Famous People Who Won Awards a to z

Ruben Studdard is a R&B, pop, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol.

Preston Sturges is regarded as the first Hollywood figure to successfully move from screenwriting to directing his own scripts.

Actor Kiefer Sutherland, son of Donald Sutherland, appeared in numerous coming-of-age films throughout the 1980s, including Stand by Me and The Lost Boys.

Percy Sutton was a Freedom Rider, civil rights activist and prominent African-American lawyer best known for representing Malcolm X.

Tilda Swinton is an Oscar-winning British actress known for her arthouse film roles and for acclaimed performances in more mainstream pictures like Michael Clayton.

Since co-founding Essence magazine, Edward T. Lewis has become one of the most successful and respected magazine publishers in the country.

Jessica Tandy was an English-born U.S. actress well known for her role in Broadway's Foxfire and her Oscar-winning performance in the film Driving Miss Daisy.

Architect Kenzo Tange's best-known early work is the Hiroshima Peace Center. His later work includes the dramatic National Gymnasium for the 1964 Olympic Games.

Ida Tarbell was an American journalist best known for her pioneering investigative reporting that led to the breakup of the Standard Oil Company’s monopoly.

Manti Te'o is an American football player who became embroiled in controversy in early 2013, when the story of his girlfriend's tragic death was revealed to be a fabrication.

Italian operatic soprano Renata Tebaldi was best known for her exquisite and emotional quality of her singing.

Twyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer who often integrated popular music--including songs by Billy Joel, Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra--into her work.

Charlize Theron is a South African-born actress, best known for her roles in such films as North Country and Monster, for which she won an Academy Award.

Jim Thorpe was a Native American professional football and baseball player, known for his all-around athleticism. He was a gold-medal runner at the 1912 Olympics.

Uma Thurman is an actress known for roles in such films as Kill Bill and its sequel and Pulp Fiction.

Strom Thurmond served as a U.S. senator for South Carolina from 1956 to 2003, during which time he switched from Democrat to Republican due to his opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. He resigned from the Senate at age 100—becoming the oldest congressman in U.S. history.

Chinese golfer Guan Tianlang became the youngest player in Masters history when he teed off at the 2013 tournament at age 14 years and five months.

Son of Tiffany & Co. founder Charles Tiffany, Louis Tiffany was an internationally renowned glass maker and a leader of the Art Nouveau movement.

J.R.R. Tolkien is an internationally renowned fantasy writer. He is best known for authoring The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Pastry chef Jacques Torres is best known for his mastery of cooking and baking with chocolate. He is often referred to as "Mr. Chocolate" and owns seven chocolate shops.

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.

John Travolta is a Golden Globe-winning actor whose breakout role was in "Saturday Night Fever." He had a career revival in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction."

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.

Tanya Tucker is an American singer best known for her country hits in the 1970s through 2000s. Tucker is one of the best-selling female vocalists of all time.

Ted Turner is a television and media magnate who founded CNN, the first 24-Hour cable news network.

Desmond Tutu is a South African Anglican cleric who is known for his role in the opposition to apartheid in South Africa.

Shania Twain is a Canadian country and pop singer and songwriter, best known for the albums The Woman in Me and Come on Over.

Ronan Tynan is Irish classical singer, most famous for his renditions of "God Bless America" at the Yankee Stadium during important games.

Michael Urie is an award-winning theater and television actor best known for his role as the catty Marc St. James on Ugly Betty.

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

Mexican-American musician Ritchie Valens is best known for his hit "La Bamba." His successful career was cut short when he died in a plane crash at age 17.

Pauline Phillips, best known by the pen name "Abigail Van Buren," was one of America's most adored advice columnists as the author of "Dear Abby." She was the twin sister of columnist Ann Landers.

Vivian Vance was an actress chiefly known as Ethel Murtz on the 1950s TV sitcom I Love Lucy.

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.

Rudolf Virchow was a German pathologist and statesman, widely credited for his advancements in public health, particularly with his cell theory.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

Faye Wattleton, former president and CEO of Planned Parenthood—as well as the first African-American, first female and youngest president in the organization's history—has been one of the strongest champions of women's rights and reproductive health for more than four decades.

André Watts is an award-winning, renowned pianist known for his virtuosic playing and rhapsodic interpretations of classical music greats.

Anthony Wayne was an American general and U.S. Representative best known for winning the Battle of Fallen Timbers which removed Native American claims to Ohio and the surrounding area.

Actress Raquel Welch was launched as a cinematic sex symbol in One Million Years BC (1966) and continues to be regarded as one of the world's great beauties.

James West is an American inventor who developed the foil electret microphone, now used in 90 percent of all contemporary microphones, in 1962.

Samuel West is a British actor best known for his roles in the films Howards End, Notting Hill, Van Helsing and Hyde Park on Hudson.

William Westmoreland was a U.S. Army general who made a name for himself as commander of American troops in Vietnam.

Edward Weston's photography captured organic forms and texture. Portraits of his family taken in the 1940s are some of his best work.

Joss Whedon is a writer and director best known as the creator of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.