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famous non-architects with architecture backgrounds

pivot

i'm compiling a list of well-known people who have had an architectural training of some sort but are productive in other disciplines. For example, David Byrne, Peter Greenaway, etc. Any help would be appreciated.

 
Nov 19, 08 6:28 pm
b3tadine[sutures]

Peter Eisenman

Nov 19, 08 6:28 pm  · 
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citizen

Jimmy Stewart. For you youngsters, the hero in "It's a Wonderful Life."

Nov 19, 08 6:35 pm  · 
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xtbl

weird al yankovic

Nov 19, 08 6:45 pm  · 
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pigeon

i was always told that both hitler and winston churchill had interests in / studied arch

Nov 19, 08 6:45 pm  · 
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vado retro

they worked on a charrette together. the judges were mussolini, stalin and hirohito...

Nov 19, 08 6:54 pm  · 
 · 
e
Bill Cahan
Nov 19, 08 7:05 pm  · 
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Emilio

The cartoonist Saul Steinberg (deceased) got his architecture degree in Milan. He said this about it:

The study of architecture is a marvelous training for anything but architecture. The frightening thought that what you draw may become a building makes for reasoned lines.

You can see the architect in his work:



Nov 19, 08 7:19 pm  · 
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6nuew

aishwarya rai

Nov 19, 08 7:25 pm  · 
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snook_dude

John Denver....architectural student University of Arizona....aka "Rocky Mountain High"

Nov 19, 08 7:30 pm  · 
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grid

Found an article about architecture students turned rock acts...

"Following on from great British rock acts that have arisen from the world of architecture, such as Pink Floyd, Suede, Moloko and the Pet Shop Boys, Architecture Rocks will be a platform for new musical talent to be discovered."

Nov 19, 08 7:56 pm  · 
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bravo_on_trace

can i just say...

i love this thread. Way to go pivot.

Nov 19, 08 8:06 pm  · 
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Barry Le Va

Tom Sachs
Nov 19, 08 8:13 pm  · 
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cmu268

Brad Pitt and Frank Gehry are bff's! i don't think he has any kind of training but he's surely interested



Nov 19, 08 9:21 pm  · 
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liberty bell

Norman Juster, author (The Phantom Tollbooth).

Nov 19, 08 9:35 pm  · 
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i wonder if frank spends a jolly time like that with a real intern? does he?

Nov 19, 08 10:23 pm  · 
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EdnaVuong

catherine hardwicke was an architectural student at UT austin

Nov 19, 08 10:36 pm  · 
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'orhan pamuk' studied architecture for two years



Nov 19, 08 10:56 pm  · 
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Apurimac

Nick Mason - Drummer for pink floyd, studied under foster and rodgers

One of the other members of the band was also an arch student

I think the arch school influence is obvious when you look at this album cover:



Oh, and for the record Aishwarya Rai is to me who Brad Pitt is to Liberty Bell.

Nov 19, 08 11:08 pm  · 
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n_

Courtney Cox studied architecture at Mt. Vernon College. Then she dropped out and became a 'Friend.'

Nov 19, 08 11:10 pm  · 
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vado retro
DancinInTheDarkWithn____________!
Nov 19, 08 11:31 pm  · 
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fays.panda

gianfranco ferre

Nov 19, 08 11:42 pm  · 
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bowling_ball

Thomas Jefferson (though he was a practicing architect)

Nov 20, 08 12:13 am  · 
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farwest1

Weren't some of the members of Pavement architecture students?

Nov 20, 08 12:24 am  · 
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one correction folks
Peter Greenaway actually studied as a muralist painter before getting into film.

And Apu as beautiful as Aishwarya Rai but she's no Parminder Nagra (surgeon from ER) who just seems to invite a pure adolescent lust

Nov 20, 08 12:27 am  · 
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binary

beck...i think

Nov 20, 08 12:37 am  · 
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generico

Moby wanted to be an architect

Nov 20, 08 1:00 am  · 
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binary

i still want to be an architect...hahahaha.....

Nov 20, 08 1:02 am  · 
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fays.panda

me 2 b, me 2

Nov 20, 08 1:23 am  · 
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el_pistolero
eddie george, asla



Nov 20, 08 1:56 am  · 
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archiwhat

Terry Gilliam wanted to be an architect but after working in a firm he hated the restrictions of the profession and decided to become a cartoonist.

Nov 20, 08 8:40 am  · 
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EdgewoodAnimal

Art Garfunkel studied architecture as a freshman at Columbia.

Nov 20, 08 9:24 am  · 
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FrankLloydMike

Dick Swett

Nov 20, 08 10:28 am  · 
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toasteroven

weird al yankovic

Nov 20, 08 10:57 am  · 
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liberty bell

Ah, Weird Al, great one, toaster! I had forgotten him.

Nov 20, 08 11:07 am  · 
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PodZilla

Terry Gilliam... Brazil makes so much more sense now...

Nov 20, 08 1:26 pm  · 
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snook_dude

Anthony Quinn, He was accepted into the folds of Frank Lloyd Wrights School of Architecture after winning a drawing competition in the Los Angles School System. He had an interview with Frank Lloyd Wright and was instructed by Mr. Wright to take some public speaking classes because of his heavy accent....the rest is History.....
Zorba the Greek.

Nov 20, 08 2:15 pm  · 
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snook_dude

David Byrne "Talking Heads" 1 year Rhode Island School of Design

Nov 20, 08 2:39 pm  · 
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ReflexiveSpace

All three of the Talking Heads went to RISD. I'm pretty sure they were all architecture students.

Nov 20, 08 2:53 pm  · 
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ReflexiveSpace

Sorry, I meant to say all three of the original, even though they weren't technically the "Talking Heads" till Harrison joined. I don't know what the fourth member Jerry Harrison did prior to the band.

Nov 20, 08 2:59 pm  · 
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moratto

Chuck D

Nov 20, 08 9:23 pm  · 
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binary

and i had to google chuck d.......

and i bet flav went to culinary school...hahaha

Nov 20, 08 9:28 pm  · 
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lekizz

Justine Frischman (from Elastica) is and architecture graduate, I am sure. After Elastica split up she was host to several TV architecture programmes and judgeing panels too.

Annie, the bass player, studied stained glass making. I'm showing my nerdiness for mid 1990's UK indie bands ;o)

Nov 21, 08 8:46 am  · 
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lekizz

Having just Wikipedia'd Justine Frischman, it has reminded me that 1990's UK indie singer Brett Anderson (of Suede) also graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture.

Nov 21, 08 8:56 am  · 
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snook_dude

I believe Chuck Norris was and Architecture Student from serious study of all his moves....I bet he has multiple women on the line which makes it even a stronger case. I just can't figure out where he would have gone to school. Maybe Rice University.

Nov 21, 08 3:43 pm  · 
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juan moment
Jan 19, 09 12:51 am  · 
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aspect

the title should be-

famous smart ass got escaped before it was too late.

Jan 19, 09 2:28 am  · 
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tc79

Queen Noor of Jordan (aka Lisa Halaby). She studied at Princeton.

Jan 19, 09 10:04 am  · 
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does anyone know which school of architecture in London Seal went to? Oddly I could see him as an AA or UCL grad

Jan 19, 09 11:19 am  · 
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weAREtheSTONES

Rick Wright from Pink Floyd too.



Jan 20, 09 3:27 am  · 
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dlb

Thomas Hardy studied at the AA (c. 1862)

Jan 21, 09 6:58 am  · 
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