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A superstar, a legend and the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan is all this and much more. Very few athletes can match up with his level of popularity and impact. And if that is not enough, he is also the richest former professional athlete in the world.
Actor, comedian, and filmmaker, Adam Sandler, is best known for his comedic roles in Hollywood movies. Despite being a popular actor he also has the ignominious distinction of having appeared in numerous widely panned movies and is the holder of three Golden Raspberry Awards! He has released a few comedy albums as well.
Aaliyah was an American singer, actress and model, who became famous when her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number sold three million copies in the US. Her subsequent albums also sold in millions and won her numerous accolades. She also acted in some films. She tragically died in an airplane crash in the Bahamas, at the age of 22.
One of the highest-paid actresses in the world in the 2010s, Anne Hathaway is the recipient of many awards, including an Academy Award. She began acting as a teenager in the early 2000s and often portrayed princesses in her initial films. She started taking up versatile roles as her career progressed. She campaigns for gender equality and supports LGBTQA+ rights.
The Notorious B.I.G. was a rapper and songwriter and is considered one of the best ever. His debut album Ready to Die in 1994 was critically acclaimed. He was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in September 1996. His album Life After Death was released two weeks after his death.
Actor and comedian, Eddie Murphy, is one of the highest-grossing actors in the United States. Beginning his career as a comedian on the TV show Saturday Night Live, he went on to become a bankable movie actor. Also a singer, he has released many studio albums. He has been awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Jay-Z is an American rapper and songwriter and is one of the world's best-selling music artists. His debut album Reasonable Doubt was hugely successful in 1996 and since then he has gone on to release many more acclaimed and successful albums. He has been charged with assaulting a record executive and was given a three-year probation sentence in January 2000.
American actress, Marisa Tomei, gained fame when she starred in the 1992 film My Cousin Vinny. She received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the film. She was also appreciated for in the movies In the Bedroom and The Wrestler. What Women Want, Anger Management, The Ides of March, Cyrus, The Big Short and Avengers: Endgame are some of her other notable films.
Barbra Streisand is one of the most popular American entertainers and one of the few women to win four major entertainment awards - Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award (EGOT). Apart from being a great entertainer, she has also played a major role as a philanthropist; she has raised $25 million for charity organizations through live performances.
Jerry Seinfeld was responsible for creating one of the most popular and acclaimed American sitcoms of all time, Seinfeld. Apart from being a comedian and actor, Jerry Seinfeld is also an automobile enthusiast and collector; he owns about 150 cars. Also a coffee and espresso machine lover, he owns several espresso machines. Jerry is also known for his charity work.
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist whose legacy has had an influence upon fashion, film, music, and literature. He serves as an inspiration to street artists as he started off as one, painting graffiti on buildings. After his death, at the age of 27, the value of his work has increased; in 2017, one of his paintings sold for a record $110.5 million.
A star basketball player currently with Los Angeles Lakers, Carmelo Anthony was first drafted by Denver Nuggets and played eight seasons with them. Amongst the most prolific scorers in the NBA history, he played another seven season with New York Knicks. At the Olympics, Anthony was part of the teams that won a bronze medal in 2004 and a goldmedal in 2008, 2012, and 2016.
Rita Hayworth was one of the most glamorous Hollywood actresses of the 1930s and 1940s. Her filmography includes 61 films among which the most notable ones are The Strawberry Blonde, Gilda and Cover Girl. The personal life of the actress, who was also known as the Love Goddess, was marked by a series of failed marriages.
Comedian, writer, actor, director, and television producer Larry David is best known as the co-creator of the television series Seinfeld. He discovered his talent for comedy as a college student and began his career as a stand-up performer. After a few years of struggle, he achieved success and went on to become an accomplished actor, director, and producer.
Lou Ferrigno is an American actor and retired professional bodybuilder. Also known as the original hulk, Ferrigno is best known for playing the title role on CBS's television series The Incredible Hulk. After having won Mr. America and Mr. Universe titles, Ferrigno's attempt to beat Schwarzenegger at the Mr. Olympia competition formed the subject of a documentary titled Pumping Iron.
Barbara Stanwyck went on to become one of the greatest actresses of Classical Hollywood cinema after being orphaned at age four. One of the favorite actresses of directors like Cecil B. DeMille, Barbara had become the highest-paid actress in America by 1944. Known for her realistic screen presence, Barbara won several prestigious honorary lifetime awards for her contribution to cinema.
Famous for her controversial comedic persona, Joan Rivers was a television host and comedian. She broke stereotypes by hosting a late-night television talk show titled The Late Show with Joan Rivers, becoming the first woman to do so. Also an author, Rivers wrote 12 best-selling books. In 2017, she was posthumously inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Bebe Rexha is an American singer-songwriter. As a songwriter, Rexha has contributed to the success of songs recorded by artists like Eminem, Nick Jonas, and Selena Gomez. Her debut album Expectations did well in the US. Having described her sexual orientation as fluid, Rexha serves as an inspiration to the LGBTQ+ community; she is also a supporter of the community.
From working as a full-time firefighter to becoming one of the most popular actors in Hollywood, Steve Buscemi has quite an interesting story to narrate. His character from the satirical sitcom TV series, 30 Rock ,became an internet meme, making him famous all over the world. In addition to being an actor, he has also directed and produced many movies.
Leah Remini is best known as Carrie Heffernan from The King of Queens and Vanessa from Kevin Can Wait. She also appeared in Dancing with the Stars. She was raised a Scientologist, but turned against the faith later, releasing an explanatory memoir and an Emmy-winning documentary series on the same.
Cyndi Lauper is an American singer-songwriter, activist, and actress. Apart from her distinctive appearance, Lauper is also known for her achievements; having won three of the four major entertainment awards (Grammy, Emmy, Tony), she is consistently named in lists like 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. Cyndi Lauper is also celebrated for her humanitarian work and charitable efforts.
Jennifer Esposito is an American actress who despite suffering from celiac disease, the details of which she has written in her book Jennifer's Way, went on to establish herself in the entertainment industry. Apart from being an actress and author, Jennifer also serves as the brand ambassador for Eclair Naturals, a body and skin care line.
The current junior US Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders is the longest-serving nonpartisan politician in the history of the United States Congress. Sanders is an ardent advocate of progressive policies and is well-known for his opposition to neoliberalism and economic inequality. He also supports paid parental leave, universal and single-payer healthcare, and labor rights.
George Gershwin was an American pianist, composer, and painter. His work Porgy and Bess is widely regarded as an American cultural classic and one of the 20th century's most important American operas. Many of his compositions have been used in films and television series. His life and work inspired the 1945 biographical movie, Rhapsody in Blue.
Milton Friedman was an American economist. Widely regarded as one of the most influential economists of the 20th century, Friedman was honored with the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1976. One of the most influential personalities of the Chicago school of economics, Friedman mentored people like Gary Becker and Thomas Sowell who went on to become leading economists.
Veteran actor Jerry Stiller had an extensive six-decade-long career in the entertainment industry. He began performing comedy with his wife, Anne Meara, in the 1960s and soon started acting in films and TV shows as well. His son, Ben Stiller, is also an actor, and the two had appeared in many films together.
Baseball left-handed pitcher Sanford Koufax played for the MLB team Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers for 12 seasons. He was the youngest Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and the first three-time Cy Young Award winner. He skipped pitching for a 1965 World Series game because it fell on Jewish festival Yom Kippur.
Veteran actor Richard Dreyfus starred in many popular films during the 1970s and 1980s. In a career spanning over 55 years, he has received many prestigious awards, including one Academy Award for Best Actor. He is Jewish and participated in the historic Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah in 1994. Besides acting, he has co-authored a novel.
American actress, Nia Long, was first noticed when she starred in the television series Guiding Light from 1991 to 1994. She is mainly known for her work on television series, such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Third Watch, Boston Legal and Empire. She has also acted in movies like Friday, Made in America, Boiler Room, Big Momma's House and The Best Man.
Judith Sheindlin is a prosecution lawyer, television personality, and author. Since 1996, she has been presiding over her own arbitration reality court show Judge Judy, which has won four Daytime Emmy Awards. The longest-serving judge in the history of the courtroom-themed program, Judith Sheindlin was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Emmy for her work.
Regarded as one of the most popular American TV and radio hosts, Larry King was famous for hosting the successful and popular TV program, Larry King Live. The recipient of several awards, King was an iconic figure on American television. Also known for his charitable works, he founded the Larry King Cardiac Foundation to help poor people undergo cardiac procedures.
Known for his supporting roles in films such as The Road, 12 Years a Slave, and When They See Us, Michael K. Williams is a budding talent of Hollywood. Fans adored him as Albert "Chalky" White in Boardwalk Empire. He became a critics’ favorite with his Emmy-winning role in Bessie.
Jimmy Smits is an American actor who achieved popularity after portraying Victor Sifuentes in the legal drama television series L.A. Law. Also known for his charity work, Smits helped establish the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, which supports Latinos working in the entertainment, media, and telecommunications industries. He has also donated to organizations, such as the American Red Cross.
Jimmy Kimmel is an American TV host and writer. He is credited with creating one of the most popular American late-night talk shows of all time, Jimmy Kimmel Live! He is also credited with co-founding The Feast of San Gennaro. In 2018, he was named in Time magazine's list of The World's 100 Most Influential People.
Chuck Connors was an American actor, professional baseball and basketball player. Connors is one of 13 athletes to have played in both National Basketball Association and the Major League Baseball. As an actor, he contributed to the success of the popular Western television program The Rifleman. Also known for his charity work, Connors helped found the Chuck Connors Charitable Foundation.
An actress best known for her role in the HBO series The Sopranos, Edie Falco is a multiple-award-winning performer. Born to parents who were working in the entertainment industry, she started acting in school plays when she was a kid. She eventually took up roles in TV shows and films. She is a vegan and the mother of two children.
Michael Jai White is an American martial artist and actor. When he portrayed Al Simmons in the film Spawn, White became one of the first black actors to play a major comic book superhero in the history of American film industry. Known for his martial arts skills, White has played leading roles in popular action films like Mortal Kombat: Legacy.
Elliott Gould is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and his perfomances in Robert Altman films such as M*A*S*H, Nashville, and The Long Goodbye. Fans also loved him as Jack Geller in Friends and as Reuben Tishkoff in the Ocean's franchise.
Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist best remembered for creating an idea in psychology called Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Maslow, who advocated self-actualization, is also credited with co-founding the school of transpersonal psychology. In 1967, he was adjudged Humanist of the Year by the popular non-profit organization, American Humanist Association.
Singer, pianist, and composer Neil Sedaka initially co-founded the group The Tokens. Most of his collaborations have been with lyricists Phil Cody and Howard Greenfield. He has delivered hits such as Breaking Up Is Hard to Do and Bad Blood. He also launched free online mini-concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
