Growing List of Jesuit Educated Actors

 

Georgetown University (Founded: 1789, Washington, D.C.)

• Bradley Cooper (Class of 1997) — The Hangover, A Star is Born
• Nick Kroll — Kroll Show, Big Mouth
• John Mulaney (writer/comedian, some acting roles) — Saturday Night Live, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• John Barrymore — Modern screen acting pioneer
• Carl Reiner (attended briefly) — Comedian, actor, director
• Jeffrey Lieber — Screenwriter, actor
• Ben Affleck (attended briefly before transferring) — Good Will Hunting, Batman

Saint Louis University (1818, St. Louis, Missouri)

• Kevin Kline — A Fish Called Wanda, The Big Chill, stage actor
• Jon Hamm (attended briefly) — Mad Men

Fordham University (1841, New York, NY)

• Denzel Washington (BA 1977) — Training Day, Fences
• Alan Alda — M*A*S*H, The West Wing
• Burt Young — Rocky (as Paulie)
• Frank McCourt (playwright/author/actor, BA 1957) — Angela’s Ashes
• John Benjamin Hickey — The Big C, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
• Treat Williams (transferred) — Everwood, Hair
• Robert Sean Leonard (attended briefly) — House, Dead Poets Society
• Pedro Pascal (attended for two years) — The Mandalorian, Narcos, Game of Thrones
• Frank Langella — Frost/Nixon, Superman Returns (attended but graduated from Syracuse)
• Héctor Elizondo — Pretty Woman, Chicago Hope (attended briefly)
• Dylan McDermott (attended briefly) — The Practice, American Horror Story

College of the Holy Cross (1843, Worcester, MA)

• Bob Cousy — NBA Hall of Famer, appeared as himself in various productions
• Ed Reggie — Comedian/actor

Loyola University New Orleans (1849)

• Ian Somerhalder — The Vampire Diaries, Lost (attended for one semester)

Santa Clara University (1851, Santa Clara, CA)

• Steve Nash — NBA star, appeared as guest on SNL and in TV cameos
• Raymond Burr — Perry Mason, Ironside
• Andy Ackerman (Seinfeld director, partial attendance)

University of San Francisco (1855)

• Bill Bixby — The Incredible Hulk, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father
• Robert Stack (attended briefly) — The Untouchables

Boston College (1863, Chestnut Hill, MA)

• Chris O’Donnell — NCIS: Los Angeles, Scent of a Woman
• Matt Ryan (NFL QB; voice acting credits including Madden series)

Canisius University (Buffalo, NY, 1870)

(Still finding no prominent male actors with definitive partial or full attendance)

Loyola University Chicago (1870)

• Bob Newhart — The Bob Newhart Show, Elf
• Michael Gross — Family Ties, Tremors
• Ian Brennan — Glee co-creator, actor
• Neil Flynn — Scrubs, The Middle

Creighton University (1878, Omaha, NE)

• Kal Penn — (also known for political work, has prominent acting roles)
• Pat Hazell — Comedian, Seinfeld writer

University of Detroit Mercy (1880 / 1990 merger)

• Keegan-Michael Key — Key & Peele, MADtv
• David Patrick Kelly — The Warriors, Twin Peaks
• Sam Raimi (attended for a year before dropping out to make Evil Dead)

Marquette University (1881, Milwaukee, WI)

• Chris Farley — Saturday Night Live, Tommy Boy
• Pat O’Brien (sportscaster with film appearances)
• Don Ameche (1908-1985, partial attendance) (Ameche transferred to Loras College, then graduated from Marquette Law)

Gonzaga University (1887, Spokane, WA)

• Bing Crosby (attended three years) — White Christmas, Going My Way
• Tom Bosley — Happy Days, Father Dowling Mysteries
• Craig T. Nelson — Coach, Parenthood (attended for a time)

John Carroll University (1886, University Heights, OH)

(Still finding no prominent male actors with definitive partial or full attendance)

Seattle University (1891, Seattle, WA)

None Found

Regis University (Colorado, 1877 / 1887)

• Bill Murray (attended for one year) — Ghostbusters, Caddyshack
• Chris Farley (also listed under Marquette, attended Regis for one semester)

Loyola Marymount University (1911/17, Los Angeles, CA)

• Colin Hanks — Fargo, Orange County
• Brian Helgeland (writer/director/actor, BA 1987)
• Scott Eastwood — Fury, The Longest Ride
• Brian Baumgartner — The Office
• Mike Judge — Office Space, Beavis & Butt-Head (briefly attended)
• Demetri Martin — Comedian/actor
• Masi Oka — Heroes, Hawaii Five-0
• Justin Hartley — This Is Us, Smallville
• Tyler Ritter — The McCarthys
• Danny Sullivan — Drive to Survive, cameo roles
• David Mirkin (The Simpsons showrunner and director)

Fairfield University (1942, Fairfield, CT)

• Kevin Nealon — Saturday Night Live, Weeds (attended briefly)

Le Moyne College (1946, Syracuse, NY)

(Still finding no prominent male actors with definitive partial or full attendance)

University of Scranton (1888, Jesuit since 1942, Scranton, PA)

• Jason Miller — The Exorcist, The Ninth Configuration

Wheeling University (1954, Wheeling, WV)

(Still finding no prominent male actors with definitive partial or full attendance)

Notes:

• Some "acting" alumni may have been better known in comedy, writing, or hosting but held acting roles.
• Numbers of prominent female alumni are not listed per instruction
• There are yet more actors with minimal roles or unverified attendance records. It’s important to weigh definitively confirming verifiable and known actors over speculative possibilities.

If you have specific names you would like me to research or want to change the parameters again, let me know!