Selected Biographies: R

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R

• R2-D2, fictional character
• R.E.M., rock band
• Francisco Rabal, film and stage actor
• Maurice F. Rabb, Jr., Ophthalmologist
• Jessica Rabbit, animated character
• Yitzhak Rabin, soldier, political figure
• Dorothy Rabinowitz, editor, commentator
• Daniel Radcliffe, actor
• Radiohead, rock band
• Gilda Radner, comedian, actor
• Ben Raeburn, publisher
• Raël, religious figure
• Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, political Leader, zoologist
• Rage Against the Machine, politically active rock group
• Sam Raimi, filmmaker
• Joseph Rainey , First African American Congressman
• Ma Rainey, blues musician
• Prince Rainier III, royalty
• Claude Rains, actor
• The California Raisins, animated characters
• Bonnie Raitt, blues-rock singer
• Harold Ramis, screenwriter, actor, director, producer
• Joey Ramone, rock musician
• Phil Ramone, music producer
• The Ramones, rock band
• Gordon Ramsay, chef, TV personality
• Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer player
• Tony Randall, actor
• Virginia Randolph, educator
• Noomi Rapace, actor
• Michael Rapaport, actor
• Basil Rathbone, actor
• Dan Rather, TV newscaster
• Simon Raven, writer
• Raven-Symoné, actor, singer
• James Earl Ray, assassin
• Amy Ray, singer
• Nicholas Ray, filmmaker
• Gene Rayburn, TV personality
• Nancy Reagan, political figure
• Stephen Rea, actor
• Harry Reasoner, media journalist, author
• Theresa Rebeck, writer, TV Producer
• Max Records, actor
• Otis Redding, singer, songwriter
• Helen Reddy, singer
• Orville Redenbacher, business personality, corporate icon
• Robert Redford, actor, filmmaker
• Lynn Redgrave, actress
• Sir Michael Redgrave, actor
• Vanessa Redgrave, actress
• Eddie Redmayne, actor
• Gabrielle Reece, volleyball player, model
• Lou Reed, rock musician
• Nikki Reed, actor, writer
• Ralph Reed, political figure
• Christopher Reeve, actor
• George Reeves, actor
• Keanu Reeves, actor
• Bar Refaeli, model
• Judith Regan, publisher
• William H. Rehnquist, jurist
• Kelly Reichard, filmmaker
• Tara Reid, actor
• Benjamin Reifel, Sioux activist and U.S. representative from South Dakota
• Charles Nelson Reilly, actor, theater director
• John C. Reilly, actor
• Carl Reiner, writer, filmmaker
• Rob Reiner, actor, writer, director, producer
• Django Reinhardt, guitarist, jazz musician
• Judge Reinhold, actor
• Ann Reinking, dancer, choreographer, actor
• Paul Reiser, actor, comedian, writer
• Jason Reitman, filmmaker
• Ivan Reitman, director, producer
• Erich Maria Remarque, writer
• Rembrandt, artist
• Lee Remick, actress
• Eliphalet Remington, gun manufacturer
• Philo Remington, manufacturer
• Brad Renfro, actor
• Jeremey Renner, actor
• Janet Reno, government official
• Mary Lou Retton, gymnast
• Gloria Reuben, actor
• Paul Reubens, actor, comedian
• Hiram Revels, Senator from Mississippi; first African American senator
• Paul Revere, Revolutionary War figure
• Charles Revson, cosmetics industry executive
• Margret Rey, children's writer
• Burt Reynolds, actor
• Debbie Reynolds, singer, dancer, actress
• Joseph Jones Reynolds, Union general
• Marjorie Reynolds, actress
• William Reynolds, film editor
• Trent Reznor, musician, singer, songwriter
• Ving Rhames, actor
• Manon Rheaume, hockey player
• Cecil Rhodes, businessman, political figure
• Busta Rhymes, rapper
• Matthew Rhys, actor
• Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, actor
• Christina Ricci, actor
• Anne Rice, writer
• Condoleezza Rice, political figure, government official
• Jerry Rice, football player
• Linda Johnson Rice, magazine publisher, executive
• Ray Rice, football player
• Adrienne Rich, poet, activist
• Marc Rich, business personality, fugitive
• Little Richard, pop musician
• Ariana Richards, actress
• Denise Richards, model, actor
• Keith Richards, rock musician, guitarist
• Michael Richards, actor
• Bill Richardson, politician, diplomat
• Elliot Richardson, former cabinet member
• Joely Richardson, actress
• Kevin Richardson, keyboards
• Miranda Richardson, actress
• Natasha Richardson, actress
• Tony Richardson, director
• Lionel Richie, pop musician
• Nicole Richie, TV personality
• Charles Richter, physicist /seismologist
• Manfred von Richthofen, soldier, aviator
• Alan Rickman, actor
• Pretty Ricky, singers
• Sally Ride, astronaut
• Gary Ridgway, murderer
• Daisy Ridley, actor
• Leni Riefenstahl, filmmaker, world war II figure
• Diana Rigg, actor
• Norbert Rillieux, inventor
• LeAnn Rimes, country singer
• Molly Ringwald, actor
• Cal Ripken, baseball player
• Robert L. Ripley, cartoonist, adventurer
• John Ritter, actor
• Emmanuelle Riva, actor
• Diego Rivera, artist
• Geraldo Rivera, TV newscaster, talk show Host
• Jenni Rivera, singer, actor
• Maria Ines Rivero, model
• Joan Rivers, comedian, TV personality
• Max Roach, jazz musician
• Jason Robards, actor
• Alain Robbe-Grillet, writer, filmmaker
• Margot Robbie, actor
• Harold Robbins, writer
• Jerome Robbins, choreographer, dancer
• Tim Robbins, actor, filmmaker
• Doris Roberts, actor
• Eric Roberts, actor
• J. Catherine Roberts, science teacher
• John G. Roberts, Jr., jurist
• Julia Roberts, actor
• Nora Roberts, writer
• Richard Roberts, inventor
• Cliff Robertson, actor
• Pat Robertson, evangelist, TV personality
• Robbie Robertson, songwriter, guitarist
• Paul Robeson, actor, singer, activist
• Edward G. Robinson, actor
• Jackie Robinson, baseball player
• V. Gene Robinson, clergyman
• William Smokey Robinson, singer, songwriter
• Chris Rock, comedian
• Kid Rock, pop musician, rock musician
• The Rock, pro wrestler, actor
• John Davison Rockefeller, industrialist, philanthropist
• John Davison Rockefeller, Jr., philanthropist
• Laurance Spelman Rockefeller, business executive, conservationist
• Charles Rocket, actor
• Norman Rockwell, artist
• Rick Rockwell, TV personality
• Sam Rockwell, actor
• Gene Roddenberry, TV producer
• Andy Roddick, tennis player
• Richard Rodgers, composer
• Auguste Rodin, sculptor, artist
• Dennis Rodman, basketball player
• Caesar Rodney, revolutionary war figure
• Alex Rodriguez, baseball player
• Maggie Rodriguez, TV newscaster
• Cleto L. Rodriguez, soldier, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• Theodore Roethke, poet
• Seth Rogen, actor
• Edith Nourse Rogers, U.S. congresswoman
• Fred Rogers, TV personality, clergyman
• Ginger Rogers, actress, dancer
• Mimi Rogers, actor
• Ralph Burton Rogers, businessman and philanthropist
• Roy Rogers, actor, country singer
• Will Rogers, humorist, radio personality, actor
• The Rolling Stones, rock band
• Howard E. Rollins, Jr., actor
• Ray Romano, comedian, actor
• Jim Rome, radio/TV personality
• Lil' Romeo, rapper, actor
• George Romero, filmmaker
• Pilar Miró Romero , director
• Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, model
• Tony Romo, football player
• Ronaldo, soccer player
• Saoirse Ronan, actor
• Linda Ronstadt, singer
• Andy Rooney, TV personality, journalist
• Mickey Rooney, actor
• Edith Roosevelt, U.S. First Lady
• Pete Rose, baseball player
• Ruby Rose, actor
• Roseanne, actress
• Paul Rosenberg, art dealer, collector
• Julius Rosenwald, merchant, retail executive, philanthropist
• Diana Ross, singer, actor
• Gavin Rossdale, singer, songwriter
• Isabella Rossellini, actor, model
• Valentino Rossi, motorcycle racer
• Katharine Ross, actress
• Emmy Rossum, actor
• David Lee Roth, singer
• Eli Roth, director
• Philip Roth, writer
• Tim Roth, actor
• Johnny Rotten, musician, singer, songwriter
• Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran
• Mickey Rourke, actor
• James Rouse, real estate developer
• Ronda Rousey, martial artist
• Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil
• Karl Rove, presidential advisor
• Debbie Rowe, celebrity relative
• F. Sherwood (Sherry) Rowland, chemist, Nobel laureate
• Gena Rowlands, actress
• J.K. Rowling, writer
• Arundhati Roy, writer
• Mike Royko, newspaper columnist
• Erno Rubik, inventor
• Helena Rubinstein, cosmetics executive
• Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator
• Jack Ruby, assassin
• Darius Rucker, lead vocalist
• Paul Rudd, actor
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, animated character, fictional reindeer
• Maya Rudolph, actor
• Wilma Rudolph, runner
• Mercedes Ruehl, actress
• Warren de la Rue, astronomer, physicist
• Mark Ruffalo, actor
• Charles Ruff, lawyer
• Rosie Ruiz, fraud, runner
• Ja Rule, rapper
• Donald Rumsfeld, government official
• Anthony Edward Rupert, financier, arts patron, conservationist
• Rurik, ruler
• Rush, rock group
• Geoffrey Rush, actor
• Salman Rushdie, writer
• Bob Russell, entertainer
• Charles M. Russell, artist
• Charles T. Russell, religious figure
• David O. Russell, director
• Sir Gordon Russell, furniture designer
• Harold Russell, soldier, actor, world war II figure
• Jane Russell, actress
• Keri Russell, actor
• Kurt Russell, actor
• Lynne Russell, TV news anchor
• Theresa Russell, actress
• Tim Russert, TV Personality, journalist
• Rene Russo, actor
• John Brown Russwurm, newspaper publisher
• Bayard Rustin, civil rights activist
• Dame Margaret Rutherford, actress
• Amy Ryan, actor
• Debby Ryan, actor
• Irene Ryan, actor
• Jeri Ryan, actress
• Kay Ryan, poet
• Meg Ryan, actor
• Paul Ryan, U. S. Representative
• Winona Ryder, actor
• Martin Antoine Ryerson, businessman, collector