List of Columbia College Chicago people

The following is a partial list of notable alumni and faculty of Columbia College Chicago.

Notable alumni

 * Scott Adsit (1987) – actor on 30 Rock
 * Chester Alamo-Costello (1998) – artist and photographer
 * Melissa Albert (2006) – author of young adult fiction
 * Hettie Barnhill (2006) – dancer in 2009 Broadway production of Fela!
 * Aidy Bryant (2009) – former cast member of Saturday Night Live
 * Mickie Caspi (1982) – artist
 * Shea Coulee (2011) – drag queen and contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race
 * Nick Charles – sports broadcaster
 * Common (attended briefly) – rapper, actor, author
 * Chet Coppock (1971) – sports commentator for WLS radio
 * Greg Corner – musician, bass player of Kill Hannah, musical director and co-host of JBTV
 * David Cromer (attended briefly; award-winning director of Adding Machine)
 * Charlie Curtis-Beard – rapper and TikTok personality
 * Jeffrey Daniels – author and poet
 * Brant Daugherty (2008) – actor
 * Andy Dick – actor (attended briefly)
 * Phyllis Diller – comedian and actress
 * Jimmy Dore – stand-up comedian, former political commentator for The Young Turks, host of The Jimmy Dore Show
 * Bruce DuMont (1969) – broadcaster
 * Aiden English (2010) – professional wrestler
 * Elaine Equi – poet
 * Deitra Farr – blues singer
 * Danny Fenster (2009) – journalist, editor of Frontier Myanmar
 * Mauro Fiore (1987) – Academy Award-winning cinematographer (Avatar, The Island, Tears of the Sun, Training Day)
 * Kathleen Flinn (1989) – New York Times best-selling author
 * Paul Garnes – Producer Selma, QueenSugar, The Game
 * Greg Glienna – director and screenwriter
 * Michael Goi (1980) – cinematographer
 * Kevin Gosztola (2010) – journalist, writer, and documentarian
 * Shecky Greene (1946) – comedian and actor
 * Chester Gregory (1995) – actor, Broadway productions of Tarzan, Cry Baby, and Dreamgirls
 * Michael Grothaus (2000) – novelist, author of Epiphany Jones
 * John Guleserian – cinematographer
 * Hal Haenel (1981) – senior vice president of 20th Century Fox
 * Larry Heinemann (1971) – novelist, author of Paco's Story
 * David Heinz (2002) – film editor
 * Isabella Hofmann – actor
 * Erica Hubbard (1999) – actor on Lincoln Heights
 * Andrew Huebner (1998) – Emmy Award-winning television producer with Nickelodeon Animation Studios
 * Jeremih (2009) – singer
 * Rashid Johnson (2000) – photographer
 * Janusz Kamiński (1982–87) – Academy Award-winning cinematographer for Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan
 * John Kass – columnist
 * Kid Sister (2004) – recording artist
 * Kyle Kinane (2002) – comedian
 * J. A. Konrath – writer of the Jack Daniels mystery series
 * Tina La Porta (1989) – Digital Artist
 * Laura Les – American music producer, singer and songwriter, half of experimental electronic duo "100 gecs"
 * Jake Lloyd – actor, played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars film
 * Josefina Lopez (1991) – author of Real Women Have Curves
 * Becky Lynch – professional wrestler
 * Shane Madej (producer) (2009) – founder of Watcher Entertainment, filmmaker, writer, producer
 * Liz Mandeville – blues musician, singer, songwriter, music producer, record label owner
 * The Mazeking – contemporary visual artist
 * Kym Mazelle – singer and actress
 * Chris McKay – animator, film and television director, editor and producer
 * Austin P. McKenzie – actor
 * Joe Meno (1997) – author
 * Sharon Mesmer (1983) – poet, author
 * Michelle Monaghan – actress, Gone Baby Gone, Mission: Impossible III
 * Ozier Muhammad (1972) – Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist for The New York Times
 * Bob Odenkirk – writer for Saturday Night Live (1987–1995), actor (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul)
 * Lola Omolola – journalist
 * Anita Padilla (1991) – reporter for FOX Chicago
 * Diane Pathieu (2001) – weekend news anchor for WLS-TV in Chicago
 * Steve Pink – actor, screenwriter and director
 * Tonya Pinkins (1996) – Tony Award-winning actress
 * Laura Post – voice actress
 * Mark Protosevich (1983) – screenwriter of I Am Legend, Poseidon, The Cell
 * Aidan Quinn – actor, Elementary, Legends of the Fall
 * Declan Quinn (1979) – cinematographer
 * Matthew Rehwoldt (2010) – professional wrestler
 * Rob Renzetti – animator and creator of My Life as a Teenage Robot
 * Dean Richards reporter and broadcaster (1976)
 * Andy Richter (1988) – actor, sidekick on Conan
 * Alexander Rybak (2022) – winner of 2009 Eurovision
 * Saba (attended briefly) – rapper, record producer
 * Pat Sajak (1968) – host of Wheel of Fortune
 * Marcus Sakey – best-selling author
 * Anna D. Shapiro – theater director and Steppenwolf ensemble member
 * Drew Shiflett (1974) – mixed media artist and sculptor
 * Silver Sphere (1999) – singer-songwriter
 * Bob Sirott (1971) – broadcaster
 * Matt Skiba – musician, lead singer and guitarist of Alkaline Trio
 * Coyla May Spring – Chautauqua dramatic reader, singer, pianist
 * Michael Stahl-David (2005) – actor, Cloverfield, The Black Donnellys
 * Dino Stamatopoulos – comedy writer
 * Greg Stimac (2005) – artist
 * Mike Stoklasa – director, actor, and creator of RedLetterMedia
 * Sumanth (1996) – Indian film actor/producer
 * Genndy Tartakovsky (1990) – creator of Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Sym-Bionic Titan
 * Robert Teitel (1990) – producer of Men of Honor, Barbershop, Notorious
 * George Tillman, Jr. (1991) – director of Men of Honor, Barbershop, Notorious
 * Glenna Smith Tinnin (1897) – women's suffrage leader and theater professional
 * Nadine Velazquez (2001) – actress in The League
 * Jim Verraros, dance musician and actor
 * Jordan Vogt-Roberts (2006) – film and television director
 * Lena Waithe – actress, producer, and screenwriter of Master of None
 * Ryley Walker – American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * Frank Waln (2014) – Sicangu Lakota Native American rapper and activist
 * Sam Weller – (1990) author, biographer
 * Jon Wellner – actor, CSI 1997
 * Francis White (2007) – musician
 * Jim Williams – broadcaster
 * Timothy French – artist
 * Kimberly Jones (attended briefly) – author

Faculty

 * † denotes former faculty member


 * Stephen T. Asma – writer
 * Martin Atkins – musician
 * Dawoud Bey – photographer
 * Pauline Brailsford †
 * Gwendolyn Brooks – first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize. †
 * Ivan Brunetti – sequential artist
 * Jim DeRogatis – music critic, co-host of Sound Opinions
 * Phyllis Eisenstein – fantasy and science fiction novelist
 * Jan Erkert – choreographer, teacher and writer
 * Ed Ferrara – television writer
 * Charles "Chuck" Harrison
 * Larry Heinemann †
 * Aleksandar Hemon – writer
 * Andy Herren – winner, Big Brother 15 (U.S.)
 * Joe Meno – author
 * Audrey Niffenegger – author
 * Edward L. Morris † – Journalist, CEO, President Chicago chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Executive Grant Broadcasting
 * Sheldon Patinkin †
 * Melissa Potter – American interdisciplinary artist
 * William Russo – musician
 * John Schultz – writer
 * Gordon A. Sheehan – animator †
 * Smino – rapper (attended briefly)
 * David Trinidad
 * Karen Volkman – poet
 * Sam Weller – journalist and author
 * Donda West – musician †
 * John H. White – photojournalist