| Author Name | Profession | Nationality |
| W. Averell Harriman | Politician | American |
| W. C. Fields | Comedian | American |
| W. Edwards Deming | Scientist | American |
| W. H. Davies | Poet | Welsh |
| W. L. George | Writer | English |
| W. Mark Felt | Public Servant | American |
| W. S. Gilbert | Dramatist | English |
| Wade Davis | Scientist | Canadian |
| Walker Evans | Photographer | American |
| Wally Amos | Businessman | American |
| Wally George | Celebrity | American |
| Wally Lamb | Author | American |
| Walt Alston | Athlete | American |
| Walt Kelly | Cartoonist | American |
| Walter Bagehot | Author | English |
| Walter Elliot | Politician | Scottish |
| Walter Gilbert | Scientist | American |
| Walter Hagen | Athlete | American |
| Walter Isaacson | Writer | American |
| Walter Johnson | Athlete | American |
| Walter Kaufmann | Philosopher | German |
| Walter Kerr | Critic | American |
| Walter Lang | Director | American |
| Walter Legge | Businessman | British |
| Walter Savage Landor | Poet | English |
| Wanda Jackson | Musician | American |
| Wanda Landowska | Musician | Polish |
| Wangari Maathai | ||
| Warren Ellis | Author | British |
| Warren Farrell | Writer | American |
| Warren G. Harding | President | American |
| Warren Jeffs | Criminal | American |
| Warwick Davis | Actor | English |
| Washington Allston | Artist | American |
| Washington Irving | Writer | American |
| Wassily Kandinsky | Artist | Russian |
| Waylon Jennings | Musician | American |
| Wayne Allard | Politician | American |
| Wen Ho Lee | Scientist | American |
| Wendell H. Ford | Politician | American |
| Wendell Johnson | Psychologist | American |
| Wendi Mclendon Covey | Actress | American |
| Wendy Carlos | Musician | American |
| Werner Erhard | Celebrity | American |
| Werner Finck | Comedian | German |
| Whitey Ford | Athlete | American |
| Wilfrid Laurier | Statesman | Canadian |
| Wilhelm Backhaus | Musician | German |
| Wilhelm Canaris | Soldier | German |
| Wilhelm Keitel | Celebrity | German |
| Will Allison | Author | American |
| Will Carleton | ||
| Will Carling | Athlete | English |
| Will Eisner | Cartoonist | American |
| Will Estes | Actor | American |
| Will Ferrell | Comedian | American |
| Will Harvey | Businessman | American |
| Willa Cather | Author | American |
| Willard Gaylin | Scientist | American |
| Willem Dafoe | Actor | American |
| William Adams | Explorer | English |
| William Albert Allard | Photographer | |
| William Alexander | ||
| William Allan | Artist | Scottish |
| William Allen Egan | Politician | American |
| William Allingham | Poet | Irish |
| William Ames | Philosopher | English |
| William Baldwin | Actor | American |
| William Banting | Celebrity | English |
| William Barclay | Theologian | Scottish |
| William Bartram | Environmentalist | American |
| William Camden | Historian | English |
| William Cameron Forbes | Diplomat | American |
| William Carey | Clergyman | English |
| William Cartwright | Dramatist | English |
| William Cavendish | Public Servant | British |
| William Christopher Handy | Musician | American |
| William Dampier | Explorer | English |
| William Daniels | Actor | American |
| William Davenant | Poet | English |
| William Devane | Actor | American |
| William E. Geist | ||
| William E. Gladstone | Leader | British |
| William Eardley Iv | Public Servant | American |
| William Emerson | Mathematician | English |
| William Empson | Poet | English |
| William F. Devault | Poet | American |
| William Falconer | Poet | Scottish |
| William Feather | Author | American |
| William Floyd | Politician | American |
| William Foege | Scientist | American |
| William Gaddis | Novelist | American |
| William Gass | ||
| William Gibson | Writer | American |
| William Gilbert | Composer | British |
| William Gillette | Actor | American |
| William Glasser | Psychologist | American |
| William H. Gass | Novelist | American |
| William Hague | Politician | British |
| William Hall | Soldier | Canadian |
| William Halsey | Soldier | American |
| William Hamilton | Politician | Scottish |
| William Harvey | Scientist | English |
| William Henry Harrison | President | American |
| William Jackson | ||
| William James | Philosopher | American |
| William Jay | Clergyman | English |
| William Jerome | Musician | American |
| William Kapell | Musician | American |
| William Kempe | Actor | English |
| William Kennedy | Writer | American |
| William Kent | Architect | English |
| William Kidd | Explorer | Scottish |
| William L. Jenkins | Politician | American |
| William Labov | Writer | American |
| William Landay | Novelist | American |
| William Langewiesche | ||
| William Laud | Clergyman | English |
| William Law | Clergyman | English |
| William Lloyd Garrison | Journalist | American |
| William Lyon Mackenzie King | Politician | Canadian |
| William M. Daley | Politician | American |
| William M. Evarts | Lawyer | American |
| William Maxwell Aitken | Businessman | Canadian |
| William P. Leahy | Educator | American |
| William R. Alger | Writer | American |
| William R. Keating | Politician | American |
| William Ralph Inge | Clergyman | English |
| William Rowan Hamilton | Mathematician | Irish |
| William S. Hart | Actor | American |
| William Samuel Johnson | Politician | American |
| William Shakespeare | Dramatist | English |
| William Wallace Campbell | Scientist | American |
| Willie Aames | Actor | American |
| Willie Davis | Athlete | |
| Willie Keeler | Athlete | American |
| Willis Lamb | Scientist | American |
| Winfield Scott Hancock | Soldier | American |
| Winston Churchill | Statesman | English |
| Wiz Khalifa | Musician | American |
| Wladyslaw Anders | Politician | Polish |
| Wojciech Jaruzelski | Leader | Polish |
| Wolcott Gibbs | Writer | American |
| Wolfman Jack | Entertainer | American |
| Woody Allen | Director | American |
| Woody Harrelson | Actor | American |
| Wyatt Earp | Public Servant | American |
| Wyclef Jean | Musician | American |
“It is a myth, not a mandate, a fable not a logic, and symbol rather than a reason by which men are moved.”
“There is a major turning point in life when you have to decide: shall I grow old gracefully or shall I try everything to stem the tide? For me, that point came in 2001, when I stopped dyeing my hair.”