50 Famous IU Alumni

by SOPHIE BIRD, RODNEY MARGISON, CARMEN SIERING, and TRACY ZOLLINGER TURNER

In its 201-year history, Indiana University has turned out tens of thousands of outstanding alumni in every imaginable field. Their contributions have helped to define America and to some extent the world at large. In this issue, we celebrate 50 of those alumni who found fame in their chosen fields.

As you might expect, many are musicians, actors, writers, and athletes. But there are also entrepreneurs, CEOs, journalists, a presidential candidate, a Supreme Court justice, a CIA chief, a foreign president, a couple of vice presidents, and even a famous herpetologist. Whatever your age and interests, you will likely know many of these alumni—but probably not all.

So here they are, 50 famous folks who once attended IU.

Part One: A–B

Jazz musician Trigger Alpert, director David Anspaugh, drummer Kenny Aronoff, artistic genius Howard Ashman, jazz educator David Baker, herpetologist Brady Barr, and actor Jonathan Banks are the first of our 50 Famous Alumni. Read more.

Part Two: B–C

Part two includes violinist Joshua Bell, basketball legend Walt Bellamy, opera singer Angela Brown, sportscaster Joe Buck, author Meg Cabot, media honcho Paul Caine, and songwriter Hoagy Carmichael. Read more.

Part Three: C–F

In part three, learn about internet pioneer John Chambers, Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins, actor and LGBTQ+ advocate Laverne Cox, entrepreneur Mark Cuban, sportscaster Dick Enberg, and singer Janie Fricke. Read more.

Part Four: G–K

Meet CIA Chief Robert Gates, Irish president Michael D. Higgins, Mythbuster Jamie Hyneman, musician Booker T. Jones, swimmer Lilly King, actor Kevin Kline, baseball player Ted Kluszewski, and mystery writer Michael Koryta in 50 Famous Indiana University Alumni: Part Four. Read more.

Part Five: L–P

Author Ross Lockridge Jr., singer Sylvia McNair, musician Edgar Meyer, Supreme Court Justice Sherman Minton, television honcho Ryan Murphy, and treasury secretary Paul H. O’Neill, and broadcast journalist Jane Pauley are among our 50 Famous IU Alumni in part five. Read more.

Part Six: P–S

Leaern more about politician Mike Pence, screenwriter Angelo Pizzo, war correspondent Ernie Pyle, politician Dan Quayle, puzzlemaster Will Shortz, Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, and Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz in 50 Famous IU Alumni: Part Six. Read more.

Part Seven: S–W

Sportscaster Sage Steel, actor Kheng Hua Tan, integrationist George Taliaferro, basketball great Isiah Thomas, Wikipedia CEO Jimmy Wales, tennis legend Venus Williams, and presidential candidate Wendell Willkie are among our 50 famous IU Alumni in part seven. Read more.