Grace Paley

(December 11, 1922, Bronx, New York-August 22, 2007, Thetford Hill, Vermont). American short story writer, poet, and political activist. Born Grace Goodside. Member, National Academy of Arts and Letters.

William S. Paley

(September 28, 1901, Chicago, Illinois-October 26, 1990, New York, New York). American businessman. Chief Executive, Columbia Broadcasting System, 1927-1990.

Lilli Palmer

(May 24, 1914, Posen, Prussia, Germany-January 27, 1986, Los Angeles, California). Actress. Born Lillie Marie Peiser. Wife of Rex Harrison, 1943-1957.

Gwyneth Katherine Paltrow

(September 17, 1972, Los Angeles, California-Alive). American actress. Academy Award for Best Actress, 1998 (Shakespeare in Love). Father was Jewish.

Dorothy Parker

(August 22, 1893, Long Branch, New Jersey-June 7, 1967, New York, New York). American writer and poet. Known for her caustic wit, wisecracks, and participation in the Algonquin Round Table. born Dorothy Rothschild. Had a Jewish father, but attended Catholic schools. Noted advocate of left-wing political causes. Blacklisted during the McCarthy Era.

Sarah Jessica Parker

(March 25, 1965, Nelsonville, Ohio-Alive). American actress. Noted for her role as Carrie Bradshaw on the television series Sex and the City, 1998-2004. Wife of Matthew Broderick. Four-time winner of the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004. Won two Emmys, 2000, 2004.

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak

(February 10, 1890, Moscow, Russia-May 30, 1960, Peredelino, U.S.S.R.). Russian poet and author. Best known for Dr. Zhivago (1957). Nobel Prize for Literature, 1958 (Rejected). His parents were Jewish converts to the Orthodox Christian faith.

Jan Peerce

(June 3, 1904, New York, New York-December 15, 1984, New York, New York). American tenor. Born Jacob Pincus Perelmuth. Debut, Metropolitan Opera, 1941, retired, 1967.