Notable Alumni of San Francisco State University

Mohammad Javad Zarif 1960–

Iranian diplomat and former vice president

Also attended: University of Denver

Wilma Mankiller 1945–2010

First woman elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation

Also attended: Skyline College

Saeb Erekat 1955–2020

Palestinian politician and diplomat

Mario Savio 1942–1996

Key member of Berkeley Free Speech Movement

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Ron Dellums 1935–2018

Former Oakland mayor and U.S. Representative

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1960

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, Laney College

Child: Erik Dellums (Brown University)

George Miller 1945–

Former Democratic U.S. Representative from California

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1968

Also attended: University of California-Davis, Diablo Valley College

Pierre Salinger 1925–2004

White House press secretary under Kennedy and Johnson

Also attended: University of San Francisco

Willie Brown Jr. 1934–

41st Mayor of San Francisco

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1955

Also attended: University of California College of the Law-San Francisco

Leland Yee 1948–

Former California State Senator

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Fred H. Lau 1949–

Former San Francisco police chief

Also attended: City College of San Francisco

Stanley Cheung 1983–

Hong Kong politician

Ted Dabney 1937–2018

Electrical engineer and co-founder of Atari

Debra Fischer 1951–

Astronomer and Yale professor emerita

Also attended: California State University-Sacramento, University of California-Santa Cruz, University of Iowa

Douglas Crockford 1955–

Programmer who specified the JSON data format

Attended until 1975

Yvonne Cagle 1959–

NASA astronaut, physician and retired Air Force brigadier general

Also attended: University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Carlota Perez 1939–

Economist of techno-economic paradigm shifts

Master of Arts · Class of 1985

Melissa Farley 1942–

Clinical psychologist and anti-prostitution activist

Also attended: Northeastern University Oakland, University of Iowa

Anne Rice 1941–2021

Author of The Vampire Chronicles

Also attended: University of North Texas, Texas Woman's University

Child: Christopher Rice (New York University, Brown University)

Annette Bening 1958–

Actress of screen and stage

Also attended: San Diego Mesa College

Spouse: Warren Beatty (Northwestern University, Northwest University)

Child: Ella Beatty (The Juilliard School)

Kirk Hammett 1962–

Lead guitarist of Metallica

Rob Schneider 1963–

Actor and comedian, former Saturday Night Live cast member

Child: Elle King (University of the Arts)

David Carradine 1936–2009

Actor and director

Also attended: Laney College

Danny Glover 1946–

Actor and producer

Also attended: American Conservatory Theater, City College of San Francisco

Carl Weathers 1948–2024

Actor who played Apollo Creed in Rocky

Bachelor of Arts

Also attended: Long Beach City College, San Diego State University

Alvin Ailey 1931–1989

Dancer, choreographer and activist

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles City College

Alex Borstein 1971–

Actress, voice of Lois Griffin in Family Guy

Spouse: Jackson Douglas (Washington State University)

Peter Coyote 1941–

Actor and narrator, appeared in E.T

Also attended: Grinnell College

Jeffrey Tambor 1944–

Actor known for Larry Sanders Show and Arrested Development

Also attended: Wayne State University

BD Wong 1960–

Actor and Tony Award winner

Delroy Lindo 1952–

English-born American actor

Paul Desmond 1924–1977

Jazz saxophonist, composer of Take Five

Harry Shum Jr. 1982–

Actor and dancer

Spouse: Shelby Rabara (University of California-Los Angeles)

Rebecca Solnit 1961–

American writer and activist

Bachelor's degree · English-language literature

Margaret Avery 1944–

Stage, film and television actress

Attended until 1965

Johnny Mathis 1935–

Singer, one of the best-selling artists of the 20th century

Margaret Cho 1968–

Stand-up comedian and actress

Terry Riley 1935–

Composer and pioneer of minimalist music

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, University of San Francisco, New Hope Christian College-Eugene

Child: Gyan Riley (San Francisco Conservatory of Music)

Kari Byron 1974–

Television host, known for MythBusters

Steven Zaillian 1953–

Screenwriter and director of Schindler's List screenplay

Also attended: Sonoma State University

Keir Dullea 1936–

Actor known for 2001: A Space Odyssey

Also attended: Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater

Spouse: Margot Bennett (Carnegie Mellon University)

Dana Carvey 1955–

Comedian known for Saturday Night Live

Also attended: College of San Mateo

John Zerzan 1943–

Anarcho-primitivist philosopher and author

Master of Arts · Class of 1972

Also attended: University of Southern California, Stanford University

Tory Belleci 1970–

MythBusters build team member and model maker

Walt Dohrn 1970–

Emmy-winning animator, director and voice actor

Also attended: California Institute of the Arts

George Duke 1946–2013

Keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer

Also attended: San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Jack Angel 1930–2021

Voice actor in The Transformers and Super Friends

Also attended: College of Marin

Daniel Silva 1960–

Author of thriller and spy novels

Also attended: California State University--Fresno

John Patitucci 1959–

Jazz bassist and composer

Also attended: California State University--Long Beach

Rosie Malek-Yonan 1955–

Assyrian-American actress, author, director and activist

Also attended: American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York

Lisa Cholodenko 1964–

Screenwriter and director of The Kids Are All Right

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1987

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Mai Almasri 1959–

Palestinian documentary filmmaker

Father: Munib al-Masri (The University of Texas at Austin)

Amy Hennig 1964–

Video game writer, creator of Uncharted series

Bachelor's degree · English-language literature

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Daren Kagasoff 1987–

Actor in The Secret Life of the American Teenager

Barbara Hammer 1939–2019

Feminist filmmaker and lesbian film pioneer

Master's degree · English-language literature, Cinematography · Class of 1975

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles, University of San Francisco

Oscar Zeta Acosta 1935–1974

Attorney, author and Chicano Movement activist

Also attended: Alliant International University

Frank Silva 1950–1995

Actor who played Bob in Twin Peaks

Jonas Rivera 1971–

Film producer at Pixar Animation Studios

Cherríe Moraga 1952–

Chicana feminist writer, activist and playwright

Catherine Coulson 1943–2015

Actress known as the Log Lady in Twin Peaks

Also attended: Scripps College

Peter Kam 1961–

Hong Kong film composer

George Fenneman 1919–1997

Radio and television announcer

Melissa Ng 1972–

Retired TVB actress, Miss Chinese International runner-up

Pamela Peck 1944–

Hong Kong radio host and former district councillor

Ali Dia 1965–

Senegalese footballer

Jake Shields 1979–

Former mixed martial artist and podcaster

Also attended: Cuesta College

Song Tao 1965–

Basketball player, first Asian drafted by NBA team

Faisal bin Musaid 1944–1975

Saudi prince who assassinated King Faisal