People a to z

In 2009, singer Lee DeWyze beat out the American Idol judges' clear choice, Crystal Bowersox, thanks to the audience's majority vote.

Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret formed the Order of the Solar Temple and allegedly set fire to Swiss OST buildings, killing themselves and 46 others.

Art critic Sergei Diaghilev started the artistic collaboration the Ballet Russes, which toured worldwide and was a forerunner of the Royal Ballet.

Dustin Diamond is a former child actor known for his role as Screech on Saved by the Bell. He later appeared in a sex video and on reality TV.

I.A.L. Diamond was a Romanian-born American screenwriter who worked extensively with director Bill Wilder.

Jack "Legs" Diamond was a Prohibition-era mob leader, hit man and bootlegger who was based in New York.

A member of the Beastie Boys, Mike D has demonstrated his talents as a rapper, crafting clever quirky and often humorous lyrics.

Singer and songwriter Neil Diamond wrote "I'm A Believer" for The Monkees, and peformed his own pop hits, including "Heartlight" and "Sweet Caroline."

Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias led the first European expedition round the Cape of Good Hope in 1488.

Leonardo DiCaprio has starred in such films as Titanic, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Inception and Django Unchained.

Actor and comedian Andy Dick has appeared in such shows as News Radio, Less Than Perfect and Dancing with the Stars.

Philip Dick is an American novelist and short story writer best known for his science fiction short stories, many of which have been translated to film.

Charles Dickens was the well-loved and prolific British author of numerous works that are now considered classics.

James Dickey was a Poet Laureate and novelist best known for his 1970 book Deliverance.

Angie Dickinson is an American actress on film and television best known for her roles in Dressed to Kill, Ocean's Eleven and on the hit 1970s television series Police Woman.

While never popular in her lifetime, Emily Dickinson has become one of the most widely known, most revered poets in history.

John Dickinson, an American statesman often referred to as the "Penman of the Revolution," wrote letters that helped turn opinion against the Townshend Acts created by the Parliament of Great Britain.

A controversial figure, U.S. Congressman Martin Dies, Jr. led the Committee to Investigate Un-American Activities from 1937 to 1944, targeting alleged communists.

Vin Diesel is an actor known for his high-energy action movies, such as The Fast and the Furious franchise.

Film actress Marlene Dietrich was known for her sultry, sex appeal. She was a major leading lady in the 1930s and 1940s.

Howard Dietz was a songwriter and the creator of the famous MGM lion mascot.

Grammy Award-winning folk singer and songwriter Ani DiFranco's eclectic musical style and politically charged lyrics have made her both a feminist and rock icon.

Taye Diggs is an American actor best known for his role as the opportunistic landlord Benny in the Jonathan Larson's groundbreaking musical Rent.

First noticed as a contestant on Groucho Marx's game show in 1955, Phyllis Diller went on to become a successful comedian, actress and author.

John Dillinger was an infamous gangster and bank robber during the Great Depression, and was know as "Jackrabbit" and "Public Enemy No. 1."

Joe DiMaggio was one of the best all-round baseball players in the history of the game, helping the NY Yankees to nine World Series titles.

David Dinkins was the mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1994, and he was the first black mayor of the city.

Actor Peter Dinklage has earned raves for his work in the 2003 film The Station Agent and on the hit television series Game of Thrones.

Songwriter Kara DioGuardi has worked on popular hits for a laundry list of pop stars including Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson and Ashlee Simpson.

French-Canadian singer Celine Dion dominated the pop charts in the 1990s. She remains a popular entertainer and is the second-highest earning musician in history.

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer whose post–World War II creations were wildly popular, and whose legacy continues to influence the fashion industry.

Scott Disick shares a son with socialite and reality television star, Kourtney Kardashian.

Walt Disney was an American motion-picture and television producer and showman, famous as a pioneer of cartoon films and as the creator of Disneyland.

Rocco DiSpirito is an American celebrity chef best known for his cooking show The Melting Pot and reality show The Restaurant.

Dorothea Dix was an educator and social reformer whose devotion to the welfare of the mentally ill led to widespread international reforms.

Serbian professional tennis player Novak Djokovic won the 2011 Wimbledon Championship, becoming the number one tennis player in the world.

Theodosius Dobzhansky was a 20th century scientist, professor and author who did pioneering work in genetics and evolution.

Michelle Dockery is a British actress best known for playing Lady Mary Crawley on the hit show Downton Abbey.

Writer E.L. Doctorow is the author of novels such as Ragtime, Billy Bathgate and The Book of Daniel.

William Dodd was an American historian and diplomat who wrote about the antebellum South and the Civil War.

Snoop Dogg is a West Coast rapper who evolved under the tutelage of Dr. Dre, and has received fame for albums such as Doggystyle, Tha Doggfather and Reincarnation.

Denny Doherty was an original member of the 1960s harmonizing rock group the Mamas and the Papas.

Shannen Doherty is best known for her roles as Heather Duke in the film Heathers and on TV as Brenda in Beverly Hills, 90210 and as Prue in Charmed.

Bob Dole is a former member of the U.S. House (1961-69) and U.S. Senate (1969-96) from Kansas. In 1996, he was the Republican Party's candidate for the presidency.

American singer and pianist Fats Domino was a rhythm-and-blues star who became one of the first rock-and-roll stars and who helped define the New Orleans sound.

Domitian was a Roman emperor from years AD 81 to 96 and was known for the reign of terror members of the Senate lived under in his last years.

A pioneering talk show host, Phil Donahue's Phil Donahue Show paved the way for virtually every talk show to appear on TV since.

Italian sculptor Donatello was the greatest Florentine sculptor before Michelangelo (1475–1564) and was the most influential individual artist of the 15th century in Italy.

Tanya Donelly is a musician who was influential in the alternative music scene in the 1980s and 1990s with bands such as Throwing Muses.

John Donne, leading English poet of the Metaphysical school, is often considered the greatest loved poet in the English language.

Donovan emerged onto the musical scene in the 1960s as a folk singer, but he is best remembered for such hits as “Mellow Yellow” and “Sunshine Superman,” hippie odes to the counterculture revolution swelling at the time.

Professional soccer player Landon Donovan led the U.S. national team to the quarterfinals in the 2002 World Cup.

Actor James Doohan will forever be remembered as the Scottish chief engineer Scotty in the popular science fiction television and film series Star Trek.

Paul Dooley drew comic strips for his local newspaper before he turned to the big screen, taking roles in films such as Sixteen Candles and Breaking Away.

Hilda Doolittle (or H.D.) was a poet of the avant-garde Imagist movement and was openly bisexual.

Austrian physicist Christian Doppler first described the Doppler effect, in reference to the observed frequency of light and sound waves, in the paper "Concerning the Coloured Light of Double Stars."

Jack Dorsey is an American businessman best known as the founder of the social networking site Twitter.

Jimmy Dorsey was known for playing the clarinet and alto saxophone in the Dorsey Brothers, which performed with all the big names in big band and swing music.

Tommy Dorsey was an American trombonist and band leader who, with his brother Jimmy, was best known as one-half of The Dorsey Brothers during the Big Band and Swing eras.

Aaron Douglas was an African-American painter and graphic artist who played a leading role in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.

Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas is best known as the first African American to win the individual all-around event. She also won a team gold medal for the U.S. at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Actor Kirk Douglas brought his formidable chin and talent to movies like Spartacus and The Bad and the Beautiful. You may also know him as the father of Michael Douglas.

Michael Douglas is an American actor best known for his roles on TV's Streets of San Francisco and in the films Wall Street, Fatal Attraction and Wonder Boys.

Stephen A. Douglas was a 19th century U.S. senator known for the Freeport Doctrine and who ran for president against Abraham Lincoln.

William O. Douglas was a government official who in 1939 became the second youngest Supreme Court justice in U.S. history.

Frederick Douglass, a former slave and eminent human rights leader in the abolition movement, was the first black citizen to hold a high U.S. government rank.

African American poet Rita Dove is the youngest person and the first African American to be appointed Consultant in Poetry at the Library of Congress.

Actor Robert Downey, Jr. is known for his roles in a wide variety of films, including Iron Man, Chaplin, Soapdish, and Wonder Boys.

Author Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 60 mystery stories featuring the wildly popular detective character Sherlock Holmes and his loyal assistant Watson.

TV and rap star Drake is best known in Canada for playing wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and for hit songs like "Best I Ever Had" and "Take Care."

English admiral Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe in 1577-1578, helped defeat the Spanish Armada and was the most renowned seaman of the Elizabethan era.

The music of British singer-songwriter Nick Drake wasn't a hit during his lifetime, but his albums Fruit Tree and Pink Moon have gained fans over the years.