Famous People Born Today

Perhaps the most loved Willy Wonka of them all, Gene Wilder was one of the main reasons for the popularity of the iconic character, which he played in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Apart from acting and writing, Gene was also instrumental in promoting cancer awareness through his organization Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Detection Center.

Peter Dinklage is an American actor who gained international recognition after playing Tyrion Lannister in one of the most popular TV series of all time, Game of Thrones. Over the years, Peter Dinklage has portrayed important characters in popular films, serving as an inspiration to those suffering from dwarfism, a condition which caused his short stature.

A Guinness record holder for the most-watched leading man on TV, three-time Golden Globe-winner and two-time SAG Award-winner Hugh Laurie has also dabbled in blues music and written a novel. From starting his career with sketch comedy, to winning the OBE and CBE, the actor/comedian has come a long way.

Kodak Black is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. He gained recognition after releasing hit albums, such as Painting Pictures and Dying to Live. A well-known philanthropist, Kodak Black announced in 2018 that he was in the process of building a school in Haiti. Over the years, he has also donated money for various charitable causes.

American actor and filmmaker, Shia LaBeouf, shot to fame as child actor in Disney Channel’s television series Even Stevens and later became a star by playing Sam Witwicky in the first three films of the Transformers’ film series. Apart from acting, Shia LaBeouf has also written screenplays, directed short films and lent his voice for animation films.

Star of the horror film Messengers 2: The Scarecrow and 47 Meters Down, Claire Holt is a Brisbane-born American actress and model, who appeared on the Buddy TV list of top 100 sexiest women in 2011. She is also known for acting in the Australian television series H2O: Just Add Water. Married to Andrew Joblon, she has two children. 

Jacques Cousteau was a French explorer, naval officer, filmmaker, conservationist, scientist, photographer, researcher, and author. Renowned for his exploration of various forms of life in water, Jacques Cousteau is credited with pioneering marine conservation and co-developing the Aqua-Lung, the first underwater breathing apparatus to achieve popularity and commercial success.

Football coach, Vince Lombardi, is best known for being the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s. Beginning his career as a high school coach, he eventually started coaching  National Football League (NFL) teams. As a head coach in the NFL, he never had a losing season. He died of cancer in 1970.

Adrienne Barbeau is best known for her Theater World Award-winning portrayal of Rizzo in the Broadway musical Grease. Fans also loved her in horror and sci-fi films such as The Fog and Swamp Thing, and as Carol Traynor in the series Maude. She also voiced Catwoman in various Batman series.

Joshua Jackson is a popular Canadian-American actor who was inspired and influenced by comedian Jon Stewart during his childhood. Acting soon became his passion and he started playing prominent roles on stage, films, and TV series. Also known for his good looks, Joshua Jackson was ranked ninth in BuddyTV's list of TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2010.

Jorja Smith is an English singer-songwriter whose first studio album Lost & Found featured on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at third position. One of the youngest and most exciting talents in the music world, Smith is the recipient of the 2018 Brit Critics' Choice Award. In 2019, she won the Best British Female Artist award at the Brit Awards.

Born in Hong Kong, Jimmy O. Yang moved to the U.S. with his parents at 13. Although equipped with an economics degree, he found his calling in comedy and established himself as a talented stand-up comedian. He is now known for his roles in Silicon Valley and Crazy Rich Asians.

Richard Georg Strauss was a German conductor, composer, violinist, and pianist. Renowned for his pioneering subtleties of orchestration, Strauss is generally regarded as a modernist, although he was initially considered a conservative, backwards-looking composer. Over the years, his music has influenced other prominent composers like Béla Viktor János Bartók, Karol Maciej Szymanowski, Edward Elgar, and Benjamin Britten.

Jackie Stewart is a British retired racecar driver who competed in Formula One. He won three World Drivers' Championships between 1965 and 1973. He is best known for playing a key role as a campaigner for better safety measures at motor racing circuits. After retiring from racing, Jackie Stewart appeared as a sports commentator for ABC network.

Richard Todd was an Irish actor best remembered for his portrayal of Corporal Lachlan MacLachlan in the movie The Hasty Heart, for which he won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination. One of the most bankable actors of his generation, Richard Todd was frequently listed among the most popular British stars throughout the 1950s. 

Jeannette Rankin scripted history as the first female member of the US Congress. A feminist, she was also associated with the women’s suffrage movement. Earlier, the Republican worked as a dressmaker, a furniture designer, and a teacher. She was the only legislator to vote against war after the Pearl Harbor incident.

Born to Turkish immigrants in the U.S., Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, is a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and professor. He is known for his multiple appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and for his YOU series of self-help books. He has also hosted The Dr. Oz Show.

The elder sister of Zsa Zsa and Eva Gabor, Magda Gabor was an actor who had appeared in the film Modern Girls and on a few TV shows. She was rumored to be the mistress of the Portuguese ambassador to Hungary and had later married 6 times.

Lawyer Greta Van Susteren gained fame as an anchor for CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. She is best known for her 14-year stint on Fox News's On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren and for MSNBC’s For the Record with Greta. She was named one of Forbes's most powerful women.

Go Kyung-pyo is a South Korean actor who achieved popularity for his portrayal of Sun-woo in the popular television series, Reply 1988. Also renowned for his work as a comedian, Go Kyung-pyo was a cast member of the famous sketch comedy and variety TV show, Saturday Night Live Korea. He also served in the military from 2018 to 2020.

A pioneering leader of the women’s suffrage movement in Britain, Millicent Fawcett also co-established the Newnham College, Cambridge, which was one of the first English women’s universities. She also served as the president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies and investigated British concentration camps during the South African War.

South Korean actress Choi Ji-woo has received critical acclaim for her work in the TV drama series Beautiful Days. She is considered one of South Korea's most beautiful women. Making her debut in the mid-1990s, she is most known for appearing in melodramas. Besides films and TV series, she has also appeared in a few variety shows. 

Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese short story writer and novelist whose subtly-shaded prose works earned him the 1968 Nobel Prize for Literature, making him the first Japanese writer to receive the prestigious award. Yasunari Kawabata played a major role in the translation of Japanese literature into several Western languages including English. His works are still read all over the world. 

Athol Fugard is a South African playwright, director, novelist, and actor. Widely regarded as the greatest South African playwright of all time, Fugard has received several prestigious awards and honors including a Tony Award for lifetime achievement. His novel Tsotsi, which was adapted into a film by filmmaker Gavin Hood, earned Hood an Academy Award.