Famous People Born Today

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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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 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.