Famous Birthdays for May 2nd

Pre-1600[edit]

• 1360 – Yongle Emperor of China (d. 1424)
• 1402 – Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (d. 1445)
• 1451 – René II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1508)
• 1458 – Eleanor of Viseu (d. 1525)
• 1476 – Charles I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels, Count of Kladsko, Governor of Bohemia and Silesia (d. 1536)
• 1533 – Philip II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (d. 1596)
• 1551 – William Camden, English historian and topographer (d. 1623)
• 1567 – Sebald de Weert, Dutch captain, vice-admiral of the Dutch East India Company (d. 1603)
• 1579 – Tokugawa Hidetada, Japanese shōgun (d. 1632)

1601–1900[edit]

• 1601 – Athanasius Kircher, German priest and scholar (d. 1680)
• 1660 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1725)
• 1695 – Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-French painter and architect (d. 1766)^[6]
• 1702 – Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian and theosopher (d. 1782)
• 1707 – Jean-Baptiste Barrière, French cellist and composer (d. 1747)
• 1729 – Catherine the Great of Russia (d. 1796)
• 1737 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1805)
• 1740 – Elias Boudinot, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1821)
• 1750 – John André, English soldier and spy (d. 1780)
• 1752 – Ludwig August Lebrun, German oboe player and composer (d. 1790)
• 1754 – Vicente Martín y Soler, Spanish composer (d. 1806)
• 1772 – Novalis, German author and poet (d. 1801)
• 1773 – Henrik Steffens, Norwegian philosopher and poet (d. 1845)
• 1797 – Abraham Pineo Gesner, Canadian physician and geologist (d. 1864)
• 1802 – Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (d. 1870)
• 1806 – Catherine Labouré, French nun and saint (d. 1876)
• 1810 – Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer and conductor (d. 1874)
• 1813 – Caroline Leigh Gascoigne, English novelist and poet (d. 1883)^[7]
• 1815 – William Buell Richards, Canadian lawyer and judge, 1st Chief Justice of Canada (d. 1889)
• 1822 – Jane Miller Thengberg, Scottish-Swedish governess and educator (d. 1902)^[8]
• 1828 – Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist and photographer (d. 1915)
• 1830 – Otto Staudinger, German entomologist and author (d. 1900)
• 1844 – Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American engineer (d. 1929)
• 1859 – Jerome K. Jerome, English author and playwright (d. 1927)
• 1860 – John Scott Haldane, Scottish physiologist, physician, and academic (d. 1936)
• 1860 – Theodor Herzl, Austro-Hungarian Zionist philosopher, journalist and author (d. 1904)
• 1865 – Clyde Fitch, American playwright (d. 1909)
• 1867 – Giuseppe Morello, Italian-American mobster (d. 1930)
• 1872 – Ichiyō Higuchi, Japanese writer (d. 1896)^[9]
• 1873 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (d. 1944)
• 1879 – James F. Byrnes, American stenographer and politician, 49th United States Secretary of State (d. 1972)
• 1880 – Bill Horr, American football player, discus thrower, and coach (d. 1955)
• 1882 – Isabel González, Puerto Rican activist who helped pave the way for Puerto Ricans' American citizenship (d. 1971)
• 1885 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (d. 1966)
• 1886 – Gottfried Benn, German author and poet (d. 1956)
• 1887 – Vernon Castle, English-American dancer (d. 1918)
• 1887 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (d. 1951)
• 1889 – Ki Hajar Dewantara, Indonesian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1959)
• 1890 – E. E. Smith, American engineer and author (d. 1965)
• 1892 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (d. 1918)
• 1894 – Norma Talmadge, American actress of the silent era (d. 1957)^[10]
• 1894 – Joseph Henry Woodger, English biologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1981)
• 1895 – Lorenz Hart, American playwright and lyricist (d. 1943)
• 1897 – John Frederick Coots, American songwriter (d. 1985)
• 1898 – Henry Hall, English bandleader, composer, and actor (d. 1989)

1901–present[edit]

• 1901 – Bob Wyatt, English cricketer (d. 1995)
• 1901 – Edouard Zeckendorf, Belgian doctor, army officer and mathematician (d. 1983)
• 1901 – Willi Bredel, German writer (d. 1964)
• 1902 – Brian Aherne, English actor (d. 1986)
• 1902 – Werner Finck, German Kabarett comedian, actor and author (d. 1978)
• 1903 – Benjamin Spock, American rower, pediatrician, and author (d. 1998)
• 1905 – Alan Rawsthorne, British composer (d. 1971)
• 1905 – Charlotte Armstrong, American author (d. 1969)
• 1906 – Philippe Halsman, Latvian-American photographer (d. 1979)
• 1907 – Pinky Lee, American comedian and television host (d. 1993)
• 1908 – Frank Rowlett, American cryptologist (d. 1998)
• 1909 – Teddy Stauffer, Swiss bandleader, musician, and actor (d. 1991)
• 1910 – Alexander Bonnyman, Jr., American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1943)
• 1910 – Edmund Bacon, American urban planner, architect, educator, and author (d. 2005)
• 1912 – Axel Springer, German journalist and publisher, founded Axel Springer AG (d. 1985)
• 1912 – Karl Adam, German rowing coach (d. 1976)
• 1912 – Marten Toonder, Dutch comic strip creator (d. 2005)
• 1912 – Nigel Patrick, English actor and director (d. 1981)
• 1913 – Pietro Frua, Italian coachbuilder and car designer (d. 1983)
• 1913 – Aydın Sayılı, Turkish historian and academic (d. 1993)
• 1915 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
• 1915 – Peggy Mount, English actress (d. 2001)
• 1917 – Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder (d. ?)
• 1917 – Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (d. 2002)
• 1920 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian-Brazilian journalist and activist (d. 2000)
• 1920 – Vasantrao Deshpande, Indian singer and sitar player (d. 1983)
• 1920 – Guinn Smith, American pole vaulter, soldier, and pilot (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Jacob Gilboa, Israeli composer (d. 2007)
• 1921 – B. B. Lal, Indian archaeologist (d. 2022)
• 1921 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
• 1922 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (d. 2007)
• 1922 – A. M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born American journalist and author (d. 2006)
• 1922 – Serge Reggiani, Italian-born French singer and actor (d. 2004)
• 1923 – Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (d. 2008)
• 1923 – Albert Nordengen, Norwegian banker and politician (d. 2004)
• 1924 – Jamal Abro, Pakistani lawyer and author (d. 2004)
• 1924 – Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2015)
• 1924 – Arthur Clues, Australian rugby league player (d. 1998)
• 1924 – Hugh Cortazzi, English soldier, historian, and diplomat, British Ambassador to Japan (d. 2018)
• 1925 – John Neville, English-Canadian actor (d. 2011)
• 1926 – Gérard D. Levesque, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1993)
• 1927 – Ray Barrett, Australian actor and singer (d. 2009)
• 1927 – Amos Kenan, Israeli columnist, painter, sculptor, playwright and novelist (d. 2009)
• 1927 – Michael Broadbent, British wine critic and writer (d. 2020)
• 1928 – Hans Trass, Estonian ecologist and botanist (d. 2017)
• 1928 – Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt, French writer and translator of German origin
• 1928 – Horst Stein, German conductor (d. 2008)
• 1929 – Édouard Balladur, Turkish-French economist and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of France
• 1929 – James Dillion, American discus thrower (d. 2010)
• 1929 – Link Wray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
• 1929 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan (d. 1972)
• 1930 – Yoram Kaniuk, Israeli painter and critic (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Marco Pannella, Italian journalist and politician (d. 2016)
• 1931 – Phil Bruns, American actor and stuntman (d. 2012)
• 1931 – Martha Grimes, American author and poet
• 1932 – Maury Allen, American journalist, actor, and author (d. 2010)
• 1933 – Bunk Gardner, American musician
• 1933 – Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
• 1934 – Manfred Durniok, German film producer, director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
• 1935 – Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1935 – Faisal II of Iraq, the last King of Iraq (d.1958)
• 1936 – Norma Aleandro, Argentinian actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1936 – Engelbert Humperdinck, English singer and pianist
• 1936 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (d. 1972)
• 1937 – Klaus Enders, German motorcycle sidecar racer (d. 2019)
• 1937 – Lorenzo Music, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
• 1937 – Gisela Elsner, German writer (d. 1992)
• 1938 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (d. 1996)
• 1939 – Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist and engineer
• 1939 – Ernesto Castano, Italian football player
• 1940 – Jules Albert Wijdenbosch, Surinamese politician
• 1941 – Tony Adamowicz, American race car driver (d. 2016)
• 1941 – Bruce Cameron, Scottish bishop
• 1941 – Clay Carroll, American baseball player^[11]
• 1941 – Eddy Louiss, French jazz musician (d. 2015)
• 1942 – Jacques Rogge, Belgian businessman (d. 2021)
• 1942 – Wojciech Pszoniak, Polish film and theater actor (d. 2020)
• 1943 – Mustafa Nadarević, Bosnian actor and film director (d. 2020)^[12]
• 1944 – Robert G. W. Anderson, English chemist, historian, and curator
• 1945 – Randy Cain, American soul singer (d. 2009)
• 1945 – Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
• 1945 – Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan-American model, actress, and activist
• 1945 – Goldy McJohn, Canadian keyboard player (d. 2017)
• 1946 – Peter L. Benson, American psychologist and academic (d. 2011)
• 1946 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
• 1946 – David Suchet, English actor
• 1947 – James Dyson, English businessman, founded the Dyson Company
• 1947 – Lynda Myles, English screenwriter and producer
• 1947 – Philippe Herreweghe, Belgian conductor
• 1948 – Larry Gatlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1949 – Alan Titchmarsh, English gardener and author
• 1949 – Alfons Schuhbeck, German celebrity chef, author and businessman
• 1950 – Simon Gaskell, English chemist and academic
• 1950 – Duncan Gay, Australian businessman and politician
• 1950 – Lou Gramm, American singer-songwriter
• 1950 – Richard Ground, English lawyer and judge (d. 2014)
• 1950 – Fausto Silva, Brazilian television presenter
• 1951 – John Glascock, English singer and bass player (d. 1979)
• 1952 – Chris Anderson, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1952 – Christine Baranski, American actress and singer
• 1952 – Isla St Clair, Scottish singer and actress
• 1953 – Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor and director
• 1953 – Jamaal Wilkes, American basketball player^[13]
• 1954 – Elliot Goldenthal, American composer and conductor
• 1954 – Dawn Primarolo, English politician
• 1954 – Stephen Venables, English mountaineer and author
• 1955 – Willie Miller, Scottish footballer
• 1955 – Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
• 1956 – Régis Labeaume, Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Quebec City
• 1958 – Yasushi Akimoto, Japanese songwriter and producer
• 1958 – Stanislav Levý, Czech footballer and manager
• 1958 – David O'Leary, English-Irish footballer and manager
• 1959 – Alan Best, Canadian animator, director, and producer
• 1959 – Tony Wakeford, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1960 – Stephen Daldry, English director and producer
• 1960 – Royce Simmons, Australian rugby league player and coach^[14]
• 1961 – Steve James, English snooker player
• 1961 – Sophie Thibault, Canadian journalist
• 1961 – Phil Vickery, English chef and author
• 1962 – Elizabeth Berridge, American actress
• 1962 – Michael Grandage, English director and producer
• 1962 – Jimmy White, English snooker player
• 1965 – Félix José, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1966 – Uwe Freiler, German footballer
• 1966 – Margus Kolga, Estonian diplomat
• 1966 – Belinda Stronach, Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, and politician
• 1967 – Bengt Åkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1995)
• 1967 – Mika Brzezinski, American journalist and author
• 1967 – David Rocastle, English footballer (d. 2001)
• 1968 – Jeff Agoos, Swiss-American soccer player, manager, and sportscaster
• 1968 – Julia Hartley-Brewer, English broadcaster and columnist
• 1968 – Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer-songwriter and actress
• 1969 – Brian Lara, Trinidadian cricketer
• 1970 – Marco Walker, Swiss footballer and coach
• 1971 – Musashimaru Kōyō, Samoan-American sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna
• 1971 – Fatima Yusuf, Nigerian sprinter
• 1972 – Paul Adcock, English footballer
• 1972 – Ahti Heinla, Estonian programmer and businessman, co-developed Skype
• 1972 – Dwayne Johnson, American-Canadian wrestler, actor, and producer
• 1973 – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German director and screenwriter
• 1974 – Horacio Carbonari, Argentinian footballer and manager
• 1974 – Andy Johnson, English-Welsh footballer
• 1974 – Janek Meet, Estonian footballer
• 1975 – David Beckham, English footballer, coach, and model
• 1975 – Joe Wilkinson, English comedian, actor and writer
• 1976 – Jeff Gutt, American singer-songwriter
• 1977 – Brian Cardinal, American basketball player
• 1977 – Jan Fitschen, German runner
• 1977 – Luke Hudson, American baseball player
• 1977 – Fredrik Malm, Swedish journalist and politician
• 1977 – Jenna von Oÿ, American actress and singer
• 1977 – Kalle Palander, Finnish skier
• 1978 – Melvin Ely, American basketball player
• 1978 – Mike Weaver, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Jason Chimera, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Ioannis Kanotidis, Greek footballer
• 1979 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish-American actress, presenter and VJ (d. 2011)
• 1980 – Tim Borowski, German footballer
• 1980 – Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canadian skateboarder
• 1980 – Ellie Kemper, American actress, comedian and writer
• 1980 – Zat Knight, English footballer^[15]
• 1980 – Artūras Masiulis, Lithuanian basketball player
• 1980 – Troy Murphy, American basketball player
• 1980 – Lassaâd Ouertani, Tunisian footballer (d. 2013)
• 1980 – Brad Richards, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Vincent Tong, Canadian actor, singer, voice actor and director
• 1981 – Robert Buckley, American actor
• 1981 – Chris Kirkland, English footballer
• 1981 – Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer
• 1981 – Matt Murray, English footballer
• 1981 – Rina Satō, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1982 – Timothy Benjamin, Welsh sprinter
• 1982 – Johan Botha, South African cricketer
• 1983 – Alessandro Diamanti, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Maynor Figueroa, Honduran footballer
• 1983 – Tina Maze, Slovenian skier
• 1983 – Daniel Sordo, Spanish race car driver
• 1983 – Ove Vanebo, Norwegian politician
• 1984 – Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer
• 1984 – Thabo Sefolosha, Swiss basketball player
• 1985 – Lily Allen, English singer-songwriter and actress
• 1985 – Kyle Busch, American race car driver
• 1985 – Ashley Harkleroad, American tennis player
• 1985 – Sarah Hughes, American figure skater^[16]
• 1986 – Yasir Shah, Pakistani cricketer^[17]
• 1987 – Saara Aalto, Finnish singer and actress^[18]
• 1987 – Nana Kitade, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
• 1987 – Pat McAfee, American football player
• 1987 – Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1987 – Justin Young, English singer and songwriter
• 1988 – Neftalí Feliz, Dominican baseball player
• 1988 – Stephen Henderson, Irish footballer
• 1989 – Jeanette Pohlen, American basketball player
• 1990 – Kay Panabaker, American actress
• 1990 – Paul George, American basketball player
• 1991 – Jeong Jinwoon, South Korean actor and singer
• 1992 – Sunmi, South Korean singer
• 1992 – María Teresa Torró Flor, Spanish tennis player
• 1993 – Owain Doull, Welsh track cyclist
• 1993 – Isyana Sarasvati, Indonesian singer
• 1993 – Huang Zitao, Chinese singer and rapper
• 1996 – Cherprang Areekul, Thai singer
• 1996 – Julian Brandt, German footballer
• 1996 – Schuyler Bailar, American swimmer^[19]
• 2015 – Princess Charlotte of Wales, British royal, and third in line to the British throne^[20]