Portal:Biography

A page from the first edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs, published in 1563
Third Volume of a 1727 edition of Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans printed by Jacob Tonson
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Cover of the first English publication, J. Parson's, London, 1793

A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae (résumé), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of their life, including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality. (Full article...)

Featured biographies

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Ranariddh in 1990s

Norodom Ranariddh (Khmer: នរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ; 2 January 1944 – 28 November 2021, UNGEGN: Nôroŭttâm Rôṇârœ̆ddhĭ, ALA-LC: Narottam Raṇaṛddhi [nɔroːɗɑm rĕəʔnaʔrɨt]) was a Cambodian politician and law academic. He was the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half-brother of King Norodom Sihamoni. Ranariddh was the president of FUNCINPEC, a Cambodian royalist party. He was also the first Prime Minister of Cambodia following the restoration of the monarchy, serving between 1993 and 1997, and subsequently as the President of the National Assembly between 1998 and 2006.

Ranariddh was a graduate of the University of Provence and started his career as a law researcher and lecturer in France. In 1983, he joined FUNCINPEC and in 1986 became the chief of staff and commander-in-chief of Armée nationale sihanoukiste. Ranariddh became Secretary-General of FUNCINPEC in 1989, and its president in 1992. When FUNCINPEC won the 1993 Cambodian general election, it formed a coalition government with the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which was jointly headed by two concurrently serving prime ministers. Ranariddh became the First Prime Minister of Cambodia while Hun Sen, who was from the CPP, became the Second Prime Minister. As the First Prime Minister, Ranariddh promoted business interests in Cambodia to leaders from regional countries and established the Cambodian Development Council (CDC). (Full article...)
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Shepseskaf's cartouche on the Abydos King List

Shepseskaf (meaning "His Ka is noble"; died c. 2498 BC) was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt, the sixth and probably last ruler of the fourth dynasty during the Old Kingdom period. He reigned most probably for four but possibly up to seven years in the late 26th to mid-25th century BC.

Shepseskaf's relation to his predecessor Menkaure is not entirely certain; he might have been his son or possibly his brother. The identity of his mother is highly uncertain as she could have been one of Menkaure's consorts or queen Khentkaus I or Neferhetepes. Similarly, Shepseskaf's relation to his probable successor on the throne, Userkaf, is not known although in the absence of clear indication of strife at the transition between the fourth and fifth dynasties, Userkaf could well have been his son or his brother. If Shepseskaf was succeeded directly by Userkaf rather than by Thampthis as claimed by some historical sources, then his death marks the end of the fourth dynasty. The transition to the fifth dynasty seems not to have been a sharp rupture but rather a continuous process of evolution in the king's power and role within the Egyptian state. Around this time, some of the highest positions of power such as that of vizier which had hitherto been the prerogative of the royal family were opened to nobles of non-royal extraction. (Full article...)
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Monteux during his conductorship of Les Ballets Russes, c. 1912

Pierre Benjamin Monteux (pronounced [pjɛʁ mɔ̃.tø]; 4 April 1875 – 1 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in 1907. He came to prominence when, for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company between 1911 and 1914, he conducted the world premieres of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and other prominent works including Petrushka, The Nightingale, Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, and Debussy's Jeux. Thereafter he directed orchestras around the world for more than half a century.

From 1917 to 1919 Monteux was the principal conductor of the French repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1919–24), Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra (1924–34), Orchestre Symphonique de Paris (1929–38) and San Francisco Symphony (1936–52). In 1961, aged eighty-six, he accepted the chief conductorship of the London Symphony Orchestra, a post which he held until his death three years later. Although he was known for his performances of the French repertoire, his chief love was the music of German composers, above all Brahms. He disliked recording, finding it incompatible with spontaneity, but he nevertheless made a substantial number of records. (Full article...)
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Newton, c. 1942

William Ellis Newton, VC (8 June 1919 – 29 March 1943) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to a member of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. He was honoured for his actions as a bomber pilot in Papua New Guinea during March 1943 when, despite intense anti-aircraft fire, he pressed home a series of attacks on the Salamaua Isthmus, the last of which saw him forced to ditch his aircraft in the sea. Newton was still officially posted as missing when the award was made in October 1943. It later emerged that he had been taken captive by the Japanese, and executed by beheading on 29 March.

Raised in Melbourne, Newton excelled at sport, playing cricket at youth state level. He joined the Citizen Military Forces in 1938 and enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in February 1940. Described as having the dash of "an Errol Flynn or a Keith Miller", Newton served as a flying instructor in Australia before being posted to No. 22 Squadron, which began operating Boston light bombers in New Guinea late in 1942. Having just taken part in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, he was on his fifty-second mission when he was shot down and captured. Newton was the only Australian airman to receive a Victoria Cross for action in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, and the sole Australian to be so decorated while flying with an RAAF squadron. (Full article...)
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Dobroslav Jevđević (Serbian Cyrillic: Доброслав Јевђевић, pronounced [dǒbroslaʋ jêʋdʑevitɕ]; 28 December 1895 – October 1962) was a Bosnian Serb politician and self-appointed Chetnik commander (Serbo-Croatian Latin: vojvoda, војвода) in the Herzegovina region of the Axis-occupied Kingdom of Yugoslavia during World War II. He was a member of the interwar Chetnik Association and the Organisation of Yugoslav Nationalists, a Yugoslav National Party member of the National Assembly, and a leader of the opposition to King Alexander between 1929 and 1934. The following year, he became the propaganda chief for the Yugoslav government.

Following the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, he became a Chetnik leader in Herzegovina and joined the Chetnik movement of Draža Mihailović. Jevđević collaborated with the Italians and later the Germans in actions against the Yugoslav Partisans. Although Jevđević recognised the authority of Mihailović, who was aware of and approved of his collaboration with Axis forces, a number of factors effectively rendered him independent of Mihailović's command, except when he worked closely with Ilija Trifunović-Birčanin, Mihailović's designated commander in Dalmatia, Herzegovina, western Bosnia and southwestern Croatia. (Full article...)
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Lewis Warner Green (January 28, 1806 – May 26, 1863) was an American Presbyterian minister, educator, and academic administrator. He was the president of Hampden–Sydney College, Transylvania University, and Centre College for various periods between 1849 and 1863. Born in Danville, Kentucky, baptized in Versailles, and educated in Woodford County, Green enrolled at Transylvania University but transferred to Centre College to complete his education. He graduated in 1824 as one of two members of the school's first graduating class. He enrolled at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1831 but returned to Kentucky in 1832 before graduating. After one year as a professor at Hanover College, he returned to Centre in 1839. He left again the next year for a position at Western Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, where he spent six years. He then went to Baltimore to preach full-time, though he resigned after just over a year and a half due to poor health.

Green was elected president of Hampden–Sydney College in January 1849. He was recruited by numerous other institutions after his eight-year term. Among these institutions was Transylvania, which recruited him to their presidency shortly following the establishment of a normal school by the Kentucky General Assembly. The bill that created the normal school was repealed after a year and a half and he resigned in late 1857. Green was elected president of Centre College that year and entered office in January 1858. After leading the school through the start of the Civil War, he died in office in 1863 from an illness which he caught after helping wounded soldiers. He was buried in Danville's Bellevue Cemetery. He was a member of the Stevenson political family through the marriage of his daughter; as a result, he was the father-in-law of vice president Adlai Stevenson I, the great-grandfather of Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson II, and the great-great-grandfather of senator Adlai Stevenson III. (Full article...)
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Edgar in the early fourteenth-century Genealogical Roll of the Kings of England

Edgar (or Eadgar; c. 944 – 8 July 975) was King of the English from 959 until his death in 975. He became king of all England on his brother's death. He was the younger son of King Edmund I and his first wife Ælfgifu. A detailed account of Edgar's reign is not possible, because only a few events were recorded by chroniclers and monastic writers were more interested in recording the activities of the leaders of the church.

Edgar mainly followed the political policies of his predecessors, but there were major changes in the religious sphere. The English Benedictine Reform, which he strongly supported, became a dominant religious and social force. It is seen by historians as a major achievement, and it was accompanied by a literary and artistic flowering, mainly associated with Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester. Monasteries aggressively acquired estates from lay landowners with Edgar's assistance, leading to disorder when he died and former owners sought to recover their lost property, sometimes by force. Edgar's major administrative reform was the introduction of a standardised coinage in the early 970s to replace the previous decentralised system. He also issued legislative codes which mainly concentrated on improving procedures for enforcement of the law. (Full article...)
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Giovanni Antonio Grassi (anglicized as John Anthony Grassi; 10 September 1775 – 12 December 1849) was an Italian Catholic priest and Jesuit who led many academic and religious institutions in Europe and the United States, including Georgetown College in Washington, D.C., and the Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide in Rome.

Born in the Republic of Venice, Grassi was a promising student of mathematics and the natural sciences, especially astronomy. He completed his studies at the Jesuit College in Polotsk, in the Russian Empire, in 1804 and was appointed rector of the Institute for Nobles. The following year, he was ordered to replace the last remaining Jesuit missionary in China; this began a five-year journey across Europe in which he was ultimately unable to secure passage to the distant country. He instead began teaching at Stonyhurst College in England. (Full article...)
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Robson in 1988

Sir Robert William Robson (18 February 1933 – 31 July 2009) was an English football player and coach. His career included periods playing for and later managing the England national team and being a UEFA Cup-winning manager at Ipswich Town.

Robson's professional playing career as an inside forward spanned nearly 20 years, during which he played for three clubs: Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, and, briefly, Vancouver Royals. He also made 20 appearances for England, scoring four goals. After his playing career, he found success as both a club and international manager, winning league championships in both the Netherlands and Portugal, earning trophies in England and Spain, and taking England to the semi-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, which remained the national team's best run in a World Cup since 1966 until they reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. His last management role was as a mentor to the manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, while his final official club job was at boyhood club Newcastle United, whom he left in 2004. He held several managerial positions outside of England, most notably one year at Barcelona in 1996–97, as well as stints at PSV, Sporting CP and Porto. (Full article...)
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Portrait by Walter Stoneman, 1921

Arthur Neville Chamberlain (/ˈtʃeɪmbərlɪn/; 18 March 1869 – 9 November 1940) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party from May 1937 to October 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasement, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement on 30 September 1938, ceding the German-speaking Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany led by Adolf Hitler. Following the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, which marked the beginning of the Second World War, Chamberlain announced the declaration of war on Germany two days later and led the United Kingdom through the first eight months of the war until his resignation as prime minister on 10 May 1940.

After working in business and local government, and after a short spell as Director of National Service in 1916 and 1917, Chamberlain followed his father Joseph Chamberlain and elder half-brother Austen Chamberlain in becoming a Member of Parliament in the 1918 general election for the new Birmingham Ladywood division at the age of 49. He declined a junior ministerial position, remaining a backbencher until 1922. He was rapidly promoted in 1923 to Minister of Health and then Chancellor of the Exchequer. After a short-lived Labour-led government, he returned as Minister of Health, introducing a range of reform measures from 1924 to 1929. He was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in the National Government in 1931. (Full article...)
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Qantas Captain Lester Brain in the 1930s

Lester Joseph Brain, AO, AFC (27 February 1903 – 30 June 1980) was a pioneer Australian aviator and airline executive. Born in New South Wales, he trained with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) before joining Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (Qantas) as a pilot in 1924. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1929, after locating the lost aircraft Kookaburra in northern Australia. Having risen to Chief Pilot at Qantas by 1930, he was appointed Flying Operations Manager in 1938. As a member of the RAAF reserve, Brain coordinated his airline's support for the Australian military during World War II. He earned a King's Commendation for his rescue efforts during an air raid on Broome, Western Australia, in 1942, and was promoted to wing commander in 1944.

Seeing little prospect for advancement at Qantas once the war had ended, Brain left to join the fledgling government-owned domestic carrier Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) in June 1946. Appointed its first General Manager, he swiftly built up the organisation to the stage where it could commence scheduled operations later in the year. By the time he resigned in March 1955, TAA was firmly established as one half of the Commonwealth government's two-airline system. After his departure from TAA, Brain became Managing Director of de Havilland Aircraft in Sydney, before joining the board of East-West Airlines as a consultant in January 1961. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in January 1979 and died in June the following year, aged seventy-seven. (Full article...)
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Robert Burnell (sometimes spelled Robert Burnel; c. 1239 – 25 October 1292) was an English bishop who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1274 to 1292. A native of Shropshire, he served as a minor royal official before entering into the service of Prince Edward, the future King Edward I of England. When Edward went on the Eighth Crusade in 1270, Burnell stayed in England to secure the prince's interests. He served as regent after the death of King Henry III of England while Edward was still on crusade. He was twice elected Archbishop of Canterbury, but his personal life—which included a long-term mistress who was rumoured to have borne him four sons—prevented his confirmation by the papacy. In 1275 Burnell was elected Bishop of Bath and Wells, after Edward had appointed him Lord Chancellor in 1274.

Burnell was behind the efforts of the royal officials to enforce royal rights during his term of office as chancellor, including the implementation of the Quo warranto procedures. He also helped with the legislative and legal reforms of Edward's reign. During Burnell's tenure the chancellor's office and records became fixed in London rather than travelling with the king. Burnell went abroad on diplomatic missions for Edward, and for a time governed Gascony. He continued to enjoy the king's trust until his death in 1292; one historian has suggested that Burnell may have been the most important royal official of the 13th century. (Full article...)
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Miniature depiction of Fuzuli in 16th-century work Meşâ'ir al-Şu'arâ by Aşık Çelebi

Muhammad bin Suleyman (Azerbaijani: Məhəmməd Süleyman oğlu, مَحمد سلیمان اوغلی; 1483–1556), better known by his pen name Fuzuli (Füzuli, فضولی), was a 16th-century poet who composed works in his native Azerbaijani, as well as Persian and Arabic. He is regarded as one of the greatest poets of Turkic literature and a prominent figure in both Azerbaijani and Ottoman literature. Fuzuli's work was widely known and admired throughout the Turkic cultural landscape from the 16th to the 19th centuries, with his fame reaching as far as Central Asia and India.

Born in 1483 in modern-day Iraq, Fuzuli studied literature, mathematics, astronomy, and languages as a child. During his lifetime, his homeland changed hands between the Aq Qoyunlu, Safavid, and Ottoman states. He composed poetry for officials in all three empires, writing his first known poem to Shah Alvand Mirza of the Aq Qoyunlu. Fuzuli wrote most of his poetry during the Ottoman rule of Iraq, which is why he is also sometimes called an Ottoman poet. Throughout his life, he had several patrons but never found one that fully satisfied him—as he wrote—and his desire to join a royal court was never realised. Despite wishing to see places like Tabriz in modern-day Iran, Anatolia, and India, he never travelled outside Iraq. In 1556, Fuzuli died from the plague and was buried in Karbala. (Full article...)
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Edwin Porch Morrow (November 28, 1877 – June 15, 1935) was an American politician, who served as the 40th Governor of Kentucky from 1919 to 1923. He was the only Republican elected to this office between 1907 and 1927. He championed the typical Republican causes of his day, namely equal rights for African-Americans and the use of force to quell violence. Morrow had been schooled in his party's principles by his father, Thomas Z. Morrow, who was its candidate for governor in 1883, and his uncle, William O. Bradley, who was elected governor in 1895. Both men were founding members of the Republican Party in Kentucky.

After rendering non-combat service in the Spanish–American War, Morrow graduated from the University of Cincinnati Law School in 1902 and opened his practice in Lexington, Kentucky. He made a name for himself almost immediately by securing the acquittal of a black man charged with murder based on an extorted confession and perjured testimony. He was appointed U.S. District Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky by President William Howard Taft in 1910 and served until he was removed from office in 1913 by President Woodrow Wilson. In 1915, he ran for governor against his good friend, Augustus O. Stanley. Stanley won the election by 471 votes, making the 1915 contest the closest gubernatorial race in the state's history. (Full article...)
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Aquino at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival

Angelita Grace Velasquez Aquino (born February 7, 1973) is a Filipino actress, fashion model, and television personality. Prominent in independent films, she has also worked on television shows of varying genres, and is known for her versatility and adaptability in portraying protagonists and villains. She has received various accolades, including six Star Awards, two Golden Screen Awards, and a Gawad Urian.

A journalism graduate of the University of the Philippines Baguio, Aquino began her career as a model, before making her film debut with a minor role in the action drama Mumbaki (1996). She made her first television appearance as a presenter of the lifestyle show F! (1999). Her breakthrough came in the erotic drama Laro sa Baga (2000), which earned her a Star Award for Best Supporting Actress. She gained wider recognition for starring in Crying Ladies (2003) and Donsol (2006), which were the Philippine submissions for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards. Aquino established herself as a leading actress playing villainous parts in the drama series Magkaribal (2010), Maria la del Barrio (2011), Apoy sa Dagat (2013), And I Love You So (2015), Till I Met You (2016), and Dirty Linen (2023). (Full article...)

Today anniversaries

Pre-1600

1350 – John I of Aragon (d. 1395)
1390 – Anne de Mortimer, claimant to the English throne (d. 1411)
1459 – John I Albert, King of Poland (d. 1501)
1481 – Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Margrave of Bayreuth (d. 1527)
1493 – Johann Pfeffinger, German theologian (d. 1573)
1566 – Jan Jesenius, Bohemian physician, politician and philosopher (d. 1621)
1571 – Johannes Kepler, German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer (d. 1630)
1572 – Johannes Vodnianus Campanus, Czech poet, playwright, and composer (d. 1622)
1584 – Philipp Julius, Duke of Pomerania (d. 1625)
1595 – Bohdan Khmelnytsky, hetman of Ukraine (d. 1657)

1601–1900

1622 – Teofil Rutka, Polish philosopher (d. 1700)
1633 – Jean de Lamberville, French missionary (d. 1714)
1636 – William Whitelock, English gentleman, Member of Parliament (d. 1717)
1637 – Petar Kanavelić, Venetian writer (d. 1719)
1645 – Giovanni Antonio Viscardi, Swiss architect (d. 1713)
1655 – Abstrupus Danby, English politician (d. 1727)
1660 – Veronica Giuliani, Italian Capuchin mystic (d. 1727)
1663 – Johann Melchior Roos, German painter (d. 1731)
1683 – Conyers Middleton, English priest and theologian (d. 1750)
1689 – Jacob August Franckenstein, Encyclopedia editor, professor (d. 1733)
(baptised) 1692 – Francis Blake Delaval, British Royal Navy officer and Member of Parliament (d. 1752)
1697 – Sollom Emlyn, Irish legal writer (d. 1754)
1705 – Prince Frederick Henry Eugen of Anhalt-Dessau, German prince of the House of Ascania (d. 1781)
1713 – Giovanni Battista Borra, Italian architect and engineer (d. 1770)
1714 – George Whitefield, English preacher and saint (d. 1770)
1715 – Philippe de Noailles, French general (d. 1794)
1721 – François Hemsterhuis, Dutch philosopher and author (d. 1790)
(baptised) 1761 – Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Finland (d. 1818)
1773 – George Cayley, English engineer and politician (d. 1857)
1776 – Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (d. 1811)
1797 – Ghalib, Indian poet (d. 1869)
1797 – Charles Hodge, American theologian (d. 1878)
1803 – François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian activist (d. 1839)
1809 – Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Greek poet and politician, Foreign Minister of Greece (d. 1892)
1822 – Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist (d. 1895)
1823 – Mackenzie Bowell, English-Canadian journalist and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1917)
1827 – Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria (d. 1900)
1832 – Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tretyakov Gallery (d. 1897)
1838 – Lars Oftedal, Norwegian priest, social reformer, politician, and newspaper editor (d. 1900)
1858 – Juan Luis Sanfuentes, Chilean lawyer and politician, 17th President of Chile (d. 1930)
1863 – Louis Lincoln Emmerson, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of Illinois (d. 1941)
1864 – Hermann-Paul, French painter and illustrator (d. 1940)
1878 – Kalle Korhonen, Finnish politician (d. 1938)
1879 – Sydney Greenstreet, English-American actor (d. 1954)
1882 – Mina Loy, British modernist poet and artist (d. 1966)
1883 – Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1979)
1888 – Thea von Harbou, German actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 1954)
1892 – Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian captain and pilot (d. 1917)
1896 – Louis Bromfield, American author and theorist (d. 1956)
1896 – Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (d. 1952)
1896 – Carl Zuckmayer, German author and playwright (d. 1977)
1898 – Inejiro Asanuma, Japanese politician (d. 1960)
1900 – Hans Stuck, German racing driver (d. 1978)

1901–present

1901 – Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (d. 1992)
1901 – Irene Handl, English actress (d. 1987)
1904 – René Bonnet, French racing driver and engineer (d. 1983)
1905 – Cliff Arquette, American actor and comedian (d. 1974)
1906 – Oscar Levant, American pianist, composer, and actor (d. 1972)
1907 – Asaf Halet Çelebi, Turkish poet (d. 1958)
1907 – Sebastian Haffner, German journalist and author (d. 1999)
1907 – Mary Howard, English author (d. 1991)
1907 – Conrad L. Raiford, American baseball player and activist (d. 2002)
1907 – Willem van Otterloo, Dutch conductor and composer (d. 1978)
1909 – James Riddell, English skier and author (d. 2000)
1910 – Charles Olson, American poet and educator (d. 1970)
1911 – Anna Russell, English-Canadian singer and actress (d. 2006)
1913 – Elizabeth Smart, Canadian poet and novelist (d. 1986)
1915 – William Masters, American gynecologist, author, and academic (d. 2001)
1915 – Gyula Zsengellér, Hungarian-Cypriot footballer and manager (d. 1999)
1916 – Werner Baumbach, German pilot (d. 1953)
1916 – Cathy Lewis, American actress (d. 1968)
1917 – Buddy Boudreaux, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 2015)
1917 – T. Nadaraja, Sri Lankan lawyer and academic (d. 2004)
1917 – Onni Palaste, Finnish soldier and author (d. 2009)
1918 – John Celardo, American captain and illustrator (d. 2012)
1919 – Charles Sweeney, American general and pilot (d. 2004)
1920 – Bruce Hobbs, American jockey and trainer (d. 2005)
1921 – John Whitworth, English countertenor (d. 2013)
1923 – Bruno Bobak, Polish-Canadian painter and educator (d. 2012)
1923 – Lucas Mangope, South African politician (d. 2018)
1924 – Jean Bartik, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 2011)
1924 – James A. McClure, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2011)
1925 – Michel Piccoli, French actor, singer, director, and producer (d. 2020)
1926 – Jerome Courtland, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2012)
1927 – Antony Gardner, English engineer and politician (d. 2011)
1927 – Nityanand Swami, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (d. 2012)
1927 – Audrey Wagner, American baseball player, obstetrician, and gynecologist (d. 1984)
1930 – Marshall Sahlins, American anthropologist and academic (d. 2021)
1930 – Wilfrid Sheed, English-born American novelist and essayist (d. 2011)
1931 – Scotty Moore, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2016)
1933 – Dave Marr, American golfer (d. 1997)
1934 – Larisa Latynina, Ukrainian gymnast and coach
1934 – Jeffrey Sterling, Baron Sterling of Plaistow, English businessman
1935 – Michael Turnbull, English bishop
1936 – Phil Sharpe, English cricketer (d. 2014)
1936 – Eve Uusmees, Estonian swimmer and coach
1939 – John Amos, American actor (d. 2024)
1940 – David Shepherd, English cricketer and umpire (d. 2009)
1941 – Miles Aiken, American basketball player and coach
1941 – Mike Pinder, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (d. 2024)
1941 – Nolan Richardson, American basketball player and coach
1942 – Byron Browne, American baseball player
1942 – Thomas Menino, American politician, 53rd Mayor of Boston (d. 2014)
1942 – Ron Rothstein, American basketball player and coach
1943 – Cokie Roberts, American journalist and author (d. 2019)
1943 – Joan Manuel Serrat, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist
1943 – Peter Sinfield, English songwriter and producer (d. 2024)
1943 – Roy White, American baseball player and coach
1944 – Mick Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1946 – Lenny Kaye, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1946 – Joe Kinnear, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2024)
1946 – Janet Street-Porter, English journalist and producer
1946 – Polly Toynbee, English journalist and author
1947 – Bill Eadie, American wrestler and coach
1947 – Doug Livermore, English footballer and manager
1947 – Willy Polleunis, Belgian runner
1948 – Gérard Depardieu, French-Russian actor
1949 – Terry Ito, Japanese director, producer, and critic
1950 – Haris Alexiou, Greek singer-songwriter
1950 – Roberto Bettega, Italian footballer and manager
1950 – Terry Bozzio, American drummer and songwriter
1951 – Karla Bonoff, American singer-songwriter
1951 – Ernesto Zedillo, Mexican economist and politician, 54th President of Mexico
1952 – Jay Hill, Canadian farmer and politician
1952 – David Knopfler, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1954 – Kent Benson, American basketball player
1954 – Mandie Fletcher, English director, producer, and production manager
1954 – Teo Chee Hean, Singaporean politician and 5th Senior Minister of Singapore
1955 – Brad Murphey, American race car driver
1955 – Barbara Olson, American journalist and author (d. 2001)
1956 – Doina Melinte, Romanian runner
1958 – Steve Jones, American golfer
1959 – Gerina Dunwich, American astrologer, historian, and author
1959 – Andre Tippett, American football player and coach
1960 – Maryam d'Abo, English actress
1960 – Donald Nally, American conductor and academic
1960 – Terry Price, Australian golfer
1961 – Guido Westerwelle, German lawyer and politician, 15th Vice-Chancellor of Germany (d. 2016)
1962 – Mark Few, American basketball player and coach
1962 – John Kampfner, Singaporean journalist and author
1962 – Bill Self, American basketball player and coach
1962 – Sherri Steinhauer, American golfer
1963 – Gaspar Noé, Argentine-French director and screenwriter
1964 – Ian Gomez, American actor
1964 – Theresa Randle, American actress
1965 – Salman Khan, Indian film actor and producer
1966 – Marianne Elliott, English director and producer
1966 – Bill Goldberg, American football player, wrestler and actor
1966 – Eva LaRue, American model and actress
1969 – Jean-Christophe Boullion, French racing driver
1969 – Chyna, American professional wrestler and actress (d. 2016)
1969 – Sarah Vowell, American author and journalist
1970 – Lorenzo Neal, American football player and radio host
1970 – Naoko Yamazaki, Japanese pilot and astronaut
1971 – Duncan Ferguson, Scottish footballer and coach
1971 – Guthrie Govan, English guitarist and educator
1971 – Savannah Guthrie, American television journalist
1972 – Colin Charvis, Welsh rugby union player and coach
1972 – Kevin Ollie, American basketball player and coach
1972 – Matt Slocum, American guitarist and songwriter
1973 – Wilson Cruz, American actor
1973 – Kristoffer Zegers, Dutch pianist and composer
1974 – Tomáš Janků, Czech high jumper
1974 – Masi Oka, Japanese-American actor and visual effects designer
1974 – Fumiko Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer
1974 – Jay Pandolfo, American ice hockey player and coach
1975 – Aigars Fadejevs, Latvian race walker and therapist
1975 – Heather O'Rourke, American actress (d. 1988)
1976 – Nikolaos Georgeas, Greek footballer
1976 – Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (d. 2009)
1976 – Daimí Pernía, Cuban basketball player and hurdler
1976 – Fernando Pisani, Canadian-Italian ice hockey player
1977 – Jacqueline Pillon, Canadian actress
1977 – Chris Tate, English footballer
1978 – Deuce McAllister, American football player
1978 – Lisa Jakub, Canadian actress
1979 – Pascale Dorcelus, Canadian weightlifter
1979 – David Dunn, English footballer and manager
1979 – Carson Palmer, American football player
1980 – Bernard Berrian, American football player
1980 – Claudio Castagnoli, Swiss wrestler
1980 – Dahntay Jones, American basketball player
1980 – Meelis Kompus, Estonian journalist
1981 – David Aardsma, American baseball player
1981 – Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
1981 – Jay Ellis, American actor
1981 – Moise Joseph, American-Haitian runner
1981 – Patrick Sharp, Canadian ice hockey player
1982 – Erin E. Stead, American illustrator
1983 – Anthony Boric, New Zealand rugby union player
1983 – Cole Hamels, American baseball player
1983 – Jesse Williams, American high jumper
1984 – Andrejs Perepļotkins, Ukrainian-Latvian footballer
1984 – Gilles Simon, French tennis player
1985 – Logan Bailly, Belgian footballer
1985 – Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Belgian racing driver
1985 – Adil Rami, French footballer
1985 – Paul Stastny, Canadian-American ice hockey player
1986 – Torah Bright, Australian snowboarder
1986 – Jamaal Charles, American football player
1986 – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaican sprinter
1987 – Lily Cole, English model
1988 – Jorge Gutiérrez, Mexican basketball player
1988 – Hera Hilmar, Icelandic actress
1988 – Zavon Hines, Jamaican-English footballer
1988 – Ok Taec-yeon, South Korean singer and actor
1988 – Rick Porcello, American baseball player
1988 – Hayley Williams, American singer-songwriter
1989 – Ingrid Várgas Calvo, Peruvian tennis player
1990 – Max Lindholm, Finnish figure skater
1990 – Jonathan Marchessault, Canadian ice hockey player
1990 – Milos Raonic, Canadian tennis player
1990 – Zelina Vega, American wrestler
1991 – Chloe Bridges, American actress
1991 – Michael Morgan, Australian rugby league player
1991 – Beth Potter, Scottish triathlete and long-distance runner
1991 – Danny Wilson, Scottish footballer
1992 – Joel Indermitte, Estonian footballer
1992 – Maicel Uibo, Estonian decathlete
1993 – Olivia Cooke, English actress
1994 – Isi Palazón, Spanish footballer
1995 – Timothée Chalamet, French-American actor
1995 – Nick Chubb, American football player
1995 – Ghislain Konan, Ivorian footballer
1995 – Mark Lapidus, Estonian chess player
1997 – Mads Andersen, Danish footballer
1997 – Vachirawit Chivaaree, Thai actor and singer
1997 – Ana Konjuh, Croatian tennis player
1998 – Luka Garza, American basketball player
1999 – Brock Purdy, American football player
2001 – Ander Barrenetxea, Spanish footballer (Full article...)

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