Famous People Born On December 16th

Considered one of the greatest writers in English history, Jane Austen is best known for her six major novels - Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. Her writing was set among the British landed gentry and dealt with ordinary people in everyday ordinary situation. The author achieved great fame after her death. 

Krysten Ritter is an actress and model. She uses her popularity to promote animal rights; she has posed for advertisement campaigns organized by PETA. Also a singer and guitarist, Ritter formed an indie rock duo named Ex Vivian along with her friend William Thomas Burnett. Krysten Ritter is also a writer; her debut novel Bonfire was released in 2017.

Zara Larsson is a Swedish singer-songwriter who achieved national fame at the age of 10 when she won the 2008 season of the popular reality TV series, Talang. She then released her debut studio album and is currently one of the most decorated Swedish singer-songwriters of her generation.

Catherine of Aragon was one of the most popular English royal consorts of all time. A patron of Renaissance humanism, she gained widespread admiration for starting a program for the relief of the poor. A woman who was ahead of her time, Catherine commissioned The Education of a Christian Woman, a controversial book promoting women's right to education.

Popularly known as the master of romantic comedy in South Korea, Park Seo-joon is an award-winning actor. Having played important roles in popular television dramas, such as She Was Pretty and What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, Park is the man of many women's dreams. His popularity increased when he made an appearance in the Academy Award-winning film Parasite.

Philip K. Dick was an American writer who was known for his work that explores varied social and philosophical themes. Dick's novels have inspired films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, and The Adjustment Bureau. In 2005, his novel Ubik was included in Time magazine's list of 100 greatest novels published in English since 1923.

Stand-up comedian Bill Hicks was known for his controversial themes, which included religion and politics. He was ranked fourth on Channel 4's 2010 list of the "100 Greatest Stand-Up Comics.” He had also experimented with music before his untimely death due to pancreatic cancer at age 32.

One of the most celebrated anthropologists to have ever existed, Margaret Mead is remembered for his research on a broad range of topics, such as sexual conventions in Western society. Of her 23 books, the most talked-about was the bestseller Coming of Age in Samoa.

Norwegian actress-film director Liv Ullmann is counted among the greatest European actresses. She is best-known for her roles in films like The Emigrants and Face to Face, both of which earned her Oscar nomination, and the former won her a Golden Globe She received an Honorary Academy Award. Her second directorial feature-film Faithless was nominated for Palme d'Or in 2000.

Donovan Bailey is a retired Jamaican-Canadian sprinter. He once held the world record for the 100 meters and is considered the greatest Canadian sprinter of all time. Noted for his top speed, he became the first Canadian to legally break the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters. In 2004,  he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

One of George Santayana’s initial works, The Sense of Beauty, spoke about aesthetics, an oft-repeated topic in his later works. The Spanish-born American philosopher and Harvard professor is remembered for his quote “Only the dead have seen the end of war,” which has often been misattributed to Plato.

Santo Versace is an Italian businessman and politician. He is the president and co-CEO of Gianni Versace SpA, a luxury fashion company. He is also a shareholder of Viola Reggio Calabria Basketball. As a politician, he is a member of the Alliance for Italy political party. Previously, he was a member of The People of Freedom group. 

Dutch footballer Lieke Martens plays as a winger/midfielder for the French club Paris Saint-Germain Féminine. She was 5 when she began training in football. She has won the 2020-21 UEFA Women's Champions League with Barcelona and was part of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup runner-up Dutch squad.

Alexander I of Yugoslavia reigned as the king of Yugoslavia from 1921 until his death in 1934. During a state visit to France, Alexander was murdered by Bulgarian Vlado Chernozemski. The assassination inspired the opening of Christopher Hyde's book, The Second Assassin. Alexander's life and career inspired a TV series titled Alexander of Yugoslavia.

Hungarian composer and folk music legend Zoltan Kodaly pioneered what is known as the Kodály method of music education. His style reflected a fusion of Hungarian, Italian, and French tunes. His music originated from years of research on folk music in Hungarian villages, leading to his thesis on the same.

George Whitefield was an Anglican evangelist and cleric. He is credited with co-founding the evangelical movement and Methodism. Whitefield's teachings of a series of revivals in North America became an important component of the First Great Awakening. Thanks to his ability to captivate large audiences, George Whitefield preached to millions of listeners during his ministry.

Known as the Nazi Master Negotiator, Hanns Scharff was famous for his unusual method of extracting information out of prisoners without the use of violence. Initially part of his family textile business, he had also mastered the art of sales. He later moved to the US and became a mosaic artisan.