Famous People Born On June 30th

A former professional boxer who reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion for three years, Mike Tyson is considered a colossal figure in boxing. Claiming his first heavyweight title at the young age of 20, he went on to become one of the best heavyweights of all time. Also a controversial person, he was once imprisoned on rape charges.

The most decorated and successful Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps is a former competitive swimmer who has won a total of 28 Olympic medals. He is widely considered one of the greatest athletes ever and the greatest swimmer of all time. He has several world records and Olympic records under his belt.

One of the few personalities known for his disdain of self-promotion, Thomas Sowell is an important American social theorist and economist. Over the years, he has played a prominent role working as a faculty member of many prestigious universities, such as the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Cornell University. 

An American actress and model, Lizzy Caplan is credited with popularizing sexologist Virginia E. Johnson by portraying the latter in the period drama television series Masters of Sex, for which she received critical acclaim and several nominations for prestigious awards, such as the Primetime Emmy Award.

Vincent D'Onofrio is an American actor, director, and producer. Apart from playing important roles in popular films, such as Men in Black and Jurassic World, Vincent D'Onofrio is also renowned for his work off-stage. He is credited with co-founding the RiverRun International Film Festival, which continues to showcase best movies offered from the international and independent industry.

Lena Horne was an American singer, actress, dancer, and civil rights activist. Horne's 70-year acting career was embellished with several prestigious awards, such as Grammy Awards. Her life and career were depicted in many stage shows, where she was portrayed by actresses like Leslie Uggams, Nikki Crawford, and Ryan Jillian.

Susan Hayward was an American model and actress best known for playing characters based on true stories. During her illustrious acting career, which spanned 35 years, Susan Hayward won several prestigious awards, such as Academy Award and Golden Globe Award. She was also one of the most bankable Hollywood actresses throughout the 1950s.

Former Taiwanese actor Joan Lin Feng-jiao is best known as the wife of Hong Kong martial artist Jackie Chan. She had to drop out of school at age 12 due to her family’s poor financial condition. She won a Golden Horse Award for The Story of a Small Town.

Molly Parker is a Canadian actress, director, and writer. A trained ballerina, Parker started acting at the age of 14 and garnered attention for playing a necrophiliac medical student in the 1996 erotic thriller film Kissed. Over the course of her career, Molly Parker has won several prestigious awards, such as Genie Awards and Leo Award.

A retired US Navy officer, Robert Ballard is now an oceanography professor, a marine explorer, and an underwater archaeologist, who has discovered countless shipwrecks, including the RMS Titanic and Bismark. He has also discovered hydrothermal vents. His exploration has earned him many honors, such as the Hubbard Medal.

Grammy Award-nominated American Jewish singer Matisyahu is best known for mingling hip-hop and reggae with beatboxing. Known for tracks such as Chameleon, he has also stepped into acting of late, with roles such as that of Tzadok in the 2012 supernatural thriller The Possession. His work often reflects Jewish themes.

Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan initially worked at a restaurant to support her education and then stepped into open mic and comedy nights. She has performed across Canada and the UK and even at the LA-based Comedy Store. Now an actor, too, she is also a 2-time skin cancer survivor.

A Swedish electric guitarist/ neo-classical metal artist, Yngwie Johann Malmsteen rose to popularity in the 1980s and has, since then, released over 22 studio albums in his four decades of career till now. His solo debut album Rising Force, which won a nomination at the 1986 Grammy Awards, is regarded a significant release in the shred and neoclassical metal genres.

Daði Freyr is an Icelandic musician best known as the frontman of a musical band named Daði & Gagnamagnið. In 2021, Freyr represented Iceland at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 10 Years and finished fourth. 

British chef James Martin initially gained fame with shows such as Ready Steady Cook and later hosted Saturday Kitchen for a decade. Apart from launching several restaurants, including a Michelin-starred one, he has also written food columns. He is an avid racing enthusiast and teaches at a cookery school, too.

Fantasia Barrino is an American actress, R&B singer, songwriter, and author. She achieved popularity after winning the third season of the popular singing competition television series, American Idol. In 2012, she was ranked 32nd in VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women in Music. In 2014, Barrino was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

New Zealand actor Marton Csokas was born to an Australian mother and a Hungarian father. Known for his roles in series such as Shortland Street and films such as The Equalizer, he chiefly plays the villain. He has his own theater company and has played an award-winning role in the play Uncle Vanya.

Ralf Schumacher is a German former racing driver who first drove in Formula One with Jordan Grand Prix for the 1997 season. He is the younger brother of former Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher. He began karting at three and took to automobile racing as a young adult. He has since retired from motorsport and now mentors young drivers. 

Derek Bentley was 19 when he was hanged for murdering a policeman during a burglary attempt. An illiterate, he had the mental age of 11 and also suffered from epilepsy. The controversial case led to a 45-long battle for a posthumous pardon, which was granted, and then a reversal of the murder charge.

Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken is a Dutch-British billionaire businesswoman. She is the owner of a 25% controlling interest in Heineken N.V., the world's second-largest brewer. The daughter of a prominent industrialist, she has a law degree from Leiden University. Upon her father’s death in 2002, she inherited about £3 billion, becoming one of the richest people in the country. 

Nobel Prize-winning Polish-American poet Czesław Miłosz, known for the iconic Poem of Frozen Time, had made a lucky escape during the German invasion of Poland but had gone back using fake documents to be with his wife, Janina. He later became a Polish diplomat and also taught in the US.