| 100% | OLDCASTLE | 9 | John —, English Lollard leader, a friend of Henry V, who is reputedly the basis for William Shakespeare's character Falstaff |
| 32% | BARDOLPH | 8 | Companion of Falstaff in the William Shakespeare play Henry V sentenced to hang for looting |
| 31% | HENRYI | 6 | English king who was a son of William the Conqueror |
| 31% | TRUMAN | 6 | With 33-Across, friend of 15-Across who was the basis for Dill in "To Kill a Mockingbird" |
| 29% | FALSTAFF | 8 | Sir John —, character who appears in William Shakespeare plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV Pts 1 and 2 |
| 29% | JUSTSAYNOME | 11 | Poor prompt to a friend who's been asked what the capital of Alaska is? |
| 29% | PETERFONDA | 10 | Actor who is the son of legendary actor Henry, famous for playing the villain in "Once Upon a Time in the West": 2 wds. |
| 29% | ROWLING | 7 | Best-selling author who was a runner-up for Time's 2007 Person of the Year |
| 28% | CAROLEKING | 10 | "You've Got a Friend" singer/pianist who was the first woman to win a Grammy for Song of the Year (2 wds.) |
| 28% | VENN | 4 | John ___, English logician for whom a diagram is named |
| 28% | REY | 3 | Science-fiction character who's told, "Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi" |
| 28% | ELGRECO | 7 | Cretan-born painter who was a leader of the Spanish Renaissance |
| 28% | ALICE | 5 | Children's character who asks herself "And what is the use of a book without pictures or conversations?" |
| 27% | GARFIELD | 8 | Fictional lasagna-loving cat who is the title character of a comic strip |
| 27% | LENDL | 5 | Ivan who was a top-ranked tennis player for much of the 1980s |
| 27% | OLDCASTLE | 9 | English martyr Sir John, the model for Shakespeare's Falstaff |
| 27% | MCPHEE | 6 | John who won a Pulitzer for “Annals of the Former World” |
| 27% | DONCHEADLE | 10 | "Hotel Rwanda" actor who won a 2022 Grammy for the audiobook of John Lewis's "Carry On": 2 wds. |
| 27% | RICHARDJEWELL | 13 | 2019 biographical drama starring Kathy Bates, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing the title character's mother (2 wds.) |
| 26% | SUPERMAN | 8 | Character who is lifting a car on the cover of "Action Comics" #1 |
| 26% | HENRYI | 6 | English king who was the youngest son of William the Conqueror |
| 26% | WHITMORE | 8 | Walter —, pirate in William Shakespeare play Henry VI Pt II who kills the Duke of Suffolk |
| 26% | DRAKE | 5 | "Sticky" singer who is nominated for a 2022 American Music Award for Artist of the Year |
| 26% | MCPHEE | 6 | Writer John who won a Pulitzer for "Annals of the Former World" |
| 26% | ERIES | 5 | Members of the Iroquoian people for whom a Great Lake is named |
| 26% | OTIS | 4 | Baritone Williams who was a founding member of the Temptations |
| 26% | QUEEN | 5 | "Royal" title for the leader of a hive, who is followed by 11a |
| 26% | WALL | 4 | John ___, one of the highest-paid NBA players of 2019 who is a point guard for the Washington Wizards |
| 26% | ADELE | 5 | "Easy on Me" singer who is nominated for a 2022 American Music Award for Artist of the Year |