People a to z

Actor and singer Jim Nabors came to fame playing the lovable and bumbling Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show and later on the spinoff sitcom Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

James Nachtwey is an American photographer best known for his work documenting wars, civil strife and other social conflicts. His work has appeared in Time magazine and in international solo exhibitions.

Spanish-born Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional tennis players of all time, completing the career Grand Slam by age 24, the youngest in history to achieve the feat.

French artist Nadar was a caricaturist and photographer who became famous for his portrait studio and the images snapped from his giant hot air balloon.

Attorney Ralph Nader is an auto-safety reformer and consumer advocate. He’s run for president several times, having been both a Democrat and Green Party member.

Prime Minister of Hungary Imre Nagy withdrew Hungary from the Warsaw Pact and led Hungarians against the Soviets in the Hungarian Uprising of 1956.

Sarojini Naidu was an India political leader best known as the first female President of the India National Congress.

Sir V.S. Naipaul is a Trinidadian-British writer of Indian descent known for his novels set in developing countries. He won the Nobel Prize in 2001 for his novel, Half a Life.

James Naismith invented tha game of basketball in 1891.

Napoleon III, the nephew of Napoleon I, was emperor of France from 1852 to 1870. His downfall came during the Franco-Prussian War, when his efforts to defeat Otto Von Bismarck ended in his capture.

Janet Napolitano was the Democratic governor of Arizona before becoming Secretary of Homeland Security under Barack Obama in 2009.

East Coast rapper Nas made it big with albums Illmatic (1994), It Was Written (1996) and Stillmatic (2001).

Graham Nash's vocals and songwriting talents helped make Crosby, Stills and Nash one of the most popular folk-rock bands of all time.

Thomas Nast is known as the “Father of the American Cartoon,” having created satirical art during the 19th century that critiqued slavery and crime.

Dave Navarro is a guitar player and TV personality known for his years with the band Jane's Addiction.

Czech tennis star Martina Navratilova was one of the world's top tennis players in the 1970s and '80s.

U Ne Win was a Burmese military general who staged a coup and ruled his country from 1962 until 1988.

Patricia Neil was an American film and stage actress who is best known for her performances in The Day The Earth Stood Still and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Liam Neeson is an Irish actor known for his strong leading-man roles and for his role as Qui-Gon Jinn in the three prequels to Star Wars.

An Egyptian queen renowned for her beauty, Nefertiti ruled alongside her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten, during the mid-1300s B.C.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi’s father, was a leader of India’s nationalist movement and became India’s first prime minister after its independence.

Vince Neil is the lead singer of Mötley Crüe and a reality TV show veteran.

Leslie Neilsen was an actor known for his deadpan comic delivery in such films as Airplane! and The Naked Gun

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Donald Neilson is best known as "The Black Panther", the English armed robber and murderer.

Nelly is an American rapper and singer known for such hits as "Country Grammar" and "Dilemma."

"Baby Face" Nelson was a gangster, bank robber and triggerman who work for Al Capone and John Dillinger.

Craig T. Nelson is an actor known for his roles on the TV series Coach, and in films like Poltergeist and The Incredibles.

American singer and songwriter Ricky Nelson was an early teen idol who acted out his real-life childhood on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

As housewife and mother on the hit series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Harriet Nelson became one of television's best-loved characters during the 1950s.

Actor Judd Nelson has made a career out of playing bad guys and antiheroes. His portrayal of a tough teenager in The Breakfast Club helped him become a star.

R&B talent Marc Nelson co-founded Boyz II Men but quit before they hit it big. He continued on as a solo artist and songwriter for well-known performers.

Tracy Nelson is an actress and the oldest child of songwriter and actor Ricky Nelson and his wife, actress Kristin Harmon.

Willie Nelson is a country singer and songwriter best known for hit songs including “Crazy” and “On the Road Again.”

Twice appointed the United States' poet laureate, Howard Nemerov was a writer with wit and illuminating irony.

St. Philip Neri was best known as an Italian priest who helped his congregation and others in need. He was canonized in 1622.

As Roman emperor, Nero’s reign was lavish and tyrannical. He killed his mother, persecuted Christians and is said to have "fiddled while Rome burned."

Pablo Neruda was a Nobel Prize–winning Chilean poet who was once called “the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language.”

Michael Nesmith rose to fame as a member of the Monkees, a made-for-television group that turned into a real rock success story.

Eliot Ness was a law enforcement official in Chicago, best known for his efforts to enforce Prohibition as head of "The Untouchables."

Benjamin Netanyahu is best known for his service as prime minister of Israel.

Bonnie Nettles is known as one of 'The Two' who started the so-called UFO cult often referred to as Heaven's Gate with Marshall Applewhite.

Jennifer Nettles is an American country music vocalist, best known as the lead singer of the popular group Sugarland.

Actress Bebe Neuwirth won Tonys for her roles in Sweet Charity and Chicago, and Emmys for her role on the sitcom Cheers.

Louise Nevelson was an iconoclast artist known for her monochromatic abstract expressionist sculptures. She rose to be an internationally known artist and worked into her 80s.

African-American hairdresser and inventor Lyda Newman patented an improved hairbrush design in New York City in 1898.

Paul Newman came to be known as one of the finest actors of his time. He also started the Newman's Own food company, which donates all profits to charity.

Film, stage and TV actress Julie Newmar played Catwoman in the 1960’s TV series Batman. She was also in the musical film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Huey P. Newton was an African-American activist best known for founding the militant Black Panther Party in 1966, along with co-founder Bobby Seale.

English physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton, most famous for his law of gravitation, was instrumental in the scientific revolution of the 17th century.

With a handful of hits to his credit, singer Wayne Newton has spent more than five decades as one of Las Vegas's most popular entertainers.

Charles Ng is a Chinese-American mass murderer who was sentenced to death after torturing and killing up to 25 people at Leonard Lake’s California ranch.

Nicholas II was pope of the Holy Roman Empire from 1059 to 1061. His reforms included the official ban on clerical marriage.

Lorenzo Nichols was one of the top drug lords in New York City in the 1980s. He is currently serving time in a New York State corrections facility.

Mike Nichols in an American theater and film director, best known for his 1967 classic, The Graduate. He's won an Academy Award, as well as multiple Tony and Emmy Awards.

Actress Nichelle Nichols is best known for her groundbreaking portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura on the original Star Trek television series.

Terry Nichols was one of the conspirators of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

Jack Nicholson is one of the most prominent American motion-picture actors of his generation, noted for his versatile portrayals of unconventional outsiders

Professional golfer Jack Nicklaus, nicknamed "the Golden Bear," won the U.S. Open four times and the Professional Golfers Association championship five times.

John G. Nicolay served as secretary to President Abraham Lincoln, and later co-wrote a 10-volume biography on the president, Abraham Lincoln: A History.

A.C. Nielsen was an American market-research engineer and business executive, best known for creating Nielsen ratings, a national rating of television viewing.

Brigitte Nielsen is a Danish actress, model and singer best known for her brief marriage to actor/director Sylvester Stallone, which was heavily covered by the tabloid press.

19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche radically questioned widely held cultural beliefs and is best known for his "God is dead" concept.

Florence Nightingale, a nurse, spent her night rounds giving personal care to the wounded, establishing her image as the 'Lady with the Lamp.'

Alexei Nikolaevich was the only son of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia, and the tsarina Alexandra. He was killed with his family during the Russian Revolution.

Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia was commander in chief of Tzar Nicholas II's army during WWI. The Russian Revolution ended his career.

Anastasia was the daughter of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II. After she and her family were executed, rumors claimed that she might have survived.

Dennis Nilsen is best known as the English murderer of many young men in the late 1970's and early 80's.

Opera singer Birgit Nilsson was the leading Wagnerian soprano of her time. She sang at most of the great houses and festivals of the world.

Chester W. Nimitz was commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during World War II. A brilliant strategist, he commanded all land and sea forces in the central Pacific.

Leonard Nimoy is an actor who has played Spock in both the 1960s TV series Star Trek and several movies based on the show.

Organized crime figure Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti was a member of Al Capone’s Chicago gang, and the front man for Capone’s empire when Capone was imprisoned.

David Niven was an actor of stage and the big screen who epitomized dapper charm in films like The Pink Panther.

Cynthia Nixon is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress best known for her role as Miranda Hobbes on the television and film series Sex and the City.

Pat Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the United States. As first lady, she traveled extensively and championed volunteerism.

Richard Nixon was the 37th U.S. president and the only commander-in-chief to resign from his position, after the 1970s Watergate scandal.

Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel invented dynamite and other explosives. He used his enormous fortune from 355 patents to institute the Nobel Prizes.