Famous People Born On April 11th

Jeremy Clarkson has come a long way from being a local journalist to becoming a recognized public personality, thanks to his appearance as a presenter in the popular TV show Top Gear. He is credited with making Top Gear one of the most successful shows in the UK. His tongue-in-cheek presenting style and writing often provoke a public reaction.

Jennifer Esposito is an American actress who despite suffering from celiac disease, the details of which she has written in her book Jennifer's Way, went on to establish herself in the entertainment industry. Apart from being an actress and author, Jennifer also serves as the brand ambassador for Eclair Naturals, a body and skin care line.

Italian-born Brazilian-origin footballer Thiago Alcântara grew up watching his footballer father Mazinho. The talented midfielder has played for teams such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich and now represents Liverpool and the national team of Spain. An injury prevented him from playing in the World Cup 2014.

Tricia Helfer is a Canadian actress and model. She gained international fame after portraying the enigmatic Cylon model Number Six in the Battlestar Galactica TV series. She began her career as a model and won the Ford Models' Supermodel of the World contest in 1992. Later on, she quit modeling to pursue a full-time acting career. 

Joel Grey is an American actor, dancer, singer, photographer, and director. He is best known for his portrayal of the Master of Ceremonies in the popular musical Cabaret, for which he won the 1967 Tony Award. He then reprised his role in the 1972 film adaptation, winning an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award for his performance.

Dakota Blue Richards is an English actress best known for her portrayal of Lyra Belacqua in the popular fantasy adventure film The Golden Compass, for which she received nominations for several prestigious awards, including Young Artist Award. Also known for her humanitarian work, Richards has been an ardent supporter of Action for Children, which aims at helping vulnerable young people.

Jyotiba Phule was an Indian thinker, social activist, writer, and anti-caste social reformer. During his lifetime, he worked towards eradicating the caste system and untouchability in India. He was also a pioneer of women education in India and began his first school for girls in Pune in 1848. B. R. Ambedkar had often cited Jyotiba Phule as an inspiration.

Percy Lavon Julian was an American chemist whose work paved the way for the production of birth control pills and corticosteroids. Julian went on to start his own company which helped reduce the price of steroid intermediates. In 1973, Percy Lavon Julian was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences and became the first African-American to receive this honor.

Actor and novelist Jill Gascoine is best remembered for her role as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in the series The Gentle Touch and its spin-off, C.A.T.S. Eyes. She wrote three novels and also appeared in films such as King of the Wind. She was also a kidney cancer survivor.

The eldest child of The Staple Singers patriarch, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, Cleotha Staples was part of her family gospel group’s eight US top 40 hits. After facing racism, while they toured around performing, Cleotha and her group ventured into Black protest music. Respect Yourself was one of their Billboard-charting tracks.

Born to a Russian diplomat, designer Oleg Cassini was known as much for his affairs with femme fatales such as Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe as for his designs. Initially married to actor Gene Tierney, he had also kept his 34-year marriage to Marianne Nestor a secret till his death.

Kasturba Gandhi was an Indian freedom fighter and political activist. Best remembered as the wife of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Kasturba took part in Indian independence movements along with her husband. Her life and career inspired a play titled Kasturba which was written by Narayan Desai and directed by Aditi Desai. The play was staged several times in India.

Julien Kang is a South Korean actor and model best known for his appearance in popular variety shows, such as We Got Married and Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education. He first achieved popularity for playing Kang Gu-ra in the 2012 TV series Goodbye Dear Wife, where he starred opposite Ryu Si-won. 

Masaru Ibuka was a Japanese industrialist best remembered for co-founding Sony Group Corporation along with Akio Morita. From 1950 to 1971, Ibuka served as the company's president. When he retired in 1976, Morita was named chairman of Sony. Ibuka was the recipient of several prestigious awards such as the IEEE Founders Medal and the Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon.

One likened to legendary musician Jimi Hendrix, Scottish rock guitarist and singer Stuart Adamson was a founder member of the Scottish punk rock/new wave band Skids. He later formed the rock band Big Country. He hanged himself to death in a Hawaiian hotel at age 43.

Edward Everett was an American politician, diplomat, educator, pastor, and orator. Widely regarded as one of the great orators of the Civil War and antebellum eras, Everett is remembered for his two-hour speech at the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg in 1863, where Abraham Lincoln delivered his popular Gettysburg Address. Edward Everett also taught ancient Greek literature at Harvard University.

Guy Verhofstadt is a Belgian politician best known for serving as the Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. From 1985 to 1992, he served as the Deputy Prime Minister as well as the Minister of Budget. From 2009 to 2019, Verhofstadt also served as the leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

Winston Peters is a New Zealand politician best known for his service as the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions; from 1996 to 1998 and again from 2017 to 2020. He also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2008 and again from 2017 to 2020.

The man who lent his name to Parkinson’s disease, which he described as paralysis agitans in Essay on the Shaking Palsy, James Parkinson was a leading English surgeon. An avid paleontologist and geologist too, he often collected specimens and fossils. He and his son also offered the first description of appendicitis.