List of Columbia College Chicago people

The following is a partial list of notable alumni and faculty of Columbia College Chicago .

Notable alumni

• Scott Adsit (1987) – actor on 30 Rock
• Chester Alamo-Costello (1998) – artist and photographer
• Melissa Albert (2006) – author of young adult fiction
• Hettie Barnhill (2006) – dancer in 2009 Broadway production of Fela!
• Anna Brunner – vocalist for the metal bands Exit Eden and League of Distortion
• Aidy Bryant (2009) – former cast member of Saturday Night Live
• Mickie Caspi (1982) – artist
• Nick Charles – sports broadcaster
• Chris Coates (journalist) (2004) - journalist
• Olivia A. Cole – (2011) author and teacher
• Common (attended briefly) – rapper, actor, author
• Chet Coppock (1971) – sports commentator for WLS radio
• Greg Corner – musician, bass player of Kill Hannah, musical director and co-host of JBTV
• Shea Coulee (2011) – drag queen and contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race
• David Cromer (attended briefly; award-winning director of Adding Machine )
• Charlie Curtis-Beard – rapper and TikTok personality
• Jeffrey Daniels – author and poet
• Brant Daugherty (2008) – actor
• Andy Dick – actor (attended briefly)
• Phyllis Diller – comedian and actress
• Jimmy Dore – stand-up comedian, former political commentator for The Young Turks , host of The Jimmy Dore Show
• Bruce DuMont (1969) – broadcaster
• Aiden English (2010) – professional wrestler
• Elaine Equi – poet
• Deitra Farr – blues singer ^[1]
• Danny Fenster (2009) – journalist, editor of Frontier Myanmar ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}
• Mauro Fiore (1987) – Academy Award-winning cinematographer ( Avatar , The Island , Tears of the Sun , Training Day )
• Kathleen Flinn (1989) – New York Times best-selling author
• Paul Garnes – producer of Selma, QueenSugar, The Game
• Greg Glienna – director and screenwriter
• Michael Goi (1980) – cinematographer
• Kevin Gosztola (2010) – journalist, writer, and documentarian
• Shecky Greene (1946) – comedian and actor
• Chester Gregory (1995) – actor, Broadway productions of Tarzan , Cry Baby , and Dreamgirls
• Michael Grothaus (2000) – novelist, author of Epiphany Jones
• John Guleserian – cinematographer
• Hal Haenel (1981) – senior vice president of 20th Century Fox
• Larry Heinemann (1971) – novelist, author of Paco's Story
• David Heinz (2002) – film editor
• Isabella Hofmann – actor
• Erica Hubbard (1999) – actor on Lincoln Heights
• Andrew Huebner (1998) – Emmy Award-winning television producer with Nickelodeon Animation Studios
• Chase Infiniti (2022) – actress
• Jeremih (2009) – singer
• Rashid Johnson (2000) – photographer
• Janusz Kamiński (1982–87) – Academy Award-winning cinematographer for Schindler's List , Saving Private Ryan
• John Kass – columnist
• Kid Sister (2004) – recording artist
• Kyle Kinane (2002) – comedian
• J. A. Konrath – writer of the Jack Daniels mystery series
• Tina La Porta (1989) – digital artist
• Laura Les – music producer, singer and songwriter, half of experimental electronic duo 100 gecs ^{[7] [8]}
• Jake Lloyd – actor, played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars film
• Josefina Lopez (1991) – author of Real Women Have Curves
• Becky Lynch – professional wrestler
• Shane Madej (2009) – founder of Watcher Entertainment, filmmaker, writer, producer
• Liz Mandeville – blues musician, singer, songwriter, music producer, record label owner
• Jason Marnocha – voice actor
• The Mazeking – contemporary visual artist
• Kym Mazelle – singer and actress
• Chris McKay – animator, film and television director, editor and producer
• Austin P. McKenzie – actor
• Joe Meno (1997) – author
• Sharon Mesmer (1983) – poet, author
• Michelle Monaghan – actress, Gone Baby Gone , Mission: Impossible III
• Ozier Muhammad (1972) – Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist for The New York Times
• Bob Odenkirk – writer for Saturday Night Live (1987–1995), actor ( Breaking Bad , Better Call Saul )
• Lola Omolola – journalist
• Anita Padilla (1991) – reporter for FOX Chicago
• Diane Pathieu (2001) – weekend news anchor for WLS-TV in Chicago
• Steve Pink – actor, screenwriter and director
• Tonya Pinkins (1996) – Tony Award-winning actress
• Laura Post – voice actress
• Mark Protosevich (1983) – screenwriter of I Am Legend , Poseidon , The Cell
• Aidan Quinn – actor, Elementary , Legends of the Fall
• Declan Quinn (1979) – cinematographer
• Matthew Rehwoldt (2010) – professional wrestler
• Rob Renzetti – animator and creator of My Life as a Teenage Robot
• Dean Richards – reporter and broadcaster (1976)
• Andy Richter (1988) – actor, sidekick on Conan
• Alexander Rybak (2022) – winner of 2009 Eurovision
• Saba (attended briefly) – rapper, record producer
• Pat Sajak (1968) – host of Wheel of Fortune
• Marcus Sakey – best-selling author
• Anna D. Shapiro – theater director and Steppenwolf ensemble member
• Drew Shiflett (1974) – mixed media artist and sculptor ^[9]
• Silver Sphere (1999) – singer-songwriter ^[10]
• Bob Sirott (1971) – broadcaster
• Matt Skiba – musician, lead singer and guitarist of Alkaline Trio
• Coyla May Spring – Chautauqua dramatic reader, singer, pianist
• Michael Stahl-David (2005) – actor, Cloverfield , The Black Donnellys
• Dino Stamatopoulos – comedy writer
• Greg Stimac (2005) – artist
• Mike Stoklasa – director, actor, and creator of RedLetterMedia
• Sumanth (1996) – film actor/producer
• Genndy Tartakovsky (1990) – creator of Dexter's Laboratory , Samurai Jack , Sym-Bionic Titan
• Robert Teitel (1990) – producer of Men of Honor , Barbershop , Notorious
• George Tillman, Jr. (1991) – director of Men of Honor , Barbershop , Notorious
• Glenna Smith Tinnin (1897) – women's suffrage leader and theater professional
• Nadine Velazquez (2001) – actress in The League
• Jim Verraros – dance musician and actor
• Jordan Vogt-Roberts (2006) – film and television director
• Lena Waithe – actress, producer, and screenwriter of Master of None
• Ryley Walker – singer-songwriter and guitarist
• Frank Waln (2014) – Sicangu Lakota Native American rapper and activist
• Sam Weller – (1990) author, biographer
• Jon Wellner – actor, CSI 1997
• Francis White (2007) – musician
• Jim Williams – broadcaster

Faculty

† denotes former faculty member

• Stephen T. Asma – writer
• Martin Atkins – musician
• Dawoud Bey – photographer
• Pauline Brailsford †
• Gwendolyn Brooks – first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize †
• Ivan Brunetti – sequential artist
• Jim DeRogatis – music critic, co-host of Sound Opinions ^[11]
• Phyllis Eisenstein – fantasy and science fiction novelist
• Jan Erkert – choreographer, teacher and writer
• Ed Ferrara – television writer
• Charles "Chuck" Harrison
• Larry Heinemann †
• Aleksandar Hemon – writer
• Andy Herren – winner, Big Brother 15
• Joe Meno – author
• Edward L. Morris † – journalist, CEO, president of Chicago chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, executive at Grant Broadcasting ^{[12] [13] [14]}
• Audrey Niffenegger – author
• Sheldon Patinkin †
• Melissa Potter – interdisciplinary artist
• William Russo – musician
• John Schultz – writer
• Gordon A. Sheehan – animator †
• Smino – rapper (attended briefly)
• David Trinidad
• Karen Volkman – poet
• Sam Weller – journalist and author
• Donda West – musician †
• John H. White – photojournalist

References

1. Skelly, Richard. "Biography: Deitra Farr". AllMusic . Retrieved July 13, 2010.
2. "Journalist Danny Fenster '09 Detained in Myanmar". Colum.edu.
3. "Who is Danny Fenster, Jewish-US journalist jailed in Myanmar?". Jpost.com.
4. "Detained Jewish journalist Danny Fenster makes first court appearance". Forward.com. June 25, 2021.
5. "'The darkest days are coming': Myanmar's journalists suffer at hands of junta". TheGuardian.com . June 7, 2021.
6. Mills, Andrew (November 16, 2021). "U.S. Journalist freed in Myanmar, says he was not beaten or starved". Reuters.
7. ""Lollapalooza Music Festival Comes to Columbia's Front Yard"". Colum.edu.
8. ""This chaotic duo sounds like nothing and everything you've ever heard"". Washingtonpost.com.
9. Anonymous Was A Woman. Drew Shiflett, Recipients, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
10. "EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Silver's "Drinking Games" is for Anyone Who Has Ever Thought They Were in Love". Ones to Watch . May 4, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
11. "Pop Music Critic Jim DeRogatis to Rock Department of English at Columbia College Chicago". Press release. Columbia College Chicago. April 19, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
12. "Chicago Tribune: Chicago news, sports, weather, entertainment". Chicago Tribune .
13. "Edward Morris Obituary (2002) - Chicago, IL - Chicago Sun-Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
14. "Chicago Television- ed Morris". Chicagotelevision.com.