American University has educated several prominent figures in the entertainment, media, and cultural spheres. Notable celebrity alumni include legendary Academy Award-winning actress Goldie Hawn, beloved actor Sean Astin known for his roles in major cinematic trilogies, pioneering singer Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas, rock musician and spoken-word artist Henry Rollins, and various television personalities, news anchors, and authors who spent their formative undergraduate years studying in Washington, D.C.