2,696 articles
Willa Holland
Willa Holland (born 1991), American actress, voice actress and model, known as Kaitlin Cooper on The O.C., Agnes Andrews on Gossip Girl, Thea Queen/Speedy on Arrow for eight seasons, voice of Aqua in Kingdom Hearts, and lead of The Mortuary Assistant film.
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe (born 1955, Appleton, Wisconsin) is an American actor and Wooster Group co-founder; four-time Oscar nominee (Platoon, Shadow of the Vampire, The Florida Project, At Eternity's Gate) and Venice Biennale Theatre artistic director for 2025-2028.
William Fichtner
William Fichtner, American character actor born 1956 in East Meadow, New York, raised in Cheektowaga; known for Heat, Armageddon, Go, Crash, The Dark Knight, Prison Break, and directing debut Cold Brook.
William Jackson Harper
William Jackson Harper (born 1980, Dallas) is an American actor known as Chidi Anagonye on NBC's The Good Place, an Emmy 2020 nominee, also of The Underground Railroad, The Resort, Midsommar, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Tony-nominated Uncle Vanya.
William Petersen
William Petersen (William Louis Petersen, born 1953, Evanston, Illinois) is the American actor and producer famous as Gil Grissom in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Vegas; earlier roles include Manhunter and To Live and Die in L.A.; distinct from the Minnesota senator and the sociologist of the same name.
Wilmer Valderrama
Wilmer Valderrama, American actor born 1980 in Miami and raised in Venezuela, played Fez on That '70s Show (1998–2006) and Special Agent Nick Torres on NCIS since 2016; also voiced Handy Manny and Encanto's Agustín.
Wilson Bethel
Wilson Bethel (Stephen Wilson Bethel, born 1984) is an American actor known for Wade Kinsella on Hart of Dixie, Mark Callan on All Rise, and Bullseye/Benjamin Poindexter in Daredevil and Daredevil: Born Again.
Wilson Cruz
Wilson Cruz (born 1973, Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor and GLAAD national spokesperson; the first openly gay actor as an openly gay network-TV series regular, known for Rickie Vasquez in My So-Called Life and Dr. Hugh Culber on Star Trek: Discovery.
Windell Middlebrooks
Windell Middlebrooks (Windell Dwain Middlebrooks Jr.) was an American actor (1979–2015) from Fort Worth, Texas, known as the Miller High Life deliveryman and as Dr. Curtis Brumfield on Body of Proof, plus Kirby on The Suite Life on Deck.
Wood Harris
Wood Harris (Sherwin David Harris, born 1969, Chicago) is an American actor known as Avon Barksdale on HBO's The Wire, Julius Campbell in Remember the Titans, Ace in Paid in Full, and Tony 'Little Duke' Burton in the Creed films.
Woody McClain
Woody McClain (Edward Woody McClain) is an American actor, producer, and former professional dancer from Charleston, South Carolina, known for playing Bobby Brown in The New Edition Story and Cane Tejada in Power Book II: Ghost.
Wren Zhawenim Gotts
Wren Zhawenim Gotts (born 2013) is an Anishinaabe child actress, enrolled Sokaogon Chippewa, discovered via Ojibwe-language YouTube videos; she plays young Bonnie in Marvel's Echo and Good Eagle in Netflix's Little House on the Prairie reboot.
Wrenn Schmidt
Wrenn Schmidt (Melinda Wrenn Schmidt) is an American actress known for Margo Madison in For All Mankind, Julia Sagorsky on Boardwalk Empire, Megan in Outcast, and voicing Marla McGivers in the Star Trek: Khan audio series.
Wyatt Cenac
Wyatt Cenac (born 1976) is an Emmy-winning American comedian and writer, a Daily Show correspondent 2008-2012, creator and host of HBO's Problem Areas, star of People of Earth and Medicine for Melancholy, and Grammy-nominated stand-up album maker.
Wyatt Nash
Wyatt Nash, stage name of Matthew Wyatt Elrod (born 1988, Nashville, Tennessee), is an American actor and former Survivor: Redemption Island contestant who later played Nigel Wright, Kurt Fletcher, and Charles Smith on television.
Wyatt Russell
Wyatt Hawn Russell (born 1986) is an American actor and former professional hockey goaltender, son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn; known for Lodge 49, Overlord, and John Walker in the MCU's Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Thunderbolts.
Xaria Dotson
Xaria Dotson (born 1997, Portland, Oregon) is an American actress and artist known as Evie Grayson in The Birch, Tori Carucci in American Vandal season 2, and Jules Mathis in Netflix's Devil in Ohio; not the Austin comedian Xaria J'Stone Coleman.
Xavier Smalls
Xavier Smalls (born 1997) is an American actor from Sacramento, California, known as Angel in Tyler Perry's Netflix series Beauty in Black and Zavier in Madea's Destination Wedding (2025); also a short-film director and William Esper Studio graduate.
Xolo Maridueña
Xolo Maridueña (Ramario Xolo Ramírez, born 2001) is an American actor of Mexican, Cuban, and Ecuadorian descent, known as Miguel Diaz in Cobra Kai and the first Latino lead in a live-action DC film, Blue Beetle (2023).
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, American actor born July 15 in New Orleans; Emmy winner as Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen, Black Manta in Aquaman, Bobby Seale in The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Marvel's Wonder Man; former city planner and Yale Drama graduate.
Yara Shahidi
Yara Shahidi (Yara Sayeh Shahidi), American actress and producer born 2000 in Minneapolis, plays Zoey Johnson on black-ish and grown-ish, founded 7th Sun Productions and WeVoteNext, and graduated from Harvard in 2022.
Yaya DaCosta
Yaya DaCosta (Camara DaCosta Johnson, born 1982) is an American actress and model, ANTM Cycle 3 runner-up, known for April Sexton on Chicago Med, Whitney Houston in Lifetime's Whitney, Our Kind of People, and The Lincoln Lawyer.
Yetide Badaki
Yetide Badaki, Nigerian-born American actress born 1981 in Ibadan, best known as the goddess Bilquis on Starz's American Gods (2017–2021) and as lawyer Neera Ketoul in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' "Ad Astra per Aspera"; also Rise (2022), This Is Us, and audiobook narration.
Yvette González-Nacer
Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Cuban-American actress, singer, violinist, and producer; originated Fate in Broadway's Hadestown, starred as Satine in Moulin Rouge! national tour, played Kiki on Nickelodeon's Fresh Beat Band, and founded the nonprofit Creative Minds Care.
Yvette Nicole Brown
Yvette Nicole Brown (born 1971, East Cleveland, Ohio) is an American Emmy-nominated actress, writer, producer, singer, and host, best known as Shirley Bennett on NBC's Community and Helen Dubois on Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh, with extensive film, voice, and hosting credits.
Yvonne Orji
Yvonne Orji (born 1983, Port Harcourt, Nigeria) is a Nigerian-American actress and comedian, Emmy-nominated as Molly Carter on HBO's Insecure (2016–2021), with HBO specials Momma, I Made It! and A Whole Me and the book Bamboozled by Jesus.
Zac Efron
Zac Efron (Zachary David Alexander Efron, born 1987) is an American actor and singer who rose to fame as Troy Bolton in Disney's High School Musical films and later starred in Hairspray, The Greatest Showman, Extremely Wicked, and The Iron Claw.
Zach Braff
Zach Braff (Zachary Israel Braff), born 1975 in South Orange, New Jersey, is an American actor-director known for Scrubs' J.D., Garden State (Grammy 2005), and the 2026 Scrubs revival.
Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis (Zacharius Knight Galifianakis), American comedian and actor born 1969 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina; star of The Hangover's Alan Garner and creator of the Funny or Die mock talk show Between Two Ferns (2008–2018), two-time Emmy winner, later Baskets and Netflix's This Is a Gardening Show.
Zach Gilford
Zach Gilford (Zachary Michael Gilford, born 1982, Evanston, Illinois) is an American actor known for Matt Saracen on Friday Night Lights, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and Elias Voit on Criminal Minds: Evolution.