People a to z

James West is an American inventor who developed the foil electret microphone, now used in 90 percent of all contemporary microphones, in 1962.

Jerry West is a former basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers who went on to become the team’s head coach and general manager.

Kanye West is a Grammy-winning rapper and sought-after producer who is as well known for his outrageous statements as he is for his broad musical palette.

Mae West started in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York, and later moved to Hollywood to star in films known for their blunt sexuality and steamy settings.

Samuel West is a British actor best known for his roles in the films Howards End, Notting Hill, Van Helsing and Hyde Park on Hudson.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer is one of the world's most recognized authorities on sex. She has delivered her advice on TV, radio and the web for decades and has written numerous books.

William Westmoreland was a U.S. Army general who made a name for himself as commander of American troops in Vietnam.

Edward Weston's photography captured organic forms and texture. Portraits of his family taken in the 1940s are some of his best work.

Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood helped set the style for modern punk and New Wave music.

Tina Weymouth is best known as the bassist in the band The Talking Heads.

In the late 18th century, slave poet Phillis Wheatley impressed everyone she met, proving to the world that the color of one's skin does not indicate one's intellect.

Joss Whedon is a writer and director best known as the creator of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Adam Wheeler, also known as the "Ivy League Imposter," made national news when it was discovered that he had boasted an academic career—including admission to Harvard University—based on lies.

Actress Lisa Whelchel co-starred in the popular 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life.

British actor Ben Whishaw is best known for playing Freddie Lyon on the television series The Hour and Q in the 2012 film Skyfall.

Actor, producer and director Forest Whitaker won an Academy Award for his portrayal of dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. He’s also known for films like Bird, Ghost Dog and The Butler.

Betty White is a comedic actress who has been in show business, from TV to film, since the 1950s, most notably on The Golden Girls.

Dan White assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist, in 1978.

Jack White is best known for singing and playing guitar with Meg White in the band the White Stripes.

Actor Jaleel White rose to fame as the nerdy boy-next-door Steve Urkel on the 1990s hit sitcom Family Matters.

John White was a British artist, explorer, cartographer and governor of the English settlement on Roanoke Island (now in North Carolina, U.S.).

Pearl White was an American silent film actress best known for her role in The Perils of Pauline, in which she did her own stunt work.

American skateboarder and snowboarder Shaun White, known as the "Flying Tomato," is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He has also won multiple Summer and Winter X Games medals.

T.H. White was an English writer known for his novel series about King Arthur, The Once and Future King.

Vanna White is the longtime co-host of the popular game show Wheel of Fortune.

Charles Whitman was a former Marine and sniper who killed 16 people at the University of Texas in 1966.

Meg Whitman is the successful corporate executive, serving as CEO of eBay and later Hewlett Packard. In 2010 she lost her bid to win the California governorship.

Walt Whitman was an American poet whose verse collection Leaves of Grass is a landmark in the history of American literature.

Eli Whitney was an American inventor who created the cotton gin and pushed the “interchangeable parts” mode of production.

John Greenleaf Whittier was an American poet and abolitionist who, in the latter part of his life, was a household name in both England and the United States.

American gymnast Jordyn Wieber is best known as the first U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team member to hail from Michigan.

Elie Wiesel is a Nobel-Prize winning writer, teacher and activist known for the memoir Night, in which he recounts his experiences surviving the Holocaust.

Simon Wiesenthal was a survivor of the Holocaust who worked as an author and Nazi hunter, wishing to ensure that what befell his community would be remembered.

Jeffrey Wigand became famous in the 1990s when he took public his knowledge that cigarette companies had tried to conceal the dangers of smoking.

Author Oscar Wilde published several acclaimed works, including The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest.

Thornton Wilder is a multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and playwright known for works like The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Ides of March and Our Town.

British musician and producer Alan Wilder is best known as a keyboardist and songwriter for the band Depeche Mode. Wilder wrote songs like "The Great Outdoors," "The Landscape Is Changing" and "In Your Memory."

Actor Gene Wilder became a children's hero as the star of Mel Brook's film adaptation of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the autobiographical “Little House” kids’ book series, the basis of the popular television show Little House on the Prairie.

Harvey Washington Wiley was an American chemist known as the "Father of the FDA." Throughout much of his career, Wiley campaigned for reforms in food manufacturing and in food labeling.

Hoyt Wilhelm was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher known for his knuckleball and who set a pitching record.

Roy Wilkins was best known as the executive director of the NAACP and a leader of the African-American civil rights movement.

Model Kendra Wilkinson was one of Hugh Hefner's Playboy girlfriends. She co-starred in the TV series The Girls Next Door about the Playboy Mansion.

English actor Tom Wilkinson is best known for his Oscar-nominated roles in the films In the Bedroom and Michael Clayton.

William I is best known for ruling Prussia as regent, and king, and later as German emperor.

The policies of William the Conqueror, king of England from 1066 until his death in 1087, may be largely responsible for eventually making Britain the most powerful nation in Europe.

Andy Williams is an American singer whose hits include “Moon River.” His Emmy-winning TV show entertained families during the 1960s and 1970s.

Daniel Hale Williams was a physician who performed the first known open-heart surgery in the United States and who founded a hospital with an interracial staff.

Eric Williams formed the People's National Movement for an independent Trinidad and Tobago, and served as that country's first prime minister.

Esther Williams, nicknamed "America's Mermaid," was an American actress who helped popularize synchronized swimming through a string of hugely popular films in the 1940s and '50s.

Hank Williams became one of America's first country music superstars, with hits like "Your Cheatin' Heart," before his early death at 29.

American composer and conductor John Williams has scored more than 75 films, including Jaws, the Star Wars trilogy, E.T. and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Katt Williams is a comedian, actor and rapper whose off-stage controversies have often garner as much attention as his on-stage accomplishments. His credits include the films Rebound, Epic Movie and Friday After Next, and the TV series NYPD Blue and Wild n' Out.

Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams has won wide acclaim for such albums as 1998's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and 2011's Blessed.

Melvin Williams is best known for becoming Baltimore's biggest drug dealer throughout the 1970's and 1980's.

Michelle Williams became a top pop music star as part of the band Destiny's Child. She has also enjoyed some success as a solo gospel music artist and an actress.

Michelle Williams first came to stardom as a star of teen drama Dawson's Creek. She rose to critical acclaim with films such as Blue Valentine and Brokeback Mountain.

Author and actor Montel Williams rose to fame in 1991 with the launch of his talk show, The Montel Williams Show, which ran for 17 seasons and earned its host an Emmy.

Olivia Williams is a British actress known for appearing in such films as Rushmore, The Postman and Hyde park on Hudson.

Singer Robbie Williams got his start in the boy band Take That, before becoming a best-selling solo singer.

Actor and comedian Robin Williams is known for his fast-paced, improvisational performance style, and for his performances in films like Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society.

American professional tennis player Serena Williams has won 29 Grand Slam titles and several Olympic gold medals.

Stanley Tookie Williams is best known for founding the Crips gang.

Baseball legend Ted Williams was best known as the Boston Red Sox Player who had a contentious relationship with Boston fans, who he refused to tip his hat to during his career.

Ted Williams was homeless in 2011 when a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch made him famous with a viral Internet video story.

Tennessee Williams was an American writer, whose signature works include A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Glass Menagerie.