Discover the notable alumni of Cornell University. The list includes people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ann Coulter, Ratan Tata, Bill Nye & Bill Maher. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as writers, scientists, intellectuals & academics, media personalities and film & theater personalities etc.
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1
Bill Nye(Best Known as the Host of the Science TV Show ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’)
Birthdate: November 27, 1955
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Bill Nye is an American mechanical engineer, television presenter, and science communicator. He is known for hosting the live-action science program Bill Nye the Science Guy. He is credited with inventing a hydraulic resonance suppressor tube, which is used on the Boeing 747 airplanes. He also helped develop MarsDial, a sundial that became part of the Mars Exploration Rover missions.
2
Kurt Vonnegut(Writer Known For His Satirical and Darkly Humorous Novels)
Birthdate: November 11, 1922
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Died: April 11, 2007
Science-fiction author Kurt Vonnegut is best remembered for the novel Slaughterhouse-Five, which became a New York Times bestseller. The Hugo Award-winner had also fought against the Germans in World War II and expressed his anti-war and atheist views through his works, which also include short stories, plays, and autobiographical works.
Birthdate: February 18, 1931
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Lorain, Ohio
Died: August 5, 2019
Author, editor, and Princeton professor Toni Morrison is best remembered for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved, part of a trilogy. Some of her other notable works include The Bluest Eye and Song of Solomon. She received the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature. She also wrote several children’s books and plays.
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: December 28, 1937
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Surat
Ratan Tata is a well-known Indian industrialist and the former charman of Indian multinational conglomerate Tata Sons. His reign as chairman was marked by acquisitions of iconic global brands, such as Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover and Corus by the Tata Group. Ratan Tata was instrumental in turning Tata Group from a largely India-centrist group into a global business.
Recommended Lists:5
Ruth Bader Ginsburg(Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1993 - 2020))
Birthdate: March 15, 1933
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: September 18, 2020
The first Jewish woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. An advocate for gender equality and women's rights, she spent the majority of her legal career championing these causes. She remained professionally active until her death in 2020.
6
Christopher Reeve(Best Known for Playing the Titular Role in the Film 'Superman' & its Three Sequels)
Birthdate: September 25, 1952
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: October 10, 2004
Christopher Reeve had a flying start to his acting career as he played the iconic Superman in four films. Unfortunately, he became a quadriplegic after suffering an accident at an equestrian competition. Despite the setback, he continued contributing to the film industry and also founded the Christopher Reeve Foundation as part of his charitable work.
Recommended Lists:7
Harry Chapin(Singer Best Known for His Folk Rock & Pop Rock Songs)
Birthdate: December 7, 1942
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Greenwich Village, New York, United States
Died: July 16, 1981
Grammy-winning folk rock and pop rock singer Harry Chapin was one of the highest-paid artists of the 1970s, known for tracks such as Cat's in the Cradle. An avid philanthropist, he was part of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger. He also won a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal.
8
Jimmy Smits(Best Known for His Role as ‘Victor Sifuentes’ in the TV Series ‘L.A. Law’)
Birthdate: July 9, 1955
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Jimmy Smits is an American actor who achieved popularity after portraying Victor Sifuentes in the legal drama television series L.A. Law. Also known for his charity work, Smits helped establish the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, which supports Latinos working in the entertainment, media, and telecommunications industries. He has also donated to organizations, such as the American Red Cross.
Recommended Lists:9
Jane Lynch(Actress, Comedian and Author Known for Her Role as ‘Sue Sylvester’ in the TV Series ‘Glee’)
Birthdate: July 14, 1960
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Evergreen Park, Illinois, United States
Best known for her Emmy-winning performance as Sue Sylvester in Glee, Jane Lynch has also played major roles in the series Two and a Half Men and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin. She has also voiced characters in animated films such as Wreck-It Ralph.
10
Huey Lewis(Songwriter, Actor & Lead Singer for the Band 'Huey Lewis and the News')
Birthdate: July 5, 1950
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Huey Lewis is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He is credited with forming the popular rock band, Huey Lewis and the News, which contributed to the soundtrack of the film Back to the Future. Apart from writing many of the band's songs, Huey Lewis also plays the harmonica and serves as the lead singer for his band.
Recommended Lists:11
Mae Jemison(First African American Woman To Travel To Space)
Birthdate: October 17, 1956
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Decatur, Alabama, United States
Former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison became the first Black woman to fly into space, as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. A qualified physician, she has served as a Peace Corps doctor, too. She has written several books and established a non-profit and a tech research organization.
Birthdate: May 30, 1896
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Goshen, Indiana, United States
Died: December 26, 1977
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: August 31, 1956
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Taipei, Taiwan
Taiwanese politician and academic, Tsai Ing-wen, is currently serving as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan). She has been in office since 2016. She is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party and the first female president of Taiwan. As the president, she has taken steps to fund green energy initiatives and supports LGBTQA+ rights.
14
Ari Melber(American Attorney, Chief Legal Correspondent for 'MSNBC' and Host of the News Show 'The Beat with Ari Melber')
Birthdate: March 31, 1980
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Seattle, Washington, United States
Attorney Ari Melber has gained fame as a journalist on NBC News. MSNBC's Emmy-nominated show The Beat with Ari Melber has garnered an immense viewership on YouTube, too, and is now the most-watched liberal show online. Melber also won an Emmy for his coverage of the Supreme Court on MSNBC.
Recommended Lists:15
Gabrielle Giffords(Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 8th district (2007-12))
Birthdate: June 8, 1970
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Tucson, Arizona, United States
16
Andrea Savage(Actress)
Birthdate: February 20, 1973
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, USA
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: August 6, 1951
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
18
Frank Morgan(Actor)
Birthdate: June 1, 1890
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Died: September 18, 1949
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
Recommended Lists:19
Brian Hallisay(Known for His Roles in the TV Series: ‘Privileged’, ‘Lifetime’ and ‘The Client List’)
Birthdate: October 31, 1978
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Brian Hallisay is an American actor known for his portrayal of important characters in TV series, such as Privileged and The Client List. From 2018 to 2019, he played the recurring role of Jason Bailey in the popular procedural television series 9-1-1 alongside his real-life spouse Jennifer Love Hewitt.
20
Thomas Pynchon(Writer, Novelist, Essayist, Science fiction writer)
Birthdate: May 8, 1937
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Glen Cove
Thomas Pynchon initially joined Cornell to study engineering physics, but changed his major to English after a brief stint with the U.S. Army. A master of black humor, he soared to fame with novels such as The Crying of Lot 49 and Inherent Vice. He is media-shy and is rarely photographed.
Recommended Lists:21
Ming Tsai(American Chef, Restaurateur, and Television Personality)
Birthdate: March 29, 1964
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Newport Beach, California, United States
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
22
Pearl Buck(Winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature)
Birthdate: June 26, 1892
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hillsboro
Died: March 6, 1973
Nobel Prize- and Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Pearl Buck was raised in China by her missionary parents. She grew up to teach English literature in Chinese universities and later penned books such as East Wind, West Wind and The Good Earth, which were based on her experiences in China.
Recommended Lists:23
S. E. Cupp(Television presenter)
Birthdate: February 23, 1979
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Oceanside, California, U.S.
S. E. Cupp is an American TV host, writer, and political commentator. As a writer, Cupp has contributed to several popular publications like The Washington Post, Maxim, and New York Daily News. A regular guest host on Fox News' talk show Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld, Cupp has also hosted other talk shows like The Cycle.
24
William Sadler(Actor)
Birthdate: April 13, 1950
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
Recommended Lists:25
Cheryl Crane(Real estate broker)
Birthdate: July 25, 1943
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
26
Peter Yarrow(Singer-songwriter who found fame with the 1960s folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary)
Birthdate: May 31, 1938
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: June 24, 1975
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
28
Freeman Dyson(Mathematician)
Birthdate: December 15, 1923
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Crowthorne, England
Died: February 28, 2020
Freeman Dyson was a British-American theoretical and mathematical physicist, mathematician, and statistician. He made major contributions in the fields of quantum field theory, astrophysics, random matrices, quantum mechanics, and nuclear physics. He originated the concept that went on to be known as Dyson's transform. He received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1986.
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: November 5, 1933
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: July 21, 1996
Height: 6'5" (196 cm)
30
Dan Duryea(Known for His Roles in the Films: ‘The Pride of the Yankees’ and ‘None But the Lonely Heart’)
Birthdate: January 23, 1907
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: White Plains, New York, United States
Died: June 7, 1968
Dan Duryea was an American actor best remembered for portraying negative roles. However, he was also renowned for his versatility as he played a wide variety of leading roles as well. He also became famous as a TV actor and played important roles in series like China Smith and The New Adventures of China Smith.
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: February 27, 1905
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Niagara Falls, New York, United States
Died: September 18, 1968
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
32
Andrew Ross Sorkin(Journalist)
Birthdate: February 19, 1977
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Recommended Lists:33
Gad Saad(Canadian Professor and Youtuber Known for Applying Evolutionary Psychology to Marketing and Consumer Behaviour)
Birthdate: October 13, 1964
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Beirut, Lebanon
Lebanese-Canadian evolutionary-psychologist Gad Saad is best-known for applying evolutionary-psychology to marketing and consumer behaviour. He is a professor of marketing at Concordia University, an advisory fellow for the Centre for Inquiry Canada, and the Concordia University Research Chairman in Evolutionary Behavioural Sciences and Darwinian Consumption. He hosts the YouTube channel The Saad Truth and writes a blog for Psychology Today.
Birthdate: February 7, 1960
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: July 29, 1972
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Schenectady, New York, United States
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
36
Vera Rubin(American Astronomer Known for Her Pioneering Work on Galaxy Rotation Rates)
Birthdate: July 23, 1928
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: December 25, 2016
American astronomer Vera Rubin is best known for her pioneering discoveries on galaxy rotation rates, her groundbreaking work confirming the existence of dark matter and for her life-long advocacy for women in science. She studied the galactic rotation curves and provided strong evidence of the existence of dark matter. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is named after her.
Recommended Lists:37
Harold Gould(Actor)
Birthdate: December 10, 1923
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Schenectady, New York, United States
Died: September 11, 2010
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
Birthdate: May 10, 1969
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bangor, Maine
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
Recommended Lists:39
Ricky Jay(American Stage Magician and Actor Considered as the 'Master of Sleight-of-Hand Acts')
Birthdate: June 26, 1946
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: November 24, 2018
The grandson of Max Katz, who once headed the Society of American Magicians, Ricky Jay started his career as an opening act for prominent entertainers such as singer Tina Turner. He gradually established himself as the greatest sleight-of-hand artist of his time. He has also appeared in films such as Boogie Nights.
40
Ethan Phillips(Actor)
Birthdate: February 8, 1955
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Garden City, Long Island, New York, USA
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Recommended Lists:Birthdate: October 12, 1934
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Richard Meier is an American architect and abstract artist who is credited with designing many iconic buildings, such as the San Jose City Hall, the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Getty Center, Los Angeles. Over the years Richard Meier has won several prestigious awards like the Pritzker Prize and the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award.
42
Thomas Midgley, Jr.(American Mechanical and Chemical Engineer)
Birthdate: May 18, 1889
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: November 2, 1944
Thomas Midgley Jr. was an American chemical and mechanical engineer. Midgley played a key role in the development of leaded gasoline and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were later banned due to their negative impact on the environment and human health. Thomas Midgley Jr. was granted over 100 patents during his lifetime.
Recommended Lists:43
Sister Souljah(Writer)
Birthdate: January 28, 1964
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: The Bronx, New York City, United States
Birthdate: November 26, 1894
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Columbia, Missouri, United States
Died: March 18, 1964
Recommended Lists:45
Vikas Khanna(Chef)
Birthdate: November 14, 1971
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Amritsar, India
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
46
Ed Marinaro(Actor)
Birthdate: March 31, 1950
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
Recommended Lists:47
Margaret Bourke-White(American Photographer and Photojournalist)
Birthdate: June 14, 1904
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bronx, New York, United States
Died: August 27, 1971
Birthdate: October 20, 1927
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.
Died: May 13, 2013
Recommended Lists:49
Bill Maher(Comedian & Talk-Show Host Known for His Political Talk Shows: ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ & ‘Politically Incorrect’)
Birthdate: January 20, 1956
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Bill Maher is best known for his political satire and comedy, as the host of Politically Incorrect. He has also hosted Real Time with Bill Maher, written the film Religulous, and won an Emmy for producing Vice. He has written several books and is a PETA board member.
Birthdate: June 16, 1902
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Died: September 2, 1992
Barbara McClintock was a scientist and cytogeneticist who received the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in botany from Cornell University and began her lifelong work in the development of maize cytogenetics. She eventually gained recognition as among the best in the field and was honored with several prestigious awards.
Recommended Lists:Located in Ithaca, New York, Cornell University is a private Ivy League and federal land-grant doctoral university. Being one of three private land-grant universities in the United States and the only one in New York, the beautiful campus sprawls over a wide area of more than 4300 acres, including Cornell Botanic Gardens. One of the main features that make Cornell University stand a class apart is its non-sectarian approach to education, which has created an atmosphere where diversity thrives like never before. Hailing from over 120 countries, the student body comprises of over 21,000 students. Cornell University was deemed 16th in the QS World University Rankings and 19th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the year 2016-17. Essentially being a research university, it is also ranked fourth in the world for individuals who pursue PhDs in engineering and natural sciences at American establishments. The university enjoys a prestigious list of alumni’s who have made it huge, in different walks of life. With 34 Marshall Scholars, 29 Rhodes Scholars, 29 Truman Scholars and 7 Gates Scholars, the numbers speak louder than words about Cornell’s quality of education. Richard Baker, John B. Bell and Lou Abin are some of the prominent alumni’s of the university, who have contributed immensely to various fields of study. Here is a list of notable alumni’s of Cornell University who have been a source of inspiration in their respective areas of expertise.
