Notable Alumni in the Arts

Ebb, Fred (1933 - 2004)
Music
Lyricist
'57GSAS

Ebb was best known for the witty lyrics he set to John Kander's music throughout 40 years of collaboration. Their first big success, Cabaret (directed by Harold Prince), won Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Score in 1966. The duo's other Tony-winning musicals include 70, Girls, 70 (1971), Chicago (1975, choreographed by Bob Fosse), Woman of the Year (1981), and The Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). Songs such as "Maybe This Time," "All That Jazz," and "Nowadays" have showcased the talent of Broadway stars such as Liza Minnelli and Barbara Streisand. Kander and Ebb wrote "New York, New York" for Martin Scorsese's 1977 film of the same name, and Frank Sinatra's 1979 rendition of the song helped turn it into a classic. Learn more.


Edman, Irwin (1896 - 1954)
Literature
Writer, Philosopher, Teacher
'17CC, '19PHD

Edman's philosophy dissertation, Human Traits and Their Social Significance, immediately became required reading for the core course "Contemporary Civilizations." Edman became a full professor at Columbia in 1935. Among his publications are Poems (1925), the novel Richard Kane Looks at Life (1925), and an introduction to the philosophy of art, The World, the Arts, and the Artist. Edman's collection of stories, A Philosopher's Holiday, details his belief that philosophical attitudes emerge from everyday experiences. Learn more.


Eikenberry, Jill (1947 - )
Theater
Actress
'69BC

Eikenberry's stage performances include roles in Wendy Wasserstein's Uncommon Women with Meryl Streep in 1979, Tennessee Williams' Eccentricities of a Nightingale (1976), and Lanford Wilson's Lemon Sky, for which she won an Obie Award. In addition to numerous film appearances, Eikenberry has played activist counselor Ann Kelsey on television's L.A. Law, for which she won a Golden Globe. She is an outspoken advocate for breast cancer research, having survived the disease in the 1980s.


Einfeld, Charles (1901 - 1974)
Film
Producer, Publicist


Charles Einfeld's publicity projects include A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), starring James Cagney and Mickey Rooney, and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Einfeld eventually rose to become head of advertising and publicity for Warner Brothers Studios. Einfeld also worked as a producer for Arch of Triumph (1948), starring Ingrid Bergman.


Eisenman, Peter
Architecture
Architect
1960Architecture

Eisenman studied architecture at Cornell, then at Columbia University, where he earned a Master of Architecture Degree. He also completed an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. He rose to prominence as an architect with the “NY Five” (Charles Gwathmey, John Hejduk, Richard Meier, and Michael Graves) and received several grants from the Graham Foundation for work during this time but ultimately evolved his own distinctive style, influenced by the Deconstructivist movement. His designs confounded conventional expectations. Eisenman achieved worldwide recognition for his holocaust memorial, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin (2005). Recent projects include University of Phoenix Stadium ( Arizona) and “City of Culture of Galicia”, cultural center in northwest Spain. He is author of “The formal Basis of Modern Architecture” and teaches at Yale.

 

Ephron, Delia (1944 - )
Film, Literature
Screenwriter, Fiction Writer
'66BC

Ephron is the funny half of the Ephron Sisters, who have collaborated on box-office successes such as Michael (1998), You've Got Mail (1998) and Hanging Up (2000). She collaborated with fellow Barnard alumna Ann Brasheras to adapt The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to film (2005). Ephron has also published a number of humorous books for young readers, including How to Eat Like a Child, and Other Lessons in Not Being a Grownup (1978) and Teenage Romance; Or, How to Die of Embarrassment (1981). She has also recently turned to fiction. Her novels are Hanging Up (1995) and Big City Eyes (2000). Learn more.


Epstein, Jason (1928 - )
Literature
Writer, Publisher
'49CC, '50GSAS

Epstein is credited with spurring the "paperback revolution" with his affordable Anchor Books imprint. In 1958, Epstein moved to Random House where he has served in as editorial director for forty years, working with Norman Mailer, Vladimir Nabokov, E. L. Doctorow, Gore Vidal and Philip Roth. He also had a hand in the founding of The New York Review of Books in 1962 and the Library of America in 1982. Epstein has won the Association of American Publishers' Curtis Benjamin Award and received the first National Book Award for Distinguished Service to American Letters. Learn more.


Erskine, John (1879 - 1951)
Music
Writer, Teacher, Musician
'01CC, 1903PhD , 1929LLD

As a teacher at Columbia, Erskine's protégés included Mark Van Doren, Mortimer Adler and Clifton Fadiman. He authored the surprise overnight success, The Private Life of Helen of Troy (1925), which explored the problems of the "lost generation" of Jazz Age youth. Erskine published thirty books, often modernizing classic characters such as Sir Galahad or Adam and Eve. He also harbored a love of music, playing in small ensembles, and served as president of the Juilliard School of Music from 1928-1937. Among his many honors is the Butler Medal (1918).

Learn more.