Famous People Born In 1885

Discover the most famous people born in 1885. The list includes people like Niels Bohr, Ezra Pound, D. H. Lawrence, Alice Paul, Sinclair Lewis and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include soldiers, political leaders, journalists and novelists born in 1885. This list includes people from United States, Germany, France & United Kingdom and many more countries.
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 1 
George Patton
(One of the Most Successful Combat Generals in United States History)
George Patton
24
Listed In: Military Leaders
Birthdate: 11th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: San Gabriel, California, United States
Died: December 21, 1945

George Patton was a general of the US Army, remembered for his work as a commander of the Seventh United States Army during World War II. He is also remembered for commanding the Third Army in the Western Front in June 1944 after the Allied invasion of Normandy. His life and work inspired the 1970 epic biographical war film Patton.

 2 
Niels Bohr
(Danish Physicist Who Made Foundational Contributions to Understanding Atomic Structure and Quantum Theory)
Niels Bohr
28
Listed In: Physicists
Birthdate: 7th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Died: November 18, 1962
Nobel Prize-winning Danish physicist Niels Bohr is remembered for his work on the atomic structure and quantum theory. He laid down the Bohr model of the atom and established the Niels Bohr Institute. The element Bohrium has been named after him. He was also part of the British nuclear project.
 3 
Princess Alice of Battenberg
(Mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II)
Princess Alice of Battenberg
27
Birthdate: 25th February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Windsor Castle, Windsor, England
Died: December 5, 1969

Princess Alice of Battenberg, the great-granddaughter of Britain’s Queen Victoria, became Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark in 1903 after her marriage. During the Second World War, she sheltered Jewish refugees and worked for the Red Cross. She was posthumously named a ‘Hero of the Holocaust’ by the British government in 2010. She was the mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II.

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 4 
Chester W. Nimitz
(American Admiral Known for His Role as Commander in Chief of US Pacific Fleet in World War II)
Chester W. Nimitz
10
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 24th February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Fredericksburg, Texas, United States
Died: February 20, 1966

Chester W. Nimitz was part of the United States Navy where he served as a fleet admiral. He played a key role during World War II, commanding the US Pacific Fleet and the Allied air, sea, and land forces. He also played a crucial role in acquiring approval to develop USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine in the world.

 5 
Clementine Churchill
(Wife of Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
Clementine Churchill
7
Listed In: Family Members
Birthdate: 1st April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Mayfair, London, England
Died: December 12, 1977
Clementine Churchill, wife of British prime minister Winston Churchill, worked with the Red Cross, to aid Russia, and with the YWCA War War Time Appeal, during World War II. She also managed canteens for YMCA during World War I. She received numerous accolades, including the CBE and a life peerage.
 6 
Ezra Pound
(American Poet and Critic Known for His Works: ‘Ripostes’, ‘Hugh Selwyn Mauberley’ and the Epic Poem, ‘The Cantos’)
Ezra Pound
25
Listed In: Poets
Birthdate: 30th October
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Idaho, United States
Died: November 1, 1972
American poet Ezra Pound was a significant figure in the modernist poetry movement who developed imagism and gained fame with works such as Ripostes and The Cantos. He later promoted social credit theory. During World War II, he supported fascism, participating in radio broadcasts against the U.S. and Jews. 
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 7 
Alice Paul
(American Quaker, Feminist, Suffragist, and Women's Rights Activist)
Alice Paul
11
Birthdate: 11th January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey, United States
Died: July 9, 1977

Alice Paul was an American Quaker, feminist, suffragist, and women's rights activist. She is best remembered for strategizing events like the Silent Sentinels and the Woman Suffrage Procession, which resulted in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920. Alice Paul often displayed courage while confronting police brutality for her activism.

 8 
Hugo Boss
(Fashion Designer, Entrepreneur)
Hugo Boss
13
Listed In: Fashion
Birthdate: 8th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Metzingen, Germany
Died: August 9, 1948

Hugo Boss was a German businessman and fashion designer. He is credited with founding one of the most popular fashion houses in the world, Hugo Boss AG. Apart from maintaining his business endeavors, Hugo Boss was also a member of the Nazi Party and remained loyal to the ideology of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany.

 9 
Sinclair Lewis
(Nobel Prize Winner in Literature)
Sinclair Lewis
7
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 7th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Sauk Centre
Died: January 10, 1951
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 10 
Hedda Hopper
(Gossip columnist)
Hedda Hopper
11
Birthdate: 2nd May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: February 1, 1966
 11 
Karen Blixen
(Danish Writer Best Known for Her Works: 'Out of Africa' and 'Seven Gothic Tales')
Karen Blixen
3
Listed In: Novelists
Birthdate: 17th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Rungsted, Denmark
Died: September 7, 1962

Danish author Karen Blixen is best known for her memoir Out of Africa, in which she shared her experiences of living in Kenya for a few years. She was popular across Europe and wrote under several pen names. She was awarded the Danish Holberg Medal in 1949. She was shortlisted several times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

 12 
Theda Bara
(Former actress of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols)
Theda Bara
5
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 29th July
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Died: April 7, 1955
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 13 
Kato Svanidze
(First Wife of Joseph Stalin)
Kato Svanidze
6
Listed In: Family Members
Birthdate: 2nd April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Tbilisi, Georgia
Died: November 22, 1907

Ekaterine "Kato" Svanidze, a shy girl from a poor Georgian family, was the first of Joseph Stalin’s two wives. Stalin, then 24, fell in love with a 16-year-old Kato while studying together at the Tiflis Spiritual Seminary. She died a year after the birth of their son, Yakov.

 14 
Wallace Beery
3
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 1st April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Clay County
Died: April 15, 1949
 15 
John Curtin
(14th Prime Minister of Australia (1941 - 1945))
John Curtin
13
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 8th January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Creswick, Australia
Died: July 5, 1945

Born to Irish immigrants, John Curtin had witnessed working-class uprisings in his younger days, which led him to join Australia’s Labour Movement. He was the only Australian prime minister with a Western Australian seat. The strenuous job of leading his country during World War II affected his health.

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 16 
Jerome Kern
(Composer, Songwriter, Film score composer, Coin collecting)
Jerome Kern
3
Listed In: Composers
Birthdate: 27th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York City
Died: November 11, 1945
 17 
Will Durant
(American Writer Best Known for His Work 'The Story of Civilization')
Will Durant
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 5th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: North Adams, Massachusetts, United States
Died: November 7, 1981

Will Durant was an American writer, philosopher, and historian. He is credited with writing The Story of Philosophy which helped popularize philosophy in the USA. Will is also remembered for co-writing an 11-volume set of books titled The Story of Civilization along with his wife Ariel. Will and Ariel were awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

 18 
Bess Truman
(Former First Lady of the United States)
Bess Truman
3
Listed In: First Ladies
Birthdate: 13th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Independence, Missouri, United States
Died: October 18, 1982
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 19 
Erich von Stroheim
(Actor Known for His Role as ‘Rauffenstein’ in ‘Jean Renoir’s la Grande Illusion')
Erich von Stroheim
5
Birthdate: 22nd September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: May 12, 1957

Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-American actor, director, and producer. He was known for being a visionary who gained fame for his avant-garde film projects in the silent era. His film Greed is counted amongst the finest and most important films ever made. He was also a well-respected character actor and a recipient of the French Legion of Honour. 

 20 
D. H. Lawrence
(English Writer and Poet Known for His Novels: ‘Sons and Lovers’, ‘The Rainbow’ and ‘Women in Love’)
D. H. Lawrence
40
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 11th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Eastwood, England, United Kingdom
Died: March 2, 1930

English writer, D. H. Lawrence, was known for exploring sensitive issues, such as sexuality, emotional health,  and instinct. In his works, he often reflected upon the dehumanizing effects of modernity and industrialization. The sexual nature of his writings earned him many enemies. Even though he died at the relatively young age of 44, he left behind a rich literary legacy.

 21 
Karen Horney
(German Psychoanalyst Best Known for Founding Feminist Psychology in Response to Freud’s Theory of Penis Envy)
Karen Horney
1
Birthdate: 16th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Blankenese, Hamburg, Germany
Died: December 4, 1952

Remembered for her pioneering work on feminist psychology, Karen Horney studied medicine at a time when women weren’t allowed in universities. Going against Sigmund Freud’s concept of penis envy, she suggested the idea of womb envy. She believed psychological differences weren’t rooted in gender but rather depended on the socio-cultural influences.

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 22 
Alban Berg
(One of the Most Important Composers of the 20th Century)
Alban Berg
3
Listed In: Composers
Birthdate: 9th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: December 24, 1935
Nineteenth-century Austrian composer Alban Berg hadn’t had any formal training in music when he began composing. Owing to his poor financial condition, Arnold Schoenberg taught him music for free. He is best remembered for his twelve-tone technique. He tragically died of blood poisoning caused by an insect bite.
 23 
Sonia Delaunay
(Ukrainian-French Artist and Co-Founder of the ‘Orphism Art Movement’)
Sonia Delaunay
0
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 13th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Hradyz'k, Ukraine
Died: December 5, 1979

A pioneer of abstract art and Orphism, French artist Sonia Delaunay was the first living female to have an exhibition at the Louvre Museum. Her art extended to stage sets, pottery, and fabrics. She and her husband, Robert Delaunay, collaborated on various public projects, including murals.

 24 
Hermann Klaus Hugo Weyl
(One of the Most Famous and Skilled Mathematicians of the 20th Century)
Hermann Klaus Hugo Weyl
2
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 9th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Elmshorn, Germany
Died: December 8, 1955

Hermann Klaus Hugo Wey is remembered for his contribution to both physics and math. He was one of the first scientists to think of merging the concepts of electromagnetism and relativity. He moved from the University of Göttingen to Princeton in the wake of the rise of the Nazi reign.

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 25 
Edna Ferber
(playwright, novelist, writer,screenwriter)
Edna Ferber
4
Birthdate: 15th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Appleton
Died: April 16, 1968
 26 
Julius Streicher
(German Nazi Politician, Founder and Publisher of the Virulently Antisemitic Newspaper ‘Der Stürmer’)
Julius Streicher
11
Birthdate: 12th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Dinkelscherben, Germany
Died: October 16, 1946
Julius Streicher went from being an elementary school teacher to establishing the anti-semitic Nazi newspaper Der Stürmer. He led an adulterous life and even spread rumors about his rival party members, which eventually led him to lose all party posts. He was eventually hanged after the Nuremberg trials.
 27 
John Edensor Littlewood
(Mathematician, University teacher)
John Edensor Littlewood
0
Listed In: Mathematicians
Birthdate: 9th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Rochester
Died: September 6, 1977
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 28 
Lionel Atwill
(Actor)
Lionel Atwill
1
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 1st March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Croydon, Greater London, England
Died: April 22, 1946
 29 
Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
(Ruler)
Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
3
Listed In: Emperors & Kings
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Kuwait City
Died: January 29, 1950
 30 
Keith Murdoch
(War correspondent)
Keith Murdoch
2
Listed In: Journalists
Birthdate: 12th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Melbourne
Died: October 5, 1952

Apart from being the father of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Keith Murdoch was a talented journalist in his own right, who gained fame as a political correspondent for the Sydney Sun. He is also known for carrying the controversial Gallipoli letter to London. He later led The Herald and Weekly Times.

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 31 
Malcolm Campbell
(British Racer Who Achieved the World Speed Record on Both Water and Land on Multiple Occasions)
Malcolm Campbell
0
Listed In: Race Car Drivers
Birthdate: 11th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Chislehurst, Kent, England
Died: December 31, 1948

Malcolm Campbell was a British racer who achieved the world speed record on both water and land on multiple occasions. He is also known as the father of Donald, who became the first person to set both world water speed and land speed records in the same year. In 1990, Campbell was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

 32 
Otto Klemperer
(Orchestra)
Otto Klemperer
1
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 14th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Wrocław, Poland
Died: July 6, 1973
 33 
Phog Allen
(American Basketball Coach)
Phog Allen
1
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: 18th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Jamesport, Missouri, United States
Died: September 16, 1974

One of the prominent forces behind making basketball being represented in the Olympics, legendary basketball coach Phog Allen initially played basketball under the inventor of the game himself, James Naismith. Equipped with a degree in osteopathic medicine, he also treated sports injuries. He also once worked as a baseball umpire.

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 34 
G.W. Pabst
(One of the Most Influential German-Language Filmmakers During the Weimar Republic)
G.W. Pabst
1
Birthdate: 25th August
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Roudnice nad Labem, Czechia
Died: May 29, 1967

G.W. Pabst was an Austrian actor, director, and screenwriter. He studied drama at the Academy of Decorative Arts and became a stage actor. He soon started directing plays as well. He later became a film director with the movie The Treasure. He eventually came to be counted amongst the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic. 

 35 
Sabina Spielrein
(Psychiatrist)
Sabina Spielrein
2
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: 25th October
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Rostov-on-Don, Russian Empire
Died: August 11, 1942

Sabina Spielrein was a Russian physician who also worked as a psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, and teacher during an illustrious professional career that spanned 30 years. A pioneer of psychoanalysis, Spielrein was the first person to bring in and popularize the concept of the death instinct. Sabina Spielrein was also one of the earliest psychoanalysts to study schizophrenia in detail. 

 36 
Harlow Shapley
(American Scientist and Political Activist)
Harlow Shapley
1
Listed In: Astronomers
Birthdate: 2nd November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Nashville, Missouri, United States
Died: October 20, 1972

American scientist Harlow Shapley is best-remembered for ascertaining correct position of Sun within Milky Way Galaxy and for heading the Harvard College Observatory. He determined the size and shape of the Milky Way Galaxy and the Sun’s position within it using the Cepheid variable stars and wrote the Liquid Water Belt that provided scientific acceptance to Hubertus Strughold’s ecosphere theory.

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 37 
George
(Actor)
George
7
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 7th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Stannards, New York, United States
Died: February 9, 1969
 38 
Robert Delaunay
(Artist)
Robert Delaunay
1
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 12th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: October 25, 1941
 39 
George de Hevesy
(Hungarian Radiochemist Known for His Key Role in the Development of 'Radioactive Tracers')
George de Hevesy
1
Listed In: Chemists
Birthdate: 1st August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: July 5, 1966

Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian-Swedish chemist George de Hevesy is best remembered for his research on isotopic tracer techniques to study animal metabolism. He is also credited with co-discovering the element hafnium with physicist Dirk Coster. He fled the Nazi regime and moved first to Denmark and then to Sweden.

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 40 
Sigrid Hjertén
(Swedish Modernist Painter)
Sigrid Hjertén
0
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 27th October
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Sundsvall, Sweden
Died: March 24, 1948

One of the pioneers of expressionism in Sweden, Sigrid Hjertén was the only female member of the artist group De Åtta. Initially a teacher of textile design, she later painted iconic works such as Atelierinteriör. She died of a failed lobotomy procedure to cure her schizophrenia.

 41 
Sacha Guitry
(Actor, screenwriter, playwright, and director who appeared in the hits Un Beau mariage, Le Prise de Berg-op-Zoom, and La Pèlerine écossaise.)
Sacha Guitry
0
Birthdate: 21st February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: July 24, 1957
 42 
Aristides de Sousa Mendes
(Portuguese Consul During World War II)
Aristides de Sousa Mendes
1
Listed In: Diplomats
Birthdate: 19th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cabanas de Viriato, Portugal
Died: April 3, 1954
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 43 
Heinrich Brüning
(German Politician and Academic)
Heinrich Brüning
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 26th November
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Münster, Germany
Died: March 30, 1970

Heinrich Brüning was a German academic and politician. From 1930 to 1932, he served as the chancellor of Germany. Brüning lost his popularity when his measures to tackle the economic crisis instigated by the Great Depression increased unemployment in the Weimar Republic. To this day, he remains a controversial figure in the history of Germany.

 44 
Anna Louise Strong
(Writer, Journalist, Activist, Trade unionist)
Anna Louise Strong
0
Listed In: Journalists
Birthdate: 24th November
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Friend
Died: March 29, 1970
 45 
Viktor Schauberger
(Forester, Inventor, Writer)
Viktor Schauberger
1
Listed In: Inventors
Birthdate: 30th June
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Schwarzenberg am Böhmerwald
Died: September 25, 1958

Austrian forest caretaker, naturalist, pseudoscientist, biomimicry experimenter, inventor and philosopher, Viktor Schauberger came up with his own concepts based on his observations of nature. He mentioned in the Implosion magazine that the propeller was incorrectly designed by the aeronautical and marine engineers.

 46 
Ernst Bloch
(Philosopher)
Ernst Bloch
2
Listed In: Philosophers
Birthdate: 8th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Ludwigshafen, Germany
Died: August 4, 1977
 47 
Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz
(Writer & Painter Active Before World War I & During Interwar Period)
Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 24th February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Died: September 18, 1939

Polish author, painter, and dramatist Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz of the Awangarda Krakowska movement was part of the Australian expedition of anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski, as an artist. He had also worked in the Russian Army. He committed suicide at the onset of World War II, though many believe he had faked his own death.

 48 
Duncan Grant
(Painter)
Duncan Grant
2
Birthdate: 21st January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Rothiemurchus, Aviemore, Scotland
Died: May 8, 1978
 49 
François Mauriac
(Novelist)
François Mauriac
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 11th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bordeaux, France
Died: September 1, 1970
 50 
Liviu Rebreanu
(Romanian Playwright, Novelist, Journalist, and Short Story Writer)
Liviu Rebreanu
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 27th November
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Tarlisua, Romania
Died: September 1, 1944

Liviu Rebreanu was a Romanian playwright, novelist, journalist, and short story writer. Throughout his life, Rebreanu was part of several literary circles. From 1925 to 1932, Liviu Rebreanu served as the president of the Romanian Writers' Society. Some of his notable works include Pădurea spânzuraților, Adam și Eva, and Răscoala.