Notable Alumni of CUNY Brooklyn College

Bernie Sanders 1941–

United States Senator from Vermont

Psychology · Attended until 1960

Also attended: University of Chicago

Spouse: Jane O'Meara Sanders (Union Institute and University, The University of Tennessee-Knoxville)

Child: Carina Driscoll (Middlebury College)

Shirley Chisholm 1924–2005

First black woman elected to U.S. Congress

Sociology · Attended until 1946

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, Teachers College at Columbia University

Barbara Boxer 1940–

Former US Senator from California

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1962

Alan Dershowitz 1938–

Lawyer and former Harvard Law professor

Also attended: Yale University, Yeshiva University

Al Sharpton 1954–

Civil rights activist, Baptist minister and talk show host

Meir Kahane 1932–1990

Rabbi and founder of Israel's far-right Kach party

Also attended: Mirrer Yeshiva Cent Institute, New York Law School, New York University

Linda Sarsour 1980–

Political activist, Women's March co-chair

Also attended: CUNY Kingsborough Community College

Henry Spira 1927–1998

Animal rights and socialist activist

David Geffen 1943–

Founder of Geffen Records, DreamWorks co-founder

Also attended: Santa Monica College, The University of Texas at Austin

Jerry Moss 1935–2023

Co-founder of A&M Records

Bachelor of Arts

Stanley Cohen 1922–2020

Biochemist, 1986 Nobel Prize winner

Bachelor's degree · Chemistry, Zoology

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Oberlin College

Stanley Milgram 1933–1984

Social psychologist known for obedience experiments

Also attended: Harvard University, CUNY Queens College

Philip Zimbardo 1933–2024

Psychologist who led the Stanford Prison Experiment

Bachelor of Arts · Sociology, Anthropology · Class of 1954

Also attended: Yale University

Spouse: Christina Maslach (Harvard University, Stanford University)

Paul Cohen 1934–2007

Mathematician and Fields Medal winner

Attended until 1953

Also attended: University of Chicago

Israel Kirzner 1930–

Economist of the Austrian School

Also attended: New York University, Rabbinical Academy Mesivta Rabbi Chaim Berlin

Richard E. Bellman 1920–1984

Applied mathematician who introduced dynamic programming

Attended until 1941

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, CUNY--City College

Walter Block 1941–

Austrian School economist and anarcho-capitalist theorist

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Raul Hilberg 1926–2007

Historian and political scientist of the Holocaust

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Donald Kagan 1932–2021

Yale historian and classicist of ancient Greece

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1954

Also attended: Ohio State University-Main Campus, Brown University

Child: Frederick Kagan (Yale University)

Child: Robert Kagan (Yale University, American University)

Seymour Benzer 1921–2007

Molecular biologist and behavioral geneticist

Also attended: Purdue University-Main Campus

Herbert Friedman 1916–2000

Physicist and X-ray astronomy researcher

Also attended: Johns Hopkins University

Lucy Shapiro 1940–

Developmental biologist and Stanford professor

Esther M. Conwell 1922–2014

Physicist known for Conwell-Weisskopf theory

Attended until 1942

Also attended: University of Chicago, University of Rochester

Nancy Lynch 1948–

MIT computer scientist

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Julian B. Rotter 1916–2014

Psychologist who developed social learning theory

Judith Love Cohen 1933–2016

Aerospace engineer on the Apollo program

Also attended: University of Southern California

Child: Neil Siegel (University of Southern California)

Child: Jack Black (University of California-Los Angeles)

Frank Harary 1921–2005

Mathematician, one of the fathers of graph theory

Attended until 1945

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, Princeton University, New York University

James Franco 1978–

Actor and filmmaker

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles, Yale University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Sibling: Tom Franco (California College of the Arts, University of California-Santa Cruz)

Sibling: Dave Franco (University of Southern California)

Mel Brooks 1926–

Comedian, filmmaker and actor

Also attended: Virginia Military Institute

Spouse: Anne Bancroft (University of California-Los Angeles, American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York)

Child: Max Brooks (Pitzer College, American University)

Daniel Keyes 1927–2014

Author of Flowers for Algernon

Also attended: New York University

Saul Bass 1920–1996

Graphic designer known for film title sequences

Paul Mazursky 1930–2014

Film director, screenwriter and actor

Steve Schirripa 1957–

Actor in The Sopranos and Blue Bloods

Jimmy Smits 1955–

Actor in The West Wing and NYPD Blue

Also attended: Cornell University

Dominic Chianese 1931–

Actor known for The Sopranos

Paul Beatty 1962–

Author, 2016 Man Booker Prize winner

Also attended: Boston University

Necro 1976–

Rapper and record producer from New York City

Michael Lerner 1941–2023

Actor, Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actor

Also attended: American Conservatory Theater, University of California-Los Angeles

Sibling: Ken Lerner (CUNY Brooklyn College)

Sara Shepard 1977–

Author of Pretty Little Liars series

Also attended: New York University, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

Malachi Throne 1928–2013

Actor known for It Takes a Thief

Ocean Vuong 1988–

Vietnamese American poet, essayist and novelist

Also attended: New York University

Richard Portnow 1947–

Actor known for The Sopranos

Sharon Jones 1956–2016

Soul and funk singer, Dap-Kings lead vocalist

Robert Kerman 1947–2018

Actor, appeared in Debbie Does Dallas

Mike Garson 1945–

Pianist who worked with David Bowie

Doc Pomus 1925–1991

Blues singer and songwriter of rock and roll hits

Roya Hakakian 1966–

Iranian American writer and journalist

Also attended: CUNY Hunter College

Marvin Kaplan 1927–2016

Actor, played Henry Beesmeyer in Alice

Beverly Pepper 1922–2020

Sculptor known for monumental site-specific works

Also attended: Pratt Institute-Main

Child: John R. Pepper (Princeton University)

Child: Jorie Graham (University of Iowa, New York University)

Martha Rosler 1943–

Conceptual artist working in photography and video

Also attended: University of California-San Diego

Herb Edelman 1933–1996

Actor, twice nominated for an Emmy

Also attended: Cornell University, Yeshiva University

Harold C. Schonberg 1915–2003

Chief music critic of The New York Times

Also attended: New York University

Annie Baker 1981–

Playwright, Pulitzer Prize winner for The Flick

Also attended: New York University

Stanley Ellin 1916–1986

Mystery writer

Gloria Naylor 1950–2016

Novelist, author of The Women of Brewster Place

Also attended: Yale University

Don Lemon 1966–

Former CNN host and political commentator

Also attended: Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Jason Wingreen 1920–2015

Actor who played bartender Harry Snowden on All in the Family

Peter Nero 1934–2023

Pianist and Pops conductor, two-time Grammy winner

Attended until 1956

Also attended: The Juilliard School

Gata Kamsky 1974–

Chess grandmaster and five-time U.S. champion

Also attended: University of Arizona, Touro College

Bhikkhu Bodhi 1944–

American Theravada Buddhist monk and scholar

Also attended: Claremont Graduate University