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Famous people · Berkeley

26 famous people from Berkeley, many of them performers

Ben Affleck is the best known, with articles in 112 languages. Second and third on the list are Ursula K. Le Guin and Rebecca Romijn. 14 of them were born between 1920 and 1969, more than in any other period. Half or more of the towns in California have no one on record, but this one has 2.2 for every 10,000 residents.

#2 best knownUrsula K. Le GuinWriting & Arts · 1929–2018
+24more
Born here
26
notable people
Best known
Ben Affleck
in 112 Wikipedia languages
First
1912
David Brower
Youngest
1997
Julia Kern
Most common field
Film, TV & Stage
11 people
Also called it home
10
notable residents

What stands out about Berkeley’s famous people

★ What stands out · The best known

Born in Berkeley

Ranked by languages covered: Ben Affleck with 112, then Ursula K. Le Guin with 110 and Rebecca Romijn with 68.

BA#1
Film, TV & Stage

Ben Affleck

born 1972

American film actor, director and screenwriter

112 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Ursula K. Le Guin#2
Writing & Arts

Ursula K. Le Guin

1929–2018

American fantasy and science fiction author

110 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Rebecca Romijn#3
Film, TV & Stage

Rebecca Romijn

born 1972

American actress and model

68 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Known for

What Berkeley is known for

Berkeley has 4.5× the usual share of performers.

The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.

Through the years

When Berkeley’s famous people were born

The 1940s alone account for 7 of the births charted here.

Mills & railroadsThe American centuryToday190019502000Ursula K. Le Guin
Film, TV & StageSportsWriting & ArtsNotableMusicScience & MedicineMilitary

Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.

Everyone

Everyone else born in Berkeley

Another 23, the earliest born in 1912.

CM

Curtis T. McMullen

born 1958

American mathematician and Fields medallist

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
K

KSHMR

born 1988

American DJ, record producer and songwriter

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
AE

Art Evans

1942–2024

American actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
CF

Chloe Fineman

born 1988

American actress, writer, and comedian

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
JS

Jake Schreier

born 1981

American film director

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
JK

Julia Kern

born 1997

Cross-country skier from USA

JS

Jane Sibbett

born 1962

American actress

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
MH

Michael Heizer

born 1944

American painter and sculptor

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
DM

Dave Meyers

born 1972

American music video and film director

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
MM

Mike Mills

born 1966

American film director

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
KV

Kim Vandenberg

born 1983

American swimmer, Olympic bronze medalist, Pan American Games gold medalist

TM

Terry McGovern

born 1942

American actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
AW

Alvin S. White

1918–2006

American World War II pilot

DB

David Brower

1912–2000

American environmentalist

JB

John Bryant

born 1987

American basketball player

JB

Jeff Borowiak

born 1949

American tennis player

JD

Jim Downey

born 1952

American actor and comedian

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
RP

Richard North Patterson

born 1947

American writer

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
A chosen home

Also called Berkeley home

Born elsewhere, they lived here: 10 in all, led by Philip K. Dick.

Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick

1928–1982

American science fiction author

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Ernest Lawrence

Ernest Lawrence

1901–1958

American nuclear physicist

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Thomas Kuhn

Thomas Kuhn

1922–1996

American historian, physicist and philosopher

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison

born 1944

American internet entrepreneur and businessman

Saul Perlmutter

Saul Perlmutter

born 1959

American astrophysicist and Nobel laureate

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor

1940–2005

American comedian and actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
DD

Donald Davidson

1917–2003

American philosopher

GV

Grigoris Vlastos

1907–1991

Greek scholar of ancient philosophy

JW

Jay Ward

1920–1989

American television producer

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
JD

Judy Dater

born 1941

American photographer and feminist

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
The town’s pick

Who’s the most famous person from Berkeley?

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Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

Of the towns around it, Oakland has the most on record: 46.

From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Berkeley and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. People known mainly for crimes, and adult performers, aren’t listed. “The usual town” = everyone born in the towns gathered so far.

Photo credits (9)