Notable Alumni in the Arts

Wager, Walter H. (1924 - 2004)
Literature
Writer, Editor
'44CC

Three of Wager's spy novels have made it to the silver screen: Telefon, starring Charles Bronson (1977); Viper Three, filmed as Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977), starring Burt Lancaster; and 58 Minutes, which became Die Hard 2 (1990), starring Bruce Willis. Wager has published over thirty works of fiction and nonfiction under the pseudonyms Walter Herman and John Tiger, including Operation Intrigue (1956), Designated Hitler (1982), and Tunnel (2000). Wager also wrote and produced for radio and television, authored documentary films on subjects ranging from jazz to organized crime, and served as editor in chief at Playbill. Wager was director of public relations for ASCAP and editor of ASCAP Today through the 1970s, and he worked as a public relations director for organizations such as the Eugene O'Neill Theater and the Mann Center.


Wakefield, Dan (1932 - )
Literature
Writer, Journalist
'55CC

A writer of fiction, nonfiction and journalism that has been praised for its sensitivity and attention to detail, Wakefield has contributed work to publications such as The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Commentary, The New York Times Magazine, Poets and Writers, and Ploughshares. His early nonfiction works include Island in the City: The World of Spanish Harlem (1959) and Supernation at Peace and War, the result of his cross-country travels (1968). Wakefield's first novel, Going All the Way (1970), garnered a National Book Award nomination; he also wrote the film adaptation of All the Way, which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997; his second bestselling novel, Starting Over, was adapted to film as well. Wakefield's recent work includes a memoir, New York in the Fifties (1992), and examinations of faith such as Returning: A Spiritual Journey (1988), Expect a Miracle (1995), and Releasing the Creative Spirit (2001). Among his honors are a Rockefeller Grant for Creative Writing and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn more.


Webb, Kenneth S/ (1892 - 1966)
Film, Theater
Screenwriter, Playwright, Director
1910CC

Kenneth S. Webb, younger brother of alum Roy Webb, is best remembered for his stage adaptation of the novel Gay Divorce for the hit 1932 Broadway musical starring Fred Astaire in his last Broadway show. In 1934, Webb's helped the play's silver screen adaptation, The Gay Divorcee, earned an Oscar nomination for best score. Webb's original plays and revues include The Best Sellers (1918) and Houseboat on the Styx (1928). He wrote and directed silent films such as The Master Mind (1920) and The Devil's Garden (1920), as well as The Beautiful City (1925), Just Suppose (1926) and Shave It with Music (1932).

Learn more.


Welty, Eudora (1909 - 2001)
Literature
Writer
'30-31BUS

Welty spent "a most marvelous year" at Columbia's Business School before returning home upon her father's death. She is revered for the elegance and lyricism of her Southern storytelling and for her sharp dialogue and piercing wit. In 1998, Welty became the first living writer to be included in the Library of America series. Among her short stories are "Death of a Traveling Salesman" and "Why I Live at the P.O." Her novels include A Curtain of Green (1941) and The Robber Bridegroom (1944). The Optimist's Daughter (1973) won the Pulitzer Prize. During the Great Depression, Welty traveled throughout Mississippi taking photographs for FDR's Works Progress Administration; they were exhibited in New York in 1936 and collected in One Time, One Place: Mississippi in the Depression (1971). Among Welty's many honors are the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, the Gold Medal of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and the 1980 Medal of Freedom, presented by former president Jimmy Carter.

Learn more.


Wieseltier, Leon (1952 - )
Literature
Writer, Journalist, Editor
'74CC

Since 1983, Wieseltier has served as literary editor of The New Republic. Along with articles and weekly posts in TNR, Wieseltier has also authored Nuclear War, Nuclear Peace (1983), Against Identity (1996), and the popular Kaddish (1998), a blend of philosophy, history, and spiritual memoir exploring the Jewish traditions of mourning.


Wilde, Cornel (1915 - 1989)
Film, Theater
Actor, Director
'33CC, '35PS

Wilde learned his fight choreography skills as a member of the U.S. Olympic fencing training squad; he played Tybalt in Lawrence Olivier's 1940 Romeo and Juliet and choreographed his character's fatal duel with Romeo. Other films which featured his swashbuckling skills include The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946), Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and Constantine the Great (1962). Wilde's portrayal of Chopin in A Song to Remember (1945) earned him an Oscar nomination. As a producer and director of films such as Storm Fear (1956), The Naked Prey (1966), and Shark's Treasure (1975), Wilde often risked live sharks and other dangers for the sake of a good shot. Learn more.


Wilson, Carrie
Music, Theater
Singer, Actress, Writer, Singing Instructor
'66BC

After graduating Barnard with a degree in art history, Carrie Wilson studied Aesthetic Realism with the movement's founder, Eli Siegel. Today, Ms. Wilson is a faculty member of the Aesthetic Realism Foundation. She attended the Goldovsky Opera Institute and has performed as a mezzo-soprano at the Lincoln Center Library and in several Off-Broadway productions. She performs regularly with the Aesthetic Realism Company in musical events and dramatic presentations. In addition to performing and teaching opera, Ms. Wilson has written many articles on Aesthetic Realism and other topics, and is a contributing author of one book (Goodbye Profit System: Update). Learn more.


Wouk, Herman (1915 - )
Literature
Writer
'34CC

Wouk's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Caine Mutiny (1951) drew from the author's World War II US Navy experiences in the Pacific, where he was decorated with four campaign stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. Wouk followed The Caine Mutiny with the epic Winds of War (1971) and its sequel War and Remembrance (1978). Wouk has published fifteen works of fiction, drama, nonfiction and memoir, including three successful Broadway plays and two reflections on his Jewish heritage, This is My God (1959) and The Will to Live On (2000). Most recently, at the age of 88, Wouk published the novel A Hole in Texas. Among Wouk's honors are the Columbia University's Medal of Excellence (1952) and the College's Alexander Hamilton Medal (1980). Learn more.


Wyatt, Greg (1949 - )
Visual Arts
Sculptor
'71CC, TC

In addition to his degrees from Columbia, Wyatt's roots in Morningside Heights include a father who taught painting at the University and Wyatt's Peace Fountain monument at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Among Wyatt's public commissions are Olympic Woman at the headquarters of Avon, Inc., Gramercy Park's Fantasy Fountain and Vanderbilt University's Tree of Learning. Columbia unveiled Scholar's Lion outside Low Library on Dean's Day 2004. Wyatt has taught sculpture at several universities. He received the Helen Foster Barnett award from the National Academy of Sculptors in 1979, and he was honored with a US Congress Citation Award in 1992.


Wyatt, Jane (1911 - )
Film, Television, Theater
Actress
'32BC

Wyatt, daughter of playwright and drama critic Euphemia Waddington, won three Emmy awards for her role as Margaret Anderson on the television series Father Knows Best (1957, 1958 and 1959). She performed in fifteen Broadway plays, including the original productions of Clifford Odets' Night Music (1940) and Lillian Hellman's The Autumn Garden (1951). Her film credits include Frank Capra's Lost Horizon (1937) and None but the Lonely Heart (1944) starring Cary Grant and Ethel Barrymore. Television appearances include The Ford Television Theater, Robert Montgomery Presents, Studio One, and the TV movies Tom Sawyer (1973), and Amelia Earhart (1976). Learn more.