Famous People Who Achievement a to z

Zac Posen is a fashion designer who became the Next Big Thing before he even had his first runway show.

English golfer Ian Poulter is a successful member of both the PGA and European tours.

Charley Pride is one of the few black country musicians to have had considerable success in the largely white country music industry, and was the first black musician to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.

Wolfgang Puck is a chef who expanded his purview into running restaurants, writing cookbooks and hosting cooking shows.

Vladimir Putin served as president of Russia from 2000 to 2008, and was re-elected to the presidency in 2012. He previously served as Russia's prime minister.

Anna Quindlen is the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and bestselling novelist who wrote the books One True Thing and Object Lessons.

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

World-ranked tennis pro Agnieszka Radwanska became the first Polish player in history to receive a WTA tour singles title—at the Nordea Nordic Light Open in Sweden.

Actress Charlotte Rae is best known for her role as Mrs. Garrett on the TV series Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life.

Queen Rania of Jordan is best known for her advocacy work in public health, education and as an outspoken opponent of the practice of "honor killings."

Charlotte E. Ray was the first female African-American lawyer in the United States.

Irish actor Stephen Rea is well-known for his roles in V for Vendetta, Interview with the Vampire and The Crying Game.

British thespian Michael Redgrave is acclaimed for his theater and film roles. He has also sired two generations of acting luminaries.

William Rehnquist was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Richard Nixon in 1971. He was elevated to the post of chief justice by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. He remained chief justice until his death in 2005.

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

Charles Nelson Reilly was a Tony-Award winning actor also known for a variety of roles on TV programs, including The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and The Match Game.

Cathy Rigby is best known as a medal-winning American gymnast and Tony nominated actress for her theatrical production in Peter Pan.

Robert II was king of Scotland from 1371 to 1390, and is best known for his largely ineffectual reign.

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

Andy Roddick is a retired champion tennis player who, in 2003, held both the grand slam title and the world's No. 1 ranking.

From The Sound of Music to Oklahoma! to South Pacific, Richard Rodgers helped change the face of Broadway musicals, giving them stories and making them both memorable and "hum-able."

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

Will Rogers was an entertainer known for his folksy charm and witty one-liners. He started out in Wild West shows and eventually made his way to Broadway and films.

Andy Rooney was an Emmy Award-winning journalist best known for his "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" segments which aired on the CBS news program 60 Minutes.

Wayne Rooney is one of the world's best-known soccer players and a top scorer for the Manchester United club.

Civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger, spurring the Montgomery boycott and other efforts to end segregation.

David O. Russell is an Oscar-nominated director, writer and producer known for films like Three Kings, The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook.

William Safire was a writer whose column "On Language" was a long-running feature of The New York Times Magazine.

Andy Samberg is a comedian, actor, singer and a star of Saturday Night Live. His comedy troupe "The Lonely Island" is known for its humorous digital shorts.

Tennis player Pete Sampras is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. In 2002 he set the career mark for most Grand Slam victories with 14 titles.

Antonin Scalia is best known as an Associate Justice for the U.S. Supreme Court, appointed in 1986 by Ronald Reagan.

Howard Schultz is CEO and chairman of Starbucks, the highly successful coffee company.

One of the world's premier golfers, Adam Scott became the first Australian to win the Masters Tournament with his 2013 victory.

Junior Senator Tim Scott is the seventh African American to win election to the U.S. Senate. He is also a former U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District.

Charles Scribner co-founded the publishing house Baker & Scribner, which became Charles Scribner's Sons.

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

Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel's 11th prime minister.

Dr. Anna Howard Shaw was the first female minister in the Methodist Protestant Church. She spent most of her life working for the cause of women's suffrage.

Blake Shelton is a chart-topping country music star also known for appearing on TV’s The Voice.

William Tecumseh Sherman was a U.S. Civil War Union Army leader known for "Sherman's March," in which he and his troops laid waste to the South.

William Shockley was an engineer and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1956 for his development of the transistor.

At the age of 26, U.S. golfer Webb Simpson won the 2012 U.S. Open—his first major tournament victory—with a final score of 1-over par.

Award-winning hard rock guitarist Slash played with Guns N’ Roses until 1996. He went on to form the band Velvet Revolver and release two solo albums.

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

Zadie Smith is a novelist whose first book, White Teeth, was a sensation, instantly putting her on the literary map.

Charlotta Spears Bass was a journalist and activist who, as editor of the California Eagle, championed African-American equality and freedom.

Arlen Specter was Philadelphia District Attorney and was elected to the senate five times. He helped initiate the reauthorization of the Patriot Act.

During his papacy, St. Leo I strove to suppress heresy and presented a clear doctrine of Christ’s incarnation that successfully promoted orthodoxy.

St. Patrick is Ireland's patron saint, known for spreading Christianity throughout the country as a missionary during the 5th century.

Stephen of Blois was king of England from 1135 to 1141. His reign was marked by a civil war known as The Anarchy.

Jazz master Rex Stewart is best known for his work with the Duke Ellington orchestra. Duke Ellington arranged many of his pieces to showcase Stewart's talent.

William Grant Still was a conductor and composer and the first African-American to conduct a professional symphony orchestra in the U.S.

Toni "Tomboy" Stone made history in 1953 when she joined the Negro Leagues, making her the first woman ever to play professionally in a men's league.

Power-hitting outfielder Darryl Strawberry was one of baseball's biggest stars in the 1980s before his career was derailed by substance-abuse problems.

Woody Strode was a Hollywood actor who also had a brief career as a professional football player.

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.

Novelist William Styron won a Pulitzer Prize for The Confessions of Nat Turner and wrote Sophie’s Choice, the basis of an Academy Award-winning film.

Charles Sumner was a U.S. Representative best known an anti-slavery advocate who authored the nation’s first civil rights legislation.

Taksin was an 18th century Thai general and king.

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.

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.

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

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.

Tiffany was a 1980s teen-pop sensation best known for her hit "I Think We're Alone Now."

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.

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.

Sophie Tucker, also known as "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas," was a Russian-American singer, comedian, actress and Vaudeville performer.

Alexander Lucius Twilight is thought to be the first African American to graduate from an American university (Middlebury College, 1823).

Björn Ulvaeusis best known as one of four members of 1970s Swedish pop sensation ABBA.

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.

Famed Roman poet Virgil is  best known for his national epic, the Aeneid.

Antonio Vivaldi was a 17th and 18th century composer who’s become one of the most renowned figures in European classical music.