Famous Birthdays for January 12th

Pre-1600[edit]

• 1483 – Henry III of Nassau-Breda (d. 1538)
• 1562 – Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1630)^[13]
• 1576 – Petrus Scriverius, Dutch historian and scholar (d. 1660)
• 1577 – Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist and physician (d. 1644)
• 1588 – John Winthrop, English lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (d. 1649)
• 1591 – Jusepe de Ribera, Spanish painter (d. 1652)
• 1597 – François Duquesnoy, Flemish sculptor and educator (d. 1643)
• 1598 – Jijabai Shahaji Bhosale, mother of Indian king Shivaji (d. 1674)

1601–1900[edit]

• 1628 – Charles Perrault, French author and academic (d. 1703)
• 1673 – Rosalba Carriera, Italian painter (d. 1757)^[14]
• 1694 – Godscall Paleologue, possibly last member of the Palaiologos dynasty (d. ????)^[15]
• 1711 – Gaetano Latilla, Italian composer (d. 1788)
• 1715 – Jacques Duphly, French organist and composer (d. 1789)
• 1716 – Antonio de Ulloa, Spanish general and politician, 1st Spanish Governor of Louisiana (d. 1795)
• 1721 – Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1792)
• 1723 – Samuel Langdon, American minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1797)
• 1724 – Frances Brooke, English author and playwright (d. 1789)
• 1729 – Edmund Burke, Irish philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1797)
• 1746 – Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Swiss philosopher and educator (d. 1827)
• 1751 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (d. 1825)
• 1772 – Mikhail Speransky, Russian academic and politician (d. 1839)
• 1786 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (d. 1855)
• 1792 – Johan August Arfwedson, Swedish chemist and academic (d. 1841)
• 1797 – Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and author (d. 1873)
• 1799 – Priscilla Susan Bury, British botanist (d. 1872)^[16]
• 1822 – Étienne Lenoir, Belgian engineer, designed the internal combustion engine (d. 1900)
• 1837 – Adolf Jensen, German pianist and composer (d. 1879)
• 1849 – Jean Béraud, Russian-French painter and academic (d. 1935)
• 1853 – Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, Italian mathematician (d. 1925)
• 1856 – John Singer Sargent, American painter and academic (d. 1925)
• 1863 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian monk and philosopher (d. 1902)
• 1869 – Bhagwan Das, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1958)
• 1873 – Spyridon Louis, Greek runner (d. 1940)
• 1874 – Laura Adams Armer, American author and photographer (d. 1963)^[17]
• 1876 – Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of the Turkish Provisional Government (d. 1950)^[18]
• 1876 – Jack London, American novelist and journalist (d. 1916)
• 1876 – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer and educator (d. 1948)
• 1877 – Frank J. Corr, American lawyer and politician, 45th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1934)
• 1878 – Ferenc Molnár, Hungarian-American author and playwright (d. 1952)
• 1879 – Ray Harroun, American race car driver and engineer (d. 1968)^[19]
• 1879 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (d. 1942)
• 1882 – Milton Sills, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1930)
• 1884 – Texas Guinan, American entertainer and bootlegger (d. 1933)^[20]
• 1885 – Thomas Ashe, Irish Republican died while on Hunger Strike (d. 1917)^[21]
• 1889 – Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, Indian-Pakistani spiritual leader (d. 1965)
• 1890 – Johannes Vares, Estonian poet, physician, and politician (d. 1946)
• 1892 – Mikhail Gurevich, Russian engineer and businessman, co-founded the Russian Aircraft Corporation (d. 1976)
• 1893 – Hermann Göring, German commander, pilot, and politician, Minister President of Prussia (d. 1946)
• 1893 – Alfred Rosenberg, Estonian-German architect and politician, Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories (d. 1946)
• 1894 – Georges Carpentier, French boxer and actor (d. 1975)
• 1895 – Leo Aryeh Mayer, Polish-Israeli scholar and academic (d. 1959)
• 1896 – Uberto De Morpurgo, Italian tennis player (d. 1961)^[22]
• 1896 – David Wechsler, Romanian-American psychologist and author (d. 1981)^[23]
• 1899 – Pierre Bernac, French opera singer and educator (d. 1979)
• 1899 – Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)

1901–present[edit]

• 1901 – Karl Künstler, German SS officer (d. 1945)
• 1903 – Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist and academic (d. 1960)
• 1903 – Andrew J. Transue, American politician and attorney (Morissette v. United States) (d. 1995)
• 1904 – Mississippi Fred McDowell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
• 1905 – Nihal Atsız, Turkish author, poet, and philosopher (d. 1975)
• 1905 – James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist and academic (d. 1997)
• 1905 – Tex Ritter, American actor and singer (d. 1974)
• 1906 – Emmanuel Levinas, Lithuanian-French historian, philosopher, and academic (d. 1995)
• 1907 – Sergei Korolev, Russian colonel and engineer (d. 1966)
• 1908 – Jean Delannoy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1908 – Clement Hurd, American illustrator (d. 1988)
• 1910 – Patsy Kelly, American actress and comedian (d. 1981)
• 1910 – Luise Rainer, German-English actress (d. 2014)
• 1912 – Richard Kuremaa, Estonian footballer (d. 1991)
• 1914 – Mieko Kamiya, Japanese psychiatrist and psychologist (d. 1979)
• 1915 – Paul Jarrico, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
• 1915 – Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, Canadian archbishop and academic (d. 2013)
• 1916 – Ruth R. Benerito, American chemist and inventor (d. 2013)
• 1916 – Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx, British poet and Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 2018)
• 1916 – P. W. Botha, South African politician, 8th Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 2006)
• 1917 – Walter Hendl, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2007)
• 1917 – Jimmy Skinner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2007)
• 1920 – James Farmer, American activist and politician, co-founded Congress of Racial Equality (d. 1999)^[24]
• 1920 – Jerzy Zubrzycki, Polish-Australian sociologist and academic (d. 2009)
• 1922 – Tadeusz Żychiewicz, Polish journalist and historian (d. 1994)
• 1923 – Ira Hayes, American marine who raised the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima (d. 1955)^[25]
• 1924 – Olivier Gendebien, Belgian racing driver and businessman (d. 1998)
• 1925 – Bill Burrud, American television host, producer, and actor (d. 1990)
• 1926 – Morton Feldman, American composer and academic (d. 1987)
• 1926 – Ray Price, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)^[26]
• 1928 – Ruth Brown, American R&B singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2006)
• 1929 – Alasdair MacIntyre, Scottish-American philosopher and academic^[27]
• 1929 – Jaakko Hintikka, Finnish philosopher and logician (d. 2015)
• 1930 – Tim Horton, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman, founded Tim Hortons (d. 1974)
• 1930 – Jennifer Johnston, Irish author and playwright
• 1930 – Glenn Yarbrough, American singer and actor (d. 2016)
• 1932 – Des O'Connor, English entertainer, singer and TV presenter (d. 2020)
• 1933 – Pavlos Matesis, Greek author and playwright (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Alan Sharp, Scottish-American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Mick Sullivan, English rugby player and coach (d. 2016)
• 1935 – Teresa del Conde, Mexican historian and critic (d. 2017)
• 1935 – Kreskin, American mentalist
• 1936 – Jennifer Hilton, Baroness Hilton of Eggardon, English police officer and politician
• 1936 – Raimonds Pauls, Latvian pianist and composer
• 1936 – Brajanath Ratha, Indian poet and activist (d. 2014)
• 1936 – Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (d. 2016)
• 1937 – Shirley Eaton, English actress
• 1938 – Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and politician (d. 2013)
• 1940 – Bob Hewitt, Australian-South African tennis player
• 1940 – Ronald Shannon Jackson, American drummer and composer (d. 2013)
• 1940 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2007)
• 1941 – Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer-songwriter and voice actor (d. 2005)
• 1941 – Fiona Caldicott, English psychiatrist and psychotherapist (d. 2021)
• 1941 – Chet Jastremski, American swimmer and physician (d. 2014)
• 1942 – Bernardine Dohrn, American domestic terrorist, political activist and academic
• 1944 – Hans Henning Atrott, German author and theorist
• 1944 – Joe Frazier, American boxer (d. 2011)
• 1944 – Cynthia Robinson, American R&B trumpet player and singer (d 2015)
• 1945 – Maggie Bell, Scottish singer-songwriter
• 1946 – Hazel Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove, Scottish lawyer and judge

• 1946 – George Duke, American keyboard player, composer, and educator (d. 2013)
• 1947 – Richard Carwardine, English historian and academic
• 1947 – Tom Dempsey, American football player and educator (d. 2020)
• 1947 – Sally Hamwee, Baroness Hamwee, English politician
• 1948 – Kenny Allen, English footballer
• 1948 – Anthony Andrews, English actor and producer
• 1948 – Gordon Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 34th Premier of British Columbia
• 1948 – Brendan Foster, English runner and sportscaster
• 1948 – William Nicholson, English author and screenwriter
• 1949 – Kentarō Haneda, Japanese pianist and composer (d. 2007)
• 1949 – Ottmar Hitzfeld, German footballer and manager
• 1949 – Hamadi Jebali, Tunisian engineer, journalist, and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Tunisia
• 1949 – Haruki Murakami, Japanese novelist, short-story writer, and essayist
• 1950 – Sheila Jackson Lee, American lawyer, judge, and politician
• 1950 – Göran Lindblad, Swedish dentist and politician
• 1950 – Bob McEwen, American businessman and politician
• 1950 – Dorrit Moussaieff, Israeli-Icelandic jewelry designer and businesswoman, 5th First Lady of Iceland
• 1951 – Kirstie Alley, American actress and producer
• 1951 – Chris Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1978)
• 1951 – Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author (d. 2021)
• 1951 – Drew Pearson, American football player and sportscaster
• 1952 – Phil Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1952 – Ricky Van Shelton, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1952 – John Walker, New Zealand runner and politician
• 1952 – Walter Mosley, American novelist
• 1953 – Mary Harron, Canadian director and screenwriter
• 1954 – Howard Stern, American radio host, actor, and author
• 1954 – Martin Kylhammar, Swedish professor of culture and society
• 1955 – Tom Ardolino, American rock drummer (d. 2012)
• 1956 – Nikolai Noskov, Russian rock singer and singer-songwriter
• 1957 – John Lasseter, American animator, director, and producer
• 1957 – Jeremy Sams, English director, playwright, and composer
• 1958 – Christiane Amanpour, English-born Iranian-American journalist
• 1958 – Curt Fraser, American-Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1959 – B. Brian Blair, American wrestler and politician
• 1959 – Per Gessle, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1960 – Oliver Platt, Canadian-American actor
• 1960 – Dominique Wilkins, French-American basketball player and manager
• 1961 – Simon Russell Beale, Malaysia-born English actor and historian
• 1962 – Joe Quesada, American author and illustrator
• 1962 – Richie Richardson, Antiguan cricketer
• 1962 – Luna Vachon, American-Canadian wrestler and manager (d. 2010)
• 1963 – François Girard, Canadian director and screenwriter
• 1963 – Nando Reis, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1964 – Jeff Bezos, American computer scientist and businessman, founded Amazon.com
• 1965 – Rob Zombie, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
• 1966 – Olivier Martinez, French actor
• 1966 – Craig Parry, Australian golfer
• 1967 – Vendela Kirsebom, Norwegian-Swedish model and actress
• 1968 – Farrah Forke, American actress (d. 2022)^[28]
• 1968 – Junichi Masuda, Japanese director, producer, and composer
• 1968 – Heather Mills, English businesswoman, activist and model
• 1968 – Mauro Silva, Brazilian footballer
• 1969 – David Mitchell, English novelist
• 1969 – Margaret Nagle, American screenwriter and producer
• 1970 – Raekwon, American rapper
• 1970 – Zack de la Rocha, American singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Arman Alizad, Iranian-born Finnish tailor and television presenter^[29]
• 1971 – Scott Burrell, American basketball player and coach
• 1971 – Peter Madsen, Danish engineer, entrepreneur, and convicted murderer^[30]
• 1972 – Toto Wolff, Austrian investor^[31]
• 1972 – Priyanka Gandhi, Indian politician
• 1972 – Espen Knutsen, Norwegian ice hockey player and coach
• 1972 – Paul Wilson, Australian cricketer and umpire
• 1973 – Brian Culbertson, American pianist and producer
• 1973 – Hande Yener, Turkish singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1974 – Melanie C, English singer-songwriter and actress
• 1974 – Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian skier
• 1975 – Jason Freese, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
• 1975 – Jocelyn Thibault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1977 – Yoandy Garlobo, Cuban baseball player
• 1978 – Luis Ayala, Mexican baseball player
• 1978 – Maurizio Zaffiri, Italian rugby player
• 1979 – Marián Hossa, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1979 – Lee Bo-young, South Korean actress and model
• 1979 – Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
• 1979 – David Zabriskie, American cyclist
• 1980 – Bobby Crosby, American baseball player
• 1981 – Amerie, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1981 – João Paulo Daniel, Brazilian footballer
• 1981 – Dan Klecko, American football player
• 1981 – Angus Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player
• 1981 – Luis Ernesto Pérez, Mexican footballer
• 1982 – Paul-Henri Mathieu, French tennis player
• 1982 – Hans Van Alphen, Belgian decathlete
• 1982 – Dean Whitehead, English footballer
• 1982 – Dontrelle Willis, American baseball player
• 1984 – Daniel Sepulveda, American football player
• 1984 – Jonathan Zydko, French footballer
• 1985 – Artem Milevskyi, Ukrainian footballer
• 1985 – Issa Rae, American actress, writer, director, producer and web series creator
• 1985 – Borja Valero, Spanish footballer
• 1986 – Kehoma Brenner, German rugby player
• 1986 – Miguel Ángel Nieto, Spanish footballer
• 1987 – Naya Rivera, American actress and singer (d. 2020)^[32]
• 1987 – Salvatore Sirigu, Italian footballer
• 1988 – Claude Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1989 – Thiemo-Jérôme Kialka, German footballer
• 1989 – Axel Witsel, Belgian footballer
• 1991 – Pixie Lott, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
• 1991 – Matt Srama, Australian rugby league player
• 1992 – Ishak Belfodil, Algerian footballer
• 1992 – Samuele Longo, Italian footballer
• 1993 – Zayn Malik, English singer^[33]
• 1993 – Simone Pecorini, Italian footballer
• 1993 – Do Kyungsoo, South Korean singer
• 1995 – Sarah Mehain, Canadian Paralympic swimmer^[34]
• 1995 – Alessio Romagnoli, Italian footballer
• 1996 – Ella Henderson, English singer and songwriter^[35][36]
• 2002 – Eva Lys, German tennis player^[37]