Famous Arians a to z

Musician Julian Lennon is the child of John Lennon, a founding member of The Beatles, and his first wife. One of his better know songs is Too Late For Goodbyes.

Comedian and late-night talk show host David Letterman is known for his irreverent sense of humor and cynical, mocking style.

British surgeon and medical scientist Joseph Lister is regarded as the founder of antiseptic medicine, which he implemented with amputee patients.

Viola Gregg Liuzzo was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. She was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan for her efforts.

Louis I succeeded his father, Charlemagne, as emperor, serving as ruler of the Franks for 26 years.

Jim Lovell is a former U.S. astronaut who commanded NASA's nearly disastrous Apollo 13 flight to the moon.

Henry R. Luce was a journalist and publishing mogul who started the magazines Time, Life, Fortune and Sports Illustrated.

Loretta Lynn is a singer-songwriter known for "Coal Miner's Daughter," among many other country songs. A film about her by the same name was a critical hit.

Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan political and environmental activist and her country's assistant minister of environment, natural resources and wildlife.

Model Elle Macpherson put the super in "supermodel." In her day, she was known as "The Body" because of her stunning height and figure.

Liberal political journalist Rachel Maddow is known for hosting the MSNBC TV show The Rachel Maddow Show, as well as an Air America radio show of the same name.

John Major was a member of the British Parliament's Conservative Party and England's prime minister from 1990 to 1997.

A former ABA star and three-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Hall of Fame center Moses Malone was the first basketball player to skip college and go pro.

American actress Leslie Mann is known for her comedic performances, especially in several films directed by her husband, Judd Apatow.

One of the most dominant quarterbacks in NFL history, Peyton Manning has won multiple MVP awards and led the Indianapolis Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI.

Jayne Mansfield was an American actress best known for her bombshell curves and roles in films during the 1950s and '60s.

Although she had roles in the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Social Network, Rooney Mara gained mainstream success when she played heroine Lisbeth Salander in the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011). 

Marcel Marceau was best known for his work as a mime artist in France.

Marilu Henner is best known for her acting careerin film and TV, particularly the series Taxi.

Thomas R. Marshall was a governor of Indiana and served as U.S. vice president under Woodrow Wilson.

The oldest of the Marx Brothers, Chico Marx had an antic personality and a savvy eye for how to keep the group going, but that was also because he had a weakness for both gambling and chasing women.

U.S. Psychologist Abraham Maslow was a practitioner of humanistic psychology. He is known for his theory of “self-actualization.”

Maurice was duke and elector of Saxony (southeastern Germany) during the 16th century.

American politician Eugene J. McCarthy challenged Lyndon B. Johnson in the race for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination, which led to Johnson's withdrawal.

Reba McEntire is a chart-topping, award-winning country music singer who has acted in films and starred on her own sitcom. She also owns several businesses.

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor first received worldwide acclaim with his role in Trainspotting, and has since played Obi-Wan in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

Actress Nancy McKeon played Jo on the long-running 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life.

American film star Steve McQueen was one of the most popular and well-paid actors of the 1960s and ‘70s. He starred in films like The Great Escape, Bullit and The Getaway.

Actor Christopher Meloni starred as Detective Elliot Stabler in the hit television crime drama Law & Order: SVU for twelve seasons from 1999 to 2011.

Anthony Michael Hall is a film and TV actor known for his roles in Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and The Dead Zone.

James Mill was a Scottish historian, economist, and philosopher. He supported the radical philosophical belief called Utilitarianism.

Spike Milligan was an Irish writer and comedian best known for his work on The Goon Show.

As a child star, film and television actress Hayley Mills won an Oscar for her title role in the Disney movie Pollyanna, and went on to star in The Parent Trap.

Actor Matthew Modine became a star for his performances in Full Metal Jacket and other successful 1980s films.

Actress Elizabeth Montgomery made magic on TV's top-rated sitcom Bewitched from 1964 to 1972.

British actor and comedian Dudley Moore starred in funny films such as Bedazzled (1967), 10 (1979), and Arthur (1981).

Mandy Moore is a singer and actress known for her pop albums and films such as A Walk to Remember.

J.P. Morgan founded the banking company J.P. Morgan & Co., one of the leading financial firms in the country, in 1871.

Piers Morgan hosts his own interview show, Piers Morgan Tonight, and served a judge on America's Got Talent from 2006 to 2011.

Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy began doing stand-up as a teenager. He became a popular Saturday Night Live cast member and starred in several box-office hits.

Modest Mussorgsky was a 19th century Russian composer. His most famous works include "Night on Bald Mountain," "Boris Godunov" and "Pictures at an Exhibition."

French artist Nadar was a caricaturist and photographer who became famous for his portrait studio and the images snapped from his giant hot air balloon.

Craig T. Nelson is an actor known for his roles on the TV series Coach, and in films like Poltergeist and The Incredibles.

Eliot Ness was a law enforcement official in Chicago, best known for his efforts to enforce Prohibition as head of "The Untouchables."

With a handful of hits to his credit, singer Wayne Newton has spent more than five decades as one of Las Vegas's most popular entertainers.

Terry Nichols was one of the conspirators of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

Leonard Nimoy is an actor who has played Spock in both the 1960s TV series Star Trek and several movies based on the show.

Cynthia Nixon is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress best known for her role as Miranda Hobbes on the television and film series Sex and the City.

Tanzanian statesman and president Julius Kambarage was premier when Tanganyika was granted internal self-government, and was made president on independence.

Comedian and writer Conan O'Brien rose to fame as the host of the talk show Late Night and later the Tonight Show and Conan.

Irish nationalist and playwright Sean O’Casey wrote about life in the slums of Dublin, in plays like The Shadow of a Gunman and The Plough and the Stars.

Flannery O'Connor is considered one of the best short story authors of the 20th century. She wrote about religious themes and southern life.

Business leader and entrepreneur Kevin O'Connor is a co-founder and the CEO of the internet advertising technology company DoubleClick.

Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. A Republican, she was considered a moderate conservative and served for 24 years.

Rosie O'Donnell is a comedian who made the move to the big screen with 1992's A League of Their Own, going on to co-host TV's The View

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Actor Ed O'Neill is best known as the dad in TV sitcoms like Married... with Children and Modern Family.

St. Catherine of Siena was a Dominican tertiary who worked to return the papacy from France to Italy. She is one of two patron saints of Italy.

Gary Oldman is an English actor and film director whose edgy, intense style has brought him acclaim in such hits as Sid and Nancy, JFK, and The Dark Knight.

Mary White Ovington was a civil rights activist and one of the white reformers who helped found the NAACP.

Sarah Jessica Parker is an award-winning TV and film actress whose starring role in the series Sex and the City catapulted her to stardom.

English born, English bred, forgotten by the English and the world, James Parkinson identified the "shaking palsy" as a disease of the central nervous system.

Danica Patrick is a female race car driver and has set several records for women drivers, including becoming the first woman to lead the Indy 500 and the first woman to win the pole position at the Daytona 500.

James Patterson is an author of popular thrillers. He is best known for the Womens Murder Club series, and for his books starring psychologist Alex Cross.

Henry Paulson was CEO of Goldman Sachs until he became secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2006. As such, he developed a bailout program.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Russian serial killer Alexander Pichushkin, nicknamed "The Chessboard Killer," was caught in Moscow and convicted in 2007 of killing 48 people.

Mary Pickford was a legendary silent film actress and was known as "America’s sweetheart." She was a founder of United Artists and helped establish the Academy.