This is a list of notable alumni and faculty of Queens College, City University of New York.
Business
The Queen's University Talk: The Rising Tide of Compelled Speech - I was invited to Queen's University March 5 to give the inaugural lecture/discussion of the Liberty Lecture series, funded by Faculty of Law alumnus, Gregory ...
- Leslie Abramson - Attorney, defended Lyle and Erik Menendez
- Russell Artzt - Co founder Computer Associates
- Gary Barnett (real estate developer) - Founder of Extell Development Company
- Jill E. Barad - Former CEO of Mattel
- Jerry Colonna - Well-known venture capitalist and entrepreneur coach
- Eugene R. Fidell - Attorney, Guantanamo Bay critic
- Steven W. Fisher - Attorney in Wendy's massacre
- Mark M. Ford - Entrepreneur
- Leonard Grunstein - Finance Executive
- Charlie Harary - Investor and motivational speaker
- Patricia Hynes - Former president of the New York City Bar Association
- Frederick S. Jaffe - Former vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America
- Alan Lazar - Partner of southern California Law Firm
- Stewart Liff - Management Consultant and Author
- Ruth Madoff - Wife of Bernard L. Madoff
- Donna Orender - WNBA president
- Cindy Rakowitz - Division President for Playboy Enterprises (1986-2001)
- Jeffrey Steinberger - Trial attorney, TV commentator & analyst
- John Tantillo - Marketing Consultant, credited with coining "The O'Reilly Factor"
- Charles Wang - founder of Computer Associates, owner of the New York Islanders
Education
- Stevanne Auerbach - Psychologist, "Dr. Toy"
- Werner Baer - Jorge Lemann Professor of Economics at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign rifando
- Elaine Barkin - Music theorist educator
- Jean-Claude Brizard - CEO of Chicago Public Schools
- Vévé Amasasa Clark - Professor of African-American studies at the University of California, Berkeley
- Ester Fuchs Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science, Columbia University
- Cheryl Lehman - Accounting academic
- Stephanie Pace Marshall - Founder of Illinois Math and Science Academy
- Edward John Ray - President of Oregon State University
- Linda Siegel - cognitive psychologist, holder of the Dorothy C. Lam Chair in Special Education at the University of British Columbia 1996â€"2015
Entertainment and media
- Ted Alexandro - comedian
- Martin Aronstein - theatrical lighting designer
- Annet Artani - singer, songwriter, co-wrote "Everytime" with Britney Spears
- Lidia Bastianich - celebrity chef and host of Lidia's Italy
- Joy Behar - comedian and co-host of The View
- Adrien Brody - actor, Academy award winner, Attended as student in 1990
- Glen Brunman - film and television soundtrack executive and producer
- Danny Burstein - Broadway actor
- Fran Capo - comedian
- Lucille Carra - documentary film producer
- Angelo Corrao - Italian American Film Editor
- Jason Cuadrado - director and producer
- Yanna Darili - model, Greek television personality
- Pierre Desir - filmmaker
- Fran Drescher - actress, producer The Nanny
- Dennis Elsas - radio personality: WNEWâ€"FM, WFUVâ€"FM
- Nargis Fakhri - model and Bollywood actress
- Jon Favreau - actor and director, director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2
- David Zelag Goodman - screenwriter, playwright
- Marvin Hamlisch - Hollywood and Broadway composer
- Annette Insdorf - film historian and author
- Ron Jeremy - prolific pornographic film actor
- Herb Kaplow - television news correspondent
- Jason Katims - television writer and producer
- Carole King - songwriter and recording artist
- Richard Kline - "Larry Dallas" in Three's Company
- Carol Leifer - comedian
- Bob Linden - host and producer of Go Vegan Radio
- Hal Linden - actor, producer, and musician
- Perri Pierre - actor and film producer
- DJ Rekha Malhotra - DJ, producer, educator of South Asian music
- Ray Romano - actor, comedian (attended 1975â€"1978 â€" dropped out after accumulating only 15 credits in three years but returned in later years during which he made Dean's list)
- Howie Rose - sportscaster for the New York Mets and New York Islanders.
- Neil Rosen - Emmy award winning movie critic, NY1
- Michael Savage (formerly known as Michael Weiner) â€" radio talk show personality and author
- Nancy Savoca - screenwriter, film director and producer
- Jerry Seinfeld - comedian
- Nestor Serrano - actor
- Paul Simon - singer, songwriter, musician, and member of Simon and Garfunkel
- Michael Stewart - playwright
- Bobby Susser - songwriter, record producer, and performer
- Lorenzo Thomas - poet
- Mal Waldron - jazz pianist
- Dennis Wolfberg - comedian
- Marv Wolfman - comic book and animation writer
- Jay Wolpert - television producer, screenwriter
- Ben Younger - screenwriter and director
- Karim Metwaly - Youtuber
- Perry Serpa - Singer/Songwriter/Pianist of *The Sharp Things and notable rock music publicist.
Fictional characters
- George Costanza - Fictional television character from Seinfeld
- Carrie Heffernan - Took courses for law during season 3 of 'King of Queens
- Eric Murphy - Fictional television character from Entourage. Attended for two years before dropping out to become the manager of Vincent Chase.
- Jerry Seinfeld - Fictional television character from "Seinfeld"
- Betty Suarez - Fictional television character from Ugly Betty. Graduated in 2005 with a BFA in Media
Government and politics
- Gary Ackerman - United States Representative from New York (1983- )
- Joel Benenson - Democratic pollster, chief political consultant for Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016
- Shifra Bronznick - Prominent Jewish Women's rights activist
- Kema Chikwe - National Women Leader of the Nigerian political party PDP, former aviation minister
- Anthony Como - NYC Council Member
- Costa Constantinides - NYC Council Member
- Joseph Crowley - United States Representative, New York's 7th congressional district, Queens County Democratic Chairman
- Mark Danish - Florida House of Representatives
- Adriano Espaillat - Politician
- Rafael Espinal - NYC Council Member
- Arthur J. Finkelstein - GOP political consultant
- Marvin E. Frankel - litigator, judge, legal scholar, and human rights activist
- Helen W. Gillmor - U.S. Federal Judge
- Deborah J. Glick - NY State Assemblywoman
- Mark M. Goldblatt - Political commentator
- Andrew Goodman - civil rights worker, murdered in Mississippi at the age of 20 during Freedom Summer of 1964, while still a student
- Dan Halloran - NYC council member, Theodist
- Julia Harrison - NYC Council Member
- Alan Hevesi - former New York State Comptroller, former New York State Assemblyman, former Queens College professor
- Andrew Hevesi - New York State Assembly
- Dov Hikind - New York State Assemblyman
- Blaise Ingoglia - California state assembly
- Dennis G. Jacobs- Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
- Jeffrey D. Klein - New York State senator
- Alan P. Krasnoff- Chesapeake, Virginia Mayor
- Rory I. Lancman - NYC Council Member and former New York state Assemblyman
- Nathan Leventhal - New York City Deputy Mayor
- Helen Marshall - Queens Borough President
- Nettie Mayersohn - member of New York State Assembly
- Hiram Monserrate - former New York State Senator
- Jose Peralta - Former New York State Assemblyman and New York State Senator
- Sylvia Pressler - Judge
- Ronald Spadafora - FDNY chief
- Toby Ann Stavisky - New York state Senator
- James Vacca - NYC Council Member
- Jeffrey White - North California District Judge
- Diccia Pineda-Kirwan - New York State Supreme Court Justice- First Dominican Judge in Queens
Humanities
- Yitzchok Adlerstein - Rabbi, Writer
- David A. Adler - Author
- Mel Alexenberg - Science Artist and Art Educator
- Amin Tarzi - Middle East Studies
- Toni Cade Bambara - Author, activist
- Nino Lo Bello - Journalist
- Michael Berenbaum - Scholar, writer, Rabbi
- Ann Birstein - Memoirist, Fulbright Scholar
- Erika Bourguignon - Anthropologist
- Alex Caldiero - Poet, scholar of humanities
- Vévé Amasasa Clark - Scholar of African American Studies
- Marylyn Dintenfass - Painter
- Alan Dugan - Poet
- Yael Eckstein - Religious Activist
- Marc Estrin - Political writer
- Jeff Faux - Founder of economic policy institute
- Bella Feldman - Sculpting innovator
- Marie Ferrarella - Romance writer
- Juan Flores - Scholar of Latino Studies
- Ellen G. Friedman - Author, Woman's studies
- Ruth Gay - Writer about Jewish Life
- Jeff Gomez - Writer and transmedia producer
- Martin Gottlieb - Former editor at New York Times
- Robert Hessen - Economist, historian
- Cynthia Holz - Correspondent and Author
- Johanna Hurwitz - Children's Author
- Jane Irish - Ceramicist
- Susan Isaacs - Author, essayist, screenwriter
- Bernard Kalb - Journalist, media critic, author
- Marvin Kalb - Journalist
- Nasser Khalili - Scholar, philanthropist
- Bernard Krisher - Journalist
- Judith Lorber - Sociologist
- Felipe Luciano - Journalist
- Irving Malin - Literary critic
- Nellie Y. McKay - scholar and co-editor of Norton Anthology of African-American Literature
- Samuel Menashe - Poet, Biochemist, Veteran
- Bruce Bueno de Mesquita - Political Scientist
- Joan Nestle - Author
- Richard Ofshe - Sociologist
- Claude V. Palisca - Eminent professor of music history
- Irene Peslikis - Feminist artist
- Mark Podwal - Artist and physician
- Shana Poplack - Linguistics
- Dorothy Rabinowitz - awarded 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
- Marcia Resnick - Photographer
- Robert Rosenblum - Art historian, curator, writer
- John Rowan - Vietnam Veteran
- Lloyd Schwartz - Pulitzer Prize winner in Journalism
- Lowery Stokes Sims - Former curator at Museum of Arts and Design
- Marilyn Singer - Children's author
- Arnold Skemer - novelist and publisher
- Elliot Sperling - Expert on Tibet
- Linda Stein - Sculptor, feminist (interviewed in Borat)
- Rosalyn Terborg-Penn - historian
- Eric Wolf - Anthropologist
Music
- Edward W. Hardy - composer, violinist
- Salman Ahmad - musician, Junoon
- Sol Berkowitz - composer and music educator
- Peter Calandra - pianist and composer
- Noel DaCosta - jazz musician, composer
- Tina Chancey - multi-instrumentalist
- Gil Dor - Israeli guitar player
- Leslie Dunner - composer and conductor
- JoAnn Falletta - classical musician and orchestral conductor
- John Feeley - classical guitarist
- Ellie Greenwich - singer, songwriter and producer
- Reri Grist - coloratura soprano
- Herbert Grossman - conductor
- Lisa Gutkin - Grammy winning violinist
- Antonio Hart - jazz musician
- Conrad Herwig - jazz trombonist
- Douglas Knehans - composer
- Leo Kraft - composer
- Meyer Kupferman - composer and clarinetist
- Paul Lansky â€" pioneer computer musician and composer at Princeton
- Carolyn Leigh - lyricist, composer
- Mimi Lerner - opera singer
- Lewis Lockwood - musicologist
- Frank Lopardo - American operatic tenor
- Marcus Miller - jazz composer
- Tito Munoz - conductor
- Arturo O'Farrill - jazz musician
- Marco Oppedisano - guitarist and composer
- Lou Pearlman - music producer
- Luis Perdomo - pianist
- Raoul Pleskow - composer
- James Nyoraku Schlefer - composer of Shakuhachi
- Paul Simon - composer, singer, musician, and member of Simon and Garfunkel
- Erika Sunnegårdh - operatic soprano
- George Tsontakis - composer and conductor
- William Westney - classical pianist
- Davide Zannoni - classical music composer
Science and technology
- Kenneth Appel - Mathematician proved four color theorem
- Boris Aronov - Computer scientist (computational geometry)
- Inge Auerbacher - Chemist, author, playwright
- Steven J. Burakoff - cancer specialist and the author of Therapeutic Immunology (2001) and Graft-Vs.-Host Disease: Immunology, Pathophysiology, and Treatment (1990)
- Anne Carter - Technology economist
- Arturo Casadevall - Molecular Microbiologist
- Marie Maynard Daly - Biochemist, first African American woman to earn a Phd in chemistry
- Edgar Gilbert - Coding Theorist
- David Gries - Computer Scientist
- Mohammad Salman Hamdani - Biochemist, cited in the Patriot Act for heroism on 9/11
- Michael Hecht - Researcher
- Richard Laub - Paleontologist
- Ira B. Lamster - Periodontist and professor of health management
- Jerry Lawson - Electronic engineer
- Stanley Milgram - Psychologist
- Robert Moog - inventor of the Moog synthesizer
- Howard Moskowitz - market researcher and psychophysicist
- Elizabeth F. Neufeld - Geneticist
- Nicholas Rescher - Philosopher
- Elissa Shevinsky - Entrepreneur, information security researcher, feminist
- Russel Targ - Physicist
- Alexander L. Wolf - Computer Scientist, president of Association for Computing Machinery
- Aaron D. Wyner - information theorist noted for his contributions in coding theory
Sports
- Jane Bartkowicz - Woman's tennis player
- Glenn Braica - Men's basketball coach
- Charlie Hoefer - Basketball player
- Donna Orender (née Geils; born 1957) - Women's Pro Basketball League All-Star & current WNBA president
- Diana Redman - Israeli Soccer Player
- Norm Roberts - Assistant men's basketball coach at Kansas
Notable faculty
Famous faculty at Queens College have included:
- Salman Ahmed, musician, band Junoon
- Benny Andrews, artist
- Donald Byrd, jazz musician
- Elliott Carter, composer
- Barry Commoner, biologist
- Luigi Dallapiccola, composer
- Bogdan Denitch, sociologist
- Joshua Freeman, historian
- Andrew Hacker, political scientist
- Michael Harrington, political philosopher
- Samuel Heilman, Sociologist
- Carl G. Hempel, philosopher
- Banesh Hoffmann, mathematician, worked with Albert Einstein
- Chin Kim, violinist
- John Frederick Lange, Jr., author
- Joseph McElroy, author
- Elliott Mendelson, mathematician
- Edwin E. Moise, mathematician
- Luc Montagnier, virologist, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (endowed professorship, 1997/8â€"2001)
- Thea Musgrave, composer
- Marco Oppedisano, composer
- Arbie Orenstein, American musicologist, author, and pianist
- George Perle, composer
- Koppel Pinson, historian
- Hortense Powdermaker, anthropologist
- Gregory Rabassa, literary translator
- Stefan Ralescu, mathematician
- Karol Rathaus, composer
- Charles Repole, actor, theater director
- Douglas Rushkoff, Media Expert and futurologist
- Arthur Sard, mathematician
- Bruce Saylor, composer
- Carl Schachter, musician
- Dennis Sullivan, mathematician
- David Syrett, naval historian
- John Tytell, author
- Robert Ward, composer
- Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Russian poet
- Roby Young, Soccer