American memoirists

Tony Dokoupil is an American broadcast journalist and author who has been the anchor of the CBS Evening News since January 2026. He was previously the co-host of CBS's morning program, CBS Mornings. Before joining the network in 2016, he was a news correspondent for NBC News and MS NOW and a writer at Newsweek and The Daily Beast.

Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president. Obama previously served as a U.S. senator representing Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.

American author and humorist (1835–1910)

William Henry Gates III is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Following Microsoft's initial public offering in 1986 and the subsequent increase in its stock price, Gates became the world's then-youngest billionaire in 1987, at age 31. Forbes magazine ranked him as the world's wealthiest person for 18 out of 24 years between 1995 and 2017, including 13 years consecutively from 1995 to 2007. Gates became the first centibillionaire in 1999, when his net worth briefly surpassed US$100 billion. According to Forbes, as of February 2026, his net worth stood at US$107.7 billion, making him the 18th-wealthiest individual in the world.

American polymath and statesman (1706–1790)

president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 (1874–1964)

American politician (1936–2018)

American author and screenwriter (1920–2012)

American whistleblower and former NSA contractor (born 1983)

Richard Bruce Cheney was an American politician and businessman who was the vice president of the United States under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. Cheney was a leading advocate for the Iraq War, and has been called the most powerful vice president in the history of the United States.

American diplomat and political scientist (born 1954)

Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor (1928-2016)

Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman. After achieving success as a songwriter for other artists, Parton's debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, was released in 1967, commencing a career spanning 60 years and 50 studio albums. Referred to as the "Queen of Country", Parton is one of the most-honored female country performers in history and has received various accolades, including eleven Grammy Awards and three Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards including an humanitarian honorary Oscar win in 2025, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.

American film critic and author (1942–2013)

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933–2014)

American comedian, actor and film director (1926–2017)

Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, comedian, producer, dancer, and singer. She achieved stardom and acclaim for playing lighthearted comedic roles in film and television. In a career spanning six decades, she has received several awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Spanish-American philosopher

American businessman and politician; 108th Mayor of New York City

American educator and First Lady of the United States from 2021 to 2025

American writer (1925–2012)

Melvin James Brooks is an American actor, filmmaker, comedian, songwriter, and playwright. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. A recipient of numerous accolades, he is one of 28 entertainers to win the EGOT, which includes an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. He received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2009, a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2010, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2013, a British Film Institute Fellowship in 2015, a National Medal of Arts in 2016, a BAFTA Fellowship in 2017, and an Honorary Academy Award in 2024.

American actor (1936–2018)

American actress (born 1954)

American actress (1920–2006)

American actor (1927–2011)

American economist and financial advisor (born 1926)

American singer (1938–2012)

American racing driver

Stephen Glenn Martin is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for his work in comedy films, television, and recording, he has received many accolades, including five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for eight Golden Globe Awards and two Tony Awards. Martin received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2005, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007, the Honorary Academy Award in 2013 and an AFI Life Achievement Award in 2015. In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Martin at sixth place in a list of the 100 greatest stand-up comics.

American broadcast journalist (1929–2022)

American author and activist (1952–2021)

United States Army general in World War I

American singer (1950–2015)

American actress (1924–2021)

American lawyer and statesman (born 1930)

American country-pop singer (1927–2013)

Austrian writer (1888–1960)

American comedian, actress, and writer

Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem is an American politician who served as the eighth United States secretary of homeland security from 2025 to 2026. A member of the Republican Party, she served from 2019 to 2025 as the 33rd governor of South Dakota and represented South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. During her tenure at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), her immigration policies generated controversies, particularly the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

American actress

53rd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015

American swimmer and actress (1921–2013)

American writer

American-Canadian professional wrestler (born 1970)

American actress

American tennis player

American actress, singer, author (born 1968)

American actress (born 1963)

American politician and civil rights leader (1940–2020)

American actor (1932–2016)

American basketball player, coach and executive

Diane Ladd was an American actress. With a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in over 200 films and television shows, receiving three Academy Award nominations for her roles in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Wild at Heart (1990) and Rambling Rose (1991), the first of which won her a BAFTA Award. She was also nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards, winning one for her role in the sitcom Alice (1980–1981).

American actress (born 1942)

American actor

American soccer player

German-American conductor, pianist, and composer (1929–2019)

American actress, model, activist, television personality and author

American opera singer (1945–2019)

American actor