Category: Famous Birthdays

1711 – Pierre-Joseph Le Blan, Flemish carillonneur and composer, born in Soignies, Belgium (d. 1765)
1718 – Saverio Bettinelli, Italian Jesuit writer, born in Mantua, Lombardy, Italy (d. 1808)
1865 – Laurence Housman, English author and playwright (Victoria Regina), born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England (d. 1959)
1870 – Emil Młynarski, Polish violinist, conductor and composer, born in Kybartai, Russian Empire (d. 1935)
1886 – Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr, American lieutenant general of the 10th Army who was killed in action during the Battle of Okinawa, born in Munfordville, Kentucky (d. 1945)
1900 – Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster during the Prohibition era, born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1954)
1902 – Jessamyn West, American novelist and short story writer (The Friendly Persuasion, The Massacre at Fall Creek), born in North Vernon, Indiana (d. 1984)
1926 – Richard Pasco, British actor (Gorgon, Arch of Triumph), born in Barnes, London (d. 2014)
1962 – Shaun Micallef, Australian comedian “Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell”, born in Adelaide, South Australia
1967 – Jeff Lageman, NFL defensive end, 1989-98 (New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars), and sports broadcaster, born in Fairfax, Virginia

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1898 – Berenice Abbott, American photographer (The World of Atget; Changing New York), born in Springfield, Ohio (d. 1991)
1913 – Roger Garaudy, French philosopher and communist (convicted for Holocaust denial), born in Marseille, France (d. 2012)
1933 – Bruce Wells, English boxer (European amateur light middleweight champion 1953) and actor (Dr. Who 1965-73), born in Harlesden, Middlesex (d. 2009)
1941 – Daryle Lamonica, American football quarterback (Pro Bowl 1970, 72; AFL MVP 1967, 69; Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills), born in Fresno, California (d. 2022)
1945 – Eric McCredie, Scottish pop bassist (Middle Of The Road – “Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep Cheep”), born in Patrick, Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2007)
1959 – Janet Lynn Kavandi, American scientist and NASA astronaut (sk:STS 91), born in Carthage, Missouri
1968 – Bitty Schram, American actress, born in New York
1978 – Katharine Towne, American actress, born in Los Angeles, California
1987 – Darius Boyd, Australian rugby player, born in Gold Coast, Australia
1994 – Kali Uchis, Colombian-American singer-songwriter (“Get You”), born in Alexandria, Virginia

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1723 – Joshua Reynolds, English portrait painter (Simplicity), born in Plympton, Devon, England (d. 1792)
1907 – Orville Redenbacher, American popcorn magnate (Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popcorn), born in Brazil, Indiana (d. 1995)
1915 – Edward Miller, British historian and Master (Fitzwilliam College Cambridge), born in Acklington Park, Warkworth, Northumberland (d. 2000)
1924 – Bess Myerson, 1st Jewish Miss America (1945), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2014)
1927 – Shirley Hughes, English children’s literature author and illustrator (Dogger; Ella’s Big Chance), born in West Kirby, England (d. 2022)
1931 – Norm Sherry, American baseball catcher (Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets) and manager (California Angels), born in New York City (d. 2021)
1951 – Lorraine Chase, English actress and model (Lame Ducks, Love and Bullets), born in Deptford, England
1952 – Robert David Steele, American activist and former CIA officer, born in New York City
1977 – Bryan Budd, British soldier (VC recipient), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland (d. 2006)
1979 – Jayma Mays, American actress (Glee, Heroes), born in Bristol, Tennessee

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1812 – Benno Adam, German animal painter, born in Munich (d. 1892)
1837 – Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, German-born Queen of Portugal (1858-59), born in Krauchenwies Castle, Sigmaringen (d. 1859)
1887 – Wharton Esherick, American artist and sculptor who worked primarily in wood, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1970)
1926 – Driss Chraïbi, Moroccan author (Le passé simple), born in El Jadida, Morocco (d. 2007)
1950 – Colin Barnett, Australian politician, Premier of Western Australia (2008-17), born in Nedlands, Australia
1952 – Johnny Thunders [Genzale], American punk rock guitarist (New York Dolls), born in Queens, New York (d. 1991)
1952 – Judy McGrath, American television executive, CEO of MTV Networks, born in Scranton, Pennsylvania
1956 – Kathy Kreiner, Canadian alpine skier (Olympic gold giant slalom 1976), born in Timmins, Ontario
1979 – Alexander Frei, Swiss soccer striker (84 caps; Servette, Rennes, Borussia Dortmund, Basel), born in Basel, Switzerland
1984 – Vice Cooler, American musician, born in Mobile, Alabama

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924 – Murakami, 62nd Emperor of Japan (946-67) who fathered 19 Imperial sons and daughters, born in Heian Kyō, Japan (d. 967)
1839 – (Edward) Sydney Smith, British pianist and composer, born in Dorchester, England (d. 1889)
1906 – Tom Carvel, Greek born American ice cream mogul (Carvels), born in Athens, Greece (d. 1990)
1907 – Annabella [Suzanne G Charpentier], French actress (Dinner at Ritz), born in Paris, France (d. 1996)
1916 – Natalia Ginzburg, Italian author (Family dictionary), born in Palermo, Italy (d. 1991)
1922 – Peter Tranchell, British composer (The Mayor of Casterbridge; The Mating Season), and educator (Cambridge University, 1950-89), born in Cuddalore, British India (d. 1993)
1923 – Dale Robertson, American actor (Death Valley Days, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Iron Horse), born in Harrah, Oklahoma (d. 2013)
1930 – Eric Norman Stokes, American composer (The Jealous Cellist; Tintinnabulary), born in Haddon Heights, New Jersey (d. 1999)
1970 – Mark Strickland, American NBA forward (Miami Heat), born in Atlanta, Georgia
1974 – Erick Dampier, American NBA center (SF Warriors), born in Jackson, Mississippi

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1894 – Isaak Babel, Russian writer, playwright and journalist (Red Calvary) [OS Jun 30], born in Odessa, Russian Empire (d. 1940)
1907 – Charles H. Zimmerman, American aeronautical engineer (NACA, NASA), born in Olathe, Kansas (d. 1996)
1933 – Patsy Byrne, English actress (Stealing Heaven, Blackadder II), born in Ashford, (d. 2014)
1937 – Charles Coody, American golfer (US Masters 1971), born in Stamford, Texas
1948 – Don Sweet, Canadian CFL football place kicker. 1972-85 (Montreal Alouettes, Montreal Concordes ), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
1974 – Jarno Trulli, Italian auto racer (Monaco F1 GP 2004; German Formula 3 Series 1996), born in Pescara, Italy
1977 – Ashley Scott, American actress (Maria Miller in video game “The Last of Us”), born in Metairie, Louisiana
1979 – Craig Bellamy, Welsh soccer forward (78 caps; Newcastle United, Norwich City, Manchester City), born in Cardiff, Wales
1989 – Leon Bridges, American soul singer-songwriter (“Coming Home”), born in Atlanta, Georgia
1992 – Elise Matthysen, Belgian swimmer, born in Belgium

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1922 – Clark MacGregor, American Republican politician (involved in Watergate), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2003)
1935 – Hans Tilkowski, German soccer goalkeeper (39 caps, West Germany; Westfalia Herne, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt), born in Husen, Germany (d. 2020)
1947 – Richard C. McCarty, American professor of psychology, born in Portsmouth, Virginia
1950 – Eric Carr [Paul Charles Caravello], American rock drummer (Kiss, 1980-91), born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 1991)
1957 – Rick Husband, American astronaut, commander of STS-107 who died in the Columbia disaster, born in Amarillo, Texas (d. 2003)
1959 – Rolonda Watts, American talk show host and producer (Rolanda), born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1965 – Robin Wilson, American rock singer (Gin Blossoms – “Hey Jealousy”; “Allison Road”), born in Detroit, Michigan
1972 – Brett Reed, American rock drummer (Rancid, 1991-2006 – “Time Bomb”), born in Oakland, California
1985 – Luiz Ejlli, Albanian pop singer (Eurovison, 2006), born in Shkodra, Albania
2002 – Nico Williams, Spanish footballer for Athletic Bilbao and Spain, born in Pamplona, Spain

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1841 – Daniël de Lange, Dutch composer, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1918)
1846 – Léon Bloy, French novelist and essayist, born in Périgueux, France (d. 1917)
1872 – Rollin Henry White, American inventor of steam boilers for early automobiles and Cletrac tractors, born in Cleveland (d. 1962)
1888 – Johanna Beyer, German-American pianist and composer (March for Thirty Percussion Instruments; Clusters), born in Leipzig, German Empire (d. 1944)
1898 – Hendrik J. Pos, Dutch philosopher and linguist (Committee of Watchfulness), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1955)
1927 – Herbert Blomstedt, American conductor (Dresdner Staatskapelle, 1975-85; San Francisco Symphony 1985-95), born in Springfield, Massachusetts
1931 – Thurston Harris, American RandB and pop vocalist (The Sharps – “Little Bitty Pretty One”), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1990)
1942 – Tomasz Stańko, Polish trumpeter (Astigmatic), born in Rzeszów, Poland (d. 2018)
1981 – Mary Beth Arnold, American gymnast (World-bronze-95), born in Reno, Nevada
1987 – Shigeaki Kato, Japanese J-pop singer, guitarist and songwriter (NEWS), born in Hiroshima, Japan

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1871 – Marcel Proust, French intellectual and novelist (Remembrance of Things Past), born in Paris, France (d. 1922)
1883 – Sam Wood, American communist fighter and director (For Whom the Bell Tolls), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1949)
1895 – Nahum Goldmann, Israeli-Zionist leader (Zionist World Organization), born in Wisznewo, Lithuania (d. 1982)
1902 – Jacobus Wouterus van Dieren, Dutch biologist (specializing in study of dune formation, particularly on West Frisian Island of Terschelling), born in Amsterdam (d. 1935)
1921 – Jean “Jeff” Donnell, American actress (Gidget Goes to Rome, Hoedown, 9 Girls), born in Windham, Maine (d. 1988)
1922 – Herb McKenley, Jamaican athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 400m relay 1952; 3 x silver 1948, 52), born in Pleasant Valley, Clarendon, Jamaica (d. 2007)
1937 – Sandy Stewart [Galitz], American jazz and cabaret singer (“My Coloring Book”), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1951 – Cheryl Wheeler, American contemporary folk singer-songwriter (“If It Were Up to Me”), born in Timonium, Maryland
1954 – Neil Tennant, English singer and songwriter (Pet Shop Boy – “West End Girl”), born in North Shields, Northumberland, England
1957 – Cindy Sheehan, American anti-war and political activist, and author (Peace Mom). inspired by the Iraq War combat death of her son, Casey Sheehan (24), born in Inglewood, California

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1511 – Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway, born in Lauenburg Castle, Germany (d. 1571)
1764 – Ann Radcliffe, English Gothic novelist (The Mysteries of Udolpho, The Romance of the Forest), born in London (d. 1823)
1911 – John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist (first American involved in the theoretical development of the atomic bomb), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2008)
1921 – Irv Kluger, American big band jazz and session drummer (Artie Shaw; Gramercy Five), born in New York City (d. 2006)
1924 – Leonard Pennario, American concert pianist (Rózsa’s Piano Concerto with L.A. Philharmonic), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 2008)
1925 – Guru Dutt [Vasanth Padukone], Indian Bollywood actor, regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time (Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool), born in Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore (d. 1964)
1925 – Alan Dale, American pop singer (“Cheery Pink and Apple Blossom White”), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
1940 – Jair da Costa, Brazilian soccer winger (1 cap; Internazionale), born in Santo André, Brazil
1950 – Gwen Guthrie, American RandB, soul, and dance singer-songwriter (“Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But The Rent”), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1999)
1950 – Adriano Panatta, Italian tennis player (French 1976, Italian 1976), born in Rome, Italy

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