Celebrities Whose First Name Starts With U

One of the greatest athletes ever, Usain Bolt is popular by the nickname ‘Lightning Bolt’. He holds the world record for 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 × 100 metres relay and is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016).

The 18th president of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant held office from 1869 to 1877. He led the Union Army as Commanding General of the United States Army during the American Civil War and was a war hero. As president, he stabilized the post-war national economy and created the Department of Justice. Historians generally recognize his presidential accomplishments.

From being a lanky girl who was made fun of in school to becoming Hollywood’s A-list star, actress Uma Thurman has had quite a journey. She worked in various movies before landing on the film that earned her international appreciation, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Later, Tarantino's two Kill Bill movies and Mira Nair’s miniseries Hysterical Blindness further boosted her stardom.

Swiss actress, yesteryear model and sex symbol Ursula Andress gained attention playing Honey Ryder, widely regarded as the first Bond girl, in the first James Bond film titled Dr. No. In the ensuing years, she bolstered her career starring in films like The Southern Star, Clash of the Titans, and particularly as Vesper Lynd in spy parody film Casino Royale.    

Úrsula Corberó is a Spanish actress who achieved international fame after playing Tokyo in the popular heist crime drama TV series, Money Heist. Renowned for her good looks, Corberó has been the face of many brands, such as Maybelline, Tampax, and Calzedonia. Also a philanthropist, Corberó has been part of many awareness campaigns pertaining to breast cancer and climate change.

Urban Meyer is an American football coach who is currently serving as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars which competes in the NFL. He has also coached college football teams like the Ohio State Buckeyes, helping the team win its maiden Big Ten Conference title. He has also worked as an analyst for popular TV networks like Fox Sports.

Usman Khawaja is an Australian professional cricket player who has represented the Australian men's cricket team in Test, One Day International, and Twenty20 cricket. In 2011, he became the first Pakistani-born player and the first Muslim to play for the Australian Test team. He went on to represent Australia at the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Ursula K. Le Guin was an American author. In a career spanning almost six decades, Ursula wrote about political and social themes like race and sexuality. Throughout her career, Ursula had a major influence on speculative fiction. Her book A Wizard of Earthsea is credited with inspiring ideas like 'wizard school', which was later popularized in the Harry Potter series.

Italian novelist Umberto Eco is best remembered for his novels The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum. He also taught at the University of Bologna and had released quite a few children’s books and translations. He was also known for his work on semiotics and medieval studies.

The incumbent Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta is the leader of the Jubilee Party of Kenya. Son of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, he was dragged into a controversy after sweeping the 2017 re-elections by winning 98% of the total votes. However, a Supreme Court ruling dismissed all charges against him.

Una Healy initially rose to fame as part of the 5-member girl group The Saturdays. The Irish singer is the niece of country music star Declan Nerney. A talented swimmer, she gave up the sport at 13 to switch to music. She has also scored solo hits such as Stay My Love.  

Burmese diplomat U Thant made history by becoming the first non-Scandinavian to be named the UN secretary-general. Later in life, he tried applying Buddhist principles such as detachment to solve major international conflicts. Following his death in New York, his burial in Burma became a source of riots.

Uriah Hall is a Jamaican-American professional mixed martial artist who emerged as The Ultimate Fighter 17 Knockout of the Season. He currently fights in the middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and has previously been associated with Bellator MMA and Ring of Combat. Besides mixed martial arts, he has made a few media appearances. 

Ub Iwerks was an American cartoonist, animator, inventor, character designer, and special effects technician. He is credited with designing such popular characters as Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Apart from being honored with several Academy Awards for his work, Iwerks was also named a Disney Legend. The Ub Iwerks Award for Technical Achievement is named in his honor.

Uee is a South Korean actress and singer best known for her association with the popular girl group After School, where she served as a singer from 2009 to 2017. She has also received several prestigious awards for her acting skills; these awards include KBS Drama Awards, MBC Drama Awards, and an SBS Entertainment Award. 

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua became President of Nigeria after winning the highly-controversial 2007 presidential election as candidate of PDP. He earlier served as Governor of Katsina. He went to Saudi Arabia in November 2009 to receive treatment for pericarditis. He was never seen in public again and although he returned to Nigeria in February 2010, he died in May that year.   

Uhm Jung-hwa is a South Korean actress, singer, and dancer. Her amazing performance in the 2013 thriller film Montage earned her the Korean Film Actors Association Award, Grand Bell Award, and Korean Culture Entertainment Award. Dubbed the evergreen, Uhm Jung-hwa is recognized as a role model within the Korean entertainment industry. 

U Nu was a Burmese nationalist politician and statesman. He is best remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Burma on three occasions between 1948 and 1962. U Nu is also remembered for his literary works; he wrote several plays and novels during his lifetime.

French Catholic priest Urbain Grandier was a popular preacher in Loudun. However, he was later accused of practicing witchcraft and causing the demonic possession of a group of nuns from the Ursuline convent. It is believed the jealousy of the rival preachers was behind the accusation.

Austrian alpine ski racer Ulrike Maier was not just a 2-time Olympian but also a 2-time World Champion. Back when she competed, she was the only mother in the World Cup circuit. She died after breaking her neck in a downhill race in Germany at age 26.

Ursula Burns made history when she became the CEO of Xerox, becoming the first African-American female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Raised by a working-class single mother, Burns grew up to graduate as a mechanical engineer. She has led the American STEM Education Coalition and served various corporate boards.

Usman Ahmed is a British former professional boxer. He was active from 2006 to 2016. Over his career, he participated in 19 major fights, out of which he won eight. In 2009, he competed for the British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. He gained notoriety when he once danced to the ring, only to be knocked unconscious by his opponent.  

Born to a Pakistani cricket administrator, Umar Akmal later joined the Pakistani national cricket team. He was once banned by the PCB for his links to a spot-fixing scandal. In 2020, he was trolled on social media for mentioning how cricketer Abdul Razzaq was his mother from another brother