Category: Famous Birthdays

1840 – Thomas Hardy, poet and novelist (Far from the Madding Crowd), born in Higher Bockhampton, Dorset (d. 1928)
1899 – Lotte Reiniger, German animator and film director (The Adventures of Prince Achmed, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp), born in Charlottenburg, Germany (d. 1981)
1909 – Robin Orr, Scottish organist, composer, and educator (St. John’s College; Glasgow University), born in Brechin, Scotland (d. 2006)
1913 – Bert Farber, American orchestra leader (Arthur Godfrey, Vic Damone), born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2005)
1920 – Yolande Donlan, British-American actress (Jigsaw, Expresso Bongo, Penny Princess), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 2014)
1936 – Sally Kellerman, American actress (M*A*S*H (film); Back to School; The Player), and singer, born in Long Beach, California (d. 2022)
1951 – Jeanine Pirro, American lawyer, television host (Justice with Judge Jeanine), and first woman to be elected as the District Attorney of Westchester County (1994-2005), born in Elmira, New York
1953 – Cornel West, American philosopher, activist and author, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
1956 – Mani Ratnam [Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam], Indian film director, screenwriter and producer (Guru, Anjali), born in Madurai, India
1989 – Steve Smith, Australian cricket batsman and captain (HS 239; NSW CA), born in Sydney, Australia

More Famous Birthdays »

1679 – Johan Runius, Swedish poet (Dudaim), born in Larvs parish, Sweden (d. 1713)
1776 – George Schetky, Scottish-American cellist, music teacher, and composer, born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1831)
1790 – Salomon Judah Rappoport, Galician-Czech rabbi and scholar (Ereg miliem), born in Lemberg, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria (d. 1867)
1804 – Mikhail Glinka, Novosspaskoye Russian composer (Kamarinskaya; Ruslan and Ludmilla), born in Novospasskoye, Smolensk, Russian Empire (d. 1857) [birth OS=May 20]
1943 – Ely van Tongeren, Dutch pop guitarist and singer (The Buffoons – “Tomorrow Is Another Day; “It’s The End”), born in Enschede, Netherlands
1947 – Ronnie Wood, English rock guitarist (Faces; Jeff Beck Group; The Rolling Stones), born in Hillingdon, England
1947 – Jan Harvey, British actress (Howards’ Way; Family Affairs), born in Penzance, Cornwall, England
1952 – Şenol Güneş, Turkish soccer goalkeeper (31 caps; Trabzonspor) and manager (Trabzonspor, Bursaspor, Beşiktaş, Turkey), born in Trabzon, Turkey
1963 – Shawn Pelton, American session and touring drummer and percussionist (SNL band; Sheryl Crow; Shawn Colvin: Darryl Hall, Rod Stewart; Rosanne Cash), born in Kansas City, Missouri
1987 – Mike Protich, American rock musician (Red Sun Rising), born in Akron, Ohio

More Famous Birthdays »

1904 – Stan Brenders, Belgian jazz pianist and bandleader, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1969)
1928 – Pankaj Roy, Indian cricket batsman (45 Tests, 5 x 100, HS 173; WR opening partnership [Vinoo Mankad] 413; Bengal), born in Dhaka, Bangladesh (d. 2001)
1937 – Bob Ferry, American basketball forward (St. Louis Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Baltimore Bullets) and executive (GM Washington Bullets; NBA Exec of the Year 1979, 82), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2021)
1948 – Lynda Bellingham, Canadian-born English actress (Sweeney, Scarlet Tunic), born in Montreal, Quebec, (d. 2014)
1949 – Tom Berenger, American actor (The Big Chill;Someone to Watch Over Me), born in Chicago, Illinois
1954 – Thomas Mavros, Greek soccer striker (36 caps; Panionios FC, AEK Athens), born in Athens, Greece
1960 – Chris Elliott, American screenwriter, comedian, and actor (David Letterman; Cabin Boy, Get A Life), born in New York City
1961 – Lea Thompson, American actress (Back to the Future, Caroline In The City), born in Rochester, Minnesota
1964 – Scotti Hill [Mulvehill], American rock guitarist (Skid Row – “18 And Lie”: “I Remember You”), born in Manhasset, New York
1973 – Tyrone Williams, American NFL defensive back (Green Bay Packers-Super Bowl 31), born in Bradenton, Florida

More Famous Birthdays »

1896 – Howard Hawks, American director and producer (Rio Bravo, Scarface), born in Goshen, Indiana (d. 1977)
1902 – Stepin Fetchit [Lincoln Perry], American actor (Miracle in Harlem) 1st African American film star, born in Key West, Florida (d. 1985)
1915 – Jerome Bert Weisner, American engineer (science advisor to John. F Kennedy, President of MIT 1971-80), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1994)
1924 – Norbert Schemansky, American weightlifter (Olympic gold heavyweight 1952, silver 1948, bronze 1960, 64), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2016)
1936 – Keir Dullea, actor (2001, 2010, David and Lisa), born in Cleveland, Ohio
1939 – Michael J Pollard [Pollack], American character actor (Bonnie and Clyde; Roxanne), born in Passaic, New Jersey (d. 2019)
1947 – Jocelyne Bourassa, Canadian golfer (LPGA Rookie of the Year 1972; Canadian Open 1973), born in Shawinigan, Quebec (d. 2021)
1968 – Kelley Armstrong, Canadian novelist (Women of the Otherworld), born in Sudbury, Ontario
1972 – Manny Ramirez, Dominican-American baseball outfielder (12 × MLB All-Star; World Series 2004 [MVP], 07; 9 × Silver Slugger Award; Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox), born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1999 – Guanyu Zhou, Chinese racing driver (first Chinese F1 driver), born in Shanghai, China

More Famous Birthdays »

1810 – Erasmus Darwin Keyes, American banker, businessman and Major General (Union Army), born in Brinfield, Massachusetts (d. 1895)
1853 – Francesco Fanciulli, American-Italian composer, born in Porto Santo Stefano, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (d. 1915)
1876 – Jan Ingenhoven, Dutch composer and conductor, born in Breda, Netherlands (d. 1951)
1922 – Iannis Xenakis, Greek-French composer, music theorist, and architect who helped revolutionize 20th century classical music (Metastaseis), born in Brăila, Romania (d. 2001)
1931 – Jalna Hanmer, American-British feminist campaigner, scholar and co-founder of Women’s Aid, born in Walla Walla, Washington (d. 2023)
1939 – Al Unser, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1970-71, 78, 87), born in Albuquerque, New Mexico (d. 2021)
1959 – Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, filmmaker and political activist, born in Nazareth, Israel (d. 2011)
1965 – Jammo Myllys, Finnish hockey goaltender (Finland World C’ship gold 1995), born in Savonlinna, Finland
1970 – Natarsha Belling, Australian news presenter, born in Mudgee, Australia
1982 – Nataliya Dobrynska, Ukrainian heptathlete (Olympic gold 2008), born in Yakushyntsi, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine

More Famous Birthdays »

1765 – Jean Baptiste Cartier, French musician and composer, born in Avignon, France (d. 1841)
1782 – Wouter Johannes van Troostwijk, Dutch painter, born in Amsterdam (d. 1810)
1798 – Josef Dessauer, Austrian composer, born in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1876)
1894 – Sammy White, American comedian and actor (711 Ocean Drive, Sound Off), born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 1960)
1918 – Edith Massey (née Dornfeld), American actress (films of John Waters), born in New York City (d. 1984)
1931 – Stephen Birmingham, American author (Real Lace: America’s Irish Rich), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2015)
1931 – Carroll Baker, American actress (Andy Warhol’s Bad; Babydoll; Harlow), born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
1932 – Tim Renton, British politician (Conservative Minister under Thatcher and Major – came up with National Lottery), born in London, England (d. 2020)
1947 – Zahi Hawass, Egyptian archeologist, Egyptologist and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, born in Damietta, Egypt
1961 – Roland Gift, British pop-rock singer (Fine Young Cannibals – “She Drives Me Crazy”), and actor, born in Sparkhill, Birmingham, England

More Famous Birthdays »

1823 – John Gray Foster, American Major General (Union Army), born in Whitefield, New Hampshire (d. 1874)
1867 – Arnold Bennett, English novelist (Anna of the Five Towns), born in Hanley, Staffordshire, England (d. 1931)
1887 – Erich Kuttner, German journalist and historian (Vorwarts), born in Berlin (d. 1942)
1900 – Uładzimir Žyłka, Belarusian poet, born in Makaszy, Nesvizh, Russian Empire (d. 1933)
1936 – Marcel Masse, Canadian politician and federal cabinet minister, born in Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec (d. 2014)
1936 – Richard Holme, Baron Holme of Cheltenham, British politician, Liberal Party president (1980-1), born in London (d. 2008)
1939 – Sir Gerald Ronson, English businessman involved in the Guinness Four trading fraud, born in Paddington, London
1966 – Sean Kinney, American rock drummer (Alice in Chains – “Check My Brain”; “Hollow”), born in Renton, Washington
1973 – Jack McBrayer, American comedian and actor (Conan O’Brien; 30 Rock – “Kenneth”), born in Macon, Georgia
1977 – Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lankan cricket batsman (149 Tests, 34 x 100, 50 x 50; HS 374; 448 ODIs; Sinhalese SC), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka

More Famous Birthdays »

1773 – Hans Georg Nägeli, Swiss composer, born in Wetzikon, Switzerland (d. 1836)
1867 – Mary of Teck, Queen of Great Britain and consort of George V, born in Kensington Palace, London (d. 1953)
1895 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian actor (Watch on the Rhine, Sphynx), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1971)
1908 – Vera Van [Webster], American radio and dance band singer, born in Marion, Ohio (d. 2006)
1916 – Moondog [Louis Thomas Hardin], American composer, musician and poet, born in Marysville, Kansas (d. 1999)
1949 – Philip Michael Thomas, American actor (Miami Vice – “Tubbs”), born in Columbus, Ohio
1961 – Tarsem Singh, Indian commercial and film director (The Fall, Dear Jassi), born in Jalandhar, India
1966 – Helena Bonham Carter, British actress (Harry Potter, Fight Club, The King’s Speech, Enid, The Wings of the Dove), born in London, England
1979 – Elisabeth Harnois, American actress (CSI), born in Detroit, Michigan
1981 – Irini Merkouri, Greek-Romani pop and laïka singer, born in Ilion, Greece

More Famous Birthdays »

1725 – Samuel Ward, American politician (31st and 33rd Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations), born in Newport, Rhode Island (d. 1776)
1921 – (Catherine) “Kitty” Kallen, American big band (Harry James, Jimmy Dorsey, Jack Teagarden) and pop singer (“Little Things Mean A Lot”; “My Coloring Book”), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2016)
1942 – Brian “Blinky” Davison, British rock drummer (The Nice), born in Leicester, England (d. 2008)
1958 – Dorothy Straight, American 4-year-old author (How the World Began), born in Washington, D.C.
1964 – David Shaw, Canadian NHL defenseman, 1982-98 (Quebec Nordiques, New York Rangers, and 4 other teams), born in St. Thomas, Ontario
1968 – Nathalie Schneyder, American synchronized swimmer (Olympic gold 1996), born in San Francisco, California
1970 – Heather Simmons-Carrasco, American synchronized swimmer (Olympic alt-96), born in Mountain View, California
1973 – Molly Sims, American model and actress (Las Vegas, Yes Man), born in Murray, Kentucky
1973 – Daz Dillinger [Delmar Drew Arnaud], American hip-hop performer, born in Long Beach, California
1985 – Luciana Abreu, Portuguese singer and actress (Floribella), born in Massarelos, Porto, Portugal

More Famous Birthdays »

1689 – Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea and 3rd Earl of Nottingham, English politician, born in England (d. 1769)
1925 – Pedro Gonzales-Gonzalez, American actor (Rio Bravo), born in Aguilares, Texas (d. 2006)
1941 – Patricia Hollis, Baroness Hollis of Heigham, English Labour politician, born in Plympton, Plymouth (d. 2018)
1947 – Cynthia Plaster Caster [Cynthia Albritton], American artist who made plaster casts of celebrity penises and breasts, born in Chicago, Illinois
1950 – Jo Ann Washam, American golfer (3 LPGA Tour titles), born in Auburn, Washington
1954 – Mitch Kupchak, American NBA executive (Charlotte Hornets) and power forward (Washington Bullets, Los Angeles Lakers; 3x NBA champion, 1976 Olympic gold medalist), born in Brentwood, New York
1964 – Elizabeth McColgan, British running star (world record 5 km indoor), born in Dundee, Scotland
1973 – Ruslana [Lyzhychko], Ukrainian pop singer and songwriter, born in Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
1974 – Will Sasso, Canadian-American actor and comedian (The Three Stooges 2012), born in Ladner, British Columbia, Canada
1994 – Emma McKeon, Australian swimmer (Olympic gold 50/100m freestyle, 4×100 medley relay 2020; 4x100m free relay 2016, 20, 24), born in Wollongong, Australia

More Famous Birthdays »