Who's the wise guy? Or, the popular face of smarts.

In My Humble Opinion
1

A friend and I were discussing smart people in popular culture. Our big question: who these days is famous for being smart?

Not famous and smart, necessarily, but someone who fills a particular role in pop consciousness: the Smart Guy or Gal. Not necessarily talented in any one field, but known for being an egghead. Well known enough that average pop culture consumers would know who he or she is, even if all they knew was that he or she was one smart cookie.

George Plimpton is dead. So’s Carl Sagan. And Steve Allen.

So far, the only living examples I can think of are Ben Stein, and maybe Dr. Joyce Brothers, who was really better known 30 years ago. (Note that the people I’m thinking of don’t necessarily have to be smart…)

Who else fits this niche? Or is the niche dying out?

2

And of course, Cecil Adams would qualify, if he weren’t the Thomas Pynchon of brainiacs. Maybe he qualifies anyway.

3

Stephen Hawking.

4

William F. Buckley
Arthur C. Clarke’s still alive, right?

5

agrees

6

Russel Johnson aka The Professor. Man could do anything with coconuts. :wink:

I would 2nd Stephan Hawking, although he still is probably not as well known as a Dr. Joyce Brothers or Carl Sagan was.

Marilyn Vos Savant (or whatever her name is) is probably widely known as that IQ lady, but I don’t know if she would be recognizable by sight.

Other than that, I’m drawing a blank. Maybe the niche is dying out.

7

How 'bout Bill Gates?

8

Edward De Bono (in a rather narrow sense)

9

I think being the host of a show like Jeopardy! gets Alex Trebek a few extra IQ points in peoples minds, deservedly or not.

10

IMHO, Dr. Joyce was pretty well unknown outside of the US. I just did a quick poll of my still-UK-based family, and only my brother had heard of her- and he lived here for a year.