40.6979° N, 73.9995° W

NEW YORK CITY

Most Famous People Born in New York City, USA

Notable people
22,064
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1935
Most distinctive
Screenwriter 5.4×

If the 20th century held a casting call, it was in New York. Almost all of the city's notable births fall after 1900, fueled by an entertainment economy — Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, the studio system, late-night TV, hip-hop in the Bronx — that has minted more actors, comedians, and musicians than any other American city. Even its 19th-century names skew literary: poets, editors, journalists, not generals or industrialists.

Standouts

What New York City Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is New York City's biggest profession — 14% of all notables (3,012).

New York City over-indexes on screenwriter 5.4× the global rate.

New York City under-produces football — only 0.1× the global rate.

  1. Actor 3,012 2.6×
  2. Politician 1,004 0.4×
  3. Writer 859 1.2×
  4. Film 841 3.1×
  5. Lawyer 794 2.1×
  6. Music 767 2.4×
  7. Baseball 584 2.3×
  8. Singer 573 1.3×
  1. Screenwriter 522 5.4×
  2. Producer 225 3.6×
  3. Novelist 299 3.4×
  4. Film 841 3.1×
  5. Photographer 287 2.7×
  6. Actor 3,012 2.6×
  7. Music 767 2.4×
  8. Baseball 584 2.3×
  1. Football 365 0.1×
  2. Politician 1,004 0.4×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of New York City's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Science
  • Other
All22,064
Sort By

Showing 2,151 of 22,064 notable people

0010 ACTOR

Jane Fonda

Born 1937

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0011 ASTRONOMER

Carl Sagan

1934 - 1996

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0029 CONDUCTOR

John Williams

Born 1932

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0060 COMEDIAN

Joan Rivers

1933 - 2014

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0068 ACTOR

George Carlin

1937 - 2008

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0081 FILM

Alan Arkin

Born 1934

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0091 ACTOR

Alan Alda

Born 1936

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0096 ACTOR

Anthony Perkins

1932 - 1992

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0099 ACTOR

Harvey Keitel

Born 1939

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0105 WRITER

Susan Sontag

1933 - 2004

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0114 ACTOR

Mary Tyler Moore

1936 - 2017

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0124 ACTOR

Robert Vaughn

1932 - 2016

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0146 COMPOSER

Steve Reich

Born 1936

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0154 DRAMA

Stephen Sondheim

Born 1930

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0155 TELEVISION

Larry King

Born 1933

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0169 FILM

Michael Cimino

1939 - 2016

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0188 WRITER

Don DeLillo

Born 1936

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0194 ACTOR

Robert Loggia

1930 - 2015

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0199 POLITICIAN

Colin Powell

Born 1937

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0202 ACTOR

Ben Gazzara

1930 - 2012

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0209 JUDGE

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

1933 - 2020

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0216 PHILOSOPHER

Robert Nozick

1938 - 2002

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0217 ACTOR

Elliott Gould

Born 1938

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0219 ACTOR

Louis Gossett Jr.

Born 1936

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0226 SCREENWRITER

Joel Schumacher

1939 - 2020

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0228 PHYSICIST

Steven Weinberg

Born 1933

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0244 ACTOR

Suzanne Pleshette

1937 - 2008

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0252 SINGER

Joe Dassin

1938 - 1980

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0259 PHILOSOPHER

Richard Rorty

1931 - 2007

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0267 FILM

Dom DeLuise

1933 - 2009

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0268 ACTOR

Jerry Orbach

1935 - 2004

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0271 SINGER

Tab Hunter

1931 - 2018

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0278 ACTOR

Sal Mineo

1939 - 1976

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0282 LITERARY

Harold Bloom

1930 - 2019

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0284 ACTOR

Billy Dee Williams

Born 1937

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0287 SINGER

Neil Sedaka

Born 1939

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0308 ACTOR

Regis Philbin

1931 - 2020

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0315 ACTOR

Danny Aiello

1933 - 2019

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0324 ECONOMIST

Immanuel Wallerstein

1930 - 2019

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0328 ACTOR

Héctor Elizondo

Born 1936

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0329 WRITER

Audre Lorde

1934 - 1992

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0333 ACTOR

Paul Sorvino

Born 1939

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0342 PSYCHOLOGIST

Philip Zimbardo

Born 1933

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0365 BASEBALL

Sandy Koufax

Born 1935

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0371 LAWYER

Alan Dershowitz

Born 1938

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0376 WRITER

Frank McCourt

1930 - 2009

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0377 NOVELIST

E. L. Doctorow

1931 - 2015

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0392 ACTOR

John Saxon

1935 - 2020

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0453 ACTOR

Yaphet Kotto

Born 1939

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0459 POLITICIAN

Meir Kahane

1932 - 1990

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0460 ACTOR

Troy Donahue

1936 - 2001

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0464 SCREENWRITER

Robert Silverberg

Born 1935

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0466 FILM

Connie Stevens

Born 1938

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0487 SCREENWRITER

Buck Henry

1930 - 2020

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0500 INVENTOR

Robert Moog

1934 - 2005

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0501 ACTOR

Brenda Vaccaro

Born 1939

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0504 VIROLOGIST

David Baltimore

Born 1938

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0534 FILM

Richard Benjamin

Born 1938

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0535 COMPOSER

Angelo Badalamenti

Born 1937

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0548 SCREENWRITER

Paul Mazursky

1930 - 2014

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0558 WRITER

Donald E. Westlake

1933 - 2008

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0560 PHILOSOPHER

Jerry Fodor

1935 - 2017

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0564 PHYSICIST

Sheldon Lee Glashow

Born 1932

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0566 WRITER

Gene Wolfe

1931 - 2019

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0568 SINGER

Tina Louise

Born 1934

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0577 BUSINESS

John Sculley

Born 1939

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0588 FILM

Ron Rifkin

Born 1939

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0597 ACTOR

Diana Muldaur

Born 1938

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0621 MUSIC

Tiny Tim (musician)

1932 - 1996

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0634 ACTOR

Robert Evans

1930 - 2019

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0636 POET

Gregory Corso

1930 - 2001

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0638 ACTOR

Susan Strasberg

1938 - 1999

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0642 ACTOR

Steve Lawrence

Born 1935

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0672 ACTOR

James Farentino

1938 - 2012

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0674 FILM

Jerry Weintraub

1937 - 2015

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0677 PHILOSOPHER

Michael Walzer

Born 1935

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0689 LYRICIST

Gerry Goffin

1939 - 2014

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0701 SCREENWRITER

Erich Segal

1937 - 2010

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0702 PHOTOGRAPHER

Bob Guccione

1930 - 2010

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0705 POLITICIAN

Steny Hoyer

Born 1939

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0706 PHYSICIST

Leon Cooper

Born 1930

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0719 ACTOR

Joseph Bologna

1934 - 2017

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0739 ACTOR

Robert Downey Sr.

Born 1936

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0744 THEATRE

Richard Jordan

1937 - 1993

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0751 SOCIOLOGIST

Neil Postman

1931 - 2003

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0753 PHYSICIST

Burton Richter

1931 - 2018

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0761 JUDGE

Richard Posner

Born 1939

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0764 MATHEMATICIAN

Leonard Kleinrock

Born 1934

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0799 ENGINEER

Bob Kahn

Born 1938

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0806 SCREENWRITER

Ron Leibman

1937 - 2019

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0808 POLITICIAN

Jay Rockefeller

Born 1937

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0839 ACTOR

Joe Spinell

1936 - 1989

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0843 SINGER

Mort Shuman

1936 - 1991

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0876 FILM

Irwin Winkler

Born 1931

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0878 FILM

Bob Rafelson

Born 1933

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0882 COMEDIAN

Chuck McCann

1934 - 2018

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0886 ARTIST

John Romita Sr.

Born 1930

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0930 NEUROLOGIST

John O'Keefe (neuroscientist)

Born 1939

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0934 WRITER

David Halberstam

1934 - 2007

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0946 ATHLETE

Al Oerter

1936 - 2007

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0956 SINGER

Barry Mann

Born 1939

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0962 ACTOR

John Kerr (actor)

1931 - 2013

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0970 PRODUCER

Clive Davis

Born 1932

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0975 BASKET

Lenny Wilkens

Born 1937

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0977 WRITER

Peter S. Beagle

Born 1939

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0990 COMPOSER

John Corigliano

Born 1938

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0991 CHEMIST

Stanley Miller

1930 - 2007

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0992 ACTOR

Louise Lasser

Born 1939

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1007 POLITICIAN

Robert Rubin

Born 1938

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1012 PSYCHOLOGIST

Carol Gilligan

Born 1936

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1022 FILM

Paul Morrissey

Born 1938

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1023 ACTOR

Mark Rydell

Born 1934

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1033 PHOTOGRAPHER

Joel-Peter Witkin

Born 1939

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1044 ACTOR

Richard Bright (actor)

1937 - 2006

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1057 ACTOR

Susan Oliver

1932 - 1990

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1058 ACTOR

Lorraine Gary

Born 1937

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1067 WRITER

Nicholas Pileggi

Born 1933

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1074 ACTOR

Joyce Van Patten

Born 1934

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1076 PHOTOGRAPHER

Michael Rockefeller

1938 - 1961

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1083 PRELATE

Theodore Edgar McCarrick

Born 1930

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1119 GUITAR

Dave Van Ronk

1936 - 2002

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1133 COMPOSER

Herbie Mann

1930 - 2003

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1137 FILM

Frank Perry

1930 - 1995

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1141 ACTOR

Ina Balin

1937 - 1990

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1145 SINGER

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

Born 1931

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1147 PIANIST

Wynton Kelly

1931 - 1971

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1165 WRITER

Joanna Russ

1937 - 2011

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1168 FILM

Michael Kahn (film editor)

Born 1935

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1171 PSYCHIATRIST

M. Scott Peck

1936 - 2005

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1179 COMPOSER

Jerry Herman

1931 - 2019

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1181 ACTOR

Richard C. Sarafian

1930 - 2013

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1182 ACTOR

Sylvia Miles

1932 - 2019

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1184 ACTOR

Lee Radziwill

1933 - 2019

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1186 PHOTOGRAPHER

Lee Friedlander

Born 1934

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1194 POET

John Giorno

1936 - 2019

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1208 SINGER

Otis Blackwell

1931 - 2002

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1210 WRITER

Clifford Irving

1930 - 2017

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1219 ACTOR

James Coco

1930 - 1987

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1250 PHYSICIST

Melvin Schwartz

1932 - 2006

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1251 HISTORIAN

Robert Darnton

Born 1939

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1268 ACTOR

Carmen Dell'Orefice

Born 1931

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1269 ACTOR

Clarence Williams III

Born 1939

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1283 ACTOR

Duane Jones

1937 - 1988

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1292 ACTOR

Alan Oppenheimer

Born 1930

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1312 COMPOSER

Jackie McLean

1931 - 2006

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1318 MATHEMATICIAN

Barry Mazur

Born 1937

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1320 ACTOR

Paul Bartel

1938 - 2000

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1321 SINGER

Alan Vega

1938 - 2016

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1329 ACTOR

Ty Hardin

1930 - 2017

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1350 SINGER

Peter Yarrow

Born 1938

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1360 SCREENWRITER

Bernie Kopell

Born 1933

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1369 ROWER

Caldwell Esselstyn

Born 1933

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1408 FILM

Ivan Dixon

1931 - 2008

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1418 ECONOMIST

Martin Feldstein

1939 - 2019

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1425 ACTOR

Tony Lo Bianco

Born 1936

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1444 ACTOR

David Margulies

1937 - 2016

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1463 ACTOR

James Drury

1934 - 2020

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1465 FILM

Brian G. Hutton

1935 - 2014

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1468 PHYSICIST

Leo Kadanoff

1937 - 2015

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1471 PHYSICIST

Michael H. Hart

Born 1932

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1477 PSYCHIATRIST

Daniel Stern (psychologist)

1934 - 2012

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1501 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Robert W. Floyd

1936 - 2001

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1505 POET

Peter Orlovsky

1933 - 2010

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1508 ACTOR

Abbe Lane

Born 1932

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1509 ACTOR

David Hess

1936 - 2011

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1511 ACTOR

Joe Santos

1931 - 2016

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1518 ACTOR

Robert Donner

1931 - 2006

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1521 CHESS

William Lombardy

1937 - 2017

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1528 CINEMA

Michael Chapman (cinematographer)

1935 - 2020

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1530 ACTOR

Edd Byrnes

1933 - 2020

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1538 ARCHITECT

Robert A. M. Stern

Born 1939

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1539 WRITER

John Keel

1930 - 2009

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1543 ENGINEER

Lynn Conway

Born 1938

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1562 ACTOR

Tony Roberts (actor)

Born 1939

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1568 SINGER

Jerry Vale

1930 - 2014

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1571 NOVELIST

Robert Littell (author)

Born 1935

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1585 FILM

Ray Danton

1931 - 1992

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1596 PRODUCER

Don Kirshner

1934 - 2011

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1597 POLITICIAN

Al D'Amato

Born 1937

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1598 ACTOR

Steve Franken

1932 - 2012

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1609 WRITER

Jane Yolen

Born 1939

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1611 JOCKEY

Wolfman Jack

1938 - 1995

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1613 COMPOSER

Carl Davis

Born 1936

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1614 POLITICIAN

Thomas Kean

Born 1935

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1634 ACTOR

G. Gordon Liddy

Born 1930

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1641 ACTOR

Henry Darrow

Born 1933

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1651 POLITICIAN

Nita Lowey

Born 1937

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1675 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Michael Parenti

Born 1933

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1677 POET

Diane di Prima

1934 - 2020

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1691 ACTOR

Michael Bell (actor)

Born 1938

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1705 SCREENWRITER

Bo Goldman

Born 1932

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1708 JOURNALIST

William Blum

1933 - 2018

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1712 ACTOR

Leonard Frey

1938 - 1988

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1718 ACTOR

Adolph Caesar

1933 - 1986

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1720 SINGER

Helen Merrill

Born 1930

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1726 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Anthony Lake

Born 1939

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1746 MUSIC

Spencer Dryden

1938 - 2005

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1749 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Benjamin Barber

1939 - 2017

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1752 ACTOR

Shelley Morrison

1936 - 2019

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1753 PLAYWRIGHT

John Guare

Born 1938

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1775 ART HISTORIAN

Linda Nochlin

1931 - 2017

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1778 SINGER

John Hartford

1937 - 2001

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1785 SCREENWRITER

Joseph Brooks (songwriter)

1938 - 2011

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1786 SCREENWRITER

Carl Gottlieb

Born 1938

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1808 ACTIVIST

Jack Herer

1939 - 2010

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1812 PROFESSOR

Richard A. Falk

Born 1930

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1838 COMPOSER

Steve Lacy (saxophonist)

1934 - 2004

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1850 POLITICIAN

Nicholas F. Brady

Born 1930

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1852 ACTOR

Ed Bishop

1932 - 2005

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1859 PHYSICIST

Evelyn Fox Keller

Born 1936

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1864 MUSIC

Richard Fariña

1937 - 1966

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1870 MUSIC

Tatiana Troyanos

1938 - 1993

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1884 WRITER

Robert Stone (novelist)

1937 - 2015

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1915 ACTOR

Kenneth McMillan (actor)

1932 - 1989

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1921 CHOREOGRAPHER

Joan Jonas

Born 1936

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1930 AUTHOR

Robert Caro

Born 1935

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1932 ACTOR

Roger C. Carmel

1932 - 1986

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1938 ACTOR

Herb Edelman

1933 - 1996

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1939 JOURNALIST

Malcolm Browne

1931 - 2012

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1941 CINEMA

Owen Roizman

Born 1936

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1958 POET

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Born 1939

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1979 CONDUCTOR

Charles Wuorinen

1938 - 2020

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1980 ACTOR

Charles Cioffi

Born 1935

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1988 SINGER

Jeff Barry

Born 1938

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1991 WRITER

Pema Chödrön

Born 1936

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1997 CHEMIST

Allen J. Bard

Born 1933

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2016 ARTIST

Larry Lieber

Born 1931

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2019 ACTOR

Vic Tayback

1930 - 1990

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2025 ACTOR

Victor Argo

1934 - 2004

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2026 WRITER

Harry Mathews

1930 - 2017

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2029 ACTOR

Jay Robinson

1930 - 2013

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2034 BIOLOGIST

Hamilton O. Smith

Born 1931

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2050 FILM

Arnold Kopelson

1935 - 2018

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2052 FILM

Robert Chartoff

1933 - 2015

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2067 SINGER

Peggy Seeger

Born 1935

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2080 FILM

Don Calfa

1939 - 2016

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2086 PHOTOGRAPHER

Peter Beard

1938 - 2020

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2093 POLICE

Frank Serpico

Born 1936

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2096 CONDUCTOR

Erich Kunzel

1935 - 2009

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2108 CONDUCTOR

David Zinman

Born 1936

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2129 WRITER

Lucy R. Lippard

Born 1937

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2135 COMPOSER

Jonathan Tunick

Born 1938

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2142 HISTORIAN

Paul Avrich

1931 - 2006

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2148 MUSIC

Paul Horn (musician)

1930 - 2014

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2150 CHESS

Larry Evans

1932 - 2010

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2154 SCREENWRITER

Barry Primus

Born 1938

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2156 FEMINIST

Susan Brownmiller

Born 1935

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2157 WRITER

Robert Shea

1933 - 1994

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2169 PIANIST

Steve Kuhn

Born 1938

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2195 PLAYER

Renée Richards

Born 1934

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2197 ARTIST

Dick Giordano

1932 - 2010

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2200 PRODUCER

Paul A. Rothchild

1935 - 1995

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2207 HISTORIAN

David Kahn (writer)

Born 1930

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2216 ACTOR

Angela Paton

1930 - 2016

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2225 PERCUSSIONIST

Willie Bobo

1934 - 1983

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2230 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Alan Dundes

1934 - 2005

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2240 ACTOR

Zohra Lampert

Born 1937

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2252 ACTOR

Lorenzo Music

1937 - 2001

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2257 ACTOR

Godfrey Cambridge

1933 - 1976

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2258 FILM

Lewis Teague

Born 1938

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2292 ARTIST

Al Williamson

1931 - 2010

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2296 MATHEMATICIAN

Kenneth Appel

1932 - 2013

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2301 MUSIC

Paul Stookey

Born 1937

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2305 SCREENWRITER

Robert Kramer

1939 - 1999

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2314 PHILOSOPHER

Alvin Goldman

Born 1938

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2333 ARTIST

Trina Robbins

Born 1938

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2356 ACTOR

Pippa Scott

Born 1935

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2364 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Sidney Verba

1932 - 2019

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2368 DRUMMER

Don Alias

1939 - 2006

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2371 MUSIC

Ian Underwood

Born 1939

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2384 ACTOR

Bob Dishy

Born 1934

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2387 SCULPTOR

Audrey Flack

Born 1931

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2395 AUTHOR

Jim Fixx

1932 - 1984

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2404 PSYCHOLOGIST

Judith Rich Harris

1938 - 2018

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2430 ACTOR

Bruce Geller

1930 - 1978

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2434 PIANIST

Joan Bennett Kennedy

Born 1936

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2439 MUSIC

Reri Grist

Born 1932

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2447 ACTOR

Michael Fairman

Born 1934

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2448 ACTOR

BarBara Luna

Born 1939

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2450 COMPOSER

Mike Mainieri

Born 1938

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2457 BIOLOGIST

Maxine Singer

Born 1931

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2469 MUSIC

Eric Gale

1938 - 1994

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2479 ASTRONOMER

Jeremiah P. Ostriker

Born 1937

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2481 PRIEST

Mychal Judge

1933 - 2001

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2504 PSYCHIATRIST

Robert Spitzer (psychiatrist)

1932 - 2015

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2507 FILM

Martin Bregman

1931 - 2018

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2514 COMPOSER

Howard Greenfield

1936 - 1986

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2526 FILM

Stan Dragoti

1932 - 2018

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2540 ARTIST

Elliot Tiber

1935 - 2016

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2543 FILM

Gilbert Cates

1934 - 2011

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2553 SINGER

Martina Arroyo

Born 1936

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2574 WRITER

Bertrice Small

1937 - 2015

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2575 ACTOR

John P. Ryan

1936 - 2007

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2581 NOVELIST

Brian Garfield

1939 - 2018

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2584 FILM

Dick Richards

Born 1936

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2597 BIOLOGIST

Richard Levins

1930 - 2016

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2602 FILM

David Nelson (actor)

1936 - 2011

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2620 ACTOR

David Groh

1939 - 2008

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2635 ARTIST

Sal Buscema

Born 1936

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2643 PHYSICIST

Daniel Kleppner

Born 1932

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