Famous People Born Today

Brett Favre is a former American football player who spent the majority of his National Football League career with the Green Bay Packers. Apart from being a retired player with several achievements and records under his belt, Favre is also a philanthropist; in 1996, he set up the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation, which has donated over $2 million to charities.

English actor, Dan Stevens, first gained international fame with his portrayal in the ITV acclaimed period drama series Downton Abbey. The son of teacher parents, he developed an early interest in acting and became a member of the Footlights. Beginning his career in the mid-2000s, he didn’t take long to build a strong image in the entertainment field.

David Lee Roth is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, and former radio personality. Renowned for his energetic stage persona, Roth was a long-time member of the popular hard rock band Van Halen where he served as the lead singer. In 2007, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Apart from being a celebrated race-car driver and the JR Motorsports team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr. also made it to the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes in 2017. The two-time Daytona 500 winner, also known as the Pied Piper of Daytona, is the son of motor-racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Born to Albanian-origin working-class immigrant parents in Switzerland, Xherdan Shaqiri had a tough childhood. His talent in football led him to join Basel’s youth team at age 8. The Swiss footballer is now better known for his stints with clubs such as Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

Argentine actor-singer Lali Espósito initially soared to fame as a child actor with the telenovela Rincón de Luz and then played a lead role in the teen series Casi Angeles. She is best known for her gold-certified album Brava. She supports abortion rights and is also associated with children’s charities.

Legendary Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi is best remembered for his masterpieces such as Requiem, Rigoletto, Falstaff, and Otello. He was also briefly associated with the Risorgimento movement meant to unify Italy and thus composed many choruses reflecting the spirit. He was inspired by composers such as Bellini and Donizetti.

Singer Mýa initially gained fame with Teen Summit and then released hit singles such as Case of the Ex. She earned her first Grammy for the recreation of the 1975 hit Lady Marmalade, with Pink, Lil' Kim, and Christina Aguilera. She has also appeared in film such as Chicago.

Thelonious Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer who was noted for his unorthodox approach and idiosyncrasy during his performance. Mentored by Mary Lou Williams, Thelonious Monk contributed to bebop and was associated with Columbia and Riverside labels. His run-in with the police affected his performance after his New York City Cabaret Card was confiscated following the discovery of narcotics in a car.

Best known as Josh Lyman from The West Wing, Bradley Whitford is a Juilliard-trained and Primetime Emmy-winning actor. Also known for his roles in series such as The Mentalist and movies such as Billy Madison, he also launched the charity Clothes off Our Back, which mostly donates to children’s non-profits.

Indian actress Rakul Preet Singh started her career as a model and then graduated to films. She made her debut in a Telugu film in 2011 and then did a Tamil film in 2012. In 2014 she starred in a Hindi film Yaariyan. Venkatadri Express, Current Theega, Dhruva, Spyder and De De Pyaar De are some of her notable films.

Peter Coyote is known for his performances in movies such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Erin Brockovich, and A Walk to Remember. He became the first Academy Award announcer to appear on camera. He has delivered Emmy-winning narration in the documentary series The Pacific Century and The Roosevelts.

Manu Bennett is a New Zealand actor best known for playing important roles in epic fantasy works like Spartacus, The Shannara Chronicles, Arrow, and The Hobbit trilogy. Apart from playing Azog the Defiler in the Hobbit trilogy, Manu Bennett also voiced the character in the 2014 video game, Lego The Hobbit.

North Irish actress Amanda Burton is best known for playing Beth Glover in the TV series Peak Practice. As a teenager, she studied drama at the Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre. She began her career with roles in stage productions and eventually branched out into TV as well. Besides acting, she is an ambassador for the charity The Children's Trust.

Fridtjof Nansen was a Norwegian polymath who won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his post-war efforts after the First World War. A well-known explorer, humanitarian, and diplomat, Nansen achieved international fame for his attempt to reach the geographical North Pole during his Fram expedition. His techniques and innovations influenced a generation of succeeding Antarctic and Arctic expeditions.

Lzzy Hale is a singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Halestorm. She is also the co-founder of the band. She began writing and performing music as a teenager and began her career collaborating with her brother, Arejay. She has also collaborated with many other artists.    

S. S. Rajamouli is an Indian film director best known for his work in the Telugu film industry. Rajamouli is credited with directing one of the most successful and popular Indian films of all time, Baahubali. In 2016, S. S. Rajamouli was honored with the prestigious Padma Shri Award for his contribution to Indian cinema.

Una Healy initially rose to fame as part of the 5-member girl group The Saturdays. The Irish singer is the niece of country music star Declan Nerney. A talented swimmer, she gave up the sport at 13 to switch to music. She has also scored solo hits such as Stay My Love.  

Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss painter, sculptor, printmaker, and draftsman. Widely regarded as one of the 20th century's most important sculptors, Giacometti's career and his friendship with American writer James Lord inspired the 2017 British-American drama film Final Portrait, in which Alberto Giacometti is portrayed by Australian actor Geoffrey Roy Rush.

Remembered as one of the greatest authors of Indian literature in English, R. K. Narayan created the iconic character Swami and related his experiences set in the fictional town of Malgudi. The Sahitya Akademi and Padma Vibhushan winner was also the brother of cartoonist R.K. Laxman.

English natural philosopher, scientist, and a prominent experimental and theoretical physicist and chemist Henry Cavendish is best-remembered for his discovery of hydrogen and his Cavendish experiment. He first recognized that hydrogen, which he termed inflammable air, is a discrete substance which produces water on combustion. He conducted the Cavendish experiment to measure and produce a value for Earth’s density.

Jack Savoretti is a British musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved popularity in 2015, when he released his fourth studio album, Written in Scars, which peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart. In 2019, Jack Savoretti released his sixth album Singing to Strangers, which became his first album to peak at number one on the UK Albums Chart.

After a motorcycle injury cut his military career short, James Clavell began writing screenplays for films such as The Fly. The Australian author and World War II veteran later penned iconic Asian Saga novels such as King Rat and Shōgun, which have been made into hit films and series.