Famous Arians a to z

British author Chapman Pincher has concentrated on history and espionage-related topics in his investigative journalism as well as his fiction writing.

A pioneer in early hormonal and reproductive research, Gregory Pincus and his team of scientists are credited with formulating the first oral contraceptive for birth control.

Amanda Plummer is an actress best known for her work on stage and in films such as The Fisher King, Pulp Fiction and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Pope Benedict XIV (originally Prospero Lambertini) was head of the Roman Catholic Church from 1740 to 1758.

Paulina Porizkova is a Czechoslovakian model and actress best known for being the first woman from Eastern Europe to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Colin Powell was the first African American appointed as the U.S. Secretary of State, and the first, and so far the only, to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Florence Beatrice Price was an award-winning pianist and composer who became the first African-American woman to have her work performed by a major symphony.

French Romantic painter Pierre-Paul Prud'hon is best known for his soft forms and gentle light in his allegorical paintings and portraits.

Dennis Quaid is an actor known for a wide variety of films, from Breaking Away to Dreamscape to Postcards from the Edge.

Sergey Rachmaninov was a Russian musician known for his magnificent piano playing as well as his distinguished compositions and symphonies.

A. Philip Randolph was a labor leader and social activist who fought for the rights of African-American laborers, including better wages and working conditions.

A leading figure of Italian High Renaissance classicism, Raphael is best known for his "Madonnas," including the Sistine Madonna, and for his large figure compositions in the Palace of the Vatican in Rome.

American actor John Ratzenberger, best known as mailman Cliff Clavin from the television series Cheers, has also contributed voice-acting to every animated Pixar feature film.

Wilhelm Reich was a psychiatrist who developed psychoanalysis that concentrated on overall character structure rather than on individual symptoms.

Paul Reiser's career as a comedian began in New York's comedy clubs. He got his first big break starring in Diner in 1982, and later starred in Mad About You.

Keith Relf was a founding memeber of the Yardbirds, one of the pivotal British rock bands of the 1960s. Relf is also remembered for his unusual, untimely death.

Known for her boundless energy and pert demeanor, Reynolds' most memorable turn was in the 1952 musical Singin' in the Rain.

Syngman Rhee became South Korea’s first president in 1948. He was re-elected twice after the Korean War, but was overthrown by a 1960 student uprising.

Pat Robertson is a television evangelist best known for founding the Christian Coalition, an influential conservative political organization.

Paul Robeson was an acclaimed 20th century performer known for productions like The Emperor Jones and Othello. He was also an international activist.

Washington Roebling was an engineer and a notable victim of the Titanic disaster.

Canadian actor Seth Rogen shot to fame in television and film, collaborating several times with director Judd Apatow.

French film director Eric Rohmer was an editor of respected periodicals, including Cahiers du Cinéma, and the maker of films like My Night at Maud's.

Ann Romney is the former first lady of Massachusetts and the wife of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Soccer superstar Ronaldinho was a member of Brazil's 2002 World Cup championship team and twice won the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Saoirse Ronan is an Irish-American film actress best known for her film roles in Atonement, The Lovely Bones and Hanna.

American baseball star Pete Rose established a career record for hits before earning a lifetime suspension for gambling on the sport.

Théodore Rousseau was a French painter known for his landscapes and unruly depictions of nature. He was a member of the Barbizon School of artists in France.

Paul Rudd is an American actor and film producer who became a minor teen idol with his break-out performance in the 1995 film Clueless and went on to star in numerous comedies.

Dick Sargent was an actor of film and television mostly remembered for his portrayal of Darrin Stephens on TV's Bewitched.

Rose Schneiderman was a labor activist, union leader and social reformer. She held labor-related positions in Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration during the Great Depression.

Former Apple Computers Inc. CEO John Sculley famously clashed with Steve Jobs, leading to Jobs's departure from the company he helped found.

Actor Steven Seagal makes popular action movies such as the 1998 hit Under Siege. He studied martial arts in Asia and opened an academy in the U.S.

Comedian and writer Amy Sedaris is known for her outrageous stage and television characters. She is the younger sister of writer David Sedaris.

Known as the "Queen of Tejano Music," Selena was a beloved Latin recording artist who was killed by the president of her fan club.

Police officer Frank Serpico exposed corruption in the New York City police department. He was the first officer to testify against another officer.

Anna Sewell was the British author of the classic children's horse story Black Beauty.

Ravi Shankar was an Indian musician and composer best known for popularizing the sitar and Indian classical music in Western culture.

Maria Sharapova has won various honors throughout her career, including the 2012 French Open and a silver medal in women's singles at the 2012 Olympics.

Pop icon William Shatner is best known for his distinctive voice and his roles on Star Trek and Boston Legal.

Roger Sherman was an American government leader best known as a founding father that signed and drafted the Declaration of Independence and signed the U.S. Constitution.

From Three Amigos to Saturday Night Live to Broadway, Canadian comedian Martin Short has amused audiences both on screen and on stage.

German actress Simone Signoret performed in films like Room at the Top and Les Diaboliques, and met with international stardom. She married Yves Allegret in 1944, and later wed Yves Montand.

Jazz and blues vocalist Bessie Smith's powerful, soulful voice won her countless fans and earned her the title "Empress of the Blues."

Charles Sobhraj was a famous serial killer in the 1970's, known for drugging and killing between 12 and 24 western tourists in Asia. His several successful escapes from prison coined him the nickname, "The Serpent."

Stephen Sondheim is one of Broadway’s most successful and revered composers, responsible for works like Follies, A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd.

Jamie Lynn Spears is the younger sister of pop singer Britney Spears, best known for her starring role in the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101. She made headlines in 2007 when she announced she was pregnant with her first child at just 16 years old.

Hailed as Britain's "best ever pop singer" by Rolling Stone, the English-born Dusty Springfield charted several 1960s hits, including "Son of a Preacher Man."

Rod Steiger was an Academy Award-winning actor known for his roles in On the Waterfront and In the Heat of the Night.

Social activist, writer, editor, and lecturer Gloria Steinem has been an outspoken champion of women's rights since the late 1960s.

Thaddeus Stevens, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, fought to abolish slavery and helped draft the 14th Amendment during Reconstruction.

Teófilo Stevenson was a Cuban boxer best known for becoming the first fighter to win three Olympic gold medals in one weight class.

In 2008, actress Kristen Stewart landed the role of Bella Swan in the saga Twilight and the movies made her an instant star.

Actress Julia Stiles is best known for her roles in films like Save the Last Dance, 10 Things I Hate About You and The Bourne Ultimatum.

Singer Joss Stone is known for deep throaty vocals, soulful renditions and barefoot performances. At age 16, she released her debut album, The Soul Sessions.

Picabo Street won gold in the Super G women's skiing event at the 1998 Olympics.

Anne Sullivan was a teacher who, at age 21, taught Helen Keller, who was deaf, mute, and blind, how to communicate and read Braille.

Taksin was an 18th century Thai general and king.

Quentin Tarantino jolted onto the Hollywood scene with his screenplay for True Romance, before directing the early 1990s films Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.

American radio astronomer and physicist Joseph H. Taylor Jr. was the co-recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering the first binary pulsar.

Laurette Taylor was an American actress whose stage career spanned more than 30 years. Her first significant work was in a Boston production of The Child Wife.

Sean Taylor was the No. 5 NFL draft pick in 2004 and played with the Washington Redskins until he was murdered in 2007.

Scottish actor and voice-over artist David Tennant is best known as the 10th actor to play the lead role in the immensely popular U.K. sci-fi TV show Doctor Who.

Debi Thomas was a figure skater who went on to become the first African-American to win an Olympic medal at the Winter Olympics.

Academy Award–winning actress Emma Thompson starred in films like Howards End, Sense and Sensibility and Nanny McPhee.

Willie Thrower was a pioneer for African Americans in football, the first to play quarterback professionally.

Tiny Tim was a singer and musician who had a hit with “Tip Toe Through the Tulips With Me” and guest-starred on shows like Laugh-In and The Tonight Show.

Dara Torres is an American swimmer who has taken home 12 Olympic medals and will seek more at the age of 45 in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend of Raynham, was an 18th century British secretary of state who became known as "Turnip Townshend" for his agricultural innovations.

Spencer Tracy was one of Hollywood's greatest film stars. He appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967 and was nominated for five Academy Awards, two of which he won.

William Monroe Trotter was a Harvard-educated journalist and activist who championed equal rights for African Americans.

World-ranked tennis pro Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open in 2008, as an unseeded player. In 2012, he lost to Andy Murray in the semifinals at Wimbledon.

Football player Emlen Tunnell was the first African American to play for the New York Giants, and the first African American to be inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

John Tyler was the 10th president of the United States.

The lead singer of popular rock band Aerosmith with hits like “Dream On” and “Walk This Way,” Steven Tyler has also served as a judge on American Idol.

Peter Ustinov was an English actor, writer and director who is known for his Oscar-winning performances in Spartacus (1960) and Topkapi (1964).

Vincent van Gogh is considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt, although he remained poor and virtually unknown throughout his life.

Sarah Vaughan was an American jazz vocalist known for her impressive three octave range. She was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1990.

Businessman Claus Von Bulow was twice accused of attempting to kill his socialite wife, a diabetic, with doses of insulin, and was defended by Alan Dershowitz.