List of University High School (Irvine, California) alumni

The following is a list of notable alumni of University High School in Irvine, California. The list includes notable former pupils who attended the school.

Sports

• Garrett Atkins - Class of 1997 - former Major League Baseball infielder for the Colorado Rockies and Baltimore Orioles ^[1]
• Jeff Campbell - Class of 1981 - water polo silver medalist, 1988 Summer Olympics ^[2]
• Peter Campbell - Class of 1978 - water polo silver medalist, 1984 Summer Olympics and 1988 Summer Olympics; four-time collegiate All-America ^[3]
• Polly Plumer - Class of 1982 - track and field athlete, former national high school girls' record holder in the mile at 4:35.24, four-time collegiate All-America, Track & Field, UCLA Bruins ^[4]
• Shar Pourdanesh - Class of 1988 - former NFL player (Redskins, Steelers, Raiders); first Iranian-born player ^[5]
• Bojana Todorović - Class of 2009 - NCAA champion beach volleyball player in 2011 at UCLA, ^[6] former professional volleyball player in France, Puerto Rico and the Philippines ^[7]
• Tim Wallach - Class of 1975 - former Major League Baseball player and Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach ^[8]
• Amy White - Class of 1986 - silver medalist in the 100M backstroke, 1984 Summer Olympics ^[9]
• Greg Whiteley - Class of 1985 - five-time NCAA all-American and winner of NCAA championship indoor mile ^[10]

Music

• Eddie Breckenridge - Class of 1998 - bass guitarist of hardcore punk band Thrice ^[11]
• Riley Breckenridge - Class of 1993 - drummer of hardcore punk band Thrice ^[11]
• Tim Commerford - Class of 1986 - bassist of rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, former bassist of Audioslave ^[12]
• Zack de la Rocha - Class of 1988 - lead singer of rap metal band Rage Against the Machine ^[12]
• Murphy Karges - Class of 1985 - bassist of alternative rock band Sugar Ray ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Martin Leung - Class of 2004 - video game pianist ^[13]
• Vanness Wu - Class of 1996 - Taiwanese singer, actor, director and producer member of JVKV ^{[ citation needed ]}

Film and theater

• Omid Abtahi - Class of 1997 - actor^{[ citation needed ]}
• Justin Chon - Class of 1999 - actor ^[14]
• David Engel - Class of 1977 - Broadway theatre/Off-Broadway singer and dancer best known for originating roles in the musicals Forever Plaid , La Cage aux Folles , and Seussical ^[15]
• Will Ferrell - Class of 1986 - actor, comedian, and former Saturday Night Live cast member ^[16]
• Robert MacNaughton - Class of 1984 - Hollywood actor best known for his role as Michael in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Cady McClain - Class of 1987 - actress, The Young and the Restless ; formerly "Dixie" on All My Children and "Rosanna" on As the World Turns ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Nicole Parker - Class of 1996 - MadTV cast member and comedian, Broadway actress ^[17]
• Nasim Pedrad - Class of 1999 - Persian-American comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member ^[18]
• Eran Raven - Class of 1990 - aka Eran Feigenbaum, Master Mentalist on NBC's Phenomenon ^[19]
• Gary Riley - Class of 1985 - Hollywood actor best known for his role as Charlie Hogan in the movie Stand by Me ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Sotaro Yasuda - Class of 2004 - Japanese American actor, played Ken Hisatsu / GekiChopper in the 2007 Super Sentai series, Juken Sentai Gekiranger ^{[ citation needed ]}

Business

• Mike Cagney - Class of 198? - Co-Founder and CEO of FIgure, Co-Founder and former CEO of SoFi
• Allen Adham - Class of 1984 - Co-Founder of Blizzard Entertainment

Journalism and academia

• David J. R. Frakt - Class of 1987 - law professor^{[ citation needed ]}
• Ezra Klein - Class of 2002 - Vox website founder and editor-in-chief; formerly Washington Post columnist and blogger, Newsweek columnist and MSNBC contributor ^[20]
• Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh - Class of 1984 - sociologist and urban ethnographer ^[21]

Other

• Barbara Edwards - Class of 1978 - Playboy Playmate of the Year 1984 ^[22]
• Dita Von Teese - Class of 1990 - aka Heather Sweet, burlesque star and fashion model, divorced from Marilyn Manson ^[23]
• Darius Rose - Class of 2003 - aka Jackie Cox, drag performer and fourth place finisher on RuPaul's Drag Race
• Yoo Yoonjin - Class of 2010 - aka Jinnytty, Twitch streamer and YouTuber ^[24]

References

1. Zaengle, Neda (February 18, 2010). "Garrett Atkins now pitching in Irvine". The Orange County Register. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
2. Beck, Martin (July 24, 1992). "Games are Just the Beginning". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
3. "Peter Campbell - Class of 2000". USA Water Polo. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
4. Shaver, Brent (June 7, 2007). "Warriors' Babcock defends state title, winning 1,600". The Orange County Register. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
5. "Shar Pourdanesh's Page". Nevada Football Alumni Association. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
6. "Todorovic, Smith champs". Los Angeles Times . December 17, 2011.
7. "Bojana Todorovic » indoor tournaments".
8. "Wallach Elected into College Baseball Hall of Fame". Fullerton Titans. February 21, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
9. Scott, Gerald (June 12, 1985). "Swimming : White Left Her Medal at Poolside". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
10. "Whiteley Strives to Train for the Long Run : University Graduate Resists Overtraining, Finds Right Pace for Success". Los Angeles Times. May 29, 1989. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
11. Eliot, Ashley (September 17, 2009). "Irvine's Thrice Release New Record, Overcome Online Thieves". OC Weekly. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
12. Kane, Rich (November 18, 1989). "Anger Is a Gift". OC Weekly. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
13. Pena, Luis (March 29, 2004). "Let them play it again". Daily Pilot. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
14. Chang, Richard (February 27, 2009). "'Twilight' actor tackles Hollywood from Irvine". The Orange County Register. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
15. Applegate, Jane (September 1, 1987). "Publisher Sued for Excluding Gays' Picture". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
16. Koltnow, Barry (March 13, 2012). "25 reasons we still love Will Ferrell". The Orange County Register. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
17. Boettner, Melissa Tennille (September 22, 2010). "My Students On Broadway: A Father/Daughter Broadway Adventure". Boettner Vocal Studios. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
18. "IPSF's inaugural Spirit of Excellence Gala and Auction raises more than $200,000 for schools". Irvine Unified School District. September 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
19. "Mesmerizing Program". Orange County Jewish Life. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
20. "Irvine's Ezra Klein crowned Prince of DC Media by The New Republic". LiberalOC. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
21. Rivera, Ryan (May 5, 2008). "Gang leader for a day? An academic took the plunge". Orange County Register . Retrieved May 6, 2008.
22. Arellano, Gustavo (February 3, 2005). "Girls Gone Not So Wild". OC Weekly. OC Weekly. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
23. Fadroski, Kelli Skye (May 9, 2012). "Dita Von Teese brings 'Strip Strip Hooray!' to O.C." The Orange County Register. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
24. "Visiting My High School 12 YEARS Later". YouTube. October 30, 2022. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.