Writers from Seattle

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 writer (1920–1986)

Paul Gardner Allen was an American businessman, computer programmer, and investor. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which was followed by the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Allen discovered the wrecks of various famous warships, like the IJN Musashi and USS Indianapolis, and was ranked as one of the richest people in American history by Forbes, with an estimated net worth of $20.3 billion at the time of his death in October 2018.

American science fiction writer (1947-2006)

American actor and comedian

Canadian actor

American rock musician

American science fiction writer (born 1959)

American writer best known for science fiction (1951–2022)

American writer (1912–1989)

Brandi Marie Carlile is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Her music spans multiple genres, including folk rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock. During her career, she has received eleven Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards, in addition to being nominated for an Academy Award. In 2026, she was named one of Time's Women of the Year.

American writer (1932–2025)

American author (1937-2011)

American poet (1907-1963)

American businessman

American writer (1877-1967)

American writer (born 1944)

American author and filmmaker

American musician and actress

American burlesque performer, actress and author (1911–1970)

American inmate and ornithologist (1890-1963)

American actress

American science fiction writer (1948-2019)

American film producer, screenwriter, actor (1943–1996)

author from the United States

American filmmaker (1965–2020)

Amanda Marie Knox is an American author. She came to international prominence after being convicted for the November 2007 murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, in Perugia, Italy, a trial that was highly publicized between Knox's conviction in 2009 and her acquittal two years later.

American writer (born 1979)

American programmer, software publisher

Sociology professor and Marxist writer

American engineer (1921–2016)

American politician (1925–2024)

American writer

American sex advice columnist and gay rights campaigner

American novelist, and short story writer (1892–1944)

American comic book writer and cartoonist

American psychologist

Novelist, short story writer, poet, journalist, and essayist

American game show contestant, host, and writer

American writer

actress, screenwriter, producer, animal trainer (1892–1970)

American liberal political commentator (born 1958)

American chef

American filmmaker and activist

American legal scholar (1893–1962)

art critic, Townsend Martin 1917 Professor of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University

American travel writer and television host

American writer

Norwegian writer and politician (1917-2009)

American technologist and writer

American writer

American artist

American screenwriter

American writer (1907–1958)

American YouTuber (born 1985)

American musician

American writer and copywriter

American pastor

American comics artist

American fiction writer, essayist, and academic (born 1948)