Michael Jackson

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1958

Birthplace: Gary, Indiana, United States

Died: 2009

The King of Pop and an international superstar, Michael Jackson was a musical entertainer whose work – both with Jackson 5 and solo – won accolades and hearts worldwide. Equally popular were his unique dance moves that created sensation and shaped future dance styles. Amongst the most successful entertainers of all time, Jackson was later accused of child molestation.  

Liam Payne

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1993

Birthplace: Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England

Died: 2024

Liam Payne is a popular English singer-songwriter who is part of the world-renowned boy band One Direction. Also a well-known philanthropist, Liam Payne has supported Comic Relief and Unicef. In 2020, he helped raise over $10 million for charitable organizations fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to his charity work, he serves as an inspiration to many youngsters across the world.

Carla Gugino

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1971

Birthplace: Sarasota, Florida, United States

Carla Gugino started off as a model while attending acting classes. She was appreciated for her memorable performances as Ingrid in the Spy Kids trilogy, as Jessie in Gerald's Game, and as Olivia in The Haunting of Hill House. She and her long-term boyfriend, interestingly, do not believe in marriage.

John Locke

Listed In: Intellectuals & Academics

Birth Year: 1632

Birthplace: Wrington, Somerset, England

Died: 1704

John Locke, also known as The Father of Liberalism, was a prominent Enlightenment Age philosopher. A qualified physician, Locke postulated the theory of mind, empiricism, and the idea of tabula rasa. His ideas influenced the social contract theory, the works of Kant and Rousseau, and the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

Richard Attenborough

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1923

Birthplace: Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

Died: 2014

Richard Attenborough is credited with making one of the greatest films of all time - Gandhi. Also an actor, Richard served as the president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Apart from being honored by the British royalty, he was also honored with India's third-highest civilian award, The Padma Bhushan.

Ingrid Bergman

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1915

Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden

Died: 1982

One of the greatest Swedish actresses ever, Ingrid Bergman is the only Triple Crown winner with three Academy Awards under her belt. Such is her impact that her character Ilsa Lund, which she portrayed in Casablanca, inspired the character of Ilsa Faust in the Mission Impossible franchise. An actress with a deep sense of freedom, Bergman voiced her views against racial segregation.

Lea Michele

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1986

Birthplace: Bronx, New York, United States

Lea Michele is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway and is best known for the role of Rachel Berry on the comedy-drama series Glee. She won many awards and was critically acclaimed for it. However, Lea has also been accused of being rude to her co-actors on the sets of Glee.

Rebecca De Mornay

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1959

Birthplace: Santa Rosa, California, United States

Rebecca De Mornay is best known for her MTV Movie Award-winning performance as Peyton Flanders in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Fans also loved her as Dorothy Walker in the series Jessica Jones, as Wendy Torrance in the miniseries The Shining, and as Lana in the film Risky Business.

Elliott Gould

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1938

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Elliott Gould is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and his perfomances in Robert Altman films such as M*A*S*H, Nashville, and The Long Goodbye. Fans also loved him as Jack Geller in Friends and as Reuben Tishkoff in the Ocean's franchise.

Charlie Parker

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1920

Birthplace: Kansas City, Kansas, United States

Died: 1955

Charlie Parker was an American composer and jazz saxophonist. A highly influential soloist, Parker played a significant role in the development of a form of jazz called bebop. He is also credited with introducing harmonic ideas into jazz, such as chord substitutions and rapid passing chords. His contribution to jazz and bebop made him an icon of the hipster subculture.

Emily Hampshire

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1981

Birthplace: Montreal

Emily Hampshire is one of the most popular actresses from Canada. During Telefilm Canada's maiden Tribute To Canadian Talent event in 2012, Emily was honored with the first Birks Canadian Diamond award. Identifying herself as pansexual, Emily Hampshire got engaged to transwoman Teddy Geiger, only to end their engagement after seven months. In 2014, she became a naturalized US citizen.

John McCain

Listed In: Leaders

Birth Year: 1936

Birthplace: Coco Solo, Panama

Died: 2018

John McCain served as a US Senator for Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. Previously he was a US naval officer and is hailed as a war hero for his heroics during the Vietnam War. He was a supporter of LGBT rights, gun regulations and campaign finance reform. He was a Republican nominee for the 2008 presidential election but lost to Barack Obama.

Temple Grandin

Listed In: Scientists

Birth Year: 1947

Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Temple Grandin is an American activist and scientist. An outspoken proponent of the neurodiversity and autism rights movements, Grandin is one of the first individuals to document the insights gained from her own experience of autism. She has also authored over 60 scientific papers on animal behavior. Her life and work inspired the 2010 biographical drama film Temple Grandin.

William Levy

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1980

Birthplace: Cojímar, Cuba

Cuban-American actor William Levy started as a model and then appeared on Spanish reality shows such as Isla de la Tentación. He has lent his voice to the dubbed version of Planet 51. He has also appeared in series such as Star and telenovelas such as Cuidado con el ángel.

Chris Hadfield

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1959

Birthplace: Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Chris Hadfield is a Canadian former astronaut, engineer, and singer. Hadfield, who has served in the International Space Station as a commander, is credited with flying two Space Shuttle missions. He is also the first Canadian to successfully carry out an extravehicular activity in space. Before becoming an astronaut, he served as an Air Command fighter pilot for 25 years.

Joel Schumacher

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1939

Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States

Died: 2020

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

James Brady

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1940

Birthplace: Centralia, Illinois, USA

Died: 2014

Isabel Sanford

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1917

Birthplace: Harlem, New York, United States

Died: 2004

Height: 5'3" (160 cm)

Jay Ryan

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1981

Birthplace: Auckland

Jay Ryan is a New Zealand actor best known for playing important roles in TV series like Neighbours, Go Girls, Top of the Lake, and Mary Kills People. Jay Ryan and the cast of Top of the Lake received the Equity Ensemble Award under the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Miniseries or Telemovie category in 2014.

Neil Gorsuch

Listed In: Lawyers & Judges

Birth Year: 1967

Birthplace: Denver, Colorado, United States

The Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch earlier served as the Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and was also in private practice. He is an adherent of originalism in constitutional interpretation and textualism in statutory interpretation. His landmark judgements include upholding the LGBTQ rights and favouring the Yakama Nation.

Brian Chesky

Listed In: Business People

Birth Year: 1981

Birthplace: Niskayuna, New York, United States

Business magnate and industrial designer Brian Chesky is the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. Named to Time 100 in 2015, he was also made an Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship by Barack Obama. He is also part of The Giving Pledge and has been featured on the Youngest Forbes 400 list.

Vivien Thomas

Listed In: Physicians

Birth Year: 1910

Birthplace: New Iberia, Louisiana, United States

Died: 1985

Vivien Theodore Thomas was laboratory supervisor who never went to college; yet he rose above poverty and racism to develop a procedure for treating cyanotic heart disease. Initially billed as janitor, he began his career as assistant to surgeon Alfred Blalock first at Nashville University and later at Johns Hopkins, and in time discovered the life-saving technique, eventually becoming a teacher of operative techniques.

Charlotte Ritchie

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1989

Birthplace: Westminster, London, England, UK

Nicole Byer

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1986

Birthplace: New Jersey, USA

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Chris Simms

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1980

Birthplace: Ridgewood, New Jersey, USA

Height: 6'4" (193 cm)

Robin Leach

Listed In: Media Personalities

Birth Year: 1941

Birthplace: London, England

Died: 2018

Veteran British entertainment journalist Robin Leach is best remembered as the host of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, a show he was associated with for over a decade. At 18, he was the youngest editor of the Daily Mail. He also worked as an entertainment columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Betty Lynn

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1926

Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Died: 2021

Dhyan Chand

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1905

Birthplace: Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India

Died: 1979

Known as The Magician of field hockey, Dhyan Chand, one of the greatest hockey players from India, is remembered for his three Olympic gold medals and for his ability to control the ball. The Padma Bhushan awardee initially loved wrestling but deviated to hockey after joining the army.

Deborah Van Valkenburgh

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1952

Birthplace: Schenectady, New York, United States

Height: 5'3" (160 cm)

Lenny Henry

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1958

Birthplace: Dudley

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

Nicole Gale Anderson

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1990

Birthplace: Rochester, Indiana, United States

Born to an American father and a Filipina mother, Nicole Gale Anderson started out as a national gymnast as a child but later quit the sport due to injuries. Stepping into acting later, she gained fame with series such as Jonas, Beauty & the Beast, and Ravenswood.

Dick Cusack

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1925

Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States

Died: 2003

Dick Cusack was an American actor, humorist, and filmmaker who won an Emmy Award for making a documentary titled The Committee in 1971. In addition to directing and acting, Cusack also owned a production company that produced many films. Dick Cusack is also credited with inspiring his children—John, Joan, and Ann Cusack—to establish themselves in the American film industry.

Jennifer Landon

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1983

Birthplace: Malibu, California, USA

Bob Beamon

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1946

Birthplace: South Jamaica, New York, United States

Bob Beamon is a former American track and field athlete who won the gold medal for the long jump at the 1968 Olympics. He created a world record in the process of winning the gold medal; the record was broken by Mike Powell almost 23 years later. Beamon was inducted into United States Olympic Hall of Fame.

Hajime Isayama

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1986

Birthplace: Hita

Hajime Isayama is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his first manga series, Attack on Titan, which became one of the best-selling series of all time. Over the course of his career, Hajime Isayama has won many prestigious awards such as the Weekly Shōnen Magazine Freshman Manga Award, Kodansha Manga Award, and Noma Publishing Award.

Dinah Washington

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1924

Birthplace: Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States

Died: 1963

Beth Dover

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1978

Birthplace: Chicago,Illinois,USA

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Wendell Scott

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1921

Birthplace: Danville, Virginia, United States

Died: 1990

One of the pioneering Black drivers of NASCAR, Wendell Scott rose to be a NASCAR Cup Series winner. He has been named to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, too. Initially an auto mechanic, he also owned his own auto repair shop. He had also been a cab driver.

John Hensley

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1977

Birthplace: Hyden, Kentucky, United States

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

Bae Yong-joon

Listed In: Business People

Birth Year: 1972

Birthplace: Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Bae Yong-joon is a South Korean former actor best known for his portrayal of Kang Joon-sang/Lee Min-hyeong in the TV drama series Winter Sonata, which became a huge success in more than 20 countries. His performance in the series earned him several awards, including KBS Drama Awards. An active businessman, Bae is credited with founding a management agency called KeyEast.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1809

Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Died: 1894

Charles Grandison Finney

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1792

Birthplace: Warren, Connecticut, United States

Died: 1875

Charles Grandison Finney, dubbed as the Father of Modern Revivalism, began his career with the Presbyterian Church, where his style of preaching fermented spirited revivals. Later, his dissatisfaction with Presbyterian theology led to formation of Broadway Tabernacle and he started promoting abolitionism and equal education for women and blacks. He spent his last years as minister of Oberlin’s First Congregational Church.

Steve Clarke

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1963

Birthplace: Saltcoats, Scotland

Hailing from the small town of Saltcoats in Scotland, footballer Steve Clarke later grew up to play for teams such as Chelsea and St. Mirren. Post-retirement, he has coached teams such as Newcastle United and Liverpool, part from the Scottish national team. He is known for his no-nonsense, reserved nature.

Preston Sturges

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1898

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Died: 1959

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

Listed In: Intellectuals & Academics

Birth Year: 1619

Birthplace: Reims

Died: 1683

Born into a merchant family in France, Jean-Baptiste Colbert grew up to hold various administrative posts. Patronized by Cardinal Mazarin, he became affluent and later became one of the most efficient administrators during the regime of Louis XIV. He also established the French merchant navy.

Jon Dahl Tomasson

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1976

Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

William Friedkin

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1935

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Listed In: Artists & Painters

Birth Year: 1780

Birthplace: Montauban, France

Died: 1867

Charles F. Kettering

Listed In: Business People

Birth Year: 1876

Birthplace: Loudonville, Ohio

Died: 1958

Charles F. Kettering was an American engineer, inventor, and businessman. Kettering is credited with founding Delco Electronics Corporation. Holder of 186 patents, Kettering is also credited with the invention of Freon refrigerant for air conditioning and refrigeration systems. Over the course of his career, Charles F. Kettering won prestigious awards like the IEEE Edison Medal, Hoover Medal, and Franklin Medal. 

Nicholas Tse

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1980

Birthplace: British Hong Kong

Known as "Hong Kong’s Bad Boy," Nicholas Tse, son of legendary actors Patrick Tse and Deborah Lee, has had a colorful career, peppered with music, movies, and martial arts. He is also a cook and an entrepreneur, though his Hong Kong bakery has closed down due to the coronavirus pandemic.