob Rafelson's "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1981) and as World Series "fixer" Arnold Rothstein in John Sayles' "Eight Men Out" (1988).
    • Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
  • Adrienne Louise Clarkson (Chinese: 伍冰枝; pinyin: Wǔ Bīngzhī; née Poy, February 10, 1939) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation. Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 1941, as a refugee from Japanese-occupied Hong Kong, and was raised in Ottawa. After receiving a number of university degrees, Clarkson worked as a producer and broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and a journalist for various magazines. Her first diplomatic posting came in the early 1980s, when she promoted Ontarian culture in France and other European countries. She was in 1999 appointed as governor general by Queen Elizabeth II, on the recommendation of Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien, to replace Roméo LeBlanc as viceroy and she occupied the post until succeeded by Michaëlle Jean in 2005. While Clarkson's appointment as the Canadian vicereine was generally welcomed at first, she caused some controversy during her time serving as the Queen's representative, mostly due to costs incurred in the operation of her office, as well as a somewhat anti-monarchist attitude toward the position. On October 3, 2005, Clarkson was sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. She subsequently published her memoirs, founded the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, and became Colonel-in-Chief of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
    • Birthplace: Hong Kong, China
  • Myla Goldberg (born November 19, 1971) is an American novelist and musician.
  • Owain Sebastian Yeoman is a Welsh actor. His credits include The Nine, Kitchen Confidential, AMC's Turn (as Benedict Arnold) and the HBO series Generation Kill. Additionally, he portrayed CBI Agent Wayne Rigsby in The Mentalist.
    • Birthplace: Chepstow, Wales, UK
  • Betty Freeman
    Dec. at 87 (1921-2009)
    Betty Wishnick-Freeman (2 June 1921 – 3 January 2009) was an American philanthropist and photographer.
    • Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
  • Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (born July 11, 1938) is an American historian of early America and the history of women, and a professor at Harvard University. Her approach to history has been described as a tribute to "the silent work of ordinary people"—an approach that, in her words, aims to "show the interconnection between public events and private experience."
    • Birthplace: Sugar City, Idaho
  • Marlene Jennings (born November 10, 1951) is a former Canadian politician. She was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada in the House of Commons of Canada, and represented the riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine from 1997 to 2011. Jennings was born in Longueuil, Quebec. She is a former lawyer and senior public servant. She is the former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Cooperation and the former Parliamentary Secretary to the Solicitor General of Canada. From 2004 to October 2005, she was Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister with special emphasis on Canada-U.S. relations. Jennings was the first Black woman from Quebec to be elected to Parliament. She was also one of the few parliamentarians with a physical disability, having become partially blind due to an illness in early 2010; she used visual aids and a white cane until late 2011. Over seven surgical procedures successfully restored her vision. She is also a past member of the Girl Guides of Canada.
    • Birthplace: Longueuil, Canada
  • Ryan Clark Crocker (born June 19, 1949) is a former career ambassador within the United States Foreign Service and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has served as United States Ambassador to Afghanistan (2011–2012), Iraq (2007–2009), Pakistan (2004–2007), Syria (1998–2001), Kuwait (1994– 1997), and Lebanon (1990–1993). In January 2010, he became Dean of Texas A&M University's George Bush School of Government and Public Service.Former Secretary of State Colin Powell called Crocker "one of our very best foreign service officers". President George W. Bush called him America's Lawrence of Arabia and noted that General David Petraeus had said that "it was a great honor for me to be his military wingman".
    • Birthplace: Spokane, Washington
  • With an Emmy in hand, Sheila Nevins was honored by her peers as a commendable talent in the entertainment industry. In the early 2000s, Nevins devoted her time to various credits, such as "Long Night's Journey Into Day" with Peter Biehl (2000), "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" (2000) starring Tammy Faye Messner and "Chain Camera" with Rosemary To (2001). She also worked on "Southern Comfort" (2001) starring Robert Eads. Nevins most recently appeared on the documentary "Thought Crimes" (2015) with Laurie Penny.
    • Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
  • John Halle Gutfreund (14 September 1929 – 9 March 2016) was an American banker, businessman and investor. He was the CEO of Salomon Brothers Inc, an investment bank that gained prominence in the 1980s. Gutfreund turned Salomon Brothers from a private partnership into a publicly traded corporation which started a trend in Wall Street for investment companies to go public. In 1985, Business Week gave him the nickname "King of Wall Street".
  • Ellen Moran

    Ellen Moran

    Age: 58
    Ellen Moran is the Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Communications and Marketing at the University of Pittsburgh. She previously served as Chief of Staff at the US Department of Commerce under Secretary Gary Locke from April 2009 to August 2011. She previously held the position of White House Communications Director. Her predecessor was Kevin Sullivan, who held the position under the Bush administration. Prior to her post at the White House, she was executive director of EMILY's List.
    • Birthplace: Troy, New York, USA
  • Mark Bomback

    Mark Bomback

    Age: 53
    Mark Bomback is a screenwriter who works primarily in the action/adventure genre. One of his first projects was a re-write of the original script for "Constantine," an action-science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence, adapted from a comic book. Not only were there accommodations made to the main character to make it a better fit for Keanu Reeves, but a lot of plot elements, locations, and aesthetic elements were changed as well for various production reasons. A few years later, Bomback wrote the final script for the fourth installment of the "Die Hard" action film series starring Bruce Willis, "Live Free or Die Hard." As with "Constantine," there were several changes to the original script, as well as each subsequent script. One of the main reasons for the numerous re-writes was an effort to be more sensitive, as the project was originally supposed to have been released around the time of the September 11, 2001, attacks, and the plot's central theme dealt with terrorism against the United States In 2009, Bomback worked on the final script for the remake of the Disney science fiction adventure film "Escape to Witch Mountain," called "Race to Witch Mountain," directed by Andy Fickman. After Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) was cast in the lead role, Bomback was asked to modify the original script significantly, adding more dark elements to the plot and overall mood than were in the original film. In 2010, Bomback wrote the script for "Unstoppable," an action/adventure thriller about a runaway train, for director Tony Scott, who is famous for the adaptation of another train-based thriller, "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3."
    • Birthplace: New Rochelle, New York, USA
  • Atul Kulkarni is an actor who appeared in "Paint it Yellow," "Delhi-6," and "Junglee."
    • Birthplace: Karnataka, India
  • Emily V. Williams

    Emily V. Williams

    Age: 39
    • Birthplace: Boca Raton, Florida
  • Kate Atkinson, (born 20 December 1951) is an English writer of novels, plays and short stories. She is known for creating the Jackson Brodie series of detective novels, which has been adapted into the BBC series Case Histories. She won the Whitbread Book of the Year prize in 1995 in the Novels category for Behind the Scenes at the Museum, winning again in 2013 and 2015 under its new name the Costa Book Awards.
    • Birthplace: York, United Kingdom
  • Sang-sun Yi

    Sang-sun Yi

    Age: 35
    She was born in March 27, 1989 in Taejeon, South Korea. She hasn't done any valuable thing in her life. It is said that she is just blowing her parents money for having fun nowdays. Her major interest is doing bullshit. If you want to do some bullshit with her, please contact her via e-mail. She is currently living in South Korea but she may go abroad someday in the future.
    • Birthplace: Daejeon, South Korea
  • K. R. Narayanan

    K. R. Narayanan

    Dec. at 85 (1920-2005)
    Kocheril Raman Narayanan (listen ; 4 February 1921 – 9 November 2005) was the tenth President of India and ninth Vice President of IndiaBorn in Perumthanam, Uzhavoor village, in the princely state of Travancore (present day Kottayam district, Kerala), and after a brief stint with journalism and then studying political science at the London School of Economics with the assistance of a scholarship, Narayanan began his career in India as a member of the Indian Foreign Service in the Nehru administration. He served as ambassador to Japan, United Kingdom, Thailand, Turkey, People's Republic of China and United States of America and was referred to by Nehru as "the best diplomat of the country". He entered politics at Indira Gandhi's request and won three successive general elections to the Lok Sabha and served as a Minister of State in the Union Cabinet under former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Elected as the ninth Vice President in 1992, Narayanan went on to become President in 1997. He was the first member of the Dalit community to hold the post. Narayanan is regarded as an independent and assertive President who set several precedents and enlarged the scope of the highest constitutional office. He described himself as a "working President" who worked "within the four corners of the Constitution"; something midway between an "executive President" who has direct power and a "rubber-stamp President" who endorses government decisions without question or deliberation. He used his discretionary powers as a President and deviated from convention and precedent in many situations, including – but not limited to – the appointment of the Prime Minister in a hung Parliament, in dismissing a state government and imposing President's rule there at the suggestion of the Union Cabinet, and during the Kargil conflict. He presided over the golden jubilee celebrations of Indian independence and in the country's general election of 1998, he became the first Indian President to vote when in office, setting another new precedent.
    • Birthplace: Uzhavoor
  • Rich Shapero

    Rich Shapero

    Age: 77
    Rich Shapero (born 1948) is an American venture capitalist, self-published novelist, and musician. He is the founder of TooFar Media and the recipient of the 2015 Digital Book World Award for Best Adult Fiction App.
  • Roy J. Bostock

    Roy J. Bostock

    Age: 85
    Roy J. Bostock is an American investor, businessman who served as chairman of Yahoo! Inc. from January 2008 to May 2012. He currently serves on the board of directors of Delta Air Lines. From 2000 to 2001 he served as chairman of the advertising firm BCom3 Group, Inc. He is the former chairman of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and is a Trustee Emeritus of Duke University.
  • Jane Duncan
    Dec. at 66 (1910-1976)
    Jane Duncan (10 March 1910 – 20 October 1976) was the pseudonym of Scottish writer Elizabeth Jane Cameron, best known for her My Friends series of semi-autobiographical novels. She also wrote four novels under the name of her principal heroine Janet Sandison, and some children's books.
    • Birthplace: Renton, United Kingdom
  • Allegra Goodman (born 1967) is an American author based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her most recent novel, The Chalk Artist, was published in 2017. Goodman wrote and illustrated her first novel at the age of seven.
    • Birthplace: New York City, New York
  • A prolific writer of children's fiction and screenwriter for British television, Anthony Horowitz was born in Stanmore Middlesex, England to a wealthy Jewish family. Fascinated with literature at an early age, Horowitz published his first of many children's novels at the age of 23. In 1983 he began work as a television screenwriter, contributing to the ITV children's anthology show "Dramarama" and writing scripts for the popular "Robin Hood" series in 1986. In 1993 his skill with mysteries landed him a job adapting the novels of Agatha Christie's beloved detective Hercule Poirot for 11 episodes of "Agatha Christie's Poirot." His 1997 BBC sci-fi series "Crime Traveller" did not perform well, but the 2002 World War II spy drama he created, "Foyle's War," became his biggest success, a triumph he shares with his wife, Jill Green, who produces the program. Horowitz has also written for film, screenwriting the 2002 mystery "The Gathering," starring Christina Ricci, as well as adapting his own youth spy novels"Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker."
    • Birthplace: London, England, UK
  • Anthony Swofford (born August 12, 1970) is an American writer and former U.S. Marine, best known for his 2003 book Jarhead, based heavily on his accounts of various situations encountered in the Persian Gulf War. This memoir was the basis of the 2005 film of the same name, directed by Sam Mendes. The title refers to a nickname for the U.S. Marines, which itself is derived from the traditional high and tight haircuts favored by them, giving them a "jar-like" appearance.
    • Birthplace: USA, California, Fairfield
  • Dark-haired American-born beauty Embeth Davidtz was raised and educated in South Africa where she performed classical and contemporary drama in both English and Afrikaans. She made her professional acting debut at age 21 playing Juliet in a National Theatre Company production of "Romeo and Juliet," which won her rave reviews. Having twice earned the South African equivalent of a Tony nomination for her theater work, Davidtz distinguished herself in the politically sensitive South African feature "A Private Life" (1989) as the daughter of an interracial couple, then earned a South African "Oscar" nomination playing a deaf-mute in the psychologically intense Afrikaner feature "Night of the Nineteenth."
    • Birthplace: Lafayette, Indiana, USA
  • Utpal Dutt
    Dec. at 64 (1929-1993)
    Utpal Dutt (listen ) (29 March 1929 – 19 August 1993) was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the "Little Theatre Group" in 1949. This group enacted many English, Shakespearean and Brecht plays, in a period now known as the "Epic theatre" period, before it immersed itself completely in highly political and radical theatre. His plays became an apt vehicle for the expression of his Marxist ideologies, visible in socio-political plays such as Kallol (1965), Manusher Adhikar, Louha Manob (1964), Tiner Toloar and Maha-Bidroha. He also acted in over 100 Bengali and Hindi films in a career spanning 40 years, and remains most known for his roles in films such as Mrinal Sen’s Bhuvan Shome (1969), Satyajit Ray’s Agantuk (1991), Gautam Ghose’s Padma Nadir Majhi (1993) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's breezy Hindi comedies such as Gol Maal (1979) and Rang Birangi (1983). He also did a small role of a sculptor in a detective show called Byomkesh Bakshi on Doordarshan in the early 90s, shortly before his death. The episode was called 'Seemant Heera'. He received National Film Award for Best Actor in 1970 and three Filmfare Best Comedian Awards. In 1990, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre, awarded him its highest award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime contribution to theatre.
    • Birthplace: Bangladesh, Barisal
  • Randy Sklar was an accomplished actor, noted for his comedic timing in his roles for television shows. Sklar began his acting career playing characters on a variety of series including "Apt. 2F" (1997-98), "Premium Blend" (Comedy Central, 1997-2006) and "It's Like, You Know..." (ABC, 1998-2000). He also appeared in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS, 2000-2015) and "BattleBots" (Comedy Central, 2000-02). Following that project, he appeared in the comedic adventure "The Bubble Boy" (2001) with Jake Gyllenhaal, the comedy "My Baby's Daddy" (2004) with Eddie Griffin and the John Travolta hit comedy adventure "Wild Hogs" (2007). He also worked in television around this time, including a part on "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 2004-). He also appeared in the Will Sasso comedy "National Lampoon's The Legend of Awesomest Maximus" (2012). Most recently, Sklar acted in the comedy "Teacher Of The Year" (2015) with Matt Letscher.
    • Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
  • Jeffrey L. Fisher

    Jeffrey L. Fisher

    Age: 55
    Jeffrey L. Fisher (born 1970) is an American law professor and U.S. Supreme Court litigator who has argued thirty-eight cases and worked on dozens of others before the Supreme Court. He is co-director of the Stanford Law School Supreme Court Litigation Clinic.
    • Birthplace: Leawood, Kansas
  • Tisca Chopra is an Indian actress, author and film producer. She has acted in over 45 feature films in different languages with many eminent directors like Aamir Khan, Prakash Jha, Madhur Bhandarkar, Abhinay Deo, Nagesh Kukunoor and Anup Singh. Taare Zameen Par, her best known feature film, was India's official entry to the Academy Awards. It also won her Filmfare and other top nominations. Another feature film, Qissa, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2013, and won the prestigious NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film. The film has traveled to over 20 festivals, winning over almost all top awards and much appreciation from audiences and critics. Tisca did her Bachelors in Literature from University of Delhi and worked extensively in theatre. She has honed her craft with Naseeruddin Shah and theatre director Feroz Khan. Her performance in the Pulitzer Award-winning play, Dinner With Friends, that deals with the state of the modern marriage, was a hit in India, South East Asia and the Middle East, garnering praise from both critics and audiences. A practicing Buddhist, she consistently works on issues especially those of gender equality, the girl child and the environment. She has worked with Sam Pitroda on the National Knowledge Commission, to help with revamping the education system. Her book Acting Smart (Harper Collins), is a best seller and is being translated into Hindi. Tisca has been nominated at the New York Indian Film Festival for Best Actress for her work in 10Ml Love, a film based on A Midsummer Night's Dream. The series won Best Ensemble Cast. She's been on the Jury of the prestigious MAMI (Mumbai Academy Of Moving Images) film festival. Chutney, a short film she wrote and produced under her company, The Eastern Way won two Filmfare Awards (Best Actress & Best Short Film). She is now developing two feature film scripts. Her upcoming projects are Bioscopewala, 3Dev and The Hungry (based on the Shakespeare play Titus Andronicus). One of the most beautiful and stylish actresses, Tisca is often on the best-dressed list and is a favourite with advertisers, endorsing brands like Tanishq, Titan eyewear, Olay, Horlicks, Marks & Spencers, Godrej, Bajaj Motors and Kellogs.
    • Birthplace: India, Kasauli
  • John Willinsky (born 1950) is a Canadian educator, activist, and author. Willinsky is currently on the faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Education where he is the Khosla Family Professor. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He retains a partial appointment at SFU where he directs the Public Knowledge Project.
    • Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
  • Tracy D. Smith is a film director.
    • Birthplace: Penticton, Canada
  • Aravind Adiga (born 23 October 1974) is an Indo-Australian writer and journalist. His debut novel, The White Tiger, won the 2008 Man Booker Prize.
    • Birthplace: Chennai, India
  • Sigurjón Sighvatsson

    Sigurjón Sighvatsson

    Age: 72
    Co-founder of the high-octane independent Propaganda Films, which, by 1990, was producing 1/3 of the music videos made in the United States and enjoying similar success in feature films (Madonna's "Truth or Dare" 1991) and with both TV commercials (Calvin Klein's "Obsession," directed by David Lynch) and series (Fox TV's "Beverly Hills 90210").
    • Birthplace: Reykjavik, Iceland
    • Birthplace: Durham, North Carolina
  • A staple of American television and features since the early 1990s, Nick Searcy was a versatile supporting talent whose subtle but sincere work buoyed projects ranging from the feature hit "The Fugitive" (1993) and "From the Earth to the Moon" (HBO, 1998) to "Cast Away" (1998) and "Justified" (FX, 2010-15). Like all good character actors, Searcy disappeared into his roles, embodying everything from sheriffs and military men to good ole' boys and sitcom husbands. Comedy and drama flowed with equal ease in his hands, though the former was largely relegated to seldom-seen sitcoms like "Rodney" (ABC, 2004-06). He was one of the many aspects of the drama "Justified" (FX, 2010-15) that was singled out for praise by critics, which underscored his talent as one of the business's best utility players.
    • Birthplace: Cullowhee, North Carolina, USA
  • John Lescroart (; born January 14, 1948) is a New York Times bestselling author known for his series of legal and crime thriller novels featuring the characters Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitsky, and Wyatt Hunt. His novels have sold more than 10 million copies, have been translated into 22 languages in more than 75 countries, and 18 of his books have been on the New York Times bestseller list.
    • Birthplace: Houston, Texas
  • Dom Totino

    Dom Totino

    Age: 48
    Musician
    • Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
  • Salmaan Taseer
    Dec. at 64 (1946-2011)
    Salman Taseer (Urdu: سلمان تاثیر‎; (1944-05-31)31 May 1944 – 4 January 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and a liberal politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in 2011.A member of the Pakistan Peoples Party since the 1980s, he was elected to the Punjab Assembly from Lahore in the 1988 election, however lost in 1990, 1993 and then in 1997. Taseer served as a minister in the caretaker cabinet of Prime Minister Mian Soomro under Pervez Musharraf during the 2008 elections. He was appointed as the governor of Punjab on 15 May 2008, by then-President Musharraf at the request of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani. During his governorship, he emerged as an outspoken critic of the Pakistan's blasphemy laws and consequently called for the pardon for Asia Bibi.Born in Shimla in British India, Taseer studied at the St. Anthony's School and the Government College in Lahore before moving to London where studied accountancy at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. In 1994, Taseer established a brokerage house backed by the Smith Barney and in 1996 he founded the Worldcall Group. He later in 2000s ventured into media, launching Business Plus and Daily Times.On 4 January 2011, he was assassinated at the Kohsar Market in Islamabad by his bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri, who disagreed with Taseer's opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy law. The Guardian described Taseer's murder as "one of the most traumatic events in recent Pakistani history." A nationwide three-day state of mourning was held in Pakistan, Taseer's funeral prayers where held as the Governors House in Lahore. Taseer's son, Shahbaz, was kidnapped by the Pakistani Taliban in 2011, before being released in 2016, a few months after Taseer's murderer was hanged. Taseer's other son, Shaan, is a leading critic of the country's blasphemy law.
    • Birthplace: Shimla, India
  • Sven Haakanson, Jr. (born 1967) (Alutiiq) is an American anthropologist who specializes in documenting and preserving the language and culture of the Alutiiq. He served, from 2000-2013, as Executive Director of the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak, Alaska. He is employed as Associate Professor by the University of Washington, Seattle, and as Curator of North American Anthropology with Burke Museum. In 2007 he was named as a MacArthur Fellow for being a leader in the effort to rekindle Alutiiq language, customs and culture.
    • Birthplace: Old Harbor, Alaska
  • A child actress in many notable British television series since the age of 6, Holliday (often credited as Holly) Grainger broke into a more adult market as the female lead in the U.K. romantic drama "The Scouting Book For Boys" (2009). She then went on to specialize in period costume dramas, with some of her higher profile roles including Lucrezia Borgia in Neil Jordan's three-season television series "The Borgias" (Showtime 2011-13), a part in a film version of "Jane Eyre" (2011), Estella in Mike Newell's adaptation of "Great Expectations" (2011), and an appearance opposite Keira Knightley and Jude Law in Joe Wright's adaptation of "Anna Karenina" (2012). Born in Didsbury, a suburb of the northern English city of Manchester, Grainger earned her first youthful television role on the situation comedy "All Quiet On The Preston Front" (BBC 1994-97). For the next decade and a half, she worked regularly in television, often showing up in iconic U.K. series including medical soap "Casualty" (BBC 1986- ), crime drama "Dalziel and Pascoe" (BBC 1996-2007) and family drama "Where The Heart Is" (BBC 1997-2006). Her American breakthrough came with her leading role as criminal mastermind Bonnie Parker in the historical mini-series "Bonnie and Clyde" (History 2013).
    • Birthplace: Didsbury, Manchester, England, UK
  • Constance J. Horner was elected lead director of the Pfizer Inc. Board of Directors on February 23, 2007.
  • William F. Schwind Jr.

    William F. Schwind Jr.

    William F. Schwind Jr. is vice president, General Counsel and Secretary of Marathon Oil Corporation and serves as a member of Marathon's Executive Committee. He joined Marathon in 1974 and was named to his current position in 1992.
  • Babu Antony is an Indian film actor and mixed martial artist, who works primarily in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada , Snhalese, Hindi and English films. He has mostly done action roles. Babu owns mixed martial art academy in Houston.He made his debut in Bharathan's Chilampu (1986). He started his career doing antagonist roles, but has also played the lead role in other films. He made a mark in Malayalam cinema through Fazil's 1986 thriller Poovinu Puthiya Poonthennal. The film was remade into Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi and Babu Antony reprised his role in all the five versions. His career highlights include Vaishali (1988), Aparahnam (1991) and Uppukandam Brothers (1993). According to reports, Babu is all set for his directorial debut in Piano.
    • Birthplace: India, Ponkunnam
  • Richard Boyd Barrett (born 6 February 1967) an Irish Solidarity–People Before Profit politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since the 2011 general election.Boyd Barrett is a former member of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council. He is chair of the Irish Anti-War Movement and on multiple occasions has been cited on war issues in the Irish media. He opposed the Iraq War and helped organise protests against it in 2003, amid concerns that the war would lead to thousands of unnecessary deaths. Domestically, he has campaigned to reverse job losses, supported the Rossport Five and voiced opposition to Ireland's bank-bail outs and the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) among other issues.
    • Birthplace: Dublin, Republic of Ireland
  • Bryan Ian Smith

    Bryan Ian Smith

    • Birthplace: Edmonds, Washington
  • Scott McKinlay

    Scott McKinlay

    Scott McKinlay brings nearly 20 years of experience in business and corporate counsel to his current role as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development. He previously served as E-LOAN's Vice-President and Chief Legal Officer. Prior to joining E-LOAN, Mr. McKinlay was President and Chief Operating Officer of InPro Biotechnology, a leading biotech researcher. Prior to InPro, he served as Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel for Command Audio Corporation, a Redwood Shores, CA developer of broadcast on-demand media technology. For 7 years prior, he served as Director, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of First Nationwide Financial Corporation where he had served as Associate General Counsel for the previous two years. Before joining First Nationwide Corporation, he held Associate positions at Mayer, Brown Platt and Folger Levin. Mr. McKinlay earned his law degree from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley.
  • Andrew Johnston (born 1963) is an award-winning New Zealand poet and journalist who lives in Paris. He is associated with the "Wellington school" of poets, which prominently includes Bill Manhire and Jenny Bornholdt, and his verse has been published in "London Review of Books" and "The Times Literary Supplement" in the United Kingdom; and in "Sport" as well as other publications in New Zealand.
    • Birthplace: Upper Hutt, New Zealand
  • Tinashe Mushakavanhu is a 'born free' Zimbabwean writer and academic. He was born and grew up in Harare and has degrees from Zimbabwe, Wales and England. He has co-edited with David Nettleingham, State of the Nation: Contemporary Zimbabwean Poetry, the first dedicated poetry anthology in two decades. He is currently finishing work on his maiden book, Harare's Lonely Eyes.
    • Birthplace: Harare, Zimbabwe
    • Birthplace: Asheville, North Carolina
  • Fay Chung
    Age: 83
    Fay King Chung (born March 1941) is a Zimbabwean educator and was an independent candidate for the March 2008 Zimbabwean senatorial election. Chung has worked to extend access to education and to bring ‘education-with-production’ principles into school curricular in Zimbabwe and other developing countries.
    • Birthplace: Southern Rhodesia
  • Nirupama Menon Rao (born 6 December 1950) is a retired 1973 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, who served as India's Foreign Secretary from 2009 to 2011, as well as being India's Ambassador to the United States, China and Sri Lanka (High Commissioner) during her career. In July 2009, she became the second woman (after Chokila Iyer) to hold the post of India's Foreign Secretary, the head of the Indian Foreign Service. In her career she served in several capacities including, Minister of Press, Information and Culture in Washington DC, Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow, stints in the MEA as Joint Secretary, East Asia and External Publicity, the latter position making her the first woman spokesperson of the MEA, Chief of Personnel, Ambassador to Peru and China, and High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
    • Birthplace: Malappuram, India
  • Sari Altschuler

    Sari Altschuler

  • Derek Haas

    Derek Haas

    Age: 54
    Derek Haas (born June 30, 1970) is an American writer and producer.
  • Donald S. Cheney

    Donald S. Cheney

    Age: 93
  • Neil Fraistat

    Neil Fraistat

    Neil Fraistat is the Director of the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities and Professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park.
  • Harvey Grossinger

    Harvey Grossinger

    Harvey Grossinger is an American short story author and novelist.
  • Susan P. Peters is a vice president and leads Executive Development for GE.
  • Jayant Kripalani

    Jayant Kripalani

    Jayant Kripalani is an Indian American film, television and stage actor, director and trainer. Most known for TV series, like Khandaan, Mr. Mrs and Ji Mantriji (2003). He also wrote the screenplay for Shyam Benegal's film, Well Done Abba (2009). He was noted for his performance in The Hungry (2017) that is based on the adaptation of William Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus. He performed in Ji Mantri Ji, the well-known star plus comedy series in years 2000 to 2002.
  • Lobsang Sangay (Tibetan: བློ་བཟང་སེང་གེ་, "kind-hearted lion"; born September 5, 1968) is a Tibetan politician who is the Sikyong of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, officially known as Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) since 2012 and previously served as Kalön Tripa from 2011 to 2012. Following his election, at the request of the 14th Dalai Lama, the Tibetan parliament-in-exile amended the organisation's bylaws to remove the Dalai Lama's executive authority, making Lobsang Sangay its highest leader. In 2012, to reflect this change, Lobsang Sangay's title as chief executive was changed from kalön tripa ("prime minister") to sikyong ("ruler" or "regent"). Sangay was born in Darjeeling, India and studied international law and democracy at Harvard University. and holds American citizenship.
    • Birthplace: Darjeeling, India
  • Stephen R. Barley (born February 16, 1953) is an American organizational theorist and Christian A. Felipe Professor of Technology Management at the College of Engineering at the University of California Santa Barbara. Previously he was The Richard W. Weiland Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford University and the Stanford Graduate School of Education. Barley's research focuses on the role of technology in organizational change and organizational/occupational culture.
  • Andrea Lunsford

    Andrea Lunsford

    Age: 83
    Andrea A. Lunsford is the Director of the Program in Writing and Rhetoric and the Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor of English Emerita at Stanford University along with current faculty member at the Bread Loaf School of English. Lunsford received her B.A. and M.A. at the University of Florida and completed her Ph.D in English at the Ohio State University in 1977. Professor Lunsford has served as Chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, as Chair of the Modern Language Association Division on Writing, and as a member of the MLA Executive Council.
  • Jason Lytz

    Jason Lytz

    Jason Lytz is Vice President and Relocation Director of Bradley Real Estate.
  • Alex Klein

    Alex Klein

  • Laurence Arthur Rickels (born December 2, 1954) is an American literary and media theorist, whose most significant works have been in the tradition of the Frankfurt School's efforts to apply psychoanalytic insights to mass media culture. Some of his best known works include The Case of California, The Vampire Lectures, and the three volume work Nazi Psychoanalysis. After 30 years at the University of California at Santa Barbara, he was appointed successor to Klaus Theweleit in April 2011 to the Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe, where he was professor of Art and Theory for six years. During spring semester 2018 Rickels held the Eberhard Berent Goethe Chair at New York University. In the summers, he serves as the Sigmund Freud Professor of Media and Philosophy at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.
    • Birthplace: Cherokee, Iowa
  • Jonathan Levin is Professor of Economics and, by courtesy, at the Graduate School of Business & Senior Fellow, by courtesy, at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research at Stanford University.
    • Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut
  • Sir Craig Stewart Oliver (born 15 May 1969) is a British news editor, producer and media executive, and the former Director of Communications for British prime minister David Cameron.Previously, he was Controller of English news output for BBC Global News, responsible for commissioning the news content for the corporation's English-language global services, including the BBC World Service, BBC World News and BBC News Online.
    • Birthplace: Nottinghamshire, England
  • Parakala Prabhakar

    Parakala Prabhakar

    Age: 66
    Dr Parakala Prabhakar born in Narsapuram, presently he is communications advisor, holds a cabinet rank position in Andhra Pradesh Government. He is a well-known public personality in Andhra Pradesh, for several years he was political commentator, presented a current affairs discussion programme on television channels from Andhra Pradesh and also former spokesman and former general secretary of Praja Rajyam Party. In the early 2000s, Dr Prabhakar was the spokesperson of the Andhra Pradesh unit of the BJP. He actively participated in Samaikyandhra Movement, also founder-secretary of Visalandhra Mahasabha
    • Birthplace: Hyderabad, India
  • Patrick Gilmore is a Canadian actor who appeared in "No Men Beyond This Point," "2012," and "You Me Her."
    • Birthplace: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  • Victor Banerjee is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi, Bengali and English language films. He has worked for prominent directors such as Roman Polanski, James Ivory, Sir David Lean, Jerry London, Ronald Neame, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, Satyajit Ray and Ram Gopal Varma.
    • Birthplace: India, Kolkata
  • Robert Weisberg

    Robert Weisberg

    Robert I. Weisberg is an American lawyer. He is an Edwin E. Huddleson, Jr. Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, and an expert on criminal law and criminal procedure, as well as a leading scholar in the law and literature movement.Weisberg was educated at Bronx High School of Science, and received his B.A. from City College of New York in 1966. He obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English from Harvard University in 1967 and 1971. After graduation, he taught English at Skidmore College from 1970 to 1976. Weisberg left to attend Stanford Law School, where he received a J.D. in 1979 and was the Editor-in-Chief of the Stanford Law Review. He then served as a law clerk for Judge J. Skelly Wright of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, followed by Justice Potter Stewart of the U.S. Supreme Court during the 1980 Term.In 1981, he joined the faculty at Stanford Law School, where he has won numerous teaching awards, served as special assistant to the provost for faculty recruitment and retention, and co-directs the Stanford Criminal Justice Center. Weisberg's book, Literary Criticisms of Law, was published in 2000, and he is widely quoted in the press on criminal law and criminal procedure. He also co-authors a criminal law casebook.
  • Paula M.L. Moya

    Paula M.L. Moya

    Paula M. L. Moya is Associate Professor of English and, by courtesy, of Iberian and Latin American Cultures at Stanford University.
  • Anna Waterhouse

    Anna Waterhouse

    Anna Waterhouse is a film writer and producer.
  • Tom Efinger

    Tom Efinger

    Age: 62
    Tom Efinger is a film sound re-recording mixer and supervising sound editor.
    • Birthplace: Greenwich, Connecticut