culture | January 17, 2026

Bard College Notable Alumni

Discover the notable alumni of Bard College. The list includes people like Chevy Chase, Olivia Wilde, Tom Ford, Adrian Grenier & Adam Yauch. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as film & theater personalities, musicians, fashion, singers and dancers etc.

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 1 

Chevy Chase

('Saturday Night Live's' First Breakout Star)

Chevy Chase

Birthdate: October 8, 1943

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Lower Manhattan, New York, United States

Chevy Chase is often credited with the overall success of Saturday Night Live as he played a major role as the show's key cast member in the show's first season, thereby setting the pace for the show's eventual success. Apart from being an actor, he is also a popular comedian, producer, and screenwriter.

Ronan Farrow

Birthdate: December 19, 1987

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

American journalist Ronan Farrow played a major role in reporting the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein. His work, which was published in The New Yorker, earned the magazine the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. He is also responsible for exposing allegations against personalities like jurist Brett Kavanaugh, media executive Les Moonves, and politician Eric Schneiderman.

Peter Sarsgaard

Birthdate: March 7, 1971

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Illinois, United States

Peter Sarsgaard is a versatile American actor known for his work on stage, films, and TV series. A world-renowned actor, Peter is equally good with women and has dated several good-looking women like Dita Von Teese and Shalom Harlow.

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 4 

Donald Fagen

(Singer-songwriter, Singer, Pianist)

Donald Fagen

Birthdate: January 10, 1948

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Passaic, New Jersey, United States

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

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 5 

Blythe Danner

(Best Known for Her Role as ‘Isabelle Huffstodt’ in the TV Series ‘Huff’)

Blythe Danner

Birthdate: February 3, 1943

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Blythe Danner, mother of Gwyneth Paltrow, won two Emmys for playing Izzy in Huffstodt on Huff and a Tony for the play Butterflies Are Free. Fans loved her in Will & Grace, and Meet the Parents and its sequels. She works for oral cancer awareness and is an avid environmentalist.

 6 

Christopher Guest

(Known in Hollywood for His Series of Comedy Films Shot in 'Mockumentary' Style)

Christopher Guest

Birthdate: February 5, 1948

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Screenwriter, composer, musician, and director Christopher Guest is a multifaceted man. He is known for writing and directing a series of comedy films shot in mock-documentary (mockumentary) style. He has also starred in many of his films, often playing comedic characters. Despite his penchant for portraying comedic characters onscreen, he is known to be a serious person in real life.

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 7 

Adam Yauch

(Founding Member of the Hip Hop Group ‘Beastie Boys’)

Adam Yauch

Birthdate: August 5, 1964

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Died: May 4, 2012

Rapper and bass guitarist Adam Yauch, better known by his pseudonym, “MCA,” was a founding member of the hip-hop and rap rock Beastie Boys. He also owned a film distributing company and was a practicing Buddhist who supported the Tibetan independence movement. He died of parotid cancer.

 8 

Larry Hagman

(Actor, Director and Producer Known for His Role as ‘J. R. Ewing’ in the TV Soap Opera ‘Dallas’)

Larry Hagman

Birthdate: September 21, 1931

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Died: November 23, 2012

Larry Hagman, son of actor Mary Martin, is best remembered as astronaut Tony Nelson from the iconic series I Dream of Jeannie and as oil baron J.R. Ewing from the long-running soap Dallas. He had also delivered several guest performances and dabbled in direction and production, before dying of leukemia.

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 9 

Walter Becker

(American Musician, Songwriter and Record Producer)

Walter Becker

Birthdate: February 20, 1950

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Queens, New York, United States

Died: July 3, 2017

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

Frances Bean Cobain

Birthdate: August 18, 1992

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Model, artist, and musician Frances Bean Cobain is the only child of Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain and Hole singer Courtney Love. She had a difficult childhood due to her parents’ drug issues and her father’s suicide. She was also removed from her parents’ custody briefly. She now owns Kurt’s copyrights.

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Birthdate: January 8, 1982

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Gaby Hoffmann is best known for her Emmy-nominated roles in the series Girls and Transparent. She had initially been a child actor in films such as Now and Then and Volcano. She has also appeared in Sleepless in Seattle and has won a Young Artist Award for Field of Dreams.

 12 

Tracy Nelson

(Actress who played a valley girl in Square Pegs)

Tracy Nelson

Birthdate: October 25, 1963

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, United States

Height: 5'6" (168 cm)

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 13 

Jordan Bridges

(Actor)

Jordan Bridges

Birthdate: November 13, 1973

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Los Angeles County, California, USA

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

 14 

Lola Kirke

(Film actress)

Lola Kirke

Birthdate: September 27, 1990

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Westminster, London, England

Height: 5'8" (173 cm)

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 15 

Lola Glaudini

(Best Known for Role as ‘Elle Greenaway’ in the TV Series ‘Criminal Minds’)

Lola Glaudini

Birthdate: November 24, 1971

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States

Lola Glaudini is an American actress best known for playing Elle Greenaway in the popular police procedural crime drama TV series, Criminal Minds. Glaudini started her acting career by playing interesting roles at the Mark Taper Forum, where she also won a Drama-Logue Award. She then went on to establish herself as a film and TV actress.

 16 

Alexandra Wentworth

(Actress)

Alexandra Wentworth

Birthdate: January 12, 1965

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

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 17 

Matt Taibbi

(Journalist)

Matt Taibbi

Birthdate: March 2, 1970

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

 18 

Gia Coppola

(Director)

Gia Coppola

Birthdate: January 1, 1987

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

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 19 

Todd Haynes

(Film director)

Todd Haynes

Birthdate: January 2, 1961

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

 20 

Tod Williams

(Director)

Tod Williams

Birthdate: September 27, 1968

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, Unites States

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Birthdate: October 26, 1987

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

 22 

Robert Bernard Sherman

(Songwriter)

Robert Bernard Sherman

Birthdate: December 19, 1925

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: New York, US

Died: March 6, 2012

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 23 

Chris Claremont

(Writer)

Chris Claremont

Birthdate: November 25, 1950

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Ealing, London, England, UK

 24 

Herb Ritts

(Black-and-white photographer known for his iconic images of celebrities such as George Clooney and Julia Roberts.)

Herb Ritts

Birthdate: August 13, 1952

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Died: December 26, 2002

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 25 

Richard M. Sherman

(Songwriters)

Richard M. Sherman

Birthdate: June 12, 1928

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA

 26 

Jonathan Rosenbaum

(Film critic, Journalist)

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Birthdate: February 27, 1943

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Florence

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 27 

Albert J. Nock

(Author)

Albert J. Nock

Birthdate: October 13, 1870

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Scranton

Died: April 28, 1905

 28 

Jonathan Tunick

(American Orchestrator, Musical Director and Composer)

Jonathan Tunick

Birthdate: April 19, 1938

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States

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 29 

Peter Hess Stone

(Screenwriter)

Peter Hess Stone

Birthdate: February 27, 1930

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Died: April 26, 2003

 30 

Anthony Hecht

(Poet, Writer)

Anthony Hecht

Birthdate: January 16, 1923

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: New York City

Died: October 20, 2004

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 31 

Zeena Parkins

(Musician)

Zeena Parkins

Birthdate: 1956 AD

Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States

 32 

Deborah Sussman

(Designer)

Deborah Sussman

Birthdate: May 26, 1931

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Died: August 20, 2014

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This reputable private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson was first named St. Stephens College when it was founded in the year 1860. The aesthetically pleasing campus that overlooks the Hudson river and the varied architectural styles make Bard College a sight to behold. This undergraduate college was the first in the nation to offer courses pertaining to Human Rights, providing the students with a major in that field. Bard holds a great reputation for its Bachelor of Arts and Science, with 23 departments and over 40 programs and 12 interdisciplinary concentrations, it is ranked the 38th best liberal arts college in the US. Not just that, Bard College is also gaining grounds by the number of celebrities that are now changing the course of the world, who once walked through the halls of this prestigious college. Bard is also home to a number of student groups like Self-Injury Support and Discussion, Brad Film Committee, Queer Stude3nt Association, which help lay the foundation for an empowered lifestyle. The college is also known for its various sports-related associations like Bard College Ruby Football Club that centres on both men’s and women’s team. Established names like Blythe Danner, Jeff Preiss, Ellen Parker, and Michael Tolkin are few of the long lists of Bard College alumni that who are currently making great big waves in different walks of life. Here are everything and more about the Bard College Alumni that you probably never knew about- read on to find out!