Notable Alumni of University of Iowa

Chuck Grassley 1933–

US Senator from Iowa since 1981

Attended until 1958

Also attended: University of Northern Iowa

Jayaprakash Narayan 1902–1979

Indian independence activist and political leader

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, Ohio State University-Main Campus, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Terry Branstad 1946–

Former Iowa governor and US ambassador to China

Also attended: Drake University

Norm Coleman 1949–

Politician, attorney and lobbyist

Juris Doctor · Class of 1976

Also attended: Brooklyn Law School, Hofstra University

Mo Mowlam 1949–2005

British Labour politician and Northern Ireland Secretary

Kari Lake 1969–

Former television news anchor and politician

Bachelor of Arts · Journalism

Kay A. Orr 1939–

36th governor of Nebraska

Attended until 1957

Kenneth Nichols 1907–2000

Army major general, Manhattan Project engineer

Also attended: Cornell University

Joe Walsh 1961–

Former U.S. Representative and 2020 presidential candidate

Bachelor of Arts · English · Class of 1985

Also attended: University of Chicago, Grinnell College

Matthew Whitaker 1969–

U.S. ambassador to NATO and former acting attorney general

Juris Doctor, Master of Business Administration

Also attended: Eastern Iowa Community College District

John Boyd 1927–1997

Air Force fighter pilot and Pentagon consultant

Also attended: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Clarence D. Clark 1851–1930

First congressman from Wyoming

Chang Sheng-ford 1949–

Former finance minister of Taiwan

Yu Ching-tang 1896–1985

Former deputy head of Taiwan's executive branch

Albert Bandura 1925–2021

Psychologist; originator of social learning theory

Master of Arts · Class of 1951

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak 1942–

Literary theorist and Columbia University professor

Also attended: Cornell University

James A. Van Allen 1914–2006

Space physicist who discovered the Van Allen radiation belts

Physics · Attended until 1939

Also attended: Iowa Wesleyan University

Jim Yong Kim 1959–

12th President of the World Bank

Also attended: Harvard University, Brown University

Leon Festinger 1919–1989

Social psychologist who originated cognitive dissonance theory

Doctor of Philosophy, Master's degree · Developmental psychology · Class of 1942

Also attended: CUNY--City College

Clair Cameron Patterson 1922–1995

Geochemist and geologist

Also attended: University of Chicago, Grinnell College

George Gallup 1901–1984

Statistician and inventor of the Gallup poll

Child: George Gallup, Jr. (Princeton University)

James E. Hansen 1941–

Climatologist and Columbia University adjunct professor

Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Science · Physics, Astronomy · Class of 1967

Oswald Veblen 1880–1960

Mathematician, geometer and topologist

Attended until 1898

Also attended: University of Chicago, Harvard University

Rana Dajani 2000–

Jordanian molecular biologist and professor

Also attended: Harvard University

Vilhjalmur Stefansson 1879–1962

Canadian-born Arctic explorer and ethnologist

Also attended: Harvard University, University of North Dakota

Edward Chamberlin 1899–1967

American economist

Also attended: Harvard University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Debra Fischer 1951–

Astronomer and Yale professor emerita

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

Beatrice Mintz 1921–2022

Embryologist and pioneer of transgenic mammals

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1946

Also attended: CUNY Hunter College, New York University

Henry Jenkins 1958–

Media scholar and professor at USC

Also attended: Georgia State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison

George Kelly 1905–1967

Psychologist, founder of personal construct psychology

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1931

Also attended: Friends University, University of Kansas, Park University

Charles Edward Merriam 1874–1953

Political scientist who founded behavioralism at Chicago

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Sibling: John Campbell Merriam (University of California-Berkeley)

Max O. Lorenz 1876–1959

Economist who developed the Lorenz curve

Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler 1883–1966

Mathematician known for early work on infinite-dimensional linear algebra

Attended until 1904

Also attended: University of Chicago, Harvard University, University of South Dakota

Spouse: Sergey Degayev (Johns Hopkins University)

David Bordwell 1947–2024

Film theorist and film historian

Doctor of Philosophy

Also attended: SUNY at Albany

Spouse: Kristin Thompson (University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Bruce Charles Heezen 1924–1977

Geologist who helped map the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Winifred Asprey 1917–2007

Mathematician and computer scientist

Also attended: Vassar College

Melissa Farley 1942–

Clinical psychologist and anti-prostitution activist

Also attended: Northeastern University Oakland, San Francisco State University

Flora Wambaugh Patterson 1847–1928

Mycologist, first female plant pathologist at USDA

Also attended: Harvard University, Antioch College

Sibling: Eugene Wambaugh (Harvard University)

Albert Spear Hitchcock 1865–1935

Botanist and agrostologist

Deane Montgomery 1909–1992

Topologist and former president of the American Mathematical Society

Attended until 1933

Also attended: Hamline University

Henry Augustus Pilsbry 1862–1957

Biologist and malacologist

Chia-Shun Yih 1918–1997

University of Michigan professor, fluid mechanics pioneer

Chen Kuan-Hsing 1957–

Taiwanese scholar and editor of Inter-Asia Cultural Studies

Wang Shizhen 1916–2016

CAS academician, father of Chinese nuclear medicine

Chen-Hsing Yen 1912–2005

Taiwan engineer, educator and former education minister

Tennessee Williams 1911–1983

Playwright and screenwriter

Also attended: University of Missouri-Columbia, Washington University in St Louis, The New School

Gene Wilder 1933–2016

Actor and comedian who played Willy Wonka

Spouse: Gilda Radner (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor)

Ashton Kutcher 1978–

Actor, film producer, and investor

Spouse: Mila Kunis (University of California-Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University)

John Irving 1942–

Novelist and screenwriter, author of The World According to Garp

Also attended: University of New Hampshire-Main Campus

Flannery O'Connor 1925–1964

Novelist and short story writer

Also attended: Georgia College & State University

Marilynne Robinson 1943–

Novelist, 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner

Also attended: University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Brown University, University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Sibling: David Summers (Yale University, Brown University)

Michael Cunningham 1952–

Novelist, author of The Hours

Also attended: Stanford University

Jean Seberg 1938–1979

Actress and icon of the French New Wave

Al Jarreau 1940–2017

Jazz and pop singer, Breakin' Away

Master of Science

Also attended: Ripon College

Terry O'Quinn 1952–

Actor, Emmy winner for Lost

Also attended: Central Michigan University

Brandon Routh 1979–

Actor who played Superman in Superman Returns

Tom Brokaw 1940–

Former anchor of NBC Nightly News

Also attended: University of South Dakota

Jake Johnson 1978–

Actor, starred as Nick Miller in New Girl

Also attended: New York University

Joe Haldeman 1943–

Science fiction author and Vietnam War veteran

Sibling: Jack C. Haldeman II (Johns Hopkins University, University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus)

Tom Arnold 1959–

Actor and comedian

Also attended: Indian Hills Community College

Diablo Cody 1978–

Screenwriter, producer and author

D. B. Weiss 1971–

Co-creator of Game of Thrones

Master of Fine Arts

Also attended: Wesleyan University

Sandra Cisneros 1954–

Writer and poet, author of The House on Mango Street

Also attended: University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago

James Tolkan 1931–2026

Character actor known as a strict vice principal

Also attended: Eastern Arizona College

Yaa Gyasi 1989–

Ghanaian-American novelist, author of Homegoing

Also attended: Stanford University

Wallace Stegner 1909–1993

Novelist, historian and environmentalist

Also attended: University of Utah

David Sanborn 1945–2024

Alto saxophonist blending jazz, pop and R&B

Also attended: Northwestern University

Ann Patchett 1963–

Novelist, PEN/Faulkner Award winner

Master of Fine Arts · Creative writing · Class of 1987

Also attended: Sarah Lawrence College

Rita Dove 1952–

Poet; first African American Poet Laureate Consultant

Master of Fine Arts · Class of 1977

Also attended: Miami University-Oxford

Steven Erikson 1959–

Canadian fantasy author of Malazan Book of the Fallen

Jane Smiley 1949–

Novelist, 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner

Also attended: Vassar College

Philip Levine 1928–2015

Poet known for poems about working-class Detroit

Master of Fine Arts · Creative writing · Class of 1957

Also attended: Wayne State University

Mary Beth Hurt 1946–2026

Stage and screen actress, three-time Tony nominee

Also attended: New York University

Spouse: Paul Schrader (American Film Institute Conservatory, University of California-Los Angeles)

Denis Johnson 1949–2017

Novelist and poet, author of Jesus' Son

Nicholas Meyer 1945–

American screenwriter, director and author

Mark Strand 1934–2014

Poet, essayist and translator

Also attended: Yale University, Antioch University-Los Angeles, Antioch College

Elizabeth Catlett 1915–2012

Sculptor and graphic artist

Master of Fine Arts · Class of 1940

Also attended: Howard University

Spouse: Charles Wilbert White (School of the Art Institute of Chicago)

Joy Harjo 1951–

23rd U.S. poet laureate

Master of Fine Arts · Creative writing · Class of 1978

Also attended: Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development, University of New Mexico-Main Campus

Ana Mendieta 1948–1985

Cuban-American performance artist and sculptor

Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts · Painting, Intermedia · Class of 1977

Toby Huss 1966–

Actor in The Adventures of Pete & Pete

David Eigenberg 1964–

Actor known for Sex and the City

Also attended: American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York

Yiyun Li 1972–

Chinese-born writer who writes in English

Reza Aslan 1972–

Iranian-American writer, scholar and television host

Also attended: University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Clara University, Harvard University

Spouse: Jessica Jackley (Bucknell University, Stanford University)

T. C. Boyle 1948–

Novelist and short story writer

Also attended: SUNY College at Potsdam

Colin Egglesfield 1973–

Actor in All My Children and Melrose Place

Biology

Also attended: Illinois Wesleyan University

John Getz 1946–

Actor in Blood Simple and The Social Network

Sahar Khalifeh 1941–

Palestinian writer

Also attended: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Justin Cronin 1962–

Novelist, author of The Passage vampire trilogy

Also attended: Harvard University

Macdonald Carey 1913–1994

Actor known as "King of the Bs"

Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Brooks Wheelan 1986–

Stand-up comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member

Jock Mahoney 1919–1989

Actor and stuntman who starred in The Range Rider

David Drake 1945–2023

Science fiction and fantasy author

Also attended: Duke University

Don Hall 1969–

Animation director of Big Hero 6, Academy Award winner

Don DeFore 1913–1993

Actor in Ozzie and Harriet and Hazel

Paul Harding 1967–

Novelist, won 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Also attended: University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Benjamin Alire Sáenz 1954–2026

Poet, novelist and children's book writer

Also attended: University of Texas--El Paso, Stanford University

Bill Butler 1921–2023

American cinematographer who worked with Coppola and Spielberg

Peter Craig 1969–

Novelist and screenwriter of Top Gun: Maverick

John Anderson 1922–1992

Character actor with over 500 television roles

Greg Morris 1933–1996

Actor known for Mission: Impossible

Robert Olen Butler 1945–

Fiction writer, Pulitzer Prize winner

Also attended: Northwestern University

Richard Maibaum 1909–1991

Screenwriter and producer of James Bond films

Also attended: New York University

Paul Rust 1981–

Actor and writer, starred in Netflix series Love

David Milch 1945–

Television writer and co-creator of NYPD Blue

Also attended: Yale University

Gene L. Coon 1924–1973

Screenwriter and producer known for original Star Trek

Lara Parker 1938–2023

Actress and writer known for Dark Shadows

Also attended: Vassar College, Rhodes College

Max Allan Collins 1948–

Mystery writer, screenwriter and comics author

Stephanie Savage 1969–

Screenwriter and producer who developed Gossip Girl

James Alan McPherson 1943–2016

Writer, first African-American Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction

Master's degree

Also attended: Morgan State University, Harvard University, Morris Brown College

Tayari Jones 1970–

Author of An American Marriage

Also attended: Arizona State University-Tempe, Spelman College

Anthony Hecht 1923–2004

Poet

Also attended: Bard College, Columbia University in the City of New York, Kenyon College

David Lang 1957–

Composer, 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Music winner

Also attended: Yale University, Stanford University

Margaret Walker 1915–1998

Poet and writer of the Chicago Black Renaissance

Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Arts

Also attended: Yale University, Northwestern University, Dillard University

Nnenna Okore 1975–

Nigerian sculptor and artist based in Chicago

Daniel Woodrell 1953–2025

Novelist who coined the phrase country noir

Also attended: University of Kansas

Martha Grimes 1931–

Detective fiction writer

Also attended: University of Maryland-College Park

Marilyn Chin 1955–

Chinese American poet, writer and English professor

Yu Kwang-chung 1928–2017

Taiwanese poet, writer and educator

Lin Hwai-min 1947–

Founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan

Yang Mu 1940–2020

Taiwanese poet and University of Washington professor emeritus

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Jenny Zhang 1983–

Chinese-American writer, poet and essayist

Master of Fine Arts · Fiction writing · Class of 2009

Also attended: Stanford University

Wai-lim Yip 1937–

Poet and UC San Diego professor

Also attended: Princeton University

Yin Yun-peng 1941–

Taiwanese journalist and magazine editor

Joshua Ferris 1974–

Author of Then We Came to the End

Also attended: University of California-Irvine

John Gardner 1933–1982

Novelist and critic, author of Grendel

Also attended: DePauw University, University of Detroit Mercy, Washington University in St Louis

Spouse: Liz Rosenberg (Binghamton University, Bennington College)

Joe Russo 1971–

Film director, co-directed Avengers: Endgame

Also attended: Case Western Reserve University

Caitlin Clark 2002–

WNBA player, NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer

Bachelor's degree · Marketing · Class of 2024

Big E 1986–

Former WWE wrestler turned analyst

Don Nelson 1940–2026

NBA player and head coach

Wally Ris 1924–1989

Two-time Olympic champion swimmer

George Saling 1909–1933

Winner of 110 m hurdles at 1932 Olympics

B. J. Armstrong 1967–

Former NBA player, Sacramento Kings assistant general manager

Thomas Gilman 1994–

Olympic medalist and world champion wrestler

History · Attended until 2017

Ed Gordon 1908–1971

Athlete who competed mainly in long jump

Child: Ed Gordon (Western Michigan University)

George Baird 1907–2004

Sprinter, 1928 Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist

Harry Gallatin 1927–2015

NBA player and coach with the New York Knicks

Reggie Evans 1980–

Former NBA power forward, 13 seasons

Also attended: Coffeyville Community College

Laulauga Tausaga 1998–

Discus thrower, 2023 World Championships gold medalist

Brittany Brown 1995–

Sprinter, 2024 Olympic 200m bronze medalist

Luka Garza 1998–

Basketball player for the Boston Celtics

Alex Karras 1935–2012

Former NFL player, sportscaster and actor

Sibling: Lou Karras (Purdue University-Main Campus)

Connie Hawkins 1942–2017

Professional basketball player

Duane Swanson 1913–2000

Basketball gold medalist at the 1936 Olympics

Also attended: Illinois Wesleyan University

Conor Dwyer 1989–

Swimmer, 2012 Olympic relay gold medalist

Also attended: University of Florida

Spencer Lee 1998–

Wrestler, 2024 Olympic silver medalist

Bachelor of Science · Sport management · Class of 2021

Ricky Davis 1979–

Former NBA player for twelve seasons

Keegan Murray 2000–

Kings forward, fourth pick in the 2022 NBA draft

Sibling: Kris Murray (University of Iowa)

Diane Nukuri 1984–

Burundian distance runner and Olympian

Fred Brown 1948–

NBA guard who played 13 seasons with the SuperSonics

Attended until 1971

Also attended: Southeastern Community College

Bowen Stassforth 1926–2019

Swimmer, 1952 Olympic 200m breaststroke silver medalist

Cloé Lacasse 1993–

Canadian professional women's soccer forward

Carl Cain 1934–2024

1956 Olympic gold medal basketball player

Colby Covington 1988–

Former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion

Sociology · Attended until 2009

Also attended: Iowa Central Community College, Oregon State University

Aaron White 1992–

Professional basketball player, Iowa Hawkeyes alumnus

Tom Brands 1968–

Wrestler and Iowa men's wrestling head coach

Cap Anson 1852–1922

Baseball player with 27 consecutive major-league seasons

John Johnson 1947–2016

Former professional basketball player

Child: Mitch Johnson (Stanford University)

Anthuan Maybank 1969–

1996 Olympic 4x400 metre relay gold medalist

Kennedy Blades 2003–

American women's freestyle wrestler

Marketing · Attended until 2026

Also attended: Arizona State University-Tempe

Artur Wojdat 1968–

Polish swimmer, 1988 Olympic 400m freestyle bronze medalist

Terry Brands 1968–

Wrestler, 2000 Olympic bronze medalist

Rafał Szukała 1971–

Polish swimmer, 1992 Olympic 100m butterfly silver medalist

Virgil 1951–2024

Professional wrestler and actor, known in WWF and WCW

Also attended: University of Virginia-Main Campus, Virginia Union University

Ed Banach 1960–

Wrestler, 1984 Olympic freestyle gold medalist

Sibling: Lou Banach (University of Iowa)

Tom Meschery 1938–

Former pro basketball player, coach and poet

Also attended: Saint Mary's College of California, University of Nevada-Reno

Liang Chow 1968–

Chinese-American former gymnast and gymnastics coach

Paul Percy Harris 1868–1947

Lawyer who founded Rotary International

Also attended: Princeton University, University of Vermont

George Koval 1913–2006

Soviet intelligence officer who infiltrated the Manhattan Project

Also attended: CUNY--City College