People a to z

An expert in the field of mind-body healing, Deepak Chopra is a world-renowned speaker and author on the subject of alternative medicine.

Jesus founded Christianity, one of the world’s most influential religions. His teachings and life are recorded in the Bible’s New Testament and emulated by Christians all over the world.

Charlie Christian was a pioneering electric jazz guitarist of the mid-20th century who would go on to greatly influence his successors.

Agatha Christie was a mystery writer who was one of the world's top-selling authors with works like Murder on the Orient Express and The Mystery of the Blue Train.

Chris Christie is best known for his combative style as the Republican governor of traditionally Democratic New Jersey.

British serial killer John Christie murdered at least six women, including his wife, before being arrested and hanged in 1953.

Actress Julie Christie won an Academy Award for her role in Darling, and earned a second nomination for her performance in McCabe & Mrs. Miller.

St. John Chrysostom was archbishop of Constantinople and an important early church father.

Physicist Steven Chu was co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1997 for his work on cooling atoms, and became the U.S. Secretary of Energy in 2009.

Connie Chung is known as the first Asian and the second woman to anchor one of America’s major network news programs. She has worked at CBS, ABC, NBC and CNN.

Journalist and editor Francis P. Church is remembered best for his 1897 editorial reply to Virginia O'Hanlon, in which he declares Santa Claus is real.

After writing radio and television plays for the BBC, British playwright Caryl Lesley Churchill penned the controversial theatrical play Seven Jewish Children.

As prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill rallied the British people during WWII, and led his country from the brink of defeat to victory.

Cicely Saunders was a nurse, social worker who founded the first modern hospice, St. Christopher's Hospice, in 1967 to provide palliative care to those in need.

Sandra Cisneros is a Latina American novelist who wrote the bestselling novel "The House on Mango Street."

Sam Claflin is a British actor who's starred in big-screen fantasy adventures like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Snow White and the Huntsman, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Liz Claiborne was a fashion designer and icon who created a clothing empire. She's also the first woman to found a company (Liz Claiborne Inc.) that landed on the Fortune 500 list.

Tom Clancy is a New York Times Best Selling American author, best known for his thrillers that include themes of espionage, military, science, politics and technology.

Guitarist and singer-songwriter Eric Clapton's 1992 single "Tears in Heaven" became a top five hit. It was written about the death of his son.

Anthony Clark is an American actor and comedian known for playing Greg Warner on the CBS series Yes, Dear.

Dick Clark was a TV personality known for the shows American Bandstand, $25,000 Pyramid and TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes, among others.

Technology entrepreneur James Clark started Silicon Graphics, launched Netscape with Marc Andreessen and created Healtheon, which merged with WebMD.

Joe Clark became Canada's youngest prime minister in 1979, serving until 1980. He later served as special representative to the secretary-general of the United Nations for Cyprus.

Psychologist and educator Kenneth Bancroft Clark was the first black president of the American Psychological Association.

Septima Poinsette Clark was a pioneering educator and activist who championed teacher’s rights with organizations like the NAACP.

Appointed Attorney General by President Harry Truman, Tom C. Clark went on to become a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

William Clark was half of the famous exploration team Lewis and Clark, who explored and mapped the unknown lands west of the Mississippi River.

An author of more than 100 books, Arthur C. Clarke’s imagination and insight influenced modern science via works like his classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Darren Clarke is a professional golfer known for his eccentricity and for playing through adversity to great success.

Actress Sarah Clarke is best known for her roles as Nina Myers on the television drama 24 and Renée Dwyer in the Twilight saga.

Vince Clarke is best known for his membership in the snythpop group Erasure and the technopop group Depeche Mode.

Kelly Clarkson is an American Idol winner who went on to record several top ten hits including "Breakaway," "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "Because of You."

Henry Clay was an American statesman. He promoted several major governmental compromises to balance the rights of free and slave states.

Adam Clayton is a Grammy Award-winning bass guitarist for the politically active rock and roll band U2.

Comedian John Cleese is most famous for his work with the comedy group Monty Python, and for the popular British television series Fawlty Towers.

Former Major League Baseball player Roger Clemens, of the Red Sox, won 7 Cy Young Awards and recorded 4,672 strikeouts. He was indicted for perjury in 2010.

Outfielder Roberto Clemente broke National League batting records while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1960s.

As queen of ancient Egypt, Cleopatra is one of the most famous female rulers in history. The stories surrounding Cleopatra's tragic life inspired a Shakespeare play.

When Frances Cleveland married Grover Cleveland, she became the youngest first lady ever, and the first to be married in the White House.

The 22nd and 24th president, Grover Cleveland is the only POTUS to serve two nonconsecutive terms, as well as the first to be married in the White House.

Van Cliburn was an acclaimed pianist who played with the New York Philharmonic and founded an international piano competition.

Jamaican musician Jimmy Cliff is best known for introducing reggae to an international audience.

Actor Montgomery Clift starred in films like Red River (1948), A Place in the Sun (1951), and From Here To Eternity (1953).

Lucille Clifton is a poet whose works generally examine family life, racism and gender issues.

Kim Clijsters is a professional tennis player who has won multiple Grand Slam titles, including some at the U.S. Open. She married American basketball player Brian Lynch.

Patsy Cline was a celebrated country singer best known for her crossover hits, including "Crazy" and "Walking After Midnight."

Bill Clinton was the 42nd president of the United States, and the second to be impeached. He oversaw the country's longest peacetime economic expansion.

Chelsea Clinton is a media correspondent and activist who is the daughter of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton.

When Hillary Clinton was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2001, she became the only American first lady to hold national office. She became the 67th U.S. secretary of state in 2009, serving until 2013.

People's sexiest man alive George Clooney is an Oscar-winning actor best known for playing Dr. Doug Ross on TV's ER and Danny Ocean in the Ocean's Eleven films.

Rosemary Clooney was a popular singer beginning in the 1950s and had a No. 1 hit with "Come On-a My House." She was aunt to actor George Clooney.

Chuck Close is noted for his highly inventive techniques used to paint the human face. He rose to fame in the late 1960s for his large-scale, photo-realist portraits.

Actress Glenn Close is best known for her many Oscar-nominated roles, like the psychotic mistress in the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction.

Joseph Gordon Coates was the prime minister of New Zealand 1925–1928, who later instituted rigorous policies to combat the economic depression of the 1930s.

A talented, troubled grunge performer, Kurt Cobain became a rock legend with his band Nirvana in the 1990s and committed suicide at his Seattle home in 1994.

Actor Lee J. Cobb had roles in some eighty movies. Despite his success in Hollywood, he was probably most proud of his stage work in Death of a Salesman.

James Coburn was a prolific Oscar-winning film and TV actor known for projects like Our Man Flint and Affliction.

Jacqueline Cochran is a pioneering 20th century pilot who was an advocate for female aviators during WWII and the first woman to break the sound barrier.

Levi Coffin was an American abolitionist who assisted thousands of runaway slaves on their flight to freedom.

Ben Cohen is the co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s.

Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen is known for his poetic lyrics and baritone voice. He's received acclaim for such songs as "Hallelujah" and "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye."

Mickey Cohen became the West Coast racket boss in 1947, after his mentor and predecessor, Bugsy Siegel, was assassinated.

Sacha Baron Cohen is a British comedian and actor who is widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat and Brüno.

Scientist Edwin Cohn helped develop a method of separating blood plasma proteins, which provided lifesaving care to many soldiers during World War II.

Comedian and talk show host Stephen Colbert was a mock news correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show before hosting his own spin-off, The Colbert Show.

Singer Cheryl Cole was part of the top-selling British girl group Girls Aloud.

Nat King Cole became the first African-American performer to host a variety TV series in 1956. He's best known for his soft baritone voice and for singles like "The Christmas Song," "Mona Lisa" and "Nature Boy."

In 1922, aviator Bessie Coleman became the first African American woman to stage a public flight in America. Her high-flying skills always wowed her audience.

Diminutive television star Gary Coleman made "What'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" a household catch-phrase in the 1980s.

British actress Jenna-Louise Coleman is best known for playing the Doctor's companion, Oswin, on the popular sci-fi BBC program Doctor Who, and for playing bad girl Jasmine Thomas on the British soap Emmerdale.