California State University, Los Angeles

Discover the notable alumni of California State University, Los Angeles. The list includes people like Alfonso Ribeiro, Jaime Escalante, Cheryl Tiegs, Octavia Butler & Tina Ball. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as film & theater personalities, miscellaneous, sportspersons, fashion and writers etc.
Vote for Your Favourite California State University, Los Angeles

Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

 1 
Steve Martin
(Actor, Comedian, Writer and Musician)
Steve Martin
45
Birthdate: August 14, 1945
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Waco, Texas, United States

A man of many talents, Steve Martin is a successful comedian, actor, and musician. In 2004, he was ranked sixth in Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comics list. Despite achieving great fame and success as a comedian and actor, Steve decided to pursue a career in music and began appearing seldom in films to record and tour with bluegrass acts.

 2 
Helen Hunt
(Actress and Director Known for Role as ‘Carol Connelly’ in the Film ‘As Good as It Gets’)
Helen Hunt
42
Birthdate: June 15, 1963
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Culver City, California, United States

American actress Helen Hunt garnered recognition when she acted in the television series, St Elsewhere, in the 1980s and Mad About You in the 1990s. She has starred in several acclaimed and successful Hollywood films like Twister, What Women Want, Cast Away and The Sessions. She won a Best Actress Oscar for the 1997 film As Good as it Gets.

 3 
Billie Jean King
(One of the Greatest Tennis Players of All Time)
Billie Jean King
29
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: November 22, 1943
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Long Beach, California, United States
Tennis legend Billie Jean King has won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles titles and 16 doubles titles. The former world no. 1 beat Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" match in 1973. She also founded the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation.
 4 
Alfonso Ribeiro
(Actor, Director, and TV Personality)
Alfonso Ribeiro
15
Birthdate: September 21, 1971
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bronx, New York, United States

Alfonso Ribeiro is an American actor, television personality, and dancer who got to dance alongside Michael Jackson for a Pepsi commercial when the former was just a kid. Since then, Ribeiro has not looked back and later used his dancing skills to become an actor. He currently hosts one of the most beloved TV shows ever, America's Funniest Home Videos.

 5 
Octavia Butler
(American Author Known for Her Science Fiction Novels)
Octavia Butler
12
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: June 22, 1947
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Pasadena, California, United States
Died: February 24, 2006

One of the finest African-American sci-fi authors, Octavia Butler was raised single-handedly by her widowed mother. Best known for the Patternist series and the short story Bloodchild, she often mingled mythology and spirituality in her work. She was the first sci-fi author to receive a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

 6 
Cheryl Tiegs
9
Birthdate: September 25, 1947
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Breckenridge, Minnesota
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 7 
LaVar Ball
(American Businessman, Co-Founder and CEO of ‘Big Baller Brand’)
LaVar Ball
11
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: October 23, 1967
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
LaVar Ball, father of basketball players Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo Ball, once played professional American football. He has appeared on the reality show Ball in the Family and owns the clothing company Big Baller Brand. He once had an infamous feud with Donald Trump over LiAngelo’s arrest in China.
 8 
Jaime Escalante
(Bolivian-American Math Instructor)
Jaime Escalante
28
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: December 31, 1930
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: La Paz, Bolivia
Died: March 20, 2010

Jaime Escalante  was a Bolivian-American educator. He is best remembered for teaching calculus to students at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles from 1974 to 1991. He had an illustrious career and was a much-respected figure in teaching.  The film Stand and Deliver is based on his life. He received Presidential Medal for Excellence in Education in 1988. 

 9 
Frank Zane
(Retired Professional Bodybuilder and Three-Time Mr. Olympia)
Frank Zane
6
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: June 28, 1942
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Kingston, Pennsylvania, United States

Three-time Mr. Olympia winner Frank Zane had begun gaining attention with the Mr. Pennsylvania title in 1961.Though inspired to take up bodybuilding after reading Muscle magazine in his teens, he initially taught math and chemistry and also earned advanced degrees in psychology, thus earning the nickname The Chemist.

 10 
Carlos Mencia
(Comedian and Host of 'Mind of Mencia')
Carlos Mencia
13
Birthdate: October 22, 1967
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Carlos Mencia is a Honduran-born American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for hosting Comedy Central's series Mind of Mencia. Carlos Mencia, whose style of comedy involves issues pertaining to social class, criminal justice, race, and culture, has been accused of plagiarism on several occasions.

 11 
Billy Barty
(Actor)
Billy Barty
1
Birthdate: October 25, 1924
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Millsboro, Pennsylvania, USA
Died: December 23, 2000
Height: 3'9" (114 cm)
 12 
Maxine Waters
(Member of U.S. Representative for California's 43rd Congressional District)
Maxine Waters
26
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: August 15, 1938
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Maxine Waters chairs the House Financial Services Committee and is a U.S. Representative from California. Named to Time 100, she has also chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 1997 to 1999. She has opposed the Iraq War and has been vocally critical of George W. Bush and Donald Trump.
 13 
Eugene Landy
(Psychologist)
Eugene Landy
6
Birthdate: November 26, 1934
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: March 22, 2006
 14 
Robin Shou
(Hong Kong-American Actor & Martial Artist Known for His Role in the Film ‘Mortal Kombat’ as ‘Liu Kang')
Robin Shou
3
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: July 17, 1960
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hong Kong
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 15 
Ramona Young
(Actress who is predominantly recognized for her work on Never Have I Ever, Legends of Tomorrow and Man Seeking Woman)
Ramona Young
1
Birthdate: August 8, 1998
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 16 
Essie Mae Washington-Williams
(American Educator Best Known as the Daughter of Former Governor of South Carolina, Strom Thurmond)
Essie Mae Washington-Williams
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 12, 1925
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Aiken, South Carolina, United States
Died: February 4, 2013

In 2003, Essie Mae Washington-Williams made headlines when she announced that she was the illegitimate, bi-racial child of senator Strom Thurmond and his Black maid. It is believed Essie’s mother was 16 when she had her, and that Thurmond didn’t accept her, as he was politically pro-segregation.

 17 
Leana Wen
(Former President of Planned Parenthood)
Leana Wen
6
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: January 27, 1983
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Shanghai, China
 18 
Sho Kosugi
(Japanese Martial Artist and Actor Known for His 'Ninja' Roles in 1980s Film 'Revenge of the Ninja)
Sho Kosugi
0
Birthdate: June 17, 1948
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Minato, Tokyo, Japan

Apart from being a martial artist, Sho Kosugi was also one of the best actors of the Japanese ninja craze of the 1980s. The son of a fisherman, he had begun learning martial arts at age 5. Nicknamed The Visible Ninja, he later impressed audiences in films such as the Cannon ninja trilogy.

 19 
Franklin Session
(Basketball player)
Franklin Session
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: January 23, 1989
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: United states
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 20 
Lou Leon Guerrero
(9th Governor of Guam)
Lou Leon Guerrero
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: November 8, 1950
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Guam
 21 
Amber Rayne
(Adult Film Stars)
Amber Rayne
7
Birthdate: September 19, 1984
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Died: April 2, 2016
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
 22 
Charles Gordone
(Playwright)
Charles Gordone
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: October 12, 1925
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Died: November 16, 1995
 23 
Antony C. Sutton
(British-American Writer, Researcher and Economist)
Antony C. Sutton
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: February 14, 1925
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
Died: June 17, 2002

British-American researcher, historian, economist, writer and professor Antony Cyril Sutton served as a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution for War, Revolution and Peace and as a professor of economics at California State University, Los Angeles. He authored 25 books and is best-known for his book America's Secret Establishment: An Introduction to the Order of Skull and Bones.

 24 
Scott Shaw
(American Author, Martial Artist, and Filmmaker)
Scott Shaw
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 23, 1958
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 25 
Wendy Carrillo
(Politician)
Wendy Carrillo
1
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: August 10, 1980
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: El Salvador
 26 
Robert A. Underwood
(Politician and Chancellor)
Robert A. Underwood
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: July 13, 1948
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tamuning, Guam, United States
 27 
Hy Cohen
(Baseball player)
Hy Cohen
1
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: January 29, 1931
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: February 4, 2021
 28 
Michael S. Harper
(Poet)
Michael S. Harper
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 18, 1938
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: May 7, 2016
 29 
Tina Ball
(American Former Basketball Player)
Tina Ball
3
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: December 11, 1967
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Florida, United States
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 30 
Nick Ariondo
(American Accordionist, Composer and Pianist)
Nick Ariondo
1
Listed In: Musicians
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
 31 
Avery August
(American Scientist Known for His Work in the Field of Immunology and T Cells)
Avery August
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: December 28, 1964
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Belize City, Belize

Avery August is a Belizean-born American scientist best known for his work in the field of immunology and T cells. In 2016, he was honored with the Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science award for his contributions to the field of molecular biology and biochemistry. Avery August is currently working as a professor of immunology at Cornell University.