Famous New York University Alumni a to z

Woody Allen is an American comedian, filmmaker and writer who directed and starred in two of his most famous films, Annie Hall and Manhattan.

Pharmacologist Julius Axelrod’s studies of neurotransmission of adrenalin and amphetamines led to his investigations into drugs for treatment of mental illness.

American film, television and theater actor Alec Baldwin stars on the sitcom 30 Rock, for which he received Golden Globes and an Emmy Award.

Kristen Bell is an American actress known for her roles on TV's Veronica Mars and in such films as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Couples Retreat and Get Him to the Greek.

Author Judy Bloom is a writer and illustrator of books for children and young adults, including Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Blubber, and Tiger Eyes.

Chaz Bono is an Emmy-nominated media figure who, born the daughter of performers Sonny and Cher, has undergone gender reassignment

American writer Suzanne Collins is the author of the bestselling The Hunger Games series and The Underland Chronicles.

Howard Cosell was a sports broadcaster who had a distinctive and influential on-air personality.

Billy Crystal came to fame on the sitcom Soap. After a year on Saturday Night Live, he began a successful film career.

Music executive and producer Clive Davis has worked with Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson among others.

Actress Drea de Matteo played mob girlfriend Adriana La Cerva for five seasons on HBO's The Sopranos.

Singer and songwriter Neil Diamond wrote "I'm A Believer" for The Monkees, and peformed his own pop hits, including "Heartlight" and "Sweet Caroline."

Jack Dorsey is an American businessman best known as the founder of the social networking site Twitter.

American biochemist and pharmacologist Gertrude B. Elion helped develop drugs to treat leukemia and prevent kidney transplant rejection. She won a Nobel Prize for medicine in 1988.

Fashion designer Perry Ellis launched a new wave of fashion that was defined by his signature baggy look. His clothes were lauded as both classic and adventurous.

Peter Facinelli is an American actor best known for his roles as vampire Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the Twilight franchise and Dr. Fitch Cooper on the series Nurse Jackie.

Tom Ford is a fashion designer and film director who was the Creative Director of Gucci from 1994-2004. He founded his own Tom Ford fashion label in 2004.

Bethenny Frankel starred on the reality-TV show The Real Housewives of New York City and two spinoffs. She also launched the brand Skinnygirl.

Nancy Grace is the outspoken host of HLN's top-rated show, Nancy Grace.

Alan Greenspan is a financial adviser best known for his service as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of the United States from 1987 to 2006.

American actress Melissa Joan Hart starred on the television shows Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and began performing on the TV series Melissa & Joey in 2010.

American actress Anne Hathaway has starred in films like The Devil Wears Prada, Becoming Jane, Love and Other Drugs, and Les Miserables.

Dorothy Height was a civil rights and women's rights activist focused primarily on improving the circumstances of and opportunities for African-American women.

Lillian Hellman was a playwright and screenwriter whose dramas attacked injustice, exploitation and selfishness.

Bernard Herrmann was an American composer best known as the author of scores for Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock films including Citizen Kane and Psycho.

Herb Kelleher is the founder and former CEO of Southwest Airlines, one of the first airlines to offer low-cost fares by eliminating unnecessary services.

Ed Koch was an outspoken attorney, author and media commentator who was the mayor of New York City from 1977 to 1989.

Author Ira Levin wrote some of the gripping novels of the 1960s and 1970s, including Rosemary's Baby and The Boys from Brazil.

Lucy Liu is a TV and film actress known for her work on Ally McBeal and in the Charlie's Angels films.

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). 

Film actor. William Marshall was an actor best known for his lead role in the legendary blaxploitation film Blacula.

Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt wrote the biography Angela’s Ashes after retiring from teaching for 30 years in New York City.

Constance Baker Motley was a legal advocate in the Civil Rights Movement. She became the first female African-American federal judge in 1966.

Ashley Olsen, along with her twin sister Mary-Kate, came to stardom as a baby on TV's Full House, then built a vast media and fashion empire by the age of 21.

Actor Bill Paxton has made a name for himself with such films as Apollo 13 and Twister and the television series Big Love.

With his landmark novel Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger was an influential 20th-century American writer.

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.

Sonia Sanchez formed the Broadside Quartet. She was an activist for racial equality, pioneered black studies and has written poetry, plays and kids’ books.

Actor, comedian, and musician Adam Sandler was a cast member on Saturday Night Live and is the star of such films as Punch-Drunk Love and The Wedding Singer.

Director Martin Scorsese has produced some of the most memorable films in cinema history, including the iconic Taxi Driver and Academy Award-winner The Departed.

M. Night Shyamalan is best known for directing The Sixth Sense, which was released in 1999 to wide acclaim, including six Oscar nominations.

American comedian Sarah Silverman is best known for her controversial statements and performances on her one-woman show, Jesus is Magic.

Writer for stage and screen Neil Simon penned some of America's most popular plays, including Barefoot in the Park (1963) and The Odd Couple (1965).

Nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in US history.

Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Oliver Stone is responsible for the hit films Platoon, Scarface, Born on the Fourth of July and Natural Born Killers.

Poet, novelist and short-story writer Jean Toomer was a major figure during the Harlem Renaissance. He is best known for his first book, Cane.

Christy Turlington is one of America’s most successful models. Best known for her work for Maybelline, she has appeared on more than 300 magazine covers.

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

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