Famous People Born Today

English actress, Lily James, was born into a family of prominent actors and developed an early interest in performing. She studied acting and made her debut as a TV actress in the early 2010s. Since then, she has become a popular face in Hollywood as well, having appeared in many hit films. She is the recipient of many awards. 

English actress Maisie Williams shot to international fame with her debut role as Arya Stark in HBO’s medieval fantasy epic series Game of Thrones. She continued to entertain audience in the successive seasons of the series. Simultaneously, she has appeared in other projects like the movies, The Falling, The New Mutants , and the TV series, Doctor Who.

American actor Gregory Peck was one of the most famous movie stars between the 1940s and the 1960s. In 1999, Gregory Peck was ranked 12th in the Greatest Male Stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema list published by the American Film Institute. Also known for his humanitarian efforts, Gregory Peck was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969.

Two-time Academy Award-winner Bette Davis, a prominent figure from the Golden Age of Hollywood, was known for playing unlikeable characters and her addiction to cigarettes both off and on screen. Fans loved her in All About Eve and Human Bondage. Bette was also the first female AFI Lifetime Achievement Award-winner.

A veteran politician who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell was the first African-American Secretary of State. A member of the Republican Party, he was an army man prior to entering politics. He was a  four-star general at the time of his retirement. After leaving politics, he pursued a career as a public speaker.

One of the most popular actors of classical Hollywood cinema, Spencer Tracy was known for his versatility, which helped him win two successive Oscars for Best Actor. In 1999, he was ranked the ninth greatest male star of Hollywood's Golden Age by the American Film Institute. Tracy is widely regarded as one of the finest actors of the 20th century.

Akira Toriyama is a Japanese character designer and manga artist. The creator of one of the most popular manga series of all time, Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama is widely considered one of the most influential artists to have changed the history of manga; his creation Dragon Ball is often cited as a source of inspiration by several manga artists.

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher. Widely regarded as the co-founder of modern political philosophy, Hobbes is best known for his influential book Leviathan. Apart from political philosophy, Thomas Hobbes also contributed immensely to various other fields, such as ethics, theology, geometry, history, and jurisprudence.

Rapper Juicy J, younger brother of rapper Project Pat, established the hip-hop Three 6 Mafia, which delivered the Academy Award-winning track It's Hard out Here for a Pimp. Juicy J was also nominated for a Grammy for his and Katy Perry’s chartbusting track Dark Horse. He went solo later.

Known for her chiseled face, blue eyes, and full lips, French model Thylane Blondeau was no stranger to fame as a kid, being the daughter of footballer Patrick Blondeau and actor Véronika Loubry. She began modeling for Jean Paul Gaultier at 4 and later campaigned for brands such as L'Oréal.

Shin Min-a is a South Korean actress and model who had the reputation of being the highest-paid endorser in her country. She has starred in popular television series like A Love to Kill, Arang and the Magistrate and Tomorrow, With You, and has won numerous awards for her acting prowess. She has appeared in several music videos and featured in the T Magazine.

Judith Resnik was an American software engineer, electrical engineer, pilot, biomedical engineer, and NASA astronaut. She was the fourth woman and the first Jewish woman in space, logging 145 hours in orbit. Resnik, who died during the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, received several posthumous honors. Judith Resnik’s life and career inspired the 1990 TV movie Challenger.

British surgeon Joseph Lister was a pioneer of antiseptic medicine usage and made a huge contribution to the development of preventive medicine for bacterial infection. His achievements have been honored by many, such as the makers of Listerine antiseptic and mouthwash, who named their product after him.

Tina Kunakey is a French model. As a young woman, she signed a contract with Mad Models Management, a Spanish modeling agency, and took part in many assignments. She has also appeared in a few TV series and music videos. She is married to actor Vincent Cassel and has one child with him.

Walter Huston was a Canadian singer and actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of Howard in the 1948 American Western film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Walter Huston was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame a decade after his death.

Melvyn Douglas was an American actor who achieved popularity in the 1930s. Over the course of his illustrious acting career, Douglas won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, and an Emmy Award, becoming one of the few actors to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting. Melvyn Douglas also won several other awards, including the prestigious Golden Globe Award. 

Franklin Chang Díaz is a Costa Rican American physicist, mechanical engineer, and former NASA astronaut. He is credited with founding the Ad Astra Rocket Company where he currently serves as the CEO. On May 5, 2012, Franklin Chang Díaz was inducted into the NASA Astronaut Hall of Fame.

The principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for over 3 decades, Herbert von Karajan was a piano prodigy in childhood. Though a Nazi Party member, he later claimed he had not been too keen on joining the party. The three-time Grammy winner was also an avid sports lover.

Once a popular child actor, Haruma Miura stormed the Japanese film scene after an impactful performance as Hiro in Koizora. He had also tried his luck in singing and had starred in series such as Last Cinderella. He shocked his fans by committing suicide by hanging at age 30.