Famous People Born Today

Ashton Kutcher

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1978

Birthplace: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States

Actor and producer, Ashton Kutcher, began his career as a model and soon ventured into acting, where he found success appearing in a string of romantic comedies. Besides acting, he is a venture capitalist and has successfully invested in several high technology start-ups. He is also actively involved in humanitarian work.

Charles Dickens

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1812

Birthplace: Landport, Hampshire, England

Died: 1870

Widely considered the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, Charles Dickens was an English writer famous for creating world-renowned fictional characters. Regarded by critics and scholars as a literary genius, most of his short stories and novels are read around the world even today. His distinctive style of writing is referred to as Dickensian.

Desmond Doss

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1919

Birthplace: Lynchburg

Died: 2006

Desmond Doss was a US Army corporal. Doss served as a combat medic in World War II. For his actions during the Battle of Okinawa, Desmond Doss became the only conscientious objector to be honored with the prestigious Medal of Honor as he saved 75 men. His life and work inspired several books and the biographical war film Hacksaw Ridge.

Chris Rock

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1965

Birthplace: Andrews, South Carolina, United States

A high-school drop-out, Chris Rock worked at restaurants before stepping into stand-up comedy. He gained fame with SNL and earned his first role through Eddie Murphy. Known for voicing Marty in the Madagascar franchise, Chris also created the series Everybody Hates Chris and was voted Comedy Central’s fifth-greatest stand-up comedian.

James Spader

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1960

Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

From playing a sexual voyeur to a sadomasochistic boss, James Spader has portrayed a variety of roles, establishing himself as a versatile actor. Despite suffering from strong obsessive-compulsive issues, James Spader has managed to succeed as an actor and hence serves as an inspiration to many who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Troyal Garth Brooks

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1962

Birthplace: Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

Troyal Garth Brooks is an American singer-songwriter. Having sold over 170 million records worldwide, Brooks is one of the best-selling musicians in the world. He is also the best-selling solo albums musician in the US. Also known for his charitable activities, Garth Brooks established the Teammates for Kids Foundation in 1999, which provides financial support to charities for kids.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1867

Birthplace: Pepin County, Wisconsin, United States

Died: 1957

Laura Ingalls Wilder authored the iconic Little House children’s book series, including the novel Little House on the Prairie, based on her family’s life in Wisconsin, which was later adapted for many stage and screen versions. She is also known for her autobiography, Pioneer Girl, and many posthumously published books.

Matthew Stafford

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1988

Birthplace: Tampa, Florida, United States

NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford initially played for the University of Georgia and was then drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2009. He became the fourth NFL quarterback to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season. He is also the fastest NFL player to score 40,000 yards.

Alexander Dreymon

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1983

Birthplace: Germany

Alexander Dreymon is best known for portraying Uhtred of Bebbanburg in The Last Kingdom and Luke Ramsey in American Horror Story: Coven. He has also been seen as Steiner in the war movie Resistance. He is trained in martial arts and is a polyglot who speaks German, English, and French.

Isaiah Thomas

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1989

Birthplace: Tacoma, Washington, U.S.

Isaiah Thomas, also known as “The Pizza Boy,” plays for the Washington Wizards. He has previously played for teams such as the Sacramento Kings, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers. He is a two-time NBA All-Star and a two-time First-team All-Pac-10, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team.

Miguel Ferrer

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1955

Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, United States

Died: 2017

Miguel Ferrer was an American actor who achieved popularity after portraying Bob Morton in the 1987 cyberpunk superhero film RoboCop. His popularity led him to be featured in a couple of music videos. After his death at the age of 61, Peter David named Spider-Man 2099's alter ego after Miguel Ferrer.

Steve Nash

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1974

Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa

Canadian national Steve Nash is a basketball coach and a former player. Known for his playmaking skills, he played for Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers in America’s coveted National Basketball Association. He also played for the Canadian national men’s team from 1991 to 2003. He became the head coach of Brooklyn Nets of NBA in September 2020.

Jacksepticeye

Listed In: YouTubers

Birth Year: 1990

Birthplace: Athlone, Ireland

Irish YouTuber, Jacksepticeye, has gained massive online fame with his vlogs and comedic Let's Play series. His channel was the most-subscribed Irish channel as of December 2020. He began his YouTube career by posting gameplay videos and gained millions of subscribers within a few years. He is a philanthropist and often raises money for charitable causes.

Deborah Ann Woll

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1985

Birthplace: New York City, U.S.

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

Pete Postlethwaite

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1946

Birthplace: Warrington, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom

Died: 2011

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Victor Webster

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1973

Birthplace: Calgary

Victor Webster is a Canadian actor known for playing important roles in TV series like Days of Our Lives. A trained kickboxer, who studied martial arts during his teenage years, Webster portrays characters that require him to perform stunts with ease. Also known for his good looks, Webster was named in People magazine's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors list in 2002.

Tina Majorino

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1985

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Tina Majorino is an American actress who started her career as a child artist. Unlike many other popular child artists, Majorino went on to establish herself as a successful actress with important roles in films like Napoleon Dynamite. Since then, she has also appeared in popular TV series, such as Veronica Mars and Grey's Anatomy.

G. H. Hardy

Listed In: Scientists

Birth Year: 1877

Birthplace: Cranleigh, England

Died: 1947

English mathematician G. H. Hardy is best recognised for his work and achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis, and also as mentor of distinguished Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. He is noted for his essay on mathematics titled A Mathematician's Apology. He also made his mark in biology formulating a basic principle of population genetics called Hardy–Weinberg principle.

Thomas Andrews

Listed In: Architects

Birth Year: 1873

Birthplace: Comber, County Down, Ireland

Died: 1912

Eddie Izzard

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1962

Birthplace: Aden, Yemen

Although best known for her surreal and digressive stand-up comedies, Eddie Izzard is also a popular film and television actor. Born as Edward John Izzard, she began her career as a street performer, eventually making her first stage appearance at the age of twenty-five, quickly drawing larger and larger audience with her stream-of-consciousness delivery, achieving fame both home and abroad.

Pierre Gasly

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1996

Birthplace: Rouen, France

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

Bea Miller

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1999

Birthplace: Maplewood, New Jersey, United States

Sinclair Lewis

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1885

Birthplace: Sauk Centre

Died: 1951

Robyn Lively

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1972

Birthplace: Powder Springs, Georgia, United States

Former child actor Robyn Lively, sister of actor Blake Lively, is known for her Emmy-nominated role of Melissa Harmon in the ABC Afterschool Special The Less Than Perfect Daughter. Fans also loved her in the film The Karate Kid Part III and the shows Doogie Howser, M.D. and Saving Grace.

Essence Atkins

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1972

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Essence Uhura Atkins is best known for her roles as Dee Dee Thorne in Half & Half and as Suzanne Kingston in Are We There Yet? Fans also loved her in the NBC sitcom Marlon. She has also appeared in the parody film A Haunted House and its sequel.

Mariusz Pudzianowski

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1977

Birthplace: Biala Rawska, Poland

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Juwan Howard

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1973

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Height: 6'9" (206 cm)

Allen West

Listed In: Leaders

Birth Year: 1961

Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Buster Crabbe

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1908

Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States

Died: 1983

Apart from being an Olympic gold-winning swimmer, Buster Crabbe later also became a well-known actor. He was seen in over 170 movies, with lead roles in series such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. The International Swimming Hall of Fame inductee had also penned fitness books and owned a swimming pool company.

John Deere

Listed In: Business People

Birth Year: 1804

Birthplace: Rutland, Vermont, United States

Died: 1886

Jason Gedrick

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1965

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Nadine Nassib Njeim

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1984

Birthplace: Beirut, Lebanon

Born to a Lebanese father and a Tunisian mother, Nadine Nassib Njeim was crowned Miss Lebanon 2004 and later represented Lebanon at the Miss Universe pageant. She exhibited her acting skills in series such as Samra. After being injured in the deadly 2020 Beirut explosion, she underwent a 6-hour surgery.

Jock Mahoney

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1919

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Died: 1989

Height: 6'4" (193 cm)

Cerina Vincent

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1979

Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Robert Smigel

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1960

Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

Hua Chenyu

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1990

Birthplace: Zhushan County, Shiyan, China

Chinese singer Hua Chenyu shocked his fans in 2021, when he revealed that he had a child with fellow singer Zhang Bichen in 2019. Hua, who has made it big with shows such as Singer 2018, also has a toy modeled on him, marketed under the brand Born To Love.

Alfred Adler

Listed In: Intellectuals & Academics

Birth Year: 1870

Birthplace: Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, Vienna, Austria

Died: 1937

Alfred Adler was an Austrian psychotherapist and medical doctor. He is credited with founding the school of individual psychology. He was also one of the founders of the psychoanalytic movement along with Sigmund Freud and Freud's colleagues. In 2002, a survey conducted by Review of General Psychology named Adler among the 20th century's most eminent psychologists.

Patsy Swayze

Listed In: Dancers

Birth Year: 1927

Birthplace: Harris County, Texas, United States

Died: 2013

James Murray

Listed In: Intellectuals & Academics

Birth Year: 1837

Birthplace: Denholm, Scotland

Died: 1915

James Murray was a Scottish philologist and lexicographer. He is best remembered as the main editor of the famous Oxford English Dictionary from 1879 until his demise in 1915. Murray's contribution to the dictionary and his collaboration with lexicographical researcher William Chester Minor inspired the 2019 film The Professor and the Madman, where the former was portrayed by Mel Gibson.

Eddie Bracken

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1915

Birthplace: Astoria, Queens, New York (state) New York, U.S.

Died: 2002

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Cepillin

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1946

Birthplace: Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico

Died: 2021

Alfred Worden

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1932

Birthplace: Jackson, Michigan, United States

Died: 2020

US fighter pilot, engineer, and NASA astronaut Alfred Worden served as the pilot of the command module Endeavour for the 1971 Apollo 15 mission. His spacewalk was at a record distance from Earth. Post-retirement, he worked for private enterprises and wrote several books, including a memoir, a poetry collection, and a children’s book.

Steven Stamkos

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1990

Birthplace: Markham, Ontario, Canada

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Thomas More

Listed In: Spiritual & Religious Leaders

Birth Year: 1478

Birthplace: City of London

Died: 1535

Lawyer, philosopher, and poet Thomas More, author of Utopia, had served as the British Lord Chancellor for 3 years. He opposed Henry VIII's separation from the Catholic Church and refused to take the Oath of Supremacy. He was thus beheaded for treason. Pope Pius XI later declared him a martyr.

Henry Fuseli

Listed In: Artists & Painters

Birth Year: 1741

Birthplace: Zürich, Switzerland

Died: 1825

Swiss artist Henry Fuseli is remembered for the drama and sensuality showcased in his paintings. Though born to a landscape and portrait painter, he was initially taught theology. After leaving the country due to political risks, he made it to Britain and Italy. He later contributed to the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery.

Jain

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1992

Birthplace: Toulouse, France

French singer-songwriter Jeanne Louise Galice is better known as Jain. She began her career posting videos on Myspace. The fact that she sings in English has made her quite a sensation across Europe and Canada. Her hit video Makeba earned her a Grammy nomination. She has also delivered hits such as Souldier.