Famous People Born On March 12th

Five-time Grammy Award-winning folk singer James Taylor is best known for his hits You've Got a Friend and Fire and Rain. One of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, he has sold over 100 million records worldwide and has also won the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The daughter of popular actress and singer Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli followed in her mother's footsteps to become an award-winning actress and singer. Known for her powerful contralto singing voice and energetic stage presence, Liza Minnelli is the recipient of an Academy Award and Tony Award. Also a known philanthropist, Minnelli spends much of her time with various nonprofit organizations.

Stromae is a Belgian musician, singer, songwriter, and rapper. He achieved popularity with the release of his song Alors on danse in 2009, which topped several music charts in many European countries. He has won several prestigious awards, such as the World Music Awards. Stromae is often promoted as the face of the New Beat generation.

Aaron Eckhart is an American actor best known for playing important roles in popular films like Erin Brockovich and The Dark Knight. From being a struggling actor to becoming an international star, Aaron Eckhart has had quite an interesting journey so far. Considered a sex symbol, Eckhart was named in People magazine's list of 100 Most Beautiful People in 2006.

Andrea Brillantes is a Filipina actress and recording artist best known for her leading role in the TV series Annaliza. She started acting as a child and first appeared in the children's comedy show Goin' Bulilit. As a young woman, she has acted in dramas and fantasies, portraying versatile roles. She has received one Urduja Heritage Film Award. 

A war veteran who lost both her legs during the Iraq War, Tammy Duckworth is a symbol of courage and resilience. Her never-say-die spirit enabled her to become the first woman with a disability and the first Thai-American woman to earn a seat in Congress. She is the first member of Senate to give birth while in office.

National Award-winning singer Shreya Ghoshal grew up in Rajasthan and later moved to Mumbai, where her electrical engineer father was posted. After gaining attention with the talent show Sa Re Ga Ma, the classically trained artist was catapulted to fame with her playback singing in Devdas, and never looked back.

Wally Schirra was an American NASA astronaut, test pilot, and naval aviator. He achieved popularity in 1959, when he became one of the seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury. In 1962, he was part of Mercury-Atlas 8 and became only the ninth human to travel into space. Wally Schirra was portrayed by Lance Henriksen in the film, The Right Stuff.

Neal Katyal is an American academic and lawyer. Born to immigrant parents from India, Katyal has argued the most number of Supreme Court cases for any minority lawyer in American history. He was honored with the Edmund Randolph Award by the US Justice Department. He was also named in Legal Times' 90 Greatest Lawyers over the Last 30 Years list.

Popular Pakistani singer Atif Aslam has been equally successful in both India and Pakistan. Known for his distinctive vocal belting technique of singing, the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz-winning singer has sung Bollywood hits such as Tera Hone Laga Hoon. He is also a trained computer engineer and once aspired to be a cricketer.

Actor, Jason Lively, began his career as a ten-year-old child, appearing in the pilot episode of The Dukes of Hazzard. A few years later, he made his film debut and went on to appear in some other TV shows and films. As of today, he is semi-retired from acting and runs his own business. Actress, Blake Lively, is his sister.

Vaslav Nijinsky was a ballet dancer and choreographer. He is counted among the greatest male dancers of the early 20th century. He was known for the intensity of his characterizations. He was brilliant and could dance en pointe, a rare skill few male dancers of his era possessed. He suffered from mental health issues in his later life. 

Dave Eggers is an American writer, publisher, and editor. He is credited with founding a non-profit publishing house named McSweeney's Publishing and a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization called ScholarMatch. Eggers is also credited with co-founding other non-profit organizations like 826 Valencia and Voice of Witness. His novels A Hologram for the King and The Circle have been adapted into movies.

Gustav Kirchhoff was a German physicist who is credited with coining the term black-body radiation. He is best remembered for his contribution to the basic understanding of spectroscopy, electrical circuits, and the emanation of black-body radiation. In 1862, he received the prestigious Rumford Medal. The Bunsen-Kirchhoff Award is named after Gustav Kirchhoff and German chemist Robert Bunsen.

William Henry Perkin is best remembered for his chance discovery of the dye mauveine, made of aniline purple. He had apparently discovered the dye while attempting to synthesize quinine. The Royal Medal-winning British chemist also studied salicyl alcohol and flavoring agents and synthesized the first artificial perfume.

George Berkeley was an Anglo-Irish philosopher who is credited with popularizing a theory called immaterialism, which claims that material substance like tables and chairs can't exist without being perceived by the mind. Berkeley influenced several philosophers like David Hume. Also remembered for his humanitarian work, George Berkeley worked towards creating homes for abandoned children in London.

Anna Zak is an Israeli Internet personality, singer, and model. With more than a million followers on Instagram and four million followers on TikTok, Anna is considered one of the most influential social media stars in Israel. In 2017, she was named the most influential Instagrammer in Israel, ahead of personalities like Bar Refaeli.

Zhao Wei is a Chinese actress, filmmaker, pop singer, and businesswoman. One of the most popular Chinese actresses, Zhao is also one of the highest-paid actresses in China. Renowned for her performance in popular films like Shaolin Soccer, Zhao Wei is widely considered the first national idol of Mainland China since the Chinese economic reform in 1978.

Andrew Young Jr. is an American activist, politician, and diplomat. Young is best known for his role in the civil rights movement; a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr., Andrew Young served as the executive director of a civil rights organization called Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Andrew Young is a recipient of the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Tzachi Halevy is an Israeli actor and singer best known for his portrayal of Ephraim in the 2018 biblical drama film, Mary Magdalene. He has also played important roles in popular TV series, such as Fauda and Mossad 101. As a singer, Halevy is known for his association with Mayumana troupe, a dance troupe that combines song, percussion, and dance.

Known for literary works like Il Piacere and La Gioconda, Italian journalist, poet and playwright Gabriele D'Annunzio dominated the second period of Italian Decadentism. He became a national war hero during the First World War. His political endeavours include establishing and leading the short-lived Italian Regency of Carnaro in Fiume. He is often described as the forerunner of Italian fascism.  

Known as the Dandiya Queen, Falguni Pathak rocked the 1990s with her chartbusting tracks such as Chudi Jo Khanki Haathon Mein, which still light up Navratri celebrations in India. She is also known for her signature androgynous looks. Though she’s based in Mumbai, her songs reflect the Gujarati folk culture.

Elaine de Kooning, an accomplished landscape and portrait artist, remained active in Abstract Expressionist and Figurative Expressionist movements during post-Second World War era. Elaine admired artwork of Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist Willem de Kooning, her future husband, and honed her skills under his tutelage. Figure served as subject of representational portraiture for Elaine, who was perhaps best-known for her portraits.