Biographies of notable people — their path, achievements and key facts.
Barry White
Born Barry Eugene Carter, September 12, 1944, in Galveston, TX; died of kidney failure, July 4, 2003, in Los Angeles, CA. Singer. Soul seducer Barry White put out a string of hits during t...
Opal Whiteley
The life of American author Opal Whiteley (1897–1992) was a tragic one, shrouded in mystery. About the reputation of her best-known work, however, there is no mystery at all: her n...
Susan Whiting
Chief Executive Officer of Nielsen Media Research Born August 1, 1956, in Chicago, IL; daughter of Lawrence H. Whiting Jr. (an aviation entrepreneur); married Stephen J. Brogan (a...
Meg Whitman
1957 • Cold Spring Harbor, New York Chief executive officer Meg Whitman is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of eBay, Inc., the online auction site th...
Walt Whitman
Born: May 31, 1819 West Hills, New York Died: March 26, 1892 Camden, New Jersey American poet Walt Whitman is general...
Narcissa Whitman
In 1836, American missionary Narcissa Whitman (1808–1847) became the first woman of European heritage to cross the Rocky Mountains into the western United States. She and her husba...
Patrick Whitney
Director of the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology Born Patrick Foster Whitney, c. 1952; married Cheryl Kent (an author). Education: C...
Benjamin Lee Whorf
American linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897–1941) is remembered for a group of speculative ideas about thought and language that remain controversial but have exerted strong influen...
Michelle Wie
October 11, 1989 • Honolulu, Hawaii Golfer Michelle Wie is a phenomenal, powerful golfer who regularly hits the ball nearly three hundred yards off the tee, about f...
Elie Wiesel
Born: September 30, 1928 Sighet, Romania Romanian-born American writer and teacher Romanian-born American writer, speaker, and teacher Elie Wiesel is a...
Simon Wiesenthal
Born Szymon Wiesenthal, December 31, 1908, in Buczacz, Galicia (now part of Ukraine); died of kidney disease, September 20, 2005, in Vienna, Austria. Nazi war crimes investigator and human...
Oscar Wilde
Born: October 16, 1854 Dublin, Ireland Died: November 30, 1900 Paris, France Irish-born English author, dramatist, and poet ...
Thornton Wilder
Born: April 17, 1897 Madison, Wisconsin Died: December 7, 1975 Hamden, Connecticut American playwright and novelist N...
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Born: February 7, 1867 Pepin, Wisconsin Died: February 10, 1957 Mansfield, Missouri American writer American author L...
Serena Williams
September 26, 1981 • Saginaw, Michigan Tennis player Beginning in the late 1990s, Serena Williams became one of the world's most talented and exciting tennis player...
Pharrell Williams
Music producer, singer, and songwriter Born April 5, 1973, in Virginia Beach, VA; son of Pharoah (a handyman) and Carolyn (a teacher) Williams. Addresses: ...
Bert Williams
Bahamian-born African-American comedian and singer Bert Williams (1874–1922) was a phenomenally popular figure in the field of American theatrical entertainment during his heyday i...
Treat Williams
Actor and director Born Robert Treat Williams, December 1, 1951, in Rowayton, CT; married Pamela Van Sant; children: Gill, Eleanor Claire. Education: ...
Tennessee Williams
Born: March 26, 1914 Columbus, Mississippi Died: February 25, 1983 New York, New York American dramatist, playwright, and writer ...
Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson
Ben Stiller November 30, 1965 • New York City, New York Actor, director, writer, producer Owen Wilson November ...