Famous Birthdays for May 18th

Pre-1600[edit]

• 1048 – Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet (d. 1131)
• 1186 – Konstantin of Rostov (d. 1218)
• 1450 – Piero Soderini, Italian politician and diplomat (d. 1513)
• 1537 – Guido Luca Ferrero, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1585)

1601–1900[edit]

• 1631 – Stanislaus Papczyński, Polish priest and saint (d. 1701)
• 1662 – George Smalridge, English bishop (d. 1719)
• 1692 – (O.S.) Joseph Butler, English bishop, theologian, and apologist (d. 1752)^[16]
• 1711 – Roger Joseph Boscovich, Ragusan physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (d. 1787)
• 1777 – John George Children, English chemist, mineralogist, and zoologist (d. 1852)
• 1778 – Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, Irish soldier and diplomat, British Ambassador to Austria (d. 1854)
• 1785 – John Wilson, Scottish author and critic (d. 1854)
• 1797 – Frederick Augustus II of Saxony (d. 1854)
• 1822 – Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (d. 1896)
• 1835 – Charles N. Sims, American Methodist preacher and 3rd chancellor of Syracuse University (d. 1908)
• 1850 – Oliver Heaviside, English engineer, mathematician, and physicist (d. 1925)
• 1851 – James Budd, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of California (d. 1908)
• 1851 – Simon Kahquados, Potawatomi political activist (d. 1930)^[17]
• 1852 – Gertrude Käsebier, American photographer (d. 1934)
• 1854 – Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer and educator (d. 1924)
• 1855 – Francis Bellamy, American minister and author (d. 1931)
• 1862 – Josephus Daniels, American publisher and politician, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1948)
• 1867 – Minakata Kumagusu, Japanese author, biologist, naturalist and ethnologist (d. 1941)
• 1868 – Nicholas II of Russia (d. 1918)^[18]
• 1869 – Lucy Beaumont, English-American actress (d. 1937)^[19]
• 1871 – Denis Horgan, Irish shot putter and weight thrower (d. 1922)
• 1872 – Bertrand Russell, British mathematician, historian, and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
• 1876 – Hermann Müller, German journalist and politician, 12th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1931)
• 1878 – Johannes Terwogt, Dutch rower (d. 1977)
• 1882 – Babe Adams, American baseball player, manager, and journalist (d. 1968)
• 1883 – Eurico Gaspar Dutra, Brazilian marshal and politician, 16th President of Brazil (d. 1974)
• 1883 – Walter Gropius, German-American architect, designed the John F. Kennedy Federal Building (d. 1969)
• 1886 – Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1946)
• 1889 – Thomas Midgley, Jr., American chemist and engineer (d. 1944)
• 1891 – Rudolf Carnap, German-American philosopher and academic (d. 1970)
• 1892 – Ezio Pinza, Italian-American actor and singer (d. 1957)
• 1895 – Augusto César Sandino, Nicaraguan rebel leader (d. 1934)
• 1896 – Eric Backman, Swedish runner (d. 1965)
• 1897 – Frank Capra, Italian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)
• 1898 – Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel, Turkish poet, author, and playwright (d. 1973)^[20]

1901–present[edit]

• 1901 – Henri Sauguet, French composer (d. 1989)
• 1901 – Vincent du Vigneaud, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978)
• 1902 – Meredith Willson, American playwright and composer (d. 1984)
• 1904 – Jacob K. Javits, American colonel and politician, 58th New York Attorney General (d. 1986)^[21]
• 1904 – Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator (d. 1971)
• 1905 – Ruth Alexander, pioneering American pilot (d. 1930)^[22]
• 1905 – Hedley Verity, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1943)
• 1907 – Irene Hunt, American author and educator (d. 2001)
• 1909 – Fred Perry, English tennis player and academic (d. 1995)^[23]
• 1910 – Ester Boserup, Danish economist and author (d. 1999)
• 1911 – Big Joe Turner, American blues/R&B singer (d. 1985)
• 1912 – Richard Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
• 1912 – Perry Como, American singer and television host (d. 2001)
• 1912 – Walter Sisulu, South African politician (d. 2003)
• 1913 – Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, Canadian-English publisher and politician (d. 2000)
• 1914 – Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer, founded Balmain (d. 1982)
• 1914 – Boris Christoff, Bulgarian-Italian opera singer (d. 1993)
• 1917 – Bill Everett, American author and illustrator (d. 1973)
• 1919 – Margot Fonteyn, British ballerina (d. 1991)
• 1920 – Pope John Paul II (d. 2005)
• 1921 – Michael A. Epstein, English pathologist and academic
• 1922 – Bill Macy, American actor (d. 2019)
• 1922 – Kai Winding, Danish-American trombonist and composer (d. 1983)
• 1923 – Jean-Louis Roux, Canadian actor and politician, 34th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Hugh Shearer, Jamaican journalist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2004)
• 1924 – Priscilla Pointer, American actress
• 1924 – Jack Whitaker, American sportscaster (d. 2019)
• 1925 – Lillian Hoban, American author and illustrator (d. 1998)
• 1927 – Richard Body, English politician (d. 2018)
• 1927 – Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (d. 2015)
• 1928 – Pernell Roberts, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1929 – Jack Sanford, American baseball player and coach (d. 2000)
• 1929 – Norman St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 2012)
• 1930 – Warren Rudman, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
• 1930 – Fred Saberhagen, American soldier and author (d. 2007)
• 1931 – Don Martin, American cartoonist (d. 2000)
• 1931 – Robert Morse, American actor (d. 2022)^[24]
• 1931 – Kalju Pitksaar, Estonian chess player (d. 1995)
• 1931 – Clément Vincent, Canadian farmer and politician (d. 2018)
• 1933 – Bernadette Chirac, French politician, First Lady of France
• 1933 – H. D. Deve Gowda, Indian farmer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of India
• 1933 – Don Whillans, English rock climber and mountaineer (d. 1985)
• 1934 – Dwayne Hickman, American actor and director (d. 2022)^[25]
• 1936 – Leon Ashley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
• 1936 – Türker İnanoğlu, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1936 – Michael Sandle, English sculptor and academic
• 1937 – Brooks Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1937 – Jacques Santer, Luxembourger jurist and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Luxembourg
• 1938 – Janet Fish, American painter and academic
• 1939 – Patrick Cormack, Baron Cormack, English historian, journalist, and politician
• 1939 – Giovanni Falcone, Italian lawyer and judge (d. 1992)
• 1939 – Gordon O'Connor, Canadian general and politician, 38th Canadian Minister of Defence
• 1940 – Erico Aumentado, Filipino journalist, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
• 1941 – Gino Brito, Canadian wrestler and promoter
• 1941 – Malcolm Longair, Scottish astronomer, physicist, and academic
• 1941 – Miriam Margolyes, English-Australian actress and singer
• 1942 – Nobby Stiles, English footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2020)
• 1944 – Albert Hammond, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1944 – W. G. Sebald, German novelist, essayist, and poet (d. 2001)
• 1946 – Frank Hsieh, Taiwanese lawyer and politician, 40th Premier of the Republic of China
• 1946 – Reggie Jackson, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1946 – Gerd Langguth, German political scientist and author (d. 2013)
• 1947 – John Bruton, Irish politician, 10th Taoiseach of Ireland
• 1947 – Gail Strickland, American actress
• 1948 – Joe Bonsall, American country/gospel singer
• 1948 – Yi Mun-yol, South Korean author and academic
• 1948 – Richard Swedberg, Swedish sociologist and academic
• 1948 – Tom Udall, American lawyer and politician, 28th New Mexico Attorney General, United States Senator from New Mexico
• 1949 – Rick Wakeman, English progressive rock keyboardist and songwriter (Yes)
• 1949 – Walter Hawkins, American gospel music singer and pastor (d. 2010)
• 1950 – Rod Milburn, American hurdler and coach (d. 1997)
• 1950 – Mark Mothersbaugh, American singer-songwriter and painter
• 1951 – Richard Clapton, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1951 – Jim Sundberg, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1951 – Angela Voigt, German long jumper (d. 2013)
• 1952 – Diane Duane, American author and screenwriter
• 1952 – David Leakey, English general and politician
• 1952 – George Strait, American singer, guitarist and producer
• 1952 – Jeana Yeager, American pilot
• 1953 – Alan Kupperberg, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)^[26]
• 1954 – Wreckless Eric, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1954 – Eric Gerets, Belgian footballer and manager
• 1955 – Chow Yun-fat, Hong Kong actor and screenwriter
• 1956 – Catherine Corsini, French director and screenwriter
• 1956 – John Godber, English playwright and screenwriter
• 1957 – Michael Cretu, Romanian-German keyboard player and producer
• 1957 – Henrietta Moore, English anthropologist and academic
• 1958 – Rubén Omar Romano, Argentinian-Mexican footballer and coach
• 1958 – Toyah Willcox, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1959 – Graham Dilley, English cricketer and coach (d. 2011)
• 1959 – Jay Wells, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1960 – Brent Ashton, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1960 – Jari Kurri, Finnish ice hockey player, coach, and manager
• 1960 – Yannick Noah, French tennis player
• 1961 – Russell Senior, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1963 – Marty McSorley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1963 – Sam Vincent, American basketball player and coach
• 1964 – Ignasi Guardans, Spanish academic and politician
• 1966 – Renata Nielsen, Polish-Danish long jumper and coach
• 1966 – Michael Tait, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1967 – Nina Björk, Swedish journalist and author
• 1967 – Heinz-Harald Frentzen, German race car driver
• 1967 – Nancy Juvonen, American screenwriter and producer, co-founded Flower Films
• 1967 – Mimi Macpherson, Australian environmentalist, entrepreneur and celebrity
• 1968 – Philippe Benetton, French rugby player
• 1968 – Ralf Kelleners, German race car driver
• 1969 – Troy Cassar-Daley, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1969 – Martika, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1969 – Antônio Carlos Zago, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1970 – Tina Fey, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Tim Horan, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
• 1970 – Billy Howerdel, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1970 – Javier Cárdenas, Spanish singer, television and radio presenter
• 1970 – Vicky Sunohara, Canadian former ice hockey player
• 1971 – Brad Friedel, American international soccer player, manager and sportscaster^[27]
• 1971 – Mark Menzies, Scottish politician
• 1971 – Nobuteru Taniguchi, Japanese race car driver
• 1972 – Turner Stevenson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1973 – Donyell Marshall, American basketball player and coach
• 1973 – Aleksandr Olerski, Estonian footballer (d. 2011)
• 1974 – Nelson Figueroa, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1975 – Jem, Welsh singer-songwriter and producer
• 1975 – John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
• 1975 – Jack Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1976 – Ron Mercer, American basketball player
• 1976 – Marko Tomasović, Croatian pianist and composer
• 1976 – Oleg Tverdovsky, Ukrainian-Russian ice hockey player
• 1977 – Lee Hendrie, English footballer
• 1977 – Danny Mills, English footballer and sportscaster
• 1977 – Li Tie, Chinese footballer and manager
• 1978 – Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
• 1978 – Marcus Giles, American baseball player
• 1978 – Charles Kamathi, Kenyan runner
• 1979 – Jens Bergensten, Swedish video game designer, co-designed Minecraft
• 1979 – Mariusz Lewandowski, Polish footballer
• 1979 – Michal Martikán, Slovak slalom canoeist^[28]
• 1979 – Milivoje Novaković, Slovenian footballer
• 1979 – Julián Speroni, Argentinian footballer
• 1980 – Reggie Evans, American basketball player
• 1980 – Michaël Llodra, French tennis player
• 1980 – Diego Pérez, Uruguayan footballer
• 1981 – Mahamadou Diarra, Malian international footballer^[29]
• 1981 – Ashley Harrison, Australian rugby league player
• 1982 – Jason Brown, English footballer
• 1982 – Marie-Ève Pelletier, Canadian tennis player
• 1983 – Gary O'Neil, English footballer
• 1983 – Luis Terrero, Dominican baseball player
• 1983 – Vince Young, American football player
• 1984 – Ivet Lalova, Bulgarian sprinter
• 1984 – Simon Pagenaud, French race car driver
• 1984 – Darius Šilinskis, Lithuanian basketball player
• 1984 – Joakim Soria, Mexican baseball player
• 1984 – Niki Terpstra, Dutch cyclist
• 1985 – Oliver Sin, Hungarian painter
• 1985 – Henrique Sereno, Portuguese footballer
• 1986 – Kevin Anderson, South African tennis player
• 1988 – Taeyang, South Korean singer
• 1990 – Dimitri Daeseleire, Belgian footballer
• 1990 – Yuya Osako, Japanese footballer
• 1990 – Josh Starling, Australian rugby league player
• 1992 – Adwoa Aboah, British fashion model
• 1993 – Stuart Percy, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1993 – Jessica Watson, Australian sailor
• 1998 – Polina Edmunds, American figure skater
• 1999 – Laura Omloop, Belgian singer-songwriter
• 2000 – Ryan Sessegnon, English footballer^[30]
• 2000 – Steven Sessegnon, English footballer^[31]
• 2001 – Emma Navarro, American tennis player^[32] [33]
• 2002 – Alina Zagitova, Russian figure skater
• 2009 – Hala Finley, American actress^[34][35]