It’s the end of week three. You’re posted at Norbucks, reading a book (even though it’s a Friday night) and trying to appear inconspicuous. In reality, you’re keeping an eye out for any of incredibly famous people who will be on campus for the School of Communication’s CommFest weekend, particularly the “Starry Night” performers on Saturday. Some faces may be more recognizable than others, so prepare to do a little Internet sleuthing before the celebrity alumni return to their old stomping grounds.
Dermot Mulroney and Julia Roberts are still "the closest of friends" http://t.co/phPeZMTSB4pic.twitter.com/GttVNsvSpH
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) May 28, 2015
1. Dermot Mulroney (Comm ‘85): Known for My Best Friend’s Wedding, Young Guns and August: Osage County, Mulroney has also appeared on New Girl,Mozart in the Jungle and Friends – his character dated Rachel for a single episode, but broke up because Ross complicated matters (continuing his pattern of ruining everything).
2. Brian d’Arcy James (Comm ‘90): Though I knew him first as Hannah Baker’s dad on 13 Reasons Why, James has made a mark on the theater scene – he’s starred as King George III in Hamilton, was nominated for a Tony for his role in Something Rotten and, most importantly, he appeared in Shrek The Musical. (Am I above making a “Shrek is love, Shrek is life” joke? Of course not.)
3. Kathryn Hahn (Comm ‘95): Hahn appears as political guru Jen Barkley, a role model for all of us career-oriented Wildcats, on NBC’s magnum opus Parks and Recreation. She’s also been in Anchorman, Stepbrothers and the quintessential rom-com How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. And she went to Yale after her time at NU, so it’s safe to say she’s probably team #Nerdwestern.
4. Stephanie D’Abruzzo (Comm ‘93): A four-year-long resident of the Communications Residential College, D’Abruzzo is super keen to talk to student journalists, and will gush about beloved CRC faculty chair Roger Boye whenever given the chance (speaking from personal experience). Since her time in East Fairchild, she has starred in Broadway’s Avenue Q (earning a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical) and as various muppets on Sesame Street. Her husband Craig Shemin (Comm ‘88) also lived in CRC for the entire duration of his Northwestern career.
Figure #White Collar fans would love this very recent but all too brief reunion. (sans Matt, Marsha, and Tiffani) #cantleaveoutMrsBurke#mozzielikessuitsafterallpic.twitter.com/L6vVw5yYoq
— Sharif Atkins (@SharifAtkins) December 19, 2017
5. Sharif Atkins (Comm ‘97): Atkins starred in the USA Network’s’ White Collar for four years, but not before gaining notoriety for his role as Dr. Michael Gallant on the hit medical drama ER (a show that was perpetually on throughout my childhood, thanks to my mother’s obsession with Dr. Kovach). More recently, he made an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy as a Nova Corps pilot.
6. Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Comm ‘93): Williams-Paisley left Northwestern her sophomore year to film Father of the Bride, but, even more impressively, returned of her own volition after starring in the movie with Steve Martin. She played the lead role in the super-weird-but-undeniably-awesome miniseries The 10th Kingdom. She had a recurring role on the drama Nashville, and appeared in the made-for-TV film The Christmas Shoes (yes, based on that song) with Rob Lowe. The more you know!
7. Kyle Heffner (Comm ‘79): After graduating college, Heffner worked with fellow Northwestern alumnus, prominent director and producer Garry Marshall in the film Young Doctors in Love. He has also appeared in Flashdance, Spellbinder and When Harry Met Sally. (For the record, this reporter posits that men and women can absolutely just be friends.)
Sleep Tight #SVU#CabotisBack#Cabensonpic.twitter.com/YKuAqr3K9P
— Stephanie March (@MarchStephanie) April 19, 2018
8. Stephanie March (Comm ‘96): Though she got her start in theater at Northwestern and later worked on Broadway in Death of a Salesman and Talk Radio, March is best known for her work on television. Now look, I’m not saying that Law and Order: Special Victims Unit is the most important show on American television, but I’m also not not saying it’s the most important show on American television. March plays District Attorney Cabot who, after many ups and downs, will have an appearance in at least one episode of the 19th season.
Ah, March Madness. Or as the Northwestern basketball fan knows it, March.
— Seth Meyers (@sethmeyers) March 21, 2013
9. Seth Meyers (Comm ‘96, Honorary ‘16): Disclaimer: Seth Meyers will be joining “A Starry Night” via video message, so don’t go looking for him on campus come Saturday, because you won’t find him. This too-cool-to-come-back-to-school Wildcat has written for and starred on SNL, and now is the host of Late Night. He also hosted the Emmys in 2014, as well as this year’s Golden Globes.
10. Stephen Colbert (Comm ‘86, Honorary ‘11): Perhaps the most famous School of Comm alum who is not marrying Prince Harry in May, Colbert is known for his improv work at Chicago’s Second City, The Colbert Report and, now, The Late Show, which he hosts. He has won nine Emmys, two Grammys and two Peabodys. He hosted the 2017 Emmy Awards and has been on TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list twice.