Cornell University Notable Alumni

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Discover the notable alumni of Cornell University. The list includes people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ann Coulter, Ratan Tata, Bill Nye & Bill Maher. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as writers, scientists, intellectuals & academics, media personalities and film & theater personalities etc.
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 1 
Bill Nye
(Best Known as the Host of the Science TV Show ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’)
Bill Nye
23
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: November 27, 1955
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 2 
Kurt Vonnegut
(Writer Known For His Satirical and Darkly Humorous Novels)
Kurt Vonnegut
19
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: November 11, 1922
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Died: April 11, 2007
 3 
Toni Morrison
(Novelist)
Toni Morrison
41
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: February 18, 1931
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Lorain, Ohio
Died: August 5, 2019
 4 
Ratan Tata
(Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons)
Ratan Tata
48
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: December 28, 1937
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Surat
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 5 
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
(Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1993 - 2020))
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
77
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: March 15, 1933
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: September 18, 2020
 6 
Christopher Reeve
(Best Known for Playing the Titular Role in the Film 'Superman' & its Three Sequels)
Christopher Reeve
29
Birthdate: September 25, 1952
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: October 10, 2004
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
 7 
Jimmy Smits
(Best Known for His Role as ‘Victor Sifuentes’ in the TV Series ‘L.A. Law’)
Jimmy Smits
7
Birthdate: July 9, 1955
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 8 
Harry Chapin
(Singer Best Known for His Folk Rock & Pop Rock Songs)
Harry Chapin
3
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: December 7, 1942
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Greenwich Village, New York, United States
Died: July 16, 1981
 9 
Jane Lynch
(Actress, Comedian and Author Known for Her Role as ‘Sue Sylvester’ in the TV Series ‘Glee’)
Jane Lynch
23
Birthdate: July 14, 1960
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Evergreen Park, Illinois, United States
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 10 
Huey Lewis
(Songwriter, Actor & Lead Singer for the Band 'Huey Lewis and the News')
Huey Lewis
10
Birthdate: July 5, 1950
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
 11 
Mae Jemison
(First African American Woman To Travel To Space)
Mae Jemison
20
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 17, 1956
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Decatur, Alabama, United States
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 12 
Tsai Ing-wen
(7th President of the Republic of China)
Tsai Ing-wen
12
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: August 31, 1956
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Taipei, Taiwan
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 13 
Howard Hawks
(Director)
Howard Hawks
4
Birthdate: May 30, 1896
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Goshen, Indiana, United States
Died: December 26, 1977
 14 
Ari Melber
(American Attorney, Chief Legal Correspondent for 'MSNBC' and Host of the News Show 'The Beat with Ari Melber')
Ari Melber
14
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: March 31, 1980
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Seattle, Washington, United States
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 15 
Gabrielle Giffords
(Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 8th district (2007-12))
Gabrielle Giffords
9
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: June 8, 1970
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Tucson, Arizona, United States
 16 
Brian Hallisay
(Known for His Roles in the TV Series: ‘Privileged’, ‘Lifetime’ and ‘The Client List’)
Brian Hallisay
3
Birthdate: October 31, 1978
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 17 
Andrea Savage
(Actress)
Andrea Savage
1
Birthdate: February 20, 1973
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, USA
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 18 
Catherine Hicks
0
Birthdate: August 6, 1951
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
 19 
Frank Morgan
(Actor)
Frank Morgan
3
Birthdate: June 1, 1890
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Died: September 18, 1949
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 20 
Thomas Pynchon
(Writer, Novelist, Essayist, Science fiction writer)
Thomas Pynchon
5
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: May 8, 1937
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Glen Cove
 21 
S. E. Cupp
(Television presenter)
S. E. Cupp
3
Birthdate: February 23, 1979
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Oceanside, California, U.S.
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 22 
Pearl Buck
(Winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature)
Pearl Buck
4
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: June 26, 1892
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hillsboro
Died: March 6, 1973
 23 
Ming Tsai
(Restaurateur, Squash player, Actor)
Ming Tsai
0
Listed In: Food Experts
Birthdate: March 29, 1964
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Newport Beach
 24 
E. B. White
(Children's Novelist Best Known for His Books: ‘Stuart Little’, ‘Charlotte's Web’ and ‘The Trumpet of the Swan’)
E. B. White
60
Birthdate: July 11, 1899
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Mount Vernon, New York, United States
Died: October 1, 1985
 25 
Janet Reno
(78th United States Attorney General (1993 - 2001))
Janet Reno
14
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: July 21, 1938
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Miami, Florida, United States
Died: November 7, 2016
 26 
Cheryl Crane
(Real estate broker)
Cheryl Crane
2
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: July 25, 1943
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 27 
Andrew Ross Sorkin
(Journalist)
Andrew Ross Sorkin
0
Birthdate: February 19, 1977
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
 28 
Peter Yarrow
(Singer-songwriter who found fame with the 1960s folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary)
Peter Yarrow
3
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: May 31, 1938
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 29 
Dan Duryea
(Known for His Roles in the Films: ‘The Pride of the Yankees’ and ‘None But the Lonely Heart’)
Dan Duryea
4
Birthdate: January 23, 1907
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: White Plains, New York, United States
Died: June 7, 1968
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 30 
William Sadler
(Actor)
William Sadler
3
Birthdate: April 13, 1950
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 31 
Franchot Tone
4
Birthdate: February 27, 1905
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Niagara Falls, New York, United States
Died: September 18, 1968
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 32 
Herb Edelman
7
Birthdate: November 5, 1933
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: July 21, 1996
Height: 6'5" (196 cm)
 33 
Freeman Dyson
(Mathematician)
Freeman Dyson
5
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: December 15, 1923
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Crowthorne, England
Died: February 28, 2020
 34 
Gad Saad
(Canadian Professor and Youtuber Known for Applying Evolutionary Psychology to Marketing and Consumer Behaviour)
Gad Saad
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 13, 1964
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Beirut, Lebanon
 35 
Vera Rubin
(American Astronomer Known for Her Pioneering Work on Galaxy Rotation Rates)
Vera Rubin
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: July 23, 1928
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: December 25, 2016
 36 
Robert Smigel
2
Birthdate: February 7, 1960
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 37 
Carla Gallo
(Actress)
Carla Gallo
3
Birthdate: June 24, 1975
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
 38 
Harold Gould
(Actor)
Harold Gould
3
Birthdate: December 10, 1923
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Schenectady, New York, United States
Died: September 11, 2010
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 39 
Ato Essandoh
0
Birthdate: July 29, 1972
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Schenectady, New York, United States
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 40 
Ethan Phillips
(Actor)
Ethan Phillips
0
Birthdate: February 8, 1955
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Garden City, Long Island, New York, USA
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
 41 
Kate Snow
(TV Journalist)
Kate Snow
4
Birthdate: May 10, 1969
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bangor, Maine
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
 42 
Margaret Bourke-White
(Photographer, War photographer, Photojournalist, Journalist)
Margaret Bourke-White
2
Listed In: Photographers
Birthdate: June 14, 1904
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New York City
Died: August 27, 1971
 43 
Richard Meier
(Architect & Abstract Artist)
Richard Meier
0
Listed In: Architects
Birthdate: October 12, 1934
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
 44 
Junot Díaz
(Best Known for His Novel 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao')
Junot Díaz
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: December 31, 1968
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
 45 
Thomas Midgley, Jr.
(Mechanical and chemical engineer)
Thomas Midgley, Jr.
2
Birthdate: May 19, 1889
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: November 2, 1944
 46 
Ricky Jay
(American Stage Magician and Actor Considered as the 'Master of Sleight-of-Hand Acts')
Ricky Jay
3
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: June 26, 1946
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: November 24, 2018
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
 47 
Sister Souljah
(Writer)
Sister Souljah
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: January 28, 1964
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: The Bronx, New York City, United States
 48 
Norbert Wiener
(Father of Cybernetics)
Norbert Wiener
1
Birthdate: November 26, 1894
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Columbia, Missouri, United States
Died: March 18, 1964
 49 
Joyce Brothers
(American psychologist)
Joyce Brothers
4
Birthdate: October 20, 1927
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.
Died: May 13, 2013
 50 
Bill Maher
(Comedian & Talk-Show Host Known for His Political Talk Shows: ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ & ‘Politically Incorrect’)
Bill Maher
30
Birthdate: January 20, 1956
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
Located in Ithaca, New York, Cornell University is a private Ivy League and federal land-grant doctoral university. Being one of three private land-grant universities in the United States and the only one in New York, the beautiful campus sprawls over a wide area of more than 4300 acres, including Cornell Botanic Gardens. One of the main features that make Cornell University stand a class apart is its non-sectarian approach to education, which has created an atmosphere where diversity thrives like never before. Hailing from over 120 countries, the student body comprises of over 21,000 students. Cornell University was deemed 16th in the QS World University Rankings and 19th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the year 2016-17. Essentially being a research university, it is also ranked fourth in the world for individuals who pursue PhDs in engineering and natural sciences at American establishments. The university enjoys a prestigious list of alumni’s who have made it huge, in different walks of life. With 34 Marshall Scholars, 29 Rhodes Scholars, 29 Truman Scholars and 7 Gates Scholars, the numbers speak louder than words about Cornell’s quality of education. Richard Baker, John B. Bell and Lou Abin are some of the prominent alumni’s of the university, who have contributed immensely to various fields of study. Here is a list of notable alumni’s of Cornell University who have been a source of inspiration in their respective areas of expertise.