Mohamed Salah

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1992

Birthplace: Nagrig, Egypt

Egyptian professional footballer Mohamed Salah is considered one of the best players in the world. Known for his finishing, dribbling, and speed, he plays for the Premier League club Liverpool and the Egyptian national team. He has been named the CAF African Footballer of the Year twice. His fans and the press have nicknamed him "The Pharaoh."

Ice Cube

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1969

Birthplace: Crenshaw, California, United States

Ice Cube played an important role in contributing to gangsta rap's popularity. His lyrics for N.W.A's album Straight Outta Compton redrew boundaries and shaped West Coast rap's identity. Because of his lyrics, that explain black nationalism and black struggle, Ice Cube went on to influence a host of rappers and is considered one of the greatest rappers ever.

Courteney Cox

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1964

Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Actress, producer, and director, Courteney Cox first gained international popularity in the mid-1990s owing to her appearance in the NBC sitcom Friends. She soon ventured into films, where also she found success. Besides acting, she owns the film and television company, Coquette Productions. She has won the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Women's Image Network.

Neil Patrick Harris

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1973

Birthplace: Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

An American actor, comedian, magician, and singer, Neil Patrick Harris serves as an inspiration to the entire LGBT community as he became the first openly gay man to host the Oscars in 2015. Five years prior in 2010, he was named in Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People.

Leah Remini

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1970

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Leah Remini is best known as Carrie Heffernan from The King of Queens and Vanessa from Kevin Can Wait. She also appeared in Dancing with the Stars. She was raised a Scientologist, but turned against the faith later, releasing an explanatory memoir and an Emmy-winning documentary series on the same.

Helen Hunt

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1963

Birthplace: Culver City, California, United States

American actress Helen Hunt garnered recognition when she acted in the television series, St Elsewhere, in the 1980s and Mad About You in the 1990s. She has starred in several acclaimed and successful Hollywood films like Twister, What Women Want, Cast Away and The Sessions. She won a Best Actress Oscar for the 1997 film As Good as it Gets.

Waylon Jennings

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1937

Birthplace: Littlefield, Texas, United States

Died: 2002

Waylon Jennings was one of the pioneers of outlaw country music. He began performing on KVOW radio, at age 12, and then performed with several bands, such as The Texas Longhorns, The Waylors, and The Highwaymen. He also contributed to Wanted! The Outlaws, the first platinum country album. 

Jim Varney

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1949

Birthplace: Lexington, Kentucky, United States

Died: 2000

Jim Varney is best known for playing the iconic character Ernest Worrell in countless commercials, and later in a movie franchise, and a series named Hey, Vern, It's Ernest!, which earned him an Emmy. He also appeared in The Beverly Hillbillies and voiced Slinky Dog in the Toy Story films.

Jim Belushi

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1954

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

The younger brother of iconic comedian and actor John Belushi, Jim Belushi followed in his brother's footsteps to become a comedian and actor. He is also a passionate cannabis cultivator and plans to open a cannabis dispensary in Downtown Portland.

Aurora

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1996

Birthplace: Stavanger, Norway

Aurora is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, and dancer. Gifted from a young age, she began writing songs at the age of six! She began her career self-releasing her works. She received a favorable response from the audience and was soon able to establish herself as a popular singer. Her music encompasses electro-pop, folk, and art-pop elements. 

Bayley

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1989

Birthplace: Newark, California, United States

Bayley is an American professional wrestler. Currently, she is one of the most important female members of WWE. She has won several WWE championship titles, such as Raw Women's Championship and SmackDown Women's Championship. Renowned for her tag team partnership with Sasha Banks, Bayley has also won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship along with Banks.

Harry Nilsson

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1941

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Died: 1994

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Cooper Kupp

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1993

Birthplace: Yakima, Washington, United States

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Xi Jinping

Listed In: Leaders

Birth Year: 1953

Birthplace: Beijing, China

Xi Jinping, President of China since 2013, is said to be the most powerful Chinese leader since Chairman Mao Zedong. He is an authoritarian leader and his reign is marked by an increase in censorship and deterioration in human rights . Also, China’s foreign policy under Xi has been more assertive, leading to a deterioration of relations with many countries.

Eileen Davidson

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1959

Birthplace: Artesia, California, United States

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Dusty Baker

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1949

Birthplace: Riverside, California, United States

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Edvard Grieg

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1843

Birthplace: Bergen, Norway

Died: 1907

Regarded as Norway’s Shakespeare, musical legend Edvard Grieg learned the piano from his mother. The Scottish claim he was their own, as Grieg’s Scottish grandfather had migrated to Norway. Grieg was known for his compositions such as the Piano Concerto and for infusing Norwegian folk elements into his music.

Oliver Kahn

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1969

Birthplace: Karlsruhe, Germany

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Erik Erikson

Listed In: Intellectuals & Academics

Birth Year: 1902

Birthplace: Frankfurt, Germany

Died: 1994

Erik Erikson was a German-American psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist best remembered for developing a theory on the psychological development of humans. He is credited with coining the term identity crisis, the failure to achieve ego identity. Also a prolific writer, Erikson won a US National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize for his book Gandhi's Truth.

Wade Boggs

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1958

Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Nadine Coyle

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1985

Birthplace: Derry, Northern Ireland

Part of the award-winning girl band Girls Aloud, Irish singer-actor Nadine Coyle began her career with the show Popstars and later launched a solo career, with songs such as Go To Work. She has also been a model and has launched an Irish pub, which was later run by her family.

Mel Giedroyc

Listed In: Media Personalities

Birth Year: 1968

Birthplace: Epsom

Mel Giedroyc is an English TV presenter, actress, and comedian. She is known for co-hosting series like Light Lunch and Mel & Sue. Also known for her humanitarian efforts, Giedroyc contributed to Gareth Malone's All Star Choir, in 2014, in an attempt to raise funds for BBC's charity Children in Need. In 2017, she went on to co-present Children in Need.

Simon Callow

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1949

Birthplace: London, England, UK

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Tim Lincecum

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1984

Birthplace: Bellevue, Washington, USA

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Iñaki Williams

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1994

Birthplace: Bilbao, Spain

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Michel Lotito

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1950

Birthplace: Grenoble, France

Died: 2007

Featured on Ripley’s 100 Best BIONS, Michel Lotito was known for his bizarre diet, consisting of glass and metal parts, TV sets, bicycles, and even a Cessna 150 airplane. The Guinness record holder was nicknamed Monsieur Mangetout, meaning Mr. Eat-All. The French entertainer died of natural causes later.

Miriam Defensor Santiago

Listed In: Lawyers & Judges

Birth Year: 1945

Birthplace: Iloilo City, Philippines

Died: 2016

Known for her legal expertise and her resolve to fight corruption, Miriam Defensor Santiago also became the first Filipina and the first from an Asian developing country to serve as a judge of the International Criminal Court. The senator was also a Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient and died of lung cancer.

Stjepan Hauser

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1986

Birthplace: Pula, Croatia

David A. Kennedy

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1954

Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States

Died: 1984

Justin Fletcher

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1970

Birthplace: Reading, Berkshire, England

Yussuf Poulsen

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1994

Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark

Height: 6'4" (193 cm)

Michael Laudrup

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1964

Birthplace: Frederiksberg, Denmark

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

Julie Hagerty

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1955

Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Greg Vaughan

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1973

Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, United States

Greg Vaughan is best known for his Emmy-winning role of Eric Brady in the soap Days of Our Lives. Fans also loved him in the soaps The Young and the Restless and General Hospital. The former model also gained fame with his roles in Charmed and Queen Sugar.

Mike Holmgren

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1948

Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA

Height: 6'5" (196 cm)

Madison Kocian

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1997

Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, United States

Part of the gold-winning American Final Five at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Madison Kocian had also earned a silver on uneven bars at the same event. She began training in gymnastics at age 5 and retired in 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic halted her UCLA Bruins final season.

Bianna Golodryga

Listed In: Media Personalities

Birth Year: 1978

Birthplace: Căușeni, Moldovan SSR, USSR

Bianna Golodryga is an American journalist known for co-hosting popular morning television programs, such as CBS This Morning and the weekend edition of Good Morning America. In 2004, she was adjudged one of the top American journalists below the age of 30. Currently, she is working as CNN's senior global affairs analyst.

Dafne Schippers

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1992

Birthplace: Utrecht, Netherlands

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

Peter Norman

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1942

Birthplace: Coburg, Australia

Died: 2006

Peter Norman was an Australian athlete who won a silver medal in the 200 meters event at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He is remembered for supporting fellow athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos by wearing the Olympic Project for Human Rights badge during their medal ceremony; he is the third athlete seen in the popular Olympics Black Power salute photograph.

Ouyang Nana

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 2000

Birthplace: Taipei, Taiwan, China

Height: 5'6" (168 cm)

Alice Englert

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1994

Birthplace: Sydney, Australia

Alice Englert is an Australian actress, singer, songwriter, writer, and director. She is best known for her portrayal of Rosa in the 2012 coming-of-age drama film Ginger & Rosa. Her work in the film was honored by the Women Film Critics Circle in 2013. Alice Englert has also played important roles in TV series like New Worlds and Dangerous Liaisons.

Jim Hanks

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1961

Birthplace: Shasta County, California, United States

Jim Hanks is an American filmmaker and actor. Jim is best known for substituting voice roles for his brother Tom Hanks and acting as the latter's body double in many of his films, including Forrest Gump. Tom has credited Jim for creating the mannerisms of Forrest Gump as he had based the mannerisms on the simpleton mannerisms created by Jim. 

Demis Roussos

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1946

Birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt

Died: 2015

Demis Roussos was a Greek singer-songwriter remembered for his work with the band Aphrodite's Child. He also had an illustrious career as a vocal soloist and sold over 60 million albums worldwide. His works have inspired musicians all over the world, including Bollywood music director R. D. Burman, whose song Mehbooba Mehbooba is based on Roussos' Say You Love Me.

Benjamin Millepied

Listed In: Dancers

Birth Year: 1977

Birthplace: Bordeaux, France

French dancer Benjamin Millepied was initially associated with the New York City Ballet. He launched the LA Dance Project and was the director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet. He gained fame as the choreographer of the iconic movie Black Swan, and later married its lead actor, Natalie Portman.

Nicolas Poussin

Listed In: Artists & Painters

Birth Year: 1594

Birthplace: Near Les Andelys, Normandy, Kingdom of France (now France)

Died: 1665

The founder of the French Classical tradition, painter Nicolas Poussin was initially influenced by Venetian art but later deviated to antiquity. Most of his paintings showcased historical, mythological, biblical elements but some were also inspired by landscapes and poetry. The Death of the Virgin remains one of his best-known works.

Polly Draper

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1955

Birthplace: Gary, Indiana, United States

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Andy Pettitte

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1972

Birthplace: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Height: 6'5" (196 cm)

Johnny Hallyday

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1943

Birthplace: Cité Malesherbes, Paris, France

Died: 2017

Regarded as France’s first rock star, Jean-Philippe Léo Smet, better known as Johnny Hallyday, had a phenomenal career, with 5 diamond, 40 golden, and 22 platinum albums. He was also always in the news for his flamboyant lifestyle, his many romances, his five marriages, and his love for cocaine and racing.  

Josiah Henson

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1789

Birthplace: Charles County, Maryland, United States

Died: 1883

Josiah Henson was an American abolitionist, author, and minister. Henson escaped to Upper Canada after being born into slavery and founded a settlement for other fugitive slaves in Kent County. Josiah Henson's autobiography about his escape from slavery is said to have inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's title character in her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Noddy Holder

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1946

Birthplace: Walsall, England