People a to z

Lindsey Vonn is an American alpine skiier who has won numerous competitions, including four World Cup overall titles. She won a gold medal in the downhill event at the 2010 Olympics.

Kurt Vonnegut was an American author best known for the novels Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions.

As a fashion journaist who worked for Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, Diana Vreeland was an influential figure in American fashion during the 20th century.

Andy Wachowski is a writer, director and producer known for sci-fi and action films, including The Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta and Cloud Atlas.

Lana Wachowski, along with brother Andy, is a producer, director and screenwriter known for The Matrix film trilogy, V for Vendetta and Cloud Atlas.

Basketball star Dwyane Wade plays as a guard for the Miami Heat, with which he has won two NBA Championships, in 2006 and 2012.

Actor Jack Wagner rose to fame as the rocker Frisco Jones on the daytime soap opera General Hospital.

Richard Wagner is best known for creating several complex operas, including Tristan and Isolde and Ring Cycle, as well as for his anti-semitic writings.

Sam J. Wagstaff was an important art curator and collector of photography. He was also a companion and benefactor of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.

Donnie Wahlberg was a member of the 1980s pop group New Kids on the Block (reunited in 2008), and is the brother of actor and rapper Mark Wahlberg.

Mark Wahlberg got his start headlining the musical group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, later going on to a modeling career and acting success in Hollywood.

Rufus Wainwright is a Canadian American singer and songwriter best known for his pop albums Rufus Wainwright (1998) and Poses (2001).

Ralph Waite is an American actor whose most notable role was playing John Walton Sr. on the 1970s television series The Waltons.

American entrepreneur Jimmy Wales co-founded Wikipedia, a free Internet-based encyclopedia operating under an open-source management style.

Labor activist and later Polish president Lech Walesa helped form and lead communist Poland's first independent trade union, Solidarity and won a Nobel Prize.

Film Actor Christopher Walken often plays the bad guy, but he has also proved himself in comic roles and has been a repeat guest on Saturday Night Live.

Canadian financial consultant Albert Walker embezzled millions of dollars and murdered a business associate to cover up his crimes.

Alice Walker is a Pulitzer Prize-winning, African-American novelist and poet most famous for authoring The Color Purple.

David Walker was an African American abolitionist whose pamphlet was one of the most radical documents of the antislavery movement.

Kara Walker is an African-American artist who rose to fame for her use of large paper silhouettes to explore social issues surrounding gender, race and black history.

Australian Aboriginal writer and political activist Kath Walker is considered the first of the modern-day Aboriginal protest writers.

LeRoy Walker was the first black coach of an American Olympic team and the first black president of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Madam C.J. Walker was the first American woman to become a self-made millionaire. Her business was worth more than $1 million at the time of her death.

Maggie Lena Walker was grand secretary of the Independent Order of St. Luke, an organization dedicated to the social and financial advancement of African Americans.

Mary Walker was a physician and women's rights activist who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for her service during the Civil War.

Actress Nancy Walker appeared in films and on stage before playing Ida Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rosie in the Bounty paper towel commercials.

Paul Walker is an actor who made a splash with the movie Varsity Blues and found enduring success with The Fast and the Furious franchise.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is best known for his controversial 2011 budget proposal, in which he wanted to eliminate most collective bargaining rights for Wisconsin state employees. Walker is also the first governor in U.S. history to win a recall election.

Blues guitarist and singer-songwriter T-Bone Walker is best known for his hit song "Stormy Monday"  and has been called the Charlie Parker of Blues guitar.

David Foster Wallace was a writer known for his dense short stories, magazine articles and novels, most notably the 1,200-page Infinite Jest.

Henry A. Wallace was the 33rd U.S. vice president during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. He was also a writer and agriculture expert.

Mike Wallace is an interviewer and reporter who has been working in TV and radio since 1939. He joined the program 60 Minutes in 1968.

William Wallace, a Scottish knight, became a central early figure in the wars to secure Scottish freedom from the English, becoming one of his country's greatest national heroes.

DeWitt Wallace was an American publisher and, with his wife, founder of Reader's Digest magazine. The couple supported numerous philanthropic causes.

American actor Eli Wallach has appeared in such films as The Misfits; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Swedish businessman and diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is best known for saving thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II.

Quvenzhané Wallis is an actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated role as Hushpuppy in the 2012 film Beasts of the Southern Wild.

John Walsh hosts the TV series America's Most Wanted, as a result of his son being abducted and murdered in 1981.

Kerri Walsh-Jennings is a professional beach volleyball player and three-time Olympic gold medalist. She is the longtime competitive partner of Misty May-Treanor.

Actor Ray Walston enjoyed a successful acting career and is best known for his character Uncle Martin O'Hara on the CBS series My Favorite Martian.

Famed television journalist Barbara Walters is best known as the 11-year star of the Today show, and for being the first female co-anchor of a network evening news program.

Sam Walton was an American businessman best known for founding the retail chain Wal-Mart, which grew to be the world’s largest corporation.

After working in Europe for decades, actor Christoph Waltz caught the attention of American audiences with his role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds.

Known for balancing modern designs with traditional elegance, Vera Wang is arguably the most prominent designer of bridal wear in America.

Wide receiver Hines Ward played his entire 14-year NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, helping lead the team to wins in Super Bowls XL and XLIII.

M. Ward is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician known for his solo albums as well as his work with Zooey Deschanel in the duo She & Him.

Julia Ward Howe was a women's rights activist, abolitionist and writer who penned the poem "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Paul Warren is a former professional American football wide receiver from Warren Ohio known for his grace on the field in the 1960s and 1970s.

Illustrator Andy Warhol was one of the most prolific and popular artists of his time, using both avant-garde and highly commercial sensibilities.

Elizabeth Warren is a Democrat from Massachusetts who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. She previously worked as an assistant to President Barack Obama and helped design the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, among several other roles.

J. Robin Warren is a Nobel Prize-winning pathologist who, with Barry J. Marshall, identified the bacteria that causes ulcers.

Lesley Ann Warren is an actress known for her roles on TV shows such as Desperate Housewives and in films such as Cat Ballou, Victor Victoria and Pure Country.

Soul singer Warwick became a superstar with early hits like "Walk On By" and "I Say a Little Prayer," and later with albums like Dionne and Heartbreaker.

Educator Booker T. Washington was one of the foremost African-American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founding the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, now known as Tuskegee University.

Former star of the hit TV drama St. Elsewhere, actor/director Denzel Washington has earned popular and critical acclaim for his roles in several feature films, including Training Day and American Gangster.

George Washington was a leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolution, and was the first to become U.S. president.

Harold Washington became the first African-American mayor of Chicago in 1983.

Kerry Washington has appeared in such films as Ray, She Hate Me, The Last King of Scotland and Django Unchained (2013). She also stars on the TV series Scandal.

As the original U.S. first lady, Martha Washington set many of the standards and customs that came to be observed by future president's wives.

Mia Wasikowska is an Australian actress best known for her role on the HBO drama In Treatment.

Wendy Wasserstein was an award-winning playwright of such works as The Sisters Rosensweig and An American Daughter.

Filmmaker, director and writer John Waters, sometimes called the "King of Bad Taste" or the "Pope of Trash," has built a reputation for shocking his audiences.

American singer and guitarist Muddy Waters may have been born in Mississippi, but he defined Chicago blues with songs like "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man."

Roger Waters was the singer, songwriter and bassist for the British rock band Pink Floyd. He also has had an extensive solo career.

Sam Waterston is an acclaimed actor known for his film, TV and stage work, including roles in Law & Order and Gore Vidal's Lincoln.

Paul Watkins, a member of Charles Manson's "family," was not involved in the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, but testified for the prosecution in the Manson trial, specifically about Manson's theory of "Helter Skelter."

Doc Watson was a blind American guitarist/singer and folk music pioneer whose unprecedented flat-picking style and interpretations of traditional American songs influenced generations of musicians.

Professional golfer Bubba Watson is a leading player on the PGA Tour and winner of the 2012 Masters Tournament.

Tex Watson was a member of Charles Manson's "Family," and was Manson's right-hand man. He was convicted of the family's infamous 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, which were orchestrated by Manson.

Emma Watson is best known for playing the character of Hermione, the best friend of Harry Potter in the Harry Potter film franchise.

James D. Watson is a Nobel Prize-winning biophysicist and researcher credited with co-discovering the double-helix structure of DNA.

Tom Watson is an American golfer and six-time PGA Player of the Year. He was one of the sport's dominant figures in the 1970s and '80s.