Famous People Born Today

Anna Kendrick

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1985

Birthplace: Portland, Maine, United States

From an early successful Broadway career, Anna Kendrick moved to films and gained fame in a supporting role in the Twilight film series. She proved her skills as a lead actor in the Pitch Perfect franchise in which she also lent her voice to the hit song Cups. Her other significant projects include The Accountant and Up in the Air.

Whitney Houston

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1963

Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States

Died: 2012

Amongst the best-selling recording artists of all time and an inspiration to millions of budding artists, Whitney Houston achieved stardom with her eponymous debut album. The success of her later albums consolidated her position and earned her a spot in the Guinness World Records as the most awarded female artist of all time. She struggled with drug abuse and troubled marriage and died of drowning in her hotel's bathtub.

Gillian Anderson

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1968

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Height: 5'3" (160 cm)

Bill Skarsgard

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1990

Birthplace: Vällingby, Stockholm, Sweden

Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård is best known for portraying Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the supernatural horror film It. Even though he has acted in a few comedy films, he prefers roles in horror films. The son of actor Stellan Skarsgård, he was introduced to acting at a young age and decided to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Sam Elliott

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1944

Birthplace: Sacramento, California, United States

Veteran actor, Sam Elliott, is best known for his work in movies like Hulk, Ghost Rider, The Big Lebowski and A Star Is Born. With his good looks and deep commanding voice, he became favourite for cowboy roles, like in TV series The Sacketts and movies Tombstone. However, the actor has also played various other characters in his long career.

Deion Sanders

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1967

Birthplace: Fort Myers, Florida, United States

American football player Deion Sanders is considered one of the strongest pass defenders of the game. He was an electrifying athlete and played in the National Football League for 14 seasons. He played for teams like Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens. He is now a coach and a sports analyst. He’s also a rapper.

Alexa Bliss

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1991

Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio, United States

WWE wrestler Alexa Bliss began her career with the Arnold Classic professional bodybuilding event. She later became the first woman to earn the SmackDown Women's Championship title twice. She is also the first woman to win both the Raw and SmackDown Women's titles and the second Women's Triple Crown Champion.

Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Birth Year: 1757

Birthplace: Albany, New York, United States

Died: 1854

The better half of one of America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was involved in her husband’s political career during his lifetime and worked towards protecting his legacy after his death. A social worker, she lent support to multiple charitable causes including establishing New York’s first private orphanage.

Melanie Griffith

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1957

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Melanie Griffith was a successful and popular Hollywood actress in the 1980s and the 1990s. Body Double, Buffalo Girls, Pacific Heights, Mulholland Falls, Lolita and The Bonfire of the Vanities are some of her notable films. She has also worked in several television series, mainly in the 2000s when her movie career waned. She had issues with alcohol and drug addiction.

Eric Bana

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1968

Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia

Eric Bana, better known as Nero from Star Trek, initially gained fame with the series Full Frontal. The Australian actor made a mark in Hollywood with movies such as Hulk, Troy, and Munich. He loves racing and donates to charities related to causes such as mental-illness awareness and animal welfare.

Jessica Capshaw

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1976

Birthplace: Columbia

Jessica Capshaw, daughter of actor Kate Capshaw and stepdaughter of director Steven Spielberg, is best known for her roles of Dr. Arizona Robbins in Grey's Anatomy and Jamie Stringer in The Practice. She has also been seen in the series Bones and Odd Man Out, and the movie Minority Report.

Ashley Johnson

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1983

Birthplace: Camarillo, California, United States

Height: 5'4" (163 cm)

Adelaide Kane

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1990

Birthplace: Claremont, Australia

Australian actress Adelaide Kane started performing at the age of three and was working professionally in some print ads at age six. Her big break came with a contract on iconic soap opera Neighbours. She further gained acclaim for her performance in Reign, Power Rangers RPM and Once Upon a Time.

Willian

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1988

Birthplace: Ribeirão Pires, Brazil

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Jean Piaget

Listed In: Physicians

Birth Year: 1896

Birthplace: Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Died: 1980

Swiss psychologist and academic Jean Piaget is remembered for his work on child development and genetic epistemology, consisting of his theory of cognitive development. He also established the International Center for Genetic Epistemology and was the director of the International Bureau of Education. He was an honorary Harvard doctorate.

Audrey Tautou

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1976

Birthplace: Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme, France

French actor Audrey Tautou is best known for her stellar performances in films such as Amelie and The Da Vinci Code. She played Coco Chanel in the biopic Coco Before Chanel. Tautou is also a fashion icon, popularly known as “The Chanel Muse,” and has modeled for top-notch fashion magazines.

Dan Levy

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1983

Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Best known as David Rose from Schitt's Creek, Dan Levy, the son of actor Eugene Levy, is an Emmy-winning Canadian actor, who has also been a writer, producer, and director. He came out as gay at 18 but only made it known to the media in a 2020 interview.

Mahesh Babu

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1975

Birthplace: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Mahesh Babu is one of the most popular and highest-paid South Indian film actors. He is also one of the most celebrated, decorated, and bankable actors of the Telugu film industry. A well-known philanthropist, Mahesh Babu donates 30 percent of his annual income to charity organizations. In 2013, he became the goodwill ambassador of a non-profit organization called Heal-a-child Foundation.

Rod Laver

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1938

Birthplace: Rockhampton, Australia

Australian former tennis player Rod Laver is widely regarded to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He was ranked world No. 1 in nine different years. He holds 200 singles titles--the most in tennis history. He excelled on a variety of court surfaces: grass, clay, hard, carpet, and wood/parquet. The Laver Cup Tournament is named after him.

Ime Udoka

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1977

Birthplace: Portland, Oregon, United States

Nigerian-American NBA player Ime Udoka is known for his 7-year stint as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. His association with experts such as coach Gregg Popovich has enriched his career and raised hopes that he will soon be hired as a head coach by a major team.

Michael Kors

Listed In: Fashion

Birth Year: 1959

Birthplace: Long Island, New York, United States

P. L. Travers

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1899

Birthplace: Maryborough, Australia

Died: 1996

Australian-British author and Shakespearean actor Pamela Lyndon Travers, known by her pseudonym, P. L. Travers, soared to fame with her Mary Poppins series of children's books. Disney later bought the rights to her Mary Poppins series and released a film version. It was later made into a Broadway play, too.

Leigh Anne Tuohy

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1960

Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Interior designer Leigh Anne Tuohy is also known as the adoptive mother of former NFL footballer Michael Oher. Their story inspired the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game and its movie adaptation, The Blind Side. She co-owns several food franchises, has co-written a book, and owns a non-profit.

Justice Smith

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1995

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Justice Smith is best known as Franklin Webb from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and as Tim Goodman from Detective Pikachu. He has also appeared as Theodore in All the Bright Places and as Ezekiel in The Get Down. He delivered a Drama Desk-nominated performance in the play Yen.

Robert Shaw

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1927

Birthplace: Westhoughton, Lancashire, England

Died: 1978

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Derek Fisher

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1974

Birthplace: Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Rhona Mitra

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1976

Birthplace: Hampstead, United Kingdom

Rhona Mitra is an English model, actress, and singer. Mitra burst onto the acting scene in the early-2000s and became known for her good looks; in 2001, she was ranked 46th on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women list. She then went on to play important roles in popular American films, such as Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.

Hoda Kotb

Listed In: Media Personalities

Birth Year: 1964

Birthplace: Norman, Oklahoma, United States

Egyptian-American TV journalist Hoda Kotb is best known as the co-host of the shows NBC Morning Show, Dateline NBC, Today. Named to Time 100, she has also authored several books, including a bestselling autobiography. A breast cancer survivor, she now also works to raise awareness about the disease.

Thomas Lennon

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1970

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Height: 5'8" (173 cm)

Ken Norton

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1943

Birthplace: Jacksonville, Illinois, United States

Died: 2013

Professional boxer Ken Norton is remembered for his three highly publicized fights with Muhammad Ali, out of which he lost two. Norton was a towering figure in the boxing world and held the WBC heavyweight title in 1978. He was a forward-pressing fighter notable for his unusual stance. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

Tyson Gay

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1982

Birthplace: Lexington, Kentucky, United States

Born into an athletic family, Tyson Gay naturally developed an interest in sports. One of the fastest sprinters in both the 100m and the 200m categories, he was part of the 2016 Olympic relay team that was stripped of its medal for breaking game rules.

Kate Siegel

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1982

Birthplace: Silver Spring, Maryland, United States

Height: 5'8" (173 cm)

Philip Larkin

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1922

Birthplace: Radford, Coventry, United Kingdom

Died: 1985

Filippo Inzaghi

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1973

Birthplace: Piacenza, Italy

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Bob Cousy

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1928

Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Amedeo Avogadro

Listed In: Scientists

Birth Year: 1776

Birthplace: Turin, Italy

Died: 1856

Son of a reputed senator and lawyer in Italy, Amedeo Avogadro was himself a qualified lawyer. However, he later delved into research as a mathematical physicist and is best remembered for laying down the Avogadro’s law, contributing to the molecular theory of gases. The Avogadro constant is named after him.

Doug Williams

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1955

Birthplace: Zachary, Louisiana, United States

Tove Jansson

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 1914

Birthplace: Helsinki, Finland

Died: 2001

Finnish author Tove Jansson was the woman behind the phenomenally successful children’s books and comics on the fictional white hippo-like creatures she called Moomins. While the Moomins books have been translated into more than 50 languages, Jansson’s literary works also include several other novels and short stories.

Brett Hull

Listed In: Sportspersons

Birth Year: 1964

Birthplace: Belleville, Ontario, Canada

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Anwar Jibawi

Listed In: YouTubers

Birth Year: 1991

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Anwar Jibawi is a Palestinian-American social media celebrity. He is best known for creating comedic content on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. He is also known for directing music videos for artistes like Anitta and Lele Pons. Anwar Jibawi has also appeared in movies like Keys of Christmas and Airplane Mode.

Juanes

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1972

Birthplace: Carolina del Príncipe, Colombia

Juanes is a Colombian musician best known for his association with the rock band Ekhymosis. Having sold over 15 million albums worldwide, Juanes is one of the best-selling artistes of his generation. Over the course of his illustrious career, Juanes has won many prestigious awards such as Latin Grammy Awards and Grammy Awards.

John Key

Listed In: Leaders

Birth Year: 1961

Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand

Born to immigrants in New Zealand, John Key became the third New Zealand prime minister of Jewish descent. Previously a foreign exchange professional, he has worked with Merrill Lynch. He wished to change his country’s flag by removing the Union Jack on it but voters chose against it.

Arlo Parks

Listed In: Writers

Birth Year: 2000

Birthplace: London, England

Liz Vassey

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Birth Year: 1972

Birthplace: Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Hong Jin-young

Listed In: Singers

Birth Year: 1985

Birthplace: Gwangju, South Korea

In 2020, Korean singer and former SWAN member Hong Jin-young shocked her fans by admitting she had plagiarized in her master’s thesis written in 2009, leading her university to plan to revoke her degrees. The controversy led to her scenes from shows such as My Ugly Duckling being edited out.