Famous People Born Today

Al Pacino

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1940

Birthplace: East Harlem, New York, United States

Considered one of the greatest actors, Al Pacino gained wide acclaim and recognition for his portrayal of Michael Corleone in the movie, The Godfather in 1972. He’s been a part of many successful and iconic films and won an Oscar for playing a blind military veteran in the movie Scent of a Woman. Pacino has three children, but has never been married.

Johan Cruyff

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1947

Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Died: 2016

Dutch midfielder/forward Johan Cruyff pioneered the idea of Total Football, along with coach Rinus Michels. The first three-time Ballon d'Or-winner was known for his signature move, the Cruyff Turn. He made it to FIFA 100 and ranked second only to Pele in an official World Player of the Century poll.

Renee Zellweger

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1969

Birthplace: Katy, Texas, United States

Renee Zellweger is one of the most decorated American actresses; she has won two Oscars and four Golden Globe Awards and is still going strong. Also known for her activism, Zellweger is one of the patrons for The GREAT Initiative, a gender equality foundation. In 2011, she joined hands with Tommy Hilfiger to raise money for the Breast Health Institute.

Tim Duncan

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1976

Birthplace: Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Tim Duncan is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the NBA and the best power forward of all time. A five-time NBA champion, Duncan also helped his national team win Olympic bronze medal in 2004. Also a humanitarian, Duncan established the Tim Duncan Foundation to fund youth sports programs and education.

Ella Fitzgerald

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1917

Birthplace: Newport News, Virginia, United States

Died: 1996

Ella Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer. Referred to as the Queen of Jazz, First Lady of Song, and Lady Ella, Fitzgerald was renowned for her impeccable diction, purity of tone, timing, and intonation. The winner of Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts, Fitzgerald's legacy lives on several years after her death.

Adria Arjona

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1992

Birthplace: Puerto Rico

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Jason Lee

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1970

Birthplace: Huntington Beach, California, United States

Jason Lee is an American actor, photographer, producer, writer, and former professional skateboarder. The recipient of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, Lee has also received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his work as an actor. A multi-talented personality, Jason Lee is credited with co-founding a company named Stereo Skateboards which manufactures skateboard decks, apparel, and equipment.

Talia Shire

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1946

Birthplace: Lake Success, New York, United States

Talia Shire, daughter of composer Carmine Coppola and sister of director Francis Ford Coppola, is best known as Connie Corleone from The Godfather films. Fans also loved her Golden Globe- and Academy Award-nominated performance as Adrianna "Adrian" Pennino-Balboa in the Rocky series. She has also appeared in numerous TV films.

Hank Azaria

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1964

Birthplace: Forest Hills, New York, United States

Hank Azaria is primarily known for his Emmy-winning voice roles, including those of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Carl Carlson, and Bumblebee Man, in The Simpsons. He also starred as the titular characters in the series Huff and Brockmire. Fans also loved his performances in Ray Donovan, Anastacia, and the musical Spamalot.

Gina Torres

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1969

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

American actress Gina Torres chose to pursue a career in the field of entertainment at a young age as she could not afford college. A gifted singer, she turned her attention towards acting after landing acting roles in TV series. She then went on to become a prominent actress and contributed to the success of films like South of Pico.

Raphaël Varane

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1993

Birthplace: Lille, France

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

Guglielmo Marconi

Listed In: Scientists

Birth Year: 1874

Birthplace: Bologna, Italy

Died: 1937

Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian electrical engineer and inventor best remembered for his work on long-distance radio transmission. Marconi, who is credited with inventing the radio, was honored with the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in the field of wireless telegraphy. Also a businessman, Marconi founded the Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company in 1897. 

Björn Ulvaeus

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1945

Birthplace: Gothenburg, Sweden

Singer and songwriter Björn Ulvaeus is perhaps best known as a member of the ABBA, one of the most successful musical groups of all time. Equally famous as a co-composer and co-producer of several films and musicals, he is currently serving as the President of CISAC, trying to ensure that creators are fairly compensated and properly credited for their works.

Joe Buck

Listed In: Media Personalities

Birth Year: 1969

Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Florida, United States

Joe Buck, son of renowned sportscaster Jack Buck, is known for his stint with Fox Sports, where he worked as a play-by-play announcer for the network's NFL and MLB coverage. He has won the Sports Emmy Award seven times and is also a three-time National Sportscaster of the Year winner.

Oliver Cromwell

Listed In: Leaders

Birth Year: 1599

Birthplace: Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, Kingdom of England

Died: 1658

The Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Oliver Cromwell was a military leader and a devoted Puritan who belonged to an affluent landowning family. During the English Civil War, Cromwell fought against King Charles I and caused the deaths of at least 3,000 soldiers and civilians.

Daniel Sharman

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1986

Birthplace: Hackney, London, England

Daniel Sharman is an English actor known for playing important roles in popular TV series, such as Teen Wolf, The Originals, Fear the Walking Dead, Medici: The Magnificent, and Cursed. Apart from his work in the film and TV industry, Daniel Sharman is also known for his work as an audiobook reader; he read the audiobook version of Clockwork Princess.

Sara Paxton

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1988

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Sara Paxton is best known as Darcy Fields from the series Darcy's Wild Life. Fans also loved her in the movies The Front Runner and The Last House on the Left. The Young Artist Award-winning actor has also experimented with pop/rock music and voiced characters in SpongeBob SquarePants.

James Harris Simons

Listed In: Scientists

Birth Year: 1938

Birthplace: Newton

The son of a shoe factory owner, mathematician-turned-hedge-fund-manager James Harris Simons studied math at MIT and helped the U.S. break codes during the Vietnam War. He later founded his own hedge fund firm, Renaissance Technologies. He supports autism research and funds Math for America. In 2021, he was America’s 23rd-richest person.

Edward R. Murrow

Listed In: Media Personalities

Birth Year: 1908

Birthplace: Guilford County, North Carolina, United States

Died: 1965

Dejan Kulusevski

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 2000

Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Jay Park

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1987

Birthplace: Edmonds

Jay Park is a Korean-American record producer, rapper, singer-songwriter, choreographer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is credited with founding the hip hop record labels H1ghr Music and AOMG. A multi-talented personality, Jay Park has also been credited with popularizing K-hip hop in South Korea. In 2017, he was featured in Forbes' 30 under 30 Asia list. 

Meadowlark Lemon

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1932

Birthplace: Wilmington, North Carolina, United States

Died: 2015

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

Miguel Herrán

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1996

Birthplace: Málaga, Málaga, Andalucía, Spain

David Moyes

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1963

Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland

Scottish footballer and coach David Moyes had a 19-year playing stint as a center-back for football teams such as Celtic, Preston North End, and Bristol City. He currently manages the Premier League club West Ham United and has been named the League Managers Association Manager of the Year thrice. 

Albert King

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1923

Birthplace: Indianola

Died: 1992

Fiona Bruce

Listed In: Media Personalities

Birth Year: 1964

Birthplace: Singapore

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Wolfgang Pauli

Listed In: Scientists

Birth Year: 1900

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: 1958

Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli is remembered for his contribution to quantum physics and for laying down the Pauli principle. While he was initially married to a cabaret dancer, the marriage ended in a divorce after a year. His written works are considered classics in science.

Jeffrey DeMunn

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1947

Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, USA

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Dinesh D'Souza

Listed In: Media Personalities

Birth Year: 1961

Birthplace: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Born to Goan Christians in Bombay, Dinesh D'Souza later moved to the U.S. for higher studies. The Indian-American right-wing filmmaker and writer is known for his anti-Obama documentary 2016: Obama's America. Convicted of illegal campaign contribution, he was later pardoned by Trump. He was also associated with an adultery scandal.

Len Goodman

Listed In: Dancers

Birth Year: 1944

Birthplace: Bethnal Green

Len Goodman is an English ballroom dancer, dance coach, and judge. He achieved popularity when he started appearing as the head judge on the popular television dance show, Strictly Come Dancing. In addition to his TV work, Len Goodman also operates a ballroom dance school in Kent.

DeAngelo Williams

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1983

Birthplace: Wynne, Arkansas, United States

Former NFL running back DeAngelo Williams is known for his stint with the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, having set franchise records for career rushing yards and touchdowns with the former. He later finished fourth in the 32nd season of The Amazing Race. He works for breast cancer awareness.

Linda Womack

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1953

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois

Linda Womack is an American singer and one half of the popular musical duo, Womack & Womack. Also a songwriter, Linda Womack has co-written many hit singles, such as Bobby Womack's Woman's Gotta Have It. She later married Bobby's brother, Cecil Womack, and formed a successful recording partnership with him.

Johnathan Thurston

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1983

Birthplace: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

Felipe Massa

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1981

Birthplace: São Paulo, Brazil

Felipe Massa is a Brazilian racing driver who participated in Formula One from 2002 to 2017, during which he gained 11 Grand Prix victories. In 2006, he became the first Brazilian after Ayrton Senna da Silva to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Jillian Bell

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1984

Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Jillian Bell is best known for her performances as Jillian in the series Workaholics and Lorraine in the film Goosebumps. She was nominated for an Emmy for her writing work on Saturday Night Live. Fans also loved her in the films Godmothered and 22 Jump Street, and the sitcom Idiotsitter.

Toukie Smith

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1955

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Jerry Leiber

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1933

Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Died: 2011

Derek William Dick

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1958

Birthplace: Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland

Better known by his pseudonym, Fish, Scottish rock singer Derek William Dick first gained fame as part of the British band Marillion. Known for hits such as Kayleigh, he later also had a successful solo career. He once revealed how he almost died twice, from skin-infection-induced blood poisoning.

Cy Twombly

Listed In: Artists & Painters

Birth Year: 1928

Birthplace: Lexington, Virginia, United States

Died: 2011

Cy Twombly was an American sculptor, painter, and photographer. Although he wasn’t popular among the critics, Twombly's works influenced several younger artists like Francesco Clemente, Anselm Kiefer, and Julian Schnabel. Today, his works are preserved in many museums globally, including the Tate Modern in London, the Menil Collection in Houston, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Paul Mazursky

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1930

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

Died: 2014

Melonie Diaz

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1984

Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA

Height: 5'2" (157 cm)

Rory Feek

Listed In: Musicians

Birth Year: 1965

Birthplace: Atchison, Kansas, United States

Felix Christian Klein

Listed In: Scientists

Birth Year: 1849

Birthplace: Düsseldorf

Died: 1925

Felix Christian Klein was a German mathematician and educator remembered for his work on complex analysis, group theory, and non-Euclidean geometry. He is also popular for his work on the relationship between group theory and geometry. He is credited with teaching advanced courses to students like Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, who went on to become a renowned mathematician in his own right.

William J. Brennan Jr.

Listed In: Lawyers & Judges

Birth Year: 1906

Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States

Died: 1997

Michael van Gerwen

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1989

Birthplace: Boxtel, Netherlands

Denny Miller

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1934

Birthplace: Bloomington, Indiana, United States

Died: 2014

Height: 6'4" (193 cm)

Darren Woodson

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1969

Birthplace: Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Jordan Poyer

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1991

Birthplace: Dallas, Oregon, United States

Height: 6'0" (183 cm)

Marguerite Moreau

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1977

Birthplace: Riverside, California, USA

Height: 5'3" (160 cm)

Peter Jurasik

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1950

Birthplace: Queens, New York City, New York, United States

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)