Famous People Born On February 17th

A superstar, a legend and the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan is all this and much more. Very few athletes can match up with his level of popularity and impact. And if that is not enough, he is also the richest former professional athlete in the world.

Ed Sheeran is one of the most popular English singer-songwriters of the current generation. His songs Castle on the Hill and Shape of You from his third studio album broke records in several countries. He is one of the best-selling music artists in the world, having sold over 150 million records worldwide.

A multitalented personality, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a versatile actor, a recognised director and the founder of HitRecord, a collaborative platform for creative artist. Debuting as a child actor, he won fame and awards with the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun. Later, as an adult, he acted in films like The Dark Knight Rises, Inception and Don Jon.

Billie Joe Armstrong is an American musician and record producer. He is credited with co-founding and popularizing the rock band, Green Day. As a guitarist and vocalist, he has also contributed immensely to the success of the punk rock band Pinhead Gunpowder. In 1997, Armstrong founded Adeline Records to help support contemporary bands; the record company was closed in 2017.

Paris Hilton comes from an affluent family and is the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. A leaked 2001 sex tape with her then boyfriend, Rick Salomon, had created quite a scandal in 2003, which led her to act in the reality television series, The Simple Life. She’s also an actress, singer, model, author, socialite and businesswomen.

AB de Villiers, also known as “Mr. 360” and “Superman,” has captained the South African cricket team in Tests, ODIs, and T20s. Named the ICC ODI Player of the Year thrice, the Wisden "cricketer of the decade" is a devout Christian, has written an autobiography, and released a pop album.

Bonnie Wright is an English actress, filmmaker, screenwriter, and activist. She is best known for portraying Ginny Weasley in the popular Harry Potter movie series. Over the years, Wright has been playing a key role in raising awareness about plastic pollution. She also serves as an ambassador for an international non-governmental charity called Lumos.

Rene Russo is an American actress, model, and producer. As a fashion model, Russo graced the covers of magazines like Cosmopolitan and Vogue during the 1970s. She then established herself as an actress, playing important roles in popular films like Lethal Weapon 3, Outbreak, and In the Line of Fire. She also headlined the comedy film Yours, Mine and Ours.

Vasyl Lomachenko is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He is widely regarded as the most popular Ukrainian boxer and one of the most successful amateur boxers ever with an impressive record of 396 wins and 1 loss. Known for his exceptional accuracy, creativity, hand speed, athleticism, footwork, and defense, Lomachenko won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.

Denise Richards is an actress, television personality and a former fashion model. Some of her well known films are Starship Troopers, Wild Things, The World Is Not Enough and Love Actually. She’s also worked in many television sitcoms and has made it to top 50 and top 100 ‘Sexiest Women’ list of several magazines. She supports numerous charities.

Golden Globe-nominated actor Lou Diamond Phillips is best known as Ritchie Valens from the film La Bamba. His performance in the Broadway revival of The King and I earned him a Tony nomination. He has also appeared in a string of TV and radio projects and participated in poker championships.

Actor, TV director, and writer, Hal Holbrook, has been active in the entertainment industry for seven decades. In his extensive career, he has appeared in hundreds of films, TV shows, and stage productions. He is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including five Primetime Emmy Awards. He was honored with the National Humanities Medal in 2003.

Sasha Pieterse is an actress, songwriter, and singer. She is best known for playing Alison DiLaurentis in the popular mystery thriller TV series, Pretty Little Liars. Also known for her dancing skills, Pieterse took part in the season 25 of Dancing with the Stars where she finished tenth.  In 2019, Pieterse helped build houses by working with Habitat for Humanity.

Huey P. Newton was an African-American civil and political rights activist. He is credited with co-founding The Black Panther Party (BPP), which went on to become one of black movement's most influential organizations of the late-1960s. The party, under Newton's leadership, founded more than 60 community support programs, including Free Breakfast for Children, which provided food to thousands of children.

Marc Márquez is a Spanish professional road racer best known for his association with Repsol Honda. Having won eight Grand Prix World Championships so far, Márquez is counted among the most successful motorcycle racers in the history of motorcycle racing. The most successful and popular Spanish rider in MotoGP history, Márquez is also counted among the greatest innovators of MotoGP.

Wu Zetian was a Chinese empress regnant who ruled the Zhou dynasty from 690 to 705. She is the only female monarch in Chinese history. Before ruling the Zhou dynasty, Wu Zetian had served as the de facto ruler of China from 665 to 690. Under her political and military leadership, the Chinese empire expanded beyond its former territorial limits.

Richard Karn is an American actor and former game show host. He is known for hosting the popular game show, Family Feud, and for playing Al Borland in the television series Home Improvement. Karn used the popularity, which he achieved through Home Improvement, to author a couple of books on home renovation, such as House Broken and Handy at Home.

Alan Bates was an English actor who achieved popularity during the 1960s by playing important roles in films like Whistle Down the Wind and A Kind of Loving. The same decade, he also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Yakov Shepsovitch Bok in the 1968 British drama film The Fixer.   

Remembered for the legendary poems Waltzing Matilda and The Man from Snowy River, Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson was an Australian bush poet who depicted rural life through his works. Initially a law clerk and a journalist, he later adopted the pseudonym Banjo, which was his favorite horse’s name.

The first six-time CSA award winner, South African cricketer Kagiso Rabada also became the eighth Proteas bowler to take 200 Test wickets, beating the likes of Allan Donald. He has, however, often been seen breaking ICC rules on the field and was also in trouble once for shouldering Steven Smith.

Chilean-French filmmaker and artist, Alejandro Jodorowsky, is best known for his avant-garde films. A multifaceted personality, he is also a novelist, poet, musician, composer, and spiritual guru. His films are filled with surreal images and mysticism. A much-revered figure in international cinema, he is the recipient of the Jack Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF).