PEOPLE KNOWN FOR: awards - Emmy
American singer and songwriter
Cyndi Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, and actress whose flamboyant style and catchy songs, most notably “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983), helped make her a pop icon. Lauper grew up in Queens,...
American film director and producer
Steven Spielberg is an American motion-picture director and producer whose diverse films—which range from science-fiction fare, including such classics as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and...
American filmmaker
Martin Scorsese is an American filmmaker known for his harsh, often violent depictions of American culture. From the 1970s, Scorsese created a body of work that was ambitious, bold, and brilliant. But...
American director
Mike Nichols was an American motion-picture, television, and stage director whose productions focus on the absurdities and horrors of modern life as revealed in personal relationships. (Read Martin Scorsese’s...
American actor and comedian
Stephen Colbert is an American actor and comedian who was best known as the host of The Colbert Report (2005–14), an ironic send-up of television news programs, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015–26)....
American writer and illustrator
Dr. Seuss was an American writer and illustrator of immensely popular children’s books noted for their nonsense words, playful rhymes, and unusual creatures. After graduating from Dartmouth College (B.A.,...
American actor and director
Rob Reiner was an American actor and director known especially for his role as Michael (“Meathead”) Stivic in the television series All in the Family (1971–79) and for his direction of such culturally...
American-born Australian actress
Nicole Kidman is an American-born Australian actress known for her considerable range and versatility as well as for her glamorous looks and cool demeanor. She won an Academy Award for best actress for...
American chef, television personality, and author
Ina Garten is an American chef, entrepreneur, author, and television personality. She is best known as the founder of the Barefoot Contessa brand, which began as a gourmet food store that she owned and...
American Canadian actor
Matthew Perry was an American Canadian comedic actor best known for his portrayal of the wisecracking Chandler Bing on the hugely popular sitcom Friends (1994–2004). Matthew Perry was the only child born...
The extravagant designer dressed Marilyn, Elton, and Cher
Bob Mackie was an American costume designer noted for his extravagant and inventive style, characterized by meticulously hand-beaded garments and abundant applications of feathers and rhinestones. His...
American actor and producer
Noah Wyle is an American actor and producer best known for playing a pair of fictional hospital physicians: John Carter on the hit NBC medical drama ER (1994–2009) and Michael (“Dr. Robby”) Robinavitch...
American actor, filmmaker, and screenwriter
Stanley Tucci is a prolific American actor, filmmaker, and writer widely recognized for his versatile acting skills in film, television, and theater, as well as his acclaimed work behind the camera. His...
Canadian actress
Catherine O’Hara was a Canadian comedic actor whose improvisational skills and ability to imbue her comic characters with depth and humanity brought her respect and a number of career-defining roles. O’Hara...
American actor
Tramell Tillman is an American actor best known for playing the turtleneck-wearing, exceedingly loquacious supervisor Seth Milchick on the award-winning Apple TV (formerly Apple TV+) dystopian sci-fi thriller...
American actress
Jean Smart is an American actress recognized for her long, eclectic career in a range of comedic and dramatic roles, most notably as caustic stand-up comic Deborah Vance in the HBO comedy-drama television...
American director, producer, and actor
Sydney Pollack was an American director, producer, and actor who helmed a number of popular films, including The Way We Were (1973), Tootsie (1982), Out of Africa (1985), and The Firm (1993). Although...
American actress
Christina Applegate is an American actress who rose to fame as the airheaded teenage character Kelly Bundy on the sitcom Married... with Children (1987–97). Applegate has since enjoyed a prolific career,...
American director
John Frankenheimer was an American television and film director who was considered one of the most important and creatively gifted directors of the 1950s and ’60s. He was especially noted for such classic...
American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor
Mel Brooks is an American film and television director, producer, writer, and actor whose motion pictures elevated outrageousness and vulgarity to high comic art. Brooks began his career in entertainment...
American actor
Nick Offerman would be the first to admit that Hollywood success came as a surprise to an Illinois farm boy whose sense of self is defined as much by woodworking as by acting. The American Emmy Award-winning...
American actress
Jennifer Aniston is an American actress who achieved stardom on the popular television sitcom Friends (1994–2004) and launched a successful film career that included numerous romantic comedies. Aniston’s...
American actress
Meryl Streep is an American film actress known for her masterly technique, expertise with dialects, and subtly expressive face. She has received an unprecedented 21 Academy Award nominations, and she won...
American actor
In the 1970s Henry Winkler created one of the decade’s true pop culture sensations: Arthur Fonzarelli, better known as “Fonzie” or “the Fonz.” With his black leather jacket, blue jeans, and slicked-back...
English broadcaster, writer, and naturalist
David Attenborough is an English broadcaster, writer, and naturalist noted for his innovative educational television programs, especially the nine-part Life series. Over a career that has spanned decades,...
American writer
Ray Bradbury was an American author best known for his highly imaginative short stories and novels that blend a poetic style, nostalgia for childhood, social criticism, and an awareness of the hazards...
American actor
Alec Baldwin is an American actor of great versatility who is especially known for his portrayal of roguish characters, notably Jack Donaghy on the sitcom 30 Rock (2006–13). Adept at comedy and drama,...
American cartoonist
Jim Davis is an American cartoonist who is best known as the creator of the comic strip Garfield. The strip’s titular character, a sardonic, lazy, lasagna-loving, Monday-hating, orange tabby cat, became...
American actor
Jon Bernthal is an American actor known for his emotionally complex portrayals of tough, brooding characters. Bernthal received formal training at several drama schools and spent the early part of his...
American actress
After more than a decade playing small but noteworthy roles in action thrillers and comedies, American actress Sharon Stone became a bona fide movie star and a major sex symbol in the early 1990s. The...
American actress
Allison Janney is an American actress who won acclaim on stage, film, and television but is perhaps best known for her portrayal of C.J. Cregg, the White House press secretary and chief of staff on the...
British musician
Elton John is a British singer, composer, and pianist who became one of the most popular entertainers of the late 20th century with such indelible hit songs as “Rocket Man,” “Crocodile Rock,” and “Candle...
American talk-show host, producer, and comedian
Jimmy Kimmel is an American late-night talk-show personality, producer, and comedian best known as the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003– ). He also is a frequent host of various award ceremonies. In 2025...
American producer, director, and writer
Ryan Murphy is a producer, director, and writer of television and film who has built a successful and prolific career by bringing the stories of marginalized characters to the mainstream and by exploring...
American actor
John Lithgow is an American stage and screen character actor known for his extreme versatility, earning acclaim in roles ranging from mild-mannered everymen to cold-blooded killers. Lithgow’s notable credits...
American actor and singer
Zendaya is an American actor, singer, and dancer who first gained fame for comedic roles on the Disney Channel and later transitioned to more complex and critically acclaimed parts, such as Rue Bennett...
American singer and actress
Barbra Streisand is an American singer, composer, actress, director, and producer who is considered by many to be the greatest popular singer of her generation. The first major female star to command roles...
American actor
Jeffrey Wright is an American actor known for his ability to play villains and heroes, supporting characters, and famous historical figures. His versatility and compelling presence in film, theater, and...
American actor and social activist
Edward James Olmos is a Mexican American actor, director, producer, and activist known for his gruff voice and distinctive features and for his crafting of complex Latino characters in film, television,...
Scottish actor
Ewan McGregor is a Scottish actor of stage, film, and television who is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the second Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace (1999),...
Canadian actor and screenwriter
Seth Rogen is a Canadian comic actor and screenwriter who won over audiences as a charismatic buffoon in a number of box-office hits, including Knocked Up (2007). He later branched out into dramatic roles...
American actress
Julianne Moore is an American actress known for her exacting and sympathetic portrayals of women at odds with their surroundings, often in films that examined social issues. Moore received accolades for...
American actress
Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author who first rose to fame with a series of popular horror movies, most notably Halloween (1978) and its sequels, and who later found success with comedic...
English composer and theatrical producer
Andrew Lloyd Webber is an English composer and theatrical producer whose eclectic rock-based works helped revitalize British and American musical theater, beginning in the late 20th century. Lloyd Webber...
British actor
Benedict Cumberbatch is an acclaimed British motion-picture, theater, and television actor known for his portrayals of intelligent, often upper-crust characters, for his deep resonant voice, and for his...
American actress
Amanda Seyfried is an American actress known for her roles in films such as Mean Girls (2004), Mamma Mia! (2008), and Les Misérables (2012). Seyfried has won Emmy and Golden Globe awards for her role as...
American screenwriter, producer, and actor
Mike White is an American screenwriter, producer, and actor who created several successful films and television shows, including the musical-comedy film School of Rock (2003) and the award-winning anthology...
American director
Steven Soderbergh is an American film director who worked in disparate genres, directing both idiosyncratic independent films and popular box-office successes. Soderbergh’s notable films include sex, lies,...
American comedian and writer
Louis C.K. is an American comedian, writer, director, and producer known for his ribald confessional stand-up comedy and for his critically acclaimed television show Louie. C.K. began his career working...
English actress
Kate Winslet is an English actress known for her sharply drawn portrayals of spirited and unusual women. Winslet won an Academy Award for her performance in The Reader (2008). Other notable credits include...