Famous People Born In 1891

Discover the most famous people born in 1891. The list includes people like B. R. Ambedkar, Cole Porter, Sergei Prokofiev, Earl Warren, Max Ernst and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include soldiers, political leaders, poets and philosophers born in 1891. This list includes people from United States, Germany, United Kingdom & India and many more countries.
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 1 
B. R. Ambedkar
(One of the Architects of the Indian Constitution)
B. R. Ambedkar
133
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 14th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Madhya Pradesh, India
Died: December 6, 1956

India's first Minister of Law and Justice, B. R. Ambedkar inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement. He also fought against social discrimination prevalent in India at that time. Widely regarded as the chief architect of the Constitution of India, Ambedkar was posthumously honored with India's highest civilian award - The Bharat Ratna.

 2 
Sergei Prokofiev
(Composer and pianist)
Sergei Prokofiev
37
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 23rd April
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Krasne, Ukraine
Died: March 5, 1953

Sergei Prokofiev was a Russian Soviet pianist, composer, and conductor. Renowned for creating masterpieces across various genres, Prokofiev is widely considered one of the 20th century's major composers. Many other composers like Arthur Honegger have called Prokofiev the greatest contemporary musician of all time. An open pianists' competition, which is held every year in Ukraine, is named after Sergei Prokofiev.

 3 
Zora Neale Hurston
(Folklorist, Anthropologist)
Zora Neale Hurston
21
Listed In: Anthropologists
Birthdate: 7th January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Notasulga
Died: January 28, 1960

Zora Neale Hurston was an author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. As an African American woman, she often depicted racial issues in the films she made. Her works also reflected her struggles as a black woman. In her early career, she conducted anthropological and ethnographic research and focused more on writing and film-making in her later years.

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 4 
Frederick Banting
(Co-Discoverer of Insulin)
Frederick Banting
9
Birthdate: 14th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Alliston, New Tecumseth, Canada
Died: February 21, 1941

Frederick Banting was a Canadian medical scientist and physician. In 1923, Banting and Scottish biochemist John James Rickard Macleod received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of insulin and its therapeutic potential. Aged 32 at that time, Banting remains the youngest Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine. He was knighted by King George V in 1934.

 5 
Antonio Gramsci
(Italian Philosopher Best Known for His Theory of 'Cultural Hegemony')
Antonio Gramsci
14
Birthdate: 22nd January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Ales, Italy
Died: April 27, 1937

Antonio Gramsci was an Italian politician, journalist, philosopher, linguist, and writer. A founding member of the Communist Party of Italy, Gramsci went on to serve as the leader of the party before he was arrested by Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime. Since his death, Antonio Gramsci has been the subject of several plays and films.

 6 
Karl Dönitz
(German Admiral Who Briefly Succeeded Adolf Hitler as Head of State)
Karl Dönitz
19
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 16th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Grünau, Berlin, Germany
Died: December 24, 1980
Karl Dönitz was the supreme commander of the German Navy and played a crucial role in World War II. Hitler made Dönitz his successor before committing suicide. Dönitz officially surrendered after Germany’s loss in World War II and was convicted as a war criminal at the 1946 Nuremberg Trials.
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 7 
Cole Porter
(Composer, Songwriter)
Cole Porter
41
Birthdate: 9th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Peru, Indiana, United States
Died: October 15, 1964
Singer-songwriter Cole Porter is best known for his work in the Tony-winning musical, Kiss Me, Kate and for his hit tracks Night and Day, Got You Under My Skin, and You're the Top. He also composed for movies. His marriage to Linda Lee Thomas was a cover for his homosexuality.
 8 
Earl Warren
(30th Governor of California (1943-53), 14th Chief Justice of the United States (1953-69))
Earl Warren
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 19th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Died: July 9, 1974
Earl Warren served as the chief justice of the U.S. from 1953 to 1969. He was also the California governor from 1943 to 1953. The "Warren Court" revolutionized the American justice system by making landmark judgments, such as making school segregation unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education case.
 9 
Erwin Rommel
(General)
Erwin Rommel
110
Listed In: Military Leaders
Birthdate: 15th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Heidenheim an der Brenz, Germany
Died: October 14, 1944

Known as The Desert Fox, Nazi field marshal Erwin Rommel led the Axis forces during World War II. For his plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944, he was given a choice to either commit suicide by consuming a cyanide pill or face a trial and execution. He chose the former.

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 10 
Fanny Brice
(Model, Singer, Actress)
Fanny Brice
4
Listed In: Fashion
Birthdate: 29th October
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Died: May 29, 1951

Fanny Brice was an American singer, comedienne, and actress. She is credited with creating one of the most popular radio comedy series of her generation, The Baby Snooks Show. Fanny Brice was posthumously honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the radio and film industries. Her life inspired the 1964 musical, Funny Girl. 

 11 
Max Ernst
(Primary Pioneer of the 'Dada Movement' and 'Surrealism' Known for His Work 'A Week of Kindness')
Max Ernst
6
Birthdate: 2nd April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brühl, Germany
Died: April 1, 1976

Max Ernst was a German painter, graphic artist, sculptor, and poet. A pioneer of the Dada movement, Ernst played an important role in popularizing surrealism during the early-20th century. He is also credited with inventing a couple of techniques, namely frottage and grattage. In 2005, the Max Ernst Museum was opened in his honor in Brühl, Germany.

 12 
James Chadwick
(Discoverer of Neutron)
James Chadwick
4
Listed In: Physicists
Birthdate: 20th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bollington
Died: July 24, 1974

Best remembered as a Nobel laureate who discovered neutron, Sir James Chadwick began his career at Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, where he worked with Ernest Rutherford to investigate the nature of atomic nucleus, a work that led to the epoch-making discovery. Credited with writing the final draft of the MAUD Report, he also headed the British team at the Manhattan Project

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 13 
Ronald Colman
2
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 9th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Richmond, Surrey, England
Died: May 19, 1958
Henry Valentine Miller
4
Listed In: Novelists
Birthdate: 26th December
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Yorkville, Manhattan, New York, United States
Died: June 7, 1980
 15 
Edith Stein
(Philosopher, Christian Nun and One of the Six 'Patron Saints of Europe')
Edith Stein
4
Birthdate: 12th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Wrocław, Poland
Died: August 9, 1942

Edith Stein was a German Jewish philosopher who studied at the University of Freiburg and completed her dissertation on empathy. Always interested in Catholicism, she read the autobiography of the mystic Teresa of Ávila and converted to Christianity, and became a Discalced Carmelite nun. She was killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp and is canonized as a martyr.

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 16 
Mikhail Bulgakov
(Novelist and Playwright Best Known for His Novel 'The Master and Margarita')
Mikhail Bulgakov
6
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 15th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kyiv, Ukraine
Died: March 10, 1940

Mikhail Bulgakov was a Russian writer, playwright, and medical doctor best remembered for his work The Master and Margarita, a novel which has been acclaimed as one of the 20th century's masterpieces. Over the years, his works have inspired several other personalities, including Salman Rushdie and Mick Jagger.    

 17 
Joe E. Brown
(Actor)
Joe E. Brown
1
Birthdate: 28th July
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Holgate, Ohio, United States
Died: July 6, 1973
 18 
Grant Wood
(Former painter particularly well known for American Gothic (1930), which has become an iconic example of early 20th-century American art)
Grant Wood
5
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 13th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Anamosa, Iowa, United States
Died: February 12, 1942
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 19 
W Averell Harriman
(Former Governor of New York)
W Averell Harriman
2
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: 15th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: July 26, 1986
 20 
José P. Laurel
(The 3rd President of the Philippines)
José P. Laurel
3
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 9th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Tanauan, Philippines
Died: November 6, 1959

The 3rd president of the Philippines, José P. Laurel had also led the country as its Commissioner of Justice and Minister of the Interior. His rule as a president, though, was largely nominal, as the Philippines was occupied by Japan back then. Charged with treason multiple times, he managed to escape trials.

 21 
Ole Kirk Christiansen
(Inventor)
Ole Kirk Christiansen
3
Listed In: Inventors
Birthdate: 1st April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Filskov, Denmark
Died: March 11, 1958
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 22 
Leo Burnett
(Businessman, Advertising Executive)
Leo Burnett
2
Birthdate: 21st October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: St. Johns, Michigan U.S.
Died: June 7, 1971
 23 
Ethel Roosevelt Derby
(American Nurse and Youngest Daughter of Theodore Roosevelt)
Ethel Roosevelt Derby
2
Listed In: Nurses
Birthdate: 13th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Oyster Bay (hamlet), New York
Died: December 10, 1977

Ethel Roosevelt Derby was an American nurse best remembered as the youngest daughter of Theodore Roosevelt. Ethel played an important role in preserving the legacy of her family home and the legacy of her father for future generations. Ethel Roosevelt Derby also played a prominent role during the First World War, serving as a nurse in France.

 24 
Otto Dix
(German Painter Known for His Ruthless and Harshly Realistic Depictions of German Society During the Weimar Republic)
Otto Dix
3
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 2nd December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Gera, Germany
Died: July 25, 1969

German painter, engraver and printmaker Otto Dix, counted among the most significant artists of Neue Sachlichkeit, is noted for his harsh and brutal depictions of war and severe situation of German society during the Weimar Republic. Some of his paintings, exhibited in Otto Dix House, which showcases materials on his life and work, include Selbstbildnis als Rauchern and Meine Freundin Elis.  

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 25 
Gene Lockhart
(Known for His Appearances on Broadway)
Gene Lockhart
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 18th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: London, Canada
Died: March 31, 1957

Gene Lockhart was a Canadian American actor, singer, playwright, and lyricist. Apart from acting, Lockhart also worked as a teacher at the Juilliard School of Music where he taught acting and stage technique. Two stars have been dedicated to Gene Lockhart on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to films and TV.

 26 
Tadamichi Kuribayashi
3
Listed In: Military Leaders
Birthdate: 7th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Died: March 26, 1945

Tadamichi Kuribayashi was a Japanese general who served in the Imperial Japanese Army. He played an important role in the battle of Iwo Jima where he served as the overall commander of the Japanese garrison. The battle of Iwo Jima inspired the 2006 Japanese-language American war film Letters from Iwo Jima where Tadamichi Kuribayashi was played by actor Ken Watanabe.

 27 
Olga Khokhlova
(Russian Ballet Dancer and First Wife of Artist Pablo Picasso)
Olga Khokhlova
4
Listed In: Ballet Dancers
Birthdate: 17th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Nizhyn, Ukraine
Died: February 11, 1955

Olga Khokhlova was a Ukrainian ballet dancer. She also served as one of Pablo Picasso's early artistic muses before marrying him in 1918. Olga met Picasso at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris where the latter had designed the set and costumes for a ballet titled Parade, in which Olga performed. She left her ballet group after meeting Pablo Picasso.

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 28 
Wilder Penfield
(Surgeon, Neuroscientist, Neurosurgeon, University teacher, Neurologist)
Wilder Penfield
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 26th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Spokane
Died: April 5, 1976

Neuroscientist Wilder Penfield redefined medical science with his innovative way of treating epilepsy patients through surgery. He would note down his patients’ responses when they would be conscious under local anesthesia. He also founded the Montreal Neurological Institute, but was unable to cure his sister’s brain cancer.

 29 
Menen Asfaw
(Empress consort of Ethiopia (1930 - 1962))
Menen Asfaw
2
Birthdate: 3rd April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Wollo, Ethiopian Empire
Died: February 15, 1962

Menen Asfaw ruled as an empress consort of Ethiopia, as the wife of Emperor Haile Selassie. Born into the noble family of Asfaw, Jantirar of Ambassel, she apparently had 3 marriages before she got married to Haile Selassie. She proved to be a trusted advisor to Selassie till her death.

 30 
Ilya Ehrenburg
(Poet)
Ilya Ehrenburg
3
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 26th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kyiv, Ukraine
Died: August 31, 1967
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 31 
Michael Chekhov
(Actor, Director and Theatre Practitioner Best Known for His Academy Nominated Role in the Film 'Spellbound')
Michael Chekhov
1
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 29th August
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: September 30, 1955

Starting his career with the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia, actor Michael Chekhova later moved to the US, making a successful career in Hollywood. His role of Dr. Alex in Spellbound earned him an Academy Award nomination. He also had his own drama studio, where he taught acting by mingling movement and imagination.

 32 
Harry Cohn
(Film producer)
Harry Cohn
3
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: 23rd July
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New York City, U.S.
Died: February 27, 1958
 33 
Lydia Lopokova
(Ballet dancer)
Lydia Lopokova
1
Listed In: Dancers
Birthdate: 21st October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russian
Died: June 8, 1981

Apart from being a renowned Russian ballerina, Lydia Lopokova was also the wife of well-known economist John Maynard Keynes and was thus known as Lady Keynes. She toured across Europe and America and appeared in plays such as The Lady of the Slipper and Age of Reason.

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 34 
Ruth Cleveland
(Grover Cleveland's daughter)
Ruth Cleveland
0
Listed In: Family Members
Birthdate: 3rd October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: January 7, 1904
 35 
Alexander Rodchenko
(Russian Artist and One of the Founders of 'Constructivism' and Russian Design)
Alexander Rodchenko
0
Birthdate: 5th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: December 3, 1956

Remembered as one of the founders of the avant-garde movement named Russian constructivism, Alexander Rodchenko has experimented with photography, paintings, posters, photomontage, and sculpture. Most of his works have political overtones. He was a prominent member of the October Group and was geared toward making art for the working classes.

 36 
Michael Polanyi
(British Polymath Who Made Important Theoretical Contributions to Physical Chemistry, Economics, and Philosophy)
Michael Polanyi
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 11th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: February 22, 1976

Hungarian-British polymath Michael Polanyi contributed to a wide range of subjects, such as chemistry, philosophy, and economics, and also had a medical diploma. He is best remembered for his research on the adsorption of gases but moved away from chemistry after fleeing to England ro escape the Nazi regime.

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 37 
Stanley Spencer
(Painter)
Stanley Spencer
1
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 30th June
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cookham, England
Died: December 14, 1959
 38 
Nella Larsen
(American Novelist Who is Considered as the Most Important Novelist of the Harlem Renaissance)
Nella Larsen
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 13th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: March 30, 1964

Nella Larsen was an American novelist who also worked as a librarian and nurse. Among her literary work were her novels, Quicksand and Passing; the latter was adapted into a film of the same name in 2021. Larsen's work has gained renewed interest since the 20th century. Today, she is recognized as the most important novelist of the Harlem Renaissance.

 39 
William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim
(Military commander)
William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim
2
Listed In: Military Leaders
Birthdate: 6th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bishopston, England
Died: December 14, 1970
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 40 
John Heartfield
(Photographer, Painter, Poster artist)
John Heartfield
1
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 19th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Schmargendorf
Died: April 26, 1968

John Heartfield was a German visual artist. He is credited to have pioneered the use of art as a political weapon. He used photomontages to satirize Adolf Hitler and depict his anti-Nazi and anti-fascist sentiments. He studied at the Royal Bavarian Arts and Crafts School and went on to launch a publishing house, Malik-Verlag, with his brother.  

 41 
Bronislava Nijinska
(Ballet Dancer)
Bronislava Nijinska
1
Listed In: Dancers
Birthdate: 8th January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Minsk, Belarus
Died: February 21, 1972
 42 
Fritz Todt
(German Civil Engineer and Architect)
Fritz Todt
1
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: 4th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Pforzheim, Germany
Died: February 8, 1942

Fritz Todt was a German civil engineer and architect. A senior Nazi, Todt oversaw the construction of Reichsautobahnen, a controlled-access highway, and also served as the Reich Minister for Armaments and Ammunition. Before the start of the Second World War, Todt initiated a military-engineering company called Organisation Todt that oversaw the construction of many Nazi concentration camps. 

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 43 
David Low
(Cartoonist)
David Low
0
Listed In: Cartoonists
Birthdate: 7th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Dunedin, New Zealand
Died: September 19, 1963
 44 
Nelly Sachs
(German-Swedish Poet and Playwright, Known for His Play ‘Eli: Ein Mysterienspiel vom Leiden Israels')
Nelly Sachs
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 10th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Schöneberg, Berlin, Germany
Died: May 12, 1970

Nelly Leonie Sachs, internationally noted German-Swedish poet and dramatist, wrote conventional romantic poems until the rise of Nazism brought about a drastic change in her life. Forced to flee to Sweden, she began writing about the grief and yearnings of her fellow Jews, concurrently translating German works into Swedish and vice-versa. She won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1966.

 45 
Shizo Kanakuri
(Japanese Marathon Runner Known as the ‘Father of the Marathon')
Shizo Kanakuri
3
Listed In: Marathon Runners
Birthdate: 20th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Nagomi, Kumamoto, Japan
Died: November 13, 1983
 46 
Richard Tauber
(Austrian Tenor and Film Actor)
Richard Tauber
0
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: 16th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Linz, Austria
Died: January 8, 1948

Richard Tauber was an Austrian tenor and film actor. The son of an actress, he often toured with his mother and developed a love for the theater. He also enjoyed singing and studied at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt. He went on to become a tenor and an actor and also conducted at the Theater an der Wien. 

 47 
Oswald Boelcke
(German Aviator and Military Personnel)
Oswald Boelcke
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 19th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Halle, Germany
Died: October 28, 1916
 48 
Birbal Sahni
(Palaeobotanist)
Birbal Sahni
14
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Saharanpur district
Died: April 10, 1949

Birbal Sahni was a pioneer of palaeobotanical research in India. The founder of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, he also taught botany at BHU and Lucknow University. He was also interested in music and tennis, and loved collecting coins. He was a Fellow of The Royal Society, too.

 49 
Sidney Howard
(Playwright)
Sidney Howard
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 26th June
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States
Died: August 23, 1939
 50 
Shukri al-Quwatli
(The First President of Post-Independence Syria)
Shukri al-Quwatli
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 6th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Damascus, Syria
Died: June 30, 1967

Shukri al-Quwatli was not just the 8th president of Syria but also its first president post-independence. He was part of the National Bloc and also led the Syrian anti-colonialist movement. He was overthrown by a coup, imprisoned, and exiled. Re-elected later, he was merely a nominal head.