from the University of Montana and later taught at the university, as well as at Cornell University. He dropped out a year later and moved to Hollywood to pursue a serious boxing career, and there, earned attention as a stuntman. The University of Montana can boast many notable and prominent alumni throughout the years. O’Connor died in 2001 at the age of 76 from a heart attack. O’Connor earned his master’s in speech at UM, and that’s also where he met his future wife, Nancy Fields. Founded in 1893, it has over a century’s worth of successful graduates to honor. Actor and Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons graduated from the University of Montana in 1978 with a B.A. Their work has landed UM in the company of other prestigious universities working to solve the coronavirus pandemic. Montana natives like Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament and women’s rights activist Jeannette Rankin rose up from their roots to take the world by storm, while poet James Welch became a major voice in Native American literature. Instead, he went on to act in major feature films such as, , but found his way back to music in an Oscar winning role. in music. Simmons won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Whiplash, where he portrayed a raging, villainous music instructor who stops at nothing to see his students’ potential realized. Greer... Duncan Lee Hunter (born May 31, 1948) is an American politician. James Welch is a prominent Native American poet and novelist, best known for his first novel, Winter in the Blood. This performance also won him a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award. Welch won numerous awards throughout his writing career, including the 1997 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas. This directory is not just composed of graduates of this school, as some of the famous people on this list didn't necessarily earn a degree from University of Montana - Missoula. Prominent graduates from University of Montana - Missoula include celebrities, politicians, business people, athletes and more. Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who serves as... George Montgomery (born George Montgomery Letz, August 29, 1916 – December 12, 2000) was an... Michael Joseph Mansfield (March 16, 1903 – October 5, 2001) was an American politician and... Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was an American politician and... Pamela Porter is an award-winning author. Actor and Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons graduated from the University of Montana in 1978 with a B.A. He earned his B.A. He briefly, ontana as a guest of honor when UM’s regional studies and public policy institute was. Founded in 1893, it has over a century’s worth of successful graduates to honor. Montana natives like Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament and women’s rights activist Jeannette Rankin rose up from their roots to take the world by storm, while poet James Welch became a major voice in Native American literature. He studied at the University of Montana for a year, where he was a campus heavyweight boxing champion, majoring in architecture and interior design. People on this list must have gone to University of Montana - Missoula and be of some renown. Simmons gave the commencement speech at the University of Montana to the Class of 2016. He is considered a founding author of the Native American renaissance. Ament was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, and made headlines for wearing a T-shirt honoring musicians who have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame. 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