People a to z

Marshall Herff Applewhite was the leader of the Heaven's Gate religious group. He was a self-proclaimed prophet. He died in the group's mass suicide in 1997.

Italian Dominican theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas was the foremost medieval Scholasticist and father of the Thomistic school of theology.

Corazon Aquino was the 11th president (and first female president) of the Philippines. She restored democracy after the long dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

Yasser Arafat was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization from 1969 until his death in 2004, a tumultuous period in which clashes with neighboring Israel were prevalent.

Photographer Diane Arbus's distinctive portraits showed the world how crazy (and beautiful) New Yorkers were in the 1950s and '60s. She was married to actor Allan Arbus.

Scottish mathematician, physician and satirist John Arbuthnot is known for his satirical writings, which include a political allegory, The History of John Bull.

Beauty pioneer Elizabeth Arden opened the red doors of her first spa in 1910.

Hannah Arendt gained much attention for her writings on totalitarianism and Jewish affairs after World War II.

Jodi Arias was convicted of brutally murdering her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, at his Arizona home in 2008.

After the Duvalier family of dictators was overthrown, Salesian Priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide was chosen as president of Haiti in its first democratic election.

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, together with Socrates and Plato, laid much of the groundwork for western philosophy.

Actor and director Alan Arkin is a three-time Academy Award nominee, whose notable films include Catch-22 and Wait Until Dark.

James Armistead was an enslaved African American, best known for his work as a spy during the American Revolution.

Henry Armstrong was a U.S. pro boxer who held three championship titles simultaneously. He later became a minister and champion for at-risk youth.

Lance Armstrong is a professional American cyclist and testicular cancer survivor who, in 2012, was stripped of the seven Tour de France titles he won from 1999 to 2005 due to evidence of performance-enhancing drug use.

Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter, bandleader, singer, soloist, film star and comedian. Considered one of the most influential artists in jazz history, he is known for songs like "Star Dust," "La Via En Rose" and "What a Wonderful World."

Astronaut, military pilot, and educator, Neil Armstrong made history on July 20, 1969, by becoming the first man to walk on the moon.

Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born actor and musician who is remembered for his marriage to Lucille Ball and their TV show, I Love Lucy.

James Arness is an American actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon on the TV show Gunsmoke for 20 years.

Will Arnett is a comedic actor known for his wacky role as G.O.B. on TV's Arrested Development and his voice-over work in film.

Benedict Arnold was an American Revolutionary War general best known for his defection from the Continental Army to the British side of the conflict in 1780.

Tichina Arnold is best known for portraying Pam James, opposite Martin Lawrence, on the sitcom Martin and Rochelle on the show Everybody Hates Chris.

Actor Tom Arnold was married to actress Roseanne Barr for four years and wrote for the sitcom Roseanne. He starred in the film True Lies (1994) and hosted The Best Damn Sports Show Period.

Alexis Arquette is a transgendered actor and member of the Arquette acting family. She performs in drag as "Eva Destruction."

David Arquette is an actor known for paying quirky roles primarily in films, from Scream to Eight-Legged Freaks to Never Been Kissed.

American actress Patricia Arquette has had a long career in film and television, continually showing her great range as a performer across genres.

Rosanna Arquette is an American actress best known for her role opposite Madonna in the 1985 hit film Desperately Seeking Susan.

Svante Arrhenius was a Nobel Prize winning scientist known for his revolutionary theories in various fields, including physics, chemistry and astronomy.

American economist Kenneth Arrow is known for his contributions to welfare economics and to general economic equilibrium theory. He won a Nobel Prize in 1972.

Antonin Artaud was a French actor, costume designer and writer who revolutionized drama with his idea of a Theater of Cruelty.

Bea Arthur was an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress who starred in the television shows Maude and The Golden Girls.

Chester A. Arthur was 21st president of the United States. Arthur was vice president at the time President Garfield was assassinated, and acceded to the presidency thereafter.

Ellen Arthur was the wife of Chester A. Arthur, but died just before he became vice president in 1881, and before James Garfield's assassination would have made her first lady.

Jean Arthur was an American actress best known for her roles in films such as Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and The More The Merrier.

Soldier and revolutionary leader José Gervasio Artigas is regarded as the father of Uruguayan independence, which occurred years after his exile.

Dorothy Arzner was a pioneer in the film industry, becoming one of the first women directors of feature films and the first woman to join the Directors Guild of America.

Shoko Asahara, founder of the religious cult Aum Shinrikyo, was convicted of masterminding the 1995 Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. He was sentenced to death in 2004.

Entrepreneur Mary Kay, founder of Mary Kay Inc., built a profitable business from scratch that created new opportunities for women to achieve financial success.

Ashanti is best known for adding her R&B vocals to hit songs by popular rappers, including Fat Joe's "What's Luv" and Ja Rule's "Down 4 U."

English singer-songwriter Richard Ashcroft was the lead vocalist for the Verve. After the band broke up, Ashcroft started a new band, RPA & The United Nations of Sound, in 2010.

Arthur Ashe is the first African American to win the men's singles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and the first black American to be ranked No. 1 in the world.

Sprinter Evelyn Ashford is a five-time Olympian who became the first woman to run 100 meters in under 11 seconds and the oldest American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field in 1992.

James Mitchell Ashley was best known as a U.S. congressman and abolitionist who laid the foundation to pass the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery.

Jeff Ashton is a Florida state attorney who was the head prosecutor in the 2011 Casey Anthony trial.

Scholar Isaac Asimov was one of the 20th century's most prolific writers, writing in many genres. He was known for sci-fi works like Foundation and I, Robot.

Ed Asner is an American actor best known as gruff-but-lovable newsman Lou Grant, who debuted on the television sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Julian Assange came to international attention as the founder of the whistle-blowing Web site, Wikileaks.

Fred Astaire was an American dancer of stage and film who is best known for a number of successful musical comedy films in which he starred with Ginger Rogers.

Brooke Astor was a philanthropist who served on the boards of many cultural institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Financier John Jacob Astor IV was the great-grandson of John Jacob Astor. He helped build the Waldorf-Astoria hotel and died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

John Jacob Astor V, the fifth member of the American Astor family to bear the name John Jacob, became owner and chairman of The Times of London in 1922.

Fur trader and real estate investor John Jacob Astor was one of the leading businessmen of his day and the founder of an American fur trade dynasty.

Madeleine Force Astor married 47-year-old John Jacob Astor in her late teens. The marriage was cut short when he died in the sinking of the Titanic.

Nancy Astor (1879–1965) was the first woman to serve in the British Parliament, where she advocated temperance, women's rights and German appeasement.

William Waldorf Astor was a wealthy descendant of John Jacob Astor who became a New York State senator and a member of the New York State Assembly.

Politician and publisher Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor became a member of Parliament and was the publisher of the London Observer from 1915 to 1945.

William Backhouse Astor was the second son of John Jacob Astor and became the richest man in the U.S. upon his father's death.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a revolutionary who helped establish the Republic of Turkey. He was Turkey's first president, and his reforms modernized the country.

William Atherton is an American actor known for playing heavies in films like Ghostbusters and Die Hard.

Susan Atkins was a member of Charles Manson's "Family" and was convicted of the group's infamous 1969 murder of Sharon Tate, which was orchestrated by Manson.

Comic actor and writer Rowan Atkinson starred on the TV series Not the Nine O'clock News and Blackadder. He is best known for his infamous role as Mr. Bean in the television series and 1997 feature film of the same name.

Italian-American bodybuilder Charles Atlas founded a highly successful mail-order business from his patented "Dynamic-Tension" exercise program.

Mohamed Atta is believed to have been the pilot of the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Richard Attenborough is an award-winning actor and director known for helming acclaimed works like Gandhi and Cry Freedom.

Attila the Hun was one of the most successful barbarian rulers of the Hunnic Empire, attacking the Eastern and Western Roman empires.

Crispus Attucks was an African-American man killed during the Boston Massacre, making him the first casualty of the American Revolution.

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian award-winning writer best known for her poetry, short-stories and novels such as The Circle Game, The Handmaid’s Tale, Snowbird and The Tent.

W.H. Auden was a literary chameleon known for his poetry but who also wrote librettos, essays and verse dramas.

John James Audubon was an American ornithologist, artist and naturalist known for his studies, drawings and paintings of North American birds.

The Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach and his drummer, Patrick Carney, won multiple 2013 Grammy Awards for their album El Camino and its hit track, "Lonely Boy."

American radio commentator Paul Harvey spent a long life delivering conservative broadcasts on current events, reaching, at his peak, 24 million people daily.

As Emperor of Rome from 161-180, Marcus Aurelius kept the empire safe from the Parthians and Germans, but is best known for his intellectual pursuits.

Jane Austen was a Georgian era author, best known for her social commentary in novels including Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma.

American empresario Stephen Austin, a.k.a. “the father of Texas,” created the first Anglo American colony in the Tejas region of Mexico, later to become Texas.

Steve Austin, also known as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, is best known as a Championship-winning professional wrestler in the WWF. After retirement, Austin pursued acting with roles on TV and film.

Alan Autry is best known for his role as Captain "Bubba" Skinner on the television series In the Heat of the Night. In later life, he was a successful mayor of Fresno, California.

Teen idol Frankie Avalon is known for singing the hit "Venus" and for starring in the popular Beach Party film series with Annette Funicello.

American photographer Richard Avedon was best known for his work in the fashion world and for his minimalist, large-scale character-revealing portraits.