Tony Kushner, Writer of “Angels in America”

“My day job is playwright. My citizen job is activist...I succeed and fail at both my jobs, but I try to do them both.”...

W.E.B. Du Bois, Civil Rights Pioneer and Social Historian

A tireless activist and scholar, W.E.B. Du Bois wrote “The Souls of Black Folk” and was a founding member of the National Association for...

Tom Ford, Fashion Designer and Director

The American designer Tom Ford made his mark as the head designer of Gucci, transforming the brand in the late 1990s from a passé...

Pablo Neruda, the “People’s Poet” of Chile

One of the most beloved and widely read Latin American poets, Pablo Neruda defies categorization. His work was as stylistically varied—from sensuous love poetry...

Roald Dahl, Children’s Author

Remembered for his bestselling children’s novels, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” author Roald Dahl’s life was nearly as dark...

Neil Gaiman, Writer of “Coraline” and “The Sandman”

Neil Gaiman transformed a writing career penning rock and roll biographies into a multinational success story. In less than three decades writing comics, graphic...

Sidney Poitier, Pioneering African-American Actor

Sidney Poitier was the child of tomato farmers in the Bahamas. He moved to New York as a teenager and worked as a dishwasher...

Julie Andrews, Actress and Singer

Julie Andrews became famous as the star of Broadway’s “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot” and Hollywood’s “Mary Poppins,” “The Sound of Music” and “Victor/Victoria.”...

Werner Herzog, Eccentric Filmmaker

Renowned German documentary filmmaker Werner Herzog focuses on the eccentric, the original and the fascinating in people and stories, reflecting his own inner nature....

Shigeru Miyamoto, Father of Modern Video Games

Beginning with the seminal arcade game Donkey Kong nearly three decades ago, Nintendo’s chief game developer and the father of modern video games, Shigeru...