Famous Birthdays for April 8th

Pre-1600[edit]

• 1320 – Peter I of Portugal (d. 1367)
• 1408 – Jadwiga of Lithuania, Polish princess (d. 1431)
• 1435 – John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford, English noble (d. 1461)^[23]
• 1533 – Claudio Merulo, Italian organist and composer (d. 1604)^[24]
• 1536 – Barbara of Hesse (d. 1597)
• 1541 – Michele Mercati, Italian physician and archaeologist (d. 1593)
• 1580 – William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, English noble, courtier and patron of the arts (d. 1630)
• 1596 – Juan van der Hamen, Spanish artist (d. 1631)

1601–1900[edit]

• 1605 – Philip IV of Spain (d. 1665)
• 1605 – Mary Stuart, English-Scottish princess (d. 1607)
• 1641 – Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (d. 1704)
• 1692 – Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1770)
• 1726 – Lewis Morris, American judge and politician (d. 1798)
• 1732 – David Rittenhouse, American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1796)
• 1761 – William Joseph Chaminade, French priest, founded the Society of Mary (d. 1850)
• 1770 – John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian banker and politician (d. 1830)
• 1798 – Dionysios Solomos, Greek poet and author (d. 1857)
• 1818 – Christian IX of Denmark (d. 1906)
• 1818 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (d. 1892)
• 1826 – Pancha Carrasco, Costa Rican soldier (d. 1890)
• 1827 – Ramón Emeterio Betances, Puerto Rican ophthalmologist, journalist, and politician (d. 1898)^[25]
• 1842 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author and educator (d. 1933)
• 1859 – Edmund Husserl, German Jewish-Austrian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1938)
• 1864 – Carlos Deltour, French rower and rugby player (d. 1920)
• 1867 – Allen Butler Talcott, American painter and educator (d. 1908)
• 1869 – Harvey Cushing, American surgeon and academic (d. 1939)
• 1871 – Clarence Hudson White, American photographer and educator (d. 1925)
• 1874 – Manuel Díaz, Cuban fencer (d. 1929)
• 1874 – Stanisław Taczak, Polish general (d. 1960)
• 1875 – Albert I of Belgium (d. 1934)
• 1882 (O.S. 27 March) – Dmytro Doroshenko, Lithuanian-Ukrainian historian and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Ukraine (d. 1951)
• 1883 – R. P. Keigwin, English cricketer and academic (d. 1972)
• 1883 – Julius Seljamaa, Estonian journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (d. 1936)
• 1885 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier, composer, and educator (d. 1951)
• 1886 – Margaret Ayer Barnes, American author and playwright (d. 1967)^[26]
• 1888 – Dennis Chávez, American journalist and politician (d. 1962)
• 1889 – Adrian Boult, English conductor (d. 1983)
• 1892 – Richard Neutra, Austrian-American architect, designer of the Los Angeles County Hall of Records (d. 1970)
• 1892 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of United Artists (d. 1979)^[27]
• 1896 – Yip Harburg, American composer (d. 1981)
• 1900 – Marie Byles, Australian solicitor (d. 1979) ^[28]

1901–present[edit]

• 1902 – Andrew Irvine, English mountaineer and explorer (d. 1924)
• 1902 – Maria Maksakova Sr., Russian soprano (d. 1974)
• 1904 – John Hicks, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
• 1904 – Hirsch Jacobs, American horse trainer (d. 1970)
• 1905 – Joachim Büchner, German sprinter and graphic designer (d. 1978)
• 1905 – Helen Joseph, English-South African activist (d. 1992)
• 1905 – Erwin Keller, German field hockey player (d. 1971)
• 1906 – Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (d. 1974)
• 1908 – Hugo Fregonese, Argentinian director and screenwriter (d. 1987)^[29]
• 1909 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (d. 1983)
• 1910 – George Musso, American football player and police officer (d. 2000)
• 1911 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
• 1911 – Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and academic (d. 1995)
• 1912 – Alois Brunner, Austrian-German SS officer (d. 2001 or 2010)
• 1912 – Sonja Henie, Norwegian-American figure skater and actress (d. 1969)
• 1914 – María Félix, Yaqui/Basque-Mexican actress (d. 2002)
• 1915 – Ivan Supek, Croatian physicist, philosopher and writer (d. 2007)
• 1917 – Winifred Asprey, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 2007)
• 1917 – Lloyd Bott, Australian public servant (d. 2004)
• 1917 – Hubertus Ernst, Dutch bishop (d. 2017)
• 1917 – Grigori Kuzmin, Russian-Estonian astronomer (d. 1988)
• 1918 – Betty Ford, American wife of Gerald Ford, 40th First Lady of the United States (d. 2011)
• 1918 – Glendon Swarthout, American author and academic (d. 1992)
• 1919 – Ian Smith, Zimbabwean lieutenant and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Rhodesia (d. 2007)
• 1921 – Franco Corelli, Italian tenor and actor (d. 2003)
• 1920 – Carmen McRae, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress (d. 1994)
• 1921 – Jan Novák, Czech composer (d. 1984)
• 1921 – Herman van Raalte, Dutch footballer (d. 2013)
• 1923 – George Fisher, American cartoonist (d. 2003)
• 1923 – Edward Mulhare, Irish-American actor (d. 1997)
• 1924 – Frédéric Back, German-Canadian animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Anthony Farrar-Hockley, English general and historian (d. 2006)
• 1924 – Kumar Gandharva, Hindustani classical singer (d. 1992)
• 1924 – Sara Northrup Hollister, American occultist (d. 1997)
• 1926 – Henry N. Cobb, American architect and academic, co-founded Pei Cobb Freed & Partners (d. 2020)
• 1926 – Shecky Greene, American comedian
• 1926 – Jürgen Moltmann, German theologian and academic
• 1927 – Tilly Armstrong, English author (d. 2010)
• 1927 – Ollie Mitchell, American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 2013)
• 1928 – Fred Ebb, American lyricist (d. 2004)
• 1929 – Jacques Brel, Belgian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1978)
• 1929 – Renzo De Felice, Italian historian and author (d. 1996)
• 1930 – Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma (d. 2010)
• 1931 – John Gavin, American actor and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Mexico (d. 2018)^[30]
• 1932 – Iskandar of Johor (d. 2010)
• 1933 – James Lockhart, American scholar of colonial Latin America, especially Nahua peoples (d. 2014)
• 1934 – Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower and Singapore Flyer (d. 2007)
• 1935 – Oscar Zeta Acosta, American lawyer and politician (d. 1974)
• 1935 – Albert Bustamante, American soldier, educator, and politician
• 1937 – Tony Barton, English footballer and manager (d. 1993)^[31]
• 1937 – Seymour Hersh, American journalist and author
• 1937 – Momo Kapor, Serbian author and painter (d. 2010)
• 1938 – Kofi Annan, Ghanaian economist and diplomat, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 2018)
• 1938 – John Hamm, Canadian physician and politician, 25th Premier of Nova Scotia
• 1938 – Mary W. Gray, American mathematician, statistician, and lawyer
• 1939 – Manolis Angelopoulos, Greek singer, composer and songwriter (d. 1989)^[32]
• 1939 – John Arbuthnott, Scottish microbiologist and academic
• 1939 – Trina Schart Hyman, American author and illustrator (d. 2004)
• 1940 – John Havlicek, American basketball player (d. 2019)
• 1941 – Vivienne Westwood, English fashion designer
• 1942 – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (d. 2006)
• 1942 – Roger Chapman, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1942 – Douglas Trumbull, American director, producer, and special effects artist (d. 2022)
• 1943 – Michael Bennett, American dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 1987)
• 1943 – Miller Farr, American football player
• 1943 – James Herbert, English author and illustrator (d. 2013)
• 1943 – Chris Orr, English painter and illustrator
• 1944 – Hywel Bennett, Welsh actor (d. 2017)
• 1944 – Odd Nerdrum, Swedish-Norwegian painter and illustrator
• 1945 – Derrick Walker, Scottish businessman
• 1945 – Jang Yong, South Korean actor
• 1946 – Catfish Hunter, American baseball player (d. 1999)
• 1946 – Tim Thomerson, American actor and producer
• 1947 – Tom DeLay, American lawyer and politician
• 1947 – Steve Howe, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1947 – Robert Kiyosaki, American businessman, co-founded Cashflow Technologies
• 1947 – Pascal Lamy, French businessman and politician, European Commissioner for Trade
• 1947 – Larry Norman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (d. 2008)
• 1948 – Barbara Young, Baroness Young of Old Scone, Scottish academic and politician
• 1949 – K. C. Kamalasabayson, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 39th Attorney General of Sri Lanka (d. 2007)
• 1949 – John Madden, English director and producer
• 1949 – Brenda Russell, African-American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1949 – John Scott, English sociologist and academic
• 1950 – Grzegorz Lato, Polish footballer and coach
• 1951 – Gerd Andres, German politician
• 1951 – Geir Haarde, Icelandic economist, journalist, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Iceland
• 1951 – Mel Schacher, American bass player
• 1951 – Joan Sebastian, Mexican singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2015)
• 1951 – Phil Schaap, American jazz disc jockey and historian (d. 2021)^[33][34]
• 1952 – Ahmet Piriştina, Turkish politician (d. 2004)
• 1954 – Gary Carter, American baseball player and coach (d. 2012)
• 1954 – Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco (d. 2012)
• 1954 – G.V. Loganathan, Indian-American engineer and academic (d. 2007)
• 1955 – Gerrie Coetzee, South African boxer
• 1955 – Ron Johnson, American businessman and politician^[35]
• 1955 – Barbara Kingsolver, American novelist, essayist and poet^[36]
• 1955 – David Wu, Taiwanese-American lawyer and politician^[37]
• 1956 – Michael Benton, Scottish-English paleontologist and academic
• 1956 – Christine Boisson, French actress
• 1956 – Roman Dragoun, Czech singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1958 – Detlef Bruckhoff, German footballer
• 1958 – Tom Petranoff, American javelin thrower and coach
• 1959 – Alain Bondue, French cyclist
• 1960 – John Schneider, American actor and country singer
• 1961 – Richard Hatch, American reality contestant
• 1961 – Brian McDermott, English footballer and manager
• 1962 – Paddy Lowe, English engineer
• 1962 – Izzy Stradlin, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1963 – Tine Asmundsen, Norwegian bassist
• 1963 – Julian Lennon, English singer-songwriter
• 1963 – Terry Porter, American basketball player and coach
• 1963 – Donita Sparks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1963 – Alec Stewart, English cricketer
• 1963 – Seth Tobias, American businessman (d. 2007)
• 1964 – Biz Markie, American rapper, producer, and actor (d. 2021)
• 1964 – John McGinlay, Scottish footballer and manager
• 1965 – Steven Blaney, Canadian businessman and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of Public Safety
• 1965 – Michael Jones, New Zealand rugby player and coach
• 1966 – Iveta Bartošová, Czech singer and actress (d. 2014)
• 1966 – Mark Blundell, English race car driver
• 1966 – Andy Currier, English rugby league player
• 1966 – Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand-Australian television host (d. 2014)
• 1966 – Dalton Grant, English high jumper
• 1966 – Mazinho, Brazilian footballer, coach, and manager
• 1966 – Harri Rovanperä, Finnish race car driver
• 1966 – Evripidis Stylianidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister for the Interior
• 1966 – Robin Wright, American actress, director, producer
• 1967 – Kenny Benjamin, Antiguan cricketer
• 1968 – Patricia Arquette, American actress and director
• 1968 – Patricia Girard, French runner and hurdler
• 1968 – Tracy Grammer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1971 – Darren Jessee, American singer-songwriter and drummer
• 1972 – Paul Gray, American bass player and songwriter (d. 2010)
• 1972 – Sergei Magnitsky, Russian lawyer and accountant (d. 2009)
• 1973 – Khaled Badra, Tunisian footballer
• 1973 – Emma Caulfield, American actress
• 1974 – Toutai Kefu, Tongan-Australian rugby player
• 1974 – Nnedi Okorafor, Nigerian-American author and educator
• 1975 – Anouk, Dutch singer
• 1975 – Francesco Flachi, Italian footballer
• 1975 – Timo Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1975 – Funda Arar, Turkish singer
• 1977 – Ana de la Reguera, Mexican actress
• 1977 – Mehran Ghassemi, Iranian journalist and author (d. 2008)
• 1977 – Mark Spencer, American computer programmer and engineer
• 1978 – Daigo, Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, and voice actor
• 1978 – Bernt Haas, Austrian-Swiss footballer
• 1978 – Rachel Roberts, Canadian model and actress
• 1978 – Jocelyn Robichaud, Canadian tennis player and coach
• 1978 – Evans Rutto, Kenyan runner
• 1979 – Alexi Laiho, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2020)
• 1979 – Amit Trivedi, Indian singer-songwriter
• 1980 – Manuel Ortega, Austrian singer
• 1980 – Katee Sackhoff, American actress
• 1980 – Mariko Seyama, Japanese announcer, photographer, and model
• 1981 – Frédérick Bousquet, French swimmer
• 1981 – Ofer Shechter, Israeli model, actor, and screenwriter
• 1982 – Gennady Golovkin, Kazakhstani boxer
• 1982 – Brett White, Australian rugby league player
• 1983 – Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova, Russian runner
• 1984 – Michelle Donelan, British politician
• 1984 – Ezra Koenig, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1984 – Pablo Portillo, Mexican singer and actor
• 1984 – Taran Noah Smith, American actor
• 1985 – Patrick Schliwa, German rugby player
• 1985 – Yemane Tsegay, Ethiopian runner
• 1986 – Igor Akinfeev, Russian footballer
• 1986 – Félix Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player
• 1987 – Royston Drenthe, Dutch footballer
• 1987 – Jeremy Hellickson, American baseball player
• 1987 – Elton John, Trinidadian footballer^[38]
• 1987 – Sam Rapira, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1988 – Jenni Asserholt, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1990 – Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer (d. 2017)^[39] [40]
• 1993 – Viktor Arvidsson, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1994 – Josh Chudleigh, Australian rugby league player
• 1995 – Cedi Osman, Turkish professional basketball player
• 1996 – Anna Korakaki, Greek Olympic medalist in shooting ^[41]
• 1997 – Kim Woo-jin, South Korean singer^[42]
• 1997 – Saygrace, Australian singer and songwriter^[43]
• 1997 – Arno Verschueren, Belgian professional football player
• 2002 – Skai Jackson, American actress