20 most fascinating people visiting Indiana this spring

A trio of world-renown women highlights The Star's roster of the 20 most fascinating people visiting Indiana in March, April and May.

"How to Get Away with Murder" star Viola Davis will speak at the Downtown Marriott on March 2, "Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher will meet fans at Indiana Comic Con on March 14-15 and music icon Loretta Lynn will perform at Carmel's Palladium on April 24. In all, our list includes 10 musicians, three actors, two authors, one comedian, one choreographer, one online entrepreneur, a husband-and-wife team and a scientific duo.

1. Viola Davis

Claim to fame: South Carolina native Davis earned Academy Award nominations for her acting in "Doubt" (2008) and "The Help" (2011).

Current project: Portrays professor Annalise Keating in ABC series "How to Get Away with Murder," a Top 20 ratings hit in its first season. Also an ambassador for charitable initiative HungerIs.org, Davis will visit Indianapolis on March 2 as part of the Steward Speakers Series.

Worth repeating: "The higher purpose of my life is not to the song and dance or the acclaim but to rise up, to pull up others and leave the world and industry a better place."

See her: 6 p.m. March 2, Downtown Marriott, 350 Maryland St., $75 to $100, StewardSpeakers.org, (317) 297-2905.

2. Lois Lowry

Claim to fame: Author Lowry is a two-time winner of the John Newbery Medal for 1989's "Number the Stars" and 1993's "The Giver."

Current project: A film adaptation of "The Giver," starring Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift, was released in 2014.

Worth repeating: "Sometimes I get heartfelt, passionate letters from young people who felt that a book has spoken to them in some way. Almost every day, I sit down and write a lengthy reply to a particular child."

See her: 7:30 p.m. March 4, Clowes Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave., free, ClowesHall.org, (317) 940-9697.

3. Khaled Hosseini

Claim to fame: Afghan-American author Hosseini sold more than 38 million copies of his first two books, "The Kite Runner" (2003) and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" (2007).

Current project: Hosseini's third novel, "And the Mountains Echoed," was published in 2014.

Worth repeating: "Too often stories about Afghanistan center around the various wars, the opium trade, the war on terrorism. Precious little is said about the Afghan people themselves — their culture, their traditions, how they lived in their country and how they manage abroad as exiles."

See him: 7 p.m. March 6, Clowes Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave., free, ClowesHall.org, (317) 940-9697.

4. Jimmy Wales

Claim to fame: Alabama native Wales co-founded Wikipedia.org, the nonprofit resource that ranked No. 7 for online traffic in December 2014.

Current project: Collecting academic prizes. In December, Wales shared the first $1 million Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award with World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee. In May, he will be awarded the $1 million Dan David Prize.

Worth repeating: "There are car dealers in Ohio who have far more money than I'll ever have, and their jobs are much, much less interesting than mine."

See him: 7 p.m. March 9, Loeb Playhouse, Purdue University, 175 S. University St., West Lafayette, free, Krannert.Purdue.edu, (765) 496-7271.

5. Sarah McLachlan

Claim to fame: Canadian singer-songwriter McLachlan co-founded all-female concert tour Lilith Fair. McLachlan's signature songs include "Building a Mystery," "Aida" and "Angel."

Current project: On tour to promote 2014 album "Shine On."

Worth repeating: "As we get older we start to think about things more. You just gotta jump in. Fear is awful but handy in some ways — as long as it doesn't stop you from doing things."

See her: 8 p.m. March 10, Murat Theatre in Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., $42.50 to $82.50, LiveNation.com, (800) 745-3000.

6. Carrie Fisher

Claim to fame: Fisher, daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, portrayed Princess Leia Organa in three "Star Wars" films. As an author, Fisher wrote best-selling novel "Postcards from the Edge" and the screenplay for its Hollywood adaptation.

Current project: Reprising Princess Leia role for 2015 film "The Force Awakens."

Worth repeating: "I am a spy in the house of me. I report back from the front lines of the battle that is me."

See her: 10 a.m. March 14-15, Indiana Comic Con, Indiana Convention Center, 100 S. Capitol Ave., $30 to $35, IndianaComicCon.com, (317) 262-3400.

7. Jenna Coleman

Claim to fame: Portrays Clara Oswald, lead female character in British sci-fi series "Doctor Who."

Current project: Filming 2015 episodes of "Doctor Who."

Worth repeating: "She's up for a bit of banter, and she holds her own. She's definitely a match for the Doctor. She's not intimidated by him. She's curious. She finds him amazing and ridiculous in equal measures, but she mentions the ridiculous a bit more often."

See her: 10 a.m. March 14-15, Indiana Comic Con, Indiana Convention Center, 100 S. Capitol Ave., $30 to $35, IndianaComicCon.com, (317) 262-3400.

8. Ledisi

Claim to fame: New Orleans native Ledisi has received eight Grammy Awards nominations in R&B categories, plus a best new artist nomination for 2007.

Current project: Portrayed Mahalia Jackson in 2014 film "Selma." Ledisi recorded the song "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" for the "Selma" soundtrack.

Worth repeating: "I've done soul music in my way, and I love it. Everyone has their favorite Ledisi they want to see continue on and on, but I've made different versions of what my soul music is. I love that I can look back on my work and feel good about it."

See her: 8 p.m. March 14, Murat Theatre in Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., $29.99 to $42.99, LiveNation.com, (800) 745-3000.

9. Craig Ferguson

Claim to fame: Scottish comedian Ferguson hosted "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" on CBS from 2005 to 2014.

Current project: Hosts syndicated game show "Celebrity Name Game."

Worth repeating: "I'll always do stand-up, which is kind of my instrument, if you like, the thing I learned to do first."

See him: 8 p.m. March 17, Egyptian Room in Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., $39.75 to $49.75, LiveNation.com, (800) 745-3000.

10. Twyla Tharp

Claim to fame: Indiana-born author and Tony- and Emmy-winning choreographer Tharp was a Kennedy Center honoree in 2008.

Current project: A national tour later this year will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tharp's choreographic debut. The program will include new works set to music by Bach, Henry Butler, Steven Bernstein and John Zorn. On March 18, she will speak on the campus of the University of Indianapolis.

Worth repeating: "If you want to create art, you'd best have a deep belief in yourself and no ulterior motives."

See her: 7 p.m. March 18, Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center's Ruth Lilly Performance Hall, 1400 E. Hanna Ave., $10, News.UIndy.edu, (317) 788-3368.

11. Bob Seger

Claim to fame: A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Michigan native Seger recorded enduring hit songs "Night Moves," "Against the Wind" and "Old Time Rock & Roll."

Current project: On tour to promote 2014 album "Ride Out."

Worth repeating: "Writing is so mysterious. I do it all different kinds of ways. Sometimes I'll start with a tale, but most of the time lately I'll start with music and kind of try to feel what the mood of the music is saying and kind of tailor the lyric to that. It's very long and arduous, but it`s also the most challenging thing I do. So it's really the thing I look forward to the most."

See him: 7:30 p.m. March 22, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania St., $67 to $97, Ticketmaster.com, (800) 745-3000.

12. Stewart Copeland

Claim to fame: As drummer for the Police, Virginia native Copeland sold 75 million albums worldwide.

Current project: Touring with pianist Jon Kimura Parker, Stewart is performing chamber music in a program billed as "Off the Score." The show, which visits Butler University on March 27, features Copeland's compositions as well as Parker's suite based on Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring."

Worth repeating: "Making music has gotten easier; selling it has gotten harder. Making music has been democratized, but the market is in the hands of fascists."

See him: 8 p.m. March 27, Clowes Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave., $30 to $40, Ticketmaster.com, (800) 745-3000.

13. Sufjan Stevens

Claim to fame: Indie-rock musician Stevens recorded the critically hailed album "Illinoise" in 2005. With lyrics inspired by people, places and events in Illinois history, the album spanned pop, classical, jazz and Broadway styles.

Current project: On tour to promote "Carrie & Lowell," an album set for release on March 31.

Worth repeating: "Audacity is central to everything I do. A lot of times I think my work is about just seeing if I can get away with it."

See him: 7:30 p.m. April 18, Murat Theatre in Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., $30 to $75, LiveNation.com, (800) 745-3000.

14. Macy Gray

Claim to fame: Ohio native Gray reached the Top 5 of Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart with 1999 single "I Try." The song received a Grammy Award in the category of best female pop vocal performance and was nominated in the categories of record of the year and song of the year.

Current project: On tour to promote 2014 album "The Way."

Worth repeating: "Whatever your image is, it's probably not you. But it affords you the freedom to live up to it."

See her: 8 p.m. April 18, Madame Walker Theatre Center, 617 Indiana Ave., $35 to $50, WalkerTheatre.org, (317) 236-2099.

15. Adam Savage & Jamie Hyneman

Claim to fame: Since 2003 special-effects experts Adam Savage and Indiana University alumnus Jamie Hyneman have hosted "MythBusters" on the Discovery Channel.

Current project: A tour titled "Jamie & Adam Unleashed" will visit Old National Centre on April 19. The event is billed as an "unexpected evening of on-stage experiments, audience participation, rocking video and behind-the-scenes stories."

Worth repeating: "I am someone who doesn't socialize much, talk much, don't care to be on camera, and I don't do well handling more than one thing at a time. And yet my job for the last 11 years has been to do exactly those things. Go figure." — Hyneman.

See them: 7:30 p.m. April 19, Murat Theatre in Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., $29.50 to $59.50, LiveNation.com, (800) 745-3000.

16. Loretta Lynn

Claim to fame: A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Kentucky native Lynn recorded landmark songs "You're Lookin' at Country," "Fist City" and "The Pill." In 1980, a film adaptation of Lynn's autobiography "Coal Miner's Daughter" earned an Academy Award for lead actress Sissy Spacek.

Current project: In addition to playing concert dates, 82-year-old Lynn oversees Loretta Lynn's Ranch & Family Campground in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. In 2014, she collected a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americana Music Association's Honors & Awards Show.

Worth repeating: "When I first came to Nashville, people called us 'hillbilly singers' and hardly gave country music any respect. We lived in old cars and dirty hotels, and we ate when we could."

See her: 8 p.m. April 24, the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts, 1 Center Green, Carmel, $45 to $125, TheCenterPresents.com, (317) 660-3373.

17. Jeff Tweedy

Claim to fame: Illinois native Tweedy co-founded iconic alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, which was active from 1987 to 1994. He then established Wilco, a band known for the albums "Being There," "Summerteeth" and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." In 1997, Wilco and English musician Billy Bragg wrote music to accompany "lost" lyrics by Woody Guthrie. The project resulted in the albums "Mermaid Avenue" and "Mermaid Avenue Vol. II."

Current project: Wilco's 20th anniversary tour includes a May 7 show at Old National Centre.

Worth repeating: "I've been obsessed with seeing life through music. My records, my relationship with records, my relationship with rock stars, everything that surrounds it has been really one of the only ways that I ever started to understand the world."

See him: 7:30 p.m. May 7, Murat Theatre in Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., $29.50 to $49.50, LiveNation.com, (800) 745-3000.

18. George Clinton

Claim to fame: A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer thanks to his work with Parliament-Funkadelic, Clinton blasted through the 1970s with signature tunes "Flash Light," "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" and "Up for the Down Stroke."

Current project: On tour to promote Funkadelic's 2014 album, "First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate."

Worth repeating: "There's stuff that doesn't make sense to most people, but it makes sense to me."

See him: 9 p.m. May 14, the Vogue, 6259 N. College Ave., $35 to $40, Ticketfly.com, (317) 259-7029.

19. Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally

Claim to fame: Illinois native Offerman portrayed Ron Swanson across seven seasons of "Parks and Recreation." Mullally portrayed Karen Walker across eight seasons of "Will & Grace."

Current project: This husband-and-wife team are on tour, presenting a stage show of music and comedy.

Worth repeating: "I like making people laugh without expending much effort. I've learned to try to be funny in silence. That's a good way to do it." — Offerman.

See them: 7:30 p.m. May 16, Murat Theatre in Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., $39.50, LiveNation.com, (800) 745-3000.

20. Lana Del Rey

Claim to fame: Singer-songwriter Del Rey racked up 4.4 million sales of 2012 album "Born to Die," good for No. 5 on that year's list of top-selling recordings worldwide.

Current project: On tour to promote 2014 album "Ultraviolence."

Worth repeating: "I want one of two things: I either want to tell it exactly like the way it was, or I want to envision the future the way I hope it will become. I'm either documenting something, or I'm dreaming."

See her: 7:30 p.m. May 28, Klipsch Music Center, 12880 E. 146th St., $24 to $78.50, LiveNation.com, (800) 745-3000.

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.