Williams College Notable Alumni
Discover the notable alumni of Williams College. The list includes people like James A. Garfield, Madeleine Albright, Stephen Sondheim, Elia Kazan & Max Gail. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as film & theater personalities, media personalities, intellectuals & academics, miscellaneous and writers etc.
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1
Elia Kazan(One of the Most Honored and Influential Directors in Broadway and Hollywood History)
Birthdate: September 7, 1909
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Fener, Turkey
Died: September 28, 2003
Elia Kazan was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the most influential and celebrated directors in Hollywood and Broadway history, Kazan played a key role in launching the careers of actors like Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, and James Dean. His work has also influenced other prominent filmmakers like Martin Scorsese.
2
Erin Burnett(News Anchor and Host of 'Erin Burnett OutFront' on CNN)
Birthdate: July 2, 1976
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Mardela Springs, Maryland, United States
Erin Burnett is an American news anchor. Dubbed the International Superstar, Burnett has hosted her own show Erin Burnett OutFront from the borders of Afghanistan, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates; she has also worked on a number of documentaries filmed inside India, Nigeria, Russia, and Libya. She has also reported from countries like Pakistan and China.
3
John Frankenheimer
(Director)
Birthdate: February 19, 1930
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Died: July 6, 2002
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
4
Sean Duffy(Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 7th District (2011 - 2019))
Birthdate: October 3, 1971
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Hayward, Wisconsin, United States
Politician, prosecutor, and former sports commentator Sean Duffy is currently a Fox News contributor. He earned a J.D. degree from William Mitchell College of Law and practiced law for several years before entering public life. He has been both a competitor and commentator on ESPN's Great Outdoor Games. As a politician, he is a member of the Republican Party.
5
Adam Schlesinger
(Musician)
Birthdate: October 31, 1967
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: April 1, 2020
Birthdate: August 21, 1958
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Honolulu
Birthdate: October 29, 1925
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Died: August 26, 2009
Birthdate: April 5, 1943
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
9
George Steinbrenner
(Businessperson)
Birthdate: July 4, 1930
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rocky River
Died: July 13, 2010
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
10
Edgar Bronfman Sr.
(Businessman)
Birthdate: June 20, 1929
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Died: December 21, 2013
Edgar Bronfman Sr. was a Canadian-American entrepreneur best remembered for his role as president, treasurer, and CEO for the popular multinational conglomerate, Seagram. Bronfman was also a philanthropist who helped organizations like Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. In 1999, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Birthdate: September 28, 1923
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Died: August 16, 2012
Birthdate: March 22, 1930
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: New York City
Died: November 26, 2021
Stephen Sondheim is an American lyricist and composer. Widely regarded as one of the 20th century's most prominent figures in musical theatre, Sondheim is credited with reinventing the American musical. In 1981, he founded Young Playwrights Inc. to encourage young people to write for the theatre. An openly gay composer, Sondheim also serves as an inspiration to the LGBT community.
Birthdate: August 17, 1982
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Woodbury, New York, United States
14
G. Stanley Hall
(Psychologist, Science writer)
Birthdate: February 1, 1844
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Massachusetts
Died: April 24, 1924
15
Wang Leehom
(American Singer, Actor, Songwriter, Film Producer, and Director)
Birthdate: May 17, 1976
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rochester, New York, U.S.
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
16
Mika Brzezinski(Journalist, Political Commentator and Co-Host of the Weekday Morning Broadcast Show ‘Morning Joe’)
Birthdate: May 2, 1967
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: New York City, United States
Mika Brzezinski, daughter of diplomat Zbigniew Brzezinski, is best known as a co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe. She worked as a "Ground Zero" reporter for CBS during 9/11. She has also been on shows such as Up to the Minute and HomePage, and has authored three books, including a memoir.
Birthdate: August 3, 1973
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: White Plains, New York, United States
18
Walker Evans
(Photographer and Photojournalist best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great Depression)
Birthdate: November 3, 1903
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died: April 10, 1975
19
John Sayles
(Film director)
Birthdate: September 28, 1950
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Schenectady, New York, U.S.
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
20
Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran
(Founder and leader of the self-styled National Council of Iran)
Birthdate: October 31, 1960
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
Reza Pahlavi is the oldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and his wife Farah Diba. He was the crown prince before the Iranian Revolution overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. He is the founder of the self-styled National Council of Iran and a prominent critic of Iran's Islamic Republic government.
21
Bud Collyer
(American Radio Actor and Announcer)
Birthdate: June 18, 1908
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New York, United States
Died: September 8, 1969
22
Lina Khan
(Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Lawyer)
Birthdate: March 3, 1989
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: London, England
23
Richard Helms
(Government official)
Birthdate: March 30, 1913
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: nowrap St. Davids, Pennsylvania St. Davids, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died: October 22, 2002
24
Joseph Medill Patterson Albright
(Businessman)
Birthdate: 1937 AD
Birthplace: United States
25
William Bennett
(Politician)
Birthdate: July 31, 1943
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
26
Jesse Winchester
(Songwriter)
Birthdate: May 17, 1944
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bossier City, Louisiana, U.S.
Died: April 11, 2014
27
Walter Kaufmann
(Philosopher)
Birthdate: July 1, 1921
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Died: September 4, 1980
28
Sanford Ballard Dole
(Lawyer)
Birthdate: April 23, 1844
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
Died: June 9, 1926
29
Stacy Schiff
(Historian, Author, Journalist, Writer, Biographer)
Birthdate: October 26, 1961
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Massachusetts
Birthdate: January 4, 1883
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Canandaigua, New York, United States
Died: March 25, 1969
31
Stephen Johnson Field
(Judge)
Birthdate: November 4, 1816
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Haddam, Connecticut, United States
Died: April 9, 1899
32
Charles White Whittlesey
(United States Army Medal of Honor recipient who led the "Lost Battalion" in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive during World War I)
Birthdate: January 20, 1884
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Florence, Wisconsin, United States
Died: November 26, 1921
33
Frederick Wiseman
(Filmmaker)
Birthdate: January 1, 1930
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
34
James MacGregor Burns
(Historian, Non-fiction writer, University teacher)
Birthdate: August 3, 1918
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Boston
Died: July 15, 2014
Birthdate: February 24, 1908
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Schenectady, New York, United States
Died: May 23, 1998
36
Robert F. Engle
(Economist, Statistician, University teacher)
Birthdate: November 10, 1942
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Syracuse
Birthdate: September 2, 1850
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died: November 4, 1895
Birthdate: August 27, 1916
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Died: September 8, 1999
39
Jane Bolin
(American Attorney and Judge)
Birthdate: April 11, 1908
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Poughkeepsie, New York, United States
Died: January 8, 2007
Birthdate: June 29, 1912
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States
Died: January 4, 2004
41
John Howard Lawson
(Writer)
Birthdate: September 25, 1894
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: August 11, 1977
42
Samuel C. Armstrong
(Soldier)
Birthdate: January 30, 1839
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Maui, Hawaii, United States
Died: May 11, 1893
43
Sterling Brown
(Professor)
Birthdate: May 1, 1901
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Died: January 13, 1989
44
Charles Brackett
(Novelist, Screenwriter)
Birthdate: November 26, 1892
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Saratoga Springs, New York, United States
Died: March 9, 1969
45
William Lowndes Yancey
(Journalist)
Birthdate: August 10, 1814
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Warren, Georgia, United States
Died: July 27, 1863
46
Curtis T. McMullen
(Mathematician)
Birthdate: May 21, 1958
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Berkeley, California, United States
47
Edward W. Morley
(Scientist)
Birthdate: January 29, 1838
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States
Died: February 24, 1923
48
Ralph Eugene Meatyard
(Photographer)
Birthdate: May 15, 1925
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Normal, Illinois, United States
Died: May 7, 1972
49
William Dwight Whitney
(American Linguist, Lexicographer, and Philologist)
Birthdate: February 9, 1827
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Northampton, Massachusetts, United States
Died: June 7, 1894
50
Richard A. Ballinger
(Mayor)
Birthdate: July 9, 1858
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Boone, Iowa, United States
Died: June 6, 1922
