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Notable Alumni in the Arts
An astonishing number of Columbians made a mark in literature, film, drama, architecture, music and other art forms. The Arts Initiative thought it might be nice to assemble a list. In 2005, several students made it a part-time project; we're particularly grateful to Madeleine Elish, Julia Kelly and David Harrington, and hope to see them on the list they created one day.
You didn't have to graduate to be included, which kept Federico Garcia Lorca and many others on board. You didn't have to go to Columbia or Barnard Colleges, which yielded Paul Robeson (Law '23) and Georgia O'Keefe (TC '14-'15). Among the graduates, you'll find Tony Kushner (CC '78), Cynthia Nixon (BC '88) and Suzanne Vega (BC '81).
Any omissions were inadvertent, not a result of editorial decisions, and we apologize to those we missed. Please send additions, and of course corrections, to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Gregory Mosher
Director, Arts Initiative
Abramovitz, Max (1908 - 2004)
(M.S. 1931) Architect for the Avery Fisher Hall of Lincoln Center.
Born in Chicago, Max Abramovitz ultimately left his mark on New York City's urban landscape with his modernist architectural designs. Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, opening in 1962, with neo-classical columns and a glass-walled interior, is a signature achievement.
After graduate studies at Columbia, he joined Harrison, Abramovitz, & Abbe, an architectural firm, where he became partner. Abramovitz collaborated with partner Harrison to design many NYC landmarks, including Rockefeller Center, the United Nations building, and the Mobil and Exxon buildings, Times & Life and McGraw-Hill. Abramovitz also served as deputy director of planning for the United Nations and designed universities and embassies. He won a two-year fellowship to Paris' Ecole de Beaux-Arts and the Rome Prize in 1961.
Adams, Alice (1930 - )
Visual Arts
'53School of Painting and Sculpture
Alice Adams has mentored many young artists as a lecturer and instructor at Manhattanville College, the School of Visual Arts and the Pratt Institute. Her work has been shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art, and is a part of permanent collections of the American Craft Museum and The Hague Municipal Museum. Among her commissions are works for the Toledo Botanical Garden, the Denver International Airport, Thomas Jefferson University, and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Adams' honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.Learn more.
Adams, Edie (1929 - 2008)
Film, Television, Theater
Adams launched her television, stage and screen career in the early 1950s, appearing regularly on The Ernie Kovacs Show and programs hosted by Ed Sullivan, Desi Arnez and Dinah Shore. Adams won a Tony Award for best supporting or featured actress for her performance as Daisy Mae in Li'l Abner (1956). She continued to perform into the 1980s, appearing in Anything Goes (1974), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1983) and The Merry Widow (1986). Adams' film work includes The Apartment (1960). In 1990, Adams published her memoir, Sing a Pretty Song: The "Offbeat" Life of Edie Adams. Learn more.
Adiga, Aravind (1974 - )
Adiga grew up in Mangalore, Karnataka and studied at St. Aloysius High School where he ranked first in the state on his SSLC (secondary school examination). His family then emigrated to Sydney, Australia where Adiga completed high school before moving to New York to study English literature at Columbia. He began his writing career as a financial journalist and soon started publishing book reviews in online literary journals. Adiga was then hired by TIME magazine where he worked as the South Asia correspondent before going freelance. His debut novel, The White Tiger, won the 2008 Man Booker Prize. Adiga continues to write from his home in Mumbai, India.Learn more.
Adler, Mortimer J. (1902 - 2001)
Writer, Philosopher
Adler believed in the Classics as the foundation for a well-educated public's intellectual and moral standing. He advocated the Western canon though his Great Books program and his work as Chairman of the Board of Editors of The Encyclopedia Britannica. His own works make what he termed "great ideas" accessible to the general reader, among them: How to Read a Book: The Art of Getting a Liberal Education (1940), Aristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy (1978) and The Great Ideas: A Lexicon of Western Thought (1992). Adler completed his undergraduate coursework in 1923, but refused to take the required swim test and did not receive his degree until Columbia College waived the requirement in 1983. His academic career included posts at Columbia University, the University of Chicago and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He founded the Institute for Philosophical Research as well as the Center for the Study of Great Ideas. In 1990, he was awarded the Charles Frankel Prize by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more.
Alarcón, Daniel (1977 - )
Alarcón is a Peruvian writer whose work has been published in The New Yorker, Harper's, Salon, and others. His collection of stories, War By Candlelight, was published in 2006 to admiring reviews and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award. Now a writer in residence at Mills College, he recently published his first novel, Lost City Radio. Alarcón has received both a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Lannan Fellowship, and he was recently highlighted as one of "21 Young American Novelists" under 35 by Granta magazine.Learn more.
Albom, Mitch (1958 - )
1982Journalism, 1983Business
(M.A., Columbia University School of Journalism; M.B.A., Columbia University) Author
Mitch Albom, accomplished musician, broadcaster, and writer, is one of the most award-winning sports journalists of his time. Named best U.S. sports columnist 13 times by Associated Press Sports Editors, he also won best feature writing honors from that organization a record seven times. He won more than 200 other writing honors from the National Headliner Awards, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriting Association, and National Association of Black Journalists. His memoir Tuesday with Morrie made him famous; it made the New York Times bestseller list for 205 weeks. Now the bestselling memoir of all time, Tuesdays With Morrie sold over 14 million copies. The Five People You Meet in Heaven followed, also a bestseller.
Algrant, Dan (1959 - )
Director, Screenwriter
Algrant co-wrote and directed Naked in New York (1993), starring Eric Stoltz and Mary-Louise Parker. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and earned a critics award nomination and an audience award the 1993 Festival du Cinema Americain. Algrant's short films Cathedral, Some Film Chopping Wood, Anything for Jazz, The First Dance Ever and Swimming, have screened at film festivals across the United States; Swimming won a Chicago Film Festival Silver Plaque. His latest feature film is People I Know (2002). Algrant directed three seasons of HBO's television series Sex and the City.Learn more.
Alston, Charles Henry (1907 - 1977)
Visual Arts
Painter, Sculptor, Illustrator
While still a student, Alston began his professional career illustrating album covers and publications for Duke Ellington and Langston Hughes. Influenced by artists such as Diego Rivera and Michelangelo, Alston painted a number of murals in Harlem, among them Magic and Medicine at the Harlem Hospital. The geometric influence of African art shows in Alston's portraits of black leaders, such as of Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr. Alston's work is part of the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Detroit Institute of the Arts. Alston became the first African-American instructor at the Arts Students' League (1950-1971) and the Museum of Modern Art (1956). He became a full professor at the City University of New York in 1973. Learn more.
Altmejd, David (1974 - )
Visual Arts
In Spring 2004, two decapitated werewolf heads were stationed in the northern end of Central Park. The multimedia sculptures were the work of David Altmejd, and were part of the Public Art Fund's collaboration with the 2004 Whitney Biennial. Altmejd cites his fascination with fantasy and the macabre as a major influence on his art. The Canadian artist was selected as Canada's official representative at the 2007 Venice Biennale of Visual Art. He has been featured in exhibitions at New York's Artists Space, Deitch Projects, and Andrea Rosen Gallery. Learn more.
Anders, Glen (1889 - 1981)
Anders made his start in Vaudeville, working his way to a New York stage debut in the play Just Around the Corner in 1919-the same year that he began three years of study at Columbia College. He performed on Broadway for over thirty years, appearing in three Pulitzer Prize-winning plays: Hell Bent for Heaven (1924) by Hatcher Hughes, They Knew What They Wanted (1924) by Sidney Howard, and Strange Interlude (1928) by Eugene O'Neill. Learn more.
Anderson, Laurie (1947 - )
Music, Visual Arts
Performance Artist, Composer
Anderson studied Art History at Barnard and earned an MFA in sculpture at the School of the Arts. Although she has enjoyed some popular music success, she is best known for her films and performances, such as the six-hour United States I-IV, which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1983, and her 1986 film Home of the Brave. In 1994, Anderson staged a multimedia tour adapted from a retrospective of her work, Stories from the Nerve Bible. A stint as NASA's first performance artist in residence resulted in the performance, The End of the Moon (2004). In 2005, she received an honorary doctorate from Columbia University, where she has taught master classes. Learn more.
Antin, Mary (1881 - 1949)
Mary Antin emigrated from Russia to Boston with her family at the age of 13; five years later, she was a published American author. With the aid of Jewish philanthropist Lina Hecht, Antin used letters written to her uncle over her nine thousand mile journey to write From Plotzk to Boston in 1899. Antin also wrote a number of essays and stories. In 1912, she published The Promised Land, an autobiographical account an immigrant's conflict between rigid tradition and expanded opportunity. During her later years, Antin lectured and advocated for unrestricted immigration policy. Learn more.
Appel, Jacob
1998M.A., 2000M.Phil, 2009M.D.
Jacob Appel, attorney and physician, is an award-wining writer – of fiction and essays; his fiction has appeared in more than 100 literary journals. Appel won the Boston Review Short Fiction Contest (1998) and first prize in New Millennium Writings' competition (2004); he won the William Faulkner-William Wisdom short story competition and other writing contests. His essays appeared in The New York Times, New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, San Francisco Chronicle, Providence Journal, Orlando Sentinel and many regional newspapers.
Jacob holds a B.A. and M.A. from Brown University, an M.A., M.Phil, and M.D. from Columbia University, an M.F.A. from NYU, and J.D. from Harvard Law School; he's admitted to the NYS and Rhode Island Bar. He's taught at Brown University and Gotham Writers Workshop in New York. He's also published articles about bioethics, in the Journal of Clinical Ethics, the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, and others.
Learn more.
Armstrong, Charlotte (1905 - 1969)
Fiction Writer
Armstrong is best known for her crime novels The Unsuspected (1946), Mischief (1950) and A Dram of Poison (1956), though she published nearly thirty titles in over thirty years as a fiction writer. She received the Mystery Writers of America Award for best novel in 1956 and for best short story in 1958. She also authored two Broadway plays, wrote for television's Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and adapted several of her works for film, such as The Unsuspected (1947) and Mischief (re-titled Don't Bother to Knock, 1952). Learn more.
Aronson, Henry (1956 - )
Performing Arts
Conductor, Arranger, Composer, Instrumentalist
Henry Aronson is the music director and conductor of Rock of Ages on Broadway. Also on Broadway, he was music director for Grease, The Times They Are A-Changin, In My Life, Little Shop of Horrors, Rent, Rocky Horror Show and Starmites; associate conductor of Cry Baby, Good Vibrations, Parade, Saturday Night Fever, Mail and Prince of Central Park; and conductor of Tarzan and The Who's Tommy, as well as conducting the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (N.Y.C.). Off-Broadway, he was music director of King Lear at the Public Theater (with Kevin Kline), Once Around the Sun (Zipper Theater) and 3 Guys Naked From the Waist Down (Minetta Lane). He is Adjunct Professor of Music Theory at Pace University, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences. He orchestrated several seasons of Baryshnikov & Co. and created the G & S ballet score for Pirates!, with choreographer Daryl Gray, which premiered at the Queensland Ballet and has been performed worldwide. He is currently writing music and lyrics for the new musical Loveless Texas, in collaboration with his wife Cailín Heffernan.Learn more.
Ashbery, John (1927 - )
Poet, Critic, Editor
Ashbery has written over twenty books of poetry since 1956, when W.H. Auden selected Some Trees for the Yale Younger Poets Series. Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (1975) won the literary "triple crown," the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the National Book Award. Ashbery was the first English-language poet to win the Grand Prix de Biennales Internationales de Poésie (Brussels). He has received prizes and fellowships from The Academy of American Poets, the Fulbright Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. A former Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets, he currently teaches at Bard College.Learn more.
Atterbury, Grosvenor (1869 - 1956)
Architect, Urban Planner, Writer
After designing homes for wealthy industrialists, Atterbury became known for adhering to the high same standards in his efforts for workers housing. Atterbury collaborated with Frederick Law Omstead, Jr. on the model community of Forest Hills Gardens, NY. The community's pre-cast concrete panels allowed for the economical construction of multiple units and townhouses. Atterbury's other industrialized housing designs include a community of single-family homes in Worcester, MA (1915-1916) and housing for 40,000 in the new railroad town of Erwin, TN. Learn more.
Auster, Paul (1947 - )
Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry Writer
Auster began his career as a poet, essayist and translator of French literature. He is best known for his philosophical fiction, including a series of experimental detective novels known as the New York Trilogy (City of Glass, 1985; Ghosts, 1986; The Locked Room, 1987). In addition to novels, Auster has published essays, interviews, a memoir, and poetry, including Collected Poems (2004). Among his honors are a PEN Translation Center grant (1977), NEA fellowship for poetry (1979) and creative writing (1985), a PEN/Faulkner Award nomination (1991), and France's Prix Medicis for foreign literature (1993). Learn more.
Avedon, Richard (1923 - 2004)
Visual Arts
As a photographer for Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and the first staff photographer for The New Yorker, Avedon's captured otherwise distant personalities such as Jean Genet, Georgia O'Keeffe, Jacques Cousteau, Andy Warhol and Lena Horne. Avedon's work has been featured at the Smithsonian, the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1994, the Whitney Museum exhibited a retrospective of five decades of Avedon's work. He has also published portraiture Nothing Personal (1974), a collaboration with James Baldwin. His many honors include the Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation International Photography Prize (1991) and the International Center of Photography Master of Photography Award (1993). Learn more.
Ax, Emanuel (1948 - )
In 1974, Emanuel Ax garnered first prize at the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. Five years later, Ax followed by winning the Avery Fisher Prize. Ax has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, and he has won seven Grammy Awards. Ax is noted for his interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schoenberg, and Haydn, as well as his work with cellist Yo Yo Ma. Ax has given world premieres for contemporary artists such as John Adams, Christopher Rouse and Bright Sheng. Learn more.
Balderston, John L. (1899 - 1954)
Film, Literature, Theater
Screenwriter, playwright, novelist
John L. Balderston helped to usher in Universal Studio's "golden age" of horror films in the 1930s with his work on pictures such as Frankenstein (1931, Dracula (1931), and The Mummy (1932). Balderston adapted his own stage plays and books to film, including Prisoner of Zenda (1937) and best screenplay Academy Award nominees Gaslight (1944) and Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935). Balderston also worked on the screenplay for Gone with the Wind and wrote plays such as Berkeley Square (1926).Learn more.
Barrett, Mary Ellin (1927 - )
Barrett is an accomplished novelist who has also written a well-known biography of her reclusive father, Irving Berlin. Her first novel, Castle Ugly (1966), is a portrait of American aristocrats before the Second World War. Her other titles include An Accident of Love (1973) and American Beauty (1980). Barrett worked as a researcher with Time magazine and as a literary editor at Glamour. Learn more.
Bartók, Béla (1881 - 1945)
Composer, ethnomusicologist
40-44Researcher, Music Dept
Bartók composed dozens of musical works throughout his life, and his passion for researching and collecting Hungarian and Rumanian folk music made him one of the founders of the field of ethnomusicology. He saw a complexity in folk music that went beyond the traditional major/minor movements, tonalities, and rhythms of Western classical music. World War II forced him to leave Europe for America, where he wrote his major musicological work, Rumanian Folk Music, and worked as a research assistant at Columbia's Music Department. At Columbia, Bartók prepared three volumes of music and analysis that remain in the department's library today. Among Bartók major works are the opera Duke Bluebeard's Castle, the ballet The Wooden Prince, the choral work Cantata Profana, and Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion.Learn more.
Baruch, André (1908 - 1991)
Radio, Television
Baruch was one of the original staff announcers for the CBS Radio Network. He was behind such 1930s radio series such as The Shadow, The Kate Smith Hour and Your Hit Parade. During World War II, Baruch founded the Armed Forces Radio Network. In 1945, he and his wife, singer Bea Wain, founded a popular radio show, Mr. and Mrs. Music. Baruch was also the play-by-play announcer for Brooklyn Dodgers baseball. He was a founding member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and in 1979, he was inducted into the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame.Learn more.
Bazell, Josh
Josh Bazell has a BA in writing from Brown University and an MD from Columbia University. He is currently a medical resident at the University of California, San Francisco, and an author. His first novel, "Beat the Reaper," was published in 2009. He is working on his second novel.
Behrman, Samuel N. (1893 - 1973)
Film, Literature, Theater
Writer, Playwright, Screenwriter
Behrman, who got his start reviewing books for The New Yorker, is remembered for melding humor and social criticism with commercial drama. He earned a grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1943. The next year, he won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best foreign play for his adaptation of Jacobowsky and the Colonel. Other plays include End of Summer (1936) and But for Whom Charlie (1964). Behrman collaborated on the screenplays for My Lips Betray (1933) and The Pirate (1948). Learn more.
Berg, Gertrude (1899 - 1966)
Radio, Television, Theater
Writer, Actress, Producer
Berg was one of the first women to author a network television series. For sixteen years, Berg wrote, produced, and performed in the radio serial Meet the Goldbergs, about an upwardly mobile Jewish family. The successful show evolved into a Broadway play, Molly (1948), and a half-hour television sitcom (1949); Berg won an Emmy in 1950 for her portrayal of the matriarch Molly Goldberg. On stage, Berg performed in The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), The Matchmaker (1957) and The Majority of One (1959), for which she won a Tony Award for best actress. Learn more.
Bergdoll, Barry
Architecture, Visual Arts
Bergdoll, who is a professor of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia, studies modern architectural history, with a particular emphasis on France and Germany between 1750 and 1900. Trained in art history rather than architecture, he has an approach most closely allied with cultural history and the history and sociology of professions. He has studied questions of the politics of cultural representation in architecture, the larger ideological content of nineteenth-century architectural theory, and the changing role of both architecture as a profession and architecture as a cultural product in nineteenth-century European society. Bergdoll's interests also include the intersections of architecture and new technologies-and eventually cultures-of representations in the modern period, especially photography and film. He has worked on several film productions about architecture, in addition to curating a number of architectural exhibitions concerned with the history and problematics of exhibiting architecture, and the history of museological practices in relationship to architecture.Learn more.
Berger, Albert
Film Producer
Berger, a feature film producer, graduated from Tufts University, attended Columbia University film school, and managed the Sandburg Theater in Chicago, a revival showcase for obscure and classic films, before moving to Los Angeles to write scripts for Paramount, TriStar, MGM, and Orion. Berger went on to serve as Vice President of Development for Marvin Worth Productions at Paramount.
In 1992, he and partner Ron Yerxa formed Bona Fide Productions. Their producing credits include "King of the Hill," "Election," "Cold Mountain," "Little Miss Sunshine," and "Little Children."
Berman, Shari Springer (1964 - )
Screenwriter and Director
This husband-and-wife filmmaking team's debut documentary, Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's, was named one of the ten best films of 1998 by USA Today and won a number of international film awards. American Splendor, which documents the story of Cleveland file clerk, music critic, and autobiographical comic-book author, Harvey Pekar, took the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival's Fipresci Award from the International Film Critics' Association. American Splendor was also named best picture by the National Society of Film Critics and the Los Angeles Critics Association, and was nominated for an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay. Learn more.
Bernays Kaplan, Anne (1930 - )
Kaplan's first novel, The New York Ride (1965), follows a female protagonist through college and beyond, offering an unusual perspective on what one reviewer labeled the "post-Gatsby revels" of the 1960s. Kaplan published a number of other fiction works, including The First to Know (1975), Growing Up Rich (1986) and Professor Romeo (1989). Kaplan also wrote a well-known textbook, What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers. Learn more.
Berryman, John (1914 - 1972)
The New York Times described Berryman's voice as "jaunty, jazzy, colloquial ... full of awkward turns and bent syntax." The poet was already published in The Nation (1935) when he graduated from Columbia. After meeting Yeats, T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, and Dylan Thomas during his studies in Cambridge, England, Berryman wrote and taught for twenty-five years at the University of Minnesota. He won the Poetry Society of America's Shelley Memorial Award in 1948 for The Dispossessed (1948) and Homage to Mistress Bradstreet (1956) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Berryman also and an American Academy of Poets award (1950), the National Institute of Arts and Letters Award (1950), the Levinson Prize (1950), and a Guggenheim Fellowship (1952). 77 Dream Songs (1964) won the Pulitzer Prize. His Toy, His Dream, His Rest (1968), won the National Book Award (1969) and the Bollingen Prize. Learn more.
Berssenbrugge, Mei-mei (1947 - )
After publishing two books of poetry, Beijing-born Berssenbrugge earned her MFA in the Writing Division of the School of the Arts. Among her honors are a National Endowment of the Arts grant in 1976; two American Book Awards for Random Possession (1979) and The Heat Bird (1982); and the 1999 Western States Book Award for Four-Year-Old-Girl. Berssenbrugge has collaborated with artists Richard Tuttle and Kiki Smith, and has written for the Theater with Frank Chin, Blondell Cummings, Tan Dun, Shi Zhen Chen and Alvin Lucier. The NEA supported the publication of Nest in 2002. Poetics Journal describes Berssenbrugge's work as a delicate experience where "meaning arrives through sensation, the surprised juxtaposition of moment upon moment." Learn more.
Bhabha, Huma (1962 - )
Visual Arts
Huma Bhabha's abstract, visceral sculptures have been likened to something drawn from science fiction. In 2003, the New York-based artist made her solo exhibition debut in New York with three sculptures and a photograph at the ATM Gallery. Her work has been displayed in North American and European museums and galleries, including New York's Museum of Modern Art and London's Royal Academy of Arts. In 2008, Bhabha received the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum's Emerging Artist Award. Learn more.
Bigelow, Kathryn (1953 - )
Screenwriter, Director
Bigelow studied under Milos Forman at Columbia's School of the Arts. One of the few female directors to tackle action thrillers, Bigelow blends the genre's conventions with dark romanticism and serious themes. Among her films are The Loveless (1983), Near Dark (1987), Blue Steel (1990) and Point Break (1991). She has directed the TV miniseries Wild Palms and episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street. Her most recent films include Strange Days (1995) and The Weight of Water (2000). Learn more.
Biggers, Sissy (1957 - )
Personality, Media Spokesperson
Biggers began her television career supervising scripts for ABC and HBO. As Director of Late Night and Specials Programming for NBC, she worked on Saturday Night Live and Late Night with David Letterman. In 1994, she moved from production to anchoring a daily talk show, Live from Queens. In 1996, she hosted the Food Network's Ready, Set, Cook! Biggers co-hosts The Victory Garden on PBS. Learn more.
Bobbie, Walter (1945 - )
Director, Actor, Dancer, Choreographer
Walter Bobbie has worked both onstage and backstage on numerous Broadway hits. He is the former director of New York City Center's Encores! series. His directing credits include: Chicago (1996); Twentieth Century (2004), with Alec Baldwin and Anne Heche; the Rogers and Hammerstein revue A Grand Night for Singing (1993), which received a Tony Award nomination; and the musical version of Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity (2006). Bobbie also directed the Broadway production of Footloose and co-wrote the book. As an actor, he played Roger in the original Broadway production of Grease (1971), and he starred as Nicely Nicely Johnson in the revival of Guys and Dolls (1992). Learn more.
Booke, Sorrell (1930 - 1994)
Film, Television, Theater
Booke was a television, stage and film actor best known for his role as Boss Hogg on TV's The Dukes of Hazzard. His Off-Broadway debut in The White Devil (1955) landed Booke a role on the TV show Omnibus and a Broadway debut in the 1956 production of The Sleeping Prince. His feature films include What's Up, Doc? (1972), Freaky Friday (1976), and The Other Side of Midnight (1977). Booke acted in dozens of television series, earning an Emmy nomination for his appearance on Dr. Kildare. Learn more.
Boone, Pat (1934 - )
Musician Pat Boone first topped the pop charts with "Ain't That a Shame" (1955). By age 23, Boone had cut twelve hit singles and sold over 13 million copies. Known as "the good Elvis," his G-rated lyrics and clean-cut persona made rock music palatable; a 1957 Newsweek article heralded him as "the new Bing [Crosby]." Boone has hosted his own television series and a regular radio show, appeared in over 15 movies (including 1959's Journey to the Center of the Earth), and authored two advice books for young adults. Learn more.
Boring, William A. (1859 - 1937)
Boring studied architecture while executing commissions such as the Los Angeles Times building and the Santa Monica Hotel. Boring and Edward L. Tilton submitted the winning design for the United States Immigration Station at Ellis Island, and subsequently founded a firm together. Among their commissions were apartment buildings at 520, 521 and 540 Park Avenue in Manhattan. In 1916, Boring joined the faculty of the Columbia School of Architecture, where he eventually became Director and Dean. Among Boring's honors are the Gold Medal for Architecture at the Paris Exposition of 1900, the Gold Medal at the Buffalo Exposition of 1901, and the Medal of Honor for Individual Service from the American Institute of Architects in 1927. Learn more.
Bourscheidt, Randall
Randall Bourscheidt was deputy commissioner of cultural affairs for New York City and served as chairman of the advisory commission. As president of the Alliance for the Arts for over a decade, Mr. Bourscheidt has organized a series of studies on the economic impact of arts in the New York region, published the NYC Culture Catalog and the Kids Culture Catalog, and initiated the Estate Project for Artists with AIDS. He has written and edited numerous publications, including The Economic Impact of the Arts on New York State and New York City. Mr. Bourscheidt is now working with the New York's Cultural Affairs Department and with Commissioner Schuyler Chapin, former dean of Columbia's School of the Arts, to build a large database covering every aspect of the business of nonprofit cultural organizations as well as every public program they offer. Learn more.
Brace, Donald Clifford (1881 - 1955)
Editor and Publisher
Brace spent his first fifteen years out of college with publishers Henry Holt before establishing Harcourt & Brace in 1919 with Columbia classmate Alfred Harcourt. The firm grew thanks to bestsellers by John Maynard Keynes, Sinclair Lewis and Carl Sandburg. As company president, Brace published works by E.M. Forster, Virginia Woolf and T.S. Eliot. Brace's financial expertise lead to his work on fair trade contracts during the New Deal era. In 1950, Brace was awarded the Columbia University Medal of Excellence. Learn more.
Brand, Joshua
Joshua Brand is a television writer, director and producer who, with his partner John Falsey, created St. Elsewhere, I'll Fly Away and Northern Exposure. Brand graduated from City College (NY) and won a fellowship to Columbia University where he earned a Master of Arts with honors in English. His play Babyface was produced in Los Angeles (1978) and selected as a semi-finalist in the Great American Play Contest. Early in Brandt's career he wrote scripts for "The White Shadow," and wrote and produced "Amazing Stories" and "A Year in the Life." He then partnered with Falsey to develop three successful tv series. He's been nominated for 11 Emmy Awards and won three, as well as the Humanitas Prize and the Producers Guild of America Award. Brand's directing credits include a feature film, television movies, and episodes of thirtysomething and Joan of Arcadia.
Brandt, Helene (1936 - )
Visual Arts
Brandt is known for creating sculptures that viewers can enter and experience. Her public commissions include pieces at Sacred Heart University, the Staten Island Children's Museum, Long Island University, the Brooklyn Bridge Centennial and the Ward's Island Sculpture Garden. Brandt received an NEA Artist in Residence Grant and a 1985 Guggenheim Fellowship. She recently collaborated with Vito Acconci on the mosaic mural at the Yankee Stadium Subway Station, for which she was awarded a New York City Masterwork Award. Brandt has taught and mentored at Bennington College, the School of Visual Arts, Pratt Institute and New York University. Learn more.
Brashares, Ann (1967 - )
Fiction writer and editor
Brashares's debut novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2001) traces the adventures of four best friends who share one pair of jeans during their first summer apart. Sisterhood became a New York Times bestseller, won the Book Sense Book of the Year Award in 2002 and was adapted to film in 2005. Brashare added three more books to the series, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (2003), Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood (2005), Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood (2008), and she is planning novels for adults. Learn more.
Broones, Martin (1892 - 1971)
Broones' music supported some of the first motion picture soundtracks. He composed the scores of So This is College (1929), and The Mysterious Island (1929), and contributed songs to numerous other movies. Popular songs include "I Can't Get Over a Girl Like You," "Bring Back Those Minstrel Days," and "One Last Love Song." Broones was the head of MGM's Music Department. He married actress Charlotte Greenwood and served as her manager and chief press agent. Learn more.
Brown, David
Film Producer
Brown graduated from Stanford University (1936), Columbia University's School of Journalism (1937) and soon became drama critic and editor for Women's Wear Daily.
With writing partner Ernest Lehman, Brown wrote magazine articles and radio comedy material for Eddie Cantor. He was nonfiction editor for Liberty magazine, quickly moving up to editor-in-chief. He was also managing editor of Cosmopolitan, executive vice president of New American Library's book division, and married Helen Gurley (Brown), famed Cosmopolitan editor.
Brown's career in Hollywood is legendary. A Twentieth Century Fox executive, he partnered with Richard Zanuck (early 1970s) to produce blockbuster "Jaws," followed by "The Verdict" and "Cocoon." Other credits include "The Sugarland Express" (Steven Spielberg's first theatrical feature). Zanuck and Brown were executive producers of "The Sting," (1973) which won an Oscar.
Before launching a solo career as producer, he acquired film rights to Oscar-winning "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989).
Brown's film credits include "The Player," "A Few Good Men," and "Chocolat." Brown and Zanuck received the 1991 Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a Selznick Lifetime Achievement Award from Producers Guild of America.
Brown, Rosellen (1939 - )
Brown's fiction, essays and poetry have won her the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Award in Literature, two grants from the NEA, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Ingram Merrill Foundation. Brown has published a collection of short stories, three volumes of poetry, and five novels: The Autobiography of My Mother (1976), Tender Mercies (1978), Civil Wars (1984), and Before and After (1992), and Half a Heart. She is on the faculty of the Graduate Creative Writing Program at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. Learn more.
Buchman, Sidney (1902 - 1975)
Film, Theater
Playwright and Screenwriter
Buchman wrote Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), which won the Academy Award for best screenplay, and Academy Award nominees Talk of the Town (1942) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). In 1949, Jolson Sings Again was nominated for both the Academy Award and Writers Guild award for best screenplay. Buchman's screenplay for Saturday's Hero (1951) was also nominated for an award by the Writers Guild. Buchman produced little work after being investigated by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. He was the President of the Screen Writers Guild (1941-1942), and received the organization's Laurel Award in 1965. Learn more.
Burns, Ric (1955 - )
Director, Writer and Producer
'78CC, '83GSAS PhD
Ric Burns is a writer, director, and producer of many acclaimed documentary films. His filmography includes Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film, American Experience: New York, and he is currently writing and directing We Shall Remain:Tecumseh, a television series scheduled to debut in 2009. He has been awarded three primetime Emmys for his work, and has received various other awards for his esteemed documentaries. Ric is the brother of director Ken Burns. Learn more.
Burroway, Janet (1936 - )
Literature, Theater
Playwright and Novelist
Burroway's play, Garden Party, was produced at Barnard the same year that she graduated. Although she is best known for her novels, Burroway's plays include The Beauty Operators, Medea with Child and Sweepstakes. She won the Academy of Arts and Letters Playwrighting Prize in 2001 and a Pushcart Prize in 2002. Her novels include The Buzzards, which garnered a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 1970, and Raw Silk, the runner-up for the National Book Award in 1977. Burroway received a creative writing scholarship from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Florida Fine Arts creative writing grant and a number of awards for excellence in teaching. She is professor emerita of English literature and writing at Florida State University. Learn more.
Cable, Mary (1920 - )
Fiction Writer
Cable has published numerous stories, articles and novels throughout a career at The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar and the American Heritage Publishing Company. Her best-known works are the historical novel Avery's Knot (1981), about the murder of a girl pregnant with a minister's child in 1832, and The Blizzard of '88. Other works include Black Odyssey: The Case of the Slave Ship Amistad (1971) and Lost New Orleans, which won the 1980 Louisiana Library Association Award. She has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Cagney, James (1899 - 1986)
Film, Theater
After his father's death, James Cagney supported his family by performing in musical comedies; his talent quickly led to starring roles in film. The Public Enemy (1931) earned Cagney a reputation as the quintessential gangster, though Cagney's favorite role, for which he won an Oscar, was song-and-dance man George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy. Cagney earned a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Angels with Dirty Faces and was the first actor to receive the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award in 1974. Learn more.
Carter, Holland
Visual Arts
Art Critic
Holland Cotter became a staff critic for the New York Times in 1998, following a long career as a critic and editor for Art in America, Art News, and New York Arts Journal. Much of his criticism covers art in New York City's five boroughs. Carter has also introduced readers to non-western art and culture, including the first waves of new art from China and contemporary Indian art. At Columbia, he studied Sanskrit and taught Indian and Islamic art as part of an M. Phil in early Indian Buddhist art. Carter also holds an A.B. in poetry from Harvard and an M.A. from CUNY in American modernism. In 2009, Carter's coverage of art in China helped him win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. He has served on the board of directors of the International Association of Art Critics.Learn more.
Casey, Edward Pearce (1864 - 1940)
Casey designed a number of notable buildings in Washington DC, including the National Library building (1896), the Congressional Library (1892-1897), the Memorial Continental Hall, the Connecticut Avenue Viaduct and the Memorial Bridge spanning the Potomac River. A veteran of the Civil War, Casey designed the New York state monuments at Antietam and Gettysburg. Casey's General Grant monument on the mall in Washington is one of the largest groups of statuary in the world; at its unveiling in 1902, The New York Times recognized the work as "the most ambitious piece of architectural statuary ever attempted in this country." Casey served as Vice President of the Beaux Arts Society, Treasurer of the Architectural League, and as a member of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. Learn more.
Casey, Rosemary (1906 - 1976)
Casey was a pioneering female playwright. Several of her plays appeared on Broadway in 1940s and early 1950s. The Velvet Glove (1949) was produced on television as "The Play of the Week," starring Helen Hayes, and earned Casey the Roman Catholic Missionary Organization's Christopher Award. Queen Mary attended the London opening of Mary Goes to Sea. Other works include Glass Houses, Love Is Not Important, All the News, Once and Actor, and The Saint's Husband. Casey was named a trustee of Barnard in 1951. Learn more.
Caulfield, Joan (1922 - 1991)
Film, Theater
Caulfield started out as a cover girl and fashion model. Her fourteen-month run in Broadway's Kiss and Tell (1943) landed her a contract with Paramount Pictures and launched her Hollywood career. While her films made the most of her beauty, Caufield was driven to be more than "just a decoration" on screen. Her films include Monsieur Beaucaire (1946) with Bing Crosby, Blue Skies (1946) opposite Bob Hope, and Dear Ruth (1947) with William Holden. During the 1950s she co-starred in the CBS sitcom "My Favorite Husband" and NBC's "Sally." Learn more.
Cerf, Bennett Alfred (1898 - 1971)
Publisher, Author
After joining the publishing firm of Boni and Liveright, Cerf purchased the Modern Library subsidiary. With partner Donald S. Klopfer, Cerf expanded and revitalized the series, adding masterpieces from Tolstoy and Hugo and establishing an affordable canon of literature. In 1929, Cerf and Klopfer incorporated under the name Random House and began publication of a "random" variety of work. The firm's reputation grew with the addition of the works of O'Neill, Faulkner, Proust, Joyce and Gertrude Stein in the 1930s. What began with a $215,000 investment in 1925 was worth $40 million when the partners sold Random House in 1966. Learn more.
Chapman, John Arthur (1900 - 1972)
Literature, Theater
Journalist, Author, Drama Critic
Chapman studied briefly at Columbia before joining the fledgling New York Daily News in 1920. The paper dubbed him a "jack-of-all-newspaper trades and a master of all of them." Chapman worked as a photographer in Paris, covered Broadway, and succeeded Ed Sullivan as the Hollywood correspondent for the Daily News. Throughout twenty-five years as drama critic, Chapman was widely known as "Mr. Theater," "Old Frost Face," and "Mr. Curmudgeon." His column, "Mainly About Broadway," was one of the city's most widely read features. Chapman served as the president of the New York Drama Critics Circle from 1949 to 195 and edited Best Plays and the Yearbook of Drama in America from 1947 to 1953. Learn more.
Chen, Yi (1953 - )
In 1986, Chen Yi became the first woman to receive a master's degree in composition in China. Her Chinese Myths Cantata (1996) was performed in the United States as a full evening, multimedia presentation of her work. She is a recipient of the Charles Ives Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2001-04) and a professor at the Conservatory of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Ms. Chen's compositions include Ballad, Dance and Fantasy (written for Yo-Yo Ma); Spring in Dresden, a violin concerto written for Mira Wang; Si Ji (Four Seasons); The Han Figurines; and Ji-Dong-Nuo, commissioned by Carnegie Hall for Emanuel Ax. Learn more.
Cholodenko, Lisa (1964 - )
Film, Television
Screenwriter, Director, Actress
Cholodenko's study under Milos Forman yielded two well-received short films, Souvenir (1994) and Dinner Party (1997). Her debut feature film, High Art, an examination of sexuality and ambition, won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. Cholodenko directed episodes of NBC's series Homicide: Life on the Street and HBO's Six Feet Under while developing Laurel Canyon (2002), which starred Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2004, Cholodenko directed Aidan Quinn, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon in Cavedweller. Learn more.
Chotzinoff, Samuel (1889 - 1964)
Pianist, Music Critic
Russian immigrant Samuel Chotzinoff left college to accompany violinist Efrem Zimbalist and sopranos Alma Gluck and Frieda Hempel. Chotzinoff was a music critic for the New York World and the New York Post, though he was better known for his work in television and radio. As a Music Consultant and General Music Director at NBC Radio, Chotzinoff helped create the NBC Symphony Orchestra and fostered Italian maestro Arturo Toscanini's return to America. Chotzinoff organized the NBC Television Opera Theater and commissioned the first television opera, Gian-Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, which premiered on Christmas Eve in 1951. He published two memoirs as well as Toscanini: An Intimate Portrait (1956) and A Little Night Music (1964). Learn more.
Cincotti, Peter (1983 - )
Composer, Singer, Pianist
At age three, Peter Cincotti was playing piano; by age nine, he was composing; and by age twelve, he was playing professionally throughout New York. At eighteen, Cincotti became the youngest performer to headline at the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room. Cincotti caught the attention of his idol, Harry Connick, Jr., and in 1997 was invited to New Orleans to study with Ellis Marsalis. Cincotti toured with Connick in 1999, winning a prize at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 2000. His self-titled debut in 2003 made him the youngest musician to ever top Billboard's traditional jazz chart. Cincotti played Frank Sinatra in Broadway's Our Sinatra (2001) and he acted in the Bobby Darin biopic Beyond the Sea. Learn more.
Clurman, Harold (1901 - 1980)
Director, Critic, Author
In 1931, Harold Clurman founded the Group Theater, intending to counter the current of commercial theater. The Group Theater brought together actors Lee Strasburg and Stella Adler and playwrights Clifford Odets and Irwin Shaw, and Clurman used the Theater to introduce the methods of Russian director Constantin Stanislavsky to the American stage. Clurman went on to direct the works of Arthur Miller, Jean Anouilh, Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams on Broadway. He published criticism in The New Republic and The Nation, and in 1972 his On Directing became a widely read text among students and theater practitioners. He was a professor of playwriting at Hunter College for nearly ten years, and lectured at UCLA and UC Berkeley. Learn more.
Cobb, Vicki (1938 - )
Children's Nonfiction Writer
Cobb has published over sixty educational books for young audiences, seeking to entertain and captivate the uninitiated science reader. Cobb served as host and principal writer of the television series The Science Game, which won the Cable Television Award for best educational series in 1973. Four of her titles won the Children's Book Council-NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children award. The Library of Congress named three of her books as Children's Book selections: More Science You Can Eat (1979), How to Really Fool Yourself: Illusions for All Your Senses (1981), and The Monsters Who Died (1983). In 1984, The Secret Life of School Supplies: A Science Experiment Book-won Cobb the Washington Irving Children's Book Choice Award. Learn more.
Cohen, Leah Hager (1967 - )
Leah Hager Cohen is a writer of fiction and non-fiction. She is best known for her debut work, Train Go Sorry: Inside a Deaf World (1994), which was based in part upon her own experiences growing up at her father's school for the deaf where he was superintendent. She has also written three novels, including House Lights, and is currently working on a fourth. Learn more.
Condon, Bill (1955 - )
Screenwriter, Director
Condon's first screenwriting effort was Strange Behavior (1981), a collaboration with Michael Laughlin, which developed a cult following and led to the unofficial sequel Strange Invaders (1983). His directorial debut was 1987's Sister, Sister. In 1998, he adapted and directed Gods and Monsters, starring Ian McKellan and Lynn Redgrave, which won Condon the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Condon's adapted screenplay for Chicago was nominated for an Academy Award and film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Condon also wrote and directed Kinsey, starring Liam Neeson, about the pioneering sexuality researcher. Learn more.
Coonrod, Karin (1953 - )
Stage Director
Karin Coonrod is the founding director of Off-Broadway's Arden Party and has directed over 20 of its productions, including Love's Labour's Lost, Waiting for Godot, Antigone, The Threepenny Opera, and Victor of Children Take Over, for which she received Encore's Outstanding Director Award. As Artist in Residence at the Public Theater from 1995-1996, Coonrod directed Henry VI, Parts I & II for the Public's New York Shakespeare Festival. She has also directed at the American Repetory Theater. Learn more.
Corigliano, John (1938 - )
In 1964, Corigliano's chamber music piece Sonata for Violin and Piano took a prize at Italy's Spoleto Festival. Under the mentorship of Leonard Bernstein, Corigliano worked on the Young People's Concerts series and composed Etude Fantasy and Clarinet Concerto. Corigliano's score for the science fiction film Altered States (1981) won an Academy Award nomination and his work on The Red Violin (1999) earned him the Oscar for Best Original Film Score. Symphony No. 1 won him a Grammy Award for Best New Composition and the Grawemeyer Award. Corigliano's first opera, The Ghosts of Versailles, won him Composer of the Year at the International Classical Music Awards. Symphony No. 2, a piece for a string orchestra commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, won him the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2001. Learn more.
Corliss, Richard Nelson (1944 - )
Corliss became editor of Film Comment in 1970, a position he held for nearly 20 years. He spent three years as film critic for the New Times (1975-1978) and then five years as the associate editor of Time Magazine (1980-1985), where he remains a senior writer. Corliss served on the selection committee for the New York Film Festival from 1971 until 1978. Corliss has edited books on American screenwriting and written a biography of Greta Garbo (1974) and a monograph of the novel and film Lolita (1994), among other works. Learn more.
Corthron, Kia (1961 - )
Shortly after completing her MFA, Corthron received her first commission from Chicago's Goodman Theater for the play, Seeking the Genesis. Fourteen of Corthron's twenty-two plays were commissioned by companies such as Playwrights Horizons (Life by Asphyxiation, 1995), The Public Theater (Suckling Chimera, 1998) and the Royal Court Theater in London (Breath, Boom, 2000). Corthron's plays explore social and political issues, such as police brutality, the death penalty and environmental policy. She has received support from the Kennedy Center, the NEA/TCG Theater Residency Program for Playwrights and the Van Lier Fellowship. Learn more.
Croce, Arlene (1934 - )
Croce has long been regarded one of the most articulate authorities on dance in America. As founding editor of the Ballet Review, Croce established herself at a time when the field was exploding with change. In 1973, Croce began her 25-year career at The New Yorker, where she chronicled George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Her works of criticism include Afterimages (1977), Going to the Dance (1983) and Writing in the Dark, Dancing in The New Yorker (2000). Croce has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. She continues to write as a freelance critic. Learn more.
Crown, Alfred W. (1910 - 1984)
Film, Theater
Crown made his name producing for Broadway and Hollywood. He co-produced The Deputy, which enjoyed three hundred and sixteen performances over ten months at the Brooks Atkinson Theater in 1964. Crown also produced three works on film: Hamlet (1964) starring Richard Burton, Last Summer (1969), and Taking Off (1971). Learn more.
Crudo, Richard (1957 - )
Many of Crudo's credits as cameraman, camera op, steadicam assistant and panaglide assistant predate his studies in the Film Division of the School of the Arts. Crudo has worked on the crews of films such as Raising Arizona (1987), Field of Dreams (1989), Ghostbusters II (1989) and Joshua Tree (1993). He has worked as a cinematographer on more than twenty films, including American Buffalo (1996), Music from Another Room (1998), Grind (2003) and Brooklyn Rules (2005). His work as cinematographer and director of photography includes American Pie (1999) and Out Cold (2001). Learn more.
D'Agostino, Albert (1892 - 1970)
Art Director
D'Agostino created sets for some of the film industry's top directors from the 1930s through the 1950s. From 1939-1958, D'Agostino worked as the supervising art director for RKO, collaborating on the entire output of the studio on over 65 films. He is best remembered for his success underpinning character psychology in his designs for horror and mystery films such as Stranger on the Third Floor (1940), I Walked with a Zombie (1943) and Isle of the Dead (1945). His 19th-century Edinburgh in The Body Snatcher (1945) and his French village in Mademoiselle Fifi (1944) are considered his most convincing period designs. Learn more.
D'Erasmo, Stacey (1961 - )
Stacey D'Erasmo's debut novel, Tea (2000), is a coming-of-age and coming out story that captures its protagonist at three stages of life in three distinct moments of American popular culture. She won the Gordon Ray Prize in Victorian Literature at NYU, where she completed graduate studies in English and American literature, as well as a Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University and a New York Foundation for the Arts grant in nonfiction literature. Her second novel, A Seahorse Year, hit the shelves in 2004. Learn more.
Danticat, Edwidge (1969 - )
Fiction and Nonfiction Writer
Danticat was inspired by her family's storytelling to write about her immigration from Haiti to Brooklyn at the age of twelve. Danticat's MFA thesis at Brown University, a coming-of-age story titled, Breath, Eyes, Memory, became her first published novel. Breath was selected for Oprah's Book Club, which helped it become a paperback bestseller. Krik? Krak!, a National Book Award finalist in 1995, and Farming of Bones (1998) established Danticat as "the voice" of Haitian Americans, though Danticat maintains that she is one of many Haitian American voices. She has been praised for her unflinching examination of Haitian culture, careful blending of history and fiction, and delicate treatment of monumental themes. Danticat has also written a novel for young people, edited a collection of short stories, and worked with the National Coalition for Haitian Rights.Learn more.
Daum, Meghan (1970 - )
Nonfiction Writer
Daum contributes a weekly column to the Los Angeles Times. She has published articles and essays in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, Harper's Bazaar, The Village Voice and Vogue. Her honest cultural observations have illustrated her gifts as a storyteller, reporter and satirist. She has published two collections of essays: Let the Trinkets Do the Talking: Essays, Abstractions, and Absurdities (2001) and My Misspent Youth: Essays (2001). Her novel, The Quality of Life Report, was named a New York Times Notable Book in 2003. Learn more.
Davis, Lydia (1947 - )
Writer, Translator
Lydia Davis simultaneous enjoys two careers-one as a fiction writer and another as translator of French writers and philosophers. Her short story collection, Break It Down, won the 1988 Whiting Writers Award and the PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award for Fiction. Davis has published a novel, The End of the Story (1995), along with several short story collections: The Thirteenth Woman and Other Stories (1976), Sketches for a Life of Wassilly (1981), and Story, and Other Stories (1984). Davis has translated novels, biographies and other scholarly works by French authors such as Marcel Proust, Maurice Blanchot and the Marquis de Sade. She has garnered the French-American Foundation Translation Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship and a 2003 MacArthur "Genius" grant. Learn more.
de Lima, Sigrid (1922 - 1999)
Fiction Writer
De Lima's debut novel, Captain's Beach (1950), a survival story set in New York rooming houses, was the first out of the Hiram Haydn's workshop at the New School for Social Research. De Lima won the Prix de Rome for her next work, The Swift Cloud (1952), and published Carnival by the Sea in 1954. Though her last two works, Praise a Fine Day (1959) and Oriane (1968), were also successful with critics, de Lima did not publish again after Oriane's release.
de Mille, William C. (1878 - 1955)
Film, Theater
Playwright, Screenwriter
A son of playwright Henry C. de Mille and brother of Cecil B. de Mille, William C. de Mille became a playwright and screenwriter during the first years of the motion picture. Between 1902 and 1914, he authored more than two dozen comedies, farces and serious plays in New York. De Mille followed his brother to Hollywood in 1914 and began directing such movies as Anton, the Terrible and Miss Lulu Bett. He wrote seven screenplays and directed more than fifty silent and talking films, including an adaptation of The Warrens of Virginia. De Mille also oversaw the founding of the Drama Department at the University of Southern California, where he taught from 1941 to 1953. His memoir, Hollywood Saga, was published in 1939. Learn more.
de Palma, Brian (1940 - )
Brian de Palma has written and directed over thirty films, mainly in the thriller genre. His voyeuristic style has been compared to Alfred Hitchcock's, and his violent flair has been both criticized as manipulative and admired as virtuosic. His career was boosted in 1972, with his direction of the horror film Sisters, followed by other horror successes Obsession (1976), Carrie (1976), The Fury (1978), Dressed to Kill (1980) and Blow Out (1981). Later thrillers include Raising Cain starring John Lithgow (1992), Snake Eyes starring Nicholas Cage (1998) and Femme Fatale starring Antonio Banderas (2002). Learn more.
Dean, Cecilia
Art Curator, Editor
As a young adult, Cecilia Dean modeled fashion for such famous photographers as Richard Avedon, Mario Testino, Steven Klein and Peter Lindbergh. The year she graduated from Barnard, Dean launched Visionaire with photographer Stephen Gan and makeup artist James Kaliardos, a limited-edition fashion and art quarterly based in SoHo. The publication is among the most elite in the industry; its issues showcase work built around themes like "Power" and "Paris," with content designed by curators rather than editors. Dean and her team launched the mass-market fashion magazine V in 1999 and VMAN in 2003.
Delaney, Elizabeth ("Bessie") (1891 - 1995)
Sisters Bessie and Sadie Delaney collaborated with New York Times reporter Amy Hill Hearth on Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters' First 100 Years (1993). The Delaneys lived through the Jim Crow era in North Carolina, moved to New York in the 1910s and watched the century unfold through the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights movement into the modern era. The book became a bestseller as a portrait of African-American life and pioneering professional women. Bessie was the only black woman in her class at the Columbia School of Dental and Oral Surgery and the second black female dentist to be licensed in the state of New York. Sadie earned her masters degree at Teachers College and became the first black woman to teach domestic science in New York City Public Schools.
Delaney, Sarah Louise ("Sadie") (1889 - 1999)
Sisters Bessie and Sadie Delaney collaborated with New York Times reporter Amy Hill Hearth on Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters' First 100 Years (1993). The Delaneys lived through the Jim Crow era in North Carolina, moved to New York in the 1910s and watched the century unfold through the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights movement into the modern era. The book became a bestseller as a portrait of African-American life and pioneering professional women. Bessie was the only black woman in her class at the Columbia School of Dental and Oral Surgery and the second black female dentist to be licensed in the state of New York. Sadie earned her masters degree at Teachers College and became the first black woman to teach domestic science in New York City Public Schools.
Delano, William Adams (1874 - 1960)
1895GSAPP (non-degree)
Along with partner Chester Holmes Aldrich, Delano designed elaborate residences for some of New York's wealthiest families, as well as the Yale Divinity School and a master plan for West Point (1948). After helping to renovate the White House under Calvin Coolidge, Delano became a consultant to every president through the 1950s; he designed the second-story porch at the behest of Harry Truman. Delano worked on the Federal Triangle in Washington D.C. and designed the U.S. Chancellery on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Later, he designed the 14 original buildings of the North Beach Airport (now La Guardia) in Queens. Among his honors are the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects (1953) and the National Academy of Arts and Letters' Gold Medal (1940).
Denby, David (1943 - )
Film, Literature
Critic, Author
David Denby has served as longtime film critic for The New Yorker magazine and has edited a number of volumes of criticism, including Awake in the Dark: An Anthology of American Film Criticism (1977). Following a self-announced mid-life crisis, Denby returned to Columbia to retake the core curriculum. Denby's re-education resulted in Great Books: My Adventures with Homer, Rousseau, Woolf, and Other Indestructible Writers of the Western World (1996), which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle award in 1997.
Dennehy, Brian (1938 - )
Film, Television, Theater
Actor, Writer, Director and Producer
Dennehy majored in history at Columbia College, where he also captained the football team. He finished his studies after a stint in the Marines. Since his film debut in Semi-Tough (1977), Dennehy has acted in more than forty film roles-from sheriff in First Blood, to lawyer in Presumed Innocent, to alien in Cocoon. Known for his range and everyman quality, Dennehy has also made stage appearances in productions such as Brecht's Galileo, Eugene O'Neill's Touch of a Poet and The Iceman Cometh, Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, directed by Peter Brook, and his 1999 Drama Desk Award-and Tony-winning triumph in the fiftieth-anniversary Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Learn more.
Desai, Kiran (1971 - )
Kiran Desai was inspired to write her first novel, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard (1998), after hearing about a hermit who had lived in a tree in India for years. The work received the Betty Trask Award, a prize given to the best first novels written by citizens of the Commonwealth of Nations under the age of 35. Her second novel, The Inheritance of Loss (2006), has received international critical praise, winning the 2006 Man Booker Prize and the 2006 National Cook Critics Circle Fiction Award. Desai moved from India to the United States at the age of fourteen, and has studied creative writing at Bennington College, Hollins University, and Columbia.
Desjardins, Emma
Emma Desjardins joined the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in January 2006, after training and performing with Barnard's Dance Department as an undergraduate. In July 2008, the New York Times praised her performance of a solo piece newly choreographed by Cunningham as "a wonderful study in slow-moving tranquility and classical line." She is a native of Providence, Rhode Island. Learn more.
Deutsch, Babette (1895 - 1982)
Fiction writer, Poet
Deutsch's compact and restrained poetry is collected in two volumes: Collected Poems: 1919-1962 and The Collected Poems of Babette Deutsch. Other collections include Banners (1919), Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (1954), and Coming of Age: New and Selected Poems (1959). She also authored a number of fiction works-among them the novels A Brittle Heaven (1926) and The Mask of Silenus (1933). Deutsch collaborated with husband Avrahm Yarmolinsky on translations of such works as Alexander Blok's The Twelve (1920) and Pushkin's Eugene Onegin (1943). Deutsch took the Nation Poetry Prize in 1926 and the Julia Ellsworth Ford Foundation Prize in 1941. She was awarded a Doctor of Letters from Columbia University in 1946, where she lectured in poetry from 1944-1971, as well as the William Rose Benet Memorial Award in 1957, and the Distinguished Alumna Award from Barnard in 1977, where a scholarship fund was established in her honor in 1979.
Deutsch, Helen (1906 - 1992)
Deutsch's first screenwriting success was her adaptation of Enid Bagnold's novel, National Velvet, which earned five Academy Awards nominations, won two Oscars, and was named one of the year's ten best films by The New York Times. Her movie musical Lili (1953) won the Oscar, the Golden Globe and Writers Guild of America screen award for best musical. Deutsch also wrote the biopic of singer and actress Lillian Roth, I'll Cry Tomorrow (1956), which was honored with the Books and Authors Association Award. Deutsch was a founder and secretary of the New York Drama Critics Circle, and she took the Tony for Best Book of a musical for Carnival!, adapted from Lili, in 1962. Another major success was her 1964 film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown, which garnered six Oscar nominations. Learn more.
Diamond, I. A. L. (1920 - 1988)
Screenwriter, Producer
After a decade of freelance writing, Diamond impressed director Billy Wilder with his comedy writing in 1955. The two collaborated Love in the Afternoon (1957) and the 1959 comedy Some Like It Hot, which was nominated for an Academy Award. Diamond and Wilder won an Oscar as well as awards from the New York Film Critics Circle and the Writers Guild of America for The Apartment (1960), starring Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon. Other films from the pair include One, Two, Three (1961), The Fortune Cookie (Academy Award nomination, 1966), and Buddy, Buddy (1981). Learn more.
Dietz, Howard (1896 - 1983)
Film, Theater
Lyricist, Publicity Director
Dietz's affinity for the Columbia University mascot translated into the roaring lion emblem of MGM studios when film producer Samuel Goldwyn hired Dietz's advertising firm. Dietz later joined the board of directors of Loew's, MGM's parent company; he became Vice President of Loew's in 1942. Dietz is perhaps best known, however, as a lyricist for vaudeville and the stage. Along with Arthur Schwartz, Dietz wrote the librettos to a number of acclaimed musical revues. The pair also wrote the song, "That's Entertainment," originally a number in their movie musical The Band Wagon (1953). In 1950, Dietz translated the lyrics of Johann Strauss's operetta, Die Fledermaus, for the Metropolitan Opera. Dietz served on the board of directors of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) from 1959-1966. In 1983, he was honored with the first ASCAP Richard Rogers Award for lifetime achievement. Learn more.
DiGiulio, Edmund M. (1927 - 2004)
'50School of Mines
At Mitchell Camera Corporation and his own company, Cinema Products, DiGiulio invented technology that would transform the film industry. Mitchell's reflex viewing system allowed for the separation of the camera and the sound recorder on set. Mitchell also invented the System-35 Mark II, three-camera filming and the Steadicam, which allowed for greater freedom of movement. Mitchell won Oscars for technological innovation in 1969, 1978, 1993 and 1999, and in 2001, he was honored with the Gordon E. Sawyer Lifetime Achievement Academy Award. DiGiulio collaborated for many years with Stanley Kubrick on such films as Barry Lyndon (1975), for which he invented high-speed lenses to film scenes in candlelight, and A Clockwork Orange (1971). Learn more.
Dixon, Brandon Victor (1981 - )
Before becoming a Broadway star, Brandon Victor Dixon graced the Columbia stage as a cast member of the 107th Annual Varsity Show. In October of 2002, the fall of his senior year, Brandon received his big professional break when he was chosen to play the part of Simba in the national tour of The Lion King. He was then cast as the lead role in a new Broadway show, The Color Purple, for which he was nominated for a Tony in 2006.
Doctorow, E.L. (1931 - )
Edgar Laurence Doctorow's first literary success was The Book of Daniel (1971), which is set against the tumultuous backdrop of Columbia University in 1968. The novel's protagonist, Daniel, is a graduate student who spends much of his time at Butler Library researching his parents, who are loosely based on executed communists Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Since then, Doctorow's novels have been acclaimed for their blending of history and social commentary with epic plots. A number of his books have been both critical and commercial achievements, including Ragtime (1975), Billy Bathgate (1989) and The March (2005), the award-winning fictional account of General Sherman's Civil War campaign through the South.
Douglas, Helen Gahagan (1900 - 1980)
Film, Theater
Douglas attended Barnard because of its proximity to Broadway; she left school for her Broadway debut as the lead in Dreams for Sale (1922). By 1925, she had performed Young Woodley over 260 times and been named one of the twelve most beautiful women in America. Douglas made her film debut in the classic horror film She (1935). Moved by what she witnessed touring Germany in the lead-up to World War II, she entered politics as a champion of progressive causes ranging from organized labor to environmental protection. She represented California in the U.S. Congress from 1944 to 1952.
Dow, Alden B. (1904 - 1983)
An apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright, Alden Dow's unique architectural style was considered ahead of its time. His philosophy of design is to work inspired by "honesty, humility, and enthusiasm." Early in his career, Dow focused on residential design using his signature Unit Block construction. In this patented method, Dow used white unit blocks, which, though they appeared to be a cube, were actually six-sided rhombuses that gained strength when stacked together. Dow received the Diplome de Grand Prix in Paris' 1937 International Exposition for best residential design in the world, partly for his own home and design studio, now a national landmark. During his 50-year career, he designed a town (Lake Jackson, Texas) and was named "architect laureate" of Michigan in 1983.
Drucker, Eugene (1951 - )
Eugene Drucker, an esteemed violinist and one of the founding members of the Emerson String Quartet, has appeared with the orchestras of Montreal, Brussels, Antwerp, Liege, Austin, Hartford, Richmond, Toledo and the Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as the American Symphony Orchestra and the Aspen Chamber Symphony. He was also a concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra, his other Alma Mater, and is now a professor at Stony Brook University. Learn more.
du Plessix Gray, Francine (1930 - )
Francine du Plessix Gray is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and the author of numerous essays, nonfiction books, and novels, including Simone Weil (2001), At Home with the Marquis de Sade (1999), Rage and Fire (1994), and Lovers and Tyrants (1967). She recently published a portrait of her mother and father, Them: A Memoir of Parents (2005). Du Plessix Gray has been awarded France's Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Duncan, Todd (1903 - 1998)
Music, Theater
Singer, Actor, Teacher
Baritone Todd Duncan began a 25-year stage career in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana with the all-black Aeolian Opera in 1934. His debut led to an audition with George Gershwin, who hired Duncan for the role of Porgy in Porgy and Bess. In 1945, Duncan became the first black man to perform opera with a white cast, singing Tonio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. Duncan sang 2,000 recitals in 56 countries, and mentored hundreds of students through his nineties.
Dunnock, Mildred (1901 - 1991)
Film, Theater
Actress, Director
Dunnock's most notable role was Linda Loman in the original cast of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman on Broadway in 1966. A schoolteacher, Dunnock taught by day and performed by night for years, appearing in plays such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Tartuffe. Dunnock films and television shows include John Steinbeck's Viva Zapata starring Marlon Brando (1952), Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry (1955), Butterfield 8 starring Elizabeth Taylor (1960), and Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth with Paul Newman (1962). She earned Academy Award nominations for Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman (1951) and Aunt Rose Comfort in Baby Doll (1956). Dunnock directed two stage productions and continued to act well into her eighties. Learn more.
DuPlessis, Rachel Blau (1941 - )
Poet, Essayist, Critic
'63BC , '64GSAS, '70PhD
DuPlessis has published a numerous articles and volumes of feminist literary criticism, most notably "For the Etruscans" from The Pink Guitar: Writing as Feminist Practice (1990). DuPlessis describes her creative work since 1986, titled Drafts and published in volumes, as "interdependent, related, canto-like poems." Her essays and poetry share concerns such as subjectivity and gender, female figures in poetry, and cultural memory. DuPlessis's awards include grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (1986, 1988), a fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (1990), and the Fund of Poetry's award for "service to American poetry" (1993). She is an English professor at Temple University.
Ebb, Fred (1933 - 2004)
Ebb was best known for the witty lyrics he set to John Kander's music throughout 40 years of collaboration. Their first big success, Cabaret (directed by Harold Prince), won Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Score in 1966. The duo's other Tony-winning musicals include 70, Girls, 70 (1971), Chicago (1975, choreographed by Bob Fosse), Woman of the Year (1981), and The Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). Songs such as "Maybe This Time," "All That Jazz," and "Nowadays" have showcased the talent of Broadway stars such as Liza Minnelli and Barbara Streisand. Kander and Ebb wrote "New York, New York" for Martin Scorsese's 1977 film of the same name, and Frank Sinatra's 1979 rendition of the song helped turn it into a classic. Learn more.
Edman, Irwin (1896 - 1954)
Writer, Philosopher, Teacher
Edman's philosophy dissertation, Human Traits and Their Social Significance, immediately became required reading for the core course "Contemporary Civilizations." Edman became a full professor at Columbia in 1935. Among his publications are Poems (1925), the novel Richard Kane Looks at Life (1925), and an introduction to the philosophy of art, The World, the Arts, and the Artist. Edman's collection of stories, A Philosopher's Holiday, details his belief that philosophical attitudes emerge from everyday experiences. Learn more.
Eikenberry, Jill (1947 - )
Eikenberry's stage performances include roles in Wendy Wasserstein's Uncommon Women with Meryl Streep in 1979, Tennessee Williams' Eccentricities of a Nightingale (1976), and Lanford Wilson's Lemon Sky, for which she won an Obie Award. In addition to numerous film appearances, Eikenberry has played activist counselor Ann Kelsey on television's L.A. Law, for which she won a Golden Globe. She is an outspoken advocate for breast cancer research, having survived the disease in the 1980s.
Einfeld, Charles (1901 - 1974)
Producer, Publicist
Charles Einfeld's publicity projects include A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), starring James Cagney and Mickey Rooney, and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Einfeld eventually rose to become head of advertising and publicity for Warner Brothers Studios. Einfeld also worked as a producer for Arch of Triumph (1948), starring Ingrid Bergman.
Eisenman, Peter
Eisenman studied architecture at Cornell, then at Columbia University, where he earned a Master of Architecture Degree. He also completed an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. He rose to prominence as an architect with the "NY Five" (Charles Gwathmey, John Hejduk, Richard Meier, and Michael Graves) and received several grants from the Graham Foundation for work during this time but ultimately evolved his own distinctive style, influenced by the Deconstructivist movement. His designs confounded conventional expectations. Eisenman achieved worldwide recognition for his holocaust memorial, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin (2005). Recent projects include University of Phoenix Stadium ( Arizona) and "City of Culture of Galicia", cultural center in northwest Spain. He is author of "The formal Basis of Modern Architecture" and teaches at Yale.
Ephron, Delia (1944 - )
Film, Literature
Screenwriter, Fiction Writer
Ephron is the funny half of the Ephron Sisters, who have collaborated on box-office successes such as Michael (1998), You've Got Mail (1998) and Hanging Up (2000). She collaborated with fellow Barnard alumna Ann Brasheras to adapt The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to film (2005). Ephron has also published a number of humorous books for young readers, including How to Eat Like a Child, and Other Lessons in Not Being a Grownup (1978) and Teenage Romance; Or, How to Die of Embarrassment (1981). She has also recently turned to fiction. Her novels are Hanging Up (1995) and Big City Eyes (2000). Learn more.
Epstein, Jason (1928 - )
Writer, Publisher
Epstein is credited with spurring the "paperback revolution" with his affordable Anchor Books imprint. In 1958, Epstein moved to Random House where he has served in as editorial director for forty years, working with Norman Mailer, Vladimir Nabokov, E. L. Doctorow, Gore Vidal and Philip Roth. He also had a hand in the founding of The New York Review of Books in 1962 and the Library of America in 1982. Epstein has won the Association of American Publishers' Curtis Benjamin Award and received the first National Book Award for Distinguished Service to American Letters. Learn more.
Erskine, John (1879 - 1951)
Writer, Teacher, Musician
'01CC, 1903PhD , 1929LLD
As a teacher at Columbia, Erskine's protégés included Mark Van Doren, Mortimer Adler and Clifton Fadiman. He authored the surprise overnight success, The Private Life of Helen of Troy (1925), which explored the problems of the "lost generation" of Jazz Age youth. Erskine published thirty books, often modernizing classic characters such as Sir Galahad or Adam and Eve. He also harbored a love of music, playing in small ensembles, and served as president of the Juilliard School of Music from 1928-1937. Among his many honors is the Butler Medal (1918).Learn more.
Fadiman, Clifton (1904 - 1999)
Writer, Editor, Critic
Fadiman is best known as a radio host from the 1930s and '40s, particularly Information, Please, on which contestants attempted to stump a panel of experts with trivia questions. Fadiman was a longtime editor of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and the editor of over two dozen anthologies on subjects ranging from poetry to mathematics. He wrote introductions for the Modern Library editions of such works as Moby Dick and War and Peace. Fadiman was especially proud of his World Treasury of Children's Literature, and advocated for the consumption of good literature via his popular Book-of-the-Month and Reader's Clubs. In 1993, he was honored with the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.Learn more.
Farley, Walter (1915 - 1989)
Juvenile Fiction Writer
Walter Farley was still an undergraduate at when he published The Black Stallion in 1941. The popularity of his debut led to a series of twenty-one books published over forty years, six of which were Junior Literary Guild selections. Farley later wrote stories of other characters and horses, including a biography of the famous American thoroughbred, Man O'War. Farley's thirty-four published titles have sold over twelve million copies in the United States, and are in print in fourteen other countries. The films The Black Stallion (1979) and The Black Stallion Returns (1983) were adapted from Farley's books. Learn more.
Farrelly, Peter (1956 - )
Film, Literature
Director, Screenwriter, Novelist
Along with his brother Bobby, Peter Farrelly is one half of the writing/directing duo known as the Farrelly brothers. In 1994, Farrelly wrote and directed his first hit film, Dumb and Dumber, a comedy starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. The Farrellys' comedies combine grotesque humor with affectionate romance; they include Kingpin (1996), There's Something About Mary (1998), Shallow Hal (2001) and Fever Pitch (2005). Farrelly has also written for television and published two novels, The Comedy Writer (1998) and Outside Providence (1988). Learn more.
Ferrer, José (1912 - 1992)
Film, Theater
Actor, Director, Producer
Ferrer demonstrated his flair for villainous roles as Iago opposite Paul Robeson in the landmark 1943 production of Othello. His first Tony Award came in 1946 for his performance in Cyrano de Bergerac. At the height of his stage career he directed and starred in Twentieth Century (1950) and the Pulitzer-Prize winning drama The Shrike, which brought him Tony Awards for best actor and best direction. Ferrer's film performances in Joan of Arc (1948), with Ingrid Bergman, and as Toulouse-Lautrec in Moulin Rouge (1952) were nominated for Academy Awards. Ferrer directed seven films in the '50s and '60s, including The Great Man (1956) and I Accuse (1958), and continued to act for television and film through the 1980s.Learn more.
Fields, Herbert (1897 - 1958)
Music, Theater
Among his accomplishments, Fields wrote librettos for many of Cole Porter's musicals, including Fifty Million Frenchmen (1929), The New Yorkers (1930) and Pardon My English (1931). Fields wrote the books of more than twenty shows, the most-frequently revived being Annie Get Your Gun (1946), which became a vehicle for such stars as Ethel Merman and Bernadette Peters (1999). Fields had just completed the original story for Redhead when he passed away; the musical, with Gwen Verdon in the lead role and choreography by Bob Fosse, won five Tonys, including best busical, in 1959. Learn more.
Florida, Richard
Urban Studies Theorist
Richard Florida—(Ph.D. 1986) Author, "Rise of the Creative Class" GSAS 1984 and 1986.
Director of Martin Prosperity Institute, professor at the Rotman School and founder of a global think tank, Richard Florida, urban sociologist, influenced public policy thinking with three best sellers: "The Rise of the Creative Class," "The Flight of the Creative Class," and "Who's Your City." Florida theorized that cities with high concentrations of high-tech workers, artists, musicians, gays, and "high bohemians," attract high levels of economic development. A former scientist at Gallup, he's taught at George Mason University and Carnegie Mellon, lectured at MIT and Harvard, and published extensively (The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, The Economist, Harvard Business Review, etc). He's also appeared on MSNBC, CNN, BBC, NPR, and CBS.
Foch, Nina (1924 - )
Film, Theater
Actress, Director
Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress Nina Foch made her Broadway debut in Rogers and Hammerstein's John Loves Mary (1947). Other theater appearances include Twelfth Night (1949) and King Lear (1950) on Broadway, and Tonight at 8:30 (1966), which she also directed, at the National Repertory Theater. Foch played her first of more than sixty film roles in Wagon Wheels West (1943), and went on to perform in as many as six films a year in the '40s. Her films include Shadows in the Night (1944) and Strange Affair (1944). Foch's other notable films include Johnny Allegro (1949), An American in Paris (1951), The Ten Commandments (1957), Spartacus (1960), and Pumpkin (2002).Learn more.
Foner Gyllenhaal, Naomi (1946 - )
Film, Television
Gyllenhaal is the mother of actors Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal, also Columbia alums. She began her career as Eugene McCarthy's media director in his bid for the presidency in 1968. Later, she produced children's programs for PBS, including Sesame Street and The Electric Company. Her screenplay for Running on Empty (1988) brought her Golden Globe and PEN Awards for best screenplay and an Oscar nomination. Her other titles include A Dangerous Woman and Losing Isaiah (1995), with Halle Berry and Jessica Lange. Learn more.
Forte, Allen
Allen Forte is currently Battell Professor of Music Theory at Yale University. His publications include 12 books and 80 articles that appeared in Journal of Music Theory, Music Theory Spectrum, Music Analysis, Perspectives of New Music, and Journal of the American Musicological Society, and reflect his interest in pitch-class set theory, avant-garde music, Heinrich Schenker, and other aspects of music theory. He's also recorded music of his own. His 1958 monograph on the development of diminutions in American jazz was the first detailed analytical study of that repertoire. Forte was founding President of the Society for Music Theory and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2000 Yale established an endowed professorship in his name.
Fox, Matthew (1966 - )
Matthew Fox first gained recognition for his role as the older brother and patriarch Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, a critically acclaimed 1990s teen television drama. He currently stars as Dr. Jack Shephard on the hit ABC drama series Lost, for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination. His role on Lost also won him the 2005 Satellite Award and the 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. In 2006, Fox co-stared with Matthew McConaughey in the sports drama, We Are Marshall, and in 2007 starred in the thriller, Vantage Point. Learn more.
Foy III, Eddie (1935 - )
Film, Television
Casting Director
Eddie Foy III has had a hand in the casting of such popular television shows as Happy Days, Cheers, Three's Company, and I Dream of Jeannie, along with numerous movies. Foy tours the country conducting seminars and workshops for casting professionals. He has been honored by the National Organization for the Advancement of Hispanic Actors and Nosotros for his efforts to advance Latino actors in the industry. Learn more.
Frager, Malcolm (1935 - 1991)
Malcolm Frager gave his first piano concert at the age of six; at ten, he made his solo debut with Vladimir Golschmann and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17, K.453. Frager participated in a series of competitions in the late '50s, taking highest honors at the Geneva, Leventritt and Queen Elizabeth of Belgium competitions. He toured internationally, performing a range of works from Haydn to modern composers. Frager was known for performing the Schumann piano concerto and Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto in their rare, original versions.Learn more.
Gage , Nicholas
1964Journalism, 1964SIPA
Gage, who attended Boston University's School of Communications on scholarship, won the Hearst Award for best college journalist from John F. Kennedy in 1963 before receiving a master's degree from Columbia's School of Journalism. An investigative journalist, he wrote for The Associated Press. Boston Herald Traveler, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Times until 1980 and published three books on organized crime and two novels. He received two awards for reporting from the Newspaper Guild and Sigma Delta Chi. Gage's exposes on the corruption of Vice President Spiro Agnew led to his resignation. Gage two popular autobiographical memoirs, Eleni and A Place for Us. Eleni, translated into 32 languages, describes his family's life in Greece during World War II. Winner of the Royal Society of Literature's prize, it was adapted into a feature film. Gage co-wrote an early draft of The Godfather Part III and was the film's Executive Producer. Gage's latest book, Greek Fire, chronicles Aristotle Onassis's relationship with Maria Callas and has been made into a movie.
Gallico, Paul (1897 - 1976)
Gallico earned a B.S. from Columbia University and quickly established himself as a writer. After his position as motion picture critic for the Daily News, he became a sports writer. An interview with Jack Dempsey enhanced his reputation; in 1923, Gallico became Sports Editor of the Daily News, writing a daily sports column. He then wrote fiction, publishing stories in Vanity Fair and the Saturday Evening Post. He is perhaps best remembered for the novella The Snow Goose, a popular and critical success that made him famous, and The Poseidon Adventure, adapted for film in 1972. As a freelance writer, he had freedom to travel and live in fashionable places, including Monaco and Antibes.
Garafola, Lynn (1946 - )
Critic, Historian
Garafola, a faculty member at her alma mater since 2000, has written and edited numerous authoritative works on dance and the major influences in the field, among them: Diaghilev's Ballet Russes (1989), Of, By and For the People: Dancing on the Left in the 1930s (1995), and Dance For a City: Fifty Years of the New York City Ballet (1999). She has contributed to Dance Magazine, The Nation, and The Times Literary Supplement. She has also guest-curated several dance history exhibitions for institutions such as the New York Historical Society and the New York Public Library, including "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures: The First 100" (2005). Garafola has won Fulbright and Getty fellowships in the history of art and the humanities, as well as the De la Torre Bueno Prize (1990). In 2005 she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, becoming only the third fellow from the field of dance.Learn more.
Garcia, Cristina (1958 - )
Novelist and Poet
While working as a reporter and correspondent for Time magazine, Garcia began to write fiction drawing upon her Cuban heritage. Her debut novel, Dreaming in Cuban, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Garcia has also published The Agüero Sisters (1997) and Monkey Hunting (2003). Each of her works explores the complexities of dual cultural identity from the perspective of strong female protagonists. Garcia recently edited ¡Cubanismo!: The Vintage Book of Contemporary Cuban Literature.Learn more.
Garfunkel, Art (Arthur) (1941 - )
Singer, Songwriter
Best known as the tenor half of the folk-rock duo Simon and Garfunkel, Art Garfunkel has also acted in motion pictures and recorded solo albums. He met Paul Simon in the sixth grade in Forest Hills, New York; by age fifteen, they had recorded the hit pop rock single "Hey! Schoolgirl." While Garfunkel studied architecture and math at Columbia, Simon and Garfunkel amassed a following in New York, and Columbia Records released their first album in 1964. The 1965 re-release of "Sounds of Silence" was the first hit in a career that would amass eight Grammy Awards by 1970, including best album for Bridge Over Troubled Water. Garfunkel's solo career was marked by the albums Angel Clare and Breakaway. After a 12-year hiatus, Simon and Garfunkel reunited for a double album and international tour in 1982 and again in 2003.Learn more.
Gassner, John (1903 - 1967)
Critic, Historian
Gassner pursued simultaneous careers as a teacher, dramaturge, critic, writer and editor. He taught drama, playwriting, dramaturgy and Theater history at Hunter College, the New School, Bryn Mawr and Queens College. Gassner chaired the play department of the Theater Guild for more than ten years. He is best known as an advocate of the stage as a forum for addressing controversial topics, even during the McCarthy era. Gassner authored more than twenty books on drama, including Masters of the Drama (1940) and Producing the Play (1941), and he edited around one hundred anthologies of drama. Gassner was a member of the Drama Critics Circle and a drama advisor to the Pulitzer Prize Committee. He was awarded the American Educational Theater Association's Award of Merit in 1960, and a number of playwriting awards and festivals have been named in his honor.
Geer, Will (1902 - 1978)
Film, Television, Theater
Geer began acting in tent shows and on Ohio River showboats. He performed numerous Shakespearean roles and acted in Broadway shows like Tobacco Road (1933), Of Mice and Men (1937), and 100 in the Shade (1963), for which he received a Tony nomination. Greer was best known as the grandfather in The Waltons, for which he won an Emmy Award in 1975. Geer portrayed Robert Frost, Mark Twain and Walt Whitman in one-man shows, and was a storyteller and folksinger himself. Despite being blacklisted by the HUAC Committee, Greer continued to work in TV (Bonanza and Mission: Impossible) and the movies, including In Cold Blood (1967) and The Reivers (1969). Learn more.
Gershwin, Ira (1896 - 1983)
1918Extension System Pre-Medical Curriculum
George and Ira Gershwin are famous for their songwriting talents in a number of genres-from vaudeville revues to musical comedies, operettas and film scores. Among the Gershwins' classic tunes are "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Embraceable You," "I Got Rhythm" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me." Their musical satire, Of Thee I Sing, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1932; Porgy and Bess, known for its African American themes and the song "Summertime," is considered a landmark American folk and jazz opera. Ira Gershwin collaborated with Harold Arlen (A Star is Born, 1954), Kurt Weill (Where Do We Go From Here?, 1945) Jerome Kern (Cover Girl, 1944) and Aaron Copeland (The North Star, 1943). The Gershwins' music continues to enjoy success; their tunes scored the 1992 musical Crazy For You, which won five Tony and Drama Desk Awards. Learn more.
Ginsberg, Allen (1926 - 1997)
Poet, Educator, Activist
Ginsberg was an icon and founding father of the Beat Generation-the literary movement that inspired an American counterculture in the 1950s. A champion of spiritual and sexual liberation, gay rights, drug experimentation, tolerance and free expression, Ginsberg was embraced as an antidote to the conformity of Post-War America. His public reading of Howl (for Carl Solomon) in 1955 was hailed as a landmark event in American literature. In 1956, police seized the first printed copies of Howl and Ginsberg's publishers were charged with indecency, prompting the ACLU to defend Ginsberg in a highly publicized trial that ultimately affirmed freedom of speech and press. Ginsberg's second volume, Kaddish, And Other Poems, is characterized by the use of gritty vernacular and improvisational rhythm. As a humanitarian and advocate of nonviolent protest, particularly against the Vietnam War, Ginsberg became a spokesman for the "hippie" generation and for anti-establishment causes (it was Ginsberg who coined the term "flower power"). The Fall of America: Poems of These States won the National Book Award in 1972. Ginsberg founded a creative writing program in memory of Jack Kerouac and held a tenured professorship at Brooklyn College. Learn more.
Girod, Kelley
Graduate of SoA,MFA (Playwriting)
Giroux, Robert (1914 - 2008)
Editor, Publisher
Giroux started his career in publishing with fellow Columbians Alfred Harcourt and Donald Brace. At Harcourt & Brace, Giroux brought in writers such as Robert Lowell and Bernard Malamud. He moved to Farrar, Straus in 1955 (which became Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1963) and brought them Bernard Malamud's National Book Award-winning novel, The Assistant, along with Nobel Prize winners Isaac Bashevis Singer, Derek Walcott and Seamus Heaney. Over the course of four decades, Giroux also worked with Carl Sandburg, Flannery O'Conner, Katherine Anne Porter, William Golding, T.S. Eliot, Jack Kerouac, Susan Sontag and Walker Percy. He has been awarded the Ivan Sandrof Award for from the National Book Critics Circle (1987) and Columbia's Alexander Hamilton Medal. Learn more.
Gluck, Louise
Louise Gluck attended Sarah Lawrence and Columbia University, and is considered one of the foremost poets of her generation. The U.S. Poet Laureate in 2003, she was awarded the Bollingen Prize, the 2008 Wallace Stevens Award for mastery of the art of poetry, the Lannan Literary Award, a Sara Teasdale Memorial Prize, and numerous fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1993 for The Wild Iris. She's authored eleven books of poetry as well as an award-winning collection of essays. Gluck is now a writer-in-residence at Yale University.
Gold, Herbert (1924 - )
At Columbia, Gold fell in with the Beat Generation, striking up a friendship with Jack Kerouac, haunting jazz bars, and publishing and reading his poetry. Gold completed his first of over twenty novels, Birth of a Hero (1951), while on a Fulbright scholarship in Paris. His best-known work is Fathers: A Novel in the Form of a Memoir, an account of a father and son living the immigrant experience of America at the start of World War II.Learn more.
Goldman, James (1927 - 1998)
Film, Literature, Music, Theater
Playwright, Screenwriter, Novelist, Lyricist
Goldman's first play, They Might Be Giants, premiered in England in 1961. He followed with Broadway premieres for Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole (co-written with brother, William, in 1961) and A Family Affair (in collaboration with musician Peter Kander in 1962), starring Peter Fonda. A Lion in Winter featured performances by Robert Preston and Christopher Walken; Goldman's film adaptation won him an Oscar, an American Screenwriters award, the Writers Guild of Britain Zeta Plaque, and a Writers Guild Award. In 1971, Goldman worked on Stephen Sondheim's Follies, which won the Drama Critics Circle Award for best musical and was nominated for a Tony Award. Learn more.
Goldman, Richard Franko (1910 - 1980)
Conductor, Composer, Critic
Goldman succeeded his father, Franko Goldman, as conductor of the Goldman Band (now the Goldman Memorial Band). He conducted the premieres of Arnold Schoenberg's Theme and Variations for Wind Band and Hector Berlioz's Funeral and Triumphal Symphony. Goldman was the New York music critic of the Musical Quarterly from 1948-1968. He served as department chair of the Juilliard Department of Literature and Materials of Music from 1947 to 1960. Goldman was appointed president the Peabody Conservatory in 1968.
Goldman, William (1931 - )
Film, Literature
Screenwriter, Novelist
Although he also published five works of fiction and two Broadway plays, Goldman truly made his name as a screenwriter. His classic bank robber adventure, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1971), starred Paul Newman and Robert Redford and won Goldman the first of two Academy Awards for best screenplay; the second was for All the President's Men (1976). Other screenplays include The Stepford Wives (1974), Marathon Man (1976), The Princess Bride (1987), Maverick (1994) and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996). The Producers Guild of America awarded Goldman the Laurel Award for lifetime achievement in 1983. Learn more.
Goldstein, Rebecca (1950 - )
Fiction Writer
After receiving her PhD, Goldstein spent ten years as a professor of philosophy at Barnard. Her debut novel, The Mind-Body Problem (1983), demonstrated Goldstein's penchant for satire and her interest in the dichotomies of passion/logic and emotion/intellect. Goldstein's other titles include The Late-Summer Passion of a Woman of Mind (1989), The Dark Sister (1991), and Properties of Light: A Novel of Love, Betrayal and Quantum Physics (2000). In 1996, Goldstein was named a MacArthur Fellow; she has taught at Columbia, Rutgers and Trinity College. Learn more.
Goodwin, Philip L. (1885 - 1958)
Goodwin collaborated with Edward D. Stone on the design for the Museum of Modern Art at 11 West 53rd Street, which opened in 1939, and he served as a Trustee and Vice Chairman of the museum's board of directors. Among his other significant works is the apartment building at 400 East 57th Street. Goodwin was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a member of the Architectural League. He published several works on architecture, including French Provincial Architecture, Rooftrees and Brazil Builds. Learn more.
Gordon, Mary (1949 - )
Mary Gordon is the author of four bestselling novels: Final Payments, The Company of Women, Men and Angels, and The Other Side. She has also published a book of novellas, The Rest of Life; a collection of stories, Temporary Shelter; and a book of essays, Good Boys and Dead Girls. Gordon has been awarded the Lila Acheson Wallace Reader's Digest Writers Award, a Pushcart Prize, the 1987 and 1997 O. Henry Prizes for best short story, a Radcliffe Institute fellowship and a Guggenheim fellowship. Gordon is Millicent McIntosh Professor of English and Writing at Barnard. Learn more.
Gottlieb, Robert (1931 - )
Editor, Publisher
Gottlieb discovered Joseph Heller and published Catch-22 (1961) for Simon & Schuster. He rose to the position of Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at the firm before becoming Editor-in-Chief at Alfred A. Knopf in 1968. Among Gottlieb's authors at Knopf were Toni Morrison, John Cheever, John LeCarré and Doris Lessing. He succeeded William Shawn as Editor of the New Yorker in 1987, filling the position until 1992. Gottlieb has edited five works and written a biography of George Balanchine (2004). He contributes book reviews to the Observer and The New York Times Book Review. Learn more.
Gourevitch, Philip (1961 - )
Gourevitch graduated from Cornell University in 1986 and received an MFA in fiction (1992) from Columbia University. Gourevitch published short fiction in literary magazines before turning to non-fiction. His articles have appeared in Harper's, the NY Times magazine, and other publications. He then became a staff writer at The New Yorker and editor of the Paris Review (2004-09). His 1998 book, "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda," won the L.A. Times Book Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. His recent book, The Ballad of Abu Ghraib, examines Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison under American occupation.Learn more.
Graf, Alicia (1979 - )
Alicia Graf achieved early success as a dancer, performing lead roles for the Dance Theater of Harlem as a teenager. After a knee injury forced her to stop dancing in 1998, she enrolled at Columbia's School of General Education and began pursuing a career in business. She planned to start working at C. P. Morgan the fall after graduation, but after a summer of dancing, she decided to resume her career as a performer. She immediately rejoined the Dance Theater of Harlem, and in 2005 joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has been widely praised for her performances in principal roles. Learn more.
Gugler, Eric (1889 - 1974)
Gugler designed the expansion of the West Wing of the White House during FDR's presidency in 1934. Gugler's plans, which created the White House we know today, added an extension to the second floor, expanded the basement offices, and moved the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room to the east side of the building.
Gussow, Mel (1933 - 2005)
Critic, Historian
Gussow was a longtime drama critic for The New York Times and classical music station WQXR. Gussow first brought attention to playwrights such as Sam Shepard, John Guare and David Mamet, and actors Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver. He also championed the ventures of experimental artists like Robert Wilson and Richard Foreman. He authored eight books, including a series of conversations with Harold Pinter (1994), Tom Stoppard (1995), Samuel Beckett (1996) and Arthur Miller (2002), and the biography Edward Albee: A Singular Journey (1999). Learn more.
Gyllenhaal, Jake (1980 - )
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is the son of Barnard alumna and screenwriter Nancy Foner Gyllenhaal and director Stephen Gyllenhaal as well as the brother of actress and Columbia alumna Maggie Gyllenhaal. He is best known for his role in Brokeback Mountain (2005), opposite Heath Ledger, for which he received an Oscar nomination. He has also appeared in films such as October Sky (1999), Donnie Darko (2001), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), and Jarhead (2005). Gyllenhaal is also a political activist, showing support for the Rock the Vote Campaign, the ACLU, and the movement to save the environment. Learn more.
Gyllenhaal, Maggie (1977 - )
Maggie Gyllenhaal is a renowned American actress and the daughter of Barnard alumna and famed screenplay writer, Naomi Foner. She has appeared in a range of films including, Mona Lisa Smile, Donnie Darko, Paris Je T'aime, The Dark Knight, and Sherrybaby, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Learn more.
Hall, Albert (1937 - )
Film, Television
In 1979, Francis Ford Coppola cast Hall as Chief Phillips alongside Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now. He has appeared in Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), The Great White Hype (1996), Beloved (1998), and Ali (2001). Hall's television credits include movies Uncle Tom's Cabin (1987) and Separate But Equal (1991), in addition to appearances on numerous shows. Learn more.
Hammerstein II, Oscar (1895 - 1960)
Music, Theater
Librettist, Lyricist, Producer
In the 1930s, Hammerstein discarded the formulaic song-and-dance revue that had prevailed since the 1890s to develop the modern musical's combination of dance, music, dialog and complex characters. After hits such as Show Boat, he reunited with fellow Columbian Richard Rodgers to write Oklahoma! (1943), which enjoyed a record run of 2,248 performances on Broadway. Rogers and Hammerstein collaborated on shows including Carousel (1945), the Pulitzer Prize-winning South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959); songs include "Some Enchanted Evening," "Edelweiss," and "Shall We Dance?" Learn more.
Harbach, Otto (1873 - 1963)
Music, Theater
Librettist, Lyricist, Playwright
Harbach contributed the book or lyrics to over fifty Broadway musical comedies between 1908 and 1936, including The Firefly (1912), Going Up (1917), The Desert Song (1926), and No, No Nanette (1925). Among his best known songs are "Giannina Mia," "Indian Love Call," "One Alone," "She Didn't Say Yes, She Didn't Say No," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and "Learn to Smile." Harbach collaborated with a number of noted composers, among them Columbia alumnus Oscar Hammerstein II. He also authored several Broadway plays, including the farce No More Blondes (1920) and the drama Up in Mabel's Room (1919). Learn more.
Harcourt, Alfred (1881 - 1954)
Editor, Publisher
Harcourt learned the ropes publishing at Henry Holt, recruiting writers such as Robert Frost and Carl Sandberg. A desire to publish "the new ideas with which the world was seething" motivated Harcourt to found his own firm in 1919, in partnership with Columbia classmate Donald Brace. Launched by the success of John Maynard Keynes's The Economic Consequences of the Peace (1920), the firm published masterpieces by such English and American authors as Virginia Woolf, E. M. Forster and Sinclair Lewis. Learn more.
Harmon, Arthur Loomis
As a partner in Shreve, Lamb and Harmon Associates, Harmon was among the designers of the Empire State Building, completed in 1931. The architects received gold medals from the Architectural League, the American Institute of Architects, and the Fifth Avenue Association for their monumental feat. Harmon's firm was also responsible for the 60-story building at 500 Fifth Avenue (1930), the trapezoidal Rockefeller Center-style MONY Tower at 1740 Broadway (1950) and the American Brands Building near Grand Central Station (1967). Harmon's most significant solo work was the design of the Shelton Towers Hotel at 525 Lexington Avenue in 1924, which at thirty-four stories was then the tallest hotel in the world. Learn more.
Hart, Lorenz (1895 - 1943)
Music, Theater
Hart collaborated for twenty-four years with Richard Rodgers, moving from their Columbia Varsity Shows of 1920, 1921 and 1923 to their first hit song, "Manhattan," in 1925. The late '20s brought a string of Broadway successes-among them A Connecticut Yankee (1927) and Ever Green (1930). The Depression prompted the pair to move to Hollywood, where they created dozens of movie musicals such as Love me Tonight, popularizing memorable songs such as "Blue Moon" and "Isn't It Romantic?" Rodgers and Hart are perhaps best remembered for musicals written following their return to Broadway, including Babes in Arms (1937), which featured songs "My Funny Valentine" and "The Lady is a Tramp."Learn more.
Hatfield, Hurd (1917 - 1998)
Film, Theater
Hatfield's roles include the 1945 film version of The Picture of Dorian Gray, with Donna Reed and Angela Lansbury, and his role as Pontius Pilate in the King of Kings (1961). He is known for his portrayals of villains, such as in The Boston Strangler (1968). Hatfield also appeared in a number of Broadway productions, including Twelfth Night (1941) with Yul Brynner, Lawrence Olivier's Venus Observed (1952), Tennessee Williams' Camino Real (1953) and John Gielgud's production of Much Ado About Nothing (1959). Learn more.
Hecht, Anthony
Hecht attended Bard College and then fought in WWII, where he witnessed the liberation of a concentration camp, an experience that left a deep impression. After the war, he studied with John Crowe Ransom, who mentored many poets, and received a master's degree from Columbia University. He taught at the University of Rochester and Georgetown University. A classicist poet, influenced by Stevens, T.S. Eliot, Auden, and Dylan Thomas, he invented a humorous poetic form similar to a limerick - the double dactyl, in the 1950s. Hecht has won numerous awards for his poetry, including the Bollingen and Tanning Prizes. His second poetry collection "The Hard Hours" won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize. He's published several poetry collections including "Flight Among the Tombs," "The Darkness and the Light," and "Collected Later Poems," as well as three books of essays. He's also translated and edited other poets' work.
Heilbrun, Carolyn (1926 - 2003)
'51GSAS, '59PhD
Heilbrun wrote under the penname Amanda Cross until she feared her secret would bring charges of academic dishonesty at Columbia. Her 1981 mystery, Death in a Tenured Position, criticizes university politics; Heilbrun herself retired from the university in protest when a female colleague was denied tenure. Among her fourteen mysteries are The James Joyce Murder (1967), No Word from Winifred (1986), and The Edge of Doom (2002). Heilbrun's scholarly work includes Writing a Woman's Life (1988) and Toward a Recognition of Androgyny: Aspects of Male and Female in Literature (1973). She served as president of the Modern Language Association and directed Columbia's Institute for Research on Women and Gender. She won Guggenheim, Rockefeller, Radcliffe and National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, as well as the Nero Wolfe Award for Mystery Fiction, the scroll from the Mystery Writers of America, the Wellesley College Alumnae Achievement Award and the Radcliffe Graduate Medal.Learn more.
Heller, Joseph (1923 - 1999)
Heller's sixty flights over France and Italy during WWII helped reverse the glamorous image of war that had "brainwashed" him at home. Heller earned his masters degree in English at Columbia and studied at Oxford as a Fulbright Scholar. After publishing a story in the Atlantic Monthly, Heller spent eight years developing his military experiences into the wartime satire, Catch-22 (1961). The novel's title refers a fictional Air Force rule, whereby characters who are crazed enough by war that they insist on being grounded are automatically deemed sane, and therefore eligible to fly missions. The six novels and three plays Heller published after Catch-22 are marked by a similar black humor, acerbic commentary and cutting satire. Learn more.
Hellman, Lillian (1905 - 1984)
Literature, Theater
Playwright, Memoirist
1924BC, '76Honorary Alum -Literature
Hellman was known for her unflinching insight into individual and social psychology. Fourteen her plays were produced on Broadway, including The Children's Hour (1934), which depicted two teachers accused of lesbianism in nineteenth-century Edinburgh, as well as The Little Foxes (1939) and Another Part of the Forest (1946) were both set in the American South after the Civil War. She examined World War II's impact on America in Watch on the Rhine (1941) and The Searching Wind (1944). Toys in the Attic (1960) and Candide (1957) were each nominated for Tony Awards. Hellman published three popular memoirs: An Unfinished Woman (1969), Pentimento (1973) and Scoundrel Time (1976). Learn more.
Hewlett, James Monroe (1868 - 1941)
Architecture, Visual Arts
Architect and Muralist
Hewlett's architectural firm, Lord & Hewlett, designed buildings in the greater New York area, including the Brooklyn Hospital (1920) and the Senator Clark mansion on Fifth Avenue. Hewlett is best remembered, however, as a muralist. His murals hang at the Willard Straight Memorial at Cornell, the Elihu Root Memorial in Washington, DC and the Veteran's Memorial Hall in the Bronx County Court Building. A series of eight Hewlett murals decorate the Bank of New York building. Hewlett's George Washington Bicentennial frieze, Washington and His Friends at Mount Vernon (1932), still hangs at Mount Vernon. Hewlett was President of the Architectural League of New York, Vice President of the American Institute of Architects and head of the Society of Mural Painters. He also served as director of the Fontainebleau School in Paris and the American Academy in Rome. Learn more.
Highsmith, Patricia (1921 - 1995)
Writing and Barnard College gave Highsmith a "taste of freedom" from her troubled adolescence. Some of her first short stories were published in the Barnard Quarterly, although one story which was rejected by the Quarterly for being too disturbing later became an O. Henry Memorial Award Prize winner in 1946. Mentored by Truman Capote, Highsmith published her first novel, Strangers on a Train; Alfred Hitchcock quickly adapted the book to film. Highsmith pioneered lesbian fiction with The Price of Salt (1948). One of her most popular works is The Talented Mr. Ripley (1954), the first in a series of five novels. Ripley was made into a film starring Matt Damon in 1999. Learn more.
Hill, Lauryn (1975 - )
Singer, Songwriter
As a teenager, Hill joined with Wyclef Jean and Prakazrel Michel to form The Fugees. Their remake of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly" held number one for five weeks in 1996 and won a Grammy for best R&B vocal, while The Score took the award for best rap album. Hill's first solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) combines Motown, soul and hip-hop influences, and includes collaborations with Carlos Santana and Mary J. Blige. The album won five Grammy award, including best R&B song for "Doo Wop (That Thing)". Learn more.
Hoffman, Daniel
Hoffman, born in New York City, was educated at Columbia, earning a Ph.D. He's the author of nine books of poetry, including "Hang-Gliding from Helicon: New and Selected Poems"; "Middens of the Tribe," and "Brotherly Love," finalist for the National Book Award (1985). His poetry is noted for merging history, myth, and personal experience. He's won numerous awards, including the Ainsly Prize, National Institute of Arts and Letters Award, Phi Beta Kappa Poet Award and others. From 1973-74, he was Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, or "Poet Laureate." Hoffman taught English at Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania, where – although retired – he's still Poet-in-Residence.
Holden, Donald (1931 - )
Visual Arts
Painter, Sculptor, Art Historian
Holden spent every spare minute of his college career in New York's museums and galleries. Dissatisfied as a sculptor, he found his forte in small watercolors that seek intimacy with the viewer. Yellowstone Fire XIX (1991) and Monhegan Morning III (1993) have been featured in retrospectives at London's Curwen Gallery and at the Butler Institute of American Art. Holden has written over twenty books on art history and technique, including Whistler: Landscapes and Seascapes (1969), which was selected for the White House Library. Learn more.
Hollander, John
Poet/Literary Critic
Hollander attended Columbia and Indiana Universities and was Junior Fellow at Harvard University. He's published more than a dozen poetry books, including Picture Window , Figurehead: And Other Poems , Tesserae , Selected Poetry , Harp Lake, Powers of Thirteen, Spectral Emanations, Types of Shape, and A Crackling of Thorns. Hollander is also an editor and literary critic. Hollander won the Bollingen Prize, Levinson Prize, MLA Shaughnessy Medal, and fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts. Former Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and current poet laureate of Connecticut, he taught at several colleges before becoming English professor at Yale.
Holmes, John Clellon (1926 - 1988)
Fiction Writer
In 1952, Holmes propelled the phrase "Beat Generation" into the mainstream when The New York Times Magazine quoted his reference to Jack Kerouac's term. His best-known work, the novel Go, is a candid chronicle of bohemian characters modeled after Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady. In addition to novels, Holmes has written two volumes of poetry and a volume of travel essays. He was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 1976 and the Alexander Cappon Prize in 1978. Holmes was a professor at the University of Arkansas for ten years. Learn more.
Horton, Jr., Edward Everett (1886 - 1970)
Film, Theater
Horton left Columbia to make it on Broadway. After five years with various stock companies, he went to California and won fame after playin an aging bachelor in Springtime for Henry in 1932. Horton appeared in over one hundred films from the '20s through the '40s, often in quirky character and sidekick roles opposite the likes of Cary Grant, John Payne and James Stewart. Among his films are Trouble in Paradise (1932), The Merry Widow (1934), The Gay Divorcee (1934), Shall We Dance (1937) and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).Learn more.
Hosey, Lance (1964 - )
Lance Hosey is a nationally recognized architect, designer, writer and speaker. He is a founding Principal of ATMO / Atelier Modern, a Washington-based design enterprise focused on multidisciplinary collaboration and environmental innovation. In 2006 he won the prestigious annual fellowship from the Michael Kalil Endowment for Smart Design, and in 2002 he won the international competition to design the African-American Burial Ground Memorial at Monticello, the historic home of Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia. Hosey's commitment to social equity recently led him to found the Just Building Alliance, a non-profit think tank and advocacy group dedicated to promoting fair trade in the construction industry. Hosey received a Master of Architecture from Yale University, and he has taught at Yale, the University of Virginia, George Washington University and the Catholic University of America. Learn more.
Howard, Richard (1929 - )
Poet, Critic, Translator
Howard is credited with introducing French poetry and twentieth-century French fiction to English-speaking audiences. His translation of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal won the American Book Award in 1983. His poetry collection, Untitled Subjects, was awarded the 1970 Pulitzer Prize. His fourteen other poetry collections include Quantities (1962), Fellow Feelings (1976) and Paper Trail: Selected Prose 1965-2003. Howard's poetry has won the Levinson Prize, an American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters medal, and a Los Angeles Times Book Award. His translations have garnered a PEN American Center medal (1986) and a France-America Foundation Award (1987). Howard was honored with the National Book Critics Circle's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. He teaches in the Writing Division of the School of the Arts.Learn more.
Hoyt, Helen (1887 - 1972)
Hoyt worked as an associate editor of Poetry, and published widely. Her poetry collections include Apples Here in My Basket (1924), Leaves of Wild Grape (1929) and Poems of Amis (1946). Hoyt's work appears in several anthologies, including The New Poetry (1917) and The Second Book of Modern Verse (1920). Poems include "Ellis Park," "Memory," and "Lamp Post."
Hughes, Langston (1902 - 1967)
Literature, Theater
Poet, Playwright, Novelist
1921-22School of Mines
Harlem Renaissance poet and playwright Langston Hughes was dubbed the "Poet Laureate of the Negro Race" for his representations of the African American experience. He was already a published poet when he entered Columbia. The rhythms of jazz music infuse poetry collections such as The Weary Blues and other Poems (1926) and scripts for the musical Theater, such as Mulatto (1935). Hughes' first novel, Not Without Laughter won the 1930 Harman Gold Medal. Hughes oeuvre includes numerous poems, eleven plays and volumes of prose, including the Simple books. A lifetime ambassador of American culture, Hughes was instrumental in Franklin Roosevelt's Federal Theater Project. He traveled the United States, founded numerous Theater groups and lectured for a two-month State Department tour of Europe. Learn more.
Hurston, Zora Neale (1891 - 1960)
Writer and Anthropologist
As an undergraduate, Hurston studied anthropology under Franz Boaz and established herself as a voice of the Harlem Renaissance. Her work expresses the richness of African-American culture independent of white culture and racism. Hurston won two Guggenheim fellowships to study African American folklore in the South and the Caribbean; her research would fuel both her scholarly and creative writing. Mules and Men, a major anthropological work, was published in 1935. Their Eyes Were Watching God exhibits Hurston's mastery of African American folk culture. Hurston co-authored the play Mule Bone with Langston Hughes. Her autobiography, Dust Tracks on the Road, was published in 1942. Learn more.
Hurwitz, Tom (1947 - )
Film, Television
Cinematographer, Director
Over the course of his thirty-year career in documentary filmmaking for television and cinema, Hurwitz has won two Emmys (most recently for the PBS series Franklin in 2002) and a Sundance Award for Best Cinematography on Wild Man Blues, a documentary about Woody Allen's jazz career. Hurwitz has photographed films that have earned Academy Awards and nominations, including Dance Maker (1998). Some of Hurwitz's other projects are: Harlan County USA, Down and Out in America, Liberty, Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero, I Have a Dream, and Questioning Faith. Hurwitz has directed several films, such as Bombs Will Make the Rainbow Break (1983), which won the Cine Golden Eagle. Learn more.
Jaffe, Irma B.
Visual Arts
Art Historian
'58GS, GSAS, '66PhD
Jaffe entered Columbia after twenty years of raising a family. She became a curator at the Whitney Museum of Art and established Fordham University's fine arts department in 1968. Fowler has written a works on art history, numerous articles, and wrote and narrated the television series, Project Now: Introduction to Art History. Jaffe is a consultant for the Italian Encyclopedia Institute of New York. She has been honored with an Order of Merit by the Republic of Italy for her contributions to cross-cultural exchange.
Janeway, Elizabeth Hall (1913 - 2005)
Writer, Critic
Janeway first made her mark as a bestselling novelist with titles such as The Walsh Girls (1943), Daisy Kenyon (1943), Leaving Home (1953) and Accident (1963). Janeway also authored several books for young readers and edited collections on writing. In the 1970s, she turned to feminist nonfiction and developed friendships with Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem and Kate Millet. Among her published writings are Man's World, Woman's Place: A Study of Social Mythology (1971), Powers of the Weak (1980) and Improper Behavior (1987). Janeway has served as president of the Author's Guild and as a judge for the National Book Awards and the Pulitzer Prize.
Janowitz, Tama (1957 - )
Janowitz's debut postmodernist novel, American Dad, won praise for its fearlessness and satirical humor-qualities that have come to characterize her work. Janowitz's four other novels include Slave of New York (1981), for which Janowitz also wrote the screenplay, and A Certain Age (1999). Her stories have appeared in various publications including the Paris Review, and she is included in David Remnick's anthology, Wonderful Town: New York Stories from "The New Yorker" (2000). Janowitz's awards and honors include support from the NEA. Learn more.
Jaquiss, Nigel
Jaquiss has worked as a reporter at Willamette Week in Portland, Oregon since 1998. He won three national Education Writers Association First Place Awards, the 2005 Bruce Baer Award, Oregon's top journalism prize, the 2005 and 2006 Investigative Reporters and Editors' Award for weekly newspapers and the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for his work exposing former Governor of Oregon Goldschmidt's sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl while he was mayor of Portland, Oregon. The story was published in Willamette Week. Prior to joining the publication, Jaquiss traded oil for 11 years in New York and Singapore. Jaquiss graduated from Dartmouth College in 1984 with an English degree and from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1997.
Jarmusch, Jim (1953 - )
Director, Screenwriter
Jarmusch became a leader in independent cinema with his first film, Stranger than Paradise (1984), which won a Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was named Best Picture by the National Society of Film Critics. Jarmusch, who is influenced by French New Wave directors like Jean-Luc Godard, explores the contradiction between the American Dream and reality for those on the fringe. His other titles include Down By Law (1986), starring Tom Waits, Dead Man (1995), starring Johnny Depp, and Coffee and Cigarettes (2003). In 2005, Broken Flowers, starring Bill Murray, won the Grand Prize at Cannes. Learn more.
Jefferson, Margo
1971M.S., Faculty
Margo Jefferson is a former cultural critic for The New York Times. She joined the Times in 1993, as a book reviewer and theater critic. In 1995 she received a Pulitzer Prize for criticism. She has also been a staff writer for Newsweek and contributing editor to Vogue and 7Days. Her reviews and essays have also appeared in The Nation, Grand Street, The Village Voice, American Theater, Dance Ink, and Harper's. She's been a professor of Journalism at NYU, a lecturer in literature and popular culture at Columbia University, and is now a full time professor at the New School. She has also written a book on Michael Jackson (2006).
Margo Jefferson received her B.A. from Brandeis University and her M.S. from Columbia University.
Jong, Erica Mann (1942 - )
'63BC, '65GSAS, 1969-70SoA
Jong abandoned her pre-med studies at Barnard to immerse herself in Shakespeare, Pope, Blake and Keats. In an era when there were no women's studies courses, Jong looked to poets like Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath and Adrienne Rich for her literary heritage. Jong wrote her first novel, Fear of Flying (1973), after releasing several award-winning poetry collections, including Fruits and Vegetables (1971) and Half-Lives (1973). Fear of Flying generated a storm of controversy for its explicit exploration of female sexual fantasies; it has since sold over 11 million copies worldwide. Jong followed her debut novel with How to Save Your Own Life (1977) and Parachutes and Kisses (1984), which depict women in search of self-worth and creative fulfillment. Among Jong's many honors is the United Nations Award for Excellence in Literature. Learn more.
Jordan, June (1936 - 2002)
Poet, Writer
Harlem-born June Jordan emerged during the Civil Rights Movement as a voice for women, the disenfranchised and the disadvantaged. Among her collections of poetry are Soulscript: Afro-American Poetry (1970), which was a National Book Award finalist, New Days: Poems of Exile and Return (1973), and Kissing God Good-Bye: New Poems (1991-1997). Her children's books include National Book Award finalist His Own Where (1971) and the poetry collection Who Look at Me, in which Jordan completed an unfinished Langston Hughes project. Jordan's play, I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky (1995), won the Critics Award and the Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Arts Festival. Jordan was a professor of Afro-American Studies and of Women's Studies, and founded Voice of the Children, a creative writing program. Learn more.
Josephson, Matthew (1899 - 1978)
After dabbling in poetry and working on the Dadaist journals Secession and Broom in 1920s Paris, Josephson found his forte in historical biography. His first biography, Zola and His Time (1928) was celebrated for its rich style. His portraits of Jay Gould, John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie in The Robber Barons: The Great American Capitalists, 1861-1901, The Politicos (1938) and The President Makers (1940) are considered important reflections of historical attitudes. Josephson won a Francis Parkman Prize in 1960 for his biography of Thomas Edison and a Van Wyck Brooks Prize for his biography of Al Smith. His two memoirs, Life Among the Surrealists (1962) and Infidel in the Temple (1967) reflect the social concerns that drove Josephson's writing.
Julavits, Heidi (1968 - )
Author, Editor
Julavits is an American author and co-editor of The Believer magazine. She has been published in Esquire, The New York Times Book Review, Glamour, Time, and McSweeney's Quarterly. Her novels include The Mineral Palace (2000), The Effect of Living Backwards (2003), and The Uses of Enchantment (2006).
Kahn, Michael
Director, Artistic Director, Educator
As artistic director of The Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C., Michael Kahn has directed numerous Shakespeare productions, as well as classical plays and modern classics. Kahn has won five Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Director. Highlights of his Broadway credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Show Boat, for which Kahn earned a Tony nomination. Joseph Papp invited Kahn to direct Measure for Measure in Central Park after Kahn's Broadway and Off-Broadway successes. Kahn also directed the drama division of the Juilliard School, where he taught for more than 30 years, until 2006. Among his former students are William Hurt, Harvey Keitel, Kevin Kline, Kelly McGillis, Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams. In 1988, Kahn was awarded the John Houseman Award for his teaching.
Kalish, Gilbert (1935 - )
Gil Kalish is a famed pianist who has played with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players since 1969 and is a frequent guest artist with many of the world's most distinguished chamber ensembles. His thirty-year partnership with the great mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani was universally recognized as one of the most remarkable artistic collaborations of our time. As an educator he is Leading Professor and Head of Performance Activities at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Mr. Kalish's discography of some 100 recordings encompasses classical repertory, 20th Century masterworks and new compositions. In 1995 he was presented with the Paul Fromm Award by the University of Chicago Music Department for distinguished service to the music of our time. Learn more.
Kander, John (1927 - )
Kander is best known as half of the composer-lyricist team of Kander and Ebb. Their first big success, Cabaret, won the Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Score in 1966. The duo's other Tony-winning musicals include 70, Girls, 70 (1971), Chicago (1975, choreographed by Bob Fosse), Woman of the Year (1981), and The Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). Songs like "Maybe This Time," "All That Jazz," and "Nowadays" have showcased the talent of Broadway stars such as Liza Minnelli and Barbara Streisand. Kander has been honored with two Emmys, a Grammy, three Tonys, the President's Award of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theater. Learn more.
Kaufman, George S. (1889 - 1961)
Playwright, Director
Kaufman, known for his quick wit, wrote oft-quoted one-liners, such as the prolific insults fired off by the title character in The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939). He collaborated on forty-five Broadway productions, of which twenty-seven were hits. Kaufman won Pulitzer Prizes for the political satire Of Thee I Sing (1932) and You Can't Take it With You (1937). Among Kaufman's oft-revived plays are The Royal Family (1927), Once in a Lifetime (1930), Dinner at Eight (1932), and Merrily We Roll Along (1934). Kaufman's work outside of comedy includes directing the original productions of Guys and Dolls, which won him a Tony Award, and Of Mice and Men. He was elected to the Theater Hall of Fame in 1972. Learn more.
Kazin, Alfred (1915 - 1998)
Kazin was a writer and critic of American literature who emphasized cultural and historical context. His 1942 survey, On Native Grounds, reinterpreted writers from William Dean Howells to William Faulkner. Later works of criticism include The Inmost Leaf (1955) and An American Procession (1984). Kazin published several memoirs, beginning with his childhood as a Russian-Jewish Brooklyn immigrant in A Walker in the City (1951), New York Jew (1978) and Our New York (1990). He served as the literary editor of The New Republic. Among his honors are the George Polk Memorial Award for Criticism, the Brandeis University Creative Arts Award and a Modern Language Association Medal. He was a Guggenheim, Rockefeller and National Endowment for the Humanities senior fellow. Learn more.
Kent, Rockwell (1882 - 1971)
Visual Arts
Painter, Printmaker, Illustrator
Kent began painting to assist his mother with the china-making business they ran after his father died. Although he was a practicing architect, Kent is best known for his illustrations of industrial workers, his own Arctic travels and works of literature such as Shakespeare's plays, Moby Dick, The Canterbury Tales, Candide and Beowulf. A communist, Kent won the Lenin Peace Prize in 1967 and gave the money to the people of North Vietnam. Among his first critically acclaimed paintings was "Winter" (1907); "The Seiners" (1910-13) was the first modern American painting to be hung in the Frick Collection. Kent's oil paintings later appeared in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, the Brooklyn Museum, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and the Hermitage in Leningrad. Learn more.
Kerouac, Jack (1922 - 1969)
Kerouac spent two years at Columbia, befriending fellow Beat Generation icon and Columbian Allen Ginsberg, before an injury cost Kerouac his football scholarship. Kerouac's most famous work is the novel On the Road, which he wrote over a frenzied three-week period in 1950. This autobiographical account of cross-country travels defined a generation of American youth who felt stifled by the conformity of Post-War America. Kerouac's subsequent works include The Dharma Bums (1958), which reflects his exploration of Buddhism, and The Subterraneans (1958). His volumes of poetry include Mexico City Blues: Two Hundred Forty-Two Choruses (1959), and Someday You'll Be Lying (1968). Learn more.
Kirkland, Jack (1902 - 1969)
Film, Theater
Playwright, Actor, Director
Kirkland's 1933 adaptation of Tobacco Road, Erskine Caldwell's novel set in the Georgia backwater, ran on Broadway for seven years. Kirkland wrote or contributed to over a dozen screenplays, including the film adaptation of Tobacco Road (1941), as well as Now and Forever (1934) starring Shirley Temple and Gary Cooper, Wings in the Dark (1935) starring Cary Grant, and Le Carrosse D'or (1953). He later directed and produced at the Virginia Museum Theater, the Wayside Theater (VA) and the Lakewood Theater Company (MA). Learn more.
Kisselgoff, Anna (1938 - )
'62GS, '63Journalism
Kisselgoff was the chief dance critic of The New York Times from 1977 to 2005. She has reviewed the work of Martha Graham, Mark Morris and George Balanchine among countless others. As a student, Kisselgoff trained with Jean Yazvinsky of Diaghilev's Ballet Russes. In 1983, she published Ballet: Joffrey Performs Ashton's Illuminations and contributed to ballerina Bronislava Nijinska's memoirs. Kisselgoff has been honored by the governments of Denmark (1986), France (1990) and Iceland (2002). She has received the Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement from GSAS (2000) and the School of Journalism's Distinguished Alumni Award (1991). Learn more.
Kitt, Thomas
Music, Theater
TOM KITT is the composer and co-orchestrator of the Broadway musical Next to Normal, for which he received two Tony Awards for Best New Score (with Brian Yorkey) and Best Orchestrations (with Michael Starobin). Tom is also the composer of High Fidelity (Broadway), From Up Here (MTC) and The Retributionists (Playwrights Horizons). As a musical director, conductor, arranger and orchestrator, credits include 13, Debbie Does Dallas, Everyday Rapture, Hair, Laugh Whore and Urban Cowboy. Tom provided string arrangements for Green Day's Grammy-winning album, 21st Century Breakdown. He is the proud leader of the Tom Kitt Band (www.tomkittband.com), whose songs have been featured in film and TV.Learn more.
Kizer, Carolyn
Carolyn Kizer, poet, studied at Sarah Lawrence (BA), Columbia University, and the University of Washington, Seattle. A founding editor of Poetry Northwest (1959-65), she also served as its editor. From 1966 to 1970, she was the first Director of the Literature Program at the National Endowment for the Arts. She authored eight books of poetry including Yin; Yin won a Pulitzer Prize in 1985. Kizer is particularly known for her feminist poetry, i.e. "Mermaids in the Basement: Poems for Women (1984). In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, she won an American Academy of Arts and Letters award, Frost Medal, John Masefield Memorial Award and Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Award. A former Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets, she lives in California and Paris.
Kleban, Edward (1939 - 1987)
Edward "Ed" Kleban was an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. A graduate of Columbia University, Kleban wrote lyrics for the Broadway hit "A Chorus Line" for which he won both a Tony award and Pulitzer Prize. Kleban also wrote music for "The Variety Show" and worked at Columbia Records, producing albums by Igor Stravinsky and Percy Faith. Kleban also taught at B.M.I Musical Theater Workshop. After his death in 1987 of cancer, his will contained provisions for establishing the Kleban Foundation which provides two awards annually for the most promising librettist and lyricist in American musical theater.
Knopf, Alfred A. (1892 - 1984)
Knopf was just twenty-five when he founded his own publishing firm in 1915. At first, the firm emphasized European authors, from Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir to Knut Hamsun; later Knopf brought in such American writers as Langston Hughes, John Updike and Willa Cather. Knopf is remembered for the quality of both his authors and his design and production standards. In 1960, Knopf consolidated the firm with Random House, run by fellow Columbian Bennet Alfred Cerf. Knopf was awarded the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Graphic Arts (1950), the Alexander Hamilton Medal from Columbia University (1966), the Francis Parkman Silver Medal from the Society of American Historians (1974) and the Association of American University Presses' award for distinguished service to the field.
Koch, Howard (1902 - 1995)
Film, Theater
Screenwriter, Playwright
Koch collaborated with Julian and Philip Epstein on the Oscar-winning screenplay for Casablanca (1942), which contributed the classic lines "Here's looking at you, kid," and "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Koch also collaborated with Orson Welles on the radio adaptation of War of the Worlds, which caused pandemonium when listeners believed the tale of alien invasion was real news. Among Koch's other screenplays are The Sea Hawk (1940) starring Errol Flynn, Oscar nominees The Letter (1940) and Sergeant York (1941), starring Gary Cooper and the controversial Mission to Moscow (1943), which contributed to Koch's blacklisting by the HUAC Committee in the 1950s. He lived in England and continued to write for film and television under pseudonyms through the 1980s. Learn more.
Koch, Kenneth (1925 - 2002)
Writer, Poet
'53GSAS, '59PhD
Koch was among the founding members of the avant-garde poetic movement known as the New York School. He used modernist, surrealist and lyrical techniques to create humorous, loosely structured, imaginative poetic commentary. Among some thirty poetry collections are Poems (1953), Thank You and Other Poems (1962), The Pleasures of Peace and Other Subjects (1969), The Duplications (1977), and A Possible World (2002), issued posthumously. Koch was a three-time Fulbright scholarship winner and winner of the 1995 Bollingen Prize and the 1996 Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry. He taught at CUNY, Columbia and the New School. Learn more.
Kohn, Robert (1870 - 1953)
Kohn was one of the School of Architecture's first graduates. Several of his Manhattan works have been declared historic landmarks, such as the Vienna Succession-style Garrison Building (1916-1917), designed for the New York Evening Post. Kohn worked with Charles Butler and Clarence Stein to design Temple Emanu-El on Fifth Avenue. The Romanesque Revival temple was finished in 1927 and became the world's largest synagogue-the main sanctuary seats 2,500 and its ceilings are 103 feet high. Opposite the temple on Central Park West stands the stark limestone hall of the New York Society for Ethical Culture, designed by Kohn in 1910. In 1930, Kohn was commissioned to complete the extension of Macy's Herald Square. The building, which extends from Broadway to Seventh Avenue, comprises an entire city block and is the world's largest department store. Kohn served as President of the American Institute of Architects from 1930 to 1932.
Koppel, Lily (1981 - )
Journalist, Writer
At the age of 22, shortly after graduating from Barnard, Lily Koppel discovered a diary that had been stored in the basement of her uptown apartment building for decades. The diary chronicles a privileged Manhattan teenager's experiences from 1929 to 1934, and inspired Koppel to track down its author, Florence Wolfson (herself a Columbia graduate with a master's in English). After writing several articles for The New York Times about the diary and her search for its owner, Koppel published The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming a Life through the Pages of a Lost Journal (2008), a book that combines diary entries with interviews and anecdotes. Koppel writes for The New York Times and other publications. Learn more.
Koren, Edward (1935 - )
Visual Arts
Cartoonist, Illustrator, Painter
Koren has published some nine hundred cartoons in The New Yorker since 1962, using whimsical furry monsters to poke fun at the middle class and the middle-aged. Koren is also a painter and illustrator. His children's literature includes Don't Talk to Strange Bears (1969) and Behind the Wheel (1972), and his work is collected in Are You Happy? (1980) and The Penguin Edward Koren (1982), among other titles. Koren has been an adjunct associate professor of art at Brown University since 1977. He was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 1970. Learn more.
Krasna, Norman (1909 - 1984)
Film, Theater
Producer, Director, Screenwriter, Playwright
Krasna wore many hats during his film and stage careers. He won an Academy Award in 1943 for his screenplay Princess O'Rourke, and three more of his screenplays won Oscar nominations: The Richest Girl in the World (1934), Fury (1936), starring Spencer Tracy, and The Devil and Miss Jones (1941). Fritz Lang directed his script for You and Me (1938), and Alfred Hitchcock directed Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941). Krasna himself helmed The Big Hangover (1950), featuring a young Elizabeth Taylor, and The Ambassador's Daughter, with Olivia de Havilland (1956). Krasna's most enduring film is the 1954 Bing Crosby/Danny Kaye holiday favorite, White Christmas. Broadway successes include Dear Ruth (1944), John Loves Mary (1947), and Sunday in New York (1961). Learn more.
Krim, Arthur B. (1910 - 1994)
Producer, Executive
As chairman of United Artists from 1951-1978, Krim pulled the firm out of hard times and oversaw production successes like High Noon (1957). During the 1970s, UA films won three best picture Academy Awards in a row, for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Rocky (1976) and Annie Hall (1977). Krim left UA to found Orion Pictures in 1978, serving as its chairman until 1992. He had a hand in over a thousand Orion films, including 10 (1979), Arthur (1979), and Excalibur (1981). Krim has been decorated by the Italian and French governments. He was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1975) and Columbia's Alexander Hamilton Medal.
Kruger, Otto (1885 - 1974)
Film, Theater
A 1920s Broadway icon, Kruger performed in thirty Broadway productions between his 1915 debut in The Natural Law and his last bow in 1949. Plays include Eugene O'Neill's The Straw, Noel Coward's Private Lives (1931), and John Steinbeck's The Moon is Down (1942). In Hollywood, Kruger's articulate, smooth veneer suited him for roles as doctors, lawyers and villains in films such as Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942) and Hitler's Children (1943). He was equally successful in comedies like Thanks for the Memory with Bob Hope (1938). Kruger acted in over seventy films as well as numerous television shows. Learn more.
Krutch, Joseph Wood (1893 - 1970)
'16GSAS, '29PhD
Krutch's academic career at Columbia included associate professorships at the School of Journalism and the Department of English, and the Brander Matthews Professorship in Dramatic Literature (1943-1952). Krutch was best known, however, as The Nation's drama critic, for which he attended over two thousand Broadway performances and published more than five hundred reviews. Krutch published works on drama and nature, including studies of Samuel Johnson and Henry Thoreau, and the works Human Nature and the Human Condition (1959) and The Desert Year (1977). He won the Emerson-Thoreau Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1967), the Burroughs Medal for nature writing (1954), and the 1955 National Book Award for nonfiction for The Measure of Man. Learn more.
Kushner, Tony (1957 - )
Tony Kushner has published over fifteen works for Theater, most notably his seven-hour, two-part epic Broadway play, Angels in America. Angels, which explores life with AIDS in the 1980s and '90s, won Kushner a Pulitzer Prize for drama and two Tony Awards in 1993 and 1994. Kushner's homosexuality, Judaism, and socialism lend perspective to his unabashedly political productions. Among his notable works are A Bright Room Called Day (1991), A Dybbuk; or Between Two Worlds (1997, Homebody/Kabul (2002), and his musical Caroline, or Change, which opened on Broadway in 2002.Learn more.
Lahiri, Jhumpa (1967 - )
Within ten years of graduating from Barnard, Lahiri had earned a PhD in Renaissance Studies and published her debut short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies, which won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Lahiri's work explores Indian identity and the Indian immigrant experience, which she knows first hand from her childhood in London to Bengali-born parents and visits to her extended family in Calcutta. Lahiri followed her debut with a collection of photography, India Holy Song (2000), and a novel, The Namesake (2003). Lahiri was named one of the twenty best young writers in America by The New Yorker, and she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2002 and a Columbia University Medal of Excellence in 2005. Learn more.
LaSalle, Jake and Marty (1984 - )
Athletic Artistry
Marty and Jake are identical twin brothers who from a very young age showed a remarkable propensity for the sport of gymnastics, particularly leap-frogging. After beginning their formal training at age 8, they soon took up juggling as well. Recognizing their talent and enthusiasm for the discipline, coach Benji Hill brought the twins under his tutelage, and encouraged them to develop their unique style of acrobatic-juggling. The twins have gone on to perform in various professional venues around the world including numerous Halftime shows and the Big Apple Circus. Although they limited their performances during their time at Columbia (in which Jake followed the pre-medical curriculum and Marty studied developmental economics) both brothers decided to continue their performance careers after graduation. Learn more.
Latouche, John (1917 - 1956)
Playwright, Lyricist
Cabin in the Sky (1940) was John Latouhe's first Broadway hit in a career that would lead to collaborations with Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein and George Balanchine. Latouche contributed the book or lyrics to more than fifteen Broadway musicals, including Pins and Needles (1937); Golden Apple (1954), which won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical; The Ballad of Baby Doe, which premiered at the New York City Opera in 1956; and Candide, which earned a Tony nomination for Best Musical in 1956. Learn more.
Lax, Robert (1915 - 2000)
Between 1941 and 1967, Lax edited and contributed to The New Yorker, Time and Jubilee. He is remembered for his spare, allegorical poetry likening life to the circus; Circus Days & Nights, was published posthumously in 2000. Lax published over thirty volumes of minimalist poetry during his lifetime, often in collaboration with photographer and visual artists inspired by his work. Lax's titles include The Juggler (1956), Rosebud Is (1976), The Port Was Longing (1984) and The Hill (1999). He won a National Council of the Arts award in 1969. Learn more.
Lee, Rowland (1891 - 1975)
Film, Theater
Actor, Screenwriter, Director
Lee started on Broadway as an actor and made his way to Hollywood when the moving picture was born. He went on to write and direct over a dozen screenplays, including The Secret Hour (1928), The Count of Monte Cristo (1934), The Three Musketeers (1935), and The Big Fisherman (1959), starring Howard Keel, which was nominated for three Oscars. Lee directed nearly forty other films, including the Cary Grant comedy The Toast of New York (1937) and the horror pictures The Wolf of Wall Street (1929), starring George Bancroft, and The Son of Frankenstein (1939), starring Boris Karloff. Learn more.
Lehman, David (1948 - )
Poet, Editor, Critic
'70CC, '78PhD
Lehman has authored five books of poems, including Operation Memory (1990), Valentine Place (1996), and The Daily Mirror: A Journal in Poetry (2000). His poems have appeared The Yale Review, The Paris Review, the Times Literary Supplement and Verse. He is the editor of The Best American Poetry series and is general editor of the University of Michigan Press's Poets on Poetry series. Lehman has a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship (1987), and has won the Bennett A. Cerf Prize for Poetry (1973) for "Baby Burning," and the Academy of American Poets Prize (1974) for "Threatening Weather." He was a finalist for the 1986 National Book Critics Circle Citation for Excellence in Reviewing. He is editing the next edition of the Oxford Book of American Poetry. Learn more.
Lelyveld, Joseph
Joseph Lelyveld's career at The New York Times spanned nearly four decades and included stints as a foreign correspondent in India and South Africa, foreign editor, managing editor, and executive editor. He is the author of Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White, which won the Pulitzer Prize, and he is the recipient of two George Polk Awards and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Since retiring from the Times, he has written for The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine, and published a memoir, Omaha Blues. He lives in New York City. Lelyveld attended Harvard and also Journalism School at Columbia.
Levenson, Sam (1911 - 1980)
Comedian, Writer
Although Levenson intended his MA in Romance Languages to lead to a career in education, his brand of "folk humor" led him from master of ceremonies gigs at regional resorts to the New York City nightclub scene. Levenson enjoyed guest appearances on the Jack Benny, Milton Berle and Ed Sullivan shows before signing a five-year contract to host The Sam Levenson Show. Levenson published a number of humorous books, including Sex and the Single Child (1969), In One Era and Out the Other (1973) and You Can Say That Again, Sam! (1975). He was invited to entertain President Eisenhower, and he supported numerous charities.
Levi, Julian (1874 - 1971)
After designing the Seligman Building near Wall Street for architect Herbert D. Hale, Levi founded his own firm, Taylor & Levi, where he practiced from 1907-1954 and remained a partner until 1962. Taylor & Levi designed numerous residences in New York, including at 205 West 57th Street and 695 Sixth Avenue, as well as in New Jersey and Virginia. The firm designed the Ãclair Moving Picture Studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey, one of the nation's first film studios. In 1930, Levi founded and chaired the Architects Emergency Committee, which employed thousands of architects during the Depression. Levi had a hand in the U.S. Pavilion at the 1937 Paris International Exposition and the Roumanian House at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Lifton, Betty Jean (1926 - )
Whether they are her audience or her subject, Lifton's writing focuses on children. Among her titles for young readers are The One-Legged Ghost (1968) and The Dwarf Pine Tree (1963), which are inspired by East Asian folklore and philosophy. Lifton explains the tragedies of World War II and the Vietnam War to young readers in Return to Hiroshima (1970), which won her an award from the New York Herald Tribune, and the National Book Award-nominated Children of Vietnam (1975). An adopted child herself, Lipton has explored adoption in Tell Me a Real Adoption Story (1993), the nonfiction Journey of the Adopted Self, in which she argues for openness with young children, and Twice Born: Memoir of an Adopted Daughter (1998). Learn more.
Lipsyte, Robert (1938 - )
Journalist, Writer
Lipsyte began writing as a reporter for The New York Times in 1959 and a columnist in 1967. His young adult fiction includes the debut novel The Contender (1967), which was praised for accurately capturing the adolescent experiences of a young boxer. The trilogy One Fat Summer (1977), Summer Rules (1981) and Summerboy (1982) was also met with praise; in 2001, Lipsyte was honored by the Young Adult Library Services Association for his lifetime contribution to young adult literature. In the 1980s, Lipsyte broke into television as a correspondent with CBS and NBC, and hosted PBS's The Eleventh Hour, which brought him an Emmy Award in 1990. Lipsyte has written biographies of athletes such as Jim Thorpe (1993), Joe Louis (1994) and Michael Jordan (1994). He is a columnist for USA Today. Learn more.
Lipton, Seymour (1903 - 1986)
Visual Arts
Lipton was practicing dentistry when he had his first solo exhibition in 1938. His best known works include Moloch (1946), Sanctuary (1953), Prophet (1956), Manuscript (1960) and Gateway (1964). Lipton's nine-foot tall Archangel was unveiled in Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall in 1964. His work has been exhibited internationally and is a part of the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum and the Brooklyn Museum. Among Lipton's many honors are the Architectural League's Sculpture Award (1960, 1962), the Perini Award (1962), and the George Widener Gold Medal from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (1968).
Lonergan, Arthur (1906 - 1989)
Art Director
Lonergan worked in watercolors at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris before applying his skills to the film adaptation of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty. Lonergan was art director for over fifty films, including It's A Big Country (1951), The Tender Trap (1955) starring Frank Sinatra, the classic horror film Forbidden Planet (1956), My Geisha starring Shirley MacLaine (1962), Che!(1969) starring Omar Sharif, and the Oscar-winning M*A*S*H (1970). Lonergan earned an Academy Award nomination for Art Direction for The Oscar in 1966.
Lopate, Philip (1943 - )
Writer, Poet, Film Critic
Lopate's first published work, The Eyes Don't Always Want to Stay Open: Poems and a Japanese Tale, appeared in 1972. Being With Children (1975) narrates ten years working with at-risk children in New York City Schools and includes some of the children's poetry; the work won him the Christopher Society Medal. Although he is a critically acclaimed fiction writer, Lopate is best known for the personal essays he's collected in Bachelorhood: Tales of the Metropolis (1981), Against Joie de Vivre (1989) and Portrait of My Body (1996), which was a finalist for the PEN Best Essay Book of the Year award. Lopate has also edited The Art of the Personal Essay (1994) and the Library of America's Writing New York (1998), cited by the New York Society Library. His poetry, prose and criticism have appeared in the Paris Review, The Village Voice and The New York Times. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, two NEA grants and two New York Foundation for the Arts grants. Lopate teaches at Hofstra University, Columbia's School of the Arts, the New School and Bennington. His book American Movie Critics appeared in 2006. Learn more.
Lorber, Richard (1946 - )
As a founder of Fox Lorber, a leader in the distribution of critically acclaimed foreign films, award winning American independent features, and classics, Richard Lorber built a worldwide media business. He has also worked in various roles in education for The Museum of Modern Art, served on grant advising panels for The New York State Council on the Arts, wrote regularly for Artforum and other periodicals, and was an assistant professor on the graduate faculty of NYU. He was appointed to the board of trustees of the Metropolitan College of New York, where he now serves as chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee and is advisor to the MBA program in the school's Media Management Institute.
Lorca, Federico GarcÃa (1898 - 1936)
GarcÃa Lorca's work criticized the social, political and religious oppression of southern Spain's Andalusia region while celebrating its linguistic, musical and folk traditions. His poetry collection, The Gypsy Ballads, garnered him renowned throughout the Spanish-speaking world in 1919. In the 1920s, GarcÃa Lorca was influenced by the Ultraist movement and his friendships with Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel. After spending a year in New York, during which he studied English at Columbia, Lorca formed a Theater company. He later toured provincial Spain to bring theater to the common people, and authored his best-known works: Blood Wedding (1933), Yerma (1934), and The House of Bernarda Alba (1936), which explore the tragedies of women bound by social strictures. GarcÃa-Lorca's execution by Fascist forces at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War remains one of twentieth-century Spain's enduring mysteries; it is suspected that he was murdered for leftist sympathies or his homosexuality. Learn more.
Ludwig, William (1912 - 1999)
Ludwig contributed to the story or screenplay of nearly thirty Hollywood movies from the 1930s through the '50s. Ludwig wrote for MGM Studio's Hardy Boys series, starring Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone, as well as the Lassie series. He collaborated on the screenplay for the film adaptation of Rogers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! in 1955, for which he and Sonya Levien won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical. He also had a hand in the screenplays for The Great Caruso (1951), nominated by the Writers Guild, the musical The Merry Widow (1952), and romantic comedies like The Student Prince (1954). Ludwig won the Oscar for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay for Interrupted Melody (1955), about the life of Australian-born opera star Marjorie Lawrence and her battle with polio. His role in founding the Screen Writers Guild (now the Writers Guild of America), earned him the Guild's Founder Award in 1993.Learn more.
Luftig, Hal
Luftig has been a big name on Broadway since Jelly's Last Jam (1992) was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical and won a Tony. Luftig was associate producer of Tony Kushner's groundbreaking plays Angels in America (1993) and Perestroika (1993), each of which garnered a Tony for Best Play, and for the Tony-winning revival of The King and I in 1996. In 1998, High Society was nominated for Outstanding New Musical (Drama Desk Award), and The Diary of Anne Frank for Best Revival of a Play (Tony). Luftig won Tonys for the revival of Annie Get Your Gun and again Thoroughly Modern Millie, which also took the Drama Desk Award. He helped bring the Tony and Drama Desk award nominee Movin' Out to the stage in 2003. Learn more.
Lumet, Sidney (1924 - )
Film, Television
With over twenty years of stage acting experience behind him, Lumet gravitated toward television and film direction. Half of his film projects originated in the Theater, and he proved most successful with serious psychological dramas and character studies of men in crisis. His first venture, Twelve Angry Men (1957), won him Oscar, a Golden Globe nomination and awards from the Berlin International Film Festival and the Directors Guild of America. Other films include Child's Play (1972) and Murder on the Orient Express (1974). Lumet's earned three additional Best Director nominations for Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982). Lumet has worked with Marlon Brando, Katharine Hepburn, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, Lauren Bacall, Al Pacino and Paul Newman. His memoir, Making Movies (1995), chronicles his experiences in the industry. In 2005, Lumet won the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Learn more.
Lynne, Michael (1941 - )
Lynne attended the Columbia School of Law with Robert Shaye, who would go on to found New Line Cinema. In 1984, Shaye hired Lynne as General Counsel and Board Member of New Line, where he helped the company invest in television to raise profits. In 1990, Lynne was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of the company. New Line has maintained independent film production throughout buyouts by Turner Broadcasting System and mergers with Time Warner. The studio's hits have included The Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Few Good Men (1992), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Boogie Nights (1997), Wag the Dog (1997), Pleasantville (1998), The Wedding Singer (1998), Magnolia (1999), About Schmidt (2002), the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), and Wedding Crashers (2005). Learn more.
Macaronne, Nick
Graduate of SoA, MFA (Acting)
MacArthur, John (1956 - )
Writer, Editor
MacArthur convinced the foundation named in his grandfather's honor to save Harper's magazine in the early 1980s; he has since edited the nation's oldest general interest monthly through a comeback. MacArthur's own writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Star and the Chicago Sun-Times. He has published several nonfiction works, including Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the Gulf War (1992), and The Selling of "Free Trade": NAFTA (2000), each championing freedom of the press and American democratic institutions while arguing against the use of propaganda and pre-packaged news. He is a cofounder of the Article 19 International Centre on Censorship in London, and he directs the Committee to Protect Journalists, the J. Roderick MacArthur Foundation and the Death Penalty Information Center. Learn more.
MacMahon, Aline (1899 - 1991)
Film, Radio, Television
MacMahon made her Broadway debut a year after graduating from Barnard. Her fifty-year career on stage, radio, television and film included an Oscar nomination for her role opposite Katharine Hepburn in Dragon Seed (1944). She appeared on Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's Beyond the Horizon (1926), T. S. Eliot's The Confidential Clerk (1954), the Drama Desk Award-winning Pictures in the Hallway (1956) and Tad Mosel's Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Way Home (1960). Her film career led to work with Lionel Barrymore, Marlene Deitrich, Burt Lancaster and Joan Crawford, in movies such as One Way Passage (1932), Ah, Wilderness! (1935), The Flame and Arrow (1950), and The Eddie Cantor Story (1953). MacMahon's final performance was in Trelawney of the "Wells" in 1975 alongside Meryl Streep. Learn more.
Malamud, Bernard (1914 - 1986)
Malamud's childhood among Russian Jewish immigrants on Manhattan's Lower East Side informs many of his seven novels and six story collections. His first book, The Natural (1952), explores the American Dream of a young baseball player. His second work, The Assistant (1957), follows a gentile thief who works and lives with the Jewish grocer whom he used to rob. The Magic Barrel, a collection of short stories with influences from Yiddish folktales and traditions, won the 1958 National Book Award. His 1966 novel, The Fixer, won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize-the novel is based on an infamous anti-Semitic case in Kiev in which a Jew was imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. The Fixer, The Angel Levine, The Natural and The First Seven Years were all adapted to feature film. Among Malamud's many awards are two O. Henry Prizes (1969, 1973), the Vermont Governor's Award (1979), and the Gold Medal for fiction of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Learn more.
Mangold, James (1963 - )
Director, Screenwriter
When James Mangold arrived at Columbia's Film Division, his film career had just encountered a setback. After early success-signing a development deal with Disney at the age of 21, weeks after graduating from California Institute of the Arts-Mangold had been fired from his first directorial assignment three days into shooting and had lost his Disney contract. At Columbia, his mentor, Milos Forman, helped him recover lost ground. Mangold has since become known for depicting characters' internal conflicts with sensitivity and insight. His films include 3:10 to Yuma (2007), Walk the Line (2005), Kate and Leopald (2001), and Girl, Interrupted (1999). Learn more.
Mankiewicz, Herman (1897 - 1953)
Mankiewicz wrote titles for more than twenty-five silent films, and his penchant for one-liners and witty humor was well suited to early talkies. Mankiewicz co-authored Orson Welles' Citizen Kane (1941), which won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated in eight other categories. He also wrote Girl Crazy (1932), Dinner at Eight (1933), It's a Wonderful World (1939) and The Pride of the Yankees (1942) about the life of Lou Gehrig, and co-wrote or polished dozens of scripts for which he was often not credited, including The Wizard of Oz (1939). Learn more.
Mankiewicz, Joseph (1909 - 1993)
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Mankiewicz' career as screenwriter, director and producer spanned more than fifty years of American cinema. His first Oscar-nominated film was Skippy (1931), which he followed with the W. C. Fields classics Million Dollar Legs (1932) and If I Had a Million (1933). His successes as a producer include The Philadelphia Story (1940) and Woman of the Year (1942)-the first pairing of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Mankiewicz was the first man to win consecutive Oscars for directing and writing, with A Letter to Three Wives (1949) and All About Eve (1950). His other directing credits include such classic films as Julius Caesar (1953), starring Marlon Brando, The Barefoot Contessa (1954), with Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner, Guys and Dolls (1955), with Frank Sinatra, and The Quiet American (1958). In 1986, he received the D. W. Griffith Award of the Directors Guild for lifetime achievement.
Martin, Agnes (1912 - 2004)
Visual Arts
Although Canadian Agnes Martin lived on the Lower East Side in the 1950s and '60s, her paintings were influenced by her years in the American Southwest. Much of her work took the form of six-foot-square canvases illuminated with bands of color over horizontal graphite lines. Martin enjoyed retrospective exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Pennsylvania (1973) and the Whitney Museum (1992). Her work hangs in the Tate Gallery in London, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and major American institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney, the Guggenheim and the Hirschorn Museum. She published a memoir, Writings, in 1992. Martin was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton in 1998 and a lifetime achievement award from the Women's Caucus for Art.Learn more.
Mastin, Florence Ripley (1886 - 1968)
Mastin's first volume, Green Leaves, appeared in 1918, and Cables of Cobweb followed in 1935. Her work appeared regularly in Poetry magazine and The New York Herald Tribune. Between 1915 and 1960, Mastin published nearly one hundred poems in The New York Times. "At the Movies" (1919), a poignant female reaction to the horrors of World War I, is anthologized in A Treasury of War Poetry (1919). Moved again by the tragedies of World War II, Mastin composed "Bombers Over Tokyo" (1944) and "Gold Star Mother" (1945). New York State chose "Freedom's Dream" as its official poem in 1960.
Matteson, John
John Matteson has an A.B. in History from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in English from Columbia University. He also holds a law degree from Harvard University and has practiced as a litigation attorney in California and North Carolina. He has written articles for The Harvard Theological Review, Architectural Record, CrossCurrents, New England Quarterly, Streams of William James, and other publications. He received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for his book Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father. He has taught literature and legal writing at John Jay College since 1997.
Matthews, Brander (1852 - 1929)
Scholar, Critic, Playwright
Matthews was regarded as the nation's leading drama critic and historian at the turn of the twentieth century. He tried his hand at Theater in the late 1800s, producing A Gold Mine (1887) and On Probation (1889). His authoritative writing on the Theater includes French Dramatists of the 19th Century (1881), The Development of the Drama (1903), Moliere (1910), Shakespeare as a Playwright (1913) and Playwrights on Playmaking (1923). Columbia President Seth Low created a professorship for Matthews, making Matthews the nation's first professor of dramatic literature. Matthews left the University his collection of Theater memorabilia, from photographs to model sets to manuscripts, with an endowment for its expansion and preservation. Matthews served as President of the Modern Language Association (1910), President of the National Institute of Arts and Letters (1913) and Chancellor of the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1922-1924). Learn more.
Mayo, Archie (1891 - 1968)
Film, Theater
Actor, Director, Producer
Mayo moved from the stage to Hollywood in 1915, where he earned gag roles before directing slapsticks. He began directing feature films for Warner Brothers in 1926, just as the studio was adding sound to pictures. Mayo directed such greats as John Barrymore in Svengali (1931), James Cagney in The Mayor of Hell (1933), and George Raft and Bette Davis in Bordertown (1935). Other films include They Shall Have Music (1939) and A Night in Casablanca (1946). Learn more.
McCaffery, John K. M. (1914 - 1983)
Radio, Television
McCaffery was seen and heard on American television and radio for nearly three decades as a newscaster, master of ceremonies and quiz-show host. He broadcasted the "11th Hour News" on NBC from 1952 until 1963, beginning the program each program with the signature line, "What kind of day has it been?" McCaffery was also hosted the radio/television show, "The Author Meets the Critics" on CBS, as well as the game show, "What Makes You Tick?" McCaffery's other work included instructing English at Pratt and City College, and editing the fiction section of American Magazine.
McCullers, Carson (1917 - 1967)
McCullers, a leading 20th century writer of southern gothic fiction, was born Lulu Smith in Georgia. She originally aspired to be a musician, moving to NY reportedly to study at Juilliard but abandoned this idea after suffering rheumatic fever. Working odd jobs, McCullers turned to writing, taking creative writing classes at Columbia University and NYU. McCullers' first novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, (1940) garnered critical praise and commercial success. Her talents and lifestyle attracted other creative talents including Truman Capote; she shared living quarters with Leonard Bernstein and Richard Wright. Longtime friend, Tennessee Williams, collaborated with McCullers on a stage adaptation of her novel, The Member of the Wedding, which won the 1950 Drama Critics' Circle Award.
McFadden, Mary (1938 - )
McFadden studied fashion in Paris at L'Ecole Lubec and the Sorbonne, and sociology at Columbia. Her popular designs for tunics and pants inspired by travels to South Africa were featured in Vogue magazine in the 1970s. Subsequent collections have been inspired by her travels to Greece, Byzantium, South America and China. McFadden's signature pleating style, called "Marii," set trends in eveningwear, and her work, commonly described as "wearable art," remains popular. McFadden's awards include the Coty American Fashion Critics Award (1976, 1978, 1979), the Audemars Piquet Fashion Award (1976), the Rex Award (1977), the Neiman Marcus Award (1979) and the American Printed Fabrics Council Tommy Award (1991). Learn more.
McNally, Terrence (1939 - )
Film, Theater
Playwright, Screenwriter
McNally's forty-year career includes the scripts for Frankie and Johnnie in the Claire de Lune (1987) and a series of Tony-winning successes: Love! Valour! Compassion! (Best Play, 1994), Master Class (Best Play, 1996), and adaptations of Kiss of the Spider Woman (1992), Ragtime (1998) and The Full Monty (2000). McNally is esteemed for his sensitive treatment of issues such as the impact of AIDS and homophobia. He has won two Guggenheim fellowships, a Rockefeller grant, an Emmy and a number of Obie awards. Learn more.
Mengestu, Dinaw (1978 - )
Novelist, Magazine Writer
In his debut novel, The Beautiful Things Heaven Bears (2007), Dinaw Mengestu tells the story of an Ethiopian immigrant living in Washington, D.C. after fleeing Ethiopia's communist revolution seventeen years earlier. The work received the 2007 Guardian First Book Award, was a 2007 New York Times Notable Book, and was selected by Amazon.com as one of 2007's ten best novels. Mengestu has written about African politics for Rolling Stone, Jane Magazine, and Harper's. A native of Ethiopia, he immigrated to the United States at the age of two and attended Georgetown University and Columbia's School of the Arts. In 2006, he received a Fellowship in Fiction from the New York Foundation for the Arts. He lives in New York City. Learn more.
Merton, Thomas (1915 - 1968)
Poet, religious writer, Catholic monk and essayist Thomas Merton is remembered for introducing Eastern spirituality to Western Christians. Born to two artists in Cambridge, England, Merton came to the United States for college. In 1938, he converted to Catholicism and began to write poetry. He published Thirty Poems in 1944, starting a career that would span three decades. Despite being censored by his superiors, Merton used his poetry to advocate for social activism, particularly through the turbulent the years of the Vietnam War. Accepting Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam without compromising his own faith, Merton used his unique perspective to analyze current events. Seven Storey Mountain (1948), an autobiography published at the age of thirty-three, remains his most famous work. Among Merton's honors are the Columbia University Medal for Excellence (1961) and the Pax Medal (1963). Learn more.
Millett, Kate
Author of Sexual Politics, feminist, and artist.
Minot, Susan (1956 - )
Film, Literature
Fiction Writer, Screenwriter
Minot's first novel, Monkeys, is a collection of nine short stories comprising a novel about a large New England family's survival of a life-altering accident. The book was published in twelve countries and won France's Prix Femina Etranger in 1987. Minot continued to examine family and marriage in Lust & Other Stories (1989), a collection set in New York City, and Folly, which follows a stifled woman's marriage in 1920s Boston. Minot collaborated with director Bernardo Bertolucci on the screenplay for Stealing Beauty (1996), which starred Liv Tyler, Joseph Fiennes and Jeremy Irons, and was nominated for the Golden Palm Award at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Learn more.
Monod, Jean-Louis (1927 - )
Pianist, Conductor, Composer
The French-born Monod studied privately with René Leibowitz and attended the Conservatoire National de Musique, Julliard and Columbia, where he studied conducting under Rudolf Thomas. A champion of "high-art music," Monod has since conducted major orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the world, including premieres of works by Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Babbitt and Carter. For seven years, Monod conducted the BBC Orchestra in a weekly series of live broadcasts of new music. For his own compositions, Monod received the National Institute of Arts and Letters Award in 1956. His composition Cantus Contra Cantum IV was recorded on the CRI label.
Moody, Rick (1961 - )
Moody has published five novels and many short stories, including Garden State (1992), The Ice Storm (1994), Demonology (2001), and The Diviners (2005). The Black Veil (2002) won a PEN American Center Award in 2003. Critics praise Moody's unflinching examinations of the American nuclear family. Moody has won a Pushcart Press Editors' Book Award (1991) and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, Paris Review and Harper's, among other publications. Learn more.
Moore, Clement C. (1779 - 1863)
Clement C. Moore was a scholar and writer who devoted himself to the study of Hebrew. The heir to the estate of his grandfather, Major Thomas Clarke, Moore generously donated land to the founding of the General Theological Seminary, where he became a professor in 1821. Moore is best remembered for his poetry, particularly the ballad beginning, "'Twas the night before Christmas...," which he composed during a Christmas Eve sleigh ride in 1822. Learn more.
Moravec, Paul
Moravec, who is University Professor at Adelphi University and winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Music, has composed over ninety orchestral, chamber, choral, lyric, film, and electro-acoustic compositions. Among Moravec's numerous awards are prizes from the American Academy in Rome, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts & Letters. He has taught at Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Hunter College. Paul Moravec's discography includes Tempest Fantasy, performed by Trio Solisti with clarinetist David Krakauer; The Time Gallery; and Morph, performed by the String Orchestra of New York. He has been commissioned by the Santa Fe Opera to compose an opera entitled The Letter, with libretto by Terry Teachout, for premiere in July 2009. In October 2008, Moravec's new commissioned work for the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra entitled Brandenburg Gate premiered at Carnegie Hall. Learn more.
Morgan, Ralph (1883 - 1956)
Film, Theater
Morgan abandoned law for Broadway, debuting in The Bachelor in 1909 and working steadily until 1930, when he went to Hollywood. Morgan spent fifteen years on the silver screen, often playing unctuous villains in horror films and mysteries such as Rasputin and the Empress with John and Ethel Barrymore (1932), an adaptation of Graham Greene's Orient Express (1934), The Life of Emile Zola, which won three Oscars in 1937, Way Down South, co-authored by Langston Hughes (1939), and the film noir drama A Gentleman After Dark (1942). Learn more.
Moss, Arnold (1910 - 1989)
Film, Theater
Actor, Writer, Producer
Moss is best remembered for his Shakespearean performances, particularly as Prospero in Margaret Webster's The Tempest (1945) and Malvolio in Twelfth Night (1949). His Broadway credits include Romeo and Juliet (1930); Lee Strasberg's production of Hemingway's The Fifth Column (1940); Journey to Jerusalem (1940); The Dark is Light Enough (1955); and the original production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies (1971), which earned a number of Tony and Drama Desk awards. Moss founded the repertory Shakespeare Festival Players and acted in film, television and radio-most notably My Favorite Spy (1951), Viva Zapata (1952), Salome (1953), and Gambit (1966). Moss also wrote about the Theater for The New York Times and was a narrator for the Boston, Detroit and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras. Learn more.
Mottola, Greg (1964 - )
Director, Screenwriter
Film director and screenwriter Greg Mottola's worst summer job did not involve slaving away at a box factory or an elevator parts factory, or even serving as a night watchman on the beach (although he had each of those jobs). Working at Coney Island's Adventureland amusement park takes the cake, and is the inspiration for his most recent movie, Adventureland. The director of Superbad and The Daytrippers, Mottola also directed several episodes of the television shows Arrested Development and Undeclared. He received his BFA in art from Carnegie Mellon and an MFA in film from Columbia. Learn more.
Muhly, Nico (1981 - )
Just a few short years after receiving a degree in literature from Columbia and a masters in music from the Juilliard School a year later, Muhly is a rising star whose classical compositions have already featured in a full-evening concert at Carnegie Hall. He has released two albums-Speaks Volumes (2007) and Mothertongue (2008), composed scores for films including Choking Man (2006) and Joshua (2007), and collaborated with Benjamin Millepied on commissions for American Ballet Theater (From Here on Out, premiered 2007) and the Paris Opera Ballet (Triade, premiered 2008). Learn more.
Nelson, Martha (1952 - 2006)
Writer, Editor
Before taking over the helm of People magazine, Martha Nelson worked variously as a Staff Editor for the feminist magazine Ms., Editor-in-Chief of Women's Sports and Fitness and Savvy magazines, and Managing Editor of Signs: Journal of Women in Culture & Society. In 1994, Nelson was managing editor through the launch of In Style magazine; during her term there, the new magazine's circulation more than tripled. Nelson became the managing editor of People in April of 2002. Under her watch, the magazine was honored for its coverage of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and it remains the most popular magazine in the world. Nelson was named one of the "World's Most Powerful Women" by Forbes for two years in a row, and she received a Matrix Award from New York Women in Communications. Learn more.
Nixon, Cynthia (1966 - )
Film, Theater
Prior to enrolling in Barnard, Nixon played a fourteen-year-old child hippie in the movie Little Darlings (1980) and appeared in the 1980 Broadway revival of The Philadelphia Story, for which she won a Theater World Award. She has since appeared in ten Broadway plays, including Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles (1989), Columbia alum Tony Kushner's Angels in America (1993) and Perestroika (1993), Indiscretions (1995), which earned her a Tony nomination, and Rabbit Hole (2006). Nixon is best known as the independent-minded, unsentimental Miranda on HBO's series Sex and the City, for which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2004. Among Nixon's more than twenty films are Amadeus (1984), The Pelican Brief (1993), Marvin's Room with Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep (1996), and Igby Goes Down (2002). Learn more.
Noguchi, Isamu (1904 - 1988)
Dance, Visual Arts
Sculptor, Designer, Architect
The son of a Japanese poet and an American writer, Noguchi fused Eastern influences, such as conceptions of space, with Western artistic traditions. After high school, Noguchi apprenticed under Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum. He began premedical studies at Columbia before devoting himself full-time to sculpture. In Paris, Noguchi trained with Constantin Brancusi and was exposed modern and abstract artists such as Alexander Calder and Morris Kantor. Notable works include History Mexico (at the Abelardo Rodriguez Market, Mexico City in 1936), News (at the Associated Press Building, New York, 1940), the gardens for UNESCO headquarters (Paris, 1958), and Red Cube (New York, 1968). Noguchi also worked as a set designer for George Balanchine, Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham. Among his honors are the National Medal of Arts (1987) and induction to the Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure (1988). The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum in Long Island City, New York, contains over two hundred and fifty of the artist's works. Learn more.
Notley, Alice (1945 - )
Poet, Editor
Among Notley's nearly twenty poetry titles are Incidentals in the Day World (1973), Alice Ordered Me to Be Made (1975), Waltzing Matilda (1981) and Mysteries of Small Houses (1998), for which she won the Los Angeles Times Book Award. Notley cites William Carlos Williams as a major influence; her work is praised for its humor and sensitivity to the nuances of relationships. Notley has received National Endowment for the Arts (1980) and Fund for Poetry grants (1987, 1989), as well as a Poetry Center Award (1982) and a GE Foundation award (1983). She has published an autobiography, Tell Me Again, (1981). Notley lives in Paris and edits the magazine Gare du Nord. Learn more.
Nugent, Frank (1908 - 1965)
Nugent worked for five years as a New York Times reporter and five years as a film critic before Twentieth-Century Fox invited him to work as a script doctor. He struck up a partnership with director John Ford, and the pair collaborated for years on John Wayne films like Writers Guild of America Best Western nominees Fort Apache (1948) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949). The Quiet Man (1952) was a Writers Guild winner and Oscar nominee for best screenplay, and Mister Roberts (1955) won a Writers Guild Award for Best Comedy. Nugent's other screenplays include Trouble in the Glen (1953), starring Orson Welles, The Tall Men (1955), starring Clark Gable, and The Last Hurrah (1958), starring Spencer Tracy. Learn more.
Nunez, Sigrid
Nunez's debut novel, A Feather on the Breath of God, was a finalist for the 1995 PEN/Hemingway Award for First Fiction. Her other novels are Naked Sleeper (1996), Mitz: The Marmoset of Bloomsbury (1998) and For Rouenna (2001). Her fifth novel, The Last of Her Kind (2006), begins at Columbia University during the upheavals of the late 1960s. Among Nunez's honors are the Critic's Choice Award of the San Francisco Review of Books, a Whiting Writer's Award and two awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She was elected a Literature Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003, and Nunez spent 2005 at the American Academy in Berlin as a Berlin Prize Fellow. She has taught at several colleges and universities. Learn more.
O'Keeffe, Georgia (1887 - 1986)
Visual Arts
O'Keeffe benefited from the tutelage of artists William Merritt Chase, Alfred Stieglitz and Arthur Wesley Dow. Her abstract forms earned her identification with the Modernist and German Expressionist movements; however, it was during her time in rural locations such as Canyon, Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico that O'Keeffe would develop her unique combination of abstraction and realism. She is best known for her large-scale yet intimate paintings of flowers and the brilliant colors of her Southwestern landscapes. In 1942, the Whitney Museum of American Art launched a project to celebrate and preserve her works. In 1946, the Museum of Modern Art honored O'Keefe with its first solo exhibition of a female artist. Learn more.
Olds, Sharon
Born in San Francisco, Sharon Olds earned a B.A. at Stanford University and Ph.D. at Columbia University. Her first poetry collection, Satan Says (1980), received the San Francisco Poetry Center Award. Her next collection, The Dead & the Living (1983), was the Lamont Poetry Selection and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. Other collections include Strike Sparks: Selected Poems, The Unswept Room , Blood, Tin, Straw, The Gold Cell, The Wellspring, and The Father. Olds won a National Endowment for the Arts grant and Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and Ploughshares, and in more than a hundred anthologies. Olds was New York State Poet (1998 – 2000). She currently teaches poetry in NYU's Graduate Creative Writing Program.
Omura, June
Omura has danced around the world with the Mark Morris Dance Group since 1988, only taking a brief break to bear twins. In 2005, she was awarded a New York Dance and Performance Award (the "Bessie"). She credits Barnard and the Department of Dance for helping her through her first intensive summer training program with the Group-the beginning of an unusually long career. Learn more.
Padgett, Ron
Padgett's writing career began at age 13 when he and friends founded a literary magazine, "The White Dove Review." In its five issues, the magazine published Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Robert Creeley, LeRoi Jones, Ted Berrigan, and others. In 1960, he moved to New York and attended Columbia College, studying with Kenneth Koch and Lionel Trilling. Padgett won a Fulbright fellowship and spent a year studying in Paris. His first collection of poems, Bean Spasms, written with Ted Berrigan, was published in 1967. Since then he's published several books of poetry, including How to Be Perfect, You Never Know and others. He's also translated Blaise Cendrars' Complete Poems (1992), Pierre Cabanne's Dialogues with Marcel Duchamp (1971), and Apollinaire's The Poet Assassinated (1968). Padgett won many grants and awards for his translations (National Endowment for the Arts, NYS Council on the Arts, etc).
Page, Stephen (1959 - )
Writer, Poet
Page has worn many hats: newspaper deliverer, busboy, hitchhiker, gardener, U.S. Marine and high school teacher. His many colorful experiences resulted in his publication of a volume of poetry, The Timbre of Sand, in 1998. He has been honored with the Jess Cloud Memorial Prize for Poetry, a fellowship from the Vermont Studio Center, and an Imagination Grant from Cleveland State University. He lives in Argentina.
Palmer, Winthrop Bushnell (1899 - 1988)
Writer, Educator
Palmer was a poet, playwright and dance writer who became the first female Chair of the Board of Trustees of Long Island University in 1975, where she had been Assistant Professor of Literature and Fine Arts since 1956. Her poetry is collected in The Invisible Wife and Other Poems (1945), The New Barbarian (1951), Fables and Ceremonies (1956) and Like a Passing Shadow (1968). Palmer's plays include Rosemary and the Planet, first produced in New York at Le Marquis Theater (1958), and Beat the Wind, first produced in New York at the Provincetown Playhouse in 1960. Palmer served as Assistant Editor of the journal Dance News from 1935 to 1950.
Paolucci, Anne (1926 - )
Writer, Educator
'47BC, '50MA, '63PhD
Among Paolucci's plays that have enjoyed New York productions are The Short Season (1970), Minions of the Race (1972), Incidents at the Great Wall (1976), The Actor in Search of his Mask (1987) and In the Green Room with Machiavelli (2000). She has published seven volumes of poetry and short stories, many of which celebrate her Italian American heritage. The subjects of Paolucci's nonfiction range from Hegel to Shakespeare and Pirandello to O'Neill, Miller and Albee. Paolucci has taught around the world and served on committees for UNESCO, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Council on Humanities. Learn more.
Paquin, Anna (1982 - )
At the age of 11, Anna Paquin became the second youngest person to ever win an Academy Award when she was chosen as best supporting actress for her debut on-screen role in the independent film, The Piano. She has also had leading roles in the X-Men series, and was nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the television series, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Paquin's latest endeavor has been to start a film production company, Paquin Films, with her older brother. Learn more.
Patrick, John (1903 - 1995)
Film, Theater
Playwright, Screenwriter
Over a twenty-five-year career, Patrick authored nearly a dozen Broadway plays and more than two dozen screenplays. His stage adaptation of Vern Sneider's novel, The Teahouse of the August Moon (1953), won a Pulitzer Prize, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and a Tony before it was made into a Marlon Brando film in 1956. Patrick's other frequently revived plays include The Curious Savage (1950) and The Hasty Heart (1945), which was inspired by his experiences as a medic during WWII. His films include Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1955) and the 1956 remake of High Society, starring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. Les Girls (1957), starring Gene Kelly, won the Screen Writers Guild's award for Best American Musical. Patrick was presented with the William Inge Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater in 1986. Learn more.
Paulus, Diane
Director, Playwright
In 1993, Paulus collaborated with fellow School of the Arts students and husband Randy Weiner to found the theater company Project 400. Project 400 is known for The Donkey Show (1999), an upbeat musical adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Paulus wrote and produced the Obie-Award-winning Running Man (1999). Among the works she has co-written and directed are a musical adaptation of Dirty Dancing (2001) and Best of Both Worlds (2004), a rhythm and blues adaptation of A Winter's Tale. Paulus directed an adaptation of Beaumarchais' The Marriage of Figaro for Barnard in 2005. Learn more.
Payne, John (1912 - 1989)
Film, Theater
Payne paid his way through Columbia and voice lessons at Julliard by working on radio and performing in Shubert musicals. He made his Hollywood debut in Dodsworth (1936). Payne's lively baritone and charming persona earned him roles in movie musicals such as, Tin Pan Alley and The Dolly Sisters (1945). In 1947, he landed a role in Miracle on 34th Street. His television career included appearances on Frontier Justice and Gunsmoke. Learn more.
Peck, Dale
Writer, Critic
Dale Peck's notable books include the novels Martin and John, The Law of Enclosures, What We Lost, and the collection of literary criticism entitled Hatchet Jobs. The latter book has helped to earn him infamy as an enfant terrible of the literary world. Peck has also written children's books and teaches writing at The New School in New York City.
Peet, Amanda (1972 - )
Amanda Peet studied with renowned theater teacher Uta Hagen for four years, during which time she participated in the off-Broadway revival Awake and Sing. She starred in the television series Jack & Jill, and made guest appearances on Seinfeld and Law & Order. Peet's film credits include The Whole Nine Yards, Saving Silverman, Igby Goes Down and Melinda and Melinda. In 2005 she starred in This is How it Goes at the Public Theater, and the following year she made her Broadway debut in Barefoot in the Park. Learn more.
Peirce, Kimberly (1967 - )
Director, Screenwriter
While a student in Columbia's film division, Kimberly Peirce began working on the project that helped her achieve national prominence. Her thesis film on the rape and murder of Brandon Teena, a transgendered inhabitant of Falls City, NE, was the basis for her Oscar-winning feature, Boys Don't Cry (1999). Her most recent work, Stop-Loss (2008), is a follow-up to her debut film. The movie depicts the experiences of American soldiers in and out of combat in Iraq, and has received critical success Learn more.
Pelton, Henry
Pelton's New York practice contributed a number of landmarks to New York City in the early twentieth century. His crowning achievement was his collaboration on the design of Riverside Church in Morningside Heights. Pelton, Francis Allen and Charles Collens found their inspiration for the Church in the thirteenth century gothic cathedral at Chartres, France. Pelton's other works include the Steel Building at 34th Street and Madison Avenue (1916), the Art Deco Christodora House (1928), the Babies and Children's Hospital of New York at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center (1929), and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital (1939) at East 67th Street and York Avenue. As a Columbia trustee from 1931 to 1990, Pelton was credited with improving the College's dormitories.
Percy, Walker (1916 - 1990)
Percy's first novel, The Moviegoer, won a National Book Award for Fiction in 1962. He went on to publish six novels in total, including The Last Gentleman (1966), The Second Coming (1980) and The Thanatos Syndrome (1987). Each novel follows a male protagonist's struggle with what Percy termed, "the dislocation of man in the modern age." Percy's work is known for its portrayal of the Deep South and a style that combines Sartre's existentialism with behavioralist theory and Christian humanism. The Second Coming was nominated for an American Book Award. Before Percy turned to fiction, he was a medical student at Columbia and a writer on philosophy and religion; his works of nonfiction and essays include The Message in the Bottle (1975) and Lost in the Cosmos (1983). Learn more.
Perkins, Anthony (1932 - 1992)
Film, Theater
Perkins transferred to Columbia for its proximity to world-class Theater. After some television performances, he got his break replacing John Kerr in the 1953 Broadway play Tea and Sympathy. Perkins' first Hollywood success was an Oscar nomination for his role in Friendly Persuasion (1956). Although his most enduring role was as the deranged Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, Perkins also starred as a leading man in such films as The Tin Star (1957) and Desire Under the Elms (1958). Perkins continued to work on the stage, giving a Tony-nominated performance in Look Homeward Angel (1958) and performing in Neil Simon's Star-Spangled Girl (1966). He collaborated with Stephen Sondheim on the screenplay for The Last Sheila (1973). Learn more.
Phillips, Paul (1956 - )
Conductor, Composer, Writer
Paul Phillips has conducted more than a thousand works, including over fifty world and US premieres, with over sixty orchestras worldwide, including the San Francisco Symphony, Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and RTE National Symphony of Ireland. He began his conducting career at the Frankfurt Opera in 1982, and has also conducted opera, music theatre, ballet, and choral music extensively. He has served as Director of Orchestras and Chamber Music at Brown University since 1989 and Music Director of the Pioneer Valley Symphony and Chorus since 1994. His honors include ten ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming and numerous composition prizes and grants. He is the author of A Clockwork Counterpoint: The Music and Literature of Anthony Burgess (2010) and essays in the Norton Critical Edition of A Clockwork Orange (2010) and several other books about Burgess.
Learn more at www.paulsphillips.com
Plain, Belva (1919 - )
Plain majored in history at Barnard before writing short stories for major magazines and raising three children. Plain published her first novel, Evergreen, when she was nearly sixty-years-old; the book topped The New York Times bestseller list for forty-one straight weeks. She has published over twenty novels since, including Eden Burning (1982), Blessings (1989), Homecoming (1997), After the Fire (2000) and The Sight of the Stars (2004). Over twenty-five million copies of her works have been printed, and they have been translated twenty-two times. Several of her novels follow the saga of the Werner family. Plain resides in New Jersey, close to her children and grandchildren. Learn more.
Podhoretz, Norman (1930 - )
Writer, Journalist
'50CC, '80JTS PhD
With the help of Lionel Trilling, a twenty-three-year-old Norman Podhoretz published a review of Bernard Malamud's The Natural in Commentary; he joined the journal's editorial staff two years later and quickly built a reputation for politically charged literary criticism that polarized New York literati. Podhoretz became Editor of Commentary in 1960, overseeing the magazine's shift to the political left. However, by the time he stepped down in 1995, Podhoretz and Commentary were both aligned with neo-conservatism. Podhoretz remains Editor-at-Large of Commentary and continues to publish controversial essays. His autobiographical works include Making It (1968) and Ex-Friends: Falling Out with Allen Ginsberg, Lionel and Diana Trilling, Lillian Hellman, Hannah Arendt, and Norman Mailer (1999). Other works include Why We Were in Vietnam (1982), and My Love Affair with America: The Cautionary Tale of a Cheerful Conservative (2000).
Pollitt, Katha (1949 - )
Self-described liberal and feminist Katha Pollitt's political and cultural commentary appears regularly in The Nation, where she has contributed articles on topics ranging from "family values" and abortion to welfare "dependency" since the 1980s. Her writings are collected in Reasonable Creatures: Essays on Women and Feminism (1994) and Subject to Debate: Sense and Dissents on Women, Politics and Culture (2001). Pollitt won the National Magazine Award for her 1992 examination of the culture wars, "Why We Read: Canon to the Right of Me . . ." Her 1993 essay, "Why Do We Romanticize the Fetus?" won the Whiting Foundation Award and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America's Maggie Award. Pollitt's poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Poetry, and has earned an NEA grant and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her 1982 book of poetry, Antarctic Traveller, won the National Book Critics Circle Award. Learn more.
Pope, John Russell (1874 - 1937)
Pope, the son of New York painters, abandoned his study of medicine to indulge his love of architecture. After studying at the American School of Architecture in Rome and L'Ãcole des Beaux Arts in Paris, Pope opened his own practice and won renown for his neo-classical public buildings, monuments, and museums. Pope's work includes the American Battle Monument in France (1932), the National Archives in Washington, DC (1929-34), the Jefferson Memorial (1935-37) and Congressional and Presidential appointments to oversee developments in Washington, D.C. In New York, Pope worked on additions to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1930), the American Museum of Natural History (1936) and the conversion of the Frick mansion into a gallery (1932-35). Among his honors are the Architectural League's Medal of Honor (1916) and the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects (1919).
Price, Richard (1949 - )
Film, Literature
Novelist, Screenwriter
Bronx native Richard Price has likened to a modern Dickens or Dostoevsky for his urban coming-of-age stories that confront prejudice and moral ambiguity. Price's novels include The Wanderers (1974), published when he was just twenty-four, Bloodbrothers (1976), Clockers (1992), and Samaritan (2003); his shorter works have appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, and The Village Voice. Among Price's screenplays are The Color of Money(1986), directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Paul Newman; Mad Dog and Glory (1993), starring Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman and Bill Murray; Clockers (1995), directed by Spike Lee; and Freedomland, starring Samuel Jackson and Julianne Moore. Learn more.
Pulcini, Robert (1964 - )
Screenwriter and Director
This husband-and-wife filmmaking team's debut documentary, Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's, was named one of the ten best films of 1998 by USA Today and won a number of international film awards. American Splendor, which documents the story of Cleveland file clerk, music critic, and autobiographical comic-book author, Harvey Pekar, took the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival's Fipresci Award from the International Film Critics' Association. American Splendor was also named best picture by the National Society of Film Critics and the Los Angeles Critics Association, and was nominated for an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.Learn more.
Puner, Helen Walker (1915 - 1989)
Writer, Editor
Puner joined the staff of Fortune in 1935 and went on to become its first female editor, serving until 1944. In 1947, Puner published an early biography of Sigmund Freud. Later she turned to writing for younger audiences, publishing Daddies: What They Do All Day (1945), The Sitter Who Didn't Sit (1949), I Am Big, You Are Little (1973), and The Wonderful Story of How You Were Born (1952), which was awarded the 1966 Child Study Association of America's Children's Book Award. Puner became special editor of Parents' Magazine in 1956, and taught at the New School for Social Research.
Quindlen, Anna (1953 - )
Quindlen rose to Deputy Metropolitan Editor at The New York Times before leaving management to balance motherhood and her career. She later became the paper's third female Op-Ed contributor. In 1992, Quindlen won a Pulitzer Prize for her commentary, a collection of which became a national bestseller. Her first novel, Object Lessons (1991), topped bestseller lists, as did One True Thing (1996), Black and Blue (1998) and Blessings (2003). Nonfiction works such as Living Out Loud and A Short Guide to a Happy Life are praised for their keen observation, well-argued opinions, clarity and common sense. Quindlen has served as a Barnard Trustee since 1989, was elected chair of the Board of Trustees in 2003, and was honored with the College's Distinguished Alumna Award in 1994. She has published a bi-weekly column for Newsweek since 1999. Learn more.
Rakoff, David (1964 - )
Rakoff has published two New York Times bestselling collections of his of sharp, humorous autobiographical essays (Fraud (2002) and Don't Get Too Comfortable (2006)). He is a regular contributor to The New York Times Magazine and has written for other magazines including GQ, Vogue, and Salon. Rakoff presents many of his essays on NPR's This American Life. He describes his writing as a mix of journalism and storytelling. Rakoff also works in theater, as he did in his Columbia days, often collaborating with David and Amy Sedaris. Learn more.
Rau, Michael
Graduate of SoA, MFA (Playwriting)
Rebhorn, James (1948 - )
Film, Theater
Rebhorn has demonstrated his versatility on stage and screen with countless roles. A stellar villain, Rebhorn has also been a shipping magnate (The Talented Mr. Ripley, 1999) and a doomed restaurateur (Scotland, PA, 2001). He has performed alongside America's biggest names, including Meryl Streep (Silkwood, 1983), Anthony Hopkins (Desperate Hours, 1990), Harrison Ford (Regarding Henry, 1991), and Woody Allen (Shadows and Fog, 1992). Rebhorn's Broadway career includes the 1996 Tony-winning Best Play I'm Not Rappaport (1985), Gregory Mosher's Tony-winning 1988 revival of Our Town, the 1992 revival of Arthur Miller's The Man Who Had All the Luck, the 2002 revival of Dinner at Eight and the Drama Desk Award-winning revival of Twelve Angry Men. Learn more.
Reinhardt, Ad (1913 - 1967)
Visual Arts
Reinhardt became known among Abstract Expressionists as "Mr. Pure" for the severe minimalism of his style. An early follower of Cubism, Reinhardt rejected the representative art and pioneered Hard Edge painting. His "Twelve Rules for a New Academy" mandated the complete avoidance of texture, brushwork, drawing, form, design, color, light, space, time, size and scale, movement, and objects and symbols. His late work consists entirely of "black paintings"-black patterns on blacks with subtle hues of deep violet, olive or red. His work has been shown in several retrospectives, most recently at the Museum of Modern Art (1991). His paintings hang in the collections of MoMA, the Whitney, the Guggenheim, the Smithsonian and the Tate Gallery, among others. Learn more.
Renwick, Junior, James (1818 - 1895)
Though he never received formal training, Renwick ushered in America's Gothic revival and Second Empire architectural movements. His first commission, at the age of twenty-five, was New York's Grace Episcopal Church at Broadway and Tenth Street. Renwick's New York legacy also includes Saint Patrick's Cathedral (1879) at 51st Street and Fifth Avenue, the largest Catholic cathedral in the United States. Renwick designed the red sandstone, many-turreted Smithsonian Institution in the Romanesque style (completed 1855). Among his other works are the Main Hall of Vassar College (1865), the Corcoran (now Renwick) Gallery in Washington (1871) and the façade of the New York Stock Exchange (1982). Renwick designed nearly twenty churches in New York and its boroughs, and he was the supervising architect for New York's Commission of Charities and Correction. LearnLearn more.
Rivers, Joan (1937 - )
Film, Television, Theater
Actress, Comedian
Entertainment icon Joan Rivers was born and raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Barnard with a degree in English and anthropology. She toured as a comedian and a member of Chicago's Second City improv troupe before making her first guest appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1965. Rivers hosted her own nightly program, The Late Show (1986) and several daytime shows, including The Joan Rivers Show (1988), for which she won a Daytime Emmy. Rivers is best known, however, as the fashion queen of E! Entertainment Television, where she has interviewed stars at the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes since 1995. She has numerous Broadway and movie credits, and among her honors is the American Guild of Variety Artists' 1975 Georgie Award for best comedian. Learn more.
Roach, Janet
'66BC, '67Journalism
Janet Roach is a faculty member of the Film Division of the School of the Arts and a veteran writer for television and film. She collaborated with Richard Condon on the screenplay for Prizzi's Honor (1985), which won Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, the British Academy Award for screenwriting, and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay. Other screenplays include Mr. North (1988), written for ABC television based on a Thornton Wilder novel, The Three Stooges (2000), and Over my Dead Body (2001). Roach contributed to the PBS series A Walk Through the Twentieth Century with Bill Moyers and the Emmy Award-winning Creativity with Bill Moyers. In the late 1970s, Roach was writer and director of a number of CBS reports, including "Too Little, Too Late" (1979), the Emmy Award-winner for Outstanding Achievement in Television Production. Learn more.
Roberts, Dorothy James (1903 - 1990)
Roberts is remembered for historical romances inspired by Arthurian, Irish and Icelandic myths. Her most popular work was a retelling of Tristan and Isolde, The Enchanted Cup, which was selected for the Book of the Month Club in 1953. Among Roberts' other novels are Man of Malice Landing (1943), Lancelot, My Brother (1954), Fire in the Ice (1961)-based on the Icelandic Njal Saga, and Kinsmen of the Grail (1963). Roberts' mystery novels, published under the pseudonym Peter Mortimer, include If a Body Kill a Body (1946).
Robeson, Paul (1898 - 1976)
Music, Theater
Actor, Singer, Civil Rights Activist
Robeson left law for the stage in the 1920s, citing rampant racial discrimination at his firm and within his field. He soon gained lead roles with the Provincetown Players for Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones and All God's Chillun Got Wings. Robeson was the first black actor to play Othello in London in 1930 and in the United States in 1943. He performed folk music and Negro spirituals instead of opera and gave the first concert of African American music ever performed at Carnegie Hall. Robeson's bass-baritone became familiar around the world via radio broadcasts and international tours with musicals such as Showboat-he is best known for his rendition of Gershwin's "'Ol Man River." Robeson performed groundbreaking, stereotype-defying roles in the movies Song of Freedom (1936) and The Proud Valley (1940). Robeson was an open critic of American racism and an early admirer of Soviet Socialism. The House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities labeled Robeson a communist, revoked his passport and brought his entertainment career to a tragic close. Among his honors are the NAACP's Spingarn Medal and the 1943 Donaldson Award for Best Actor of the Year. Learn more.
Rodgers, Richard (1902 - 1979)
Music, Theater
Rodgers composed his first piano melodies at age nine. His 1920 collaboration with Lorenz Hart on The Varsity Show, Fly with Me, caught the attention of Broadway producers. The two became one of the country's premiere songwriting teams for Broadway and Hollywood, collaborating with choreographer George Balanchine and writers George Abbott, George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Rodgers is best known for his work with Oscar Hammerstein II, which produced the musical Theater classics Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951) and The Sound of Music (1959). Rodgers and Hammerstein set new standards for musical theater with their innovative integration of song, dialogue and complex characters. Among Rodgers' honors are two Pulitzer Prizes, seven Tony Awards, an Oscar, and the Kennedy Center and Lawrence Lagner Awards for lifetime achievement. Learn more.
Rogovin, Milton (1909 - )
Visual Arts
Milton Rogovin, who calls himself a "social documentary photographer," became politically active because of his impoverished childhood in New York City. After studying optometry at Columbia, Rogovin began practicing in Buffalo, New York. He purchased his first camera in 1942 and began to take snapshots. His photographs of storefront churches were first published in Aperture magazine, with an introduction by W.E.B. Du Bois. Among the other "Forgotten Ones" that Rogovin has photographed are coal miners in France, Scotland, Spain, China, and Mexico, as well as people from the Appalachians, Native Americans, and poor communities in Upstate New York. In 1952, Rogovin was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee for his activist photography. In 1999, the Library of Congress acquired 1,130 of Rogovin's master prints. Rogovin's photographs are in the permanent collections of over two dozen prominent museums around the world, including the Biblotheque Nationale in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Learn more.
Rosand, David (1938 - )
Historian & Critic
David Rosand joined the Columbia faculty in 1964, and has served twice as chairman of the Department of Art History and Archeology, as director of Art Humanities, and as chairman of the Society of Fellows in the Humanities; he currently chairs the Department's Wallach Art Gallery Committee. His areas of special interest include the history of painting, especially the Renaissance tradition, painting and poetry, the graphic arts, modern art and criticism. His most recent books are Myths of Venice: The Figuration of a State (2001) and Drawing Acts: Studies in Graphic Expression and Representation (2002). Professor Rosand has received the Great Teacher Award of the Society of Columbia Graduates. Learn more.
Rosencrans, Robert (1927 - )
'49CC, '52Business
Rosencrans grew up on Long Island during the Great Depression. He developed an interest in the budding cable industry while serving as Vice President of TelePrompTer. He founded Columbia Cable in 1962, which later merged with United Artists Cablevision. Rosencrans' vision brought diverse local and national offerings to home televisions for over two decades. His model for subscriber fees and advertising became the standard for cable across the country. In 1977, Rosencrans worked on the first nationwide satellite cable broadcast, a sporting event at Madison Square Garden. The company continues to operate the successful USA network. Rosencrans was also behind the development of C-SPAN and Black Entertainment Television. His second entrepreneurial endeavor, Columbia International, sold for an estimated $600 million when he retired in 1995. Rosencrans was inducted into the Cable Television Hall of Fame in 2000, and he received Columbia College's John Jay Award for distinguished professional achievement in 2000.
Rothman, Tom (1955 - )
Rothman was an entertainment lawyer for such Hollywood stars as Al Pacino and Kathleen Turner before moving into production. As the first head of Fox Searchlight Pictures, and President of Production for Twentieth Century Fox and the Twentieth Century Fox Film Group, Rothman has produced such popular and critical successes as William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1996), Titanic (1997), Cast Away (2000) and Moulin Rouge! (2001). In 2000, Rothman and colleague Jim Gianopulos became Co-Chairmen of Fox Filmed Entertainment. In February of 2006, Rothman and Gianopulos were promoted to Co-Chief Executive. Among the studio's recent successes are Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), Fantastic Four (2005), the second Star Wars trilogy (1999, 2002, 2005), and Walk the Line (2005).
Rottenberg, Mika (1976 - )
Visual Arts
Video Installation Artist
A female wrestler mechanically transforming painted fingernails into maraschino cherries is a characteristic example of Mika Rottenberg's video art, which playfully challenges assumptions about women's bodies and the value that can be extracted from them. New York magazine describes her work as "light, funny, and visually seductive," offering a creative take on "some of the most exhaustively fraught terrain of contemporary art-gender politics, post-Marxism." The Harlem-based artist's video installations have been featured at London's Tate Modern and in the 2008 Whitney Biennial. Learn more.
Rudner, Sara (1944 - )
Dancer, Choreographer
Sara Rudner was a founding member of Twyla Tharp Dance in the 1960s. The Brooklyn-born daughter of Russian immigrants, she graduated from Barnard with a bachelor's degree in Russian studies. While at Barnard, she was first exposed to Paul Sanasardo's avant-garde school of dance. She made her professional debut in a concert choreographed by Sanasardo, and joined Tharp's dance company shortly afterwards in 1965. She started her own dance ensemble in 1976 and was widely acclaimed for her choreography. She was named Director of Dance at Sarah Lawrence College in 1999. Learn more.
Russell, Karen
A native of Miami, Karen Russell has been featured in both The New Yorker's debut fiction issue and New York magazine's list of twenty-five people to watch under the age of twenty-six. She also received the 2009 National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35 Young Writer Honoree." She is a graduate of the Columbia MFA program and is the 2005 recipient of the Transatlantic Review/Henfield Foundation Award; her fiction has appeared in Conjunctions, Granta, Zoetrope, Oxford American, and The New Yorker and The Best American Short Stories.
Ryan, Maureen
Maureen Ryan has a taste for films that chronicle the sensational. Her award-winning features and documentaries include Man on Wire (2008), the story of Philippe Pettit's high wire walk between the World Trade Center towers in 1974; The Gates (2008), about the creation of Christo and Jean-Claude's 2005 art installation in Central Park; and Wisconsin Death Trip (2000), a depiction of a 19th century Wisconsin town's bout with insanity and murder. Her films have premiered at the Tribeca, Cannes, and Hampton International film festivals, and Man on Wire won the Sundance film festival's World Cinema Jury Prize for a Documentary. Ryan teaches at Columbia's Graduate Film Division and at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Learn more.
Salinger, J.D.
Author, The Catcher in the Rye. Attended night classes in creative writing at Columbia University.
Sarris, Andrew (1928 - )
Critic, Writer
In 1960, following work as a reader and scriptwriter for Twentieth Century Fox, Sarris became the long-term film critic for the Village Voice. Sarris has written or edited over ten authoritative works on the cinema, including The American Cinema: Directors and Directions (1968), Confessions of a Cultist: On the Cinema, 1955-1969 (1970), and Politics and Cinema (1978). He is noted for his advancement of "auteur theory," which holds that a film or oeuvre reflects the director's personal vision. Sarris has taught at Yale, NYU, The School of Visual Arts and Julliard. He is currently on the faculty of the Film Division of Columbia's School of the Arts. Among his honors are the Rockefeller Fellowship at Bellagio (1991), a Guggenheim Fellowship (1969) and Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1982). In 2000, he was runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Sarris co-founded the National Society of Film Critics.
Savalas, Telly (1922 - 1994)
Film, Television
Actor, Producer
Long-Island native Telly Savalas turned to acting in his thirties after stints at the U.S. State Department and ABC News. His big break came alongside Burt Lancaster in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), his first Oscar-nominated performance. Savalas's long career included character roles in Johnny Cool (1963), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Genghis Khan (1965), Battle of the Bulge (1965), Mackenna's Gold (1969), Kelly's Heroes (1970) and The Dirty Dozen (1988). He is best known as the lollipop-sucking, incorruptible New York cop Theo Kojak-first in the television movie The Marcus-Nelson Murders, and later in the spin-off series, Kojak (1973-1978). The role won him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, two Golden Globes and an Emmy.
Schaap, Phil (1951 - )
Schaap is an American jazz disc jockey and reissue producer. He hosts a daily morning radio program on WKCR, the radio station of Columbia University, his alma mater, in New York City. The show, Birdflight, is devoted to the music of Charlie Parker and has been on the air for over twenty-six years. He also hosts the weekly Traditions In Swing, which likewise has run for thirty-two years. In addition to his radio work, Schaap has been involved with the re-release of several archival recordings on CD, including those of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Machito and the Afro-Cubans and Duke Ellington. For his efforts in engineering, production, and liner notes, Schaap has won seven Grammy awards. Learn more.
Schapiro, Meyer (1904 - 1996)
Visual Arts
Art Historian
'24CC, '29PhD
Schapiro completed his undergraduate studies by the age of twenty and his doctorate by twenty-five. He was a legendary lecturer whose academic career spanned nearly fifty years at Harvard, NYU, Cornell, Oxford, the College de France and Yeshiva University. As University Professor at Columbia, Schapiro introduced art history to the Core Curriculum. His expertise ranged from Roman sculpture to modern art, with particular specialties in Medieval Art and Impressionism. Among his published works were Vincent Van Gogh (1958), Cezanne (1952), and Words, Script, and Pictures: Semiotics of Visual Language (1996). Schapiro's honors included two Guggenheim fellowships. The Meyer Schapiro Professorship of Art History (established 1995) and the Meyer Schapiro Professorship of Modern Art and Theory (established 1995) memorialize his dedication to the University.
Schiff, Karenna Gore
Author, journalist, and attorney.
Schlossberg, Edwin (1945 - )
Designer, Author, Artist
Edwin Schlossberg is the principal designer at ESI, an experiential design firm that develops participatory visitor experiences. He received a Ph.D. in science and literature from Columbia, which presaged his pioneering multidisciplinary work in design. In 1977, he designed the Brooklyn Children's Museum, creating one of the nation's first hands-on learning environments. Since that time, he has created experiential designs for museums, corporations, parks, websites, retail environments, entertainment complexes and public spaces; past projects include the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island, the Reuters Instinet at 3 Times Square, the Sony Plaza, the Henry Ford Museum and the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. He also frequently publishes, speaks and consults on the topic of experiential design. Learn more.
Schuster, Max Lincoln (1897 - 1970)
Editor, Publisher
Schuster met fellow Columbian Richard L. Simon in 1920. Two years later, the pair founded Simon & Schuster out of a one-room office on West 57th Street. Their first publication was a book of crossword puzzles that sold more than 375,000 copies in its first year. Schuster reviewed manuscripts for the firm with the aid of editors such as Clifton Fadiman. Their inexpensive Pocket Book editions of the Classics and poetry made literature widely available to millions of American readers. Simon and Schuster served alternately as President and Board Chairman of the firm from 1944 to 1957, when Simon left the partnership. Schuster sold his share to Leon Shimkin in 1966, marking the end of nearly fifty years with the firm.
Schutz, Dana (1976 - )
Visual Arts
Schutz is a painter living in New York City whose work is already present in many of the major museums in North America and Europe, as well as in several important private collections. Her bright, fantastical works have been compared to other acclaimed artists such as John Currin, Francisco Goya, and Alex Katz. Critic Mei Chin wrote that "dissection and dismemberment abound in Dana Schutz's work, all offset by sunny colors and a pert sense of humor. Schutz loves to give her characters life and then cut them up. Even when she hates, she does it with whimsy." Learn more.
Schwartz, Lynne Sharon (1939 - )
Schwartz has published nearly twenty titles of fiction, children's literature, poetry and nonfiction. She is best known for the intimate and compassionate literary prose of her novels and short stories. Rough Strife was nominated for the PEN/Hemingway First Novel Award, and her coming-of-age novel Leaving Brooklyn (1989) was nominated for a PEN/Faulkner Award. Her short stories have been anthologized in the Best American Short Stories volumes of 1978 and 1979 and in O. Henry Prize Stories (1979). Schwartz has received support from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Learn more.
Scieszka, Jon (1954 - )
Scieszka, who often collaborates with illustrator Lane Smith, has pursued a number of different careers in his life, including studying to be a doctor and working as a teacher. His humorous children's books are often in the style of "fractured fairy tales," which tell a familiar story from a different point of view. Among his books are The Stinky Cheese Man, winner of awards in Georgia, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island; and Math Curse, which was a 1996 American Library Association Notable Book, among other distinctions. Learn more.
Segal, George (1934 - )
Film, Television, Theater
Actor, Director, Producer
Segal got his start on Broadway in such productions as Don Juan (1955), The Iceman Cometh (1956) and Gideon (1961). He returned to Broadway opposite John Lithgow in Requiem for a Heavyweight in 1985, and replaced Victor Garber in Yasmina Reza's Tony-winning Art in 1999. Segal is best known for his work on film. In 1966, he garnered an Oscar nomination for the role of Nick alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Segal continued to work in film through the 1970s. More recently, he was on the cast of NBC's comedy series, Just Shoot Me (1997-2003). Learn more.
Shaham, Gil (1971 - )
Gil Shaham won instant critical acclaim for his performance in place of Itzhak Perlman with the London Symphony Orchestra at the age of seventeen. He has since recorded more than a dozen classical albums for Deutsche Grammophon and performed for audiences around the world. American Scenes, which includes works by Gershwin, Copland and Barber, won a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Recording in 1998. Gil often appears with his younger sister, Orli, who made her New York debut while still a senior at Columbia. She enjoyed performances with the National, Houston, New World, San Diego, Detroit, Jerusalem, Sydney, La Scala and Bilbao Symphonies, as well as the Rochester and Florida Philharmonics, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra della Toscana. Orli has won a Gilmore Young Artist Award and an Avery Fisher Career Grant.
Shaham, Orli (1976 - )
Orli Shaham has established an impressive international reputation as one of today's most gifted pianists. Hailed by critics on four continents, Ms. Shaham is in demand for her prodigious skills and admired for her interpretations of both standard and modern repertoire. Orli Shaham has performed with the Boston, Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego and Utah Symphonies, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Filarmonica della Scala, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Stockholm Philharmonic, Bilbao Symphony, Orchestra della Toscana, Orchestre National de Lyon, Taiwan Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Malaysian Philharmonic. A frequent guest at summer festivals, she has performed at Ravinia, Verbier, Mostly Mozart, Aspen, Caramoor, Spoleto and Music Academy of the West.
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Shange, Ntozake (1948 - )
Literature, Theater
Poet, Performance Artist, Playwright, Novelist
Ntozake Shange (born Paulette Williams) adopted her name, which means "she who comes with her own things" and she "who walks like a lion," to reflect her African heritage. In 1975, her first play, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When The Rainbow Is Enuf won an Obie award for its Off-Broadway run. The play moved to Broadway and garnered Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award nominations. Shange's other plays include an adaptation of Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children (1981), which also won an Obie Award, From Okra to Greens/A Different Kinda Love Story (1983), and Daddy Says (1989). Her poetry collections include Natural Disasters and Other Festive Occasions (1977), Nappy Edges (1978), A Daughter's Geography (1983) and Ridin' the Moon in Texas: Word Paintings (1987). Shange has taught women's studies, drama and creative writing at institutions across the country. Among her honors are a Guggenheim fellowship, Barnard's Nori Eboraci Award, Columbia's Medal of Excellence, the Paul Robeson Achievement Award, and the Arts and Cultural Achievement Award of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Learn more.
Shaye, Robert (1934 - )
Producer, Executive
Shaye hired fellow Law alumnus Michael Lynne to help him run the newly founded New Line Cinema in 1984, where he remains co-chair and co-CEO. New Line has maintained independent film production throughout buyouts by Turner Broadcasting System and mergers with Time Warner. The studio's hits have included The Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Few Good Men (1992), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Boogie Nights (1997), Wag the Dog (1997), Pleasantville (1998), The Wedding Singer (1998), Magnolia (1999), About Schmidt (2002), the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), and Wedding Crashers (2005). Under Shaye's leadership, New Line has become known for its success in "niche" markets and for its unconventional business strategies. Shaye serves on the Board of Trustees of the Motion Picture Pioneers, the American Film Institute and the Legal Aid Society of New York. Learn more.
Sheng, Bright (1955 - )
Composer, Conductor, Pianist
Bright Sheng's compositions include Nanking! Nanking!, Red Silk Dance, Silver River, China Dreams, and Madame Mao. In 2003, Sheng composed a quadruple concerto for the New York Philharmonic for Yo Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax. He has collaborated with such artists as Leonard Bernstein, Gerard Schwarz and Leonard Slatkin. Among Sheng's honors are a 2001 MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship and a 1999 commission from Bill Clinton to compose a work honoring Chinese Premiere Zhou Rongji's visit to the White House. Mr. Sheng has conducted the China National Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Ballet and Tanglewood Music Center. He has appeared as a solo pianist with many groups, including the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Learn more.
Shriver, Lionel (1957 - )
Journalist, Writer
'78BC, '82SoA
Lionel Shriver had written six novels before writing We Need to Talk About Kevin, the account of a mother's troubled relationship with her son-turned-murderer that won the 2005 Orange Prize. The novel earned her widespread recognition in the United States and U.K. for her honest confrontation of two taboo subjects: school shootings and maternal ambivalence. In July 2005, Shriver began writing a column for the Guardian. A North Carolina native, she lives primarily in London. Learn more.
Siegel, Lee (1957 - )
Lee Siegel is an acclaimed writer and critic who currently serves as senior editor at The New Republic. He has written for such esteemed publications as Harper's, The Nation, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. The New York Times called him "one of the most eloquent and acid-tongued critics in the country."
Siegel, Sol (1903 - 1982)
Siegel arrived in Hollywood in 1934 to produce classic Westerns starring Gene Autry and John Wayne for Republic Pictures. Over seventeen years with Paramount and Fox, Siegel produced such hits as A Letter to Three Wives (Best Picture Oscar nominee, 1949), What Price Glory (1952), starring James Cagney, Call Me Madam (1953), starring Ethel Merman, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1951), starring Marilyn Monroe, Three Coins in the Fountain (Best Picture Oscar nominee, 1954), and High Society (1956), starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra. He became MGM's first independent producer in 1955, and served as its Vice President of Production from 1958-1962. Learn more.
Silverberg, Robert (1935 - )
Robert Silverberg is best known as science fiction writer. He received a B.A. in English literature from Columbia University in 1956. His first published novel, a children's book, Revolt on Alpha C, was published in 1955; he won his first Hugo the following year for "best new writer". For the next four years, he was a prolific magazine writer. Silver, a multiple winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, received a Nebula award in 1986 for his novella Sailing to Byzantium, which takes its name from Yeats' poem; a Hugo in 1990 for Enter a Soldier. Later: Enter Another; and in 2004 he was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America.
Silverman, Burton (1928 - )
Visual Arts
Silverman's realist paintings have been shown at the Royal Academy of Art in London and the National Portrait Gallery; his work hangs in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Denver Museums of Art, the National Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery. The Butler Institute mounted a retrospective of Silverman's work in 1999. Silverman's commissions have included portraits of government and public figures, and many of his portraits have been featured in The New Yorker, Time and Newsweek. Silverman lectures throughout the country on realism in the age of modernism. He has been inducted to the National Academy of Design (1974) and the Society of Illustrator's Hall of Fame (1990). The National Portrait Society awarded him the 2004 Gold Medal for lifetime achievement. Learn more.
Simon, Richard Leo (1899 - 1960)
Simon was born to a musical family in New York and was himself an accomplished pianist and piano dealer. Inspired by an aunt's lament that crossword puzzles were not published in books, Simon collaborated with fellow Columbia alumnus Max Schuster to form the publishing house Simon & Schuster in 1924. Simon used aggressive techniques to promote his books, such as taking out the industry's first full-page newspaper advertisements. Simon also promoted his books through a regular column in Publishers Weekly, while Schuster did the same in The New York Times. The two served alternately as President and Chairman of Simon & Shuster from 1944 to 1957. Learn more.
Simons, Ron (1960 - )
Television, Theater
Simons, a recipient of the London's Stage Award for Acting Excellence, has made appearances on television as well as on stage in Off-Broadway, regional and international productions. He previously served as the board chair of the Classical Theater of Harlem. When not acting, Simons spends his time as a Software Engineer at Hewlett-Packard. Simons is a member of Columbia's Board of Visitors, and he received the Black Alumni Heritage Award in February of 2008.
Simpson, Mona (1957 - )
Simpson began work on her breakthrough novel, Anywhere But Here, while studying at Columbia. Following her MFA, she worked for several years as an editor at the Paris Review. Simpson's other novels include The Lost Father and A Regular Guy. She was named one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists and her awards include the Whiting Writer's Award, a Guggenheim grant, the Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University, and a grant from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Foundation. She has taught at Bard College since 1988. Learn more.
Sinclair, Upton
Sinclair was a noted American muckraker, social activist, essayist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. One of his most famous novels, The Jungle (1906), harshly critical of the capitalist industrialist system, led to meat inspection legislation and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. The Jungle was highly lauded by esteemed literary figures, Jack London and George Bernard Shaw. Sinclair won the Pulitzer Prize in 1943 for his novel Dragon's Teeth.
Smith, William Jay
Smith, prolific poet and writer, studied at Washington University, Columbia and Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar and published over 40 books of poetry, translation, literary criticism, and memoirs; he also edited several influential anthologies. His best poems are unique in contemporary American literature. Smith develops language musically, crafting an intricate, dreamlike set of images and associations. Smith was U.S. Poet Laureate (1968-1970), a member of The Academy of Arts and Letters since 1975, and former vice-president for literature. He's won awards from the French Academy, Swedish Academy, and the Hungarian government for translations. His most recent poetry collection is The Cherokee Lottery. Smith was poet-in-residence at Williams College (1959-1967), Chair of Columbia University's Writing Division, School of the Arts (1973-75) and is now Professor of English at Hollins College.
Snow, Richard (1947 - )
Writer, Editor
Snow is the managing editor of American Heritage Magazine, where he has worked since 1970. Snow has published a number of his own works, including poetry book The Funny Road (1975), The Iron Road: A Portrait of American Railroading (1979, a Boston Globe Hornbook Award winner), and The Burning (1981), an historical novel set during the destructive summer fires that beset Hinckley, Minnesota in 1894.
Stein, Ben (1944 - )
Film, Literature, Television
Actor, Writer
Stein is famous for his characters' deadpan monotonous drones in films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) and Dennis the Menace (1993), as well as his seven-time Emmy Award-winning quiz show, Win Ben Stein's Money. Stein's other careers include poverty and trial lawyer; university instructor; writer for The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Herald Examiner, New York Magazine, and The American Spectator; screen- and scriptwriter of productions such as Murder in Mississippi (1990); and speech writer and lawyer for Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford (1973-74). Stein has also published seven novels and nine works of nonfiction, largely about ethics and social issues in finance and the political and social content of mass culture. Among his titles are DREEMZ (1979), Ludes (1982), Financial Passages (1985), A License to Steal: Michael Milken and the Conspiracy to Bilk the Nation (1992) and the bestselling self-help humor book, How To Ruin Your Life (2005). Learn more.
Sterling, Dorothy (1913 - )
In the 1950s, Sterling turned to biography, historical fiction and children's nonfiction to tell the stories of courageous African American women like Harriet Tubman. Her novel Mary Jane (1959), whose protagonist is one of first black children to integrate a Southern junior high school, was boycotted in many Southern and Northern American cities, though it brought Sterling the Nancy Bloch Award for "a children's book which fosters intellectual understanding." The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s embraced Mary Jane, turning the novel into an international bestseller. Sterling's later works include Bloch Award winner Captain of the Planter: The Story of Robert Smalls (1958), Forever Free: The Story of the Emancipation Proclamation (1963), Tear Down the Walls!: A History of the American Civil Rights Movement (1968), and The Trouble They Seen: Black People Tell the Story of Reconstruction (1976), which won the Carter G. Woodson Award. Sterling also edited We Are Your Sisters: Black Women in the Nineteenth Century, a compilation of letters, notes and memories of slaves and free women in America.
Stern, Madeleine (1912 - )
Writer, Editor, Rare Book Dealer
Stern and partner Leona Rostenberg are leading authorities on antiquarian books. The partners have produced studies on publishing, the lives of women authors such as Louisa May Alcott, and joint memoirs including Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion (1997) and Bookends: Two Women, One Enduring Friendship (2001). Stern founded the first Antiquarian Book Fair in the United States in 1990. Among her honors are a Guggenheim Fellowship (1943-45), an American Printing History Association Award (1983, with Rostenberg), and Barnard's Medalie Award (1982) and Distinguished Alumna Award (1997). Learn more.
Stern, Robert A. M. (1939 - )
Stern is widely regarded as an architectural authority and a theorist of the built environment. His works are known for respecting the environmental, historical and urban contexts of their sites. Stern also specializes in the architecture and architectural history of New York City. Among his celebrated designs are the Casting Building of the Walt Disney Company in Orlando, Florida, the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts, and the Center for the American Revolution at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. After co-founding the firm Stern & Hagman, Stern continued his academic career as professor and director of the Historical Preservation Department of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and as the first director of Columbia's Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture. He is presently serving his second five-year term as the Dean of the Yale School of Architecture, where he is J. M. Hoppin Professor of Architecture. His published works include New Directions in American Architecture and Modern Classicism. Learn more.
Stewart, Martha (1941 - )
Literature, Radio, Television
Designer, Writer, Personality
Martha Stewart, born Martha Kostyra, left her career as a stockbroker for the Westport, Connecticut farmhouse where she would start an upscale catering business. Stewart's renown as an authority on home design, gardening, and fine dining grew through her contributions to House Beautiful and The New York Times, and the first of her many bestselling books, Entertaining (1982). Her magazine, Martha Stewart Living, grew to a readership of 1.3 million. She launched the Emmy-winning television show, Martha Stewart Living in 1993. Despite her conviction for obstructing an investigation into insider trading at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., Stewart remains singularly influential in the way Americans eat, entertain, and build their homes. She has been named one of America's "50 Most Powerful Women" (Fortune, 1998, 1999) and "America's 25 Most Influential People" (Time, 1996). She has won six Emmys and a Matrix Award in magazine publishing. Learn more.
Stiles, Julia (1981 - )
Julia Stiles is a famed stage and screen actress who attended Columbia on a part-time basis while pursuing her theatrical ambitions. She is best known for her role in the sophisticated teen comedy, 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern take on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Stiles' other roles include Save the Last Dance, O, the Jason Bourne trilogy, and Mona Lisa Smile. Learn more.
Stivers, Cyndi
Journalist, Editor
Stivers wrote for The New York Times and the New York Post while still a Barnard undergraduate. She has written and edited such publications as Life, Us, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveler and Premiere. In 2000, the Columbia Journalism Review named her one of "Five to Watch" in recognition of her work as founding editor-in-chief of the lifestyle and entertainment weekly Time Out New York. The magazine was nominated for four National Magazine awards and won a GLAAD Media Award (2000). Since 2005, Stivers has been Executive Vice President of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. She has served as a board member of the Magazine Publishers of America (1998-2005) and as President of the American Society of Magazine Editors. Stivers is a Barnard College trustee.
Straub, Peter (1943 - )
Fiction Writer
Straub left a career teaching high school English to meet his calling as a horror writer. His 1975 debut, Julia, is mired in the Gothic tradition of Edgar Alan Poe. In 1977, Ghost Story became his first bestseller, followed by Floating Dragon (1983), and Koko (1988). In 1984, Straub and Stephen King collaborated via modem to produce the bestseller The Talisman; the duo reprised their protagonist for Black House in 2001. Magic Terror: Seven Tales (2000) won a Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection. Straub has also garnered a British Fantasy Award for Floating Dragon, World Fantasy Awards for Koko and The Ghost Village (1993), and Bram Stoker Awards for best novel for The Throat (1994), Mister X (2000), Lost Boy, Lost Girl (2003) and In the Night Room (2004). Learn more.
Tan, Dun (1957 - )
Composer, Conductor
Dun began his career with the Peking Opera and in 1978 won one of 30 coveted spots in the newly reopened Central Conservatory in Beijing. Dun is most popular for his nineteenth-century-influenced score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which won Dun an Academy Award and a Grammy. Dun's compositions include the operas Marco Polo (1996) and Peony Pavilioni (1998); Symphony 1997, a choral work commemorating the return of Hong Kong to China; and original music for A World Symphony for the Millennium, broadcast by the BBC. Dun's style combines avant-garde, indigenous, Eastern and Western influences. He was named one of The New York Times' Musicians of the Year in 1997; he has earned the Glenn Gould Prize in Music and Communication, an Emmy Award, and a Grawemeyer Award. Learn more.
Tharp, Twyla (1941 - )
Tharp studied under Martha Graham, Igor Schwezoff, Barbara Fallis, and Merce Cunningham before debuting with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1963. She served as the American Ballet Theater's lead choreographer from 1988-1991 and founded her own company in 1965. Tharp is known for her use of classical, jazz and modern techniques. She has won commissions from the New York City Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company, and has choreographed for Broadway and film. Standout works include "Cutting Up," a 1991 collaboration with Mikhail Baryshnikov, the films Hair (1978) and Ragtime (1980), and her 1985 staging of Singin' in the Rain, which enjoyed 367 performances on Broadway and an extensive national tour. Tharp was honored with a Tony Award in 2003 for Movin' Out, her collaboration with Billy Joel. Among other awards are two Emmys and the 2004 National Medal for the Arts. Learn more.
Tobias, Tobi (1938 - )
Critic, Writer
Tobias has led two careers-one as a writer of children's literature and another as a distinguished dance critic. She edited criticism for Dance magazine for more than a decade and has served as dance critic at New York Magazine since 1980. She has contributed to the Lincoln Center Library Dance Collection's oral history project and the PBS series Dance in America and Live from Lincoln Center. The Order of the Dannebrog knighted Tobias for her writing and oral history on the Royal Danish Ballet. Tobias's novels for children include A World of Words (1999), Serendipity (2000) and Wishes for You (2003). Learn more.
Tower, Joan (1938 - )
Tower grew up in South America, which she credits as making her keenly aware of rhythm. In 1969, in the United States, she helped form the Da Capo Chamber Players, with whom she performed for 15 years. In 1972, she joined the faculty of Bard College, where she still teaches. Her honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship (1976), the Alfred I. DuPont Award for Distinguished American Composers (1998), and the Grawemeyer Award (1990). She has been commissioned to write works for leading orchestras and musicians, and she was composer-in-residence with the St. Louis Symphony (1985-88). Tower's orchestral works include Sequoia (1981), Silver Ladders (1986), and For the Uncommon Woman (1992). Her concertos include Homage to Beethoven (1985) and Rapids (1996), and notable chamber music includes Breakfast Rhythms I and II (1974-75), Black Topaz (1976), and Petroushskates (1980). She has also composed for the stage. Learn more.
Tower, Wells (1973 - )
Fiction Writer
Wells Tower's short stories and journalism have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, The Washington Post Magazine, and elsewhere. He received two Pushcart Prizes and the Plimpton Prize from The Paris Review. His most recent book of short stories, Everything Burned, Everything Ravaged, was published in March, 2009 by Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux and immediately received widespread praise. In the words of New York Times Book Reviewer, Michiko Kakutani, "Mr. Tower has a magnetic eye for the nasty and the weird." He divides his time between Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Brooklyn, New York. Learn more.
Tresnjak, Darko (1968 - )
While Darko Tresnjak was a graduate student at Columbia, his mentor, Andrei Serban, encouraged him to pursue the lesser-known gems of the theater repertoire. The Yugoslavia-born director followed Serban's advice, and has become nationally renowned for wrestling with neglected plays-"bruised beauties," as he calls them-to develop their potential. Currently the Artistic Director of San Diego's Old Globe Shakespeare Festival, he won the Theater Communications Group's 2001 Alan Schneider award for excellence in directing. TCG describes a typical Tresnjak production as "nonrealistic, with strong storytelling, often encompassing myth or fable." Learn more.
Trilling, Lionel (1905 - 1975)
Writer, Critic
'25CC, '26MA, '38PhD
Trilling's long academic career at Columbia included being the first tenured Jewish professor in the University's English Department. He was popular on campus for his humor, wit and commitment to undergraduates; among his students were Allen Ginsberg, John Hollander and Norman Podheretz. Trilling was equally renowned for his criticism, illuminating the interaction of society, the artist and art, and appealing to both the scholar and general reader. His most famous volume of essays was the 1950 The Liberal Imagination. Another collection of essays is entitled The Moral Obligation to Be Intelligent. Trilling contributed to and edited such journals as The Partisan Review and The Kenyon Review. He published one novel, The Middle of the Journey, about an affluent Communist couple, in 1947. Among his honors were Columbia's Mark Van Doren Award, the Brandeis University Creative Arts Award and the Thomas Jefferson Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more.
Truong, Monique (1968 - )
Truong, who specialized in intellectual property at Columbia Law School, went on to focus on her writing career. Her first novel, The Book of Salt, was a national bestseller and won her the 2003 Bard Fiction Prize, the Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award, and the Young Lions Fiction Award, among others. Learn more.
Tyler, Anne (1941 - )
Tyler, who cites former Columbia student Eudora Welty for showing her "that very small things are often really larger than the large things," has earned consistent critical acclaim. Her eleventh novel, Breathing Lessons, an examination of a twenty-eight-year marriage, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. Morgan's Passing won a National Book Critics Circle award nomination (1980), the Jane Heidinger Kafka Prize, and an American Book Award nomination. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982) won a National Book Critics Circle nomination, an American Book Award nomination, the Pen/Faulkner Award, and Pulitzer Prize nomination. The Accidental Tourist (1985) garnered a National Book Critics Circle award and a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and was adapted to a film starring Kathleen Turner and William Hurt in 1988. Recent novels include The Amateur Marriage (2004) and Digging to America (2006). Learn more.
Vampire Weekend,
Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Christopher Tomson, Chris Baio ('07) formed the band while they were all students at Columbia University and went on to top the Indie pop charts after graduation. They quickly gained attention through a variety of blogs. In January of 2009, Rolling Stone named their self-titled album the 10th best album of 2008 and their songs have now been featured in Hollywood films such as Step Brothers and I Love You, Man as well as various commercials. The band is currently managed by Ian Montone, who also manages The White Stripes.Learn more.
Van Doren, Mark (1894 - 1972)
Writer, Editor
Van Doren joined the Columbia faculty after earning his PhD here in 1920. Among the students whom Van Doren introduced to poetry are Louis Simpson, Richard Howard, John Hollander, John Berryman, Thomas Merton and Allen Ginsberg. Van Doren's own writings include Collected Poems, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1939, and American and British Literature since 1890, with his brother, Carl Van Doren. Van Doren was instrumental in the development of the Core Curriculum course Hum A, which is still taught today. Although he was already semi-retired, Van Doren stopped teaching in 1959 following his son's role in the fixing of the television program "Twenty One," dramatized in the 1994 film Quiz Show. Today, the Mark Van Doren Award honors great teachers at the College. Learn more.
Vega, Suzanne (1959 - )
Singer, Songwriter
Bronx native Suzanne Vega performed with her guitar in the cafés of Greenwich Village before debuting with her self-titled album in 1985. Her 1987 hit single "Luka" was nominated for three Grammys and won two New York Music Awards. She has since produced five albums. Solitude Standing features "Tom's Diner," inspired by the institution at 112th Street and Broadway. 99.9° F won the New York Music Award for Best Rock album in 1992. In 1999, Vega published Passionate Eye: The Collected Writings of Suzanne Vega, which contains poetry, lyrics and essays.Learn more.
Vida, Vendela (1971 - )
Writer, Editor
Vendela Vida is the author of Girls on the Verge, a journalistic study of female initiation rituals, which she initially wrote as her thesis project while studying in the Writing Division at Columbia's School of the Arts. She is also the author of two novels, And Now You Can Go and Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name. She serves as the coeditor of The Believer magazine and the editor of The Believer Book of Writers Talking to Writers. With her husband David Eggers, she is a co-founder and board member of 826 Valencia, a nonprofit organization that teaches creative writing to children and teens. Learn more.
Wager, Walter H. (1924 - 2004)
Writer, Editor
Three of Wager's spy novels have made it to the silver screen: Telefon, starring Charles Bronson (1977); Viper Three, filmed as Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977), starring Burt Lancaster; and 58 Minutes, which became Die Hard 2 (1990), starring Bruce Willis. Wager has published over thirty works of fiction and nonfiction under the pseudonyms Walter Herman and John Tiger, including Operation Intrigue (1956), Designated Hitler (1982), and Tunnel (2000). Wager also wrote and produced for radio and television, authored documentary films on subjects ranging from jazz to organized crime, and served as editor in chief at Playbill. Wager was director of public relations for ASCAP and editor of ASCAP Today through the 1970s, and he worked as a public relations director for organizations such as the Eugene O'Neill Theater and the Mann Center.
Wakefield, Dan (1932 - )
Writer, Journalist
A writer of fiction, nonfiction and journalism that has been praised for its sensitivity and attention to detail, Wakefield has contributed work to publications such as The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Commentary, The New York Times Magazine, Poets and Writers, and Ploughshares. His early nonfiction works include Island in the City: The World of Spanish Harlem (1959) and Supernation at Peace and War, the result of his cross-country travels (1968). Wakefield's first novel, Going All the Way (1970), garnered a National Book Award nomination; he also wrote the film adaptation of All the Way, which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997; his second bestselling novel, Starting Over, was adapted to film as well. Wakefield's recent work includes a memoir, New York in the Fifties (1992), and examinations of faith such as Returning: A Spiritual Journey (1988), Expect a Miracle (1995), and Releasing the Creative Spirit (2001). Among his honors are a Rockefeller Grant for Creative Writing and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn more.
Webb, Kenneth S/ (1892 - 1966)
Film, Theater
Screenwriter, Playwright, Director
Kenneth S. Webb, younger brother of alum Roy Webb, is best remembered for his stage adaptation of the novel Gay Divorce for the hit 1932 Broadway musical starring Fred Astaire in his last Broadway show. In 1934, Webb's helped the play's silver screen adaptation, The Gay Divorcee, earned an Oscar nomination for best score. Webb's original plays and revues include The Best Sellers (1918) and Houseboat on the Styx (1928). He wrote and directed silent films such as The Master Mind (1920) and The Devil's Garden (1920), as well as The Beautiful City (1925), Just Suppose (1926) and Shave It with Music (1932).Learn more.
Welty, Eudora (1909 - 2001)
Welty spent "a most marvelous year" at Columbia's Business School before returning home upon her father's death. She is revered for the elegance and lyricism of her Southern storytelling and for her sharp dialogue and piercing wit. In 1998, Welty became the first living writer to be included in the Library of America series. Among her short stories are "Death of a Traveling Salesman" and "Why I Live at the P.O." Her novels include A Curtain of Green (1941) and The Robber Bridegroom (1944). The Optimist's Daughter (1973) won the Pulitzer Prize. During the Great Depression, Welty traveled throughout Mississippi taking photographs for FDR's Works Progress Administration; they were exhibited in New York in 1936 and collected in One Time, One Place: Mississippi in the Depression (1971). Among Welty's many honors are the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, the Gold Medal of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and the 1980 Medal of Freedom, presented by former president Jimmy Carter.Learn more.
Wieseltier, Leon (1952 - )
Writer, Journalist, Editor
Since 1983, Wieseltier has served as literary editor of The New Republic. Along with articles and weekly posts in TNR, Wieseltier has also authored Nuclear War, Nuclear Peace (1983), Against Identity (1996), and the popular Kaddish (1998), a blend of philosophy, history, and spiritual memoir exploring the Jewish traditions of mourning.
Wilde, Cornel (1915 - 1989)
Film, Theater
Actor, Director
Wilde learned his fight choreography skills as a member of the U.S. Olympic fencing training squad; he played Tybalt in Lawrence Olivier's 1940 Romeo and Juliet and choreographed his character's fatal duel with Romeo. Other films which featured his swashbuckling skills include The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946), Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and Constantine the Great (1962). Wilde's portrayal of Chopin in A Song to Remember (1945) earned him an Oscar nomination. As a producer and director of films such as Storm Fear (1956), The Naked Prey (1966), and Shark's Treasure (1975), Wilde often risked live sharks and other dangers for the sake of a good shot. Learn more.
Wilson, Carrie
Music, Theater
Singer, Actress, Writer, Singing Instructor
After graduating Barnard with a degree in art history, Carrie Wilson studied Aesthetic Realism with the movement's founder, Eli Siegel. Today, Ms. Wilson is a faculty member of the Aesthetic Realism Foundation. She attended the Goldovsky Opera Institute and has performed as a mezzo-soprano at the Lincoln Center Library and in several Off-Broadway productions. She performs regularly with the Aesthetic Realism Company in musical events and dramatic presentations. In addition to performing and teaching opera, Ms. Wilson has written many articles on Aesthetic Realism and other topics, and is a contributing author of one book (Goodbye Profit System: Update). Learn more.
Wouk, Herman (1915 - )
Wouk's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Caine Mutiny (1951) drew from the author's World War II US Navy experiences in the Pacific, where he was decorated with four campaign stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. Wouk followed The Caine Mutiny with the epic Winds of War (1971) and its sequel War and Remembrance (1978). Wouk has published fifteen works of fiction, drama, nonfiction and memoir, including three successful Broadway plays and two reflections on his Jewish heritage, This is My God (1959) and The Will to Live On (2000). Most recently, at the age of 88, Wouk published the novel A Hole in Texas. Among Wouk's honors are the Columbia University's Medal of Excellence (1952) and the College's Alexander Hamilton Medal (1980). Learn more.
Wyatt, Greg (1949 - )
Visual Arts
In addition to his degrees from Columbia, Wyatt's roots in Morningside Heights include a father who taught painting at the University and Wyatt's Peace Fountain monument at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Among Wyatt's public commissions are Olympic Woman at the headquarters of Avon, Inc., Gramercy Park's Fantasy Fountain and Vanderbilt University's Tree of Learning. Columbia unveiled Scholar's Lion outside Low Library on Dean's Day 2004. Wyatt has taught sculpture at several universities. He received the Helen Foster Barnett award from the National Academy of Sculptors in 1979, and he was honored with a US Congress Citation Award in 1992.
Wyatt, Jane (1911 - )
Film, Television, Theater
Wyatt, daughter of playwright and drama critic Euphemia Waddington, won three Emmy awards for her role as Margaret Anderson on the television series Father Knows Best (1957, 1958 and 1959). She performed in fifteen Broadway plays, including the original productions of Clifford Odets' Night Music (1940) and Lillian Hellman's The Autumn Garden (1951). Her film credits include Frank Capra's Lost Horizon (1937) and None but the Lonely Heart (1944) starring Cary Grant and Ethel Barrymore. Television appearances include The Ford Television Theater, Robert Montgomery Presents, Studio One, and the TV movies Tom Sawyer (1973), and Amelia Earhart (1976). Learn more.
Xiao-Song, Qu (1952 - )
'89 Visiting Scholar
Xiao-Song is a Chinese composer of contemporary classical music. He is a 1983 graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and he has received commissions from the Holland Festival, American Composers Forum, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, and Boston Musica Viva. His operas Oedipus and The Death of Oedipus were premiered in 1993 and 1994 respectively, in Stockholm and Amsterdam. His chamber opera The Test was commissioned by the Munich Biennale and Contemporary Opera Berlin, and performed in both cities in May 2004.
Yellin, Linda
Film, Television
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Yellin began her film career as executive producer for television and film, including The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana (1982), and Liberace: Behind the Music (1988). Yellin switched her focus to screenwriting and directing in the 1990s, developing an improvisational style. Parallel Lives (1994) features Liza Minnelli; Northern Lights (1997) stars Diane Keaton; and The Simian Line (2000) stars Lynn Redgrave, Harry Connick, Jr. and Tyne Daly. Her films have been selected for inclusion in the Cannes, Monte Carlo, Aspen, New York, Palm Springs and Sundance Film Festivals.
Yorkey, Brian
Music, Theater
BRIAN YORKEY Theatre credits include Making Tracks, which has played Off-Broadway and regionally; the musical adaptation of Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet; and the new country musical Play It By Heart. Film and TV include the features Time After Time, in development at Universal with Marc Platt, and Sluts for Lionsgate and Furst Films; he is currently writing Love Undercover for Pandemonium Films and Overture, and Chase for Anonymous Content and Rosenzweig Films; and he co-created "Bears," a new series for the Logo network. He has directed Off-Broadway and regionally, and for seven years was associate artistic director at Village Theatre in Washington state, one of the nation's leading producers of new musicals. He's a graduate of Columbia University, where he was artistic director of the Varsity Show, an alum of the BMI/Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the WGA.
Young, Stark (1881 - 1963)
Film, Literature, Theater
Novelist, Drama Critic, Playwright, Director
Young was an editor for The New Republic and Theater Arts Monthly before becoming drama editor at The New Republic and earning a reputation as one of the leading American voices in T. S. Eliot's New Criticism movement. Young's criticism is collected in several volumes, including The Flower in Drama: A Book of Papers on the Theater (1923) and Immortal Shadows: A Book of Dramatic Criticism (1973). Young was also a painter, academic, translator, fiction writer, playwright and director: he translated Moliere, Machiavelli and Chekov; novels include the Southern Civil War epic So Red the Rose (1934); playwriting credits include Guenevere (1906) and The Saint (1925). Young also directed Eugene O'Neill's Welded (1923), among other plays.Learn more.
Zea, Kristi (1948 - )
Designer, Producer, Director
Zea first worked as a costume designer for movies such as Fame (1980) and Terms of Endearment (1983). She has since worked as production designer for more than fifteen films, including Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990), Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington (1993), Beloved (1998), starring Oprah Winfrey, and The Manchurian Candidate (2004). She has also served as art director, design coordinator, technical consultant and second unit director for films. Zea was an associate producer of Lucas in 1986, Broadcast News in 1987 and Philadelphia; she served as producer of As Good As It Gets, for stars Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt won Oscar awards. Learn more.
Zhou, Long (1953 - )
Zhou is a pioneering composer whose music aims to fuse the musical elements of East and West. His immense body of work earned him the Academy Award in Music for lifetime achievement from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2003. Zhou has been a visiting professor at countless prestigious universities across the country and has received numerous composing fellowships, including the Guggenheim & Rockefeller Foundation. Learn more.
Zinbel, George (1929 - )
Visual Arts
Zimbel is known for documenting memorable American moments and characters. His subjects have included politicians (Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, and Truman), celebrities (Marilyn Monroe, Carol Channing), and places ("New York Harbor, 1947" and "A Late Night Kiss, Harlem 1951"). Zimbel has taken photographs for The New York Times, the Saturday Review and Architectural Forum, and his work has appeared at Photographer's Gallery (London), the Houston Museum of Fine Art, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. His photographs are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Learn more.
Zuckerman, Eugenia (1944 - )
Music, Television
Journalist, Flutist, Writer
Zuckerman has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, and at the Aspen Music Festival and London's South Bank Festival. As the only classical music correspondent on television, she has interviewed nearly three hundred musicians, from cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Itzhak Perlman to Paul McCartney. Zuckerman has also written three screenplays and published two novels: Deceptive Cadence (1981) and Taking the Heat (1991). Learn more.