Discover the notable alumni of University Of California, Berkeley. The list includes people like J. Paul Getty, Gregory Peck, Ramesh Balwani, Steve Wozniak & Jerry Brown. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as scientists, engineers, writers, business people and intellectuals & academics etc.

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 1 

Aaron Rodgers

(American Football Quarterback and 10-Time Winner of Pro Bowl)

Birthdate: December 2, 1983

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Chico, California, United States

Aaron Rodgers, who has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in the history of the National Football League (NFL), is regarded by many as one of the greatest football quarterbacks ever. Also known for his humanitarian and charitable efforts, Aaron Rodgers is an ardent supporter of the MACC Fund, which is a fund-raising organization.

Birthdate: August 11, 1950

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: San Jose, California, United States

Widely recognized as one of the two important pioneers of the personal computer revolution, Steve Wozniak is credited with co-founding Apple Inc. along with Steve Jobs. Not surprisingly, he has been described as one of the men that changed the course of history through technology. Apart from being a programmer and technology entrepreneur, Steve Wozniak is also a well-known philanthropist.

 3 

Gregory Peck

(One of the Reigning Actors of Classic Hollywood Cinema)

Birthdate: April 5, 1916

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: La Jolla, California, United States

Died: June 12, 2003

American actor Gregory Peck was one of the most famous movie stars between the 1940s and the 1960s. In 1999, Gregory Peck was ranked 12th in the Greatest Male Stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema list published by the American Film Institute. Also known for his humanitarian efforts, Gregory Peck was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969.

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Birthdate: January 12, 1876

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States

Died: November 22, 1916

Jack London was an American novelist, social activist, and journalist. A pioneer of American magazines and commercial fiction, London was one of the first authors from the US to become an international celebrity. His life and work inspired several films, such as the 1943 movie Jack London and 1980 film Klondike Fever. He was also portrayed in several TV series.

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 5 

Jason Kidd

(Former Basketball player at point guard position)

Birthdate: March 23, 1973

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States

Height: 6'4" (193 cm)

Birthdate: December 16, 1928

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Died: March 2, 1982

Philip K. Dick was an American writer who was known for his work that explores varied social and philosophical themes. Dick's novels have inspired films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, and The Adjustment Bureau. In 2005, his novel Ubik was included in Time magazine's list of 100 greatest novels published in English since 1923.

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Birthdate: August 17, 1985

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Sacramento, California, United States

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

 8 

Allen Ginsberg

(Best Known for His Poem ‘Howl’, Which is One of the Most Significant Products of the 'Beat Movement')

Birthdate: June 3, 1926

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States

Died: April 5, 1997

Allen Ginsberg, a Beat Generation poet, is best remembered for his 1956 poem Howl, which criticized U.S. capitalism and described homosexual acts, and was thus banned. He earned the National Book Award for The Fall of America and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Cosmopolitan Greetings: Poems 1986–1992.

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 9 

Chris Pine

(Best Known For His Role as 'James T. Kirk' in the 'Star Trek' Reboot Film Series)

Birthdate: February 26, 1980

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

After gaining worldwide recognition for his performance in the movie Star Trek, Chris Pine went on to play prominent roles in popular films. Also known for voicing his opinion on politics, Pine endorsed the Trek Against Trump movement during the 2016 presidential campaign. In 2020, he acted in Home Movie: The Princess Bride to raise fund for World Central Kitchen.

Birthdate: March 27, 1988

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Carmichael, California, United States

Famous actress Brenda Song began her career as a child model, worked in TV shows ,The Ultimate Christmas Present, and The Bernie Mac and eventually became a Disney star with the sitcom, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and its spinoff The Suite Life on Deck. She ultimately transitioned into doing more mature characters with the acclaimed film The Social Network.

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 11 

Tony Gonzalez

(American Football Player)

Birthdate: February 27, 1976

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Torrance, California, United States

Height: 6'5" (196 cm)

 12 

Alex Morgan

(American Professional Soccer Player Who Plays as a Striker)

Birthdate: July 2, 1989

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: San Dimas, California, United States

Alex Morgan is an American soccer player who helped her national team win the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups. Thanks to her popularity, Morgan has appeared in several magazines and TV shows. Her numerous endorsement deals have made her one of the highest-paid American sportswomen. In 2019, she was named in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list.

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Birthdate: December 5, 1975

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Paula Patton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Jane Carter in the 2011 film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. She is also famous for playing Ms.Blu Rain in the 2009 American drama film Precious, for which she was honored at the Boston Society of Film Critics Award. 

 14 

Stewart Copeland

(Musician)

Birthdate: July 16, 1952

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

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Birthdate: April 21, 1986

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States

Football running back Marshawn Lynch, also known as Beast Mode, initially played for UCB and was then drafted by the Buffalo Bills. He was then traded to the Seattle Seahawks, with whom he won Super Bowl XLVIII. He retired twice, only to get back to playing both the times.

Birthdate: April 27, 1955

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Falls Church, Virginia, United States

Eric Schmidt is an American software engineer and technology businessman who served as Google's CEO from 2001 to 2011. From 2011 to 2015, he served as the executive chairman of Google. A well-known philanthropist, Schmidt and his wife Wendy established the Schmidt Family Foundation in 2006. The foundation aims at educating people on the importance of natural resources.

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 17 

George Takei

(Actor Best Known for His Role as ‘Hikaru Sulu’ in the 'Star Trek' TV Series and Films)

Birthdate: April 20, 1937

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

George Takei is best known as Hikaru Sulu from the series Star Trek and later reprised the role in several Star Trek films. He initially did voice work for English-dubbed Japanese movies. A vocal LGBT rights activist, he himself is gay. His Facebook page has a huge fan base.

 18 

J. Paul Getty

(British Petroleum Industrialist and Founder of the ‘Getty Oil Company’)

Birthdate: December 15, 1892

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Died: June 6, 1976

As the patriarch of the Getty family, J. Paul Getty was an influential petrol-industrialist who founded the Getty Oil Company. In 1966, Paul made it to the Guinness Book of Records as the world's richest private citizen. An avid collector of antiquities and art, his collection is preserved at the J. Paul Getty Museum in California.

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 19 

Sanaa Lathan

(Actress and Voice Actress Known for Her Films: ‘The Best Man’, ‘Love & Basketball’ and ‘Disappearing Acts’)

Birthdate: September 19, 1971

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Sanaa Lathan voiced Donna Tubbs in The Cleveland Show and Family Guy. She has also starred in movies such as Contagion and The Best Man. She delivered a Tony-nominated performance in A Raisin in the Sun and was part of the all-Black cast of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

 20 

Susanna Hoffs

(Singer-songwriter best known as a co-founder of the Bangles)

Birthdate: January 17, 1959

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Height: 5'1" (155 cm)

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 21 

Daniel Kahneman

(Winner of 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics for His Work on the Psychology of Judgment and Decision-Making)

Birthdate: March 5, 1934

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Daniel Kahneman is an Israeli economist and psychologist. He was honored with the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on behavioral economics. In 2011, Kahneman was named among the top global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine. In 2015, Daniel Kahneman was ranked seventh in the most influential economist in the world list published by The Economist.

 22 

Harry Hamlin

(Actor)

Birthdate: October 30, 1951

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Pasadena, California, United States

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

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 23 

Nicolle Wallace

(American Television Host and Former White House Communications Director (2005 - 2006))

Birthdate: February 4, 1972

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Orange County, California, United States

Nicolle Wallace has been Jeb Bush's press secretary, the White House communications director under George W. Bush, and John McCain’s senior political advisor. She has also hosted Deadline: White House and The View, and written three political novels, including Eighteen Acres. A self-proclaimed “non-practicing Republican,” she supports same-sex marriage.

Birthdate: June 2, 1941

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Savannah, Georgia, United States

Stacy Keach is an American actor best known for playing the popular fictional detective Mike Hammer in several stand-alone television films and television series. Renowned for his soothing voice, Stacy Keach has also gained popularity as a voice actor and narrator. Also known for his contributions to theatre, Stacy Keach was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2015.

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 25 

Bill Bixby

(Best Known for as Dr. David Banner in The TV Series 'The Incredible Hulk')

Birthdate: January 22, 1934

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States

Died: November 21, 1993

Actor/director/game-show panelist Bill Bixby is best known as Tim O'Hara from My Favorite Martian, as Anthony Blake from The Magician, and as Dr. David Banner from The Incredible Hulk. He has also delivered Emmy-nominated performances in the series Rich Man, Poor Man and The Courtship of Eddie's Father.

Birthdate: October 28, 1897

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: San Bernardino, California, United States

Died: October 24, 1981

Height: 5'1" (155 cm)

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Birthdate: February 4, 1921

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: eoria, Illinois, United States

Died: February 4, 2004

Birthdate: February 4, 1943

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Height: 6'8" (203 cm)

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 29 

Greg Gutfeld

(Television personality)

Birthdate: September 12, 1964

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: San Mateo, California, USA

Height: 5'5" (165 cm)

 30 

Timothy Francis Leary

(American Psychologist and Writer Known for His Strong Advocacy of Psychedelic Drugs)

Birthdate: October 22, 1920

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Springfield, Massachusetts, United States

Died: May 31, 1996

Psychologist and former Harvard professor Timothy Leary was an advocate of psychedelic drugs. His research experiments included the controversial Concord Prison Experiment and Marsh Chapel Experiment. After being fired from Harvard for his actions, he continued promoting his theories through catchphrases such as “turn on, tune in, drop out.”

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 31 

Maya Harris

(American Lawyer, Public Policy Advocate & Sister of 49th Vice President of United States, Kamala Harris)

Birthdate: January 30, 1967

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, United States

A lawyer, law professor, political analyst and a civil rights activist, Maya Harris’s list of achievements is huge. One of the youngest in the US to become a law school dean, Maya Harris has worked with Hillary Clinton and her own sister Kamala Harris in their respective presidential campaigns.

 32 

Susan Sontag

(Writer and Filmmaker, Best Known for her Essay 'Notes on 'Camp')

Birthdate: January 16, 1933

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Died: December 28, 2004

Susan Sontag is best known for her essay anthologies such as Against Interpretation and her novels such as In America. She wrote about diverse issues such as human rights, photography, AIDS, and leftist beliefs, and also visited war-torn areas. The National Book Award-winning author was also openly bisexual. 

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 33 

John Cho

(Actor)

Birthdate: June 16, 1972

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

 34 

Jaylen Brown

(Basketball player)

Birthdate: October 24, 1996

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Height: 6'6" (198 cm)

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 35 

Allison Stokke

(Pole Vaulter and Fitness Model)

Birthdate: March 22, 1989

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Newport Beach, California, United States

Allison Stokke became an internet sensation after a few of her images went viral when she was 17. The talented high-school pole vaulter earned the 2011 All-American honors. She later gained more fame as a fitness model and a sex symbol than as a sportsperson. She also failed her Olympic trials.

 36 

Mario J. Molina

(Mexican Chemist Who Won Nobel Prize for Discovering the Threat to Earth's Ozone Layer from CFC Gases)

Birthdate: March 19, 1943

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico

Died: October 7, 2020

Mario J. Molina was a Mexican chemist who played a key role in understanding and explaining the threat from chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases to the Earth's ozone layer, which earned him the prestigious Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995. Molina was the third Mexican-born Nobel laureate and the first Mexican-born person to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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 37 

DeSean Jackson

(American football player)

Birthdate: December 1, 1986

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

 38 

Michio Kaku

(Theoretical Physicist and Author of the Best-Selling Books ‘Physics of the Impossible’ and ‘Physics of the Future')

Birthdate: January 24, 1947

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: San Jose, California, United States

Apart from teaching at the City College of New York, theoretical physicist Michio Kaku also often pens his thoughts in blogs and has written several bestselling books, such as The God Equation. His research is focused on the string theory. He also believes in the existence of aliens.

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 39 

Tress MacNeille

(Voice actress who worked on animated series such as The Simpsons, Futurama, and Rugrats)

Birthdate: June 20, 1951

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Height: 5'5" (165 cm)

Birthdate: June 9, 1916

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: San Francisco, California

Died: July 6, 2009

Robert McNamara was the U.S. secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968. He supported the Gulf of Tonkin resolution to engage the U.S. forces in the Vietnam War. He was also one of the “Whiz Kids” who worked for Ford Motors. He was the president of the World Bank, too.

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 41 

Shyamala Gopalan

(Progesterone receptor biology and applications to breast cancer)

Birthdate: April 7, 1938

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Died: February 11, 2009

Height: 5'0" (152 cm)

 42 

Earl Warren

(30th Governor of California (1943-53), 14th Chief Justice of the United States (1953-69))

Birthdate: March 19, 1891

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Died: July 9, 1974

Earl Warren served as the chief justice of the U.S. from 1953 to 1969. He was also the California governor from 1943 to 1953. The "Warren Court" revolutionized the American justice system by making landmark judgments, such as making school segregation unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education case.

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 43 

Ron Rivera

(American football coach)

Birthdate: January 7, 1962

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: California, United States

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

 44 

Jimmy Doolittle

(American Military General and Aviation Pioneer Who Made Daring Raid on Japan During World War II)

Birthdate: December 14, 1896

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Alameda, California, United States

Died: September 27, 1993

Jimmy Doolittle was an American aviation pioneer and military general. Apart from winning many flying races, Doolittle also helped develop instrument flying. He was the brains behind the Doolittle Raid, the air raid that served as retribution for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. His work during the raid earned him the prestigious Medal of Honor.

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Birthdate: April 18, 1960

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Grass Valley, California, United States

Died: September 11, 2012

 46 

Ki Hong Lee

(Best Known for His Role as ‘Minho’ in the ‘Maze Runner’ Film Series)

Birthdate: September 30, 1986

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea

Known for his role in The Maze Runner films, Seoul-born Ki Hong Lee spent his early childhood in New Zealand before moving to Los Angeles. Though he initially wished to be a psychologist, he let his creative side take over and plunged into acting, while working part-time at a restaurant. 

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Birthdate: 1938 AD

Birthplace: Newton

The son of a shoe factory owner, mathematician-turned-hedge-fund-manager James Harris Simons studied math at MIT and helped the U.S. break codes during the Vietnam War. He later founded his own hedge fund firm, Renaissance Technologies. He supports autism research and funds Math for America. In 2021, he was America’s 23rd-richest person.

 48 

Scott Adams

(American Author and Cartoonist)

Birthdate: June 8, 1957

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Windham, New York, United States

Best known for his iconic comic strip Dilbert, Scott Adams has an MBA degree and has worked in banks and tech firms earlier. The character Dilbert first appeared in Adams’s office presentations and was inspired by his co-workers. His social-media video series, Coffee with Scott Adams, too, was quite popular.

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 49 

John Kenneth Galbraith

(Famous for His Trilogy on Economics 'American Capitalism', 'The Affluent Society' and 'The New Industrial State')

Birthdate: October 15, 1908

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Iona Station, Canada

Died: April 29, 2006

John Kenneth Galbraith was an intellectual, diplomat, economist, and public official. One of the most influential exponents of 20th-century American liberalism, Galbraith published many books concerning the American economy. Galbraith is one of the few individuals to be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Medal of Freedom. He also received 50 honorary degrees from various institutions.

 50 

Lance Ito

(Judge best known for presiding over the criminal trial for the O. J. Simpson murder case)

Birthdate: August 2, 1950

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

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The famous ‘University of California, Berkeley’, affiliated to the ‘University of California’ system, is one of the best institutions in the world for research activities. Surveys conducted by the magazines ‘Times Higher Education’ and ‘Academic Ranking of World Universities’ proved that ‘University of California, Berkeley’ belongs to the league of best university brands in the world. The esteemed institution boasts of highly qualified staff which includes several Nobel Prize laureates, Pulitzer Prize and Wolf Prize winners. This fact alone proves that this notable university imparts an outstanding quality of education. The notable alumni of the ‘University of California, Berkeley’ include several famous names who are role models to several youngsters, thanks to their outstanding accomplishments. Some of these noteworthy personalities are tech wizard Steve Wozniak, co-founder of ‘Apple Inc’, female soccer star Alex Morgan, actor Chris Pine and American Basketball player Jaylen Brown. Entrepreneur Steve Wozniak collaborated with notable businessman Steve Jobs to start the multi-Billion dollar giant ‘Apple Inc’ and soon he became a household name. The net worth of the ‘University of California, Berkeley’ alumnus is estimated to be approximately $100 Million. Famous Athlete Jaylen Brown, who represents the team ‘Boston Celtics’ at the ‘National Basketball Association (NBA)’ tournaments. The basketball player has bagged several gold medals in a short span. Read this list to know the names of noteworthy celebrities who were once students of ‘University of California, Berkeley’. Some of the accomplishments of these individuals are remarkable.