Famous People Born On August 18th

Patrick Swayze, the American actor, dancer, singer and songwriter, was very popular during the 1980s. His movie the ‘Dirty Dancing’ catapulted him to stardom. Ghost was another of his hit films. Swayze died in September, 2009, at the age of 57 due to pancreatic cancer. His final role was that of a FBI Agent in the television series ‘The Beast’.

The actor, comedian, writer and musician, Andy Samberg, is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island and has also acted in several films like Hot Rod, That's My Boy and Palm Springs. Plus, he has starred in television sitcoms like the Brooklyn Nine-Nine and has been part of Saturday Night Live as a featured player.

Amongst the most talented actors of his generation, Edward Norton won a Golden Globe Award for his debut film Primal Fear. The formidable actor later went on to work in movies like The Illusionist, The Incredible Hulk, The Birdman and American History X. Norton ventured into film direction with Keeping the Faith. He also supports various environmental and social causes.

Charles Robert Redford Jr. is a retired actor, activist, and director. He is credited with founding the Sundance Film Festival and was named in Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world in 2014. For his contributions to arts, Charles Robert Redford Jr. was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

Christian Slater serves as an inspiration to many people who are trying to live sober. For someone who had difficulties with alcoholism and substance abuse, Christian Slater has come a long way as he now solely focuses on his career as an actor, producer, and voice actor. He also focuses on charity work.

Josephine Langford is an Australian actress who started her career at a young age. Initially interested in music, Langford was classified as a talented composer in her secondary school. Following in the footsteps of her older sister Katherine Langford, she took acting classes at the age 13. Her success story serves as an inspiration to many young Australian talents.

Roberto Clemente was a Puerto Rican baseball player who represented the Pittsburgh Pirates in Major League Baseball (MLB). Apart from being a popular player, Clemente was also a great humanitarian whose impact is still being felt in MLB. Since his untimely death at the age of 38, Clemente has been the subject of several documentaries, articles, and books.

Madelaine Petsch is an American YouTuber and actress best known for playing Cheryl Blossom in the popular teen drama TV series, Riverdale. Also an entrepreneur, Petsch came up with her own collection of sunglasses in 2018 after joining hands with Privé Revaux. A vegan in real life, Madelaine Petsch has taken part in awareness campaigns for organizations, such as PETA. 

Franz Joseph I of Austria reigned as the Emperor of Austria from 1848 until his death in 1916. He also served as the King of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia and monarch of other states of Austria-Hungary. During his reign, Austria-Hungary decided to wage war against the Kingdom of Serbia, which eventually resulted in the First World War.

Kaitlin Olson is an actress and comedian. She started her career with the improvisational group The Groundlings and went on to become one of the most popular members of the group. She then established herself in the American TV industry, landing critical roles in series like Flipped. After marrying Rob McElhenney, Olson bought Skinner's Bar, which was renamed Mac's Tavern.

An actress who has been active in the entertainment industry for four decades, Madeleine Stowe first gained popularity for her performances in TV shows. She gradually entered films as well and received acclaim for her role in the independent film Short Cuts. Besides acting, she is on the board of directors of the foundation, 'Artists for Peace and Justice'.

Shelley Winters was an American actress who contributed immensely to all the three major acting mediums in a career spanning almost sixty years. The winner of two Academy Awards, Shelley Winters remained popular throughout her life. She was also known for her much-publicized personal life, which included her four marriages and the romance with actor Farley Granger.

Denis Leary is an Irish-American actor, producer, writer, and comedian. Leary is credited with creating popular TV series, such as Rescue Me and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. Also a humanitarian, Denis Leary established the Leary Firefighters Foundation in 2000. The foundation has been donating money to fire departments in New York City, Boston, and Worcester.

Australian actor Maia Mitchell is known as Brittany from the series Mortified and as Natasha from Trapped. She is also popular as Callie Adams Foster from The Fosters and its sequel, Good Trouble, and as McKenzie from the Teen Beach film franchise. She has also collaborated on the song Magic.

Rosalynn Carter, served as the U.S. First Lady from 1977 to 1981, as the wife of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. She promoted human rights, peace, and mental health awareness. She was also an envoy to Latin America and launched Every Child By Two, a childhood immunization awareness program.

G-Dragon is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, and fashion designer. Nicknamed the King of K-pop, G-Dragon is recognized for his influence on music, fashion trends, and youth culture in South Korea. In 2016, he was named as one of the most influential Asian under 30 by Forbes. His work is often cited as an influence by many of his contemporaries.

Best known for his exploration of the Pacific Northwest and Oregon, Meriwether Lewis led the legendary Lewis and Clark Expedition. He had also been the governor of Louisiana. His mysterious death at age 35, due to gunshot wounds, sparked a huge debate on whether it was a murder or a suicide.

Richard D. James, better known as Aphex Twin is regarded as one of the finest electronic musicians of all time. He is known for his signature grin, which has graced the covers of many of his albums, and his surreal videos, such as Come to Daddy, which look more like horror movies.

Serbian basketball player Bogdan Bogdanović is known for his association with the NBA team Atlanta Hawks. A talented shooting guard, he has previously also played for the Sacramento Kings. The 2-time Serbian Player of the Year has also won an Olympic silver for Serbia and been a World Cup runners-up.

Antonio Salieri was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher considered a key figure in the development of late 18th-century opera. He was a protégé of eminent composer Christoph Willibald Gluck. For several years, he served as the director of the Italian opera by the Habsburg court. His works were performed widely across Europe during his lifetime. 

Portuguese footballer Renato Sanches had a difficult childhood, and though born in 1997, had his birth registered in 2002. Starting his career with Benfica, the talented midfielder moved on to Bayern Munich and now represents the French club Lille. He became the youngest Portuguese international player and the youngest to win UEFA Euro.

French virologist Luc Montagnier is known for discovering the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which led him to jointly receive the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Montagnier also made headlines promoting controversial and unverified claims related to vaccinations, homeopathy and COVID-19 pandemic, which he argued as man-made and possibly a result of an attempt to create an HIV/AIDS vaccine.

Baji Rao I was a peshwa, or chief minister, of the Maratha empire in India. His conquests led a massive blow to the Mughal Empire. In spite of being married to Kashibai, he took a second wife, half-Muslim Mastani, a story that was retold in several movies later.

Scouted while he was dancing in a schoolyard at age 12, Jacob Vargas began his acting career with a bit role in the series Diff'rent Strokes. The Mexican-American actor later delivered award-winning performances in series such as My Family and movies such as Traffic. He also appeared in the Netflix series Mr. Iglesias.

Famed Indian lyricist, poet, author, screenwriter, and film director Gulzar has been a major figure in Bollywood for over six decades. He started doing odd jobs as a teenager and eventually entered films, where he made a name for himself as a lyricist and screenwriter. He soon started directing films as well. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards.