Famous People Born Today

Social reformer and abolitionist, Frederick Douglass was a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. Born into slavery, he had a difficult early life. Eventually, he managed to escape and dedicated the rest of his life to promoting the cause of abolition. He was a great orator and writer.

English actor Freddie Highmore became internationally known for playing Norman Bates in the drama-thriller series Bates Motel. The son of a talent agent and an actor, he was introduced to films when he was a child. After establishing himself as an actor, he turned to screenwriting as well. He is averse to social media!

Ángel Di María is an Argentine football player. An important member of the Argentina national team, Ángel Di María helped Argentina win a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics by scoring the only goal of the gold medal match against Nigeria at the 58th minute of the match. Ángel Di María has also represented Argentina at three FIFA World Cups.

Uruguayan footballer, Edinson Cavani, is the second-most highest scorer among Uruguayan internationals, next only to Luis Suarez. During his time in Italy, he was called El Matador for his composure while scoring goals. Although considered one of the best strikers of his generation, Cavani has been criticized for his relatively poor performance in important games.

Simon Pegg is a British actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. Simon Pegg achieved popularity and is best known for playing nerdy characters. Apart from being a popular actor, he is also an ardent supporter of HeForShe, a feminist campaign. In 2020, he signed an open letter urging the wealthiest to pay more tax to help fight inequality.

Justina Valentine is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and model. Renowned for her eclectic music style that often incorporates elements of various genres including hip hop, Justina Valentine has had major radio airplay and charting singles. She is also known for competing in the popular reality competition show, The Challenge.

American magician and illusionist Teller is most noted for his performance with Penn Jillette as half of the famous comedy magic duo Penn & Teller. Works of Teller also includes featuring in the series Penn & Teller: Bullshit! with Jillette; co-directing and incorporating stage magic techniques in the plays Macbeth and The Tempest; and directing the documentary film Tim's Vermeer. 

Sung Hoon is a South Korean voice actor and actor best known for appearing in the popular television entertainment program I Live Alone, for which he has won many awards. Before becoming an actor, Sung Hoon was a swimming champion whose swimming career ended due to a spinal injury.

Enrico Colantoni is a Canadian actor and director best known for his role in the sitcom Just Shoot Me! He received his training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Yale School of Drama. He began his career as an actor in the 1980s and appeared in a string of successful TV series. He is also a director. 

Thelma Ritter was an American actress best remembered for her comedic roles and strong New York accent. Ritter received six nominations for the prestigious Academy Award, three nominations for the Golden Globe Award, and one Emmy Award nomination. Ritter also won a Tony Award under the Best Actress in a Musical category for her role in New Girl in Town.  

Romanian former professional basketball player Gheorghe Dumitru Mureșan, also called Ghiță, with a height of 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m), is counted among the two tallest basketball players (tied with Sudanese-American professional basketball player Manute Bol) in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ghiță played for the Washington Bullets and New Jersey Nets during his NBA career.

Heart Evangelista is a Filipina actress, TV host, singer, philanthropist, and socialite. She began working as a model and actress while still in her teens. As a young woman, she continued acting while also establishing herself as a painter. She launched the foundation 'Heart Can' to help children with special needs. She is married to politician Francis Escudero.

Four-time Grammy-winning American soprano Renée Fleming was born to music teacher parents and started her singing career as a jazz vocalist. She later stormed the opera scene with performances in productions such as A Streetcar Named Desire. A Broadway star, she later stepped into rock and film music.

Jim Jefferies is an Australian-American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer best known as the creator of the FX sitcom Legit and the Comedy Central late-night show The Jim Jefferies Show. He trained at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts before beginning his career. Besides his TV shows, he has also appeared in films and performed at festivals. 

Meg Tilly is an actress best known for her role in the drama mystery film Agnes of God, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She began her career as a dancer and eventually took up acting roles. She loves to write as a hobby and is the author of many novels. 

Shane Harper is an American actor, dancer, songwriter, and singer. As an actor, Harper is best known for portraying Spencer Walsh in the popular sitcom series Good Luck Charlie. As a singer-songwriter, he released his self-titled studio album in 2011. The album peaked at number 17 on the Top Heatseekers chart.

Dutch politician and VVD party leader Mark Rutte has been serving his nation as its prime minister since 2010. While he initially aspired to be a pianist, he later studied history and then worked for Unilever, before stepping into politics. He is known as Teflon Mark for recovering from controversies unscathed. 

Hollywood make-up artist, stylist, former image consultant, and YouTuber Tati Westbrook is best known for her YouTube channel Tati, previously known as GlamLifeGuru. She has gained a huge fan base for her beauty tutorials and reviews. She owns the company Halo Beauty and the cosmetic line Tati Beauty.

Najwa Nimri is a Spanish actress and singer best known for playing a  policewoman inspector in the TV drama series La casa de papel. As a singer, she formed the band Najwajean with Carlos Jean and has also released a few solo albums. In 2020, she hosted a podcast called Vis a vis: Cara B. 

Tour de France-winning Australian cyclist Cadel Evans is also a four-time Olympian. His career took off when he earned a scholarship to the mountain biking program of the Australian Institute of Sport. An avid philanthropist, he has an adopted son from Ethiopia, along with a son from his second wife.

Supreme Court lawyer and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj had held several ministries, such as external affairs and information and broadcasting. Named India’s “best loved politician” by Wall Street Journal, Swaraj was known for her prompt assistance to Indians in emergency situations abroad and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.