Famous People Born Today

The former professional basketball player, Kobe Bryant, was drafted into NBA immediately after his school and went on to become one of the most successful basketball players of his generation. During his career of two decades, the Los Angeles Lakers player created numerous new records. He authored a book and one of his poems even inspired an animated short film.

Actor, musician, and activist, River Phoenix. was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor, Joaquin Phoenix. The child of “hippyish” parents, he had an unconventional upbringing. He began acting as a young boy and enjoyed a successful career. The promising young man died of a drug overdose when he was just 23.

Taiwanese-American professional basketball player Jeremy Lin is famous for being the first Asian American to win an NBA championship. He has played for numerous teams in his career, the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) being the latest. He loves music and has collaborated with the rapper MC Jin on the single "The First Opponent."

Barbara Eden is an American actress known for playing Jeannie in the TV series I Dream of Jeannie. Over the years, Barbara Eden has made significant contributions to television for which she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was also honored with a Doctor of Laws degree by the University of West Los Angeles.

Keith Moon was an English drummer whose drug addiction and self-destructive behavior overshadowed his contribution to the rock band The Who. His drumming continues to attract appreciation from critics. Several other drummers like Dave Grohl and Neil Peart have cited Moon's drumming style as an influence. In 1982, he was inducted posthumously into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame.

Scott Caan is an American actor and musician. He is credited with co-founding the now-defunct hip hop group The Whooliganz. As an actor, he is known for playing Detective Sergeant Danny Williams in the police procedural TV series Hawaii Five-0. Also a humanitarian, Scott Caan is closely associated with organizations, such as Surfers Healing, Life Rolls On, and TheraSURF.

Actor, dancer, singer, and filmmaker, Gene Kelly, was one of the most popular Hollywood figures in the 1940s and 1950s. Among his other achievements, he is credited to have popularized the genre of musical films in Hollywood. As a filmmaker, he often experimented with camera techniques and special effects. He received an Academy Honorary Award in 1952.

Retired actress Vera Miles is best known for her role in the classic 1960 film Psycho and its sequel. Crowned Miss Kansas in 1948, she ended up becoming the third runner-up in the Miss America contest. She started acting soon after and formed a close professional relationship with Alfred Hitchcock, appearing in many of his films.

Julian Casablancas is an American record producer, singer, and songwriter. He is credited with co-founding the rock band The Strokes. Thanks to his success as a singer and songwriter, Casablancas has inspired many other musicians, such as Alex Turner. In 2004, Courtney Love released a song about Julian Casablancas titled But Julian, I'm a Little Bit Older Than You.

Jay Mohr gained fame with films such as Jerry Maguire and Paulie, and series such as Action, Ghost Whisperer, and Gary Unmarried. He later launched the podcast Mohr Stories. He also hosted the Fox Sports show Jay Mohr Sports and earned an Emmy nomination for Last Comic Standing.

The daughter of reggae legend Bob Marley and his singer wife Rita Marley, Cedella Marley dons many hats. She is not just a singer but is also a successful fashion designer, an author, and an entrepreneur. She began her singing career with The Melody Makers and now heads her father’s record label.

Natalie Coughlin is an American retired competitive swimmer. A 12-time Olympic medalist, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in the history of the modern Olympics to win six medals in one Olympics event at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She also became the first woman to win gold medals in two successive Olympics, she won the mdeals in the 100-meter backstroke event.

Actor Alexandra Roach was already a regular on the Welsh soap Pobol Y Cwm by her teens. She later trained at the National Youth Theatre and then at RADA. She played the younger version of Margaret Thatcher in the biographical drama The Iron Lady. She also played Mary Boleyn in The Tudors.

Georges Cuvier was a French zoologist and naturalist. A major figure in the early 19th century's research of natural sciences, Cuvier played an important role in establishing the fields of comparative paleontology and anatomy by comparing fossils with living animals, for which he is sometimes regarded as the founding father of paleontology.

Better known as Rooney from Chicken Girls, singer-actor Indiana Massara is also known for her chartbusting single Drama. An athletic person since childhood, Massara was, however, initially rejected in auditions for being too tall. She walked the LA Fashion Week at 13 and has a huge fan base on Instagram.

Juan Manuel Márquez is a Mexican former boxer who became only the third Mexican boxer to win world championship titles in four weight classes. Counted among the greatest boxers of all time, Márquez was renowned for his toughness, speed, and technical skills. In 2020, Juan Manuel Márquez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. 

South African business tycoon Sol Kerzner established two of his country’s top hotel groups, Southern Sun Hotels and Sun International. His portfolio included lavish resorts in the Bahamas and Dubai. Born to vegetable sellers, he had initially wished to be a mechanic. He was also an avid boxer, with a volatile temper.

Singaporean politician and former lawyer Halimah Yacob is the eighth and incumbent President of Singapore.  She ran for the 2017 presidential election as an independent and won an uncontested election thus becoming the first female President of Singapore. She earlier served as Member of Parliament during 2001-17 as member of People's Action Party and also as parliament Speaker during 2013-17.   

Dominican baseball player and coach Julio Franco made headlines as one of the oldest players of the MLB, playing even in his late 40s. While he began his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, he later also represented teams such as the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers.

Dean Karnazes began running for fun while in kindergarten; taking diversionary routes while returning home from school. Slowly, he started taking it more seriously, running a marathon to the South Pole in 2002, embarking on the Endurance 50: 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days in 2006.  Currently a businessperson, he has also written a book on marathon.