19 Celebrity Crosswords

To mark the 75th anniversary of the New York Times crossword, which debuted on Feb. 15, 1942, we are beginning today a series of puzzles co-constructed by famous people who solve the Times crossword, working together with regular Times puzzle contributors. The first such collaboration, below, is by the actor Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network," "Rio," "Now You See Me," "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice") and Patrick Blindauer (with his 55th Times contribution). The celebrity collaborations will continue throughout the year — at least one a month, and sometimes more often.

This collaboration is by the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and his Harvard classmate Andrea Carla Michaels (with her 56th puzzle for The Times).

This collaboration is by the Grammy-winning classical pianist Emanuel Ax, who also teaches at the Juilliard School, working with Brad Wilber, a reference librarian at Houghton College in upstate New York. This is Brad's 50th puzzle for The Times.

This collaboration is by former president Bill Clinton, an avid crossword doer, who sometimes works two or three puzzles in a day - in times that would be respectable at a crossword tournament - together with a longtime friend, a judge in Little Rock, Ark., Victor Fleming. This is Victor's 46th puzzle for The Times.

This collaboration is by the singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb, who had the #1 Billboard hit referenced in 41-Across - and altogether 11 studio albums to date - working with Doug Peterson, an employee at an accounting firm in Pasadena, Calif. This is Doug's 41st puzzle for The Times.

This collaboration is by the comedian Elayne Boosler, who was recently named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the "50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time," working together with Patrick Merrell, a writer/illustrator in Vero Beach, Fla. This is Patrick's 86th puzzle for The Times.

This collaboration is by the designer and TV host Isaac Mizrahi, together with David J. Kahn, a retired consulting actuary in New York City. This is David's 172nd crossword for The Times.

This collaboration is by the actor, comedian and emcee Neil Patrick Harris - the star of TV's "Doogie Howser, M.D." and "How I Met Your Mother" - working together with Stanford University student David Steinberg, who has been editing a weekly puzzle for the Orange County Register since he was 15. This is Mr. Steinberg's 66th crossword for The Times.

This collaboration is by the comedian and television personality Joy Behar, a co-host of ABC's "The View," working together with Lynn Lempel, of Daytona Beach, Fla. This is Ms. Lempel's 79th crossword for The Times.

This collaboration is by the esteemed star of TV and film John Lithgow - who last month won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting [63-Across] - working together with Brendan Emmett Quigley, of Brookline, Mass. This is Mr. Quigley's 175th puzzle for The Times.

This collaboration is by Peter Sagal, the host of NPR's "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!," working together with Mike Selinker, a game and puzzle designer in Renton, Wash. Their crossword is about something Peter is doing - and Mike says he's "definitely not capable of doing" - this very weekend.

This collaboration is by the television journalist Harry Smith, a correspondent for NBC News, and previously a host of CBS's "The Early Show," working together with Zhouqin Burnikel, of Brooklyn Park, Minn. This is Zhouqin's 50th crossword for The Times.

This puzzle is a collaboration by the basketball-loving senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana, working together with longtime crossword contributor Michael S. (Mickey) Maurer, the owner of the Indianapolis Business Journal. This is Mickey's 25th crossword for The Times.

This puzzle is a collaboration by the actor Josh Radnor, the star of the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," as well as the writer/director of two films (to date), working together with Jeff Chen, a writer in Seattle. This is Jeff's 80th crossword for The Times.

This puzzle is a collaboration by Rachel Maddow, the host of MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," working together with Joe DiPietro, a bar owner in New York City. This is Joe's 129th crossword for The Times.

This puzzle is a collaboration by the singer/songwriter Weird Al Yankovic, working together with Eric Berlin, a writer and puzzle editor from Milford, Conn. This is Eric's 40th puzzle for The Times.

This puzzle is a collaboration by the cartoonist Garry Trudeau, the Pulitzer-winning creator of "Doonesbury," working together with his son Ross Trudeau, a digital media producer in Cambridge, Mass. This is Ross's sixth puzzle for The Times.

This puzzle is a collaboration by the philanthropist Melinda Gates, of Medina, Wash., working together with Joel Fagliano, the digital puzzles editor of The New York Times. This is Joel's 61st crossword for the paper.

This puzzle is a collaboration by the actress Natasha Lyonne of Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black" and "Russian Doll," working together with Deb Amlen, who writes the Times's daily crossword column, Wordplay. This is Deb's fourth crossword for The Times.