Famous People Born On February 21st

One of the most admired British actors, Alan Rickman gained global recognition for his work on stage and screen. The late actor excelled at portraying villainous characters especially in movies like Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny. Other notable works of the versatile actor include Harry Potter film series and Truly, Madly, Deeply.

Considered a popular sex symbol, Jennifer Love Hewitt serves as an icon to an entire generation; a famous magazine stated that every girl wanted to emulate her, while boys had posters of her on their wall. Apart from being a popular actress, she is also a successful singer, having released studio albums, such as BareNaked.

Widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Nina Simone was a pioneering recording artist whose career was characterized by improvisational genius and fits of outrage. Nina continues to be an important musician and has influenced several artists like Elton John, Adele, David Bowie, Madonna, and Aretha Franklin. She was also a civil rights activist.

Katie McGrath is an Irish actress known for playing important roles in popular TV series like Merlin, Dracula, Supergirl, and Frontier. Her journey from being a wardrobe assistant on the set of a television series titled The Tudors to becoming an actress after being advised to try her hand at acting is quite inspirational.

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.

One of the longest performing actors in a series, Kelsey Grammer is most noted for his two-decade long portrayal of Dr.Frasier Crane in the global hit series, Cheers, and its spin-off, Fraiser. From performing in Broadway productions of Shakespearean dramas to voice acting for beloved children’s animations, The Simpsons, and Toy Story 2, Grammer has proved his versatility and talent.

Despite not being from a family of actors, Ellen Page was exposed to the entertainment industry at a young age. Beginning her acting career at the age of ten, she quickly became a popular performer and went on to appear in many critically acclaimed films and TV shows. A feminist, she also identifies as an atheist. She is a vegan.

Joe Alwyn is an English actor, best known for his performance in films like Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and Harriet. Since 2016, he has been in a relationship with Taylor Swift whose studio albums, such as Reputation, Lover, and Folklore, have songs dedicated to Joe Alwyn.

French actor Mélanie Laurent shot to fame with her Étoiles d'Or-winning role in Dikkenek and her César Award-winning performance in Don't Worry, I'm Fine. She made her Hollywood debut with Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, and was also seen in Now You See Me. She has also released a music album.

David Foster Wallace was an American author who is regarded as one of the most innovative and influential writers of the past 20 years. His best-known work, Infinite Jest, was named one of the best English-language novels between 1923 and 2005 by Time magazine. Wallace continues to serve as an inspiration to writers like Darin Strauss and George Saunders.

Ashley Greene is an American actress best known for portraying Alice Cullen in The Twilight Saga. Also known for her good looks, Greene has been featured on magazines like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. She has also been honored by PETA for supporting Avon's no testing on animals’ policy.

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is Druk Gyalpo or "Dragon King" of the Kingdom of Bhutan. He is the son of Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who abdicated the throne in his favor in 2006. As the king, he began overseeing the democratization of Bhutan and has implemented several reforms to improve the standard of living in his country. 

Actress, singer, and songwriter Hayley Orrantia became internationally famous following her role in the comedy series The Goldbergs. Interested in acting and singing from childhood, she began professionally training at the age of 12. She began acting when she was 17 and started her singing career simultaneously. She is an ambassador for the Texas Music Project.

Corbin Bleu, who appeared in television commercials right at the age of two is an American actor, dancer and singer who starred in the movies Catch That Kid, Jump In and Free Style. He is also a film producer, songwriter and dancer who finished runner-up in the Dancing with the Stars show aired on ABC. He is associated with 'Do Somethin'g organisation.

Charlotte Church is a Welsh actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, and television presenter. She achieved popularity after hosting her own chat show for Channel 4, The Charlotte Church Show. As a recording artist, Church has won many awards, including a Hollywood Reporters Young Star Award and Classical BRIT Award. She has also published an autobiography named Voice of an Angel.  

Harald V of Norway ascended the throne after the demise of his father, King Olav V. A sports enthusiast, he represented Norway in sailing at three Olympic Games. He also became a patron of World Sailing. The King is an admiral, the Supreme Commander of the Norwegian Armed Forces and a four-star general.

Freelance journalist and author Chuck Palahniuk specializes in what he calls transgressional fiction. His popular novel Fight Club was adapted into a film starring Brad Pitt and also won awards such as the Oregon Book Award for Best Novel. Though critics call his books nihilistic, he himself calls them romantic.

Popularly known as one of the Big Six—leaders of six important civil rights organizations who masterminded the Great March on Washington in 1963—John Lewis played an important role in the civil rights movement that eventually ended racial segregation in the US. Also a statesman, Lewis was honored with many awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

W. H. Auden was an Anglo-American poet. His poetry was noted for its technical achievement and versatility. He wrote poems on love, political and social themes, and cultural and psychological themes. Throughout his career, Auden was both influential and controversial. His personal life also attracted attention as he had sexual relationships with men, which was unusual at the time.

Sir Douglas Bader was a RAF pilot during World War II. Although he lost both his legs in an aerobatics accident in 1931, he recovered and rejoined the RAF. Following the war, he joined the oil industry. The film and book Reach for the Sky details his life.

Martinus Gunnarsen is a Norwegian singer and one-half of the famous pop duo, Marcus & Martinus. Along with his twin brother Marcus, Martinus has released three successful studio albums to date. All their albums peaked at number one on VG-lista, a Norwegian record chart. In 2018, the brothers won the MAD Video Music Award under the Best International Act category.

French-Cuban-American diarist, essayist, and novelist Anais Nin wrote several volumes of journals, erotica, novels, critical studies, essays, and short stories. Her journals and diaries are among her most studied works. She had a deep interest in psychoanalysis and studied it extensively with René Allendy and Otto Rank. Critics consider her one of the finest writers of female erotica.

Mexican comedian Roberto Gómez Bolaños became a cultural icon with his show Chespirito, which also starred him as the titular character and thus made him adopt Chespirito as his stage name later. He was a boxer before venturing into entertainment and had even dropped out of an engineering course.

Born to economics professor parents, Abhijit Banerjee grew up in India before he moved to the U.S. to study at Harvard. He later taught at Harvard and Princeton and is now associated with MIT. His studies on the ways of reducing world poverty won him a Nobel Prize.

Scott Kelly is an American engineer, retired naval aviator, and astronaut. He is credited with commanding the International Space Station on three Expeditions. Scott Kelly is the recipient of several awards and honors, such as the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal.

Mark Kelly is a businessman, politician, retired U.S. Navy captain, and former astronaut. He is the current junior US Senator from Arizona. As a naval aviator, he played a major role during the Gulf War where he flew combat missions after which he was chosen as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot. In 2008, he commanded the Space Shuttle mission STS-124.

Floor Jansen is a Dutch singer best known for her association with the Finnish band Nightwish. She is also widely known for her role in the popular TV program Beste Zangers. In 2018, she was honored with the Buma Rocks! Export prize. In 2020, Floor Jansen won the Popprijs at the Noorderslag festival.

Best known as C-3PO from the Star Wars film franchise, Anthony Daniels remains the only actor to have appeared in all films, shows, video games, and spin-offs of the franchise. Ironically, he hated science-fiction movies in his youth and had walked out of the theater while watching 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Marcus Gunnarsen is one half of the Norwegian pop-duo M&M, the other half being his twin brother, Martinus. They participated in and won the eleventh season of Melodi Grand Prix Junior in 2012. Their debut studio album Hei peaked at number 1 on the Norwegian Albums Chart. The twins have also appeared in a few TV shows and films. 

English YouTuber and musician Amin Mohamed, better known as Chunkz, soared to fame as a member of the YouTube collaborative group Beta Squad. He has also co-hosted The Aphetor Games and #SaturdaySocial. He has also worked on a voice app and released tracks such as Clean Up.

Lidia Bastianich is an Italian-American television host, celebrity chef, restaurateur, and author. She owns many restaurants in the US, including one in Manhattan. Bastianich is the recipient of several awards and honors, including a couple of Lifetime Achievement Awards. Also a philanthropist, Lidia Bastianich supports various non-profit organizations, such as the Columbus Citizens Foundation, which aims at promoting Italian-American heritage.

Jung Joon-young is a former singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality. He became one of the most popular South Korean entertainers before being caught up in the Jung Joon-young KakaoTalk chatrooms scandal, which was part of the Burning Sun scandal. The sex scandal forced him to retire and he was sentenced to six years in prison in 2019.

An important figure in the English religious history, John Henry Newman was a nineteenth century theologian, scholar and poet. Famed for leading the Oxford movement in the Church of England, he later switched to the Roman Catholic Church, eventually becoming the Cardinal Deacon of St. George in Velabro.  Also an influential educator and writer, he was canonized in October 2019.