Born on Sunday, 15th June – Famous Birthdays
On this day, 218 notable people were born on 15th June — spanning from 1330 to 2003. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
Sunday, 15th June 2025 marks the birthday of several notable figures across sport and entertainment. Pablo Barrios, the Spanish footballer, was born on this date in 2003 and has since established himself in professional football. Among the most prominent individuals born on 15th June is Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian footballer born in 1992, whose career has made him one of the most recognisable athletes in world football. Neil Patrick Harris, born in 1973, is an American actor and singer who has maintained a substantial presence in television and entertainment throughout his career.
The date also sees connections to earlier historical figures who shaped their respective fields. Hugo Pratt, the Italian author and illustrator born in 1927, created influential works that left a lasting impact on comics and graphic storytelling. Other notable births include Michael Laudrup, a Danish footballer and manager born in 1964, and various athletes and performers from different disciplines and countries throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
On Sunday, 15th June 2025, the weather in the area is expected to be partly cloudy with temperatures reaching approximately 19 degrees Celsius. This date falls under the zodiac sign of Gemini, the twin sign associated with communication and curiosity. The moon will be in its waxing gibbous phase, approaching full luminosity.
DayAtlas provides comprehensive information about significant dates by displaying weather conditions, historical events, notable births and deaths for any chosen date and location. The platform enables users to explore what occurred on specific days throughout history whilst also accessing current weather data relevant to their chosen location.
Discover who was born today 11th April.
15/06/2003
Pablo Barrios, Spanish footballer
Pablo Barrios Rivas is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Spain national team.
15/06/1997
Madison Kocian, American gymnast
Madison Taylor Kocian is an American retired artistic gymnast. On the uneven bars, she is one of four 2015 World co-champions and the 2016 Olympic silver medalist. She was part of the gold medal-winning team dubbed the "Final Five" at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and she was a member of the first-place American teams at the 2014 and 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2020, where she was a member of its women's gymnastics team. She helped the UCLA Bruins win the 2018 NCAA Championships. She is the second female gymnast to win NCAA, World, and Olympic championship titles, after Kyla Ross.
15/06/1996
Aurora, Norwegian singer-songwriter
Aurora Aksnes, known mononymously as Aurora, is a Norwegian singer, songwriter and record producer. Born in Stavanger and raised in Høle and Os, she started writing songs and learning dance at age six. Her ethereal soundscapes brought her widespread acclaim, earning her the nickname "Fairy of Pop".
Tia-Adana Belle, Barbadian athlete
Tia-Adana Djena Belle is a Barbadian athlete competing in the 400 metres hurdles. She represented her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics without advancing from the first round.
Hoshi, South Korean singer and dancer
Kwon Soon-young, known by his stage name Hoshi (호시), is a South Korean singer and dancer. Managed by Pledis Entertainment, he is a member of the South Korean boy band Seventeen, the leader of its performance team and part of its subunits BSS and Hoshi X Woozi. Hoshi made his solo debut with "Spider" on April 2, 2021.
15/06/1994
Iñaki Williams, Basque-Ghanaian footballer
Iñaki Williams Arthuer is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Athletic Bilbao, where he is captain, and the Ghana national team.
15/06/1993
Cooper Kupp, American football player
Cooper Douglas Kupp is an American professional football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Eastern Washington Eagles, winning the Walter Payton Award in 2015 and setting the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision records for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft.
Irfan Hadžić, Bosnian footballer
Irfan Hadžić is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serbian club Mladost Lučani.
15/06/1992
Michał Kopczyński, Polish footballer
Michał Kopczyński is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for IV liga Masovia club Mazovia Mińsk Mazowiecki.
Mohamed Salah, Egyptian footballer
Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a right winger or right midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and captains the Egypt national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest wingers of all time. Dubbed the "Egyptian King", he is the all-time top foreign goalscorer in the Premier League and the all-time top African goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League.
Dafne Schippers, Dutch heptathlete and sprinter
Dafne Schippers is a Dutch retired track and field athlete who competed in sprinting and the combined events. She holds the European record in the 200 metres with a time of 21.63 seconds, making her the sixth-fastest woman of all time at this distance. She also holds the Dutch records in the 100 metres and long jump, and shares the Dutch records in the 60 metres indoor and 4 × 100 metres relay.
15/06/1991
Jessie Ennis, American actress, director, and writer
Jessie Ennis is an American actress, director, and writer.
15/06/1989
Bayley, American wrestler
Pamela Rose Martinez, better known by the ring name Bayley, is an American professional wrestler. She has been signed to WWE since December 2012, where she performs on the Raw brand. Her second reign of 380 days with the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship is tied with Rhea Ripley as the longest in the championship's history.
Víctor Cabedo, Spanish cyclist (died 2012)
Víctor Cabedo Carda was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He rode for Euskaltel–Euskadi for one season. He died following a collision with a vehicle while on a training ride.
Bryan Clauson, American race car driver (died 2016)
Bryan Timothy Clauson was an American professional auto racing driver, best known for his achievements in dirt track open-wheel racing, such as USAC Silver Crown, Midget and Sprint cars. Clauson was increasingly seen competing with the World of Outlaws (WoO) sprint cars in his last couple of years. Clauson also competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Indy Lights, and IndyCar Series and was a development driver for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Lewis Hancox, English graphic novelist, social media personality and filmmaker
Lewis J. Hancox is an English graphic novelist, social media personality, and filmmaker. He is the author of the 2022 graphic memoir Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure, about growing up transgender in the 2000s, which was shortlisted for several awards, including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. He co-founded the documentary film project My Genderation, which has produced work for the BBC and Channel 4. In addition to his film and publishing work, Hancox is known for his online sketch comedy videos on TikTok and YouTube, and has been recognized by news outlets for his contributions to digital media and LGBTQ representation.
15/06/1986
James Maloney, Australian rugby league player
James Maloney is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for Ourimbah Wyoming Magpies in the Central Coast Division Rugby League, and former assistant coach for the North Queensland Cowboys.
Trevor Plouffe, American baseball player
Trevor Patrick Plouffe is an American media personality and former professional baseball third baseman. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, and Philadelphia Phillies. Plouffe was drafted by the Twins out of high school as a shortstop with the 20th overall pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft. After beginning his MLB career as a shortstop for the Twins in 2010, Plouffe has appeared at every position except for pitcher, catcher, and center fielder.
15/06/1985
Ashley Nicole Black, American comedian, actress, and writer
Ashley Nicole Black is an American comedian, actress, writer and producer. She was a writer and correspondent for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (2016–2019), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.
15/06/1984
Luke Hodge, Australian footballer
Luke Hodge is a former Australian rules football player who played with the Hawthorn Football Club and the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for the Hawthorn Football Club from 2002 to 2017, captaining the club from 2011 to 2016. In 2018, Hodge moved to the Brisbane Lions, before retiring in 2019.
Eva Hrdinová, Czech tennis player
Eva Hrdinová is a Czech former tennis player.
Tim Lincecum, American baseball player
Timothy Leroy Lincecum, nicknamed "the Freak", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the San Francisco Giants. A two-time Cy Young Award winner, Lincecum won World Series championships in 2010, 2012, and 2014 as a member of the Giants.
Edison Toloza, Colombian footballer
Edison Toloza Colorado is a Colombian footballer who plays as a winger for Correcaminos UAT.
15/06/1983
Laura Imbruglia, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Laura Imbruglia is an Australian indie rock singer-songwriter.
Josh McGuire, Canadian fencer
Joshua "Josh" McGuire is a Canadian fencer who competed at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. McGuire competed in the individual foil at both Games reaching the round of 32 in 2004 and the last 16 in 2008.
15/06/1982
Mike Delany, New Zealand rugby player
Mike Peter Delany is a retired New Zealand rugby union player who last played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and Bay of Plenty in the Mitre 10 Cup.
Abdur Razzak, Bangladeshi cricketer
Khan Abdur Razzak is a Bangladeshi former cricketer who played for the national team in all formats of the game. Abdur Razzak is the first Bangladeshi to take 200 wickets in ODIs. He is also the first left-arm spinner and second spinner after Saqlain Mushtaq to take a hat-trick. In 2025 he was elected as a director of Bangladesh Cricket Board.
15/06/1981
John Paintsil, Ghanaian footballer
John Paintsil is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who was an assistant coach at Kaizer Chiefs in the South African Premiership. He played club football for Berekum Arsenal, Liberty Professionals, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Tel Aviv, West Ham United, Fulham, Leicester City, Santos and Maritzburg United as well as internationally for Ghana.
15/06/1980
David Lyons, Australian rugby player
David Lyons is a former rugby union player for Stade Français. He plays Number Eight and has also played for the Wallabies.
15/06/1979
Yulia Nestsiarenka, Belarusian sprinter
Yuliya Nesterenko, née Bartsevich, is a Belarusian sprinter who was the Olympic 100 meters champion in 2004.
Christian Rahn, German footballer
Christian Rahn is a German former professional footballer who played as a left-back.
Charles Zwolsman Jr., Dutch racing driver
Charles Zwolsman Jr. is a race car driver who formerly competed in the Champ Car World Series. He is the son of former sports car racing driver Charles Zwolsman Sr., who competed in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
15/06/1978
Wilfred Bouma, Dutch footballer
Wilfred Bouma is a Dutch former professional footballer who played most notably for PSV Eindhoven, Aston Villa and the Netherlands national team.
Zach Day, American baseball player
Stephen Zachary Day is an American former right-handed sinker-ball pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for two teams from 2002 to 2006.
15/06/1977
Michael Doleac, American basketball player and manager
Michael Scott Doleac is an American former professional basketball player.
15/06/1976
Jiří Ryba, Czech decathlete
Jiří Ryba is a former Czech decathlete. His personal best result was 8339 points, achieved in May 2000 in Desenzano del Garda. Ryba is married to pole vaulter Pavla Hamáčková.
15/06/1973
Tore Andre Flo, Norwegian footballer and coach
Tore André Flo is a Norwegian professional football coach and a former striker who previously was the manager of 1. divisjon club Sogndal.
Neil Patrick Harris, American actor and singer
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout his career, including a Tony Award and five Primetime Emmy Awards, and nominations for a Grammy Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Pia Miranda, Australian actress
Pia Miranda is an Australian actress. Her career was launched with her role in the 2000 feature film Looking for Alibrandi, an Australian film based on the novel of the same name by Melina Marchetta. She is also known for her roles as Karen Oldman in Neighbours (1998–1999), Jodie Spiteri in Wentworth (2015), and Jen in Mustangs FC (2017–2020), as well as winning Australian Survivor in 2019.
Greg Vaughan, American actor and model
James Gregory Vaughan Jr. is an American actor and former fashion model, known for his on and off appearances in roles on the soap operas The Young and the Restless (2002–03), General Hospital (2003–09), and Days of Our Lives (2012–). Vaughan also starred as Dan Gordon on the second season of the supernatural series Charmed (1999-2000). In 2016, Vaughan began starring in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar as Detective Calvin.
15/06/1972
Justin Leonard, American golfer
Justin Charles Garrett Leonard is an American professional golfer. He has 12 career wins on the PGA Tour, including one major, the 1997 Open Championship. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He is one of only five players to win the U.S. Amateur, the NCAA Individual Championship, and a major golf tournament.
Andy Pettitte, American baseball player
Andrew Eugene Pettitte is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the Houston Astros. Pettitte won five World Series championships with the Yankees and was a three-time All-Star. He ranks as MLB's all-time postseason wins leader with 19.
15/06/1971
Christos Myriounis, Greek basketball player
Christos Myriounis is a retired Greek professional basketball player. At a height of 2.05 m, he played as a small forward-power forward.
Jake Busey, American actor, musician, and film producer
William Jacob Busey is an American actor. Among his most prominent roles have been serial killer Johnny Bartlett in The Frighteners (1996), Ace Levy in Starship Troopers (1997), Kyle Brenner in Tomcats (2001), Aiden Tanner in the television series From Dusk till Dawn: The Series (2014–2016), and Sean H. Keyes in The Predator (2018) and Predator: Hunting Grounds (2020). Busey also appears as a journalist in the third season of Stranger Things.
15/06/1970
Christian Bauman, American soldier and author
Christian Bauman is an American novelist, essayist, and lyricist.
David Bayssari, Australian rugby league player
David Bayssari is a Lebanese former professional rugby league footballer who played first-grade for the Balmain Tigers.
Gaëlle Méchaly, French soprano
Gaëlle Méchaly is a soprano. In 2001, she reached the finals of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. Méchaly has been a regular member of a Baroque ensemble, Les Arts Florissants and has appeared in many operatic productions directed by William Christie. The recording of Zoroastre was short-listed for a Grammy Award in 2003.
Leah Remini, American actress and producer
Leah Marie Remini is an American actress. She starred as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007) and as Vanessa Celluci in the CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait (2017–2018), both alongside Kevin James.
Žan Tabak, Croatian basketball player and coach
Žan Tabak is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player who is now serving as the head coach for BC Andorra of the Liga ACB. His basketball career, spanning twenty years, was marked by several notable achievements, despite injuries. He was the first international player to play in the NBA Finals for two teams. Žan Tabak averaged 5.0 points in his 6-year NBA career.
15/06/1969
Jesse Bélanger, Canadian ice hockey player
Joseph Jesse Dave Bélanger is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre, who played in the National Hockey League from 1991 to 2001.
Ice Cube, American rapper, producer, and actor
O'Shea Jackson, known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His efforts on N.W.A's 1989 album Straight Outta Compton contributed to gangsta rap's popularity, and his political rap solo albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992) were all critically and commercially successful. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016.
Idalis DeLeón, American singer and actress
Idalis M. DeLeón is an American singer, actress, and television host. DeLeón is best known as an MTV VJ from June 1994 until March 1997. DeLeón is also known for her acting roles as Roni De Santos during the fifth season of the sitcom Living Single (1997–1998) and Charity in the 1998 comedy film Ride.
Nasos Galakteros, Greek basketball player
Athanasios "Nasos" Galakteros is a retired Greek professional titleholder basketball player. Galakteros played professionally in the Greek Basket League as well as international tournaments.
Oliver Kahn, German footballer and sportscaster
Oliver Rolf Kahn is a German football executive and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team in 1975. Twelve years later, in 1987, Kahn made his debut match in the professional squad. In 1994, he was transferred to Bayern Munich for the fee of DM 4.6 million, where he played until the end of his career in 2008. His commanding presence in goal and aggressive style earned him nicknames such as Der Titan from the press and Vul-kahn ("volcano") from fans.
Maurice Odumbe, Kenyan cricketer
Maurice Omondi Odumbe is a Kenyan former cricketer and a former ODI captain for the Kenya national cricket team. Odumbe was suspended from cricket in August 2004 for allegedly receiving money from bookmakers. He was appointed the coach of Kenya's national cricket team in April 2018. However, he was replaced as national coach by David Obuya in October 2018.
Cédric Pioline, French tennis player
Cédric Pioline is a French former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 5 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), in 2000. Pioline was the runner-up at the 1993 US Open and the 1997 Wimbledon Championships, losing both matches to Pete Sampras in straight sets. He won five singles titles in his career, including a Masters event at the 2000 Monte Carlo Masters. Pioline also competed for France in the Davis Cup, winning the cup in 1996 and 2001.
15/06/1968
Károly Güttler, Hungarian swimmer
Károly Güttler is a former breaststroker from Hungary, who represented his native country at four consecutive Olympics, beginning with the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and ending with the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He won the silver medal in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke, once each, both at separate Games.
15/06/1966
Raimonds Vējonis, Latvian politician, 9th President of Latvia
Raimonds Vējonis is a Latvian politician who served as the 9th President of Latvia from 2015 to 2019 and the president of the Latvian Basketball Association since 2020.
15/06/1965
Annelies Bredael, Belgian rower
Annelies Bredael is a Belgian rower. She participated in 3 consecutive Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta In 1992, she won the silver medal in rowing, single scull at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Karim Massimov, Kazakhstani politician, 7th Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
Kärım Qajymqanūly Mäsımov is a Kazakh politician who served as Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 2007 to 2012 and again from 2014 to 2016. He was Deputy Prime Minister from 2006 to 2007 and held the positions of Minister of Economy and Budget Planning and Minister of Transport and Communications in 2001. He served as chairman of the National Security Committee from 2016 to 2022.
Adam Smith, American lawyer and politician
David Adam Smith is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for Washington's 9th congressional district since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Smith previously served in the Washington State Senate.
15/06/1964
Courteney Cox, American actress and producer
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress and producer. She rose to international prominence by playing Monica Geller in the NBC sitcom Friends (1994–2004) and Gale Weathers in the horror film franchise Scream (1996–present). Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award, nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Michael Laudrup, Danish footballer and manager
Michael Laudrup is a Danish professional football coach and former player. Renowned for his composure, passing, vision, technical skills, ball control, and dribbling ability, Laudrup is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He is the older brother of fellow retired footballer Brian Laudrup.
15/06/1963
Mario Gosselin, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
Mario Gosselin is a Canadian former hockey goaltender who played nine years in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Nordiques, the Los Angeles Kings and the Hartford Whalers.
Helen Hunt, American actress, director, and producer
Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress. Her accolades include an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.
Lourdes Valera, Venezuelan actress (died 2012)
Lourdes del Valle Valera Galvis was a Venezuelan actress who took part in over twenty film and television productions during her career, particularly known for her acting in many telenovelas.
15/06/1962
Brad Armstrong, American wrestler (died 2012)
Robert Bradley James, better known by his ring name, Brad Armstrong was an American professional wrestler best known for his appearances with the promotion World Championship Wrestling in the 1990s. He was the son of wrestler "Bullet Bob" Armstrong and brother to professional wrestlers Steve, Scott and Brian.
Chris Morris, English actor, satirist, director, and producer
Christopher J. Morris is an English comedian, radio presenter, actor and filmmaker. Known for his deadpan, dark humour, surrealism and controversial subject matter, he has been praised by the British Film Institute for his "uncompromising, moralistic drive".
Andrea Rost, Hungarian soprano
Andrea Rost is a Hungarian lyric soprano. She has performed in leading roles with the Vienna State Opera, La Scala, the Royal Opera House, Opéra National de Paris, the Metropolitan Opera and the Salzburg Festival. The year 1997 saw the release of her first solo recording, Le delizie dell’amor, featuring arias from bel canto, Verdi and Puccini operas.
15/06/1961
Dave McAuley, Northern Irish boxer and sportscaster
David Anthony McAuley is a former professional boxer from Northern Ireland who competed from 1983 to 1992. He held the IBF flyweight title from 1989 to 1992 and challenged twice for the WBA flyweight title, in 1987 and 1988. At regional level, he held the British flyweight title in 1986.
Scott Norton, American wrestler
Scott Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and author. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, in which he was a member of the New World Order and nWo Japan. He is a two-time world champion, having won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship twice.
15/06/1960
Michèle Laroque, French actress, producer, and screenwriter
Michèle Laroque is a French actress, comedienne, producer and screenwriter.
Marieke van Doorn, Dutch field hockey player and coach
Marieke Birgitta van Doorn is a former Dutch field hockey midfielder, who was a member of the National Women's Team that won the golden medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
15/06/1959
Alan Brazil, Scottish footballer and sportscaster
Alan Bernard Brazil is a Scottish broadcaster and former footballer who played as a forward. He most notably played for Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, and represented Scotland in international football. He was forced to retire due to a recurring back injury, and then moved into media presentation. He initially worked on television, before moving over to radio where he has for many years been a presenter on Talksport.
Eileen Davidson, American model and actress
Eileen Marie Davidson is an American actress and author. Best known for her work in soap operas, Davidson is most notable for her roles as Ashley Abbott on CBS's The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, Kristen DiMera and Susan Banks on NBC's Days of Our Lives and as the final portrayal of Kelly Capwell on Santa Barbara.
15/06/1958
Wade Boggs, American baseball player
Wade Anthony Boggs, nicknamed "Chicken Man", is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. He also played for the New York Yankees (1993–1997), winning the 1996 World Series with them, and finished his career with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998–1999).
Riccardo Paletti, Italian racing driver (died 1982)
Riccardo Paletti was an Italian motor racing driver. Paletti was killed when he crashed on the start grid in his second Formula One start.
15/06/1957
Brett Butler, American baseball player and coach
Brett Morgan Butler is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball and coach. He played for five different teams from 1981 through 1997. A leadoff hitter for the majority of his career, Butler led the league in triples and runs scored twice each and was named a National League All-Star in 1991. He was diagnosed with cancer in May 1996, received treatment and returned to the playing field four months later. He retired in 1997 and began a baseball coaching career. He has coached or managed numerous professional teams. He was the manager of the Reno Aces minor league team from late 2008 through 2013.
15/06/1956
Yevgeny Kiselyov, Russian-Ukrainian journalist
Yevgeny Alexeyevich Kiselyov is a Russian television journalist. As the host of the NTV weekly news show Itogi in the 1990s, he became one of the nation's best known television journalists, criticizing government corruption and President Boris Yeltsin. In 2001, he left NTV following its takeover by the state-controlled company Gazprom, serving briefly as general manager of TV-6 before the government refused to renew its broadcasting license in January 2002. He later moved to Ukraine, where he became a presenter of various political talk shows.
Lance Parrish, American baseball player, coach, and manager
Lance Michael Parrish, nicknamed "Big Wheel", is an American former professional baseball catcher who played Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1977 through 1995. Born in Pennsylvania, Parrish grew up in Southern California and excelled in both baseball and football. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1974, and after four years in the minor leagues, he played for the Tigers for a decade from 1977 to 1986. He later played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1987–1988), California Angels (1989–1992), Seattle Mariners (1992), Cleveland Indians (1993), Pittsburgh Pirates (1994), and Toronto Blue Jays (1995).
15/06/1955
Polly Draper, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
Polly Carey Draper is an American actress and filmmaker. Draper has received several awards, including a Writers Guild of America Award (WGA), and is noted for speaking in a "trademark throaty voice." She gained recognition for her starring role in the ABC drama television series Thirtysomething (1987–91).
Julie Hagerty, American model and actress
Julie Beth Hagerty is an American actress. She starred as Elaine Dickinson in the films Airplane! (1980) and Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). Her other film roles include A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982), Lost in America (1985), What About Bob? (1991), She's the Man (2006), A Master Builder (2014), Instant Family (2018), Noelle, Marriage Story, and A Christmas Story Christmas (2022).
15/06/1954
Jim Belushi, American actor
James Adam Belushi is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include Saturday Night Live (1983–1985), According to Jim (2001–2009), and Good Girls Revolt (2015–2016).
Terri Gibbs, American country music singer and keyboard player
Teresa Fay Gibbs is an American country music artist. Between 1980 and 2017, she recorded eleven studio albums, including four for MCA Records and one for Warner Bros. Records. She also charted 13 singles on the Billboard country singles charts in that timespan, including her debut single, "Somebody's Knockin'", which reached No. 8 on the country charts, No. 13 on the pop charts and No. 3 on the Adult Contemporary charts. She also entered the country top 20 with "Rich Man", "Mis'ry River", "Ashes to Ashes" and "Anybody Else's Heart but Mine." Gibbs has been blind since infancy.
Paul Rusesabagina, Rwandan humanitarian
Paul Rusesabagina is a Rwandan human rights activist and former hotelier. He worked as the manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, during a period in which it housed 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees fleeing the Interahamwe militia during the Rwandan genocide. None of these refugees were hurt or killed during the attacks. An account of Rusesabagina's actions during the genocide was later depicted in the film Hotel Rwanda in 2004, in which he was portrayed by American actor Don Cheadle. The film has been the subject both of critical acclaim and controversy in Rwanda.
Zdeňka Šilhavá, Czech discus thrower and shot putter
Zdeňka Šilhavá is a Czech retired female track and field athlete who represented Czechoslovakia. She set the world record in the women's discus throw on 26 August 1984 with a distance of 74.56 metres (244.6 ft). That mark still is the national record.
Beverley Whitfield, Australian swimmer (died 1996)
Beverley Joy Whitfield was an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1970s, who won a gold medal in the 200-metre breaststroke at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. She was coached by Terry Gathercole and Don Talbot.
15/06/1953
Vilma Bardauskienė, Lithuanian long jumper
Vilhelmina "Vilma" Bardauskienė, née Augustinavičiūtė, is a former long jumper from Lithuania, who represented the Soviet Union in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She twice set the women's world record in the long jump, and won the European title in 1978 (Prague). She was born in Pakruojis.
Eje Elgh, Swedish racing driver and sportscaster
Lars Eje Elgh is a Swedish racing driver and television reporter. He currently works as an expert commentator for Formula One in Sweden together with Janne Blomqvist. The two have worked together as Formula One commentators for a long time, first for TV4 and then for Viasat Motor when they took over the Formula One broadcasting in Sweden.
Xi Jinping, Chinese engineer and politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China
Xi Jinping is a Chinese statesman and politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Party Central Military Commission (CMC) since 2012, and the president of China and chairman of the State Central Military Commission since 2013. Xi has been the leader of the fifth generation of Chinese leadership since 2012.
Raphael Wallfisch, English cellist and educator
Raphael Wallfisch is an English cellist.
15/06/1952
Satya Pal Jain, Indian lawyer and politician, Additional Solicitor General of India
Satya Pal Jain is an Additional Solicitor General of India. He is a Member of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Executive Committee. He was elected Member of Parliament from Chandigarh in 1996 and 1998. He is a practising Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India and the Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh.
15/06/1951
Jane Amsterdam, American magazine and newspaper editor (Manhattan, inc., New York Post)
Jane Ellen Amsterdam is a former American magazine and newspaper editor. After successive magazine editorships during the 1970s, she joined The Washington Post as section editor. She later became founding editor of Manhattan, inc., and was widely credited with making it into a dynamic, National Magazine Award-winning magazine. She later joined the New York Post, becoming the first female editor of a major New York City newspaper. At the New York Post, she worked to increase the paper's credibility and journalism standards. By the time she left the Post in 1989, she was one of only six women in the country editing a newspaper with a circulation of over 100,000.
Vance A. Larson, American painter (died 2000)
Vance A. Larson was an abstract expressionist painter and portrait painter. A prolific artist, during his career Larson painted over 10,000 original works of art and won over 30 Best of Show awards in major art shows from Dallas to Beverly Hills. Larson's paintings are displayed in collections throughout the world.
John Redwood, English politician, Secretary of State for Wales
John Alan Redwood, Baron Redwood is a British politician and academic who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wokingham in Berkshire from 1987 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Secretary of State for Wales in the Major government and was twice an unsuccessful candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party in the 1990s. Redwood subsequently served in the Shadow Cabinets of William Hague and Michael Howard; he remained a backbencher from then on. On 24 May 2024, Redwood announced that he would stand down as MP for Wokingham and not seek re-election in the 2024 general election.
Steve Walsh, American rock singer-songwriter and musician
Steve Walsh is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known for his work as a longtime member of the progressive rock band Kansas. He retired from the band in 2014. He sings lead on four of Kansas' best-known hits: "Carry On Wayward Son", "Dust in the Wind", "Point of Know Return", and "All I Wanted", the last two of which he co-wrote.
15/06/1950
Uğur Erdener, Turkish ophthalmologist and professor
Uğur Erdener is a Turkish physician specialized in ophthalmology and professor at the Hacettepe University, Ankara. He is currently a member of the International Olympic Committee, former president of the National Olympic Committee of Turkey, and president of SportAccord.
Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Ghanaian nurse and politician
Juliana Jocelyn Azumah-Mensah is a Ghanaian politician and nurse. She was the Minister for Women and Children's Affairs. She is also the Member of Parliament for Ho East constituency.
Deney Terrio, American choreographer and television host
Denis George Mahan, better known as Deney Terrio, is an American choreographer and hosted the television musical variety series Dance Fever from 1979 to 1987.
Lakshmi Mittal, Indian-English businessman
Lakshmi Niwas Mittal is an Indian billionaire businessman and steel magnate. He is the executive chairman of ArcelorMittal, the world's second largest steelmaking company, as well as chairman of stainless steel manufacturer Aperam. Mittal owns 38 per cent of ArcelorMittal and holds a three per cent stake in EFL Championship football club Queens Park Rangers. Mittal resides in Switzerland and United Arab Emirates following his departure from the United Kingdom in 2025, where he had lived since 1995.
15/06/1949
Dusty Baker, American baseball player and manager
Johnnie B "Dusty" Baker Jr. is an American former professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers. During his Dodgers tenure, he was a two-time All-Star, won two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove Award, and became the first NLCS MVP, which he received for his performance during the 1977 National League Championship Series. He also made three World Series appearances and was a member of the 1981 World Series championship team. Outside of the Dodgers, Baker played for the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics.
Simon Callow, English actor and director
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow is an English actor. Known as a character actor on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Olivier Award and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to acting by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999.
Russell Hitchcock, Australian singer-songwriter
Russell Charles Hitchcock is an Australian musician and lead vocalist of the soft rock duo Air Supply.
Jim Varney, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (died 2000)
James Albert Varney Jr. was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his Emmy Award winning comedic role as Ernest P. Worrell, originating in a series of television commercial advertising campaigns, and later growing into a film and television franchise. He played Jed Clampett in the 1993 The Beverly Hillbillies film adaptation, and also covered a song for the film titled "Hot Rod Lincoln". He voiced Slinky Dog in the first two films of the Toy Story franchise (1995–1999). He died of lung cancer on February 10, 2000, leaving two posthumous releases, Daddy and Them and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
15/06/1948
Mike Holmgren, American football player and coach
Michael George Holmgren is an American former football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career as a quarterbacks' coach and later as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers, where they won Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, where he won Super Bowl XXXI, and of the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008. His last role in the NFL was as team president of the Cleveland Browns from 2010 to 2012. Prior to his career in the NFL, Holmgren coached football at the high school and collegiate levels.
Alan Huckle, English politician and diplomat, Governor of Anguilla
Alan Edden Huckle is an senior British diplomat in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He was the commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and the British Antarctic Territory from 23 April 2001 until 12 January 2004, when he left to become the governor of Anguilla in the Caribbean. He was the Governor of Anguilla from 29 July 2004 to July 2006, having been appointed in July 2003.
Henry McLeish, Scottish footballer, academic, and politician, 2nd First Minister of Scotland
Henry Baird McLeish is a Scottish politician, author, academic and former professional footballer who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2000 to 2001. With a term of 1 year, 12 days, he is the shortest serving holder of that office. He served as the Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 2000 to 2001.
15/06/1947
John Hoagland, American photographer and journalist (died 1984)
John Hoagland was an American photojournalist and war correspondent for Newsweek from San Diego, California, who was covering the Salvadoran Civil War in El Salvador at the time he was killed. He had covered other conflicts, including those in Nicaragua and Lebanon.
15/06/1946
Noddy Holder, English rock singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
Neville John "Noddy" Holder is an English musician, songwriter and actor. He was the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the English rock band Slade, one of the UK's most successful acts of the 1970s.
John Horner, American paleontologist and academic
John Robert Horner is an American paleontologist who described Maiasaura, providing the first clear evidence that some non-avian dinosaurs cared for their young. In addition to his paleontological discoveries, Horner served as the technical advisor for the first five Jurassic Park films, had a cameo appearance in Jurassic World, and served as a partial inspiration for one of the lead characters of the franchise, Dr. Alan Grant.
Demis Roussos, Egyptian-Greek singer-songwriter and bass player (died 2015)
Artemios "Demis" Ventouris-Roussos was an Egyptian-born Greek musician. As a band member, he is best remembered for his work in the progressive rock music act Aphrodite's Child, but as a vocal soloist, his repertoire included hit songs like "Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye", "From Souvenirs to Souvenirs" and "Forever and Ever".
15/06/1945
Miriam Defensor Santiago, Filipino judge and politician (died 2016)
Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago was a Filipino politician and lawyer who served in all three branches of the Philippine government: judicial, executive, and legislative. Defensor Santiago was known for being a long serving senator of the Philippines and an elected judge of the International Criminal Court. She is the sole female recipient of the Philippines' highest national honor, the Quezon Service Cross.
Robert Sarah, Guinean cardinal
Robert Sarah is a Guinean Catholic prelate who served as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 23 November 2014 to 20 February 2021. He previously served as secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples under Pope John Paul II and president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum under Pope Benedict XVI. He was made a cardinal in 2010.
Lawrence Wilkerson, American colonel
Lawrence B. Wilkerson is a retired United States Army Colonel and former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell.
15/06/1944
Robert D. Keppel, American police officer and academic (died 2021)
Robert David Keppel was an American law enforcement officer and detective. He was also an associate professor at the University of New Haven and Sam Houston State University. Keppel was known for his contributions to the investigations of Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway, and also assisted in the creation of HITS, the Homicide Investigation Tracking System.
15/06/1943
Johnny Hallyday, French singer and actor (died 2017)
Jean-Philippe Léo Smet, better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France.
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Danish politician, 38th Prime Minister of Denmark
Poul Oluf Nyrup Rasmussen is a retired Danish politician, who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 25 January 1993 to 27 November 2001 and President of the Party of European Socialists (PES) from 2004 to 2011. He was the leader of the governing Social Democrats from 1992 to 2002 and was also a member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009.
15/06/1942
Ian Greenberg, Canadian broadcaster, founded Astral Media (died 2022)
Ian Greenberg was a Canadian businessman and media pioneer. He was the co-founder of Astral Media Inc. and served as its president and chief executive officer from 1996 until 2013.
John E. McLaughlin, American diplomat
John Edward McLaughlin is a retired American intelligence official who was Deputy Director of Central Intelligence and briefly acting Director of Central Intelligence.
Peter Norman, Australian sprinter (died 2006)
Peter George Norman was an Australian track athlete. He won the silver medal in the 200 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, with a time of 20.06 seconds, which remained the Oceania 200 m record for more than 56 years. He was a five-time national 200-metre champion.
15/06/1941
Neal Adams, American illustrator (died 2022)
Neal Adams was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. During his career, Adams co-created the characters John Stewart, Man-Bat, and Ra's al Ghul for DC Comics.
Harry Nilsson, American singer-songwriter (died 1994)
Harry Edward Nilsson III, sometimes credited and often referred to as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experiments, a return to the Great American Songbook, and fusions of Caribbean sounds. Nilsson was one of the few major pop-rock recording artists to achieve significant commercial success without performing major public concerts or touring regularly.
15/06/1939
Ward Connerly, American activist and businessman, founded the American Civil Rights Institute
Wardell Anthony "Ward" Connerly is an American political and anti-affirmative action activist, businessman, and former University of California Regent (1993–2005). He is also the founder and the chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, a national non-profit organization in opposition to racial and gender preferences, and is the president of Californians for Equal Rights, a non-profit organization active in the state of California with a similar mission. He is considered to be the man behind California's Proposition 209 prohibiting race- and gender-based preferences in state hiring, contracting and state university admissions, a program known as affirmative action.
15/06/1938
Billy Williams, American baseball player and coach
Billy Leo Williams is an American former left fielder and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from 1959 to 1976, almost entirely for the Chicago Cubs. A six-time All-Star, Williams was named the 1961 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year after hitting 25 home runs with 86 runs batted in (RBI). A model of consistent production, he went on to provide the Cubs with at least 20 home runs and 80 RBI every year through 1973, batting over .300, hitting 30 home runs and scoring 100 runs five times each. Along with Ernie Banks and Ron Santo, Williams was one of the central figures in improving the Cubs' fortunes in the late 1960s after the club had spent 20 years in the bottom half of the league standings. His 853 RBI and 2,799 total bases in the 1960s were the most by any left-handed hitter in the major leagues.
15/06/1937
Pierre Billon, Swiss-Canadian author and screenwriter
Pierre Billon is a novelist and screenwriter from Quebec.
Leon Coates, English composer (died 2023)
Leon Coates (1937–2023) was an English composer, pianist and conductor who worked mostly in Scotland.
Waylon Jennings, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2002)
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the outlaw movement in country music.
15/06/1936
William Levada, American cardinal (died 2019)
William Joseph Levada was an American Catholic prelate who served as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2005 to 2012. During that time, he was the highest-ranking American in the Roman Curia. He was previously the Archbishop of Portland in Oregon from 1986 to 1995 and Archbishop of San Francisco from 1995 to 2005. During his tenure, he was criticized for covering up sexual abuse by priests within his jurisdiction. He was created a cardinal in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI.
15/06/1934
Ruby Nash Garnett, American R&B singer
Ruby Nash Garnett is an American singer who led the rhythm and blues group Ruby & the Romantics.
15/06/1933
Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Iranian politician, 2nd President of Iran (died 1981)
Mohammad-Ali Rajai was an Iranian politician who served as the second president of Iran from 2 August 1981 until his assassination four weeks later. Before his presidency, Rajai had served as prime minister under Abolhassan Banisadr, while concurrently occupying the position of foreign affairs minister from 11 March 1981 to 15 August 1981. He died in a bombing on 30 August 1981 along with then-prime minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar.
Predrag Koraksić Corax, Serbian political caricaturist
Predrag Koraksić Corax is a Serbian political caricaturist.
15/06/1932
David Alliance, Baron Alliance, Iranian-English businessman and politician (died 2025)
David Alliance, Baron Alliance, was an Iranian businessman and Liberal Democrat politician.
Mario Cuomo, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of New York (died 2015)
Mario Matthew Cuomo was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as the lieutenant governor of New York from 1979 to 1982 and the secretary of state of New York from 1975 to 1978. He was the father of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and broadcaster Chris Cuomo.
Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Indian singer (died 2013)
Zia Fariduddin Dagar was an Indian classical vocalist belonging to the Dhrupad tradition, the oldest existing form of north Indian classical music. He was part of the Dagar family of musicians.
Bernie Faloney, American-Canadian football player and sportscaster (died 1999)
Bernie Faloney was a professional football player in the Canadian Football League and an outstanding American college football player for the Maryland Terrapins. Born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, Faloney is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, and the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame. Faloney's jersey No. 10 was retired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1999. In 2005, Faloney was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, Faloney was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's Top 50 Players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.
15/06/1931
Joseph Gilbert, English air marshal
Air Chief Marshal Sir Joseph Alfred Gilbert, is a former Royal Air Force officer who served as Deputy Commander of Strike Command from 1984 to 1986.
15/06/1930
Miguel Méndez, American author and academic (died 2013)
Miguel Méndez was the pen name for Miguel Méndez Morales, a Mexican American author best known for his novel Peregrinos de Aztlán. He was a leading figure in the field of Chicano literature.
Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 2015)
Joseph René Marcel Pronovost was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played in 1,206 games over 20 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons for the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs between 1950 and 1970. A top defenceman, Pronovost was named to four post-season NHL All-Star teams and played in 11 All-Star Games. He was a member of four Stanley Cup championship teams with the Red Wings, the first in 1950, and won a fifth title with the Maple Leafs in 1967. Pronovost was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player in 1978.
15/06/1927
Ross Andru, American illustrator (died 1993)
Ross Andru was an American comics artist and editor whose career in comics spanned six decades. He is best known for his work on The Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and The Metal Men, and for having co-created the character called The Punisher.
Ibn-e-Insha, Indian-Pakistani poet and author (died 1978)
Sher Muhammad Khan, better known by his pen name Ibn-e-Insha, was a Pakistani Urdu poet, humorist, travelogue writer and newspaper columnist.
Hugo Pratt, Italian author and illustrator (died 1995)
Ugo Eugenio Prat, better known as Hugo Pratt, was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as Corto Maltese. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2005, and was awarded the 15th anniversary special Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême at the Angoulême Festival. In 1946 Hugo Pratt became part of the so-called Group of Venice with Fernando Carcupino, Dino Battaglia and Damiano Damiani.
15/06/1926
Alfred Duraiappah, Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician (died 1975)
Alfred Thangarajah Duraiappah was a Sri Lankan lawyer who served as Mayor of Jaffna from 1970 until his assassination. He was also a Member of Parliament for Jaffna from 1960 to 1965. Duraiappah was killed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
15/06/1925
Richard Baker, English journalist and author (died 2018)
Richard Douglas James Baker OBE RD was an English broadcaster, best known as a newsreader for BBC News from 1954 to 1982, and as a radio presenter of classical music. He was a contemporary of Kenneth Kendall and Robert Dougall and was the first reader of the BBC Television News in 1954.
Attilâ İlhan, Turkish poet, author, and critic (died 2005)
Attilâ İlhan was a Turkish poet, novelist, essayist, journalist and reviewer.
15/06/1924
Hédi Fried, Swedish author and psychologist (died 2022)
Hédi Fried was a Swedish-Romanian-Hungarian author and psychologist. A Holocaust survivor, she passed through Auschwitz as well as Bergen-Belsen, coming to Sweden in July 1945 with the boat M/S Rönnskär.
Ezer Weizman, Israeli general and politician, 7th President of Israel (died 2005)
Ezer Weizman was an Israeli major general and politician who served as the president of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Air Force and Minister of Defense.
15/06/1923
Erland Josephson, Swedish actor and director (died 2012)
Erland Josephson was a Swedish actor and author. He was best known by international audiences for his work in films directed by Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky and Theo Angelopoulos.
Ninian Stephen, English-Australian lieutenant, judge, and politician, 20th Governor-General of Australia (died 2017)
Sir Ninian Martin Stephen was an English-born Australian judge who served as the 20th governor-general of Australia, in office from 1982 to 1989. He was previously a justice of the High Court of Australia from 1972 to 1982.
15/06/1922
Jaki Byard, American pianist and composer (died 1999)
John Arthur "Jaki" Byard was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for his eclectic style, incorporating everything from ragtime and stride to free jazz.
15/06/1921
Erroll Garner, American pianist and composer (died 1977)
Erroll Louis Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad "Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first recorded in 1956 with Mitch Miller and his orchestra, and played a prominent part in the 1971 motion picture Play Misty for Me.
15/06/1920
Keith Andrews, American race car driver (died 1957)
Keith Phillip Andrews was an American racecar driver. He was killed after crashing his car during practice for the 1957 Indianapolis 500.
Alla Kazanskaya, Russian actress (died 2008)
Alla Alexandrovna Kazanskaya was a Russian stage and film actress. She began her career at the age of 18 at the Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre in Moscow. Her most notable film appearance was in the Academy Award-winning drama Burnt by the Sun (1994).
Sam Sniderman, Canadian businessman, founded Sam the Record Man (died 2012)
Sam Sniderman, was a Canadian businessman best known as the founder of the Canadian record shop chain Sam the Record Man. Sniderman was also a major promoter of Canadian music including involvement in pushing for the Canadian content (CANCON) broadcast regulations and creating the Juno Awards.
Alberto Sordi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2003)
Alberto Sordi was an Italian actor, comedian, voice dubber, director, singer, composer and screenwriter.
15/06/1918
François Tombalbaye, Chadian politician, 1st President of Chad (died 1975)
François Tombalbaye, also known as N'Garta Tombalbaye, was a Chadian politician who served as the first President of Chad from the country's independence in 1960 until his overthrow in 1975. A dictatorial leader, his divisive policies as president led to factional conflict and a pattern of authoritarian leadership and political instability that is still relevant in Chad today.
15/06/1917
John Fenn, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2010)
John Bennett Fenn was an American professor of analytical chemistry who was awarded a share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002. He shared half of the award with Koichi Tanaka for their work in mass spectrometry. The other half went to Kurt Wüthrich. Fenn's contributions specifically related to the development of electrospray ionization, now a commonly used technique for large molecules and routine liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Early in his career, he studied the field of jet propulsion at Project SQUID and focused on molecular beams. He finished his career with more than 100 publications, including one book.
Michalis Genitsaris, Greek singer-songwriter (died 2005)
Michalis Genitsaris was a Greek singer and composer of the rebetiko genre. He was born and died in Agia Sofia, Piraeus. He was known as the last pre-war rebetiko singer. He composed such songs as Ego mangas fenomouna("I looked like a tough guy"), Enas leventis esvise etc. He was interviewed for the Australian SBS programme Music of the Outsiders in which he describes his encounter with a policeman when he was seventeen, the age at which he composed Ego mangas fenomouna.
Lash LaRue, American actor and producer (died 1996)
Alfred "Lash" LaRue was a Western motion picture star of the 1940s and 1950s.
15/06/1916
Olga Erteszek, Polish-American fashion designer (died 1989)
Olga Erteszek was a Polish-American undergarment designer and lingerie company owner. She was famous for her nightgowns with full, flowing skirt width and generous sweep.
Horacio Salgán, Argentinian pianist, composer, and conductor (died 2016)
Horacio Adolfo Salgán was an Argentine tango musician. He was born in Buenos Aires to an established Afro-Argentine family. Some of Salgán's most well-known compositions include Del 1 al 5 (1944), A Don Agustín Bardi (1947), Entre tango y tango (1953), Grillito, La llamo silbando, Cortada de San Ignacio, A fuego lento, and Aquellos tangos camperos. He turned 100 in June 2016 and died two months later on August 19, 2016.
Herbert A. Simon, American political scientist and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2001)
Herbert Alexander Simon was an American scholar whose work influenced the fields of computer science, economics, and cognitive psychology. His primary research interest was decision-making within organizations and he is best known for the theories of "bounded rationality" and "satisficing". He and Allen Newell received the ACM Turing Award in 1975, and he received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1978.
15/06/1915
Nini Theilade, Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, and educator (died 2018)
Nini Arlette Theilade was a Danish ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher.
Thomas Huckle Weller, American biologist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2008)
Thomas Huckle Weller was an American virologist. He, John Franklin Enders and Frederick Chapman Robbins were awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1954 for showing how to cultivate poliomyelitis viruses in a test tube, using a combination of human embryonic skin and muscle tissue.
15/06/1914
Yuri Andropov, Russian politician (died 1984)
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from late 1982 until his death in 1984. He previously served as the Chairman of the KGB from 1967 until 1982.
Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American cartoonist (died 1999)
Saul Steinberg was a Romanian-born American artist, best known for his work for The New Yorker, most notably View of the World from 9th Avenue. He described himself as "a writer who draws".
Hilda Terry, American cartoonist (died 2006)
Theresa Hilda D’Alessio, better known as Hilda Terry, was an American cartoonist who created the comic strip Teena. It ran in newspapers from 1944 to 1964. After marriage, she usually signed her name Theresa H. D’Alessio. In 1950, she became the first woman allowed to join the National Cartoonists Society.
15/06/1913
Tom Adair, American songwriter, composer, and screenwriter (died 1988)
Thomas Montgomery Adair was an American songwriter, composer, and screenwriter.
15/06/1911
Wilbert Awdry, English author, created The Railway Series, the basis for Thomas the Tank Engine (died 1997)
Wilbert Vere Awdry, often credited as Rev. W. Awdry, was an English Anglican priest, railway enthusiast, and children's author. He was the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine and several other characters who appeared in his book series, The Railway Series.
15/06/1910
David Rose, English-American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1990)
David Daniel Rose was a British-American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader. His best known compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody". He also wrote music for many television series, including It's a Great Life, The Tony Martin Show, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, and Highway Patrol, some under the pseudonym Ray Llewellyn.
15/06/1909
Elena Nikolaidi, Greek-American soprano and educator (died 2002)
Elena Nikolaidi was a Greek-American opera singer and teacher. She sang leading contralto and mezzosoprano roles with major opera companies worldwide and made numerous recordings.
15/06/1907
James Robertson Justice, English actor and educator (died 1975)
James Robertson Justice was a British actor. He often portrayed pompous authority figures in comedies, including each of the seven films in the Doctor series. He also co-starred with Gregory Peck in several adventure movies, notably The Guns of Navarone. Born in south-east London to a Scottish father, he became prominent in Scottish public life, helping to launch Scottish Television (STV) and serving as Rector of the University of Edinburgh.
15/06/1906
Gordon Welchman, English-American mathematician and author (died 1985)
William Gordon Welchman was an English mathematician. During World War II, he worked at Britain's secret decryption centre at Bletchley Park, where he was one of the most important contributors. In 1948, after the war, he moved to the US and later worked on the design of military communications systems.
Léon Degrelle, Belgian SS officer (died 1994)
Léon Joseph Marie Ignace Degrelle was a Belgian Walloon politician and Nazi collaborator. He rose to prominence in Belgium in the 1930s as the leader of the Rexist Party (Rex). During the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, he enlisted in the German army and fought in the Walloon Legion on the Eastern Front. After the collapse of the Nazi regime, Degrelle escaped and went into exile in Francoist Spain, where he remained a prominent figure in neo-Nazi politics.
15/06/1902
Erik Erikson, German-American psychologist and psychoanalyst (died 1994)
Erik Homburger Erikson was a German-American child psychoanalyst and visual artist known for his theory on psychosocial development of human beings. He coined the phrase identity crisis.
15/06/1901
Elmar Lohk, Russian-Estonian architect (died 1963)
Elmar Lohk was an Estonian architect and tennis player. Many of his buildings in Tallinn are now valued as great examples of 1930s architecture, for example, the prominent Scandic Hotel Palace on Freedom Square. His creation can be categorised as functionalism with some influence of Chicago school and traditional art.
15/06/1900
Gotthard Günther, German philosopher and academic (died 1984)
Gotthard Günther was a German (Prussian) philosopher.
Otto Luening, German-American composer and conductor (died 1996)
Otto Clarence Luening was a German-American composer and conductor, and flutist. He was an early pioneer of tape music and electronic music.
15/06/1898
Hubertus Strughold, German-American physiologist and academic (died 1986)
Hubertus Strughold was a German-born physiologist and medical researcher. Beginning in 1935 he served as chief of aeromedical research for Hermann Göring's Ministry of Aviation and later held the same position with the Luftwaffe throughout World War II. In 1947 he was brought to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip and went on to serve in a number of high-level scientific posts with the United States Air Force and NASA.
15/06/1894
Robert Russell Bennett, American composer and conductor (died 1981)
Robert Russell Bennett was an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers.
Nikolai Chebotaryov, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and theorist (died 1947)
Nikolai Grigorievich Chebotaryov was a Soviet mathematician. He is best known for the Chebotaryov density theorem.
15/06/1890
Georg Wüst, German oceanographer and academic (died 1977)
Georg Adolf Otto Wüst was a German oceanographer. His pioneering work on the Atlantic Ocean provided a new view of the motions of water masses between the northern and southern hemispheres and the first evidence of the concentration of water mass spreading in western boundary currents.
15/06/1888
Martin D'Arcy, English Jesuit priest (died 1976)
Martin Cyril D'Arcy was an English Jesuit priest, philosopher of love, and a correspondent, friend, and adviser to a range of literary and artistic figures including Evelyn Waugh, Dorothy L. Sayers, W. H. Auden, Eric Gill and Sir Edwin Lutyens. He has been described as "perhaps England's foremost Catholic public intellectual from the 1930s until his death".
Ramón López Velarde, Mexican poet and author (died 1921)
Ramón López Velarde was a Mexican poet. His work was a reaction against French-influenced modernismo which, as an expression of a purely Mexican subject matter and emotional experience, is unique. He achieved great fame in his native land, to the point of being considered Mexico's national poet.
15/06/1886
Frank Clement, British racing driver (died 1970)
Frank Charles Clement was a British racing driver who, along with Canadian John Duff, won the 1924 24 Hours of Le Mans.
15/06/1884
Harry Langdon, American actor, director, and screenwriter (died 1944)
Henry Philmore "Harry" Langdon was an American actor and comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films, and talkies.
15/06/1881
Kesago Nakajima, Japanese lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army (died 1945)
Kesago Nakajima was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese forces under Nakajima's command committed the 1937 Nanjing Massacre.
15/06/1878
Margaret Abbott, Indian-American golfer (died 1955)
Margaret Ives Abbott was an American amateur golfer. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic event: the women's golf tournament at the 1900 Summer Olympics.
15/06/1875
Herman Smith-Johannsen, Norwegian-Canadian skier (died 1987)
Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen, was a Norwegian skier and supercentenarian. He was the oldest living man from 14 December 1986 to 5 January 1987. He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 1972. He is credited for building many ski jumps and blazing trails in Canada, and New York. He is known for his one-day ascent of Mount Marcy, the tallest mountain in New York. He was born in Horten, Norway, and later moved to the United States, before settling in Piedmont, Quebec.
15/06/1872
Thomas William Burgess, English swimmer and water polo player (died 1950)
Thomas William Burgess was the second person to successfully complete a swim of the English Channel after Matthew Webb, following sixteen attempts. Burgess was British but spent most of his life in France, and won a bronze medal with the French water polo team at the 1900 Olympics.
15/06/1848
Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala, Indian bishop and saint (died 1902)
Geevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala, also known as Parumala Thirumeni, was a Metropolitan of the Malankara Church. Parumala Thirumeni became the first person of Indian origin to be canonised as saint. In 1947, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church declared Mar Gregorios as a saint, making him the first saint from India canonized by that Church. On the 20th of October, 1987, His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I, the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, solemnly proclaimed the canonization of St. Gregorios of Parumala, thereby confirming his sanctity and establishing his veneration throughout the Syriac Orthodox Church.
15/06/1843
Edvard Grieg, Norwegian pianist and composer (died 1907)
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of Norwegian folk music in his own compositions brought the music of Norway to fame, as well as helping to develop a national identity, much as Jean Sibelius did in Finland and Bedřich Smetana in Bohemia.
15/06/1835
Adah Isaacs Menken, American actress, painter, and poet (died 1868)
Adah Isaacs Menken was an American actress, painter and poet, and was the highest earning actress of her time. She was best known for her performance in the hippodrama Mazeppa, with a climax that featured her apparently nude and riding a horse on stage. After great success for a few years with the play in New York and San Francisco, she appeared in a production in London and Paris, from 1864 to 1866. After a brief trip back to the United States, she returned to Europe. She became ill within two years and died in Paris at the age of 33.
15/06/1822
Alfonso Corti, Italian anatomist (died 1876)
Alfonso Giacomo Gaspare Corti was an Italian anatomist. He was born in Gambarana, near Pavia in 1822.
15/06/1809
François-Xavier Garneau, Canadian poet and historian (died 1866)
François-Xavier Garneau was a nineteenth-century French Canadian notary, poet, civil servant and liberal who wrote a three-volume history of the French Canadian nation entitled Histoire du Canada between 1845 and 1848.
15/06/1805
William B. Ogden, American businessman and politician, 1st Mayor of Chicago (died 1877)
William Butler Ogden was an American politician and railroad executive who served as the first Mayor of Chicago. He was referred to as "the Astor of Chicago." He was, at one time, the city's richest citizen. He brought the Galena & Chicago Union RR out of insolvency and was its first president in 1847. He created the Chicago & North Western Railway from the failed remains of the Chicago, St.Paul, Fond du Lac and was its first president in 1859. He spearheaded the 1st transcontinental railroad as the Union Pacific and was its first president in 1862, although he relinquished that position due to poor health.
15/06/1801
Benjamin Wright Raymond, American merchant and politician, 3rd Mayor of Chicago (died 1883)
Benjamin Wright Raymond was an American politician who twice served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois for the Whig Party.
15/06/1792
Thomas Mitchell, Scottish-Australian colonel and explorer (died 1855)
Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, often called Major Mitchell, was a Scottish surveyor and explorer of Southeastern Australia. He was born in Scotland and served in the British Army during the Peninsular War. In 1827 he took up an appointment as Assistant Surveyor General of New South Wales. The following year he became Surveyor General and remained in this position until his death. Mitchell was knighted in 1839 for his contribution to the surveying of Australia.
15/06/1790
Charles-Amédée Kohler, Swiss chocolatier (died 1874)
Charles-Amédée Kohler was a Swiss chocolatier and entrepreneur who founded Chocolat Kohler. He notably invented hazelnut chocolate, in his factory opened in 1830 in Lausanne. After his death the Kohler company continued in the Swiss chocolate industry. It merged in 1904 with the Peter and in 1911 with the Cailler chocolate brands; before being finally purchased by Nestlé in 1929.
15/06/1789
Josiah Henson, American minister, author, and activist (died 1883)
Josiah Henson was an author, abolitionist, and minister. Born into slavery, in Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland, he escaped to Upper Canada in 1830, and founded a settlement and laborer's school for other fugitive slaves at Dawn, near Dresden, in Kent County, Upper Canada, of Ontario. Henson's autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself (1849), is believed to have inspired the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). Following the success of Stowe's novel, Henson issued an expanded version of his memoir in 1858, Truth Stranger Than Fiction. Father Henson's Story of His Own Life. Interest in his life continued, and nearly two decades later, his life story was updated and published as Uncle Tom's Story of His Life: An Autobiography of the Rev. Josiah Henson (1876).
15/06/1777
David Daniel Davis, Welsh physician and academic (died 1841)
David Daniel Davis M.D. F.R.C.P. was a British physician.
15/06/1767
Rachel Jackson, American wife of Andrew Jackson (died 1828)
Rachel Jackson was the wife of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States. She lived with him at their home at the Hermitage, where she died just days after his election and before his inauguration in 1829—therefore she never served as first lady, a role assumed by her niece, Emily Donelson.
15/06/1765
Henry Thomas Colebrooke, English orientalist (died 1837)
Henry Thomas Colebrooke FRS FRSE FLS was an English orientalist and botanist. He has been described as "the first great Sanskrit scholar in Europe".
15/06/1763
Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (died 1826)
Franz Ignaz Danzi was a German cellist, composer and conductor, the son of the Italian cellist Innocenz Danzi (1730–1798) and brother of the noted singer Franziska Danzi.
Kobayashi Issa, Japanese priest and poet (died 1827)
Kobayashi Issa was a Japanese poet. He is known for his haiku poems and journals. He is better known as simply Issa (一茶), a pen name meaning Cup-of-tea. He is regarded as one of the four haiku masters in Japan, along with Bashō, Buson and Shiki — "the Great Four."
15/06/1755
Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy, French chemist and entomologist (died 1809)
Antoine François Fourcroy was a French chemist and a contemporary of Antoine Lavoisier. Fourcroy collaborated with Lavoisier, Guyton de Morveau, and Claude Berthollet on the Méthode de nomenclature chimique, a work that helped standardize chemical nomenclature.
15/06/1754
Juan José Elhuyar, Spanish chemist and mineralogist (died 1796)
Juan José Elhuyar Lubize was a Spanish chemist and mineralogist, who was best known for being first to isolate tungsten with his brother Fausto Elhuyar in 1783.
15/06/1749
Georg Joseph Vogler, German organist, composer, and theorist (died 1814)
Georg Joseph Vogler, also known as Abbé Vogler, was a German composer, organist, teacher and theorist. In a long and colorful career extending over many more nations and decades than was usual at the time, Vogler established himself as a foremost experimenter in baroque and early classic music. His greatest successes came as performer and designer for the organ at various courts and cities around Europe, as well as a teacher, attracting highly successful and devoted pupils such as Carl Maria von Weber. His career as a music theorist and composer however was mixed, with contemporaries such as Mozart believing Vogler to have been a charlatan. Despite his mixed reception in his own life, his highly original contributions in many areas of music and influence on his pupils endured, and combined with his eccentric and adventurous career, prompted one historian to summarize Vogler as "one of the most bizarre characters in the history of music".
15/06/1645
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, English politician (died 1712)
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, was a British Tory statesman. He was a Privy Councillor and Secretary of State for the Northern Department before he attained real power as First Lord of the Treasury. He was instrumental in negotiating and passing the Acts of Union 1707 with Scotland, which created the Kingdom of Great Britain. He had many other roles, including that of Governor of Scilly.
15/06/1640
Bernard Lamy, French mathematician and theologian (died 1715)
Bernard Lamy was a French Oratorian, mathematician and theologian.
15/06/1624
Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist and philologist (died 1704)
Hiob or Job Ludolf, also known as Job Leutholf, was a German orientalist, born at Erfurt. Edward Ullendorff rates Ludolf as having "the most illustrious name in Ethiopic scholarship".
15/06/1623
Cornelis de Witt, Dutch politician (died 1672)
Cornelis de Witt was a Dutch States Navy officer and statesman. During the First Stadtholderless Period, De Witt was an influential member of the Dutch States Party, and was opposed to the House of Orange. In the Rampjaar of 1672, he and his brother Johan de Witt were lynched and their remains eaten by a crowd incited by Orangist partisans.
15/06/1605
Thomas Randolph, English poet and playwright (died 1635)
Thomas Randolph was an English poet and dramatist, recognised by his mentor Ben Jonson as being a promising writer of comedy, and amongst his contemporaries had a reputation as a wit.
15/06/1553
Archduke Ernest of Austria (died 1595)
Archduke Ernest of Austria was an Austrian prince, the son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria of Spain.
15/06/1549
Elizabeth Knollys, English noblewoman (died 1605)
Elizabeth Knollys, Lady Leighton, was an English courtier who served Queen Elizabeth I of England, first as a Maid of Honour and secondly, after 1566, as a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber. Knollys was the grand-niece of Queen consort Anne Boleyn, which made her a cousin once removed of the Queen. Elizabeth married Sir Thomas Leighton of Feckenham in Worcestershire in 1578. He served as Governor of Jersey and Guernsey.
15/06/1542
Richard Grenville, English captain and explorer (died 1591)
Sir Richard Grenville, also spelt Greynvile, Greeneville, and Greenfield, was an English privateer and explorer. Grenville was lord of the manors of Stowe, Cornwall and Bideford, Devon. He subsequently participated in the plantations of Ireland specifically the Munster plantations, the English colonisation of the Americas and the repulse of the Spanish Armada.
15/06/1519
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (died 1536)
Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset was the son of Henry VIII of England and his mistress Elizabeth Blount, and the only child born out of wedlock whom Henry acknowledged. He was the younger half-brother of Mary I, as well as the older half-brother of Elizabeth I and Edward VI. Through his mother, he was the elder half-brother of Elizabeth, George, and Robert Tailboys. His surname means "son of the king" in Norman French.
15/06/1479
Lisa del Giocondo, Italian model, subject of the Mona Lisa (died 1542)
Lisa del Giocondo was an Italian noblewoman and member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany. Her name was given to the Mona Lisa, her portrait commissioned by her husband and painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the Italian Renaissance.
15/06/1330
Edward, the Black Prince of England (died 1376)
Edward of Woodstock, known as the Black Prince, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Edward III of England. He died before his father, and so his son Richard II succeeded to the throne instead. Edward was one of the most successful English commanders of the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), and was regarded by his English contemporaries as a model of chivalry, and one of his era's greatest knights.