Born on Saturday, 27th December – Famous Birthdays
On this day, 231 notable people were born on 27th December — spanning from 1350 to 2001. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
Saturday, 27 December 2025 marks the birth date of several notable individuals across entertainment, sports and politics. Among those celebrating birthdays this day is Timothée Chalamet, the French-American actor born in 1995, who has become one of contemporary cinema’s most prominent figures. Spanish footballer Ander Barrenetxea, born in 2001, represents the younger generation of athletes contributing to European sport. The historical record extends considerably further back, including figures such as Louis Pasteur, the French chemist and microbiologist born in 1822, whose work fundamentally advanced scientific understanding of disease and fermentation processes.
The list of individuals born on this date encompasses a wide spectrum of professions and eras. Notable births include Guido Westerwelle, the German lawyer and politician who served as Vice-Chancellor of Germany, and Ernesto Zedillo, the Mexican economist who held the presidency. Earlier centuries contributed figures such as Johannes Kepler, the German mathematician and astronomer born in 1571, whose contributions to celestial mechanics shaped modern physics. The date has also seen the birth of artists, musicians, athletes and public figures whose collective impact spans multiple disciplines and centuries.
On 27 December 2025, the sky presents a waning gibbous moon phase, whilst the zodiac sign is Capricorn. Weather conditions for this date indicate clear skies with temperatures hovering around 4 degrees Celsius, typical of late December conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. The date falls within winter’s quieter period, a time when many reflect on the year’s accomplishments and consider plans ahead. DayAtlas provides comprehensive information about weather conditions, historical events, famous births and notable deaths for any date and location worldwide, allowing users to explore the significance of any calendar day.
Discover who was born today 10th April.
27/12/2001
Ander Barrenetxea, Spanish footballer
Ander Barrenetxea Muguruza, commonly known mononymously as Barrene, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward or left winger for Real Sociedad and the Spain national team.
27/12/1999
Brock Purdy, American football player
Brock Richard Purdy is an American professional football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones and was selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft, becoming that year's Mr. Irrelevant.
27/12/1998
Luka Garza, American basketball player
Luka Hudson Garza is a Bosnian-American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
27/12/1997
Mads Juel Andersen, Danish footballer
Mads Juel Andersen is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL League One club Luton Town.
Vachirawit Chivaaree, Thai actor and singer
Vachirawit Chivaaree, also known as Bright Vachirawit or simply Bright, is a Thai actor, singer, and entrepreneur. He is known for his role in the 2gether (2020) series franchise and F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (2021), for the films Congrats My Ex! (2023) and Love You To Debt (2024), for show Toe Laew, for album Adolescent, and for song "Lost & Found". He is the founder of ASTRO Stuffs merchandise and Cloud9 Entertainment agency. He was listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 under Asia Entertainment in 2024.
Ana Konjuh, Croatian tennis player
Ana Konjuh is a Croatian tennis player.
Jang Gyu-ri, South Korean actress
Jang Gyu-ri is a South Korean actress and former singer. She finished ninth in Mnet's girl group survival show Idol School, becoming a member of the resulting girl group Fromis 9, but left after her contract expired with Pledis Entertainment in July 2022, and later transitioned to an acting career. She gained more recognition after starring in the television series It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020).
27/12/1995
Timothée Chalamet, French-American actor
Timothée Hal Chalamet is an American and French actor. Known for his work in a diverse range of blockbusters and independent films, he is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Actor Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Critics' Choice Awards, in addition to nominations for four Academy Awards, six British Academy Film Awards, and a Grammy Award. His films as a leading actor have grossed over US$2.3 billion worldwide.
Nick Chubb, American football player
Nicholas Jamaal Chubb is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft. Across his seven seasons with the Browns, Chubb was a four-time Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro in 2022. Chubb has also played for the Houston Texans.
Ghislain Konan, Ivorian footballer
Ghislain N'Clomande Konan is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Primeira Liga club Gil Vicente and the Ivory Coast national team.
Mark Lapidus, Estonian chess player
Mark Lapidus is an Estonian chess player who won the Estonian Chess Championship in 2012.
27/12/1994
Isi Palazón, Spanish footballer
Isaac Palazón Camacho, better known as Isi Palazón, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as attacking midfielder or right midfielder for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano.
27/12/1993
Olivia Cooke, English actress
Olivia Kate Cooke is an English actress. She has appeared as Alicent Hightower in the fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon (2022–present), Emma Decody in the thriller Bates Motel (2013–2017), Becky Sharp in the period drama Vanity Fair (2018), spy Sidonie "Sid" Baker in the Apple TV thriller Slow Horses (2022), and Cherry Laine in the psychological thriller The Girlfriend (2025).
27/12/1992
Joel Indermitte, Estonian footballer
Joel Indermitte is a retired Estonian footballer and current football manager. He played the position of centre back.
Maicel Uibo, Estonian decathlete
Maicel Uibo is an Estonian decathlete. While competing for the University of Georgia, he won the 2014 and 2015 NCAA championships in decathlon. Uibo won the silver medal at the 2019 World Championships, setting his personal best in the event with 8604 points.
27/12/1991
Chloe Bridges, American actress
Chloe Marisa Suazo Devine, known professionally as Chloe Bridges, is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Zoey Moreno in the sitcom Freddie (2005–2006) and as Dana Turner in the Disney Channel original film Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010). She has starred in the films Forget Me Not (2009), Family Weekend (2013), Mantervention (2014), The Final Girls (2015), and Nightlight (2015). She has also portrayed Donna LaDonna in The Carrie Diaries, Sydney in Pretty Little Liars, and Kibby in Daytime Divas. Born in Thibodaux, Louisiana, she was raised in nearby Houma.
Michael Morgan, Australian rugby league player
Michael Morgan is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the NRL.
Beth Potter, Scottish triathlete and long-distance runner
Beth Potter is a Scottish triathlete and long distance runner. She competed for Great Britain in athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In 2019 she won the gold medal at the European Triathlon Championships in Weert, Netherlands. In 2022, she won individual bronze at the 2022 World Triathlon Sprint Championships, and silver with Team Great Britain in the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships. In 2023, she won the Elite championship in the World Triathlon Championship Series, becoming the sixth British women's world champion.
Danny Wilson, Scottish footballer
Daniel John Wilson is a Scottish footballer who plays as a centre-back for Scottish Premiership club Livingston.
27/12/1990
Max Lindholm, Finnish figure skater
Max Lindholm is a Finnish former ice dancer. With partner Olesia Karmi, he is the 2015 CS Ice Challenge bronze medalist, 2014 NRW Trophy bronze medalist, and a two-time Finnish national champion. The duo reached the free skate at two ISU Championships – 2013 Europeans in Zagreb and 2015 Europeans in Stockholm. They were 22nd at the 2013 World Championships in London, Ontario.
Jonathan Marchessault, Canadian ice hockey player
Jonathan Marchessault is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Milos Raonic, Canadian tennis player
Milos Raonic is a Canadian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, making him the highest-ranked Canadian in ATP history. Raonic won eight ATP Tour titles, and reached a major final at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships.
Zelina Vega, American wrestler
Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the mononymous ring name Zelina.
27/12/1989
Ingrid Várgas Calvo, Peruvian tennis player
Ingrid Esperanza Várgas Calvo is a Peruvian former tennis player.
27/12/1988
Jorge Gutiérrez, Mexican basketball player
Jorge Iván Gutiérrez Cárdenas is a Mexican former professional basketball player currently working as an assistant coach for the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the California Golden Bears. He is considered one the best Mexican basketball players of all time.
Hera Hilmar, Icelandic actress
Hera Hilmarsdóttir, known professionally as Hera Hilmar, is an Icelandic actress. Starting her career as a child actor, she has been active in the film industry since 1995.
Zavon Hines, Jamaican-English footballer
Zavon Albert Hines is a football coach and former professional footballer who played as a winger. He is currently assistant coach for the West Ham United under-18 team.
Ok Taec-yeon, South Korean singer and actor
Ok Taec-yeon, known mononymously as Taecyeon, is a South Korean rapper, singer, actor, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he debuted as the rapper of the South Korean boy band 2PM. In 2010, Ok debuted as an actor in the Korean drama Cinderella's Stepsister and has since starred in notable television series such as Dream High (2011), Bring It On, Ghost (2016), Vincenzo (2021), and The First Night with the Duke (2025), as well as films such as Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022). As a solo artist, he has released one Japanese studio album titled Taecyeon Special: Winter Hitori in 2017.
Rick Porcello, American baseball player
Frederick Alfred Porcello III is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets.
Hayley Williams, American singer-songwriter
Hayley Nichole Williams is an American singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the rock band Paramore and has released several solo albums.
27/12/1987
Lily Cole, English model
Lily Luahana Cole is an English actress, model, author, and entrepreneur. Cole pursued a modelling career as a teenager and was listed in 2009 by Vogue Paris as one of the top 30 models of the 2000s. She was booked for her first British Vogue cover at age 16, named "Model of the Year" at the 2004 British Fashion Awards and has worked with many well-known brands, including Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Jean Paul Gaultier and Moschino. Her advertising campaigns have included Longchamp, Anna Sui, Rimmel and Cacharel.
27/12/1986
Torah Bright, Australian snowboarder
Torah Jane Bright is an Australian former professional snowboarder. She is Australia's second most successful Winter Olympian, former Olympic gold and silver medalist, two time X Games gold medalist, three time US Open winner, two time Global Open Champion, three time World Superpipe Champion, former TTR World Champion and recipient of the Best Female Action Sports Athlete at the ESPY awards. In 2014 Bright became the first Olympic athlete to qualify for all three snowboarding disciplines; halfpipe, slopestyle and boarder-cross.
Jamaal Charles, American football player
Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles is an American former professional football player who was a running back for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, where he won the 2006 Rose Bowl, and was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaican sprinter
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is a retired Jamaican track and field sprinter who competed in the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time.
27/12/1985
Logan Bailly, Belgian footballer
Logan Bailly is a Belgian retired professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Having started his career at Genk, Bailly has had spells at German Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach, Scottish Premiership club Celtic and Belgian Pro League side Oud-Heverlee Leuven. In March 2021 he announced to have signed with Bressoux playing in the Belgian Provincial Leagues, but early August of that same year he instead retired and became goalkeeper manager at FC Differdange 03. He became goalkeeper manager at Virton, but due to several injured goalkeepers he suddenly appeared in the three final matches of the 2023–2024 season. The following season he remained third goalkeeper and would go on to make four more appearances, after now officially retiring at 39 years of age in May of 2025.
Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Belgian racing driver
Jérôme d'Ambrosio is a Belgian motorsport executive and former racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2011 to 2012. Since 2024, d'Ambrosio has served as deputy team principal of Ferrari in Formula One, as well as the head of the Ferrari Driver Academy.
Adil Rami, French footballer
Adil Rami is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Paul Stastny, Canadian-American ice hockey player
Paul Stastny is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey center who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, and Carolina Hurricanes.
27/12/1984
Andrejs Perepļotkins, Ukrainian-Latvian footballer
Andrejs Perepļotkins is a Ukrainian born Latvian former footballer, who used to primarily play as a winger.
Gilles Simon, French tennis player
Gilles Simon is a French former tennis player. He turned professional in 2002 and won fourteen singles titles on the ATP Tour, and attained a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 6, on 5 January 2009.
27/12/1983
Anthony Boric, New Zealand rugby union player
Anthony Frank Boric is a former rugby union footballer who represented the New Zealand in international rugby, and was a member of the 2011 Rugby World Cup winning All Blacks squad. He played as a lock.
Cole Hamels, American baseball player
Colbert Michael Hamels, nicknamed "Hollywood", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (2006–2015), Texas Rangers (2015–2018), Chicago Cubs (2018–2019), and Atlanta Braves (2020).
Jesse Williams, American high jumper
Jesse Daniel Williams is an American high jumper and the 2011 World Champion. He was ranked the #2 jumper in the world, outdoors, in 2010 and #1 in the world in 2011. He has jumped 53 centimeters above his height, a differential which places him among the top 20 jumpers of all time.
27/12/1982
Erin E. Stead, American illustrator
Erin E. Stead is an American illustrator of children's books. She won the 2011 Caldecott Medal for the year's best-illustrated U.S. picture book, recognizing her first publication, A Sick Day for Amos McGee.
27/12/1981
David Aardsma, American baseball player
David Allan Aardsma is an American former professional baseball pitcher, currently serving in the Toronto Blue Jays front office as a coordinator of player development. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2015 for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves.
Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
Emilie de Ravin is an Australian actress. She first gained recognition for playing Tess Harding on The WB's science fiction television series Roswell (2000–2002). She went on to portray Claire Littleton on the ABC drama series Lost, and Belle on the ABC fantasy adventure series Once Upon a Time (2011–2018). De Ravin's film credits include Santa's Slay (2005), The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and Ball Don't Lie (2008), Brick (2005), Public Enemies (2009) and Remember Me (2010).
Jay Ellis, American actor
Wendell Ramone "Jay" Ellis Jr. is an American actor. In 2013, Ellis received his first major role on BET's series The Game. His role as Martin "Lawrence" Walker in the HBO series Insecure (2016–2021), earned him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. He later starred in the horror film Escape Room (2019) and appeared in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
Moise Joseph, American-Haitian runner
Moise Joseph is a Haitian middle-distance runner specializing in the 800 meters. He competed at the Summer Olympics in 2004 and 2012.
Patrick Sharp, Canadian ice hockey player
Patrick Sharp is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Dallas Stars. After his retirement as a player, Sharp worked as an analyst for NBC Sports and as a color commentary for Blackhawks broadcasts on NBC Sports Chicago. He joined the Flyers in 2023 as a special adviser to hockey operations. Sharp was also a member of the University of Vermont coaching staff in 2021.
27/12/1980
Bernard Berrian, American football player
Bernard Berrian is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs, earning first-team All-American honors in 2001. Berrian was selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2004 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings.
Claudio Castagnoli, Swiss wrestler
Claudio Castagnoli is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is signed to American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Death Riders. He is also signed to Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH). He is also known for his tenure in WWE from 2011 to 2022, where he performed under the ring names Cesaro and Antonio Cesaro.
Dahntay Jones, American basketball player
Dahntay Lavall Jones is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Duke Blue Devils. Jones played in the NBA as a small forward and shooting guard from 2003 to 2017. He won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
Meelis Kompus, Estonian journalist
Meelis Kompus is an Estonian civil servant and former Estonian TV and radio host, employed by the Estonian Public Broadcasting.
27/12/1979
Pascale Dorcelus, Canadian weightlifter
Pascale Dorcelus is a Canadian weightlifter.
David Dunn, English footballer and manager
David John Ian Dunn is an English former professional football player, manager and coach.
Carson Palmer, American football player
Carson Hilton Palmer is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. Palmer played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2002. He was selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2003 NFL draft.
27/12/1978
Deuce McAllister, American football player
Dulymus Jenod "Deuce" McAllister is an American former professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons with the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels and was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft. McAllister was selected to two Pro Bowls in his career.
Lisa Jakub, Canadian actress
Lisa Jakub is a Canadian writer, yoga teacher, and former actress. She is best known for her roles as Lydia Hillard in the comedy-drama film Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and as Alicia Casse in Independence Day (1996).
27/12/1977
Jacqueline Pillon, Canadian actress
Jacqueline Patricia Pillon is a Canadian actress.
Chris Tate, English footballer
Christopher Douglas Tate is an English former footballer who played as a striker for various teams in the Football League.
27/12/1976
Nikolaos Georgeas, Greek footballer
Nikolaos "Nikos" Georgeas is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He was most recently administrative director of AEK Athens Academy.
Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (died 2009)
Piotr Morawski was a Polish mountaineer. He achieved the first successful winter ascent together with Simone Moro of Shishapangma on 14 January 2005. Morawski died aged 32 during an international Dhaulagiri/Manaslu expedition in Nepal. He fell into a crevasse at an elevation of 5500 m while acclimatizing.
Daimí Pernía, Cuban basketball player and hurdler
Daimí Pernía Figueroa is a retired Cuban athlete competing mainly in 400 m hurdles. A former basketball player, she did not rise to international level until 1999, when she lowered her personal best from 55.51s to 52.89s and even became world champion. She announced her retirement in 2007.
Fernando Pisani, Canadian-Italian ice hockey player
Fernando Antonio Pisani is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He played professionally in the National Hockey League for his hometown Edmonton Oilers for seven NHL seasons, and one for the Chicago Blackhawks.
27/12/1975
Aigars Fadejevs, Latvian race walker and therapist
Aigars Fadejevs was a Latvian athlete, competing in 20 km, 50 km walk, and marathon running, and a physiotherapist for sprinters and other athletes. He won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the 50 km race walk, and was named the Latvian Sportsperson of the Year in 2000.
Heather O'Rourke, American actress (died 1988)
Heather Michele O'Rourke was an American child actress. She had her breakthrough starring as Carol Anne Freeling in the supernatural horror film Poltergeist (1982), which received critical acclaim and established her as an influential figure in the genre. She went on to reprise the role in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergeist III (1988), the last of which was released posthumously.
27/12/1974
Tomáš Janků, Czech high jumper
Tomáš Janků is a former Czech high jumper.
Masi Oka, Japanese-American actor and visual effects designer
Masayori "Masi" Oka is a Japanese actor, producer, and digital effects artist based in the United States who became widely known for starring in NBC's Heroes as Hiro Nakamura, for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and in CBS's Hawaii Five-0 as Doctor Max Bergman.
Fumiko Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer
Fumiko Orikasa is a Japanese actress, voice actress, and singer. She voiced Ruki Makino in Digimon Tamers, Rukia Kuchiki in Bleach, Meyrin Hawke in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, Chun-Li in Street Fighter, Kanade Minamino/Cure Rhythm in Suite PreCure, Lotte Yanson in Little Witch Academia, and Riza Hawkeye in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Jay Pandolfo, American ice hockey player and coach
Jay Paul Pandolfo is an American college ice hockey coach and former professional forward. He is currently the head coach of the Boston University Terriers.
27/12/1973
Wilson Cruz, American actor
Wilson Cruz is an American actor known for playing Rickie Vasquez on My So-Called Life, Dr. Hugh Culber on Star Trek: Discovery, and the recurring character Junito on Noah's Arc. As a gay man of Afro-Puerto Rican ancestry, he has served as an advocate for gay youth, especially gay minorities.
Kristoffer Zegers, Dutch pianist and composer
Kristoffer Zegers is a Dutch composer.
27/12/1972
Colin Charvis, Welsh rugby union player and coach
Colin Charvis is a former professional rugby union player. A back row forward, Charvis was equally adept as a flanker or at number 8. Born in Sutton Coldfield, England, he captained the Wales national team from 2002 to 2004, and also played for the British & Irish Lions on their tour of Australia in 2001.
Kevin Ollie, American basketball player and coach
Kevin Jermaine Ollie is an American basketball coach and former player who most recently was the interim head coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Matt Slocum, American guitarist and songwriter
Matt Slocum is an American musician and songwriter, known for his work as the principal songwriter and lead guitarist of Sixpence None the Richer.
27/12/1971
Duncan Ferguson, Scottish footballer and coach
Duncan Cowan Ferguson is a Scottish football manager and former player.
Guthrie Govan, English guitarist and educator
Guthrie Govan is an English guitarist and guitar teacher, known for his work with the bands the Aristocrats, Asia, GPS, the Young Punx and the Fellowship, as well as his solo project Erotic Cakes. More recently, he has collaborated with Steven Wilson and Hans Zimmer. He is a noted guitar teacher, working with the UK magazine Guitar Techniques, Guildford's Academy of Contemporary Music, Lick Library, and formerly the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. Govan was named "Guitarist of the Year" by Guitarist magazine in 1993.
Savannah Guthrie, American television journalist
Savannah Clark Guthrie is an American broadcast journalist and attorney. She is a main co-anchor of the NBC News morning show Today, a position she has held since July 2012.
27/12/1970
Lorenzo Neal, American football player and radio host
Lorenzo LaVonne Neal is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. Neal played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL draft. A four-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro, he was also a member of the New York Jets, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tennessee Titans, the Cincinnati Bengals, the San Diego Chargers, the Baltimore Ravens and the Oakland Raiders. Considered one of the best blocking fullbacks in NFL history, Neal blocked for a 1,000-plus-yard running back in 11 straight seasons from 1997 to 2007.
Naoko Yamazaki, Japanese pilot and astronaut
Naoko Yamazaki is a Japanese engineer and former astronaut at JAXA. She was the second Japanese woman to fly in space. The first was Chiaki Mukai.
27/12/1969
Jean-Christophe Boullion, French racing driver
Jean-Christophe Joël Louis "Jules" Boullion is a French former racing driver. He won the 1994 International Formula 3000 Championship with DAMS, took two Le Mans Series titles with the Pescarolo Sport outfit in 2005 and 2006, and took two podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Boullion also competed in 11 Formula One races for the Sauber team.
Chyna, American professional wrestler and actress (died 2016)
Chyna, also known as Joanie Laurer, was an American professional wrestler, fitness model, bodybuilder, actress, adult actress, and television personality.
Sarah Vowell, American author and journalist
Sarah Jane Vowell is an American historian, writer, journalist, radio personality, social commentator, and actress. She has written seven nonfiction books on American history and culture. Vowell was a contributing editor for the radio program This American Life on Public Radio International from 1996 to 2008, where she produced commentaries and documentaries. She was the voice of Violet Parr in the 2004 animated film The Incredibles and its 2018 sequel.
27/12/1966
Marianne Elliott, English director and producer
Marianne Phoebe Elliott is a British theatre director and producer. Known for her works in the West End and on Broadway, she has received numerous accolades including two Laurence Olivier Awards and four Tony Awards.
Bill Goldberg, American football player, wrestler and actor
William Scott Goldberg, often known mononymously as Goldberg, is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. As a wrestler, he is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Eva LaRue, American model and actress
Eva Maria LaRue is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Maria Santos on All My Children and Detective Natalia Boa Vista on CSI: Miami.
27/12/1965
Salman Khan, Indian film actor and producer
Salman Salim Khan is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awards as a film producer, and two Filmfare Awards as an actor. He has been cited in the media as one of the most popular and commercially successful actors of Indian cinema. Forbes included him in listings of the highest-paid celebrities in the world, in 2015 and 2018.
27/12/1964
Ian Gomez, American actor
Ian Braque Gomez is an American actor known for his comedic TV work, which includes series-regular roles as Javier on Felicity and Andy on Cougar Town.
Theresa Randle, American actress
Theresa Randle is an American retired actress. She has appeared in films such as Malcolm X (1992), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Space Jam (1996), Spawn (1997) and the Bad Boys franchise (1995–2020).
27/12/1963
Gaspar Noé, Argentine-French director and screenwriter
Gaspar Noé is an Argentine filmmaker and screenwriter, who lives and works primarily in France. He is one of the primary exponents of New French Extremity, with his most notable works including the feature films I Stand Alone (1998), Irréversible (2002), Enter the Void (2009), Love (2015), Climax (2018), and Vortex (2021).
27/12/1962
Mark Few, American basketball player and coach
Mark Norman Few is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Gonzaga University since 1999.
John Kampfner, Singaporean journalist and author
John Kampfner is a British author, broadcaster and commentator.
Bill Self, American basketball player and coach
Billy Eugene Self Jr. is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team. Self has held various coaching roles at the collegiate level and has been the coach of the Jayhawks since 2003.
Sherri Steinhauer, American golfer
Sherri Steinhauer is an American professional golfer who plays on the Legends Tour. She retired from the LPGA Tour in 2012 after a 26-year career. She was born in Madison, Wisconsin and attended The University of Texas at Austin. Her rookie season on the LPGA Tour was 1986. She has won eight tournaments on the Tour, including two major championships, the 1992 du Maurier Classic and 2006 Women's British Open.
27/12/1961
Guido Westerwelle, German lawyer and politician, 15th Vice-Chancellor of Germany (died 2016)
Guido Westerwelle was a German politician who served as foreign minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice-Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011, being the first openly gay person to hold any of these positions. He also led the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) from 2001 until he stepped down in 2011. A lawyer by profession, he was a member of the Bundestag from 1996 to 2013.
27/12/1960
Maryam d'Abo, English actress
Maryam d'Abo is a British actress, best known as Bond girl Kara Milovy in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights.
Donald Nally, American conductor and academic
Donald Nally is an American conductor, chorus master, and professor of conducting, specializing in chamber choirs, opera, and new music. Nally has been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards, of which he has won 4. He is the current director of Choral studies at Westminster Choir College, and conductor of the professional new-music choir, The Crossing, based in Philadelphia.
Terry Price, Australian golfer
Terry Price is an Australian professional golfer.
27/12/1959
Gerina Dunwich, American astrologer, historian, and author
Gerina Dunwich is a professional astrologer, occult historian, and New Age author best known for her books on Wicca and various occult subjects.
Andre Tippett, American football player and coach
Andre Bernard Tippett Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American in 1981. A second-round pick in the 1982 NFL draft, Tippett was selected to five Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro twice in his career. Since 2007, he has been the Patriots' executive director of community affairs. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
27/12/1958
Steve Jones, American golfer
Steven Glen Jones is an American professional golfer, best known for winning the U.S. Open in 1996.
27/12/1956
Doina Melinte, Romanian runner
Doina Ofelia Melinte is a retired Romanian middle-distance runner. She competed at four Olympics (1980–92), and won a gold medal in the 800 metres and a silver medal in the 1,500 metres in 1984. She won the world indoor title in 1987 and 1989 and the European indoor title in 1985, 1988 and 1990 in the 1,500 m. Her world indoor mile record of 4:17.41 in 1990, stood for 26 years.
27/12/1955
Brad Murphey, American race car driver
Brad Murphey, is a former American racecar driver in the Indy Racing League. He raced in the 1996 and 1996-1997 seasons for Hemelgarn Racing with 3 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 where he was credited with 23rd place, but never finished a race or led a lap. His last IRL race was the inaugural 500K at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where his right leg/pelvis was broken while involved in an accident with Eddie Cheever and Stephane Gregoire on lap 29.
Barbara Olson, American journalist and author (died 2001)
Barbara Kay Olson was an American lawyer and conservative television commentator who worked for CNN, Fox News Channel, and several other outlets. She was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 77 en route to a taping of Bill Maher's television show Politically Incorrect when it was flown into the Pentagon in the September 11 attacks.
27/12/1954
Kent Benson, American basketball player
Michael Kent Benson is an American former professional basketball player. He was a two-time All-American for the Indiana Hoosiers, winning the 1976 Helms Foundation Player of the Year and helping lead the Hoosiers to the 1976 NCAA championship with a perfect 32–0 record, with Benson being named the 1976 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Benson was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1977 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, playing 11 seasons in the NBA for Milwaukee (1977–1980), the Detroit Pistons (1980–1986), Utah Jazz (1986–1987) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1988).
Mandie Fletcher, English director, producer, and production manager
Mandie Elizabeth Fletcher is a British television and film director.
Teo Chee Hean, Singaporean politician and 5th Senior Minister of Singapore
Teo Chee Hean is a Singaporean former politician and two-star rear-admiral who served as Senior Minister of Singapore and Coordinating Minister for National Security from 2019 and 2015 respectively until 2025. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Pasir Ris West division of Pasir Ris–Punggol Group Representation Constituency from 2001 to 2025.
27/12/1952
Jay Hill, Canadian farmer and politician
Jay D. Hill is a Canadian politician who served as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Prince George—Peace River in British Columbia from 1993 to 2010. He served as Government House Leader in the House of Commons during his tenure (2008–2010). On July 21, 2010, Hill announced that he would be retiring at the May 2011 federal election. In October 2010, he announced he would retire on October 25, 2010. He recently served as the interim leader of the Maverick Party from 2020 to 2022.
David Knopfler, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
David Knopfler is a British musician. Together with his older brother Mark Knopfler, John Illsley, and Pick Withers, he founded the rock band Dire Straits in 1977, serving as rhythm guitarist on their first two albums. After quitting the band in 1980 during the recording of their third album, Knopfler embarked upon a solo career as a recording artist.
27/12/1951
Karla Bonoff, American singer-songwriter
Karla Bonoff is an American singer-songwriter. While Bonoff has released a number of albums, she is primarily known for her songwriting. Bonoff's songs include "Home", covered by Bonnie Raitt, "Tell Me Why" by Wynonna Judd, and "Isn't It Always Love" by Lynn Anderson.
Ernesto Zedillo, Mexican economist and politician, 54th President of Mexico
Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León is a Mexican economist and politician. He was the 61st president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Father of Modern Democracy in Mexico, his non-interventionist policy yielded transparent results on the 2000 Mexican general election.
27/12/1950
Haris Alexiou, Greek singer-songwriter
Haris Alexiou is a Greek singer whose career has spanned over 5 decades. She is one of the most popular singers in Greece. She has worked with important Greek songwriters and composers, has performed at top musical theatres all over the world, and has received several awards. She has recorded over thirty albums and has been featured on albums of other musicians. On 14th March 2010, Alpha TV ranked Alexiou as the first top-certified female artist in Greece in the phonographic era. She is the highest selling Greek female artist and third overall, behind George Dalaras and Yiannis Parios. Eight of her personal albums released between 1977 and 2003 have totaled 11 million sales, the only Greek female artist to do so.
Roberto Bettega, Italian footballer and manager
Roberto Bettega is an Italian former footballer who played as a forward.
Terry Bozzio, American drummer and songwriter
Terry John Bozzio is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons, U.K., and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and five albums with Missing Persons. Bozzio has been a prolific sideman, playing on numerous releases by other artists since the mid-1970s. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1997.
27/12/1949
Terry Ito, Japanese director, producer, and critic
Teruo Ito , better known as Terry Ito , is a Japanese director, television producer, critic, and writer. His name "Terry" comes from his first name, "Teruo". His ancestral home is in Yokoshibahikari, Sanbu District, Chiba Prefecture.
27/12/1948
Gérard Depardieu, French-Russian actor
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu is a French actor. Considered an icon of French cinema in the same way as Jean Gabin and Alain Delon, he has completed over 200 films since 1967, most of which as a lead actor. Depardieu has worked with over 150 film directors including François Truffaut, Bertrand Blier, Maurice Pialat, Alain Resnais, Claude Chabrol, Ridley Scott, Peter Weir, Jean-Luc Godard, and Bernardo Bertolucci. He is the second highest-grossing actor in the history of French cinema behind Louis de Funès. Among his films, about 60 have sold more than one million tickets in France. He has portrayed numerous historical and fictitious figures including Cyrano de Bergerac, Georges Danton, Christopher Columbus, Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas, Auguste Rodin, Jean Valjean, Edmond Dantès, Porthos, commissioner Maigret, Joseph Stalin and Grigori Rasputin, as well as Obelix in four of the live action Asterix films. Depardieu is also a film producer, businessman and vineyard owner. He has occasionally directed films and performed as a singer. His body of work includes many television productions, several records and, as of 2025, 19 stage plays and 9 books.
27/12/1947
Bill Eadie, American wrestler and coach
William Reid Eadie is an American retired professional wrestler, best known for performing under the ring names The Masked Superstar and Ax, the latter as part of Demolition.
Doug Livermore, English footballer and manager
Douglas Ernest Livermore is a former professional football player and manager.
Willy Polleunis, Belgian runner
Willy Polleunis is a Belgian former long-distance runner who won the silver medal in the 3000 metres at the 1973 European Indoor Championships, behind his clubmate Emiel Puttemans. He also ran a world record on the 10 miles in 1972. He competed in the 5000 and 10000 metres events at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympics with the best achievement of sixth place in the 5000 metres in 1976. At the start of the final lap, he was in tenth place, but he accelerated, and possibly ran the final lap even faster than the winner, Lasse Viren. Polleunis also won team gold medals at the 1973 and 1977 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, and a team silver in 1976.
27/12/1946
Lenny Kaye, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
Lenny Kaye is an American guitarist, composer, and writer, notable for his work with the Patti Smith Group, his contributions to music magazines, and his garage rock retrospective anthology Nuggets.
Joe Kinnear, Irish footballer and manager (died 2024)
Joseph Patrick Kinnear was an Irish professional football manager and player. As a defender, Kinnear spent the majority of his career spanning ten seasons with Tottenham Hotspur and one with Brighton & Hove Albion. With Tottenham he won the FA Cup, the League Cup twice, the Charity Shield, and the UEFA Cup. After Spurs, Kinnear played for Brighton for the 1975–76 season. Having been born in Dublin, Kinnear played and was capped 26 times for the Republic of Ireland national team. After his playing career, he managed India, Nepal, Doncaster Rovers, Wimbledon, Luton Town, Nottingham Forest, and Newcastle United.
Janet Street-Porter, English journalist and producer
Janet Vera Street-Porter is an English broadcaster, journalist, writer and media personality. She began her career in 1969 as a fashion writer and columnist at the Daily Mail and was appointed fashion editor of the Evening Standard in 1971. In 1973, she co-presented a mid-morning radio show with Paul Callan on LBC.
Polly Toynbee, English journalist and author
Mary Louisa "Polly" Toynbee is a British journalist and writer. She has been a columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998.
27/12/1944
Mick Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
Michael Leslie Jones is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known as the founder, leader and only continuous original member of the British-American rock band Foreigner, though he no longer tours with the band as of 2023. Prior to Foreigner, he was in the band Spooky Tooth.
27/12/1943
Cokie Roberts, American journalist and author (died 2019)
Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne "Cokie" Roberts was an American journalist and author. Her career included decades as a political reporter and analyst for National Public Radio, PBS, and ABC News, with prominent positions on Morning Edition, The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, World News Tonight, and This Week. She was considered one of NPR's "Founding Mothers" along with the late Susan Stamberg, Linda Wertheimer and Nina Totenberg.
Joan Manuel Serrat, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist
Joan Manuel Serrat Teresa is a Catalan musician, singer, and composer from Spain. He is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both Spanish and Catalan languages.
Peter Sinfield, English songwriter and producer (died 2024)
Peter John Sinfield was an English poet and songwriter. He was best known as a co-founder and lyricist of King Crimson. Their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King is considered one of the first and most influential progressive rock albums ever released.
Roy White, American baseball player and coach
Roy Hilton White is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the New York Yankees between 1965 and 1979. With the Yankees, he won two championships in 1977 and '78, both over his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers.
27/12/1942
Byron Browne, American baseball player
Byron Ellis Browne is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies, between 1965 and 1972. He attended Central High School in St. Joseph, MO.
Thomas Menino, American politician, 53rd Mayor of Boston (died 2014)
Thomas Michael Menino was an American politician who served as the mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three months as acting mayor following the resignation of his predecessor Raymond Flynn. Before serving as mayor, Menino was a member of the Boston City Council and had been elected president of the City Council in 1993.
Ron Rothstein, American basketball player and coach
Ronald L. Rothstein is an American former professional basketball coach and college basketball player, who has led many different NBA teams. He served as the first head coach for the Miami Heat, and later coached the Detroit Pistons. He has also coached in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2007–08, he also filled in for Pat Riley as an interim coach for the Heat.
27/12/1941
Miles Aiken, American basketball player and coach
Miles Aiken is an American former professional basketball player, coach of the British Olympic basketball team, and sportscaster of basketball and American football.
Mike Pinder, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (died 2024)
Michael Thomas Pinder was an English rock musician. He was a founding member and the original keyboard player of the rock group the Moody Blues. He left the group following the recording of their ninth album, Octave, in 1978. Pinder was renowned for his technological contributions to rock music, most notably in the development and emergence of the Mellotron in 1960s rock music. In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues.
Nolan Richardson, American basketball player and coach
Nolan Richardson Jr. is an American former basketball head coach best known for his tenure at the University of Arkansas, where he won the 1994 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and led the Razorbacks to three Final Fours. Elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014, Richardson coached teams to winning a Division I Basketball National Championship, an NIT championship, and a Junior College National Championship, making him the only coach to win all three championships. During his 22 seasons of coaching in NCAA Division I, Richardson made a post-season tournament appearance 20 times.
27/12/1940
David Shepherd, English cricketer and umpire (died 2009)
David Robert Shepherd was a first-class cricketer who played county cricket for Gloucestershire, and later became one of the cricket world's best-known umpires. He stood in 92 Test matches, the last of them in June 2005, the most for any English umpire. He also umpired 172 ODIs, including three consecutive World Cup finals in 1996, 1999 and 2003.
27/12/1939
John Amos, American actor (died 2024)
John Allen Amos Jr. was an American actor. He was best known for his role as James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series Good Times. His other well known roles were as the adult Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries Roots and for portraying Captain Meissner in Lock Up (1989) and Major Grant in Die Hard 2 (1990). His other television work includes The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a recurring role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on The West Wing, and the role of the Mayor of Washington DC Ethan Baker in the series The District. Amos was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and an NAACP Image Award. In film, he played numerous supporting roles in movies such as The Beastmaster (1982), Coming to America (1988), and Coming 2 America (2021).
27/12/1936
James Harrison, Australian blood plasma donor (died 2025)
James Christopher Harrison was an Australian blood donor known as the "Man with the Golden Arm" for his prolific history of donations, 1,173 times between the ages 18 to 81.
Phil Sharpe, English cricketer (died 2014)
Philip John Sharpe was an English cricketer, who played in twelve Test matches from 1963 to 1969, and was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1963. He played all of his county cricket for Yorkshire and Derbyshire, and played in Minor counties cricket for Norfolk. However he was despised by Geoff Boycott because of what Boycott perceived as his “social, rather weak and insipid attitude towards cricket”.
Eve Uusmees, Estonian swimmer and coach
Eve-Mai Maurer was an Estonian breaststroke swimmer who won the silver medal in the 4×100 m medley relay at the 1958 European Aquatics Championships. She also competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics in the 200 m breaststroke but was eliminated in the preliminaries.
27/12/1935
Michael Turnbull, English bishop
Anthony Michael Arnold Turnbull is a retired Church of England bishop. He was ordained in 1961 and in 1988 he was consecrated as the Bishop of Rochester. In 1994, he became the Bishop of Durham until he retired in 2003. In his retirement, Turnbull continues "preaching and teaching and writing".
27/12/1934
Larisa Latynina, Ukrainian gymnast and coach
Larisa Semyonovna Latynina is a Russian former artistic gymnast. Between 1956 and 1964 she won 14 individual Olympic medals and four team medals for the Soviet Union. She holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals by a female gymnast, with nine. Her total of 18 Olympic medals was a record for 48 years. She held the record for individual event medals for over 52 years, winning 14. She is credited with helping to establish the Soviet Union as a dominant force in gymnastics.
Jeffrey Sterling, Baron Sterling of Plaistow, English businessman
Jeffrey Maurice Sterling, Baron Sterling of Plaistow, is a British businessman and Conservative peer. The Plaistow referred to is Plaistow, West Sussex, reflected in the land holdings in the county.
27/12/1933
Dave Marr, American golfer (died 1997)
David Francis Marr Jr. was an American professional golfer and sportscaster, best known for winning the 1965 PGA Championship.
27/12/1931
Scotty Moore, American guitarist and songwriter (died 2016)
Winfield Scott Moore III was an American guitarist who formed the Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968.
27/12/1930
Marshall Sahlins, American anthropologist and academic (died 2021)
Marshall David Sahlins was an American cultural anthropologist best known for his ethnographic work in the Pacific and for his contributions to anthropological theory. He was the Charles F. Grey Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and of Social Sciences at the University of Chicago.
Wilfrid Sheed, English-born American novelist and essayist (died 2011)
Wilfrid John Joseph Sheed was an English-born American novelist and essayist.
27/12/1927
Antony Gardner, English engineer and politician (died 2011)
Antony (Tony) John Gardner was a British Labour Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1966 to 1970.
Nityanand Swami, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (died 2012)
Nityanand Swami was the chief minister of the Indian state of Uttarakhand, named Uttaranchal during his administration. He was the first chief minister of the state, serving from 9 November 2000 to 29 October 2001.
Audrey Wagner, American baseball player, obstetrician, and gynecologist (died 1984)
Genevieve "Audrey" Wagner was an outfielder who played from 1943 through 1949 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 145 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
27/12/1926
Jerome Courtland, American actor, director, and producer (died 2012)
Jerome Courtland was an American actor, director and producer. He acted in films in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and in television in the 1950s and 1960s. Courtland also appeared on Broadway in the musical Flahooley in the early 1950s. He directed and produced television series in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He served in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
27/12/1925
Michel Piccoli, French actor, singer, director, and producer (died 2020)
Jacques Daniel Michel Piccoli was a French actor, producer and film director with a career spanning 70 years. He was lauded as one of the greatest French character actors of his generation who played a wide variety of roles and worked with many acclaimed directors, being awarded with a Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and a Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival.
27/12/1924
Jean Bartik, American computer scientist and engineer (died 2011)
Jean Bartik was an American computer programmer who was one of the original six programmers of the ENIAC computer.
James A. McClure, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (died 2011)
James Albertus McClure was an American lawyer and politician from the state of Idaho, most notably serving as a Republican in the U.S. Senate for three terms from 1973 to 1991. He also served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973.
27/12/1923
Bruno Bobak, Polish-Canadian painter and educator (died 2012)
Bruno Bobak, was a Polish-born Canadian Official war artist and art teacher. His main medium was watercolour painting but he also produced woodcuts.
Lucas Mangope, South African politician (died 2018)
Kgosi Lucas Manyane Mangope was the leader of the Bantustan (homeland) of Bophuthatswana. The territory he ruled over was distributed between the Orange Free State – what is now Free State – and North West Province. He was also the founder and leader of the United Christian Democratic Party, a political party based in the North West of South Africa.
27/12/1921
John Whitworth, English countertenor (died 2013)
John Anthony Whitworth was an English countertenor, organist, and teacher of music. He was a lay vicar at Westminster Abbey and a professor at the Guildhall School of Music.
27/12/1920
Bruce Hobbs, American jockey and trainer (died 2005)
Bruce Robertson Hobbs was an English jockey and racehorse trainer.
27/12/1919
Charles Sweeney, American general and pilot (died 2004)
Charles William Sweeney was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and the pilot who flew Bockscar carrying the Fat Man atomic bomb to the Japanese city of Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. Separating from active duty at the end of World War II, he later became an officer in the Massachusetts Air National Guard as the Army Air Forces transitioned to an independent United States Air Force, eventually rising to the rank of major general.
27/12/1918
John Celardo, American captain and illustrator (died 2012)
John Celardo was an American comic strip and comic book artist, best known for illustrating the Tarzan comic strip.
27/12/1917
Buddy Boudreaux, American saxophonist and clarinet player (died 2015)
John Landry “Buddy” Boudreaux was an American big band and jazz musician. He played saxophone and clarinet. Since 1934, he directed and played in a number of bands that have toured the southern United States and drawn nationally known performers to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The State-Times newspaper called him "the city’s sound of big band". His bands backed such artists as Andy Williams, Bernadette Peters, Doc Severinsen, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Burt Bacharach, Johnny Mathis, The Four Tops, Bob Hope, George Burns and Joan Rivers. He opened shows for Tony Bennett, Tony Orlando, Louise Mandrell, The Beach Boys and Bill Cosby. He was co-author—with his barber, Michael T. Abadie—of “My Baton Rouge,” which in 1998 was declared the city's official song.
T. Nadaraja, Sri Lankan lawyer and academic (died 2004)
Thambiah Nadaraja was a Sri Lankan academic, lawyer and author. He was dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ceylon and chancellor of the University of Jaffna.
Onni Palaste, Finnish soldier and author (died 2009)
Onni Palaste, born Onni Bovellan was a Finnish Winter War veteran and writer.
27/12/1916
Werner Baumbach, German pilot (died 1953)
Werner Baumbach was a German bomber pilot during World War II. He commanded the secret bomber wing Kampfgeschwader 200 of the Luftwaffe, the air force of Nazi Germany. Baumbach received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords for the destruction of over 300,000 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping.
Cathy Lewis, American actress (died 1968)
Catherine Lee Lewis was an American actress on radio, film, and television. She is remembered best for numerous radio appearances but also noted for making a number of film and television appearances in the last decade of her life.
27/12/1915
William Masters, American gynecologist, author, and academic (died 2001)
William Howell Masters was an American gynecologist and the senior member of the Masters and Johnson human sexuality research team. Along with his partner Virginia E. Johnson, he pioneered research into the nature of human sexual response and the diagnosis and treatment of sexual dysfunctions and disorders from 1957 until the 1990s.
Gyula Zsengellér, Hungarian-Cypriot footballer and manager (died 1999)
Gyula Zsengellér was a Hungarian footballer who played as a striker. A historic player of Újpest FC, he scored 387 goals in the Hungarian league between 1935 and 1947, making him the league's third-highest goalscorer of all-time. He was also a member of the Hungary national team that reached the final of the 1938 FIFA World Cup, being the tournament's second-highest scorer. Zsengellér also was the last surviving player of the Hungarian side that played the 1938 World Cup final.
27/12/1913
Elizabeth Smart, Canadian poet and novelist (died 1986)
Elizabeth Smart was a Canadian poet and novelist. Her best-known work is the novel By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept (1945), an extended prose poem inspired by her romance with the poet George Barker.
27/12/1911
Anna Russell, English-Canadian singer and actress (died 2006)
Anna Russell was an English–Canadian singer and comedian. She gave many concerts in which she sang and played comic musical sketches on the piano. Among her best-known works are her concert performances and recordings of The Ring of the Nibelungs – a humorous 22-minute synopsis of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen – and her parody How to Write Your Own Gilbert and Sullivan Opera.
27/12/1910
Charles Olson, American poet and educator (died 1970)
Charles John Olson was a second generation modernist American poet who was a link between earlier modernist figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the third generation modernist New American poets. The latter includes the New York School, the Black Mountain School, and some of the artists and poets associated with the Beat generation and the San Francisco Renaissance.
27/12/1909
James Riddell, English skier and author (died 2000)
W. James Riddell MBE was a British champion skier and author who was involved in the early days of skiing as a competitive sport and holiday industry. Like his near contemporary, Sir Arnold Lunn, he matched his adventurism on the slopes and knowledge of the Alpine countries with an elegant record of his times.
27/12/1907
Asaf Halet Çelebi, Turkish poet (died 1958)
Asaf Halet Çelebi was a Turkish mystical poet. Although not very widely known, due to his erudite and often foreign-influenced style, he is considered to be Turkey's first surrealist poet.
Sebastian Haffner, German journalist and author (died 1999)
Raimund Pretzel, better known by his pseudonym Sebastian Haffner, was a German journalist and historian. As an émigré in Britain during World War II, Haffner argued that accommodation was not only impossible with Adolf Hitler but also impossible with the German Reich with which Hitler had gambled. Peace could be secured only by rolling back history and restoring Germany to a network of smaller states. As a journalist in West Germany, Haffner's independence and penchant for provocation precipitated breaks with editors both liberal and conservative. His intervention in the Spiegel affair of 1962, and his contributions to the anti-fascist rhetoric of the student New Left, sharply raised his profile.
Mary Howard, English author (died 1991)
Mary Mussi, née Edgar, was a British writer of over 50 romance novels as Mary Howard, who also wrote over 10 gothic romance as Josephine Edgar. She is one of the two novelists to win three times the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Conrad L. Raiford, American baseball player and activist (died 2002)
Conrad Laurel Raiford was an American athlete, goodwill ambassador and one of the first African-American police officers in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Willem van Otterloo, Dutch conductor and composer (died 1978)
Jan Willem van Otterloo was a Dutch conductor, cellist and composer.
27/12/1906
Oscar Levant, American pianist, composer, and actor (died 1972)
Oscar Levant was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian, and actor. He had roles in the films Rhapsody in Blue (1945), The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), An American in Paris (1951), and The Band Wagon (1953). He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 for recordings featuring his piano performances. He was portrayed by Sean Hayes in the Broadway play Good Night, Oscar, written by Doug Wright. Levant appeared as himself in the Gershwin biopic Rhapsody in Blue (1945).
27/12/1905
Cliff Arquette, American actor and comedian (died 1974)
Clifford Charles Arquette was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for performing comedic routines as his alter-ego Charley Weaver on numerous television and radio shows.
27/12/1904
René Bonnet, French racing driver and engineer (died 1983)
René Bonnet was a French engineer and businessman who co-founded the automobile manufacturing brand DB Deutsch-Bonnet in 1937, before founding his own brand, Automobiles René Bonnet, in 1961.
27/12/1901
Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (died 1992)
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" Dietrich was a German and American actress and singer whose career spanned nearly seven decades. In 1920s Berlin, she performed on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as Lola Lola in Josef von Sternberg's The Blue Angel (1930) brought her international acclaim and a contract with Paramount Pictures. Dietrich starred in many Hollywood films, including six roles directed by Sternberg: Morocco (1930), Dishonored (1931), Shanghai Express and Blonde Venus, The Scarlet Empress (1934), The Devil Is a Woman (1935). Throughout World War II, she was a high-profile entertainer in the United States. Although she delivered notable performances in several post-war films, including Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair (1948), Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright (1950), Billy Wilder's Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Orson Welles's Touch of Evil (1958), and Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), she spent most of the 1950s to the 1970s touring the world as a marquee live-show performer.
Irene Handl, English actress (died 1987)
Irene Handl was a British character actress and novelist who appeared in more than 100 British films.
27/12/1900
Hans Stuck, German racing driver (died 1978)
Hans Erich Karl Josef Stuck was a German motor racing driver. Both his son Hans-Joachim Stuck and his grandsons Johannes and Ferdinand Stuck became race drivers.
27/12/1898
Inejiro Asanuma, Japanese politician (died 1960)
Inejiro Asanuma was a Japanese politician and leader of the Japan Socialist Party. Known for his large stature and powerful voice, he tirelessly toured the country delivering speeches, earning him the nicknames "speech-making everyman", "human locomotive", and the affectionate "Numa-san".
27/12/1896
Louis Bromfield, American author and theorist (died 1956)
Louis Bromfield was an American writer and conservationist. A bestselling novelist in the 1920s, he reinvented himself as a farmer in the late 1930s and became one of the earliest proponents of sustainable and organic agriculture in the United States. He won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1927 for Early Autumn, founded the experimental Malabar Farm near Mansfield, Ohio, and played an important role in the early environmental movement.
Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (died 1952)
Maurice De Waele was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer.
Carl Zuckmayer, German author and playwright (died 1977)
Carl Zuckmayer was a German writer and playwright. His older brother was the pedagogue, composer, conductor, and pianist Eduard Zuckmayer.
27/12/1892
Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian captain and pilot (died 1917)
Captain Alfred Edwin "Eddie" McKay MC was a Canadian flying ace who flew with the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War.
27/12/1888
Thea von Harbou, German actress, director, and screenwriter (died 1954)
Thea Gabriele von Harbou was a German screenwriter, novelist, film director, and actress. She is remembered as the screenwriter of the science fiction film classic Metropolis (1927) and for the 1925 novel on which it was based. Von Harbou collaborated as a screenwriter with film director Fritz Lang, her husband, during the period of transition from silent to sound films.
27/12/1883
Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (died 1979)
Cyrus Stephen Eaton Sr. was a Canadian-American investment banker, businessman and philanthropist, with a career that spanned 70 years.
27/12/1882
Mina Loy, British modernist poet and artist (died 1966)
Mina Loy was a British artist, writer, poet, playwright, novelist, painter, designer of lamps, and bohemian. She was one of the last of the first-generation modernists to achieve posthumous recognition. Her poetry was admired by T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Basil Bunting, Gertrude Stein, Francis Picabia, and Yvor Winters, among others.
27/12/1879
Sydney Greenstreet, English-American actor (died 1954)
Sydney Hughes Greenstreet was a British and American character actor. While he did not begin his career in films until the age of 61, he had a run of significant motion pictures in a Hollywood career lasting through the 1940s. He is best remembered for the three Warner Bros. films – The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca (1942), and Passage to Marseille (1944) – with both Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre. Greenstreet was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Maltese Falcon. He portrayed Nero Wolfe on radio during 1950 and 1951. He became an American citizen in 1925.
27/12/1878
Kalle Korhonen, Finnish politician (died 1938)
Kaarlo (Kalle) Eeronpoika Korhonen was a Finnish farmer, politician and member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature of Finland. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he represented Oulu Province South between April 1917 and September 1918. Korhonen went to Soviet Russia during the Finnish Civil War and was executed there in 1938 during Stalin's Great Purge.
27/12/1864
Hermann-Paul, French painter and illustrator (died 1940)
René Georges Hermann-Paul was a French artist. He was born in Paris and died in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
27/12/1863
Louis Lincoln Emmerson, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of Illinois (died 1941)
Louis Lincoln Emmerson was an American Republican politician and the 27th Governor of Illinois. He was also a prominent figure in Freemasonry in Illinois.
27/12/1858
Juan Luis Sanfuentes, Chilean lawyer and politician, 17th President of Chile (died 1930)
Juan Luis Sanfuentes Andonaegui was President of Chile between 1915 and 1920.
27/12/1838
Lars Oftedal, Norwegian priest, social reformer, politician, and newspaper editor (died 1900)
Lars Svendsen Oftedal was a Norwegian priest, social reformer, politician, and newspaper editor. He was the founding editor of Stavanger Aftenblad and served as a member of the Storting.
27/12/1832
Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tretyakov Gallery (died 1897)
Pavel Mikhaylovich Tretyakov was a Russian businessman, patron of art, collector, and philanthropist who gave his name to the Tretyakov Gallery and Tretyakov Drive in Moscow. His brother Sergei Tretyakov was also a famous patron of art and a philanthropist.
27/12/1827
Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria (died 1900)
Count Stanisław Mieroszewski (Mieroszowski) (1827–1900) was a Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria.
27/12/1823
Mackenzie Bowell, English-Canadian journalist and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Canada (died 1917)
Sir Mackenzie Bowell was the fifth prime minister of Canada, serving from 1894 to 1896.
27/12/1822
Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist (died 1895)
Louis Pasteur was a French chemist, pharmacist, and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization, the last of which was named after him. His research in chemistry led to remarkable breakthroughs in the understanding of the causes and preventions of diseases, which laid down the foundations of hygiene, public health and much of modern medicine. Pasteur's works are credited with saving millions of lives through the developments of vaccines for rabies and anthrax. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern bacteriology and has been honored as the "father of bacteriology" and the "father of microbiology".
27/12/1809
Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Greek poet and politician, Foreign Minister of Greece (died 1892)
Alexandros Rizos Rangavis or Alexander Rizos Rakgabis, was a Greek man of letters, poet and statesman.
27/12/1803
François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian activist (died 1839)
François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, also known under shorter names such as François-Marie-Thomas de Lorimier, Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier or Chevalier de Lorimier, was a notary who fought as a Patriote and Frère chasseur for the independence of Lower Canada in the Lower Canada Rebellion. For these actions, he was incarcerated at the Montreal Pied-du-Courant Prison and was hanged at the site by the British authorities.
27/12/1797
Ghalib, Indian poet (died 1869)
Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan, commonly known as Mirza Ghalib, was an Indian poet and letter writer of the Mughal Empire. Writing in Persian and Urdu during the final years of the Mughal Empire and the rise of British colonial rule, his poetry often addressed themes of love, loss, philosophy, the human condition, and socio-political disturbances with a depth and complexity that influenced the literary traditions of his time. His ghazals, noted for their intricate imagery and layered meanings, form a significant part of Urdu literature. He spent most of his life in poverty.
Charles Hodge, American theologian (died 1878)
Charles Hodge was a Presbyterian theologian in the area of reformed theology. He was also principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878.
27/12/1776
Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (died 1811)
Count Nikolay Mikhailovich Kamensky was a Russian general, younger son of Field Marshal Count Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky and his wife, Princess Anna Pavlovna Shcherbatova (1749-1826).
27/12/1773
George Cayley, English engineer and politician (died 1857)
Sir George Cayley, 6th Baronet was an English engineer, inventor, and aviator. He was a pioneer of aeronautical engineering and is sometimes referred to as "the father of aviation", designing the first glider reliably reported to carry a human aloft. He is commonly credited as the first person to understand the underlying principles and forces of heavier-than-air flight: weight, lift, drag and thrust. He was also the inventor of the wire wheel.
27/12/1721
François Hemsterhuis, Dutch philosopher and author (died 1790)
François Hemsterhuis was a Dutch writer on aesthetics and moral philosophy.
27/12/1715
Philippe de Noailles, French general (died 1794)
Philippe de Noailles, comte de Noailles and later prince de Poix, duc de Mouchy, and duc de Poix à brevêt, was a younger brother of Louis de Noailles, and a more distinguished soldier than his brother. He was the son of Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, niece of Madame de Maintenon.
27/12/1714
George Whitefield, English preacher and saint (died 1770)
George Whitefield, was an English Anglican priest and preacher who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement.
27/12/1713
Giovanni Battista Borra, Italian architect and engineer (died 1770)
Giovanni Battista Borra was an Italian architect, engineer and architectural draughtsman born in Dogliani and believed to have died in Turin.
27/12/1705
Prince Frederick Henry Eugen of Anhalt-Dessau, German prince of the House of Ascania (died 1781)
Frederick Henry Eugen of Anhalt-Dessau was a German prince of the House of Ascania from the Anhalt-Dessau branch.
27/12/1697
Sollom Emlyn, Irish legal writer (died 1754)
Sollom Emlyn was an Irish legal writer.
27/12/1689
Jacob August Franckenstein, Encyclopedia editor, professor (died 1733)
Jacob August Franckenstein was the main editor of the first two volumes of Johann Heinrich Zedler's Grosses vollständiges Universal-Lexicon , the most important encyclopedia published in the Holy Roman Empire in the 18th century.
27/12/1683
Conyers Middleton, English priest and theologian (died 1750)
Conyers Middleton was an English clergyman. Though mired in controversy and disputes, he was also considered one of the best stylists in English of his time.
27/12/1663
Johann Melchior Roos, German painter (died 1731)
Johann Melchior Roos was a German Baroque painter.
27/12/1660
Veronica Giuliani, Italian Capuchin mystic (died 1727)
Veronica Giuliani, OSC Cap. was an Italian Capuchin Poor Clares nun and mystic. She was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839.
27/12/1655
Abstrupus Danby, English politician (died 1727)
Sir Abstrupus Danby was an English wool merchant and country gentleman. He was the son of Christopher Danby and Anne Culpepper, niece of Lord Colepeper.
27/12/1645
Giovanni Antonio Viscardi, Swiss architect (died 1713)
Giovanni Antonio Viscardi was a Swiss architect of the baroque, who worked mostly in Bavaria.
27/12/1637
Petar Kanavelić, Venetian writer (died 1719)
Pietro Canavelli was a Croatian writer who wrote poems in Croatian and Italian. He is regarded as one of the greatest Croatian writers of the 17th century.
27/12/1636
William Whitelock, English gentleman, Member of Parliament (died 1717)
Sir William Whitelock KC was an English barrister and Tory politician. His name is also spelt Whitelocke and Whitlock.
27/12/1633
Jean de Lamberville, French missionary (died 1714)
Jean de Lamberville was a Jesuit priest who arrived in New France from France in 1669. He was the older brother of Jacques de Lamberville. Jean became a missionary to the Onondagas and had success in converting their chief, Garakontie. He also was well known for his knowledge in the medical treatments of his time.
27/12/1622
Teofil Rutka, Polish philosopher (died 1700)
Teofil (Bogusław) Rutka SJ was a Polish Jesuit, Rhetorician, philosopher, theologian and missionary.
27/12/1595
Bohdan Khmelnytsky, hetman of Ukraine (died 1657)
Zynoviy Bohdan Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky of the Abdank coat of arms was a Ruthenian nobleman and military commander of Zaporozhian Cossacks as Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host, which was then under the suzerainty of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He led the Cossacks to victory in a successful uprising against the Commonwealth and its magnates (1648–1654) that resulted in the creation of an independent Cossack state in Ukraine.
27/12/1584
Philipp Julius, Duke of Pomerania (died 1625)
Philipp Julius was duke of Pomerania in the Teilherzogtum Pomerania-Wolgast from 1592 to 1625.
27/12/1572
Johannes Vodnianus Campanus, Czech poet, playwright, and composer (died 1622)
Johannes Vodnianus Campanus was a Czech humanist, composer, pedagogue, poet and dramatist.
27/12/1571
Johannes Kepler, German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer (died 1630)
Johannes Kepler was a German polymath who was an astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and music theorist. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws of planetary motion, and his books Astronomia nova, Harmonice Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae. The variety and impact of his work made Kepler one of the founders and fathers of modern astronomy, the scientific method, natural science, and modern science. He has been described as the "father of science fiction" for his novel Somnium.
27/12/1566
Jan Jesenius, Bohemian physician, politician and philosopher (died 1621)
Jan Jesenius, also written as Jessenius, was a Bohemian physician, anatomist, politician and philosopher. He was active in Prague, where he gained fame after he conducted a public dissection of a human body for scientific purposes. He was publicly executed following the Battle of White Mountain.
27/12/1493
Johann Pfeffinger, German theologian (died 1573)
Johann Pfeffinger was a significant theologian and Protestant Reformer.
27/12/1481
Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Margrave of Bayreuth (died 1527)
Casimir of Brandenburg-Bayreuth was Margrave of Bayreuth or Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach from 1515 to 1527.
27/12/1459
John I Albert, King of Poland (died 1501)
John I Albert was King of Poland from 1492 to his death and Duke of Głogów from 1491 to 1498. He was the fourth Polish sovereign from the Jagiellonian dynasty and the son of Casimir IV and Elizabeth of Austria.
27/12/1390
Anne de Mortimer, claimant to the English throne (died 1411)
Anne de Mortimer was a medieval English noblewoman who became an ancestor to the royal House of York, one of the parties in the fifteenth-century dynastic Wars of the Roses. It was her line of descent which gave the Yorkist dynasty its claim to the throne. Anne was the mother of Richard, Duke of York, and thus grandmother of kings Edward IV and Richard III, and great-grandmother of Edward V and Elizabeth of York.
27/12/1350
John I of Aragon (died 1395)
John I, called by posterity the Hunter or the Lover of Elegance, or the Abandoned in his lifetime, was the King of Aragon from 1387 until his death.