They say celebrities are just like us—everyday, ordinary people. Knowing that some big names have spent time at these Wisconsin colleges makes it feel more true. Take a look and see which famous names went to your alma mater.
Between technical colleges, private institutions, and the University of Wisconsin system, we have 85 collegiate connections throughout the state, so it’s no wonder that there are more than a few well-known names who went to school here.
From actors and athletes to authors and astronauts, many exceptional people spent their years in higher education at incredible colleges in Wisconsin. The majority of notable alums hail from UW-Madison, with other schools sprinkled in. The list would be endless if we added every celebrity who walked the halls, so we highlighted 14 who you might have heard of. Did your favorite make this list? Who else would you include?
Entertainment celebrities
Joan Cusack
You know her from big-screen movies like “Working Girl” and as the voice of Jessie in “Toy Story,” but before she hit it big, Joan attended and graduated from UW-Madison. Even while she was attending college in Wisconsin, she had smaller roles in movies like “Sixteen Candles.” During her time there, she was part of the Ark Improv Theater in Madison, which helped hone her comedic skills (fun fact: Chris Farley also spent time there, too). In 2009, Cusack was the first honoree of UW-Madison’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Jill Soloway
Another entertainment celebrity who attended and graduated from UW-Madison was Jill Soloway. They’re best known for writing and directing “Transparent,” in addition to writing a memoir and directing other series.
Willem Dafoe
In 2022, when Willem Dafoe was the commencement speaker for the graduating class at UW-Milwaukee, he credited his time at the university with beginning his identity as a theater actor. Dafoe has an extensive acting resume, including major movies like “Spider-Man” and a personal favorite, “Murder on the Orient Express.”
Trixie Mattel (Brian Firkus)
Since graduating from UW-Milwaukee in 2012, Brian Firkus, who goes by the stage name Trixie Mattel, has been performing drag. In 2018, Trixie won RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Season 3), which helped kick off their career. They continue to advocate for queer spaces, having once been a co-owner of This Is It! Milwaukee, which unfortunately has since closed.
John Belushi
Even though Belushi’s time at UW-Whitewater only spanned one academic year (1967 to 1968), his lasting impact on comedy reverberates generations later. He’s remembered for being one of the original “Saturday Night Live” cast members and for his role in “National Lampoon’s Animal House.” In fact, some of the events in the film were specifically inspired by Belushi’s time at Whitewater.
Sports celebrities
JJ Watt
Known just as much for his philanthropy as his outstanding football career, JJ Watt attended UW-Madison from 2008 to 2010, before heading off to the NFL in 2011. He’s so beloved on and off the field that in 2019, UW-Madison invited Watt as a commencement speaker for the graduating class.
Allan “Bud” Selig
Allan Selig isn’t just a huge name in baseball—he’s also a 1956 UW-Madison graduate. While you might know him as the former owner of the Brewers and a former Major League Baseball commissioner, Selig also co-taught the advanced-level seminar “Baseball & Society Since WWII” at his alma mater.
Joe Thomas
Another football celebrity who once called UW-Madison home is Joe Thomas. Although he went on to play for the Cleveland Browns for over a decade and was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he started out right here in Wisconsin. In one interview, Thomas reminisced about his time as a Badger, saying, ”Looking back at them brings back the emotions and feelings I had going to Wisconsin and the experience I had playing football there, which were the best four years of my life.”
Celebrities in the Arts
Lorraine Hansberry
Although Lorraine Hansberry didn’t finish her education at UW-Madison, her time there had profound and lasting impacts. According to WomeninWisconsin.org, seeing a play on campus inspired her famous play, “A Raisin in the Sun,” which made her the first Black woman to produce a Broadway play.
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates began writing novels shortly after graduating from UW-Madison in 1961. While she enjoyed her time there earning her master’s degree, not getting into the Ph.D. program may have been fate’s turn that led her to a successful writing career, she noted in her 2015 memoir.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Throwing it all the way back to 1886, notable celebrity architect Frank Lloyd Wright attended UW-Madison, not long after its establishment (just under four decades). Even though he didn’t finish his degree, he still wins this list for being the most historic alum, attending 140 years ago!
Scientific and political celebrities
Laurel Clark
Not only did Laurel Clark earn both her bachelor’s and doctorate degrees from UW-Madison, but she also considered Southeastern Wisconsin her home growing up. She was a famous and accomplished NASA astronaut who lost her life in the 2003 Columbia space shuttle tragedy.
Jim Lovell
Before he was the commander of the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, Lovell attended UW-Madison (for two years). And even though he didn’t graduate from the school, UW-Madison presented Lovell with an honorary degree in 2016, when he also served as the commencement speaker.
Dick Cheney
This former Vice President of the United States is also a former Badger. From 1966 to 1968, Cheney attended UW-Madison as a doctoral student before leaving for a congressional fellowship. He tipped his hat to the university in a statement to the Department of Political Science, saying, “I never did finish that PhD, but I’ll always count my arrival in Madison as one of life’s happiest turning points.”
