Every school wants to have their claim to fame. So not only can we brag to our friends in other schools that UMass has one of the best dining services in the country, but we can now brag about our sparkling list of alumni. We Collegiettes have shared this campus with several famous actors, a model, a musician, and one badass scientist. Here is a list of 6 of our most famous alumni.
One of Hollywood’s most popular silver foxes, he attended UMass Amherst on a gymnastics scholarship. He majored in philosophy, but left after two years. Gere is most popular for his roles in Pretty Woman (a classic chick flick opposite one of our favorites- Julia Robers), Primal Fear, and Runaway Bride (again with Roberts). He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in Chicago and received a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the best cast.
A beautiful actress and model who had a brief marriage to Patriots’ player Tom Brady. When her modeling career began in Springfield, MA, she attended UMass Amherst. She also did not graduate and later moved to New York to pursue her career. Her breakthrough role was in Coyote Ugly, in 2000. She’s also appeared in the film Serendipity, The Sum of All Fears, iRobot, and has stared in the CBS drama Blue Bloods since September 2010.
A woman who is a Rosie the Riveter “We Can Do It” poster child. She is a brilliant chemist, a former United States Air Force officer and a current NASA astronaut. She received her doctorate in polymer science and engineering at UMass Amherst as a member of the Air Force ROTC. She is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, and departed the International Space Station in 2011, as a crew member of Expedition 27 after logging 159 days in space. Another one of her adventures in 2004 involved her serving as an aquanaut during the NEEMO 7 mission aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory, living and working underwater for eleven days.
The daughter of Nat King Cole, Natalie is a singer, songwriter, and performer. After enrolling in UMass Amherst, she transferred out briefly and then back in, graduating after majoring in Child Psychology and minoring in German. She is an R&B artist with the ‘70’s hits, “This Will Be” (known in this generation as “the song at the end of The Parent Trap), “Inseparable”, and “Our Love”. Her biggest success was her album Unforgettable…With Love which sold over seven million copies and won her multiple Grammy awards.
A hilarious comedian and actor, Rob went to UMass and majored in English (*snaps for our fellow English majors out there!*). His focus on theater led him to participate in multiple school play productions. He is most well known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He also starred in films such as Hot Tub Time Machine, What Happens in Vegas, Warms Bodies, and most recently had a supporting role in this summer’s Sex Tape. He is also the winner of two Emmy awards.
Another hollywood hottie in his prime. A “he’s the guy who’s in everything!!” sort of actor. Pullman received his Masters of Fine Arts from UMass Amherst. He then taught acting at New York schools such as SUNY Delhi where his students encouraged him to try film. His starring roles include Spaceballs, While You Were Sleeping (another classic chick flick opposite another one of our favorites-Sandra Bullock), Casper, and Independence Day.
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