Famous People Born In 1922

Stan Lee was one of the most popular comic book writers, thanks to his appearances in several Marvel movies. He is well-known as the co-creator of many famous superheroes, including Iron Man, Spider-Man, and the Hulk. He pioneered a naturalistic method to writing superhero comics and challenged the Comics Code Authority, which ultimately led to changes in its policies.

Betty White, American actress and comedian, is considered as the pioneer of television and has had the longest television career of any entertainer, straddling more than 80 years. She’s known for her award-winning performances in shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland. 

Christopher Lee was one of the most respected actors of his generation. Such was his impact on the British and American film industries that David Cameron described him as a titan of the golden age of cinema following his death in 2015. Famous for his deep, strong voice, Christopher Lee was also a popular singer who worked with several metal bands.

Ava Gardner was one of the top stars of the 1950s. She was also considered one of the leading Hollywood actresses of her time. In 1999, she was ranked 25th in the greatest female screen legends list issued by The American Film Institute. A truly international figure, a statue of Gardner has been erected in Tossa de Mar, Spain.

American actress Bea Arthur worked extensively in television and was hailed for her comic timing. All in the Family, Maude and The Golden Girls are some of her acclaimed series. In her long career, she also worked in films like Lovers and Other Strangers, History of the World 1 and For Better or Worse. She won many accolades, including two Emmy awards.

Science-fiction author Kurt Vonnegut is best remembered for the novel Slaughterhouse-Five, which became a New York Times bestseller. The Hugo Award-winner had also fought against the Germans in World War II and expressed his anti-war and atheist views through his works, which also include short stories, plays, and autobiographical works.  

Telly Savalas was an American singer and actor. He was characterized by his deep, resonant voice and bald head. In a career spanning 40 years, he is best known for her role in the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service   He is also considered  asone of the greatest TV stars ever. As a philhellene and philanthropist, Savalas supported various Hellenic causes.

Canadian-American actress, dancer, and singer, Yvonne De Carlo, was an internationally known Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s. Born to an ambitious mother, she was groomed for a career in the show business from her childhood. She began her career as a dancer and eventually started acting. She had an extensive career spanning over five decades.

Robert Vaughn was an American actor known for his contribution across all three major acting mediums. Vaughn also had political aspirations and was among the first Hollywood stars to openly criticize the war against Vietnam. A member of the Democratic Party, Robert Vaughn was credited with founding a group called Dissenting Democrats along with Carl Reiner and Dick Van Dyke.

Charles M. Schulz was an American cartoonist. He is credited with creating the popular comic strip, Peanuts, which featured world-renowned characters like Snoopy and Charlie Brown. Considered one of the most influential cartoonists ever, Schulz's works have influenced other cartoonists like Dav Pilkey, Matt Groening, and Jim Davis. In 1996, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jack Klugman was an American actor best known for playing Oscar Madison in the popular TV series The Odd Couple, for which he received a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Apart from being an actor, Klugman was also a Thoroughbred racing fan and owned a Thoroughbred racehorse named Jaklin Klugman, which competed in the 1980 Kentucky Derby.

Darren McGavin was an American actor whose journey from being a squatter in Tacoma to becoming a popular stage, film, TV actor was quite remarkable. He started his career as a set painter for Columbia Pictures before trying his hand at acting and eventually receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work in the sitcom TV series, Murphy Brown.

Barbara Hale was an American actress best remembered for playing Della Street in the popular legal drama TV series, Perry Mason, for which she received an Emmy Award in 1959. In 2001, Hale was honored with a Golden Boot Award for her contributions to Western cinema.

TV writer and producer Norman Lear is best known for producing hit sitcoms such as All in the Family, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son. He is also part of the Malibu Mafia and a liberal activist. He also established People for the American Way.

Veteran English actor, Denholm Elliott, had more than 125 film and TV credits to his name. He is best remembered for playing Mr. Emerson in the film, A Room with a View. A much-respected character actor, he received three British Academy Film Awards. He was secretly bisexual and had an open marriage to actress Susan Robinson.

Cyd Charisse was an American dancer and actress best remembered for playing important roles in films that highlighted her dancing skills, although she stopped dancing in films later in her career. In 2006, Cyd Charisse was honored with the prestigious National Medal of the Arts and Humanities.

Born into a poor family in British India, Har Gobind Khorana studied on scholarships and later bagged a seat at the University of Liverpool and thus moved to England. The renowned biochemist ended up winning the Nobel Prize for his research on how nucleotides in nucleic acids control protein synthesis.

Audrey Meadows was an American actress best remembered for her portrayal of Alice Kramden in the popular television sitcom, The Honeymooners. Also a banker, Audrey Meadows was the first woman to serve as the director of the First National Bank of Denver, a position which she held for 11 years.

Israeli politician, statesman, and general, Yitzhak Rabin, served two stints as the prime minister of Israel. As a young man, he joined the military and served for nearly three decades. He had an extensive political career as well and played a key role in embracing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He was assassinated in November 1995.

Jackie Cooper was an American actor, television producer, and director. He was the youngest and the first child actor to receive an Academy Award nomination. After receiving the nomination at the age of nine, Cooper remained the youngest Academy Award nominee for nearly 50 years. He later established himself as a successful actor in Hollywood.

Ruby Dee was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter, poet, civil rights activist, and journalist. She is best remembered for playing Mahalee Lucas in the 2007 film American Gangster, which earned her the Screen Actors Guild Award for Supporting Role. Dee also won a Grammy and Emmy during her career. She was also a recipient of the National Medal of Arts.

Italian-born French fashion designer Pierre Cardin revolutionized unisex fashion with his geometric designs. His wine merchant father wanted him to study architecture, but Cardin deviated to fashion instead, starting his career as a men’s tailor. He introduced the Space Age look and also licensed his name out to other products.

Noted film director and actor Pier Paolo Pasolini had already gained fame as a poet and author before stepping into the entertainment industry. The openly gay filmmaker was known for his usage of non-professional actors and themes of sexuality. His brutal murder remains to be a controversial topic.

Remembered as the most successful fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare, Erich Hartmann completed 1,400 missions in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 and shot down 352 Allied planes. Known for his dogfighting strategy, he inspired the popular biography The Blond Knight of Germany and became a flight instructor post-retirement.