Notable Alumni of Roosevelt University

Bobby Rush 1946–

US representative; co-founded Illinois Black Panther Party

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1974

Also attended: University of Illinois at Chicago, McCormick Theological Seminary

Carla Hayden 1952–

14th Librarian of Congress

Bachelor of Arts · Political science · Class of 1973

Also attended: University of Chicago, MacMurray College

Mike Quigley 1958–

U.S. representative for Illinois's 5th district

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1981

Also attended: University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago

Harold Washington 1922–1987

51st Mayor of Chicago, first Black mayor

Also attended: Northwestern University

James Forman 1928–2005

Civil rights leader in SNCC

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1957

Also attended: University of Southern California, Cornell University

Child: James Forman, Jr. (Yale University, Brown University)

Melissa Bean 1962–

US representative from Illinois

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 2002

Also attended: Oakton College

Gus Savage 1925–2015

Illinois congressman and publisher

Jesse Brown 1944–2002

Second US Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Also attended: Catholic University of America

Wang Tien-ging 1947–

Taiwanese politician and former legislator

Vera Green 1928–1982

Anthropologist and Caribbean studies scholar

Also attended: University of Arizona, Columbia University in the City of New York

Amy Madigan 1950–

Academy Award-winning actress

Also attended: Marquette University

Spouse: Ed Harris (California Institute of the Arts, School of the Art Institute of Chicago)

Herschell Gordon Lewis 1926–2016

Filmmaker who created the splatter horror subgenre

Also attended: Northwestern University, Mississippi State University

Anthony Braxton 1945–

Experimental composer and multi-instrumentalist

Rick Yancey 1962–

Author of The 5th Wave series

Merle Dandridge 1975–

Actress known for Marlene in The Last of Us

Eddie Harris 1934–1996

Jazz saxophonist who introduced the electric saxophone

Louis Zorich 1924–2018

Actor who appeared in Fiddler on the Roof

Spouse: Olympia Dukakis (Boston University)

Robert Lamm 1944–

Founding member and keyboardist of band Chicago

Albert Grossman 1926–1986

Music manager of Bob Dylan and others

Spouse: Sally Grossman (Adelphi University)

Parvesh Cheena 1979–

Actor known for Outsourced and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Also attended: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Danitra Vance 1954–1994

Comedian and actress, Saturday Night Live cast member

Scott Spencer 1945–

Novelist and screenwriter

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Art Porter, Jr. 1961–1996

Jazz saxophonist

Also attended: Northeastern Illinois University, Berklee College of Music, Virginia Commonwealth University

Father: Art Porter, Sr. (University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Henderson State University)

Victor Lundin 1930–2013

Character actor, first on-screen Klingon in Star Trek

Also attended: Loyola Marymount University

Emmanuel Agassi 1930–2021

Iranian-American boxer and tennis coach