Famous People Born In 1934

Veteran English actress, Maggie Smith, has an extensive career spanning almost seven decades. One of Britain's most recognizable actresses, she has appeared in more than 60 films and over 70 plays. Making her debut as a stage actress in the 1950s, she quickly moved on to TV and cinema. She has been honored with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Legacy Award.

Bill Russell was an American retired professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players ever, Russell led the US national basketball team to victory and helped his team win an Olympic gold at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Also known for his accomplishments in the civil rights movement, Russell was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Jane Goodall is an English anthropologist and primatologist. Goodall's research proved that chimpanzees could use tools like stalks of grass to fish out termites from termite holes; this also challenged the long-held belief that chimpanzees were vegetarians. Goodall also discovered that chimpanzees are capable of emotions like sorrow and joy. Goodall is also credited with founding the Jane Goodall Institute.

Known as the quintessential “femme fatale” of the "Golden Age of Hollywood," Sophia Loren rose from participating in a beauty pageant as a teenager, to being the first actor to win the Academy Award for a foreign-language movie. The Italian bombshell is also known for her affair with Cary Grant.

Judi Dench is one of the most respected and decorated English actresses of all time. Counted among the most influential people in the United Kingdom, Dame Judi Dench is a patron of more than 180 charities, such as York Against Cancer. Since 1985, she has been serving as the president of Questors Theatre.

Leonard Cohen was one of the most popular Canadian celebrities of all time. After starting his career as a poet and novelist, Leonard went on to become a famous singer-songwriter, exploring themes like sexuality, religion, depression, and romantic relationships in his work. Leonard Cohen was one of the inspirations for Steven Clark and Matthew Bissonnette's 2002 film Looking for Leonard.

Baseball player Hank Aaron, also known as Hammer or Hammerin' Hank, is remembered for his stint with the MLB teams Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers. He also competed as part of the Negro League team Indianapolis Clowns. He was named to The Sporting News 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

Rue McClanahan was an actress and comedian. Apart from being an actress, McClanahan was also an animal welfare advocate and one of the first celebrity patrons of the popular animal rights organization, PETA. She also supported nonprofit organizations, such as Alley Cat Allies. A woman ahead of her time, Rue McClanahan was a supporter of same-sex marriage and gay rights.

Shirley MacLaine is one of the most decorated American actresses of all time, having won several prestigious awards, such as the Academy Award. Identified as one of the last surviving actresses from Hollywood Golden Age, Shirley MacLaine has played a key role in popularizing New Age spirituality in the West. She also believes in concepts, such as reincarnation.

Brigitte Bardot is a French former singer and actress. One of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s, Bardot remains a major pop culture icon despite quitting the entertainment industry in 1973. Bardot is credited with popularizing the bikini. She also popularized the town of Armação dos Búzios and the city of St. Tropez in Brazil.

Frankie Valli is an American singer who became famous as the lead singer of the band The Four Seasons, thanks to his powerful falsetto voice. Also known for his humanitarian efforts, Frankie Valli was honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in May 2012.

Roberto Clemente was a Puerto Rican baseball player who represented the Pittsburgh Pirates in Major League Baseball (MLB). Apart from being a popular player, Clemente was also a great humanitarian whose impact is still being felt in MLB. Since his untimely death at the age of 38, Clemente has been the subject of several documentaries, articles, and books.

Tina Louise is an American actress who was in her prime during the late 1950s and 1960s. Since 1996, Tina Louise has also been volunteering at public schools in an attempt to improve child literacy. Also a published author, Louise's children's book When I Grow Up inspires children to believe in their goals.

A stint at U.S. Marine Corps and a variety of jobs later, Wilford Brimley finally entered the world of acting, albeit as an extra. He established himself as a character actor and bagged his first leading role at the age of fifty. His notable work include Cocoon, The Natural and Our House. He is known for Quaker Oats commercials too.

Hailing from a humble background, Gloria Steinem went on to become a celebrated journalist and an iconic feminist. Founder of the New York magazine and Ms Magazine, her life has been dedicated to writing, talking and fighting for women’s rights, gender equality, legalisation of abortion, among other things. She brought issues like female genital mutilation to the forefront in America.

Garry Marshall was an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He is credited with creating the popular television series Happy Days and its several spin-offs. He is also credited with co-creating other TV series like Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. Makin' It, a 1979 sitcom starring David Naughton, was also co-created by Garry Marshall.

Jamie Farr is an American actor and comedian best known for his portrayal of Maxwell Q. Klinger in the popular war comedy-drama TV series, M*A*S*H. In 1985, Jamie Farr was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the American entertainment industry.

Shirley Jones is an American singer and actress whose portrayal of a prostitute named Lulu Bains in the 1960 film Elmer Gantry earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Thanks to her skills as a singer, Jones has appeared in several musical films like Oklahoma, The Music Man, and Carousel. She has also been a long-time supporter of PETA.

Joanna Moore was an American actress whose career reached its peak during the 1960s when she was often featured in popular TV shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents. However, she lost her popularity to drug and alcohol abuse, which worsened during the 1970s and 1980s. Eventually, she started making headlines for the wrong reasons and died of lung cancer in 1997.

Victor French was an American actor remembered for playing important roles in television series, such as Carter Country, Highway to Heaven, and Little House on the Prairie. The son of actor and stuntman Ted French, Victor followed in the footsteps of his father and started his career as a stuntman before establishing himself as a successful actor.

Vivian Liberto was an American author and homemaker. She started hogging the limelight after marrying singer and actor, Johnny Cas,h with whom she had four daughters, including Rosanne Cash, who went on to become a singer-songwriter. Vivian Liberto’s 2007 book I Walked the Line formed the basis of the documentary movie My Darling Vivian, which was directed by Matt Riddlehoover.

Civil rights activist and educator Betty Shabazz, or Betty X, was the wife of Black nationalist leader Malcolm X. Raised by her adoptive parents in Detroit, she met Malcolm X at a Nation of Islam event in Harlem. She died when her apartment was set on fire set by her grandson.

Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, poet, and essayist. In 1986, he became the first sub-Saharan African to be honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature. As a young man, he worked with the Royal Court Theatre in London. In Nigeria, he was actively involved in the country’s freedom struggle. He has taught at various international universities.

James Drury was the quintessential tall, dark, and handsome Western hero of Hollywood in the 1950s and the 1960s. he had started his acting career at age 12. Interestingly he graduated in horticulture and animal husbandry. He is best remembered for his role in the NBC series The Virginian.

Inger Stevens was a Swedish-American actress whose promising career was cut short when she committed suicide at age 35. Stevens is remembered for her performance in TV series like The Farmer's Daughter, for which she received the Golden Globe for Best TV Star – Female in 1963. Her performance in the series also earned her an Emmy nomination in 1964.

Alan Bates was an English actor who achieved popularity during the 1960s by playing important roles in films like Whistle Down the Wind and A Kind of Loving. The same decade, he also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Yakov Shepsovitch Bok in the 1968 British drama film The Fixer.   

Author and poet Audre Lorde is remembered as a firebrand feminist and a champion for the LGBT community. Openly lesbian, she penned iconic volumes such as Cables to Rage and The Black Unicorn. She also recorded her 14-year struggle with cancer in The Cancer Journals and A Burst of Light.