Famous Birthdays for May 17th

Pre-1600[edit]

• 1155 – Jien, Japanese monk, poet, and historian (d. 1225)
• 1443 – Edmund, Earl of Rutland (d. 1460)
• 1451 – Engelbert II of Nassau, Count of Nassau-Vianden and Lord of Breda (1475–1504) (d. 1504)
• 1490 – Albert, Duke of Prussia, last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (d. 1568)
• 1500 – Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (d. 1540)
• 1551 – Martin Delrio, Belgian occultist and theologian (d. 1601)
• 1568 – Anna Vasa of Sweden, Swedish princess (d. 1625)

1601–1900[edit]

• 1610 – Stefano della Bella, Italian engraver and etcher (d. 1664)^[10]
• 1628 – Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria (d. 1662)
• 1636 – Edward Colman, English Catholic courtier under Charles II (d. 1678)
• 1682 – Bartholomew Roberts, Welsh pirate (d. 1722)
• 1698 – Gio Nicola Buhagiar, Maltese painter (d. 1752)^[11]
• 1706 – Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (d. 1780)
• 1718 – Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English politician and diplomat, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1778)
• 1732 – Francesco Pasquale Ricci, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1817)
• 1743 – Seth Warner, American colonel (d. 1784)
• 1749 – Edward Jenner, English physician and microbiologist (d. 1823)^[12]
• 1758 – Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Baronet, English politician (d. 1839)
• 1768 – Caroline of Brunswick (d. 1821)
• 1768 – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1854)
• 1794 – Anna Brownell Jameson, Irish-English author (d. 1860)
• 1818 – Ezra Otis Kendall, American professor, astronomer and mathematician (d. 1899)
• 1821 – Sebastian Kneipp, German priest and therapist (d. 1897)
• 1835 – Thomas McIlwraith, Scottish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Queensland (d. 1900)
• 1836 – Virginie Loveling, Belgian author and poet (d. 1923)^[13]
• 1845 – Jacint Verdaguer, Catalan priest and poet (d. 1902)
• 1860 – Martin Kukučín, Slovak author and playwright (d. 1928)
• 1860 – Charlotte Barnum, American mathematician and social activist (d. 1934)
• 1863 – Léon Gérin, Canadian lawyer, sociologist, and civil servant (d. 1951)
• 1864 – Louis Richardet, Swiss target shooter (d. 1923)
• 1864 – Ante Trumbić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 27th Mayor of Split (d. 1938)
• 1866 – Erik Satie, French pianist and composer (d. 1925)
• 1868 – Horace Elgin Dodge, American businessman, co-founded Dodge (d. 1920)
• 1868 – Panagis Tsaldaris, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1936)
• 1870 – Newton Moore, Australian politician, 8th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1936)
• 1873 – Henri Barbusse, French author and journalist (d. 1935)
• 1873 – Dorothy Richardson, English author and journalist (d. 1957)^[14]
• 1874 – George Sheldon, American diver (d. 1907)
• 1882 – Karl Burman, Estonian architect and painter (d. 1965)
• 1886 – Alfonso XIII of Spain, Spanish monarch (d. 1941)
• 1888 – Tich Freeman, English cricketer (d. 1965)
• 1889 – Dorothy Gibson, American actress and singer (d. 1946)
• 1889 – Alfonso Reyes, Mexican author (d. 1959)
• 1891 – Napoleon Zervas, Greek general and politician (d. 1957)
• 1893 – Frederick McKinley Jones, American inventor and entrepreneur (d. 1961)
• 1895 – Saul Adler, Belarusian-English captain and parasitologist (d. 1966)
• 1895 – Reinhold Saulmann, Estonian sprinter and bandy player (d. 1936)
• 1897 – Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
• 1898 – A. J. Casson, Canadian painter (d. 1992)
• 1899 – Carmen de Icaza, Spanish writer (d. 1979)

1901–present[edit]

• 1901 – Werner Egk, German pianist and composer (d. 1983)
• 1903 – Cool Papa Bell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)^[12]
• 1904 – Marie-Anne Desmarest, French author (d. 1973)
• 1906 – Zinka Milanov, Croatian-American soprano and educator (d. 1989)
• 1909 – Julius Sumner Miller, American physicist and academic (d. 1987)
• 1911 – Lisa Fonssagrives, Swedish-American model (d. 1992)
• 1911 – Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish-American actress (d. 1998)^[12]
• 1912 – Archibald Cox, American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General (d. 2004)
• 1912 – Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner, American inventor (d. 2006)^[15]
• 1913 – Hans Ruesch, Swiss racing driver and author (d. 2007)^[16]
• 1914 – Robert N. Thompson, American-Canadian chiropractor and politician (d. 1997)
• 1918 – Joan Benham, English actress (d. 1981)
• 1918 – Birgit Nilsson, Swedish operatic soprano (d. 2005)^[17]
• 1919 – Antonio Aguilar, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
• 1919 – Gustav Naan, Russian-Estonian physicist and philosopher (d. 1994)
• 1920 – Harry Männil, Estonian-Venezuelan businessman, co-founded ACO Group (d. 2010)
• 1921 – Dennis Brain, English horn player (d. 1957)
• 1921 – Bob Merrill, American composer and screenwriter (d. 1998)
• 1922 – Jean Rédélé, French racing driver, founded Alpine (d. 2007)^[18]
• 1923 – Michael Beetham, English commander and pilot (d. 2015)^[19]
• 1924 – Roy Bentley, English footballer (d. 2018)^[20]
• 1924 – Francis Tombs, Baron Tombs, English engineer and politician (d. 2020)
• 1926 – David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie, English-Scottish soldier and politician
• 1926 – Dietmar Schönherr, Austrian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
• 1926 – Franz Sondheimer, German-English chemist and academic (d. 1981)
• 1929 – Branko Zebec, Yugoslav football player and coach (d. 1988)
• 1931 – Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader, founded Heaven's Gate (d. 1997)
• 1931 – Dewey Redman, American saxophonist (d. 2006)
• 1932 – Rodric Braithwaite, English soldier and diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia
• 1932 – Peter Burge, Australian cricketer (d. 2001)
• 1933 – Yelena Gorchakova, Russian javelin thrower (d. 2002)
• 1934 – Friedrich-Wilhelm Kiel, German educator and politician
• 1934 – Earl Morrall, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
• 1934 – Ronald Wayne, American computer scientist, co-founded Apple Computer
• 1935 – Dennis Potter, English voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
• 1936 – Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (d. 2010)
• 1937 – Hazel R. O'Leary, American lawyer and politician, 7th United States Secretary of Energy
• 1938 – Jason Bernard, American actor (d. 1996)
• 1938 – Marcia Freedman, Israeli activist
• 1938 – Pervis Jackson, American R&B bass singer (d. 2008)
• 1939 – Hugh Dykes, Baron Dykes, English politician
• 1939 – Gary Paulsen, American author (d. 2021)
• 1940 – Alan Kay, American computer scientist and academic
• 1940 – Reynato Puno, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 22nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
• 1941 – David Cope, American composer and author
• 1941 – Ben Nelson, American lawyer and politician, 37th Governor of Nebraska
• 1942 – Taj Mahal, American blues singer-songwriter and musician
• 1943 – Sirajuddin of Perlis, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
• 1943 – Johnny Warren, Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2004)
• 1944 – Jesse Winchester, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2014)
• 1945 – B.S. Chandrasekhar, Indian cricketer
• 1945 – Tony Roche, Australian tennis player and coach
• 1946 – Udo Lindenberg, German singer-songwriter and drummer
• 1947 – Stephen Platten, English bishop
• 1948 – Dick Gaughan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1949 – Bill Bruford, English drummer, songwriter, and producer
• 1949 – Keith, American pop singer
• 1950 – Howard Ashman, American playwright and composer (d. 1991)
• 1950 – Keith Bradley, Baron Bradley, English accountant and politician
• 1950 – Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian economist and politician, 2nd President of Slovenia (d. 2008)
• 1950 – Alan Johnson, English politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
• 1950 – Valeriya Novodvorskaya, Russian journalist and politician (d. 2014)
• 1951 – Simon Hughes, English lawyer and politician
• 1952 – Howard Hampton, Canadian lawyer and politician
• 1954 – Michael Roberts, South African-English jockey
• 1955 – Bill Paxton, American actor and director (d. 2017)
• 1955 – David Townsend, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
• 1956 – Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer^[21]
• 1956 – Annise Parker, American politician
• 1956 – Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host (d. 2022)^[22]
• 1956 – Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist and author
• 1957 – Pascual Pérez, Dominican baseball player (d. 2012)
• 1958 – Paul Di'Anno, English rock singer-songwriter
• 1959 – Marcelo Loffreda, Argentine rugby player and coach
• 1960 – Lou DiBella, American boxing promoter, actor, and producer
• 1960 – Simon Fuller, English talent manager and producer, created the Idols series
• 1961 – Enya, Irish singer-songwriter and producer
• 1961 – Jamil Azzaoui, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1961 – Justin King, English businessman
• 1962 – Lise Lyng Falkenberg, Danish journalist and author
• 1962 – Andrew Farrar, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1962 – Craig Ferguson, Scottish-American comedian, actor, and talk show host^[21]
• 1962 – Jane Moore, English journalist and author
• 1962 – Rosalind Picard, American computer scientist and engineer, co-founded Affectiva
• 1963 – Jon Koncak, American basketball player
• 1963 – Page McConnell, American keyboard player and songwriter
• 1964 – Stratos Apostolakis, Greek footballer and coach
• 1964 – Mauro Martini, Italian race car driver
• 1964 – Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (d. 1999)
• 1965 – Trent Reznor, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer^[21]
• 1965 – Jeremy Vine, English journalist and author
• 1966 – Qusay Hussein, Iraqi soldier and politician (d. 2003)
• 1966 – Mark Kratzmann, Australian tennis player and coach
• 1966 – Danny Manning, American basketball player and coach
• 1966 – Gilles Quénéhervé, French sprinter
• 1967 – Mohamed Nasheed, Maldivian lawyer and politician 4th President of the Maldives^[23]
• 1967 – Patrick Ortlieb, Austrian skier
• 1968 – Dave Abbruzzese, American rock drummer and songwriter
• 1969 – Keith Hill, English footballer and manager
• 1970 – Hubert Davis, American basketball player and coach
• 1970 – Jordan Knight, American singer-songwriter and actor
• 1970 – Matt Lindland, American mixed martial artist, wrestler, and politician
• 1970 – Jodie Rogers, Australian diver^[24]
• 1970 – René Vilbre, Estonian director and screenwriter
• 1971 – Mark Connors, Australian rugby player
• 1971 – Shaun Hart, Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster
• 1971 – Stella Jongmans, Dutch athlete^[25]
• 1971 – Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Dutch royal^[26]
• 1971 – Gina Raimondo, Governor of Rhode Island^[21]
• 1972 – Barry Hayles, English born Jamaican international footballer^[27]
• 1973 – Josh Homme, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1974 – Andrea Corr, Irish singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress
• 1974 – Wiki González, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1974 – Eddie Lewis, American international soccer player^[28]
• 1975 – Marcelinho Paraíba, Brazilian footballer
• 1975 – Alex Wright, German wrestler
• 1976 – Kandi Burruss, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1976 – Shayne Dunley, Australian rugby league player
• 1976 – José Guillén, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1976 – Daniel Komen, Kenyan runner
• 1976 – Wang Leehom, American-Taiwanese singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
• 1976 – Mayte Martínez, Spanish runner
• 1976 – Kirsten Vlieghuis, Dutch freestyle swimmer^[29]
• 1978 – John Foster, American baseball player and coach
• 1978 – Paddy Kenny, English footballer
• 1978 – Carlos Peña, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1978 – Magdalena Zděnovcová, Czech tennis player
• 1979 – David Jarolím, Czech footballer
• 1979 – Wayne Thomas, English footballer
• 1980 – Davor Džalto, Bosnian historian and philosopher
• 1980 – Fredrik Kessiakoff, Swedish cyclist
• 1980 – Alistair Overeem, Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer^[30]
• 1980 – Ariën van Weesenbeek, Dutch drummer^[31]
• 1981 – Beñat Albizuri, Spanish cyclist
• 1981 – Leon Osman, English footballer
• 1981 – Lim Jeong-hee, South Korean singer
• 1981 – Chris Skidmore, English historian and politician
• 1981 – Giannis Taralidis, Greek footballer
• 1982 – Matt Cassel, American football player
• 1982 – Dan Hardy, English mixed martial artist
• 1982 – Reiko Nakamura, Japanese swimmer
• 1982 – Tony Parker, French-American basketball player^[21]
• 1982 – Chloe Smith, English politician
• 1983 – Channing Frye, American basketball player
• 1983 – Chris Henry, American football player (d. 2009)
• 1983 – Nicky Hofs, Dutch footballer
• 1983 – Kevin Kingston, Australian rugby league player
• 1983 – Jeremy Sowers, American baseball player
• 1984 – Christian Bolaños, Costa Rican footballer
• 1984 – Christine Ohuruogu, English runner
• 1984 – Christine Robinson, Canadian water polo player
• 1984 – Passenger, English singer-songwriter and musician^[32][33]
• 1985 – Teófilo Gutiérrez, Colombian footballer
• 1985 – Derek Hough, American actor, singer, and dancer
• 1985 – Christine Nesbitt, Canadian speed skater
• 1985 – Todd Redmond, American baseball player
• 1985 – Matt Ryan, American football player
• 1986 – Marius Činikas, Lithuanian footballer
• 1986 – Timo Simonlatser, Estonian skier
• 1986 – Jodie Taylor, English footballer
• 1987 – Edvald Boasson Hagen, Norwegian cyclist
• 1987 – Aleandro Rosi, Italian footballer
• 1988 – Nikki Reed, American actress, singer, and screenwriter^[21]
• 1989 – Mose Masoe, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1989 – Rain Raadik, Estonian basketball player
• 1989 – Tessa Virtue, Canadian ice dancer
• 1990 – Will Clyburn, American basketball player^[34]
• 1990 – Fabian Giefer, German footballer
• 1990 – Charlie Gubb, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1990 – Katrina Hart, English runner
• 1990 – Guido Pella, Argentine tennis player
• 1991 – Johanna Konta, Australian-English tennis player
• 1991 – Adil Omar, Pakistani rapper and music producer
• 1991 – Abigail Raye, Canadian field hockey player^[35]
• 1994 – Julie Anne San Jose, Filipina singer-songwriter^[36]