Ferncliff Harstdale

1. Richard Barthelmess

Actor | Only Angels Have Wings

Richard Barthelmess was born into a theatrical family in which his mother was an actress. While attending Trinity College in Connecticut, he began appearing in stage productions. While on vacation in 1916, a friend of his mother, actress Alla Nazimova, offered him a part in War Brides (1916), and ...

2. Harold Arlen

Music_department | The Wizard of Oz

No American has written more first-rate songs than Arlen. He grew up in a musical family (his father was a cantor), and disappointed but didn't surprise his parents by dropping out of high school to become a musician. A stint as pianist and singer with a dance band, the Buffalodians, allowed him to...

3. Arleen Augér

Actress | Die Piraten

Arleen Augér was born on September 13, 1939 in Long Beach, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Die Piraten (1968), Desire (1992) and Alcina (1990). She died on June 10, 1993 in Leusden, Utrecht, Netherlands.

4. Arthur 'Bugs' Baer

Writer | They Learned About Women

Arthur 'Bugs' Baer was born on January 9, 1886 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a writer and editor, known for They Learned About Women (1930), Headin' Home (1920) and Battle Royal (1932). He was married to Louise Allcut Andrews and Marjorie Cassidy. He died on May 17, 1969 in New York ...

5. James Baldwin

Writer | Giants

James Baldwin is known for Giants and The Face (1998).

6. Harry Archer

Actor | The Hope Diamond Mystery

Harry Archer was born on February 21, 1886 in Creston, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for The Hope Diamond Mystery (1921), The Trail of the Octopus (1919) and The Red Ace (1917). He was married to Ruth Gilette. He died on April 23, 1960 in New York City, New York, USA.

7. Béla Bartók

Soundtrack | The Shining

Born in Hungary in 1881, Bartok began his musical studies on the piano at age five. His mother was his first teacher; after his father died in 1888, the Bartok family moved to Nagyszolos, where Bela continued his piano studies and took up composition. At age eleven, he made his first public ...

8. Mary Beard

Self | Votes for Women

Mary Beard was born in 1876 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. She was married to Charles Beard. She died in 1956.

9. Sherman Billingsley

Self | The Philco Television Playhouse

Sherman Billingsley was born on March 10, 1896 in Enid, Oklahoma, USA. He was married to Hazel Marguerite Donnelly and Iva Dee Risk. He died on October 4, 1966 in New York City, New York, USA.

10. Ray Bloch

Music_department | Science Fiction Theatre

Composer, songwriter ("When Love Has Gone"), conductor, pianist, author and arranger, he came to the USA during World War I. He was a pianist in New York Ballrooms, then organized his own orchestra and toured the US in vaudeville. He was a pianist on radio, then a music director and arranger for ...

11. Irène Bordoni

Actress | Paris

Corsican Irène Bordoni was one of several Broadway stars who failed to translate their success to the screen. Born to Italian parents, she was an assured child actress in her native country before emigrating to the United States. There, she established herself on the Great White Way in musical ...

12. Connee Boswell

Actress | Senior Prom

Singer, songwriter, composer, arranger and actress, Connee Boswell studied with Otto Finck. With her sisters Vet Boswell and Martha Boswell she formed The Boswell Sisters, appearing on records, radio, in theaters and films, but later continuing her career as a single. In World War II she ...

13. Adolph Caesar

Actor | The Color Purple

Born in the Harlem section of New York City, joined the Navy, then studied drama at New York University; was an announcer for then joined the Negro Ensemble Co. in 1970 for such productions as "The River Niger", "Square Root of the Soul" and "The Brownsville Raid"; worked with repertory groups such...

14. King Calder

Actor | Time Table

King Calder was born on April 21, 1897 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for Time Table (1956), The Best of Broadway (1954) and Martin Kane (1949). He was married to Ethel Wilson. He died on June 28, 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

15. Cab Calloway

Soundtrack | The Blues Brothers

Bandleader, songwriter ("Minnie the Moocher", "Are You Hep to That Jive?"), composer, singer, actor and author, educated at Crane College. While studying law, he sang with the band The Alabamians, and took over the group in 1928. He led The Missourians orchestra, then organized and led his own ...

16. Northern Calloway

Actor | Sesame Street

Northern Calloway was born on January 22, 1948 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Sesame Street (1969), Sesame Street, Special (1988) and Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978). He was married to Terry Calloway. He died on January 9, 1990 in Ossining, New York, USA.

17. Hattie Carnegie

Costume_department | The Secret Fury

Hattie Carnegie was born on March 15, 1886 in Vienna, Austria. She was a costume designer, known for The Secret Fury (1950), Born to Be Bad (1950) and Two Against the World (1932). She was married to John Zanft and Ferdinand Fleischman. She died on February 23, 1956 in New York City, New York, USA.

18. Mady Christians

Actress | Heidi

Mady Christians was born in Vienna, Austria. Destined to be in films in both Germany and the US, she started out as a stage actress but soon found new challenges in the world of cinema. Her first film was at the age of 24 when she appeared in Audrey (1916). She remained in German films for the next...

19. Joan Crawford

Actress | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur on March 23, 1906, in San Antonio, Texas, to Anna Belle (Johnson) and Thomas E. LeSueur, a laundry laborer. By the time she was born, her parents had separated, and by the time she was a teenager, she'd had three stepfathers. It wasn't an easy life; ...

20. Henrietta Crosman

Actress | Charlie Chan's Secret

Henrietta Crosman was born on September 2, 1861 in Wheeling, West Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for Charlie Chan's Secret (1935), The Right to Live (1935) and The Royal Family of Broadway (1930). She was married to Maurice Campbell and Sedley Brown. She died on October 31, 1944 in Pelham...

21. Myrtle Vail

Actress | Myrt and Marge

Myrtle Vail was born on January 7, 1888 in Joliet, Illinois, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for Myrt and Marge (1933), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and A Bucket of Blood (1959). She was married to George Damerel. She died on September 18, 1978 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

22. Lya De Putti

Actress | Othello

The daughter of a Hungarian baroness and a military officer, Lya De Putti went on to perform classical ballet in Berlin, Germany, after a brief stint in Hungarian vaudeville. She later made several films at the German UFA studios, most notably Variety (1925), before going to Hollywood in 1926. ...

23. O.L. Duke

Stunts | Man on Fire

O.L. Duke's acting career breakthrough occurred when he replaced Denzel Washington in Charles Fuller 's Pulitzer Prize-winning original production of "A Soldier's Play" (later made into the film A Soldier's Story (1984). He was a member of both the renowned Actors Studio and the Negro Ensemble ...

24. Donna Michelle

Actress | Beach Blanket Bingo

Donna Michelle was born on December 8, 1945 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), One Spy Too Many (1966) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964). She was married to David M. Ronne. She died on April 10, 2004.

25. Lew Fields

Actor | The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle

Lew Fields was born on January 1, 1867 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939), The Barker (1917) and Mike and Meyer Go Fishing (1915). He was married to Rose Harris. He died on July 20, 1941 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, ...

26. Mikhail Fokin

The Turning Point

Mikhail Fokin (Michel Fokine) was a Russian-American choreographer and dancer.

He was born Mikhail Mikhailovich Fokin on April 23, 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was the seventeenth of eighteen children, only 5 of whom grew to adulthood. His father, Mikhail Fokin, was a wealthy Russian merchant ...

27. Donald Foster

Actor | Lord Love a Duck

Donald Foster was born on July 31, 1889 in Oil City, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Lord Love a Duck (1966), The Twilight Zone (1959) and Lights Out (1946). He was married to Alis Bushey Gray. He died on December 23, 1969 in Hollywood, California, USA.

28. Alan Freed

Soundtrack | Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Alan Freed was an American disc jockey, music writer, and early promoter of rock and roll. He initially gained notoriety in the late 1940's while working for radio stations in Ohio, eventually leading to work in New York City. He was instrumental in bringing African-American artists directly to ...

29. Betty Furness

Actress | Midshipman Jack

Elizabeth Mary Furness was born on January 3, 1916 in New York City. She was a teenage model with the Powers agency and appeared in secondary roles in more than 35 movies. She is best remembered as the highly paid television spokesperson for Westinghouse Electric Corporation. She later moved on to ...

30. Jane Gail

Actress | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Jane Gail was born Ethel Magee in Salem, New York in 1890. She first appeared on stage in 1905, then went on to silent drama and comedy films after beginning her film career as an extra in 1912 and becoming a leading lady the following year. She is best remembered for her role in 1913's 'Dr. Jekyll...

31. Judy Garland

Actress | The Wizard of Oz

One of the brightest, most tragic movie stars of Hollywood's Golden Era, Judy Garland was a much-loved character whose warmth and spirit, along with her rich and exuberant voice, kept theatre-goers entertained with an array of delightful musicals.

She was born Frances Ethel Gumm on 10 June 1922 in ...

32. Minnie Gentry

Actress | Bad Lieutenant

Minnie Gentry was born on December 2, 1915 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for Bad Lieutenant (1992), Black Caesar (1973) and Apprentice to Murder (1988). She was married to Lloyd Gentry. She died on May 6, 1993 in New York, USA.

33. John Golden

Writer | Zeisters

John Golden is known for Zeisters (1986) and Samantha (1991).

34. John Gunther

Writer | Continente perduto

John Gunther was born on August 30, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Lost Continent (1955), Death Be Not Proud (1975) and John Gunther's High Road (1959). He was married to Jane (Perry) Vandercook and Frances Powell Fineman. He died on May 29, 1970 in New York ...

35. Oscar Hammerstein II

Soundtrack | State Fair

Oscar Hammerstein II was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and musical theatre director from New York City. He won a total of 8 Tony Awards for his best known works, "South Pacific" (1949), "The King and I" (1951), and "The Sound of Music" (1959). He twice won the Academy Award...

36. Annette Hanshaw

Soundtrack | Sita Sings the Blues

Annette Hanshaw was born on October 18, 1901 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. She was a composer, known for Sita Sings the Blues (2008), Canopy (2013) and Ayn Rand & the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged (2011). She died on March 13, 1985 in New York City, New York, USA.

37. Kitty Carlisle

Actress | A Night at the Opera

Kitty Carlisle Hart wore a cloak of many professional and elegant colors. Actress, opera singer, Broadway performer, TV celebrity, game show panelist, patron of the arts, and, at age 95, this vital woman continued her six-decade musical odyssey with songs and reminisces in her one-woman show: "...

38. Moss Hart

Writer | You Can't Take It with You

Tony Award-winning American playwright/lyricist Moss Hart was born Oct. 24, 1904, in New York City to a poor Jewish family and raised in what he described as a "drab tenement" on 107th St. in the Bronx. He was educated in the city public school system. He showed a knack for writing at an early age-...

39. Aaliyah

Soundtrack | Romeo Must Die

Talented. Beautiful. Modest. These three words described R&B singer-turned-actress Aaliyah perfectly.

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Diane (Hankerson) and Michael Haughton. Her uncle was music manager Barry Hankerson and her brother is director Rashad Haughton. Aaliyah was ...

40. B. Russell Herts

Writer | Grand Slam

B. Russell Herts was born on May 27, 1888 in New York City, New York, USA. B. Russell was a writer, known for Grand Slam (1933). B. Russell died on November 5, 1954 in Westchester County, New York, USA.

41. Alberta Hunter

Soundtrack | Radio Parade of 1935

Composer, songwriter ("Down Hearted Blues"), author and singer who was a singer on early recordings after high school, later appearing in the London production of 'Showboat' and at the Palladium and throughout Europe and Egypt. She had a radio program over NBC, and toured Europe and the Pacific ...

42. Kai-Shek Chiang

Self | The People Between

Kai-Shek Chiang was born on October 31, 1887 in Hsikow, Chekiang, China. He was married to Madame Chiang. He died on April 5, 1975 in Taipei, Taiwan.

43. Jerome Kern

Soundtrack | Till the Clouds Roll By

Jerome David Kern was born in 1885. He began his stage career grafting American songs (for which he wrote the music) into imported European operettas. His breakthrough came with the song "They Didn't Believe Me", written (with lyrics by Edward Laska) for a show called "The Girl from Utah". It ...

44. Kenneth Kling Jr.

Production_designer | Raiders of the Golden Triangle

Kenneth Kling Jr. is known for Raiders of the Golden Triangle (1983) and And Then They Forgot God (1971).

45. Alan Jay Lerner

Writer | An American in Paris

Playwright/lyricist Alan Jay Lerner was born into a wealthy New York City retailing family. His professional association with Frederick Loewe started in 1942 when they teamed up to write "Life of the Party". Their first Broadway success was the 1947 musical fantasy "Brigadoon." Lerner adapted work ...

46. Avon Long

Actor | The Sting

Avon Long was a featured singer and dancer in the Cotton Club in New York in 1934. Lena Horne credits him with bringing her out of the chorus line to a featured spot. In the 1940's, he won critical acclaim as "Sportin' Life" in the Broadway production of "Porgy and Bess". He also appeared in ...

47. Marion Lorne

Actress | Strangers on a Train

Forever embraced as the mumbling, bumbling Aunt Clara on the Bewitched (1964) television series, endearing character actress Marion Lorne had a five-decade-long career on the stage before ever becoming a familiar TV household name.

Born Marion Lorne MacDougall on August 12, 1883 (other sources list ...

48. Moms Mabley

Actress | Boarding House Blues

One the most successful entertainers of the Black vaudeville stage, also known as the Chitlin Circuit, was Jackie "Moms" Mabley, born Loretta Mary Aiken in 1894. At the apex of her long career, she was earning $10,000 a week at Harlem's Apollo Theatre. Mabley focused on conventional topics such as ...

49. Hugh Marlowe

Actor | All About Eve

Marlowe was born Hugh Hipple in Philadelphia, and began his stage career in the 1930s at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. He performed extensively on radio, stage, television and film with credits including off-Broadway productions of "The Deer Park" in 1967 and "All My Sons" in 1974.

50. Elsa Maxwell

Actress | Hotel for Women

Elsa Maxwell was born on May 24, 1881 in Keokuk, Iowa, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for Hotel for Women (1939), Stage Door Canteen (1943) and Public Deb No. 1 (1940). She died on November 1, 1963 in New York City, New York, USA.

51. Jam Master Jay

Soundtrack | Die Hard

Jam Master Jay was born on January 21, 1965 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Die Hard (1988), The Bounty Hunter (2010) and Friday Night Lights (2004). He was married to Terri Corley. He died on October 30, 2002 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA.

52. Thelonious Monk

Soundtrack | The Omega Man

Thelonious Monk was born on October 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for The Omega Man (1971), La La Land (2016) and Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995). He was married to Nellie Monk. He died on February 17, 1982 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA.

53. Khalid Muhammad

Self | Street Wars

Controversial Nation of Islam activist who stirred controversy with his racial views. Was expelled from that organization after he promoted violence against whites in South Africa, and insulted both the Pope and Jews. After his expulsion, he formed the new Black Panther movement.

54. Ona Munson

Actress | Gone with the Wind

Ona Munson was born Owena Elizabeth Wolcott on June 16, 1903 in Portland, Oregon. She took singing and dancing lessons when she was a child. At the age of fourteen, Ona moved to New York City with her mother. She began her career performing in vaudeville. In 1919 she made her Broadway debut in ...

55. Heavy D

Actor | The Cider House Rules

Dwight Arrington Myers (May 24, 1967 - November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American rapper, record producer, and actor. Myers was the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a group which included dancers/hype men G-Whiz (Glen Parrish), "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), and ...

56. Charlie Nelson

Actor | Le bossu

Charlie Nelson is known for On Guard (1997), Diplomacy (2014) and How I Became a Super Hero (2020).

57. Frederick O'Neal

Actor | Pinky

African-American Frederick O'Neal was an actor and director of distinction, known for his exemplary work on stage and TV, but is hailed (and, arguably, better remembered) for his work behind the scenes as a revolutionary unionist and certifiable mover-and-shaker, earning major applause for his ...

58. Josephine Premice

Actress | The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

Josephine Premice was born on July 21, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), The Next Step Beyond (1978) and Carnival in April (1953). She was married to Capt. Timothy Fales. She died on April 13, 2001 in ...

59. Connie Rasinski

Director | House of Hashimoto

Connie Rasinski was born on January 28, 1907 in Torrington, Connecticut, USA. Connie was a director and writer, known for House of Hashimoto (1960), Fuss and Feathers (1952) and Flying Cups and Saucers (1949). Connie died on October 13, 1965 in Larchmont, New York, USA.

60. Basil Rathbone

Actor | The Adventures of Robin Hood

Basil Rathbone was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1892, but three years later his family was forced to flee the country because his father was accused by the Boers of being a British spy at a time when Dutch-British conflicts were leading to the Boer War. The Rathbones escaped to England, ...

61. Sharon Redd

Soundtrack | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sharon Redd was born on October 19, 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), Fear City (1984) and Rhoda (1974). She died on May 1, 1992 in Westchester County, New York, USA.

62. Paul Robeson

Actor | Show Boat

This handsome, eloquent and highly charismatic actor became one of the foremost interpreters of Eugene O'Neill's plays and one of the most treasured names in song during the first half of the twentieth century. He also courted disdain and public controversy for most of his career as a staunch Cold ...

63. Sigmund Romberg

Soundtrack | Money Talks

Sigmund Romberg was born on July 29, 1887 in Nagykanizsa, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]. He was a writer and composer, known for Money Talks (1997), U-571 (2000) and Aloha (2015). He was married to Lillian Harris. He died on November 9, 1951 in New York City, New York, USA.

64. Diana Sands

Actress | The Landlord

Diana Sands was born on August 22, 1934 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Landlord (1970), A Raisin in the Sun (1961) and East Side/West Side (1963). She was married to Lucien Jean Happersberger. She died on September 21, 1973 in New York City, New York, USA.

65. Malik Sealy

Actor | Eddie

Malik Sealy was born on February 1, 1970 in The Bronx, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Eddie (1996), Diagnosis Murder (1993) and The Sentinel (1996). He was married to Lisa Sealy. He died on May 20, 2000 in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, USA.

66. Betty Shabazz

Malcolm X

Betty Shabazz was born on May 28, 1936 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She was an actress, known for Malcolm X (1992), Unfaithfully Yours (1984) and Nationtime (1972). She was married to Malcolm X. She died on June 23, 1997 in New York City, New York, USA.

67. Toots Shor

Self | The Colgate Comedy Hour

Toots Shor was born on May 6, 1903 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950), Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1944) and The Red Skelton Hour (1951). He died on January 23, 1977 in New York City, New York, USA.

68. Oscar E. Soglow

Writer | The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie

Oscar E. Soglow was born on December 23, 1900 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and director, known for The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie (1972), Darkest Africa (1930) and Jolly Good Felons (1934). He died on April 3, 1975 in New York City, New York, USA.

69. Irene Solomon

70. T.V. Soong

Self | One Inch from Victory

71. Preston Sturges

Writer | Sullivan's Travels

Preston Sturges' own life is as unlikely as some of the plots of his best work. He was born into a wealthy family. As a boy he helped out on stage productions for his mother's friend, Isadora Duncan (the scarf that strangled her was made by his mother's company, Maison Desti). He served in the U.S....

72. Ed Sullivan

Actor | Bye Bye Birdie

The beloved Impresario of TV variety from 1948 to 1971, Ed Sullivan originally made his name as a newspaper sportswriter, radio broadcaster and theater columnist for the New York Daily News. His column focused primarily on Broadway shows and juicy items about its stars. On the new medium of TV, ...

73. Ernst Toller

Writer | Pastor Hall

Ernst Toller was a German Jewish playwright, the son of wealthy parents in the Polish-speaking area of Prussia, and was considered one of the most promising of the German Expressionist dramatic movement. After enlisting in the German army in 1914, the horrors of trench warfare (including a personal...

74. Diana Trilling

Writer | Town Bloody Hall

Diana Trilling was born on July 21, 1905 in New York City, New York, USA. She was a writer, known for Town Bloody Hall (1979) and Firing Line (1966). She was married to Lionel Trilling. She died on October 23, 1996 in New York City, New York, USA.

75. Lionel Trilling

Writer | Alcoa Premiere

Lionel Trilling was born on July 4, 1905 in Queens, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for Alcoa Premiere (1961). He was married to Diana Trilling. He died on November 5, 1975 in New York City, New York, USA.

76. Judy Tyler

Actress | Jailhouse Rock

Her father was a trumpeter with bands such as Paul Whiteman and Benny Goodman, and her mother was a former Ziegfeld Follies dancer. Judy studied ballet, music, and acting, won a "Miss Stardust" beauty contest in 1949, danced with the Copacabana chorus line. and was making bit appearances on ...

77. Lenore Ulric

Actress | Camille

Lenore Ulric was born in New Ulm, Minnesota, on July 21, 1892. She was largely a character actress who appeared in only thirteen films in a career that spanned from 1915 to 1947. Lenore was 23 years old when she acted her first production, The Better Woman (1915). After The Road to Love (1916), ...

78. Conrad Veidt

Actor | Casablanca

Conrad Veidt attended the Sophiengymnasium (secondary school) in the Schoeneberg district of Berlin, and graduated without a diploma in 1912, last in his class of 13. Conrad liked animals, theater, cinema, fast cars, pastries, thunderstorms, gardening, swimming and golfing. He disliked heights, ...

79. Billy Vine

Actor | The Vagabond King

Billy Vine was born on December 23, 1914. He was an actor, known for The Vagabond King (1956), The Lucky Stiff (1949) and Vine Women and Song (1946). He died on February 10, 1958 in New York City, New York, USA.

80. Raymond Walburn

Actor | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Stalwart character Raymond Walburn is one of those actors whose name may have slipped through the memory cracks over time, but whose valued contribution to 30s and 40s comedy films certainly warrants a reminder. Somewhat reminiscent of the "Mr. Monopoly" character, Walburn was the archetypal ...

81. David W. Warfield

Producer | Ocean Park

David W. Warfield is known for Ocean Park (2002), Rows (2015) and Kill Me Again (1989). He was previously married to Callie Khouri.

82. Cornell Woolrich

Writer | The Window

Prolific mystery writer Cornell Woolrich was born in New York City, but his parents separated when he was young and he spent much of his childhood in Latin America with his father. Then he was sent back to New York to live with his rich, domineering mother, Claire. He attended Columbia University ...

83. Malcolm X

Writer | Malcolm X

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, one of seven children. His father, Earl Little, was a Baptist preacher who supported Marcus Garvey's Back to Africa movement. When Malcolm was four, the family moved to Lansing, Michigan, where Earl attempted opening a store ...

84. Joe Young

Soundtrack | King Kong

Joe Young was born on July 4, 1889 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for King Kong (2005), Flyboys (2006) and Big Fish (2003). He was married to Ruth ?. He died on April 21, 1939 in New York City, New York, USA.

85. Whitney Young

Self | Black Journal

Whitney Young was born on July 31, 1921 in Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky, USA. He was married to Margaret Buckner. He died on March 11, 1971 in Lagos, Nigeria.

86. Jim Henson

Soundtrack | The Muppet Show

Jim Henson never thought that he would make a name of himself in puppetry; it was merely a way of getting himself on television. The vehicle that achieved it was Sam and Friends (1955), a late-night puppet show that was on after the 11:00 news in Washington DC. It proved to be very popular and ...

87. Walter C. Hackett

Writer | Their Big Moment

Walter C. Hackett was born on November 10, 1876 in Oakland, California, USA. He was a writer, known for Their Big Moment (1934), The White Sister (1933) and The White Sister (1923). He was married to Marion Lorne. He died on January 20, 1944 in New York City, New York, USA.

88. Robert Evans

Producer | Chinatown

Robert Evans was born in New York City, to Florence (Krasne) and Archie Shapera, a dentist with a thriving practice in Harlem. His family was of Russian Jewish descent. He was raised on Manhattan's Upper West Side. He began his show-business career as a teenage radio actor. After flopping in his ...

89. Nelson Rockefeller

Self | Startime

Nelson Rockefeller, the son and grandson of billionaires and a billionaire in his own right when there fewer than a baker's dozen of such creatures, was a major force in national politics for three decades. Rocky bestrode the State of New York like a colossus in the 1960s, serving four terms as ...

90. Ruby Dee

Actress | American Gangster

Ruby Dee was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and civil rights activist. She is best known for originating the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun (1961).

She also starred in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), Cat People (1982), ...

91. Ossie Davis

Actor | Do the Right Thing

Ossie Davis was born on December 18, 1917 in Cogdell, Georgia, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Do the Right Thing (1989), Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) and Grumpy Old Men (1993). He was married to Ruby Dee. He died on February 4, 2005 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA.

92. Seymour Topping

Self | Meet the Press

Seymour Topping was born on December 11, 1921 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was married to Audrey Ronning. He died on November 8, 2020 in White Plains, New York, USA.

93. Stephen Sondheim

Soundtrack | Dick Tracy

He did his pre college training at George School, Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, then was in a class of 50 at Williams College majoring in music as an undergraduate distinguishing himself by writing a book, lyrics and music for two college shows based on the adaption of 'Beggar on Horseback'....

94. Dana Reeve

Actress | Everyone's Hero

Dana Reeve was born on March 17, 1961 in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Everyone's Hero (2006), Loving (1983) and Above Suspicion (1995). She was married to Christopher Reeve. She died on March 6, 2006 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

95. Christopher Reeve

Actor | Superman

Christopher D'Olier Reeve was born September 25, 1952, in New York City, to journalist Barbara Johnson (née Barbara Pitney Lamb) and writer/professor F.D. Reeve (Franklin D'Olier Reeve). He came from an upper-class family; his paternal grandfather was CEO of Prudential Financial, and one of his ...

96. Harry Belafonte

Actor | Bobby

Harold George Belafonte was born on March 1, 1927 in New York City. He was educated at the New York Dramatic Workshop. He grew up in Jamaica, British West Indies, and did folk-singing in nightclubs and theaters, and on television and records. His debut was at the Village Vanguard in New York. Also,...