People Library

Explore lives, books and interviews. 4564 people

Browse by category

Film & TV 1380 Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep Political figures 625 Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln Musicians 505 Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley Athletes 459 Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi Scientists 383 Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Marie Curie Entrepreneurs 328 Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos Writers 322 George Orwell, Joanne Catherine Rowling, Ernest Hemingway Scholars 257 Noam Chomsky, Yuval Harari, Steven Pinker Artists 248 Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci Media figures 57 Anderson Cooper, Barbara Walters, Walter Cronkite

All profiles

Boris Pasternak Boris Pasternak Writers · russian empire

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (Russian: Борис Леонидович Пастернак, Romanized: Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (February 10, 1890 - May 30, 1960), Soviet writer, winner of the 1958 Nobel Prize for Literature, famous for his novel "Doctor Zhivago" (translation: "Doctor Zhivago").

Ruth Benedict Ruth Benedict Scholars · United States

Ruth Benedict (English: Ruth Benedict, nee Fulton, June 5, 1887 - September 17, 1948), American anthropologist. In the early 20th century, a few female scholars, influenced by Franz Boas, and Edward Sapir proposed the earliest cultural configuration theory, which believed that culture is like individuals, with different types and characteristics. Panade studied English literature in his early years, so his works are exquisitely written, and he is good at composing poetry and delicate descriptions. Among her works, "Patterns of Culture" and "Chrysanthemum and Knife" are the most famous. Although the importance of her discussion has been replaced by other theories, the issues and concerns raised in her works are still valued and paid attention to by disciplines such as anthropology and history.

Ruggiero Leoncaballo Ruggiero Leoncaballo Musicians · kingdom of italy

Ruggero Leoncavallo (Italian: Ruggero Leoncavallo, April 23, 1857 - August 9, 1919), Italian opera composer.

Rupert Murdoch Rupert Murdoch Entrepreneurs · United States

Rupert Murdoch (English: Rupert Murdoch, March 11, 1931 -), born in Melbourne, Australia, now lives in the United States. He is the world's leading news media tycoon. He currently holds 14% of News Corporation's shares and 39.4% of the voting rights and is the chairman and largest shareholder of Fox Corporation. His family ranked 52nd on Forbes' 2019 list of the world's billionaires, with assets of US$19.4 billion. In September 2023, Murdoch announced that he would officially retire as chairman of News Corporation and Fox Corporation in November. Many of Murdoch's newspapers and television stations have been accused of biased and misleading reporting in order to support his business interests and political allies and influence major political developments in Britain, the United States and Australia.

Lu Xun Lu Xun Writers · Qing Dynasty

Zhou Shuren (September 25, 1881 - October 19, 1936), whose original name was Zhou Zhangshou, also had the courtesy names of Yushan and Yuting, later changed to the pseudonym of Henan, and his pen name was Lu Xun. He was a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, and was one of the modern Chinese writers, designers, and leaders of the New Culture Movement. During his lifetime, Lu Xun created essays, short novels, literature, thought and social commentary, academic works, natural science works, collation and research of ancient classics, essays, modern prose poems, old-style poems, foreign literature and academic translations, and research on woodcut prints, which had a great impact on Chinese society and culture after the May Fourth Movement.

Rudy Giuliani Rudy Giuliani Political figures · United States

Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani (English: Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani; May 28, 1944 -; also translated as Giuliani), an American Republican politician, lawyer, prosecutor and businessman. Giuliani was once a Republican moderate. Initially serving as a federal prosecutor, he prosecuted many high-profile criminal leaders. He then served as mayor of New York City for eight years from 1994 to 2001. During his tenure as mayor, he worked to reduce crime rates and improve the quality of urban life. As mayor during the September 11, 2011, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Giuliani became known around the world for his outstanding leadership from the ground up. He was named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2001 and received a KBE from Queen Elizabeth II. His command performance during the 9/11 incident also earned him the nickname "America's Mayor." Since retiring as mayor of New York City, Giuliani has also founded a highly successful partnership securities advisory firm. In January 2007, he officially announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential election, but announced his withdrawal on January 30, 2008. He has become a loyal supporter of Trump since 2016. In April 2018, Giuliani joined U.S. President Donald Trump's legal team.

Rudolph Valentino Rudolph Valentino Film & TV · kingdom of italy

Rudolph Valentino (Italian: Rodolfo Valentino/Rudolph Valentino, full name Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella, May 6, 1895 - August 23, 1926) was an Italian actor, sex symbol and star who later went to the United States to develop. He was one of the most popular stars of the 1920s and one of the best-known actors of the silent film era. His father is Italian and his mother is French. Rodolfo Valentino also has the nickname Latin's Lover.

Rudolf Goklannu Rudolf Goklannu Scholars · Germany

Rudolphus Gocleniu (Latin: Rudolphus Gocleniu, March 1, 1547 - June 8, 1628), a German scholastic philosopher, is famous for inventing the term "psychology" in 1590. He also made important and extensive contributions to the development of ontology.

Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini Political figures · Iran

Sayyid Rūhollāh Musavi Khomeinī (Persian: سید روحاللّه مصطفوی موسوی خمینی) , May 17, 1900 - June 3, 1989), the Grand Ayatollah of Iran's Shiite Islam, the political and spiritual leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979, and served as the supreme leader of Iran from then until 1989. He is known as Imam Khomeini within Iran and among his international supporters, and by others as Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini was the Marza (Grand Ayatollah) of the Twelve Imams of Shia Islam, but is best known for his political role. In his writings and sermons, he expanded the "guardianship of al-Faqih" (guardianship of jurists) advocated by the Ussuri sect of the Twelve Imams, which is the theocratic rule of Islamic jurists. In 1979, Iran's Islamic Revolution overthrew the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. After that, Khomeini became the country's supreme leader, the country's highest political and religious leader. Khomeini is known as a "widely supported and charismatic leader", and some Shiite scholars regard him as a "fighter for the revival of Islam." In the Muslim world abroad, he is described as "the virtual image of Islam in Western popular culture." In 1979, he was named a Person of the Year by Time magazine. He is famous for supporting the hostages during the Iran hostage crisis and for issuing the order to kill the British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie.

Bob Ruth Bob Ruth Artists · United States

Robert Norman Ross (English: Robert Norman Ross, October 29, 1942 - July 4, 1995), whose stage name was Bob Ross, was an American painter, entrepreneur (co-founder of the Bob Ross Company), art director and television host. Ruth was a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force who served in the military for about 20 years. While stationed in Alaska, he was inspired to create by the local mountains and snow scenery. After retiring, he continued to engage in painting and host painting programs. Characterized by his calm painting attitude and patience, he served as an impromptu teaching painter and host in his famous TV program "The Joy of Painting". The Joy of Painting was broadcast on PBS in the United States for 12 years. In 1985, he and his second wife Jane Lee Zanardelli Ros, Walter Kowalski, Anteney Kowalski and others jointly established Bob Ross Company; this also made "Bob Ross" a successful commercial brand, mainly engaged in the sale of art books and related supplies. Ruth became a public celebrity on television in the 1980s and 1990s, and became an Internet celebrity in the 21st century after her death in 1995, popular with fans on YouTube and many other websites.

Bob Fosse Bob Fosse Film & TV · United States

Robert Louis "Bob" Fosse (English: Robert Louis "Bob" Fosse, June 23, 1927 - September 23, 1987) was a late famous American film, music, and stage actor. His areas of expertise include actors, dancers, musical theater choreographers, musical theater and film directors, screenwriters and editors. He has won the Tony Award for Best Choreography 8 times in total, and to this day (as of 2013) he is still the person who has won the most awards in this category. In terms of film, he has been nominated for Academy Awards 4 times, and won the Director Award at the 45th Academy Awards held on March 27, 1973 for directing "Cabaret", defeating Francis Ford Coppola, the director of the classic gangster film "The Godfather."

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan Musicians · United States

Bob Dylan, formerly known as Robert Allen Zimmerman, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and author. Since the release of his first album in 1961, Dylan has had an impact on the pop music and cultural circles for more than 50 years. Most of his best-known works come from the rebel folk songs of the 1960s, and he is widely regarded as a spokesman for the emerging rebellion culture in the United States at the time, although he denied this. Some of his early works became anthems for the American civil rights and anti-war movements of the time, such as "The Answer's Blowing in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'." In the mid-1960s, Dylan began to transform from his original protest folk style, and released the six-minute single "Like a Rolling Stone" in 1965, which also changed the traditional classification of pop music. Some of Dylan's songs in the mid-1960s topped the Billboard charts, but they were also criticized by some in the folk movement for their use of rock elements.

B Bobosang Ekiko Athletes · Nigeria

Bobsam Elejiko (August 18, 1981 - November 13, 2011) was a late Nigerian professional football player who served as a central defender. He played for several clubs in Belgium for most of his lifetime.

Bobby Jindal Bobby Jindal Political figures · United States

Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is an Indian-American and former governor of Louisiana. From 2005 to 2008, he also ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Louisiana's 1st Congressional District and was successfully elected.

Boris Yeltsin Boris Yeltsin Political figures · Soviet Union

Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (Russian: Борис Николаевич Ельцин, Romanized: Boris Nikolayevich Yel'tsin, February 1, 1931 - April 23, 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and the first President of Russia, serving from 1991 to 1999. Previously, he served as an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, first secretary of the Moscow Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Russia. In 1990, Yeltsin was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Russia. In 1991, he was elected President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in the election, becoming the first democratically elected head of state in Russian history. In December of the same year, he contributed to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and replaced it with Russia as the main successor. Yeltsin is a controversial politician who rose to prominence during the Soviet Communist years for vowing to fight corruption, but his regime has been plagued by corruption scandals and other inconsistencies. For example, although he verbally adhered to liberalism and democracy, he questioned and banned some top leaders of the Soviet Communist Party who used force during the August 19th Incident, but he was also involved in destroying the democratic system during the Russian constitutional crisis in 1993. In the end, he used force to suppress dissidents. Later, in 1996, Yeltsin was re-elected as president in a controversial election. On December 31, 1999, he announced his resignation a few hours before entering the year 2000. He bypassed the voters and handed power to Putin to promote this succession. At that time, the people across the country were shocked by his decision to leave suddenly. After the then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin became acting president and was successfully elected, Yeltsin's political career came to an end. After Putin took office, he also treated his promoter judicially. Yeltsin has largely kept a low profile since his resignation, occasionally publicly criticizing his successor. Yeltsin died of congestive heart failure on April 23, 2007. However, when he was in power, he vigorously promoted values ​​such as privatization and market economy, and successfully gained the West's tolerance for his arbitrary approach. At the same time, he adopted the "shock therapy" piloted in some countries at the time to bring Russia to capitalism as soon as possible. However, this move was improperly followed and the Russian economy was on the verge of collapse. In order to regain support, the government condoned the expansion of local forces, making the rule of law reforms difficult to implement and full of injustice. They jointly kidnapped crony groups. In addition, his role, words and deeds in the disintegration of the Soviet Union once encouraged ethnic groups within the Russian Federation.

Feng Feifei Feng Feifei Film & TV · Republic of China

Lin Qiuluan (August 20, 1953 - January 3, 2012), whose stage name was Feng Feifei, was nicknamed the Hat Queen, Labor Angel, etc., and was a Taiwanese female singer, actress and host. It plays a pivotal role in the Chinese-speaking communities in Taiwan, Mainland China and Southeast Asia. Feng Feifei's acting career began in the early 1970s. Later, she became well-known for her works such as "Applause" and "I Am a Cloud". She also acted as the heroine in the films directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, "She's the One" and "The Wind". On January 3, 2012, she passed away at St. Teresa's Hospital due to worsening of lung cancer (lung adenocarcinoma). Before his death, he tried to hide the news of his death for two years, but his son and assistant stopped him. He finally decided to finish the funeral arrangements and announced it to the public only 41 days after his death (February 13). Feng Feifei was continuously nominated for the Golden Bell Award for Best Female Singer from 1980 to 1984, and won the award in 1982 and 1983. She is the only female singer in history to win this award consecutively. She was also nominated for the Golden Bell Award for Best Variety Show Host, and the program she hosted was also nominated for the Golden Bell Award for Best Variety Show Award for the second time. In 2013, people in Taiwan's entertainment industry awarded her the "Special Contribution Award" at the 24th Golden Melody Awards and the 48th Golden Bell Awards respectively.

Ichiro Kuyama Ichiro Kuyama Political figures · Japan

Hatoyama Ichiro (Hatoyama Ichiro, January 1, 1883 - March 7, 1959) was a native of Higashigogencho, Ushigome-ku, Tokyo (now Higashigogencho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo). He served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Kunio Hatoyama Kunio Hatoyama Political figures · Japan

Kunio Hatoyama (September 13, 1948 - June 21, 2016), a Japanese politician, a native of Tokyo, graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Tokyo. He was a powerful figure in the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and served as a member of the House of Representatives, Minister of General Affairs, Minister of Education, Minister of Labor and Minister of Justice.

Luhan Luhan Film & TV · People's Republic of China

Lu Han (April 20, 1990 -) is a male singer and actor in Mainland China. On April 8, 2012, he debuted in China and South Korea with the Korean men's group EXO and the Chinese unit EXO-M. He served as the lead singer, lead dancer, and appearance in the team. After quitting EXO on October 10, 2014, he moved to mainland China for development.

Maddie Maddie Film & TV · United States

Matt Dillon (English: Matt Dillon, February 18, 1964 -) is an American actor and film director. He joined the ranks of actors in the 1970s and became a teenage idol in the 1980s. In 1990, he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for "Drugstore Cowboy" and in 2006 for "The Impact", he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Mike Devin Mike Devin Political figures · United States

Richard Michael DeWine (English: Richard Michael DeWine; January 5, 1947 -) is a Republican American politician and the current governor of Ohio. He served as a U.S. representative for Ohio's 10th congressional district from 1983 to 1991 and a member of the Ohio Senate from 1995 to 2007. In 2023, during his tenure as governor of Ohio, the East Palestine train derailment occurred.

Mike Holden Mike Holden Athletes · Australia

Mackenzie Horton (English: Mackenzie Horton; April 25, 1996 -), nicknamed Mack Horton, was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is an Australian swimmer. He is good at freestyle swimming and represented Australia in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2016 Rio Olympics. Horton has been controversial for expressing dissatisfaction with his opponent Sun Yang on several occasions. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he mocked Sun Yang as a "drug-taking liar"; at the 2019 World Swimming Championships, he refused to take a photo with Sun Yang during the award ceremony.

Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre Film & TV · U.K.

Michael Hazen James McIntyre (February 21, 1976 -) is a British comedian, actor and presenter. In 2012, he was reported to be the highest-grossing comedian in the world. He has his own comedy show on BBC One and has also been a judge on Britain's Got Talent. He now lives in London.

Michael B. Jordan Michael B. Jordan Film & TV · United States

Michael Bakari Jordan (English: Michael Bakari Jordan, February 9, 1987 -), American actor, director and producer. He is best known for his roles as Wallace on The Wire (2002), Reggie Porter Montgomery on All My Children (2003-2006), East Dillon High School quarterback Vance Howard on Days of Our Lives (2009-2011), and Alex on Parenthood (2010-2011). Later, Jordan starred in the films "Kick-Ass" (2012) and the critically acclaimed "Oscar Day" (2013). He also played Johnny Stone/Human Torch in the 2015 superhero movie "Amazing Superman", and also interpreted Ardenis Kidd, the son of Apollo, in the "Rocky" series spin-off movie "The Fighter" in the same year. Jordan has been selected as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine twice, in 2020 and 2023.