Famous People Born On February 18th

Rapper, record producer, and audio engineer, Dr. Dre, is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics. He is credited with the popularization of  West Coast G-funk, a sub-genre of hip hop. After establishing himself in the music industry, he promoted the careers of many other rappers, including 2Pac and Snoop Dogg.

Actor John Travolta’s career has seen significant ups and down. Starting with minor roles, he shot to international fame with Saturday Night Fever and Grease. For the cultural icon of the 1970s, the 80s and early 90s were disappointing, but an impressive comeback with Tarantino's Pulp Fiction resurrected his career.

Qin Shi Huang is credited with founding the Qin dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China. He reigned as the first emperor of a unified China from 221 BC to 210 BC. Under his rule, the Chinese state expanded greatly and he also enacted major political and economic reforms. His life and work inspired several films like The Emperor's Shadow.

Yoko Ono is a Japanese multimedia artist, peace activist, and singer-songwriter. She came into prominence after marrying John Lennon of the Beatles. She is widely criticized for her unquestionable influence over John Lennon and his music. She is also often blamed for the disbandment of The Beatles. Despite all these criticisms, Yoko Ono continues to go on her merry way.

Matt Dillon is an American actor whose performance in movies like My Bodyguard and Little Darlings established him as a teen idol during the early-1980s. In the early-1990s, he was regarded as one of the best young actors along with Sean Penn. In the 2000s, he shifted his attention towards direction and remains active as an actor and director.

Jack Palance was an American actor known for playing villains and tough guys in the '50s and '60s. In 1992, he was made an inductee of the Western Performers Hall of Fame. It is widely believed that comic book artist Jack Kirby modeled Darkseid on Jack Palance. Jack Palance was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Park Shin-hye is a popular and acclaimed South Korean actress, model, and singer. Regarded as one of the most successful actresses of her generation, Park Shin-hye became the first Korean star to model for Visa and the first Korean celebrity to serve as a global ambassador for jewelry brand Swarovski. She is also known for her involvement in charitable causes.

J-Hope is a South Korean rapper, record producer, and songwriter. He gained international recognition as one of the members of the popular boy band BTS. Also a well-known philanthropist, J-Hope has donated 250 million Korean won to an organization called Child Fund Korea. His career and humanitarian efforts have made him an idol in Korea.

Mary I, the queen of England from 1553-1558, is remembered as the ruler who sought to return England to the Catholic Church. She persecuted many Protestants and got nearly 300 of them burned at the stake. Most of them were common citizens. Many also died in prison and hundreds fled the country. This earned her the ignominious nickname ‘Bloody Mary’.

George Kennedy was an American actor who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dragline in the 1967 prison drama film, Cool Hand Luke. A multi-talented person, George Kennedy was also an aviator and writer; he owned a Beechcraft Bonanza as well as a Cessna 210 and wrote three books, including his autobiography titled Trust Me.

Nathan Aké is a Dutch football player who plays for the Netherlands national football team and Manchester City. In 2019, he helped his national team win the runner-up trophy at the UEFA Nations League. Nathan Aké was also part of the Manchester City Football Club that won the Premier League in 2021 and 2022.    

Largely known for popularizing the teen movie genre in the 1980s, John Hughes had dropped out of university to work as an ad copywriter and then a comedy writer. He soared to fame with his stories in National Lampoon magazine and then directed many films of the National Lampoon franchise.

Author and poet Audre Lorde is remembered as a firebrand feminist and a champion for the LGBT community. Openly lesbian, she penned iconic volumes such as Cables to Rage and The Black Unicorn. She also recorded her 14-year struggle with cancer in The Cancer Journals and A Burst of Light.

Miloš Forman was a Czech and American screenwriter, film director, actor, and professor. He is remembered for directing the 1975 psychological comedy drama film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which became the second film to receive all five major Oscars. During his career, Forman won two Oscars, a César Award, and three Golden Globe Awards among other prestigious awards.

Businesswoman and TV personality, Tracey Edmonds, is the CEO of Edmonds Entertainment Group Inc. Previously, she hosted the TV show Extra and has created and produced many TV, radio, and music projects. She won an Emmy Award for co-hosting Extra. Currently, she is a  member of the national board of directors for the Producers Guild of America.

British-South African chef and culinary expert Prue Leith had begun her career with a lunch-supplying business. She later launched her Michelin-starred restaurant Leith's in Notting Hill and a culinary school. Best known as a judge on The Great British Menu, she is also associated with various charitable initiatives.

Kristoffer Polaha is an American actor known for playing important roles in TV series, such as North Shore, Life Unexpected, and Ringer. Also known for his work in feature films and short films, Kristoffer Polaha was honored with the Jury Award for Best Actor at the 2016 Seattle Shorts Film Festival for his portrayal of Jodie King in Frontman.

Kang So-ra is a South Korean actress best known for her portrayal of Ha Chun-hwa in the 2011 comedy-drama film Sunny, for which she received awards at the Mnet 20's Choice Awards, Buil Film Awards, and Baeksang Arts Awards. She has also won other prestigious awards, such as an SBS Drama Award, MBC Entertainment Award, and MBC Drama Award.

Persian polymath Nasir al-Din al-Tusi lost his jurist father in childhood and then went around as a scholar, learning subjects such as math and philosophy. He made invaluable contribution to astronomy and later served as a scientific advisor of the Mongols. One of his notable written works was Akhlaq-i Nasiri.

Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach is remembered for his contributions to the study of shock waves. He is also credited for discovering a non-acoustic function of the inner ear that helps control human balance. As a philosopher of science, he is considered a major influence on logical positivism and American pragmatism. 

Isabel Preysler is a  Filipina socialite and TV host. As a teenager, she participated in beauty pageants and worked as a model. She later started working as a journalist. An elegant woman, she is considered a fashion icon. Her first husband was Julio Iglesias, a Spanish singer.  Enrique Iglesias and Julio Iglesias Jr. are her sons.