{"id":2053767,"date":"2025-09-27T08:54:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T08:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2053767"},"modified":"2025-09-27T08:54:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T08:54:36","slug":"32-movie-and-tv-stars-who-graduated-from-columbia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/32-movie-and-tv-stars-who-graduated-from-columbia\/","title":{"rendered":"32 Movie and TV Stars who Graduated from Columbia"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Collage<\/p><\/div>\n

Collage by Len Small<\/p>\n

These actors, comedians, and TV personalities have all called Morningside Heights home.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n

\n \"Amir<\/p><\/div>\n

Amir Arison in “The Blacklist.” (Will Hart \u00a92018 NBCUniversal Media, LLC)<\/p>\n

Amir Arison<\/h5>\n

Best known for playing an FBI agent in the crime-thriller series The Blacklist, Amir Arison \u201900CC also had recurring roles on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Homeland, Girls, and other TV shows. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"KILLOREN-BENSIMON\"<\/p><\/div>\n

Kelly Killoren Bensimon. (Lev Radin \/ Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

Kelly Killoren Bensimon <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Kelly Killoren Bensimon \u201998GS, a socialite, author, entrepreneur, and \u2014 as of recently \u2014 real-estate agent, has been in the public eye since her days as a teenage model. From 2009 to 2011 she was a full-time cast member on the reality series The Real Housewives of New York City.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"BOONE_1\"<\/p><\/div>\n

Pat Boone.<\/p>\n

Pat Boone <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Known for his pop recordings and his foray into Christian conservative political commentary, Pat Boone \u201958GS has also acted in numerous films since the 1950s, including April Love, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and, more recently, God\u2019s Not Dead 2\u00a0and A Cowgirl\u2019s Story. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"Jesse<\/p><\/div>\n

Jesse Bradford in “Bring it On.” (\u00a92000 Universal Studios)<\/p>\n

Jesse Bradford <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Jesse Bradford \u201902CC started out as a child actor in films such as the 1993 Steven Soderbergh drama King of the Hill and 1995\u2019s Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog. As a young adult, he starred in the 2000 teen cheerleading classic Bring It On and in Clint Eastwood\u2019s 2006 World War II drama Flags of Our Fathers, among other movies. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"Spencer<\/p><\/div>\n

Spencer Treat Clark in “The Last House on the Left.” (imdb.com)<\/p>\n

Spencer Treat Clark<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Spencer Treat Clark \u201910CC has played supporting roles in dozens of films and TV series, including Gladiator, Mystic River, and the 2009 remake of The Last House on the Left. He was a regular cast member on the\u00a0crime drama Animal Kingdom from 2016 to 2019. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"Brian<\/p><\/div>\n

Brian Dennehy in “The Blacklist.” \u00a92018 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

Brian Dennehy <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

A prolific stage and screen actor celebrated for his performances in Eugene O\u2019Neill plays, Brian Dennehy \u201960CC appeared in hundreds of films and TV series between 1977 and 2020, when he died at age 81. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Brandon<\/p><\/div>\n

Brandon Victor Dixon in “Jesus Christ Superstar.” (\u00a92018 NBCUniversal Media, LLC)<\/p>\n

Brandon Victor Dixon<\/h5>\n

Brandon Victor Dixon \u201907CC is best known for starring in Broadway musicals like The Color Purple, Motown: The Musical, and Hamilton. In 2018, he appeared in the televised live-concert version of Jesus Christ Superstar and received an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Judas Iscariot. He has also\u00a0acted in episodes of Law and Order: Criminal Intent, The Good Wife, Power, and She\u2019s Gotta Have It.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"Matthew<\/p><\/div>\n

Matthew Fox in “Lost.” (imdb.com)<\/p>\n

Matthew Fox <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

After studying economics at Columbia, Matthew Fox \u201989CC starred in the family drama Party of Five from 1994 to 2000, followed by the supernatural thriller Lost from 2004 to 2010. In 2007, the actor returned to Morningside campus to give the Columbia College Class Day speech<\/a>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"James<\/p><\/div>\n

James Franco as Allen Ginsberg in “Howl.” (Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories)<\/p>\n

James Franco <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

James Franco \u201911SOA, an actor and filmmaker known for his performances in the Spider-Man series, Milk, 127 Hours, and other movies, was already a celebrity when he attended Columbia\u2019s fiction-writing MFA program. It was around that time Franco also portrayed beat writer and fellow Columbian Allen Ginsberg \u201948CC in the 2010 indie drama Howl<\/a>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Dan<\/p><\/div>\n

Dan Futterman with Amy Brenneman in “Judging Amy.” (CBS Photo Archive – \u00a92006 CBS Worldwide Inc.)<\/p>\n

Dan Futterman <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Although Dan Futterman \u201989CC has mostly worked as a producer and screenwriter in recent years, he was a star of the legal drama Judging Amy from 1999 to 2005. He also had prominent roles in films such as The Birdcage\u00a0and A Mighty Heart\u00a0and appeared in episodes of Sex and the City\u00a0and\u00a0Will & Grace.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"GIRALDO.jpg\"<\/p><\/div>\n

Greg Giraldo. (Comedy Central)<\/p>\n

Greg Giraldo <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Before his 2010 death of a prescription-drug overdose at the age of forty-four, Greg Giraldo \u201987CC was a stand-up comedian and Comedy Central star who participated in many of the network\u2019s famous celebrity roasts. He was also a frequent guest on late-night talk shows and served as a judge on Last Comic Standing. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Asher<\/p><\/div>\n

Asher Grodman (Theo Fridlizius \/ IMDb)<\/p>\n

Asher Grodman<\/h5>\n

Columbia College alum Asher Grodman \u201910CC has appeared in episodes of popular shows including Succession, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Chicago Med. He is a regular cast member on the CBS sitcom\u00a0Ghosts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Maggie<\/p><\/div>\n

Maggie Gyllenhaal in “The Deuce.” (imdb.com)<\/p>\n

Maggie Gyllenhaal <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Maggie Gyllenhaal \u201999CC burst onto the scene in 2002 with the offbeat black comedy Secretary after appearing the year before in a supporting role in the cult classic Donnie Darko. The latter film starred her younger brother, Jake, who also attended Columbia but didn\u2019t graduate. Since then, Gyllenhaal has made many notable films, including Sherrybaby, The Dark Knight, and Crazy Heart, for which she was nominated for an Oscar, as well as the TV series The Deuce\u00a0alongside fellow Columbian James Franco \u201911SOA. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Julia<\/p><\/div>\n

Julia Jones with Taylor Lautner in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn \u2013 Part 1.” (Andrew Cooper, SMPSP \u2013 \u00a92011 Summit Entertainment, LLC)<\/p>\n

Julia Jones<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Julia Jones \u201905CC had recurring roles on ER,\u00a0Longmire, Westworld, and\u00a0Goliath, and has appeared in films such as the last three installments of The Twilight Saga, Wind River, and Cold Pursuit. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"JOO-1\"<\/p><\/div>\n

Judy Joo. (Food Network)<\/p>\n

Judy Joo <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

A finance professional turned celebrity chef and restaurateur, Judy Joo<\/a> \u201997SEAS hosted the Cooking Channel series Korean Food Made Simple from 2014 to 2016 and appeared as one of the four \u201ciron chefs\u201d on Iron Chef UK in 2010.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"John<\/p><\/div>\n

Jean Louisa Kelly (top) with the cast of “Uncle Buck”: Macaulay Culkin, John Candy, and Gaby Hoffman. (\u00a9Universal, imdb.com)<\/p>\n

Jean Louisa Kelly<\/h5>\n

Jean Louisa Kelly ’94CC made her film debut in the 1989 comedy Uncle Buck before going on to act in a number of movies, including The Fantasticks and Mr. Holland\u2019s Opus. She was a star of the sitcom Yes, Dear\u00a0and appeared in episodes of Mad about You, Grey\u2019s Anatomy, CSI, and other TV shows.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Robinne<\/p><\/div>\n

Robinne Lee<\/p>\n

Robinne Lee<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Robinne Lee ’00LAW has appeared in a variety of films and television series since the late 1990s, including Hitch, House of Payne, and both of the\u00a0Fifty Shades of Grey sequels. Lee is also the author of the 2017 novel The Idea of You<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Meghan<\/p><\/div>\n

Meghan McCain<\/p>\n

Meghan McCain <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

A political columnist and TV personality, Meghan McCain \u201907CC, daughter of the late senator John McCain, co-hosted the Fox News program Outnumbered\u00a0before joining the cast of ABC\u2019s The View as a permanent co-host in 2017. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"Kate<\/p><\/div>\n

Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton on “Saturday Night Live.” (imdb.com)<\/p>\n

Kate McKinnon <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

A comedian and actress known for her impersonations of political figures and celebrities including Hillary Clinton, Ruth Bader Ginsburg \u201959LAW, \u201994HON, and Justin Bieber, Kate McKinnon \u201906CC has won two Emmy Awards for her work on Saturday Night Live. She has recently taken on more film roles, appearing in Ghostbusters, The Spy Who Dumped Me, and Bombshell, among other movies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Hari<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a9 2023 Warner Bros. \/ imdb.com<\/p>\n

Hari Nef<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Since her breakthrough role in the 2014\u20132019 Amazon show\u00a0Transparent, model and actress Hari Nef \u201915CC has appeared in a variety of productions such as the series\u00a0You and The Idol. In 2023, she appeared as “Doctor Barbie” in Barbie, cowritten and directed by Greta Gerwig\u00a0’06BC.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"PEET_USA-Network\"<\/p><\/div>\n

Amanda Peet in “Dirty John.” (USA Network)<\/p>\n

Amanda Peet <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Amanda Peet \u201994CC had a streak of supporting and lead roles in the 1990s and 2000s in such films as The Whole Nine Yards, Something\u2019s Gotta Give, and Syriana. More recently she starred in the TV series Togetherness\u00a0and in season two of Dirty John.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"PEPIN.jpg\"<\/p><\/div>\n

Jacques P\u00e9pin<\/p>\n

Jacques P\u00e9pin<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

One of the world\u2019s original celebrity chefs, Jacques P\u00e9pin<\/a> \u201970GS, \u201972GSAS, \u201917HON has been a fixture on food TV since\u00a0Today’s Gourmet\u00a0premiered in 1990\u00a0and is the author of more than thirty cookbooks. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"James<\/p><\/div>\n

James Rebhorn in “Scent of a Woman.” (imdb.com)<\/p>\n

James Rebhorn <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

James Rebhorn \u201972SOA, who died in 2014, was a longtime character actor who appeared in a wide range of movies, including Scent of a Woman\u00a0and Meet the Parents, and had recurring roles on TV shows such as\u00a0White Collar, Homeland, and Enlightened.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Emily<\/p><\/div>\n

Emily Robinson in the short film “Intervene.” (imdb.com)<\/p>\n

Emily Robinson<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Emily Robinson \u201921CC started out as a child actor and model, appearing in TV shows such as Transparent and Saturday Night Live\u00a0and films like Once Upon a Time in Venice and Eighth Grade. The former Columbia creative-writing major recently started writing and directing her own work.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"Amanda<\/p><\/div>\n

Amanda Seales (right) with Natasha Rothwell in “Insecure.” (imdb.com)<\/p>\n

Amanda Seales <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Amanda Seales \u201905GSAS, an actress, comedian, musician, and television personality, is a costar of the TV series\u00a0Insecure\u00a0and the host of the comedy-competition show Bring the Funny. In 2020 she joined the cast of the syndicated daytime talk show The Real. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"George<\/p><\/div>\n

George Segal in “The Goldbergs.” (Nicole Wilder\/ABC – \u00a9 2016 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.)<\/p>\n

George Segal <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Actor and musician George Segal \u201955CC, who died in March 2021 at age 87,\u00a0led a prolific screen career from the time he\u00a0broke into Hollywood in the early 1960s. Notable works include the films Who\u2019s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?\u00a0and A Touch of Class\u00a0and the sitcoms Just Shoot Me!\u00a0and The Goldbergs<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Jenny<\/p><\/div>\n

Jenny Slate with Harry Winkler in “Parks and Recreation.” \u00a92013 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

Jenny Slate <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Since graduating from Columbia, actress and comedian Jenny Slate \u201904CC, who was a cast member of Saturday Night Live for the 2009\u20132010 season, has appeared in numerous film and television comedies for adults and children \u2014 Parks and Recreation, Bob\u2019s Burgers, and Zootopia, to name just a few.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n \"STEELE_CBS\"<\/p><\/div>\n

Sarah Steele. (CBS)<\/p>\n

Sarah Steele <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Sarah Steele \u201911CC made her screen debut in the 2004 comedy-drama Spanglish alongside Adam Sandler. She is best known for her recurring role on the drama The Good Wife, which turned into a main role on its spinoff, The Good Fight.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Julia<\/p><\/div>\n

Julia Stiles in “10 Things I Hate about You.” (\u00a91999 Touchstone Pictures)<\/p>\n

Julia Stiles <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Best known for her lead roles in Y2K-era teen films like 10 Things I Hate about You\u00a0and Save the Last Dance, Julia Stiles \u201905CC was also a star of the 2019 blockbuster Hustlers and has appeared on TV shows such as Dexter\u00a0and The Mindy Project. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Rider<\/p><\/div>\n

Rider Strong in “Boy Meets World.” (imdb.com)<\/p>\n

Rider Strong <\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Rider Strong \u201904CC starred as Shawn Hunter in the family sitcom Boy Meets World from 1993 to 2000 before enrolling at Columbia. More than a decade later, he returned for the show\u2019s sequel, Girl Meets World, for which he also served as a director.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Preslaysa<\/p><\/div>\n

Preslaysa Williams (E.A. Hendryx Photography \u00a92015)<\/p>\n

Preslaysa Williams<\/h5>\n

A Columbia College graduate, Preslaysa Williams (formerly Edwards) ’03CC played\u00a0Cindi Ornette in the children\u2019s series The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, which aired on Nickelodeon from 1996\u20131998. Williams has also authored several\u00a0books, including the 2021 romance novel A Lowcountry Bride. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h5>\n
\n \"Robert<\/p><\/div>\n

Robert Wisdom in “The Alienist” (2018).<\/p>\n

Robert Wisdom<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

A former star sprinter on the Columbia track team, Robert Wisdom ’76CC is best known for his supporting roles in popular crime shows, including The Wire, Prison Break, and The Alienist. He has also appeared in movies such as Ray, The Dark Knight Rises, and Motherless Brooklyn.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This article was originally published in January 2021. It was last updated in August 2023.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source magazine.columbia.edu \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Collage by Len Small These actors, comedians, and TV personalities have all called Morningside Heights home. Amir Arison in “The Blacklist.” (Will Hart \u00a92018 NBCUniversal Media, LLC) Amir Arison Best known for playing an FBI agent in the crime-thriller series The Blacklist, Amir Arison \u201900CC also had recurring roles on Law and Order: Special Victims […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2053768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2053767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/32-Movie-and-TV-Stars-who-Graduated-from-Columbia.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2053767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2053768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2053767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2053767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2053767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}