Corey Ryan Earle ’07 (left) with Ed Helms, who played Andy Bernard on “The Office,” during the actor’s visit to campus to give the 2014 Senior Convocation address. Earle is holding the actual Cornell diploma prop from the series, which he received as a gift from his brother, University Archivist Evan Earle ’02, MS ’14. (Jason Koski / Cornell University) Quizzes & Puzzles How Well Do You Know Your Fictional Cornellians? From ‘The Simpsons’ to ‘Succession’ to Andy on ‘The Office,’ test your knowledge of Big Red ‘alums’ in pop culture with 12 questions Difficulty level: Moderate to challenging Editor’s note: Special thanks to Cornellians contributing editor and Big Red history expert Corey Ryan Earle ’07—seen above with the actor who played one of the most rabidly loyal alumni characters—whose 2023 March Madness bracket and Twitter poll formed the basis of this quiz. 1) Which “Simpsons” character is an alum? Mr. Burns Krusty the Clown Sideshow Bob Sideshow Mel None 2) Which TV president not only graduated from the University, but prominently sported a Cornell sweatshirt on the show? Tom Kirkman, “Designated Survivor” Jed Bartlet, “The West Wing” David Palmer, “24” Selina Meyer, “Veep” None 3) The title character of what classic film is an alum? “Citizen Kane” “The Graduate” “Lawrence of Arabia” “Annie Hall” None 4) President Emerita Martha Pollack once noted in a lighthearted media interview that the Cornell baseball cap sported by which unsavory TV character was “not the product placement that I would’ve paid for”? Tag Winbury, “The Perfect Couple” Martha Scott, “Baby Reindeer” Shane Patton, “The White Lotus” Perry Wright, “Big Little Lies” None 5) Anna Kendrick earned an Oscar nomination for portraying a Cornellian in what film? “Pitch Perfect” “Up in the Air” “The Accountant” “Twilight” None 6) Gary Busey plays a doctoral alum in what sci-fi horror sequel? “Aliens” “10 Cloverfield Lane” “Predator 2” “Godzilla vs. Kong” None 7) Which TV attorney is a Cornell Law School grad? Grace Van Owen, “L.A. Law” Madeline Matlock, “Matlock” (2024 reboot) Jessica Pearson, “Suits” Ling Woo, “Ally McBeal” None 8) On “The Office,” hyper-loyal Cornellian Andy Bernard sang with which fictional a cappella group as an undergrad? Here Comes Treble The TouchTones Tenor Is the Night The Ithacators None 9) Which Patrick Swayze film features a Hotelie as a minor character? “Ghost” “Dirty Dancing” “Roadhouse” “Point Break” None 10) Which supporting character on the “Big Bang Theory” holds a Cornell PhD? Physicist Barry Kripke President Siebert (of Caltech) Psychologist Beverly Hofstadter Arthur “Professor Proton” Jeffries None 11) Which “Succession” character—the runner-up in Earle’s March Madness poll—is an alum? Logan Roy (played by Brian Cox) Greg Hirsch (Nicholas Braun) Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) None 12) What film’s protagonist—the winner of Earle’s poll—is a vet student who drops out of Cornell just shy of graduation? “Babe” “Water for Elephants” “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” “Call of the Wild” None Time’s up Top: Corey Ryan Earle ’07 (left) with Ed Helms, who played Andy Bernard on “The Office,” during the actor’s visit to campus to give the 2014 Senior Convocation address. Earle is holding the actual Cornell diploma prop from the series, which he received as a gift from his brother, University Archivist Evan Earle ’02, MS ’14. (Photo by Jason Koski / Cornell University.) Published March 11, 2025 Comments No Name 16 Mar, 2025 We really need some positive role models in the movies and TV shows. Why is almost everyone super annoying or a villan. Who is selling this branding ? Reply Walter Howard, Class of 1974 16 Mar, 2025 You could include John Travolta, the lawyer in “a civil action“ Reply Cyrus Parsa, Class of 1993 16 Mar, 2025 Can add Cameron Diaz’s scene with Cornell degree in Any Given Sunday And Say Anything was frequently quoted in the 90’s. Reply Mark, Class of 1989 16 Mar, 2025 Could be misremembering, but didn’t Mark Feuerstein wear Cornell sweatshirts in the TV show Caroline in the City? Reply Carrie, Class of 1991 16 Mar, 2025 Loved this quiz. It is a bummer many Cornell alum characters are the butts of jokes. However, the one reference I did love was the mother of Beth Harmon in “The Queen’s Gambit”. Tragic, but brilliant. Reply Al, Class of 2023 17 Mar, 2025 Ted Mosby from How I Met Your Mother might be a Cornell alum too. He wears the Big Red Bear tee in one of the earlier episodes. Reply Lisa Sotir Ozkan, Class of 1988 26 Mar, 2025 Actually it is Barney Stimson who wears a cornell tshirt regularly… Reply Svein Arber, Class of 1959 17 Mar, 2025 Don Birnam (Ray Milland) in “The Lost Weekend” went to Cornell. Another less than admirable character. Reply Winston Gayler, Class of 1970 17 Mar, 2025 What about Charles Martin Smith in Starman playing Mark Shermin, a SETI researcher? Reply Pam (Mandell) Freedman, Class of 1987 25 Mar, 2025 Another cringe-y but fun to watch recurring character TV Cornellian: Deborah Vance (played by Jean Smart)’s unemployed, entitled, recovering drug addict daughter DJ, played by Kaitlin Olson on the award winning Max series Hacks. Reply Stacey Blecher, Class of 1986 25 Mar, 2025 Gene Kelly played Noel Airman, who flunked out of Cornell Law School in “Marjorie Morningstar!” Reply Carol Sue Hai, Class of 1960 25 Mar, 2025 Does William Holden’s leading role count playing a Cornellian, Eric Erickson, Cornell ”21 AB in “The Counterfeit Traitor”1962 Reply Heather Abbott 25 Mar, 2025 There is an old episode of Walker, Texas Ranger titled 6 Hours. A teen is kidnapped but it’s mentioned a couple times she’s leaving in the Fall to attend Cornell. Also, the leads in the movie Made of Honor met at Cornell. Reply Kris, Class of 1989 26 Mar, 2025 Bottom line, we will never fully recover from Andy Bernard. What drove me nuts about the character’s association with Cornell was the elitism that was implied. Of all the Ivies, we are surely the least elite. I’ve always wondered which of the writers (or producers?) had it in for Cornell. With both Brown and Harvard (and Dartmouth, I think) represented on the creative team, it seemed especially pointed. Regardless, Andy was a truly good guy and that is reflective of my many friends from days on The Hill so I guess it wasn’t that bad after all. Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Students Flying High: Sophomore Is a Rising Star in the Birding World Alumni For Miss Vermont, Pageants Are a Platform for Social Change Alumni Big Red Ink: Cornellian Tattoos, in Living Color