Joan Allen
Oscar-Nominated Actress
B.A., Theatre, '89

Allen has recently starred in The Upside of Anger and The Bourne Supremacy. She was nominated for an Oscar as best actress for her portrayal of Senator Laine Hanson in The Contender. She also has twice been nominated for an Oscar as best supporting actress: in 1996 for her role as Pat Nixon in Nixon and in 1997 for her role in The Crucible. She won a Tony award for her Broadway role in Burn This.

Dan Castellaneta
Emmy-Winning Actor
B.S.Ed., Art, '79

Two-time Emmy Award winner Castellaneta is the voice of Homer Simpson … as well as Krusty the Clown, Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble, Mayor Quimby, Groundskeeper Willie and numerous others on FOX TV's The Simpsons.

Steve Harris,
Emmy-Nominated Actor
B.A., Theatre, '89

Harris recently starred in Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Other motion picture credits include Minority Report, The Rock, Sugar Hill and The Skulls. He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his portrayal of Eugene Young on ABC's The Practice. 

Justin Mentell
Actor
B.F.A., Theatre, '05

The May, 2005, graduate of the NIU School of Theatre and Dance starred alongside Emmy winners William Shatner and James Spader as well as Hollywood legend Candice Bergen on ABC's "Boston Legal." Mentell portrayed young attorney Garrett Wells.