Famous People Born On August 31st

Richard Gere's performance in the movie American Gigolo cemented his position as a sex symbol in the 1980s. He also established himself as a leading man, becoming one of Hollywood's most bankable and popular actors during the '90s. One of the most dedicated actors, he learned karate for his role in An Officer and a Gentleman and tap dance for Chicago.

Chris Tucker is an American stand-up comedian and actor best known for playing Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series alongside Jackie Chan. Also a humanitarian, Tucker joined the likes of Bill Clinton, Jeffrey Epstein, Kevin Spacey, and Ghislaine Maxwell on a trip to Africa in an attempt to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Caligula, the third Roman emperor, is often described as a cruel man who forced his subjects to worship him as their god. Considered an insane tyrant, Caligula is accused of incest and forcing the audience to enter a sporting arena to be eaten alive by wild beasts during the intermission. His stories are famous in popular culture.

Jeff Hardy is a professional wrestler. Best known for his tag team partnership with real-life brother Matt in WWE, Hardy has also achieved success as a singles wrestler. He is popular for his daredevil stunts and is often described as a death-defying and high-flying performer. Also a musician, Jeff Hardy is credited with forming a rock band called PeroxWhy?gen.

Mexican American actor, singer, and songwriter Sara Ramirez is the recipient of several awards, including a Tony Award. Born in Mexico, they moved to America as a child. They became interested in acting in their teens and acted in school plays before taking up roles in theater plays. Soon, they ventured into TV and films as well.

James Coburn was an American actor who played the quintessential tough guy roles in action and Western films throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was characterized by his lanky physique and toothy grin. A martial arts student, Coburn was a close friend of Bruce Lee; he was one of the pallbearers at Bruce Lee's funeral in 1973.

Northern Irish singer, Van Morrison, garnered recognition in the 1960s while playing with the band, Them, and then later as a solo singer with the 1967 song Brown Eyed Girl. Over the years, he has released more than 40 albums. Astral Weeks, Moondance, Wavelength, Down the Road and Keep It Simple are some of his acclaimed and commercially successful albums.

Queen Rania of Jordan is the current queen consort of Jordan. Since her marriage to Abdullah II of Jordan, Rania has focused on improving education and health in Jordan. In 2005, Queen Rania joined hands with the Ministry of Education to launch the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education, an annual teachers’ award.

Hilary Farr is a British-Canadian businesswoman, television host, designer, and former actress. Over the years, she has played an important role as a designer, renovating homes for celebrities like Jennifer Hudson and Jenna Elfman. In 2017, Hilary Farr co-founded a real estate investment seminar program called Rules of Renovation, which helps aspiring investors across North America.

Taiwanese politician and academic, Tsai Ing-wen, is currently serving as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan). She has been in office since 2016. She is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party and the first female president of Taiwan. As the president, she has taken steps to fund green energy initiatives and supports LGBTQA+ rights.

Born to an artisan father, Ramon Magsaysay was initially a schoolteacher. He served as the president of the Philippines and successfully subdued the Huk movement of the local communist guerrillas. The Ramon Magsaysay Award, named after him, celebrates excellence of Asians in various fields such as journalism and government service.

Emperor Taishō was the 123rd Emperor of Japan. He was the son of  Emperor Meiji and Yanagihara Naruko, a concubine. As the eldest living son of the emperor, he was formally named the crown prince in 1888. Upon the death of his father in 1912, he ascended the throne. A sickly man with disabilities, he died at 47.

David Ospina is a Colombian football player who plays for the Colombia national football team. Ospina made his national debut in 2007 and is currently the most capped player of Colombia. Apart from representing his country in important tournaments like the FIFA World Cup and Copa Américas, David Ospina has also played for popular clubs like Arsenal and Atlético Nacional.

Fredric March was an American actor best remembered for his versatility. One of the most celebrated actors during the 1930s and 1940s, Fredric March won two Academy Awards for Best Actor and two Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Play; he is one of two actors to have received both the Tony Award and Academy Award twice.

Andrew Cunanan was an American spree killer who killed five people, including world-renowned fashion designer Gianni Versace and business tycoon Lee Miglin, during a three-month period. The motive behind the killings remains unknown as he killed himself shortly after the murders. His story has inspired several films and TV series, including the 1998 movie The Versace Murder.

In his 28-year coaching career, Tom Coughlin had been the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Giants. In his school days, he excelled in both football and basketball, but completely focused on football during his Syracuse University days. His Jay Fund assists children with leukemia and other cancers.

Best known for his work in the plays of August Wilson, actor Stephen McKinley Henderson has also impressed audiences with his roles in movies such as Lincoln and Dune. The Juilliard-educated actor has also been nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the play Fences.

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, the only child of the King William III and his second wife, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, became queen at age 10. While she remained neutral during World War I, she went into exile to England during World War II. Her autobiography revealed her religious devotion.

Katerina Tikhonova is a Russian acrobatic dancer who finished fifth at a world championship event held in Switzerland in 2013. The daughter of Vladimir Putin, Tikhonova serves as director of the National Intellectual Reserve Centre (NIRC) and National Intellectual Development Foundation (NIDF), which are initiatives of Moscow State University.

Arthur Godfrey was an American entertainer and television and radio broadcaster. In the early and mid-1950s, Godfrey was seen on television and heard on the radio up to six days a week. His career inspired two films, namely The Great Man and A Face in the Crowd. Arthur Godfrey was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1987.

Marcia Clark is best known as the lead prosecutor of the O.J. Simpson murder trial. She has also written several books, including novels from the Rachel Knight series and the Samantha Brinkman series and a non-fiction about the Simpson case. She has also written crime articles for The Daily Beast.

Irish golfer Padraig Harrington had started training in golf at age 5. Now a multiple Ryder Cup winner and a PGA champion, he has also won 2 British Open championship titles. He has been twice named the European Tour Golfer of the Year. He is promotes the Special Olympics as its global ambassador.

A descendant of Pennsylvania founder William Penn through his mother, Hermann von Helmholtz studied medicine, pushed by his father, in spite of being interested in the natural sciences. Best known for his law of conservation of energy, he coalesced the fields of medicine, physiology, math, and physics in his studies.

Alma Mahler, remembered as the wife of composer Gustav Mahler and the daughter of landscape painter Emil Schindler, initially studied art but later acquired skills as a pianist. However, Mahler discouraged her from composing after marriage. She later had other affairs and married architect Walter Gropius and author Franz Werfel.

Amrita Pritam was an Indian poet, essayist, and novelist who wrote in Hindi and Punjabi languages. She is widely regarded as the first major female Punjabi poet and the leading Punjabi-language poet of the 20th century. In 1956, she was honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award, becoming the first woman to receive the prestigious award.