Famous Schenley High School Alumni

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Updated June 1, 2019 11 items
Voting Rules
People on this list must have gone to Schenley High School and be of some renown.

List of famous alumni from Schenley High School, with photos when available. Prominent graduates from Schenley High School include celebrities, politicians, business people, athletes and more. This list of distinguished Schenley High School alumni is loosely ordered by relevance, so the most recognizable celebrities who attended Schenley High School are at the top of the list. This directory is not just composed of graduates of this school, as some of the famous people on this list didn't necessarily earn a degree from Schenley High School.

Examples include Andy Warhol and George Benson.

This list answers the questions โ€œWhich famous people went to Schenley High School?โ€ and โ€œWhich celebrities are Schenley High School alumni?โ€
  • Andy Warhol

    Andy Warhol

    Sculptor, Illustrator, Painter
    Andy Warhol, a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art, was born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He rose from humble beginnings to become a defining persona in the contemporary art world. His parents were working-class immigrants from Slovakia, and he showed an early interest in art, studying commercial art at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. With his unique perspective on the intersection of art, celebrity, and business, Warhol's work became iconic for its boldness, simplicity, and exploration of consumer culture. After graduating, Warhol moved to New York City to pursue a career in commercial illustration, where his signature drawing style quickly garnered recognition amongst advertising agencies. However, it was during the 1960s that he pioneered the groundbreaking pop art movement, taking inspiration from popular culture and creating works based on familiar subjects such as Campbell's Soup Cans or Marilyn Monroe. These pieces not only propelled Warhol into stardom but also sparked controversy and critical debates about the nature of art itself. Warhol's impact reached beyond painting and printmaking. He ventured into various other forms of media, including film, photography, and music. In 1964, he established "The Factory," a studio where he and his collaborators made art and films, attracting a diverse crowd of bohemians, intellectuals, and celebrities. It was here that Warhol fostered an environment of creativity and eccentricity, shaping the culture of the era. He also managed the rock band The Velvet Underground, further demonstrating his influence on popular culture. Warhol died in New York City on February 22, 1987, leaving behind a vast body of work that continues to inspire and provoke to this day.
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  • Bill Nunn
    William Goldwyn Nunn III (October 20, 1953 โ€“ September 24, 2016) was an American actor known for his roles as Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's film Do the Right Thing and Robbie Robertson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man film trilogy.
  • Earl Hines

    Earl Hines

    Jazz Pianist, Pianist, Musician
    Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 โ€“ April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".The trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie (a member of Hines's big band, along with Charlie Parker) wrote, "The piano is the basis of modern harmony. This little guy came out of Chicago, Earl Hines. He changed the style of the piano. You can find the roots of Bud Powell, Herbie Hancock, all the guys who came after that. If it hadn't been for Earl Hines blazing the path for the next generation to come, it's no telling where or how they would be playing now. There were individual variations but the style of ... the modern piano came from Earl Hines."The pianist Lennie Tristano said, "Earl Hines is the only one of us capable of creating real jazz and real swing when playing all alone." Horace Silver said, "He has a completely unique style. No one can get that sound, no other pianist". Erroll Garner said, "When you talk about greatness, you talk about Art Tatum and Earl Hines".Count Basie said that Hines was "the greatest piano player in the world".
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  • George Benson

    George Benson

    Guitarist, Songwriter, Musician
    George Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 21 as a jazz guitarist. Benson uses a rest-stroke picking technique similar to that of gypsy jazz players such as Django Reinhardt. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, playing soul jazz with Jack McDuff and others. He then launched a successful solo career, alternating between jazz, pop, R&B singing, and scat singing. His album Breezin' was certified triple-platinum, hitting no. 1 on the Billboard album chart in 1976. His concerts were well attended through the 1980s, and he still has a large following. Benson has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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  • Clifford Shull
    Clifford Glenwood Shull (September 23, 1915 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania โ€“ March 31, 2001) was a Nobel Prize-winning American physicist.
  • Billy Cox

    Billy Cox

    Bassist, Musician, Actor
    William "Billy" Cox (born October 16, 1939) is an American bassist, best known for performing with Jimi Hendrix. Cox is the only surviving musician to have regularly played with Hendrix: first with the experimental group that backed Hendrix at Woodstock (informally referred to as "Gypsy Sun and Rainbows"), followed by the trio with drummer Buddy Miles that recorded the live Band of Gypsys album, and, lastly, The Cry of Love Tour trio with Mitch Mitchell back on drums. Cox continues to perform dates with the Band of Gypsys Experience and the Experience Hendrix Tour. In addition to Hendrix, he has either been a member of the house or touring band or recorded sessions for Sam Cooke, Slim Harpo, Joe Simon, Charlie Daniels, John McLaughlin, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Lou Rawls, Etta James, Jackie Wilson and Little Richard.
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  • Maurice Lucas

    Maurice Lucas

    Basketball player
    Maurice Lucas (February 18, 1952 โ€“ October 31, 2010) was an American professional basketball player. The first two years of his postcollegiate career were spent in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Spirits of St. Louis and Kentucky Colonels. He then played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Portland Trail Blazers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knickerbockers, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Seattle SuperSonics. The starting power forward on the Trail Blazers' 1976โ€“77 NBA Championship team, he was nicknamed The Enforcer because of his primary role on the court which was best exemplified in Game 2 of the NBA Finals that season.
  • DeJuan Blair
    DeJuan Lamont Blair (born April 22, 1989 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an All-American professional basketball player who currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before turning pro Blair played forward and center for the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team from 2007 to 2009. After an outstanding sophomore (second) season he entered the 2009 NBA Draft where he was selected in the second round, 37th overall by the Spurs.
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  • Shawn Hawkins

    Shawn Hawkins

  • Ken Durrett

    Ken Durrett

    Kenneth L. Durrett was an American professional basketball player with the NBA's Kansas City Kings and Philadelphia 76ers. A 6'7 Forward, Durrett was a star at La Salle University from 1968-71.
  • William Russell Robinson

    William Russell Robinson

    William Russell "Bill" Robinson (born February 5, 1942) is a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Robinson is a 1960 graduate of Schenley High School. He earned a degree in political science from The Ohio State University in 1964 and a master's degree in political science from Duquesne University in 1972. He served as a member of the Pittsburgh City Council.He was first elected to represent the 19th legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1988. He was defeated in the 2002 Democratic primary by Jake Wheatley, a staffer for Pittsburgh City Councilman Sala Udin, a Robinson rival.