Famous Birthdays for January 17th

Pre-1600[edit]

• 1342 – Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1404)
• 1429 – Antonio del Pollaiuolo, Italian artist (d.c. 1498)
• 1463 – Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (d. 1525)
• 1463 – Antoine Duprat, French cardinal (d. 1535)
• 1472 – Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, Italian captain (d. 1508)
• 1484 – George Spalatin, German priest and reformer (d. 1545)
• 1501 – Leonhart Fuchs, German physician and botanist (d. 1566)
• 1504 – Pope Pius V (d. 1572)^[19]
• 1517 – Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English Duke (d. 1554)
• 1560 – Gaspard Bauhin, Swiss botanist, physician, and academic (d. 1624)
• 1574 – Robert Fludd, English physician, astrologer, and mathematician (d. 1637)
• 1593 – William Backhouse, English alchemist and astrologer (d. 1662)
• 1600 – Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Spanish playwright and poet (d. 1681)

1601–1900[edit]

• 1612 – Thomas Fairfax, English general and politician (d. 1671)
• 1640 – Jonathan Singletary Dunham, American settler (d. 1724)
• 1659 – Antonio Veracini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1745)
• 1666 – Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist and physician (d. 1723)
• 1686 – Archibald Bower, Scottish historian and author (d. 1766)
• 1706 – Benjamin Franklin, American publisher, inventor, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (d. 1790)
• 1712 – John Stanley, English organist and composer (d. 1786)
• 1719 – William Vernon, American businessman (d. 1806)
• 1728 – Johann Gottfried Müthel, German pianist and composer (d. 1788)
• 1732 – Stanisław August Poniatowski, Polish-Lithuanian king (d. 1798)
• 1734 – François-Joseph Gossec, French composer and conductor (d. 1829)
• 1761 – Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet, Scottish geologist and geophysicist (d. 1832)
• 1789 – August Neander, German historian and theologian (d. 1850)
• 1793 – Antonio José Martínez, Spanish-American priest, rancher and politician (d. 1867)
• 1814 – Ellen Wood, English author (d. 1887)
• 1820 – Anne Brontë, English author and poet (d. 1849)
• 1828 – Lewis A. Grant, American lawyer and general, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1918)
• 1828 – Ede Reményi, Hungarian violinist and composer (d. 1898)
• 1832 – Henry Martyn Baird, American historian and academic (d. 1906)
• 1834 – August Weismann, German biologist, zoologist, and geneticist (d. 1914)
• 1850 – Joaquim Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti, Brazilian cardinal (d. 1930)
• 1850 – Alexander Taneyev, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1918)
• 1851 – A. B. Frost, American author and illustrator (d. 1928)
• 1853 – Alva Belmont, American suffragist (d. 1933)^[20]
• 1853 – T. Alexander Harrison, American painter and academic (d. 1930)
• 1857 – Wilhelm Kienzl, Austrian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1941)
• 1857 – Eugene Augustin Lauste, French-American engineer (d. 1935)
• 1858 – Tomás Carrasquilla, Colombian author (d. 1940)
• 1860 – Douglas Hyde, Irish academic and politician, 1st President of Ireland (d. 1949)
• 1863 – David Lloyd George, Welsh lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1945)
• 1863 – Konstantin Stanislavski, Russian actor and director (d. 1938)
• 1865 – Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet, English general and politician, 3rd Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 1951)
• 1867 – Carl Laemmle, German-born American film producer, co-founded Universal Studios (d. 1939)
• 1867 – Sir Alfred Rawlinson, 3rd Baronet, English colonel, pilot, and polo player (d. 1934)
• 1871 – David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, English admiral (d. 1936)
• 1871 – Nicolae Iorga, Romanian historian and politician, 34th Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1940)
• 1875 – Florencio Sánchez, Uruguayan journalist and playwright (d. 1910)
• 1876 – Frank Hague, American lawyer and politician, 30th Mayor of Jersey City (d. 1956)
• 1877 – Marie Zdeňka Baborová-Čiháková, Czech botanist and zoologist (d. 1937)^[21]
• 1877 – May Gibbs, English-Australian author and illustrator (d. 1969)
• 1880 – Mack Sennett, Canadian-American actor, director, and producer (d. 1960)
• 1881 – Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
• 1881 – Harry Price, English psychologist and author (d. 1948)
• 1882 – Noah Beery, Sr., American actor (d. 1946)
• 1883 – Compton Mackenzie, English-Scottish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1972)
• 1886 – Glenn L. Martin, American pilot and businessman, founded the Glenn L. Martin Company (d. 1955)
• 1887 – Ola Raknes, Norwegian psychoanalyst and philologist (d. 1975)
• 1888 – Babu Gulabrai, Indian philosopher and author (d. 1963)
• 1897 – Marcel Petiot, French physician and serial killer (d. 1946)
• 1898 – Lela Mevorah, Serbian librarian (d. 1972)^[22]
• 1899 – Al Capone, American mob boss (d. 1947)
• 1899 – Robert Maynard Hutchins, American philosopher and academic (d. 1977)
• 1899 – Nevil Shute, English engineer and author (d. 1960)

1901–present[edit]

• 1901 – Aron Gurwitsch, Lithuanian-American philosopher and author (d. 1973)
• 1904 – Hem Vejakorn, Thai painter and illustrator (d. 1969)
• 1905 – Ray Cunningham, American baseball player (d. 2005)
• 1905 – Peggy Gilbert, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 2007)
• 1905 – Eduard Oja, Estonian composer, conductor, educator, and critic (d. 1950)
• 1905 – Guillermo Stábile, Argentinian footballer and manager (d. 1966)
• 1905 – Jan Zahradníček, Czech poet and translator (d. 1960)
• 1907 – Henk Badings, Indonesian-Dutch composer and engineer (d. 1987)
• 1907 – Alfred Wainwright, British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator (d. 1991)
• 1908 – Cus D'Amato, American boxing manager and trainer (d. 1985)
• 1911 – Busher Jackson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1966)
• 1911 – John S. McCain Jr., American admiral (d. 1981)
• 1911 – George Stigler, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
• 1914 – Anacleto Angelini, Italian-Chilean businessman (d. 2007)
• 1914 – Irving Brecher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1914 – Paul Royle, Australian lieutenant and pilot (d. 2015)
• 1914 – William Stafford, American poet and author (d. 1993)
• 1916 – Peter Frelinghuysen Jr., American lieutenant and politician (d. 2011)
• 1917 – M. G. Ramachandran, Indian actor, director, and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (d. 1987)
• 1918 – Keith Joseph, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Education (d. 1994)
• 1918 – George M. Leader, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Pennsylvania (d. 2013)
• 1920 – Georges Pichard, French author and illustrator (d. 2003)
• 1921 – Asghar Khan, Pakistani general and politician (d. 2018)
• 1921 – Jackie Henderson, Scottish footballer (d. 2005)^[23]
• 1921 – Charlie Mitten, English footballer and manager (d. 2002)^[24]
• 1921 – Antonio Prohías, Cuban cartoonist (d. 1998)
• 1922 – Luis Echeverría, Mexican academic and politician, 50th President of Mexico (d. 2022)^[25]
• 1922 – Nicholas Katzenbach, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 65th United States Attorney General (d. 2012)
• 1922 – Betty White, American actress, game show panelist, television personality, and animal rights activist (d. 2021)^[26]
• 1923 – Rangeya Raghav, Indian author and playwright (d. 1962)
• 1924 – Rik De Saedeleer, Belgian footballer and journalist (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Jewel Plummer Cobb, American biologist, cancer researcher, and academic (d. 2017)
• 1925 – Gunnar Birkerts, Latvian-American architect (d. 2017)
• 1925 – Robert Cormier, American author and journalist (d. 2000)
• 1925 – Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistani cricketer and author (d. 1996)
• 1926 – Newton N. Minow, American lawyer and politician
• 1926 – Moira Shearer, Scottish-English ballerina and actress (d. 2006)
• 1926 – Clyde Walcott, Barbadian cricketer (d. 2006)
• 1927 – Thomas Anthony Dooley III, American physician and humanitarian (d. 1961)
• 1927 – Eartha Kitt, American actress and singer (d. 2008)^[27]
• 1927 – Harlan Mathews, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
• 1927 – E. W. Swackhamer, American director and producer (d. 1994)
• 1928 – Jean Barraqué, French composer (d. 1973)
• 1928 – Vidal Sassoon, English-American hairdresser and businessman (d. 2012)
• 1929 – Jacques Plante, Canadian-Swiss ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1986)
• 1929 – Tan Boon Teik, Malaysian-Singaporean lawyer and politician, Attorney-General of Singapore (d. 2012)
• 1931 – James Earl Jones, American actor
• 1931 – Douglas Wilder, American sergeant and politician, 66th Governor of Virginia
• 1931 – Don Zimmer, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
• 1932 – Sheree North, American actress and dancer (d. 2005)
• 1933 – Dalida, Egyptian-French singer and actress (d. 1987)
• 1933 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French-Pakistani diplomat, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (d. 2003)
• 1933 – Shari Lewis, American actress, puppeteer/ventriloquist, and television host (d. 1998)
• 1934 – Donald Cammell, Scottish-American director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
• 1935 – Ruth Ann Minner, American businesswoman and politician, 72nd Governor of Delaware
• 1936 – John Boyd, English academic and diplomat, British ambassador to Japan (d. 2019)
• 1936 – A. Thangathurai, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1997)
• 1937 – Alain Badiou, French philosopher and academic
• 1938 – John Bellairs, American author and academic (d. 1991)
• 1938 – Toini Gustafsson, Swedish cross country skier
• 1939 – Christodoulos of Athens, Greek archbishop (d. 2008)
• 1939 – Maury Povich, American talk show host and producer
• 1940 – Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Egyptian-Armenian patriarch (d. 2015)
• 1940 – Kipchoge Keino, Kenyan athlete
• 1940 – Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguayan physician and politician, 39th President of Uruguay (d. 2020)
• 1941 – István Horthy, Jr., Hungarian physicist and architect
• 1942 – Muhammad Ali, American boxer and activist (d. 2016)^[28]
• 1942 – Ita Buttrose, Australian journalist and author
• 1942 – Ulf Hoelscher, German violinist and educator
• 1942 – Nigel McCulloch, English bishop
• 1943 – Chris Montez, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1943 – René Préval, Haitian agronomist and politician, 52nd President of Haiti (d. 2017)
• 1944 – Ann Oakley, English sociologist, author, and academic
• 1945 – Javed Akhtar, Indian poet, playwright, and composer
• 1945 – Anne Cutler, Australian psychologist and academic
• 1948 – Davíð Oddsson, Icelandic politician, 21st Prime Minister of Iceland
• 1949 – Anita Borg, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2003)
• 1949 – Gyude Bryant, Liberian businessman and politician (d. 2014)
• 1949 – Augustin Dumay, French violinist and conductor
• 1949 – Andy Kaufman, American actor and comedian (d. 1984)
• 1949 – Mick Taylor, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1950 – Luis López Nieves, Puerto Rican-American author and academic
• 1952 – Tom Deitz, American author (d. 2009)
• 1952 – Darrell Porter, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
• 1952 – Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese pianist, composer, and producer
• 1953 – Jeff Berlin, American bass player and educator
• 1953 – Carlos Johnson, American singer and guitarist
• 1954 – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., American lawyer, radio host, activist, and environmentalist
• 1955 – Steve Earle, American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, author and actor
• 1955 – Pietro Parolin, Italian cardinal
• 1955 – Steve Javie, American basketball player and referee
• 1956 – Damian Green, English journalist and politician
• 1956 – Paul Young, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1957 – Steve Harvey, American actor, comedian, television personality and game show host^[29]
• 1957 – Ann Nocenti, American journalist and author
• 1958 – Tony Kouzarides, English biologist, cancer researcher
• 1959 – Susanna Hoffs, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
• 1960 – John Crawford, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1960 – Chili Davis, Jamaican-American baseball player and coach
• 1961 – Brian Helgeland, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1962 – Jun Azumi, Japanese broadcaster and politician, 46th Japanese Minister of Finance
• 1962 – Jim Carrey, Canadian-American actor and producer
• 1962 – Sebastian Junger, American journalist and author
• 1963 – Kai Hansen, German singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1963 – Colin Gordon, English footballer, agent, manager and chief executive^[30]
• 1964 – Michelle Obama, American lawyer and activist, 46th First Lady of the United States
• 1964 – John Schuster, Samoan-New Zealand rugby player
• 1965 – Sylvain Turgeon, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1966 – Trish Johnson, English golfer
• 1966 – Joshua Malina, American actor
• 1967 – Richard Hawley, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1968 – Rowan Pelling, English journalist and author
• 1968 – Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Dutch author, poet, and scholar
• 1969 – Naveen Andrews, English actor
• 1969 – Lukas Moodysson, Swedish director, screenwriter, and author
• 1969 – Tiësto, Dutch DJ and producer
• 1970 – Cássio Alves de Barros, Brazilian footballer
• 1970 – Jeremy Roenick, American ice hockey player and actor
• 1970 – Genndy Tartakovsky, Russian-American animator, director, and producer
• 1971 – Giorgos Balogiannis, Greek basketball player
• 1971 – Richard Burns, English race car driver (d. 2005)
• 1971 – Kid Rock, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1971 – Sylvie Testud, French actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Mexican footballer and actor
• 1973 – Chris Bowen, Australian politician, 37th Treasurer of Australia
• 1973 – Liz Ellis, Australian netball player and sportscaster
• 1973 – Aaron Ward, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1974 – Yang Chen, Chinese footballer and manager
• 1974 – Vesko Kountchev, Bulgarian viola player, composer, and producer
• 1974 – Derrick Mason, American football player
• 1975 – Freddy Rodriguez, American actor
• 1978 – Lisa Llorens, Australian Paralympian^[31]
• 1978 – Ricky Wilson, English singer-songwriter
• 1980 – Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ukrainian-American dancer and choreographer
• 1980 – Zooey Deschanel, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1980 – Modestas Stonys, Lithuanian footballer
• 1981 – Warren Feeney, Northern Irish footballer and manager
• 1982 – Dwyane Wade, American basketball player
• 1982 – Amanda Wilkinson, Canadian singer
• 1983 – Álvaro Arbeloa, Spanish footballer
• 1983 – Johannes Herber, German basketball player
• 1983 – Rick Kelly, Australian race car driver
• 1983 – Marcelo Garcia, Brazilian martial artist
• 1984 – Calvin Harris, Scottish singer-songwriter, DJ, and producer
• 1985 – Pablo Barrientos, Argentinian footballer
• 1985 – Betsy Ruth, American wrestler and manager
• 1985 – Simone Simons, Dutch singer-songwriter
• 1987 – Cody Decker, American baseball player
• 1988 – Andrea Antonelli, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2013)
• 1988 – Will Genia, Australian rugby player
• 1988 – Héctor Moreno, Mexican footballer
• 1989 – Taylor Jordan, American baseball player
• 1989 – Kelly Marie Tran, American actress
• 1990 – Santiago Tréllez, Colombian footballer
• 1991 – Trevor Bauer, American baseball player
• 1991 – Esapekka Lappi, Finnish Rally Driver
• 1991 – Slade Griffin, Australian rugby league player
• 1991 – Alise Post, American BMX rider
• 1993 – Frankie Cocozza, British singer
• 1994 – Mark Steketee, Australian cricketer
• 1995 – Terutsuyoshi Shoki, Japanese sumo wrestler^[32]
• 1995 – Indya Moore, American actor and model^[33]
• 1997 – Jake Paul, American YouTube personality, actor, rapper, and professional boxer^[34]
• 1998 – Jeff Reine-Adelaide, French footballer
• 1998 – Sophie Molineux, Australian cricketer
• 2000 – Devlin DeFrancesco, Canadian race car driver^[35]