| 100% | KINGDAVID | 9 | Israel ruler who began as shepherd with slingshot |
| 32% | DICTATOR | 8 | Powerful ruler who governs with force |
| 30% | OPENSON | 7 | Begins with, as a movie scene |
| 28% | NATASHA | 7 | War and Peace character who begins the novel as a 13-year-old |
| 27% | TEDLEO | 6 | Rocker who performed with Aimee Mann as the Both |
| 27% | AES | 3 | Candidate who ran with Estes Kefauver as his veep |
| 27% | MARLEY | 6 | Christmas Carol ghost who was dead to begin with |
| 27% | KERMITTHEFROG | 13 | "Sesame Street" Muppet who begins his roving reporter segments with "Hi-ho!" (3 wds.) |
| 27% | CRIS | 4 | NFL commentator Collinsworth, who begins seemingly every sentence with "Now, here's a guy ..." |
| 27% | OPAL | 4 | Birthstone that begins with the same letter as its month |
| 27% | DAYAN | 5 | Moshe who served as Israel’s defense minister |
| 27% | GONE | 4 | With 31-Across, 2014 film starring Rosamund Pike as a woman who disappeared |
| 26% | EJECT | 5 | Kick out, as a baseball fan who interferes with a play |
| 26% | SADAT | 5 | Anwar who shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize with Menachem Begin |
| 26% | OPAL | 4 | Birthstone that begins with the same letter as its associated month |
| 26% | ARRIVAL | 7 | 2016 film starring Amy Adams as a linguist who communicates with aliens |
| 26% | MACAULAY | 8 | Actor Culkin who began his career as a child actor and played Kevin McCallister in "Home Alone" |
| 25% | STEVE | 5 | With 48-Across, "60 Minutes" correspondent who scored Obama's last TV interview as president |
| 25% | ONO | 3 | Yoko who tweeted "Art. You create with love. It's simple as that." |
| 25% | PALESTINE | 9 | Along with Israel, region known as the Holy Land |
| 25% | LOHAN | 5 | Actress Lindsay ___ who began her career as a child actor and played the twins in "The Parent Trap" |
| 25% | CHRISTINA | 9 | Actress Ricci who began her career as a child actor and played Wednesday Addams in "The Addams Family" |
| 25% | CHRISTOPHER | 11 | With 30-Across, "The Deer Hunter" Oscar winner who once worked as a circus lion tamer |
| 25% | CHAZ | 4 | ___ Lamar Shepherd, "Set It Off" actor who starred in "7th Heaven" as John Hamilton |
| 25% | NIGEL | 5 | ___ Olsson, rock drummer who has worked with Elton John as part of his band |
| 25% | RAY | 3 | ___ Cooper, English percussionist who has worked with Elton John as part of his band |
| 25% | TOMMYLEEJONES | 13 | "Lincoln" actor who graduated with honors from Harvard as an English major: 3 wds. |
| 25% | VIRGILFLOWERS | 13 | Criminal investigator featured in 11 John Sandford novels who began as a supporting character in Sandford's "Prey" series of novels (2 wds.) |
| 24% | SHAW | 4 | Who wrote "All great truths begin as blasphemies" |
| 24% | SIDNEY | 6 | With 32-Across, Penguins center who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the NHL playoffs |