List of Scientologists
Current and former members of Scientology From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Scientologist is an adherent of the doctrines and beliefs of Scientology. Some adherents of the belief system of Scientology practice independently in what is often referred to as free zone Scientology. The Church of Scientology organization claims "SCIENTOLOGIST is a collective membership mark indicating membership in a church and church membership services of the affiliated Scientology churches and missions."[1]
Scientologists not in trouble with the ethics department are considered "in good standing" and are allowed to be on Church of Scientology premises, receive services, and attend events.[2]: 361
Members
Summarize
Perspective
Public Scientologists are those individuals who are not staff. They pay the Church of Scientology for training or auditing services, and live and work independent of the organization.[3]: 70 Collectively, non-staff Scientologists may be referred to as "members", the "public", or the "field".[4]: 128, 228
Even though public members are not employed by the organization, they are ranked within the entire chain of command and defer to all staff personnel, who are seen as their seniors. Members are frequently pressed into service for clerical or promotional tasks or to recruit new members.[4]: 180 Members who recruit people for Scientology services are called "field staff members" (FSM) and are paid a commission of 10%–15% of the amount their recruit pays for a service.[5][6][4]: 181
The lists below contain names of public Scientologists. For Scientologists who are, or were, on staff, see Scientology officials § List of Scientology officials.
Current
- Anne Archer (b. 1947) actress (mother of former Scientology spokesperson Tommy Davis)[7][8]
- Jennifer Aspen (b. 1970) actress[9][10]
- James Barbour (b. 1966) Broadway actor and singer[11]
- Lynsey Bartilson (b. 1983) actress[12]
- Catherine Bell (b. 1968) actress[12][8][13][14][15]
- Tim Bowles (?) attorney who has represented Scientology and worked for some of the church's organizations. Scientologist since 1975[16]
- David Campbell (b. 1948) composer[17][18]: 289
- Grant Cardone (b. 1958) CEO of Cardone Capital, reached the OT VIII level[19]
- Nancy Cartwright (b. 1957) voice-over actress, voice of Bart Simpson[12][8][20][21][22]
- Kate Ceberano (b. 1966) actress and musician;[23][24][25][26] a third-generation-Scientologist; her grandmother worked as a governess for the children of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard[24]
- Erika Christensen (b. 1982) actress, raised Scientologist[27][7][12][8]
- Stanley Clarke (b. 1951) musician and composer[28]
- Keith Code (?) motorcycle racer[29][30]
- Tom Constanten (b. 1944) former keyboardist for the Grateful Dead[31][32][33]
- Tom Cruise (b. 1962) actor[7][23][24][26][34][35][8]
- Sky Dayton (b. 1971) founder of EarthLink[36][37][8]
- Greg and Janet Deering (?) founders and owners of Deering Banjo Company[38]
- Eddie Deezen (b. 1957) actor and comedian[39]
- Jason Dohring (b. 1982) actor, raised Scientologist[40][41]
- Denice Duff (b. 1965) actress[42]
- Robert Duggan (b. 1944) billionaire investor and CEO[43]
- Bodhi Elfman (b. 1969) actor[44][18]: 266
- Jenna Elfman (b. 1971) actress[27][7][45][12][8]
- Richard Elfman (b. 1949) writer and director[36]
- Stacy Francis (b. 1966) singer[46]
- Doug E. Fresh (b. 1966) musician and rapper[12][21][22][8]
- Gary Imhoff (b. 1952) actor[47]
- Mark Isham (b. 1951) musician and film music composer[48]
- Craig Jensen (?) founder of Condusiv Technologies, formerly known as Diskeeper Corporation[49]
- Brent A. Jones (b. 1963) lawyer and business owner[50]
- Vivian Kubrick (b. 1960) filmmaker, composer and daughter of Stanley Kubrick[51][52][53][18]: 407
- Charles Lakes (b. 1964) elite gymnast and Olympian [54]
- Alanna Masterson (b. 1988) actress[55]
- Christopher Masterson (b. 1980) actor[27][12]
- Danny Masterson (b. 1976) actor[27][12][8]
- Jordan Masterson (b. 1986) actor[55]
- Jim Meskimen (b. 1959) actor and improviser[56][57]
- Julia Migenes (b. 1943) opera singer[58]
- Sofia Milos (b. 1969) actress[59][60]
- Elisabeth Moss (b. 1982) actress,[61][62] raised a Scientologist[63][8]
- Tony Muhammad (?) anti-vaccination activist and 2017 recipient of a Freedom Medal award from the International Association of Scientologists[64][65][66]
- Floyd Mutrux (b. 1941) film director and writer[67]
- Haywood Nelson (b. 1960) actor[68]
- Marisol Nichols (b. 1973) actress[23]
- Judy Norton Taylor (b. 1958) actress[48][69][70]
- Don Pearson (?) former management consultant (trainer) who taught Hubbard administrative techniques to executives and managers[71][72]
- Michael Peña (b. 1976) actor[73][74]
- David Pomeranz (b. 1951) singer, songwriter, composer[75][76]
- Jeff Pomerantz (b. 1943) actor[77][78]
- Lee Purcell (b. 1947) actress[48]
- Georgina Reilly (b. 1986) actress[79]
- Patrick Renna (b. 1979) actor[80]
- Giovanni Ribisi (b. 1974) actor, raised Scientologist[45][81]
- Marissa Ribisi (b. 1974) actress, raised Scientologist[81]
- Michael D. Roberts (b. 1947) actor[48]
- Ruddy Rodríguez (b. 1967) actress[82][83]
- Billy Sheehan (b. 1953) rock bassist[84][85]
- Michelle Stafford (b. 1968) actress[86]
- Ethan Suplee (b. 1976) actor[87]
- John Travolta (b. 1954) actor[27][7][8]
- Greta Van Susteren (b. 1954) television show host,[27][13][8][81][62] her husband, a lawyer, is a fellow practitioner of Scientology,[81] she told People magazine, "I am a strong advocate of their ethics."[81]
- Joy Villa (b. 1986) singer[88]
- Edgar Winter (b. 1946) musician[89][18]: 263
- Mick Woodmansey (b. 1950) rock drummer, part of David Bowie's backing band The Spiders from Mars[90]
- Juliet Simms (b. 1986) musician, former contestant on The Voice[91]
Deceased
This table includes members who were still Scientologists in the Church of Scientology at the time of their death.
- Kirstie Alley (1951–2022) actress[27][7][92][45][8][93]
- Karen Black (1939–2013) actress[94][95][96]
- Sonny Bono (1935–1998) entertainer and congressman (19R-CA 44th),[20] identified as a Scientologist by his ex-wife, she stated that "Sonny did try to break away at one point, and they made it very difficult for him". The church has denied any estrangement with Bono.[97][98]
- Stephen Boyd (1931–1977) actor, rose to OT IV, utilized Scientology techniques while filming a movie in Louisiana[99]
- Chick Corea (1941–2021) musician[7][45][12][23][100]
- Doug Dohring (1957–2023) ex-owner of Neopets and father of Jason Dohring[101][102][103]
- Peaches Geldof (1989–2014) columnist, television personality, and model.[8]
- Isaac Hayes (1942–2008) musician and actor[7][21]
- Nicky Hopkins (1944–1994) musician[104]
- Milton Katselas (1933–2008) acting teacher[7][47]
- Geoffrey Lewis (1935–2015) actor[105][106]
- Noah Lottick (1966–1990) Scientologist whose suicide was the focus of the Time magazine article "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power"[107][108][109][110][111][112]
- Lisa McPherson (1959–1995) woman whose death has been a source of controversy for the church[89][113]
- Eduardo Palomo (1962–2003) actor[114][115]
- Elli Perkins (1949–2003) businesswoman;[116] who was murdered by her son who suffered from an untreated mental illness[117][118][119][120]
- Kelly Preston (1962–2020) actress[27][45][8][121][122]
- Pablo Santos (1987–2006) actor[123]
- Ian Tampion (1938–1997) Australian rules footballer who fought legal proceedings to have Scientology recognised in Australia as a church[124][125]
Former members
Summarize
Perspective
This table represents individuals who were previously Scientologists, but who have since left the Church of Scientology.
| Name | Lifetime | Left | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Anderson | 1952– | 2009 | Actor, star of Orientation: A Scientology Information Film, left the church in 2009 and requested his money back.[126] |
| Gerry Armstrong | 1946– | 1981 | Former Sea Org member for ten years and involved in a series of Scientology related lawsuits, collectively Church of Scientology of California v. Armstrong.[127] |
| Jon Atack | 1955– | 1983 | Whistleblower and noted critic of the church.[128] |
| Allen Barton | 1968– | 2012 | Playwright and acting teacher who would later become an outspoken critic of the church.[129] |
| Jason Beghe | 1960– | 2007 | Actor, rose to Operating Thetan level V (OT V), left Scientology and subsequently spoke out publicly against the church in 2008.[130][131] He joined the church through Milton Katselas' acting class, connecting with Bodhi Elfman and Mary Thompson.[132][18]: 266-267 |
| Cedric Bixler-Zavala | 1974– | 2017 | Musician.[133] |
| Nazanin Boniadi | 1980– | Actress.[134] her mother was a Scientologist.[135] | |
| Kate Bornstein | 1948– | 1981 | Transgender author, playwright, performance artist and gender theorist. Was previously a spokesperson for Scientology.[136] |
| Mitch Brisker | 1949– | 2020 | Producer.[137] |
| John Brodie | 1935– | American football player;[92][138] credited Dianetics with his recovery from a sports injury; left after some of his friends "were expelled and harassed during a power struggle with church management"[92] | |
| Stacy Brooks | 1952– | 1989 | Former managing editor of Freedom magazine and a Scientologist for over twenty years. She has since become president of the Lisa McPherson Trust and an expert witness in many high-profile Scientology lawsuits.[139][140][141] |
| William S. Burroughs | 1914–1997 | 1960s | Author and poet. Joined and left the church during the 1960s.[142] In talking about the experience, he claimed that the techniques and philosophy of Scientology helped him and that he felt that further study into Scientology would produce great results. He was skeptical of the church itself, and felt that it fostered an environment that did not accept critical discussion.[143] His subsequent critical writings about the church and his review of Inside Scientology by Robert Kaufman led to a battle of letters between Burroughs and Scientology supporters in the pages of Rolling Stone magazine. He wrote the book Ali's Smile: Naked Scientology.[144][145] |
| Diana Canova | 1953– | 1993 | Actress;[146] critical of Scientology's "straightforward" desire for money.[147][148] |
| Tory Christman | 1947– | 2000 | Whistleblower and noted critic of the church.[128] |
| Robert DeGrimston | 1935– | With wife, Marry Anne DeGrimston, founder of The Process Church of The Final Judgment.[149][150] | |
| Richard de Mille | 1922–2009 | 1954 | Author and journalist; at one point a personal assistant to L. Ron Hubbard.[18]: 37 [151] |
| John Duignan | 1963– | Whistleblower and noted critic of the church.[152] | |
| Dennis Erlich | 19xx– | 1982 | Former high-ranking official in the church and later critic of Scientology who joined the alt.religion.scientology discussion group on Usenet in late July 1994.[153][154]: 153 |
| Michael Fairman | 1934– | 2011 | Actor[155] |
| Neil Gaiman | 1960– | Novelist, graphic novelist, and screenwriter. Son of David Gaiman, raised Scientologist in East Grinstead. Has left the church, although prefers not to speak publicly about it.[156] | |
| Philip Gale | 1978–1998 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology student and primary developer of EarthLink's innovative ISP software; died by suicide in 1998.[157] | |
| Paul Haggis | 1953– | 2009 | Film director, Academy Award winner; Left in response to the San Diego branch's public support of California Proposition 8 and other factors.[158] He progressed up to OT VII in the 1980s where he remained until he left the church.[132] |
| Beck Hansen | 1970– | 2019 | Musician who promoted Scientology as a member for many years.[7][8][21][22][81] Stated in a 2019 interview that he is not a Scientologist and that he doesn't "have any connection or affiliation with it".[159] |
| Marc Headley | 1974– | 2005 | Whistleblower and critic of the church.[128] |
| Katie Holmes | 1978– | 2012 | Actress and formerly married to Scientologist Tom Cruise.[160] |
| Jim Humble | 1933– | 1981 | Self-published author and founder of the Genesis II Church[161][162] |
| Robert Hunter | 1941–2019 | 1999 | Lyricist for the Grateful Dead.[163] |
| Mark Janicello | 1962 | 2003 | Actor, Singer and Dramatist. Author of Naked in the Spotlight: My Life with Sex, Singing, and Scientology in German and in English[164] |
| Nicole Kidman | 1967– | 1992 | Actress; Tom Cruise's ex-wife[165] |
| Jason Lee | 1970– | 2016 | Actor[8][166][167][168] |
| Arnie Lerma | 1950–2018 | 1977 | Son of a high-ranking member. Critic of Scientology who posted the Fishman Affidavit, including the Xenu story, to the Internet via the Usenet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology.[153][154]: 153 |
| Johnny Lewis | 1983–2012 | Actor[169] | |
| Juliette Lewis | 1973– | 2021 | Actress[170][171] |
| Charles Manson | 1934–2017 | Identified as a Scientologist during his time in prison.[24][149][172][173][174] He ordered Manson Family member Bruce Davis to journey to the United Kingdom and work for the Scientology organization in London.[175] Manson completed 150 hours of auditing while researching his own religious practices,[176][177] which borrowed heavily from Scientology.[149] | |
| Jenna Miscavige Hill | 1984– | 2005 | Niece of David Miscavige, author and whistleblower.[178] |
| Ron Miscavige | 1936–2021 | 2012 | Father of David Miscavige, author and whistleblower.[179] |
| Vince Offer | 1964– | 2002 | Film director of The Underground Comedy Movie and pitchman for ShamWow.[180] |
| Bijou Phillips | 1980– | 2024 | Model and actress[181][182] |
| Laura Prepon | 1980– | 2016 | Actress[183] |
| Lisa Marie Presley | 1968–2023 | 2014 | Singer and songwriter who was the daughter of Elvis Presley.[184] |
| Priscilla Presley | 1945– | 2017 | Businesswoman and actress[185] |
| Mark Rathbun | 1957– | 2004 | Whistleblower, and critic of the Church.[128] In December 2018, Jezebel reported that Rathbun had posted videos on his website that praised Scientology and criticized ex-Scientologist Leah Remini. Jezebel also suggested that Rathbun had actually re-joined Scientology.[186] |
| Joe Reaiche | 1958– | 2005 | Former rugby league footballer who is the father of Alanna Masterson and Jordan Masterson. He accused the church of framing him for financial misconduct and is estranged from his children.[55] |
| Leah Remini | 1970– | 2013 | Actress[8][187][188] and critic of the church. She wrote an autobiography in 2015 entitled Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, and produces and presents the A&E documentary series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. |
| Mike Rinder | 1955–2025 | 2007 | Whistleblower and critic of the church.[189] |
| Mimi Rogers | 1956– | Actress[190] | |
| Amy Scobee | 19xx– | 2005 | Whistleblower and critic of the church.[191] |
| Chris Shelton | 1969– | 2012 | Author and YouTuber; he was a member of the church for 27 years and has been outspoken about his experiences since leaving.[192][193][194] |
| Aaron Saxton | 1974– | 2006 | Former Sea Org member who had influential positions in Sydney as well as the United States. He received attention when Australian Senator Nick Xenophon quoted statements by Saxton about Scientology into the parliamentary record of the Australian Senate.[195][196][197] |
| Reed Slatkin | 1949–2015 | Sentenced in 2003 to 14 years in prison for running one of the largest Ponzi schemes in US history, scamming more than $600 million from 800 investors.[198][199] | |
| Jeffrey Tambor | 1944– | 2000s | Actor, left when he was pressured to leave his second wife.[200][201] |
| Paul Twitchell | 1908–1971 | 1959 | Spiritual writer and founder of Eckankar.[202][203] Joined Scientology and achieved the status of "Clear".[204] |
| Cyril Vosper | 1935–2004 | 1968 | Author and deprogrammer; wrote The Mind Benders which was the first book on Scientology to be written by an ex-member and the first critical book on Scientology to be published.[205] |
| Matt Willis | 1983– | 2008 | Musician, singer, songwriter, television presenter and actor, and bassist and co-vocalist of the pop band, Busted. Was recruited to the church following a stint in rehab, but left the church after they reportedly advised that he separate from his wife Emma Willis, who the church deemed to be a "suppressive person".[206] |
| Lawrence Wollersheim | 19xx– | 1979 | Former member and co-founder of the FACTNet, a non-profit organization that criticized the church, known for winning a multi-million dollar judgment against the church in a case about publishing material on the internet that the church claimed was protected by copyright.[207][154]: 153 [208] |
| Bonnie Woods | 19xx– | 1982 | Former member of the Sea Org who was subjected to a smear campaign by the church.[209] |
See also
Notes
Further reading
External links
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