Famous People Born In 1917

Discover the most famous people born in 1917. The list includes people like Indira Gandhi, Louis Zamperini, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ferdinand Marcos, Desi Arnaz and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, journalists, novelists and actresses born in 1917. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, Germany & France and many more countries.
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 1 
John F. Kennedy
(35th President of the United States (1961 - 1963))
John F. Kennedy
165
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 29th May
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts, United States
Died: November 22, 1963
 2 
Dean Martin
(One of the Most Popular and Enduring American Entertainers of the Mid-20th Century)
Dean Martin
51
Birthdate: 7th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Steubenville, Ohio, United States
Died: December 25, 1995
 3 
Desi Arnaz
(Actor, Producer and Bandleader Best Known for His TV Sitcom ‘I Love Lucy’)
Desi Arnaz
36
Birthdate: 2nd March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Died: December 2, 1986
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 4 
Ella Fitzgerald
(Jazz Singer Who was Noted for Her Purity of Tone and Impeccable Diction)
Ella Fitzgerald
32
Listed In: Jazz Singers
Birthdate: 25th April
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Newport News, Virginia, United States
Died: June 15, 1996
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 5 
Zsa Zsa Gabor
(Actress & Socialite)
Zsa Zsa Gabor
21
Birthdate: 6th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: December 18, 2016
 6 
Robert Mitchum
(One of the Greatest Male Stars of Classic American Cinema)
Robert Mitchum
21
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 6th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States
Died: July 1, 1997
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 7 
Ferdinand Marcos
(Former President of the Philippines)
Ferdinand Marcos
101
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 11th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Philippine Islands
Died: September 28, 1989
 8 
Jack Kirby
(Co-Creator of The Superhero 'Captain America' in 1940 with Joe Simon)
Jack Kirby
9
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 28th August
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: February 6, 1994
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 9 
Ernest Borgnine
(Actor Best Known for His Gruff Voice and Gap-Toothed Cheshire Cat Grin)
Ernest Borgnine
13
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 24th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Hamden, Connecticut, United States
Died: July 8, 2012
 10 
Raymond Burr
(Actor)
Raymond Burr
10
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 21st May
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New Westminster, Canada
Died: September 12, 1993
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 11 
Joan Fontaine
(One of the Leading Actresses of the Hollywood During the 'Golden Age')
Joan Fontaine
6
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 22nd October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Died: December 15, 2013
 12 
Lena Horne
(Actress and Dancer Known for Her One-Woman Show 'Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music')
Lena Horne
6
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 30th June
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York, United States
Died: May 9, 2010
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 13 
Allen Ludden
(Game Show Host)
Allen Ludden
25
Listed In: Game Show Hosts
Birthdate: 5th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Died: June 9, 1981
 14 
Indira Gandhi
(3rd Prime Minister of India)
Indira Gandhi
64
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 19th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died: October 31, 1984
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 15 
Jane Wyman
(Actress)
Jane Wyman
11
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 5th January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: St. Joseph
Died: September 10, 2007
 16 
Dizzy Gillespie
(One of the Greatest Jazz Trumpeters of All Time)
Dizzy Gillespie
6
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 21st October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Cheraw, South Carolina, United States
Died: January 6, 1993
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 17 
Gene Rayburn
(American Popular Television and Radio Personality Known for Hosting Numerous Editions of 'Match Game' Shows)
Gene Rayburn
3
Listed In: Game Show Hosts
Birthdate: 22nd December
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Christopher, Illinois, United States
Died: November 29, 1999
 18 
Phyllis Diller
(Comedian, Actress)
Phyllis Diller
6
Birthdate: 17th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Lima, Ohio, United States
Died: August 20, 2012
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 19 
Susan Hayward
(American Film Actress, Best Known for her Film Portrayals of Women that were Based on True Stories)
Susan Hayward
16
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 30th June
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: March 14, 1975
 20 
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke
(Science-Fiction Writer Known for His Novels: ‘Childhood's End’, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Rendezvous with Rama’)
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke
8
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 16th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Minehead, Somerset, England
Died: March 19, 2008
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 21 
Henry Ford II
(Business Person)
Henry Ford II
10
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 4th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Died: September 29, 1987
 22 
Mel Ferrer
(Actor & Director Known for His Films: 'Scaramouche', 'Lili' and 'Knights of the Round Table')
Mel Ferrer
11
Birthdate: 25th August
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Long Branch, New Jersey, United States
Died: June 2, 2008
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 23 
Buddy Rich
(Musician)
Buddy Rich
3
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 30th September
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Died: April 2, 1987
 24 
Thelonious Monk
(Jazz Pianist & Composer)
Thelonious Monk
8
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 10th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States
Died: February 17, 1982
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 25 
June Allyson
(Actress)
June Allyson
4
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 7th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: The Bronx, New York, USA
Died: July 8, 2006
 26 
Richard Boone
(Actor)
Richard Boone
3
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 18th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Died: January 10, 1981
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 27 
I. M. Pei
(Architect)
I. M. Pei
19
Birthdate: 26th April
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Guangzhou, China
Died: May 16, 2019
 28 
Isabel Sanford
7
Birthdate: 29th August
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Harlem, New York, United States
Died: July 9, 2004
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 29 
Katharine Graham
(American Newspaper Publisher and Heiress Who Led 'The Washington Post' (1963 - 1991))
Katharine Graham
4
Birthdate: 16th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: July 17, 2001
 30 
David Tomlinson
(Actor)
David Tomlinson
4
Birthdate: 7th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Died: June 24, 2000
 31 
Ossie Davis
(Former actor who appeared in films with wife Ruby Dee)
Ossie Davis
6
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 18th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Cogdell, Georgia, United States
Died: February 4, 2005
 32 
John Lee Hooker
(Guitarist, Singer, Singer-songwriter, Musician, Composer)
John Lee Hooker
5
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 22nd August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Coahoma County
Died: June 21, 2001
 33 
Dabbs Greer
6
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 2nd April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Fairview, Missouri, United States
Died: April 28, 2007
 34 
June Foray
(Former Voice actress who Provided the voice of Rocket J. Squirrel in the animated series Rocky and Bullwinkle from 1959 to 1964)
June Foray
5
Birthdate: 18th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Springfield, Massachusetts, United States
Died: July 25, 2017
 35 
Edith Bouvier Beale
(Former Model and socialite best known for her participation in the 1975 documentary film Grey Gardens by Albert and David Maysles)
Edith Bouvier Beale
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 7th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: January 14, 2002
 36 
Jack Soo
(Actor)
Jack Soo
1
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 28th October
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Oakland, California, USA
Died: January 11, 1979
 37 
Byron White
(American Football Player and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1962 - 1993))
Byron White
3
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: 8th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
Died: April 15, 2002
 38 
Red Auerbach
(Basketball coach)
Red Auerbach
12
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: 20th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: October 28, 2006
 39 
Andrew Wyeth
(American Visual Artist)
Andrew Wyeth
2
Birthdate: 12th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania,, United States
Died: January 16, 2009
 40 
Pedro Infante
(Actor, Singer, Film actor, Carpenter)
Pedro Infante
4
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 18th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Mazatlán
Died: April 15, 1957
 41 
Vera Lynn
(Legendary English Singer Known for Her Performances for the Troops During World War II)
Vera Lynn
8
Listed In: Pop Singers
Birthdate: 20th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: East Ham, Essex, England
Died: June 18, 2020
 42 
Celeste Holm
(Actress)
Celeste Holm
6
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 29th April
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: July 15, 2012
 43 
Sidney Sheldon
(Writer, Screenwriter, Novelist, Playwright, Film director, Actor, Television producer, Author)
Sidney Sheldon
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 11th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Chicago
Died: January 30, 2007
 44 
Valerie Hobson
(Actress)
Valerie Hobson
3
Listed In: Actresses
Birthdate: 14th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Larne, County Antrim, Ireland
Died: November 13, 1998
 45 
Kenneth Erwin Hagin
17
Listed In: Preachers
Birthdate: 20th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: McKinney, Texas, United States
Died: September 19, 2003
 46 
Herbert Lom
(Czech Actor Renowned For His Versatility)
Herbert Lom
4
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 11th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Prague, Czechia
Died: September 27, 2012
 47 
Fannie Lou Hamer
(American Community Organizer and Women's Rights Activist)
Fannie Lou Hamer
7
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: 6th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Montgomery County, Mississippi, United States
Died: March 14, 1977
 48 
George Gaynes
(Actor and Singer Known for His Roles in the TV Series ‘Police Academy’ and the Comedy Film ‘Tootsie’)
George Gaynes
5
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: 16th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Helsinki, Finland
Died: February 15, 2016
 49 
Gwendolyn Brooks
6
Listed In: Poets
Birthdate: 7th June
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Topeka, Kansas
Died: December 3, 2000
 50 
Caspar Weinberger
(Politician)
Caspar Weinberger
0
Birthdate: 18th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Died: March 28, 2006