# 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
* Shea Coulee (2011) – drag queen and contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race
* Nick Charles – sports broadcaster
* 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
* 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
* Danny Fenster (2009) – journalist, editor of Frontier Myanmar
* 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 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
* 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 – American music producer, singer and songwriter, half of experimental electronic duo "100 gecs"
* 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 (producer) (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
* Silver Sphere (1999) – singer-songwriter
* 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) – Indian 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 – American 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
* Timothy French – artist
* Kimberly Jones (attended briefly) – author
* Olivia A. Cole-(2011) author and teacher

## 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
* 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 (U.S.)
* Joe Meno – author
* Audrey Niffenegger – author
* Edward L. Morris † – Journalist, CEO, President Chicago chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Executive Grant Broadcasting
* Sheldon Patinkin †
* Melissa Potter – American 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