Notable Alumni
Notable alumni of the Columbia University School of General Studies, including its dual and joint degree programs, as well as the Columbia University Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program.
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- Ira Gershwin* (1918), Pulitzer Prize-winning American lyricist
- Amelia Earhart* (1920), American aviator and early female pilot
- Simon Kuznets (1923), Nobel Prize-winning economist
- David O. Selznick* (1923), Hollywood producer, King Kong (1933) and Gone with the Wind
- Federico García Lorca* (1929), Spanish poet and dramatist
- Isaac Asimov (1939), Science fiction author and biochemist
- J.D. Salinger* (1939), Author
- Jane Jacobs* (1940s), Urban theorist, activist, and author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities
- Baruj Benacerraf (1942), Nobel Prize-winning immunologist
- Telly Savalas (1946), Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actor
- Gene Roddenberry* (1946-1947), Screenwriter, producer, and creator of the original Star Trek television series and its first spin-off series Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Ossie Davis* (1947-1948), Actor and social activist; Emmy and Golden Globe award nominee
- Louis Simpson (1948), Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
- John W. Backus (1950), Developer of Fortran, the first true computer language; recipient of the National Medal of Science
- Anthony Perkins* (1950s), Actor and writer
- Frank Sutton (1952), Actor
- Donald Clarence Judd (1953), Artist
- Donald Richie (1953), Film critic
- Sandy Koufax* (1955), Pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers
- Mike Gravel (1956), Former U.S. Senator from Alaska and candidate for the 2008 Democratic nomination for President of the United States; released full Pentagon Papers
- Pat Boone (1957), Singer and actor
- Lee Falk* (1957-1961), Comic strip writer (created The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician); theater director and producer
- Gerard W. Ford (1957), Founder, Ford Modeling Agency
- Hunter S. Thompson* (1958), Writer
- Mary McFadden (1959), Fashion designer
- Stewart Rawlings Mott (1959), Lobbyist and philanthropist
- Edward Klein (1960), Author
- R.W. Apple (1961), New York Times associate editor
- John Tauranac (1963), Chief designer of the New York City subway map of 1979
- Louise Glück* (1963-1968), Nobel Prize-winning poet; United States Poet Laureate, 2003 and 2004
- Jehuda Reinharz (1964), President, Brandeis University
- Malcolm Borg (1965), Chairman of North Jersey Media Group (formerly Macromedia, Inc.); owner of The Record newspaper in Bergen County
- Jacques Pépin (1970), Twenty-four-time James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef, author, culinary educator, television personality, and artist; recipient of Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement
- Edward Cecil Harris (1971), Creator of the Harris matrix
- Peter H. Kostmayer (1971), Former (D) Congressman of Pennsylvania
- Roger Pilon (1971), Constitutional scholar and legal theorist
- Kristi Zea (1974), Production designer and producer, Academy Award nominee for Best Picture for As Good as It Gets
- Howard Dean (1975), Former Governor of Vermont and Chair of the Democratic National Committee
- Christopher Gray (1975), American journalist and architectural historian
- Howard G. Chua-Eoan (1983), News Director, TIME magazine
- Whitney Dow (1986), Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker
- Gil Shaham (1990), Violinist
- Ted Rall (1991), Syndicated cartoonist
- Sasha Frere-Jones (1993), Music critic for The New Yorker
- Gale Brewer (1997), City Council Representative for the Upper West Side; Manhattan Borough President
- Josh Waitzkin* (1999), Child chess prodigy and author
- Philippe Reines (2000), Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Trent Dimas (2002), Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics
- Julia Bacha (2003), Award-winning documentary filmmaker
- Eric Shaw (2003), Emmy Award-winning screenwriter
- Lauren McFall (2008), Olympic bronze medalist in synchronized swimming
- Thomas Reardon (2008), Creator of Internet Explorer
- Michelle Rejwan (2008), Senior Vice President of Live Action Development and Production at Lucasfilm
- Tim Goebel (2010), 2002 Olympic bronze medalist in ice skating
- Lena Park (2010), Singer
- Jonathan Weiss (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) (2010), Actor
- Sara Ziff (2011), Fashion model and activist
- Cameron Russell (2012), Fashion model
- Jason Everman (2013), Former guitarist in Nirvana and Soundgarden
- Lisa Cant (2013), Fashion model
- Troy Murphy (2016), Professional basketball player; formerly played for Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers
- Sasha Cohen (2016), Olympic silver medalist in figure skating
*Indicates an attendee who did not graduate