Famous People Born In 1961

Former President of the United States, Barack Obama, has the distinction of being the first African-American president of the nation. A civil rights attorney and an academic, he has been credited with bringing about a significant improvement in America’s reputation abroad. His efforts to strengthen international diplomacy was recognized with the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

The first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, Princess Diana was a member of the British royal family. As a princess, she became known for her unconventional approach to charity work. She was celebrated as a style icon and fashionista as well. She divorced Charles in 1996 and died in a tragic car accident the following year.

Actor and comedian, Eddie Murphy, is one of the highest-grossing actors in the United States. Beginning his career as a comedian on the TV show Saturday Night Live, he went on to become a bankable movie actor. Also a singer, he has released many studio albums. He has been awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Beginning his career as a child star, actor Michael J. Fox went on to play more mature roles as a young adult and established himself firmly in Hollywood. His thriving career suffered a setback when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at just 29. Despite his health issues, he continues to act and advocates for Parkinson's disease research.

Actor Woody Harrelson has been active in the entertainment world for over 40 years now. The son of a convicted hit-man, he had a difficult childhood and grew up in poverty. However, he was determined to build a good life for himself and earned a BFA in theater before venturing into acting. He is a vegan and an environmental activist.

An actress and comedian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won more Screen Actors Guild Awards and more Emmy Awards than any other artist in American television history. In 2016, she was named in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world list. In 2018, she was presented with America's highest comedy honor - The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Jennifer Coolidge is an American actress. She is known for playing Jeanine Stifler in the sex comedy film series American Pie. Also known for her charity work, Coolidge has had a major impact working with organizations that support animal rights and AIDS assistance. Thanks to her performance in Legally Blonde, her voice has been the subject of a famous impression.

Ralph Macchio is best known for his role in three Karate Kid films and Cobra Kai, a sequel television series. The Outsiders, Eight Is Enough, My Cousin Vinny, Crossroads, Ugly Betty and Hitchcock are some of his other notable films. He’s also been part of some TV projects and took part in the reality television show Dancing with the Stars.

James Gandolfini was an American actor who achieved the rare feat of being identified more as the character he performed rather than as himself. Years of immaculately performing the role of a powerful crime boss for the TV series, The Sopranos, defined Gandolfini’s legacy forever as a character actor, a legacy he gracefully carried over to the big screen.

Ricky Gervais is one of the best known comedians in the world. He attained fame after starring in the British television series The Office. Later, he ventured into a successful stand-up comedy career. He has performed at many shows and has also acted in several films. However, his dark comedy has often been called insensitive and offensive by several critics.

The Queen of American romantic comedy movies in 1990s, Meg Ryan is best recognised for her role in When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, all of which earned her prestigious award nominations. After proving her mettle in romantic comedies Meg Ryan showed her versatility as actress by acting in other genre movies. She made her directorial debut with Ithaca.

Known for his portrayal of domineering and aggressive characters in his films, Laurence Fishburne began his stint on screen as a child actor in projects such as Apocalypse Now. The play Two Trains Running won him multiple theater awards. However, fans remember him best as Morpheus from The Matrix.

Billy Ray Cyrus’s song Achy Breaky Heart was the first triple-platinum single in Australia. Its music video made the line dance a trend. Billy has eight top-10 Billboard Hot Country charters. His debut album, Some Gave All, spent the longest time by any debut artist on Billboard 200.

New Zealand director/producer Peter Jackson is best known for his three-time Academy Award-winning work in The Return of the King, the third part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The third-highest-grossing director ever, he is also the man behind The Hobbit trilogy and the 2005 film King Kong. 

Initially a ballerina, Lea Thompson later deviated to acting, after being told she didn’t have the perfect body to pursue ballet. She then modeled for Burger King and eventually bagged a role in Jaws 3-D. She later gained fame with Caroline in the City and the Back to the Future trilogy.

Christopher Meloni is an American actor known for contributing to the success of TV series, such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. An ardent supporter of the LGBT community, Meloni was honored by the Human Rights Campaign with the Equality Award in 2006. Meloni also donates to various non-profit organizations like Feed the Children and Smile Train.

Former professional basketball player, Dennis Rodman came to prominence in the 1980s as a power forward known for his defensive and rebounding abilities. Hailed as "arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history," he earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times. He has a media presence as well and has appeared in many TV shows.

Nancy Travis is an American actress known for her contribution across all the three major acting mediums. A founding member of Naked Angels, an Off-Broadway theater company, Nancy Travis started acting on Off-Broadway theater before establishing herself in the film and TV industry.

John Corbett is an American actor. Widely recognized for his distinctive hairstyle, Corbett himself is a licensed hairstylist as he attended hairdressing classes before becoming an actor. Apart from being an actor, John Corbett is also a successful singer whose debut self-titled album peaked at number 45 on Top Country Albums chart.

George Lopez is an American actor and comedian. Lopez is best known for discussing race and ethnic relations in his stand-up comedy routine. His contributions to the Latino community have earned him several awards. In 2005, he was named in Time magazine's The 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America list. Also a humanitarian, George Lopez heads his own charity.

Known for her unique blend of Celtic and folk tunes, Irish singer Enya has been dubbed the Queen of New Age. The Academy Award-nominated singer is also a 4-time Grammy winner and soared to fame with tracks such as Only Time and Orinoco Flow. She is the best-selling Irish solo artist ever.

Tim Roth is an English actor who achieved popularity after appearing in several Hollywood films, including Tarantino's movies like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. He was part of the popular Brit Pack group of the late-1980s, thanks to his success in Hollywood. Also known for his direction skills, Roth debuted as a director with the 1999 film The War Zone.

Virginia Madsen is an American actress. Over the years, Madsen has contributed to the success of several films and TV series, such as Fire with Fire, Modern Girls, Moonlighting, and American Dreams. She is also credited with establishing Title IX Productions, a film production company which she started in 2008.

Eugenio Derbez is a Mexican actor and filmmaker best known for co-creating and starring in the family sitcom La familia P. Luche. After establishing himself in the Mexican film industry, he ventured into American films and TV series as well. His feature film Instructions Not Included became the most successful Spanish-language film in US. 

Nadia Comaneci is a Romanian former gymnast. One of the best-known gymnasts in the world, Comaneci has five Olympic gold medals under her belt. Credited with popularizing gymnastics around the world, Nadia Comaneci was honored by the Laureus World Sports Academy by including her in their Athletes of the 20th Century list in 2000.

Toby Keith is a record producer, country music singer, songwriter, and actor. He is credited with founding a record label named Show Dog Nashville which was renamed Show Dog-Universal Music in 2009 after merging with Universal South Records. Also a philanthropist, Keith supports many non-profit organizations like Ally's House. In 2021, he was honored with the National Medal of Arts.

Peri Gilpin soared to fame with her roles as Roz Doyle in Frasier and Kim Keeler in Make It or Break It. She also voiced Jane Proudfoot in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. She began supporting cancer research after her mother’s death due to a form of muscle tumor.

Carey Lowell is an American actress best known for playing Bond girl Pam Bouvier in the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill. From 2014 to 2016, Carey Lowell was involved in highly contested divorce proceedings after separating from actor Richard Gere whom she had married in 2002.

A dominant sprinter and long jumper, Carl Lewis has won ten Olympic medals, nine of them gold. From 1981 to 1991, he topped the world rankings in the 100 m, 200 m and long jump events, slowly starting to lose his dominance thereafter, eventually retiring in 1997. Currently a businessperson, he has also appeared in films and television productions.

Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning Australian actor Robert Carlyle is best known for his performances in films such as Trainspotting and The Full Monty. Raised singlehandedly by his father after his mother left them, he had initially quit school to become a painter like his father. He deviated to drama at age 21.

Entrepreneur John H. Schnatter, also known as Papa John, established Papa John's Pizza in the 1980s, using the money he got after selling his car. He resigned as the CEO of his company in 2018, following a controversy regarding his comments about protests by NFL players.

Vince Neil, lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, had a successful solo career too, with albums such as Tattoos & Tequila. He owns several businesses, including a tattoo parlor and a vineyard. He was imprisoned for vehicular manslaughter in the death of Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle.