Famous Birthdays for February 16th

Pre-1600[edit]

• 1222 – Nichiren, founder of Nichiren Buddhism (d. 1282)^[16]
• 1304 – Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür, Chinese emperor (d. 1332)
• 1331 – Coluccio Salutati, Italian political leader (d. 1406)^[17]
• 1419 – John I, Duke of Cleves (d. 1481)
• 1470 – Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1540)^[18]
• 1471 – Krishnadevaraya, emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire (d. 1529)
• 1497 – Philip Melanchthon, German astronomer, theologian, and academic (d. 1560)^[19]
• 1514 – Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian cartographer and instrument maker (d. 1574)^[20]
• 1519 – Gaspard II de Coligny, French admiral (d. 1572)
• 1543 – Kanō Eitoku, Japanese painter and educator (d. 1590)

1601–1900[edit]

• 1620 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1688)
• 1643 – John Sharp, English archbishop (d. 1714)
• 1698 – Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (d. 1758)
• 1727 – Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian botanist, chemist, and mycologist (d. 1817)
• 1740 – Giambattista Bodoni, Italian publisher and engraver (d. 1813)
• 1761 – Jean-Charles Pichegru, French general (d. 1804)^[21]
• 1774 – Pierre Rode, French violinist and composer (d. 1830)
• 1786 – Maria Pavlovna, Russian Grand Duchess (d. 1859)
• 1802 – Phineas Quimby, American mystic and philosopher (d. 1866)
• 1804 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (d. 1885)
• 1812 – Henry Wilson, American colonel and politician, 18th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
• 1821 – Heinrich Barth, German explorer and scholar (d. 1865)^[22]
• 1822 – Francis Galton, English biologist and statistician (d. 1911)
• 1824 – Peter Kosler, Slovenian lawyer, geographer, and cartographer (d. 1879)
• 1826 – Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet and author (d. 1886)
• 1830 – Lars Hertervig, Norwegian painter (d. 1902)
• 1831 – Nikolai Leskov, Russian author, playwright, and journalist (d. 1895)
• 1834 – Ernst Haeckel, German biologist, physician, and philosopher (d. 1919)
• 1838 – Henry Adams, American journalist, historian, and author (d. 1918)
• 1841 – Armand Guillaumin, French painter (d. 1927)
• 1843 – Henry M. Leland, American engineer and businessman, founded Cadillac and Lincoln (d. 1932)
• 1845 – George Kennan, American journalist and explorer (d. 1924)
• 1848 – Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist, geneticist, and academic (d. 1935)
• 1848 – Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright (d. 1917)
• 1856 – Ossian Everett Mills, American academic, founded Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (d. 1920)
• 1866 – Billy Hamilton, American baseball player and manager (d. 1940)
• 1868 – Edward S. Curtis, American ethnologist and photographer (d. 1952)
• 1873 – Radoje Domanović, Serbian journalist and author (d. 1908)
• 1876 – G. M. Trevelyan, English historian and academic (d. 1962)
• 1877 – Tom Crean, Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer (d. 1938)^[23]
• 1878 – Pamela Colman Smith, English occultist and illustrator (d. 1951)
• 1878 – James Colosimo, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1920)
• 1884 – Robert J. Flaherty, American director and producer (d. 1951)
• 1886 – Andy Ducat, English international footballer, manager and cricketer (d. 1942)^[24]
• 1887 – Kathleen Clifford, American actress (d. 1962)
• 1891 – Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist and academic (d. 1968)
• 1893 – Katharine Cornell, American actress and producer (d. 1974)
• 1896 – Eugénie Blanchard, French super-centenarian (d. 2010)

1901–present[edit]

• 1901 – Wayne King, American singer-songwriter and conductor (d. 1985)
• 1901 – Chester Morris, American actor (d. 1970)^[25]
• 1902 – Cyril Vincent, South African cricketer (d. 1968)
• 1903 – Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist and actor (d. 1978)
• 1904 – James Baskett, African-American actor and singer (d. 1948)
• 1904 – George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (d. 2005)
• 1905 – Henrietta Barnett, British Women's Royal Air Force officer (d. 1985)^[26]
• 1906 – Vera Menchik, British-Czechoslovak-Russian chess player (d. 1944)
• 1909 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor and director (d. 1982)^[27]
• 1909 – Richard McDonald, American businessman, co-founded McDonald's (d. 1998)
• 1914 – Jimmy Wakely, American country music singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1982)
• 1916 – Bill Doggett, African-American pianist and composer (d. 1996)
• 1919 – Georges Ulmer, Danish-French actor and composer (d. 1989)
• 1920 – Anna Mae Hays, American general (d. 2018)
• 1921 – Vera-Ellen, German-American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1981)
• 1921 – Jean Behra, French race car driver (d. 1959)
• 1921 – John Galbraith Graham, English priest and academic (d. 2013)
• 1922 – Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German soldier and pilot (d. 1950)
• 1923 – Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (d. 2016)
• 1926 – Margot Frank, German-Dutch holocaust victim (d. 1945)
• 1926 – John Schlesinger, English actor and director (d. 2003)
• 1927 – June Brown, English actress (d. 2022)^[28]
• 1929 – Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer and architect (d. 1980)
• 1929 – Peter Porter, Australian-English poet and educator (d. 2010)
• 1931 – Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2002)
• 1931 – Ken Takakura, Japanese actor and singer (d. 2014)
• 1932 – Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (d. 2014)
• 1932 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2007)
• 1934 – August Coppola, American author and academic (d. 2009)
• 1934 – Marlene Hagge, American golfer
• 1935 – Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (d. 2016)
• 1935 – Sonny Bono, American actor, singer, and politician (d. 1998)
• 1935 – Stephen Gaskin, American activist, co-founded The Farm (d. 2014)
• 1935 – Bradford Parkinson, American colonel and engineer
• 1935 – Kenneth Price, American painter and sculptor (d. 2012)
• 1937 – Paul Bailey, British novelist, critic, and biographer
• 1937 – Yuri Manin, Russian-German mathematician and academic
• 1938 – John Corigliano, American composer and academic
• 1939 – Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino lawyer and judge
• 1940 – Hannelore Schmatz, German mountaineer (d. 1979)
• 1941 – Kim Jong-il, North Korean commander and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of North Korea (d. 2011)
• 1942 – Richard Williams, American tennis player and coach
• 1944 – Glyn Davies, Welsh farmer and politician
• 1944 – Richard Ford, American novelist and short story writer
• 1944 – António Mascarenhas Monteiro, Cape Verdean politician, 2nd President of Cape Verde (d. 2016)
• 1947 – Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician (d. 2020)^[29]
• 1948 – Kaiketsu Masateru, Japanese sumo wrestler and coach (d. 2014)
• 1949 – Bob O'Reilly, Australian rugby league player
• 1950 – Peter Hain, Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales
• 1951 – Barry Foote, American baseball player and coach
• 1952 – Peter Kitchen, English footballer^[30]
• 1952 – James Ingram, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2019)
• 1953 – John Bradbury, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (d. 2015)
• 1953 – Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
• 1953 – Roberta Williams, American video game designer, co-founded Sierra Entertainment
• 1954 – Iain Banks, Scottish author and playwright (d. 2013)^[31]
• 1954 – Margaux Hemingway, American model and actress (d. 1996)
• 1954 – Michael Holding, Jamaican cricketer and sportscaster^[32]
• 1956 – Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter
• 1957 – LeVar Burton, American actor, director, and producer
• 1958 – Natalie Angier, American author
• 1958 – Ice-T, American rapper and actor
• 1958 – Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
• 1958 – Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach
• 1959 – John McEnroe, American tennis player and sportscaster
• 1959 – Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1960 – Pete Willis, English guitarist and songwriter
• 1961 – Des Hasler, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1961 – Liu Kang, Chinese footballer and manager (d. 2013)
• 1961 – Niko Nirvi, Finnish journalist^[33]
• 1961 – Andy Taylor, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1962 – John Balance, English singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
• 1964 – Bebeto, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1964 – Christopher Eccleston, English actor
• 1965 – Dave Lombardo, Cuban-American drummer
• 1967 – Keith Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1968 – Warren Ellis, English author and screenwriter
• 1970 – Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer and manager
• 1971 – Michael Avenatti, American attorney and pundit^[34]
• 1971 – Craig Laundy, Australian politician
• 1972 – Jerome Bettis, American football player^[35]
• 1972 – Zoran Čampara, Bosnian football player
• 1972 – Sarah Clarke, American actress
• 1972 – Naomi Nishida, Japanese actress
• 1972 – Darrell Trindall, Australian rugby league player
• 1973 – Cathy Freeman, Australian sprinter
• 1974 – Mahershala Ali, American actor
• 1974 – José Dominguez, Portuguese international footballer and manager^[36]
• 1976 – Eric Byrnes, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1976 – Kyo, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
• 1977 – Ian Clarke, Irish-American computer scientist, founded Freenet
• 1977 – Ahman Green, American football player
• 1978 – Tia Hellebaut, Belgian high jumper and chemist
• 1978 – Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer
• 1978 – John Tartaglia, American actor, singer, and puppeteer
• 1979 – Stéphane Dalmat, French footballer^[37]
• 1979 – Eric Mun, American-South Korean singer and actor
• 1979 – Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
• 1980 – Longineu W. Parsons III, French-American drummer
• 1981 – Jay Howard, English race car driver
• 1981 – Susanna Kallur, Swedish sprint hurdler^[38]
• 1981 – Jerry Owens, American baseball player
• 1981 – Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
• 1982 – Aleksandr Dmitrijev, Estonian footballer
• 1982 – Rickie Lambert, English footballer
• 1982 – Lupe Fiasco, American rapper
• 1983 – Agyness Deyn, English model, actress, and singer
• 1984 – Sofia Arvidsson, Swedish tennis player
• 1984 – Oussama Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer^[39]
• 1985 – Simon Francis, English footballer^[40]
• 1985 – Stacy Lewis, American golfer^[41]
• 1985 – Ron Vlaar, Dutch footballer
• 1986 – Diego Godín, Uruguayan footballer
• 1987 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2008)
• 1987 – Theresa Goh, Singaporean swimmer
• 1987 – Hasheem Thabeet, Tanzanian basketball player
• 1988 – Diego Capel, Spanish footballer
• 1988 – Zhang Jike, Chinese table tennis player
• 1988 – Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
• 1988 – Andrea Ranocchia, Italian footballer
• 1988 – Kim Soo-hyun, South Korean actor and singer
• 1989 – Elizabeth Olsen, American actress
• 1990 – Dunamis Lui, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
• 1990 – The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer^[42]
• 1991 – Sergio Canales, Spanish footballer
• 1992 – Nicolai Boilesen, Danish footballer
• 1992 – Zsófia Susányi, Hungarian tennis player^[43][44]
• 1994 – Annika Beck, German tennis player^[45]
• 1994 – Federico Bernardeschi, Italian footballer^[46]
• 1994 – Ava Max, American singer and songwriter^[47]
• 1995 – Katy Dunne, English tennis player^[48]
• 1995 – Carina Witthöft, German tennis player^[49]
• 1999 – Marie Ulven Ringheim, Norwegian singer, songwriter and music producer^[50]
• 2000 – Koffee, Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter and rapper^[51]
• 2001 – Yuki Naito, Japanese tennis player^[52]