People a to z

A tenor known for his larger-than-life showmanship, Luciano Pavarotti helped expand the popularity of opera worldwide.

Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov studied "conditioned reflex" through an experiment that made hungry dogs salivate at the sound of a dinner bell.

Anna Pavlova was a famous Russian prima ballerina and choreographer. The company she founded in 1911 was the first to tour ballet around the world.

Attorney and politician Tim Pawlenty is a former Republican Minnesota state senator, and served as governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2009.

Actor Bill Paxton has made a name for himself with such films as Apollo 13 and Twister and the television series Big Love.

Walter Payton was a running back for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League and is in the Football Hall of Fame.

Brilliant, brash and a little wacky, J. Stephen Peace co-produced the cult horror film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and, as a state legislator, oversaw energy deregulation in California.

Charles Willson Peale was an American painter best known as one of the most prolific artists in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He painted more than a dozen heroic portraits of George Washington.

Norman Vincent Peale was a minister and author known for works like The Power of Positive Thinking and A Guide to Confident Living.

Pearl Bailey was a Tony Award-winning singer and actress known for her roles in works like Carmen Jones, House of Flowers, Hello, Dolly! and Porgy and Bess.

American explorer Robert Edwin Peary is best known for claiming to be the first person to reach the geographic North Pole.

Annie Smith Peck was a trailblazing scholar, writer and athlete who set records as a mountain climber in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Gregory Peck is best known for his larger-than-life film roles, particularly as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Serial killer. Born Pedro Alonzo Lopez in 1949 in Tolmia, Colombia. The son of a prostitute, Lopez grew up in a world of poverty and political violence. His mother kicked him out at age eight, forcing him to fend for himself on the streets. After being

I.M. Pei is a Chinese-born American architect, perhaps best known for his controversial glass pyramid in the courtyard at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

A member of three Brazilian World Cup-champion teams, Pelé is considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time.

Politician Nancy Pelosi became the first female Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives as well as the first female Speaker of the House.

Thomas Pendergast was a political boss of Kansas City in the early 20th century.

Kal Penn is best known for his performance in the Harold and Kumar comedy films. He has also performed on several television shows, including House and 24.

Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, married Madonna, and directed Jack Nicholson in two films.

J.C. Penney was best known as an American businessman who founded a retail chain under the same name. His stores today sell general merchandise for the home.

Ty Pennington is a TV host, author and designer whose purview, in all its forms, is home improvement.

Jacques Pépin is a chef and the host of cooking shows on public television. He is also an author, columnist and former guest judge on the Bravo show Top Chef.

Walker Percy was a novelist known chiefly for his first novel, The Moviegoer, which explored spiritual emptiness.

President of Israel Shimon Peres was also twice prime minister of Israel and won a Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the Oslo Accords with Rabin and Arafat.

Actress, musician and activist Pauley Perette is best known as the lab technician on the crime drama NCIS.

I.L. Peretz was a Jewish author who gained fame after writing folktales, ballads and plays about the ideals of Judaism.

Ancient Greek statesman Pericles, leader of Athens from 460–429 B.C., organized construction of the Parthenon and developed a democracy based on majority rule.

Anthony Perkins is an Oscar-nominated stage and film actor who is best known for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

Frances Perkins was the first female to serve in the U.S. presidential cabinet. As secretary of labor, she helped with the New Deal and Social Security.

Israeli classical violinist Itzhak Perlman is one of the 20th century's premier musicians, despite having lost the use of his legs at age 4 due to polio.

Eva Perón used her position as the first lady of Argentina to fight for women's suffrage and improving the lives of the poor.

Juan Perón was an army colonel who became president of Argentina (1946-52, 1952-55, 1973-74) and was the founder and leader of the Peronist movement.

American businessman Ross Perot ran for the U.S. presidency as an independent candidate twice, in 1992 and 1996. He is one of the most successful third-party candidates in American history.

Charles Perrault was a French poet and author known for writing the Mother Goose fairy tales.

Pop music singing sensation Katy Perry has become known for her over-the-top fashions, quirky stage props and catchy songs like "I Kissed a Girl".

Reggae artist and music producer Lee Perry was an early pioneer of reggae music and its offshoot, dub music, and recorded a young Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Actor Luke Perry was born October 11, 1966, in Fredericktown, Ohio. In 1990, he landed his breakthrough role as the rebellious teen heartthrob Dylan McKay on Aaron Spelling’s dramatic TV series Beverly Hills 90210. In the years since, he has enjoyed

Matthew C. Perry was a 19th century U.S. Naval officer who fought in the Mexican War and headed an important naval expedition to Japan.

Republican politician Rick Perry was elected governor of Texas in 2000, and ran for the Republican nomination for the 2012 presidential race.

Steve Perry was the lead singer of pop rock band Journey from 1977 to 1986. He is known for having a wide vocal range, which can be heard on such popular hits as "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Oh Sherrie."

Writer, actor, producer, and director Tyler Perry has built an entertainment empire that consists of successful films, plays, and a best-selling book.

Peter III was the Emperor of Russia for a mere six months in 1762 before he was overthrown by his wife, Catherine the Great, and assassinated in 1762.

German serial killer Peter Kürten, known as the "Dusseldorf Vampire", murdered at least nine people before surrendering to police in 1931.

Peter the Great was a Russian czar in the late 17th century, who is best known for his extensive reforms in an attempt to establish Russia as a great nation.

With bright eyes and bee-sting lips, Bernadette Peters is best know for her comedic musical performances, especially in period roles.

American football player Adrian Peterson returned from a serious leg injury to challenge the single-season rushing record and win the NFL MVP Award in 2012.

American actress Cassandra Peterson became famous in the 1980s for her television role as the vampy Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Former police sergeant Drew Peterson was convicted in the 2004 murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. He was also named a suspect in 2007 in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

Scott Peterson is best known as the man who murdered his eight-month pregnant wife, Laci, in 2002. A jury sentenced him to death by lethal injection.

French daredevil Philippe Petit is best known for his 1974 high-wire walk between the twin towers in New York City.

U.S. Army General David Petraeus became director of the CIA in 2011. He resigned from the post in 2012, after his extramarital affair with Paula Broadwell was publicized.

Alexei Petrovich was the son of Peter the Great and heir to the Russian throne. He was sentenced to death by his father.

Richard Petty is a champion NASCAR driver who was nicknamed "The King" for his record setting Daytona 500 and NASCAR championship wins.

Tom Petty is best known as the front man for the well-known band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He pursued a solo career in 1989, recording hit songs like "Free Fallin'" and "Runnin' Down a Dream."

Michelle Pfeiffer is an American actress known for her film roles in Scarface, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Batman Returns.

Jay Pharoah is an American actor and comedian best known as a cast member of Saturday Night Live.

Swimmer Michael Phelps has set the record for winning the most medals, 22, of any Olympic athlete in history.

Mekhi Phifer is an African-American actor whose first role was in the Spike Lee film Clockers, and who was featured on ER for six seasons.

Regis Philbin is a well-known TV personality who co-hosted his own daytime talk show for almost three decades, also working in prime time and writing several books.

King Philip II of Spain, also known as Philip the Prudent, ruled one of the world's largest empires. The Philippines are named after him.

Lou Diamond Phillips is an actor best known for his his work in films such as La Bamba, Stand and Deliver, and Young Guns.

Actress Mackenzie Phillips, daughter of rock musician John Phillips, starred in the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time and the Disney Channel's So Weird.

Olympic medalist Mark Phillips is renowned as the commoner who married Princess Anne.

Michelle Phillips performed with 1960s folk group The Mamas and the Papas. After the group disbanded, Philips became known for her work as a television actress.

American record producer Sam Phillips is best known for discovering musicians Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Howlin' Wolf, among other blues, country and rock 'n' roll artists. He is also known for revolutionizing the music industry and introducing rock 'n' roll to the world throughout the 1950s.

Stone Phillips is a television personality and reporter, best known as the host of Dateline NBC and guest host for other NBC shows.

Joaquin Phoenix is an actor known for such films as Gladiator and Walk the Line, in which he played Johnny Cash.

River Phoenix was an Academy Award nominee and promising young actor who died at the young age of 23 from a drug overdose.

Édith Piaf, also known as “The Little Sparrow,” was a French singer who became an icon of France during World War II.

Psychologist Jean Piaget identified stages of mental development, called Schema, and established the fields of cognitive theory and developmental psychology.