Notable Alumni of The New School

Eleanor Roosevelt 1884–1962

First Lady of the US, 1933 to 1945

Spouse: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Child: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. (Harvard University, University of Virginia-Main Campus)

Shimon Peres 1923–2016

Former President and Prime Minister of Israel

Also attended: Harvard University, New York University

Child: Tsvia Walden (Harvard University)

Hage Geingob 1941–2024

Former President of Namibia

Master of Arts · International relations · Class of 1974

Also attended: Fordham University, Temple University

Pasqual Maragall i Mira 1941–

Former President of Catalonia and Mayor of Barcelona

Spouse: Diana Garrigosa Laspeñas (The New School)

Agnès Callamard 1963–

Secretary General of Amnesty International

Doctor of Philosophy

Yossi Sarid 1940–2015

Israeli politician and Knesset member

Child: Yishai Sarid (Harvard University)

Fritz Jean 1956–

Haitian economist and former prime minister

Also attended: Fordham University

Delina Fico

Albanian civil society activist

Martin Bosma 1964–

Dutch politician, former Speaker of the House

Sociology

Hsu Tain-tsair 1951–

Taiwanese politician, former mayor of Tainan

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Donna Karan 1948–

Fashion designer, creator of DKNY

Will Wright 1960–

Video game designer, co-founder of Maxis

Also attended: Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, Louisiana Tech University

Ruth Benedict 1887–1948

Anthropologist and folklorist

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

Spouse: Stanley Rossiter Benedict (Yale University, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus)

Franco Modigliani 1918–2003

Economist, 1985 Nobel Memorial Prize winner

Lewis Mumford 1895–1990

Historian, sociologist and urban studies scholar

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, CUNY--City College, New York University

Peter L. Berger 1929–2017

Austrian-born sociologist and Protestant theologian

Also attended: Wagner College

Gerda Lerner 1920–2013

Austrian-born women's history scholar

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Mariana Mazzucato 1968–

Economist and professor at University College London

Also attended: Tufts University

Melville J. Herskovits 1895–1963

Anthropologist who helped establish African diaspora studies

Also attended: University of Chicago, Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

Child: Jean Herskovits (Swarthmore College)

Stephanie Kelton 1969–

Economist and leading proponent of modern monetary theory

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 2001

Also attended: California State University-Sacramento

Robert Heilbroner 1919–2005

Economist, author of The Worldly Philosophers

Also attended: Harvard University

Heinrich Blücher 1899–1970

German philosopher and husband of Hannah Arendt

Randolph L. Braham 1922–2018

Historian and political scientist, Holocaust specialist

Also attended: CUNY--City College

Sidney Mintz 1922–2015

Anthropologist of the Caribbean and food

Also attended: Yale University, Columbia University in the City of New York, CUNY Brooklyn College

Marlon Brando 1924–2004

Actor and two-time Academy Award winner

Child: Christian Brando (University of Southern California)

Child: Stephen Blackehart (University of South Florida-Main Campus)

Bradley Cooper 1975–

Actor and filmmaker

Also attended: Georgetown University, Villanova University

Tennessee Williams 1911–1983

Playwright and screenwriter

Also attended: University of Iowa, University of Missouri-Columbia, Washington University in St Louis

Tony Curtis 1925–2010

Actor who appeared in over 100 films

Also attended: CUNY--City College

Spouse: Janet Leigh (University of the Pacific)

Child: Jamie Lee Curtis (University of the Pacific)

James Baldwin 1924–1987

Writer and civil rights activist

Also attended: Bowling Green State University-Main Campus

Harry Belafonte 1927–2023

Singer, actor and civil rights activist

Child: Shari Belafonte (Carnegie Mellon University)

Bella Hadid 1996–

Fashion model, 2022 British Fashion Council Model of the Year

Father: Mohamed Hadih (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University at Raleigh)

Jesse Eisenberg 1983–

Actor and playwright

Also attended: New York University

Walter Matthau 1920–2000

Actor, starred in The Odd Couple

Child: Charles Matthau (University of Southern California)

Shelley Winters 1920–2006

Actress whose film career spanned seven decades

Peter Falk 1927–2011

Actor best known as Lieutenant Columbo

Also attended: Hamilton College, Syracuse University

Rod Steiger 1925–2002

Actor known for volatile, offbeat characters

Edward Hopper 1882–1967

Realist painter and printmaker

Attended until 1906

Danielle Steel 1947–

Bestselling author of romance novels

Also attended: New York University

Spouse: Thomas Perkins (Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Cicely Tyson 1924–2021

Actress with a seven-decade career

Spouse: Miles Davis (The Juilliard School)

Kevin Smith 1970–

Filmmaker and actor, director of Clerks

Also attended: Brookdale Community College

Spouse: Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (University of California-Los Angeles)

Jonah Hill 1983–

Actor and filmmaker

Also attended: University of Colorado Boulder, Bard College

Sibling: Beanie Feldstein (Wesleyan University)

Lena Dunham 1986–

Creator and star of HBO series Girls

Also attended: Oberlin College

Father: Carroll Dunham (Trinity College)

Mother: Laurie Simmons (Temple University)

Bea Arthur 1922–2009

Actress known for Maude and The Golden Girls

Spouse: Gene Saks (Cornell University, The New School)

Spouse: Robert Alan Aurthur (Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania)

Burt Bacharach 1928–2023

Composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist

Spouse: Angie Dickinson (Glendale Community College)

Spouse: Carole Bayer Sager (New York University)

Joel Schumacher 1939–2020

Film director, screenwriter and producer

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles, Fashion Institute of Technology

Norman Rockwell 1894–1978

American painter and illustrator

Child: Thomas Rockwell (Bard College)

Ben Gazzara 1930–2012

Actor and director of film, stage and television

Bill Evans 1929–1980

Jazz pianist and composer

Also attended: Southeastern Louisiana University

Paul Dano 1984–

Actor and filmmaker

Also attended: Pace University-New York, New York Film Academy

Rob Zombie 1965–

Rock singer and filmmaker

Also attended: Pratt Institute-Main

Martin Balsam 1919–1996

Character actor in film, theatre and television

Tom Ford 1961–

Fashion designer and filmmaker

Attended until 1986

Also attended: Simon's Rock at Bard College, New York University

Sufjan Stevens 1975–

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist

Master of Fine Arts · Creative writing · Class of 2000

Also attended: Hope College

Ani DiFranco 1970–

Singer-songwriter

Also attended: SUNY Buffalo State University

Amiri Baraka 1934–2014

Writer of poetry, drama, fiction and essays

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

Spouse: Hettie Jones (Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Virginia-Main Campus)

Child: Kellie Jones (Amherst College)

Paget Brewster 1969–

Actress and singer

Anna Sui 1964–

Fashion designer

Honorary doctorate

Marc Jacobs 1963–

Fashion designer and head of Marc Jacobs label

Richard Avedon 1923–2004

Fashion and portrait photographer

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Matisyahu 1979–

Reggae singer and rapper, known for King Without a Crown

Anne Meara 1929–2015

Comedian and actress

Spouse: Jerry Stiller (Syracuse University)

Child: Ben Stiller (University of California-Los Angeles)

Murray Perahia 1947–

Pianist and conductor

Lorraine Hansberry 1930–1965

Playwright, first Black woman with a Broadway play

Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Valerie Harper 1939–2019

Actress, began as a Broadway dancer

Also attended: CUNY Hunter College

Dorothy Allison 1949–2024

Writer, poet and novelist

Master of Arts · Urban anthropology · Class of 1981

Also attended: Eckerd College, Florida State University

Genco Gülan 1969–

Turkish conceptual artist and art theorist

Jenny Han 1980–

Author and showrunner of The Summer I Turned Pretty

Master of Fine Arts

Also attended: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Andrew Robinson 1942–

Actor and former USC acting program director

Also attended: University of New Hampshire-Main Campus

Paul Rand 1914–1996

Graphic designer of IBM and UPS logos

Also attended: Yale University, Pratt Institute-Main

Laura Poitras 1964–

Documentary director, Oscar winner for Citizenfour

Nadine Sierra 1988–

Operatic soprano

Alexander Wang 1983–

Fashion designer, founder of Alexander Wang brand

Barbara Kruger 1945–

Conceptual artist and collagist

Also attended: Syracuse University

Elaine Stritch 1925–2014

Actress and singer known for Broadway work

Grace Paley 1922–2007

Short story writer, poet and activist

Writing

Also attended: CUNY Hunter College, New York University

Elliott Erwitt 1928–2023

Magnum Photos advertising and documentary photographer

Also attended: Los Angeles City College

Larry Coryell 1943–2017

Jazz guitarist and fusion pioneer

Child: Julian Coryell (Berklee College of Music)

Esther Rolle 1920–1998

Actress known for Maude and Good Times

Also attended: Yale University, Spelman College, CUNY Hunter College

Brad Mehldau 1970–

Jazz pianist, composer and arranger

Also attended: Berklee College of Music

Judith Malina 1926–2015

Actress, director and co-founder of The Living Theatre

Spouse: Julian Beck (Yale University)

Spouse: Hanon Reznikov (Yale University)

Frederica von Stade 1945–

Classical singer known for opera

Rockwell Kent 1882–1971

Painter, printmaker, illustrator and writer

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Greg Kurstin 1969–

Record producer and songwriter

Marisol Escobar 1930–2016

Venezuelan-American sculptor

Also attended: Otis College of Art and Design

Roy Hargrove 1969–2018

Jazz trumpeter and two-time Grammy winner

Also attended: Berklee College of Music

Jerry Herman 1931–2019

Broadway composer and lyricist

Architecture · Attended until 1952

Also attended: University of Miami

Olivia Palermo 1986–

Socialite, fashion influencer and entrepreneur

Onyeka Onwenu 1952–2024

Nigerian singer, actress and politician

Master's degree · Media studies

Also attended: Wellesley College

Adolph Gottlieb 1903–1974

Abstract expressionist painter

Also attended: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Doris Dörrie 1955–

German film director, producer and author

Also attended: University of the Pacific

Eric Lively 1981–

Former actor in Speak and The L Word

Candida Royalle 1950–2015

Producer and director of couples-oriented adult films

Kelly Chen 1972–

Hong Kong singer and actress

Eve Arnold 1912–2012

Photojournalist, first woman to join Magnum Photos

Adam Pally 1982–

Comedian and actor, starred in Happy Endings

Nina Arianda 1984–

Actress, 2012 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play

Also attended: American Musical and Dramatic Academy, New York University

Kvitka Cisyk 1953–1998

American singer of Ukrainian origin

Also attended: Binghamton University

Myung-whun Chung 1953–

South Korean conductor and pianist

Also attended: The Juilliard School

Sibling: Kyung-wha Chung (The Juilliard School)

Sibling: Myung-wha Chung (University of Southern California, The Juilliard School)

Elisa Donovan 1971–

Actress who played Amber in Clueless

Oscar Nunez 1958–

Actor and comedian in The Office

Also attended: Fashion Institute of Technology

Robert Schwartzman 1982–

Lead vocalist of Rooney, actor and filmmaker

Sibling: John Schwartzman (University of Southern California)

Jake Shears 1978–

Co-lead vocalist of Scissor Sisters

Also attended: Occidental College

Irene Sharaff 1910–1993

Costume designer with five Academy Awards

Gene Saks 1921–2015

American stage and film director and actor

Also attended: Cornell University

Spouse: Bea Arthur (The New School)

Paul B. Preciado 1970–

Spanish philosopher, writer and curator

Also attended: Princeton University

Soleil Moon Frye 1976–

Actress who began as a child actress at two

Brooklyn Beckham 1999–

Photographer, eldest son of David Beckham

Semyon Bychkov 1952–

Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic

Sibling: Yakov Kreizberg (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, The New School)

Laura Regan 1977–

Canadian actress in Dead Silence

Spouse: Farhad Safinia (The New School, New York University)

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian 1922–2019

Iranian contemporary artist known for mirror mosaics

Attended until 1949

Also attended: Cornell University

Carine Roitfeld 1954–

Fashion editor, former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris

Also attended: University of Southern California

Michel Camilo 1954–

Dominican pianist and composer

Also attended: The Juilliard School

Callina Liang 2000–

Canadian actress in Presence and Bad Genius

Duane Michals 1932–2026

Photographer known for narrative photo sequences

Also attended: University of Denver

Cécile McLorin Salvant 1989–

Jazz singer and composer

Barbara Kopple 1946–

Documentary film director

Also attended: Northeastern University

Princess Angela, Princess Maximilian of Liechtenstein 1958–

Fashion designer and Liechtenstein royal family member

Spouse: Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein (Harvard University)

Eugene Istomin 1925–2003

Pianist and Leventritt Award winner

Also attended: Curtis Institute of Music

Spouse: Marta Casals Istomin (The New School)

Susan May Pratt 1974–

Actress in 10 Things I Hate About You

Also attended: Simon's Rock at Bard College

Jo Baer 1929–2025

Minimalist painter

Yolande Fox 1928–2016

Miss America 1951, singer and activist

George Rochberg 1918–2005

Composer of contemporary classical music

Also attended: Curtis Institute of Music

Ella Emhoff 1999–

Model and designer, stepdaughter of Kamala Harris

Father: Doug Emhoff (California State University-Northridge, University of Southern California)

Richard Goode 1943–

Classical pianist known for Mozart and Beethoven

Also attended: Curtis Institute of Music

Claire McCardell 1905–1958

Fashion designer credited with American sportswear

Also attended: Hood College

Isaac Mizrahi 1961–

Fashion designer and television personality

Narciso Rodriguez 1961–

Fashion designer

Bob Crewe 1930–2014

Songwriter and record producer

Elisabeth Young-Bruehl 1946–2011

Psychoanalyst and biographer of Hannah Arendt

Also attended: Sarah Lawrence College

Steven Meisel 1954–

Fashion photographer

Prabal Gurung 1974–

Nepalese American fashion designer

Ian Falconer 1959–2023

Children's author, illustrator and set and costume designer

Ramona Fradon 1926–2024

Comics artist who drew Aquaman, co-created Metamorpho

Agnes Denes 1931–

Hungarian-born conceptual artist known for Wheatfield

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Adrian 1903–1959

Hollywood Golden Age costume designer

Jason Wu 1982–

Fashion designer born in Taiwan

Keorapetse Kgositsile 1938–2018

South African poet laureate and political activist

Also attended: University of New Hampshire-Main Campus, Columbia University in the City of New York, Lincoln University

Adele Goodman Clark 1882–1983

Artist and suffragist

Ryan McGinley 1977–

American photographer

Shulamit Ran 1949–

Israeli-American composer

Farhad Safinia 1975–

Screenwriter and director of Apocalypto

Also attended: New York University

Spouse: Laura Regan (The New School)

Adrian Cronauer 1938–2018

Radio host who inspired Good Morning, Vietnam

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus

Bill Blass 1922–2002

Fashion designer

Chao-Li Chi 1927–2010

Chinese-American actor and dancer in Falcon Crest

Also attended: New York University, St John's University (NY)

Sibling: Ji Chaoding (University of Chicago, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Sisy Chen 1958–

Taiwanese media personality and former politician

Historical sociology

Lu Yen 1930–2008

Taiwanese composer

Also attended: CUNY--City College, University of Pennsylvania

Nelson Ikon Wu 1919–2002

Writer and professor of Asian art history

Master's degree · Class of 1949

Also attended: Yale University

Child: Ting Wu (Harvard University, Washington University in St Louis)

Child: Ping Wu (Washington University in St Louis)

Anna Hu 1977–

Taiwanese-American contemporary jewelry designer

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, Fashion Institute of Technology

Alfred Sung 1948–

Canadian fashion designer and businessman

Hamilton Morris 1987–

Journalist and filmmaker, host of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia

Also attended: Wesleyan University, University of Chicago

Father: Errol Morris (University of California-Berkeley, San Francisco Art Institute)

Queen Anne of Romania 1923–2016

Wife of King Michael I of Romania

Child: Princess Sofia of Romania (University of North Carolina Asheville)

Andrea Casiraghi 1984–

Monaco royal family member, grandson of Grace Kelly

Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark 1996–

Fashion model and former Greek royal family member

Also attended: New York University

Father: Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece (Georgetown University)

Mother: Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece (New York University)

Barbara Hillary 1931–2019

Arctic explorer and nurse

Alexandra von Fürstenberg 1972–

Socialite, entrepreneur and furniture designer

Also attended: Brown University

Spouse: Prince Alexander von Fürstenberg (Brown University)

Father: Robert Warren Miller (Cornell University)

Corliss Lamont 1902–1995

Socialist humanist philosopher and activist

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

Father: Thomas W. Lamont (Harvard University)

Princess Marie-Caroline of Liechtenstein 1996–

Member of the Princely family of Liechtenstein