Famous People Born On January 3rd

Considered one of the greatest authors, JRR Tolkien is popularly called the father of the modern fantasy literature. He is best known for his high fantasy classic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which is set in a conceived world called the Middle-Earth. Many years after his death, Tolkien continues to be one of the best-selling writers.

With seven Formula One championship under his belt, Michael Schumacher is the most successful racer of Formula 1 and one of the greatest motor sports driver in the world. The retired German racer was the face of Ferrari for a decade and with his tremendous on track success also became one of best paid athletes in the sport’s history.

Actor and director, Mel Gibson is famous for action films like Lethal weapon. His directorial venture, Braveheart, in which he acted too, won him the Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture. However, his alcoholism issues, drunken driving arrest and his anti-Jew statements landed him in trouble due to which he took a hiatus from Hollywood for a decade.

NFL quarterback Eli Manning, brother of Peyton Manning, is one of only five players to have won multiple Super Bowl MVP honors. He initially played for the University of Mississippi and eventually led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories. He is known for his match-winning Helmet Catch.

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg is known for her straightforward speaking manner in which she addresses world leaders for failing to take sufficient action regarding the climate change issue. She is considered a youth icon for starting the movement Fridays for Future. She has been included in Time magazine's 100 most influential people list.

Dan Harmon is best known for writing the comedy series Community. He co-created Channel 101, hosted the podcast Harmontown, and wrote the animated series Rick and Morty. He also invented a storytelling method known as the Story Circle. His work on the 81st Annual Academy Awards won him an Emmy.

Savitribai Phule was a revolutionary social reformer who dedicated her life to educate girls and bring about gender equality in the face of resistance from the conservative Indian society. Phule, who was illiterate till her marriage, went on to become a teacher, a feat considered first by an Indian woman. With her husband, she established schools for girls in Maharashtra.

George Martin was an English composer, conductor, arranger, record producer, and audio engineer. Due to his involvement on each of the Beatles' albums, Martin was often referred to as the Fifth Beatle. In 1996, George Martin was made a Knight Bachelor for his contribution to the music industry. Apart from being a musician, Martin also contributed to several charitable causes.

Best known as a pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre, Sergio Leone was born to legendary Italian actors Vincenzo Leone and Edvige Valcarenghi. He dropped out of law to focus on films and created masterpieces such as Once upon a Time in America and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Marion Davies was an American actress, screenwriter, producer, and philanthropist. During the mid-1920s, Davies was Hollywood's number one female box office star due to the popularity of her films Little Old New York and When Knighthood Was in Flower. Since her death, Davies has been portrayed in several films by different actresses, including Kirsten Dunst, Virginia Madsen, and Amanda Seyfried.

Currently a member of the House of Representative from the 45th Congressional District in Orange County, California, American politician Katie Porter practiced law before taking up teaching as her full time profession. Eventually she won the 2018 election to the House and is now a member of the House Natural Resources Committee and deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Welsh-American actor-director Ray Milland is best remembered for his Oscar-winning role of Don Birnam in The Lost Weekend. Fans also loved him in films such as Dial M for Murder and The Jungle Princess. He was previously part of the British Army’s Household Cavalry, as a marksman, pilot, and horseman.

Victor Borge was a Danish-American pianist, conductor, and comedian. He is best remembered for blending comedy and music for which he achieved popularity across Europe and the United States. Recipient of several prestigious awards, Borge received badges of chivalric orders from countries like Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In 1999, he received the Kennedy Center Honors.

Nicole Beharie is an American actress who has played important roles in films like American Violet, Shame, 42, and Monsters and Men. For her portrayal of Turquoise Jones in the 2020 critically acclaimed drama film Miss Juneteenth, Beharie won a Gotham Independent Film Award. Also known for her TV work, Beharie has played prominent roles in series like Sleepy Hollow.

Clement Attlee was a British politician. As the Prime Minister of the UK, Attlee organized the granting of independence to Pakistan and India. in 1947. He also oversaw the independence of Ceylon and Burma. Regarded as one of the greatest prime ministers of the UK, Clement Attlee has been the subject of several plays and TV series. 

Anna May Wong was an American actress and the first Chinese-American to make it big in Hollywood. She is remembered as the first Chinese-American to gain international recognition as an actress. Anna made history in 1951 when she appeared in The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, becoming the first Asian-American to be featured as the lead in a US television show.

Being the son of basketball player and coach Zufer Avdija, Israeli-Serbian small forward Deni Avdija was destined to excel in the sport. The Washington Wizards player is known for his towering 6’9” frame. Beginning his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he later won 2 FIBA U20 European Championship golds for Israel.

The son of a soldier and intelligence officer, Rory Stewart was educated at Eton and Oxford and was also a tutor to princes William and Harry. Apart from being a diplomat and MP later, he also traveled across several countries on foot and wrote about this remarkable journey in a bestselling book.

Former U.S. Army engineer Randy Weaver is known for the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff. His wife, his teenaged son, and U.S. Marshal William Degan were killed in the siege. He was charged with a number of crimes, but eventually acquitted of all except one, and received an 18-month sentence.

Sakamoto Ryōma began training in swordsmanship at 14 and went from being a low-ranking samurai to one of Japan’s most revered heroes. Remembered for his role in ousting the shogunate of Japan and in modernizing his country, Ryōma was assassinated at 31, shortly after the revival of the imperial power.

Lucretia Mott was an American women's rights activist, abolitionist, and social reformer. Mott played a major role in the events leading up to the Seneca Falls Convention, the first gathering supporting women's rights in the USA. Lucretia Mott's work influenced Elizabeth Cady Stanton whom she mentored. In 1983, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Gul Panag is an Indian actress, model, voice actress, and former beauty queen. In 1999, she won the Miss India title after which she went on to represent India in the 1999 Miss Universe pageant. She then appeared in several advertisements, becoming a popular model in India. Panag is also known for playing important roles in popular films like Dhoop.