People a to z

Algerian born writer Albert Camus won the Nobel Prize for literature in part due to his embrace of existentialism in books like The Stranger.

An advocate of children and families in Harlem, NY, Geoffrey Canada is president of the Harlem Children’s Zone. In 2009, President Barack Obama announced plans to replicate the educational center in 20 cities.

Helen Churchill Candee was a writer and a survivor of the RMS Titanic disaster.

Comedian John Candy was a regular performer for the Second City comedy troupe’s TV show, SCTV, and co-starred with Tom Hanks in the movie Splash.

Calamity Jane was a woman of the Wild West who was respected for her talent with a gun and kindness toward others.

Annie Jump Cannon was a pioneering astronomer responsible for the classification of hundreds of thousands of stars.

Jose Canseco is best known for his record-breaking Major League Baseball career.

Hugh Capet was a 10th century monarch who started the Capetian Dynasty of France.

A child from an Italian immigrant family, Al Capone (a.k.a. 'Scarface') rose to infamy as the leader of the Chicago mafia during the Prohibition era.

Truman Capote was a trailblazing writer of Southern descent known for the works Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood, among others.

Former pro-tennis player Jennifer Capriati is known for her incredible comeback after several personal struggles. In 1990 she was the youngest player to ever be ranked in the Women's Tennis Association top ten.

Television Actress Jessica Capshaw is best known for playing lawyer Jamie Stringer on The Practice and a lesbian doctor named Arizona Roberts on the ABC drama Grey’s Anatomy.

Actress Kate Capshaw married director Steven Spielberg, whom she met when she auditioned for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Caravaggio, or Michelangelo Merisi, was an Italian painter who is considered one of the fathers of modern painting.

Pierre Cardin is an Italian-born French fashion designer best known for his haute couture geometric avant-garde designs.

Television and film actor Steve Carell earned recognition on The Dana Carvey Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Office and in The 40 Year Old Virgin.

Rod Carew is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, second baseman and coach who played for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.

Comedian Drew Carey came to national attention with his hit sitcom The Drew Carey Show before becoming the host of The Price Is Right.

With hits such as "Vision of Love" and "I Don't Wanna Cry," pop diva Mariah Carey holds the record for most No. 1 debuts in Billboard Hot 100 history.

Actor, writer, and comedian George Carlin was known for his stand-up routines as well as TV appearances and roles in such films as 1987's Outrageous Fortune.

Actress, singer, television personality and arts advocate Kitty Carlisle is best known for her long run as a panelist on the television show To Tell The Truth.

Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish essayist, historian and satirical writer. His best know works include Life of Schiller, Sartor Resartus and The French Revolution.

Hoagy Carmichael was an American songwriter who wrote the standards "Rockin' Chair," "Lazy River," "Stardust" and "Georgia on my Mind."

Laura Carmichael is a British actress known chiefly for playing Lady Edith Crawley on the hit TV series Downton Abbey.

Stokely Carmichael was a Trinidadian-American political activist, best known as the leader of the civil rights group SNCC in the 1960s.

Andrew Carnegie, a self-made steel tycoon and one of the wealthiest 19th century U.S. businessmen, donated towards the expansion of the New York Public Library.

Dale Carnegie is the author of How To Win Friends and Influence People, one of the bestselling self-help books of all time.

Art Carney was an Oscar-winning actor and comedian best known for his role as Jackie Gleason's best friend, Ed Norton, on the pioneering sitcom The Honeymooners.

Reeve Carney is a singer-songwriter and actor known for his work in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and the Jeff Buckley biopic Mystery White Boy.

A chemist, W.H. Carothers worked for DuPont and with his research laid the foundation for the synthetic fiber industry.

A master of horror, John Carpenter created the 1978 thriller hit Halloween, which has inspired and influenced countless other filmmakers.

In 1935, actor John Carradine began a non-stop film career. He appeared in 10 films by director John Ford, including The Prisoner of Shark Island.

Venustiano Carranza was a revolutionary during Mexico's civil war and became the Mexican Republic's first president in 1917.

Opera singer José Carreras is a leading tenor who has performed around the world. He helped popularize opera by performing as part of The Three Tenors.

Tia Carrere is an American actress best known for her role as Cassandra in the film, Wayne's World.

Jim Carrey is a comedian and actor best known for comedic and dramatic film roles in movies including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Truman Show.

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles L. Dodgson, author of the children's classics "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass."

Scientist George Carruthers created inventions, such as the ultraviolet camera, or spectograph, which was used by NASA in the 1972 Apollo 16 flight, revealing the mysteries of space and the Earth's atmosphere.

Ben Carson overcame his troubled youth in inner-city Detroit to become a gifted neurosurgeon famous for his work separating conjoined twins.

One of television's best known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted "The Tonight Show" for 30 years. His farewell show in 1992 drew 50 million viewers.

Kit Carson was an American frontiersman, trapper, soldier and Indian agent who made an important contribution to the westward expansion of the United States.

Rachel Carson was a marine biologist, environmentalist and writer who alerted the world to the environmental impact of fertilizers and pesticides.

A.P. Carter is best known for forming the Carter Family band, which combined traditional Appalachian sounds with a unique guitar style and African American gospel influences.

Anita Carter is best known for singing with Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters, a family band of early country music.

Dixie Carter was an actress who most TV viewers remember from the hit series Designing Women.

Helen Carter is best known as a performer in The Carter Family band.

Helena Bonham Carter is a British actress known for her roles in historical dramas, as well as quirkier movies including Fight Club and Dark Shadows. She is married to director Tim Burton.

Howard Carter was a British archaeologist who excavated King Tut's tomb beginning in 1922.

Jimmy Carter was the 39th president of the United States (1977-81) and later was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Singer and guitarist Mother Maybelle Carter began performing with The Carter Family in the 1920s and influenced country and folk music for decades to come.

Nick Carter from the pop group the Backstreet Boys is also known for once dating Paris Hilton, starring in a reality TV show and overcoming drug and alcohol addiction.

Rosalynn Carter is an American First Lady best known as the wife of President Jimmy Carter during his term from 1977-'81.

At the height of his career, boxer Rubin Carter was twice wrongly convicted of a triple murder and was imprisoned for nearly two decades.

French explorer Jacques Cartier is known chiefly for exploring the St. Lawrence River and giving Canada its name.

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer whose humane, spontaneous photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form.

George Washington Carver was a prominent African-American scientist and inventor. Carver is best known for the many uses he devised for the peanut.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary was an active abolitionist and the first female African-American newspaper editor in North America.

Giovanni Giacomo Casanova, an 18th Century figure, is known for his archetypal reputation as a seducer of women.

Steve Case co-founded and served as CEO of America Online (AOL), overseeing the massive merger that created AOL Time Warner Inc. He served as chairman of AOL Time Warner Inc. until his resignation in 2003.

Johnny Cash, the Man in Black, was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter whose music innovatively mixed country, rock, blues, and gospel influences.

June Carter Cash was a Grammy-winning country singer who was married to and performed with country music star Johnny Cash.

Rosanne Cash is an American singer and songwriter best known for her country hits "Seven Year Ache" and "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me."

David Cassidy is a singer and actor, most notably appearing as one of the stars of the musical television series The Partridge Family in the 1970s.

Shaun Cassidy became a pop music sensation in the 1970s, much like his older half-brother David Cassidy. His first two albums sold more than 5 million copies.

Ted Cassidy was a 6’9” American actor known for his work in The Addams Family TV series and the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

French jurist and lawyer René Cassin is best known for his involvement in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Anthony Casso is a member of the Lucchese crime family who was the first major crime boss to be kicked out of the witness protection program.

Paul Castellano is best known for becoming the boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City.

Actress Keisha Castle-Hughes was selected from among several hundred children in Mt. Wellington, New Zealand to star as Pai in the acclaimed film Whale Rider.