The following is a list of notable people associated with San Francisco State University, located in the American city of San Francisco, California. Many alumni may still need to be added to the San Francisco State University alumni category.

Notable alumni Academia Christopher R. Agnew, professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University Mahyar Amouzegar – mathematician, engineer, policy analyst, author, and academic Solomon Darwin – professor of Business at Haas School of Business and known for his development of "smart village" frameworks for Indian villages Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz – professor emerita of Ethnic Studies at California State University, East Bay

Israel Dunn Jr., president of Arkansas Baptist College Debra Fischer – astronomy professor, Yale University Lee Francis (1945–2003) – poet, educator, and founder of the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers Gerta Keller – paleontologist, professor of Geosciences at Princeton University Sophie Molholm – neuroscientist and academic, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Nemesio Prudente (1927–2008) – president of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Art Opal Palmer Adisa (born 1954) – artist, writer Kim Anno (born 1958) – abstract painter, photographer, filmmaker, educator Lutz Bacher (1943–2019) – conceptual artist Debra Bloomfield – artist, photographer Sunny Buick (born 1970) – painter and tattoo artist Lenore Chinn (born 1949) – painter Honey Lee Cottrell (1946–2015) – photographer and filmmaker Roy De Forest (1930–2007) – painter and sculptor Victor De La Rosa (born c. 1970s) – textile artist and educator Dominic Di Mare (born 1932) – abstract sculptor and, fiber art Chris Enos (born 1944) – class of 1969, photographer Phoebe Gloeckner (born 1960) – visual artist and cartoonist Suzanne Jackson (born 1944) – visual artist, poet, and dancer Susannah Israel (born 1954) – sculptor, writer, and educator

Elliott Linwood (born 1956) – conceptual artist Amalia Mesa-Bains – curator and artist Fred Rinne – visual and performance artist Hannah Stouffer (born 1981) – illustrator, painter Annie Wells – Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist

Business Barnaby Dorfman – CEO of Foodista.com Greg Fischbach – Acclaim Entertainment Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen – CEO, Novo Nordisk Chris Larsen – founder of E-Loan and Ripple Labs George M. Marcus – real estate broker, founder of Marcus & Millichap Manny Mashouf – founder of bebe stores clothing retail shops Jayshree Ullal – president and CEO of Arista Networks Stephen Wolf – chairman of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company

Entertainment

Film, stage, and television Alvin Ailey (1931–1989) – dance choreographer and activistEncyclopedia of American Studies, Johns Hopkins University Press Jack Angel – voice actor Gary Austin (1941–2017) – founder of the Groundlings theatre Margaret Avery – actress nominated for an Academy Award for The Color Purple; B.A. in education Ken Bastida – news anchor for KPIX Tory Belleci – special effects engineer and cast member on MythBusters Annette Bening – Academy Award-nominated actress, American Beauty, The American President, The Kids Are All Right Alex Borstein – actress on MadTV, voice of Lois on Family Guy Christopher Boyes – Academy Award-winning sound editor and mixer Bernard Bragg – actor Stan Bunger – morning co-anchor at KCBS All News 740/FM 106.9 Kari Byron – television host on MythBusters David Carradine (1936–2009) – actor Dana Carvey – comedian Peter Casey – Emmy Award-winning producer and writer, Frasier, Cheers, The Jeffersons, Wings Glen Charles – writer-producer Margaret Cho – comedian and actress Lisa Cholodenko – screenwriter and director Stephen Colletti – actor, One Tree Hill, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County Peter Coyote – actor and author Robert Culp (1930–2010) – actor, I Spy, The Greatest American Hero, Everybody Loves Raymond Michael Curtis – Emmy Award-nominated producer and writer, Friends, JONAS Hari Dhillon – actor, Holby City, a British drama series Deepti Divakar – model, actress, writer, and Miss India World 1981 Roger Dobkowitz – producer, The Price Is Right Walt Dohrn – actor, voice of Rumpelstiltskin in Shrek Forever After Arthur Dong – documentary filmmaker Keir Dullea – actor, best known for starring in 2001: A Space Odyssey Dina Eastwood – former television news anchor, star of Mrs. Eastwood & Company on E!; married to Clint Eastwood Andre Fenley – Academy Award-winning sound engineer at Skywalker Sound George Fenneman (1919–1997) – radio and television announcer Anthony C. Ferrante – director, producer and writer Keith Fowler – actor, director, educator Mike Galanos – news anchor for HLN Danny Glover – actor Nina Hartley – adult actress, author, feminist, activist Ellen Idelson (1961–2003) – television producer, writer and actress Sirena Irwin - voice actress Daren Kagasoff – actor Sammi Kane Kraft (1992–2012) – actress Lynn Hershman Leeson – artist and filmmaker Kimberly Hunt – chief anchor and managing editor for KGTV, San Diego Madeleine Lim – award-winning filmmaker, LGBTQ activist, and founder of QWOCMAP Delroy Lindo – actor Rosie Malek-Yonan – actor and author of The Crimson Field Mary Mara – actress Joseph E. Marshall, Jr. – radio talk show host Al Martinez (1929–2015) – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Irene McGee – talk show host, former cast member of The Real World: Seattle Mike McShane – actor, improvisational comedian Michael Medved – film critic and radio talk show host Michael Moss – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Shawn Murphy – Academy Award-winning sound editor Rex Navarette – comedian Melissa Ng – actress, first runner-up at Miss Chinese International Pageant 1996 Steven Okazaki – documentary filmmaker Greg Proops – comedian and improviser best known for Whose Line is it Anyway? Jonas Rivera – Academy Award-winning producer of Inside Out Ronnie Schell – comedian and actor Rob Schneider – comedic actor Adivi Sesh –film actor, director, and screenwriter Ben Shedd – Academy Award-winning filmmaker Harry Shum, Jr. – actor, dancer, Glee Doug Siebum – audio engineer Frank Silva (1950–1995) – actor, Twin Peaks Frank Somerville – news anchor for KTVU Fox 2 in Oakland, California Daniel J. Sullivan – theatre director and playwright Rita Taggart – actress, Night Court Jeffrey Tambor – actor Ethan Van der Ryn – Academy Award-winning sound editor Janet Varney – actress, comedian Adrian Voo – actor David Wallechinsky – populist historian and television commentator Carl Weathers – actor, best known for starring in the Rocky films, Predator, and Happy Gilmore Josh Wolf – freelance journalist and internet videoblogger B.D. Wong – actor Steven Zaillian – Academy Award-winning screenwriter; wrote screenplay for Schindler's List

Music Annette A. Aguilar – percussionist, bandleader, and music educator Vernon Alley (1915–2004) – jazz bassist Mike Burkett – lead singer of NOFX Dan the Automator – hip-hop producer Vernon Chatman – member of art collective/rock band PFFR, co-creator of Wonder Showzen and Xavier Paul Desmond (1924–1977) – jazz musician, member of The Dave Brubeck Quartet and composer of "Take Five" George Duke (1946–2013) – musician and producer Don Falcone – musician and producer Jennifer Finch – bass player for the rock band L7 Paul Gemignani – Broadway musical director Noah Georgeson – musician and producer Vince Guaraldi (1928–1976) – jazz musician and composer of the Peanuts cartoon music Kirk Hammett – Metallica's lead guitarist Dan Hicks (1941–2016) – musician, member of The Charlatans, leader of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks Ella Jenkins – folk singer John Lee – member of art collective/rock band PFFR, co-creator of Wonder Showzen and Xavier Johnny Mathis – singer Dean Menta – composer, guitarist for Faith No More and Sparks Steven Miller – producer, arranger, and record company executive Kent Nagano – conductor Pauline Oliveros (1932–2016) – composer, accordionist and electronic art musician John Patitucci – jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player Terry Riley – composer Pete Rugolo (1915–2011) – jazz composer, arranger and record producer Ghazi Shami – record producer and music technologist, founder & CEO of Empire Distribution Cal Tjader (1925–1982) – jazz musician Oliver Tree – surrealist musician, singer, songwriter, comedian, and filmmaker Joe Louis Walker – electric blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Janet Weiss – drummer for Sleater-Kinney

Literature and journalism Oscar Zeta Acosta – writer, activist, attorney Kim Addonizio – poet and novelist Amy L. Alexander – author; journalist for The Washington Post, NPR, The Root, and The Nation, as well as many newspapers Rae Armantrout – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Arnold – self-published author Melba Pattillo Beals – author, journalist, academic and member of the Little Rock Nine Po Bronson – journalist and author James Brown – novelist Howard Bryant – senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine Patrick Califia – writer and poet Laban Coblentz – writer, educator, science policy adviser, international civil servant, entrepreneur Adam Cornford – poet, librettist, and essayist Kelly Corrigan – writer Jane Cutler – writer David Farley – author of An Irreverent Curiosity, food and travel writer Ben Fong-Torres – writer, editor of Rolling Stone Ernest J. Gaines – novelist, National Humanities Medal winner, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman Leonard Gardner – novelist Jack Gilbert (1925–2012) – poet Eugene Gloria – poet Linda Gregg – poet Gerald Haslam – novelist, essayist, writer, public speaker Jonathan Holden – poet Aidan A. Kelly – poet, academic, and influential figure in the Neopagan religion of Wicca Bill Lee – author Russell Leong – author and philosopher Devorah Major – writer Frances Mayes – poet, memoirist, essayist, novelist Michael McClure – poet, playwright, songwriter, and novelist Richard Melo – writer, author of Jokerman 8, a novel set at San Francisco State University Alyce Miller – writer Janice Mirikitani – poet and activist Cherríe Moraga – writer and activist Carol Muske-Dukes – former California Poet Laureate Jim Provenzano – novelist and journalist Anne Rice – writer John Saul – horror novelist Kathy Lou Schultz – poet, scholar Philip Schultz – Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Silliman – poet Daniel Silva – journalist and novelist Kate Small – writer Rebecca Solnit – writer, contributing editor at Harper's Magazine Chad Sweeney – poet Gail Tsukiyama – novelist Jose Antonio Vargas – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rickey Vincent – author and Ethnic Studies professor Rishi Vohra – novelist Vivian Walsh – writer, Olive, the Other Reindeer and other children's books Shawn Wong – author and English professor Kirby Wright – writer Judy Juanita – poet and novelist

Military

Herman Bottcher (1909–1944) – decorated U.S. Army soldier, veteran of the Spanish Civil War and World War II Barbara Brannon – major general, United States Air Force Roscoe Cartwright (1919–1974) – first black field artilleryman promoted to brigadier general Darlene Iskra – first woman to command a U.S. Navy ship Keith Kerr – military general and gay rights activistSLDN Military Advisory Council – sldn.org – Retrieved November 30, 2007

Politics and government Tom Ammiano – member of the California State Assembly (13th district) Willie Brown – member and 58th Speaker of the California State Assembly and former mayor of San Francisco, California John L. Burton – former president pro tempore of the California State Senate Robert Campbell – member of the California State Assembly (1980–1996) Ron Dellums (1935–2018) – former mayor of Oakland and U.S. representative 1971–1998