[Author] Biographies & Profiles
Joey Graceffa
Joseph Michael Graceffa Jr. is a prolific American YouTuber, vlogger, actor, author, and producer. His four YouTube channels have amassed over 2.9 billion views. He was a contestant on seasons 22 and 24 of The Amazing Race and appeared in numerous short films. He is also the creator and host of the unscripted web series, Escape the Night. It is distributed by YouTube Premium alongside fellow YouTubers such as Liza Koshy, Shane Dawson, Colleen Ballinger, and Rosanna Pansino.
Joe Sugg
Joseph Graham Sugg is an English YouTuber and actor whose YouTube channel ThatcherJoe has over 7 million subscribers. He has had a wide variety of career successes, including being a finalist on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 and acting in the West End production of Waitress in 2019. His sister Zoe Sugg is also a well-known YouTuber.
Joseph Garrett
Joseph Mark Garrett, better known as Stampylonghead or Stampy, is a popular English YouTuber, gamer, author, and filmmaker. He is best known for his engaging video game commentaries, particularly those involving Minecraft, and his kid-friendly demeanor. He is often referred to as the "Mister Rogers of Minecraft" by Entertainment Weekly. Garrett has created a show called Wonder Quest which aired two seasons on Maker Studios and Disney. He also voiced himself in Minecraft: Story Mode, and has been featured on several CBBC and Disney XD shows and released two children's books. As of January 2021, Garrett's channel has gained over 8 billion views and 10.6 million subscribers.
Amanda Knox
Amanda Marie Knox is an American author, activist, and journalist who, aged 20 at the time of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, was wrongfully accused and convicted for the crime. She spent nearly four years in an Italian prison and was eventually acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation in 2015. Despite her acquittal, she was convicted of defaming her employer, Patrick Lumumba, but was later acquitted of this charge. Knox has since become an author, activist, and journalist, most notably hosting the television series The Scarlet Letter Reports which examines the gendered nature of public shaming.
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramasamy is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist associated with the Tamil film industry. He graduated from Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai and began his career as a translator and published poet. In 1980, he began writing for films, with the Nizhalgal musical directed by Bharathiraja. In his 40-year career, he has written more than 7,500 songs and poems, earning him seven National Awards, the highest by any Indian lyricist. Among other honours, he was awarded the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Sahitya Akademi Award for his literary achievements.
Alfie Deyes
Alfred Sidney Deyes is an English YouTuber, vlogger and businessman. On 4 September 2014, he released his first book, The Pointless Book. Since 2014, he has released three books in the Pointless Book series and one autobiography.
Sam Heughan
Sam Heughan is a Scottish actor, producer, author, and entrepreneur best known for his starring role as Jamie Fraser in the Starz drama series Outlander. Heughan has won numerous awards and accolades for his performance in the show, such as the People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor and the Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television, and has starred in films such as The Spy Who Dumped Me, The Empty Train and Bloodshot. Heughan also co-wrote Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other alongside his Outlander co-star Graham McTavish, which reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller List for hardcover nonfiction. Heughan launched his own whisky brand, The Sassenach, in 2020, winning consecutive double golds in the 2020 and 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone is an American actress who gained prominence at age 16 as a teen idol when she appeared in the music video for Aerosmith's "Cryin'". She made her film debut in the thriller The Crush and went on to star as Cher Horowitz in Clueless, which earned her a multi-million dollar deal with Columbia Pictures. She starred in the superhero film Batman & Robin, playing Batgirl and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in the NBC series Miss Match. Along with her acting career, Silverstone is a vegan and has endorsed PETA activities, publishing two cookbooks The Kind Diet and The Kind Mama.
The Weeknd
The Weeknd, aka Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actor known for his eclectic music style and dark lyricism. He has received multiple awards, such as four Grammys, 20 Billboard Music Awards, 17 Juno Awards, six American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards and more. His career started by anonymously releasing music on YouTube in 2009, and two years later, he co-founded the XO record label and released three mixtapes that gained recognition. His success followed with his debut studio album Kiss Land, which debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200. He has since gone on to contribute to film soundtracks and has had chart-topping albums including Beauty Behind the Madness, Starboy and After Hours. With over 75 million records sold, he is one of the world's best-selling music artists and was named by Time as one of the world's most influential people in 2020. He was recently appointed a World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador in 2021.
Onision
James Jackson, also known as Onision, is an American YouTuber. He posts videos on his main Onision channel, UhOhBro, and OnisionSpeaks, covering topics that are often controversial. As of June 2022, his three channels had a combined total of 5.7 million subscribers and 1.2 billion video views. His most viewed video is the "Banana Song" which was written and performed by Jackson and has received over 91 million views as of October 2022. Along with fame, Jackson has attracted controversy and criticism due to his online content and private life.
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, author, and award-winning performer. He has had an extensive career in film and theatre, appearing in such notable works as Excalibur, Miller's Crossing, The Usual Suspects, Stigmata, End of Days, Spider, Jindabyne, Vampire Academy, The 33, Hereditary, and In the Name of the Father. He has been nominated for Tony Awards for his work on Broadway, Emmy Awards for his appearances in television, and won a Golden Globe Award for In Treatment. He has also produced several films, starred in a TV series adaptation of War of the Worlds, and in 2018 was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was listed at number 17 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors, and The Guardian named him one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.
William Levy (author)
William Levy was an American writer, editor and former radio personality, author of works such as The Virgin Sperm Dancer, Wet Dreams, Certain Radio Speeches of Ezra Pound and Natural Jewboy. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park and Temple University, teaching in the literature department at Shippensburg State College, in Pennsylvania. He founded and edited many magazines in the Sixties and Seventies, including the Insect Trust Gazette, International Times, Suck, and The Fanatic. Later he served as European Editor for American glossy magazines High Times and Penthouse, and as an associate editor of Amsterdam zines Het Gewicht, Ins & Outs, La Linea and Atom Club. He contributed to Andrei Codrescu's Exquisite Corpse and Libido, and published his own Transactions of the Invisible Language Society series. His meditation play Europe in Flames was featured at the Festival of New Radio in New York, and he won the Erotic Oscar for writing at London's Sex Maniacs Ball. Levy's alter-ego, Dr. Doo Wop, aired weekly on Amsterdam's airwaves for 20 years until his retirement from radio. Until his death following a long illness, Levy lived in Amsterdam with his wife, the literary translator Susan Janssen.
Madonna
Madonna is an American singer, songwriter and actress, known as the Queen of Pop. She is noted for her continual reinvention and versatility, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression in mainstream music and maintaining control over her career. She has won multiple awards, including a Golden Globe Award and 11 times being named as the top-earning female musician. Madonna has sold over 300 million records worldwide and achieved the most number-one singles by a woman in many countries. She rose to fame with her debut studio album, Madonna, and her success was boosted by her roles in films such as Desperately Seeking Susan and Evita. She founded the Maverick company in 1992, which included the Maverick Records label and remains the highest-grossing female touring artist ever. She is also known for her charity work and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
Simon Reeve (British TV presenter)
Simon Alan Reeve is a British author, journalist, adventurer, documentary filmmaker and television presenter who divides his home time between London and Devon. He has written books on international terrorism, modern history and his adventures, presented multiple BBC television programmes and won a One World Broadcasting Trust Award and the 2012 Ness Award from the Royal Geographical Society. He is a New York Times best-selling author for his books The New Jackals, One Day in September and Tropic of Capricorn.
Sri Sri (writer)
Srirangam Srinivasa Rao, better known as Sri Sri, was a highly prolific Indian poet and lyricist who played an important role in Telugu literature and films. He is best remembered for his anthology Maha Prasthanam and was recognized with prestigious awards such as the National Film Award, Nandi Award, and Sahitya Akademi Award for his work. He was also a member of Pen India, Sahitya Academy, vice-president of the South Indian Film Writers Association, Madras, and president of the Revolutionary Writers Association of Andhra.
James Bowen (author)
James Anthony Bowen is an English author and former homeless man. His story of success, recounted in his international best-selling memoir trilogy, has inspired millions. His life changed when a ginger cat named Bob followed him on his daily travels through the streets of London in 2007. The books document James’ recovery from homelessness and addiction, along with the friendship that he and Bob forged together. With the success of the film adaptations, James has been able to give back to the world, dedicating his time to help charities related to homelessness, literacy, and animal welfare.
Charles Murray (political scientist)
Charles Alan Murray is a highly controversial American political scientist and W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, DC. He is best known for his book Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950–1980, which discussed the American welfare system, and The Bell Curve, co-written with Richard Herrnstein, in which they argued that intelligence is a better predictor of individual outcomes than parental socioeconomic status or education level, and that social welfare programs are largely counterproductive. The Bell Curve claims that IQ differences between racial and ethnic groups are partly genetic, a view considered discredited by mainstream science.
Luke Arnold
Luke Arnold is an Australian actor and author, best known for playing John Silver in the Starz drama series Black Sails.
Angus Scrimm
Angus Scrimm was an American actor, author, and journalist, known for his portrayal of the Tall Man in the 1979 horror film Phantasm and its sequels.
William Bell (author)
William Edwin Bell was a renowned Canadian author who published children's and young adult literature. He was born in Toronto, Ontario and resided in Orillia, Ontario for the majority of his life. Bell wrote about social themes such as friendship, relationships and coming of age, which strongly resonated with his readers. His books were known for their focus on personal growth and the development of strong characters. He was recognized for his work with numerous awards, including the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature in 1984. His stories remain popular with readers today, inspiring generations of young readers to stand up for themselves and their beliefs.
Donda West
Donda C. West was an American professor and chair of Chicago State University's Department of English, Communications, Media and Theater. She was the mother of rapper Ye, better known as Kanye West.
Heidi Baker
Heidi Baker is a Christian missionary and the CEO of Iris Global. She is the author of many books about Christian spirituality, and an itinerant speaker. She has founded multiple humanitarian projects in Mozambique and South Africa, providing food, clean water, healthcare, orphan care, and education to thousands of people in need. Through her work, she hopes to demonstrate the power of love, transformation, and the kingdom of God. She believes in empowering the poor and disenfranchised and walking alongside them in the process of transformation. Her heart is to love, serve, and share the good news of Jesus with the world.
John Seymour (author)
John Seymour was a British author and pioneer in the self-sufficiency movement, advocating for personal responsibility, self-reliance and conviviality as well as actively opposing consumerism, industrialisation, genetically modified organisms, cities, motor cars, and other aspects of modern life. He is best known for his 1976 book The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency, which further outlined his views on the necessity for humans to care for the environment and the soil.
Simon Rich
Simon Rich is an acclaimed American humorist, novelist, and screenwriter. Rich has published two novels and six collections of humorous works, which have been featured in The New Yorker. Many of his works have been translated into multiple languages. Rich is known for becoming one of the youngest writers ever hired for Saturday Night Live, and working as a staff writer for Pixar. He also created the popular television comedy series Man Seeking Woman, which premiered on FXX in January 2015.
Charles Morris (American writer)
Charles Morris was an influential American writer and educator. He was best known for his popular historical textbooks and his novels. Morris was born in Philadelphia and attended the University of Pennsylvania. He later worked as a journalist in New York City. Over the course of his life, he wrote several books on American history, including "The Age of the Democratic Revolution" and "The Age of Jefferson and Madison". In addition to books, Morris wrote numerous articles and essays, many of which were published in prominent newspapers and magazines. He wrote several novels as well, including "The South West" and "The Valley of Shadows". He was also well known as a lecturer, often speaking on topics related to American history. Morris passed away in 1904 at the age of 72. He left behind a legacy of knowledge, insight, and literature that is still studied and appreciated today.
Robert Sapolsky
Robert Morris Sapolsky is an American neuroendocrinology researcher and author. He is a professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University. In addition, he is a research associate at the National Museums of Kenya.
Peter Urban (karate)
Peter George Urban was an influential martial arts philosopher, poet-warrior and leader. He was known as "The George Washington of American Karate" by Kick Illustrated Magazine and "The Godfather of American Goju" by Official Karate Magazine. He created an American style of Gōjū-ryū karate without permission from Gōgen Yamaguchi, the head of the style's organization GoJu Kai. Urban was one of the few white students under Yamaguchi, and he was not allowed to represent Japanese Karate in America. His innovative style of Karate Do still influences practitioners today.