Famous People Born In 1906

Discover the most famous people born in 1906. The list includes people like Ed Gein, Adolf Eichmann, Grace Hopper, Leonid Brezhnev, Samuel Beckett and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, journalists, physicists and novelists born in 1906. This list includes people from United States, Germany, United Kingdom & Italy and many more countries.
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 1 
Josephine Baker
(First Black Woman to Star in a Major Motion Picture, the 1927 Silent Film 'Siren of the Tropics')
Josephine Baker
42
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 3rd June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died: April 12, 1975
Nicknamed Black Pearl and Creole Goddess, Josephine Baker was the first Black woman to appear in a motion picture. She was a revue dancer, famous for her signature banana costume. A civil rights activist, she helped the French military during World War II. She adopted 12 children of different ethnicities.
 2 
Grace Hopper
(Computer Scientist, Mathematician and One of the First Programmers of the ‘Harvard Mark I’ Computer)
Grace Hopper
15
Birthdate: 9th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: January 1, 1992
Computer scientist and U.S. Navy rear admiral Grace Hopper was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computing system. She pioneered the machine-independent programming language technique, and the FLOW-MATIC language used by her was later used to create COBOL. She received a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom.
 3 
John Huston
(Director of Classic Movies Like 'The Maltese Falcon', 'The Asphalt Jungle', 'The Misfits' and Many More)
John Huston
7
Birthdate: 5th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Nevada, Missouri, United States
Died: August 28, 1987

Director/screenwriter John Huston is known for making his films with nominal editing and featuring novel adaptations and themes of religion, colonialism, and war. He is known for his Academy Award-winning direction in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and also appeared as an actor in films such as The Cardinal.

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 4 
Eddie Albert
(American actor)
Eddie Albert
2
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 22nd April
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rock Island, Illinois, United States
Died: May 26, 2005
 5 
Samuel Beckett
(Irish Novelist Who Won the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature)
Samuel Beckett
6
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 13th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Foxrock, Ireland
Died: December 22, 1989

Samuel Beckett was a legendary Nobel Prize-winning Irish postmodernist and minimalist playwright and author, regarded as a prominent figure of the "Theatre of the Absurd.” He is best known for the play Waiting for Godot and for his tragi-comic themes and black comedy. He was also the Saoi of Aosdána.

 6 
Dmitry Shostakovich
(One of the Major Russian Composers of the 20th Century)
Dmitry Shostakovich
8
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 25th September
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: August 9, 1975

Dmitry Shostakovich was a Soviet and Russian pianist and composer. Widely regarded as one of the 20th century's major composers, Shostakovich's music is characterized by ambivalent tonality, elements of the grotesque, and sharp contrasts. He composed 15 symphonies during his lifetime and most of his work came under Joseph Stalin.

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 7 
Lou Costello
(Actor and Comedian Best Known for His Comedy Routine ‘Who's on First’)
Lou Costello
5
Birthdate: 6th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paterson, New Jersey, United States
Died: March 3, 1959

Lou Costello was a comedian best known for his comedy routine Who's on First?, which he performed alongside Bud Abbott. During the Second World War, the comedy duo was one of the highest-paid and most popular entertainers in the world. In 2009, he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

 8 
Satchel Paige
(American Professional Baseball Pitcher)
Satchel Paige
10
Listed In: Baseball Players
Birthdate: 7th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Mobile, Alabama, United States
Died: June 8, 1982

Legendary baseball pitcher Satchel Paige was part of the MLB and the Negro League Baseball. The National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee began his career playing for the Chattanooga Black Lookouts and later played for teams such as the Cleveland Indians. He was the American League’s first black pitcher.

 9 
Aristotle Onassis
(Businessman)
Aristotle Onassis
15
Birthdate: 20th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Karataş, İzmir, Turkey
Died: March 15, 1975

A Greek shipping magnate who was one of the world's richest men at one point, Aristotle Onassis held the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet at the peak of his career. He was involved in the privatization of the Greek national airlines as well. He had liaisons with many famous and beautiful women and was married to Jacqueline Kennedy.

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 10 
John Carradine
13
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 5th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York City, United States
Died: November 27, 1988

John Carradine is considered one of the most famous character actors in Hollywood history. With an extensive career spanning almost six decades, he became known for his roles in horror films. He holds 351 film and TV credits and is among the most prolific English-speaking actors of all time. Many of his descendants are also actors.

 

 11 
Puyi
(Last Emperor of China)
Puyi
15
Listed In: Emperors & Kings
Birthdate: 7th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Beijing, China
Died: October 17, 1967

Puyi served as the final emperor of China's last imperial dynasty, The Qing dynasty. After Manchuria was invaded by Japan, Puyi became a puppet at the hands of the Japanese and was chosen as the emperor of the puppet state of Manchukuo. He then signed many edicts, given to him by the Japanese, including the one that made slavery legal.

 12 
Billy Wilder
(One of the Most Brilliant and Versatile Filmmakers of 'Classic Hollywood Cinema' With a Career Spanning Five Decades)
Billy Wilder
4
Birthdate: 22nd June
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Sucha Beskidzka, Poland
Died: March 27, 2002

Billy Wilder was an Austrian-born American film producer, screenwriter, and director. Widely considered one of the most versatile and brilliant filmmakers of Classical Hollywood cinema, Wilder became the first person to win Oscars as a screenwriter, director, and producer for his 1960 film The Apartment.

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 13 
George Sanders
(Actor Known for His Films: 'Rebecca', 'Foreign Correspondent' and 'All About Eve')
George Sanders
9
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 3rd July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: April 25, 1972

George Sanders was a British actor, music composer, singer-songwriter, and author. Characterized by his smooth bass voice and heavy English accent, Sanders often portrayed sophisticated but villainous roles. For his contribution to the film and TV industry, George Sanders was honored with a couple of stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

 14 
Philo Farnsworth
16
Listed In: Inventors
Birthdate: 19th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Beaver, Utah, United States
Died: March 11, 1971
 15 
Jack Churchill
(British Army Officer Who Fought in the World War II)
Jack Churchill
8
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 16th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Died: March 8, 1996

Better known as Mad Jack or Fighting Jack, British Army officer Jack Churchill was an iconic example of a person fighting wars on his own terms. He popularized carrying swords and bagpipes to battles and killed his enemies with his longbow. He inspired a comic strip and several books, too.

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 16 
Joan Blondell
(American Actress Best Known for Her Film 'The Blue Veil')
Joan Blondell
6
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 30th August
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Died: December 25, 1979

Joan Blondell was an American actress whose film and TV career spanned over 50 years. She is perhaps best remembered for her portrayal of Annie Rawlins in the 1951 historical drama film The Blue Veil, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.  

 17 
Bea Benaderet
(Actress)
Bea Benaderet
6
Birthdate: 4th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: October 13, 1968
 18 
Hannah Arendt
(One of the Most Influential Political Theorists of the 20th Century)
Hannah Arendt
9
Birthdate: 14th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Linden - Mitte, Hanover, Germany
Died: December 4, 1975

Hannah Arendt was a political theorist. Widely regarded as one of the 20th century's most prominent political thinkers, Hannah Arendt's articles and books have had a significant influence on philosophy and political theory. Her life and work inspired the 2012 biographical drama film, Hannah Arendt. Her work has also inspired several biographies written by popular authors.

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 19 
Kurt Gödel
(Mathematician, Philosopher and One of the Most Significant Logicians in History)
Kurt Gödel
11
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 28th April
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Brno, Czech Republic
Died: January 14, 1978

Hailed as one of the greatest logicians since Aristotle, Kurt Gödel was Austrian-born American mathematician, logician, and philosopher, who earned international stardom for his incompleteness theorem. Also credited with developing a technique called Gödel numbering, he later started working on Mathematical Platonism, a philosophical theory that failed to attract wide acceptance.

 20 
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
(King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975)
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
22
Listed In: Emperors & Kings
Birthdate: 9th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Died: March 25, 1975

Faisal of Saudi Arabia was King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975. He was the son of King Abdulaziz and his wife, Tarfa. During his father’s reign, he was given numerous responsibilities of political significance. After coming to power, he implemented a series of modern reforms and issued a decree for the total abolition of slavery. 

 21 
Louise Brooks
(Actress)
Louise Brooks
4
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 14th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Cherryvale, Kansas, United States
Died: August 8, 1985
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 22 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
(Theologian Known for His Staunch Resistance to the Nazi Dictatorship)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
57
Birthdate: 4th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Wrocław, Poland
Died: April 9, 1945
Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer is remembered for his anti-Nazi stance, for establishing the Confessing Church, and for authoring the book The Cost of Discipleship. He was sent to the Flossenbürg concentration camp after being imprisoned for a year. He was eventually hanged after being charged of plotting to assassinate Hitler.
 23 
Mary Astor
(American Actress Known for Her Role as 'Brigid O’Shaughnessy' in the Film 'Maltese Falcon')
Mary Astor
4
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 3rd May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Quincy, Illinois, United States
Died: September 25, 1987

Mary Astor was an American actress best remembered for her portrayal of Brigid O'Shaughnessy in the 1941 film noir The Maltese Falcon. During an illustrious career that spanned several decades, Mary Astor overcame personal difficulties and achieved great success, eventually winning an Oscar under the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in the 1941 drama film The Great Lie.

 24 
Lon Chaney Jr.
(Actor)
Lon Chaney Jr.
7
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 10th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Died: July 12, 1973
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 25 
Albert Hofmann
(The First Person to Synthesize LSD)
Albert Hofmann
8
Listed In: Chemists
Birthdate: 11th January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Baden
Died: April 29, 2008

Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann was the first known person to synthesize the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Interested in science from a young age, he studied chemistry at the University of Zürich. As a chemist, he conducted several significant studies and authored more than 100 scientific articles and books. He was a recipient of the prestigious Scheele Award.

 26 
Virginia Hall
(American Secret Agent Who Worked in France During World War II)
Virginia Hall
12
Listed In: Spies
Birthdate: 6th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Died: July 8, 1982
Virginia Hall worked as a spy, with the U.K. and the U.S., in France during World War II, under the alias Marie and Diane. Her main objective was to conduct espionage for the Allies, against the Nazi regime and the Axis powers. After the war ended, she joined the CIA.
 27 
Curtis Lemay
(General)
Curtis Lemay
8
Listed In: Military Leaders
Birthdate: 15th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio, United States
Died: October 1, 1990
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 28 
Joan Hickson
(Actress)
Joan Hickson
0
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 5th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Kingsthorpe, Northampton, England
Died: October 17, 1998
 29 
Janet Gaynor
(American Actress Who Became the First Recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actress)
Janet Gaynor
4
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 6th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Philadelphia
Died: September 14, 1984

Janet Gaynor was an American actress whose performances in 7th Heaven, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, and Street Angel earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1929, making her the first and only actress to have received one Academy Award for multiple film roles. Gaynor was one of the biggest box-office draws during the silent film era.

 30 
R. K. Narayan
(Indian Author Known for His known for His Work Set in the Fictional South Indian Town of Malgudi)
R. K. Narayan
113
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 10th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Died: May 13, 2001

Remembered as one of the greatest authors of Indian literature in English, R. K. Narayan created the iconic character Swami and related his experiences set in the fictional town of Malgudi. The Sahitya Akademi and Padma Vibhushan winner was also the brother of cartoonist R.K. Laxman.

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 31 
Gale Gordon
4
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 20th February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City, U.S.New York, New York, United States
Died: June 30, 1995
 32 
Ozzie Nelson
8
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 20th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Died: June 3, 1975
 33 
Anna Roosevelt Halsted
(Writer, Editor)
Anna Roosevelt Halsted
4
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 3rd May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: New York City
Died: December 1, 1975

Anna Roosevelt Halsted was an American writer and newspaper editor. The daughter of Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anna played an important role during World War II, serving as her father's key advisor. After her marriage, Anna moved into the White House and served as First Lady of the USA as per her parents' request.

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 34 
Hans Asperger
(Paediatrician)
Hans Asperger
7
Listed In: Pediatricians
Birthdate: 18th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Vienna
Died: October 21, 1980
Hans Asperger, who lent his name to Asperger’s syndrome, is remembered as a pioneer in autism research and was earlier believed to have saved children with disabilities from being killed by the Nazis. However, later evidence suggested he had sent two mentally disabled children for experiments under the Third Reich.
 35 
Thelma Todd
(Actress)
Thelma Todd
1
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 29th July
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States
Died: December 16, 1935
 36 
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
(American Aviator and Writer Who Became the First Woman to Receive a U.S. Glider Pilot License)
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
6
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 22nd June
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Englewood, New Jersey
Died: February 7, 2001

Anne Morrow Lindbergh was an American aviator and writer. She is best remembered for her exploratory flights along with her husband and pioneer aviator, Charles Lindbergh. Anne was the first woman to earn a US glider pilot license in 1930. In 1996, Anne Morrow Lindbergh was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

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 37 
Roberto Rossellini
(Film director, Actor, Film producer, Playwright, Screenwriter, Racecar driver)
Roberto Rossellini
3
Birthdate: 8th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rome
Died: June 3, 1977

One of the pioneers of neo-realism, Italian filmmaker Roberto Rossellini was part of the French nouvelle vague movement. Born to the man who had set up Italy’s first cinema, Rossellini later grew up to make films such as Rome, Open City. He was also known for his scandalous affair with Ingrid Bergman.

 38 
Robert E. Howard
(Pulp Fiction Writer)
Robert E. Howard
8
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 22nd January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Peaster
Died: June 11, 1936
 39 
Hermione Baddeley
2
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 13th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Broseley, Shropshire, England
Died: August 19, 1986
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 40 
Chandra Shekhar Azad
(Indian Revolutionary Who Reorganised Hindustan Socialist Republican Association)
Chandra Shekhar Azad
16
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 23rd July
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Badarka, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died: February 27, 1931

Chandra Shekhar Azad joined India’s freedom struggle against the British after being deeply affected by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Born Chandra Shekhar Tiwari, he declared himself as Azad when arrested in connection with Gandhiji’s non-cooperation movement. He shot himself to death to escape being held captive by the British.

 41 
Philip Johnson
(Architect)
Philip Johnson
8
Birthdate: 8th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cleveland
Died: January 25, 2005

Philip Johnson was an American architect who organized the Modern architecture's first exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1932. A highly influential and respected architect, Johnson was honored with the prestigious AIA Gold Medal in 1978. The following year, he was honored with the first Pritzker Architecture Prize.

 42 
Oscar Levant
(American pianist)
Oscar Levant
6
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 27th December
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Pittsburgh
Died: August 14, 1972
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 43 
Henny Youngman
(Comedian)
Henny Youngman
1
Listed In: Comedians
Birthdate: 16th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Whitechapel
Died: February 24, 1998
 44 
Luchino Visconti
(Italian Filmmaker, Director and Screenwriter)
Luchino Visconti
1
Birthdate: 2nd November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: March 17, 1976

Born to Duke Modrone, Luchino Visconti belonged to one of the most affluent families of Italy. He was also one of the pioneers of neo-realism and created masterpieces such as Senso and Rocco and His Brothers. A chain smoker, he was rumored to have had 120 cigarettes per day.

 45 
Soichiro Honda
(Japanese Industrialist, Engineer and Founder of the Renowned Automobile Manufacturer, 'Honda Motor Co., Ltd')
Soichiro Honda
1
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: 17th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
Died: August 5, 1991

Soichiro Honda was a Japanese industrialist and engineer. He is credited with establishing the world-renowned automobile manufacturer, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. He is also credited with overseeing the company's growth from a wooden shack manufacturing unit to a multinational conglomerate manufacturer of motorcycle and automobile. Soichiro Honda was made an inductee of the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1989.

 46 
Prithviraj Kapoor
(Actor Who Is Also Considered to Be One of the Founding Figures of Hindi Cinema)
Prithviraj Kapoor
4
Birthdate: 3rd November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Samundri, Pakistan
Died: May 29, 1972

Padma Bhushan- and Dadasaheb Phalke Award-winning legendary actor and filmmaker Prithviraj Kapoor is known to be one of the pioneers of Hindi cinema. The patriarch of the Kapoor family of Bollywood, he also established Prithvi Theatres and later played the iconic role of Akbar in Mughal-e-Azam. He was also a Rajya Sabha MP.

 47 
Clyde Tombaugh
(Astronomer, University teacher)
Clyde Tombaugh
1
Listed In: Astronomers
Birthdate: 4th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Streator
Died: January 17, 1997

Though he wasn’t formally educated in astronomy, Clyde Tombaugh was immensely interested in the subject since childhood and had built his own telescope after high school. He grew up to discover Pluto, then regarded as the ninth planet but later declared a "dwarf planet," and many other celestial bodies.

 48 
Diana Vreeland
(Magazine editor, fashion journalist and special consultant)
Diana Vreeland
1
Birthdate: 29th July
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: August 22, 1989

Diana Vreeland was a French-American editor and columnist who worked for popular fashion magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. From 1963 to 1971, she served as the editor-in-chief of Vogue. In 1964, she was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. Diana Vreeland’s life and career inspired the 2011 documentary Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel.

 49 
Hans Bethe
(Physicist)
Hans Bethe
0
Listed In: Physicists
Birthdate: 2nd July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Strasbourg
Died: March 6, 2005

A physiology professor’s son, Hans Bethe had shown immense talent in math as a child. The German-American theoretical physicist and Cornell professor was a pioneer of quantum physics and later won the Nobel Prize for Physics for his research on stellar nucleosynthesis, or the formation of energy in stars.

 50 
Jacqueline Cochran
(The First Female Pilot Who Broke the Sound Barrier)
Jacqueline Cochran
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: 11th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Muscogee, Cantonment, Florida, United States
Died: August 9, 1980

A pioneer in women’s aviation, US pilot Jacqueline Cochran was the first female pilot to break the sound barrier. She was also the first woman to lead the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale as its president and the first female Bendix race competitor. She held several other records and also led the organization WASP.