Notable Alumni of American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York

Arts and media

• Grace Kelly 1929–1982

  Hollywood actress and Princess of Monaco

  Attended until 1949

  Also attended: Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater

  Mother: Margaret Majer (Temple University)

  Child: Albert II, Prince of Monaco (Amherst College)

• Anne Hathaway 1982–

  Actress and Academy Award winner

  Attended until 1993

  Also attended: New York University, Vassar College

• Lauren Bacall 1924–2014

  Actress of Hollywood's Golden Age

  Attended until 1942

  Spouse: Jason Robards (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York)

  Spouse: Jason Robards (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York)

• Kirk Douglas 1916–2020

  American actor and filmmaker

  Attended until 1941

  Also attended: St. Lawrence University

  Spouse: Diana Douglas (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York)

  Child: Michael Douglas (University of California-Santa Barbara)

• Dale Carnegie 1888–1955

  Writer and teacher of self-improvement and public speaking

• Robert Redford 1936–2025

  Actor, director and producer

  Attended until 1959

  Also attended: University of Colorado Boulder, Pratt Institute-Main

  Child: Amy Redford (San Francisco State University, University of Colorado Boulder)

• Danny DeVito 1944–

  Actor, comedian and filmmaker

  Attended until 1966

  Spouse: Rhea Perlman (CUNY Hunter College)

  Child: Lucy DeVito (Brown University)

• Spencer Tracy 1900–1967

  Film and stage actor

  Attended until 1923

  Also attended: Ripon College

  Spouse: Louise Tracy (Lake Erie College)

• Anne Bancroft 1931–2005

  Actress, Academy Award winner

  Attended until 1950

  Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

  Spouse: Mel Brooks (CUNY Brooklyn College, Virginia Military Institute)

  Child: Max Brooks (Pitzer College, American University)

• Conrad Bain 1923–2013

  Actor known for Diff'rent Strokes

• Jessica Chastain 1977–

  Actress, producer and Academy Award winner

  Also attended: Sacramento City College, The Juilliard School

• Adrien Brody 1973–

  American actor

  Attended until 1993

  Also attended: CUNY Queens College, Stony Brook University

• Don Rickles 1926–2017

  Stand-up comedian and actor known for insult comedy

  Attended until 1948

• Jennifer Jones 1919–2009

  Film actress

  Attended until 1939

  Also attended: Northwestern University, Northwest University

  Spouse: Norton Simon (University of California-Berkeley)

  Spouse: Robert Walker (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York)

• Gena Rowlands 1930–2024

  Actress, twice Oscar-nominated for Best Actress

  Attended until 1952

  Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison

  Spouse: John Cassavetes (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York, Colgate University)

  Child: Nick Cassavetes (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York, Syracuse University)

• Jennifer Coolidge 1961–

  Actress known for American Pie films

  Attended until 1982

  Also attended: Emerson College

• Carrie-Anne Moss 1967–

  Canadian actress, played Trinity in The Matrix

  Attended until 1988

• Laura Branigan 1952–2004

  Singer known for the hit Gloria

  Attended until 1972

• Jason Robards 1922–2000

  Actor

  Attended until 1948

  Spouse: Lauren Bacall (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York)

  Father: Jason Robards (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York)

• Edward G. Robinson 1893–1973

  Romanian-American actor known for gangster roles

  Attended until 1913

  Also attended: CUNY--City College

• Sarah Paulson 1974–

  Actress; Golden Globe, Emmy and Tony winner

  Attended until 1992

• Rosalind Russell 1907–1976

  Actress known for His Girl Friday and Auntie Mame

  Attended until 1929

• Kim Cattrall 1956–

  Actress known as Samantha in Sex and the City

  Attended until 1974

• Hank Azaria 1964–

  Actor who voices many Simpsons characters

  Attended until 1980

  Also attended: Tufts University

  Spouse: Helen Hunt (California State University-Los Angeles, University of California-Los Angeles)

• Eric Roberts 1956–

  Prolific actor with over 700 credits

  Attended until 1977

  Child: Emma Roberts (Sarah Lawrence College)

  Sibling: Julia Roberts (Georgia State University)

• Ruth Gordon 1896–1985

  Actress, playwright and screenwriter with seven-decade career

  Attended until 1914

  Spouse: Garson Kanin (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York)

• John Cassavetes 1929–1989

  Actor and director, pioneer of American independent cinema

  Attended until 1950

  Also attended: Colgate University

  Spouse: Gena Rowlands (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

  Child: Nick Cassavetes (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York, Syracuse University)

• Matthew Lillard 1970–

  Actor, known for Hackers

  Attended until 1990

  Also attended: Fullerton College, Circle in the Square Theatre School

• Claire Trevor 1910–2000

  Actress, Academy Award winner for Key Largo

  Attended until 1929

• William Fichtner 1956–

  American actor

  Also attended: Farmingdale State College, SUNY Brockport

• Charles Durning 1923–2012

  Actor, Golden Globe and Tony Award winner

  Attended until 1948

• Stephen Baldwin 1966–

  Actor in The Usual Suspects

  Sibling: Alec Baldwin (George Washington University, New York University)

  Sibling: William Baldwin (Binghamton University)

• William Powell 1892–1984

  Film actor known for the Thin Man series

  Attended until 1947

• Peter Weller 1947–

  Actor who starred in RoboCop

  Attended until 1972

  Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles, Syracuse University, University of North Texas

• Adam Scott 1973–

  Actor in Parks and Recreation and Severance

  Attended until 1993

• Sally Kirkland 1941–2025

  Actress and producer

  Attended until 1961

• John Savage 1949–

  Actor known for The Deer Hunter

  Attended until 1969

• Annabella Sciorra 1960–

  Film and stage actress

  Attended until 1980

• Jaclyn Smith 1945–

  Actress known for Charlie's Angels

  Also attended: Trinity University

• Nicolas Winding Refn 1970–

  Danish film director, screenwriter and producer

• Nick Cassavetes 1959–

  Director and actor of The Notebook

  Attended until 1980

  Also attended: Syracuse University

  Spouse: Heather Wahlquist (University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus)

  Father: John Cassavetes (American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York, Colgate University)

• Mrinalini Sarabhai 1918–2016

  Indian classical dancer and choreographer

• David Huddleston 1930–2016

  Actor in Santa Claus: The Movie and The Big Lebowski

  Attended until 1958

• Robby Benson 1956–

  Actor and director

  Spouse: Karla DeVito (Loyola University Chicago)

• Alan Reed 1907–1977

  Actor, original voice of Fred Flintstone

  Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

• Agnes Moorehead 1900–1974

  Actress in radio, stage, film and television

  Attended until 1929

  Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Thelma Ritter 1902–1969

  Actress with six Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress

  Attended until 1922

• Melanie 1947–2024

  Singer-songwriter known for "Brand New Key"

• Alex Pettyfer 1990–

  English actor and model

  Attended until 2004

• Joseph Schildkraut 1896–1964

  Actor, Oscar winner for The Life of Emile Zola

  Attended until 1913

• Katherine Moennig 1977–

  Actress and producer

  Attended until 1998

• Frank Morgan 1890–1949

  Character actor with a 35-year film career

  Attended until 1914

  Also attended: Cornell University

• John Saxon 1936–2020

  Actor and martial artist known for Westerns and horror films

• M. Emmet Walsh 1935–2024

  Actor in Blade Runner and Blood Simple

  Attended until 1961

  Also attended: Clarkson University

• Dennis Haysbert 1954–

  Actor, played President Palmer in 24

  Attended until 1977

  Also attended: College of San Mateo

• Eileen Brennan 1932–2013

  American actress and singer

  Attended until 1956

  Also attended: Georgetown University

• Bruce Greenwood 1956–

  Canadian actor and producer

• Armand Assante 1949–

  Film and television actor

  Attended until 1969

• John Lone 1952–

  Chinese-American actor who played Puyi in The Last Emperor

• Wai Ching Ho 1943–2026

  Hong Kong actress, Madame Gao in Marvel series