Born on Wednesday, 29th October – Famous Birthdays

29/10/1998

Lance Stroll, Canadian racing driver

Lance Strulovitch, commonly known as Lance Stroll, is a Canadian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin.

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29/10/1996

Vince Dunn, Canadian ice hockey player

Vince Dunn is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL).

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Mikko Rantanen, Finnish ice hockey player

Mikko Rantanen is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 10th overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2015 NHL entry draft and made his NHL debut that year. Rantanen won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022. Following a brief mid-season stint with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2025, Rantanen signed an eight year deal with Dallas.

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Astrid S, Norwegian singer and songwriter

Astrid Smeplass, known professionally as Astrid S, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. In 2013, she placed fifth in the Norwegian version of Pop Idol, entitled Idol – Jakten på en superstjerne. In 2020, she released her debut studio album, Leave It Beautiful, through Universal.

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29/10/1994

Danielle Hunter, American football player

Danielle Hunter is a Jamaican-American professional football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft. Hunter made four Pro Bowls with the Vikings prior to signing with the Texans in 2024.

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29/10/1993

Ágnes Bukta, Hungarian tennis player

Ágnes Bukta is a Hungarian former professional tennis player.

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India Eisley, American actress

India Eisley is an American actress. On television, she is best known for her roles as Ashley Juergens in the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013), Audrina in the Lifetime film My Sweet Audrina (2016), and Fauna Hodel in the TNT series I Am the Night (2019). Her films include Underworld: Awakening (2012), Kite (2014), Social Suicide (2015) and Look Away (2018).

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29/10/1992

Evan Fournier, French basketball player

Evan Mehdi Fournier is a French professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. After a twelve-year stint in the NBA he returned to Europe, where he was named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team in his debut season. He led Olympiacos to the 2025 EuroLeague Final Four. Fournier has been a regular member of the French national team, winning multiple medals in the EuroBasket, FIBA World Cup, and Olympic levels.

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Colin Miller, Canadian ice hockey player

Colin Miller is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights, Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, and New Jersey Devils. Miller was selected in the fifth round, 151st overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 NHL entry draft.

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29/10/1991

Parris Goebel, New Zealand dancer and choreographer

Parris Renee Goebel, also known mononymously as Parris, is a New Zealand dancer and choreographer. She is the founder and main choreographer of the Palace Dance Studio, which has produced dance crews such as ReQuest, Sorority, Bubblegum, and the Royal Family. The last has won the World Hip Hop Dance Championship three times in a row, becoming the first dance crew in history to achieve it.

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Nikita Zaitsev, Russian ice hockey player

Nikita Igorevich Zaitsev is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

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29/10/1990

Ender Inciarte, Venezuelan baseball player

Ender David Inciarte Montiel is a Venezuelan former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, and New York Mets. He made his MLB debut in 2014. He won the Fielding Bible Award in 2015, won the Gold Glove Award three times (2016–2018), and was an All-Star in 2017.

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Ben Proudfoot, Canadian filmmaker

Ben Proudfoot is a Canadian documentary filmmaker and entrepreneur. He has won two Academy Awards, the first ever awarded to The New York Times and the LA Times. Proudfoot is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Breakwater Studios, a filmmaking company specializing in short documentaries.

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Eric Saade, Swedish singer

Eric Khaled Saade is a Swedish singer-songwriter. He spent two years with the boy band What's Up!, leaving the band in February 2009 to pursue a solo career. Saade represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "Popular", finishing in third place.

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29/10/1989

Irina Karamanos, Chilean anthropologist and political scientist, First Lady of Chile

Irina Sabine Alice Karamanos Adrian is a Chilean anthropologist and political scientist who, as the then partner of President Gabriel Boric, served as first lady of Chile and sociocultural coordinator of the Presidency of the Republic between March and December 2022, when both positions were officially dissolved.

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Primož Roglič, Slovenian ski jumper and cyclist

Primož Roglič is a Slovenian professional racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe. A former ski jumper, Roglič switched to cycling after an accident suffered at Planica. Despite becoming a professional at the relatively late age of 23, Roglič has since become one of the most successful cyclists of his generation, with many notable wins in time trials, one-week stage races, and Grand Tours.

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29/10/1988

Janoris Jenkins, American football player

Janoris Jenkins, nicknamed "Jackrabbit", is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Alabama Lions and Florida Gators and was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. Jenkins had his most success as a member of the New York Giants, who he played four seasons with and made a Pro Bowl, and also had stints with the New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers.

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29/10/1987

Andy Dalton, American football player

Andrew Gregory Dalton is an American professional football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "the Red Rifle", he played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, winning MW Offensive Player of the Year twice and becoming the school's leader in quarterback wins. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft.

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Jessica Dubé, Canadian figure skater

Jessica Dubé is a Canadian former competitive figure skater who is best known for her pairs career with Bryce Davison. They are the 2008 World bronze medallists, the 2009 Four Continents silver medallists, and three-time Canadian national champions. They represented Canada at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. With later partner Sébastien Wolfe, Dubé is the 2012 Canadian national silver medallist.

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Tove Lo, Swedish singer

Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson, known professionally as Tove Lo, is a Swedish singer-songwriter. She is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take on pop music. Referring to her autobiographical lyrics, Out called Lo "the saddest girl in Sweden", while Rolling Stone called her "Sweden's darkest pop export".

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Makoto Ogawa, Japanese singer and actress

Makoto Ogawa is a Japanese singer and actress, best known as a former member of Japanese girl group Morning Musume. She joined the group in August 2001 along with fellow fifth generation members Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, and Asami Konno. On March 31, 2009, she graduated from Hello! Project with the rest of the Elder Club. Ogawa is currently a member of idol band Dream Morning Musume.

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29/10/1986

Italia Ricci, Canadian actress

Italia Ricci is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for starring as April Carver in the 2014–2015 ABC Family television series Chasing Life, for playing Siobhan Smythe / Silver Banshee in Supergirl from 2015 to 2016 and for playing White House Chief of Staff and Special Advisor Emily Rhodes in the television drama series Designated Survivor from 2016 to 2019.

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29/10/1985

Cal Crutchlow, English motorcycle racer

Cal Crutchlow is an English professional motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the 2020 season. He is contracted as a test rider for Yamaha Motor Racing, which he is expected to continue in 2022 and 2023. During 2021 he returned to race for two Yamaha teams as a replacement rider in four MotoGP events, and replaced Andrea Dovizioso for the last six events of 2022 after Dovizioso's retirement announced mid-season.

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Ximena Sariñana, Mexican singer-songwriter and actress

Ximena Sariñana Rivera is a Mexican singer-songwriter and actress. In 2009, she received critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination for her debut album, Mediocre.

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Vijender Singh, Indian boxer

Vijender Singh Beniwal is an Indian professional boxer and politician of Bharatiya Janata Party. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. He also won bronze medals at the 2009 World Championships and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, as well as silver medals at the 2006 and 2014 Commonwealth Games, all in the middleweight division.

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29/10/1984

Chris Baio, American bass player

Christopher Joseph Baio is an American musician, best known for being the bassist for the New York City-based indie rock band Vampire Weekend. He also releases as a record producer under the mononym Baio, and his debut solo album The Names was released through Glassnote Records on September 18, 2015.

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Lee Chung-ah, South Korean actress

Lee Chung-ah is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in the films Temptation of Wolves (2004) and My Tutor Friend 2 (2007), as well as the cable dramas Cool Guys, Hot Ramen (2011), VIP (2019) and Celebrity (2023).

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Eric Staal, Canadian ice hockey player

Eric Craig Staal is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played eighteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Florida Panthers. Eric is the oldest of the Staal brothers, who include former teammates Marc, Jordan, and Jared.

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29/10/1983

Richard Brancatisano, Australian actor

Richard Peter Brancatisano, also known by his stage name Richie Branco, is an Australian television actor and musician, best known for his roles as Xander Bly, the Green Mystic Ranger, in Power Rangers: Mystic Force and Dominic Russo on the ABC Family drama series, Chasing Life.

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Maurice Clarett, American football player

Maurice Edward Clarett is an American former football running back. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. During his freshman year he helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship. In a widely unexpected move Clarett was selected on the first day of the 2005 NFL draft with the final pick of the third round by the Denver Broncos. Clarett unsuccessfully challenged the NFL's draft eligibility rules that required a player to be three years removed from high school.

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Freddy Eastwood, Welsh footballer

Freddy Eastwood is a former professional footballer. He started his career with West Ham United and also played for Southend United, Grays Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Coventry City. He played eleven times in his international career for Wales.

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Jérémy Mathieu, French footballer

Jérémy Mathieu is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre-back or a left-back.

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Nurcan Taylan, Turkish weightlifter

Nurcan Taylan is a Turkish Olympic, world and European champion in weightlifting. She holds six European and one world record. She was banned by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) after she tested positive for the anabolic steroid Methandienone for two years starting on 26 October 2011.

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29/10/1982

Ariel Lin, Taiwanese actress and singer

Ariel Lin Yi-chen is a Taiwanese actress and singer. She rose to fame for her role as Yuan Xiangqin in the Taiwanese drama It Started with a Kiss (2005) and the Chinese fantasy drama The Little Fairy (2006). Lin won Best Actress at the 43rd and 47th Golden Bell Awards for her roles in They Kiss Again (2007) and In Time with You (2011) respectively.

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Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syrian revolutionary and military leader, President of Syria

Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander who has served as the president of Syria since 2025. He previously served as the emir of Al-Nusra Front from 2012 to 2017, the emir of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from 2017 to 2025, the de facto leader of the Syrian Salvation Government from 2017 to 2024, and was the de facto leader of Syria from December 2024 until his appointment as president in January 2025.

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29/10/1981

Amanda Beard, American swimmer

Amanda Ray Beard, also known by her married name Amanda Brown after 2009, is an American swimmer and a seven-time Olympic medalist with two gold, four silver, and one bronze medal. She is a former world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke long course. An exceptionally accomplished competitor, Beard captured a total of twenty-one medals in major international competition, five gold, thirteen silver, and three bronze spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Summer Universiade. In addition to brief careers in modeling, advertising, and broadcasting, she has worked as a swimming coach and instructor.

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Jonathan Brown, Australian footballer

Jonathan Brown is a former Australian rules footballer. He played 15 seasons for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League, where he served as captain between 2007 and 2013, and won three AFL premierships between 2001 and 2003. He is also a three-time club Best and Fairest winner, two-time All Australian, and a one-time Coleman Medallist.

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Angelika dela Cruz, Filipino actress and singer

Maria Lourdes "Angelika" Egger Dela Cruz-Casareo, is a Filipino actress and politician. She started her showbiz career in 1995, and has since appeared in television shows and movies. Originally with ABS-CBN from 1995 to 1999 and again from 2003 to 2007, she became a contract artist under GMA Network in 1999 until 2003, and again since 2007. She is currently serving as the barangay captain of Longos, Malabon, Metro Manila since 2013.

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29/10/1980

Ben Foster, American actor

Benjamin A. Foster is an American actor. His films include The Punisher (2004), X-Men: The Last Stand and Alpha Dog, 30 Days of Night (2007), The Messenger and Pandorum, The Mechanic (2011), Contraband (2012), Kill Your Darlings and Lone Survivor, The Program (2015), Warcraft (2016), and Leave No Trace (2018). He has won an Independent Spirit Award for portraying Tanner Howard in Hell or High Water (2016). He also had a recurring role as Russell Corwin in Six Feet Under (2003–05).

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Kaine Robertson, New Zealand-Italian rugby player

Paul Kaine Robertson is a rugby union player from New Zealand who plays rugby union for Viadana, and international rugby for Italy.

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29/10/1979

Ignasi Giménez Renom, Catalan lawyer and politician

Ignasi Giménez Renom was the mayor of Castellar del Vallès from 2007 and president of the Consell Comarcal del Vallès Occidental from 2015 until his resignation from the position in December 2024.

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Andrew-Lee Potts, English actor, director, and producer

Andrew-Lee Potts is an English actor and director. He is best known for his role as the quirky Connor Temple on ITV's British science fiction programme Primeval and Space's Canadian spinoff Primeval: New World. He also starred as the Hatter on the SyFy mini-series Alice and was a series regular on the long-running programme Ideal. Since 2006, Potts has written and directed short films through his production house, Keychain Productions. In 2008, he directed a documentary about the filming of Primeval called Through the Anomaly.

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29/10/1978

Travis Henry, American football player

Travis Deion Henry is an American former professional football player who was a running back for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft, and also played for the Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2002.

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Kelly Smith, English footballer

Kelly Jayne Smith is an English former football forward who spent three spells with FA WSL club Arsenal. After moving to the United States, Smith broke records with Seton Hall University then played professionally with Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) franchise Philadelphia Charge. After returning to Arsenal for a period which included a 2007 UEFA Women's Cup win, Smith was tempted back to America with another professional contract, this time with Boston Breakers in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). She accumulated 117 caps for the England national team after making her debut in 1995. Despite being hit by serious injury during her career, Smith is England's second-highest goalscorer with 46 goals. She played for Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics. Smith was renowned for her speed, ball control and quickness in which she developed into a potent centre forward. She is considered by many who played with and against her to be one of the greatest ever players to come out of England, as well as one of the greatest players of all time.

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29/10/1977

Jon Abrahams, American actor

Jon Avery Abrahams is an American actor and film director. He is best known for his roles in several films such as Sonny Poncelet in Dead Man Walking (1995), Bobby Prinze in Scary Movie, Denny Byrnes in Meet the Parents, and Dalton Chapman in House of Wax (2005).

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Brendan Fehr, Canadian actor

Brendan Jacob Joel Fehr is a Canadian film and television actor, perhaps best known for portraying Michael Guerin in the WB television series Roswell, and for portraying lab tech Dan Cooper in CSI: Miami. In 2008, Fehr won a Gemini Award for Hottest Canadian Male TV Star at the 23rd Gemini Awards. Fehr also played Jared Booth in the Fox television series Bones. He has had numerous film roles.

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29/10/1976

Stephen Craigan, Irish footballer and manager

Stephen James Craigan is a Northern Irish former professional footballer. He played in central defence and spent his entire playing career in Scotland, playing for Motherwell (twice) and Partick Thistle. He has also played for the Northern Ireland national team. He is a pundit for Viaplay's coverage of the Scottish League Cup.

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Milena Govich, American actress, singer, and dancer

Milena Govich is an American actress, director, singer, dancer, and musician, who may be best known for portraying Detective Nina Cassady for one season on Law & Order (2006–2007).

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Raghava Lawrence, Indian actor, director, and choreographer

Raghava Lawrence is an Indian actor, choreographer, film director, composer, playback singer, lyricist, film producer and philanthropist known for his works primarily in Tamil cinema. After making his debut as a dance choreographer in 1993, he began looking for acting opportunities. He began his career as an actor in 1998, in a Telugu film.

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Mark Sheehan, Irish guitarist (died 2023)

Mark Anthony Sheehan was an Irish musician. From 1996 to 2001, he was a member of the boy band Mytown. In 2001, he co-founded and played lead guitar for pop rock band the Script, which he stayed in until his death in 2023.

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29/10/1975

Baba Ali, Iranian-American comedian, games developer, businessman, and actor

Ali Ardekani, best known by his stage name Baba Ali, is an Iranian-born American comedian, games developer, businessman, and actor.

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Joy Osmanski, American actress

Joy Osmanski is an American actress. She is best known for her wide range of comedic roles on the TV shows The Loop, Samantha Who?, True Jackson, VP and Devious Maids. Joy is also known for her recurring role on Grey's Anatomy, her voicing of the Failsafe AI in the video game Destiny 2 and Jing Harris in Duncanville. Osmanski played Paula Brooks / Tigress in the DC Universe series Stargirl.

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29/10/1974

R. A. Dickey, American baseball player

Robert Allen Dickey is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Atlanta Braves. Internationally, Dickey represented the United States.

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Michael Vaughan, English cricketer and sportscaster

Michael Paul Vaughan is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who played all forms of the game. He served as England captain for the test team from 2003 to 2008, the one-day international team from 2003 to 2007, and was the first Twenty20 England captain from 2005 to 2007. He represented Yorkshire in the domestic arena.

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Yenny Wahid, Indonesian activist and politician

Zannuba Ariffah Chafsoh, or more popularly known as Yenny Wahid is an Indonesian Islamic activist, journalist, and politician. She is currently the director of The Wahid Institute, an Islamic research center founded by her father, Abdurrahman Wahid.

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29/10/1973

Vonetta Flowers, American bobsledder, sprinter, and long jumper

Vonetta Flowers is an American bobsledder. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Flowers became the first African American and the first Black athlete from any country to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics.

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Éric Messier, Canadian ice hockey player

Éric Messier is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers.

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Robert Pires, French footballer

Robert Emmanuel Pires is a French former professional footballer. He is widely regarded as one of Arsenal's greatest ever players and considered by some to be one of the best wingers in the history of the sport.

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29/10/1972

Tracee Ellis Ross, American actress and producer

Tracee Joy Silberstein, known professionally as Tracee Ellis Ross, is an American actress. She is known for her lead roles in the television series Girlfriends (2000–2008) and Black-ish (2014–2022) receiving nominations for five Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the latter. She is the daughter of Motown singer Diana Ross.

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Takafumi Horie, Japanese businessman, founded Livedoor

Takafumi Horie is a Japanese entrepreneur who founded Livedoor, a website design operation that grew into a popular internet portal. After being arrested and charged with securities fraud in 2006, he severed all connections with the company. His trial began on September 4, 2006. On March 16, 2007, Horie was sentenced to imprisonment of 2 years and 6 months.

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Gabrielle Union, American actress and producer

Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade is an American actress, model and author. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms before landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films She's All That and 10 Things I Hate About You. Her breakthrough role arrived the following year in the teen film Bring It On.

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29/10/1971

Daniel J. Bernstein, American mathematician, cryptologist, and academic

Daniel Julius Bernstein is an American mathematician, cryptologist, and computer scientist. He is a professor of computer science at the University of Illinois Chicago. He was a visiting professor in the department of mathematics and computer science at the Eindhoven University of Technology, and a visiting professor at CASA at Ruhr University Bochum through 2023.

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Greg Blewett, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster

Gregory Scott Blewett is an Australian international retired cricketer who played Test cricket and One-Day Internationals between 1995 and 2000.

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Matthew Hayden, Australian cricketer

Matthew Lawrence Hayden is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer. His playing career spanned fifteen years. Hayden was a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman who, along with opening partners Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist, contributed heavily to Australia's success during its "golden era" (2000–2008) in Test and ODI cricket respectively. He holds the record of highest individual score by an Australian batsman in Tests, having scored 380 against Zimbabwe during Zimbabwe's 2003 tour of Australia. This stands as the second-highest individual score in test cricket. It is the highest score by an opening batsman in Tests. Hayden was a member of the Australian team that won both the 2003 Cricket World Cup, and the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

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Winona Ryder, American actress and producer

Winona Laura Horowitz, known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention playing quirky characters in the late 1980s, she achieved success with her more dramatic performances in the 1990s. Ryder's many accolades include a Golden Globe, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award.

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29/10/1970

Phillip Cocu, Dutch footballer and manager

Phillip John-William Cocu is a Dutch professional football manager and former midfielder who was most recently the manager of Vitesse.

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Dan Ratushny, Canadian ice hockey player and coach and lawyer

Daniel Paul Ratushny is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, lawyer, and sports arbitrator. A former professional ice hockey defenceman, he last served as head coach of Lausanne HC of the Swiss top-flight National League A (NLA).

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Kaido Reivelt, Estonian physicist and academic

Kaido Reivelt is an Estonian physicist and science populariser who works at the University of Tartu Institute of Physics. His research area is wave optics and he is President of the Estonian Physical Society.

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Toby Smith, English keyboardist and songwriter (died 2017)

Toby Grafftey-Smith, known professionally as Toby Smith, was an English musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 to 2002.

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Edwin van der Sar, Dutch footballer and sportscaster

Edwin van der Sar is a Dutch football executive and former professional player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he was most recently the chief executive of Eredivisie club Ajax.

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29/10/1969

David Farr, English director and playwright

David Farr is a British writer, theatrical director and Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

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Chris Verene, American photographer

Christopher Phillip Verene is an American fine arts and documentary photographer, performance artist, and musician. He is a professor of photography at the College of Staten Island, CUNY. Verene was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 2021.

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29/10/1968

Johann Olav Koss, Norwegian speed skater and physician

Johann Olav Koss is a former speed skater from Norway. He won four Olympic gold medals, including three at the 1994 Winter Olympics in his home country.

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29/10/1967

Beth Chapman, American reality television star (died 2019)

Alice Elizabeth Chapman was an American bounty hunter and reality star who co-starred with her husband, Duane "Dog" Chapman, on the reality television shows Dog the Bounty Hunter, Dog and Beth: On the Hunt, and Dog's Most Wanted.

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Thorsten Fink, German footballer and manager

Thorsten Fink is a German professional football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Samsunspor. As a player, he notably represented Bayern Munich between 1997 and 2003, winning multiple domestic honours and the UEFA Champions League.

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Joely Fisher, American actress and director

Joely Fisher is an American actress and singer, the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Connie Stevens, and half-sister of actress Carrie Fisher. Her breakthrough came in 1994, starring as Paige Clark in the ABC sitcom Ellen, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film at the 55th Golden Globe Awards. Fisher later starred in the 1999 comedy film Inspector Gadget and had leading roles in the Lifetime comedy-drama Wild Card (2003–2005), and Fox sitcom 'Til Death (2006–2010).

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Rufus Sewell, English actor

Rufus Frederik Sewell is a British actor.

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29/10/1966

Mary Bucholtz, American linguist and academic

Mary Bucholtz is a professor of linguistics at UC Santa Barbara. Bucholtz's work focuses largely on language use in the United States, and specifically on issues of language and youth; language, gender, and sexuality; African American English; and Mexican and Chicano Spanish.

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29/10/1965

Tyler Collins, American singer-songwriter and actress

Tyler Collins is an American R&B singer and actress. Her song "Girls Nite Out" was a hit in 1990.

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Andrew Ettingshausen, Australian rugby league player and television host

Andrew Ettingshausen is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Nicknamed "ET", he played his first grade Australian club football for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, retiring at the end of the 2000 NRL season having played 328 games for the club, the NSWRL/ARL/SL/NRL record for most games at a single club. This record stood for ten years, before ultimately being broken by Darren Lockyer for the Broncos in 2010.

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Michael Passons, American singer-songwriter

Michael Passons is an American singer-songwriter and the founding member of the Christian band Avalon.

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29/10/1964

Yasmin Le Bon, English model

Yasmin Le Bon is an English model. She was one of the highest-earning models during the 1980s and is married to Duran Duran's lead vocalist Simon Le Bon.

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Eddie McGuire, Australian businessman and television host

Edward Joseph McGuire AM is an Australian television and radio presenter, journalist, Australian Football League commentator and former TV executive. He is also an occasional Herald Sun newspaper columnist. He hosted Channel Nine's Millionaire Hot Seat from 2009 to 2023, Wednesday night episodes of Footy Classified, and Network 10's coverage of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

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29/10/1963

Damian Chapa, American actor

Damian Robert Chapa is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer.

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Gerald Morris, American author

Gerald Morris is an American author. Morris is known for his series of stories for preteen and teen readers based in the Middle Ages during the time of King Arthur. Collectively called "The Squire's Tales", the books blend retellings of traditional Arthurian Myths, such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Tristan and Iseult, with original plotlines. The books at the start of the series focus somewhat on Sir Gawain, but primarily on Terence, an original character and Gawain's squire. Although the two characters' roles are minor in some books, they remain throughout the series, whereas main characters from the other books are only mentioned or reappear briefly later in the series.

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29/10/1962

Einar Örn Benediktsson, Icelandic singer, trumpet player, and politician

Einar Örn Benediktsson, often billed as Einar Örn, is an Icelandic singer and trumpet player. He was a member of the Sugarcubes. He served as a member of the Reykjavík City Council between 2010 and 2014.

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29/10/1961

Randy Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer

Steven Randall Jackson is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is the ninth child in the Jackson family. Randy is the youngest Jackson brother and the third-youngest Jackson sibling before his sister Janet. Randy is a former member of his family band the Jacksons, which he joined after his brother Jermaine left the group. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for his work on the 1980 studio album Triumph.

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Joel Otto, American ice hockey player and coach

Joel Stuart Otto is an American former professional ice hockey player who was a center in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers. An undrafted player, Otto signed with the Flames as a free agent in 1984 and played 11 seasons with the team. He was one of the top defensive centers in the league during his career and one of the NHL's best at faceoffs; Otto was a two-time finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy. He was known for his confrontations with Mark Messier as part of the Flames' rivalry with the Edmonton Oilers and was a member of Calgary's 1989 Stanley Cup championship winning team. He joined the Flyers in 1995, with whom he played three seasons.

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29/10/1960

Michael Carter, American football player and athlete

Michael D'Andrea Carter is an American former professional football player and track and field athlete. He played pro football as a nose tackle with the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). Carter was a three-time Pro Bowl and four-time All-Pro selection, including three times on the first-team. He helped the 49ers win three Super Bowls. He was also an Olympic athlete, winning a silver medal in the shot put in the 1984 Summer Olympics.

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Fabiola Gianotti, Italian physicist and academic

Fabiola Gianotti is an Italian experimental particle physicist who served as Director-General of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) from 2016 to 2026.

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Thorsten Schlumberger, German footballer

Thorsten Schlumberger is a former professional German footballer.

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29/10/1959

Jesse Barfield, American baseball player and coach

Jesse Lee Barfield is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right fielder from 1981 to 1992 for the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees.

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Mike Gartner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Michael Alfred Gartner is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Phoenix Coyotes. He also played one season in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Cincinnati Stingers. He was a two-time Canada Cup champion with Team Canada.

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Finola Hughes, English actress

Finola Hughes is a British actress, best known for her role as Anna Devane on the ABC soap operas General Hospital and All My Children, and her portrayal of Laura in the 1983 film Staying Alive.

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John Magufuli, Tanzanian politician, 5th President of Tanzania (died 2021)

John Pombe Joseph Magufuli was a Tanzanian politician who served as the country's fifth president, serving from 2015 until his death in 2021. He served as Minister of Works, Transport and Communications from 2000 to 2005 and 2010 to 2015 and was chairman of the Southern African Development Community from 2019 to 2020.

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29/10/1958

Blažej Baláž, Slovak painter, sculptor, and illustrator

Blažej Baláž is a Slovak contemporary artist. His practise as an artist is usually associated with political art, environmental, activist, mail-art and neo-conceptualism. After 1988 he began working with text as art, neo-conceptual and post-conceptual texts.

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David Remnick, American journalist and author

David J. Remnick is an American journalist, writer, and editor. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his book Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire, and is also the author of Resurrection and King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero. Remnick has been editor of The New Yorker magazine since 1998. He was named "Editor of the Year" by Advertising Age in 2000. Before joining The New Yorker, Remnick was a reporter and the Moscow correspondent for The Washington Post. In 2010, he published his sixth book, The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama.

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Danny Vranes, American basketball player

Daniel LaDrew Vranes is an American former professional basketball player.

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29/10/1957

Dan Castellaneta, American actor, voice artist, comedian, singer and producer

Daniel Louis Castellaneta is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series The Simpsons, as well as other characters on the show such as Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Sideshow Mel, Mr. Teeny, Kodos, Itchy, Santa's Little Helper, and Barney Gumble. Castellaneta is also known for voicing Grandpa Phil in Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold!, and has had voice roles in several other programs, including Futurama, Sibs, Darkwing Duck, The Adventures of Dynamo Duck, The Batman, Back to the Future: The Animated Series, Aladdin, Earthworm Jim, and Taz-Mania.

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29/10/1956

Wilfredo Gómez, Puerto Rican-American boxer

Wilfredo Gómez Rivera, sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer and three weight world champion. He is frequently mentioned among the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time by sports journalists and analysts, along with Félix Trinidad, Miguel Cotto, Wilfred Benítez, Esteban De Jesús, Edwin Rosario, and Carlos Ortíz.

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29/10/1955

Kevin DuBrow, American heavy metal singer-songwriter (died 2007)

Kevin Mark DuBrow was an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot from 1975 until 1987, and again from 1993 until his death in 2007.

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29/10/1953

Denis Potvin, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

Denis Charles Potvin is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and team captain for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is a four-time Stanley Cup winner as a member of the early 1980s New York Islanders. Potvin is also a three-time James Norris Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL's top defenceman. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991 and served as a commentator for Ottawa Senators' television broadcasts on Sportsnet. Potvin is the former color commentator for the Florida Panthers. In 2017, he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.

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29/10/1952

Marcia Fudge, American lawyer and politician

Marcia Louise Fudge is an American attorney and retired politician who served as the 18th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2021 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the U.S. representative for Ohio's 11th congressional district from 2008 to 2021. The district included most of the black-majority precincts between Cleveland and Akron.

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29/10/1951

Dirk Kempthorne, American businessman and politician, 49th United States Secretary of the Interior

Dirk Arthur Kempthorne is an American politician who served as the 49th U.S. secretary of the interior from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a United States senator from Idaho from 1993 to 1999 and the 30th governor of Idaho from 1999 to 2006.

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Tiff Needell, English race car driver and television host

Timothy Richard "Tiff" Needell is a British racing driver and television presenter. He is a presenter of Lovecars, and formerly served as co-presenter of Top Gear and Fifth Gear.

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29/10/1950

Abdullah Gül, Turkish academic and politician, 11th President of Turkey

Abdullah Gül is a Turkish politician who served as the president of Turkey from 2007 to 2014. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003, and concurrently served as both Deputy Prime Minister and as Foreign Minister between 2003 and 2007. He is currently a member of the Advisory Panel for the President of the Islamic Development Bank.

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29/10/1949

Kieron Baker, English footballer

Kieron Richard Baker is an English retired professional footballer who made over 210 appearances as a goalkeeper in the Football League for AFC Bournemouth. He also played in Canada.

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Raphael Carl Lee, American surgeon and academic

Raphael Lee is an American surgeon, biomedical engineer and inventor. He is the Paul and Allene Russell Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago and Director of Renacyte BioMolecular Technologies, Inc.

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Paul Orndorff, American football player and wrestler (died 2021)

Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr., nicknamed "Mr. Wonderful", was an American professional wrestler and football player, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

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David Paton, Scottish guitarist

David Paton is a Scottish bassist, guitarist and singer. He first achieved success in the mid-1970s as lead vocalist and bassist of Pilot, who scored hits with "Magic", "January", "Just a Smile" and "Call Me Round" before splitting in 1977. Paton is also known for his work in the original lineup of The Alan Parsons Project (1975-1985), and for working with acts such as Kate Bush, Camel and Elton John.

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James Williamson, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer

James Robert Williamson is an American guitarist, songwriter, record producer and electronics engineer. He was a member of the proto-punk rock band the Stooges, notably on the album Raw Power and in the reformed Stooges from 2009 to 2016. Between his stints in music, Williamson worked in Silicon Valley developing computer chips. Most recently he has continued as a solo artist.

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29/10/1948

Frans de Waal, Dutch-American ethologist, author, and academic (died 2024)

Franciscus Bernardus Maria de Waal was a Dutch-American primatologist and ethologist. He was the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Primate Behavior in the Department of Psychology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, director of the Living Links Center at the Emory National Primate Research Center, and author of numerous books including Chimpanzee Politics (1982) and Our Inner Ape (2005). His research centered on primate social behavior, including conflict resolution, cooperation, inequity aversion, and food-sharing. He was a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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Kate Jackson, American actress, director, and producer

Lucy Kate Jackson is an American actress and television producer, known for her television roles as Sabrina Duncan in the series Charlie's Angels (1976–1979) and Amanda King in the series Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983–1987). Her film roles include Making Love (1982) and Loverboy (1989). She is a three-time Emmy Award nominee and four-time Golden Globe Award nominee, and Photoplay award winner for Favorite TV Actress in 1978.

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29/10/1947

Helen Coonan, Australian lawyer and politician, 52nd Australian Minister for Communications

Helen Lloyd Coonan is a former Australian politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1996 to 2011, representing the Liberal Party. She was a minister in the Howard government, serving as Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer from 2001 to 2004 and then as Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts from 2004 to 2007.

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Richard Dreyfuss, American actor and activist

Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor. He emerged from the New Hollywood wave of American cinema, finding fame with a succession of leading man parts in the 1970s. He has received an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe.

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29/10/1946

Peter Green, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2020)

Peter Allen Greenbaum, known professionally as Peter Green, was an English blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who was the founder and original leader of the band Fleetwood Mac. Green formed the group in 1967 after a stint in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and quickly established the new band as a popular live act in addition to a successful recording act, before departing in 1970. Green's songs, such as "Albatross", "Black Magic Woman", "Oh Well", "The Green Manalishi " and "Man of the World", appeared on singles charts and several have been adapted by a variety of musicians.

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29/10/1945

Mick Gallagher, English keyboard player and songwriter

Michael William Gallagher is an English Hammond organ, piano and synthesiser player best known as a member of Ian Dury and the Blockheads and for his contributions to albums by the Clash. He has also written music for films such as Extremes (1971) and After Midnight (1990), and the Broadway play Serious Money (1987).

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Ron Maag, American businessman and politician

Ron Maag is a former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, serving in the House from 2009 to 2016.

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Melba Moore, American singer-songwriter and actress

Beatrice Melba Smith, known by her stage name Melba Moore, is an American singer and actress.

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Gerrit Ybema, Dutch civil servant and politician (died 2012)

Gerrit Ybema was a Dutch politician in the Democrats 66 (D66) party. He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from 14 September 1989 to 3 August 1998, when he became State Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Second Kok cabinet, serving until 22 July 2002.

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29/10/1944

Claude Brochu, Canadian businessman

Claude Brochu, CM, is a Canadian businessman best known as former president and principal owner of the Montreal Expos.

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Mehmet Haberal, Turkish surgeon and academic

Mehmet Haberal, is the founder of Başkent University in Ankara, Turkey, best known for becoming the first transplant surgeon in Turkey after leading the team that performed Turkey's first living-related kidney transplant in 1975, after he returned from surgical training under the mentorship of American surgeon Thomas Starzl, with whom he also performed some of the longest surviving early liver transplantations.

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Denny Laine, English singer-songwriter and musician (died 2023)

Brian Frederick Hines, known professionally as Denny Laine, was an English musician who co-founded two major rock bands: the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney and Wings. Laine played guitar in the Moody Blues from 1964 to 1966 and sang their hit cover version of "Go Now". Laine befriended Paul McCartney, who later asked him to join his band Wings.

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Robbie van Leeuwen, Dutch musician and songwriter

Robbie van Leeuwen is a Dutch musician who was a guitarist, sitarist, background vocalist and main songwriter for multiple Dutch bands, including The Motions and Shocking Blue, with whom he recorded the worldwide hit "Venus". In 1967, he played guitar on the only single ever released by "The Six Young Riders" titled "Let the Circle Be Unbroken". As of January 2023, he is the only surviving member of Shocking Blue's best known four-piece lineup.

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29/10/1943

Don Simpson, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 1996)

Donald Clarence Simpson was an American film producer, screenwriter, and actor, known for his work on blockbuster films of the 1980s and 1990s. Simpson entered the film industry in the 1970s and worked at Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures. He eventually began a professional partnership with Jerry Bruckheimer, and together, they produced hit films such as Flashdance (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Top Gun (1986), and The Rock (1996), the latter released posthumously. As his stature in Hollywood grew, Simpson became notorious for his debauched lifestyle, which included severe and longstanding substance abuse, and he ultimately died from heart failure caused by an overdose of cocaine and prescription drugs. By the time of his death, his and Bruckheimer's films had grossed over $3 billion worldwide.

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29/10/1942

Lee Clayton, American rock/country musician and songwriter (died 2023)

Lee Clayton was an American songwriter and musician. He notably wrote Waylon Jennings' 1972 outlaw country song "Ladies Love Outlaws".

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Bob Ross, American painter and television host (died 1995)

Robert Norman Ross was an American painter and art instructor who created and hosted The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States and CBC in Canada.

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29/10/1941

George Davies, English fashion designer

George William Davies is an English fashion designer and retailer.

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Paul Tyler, Baron Tyler, English politician

Paul Archer Tyler, Baron Tyler is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from February to October 1974 and from 1992 to 2005, and sat in the House of Lords as a life peer until October 2021.

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29/10/1940

Connie Mack III, American lawyer and politician

Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy III, also known as Connie Mack III, is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 13th congressional district from 1983 to 1989 and then as a United States Senator from 1989 to 2001. He served as chairman of the Senate Republican Conference from 1997 to 2001.

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Jack Shepherd, English actor, director, and playwright (died 2025)

John Shepherd was an English actor, playwright and theatre director. He was known for his television roles, most notably the title roles in Trevor Griffiths' political drama Bill Brand (1976), and the detective series Wycliffe (1993–1998). His film appearances included All Neat in Black Stockings (1969), Wonderland (1999) and The Golden Compass (2007). He won the 1983 Society of London Theatre Award for Actor of the Year in a New Play for the original production of Glengarry Glen Ross. He was also nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 1977.

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Galen Weston, English-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founded George Weston Limited (died 2021)

Willard Gordon Galen Weston was a British-Canadian billionaire businessman and Chairman Emeritus of George Weston Limited, a Canadian food processing and distribution company. Weston and his family, with an estimated net worth of US$8.7 billion, were listed as the third-wealthiest family in Canada and 178th in the world by Forbes magazine in June 2019.

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29/10/1938

Ralph Bakshi, American director, producer, and screenwriter

Ralph Bakshi is an American animator and filmmaker, known for his fantastical animated films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1994, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, predominantly urban dramas and fantasy films, five of which he wrote. He has also been involved in numerous television projects as director, writer, producer and animator.

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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian politician, President of Liberia, Nobel Prize laureate

Ellen Eugenia Johnson Sirleaf is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa.

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Peter Stampfel, American fiddle player, violinist, and singer-songwriter

Peter Stampfel is an American fiddle player, old-time musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a founding member of The Holy Modal Rounders.

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29/10/1937

Sonny Osborne, American bluegrass singer and banjo player (died 2021)

Sonny Osborne was an American bluegrass musician and founding member of the Osborne Brothers.

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29/10/1935

David Allen, English cricketer (died 2014)

David Arthur Allen was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1953 and 1972. He also played 39 Test matches for England between 1960 and 1966.

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Eddie Hopkinson, English footballer (died 2004)

Edward Hopkinson was an English football goalkeeper. He was born in Wheatley Hill, near Peterlee, County Durham.

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Michael Jayston, English actor (died 2024)

Michael A. James, known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film Nicholas and Alexandra (1971). He also made many television appearances, which included portraying Peter Guillam in the miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), playing the Valeyard in all fourteen episodes of the Doctor Who serial The Trial of a Time Lord (1986), and appearing in the Only Fools and Horses episode "Time on Our Hands" (1996) as Raquel's father, James.

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Isao Takahata, Japanese director (died 2018)

Isao Takahata was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films.

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29/10/1933

William Harrison, American author and screenwriter (died 2013)

William Neal Harrison was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter.

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29/10/1932

Dick Garmaker, American basketball player (died 2020)

Richard Eugene Garmaker was an American basketball player who played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1955 to 1961.

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Joyce Gould, Baroness Gould of Potternewton, English pharmacist and politician

Joyce Brenda Gould, Baroness Gould of Potternewton is a British Labour Party politician.

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29/10/1930

Bertha Brouwer, Dutch sprinter (died 2006)

Bertha "Puck" Brouwer was a Dutch sprinter.

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Niki de Saint Phalle, French sculptor and painter (died 2002)

Niki de Saint Phalle was a French American sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monumental sculptors, Saint Phalle was also known for her social commitment and work.

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Omara Portuondo, Cuban singer and dancer

Omara Portuondo Peláez is a Cuban singer and dancer. A founding member of the popular vocal group Cuarteto d'Aida, Portuondo has collaborated with many important Cuban musicians during her long career, including Julio Gutiérrez, Juanito Márquez and Chucho Valdés. Although primarily known for her rendition of boleros, she has recorded in a wide range of styles from jazz to son cubano. Since 1996, she has been part of the Buena Vista Social Club project, touring extensively and recording several albums with the ensemble. She won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Tropical Album in 2009, a Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album in 2023, a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, and she received three Grammy Award nominations in 2019 and a nomination in 2024.

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Natalie Sleeth, American pianist and composer (died 1992)

Natalie Allyn Sleeth was an American composer of hymns and choral music.

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29/10/1929

Yevgeny Primakov, Ukrainian-Russian journalist and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Russia (died 2015)

Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov was a Russian politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Russia from 1998 to 1999. During his long career, he also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 1998, the Director of Foreign Intelligence from 1991 to 1996, and Speaker of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union from 1990 to 1991. Primakov was an academician (Arabist) and a member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

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29/10/1927

Frank Sedgman, Australian tennis player

Francis Arthur Sedgman is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. Over the course of a three-decade career, Sedgman won five Grand Slam singles tournaments as an amateur as well as 9 Grand Slam doubles tournaments. He is one of only five tennis players all-time to win multiple career Grand Slams in two disciplines, alongside Margaret Court, Roy Emerson, Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams. In 1951, he and Ken McGregor won the Grand Slam in men's doubles. Sedgman turned professional in 1953, and won the Wembley World Professional Indoor singles title in 1953 and 1958. He also won the Sydney Masters tournament in 1958, and the Melbourne Professional singles title in 1959. He won the Grand Prix de Europe Professional Tour in 1959.

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29/10/1926

Necmettin Erbakan, Turkish engineer and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Turkey (died 2011)

Necmettin Erbakan was a Turkish politician and political theorist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Turkey from 1996 to 1997. He was pressured by the military to step down as prime minister and was later banned from politics by the Constitutional Court of Turkey for purportedly violating the separation of religion and state as mandated by the constitution.

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Jon Vickers, Canadian tenor and actor (died 2015)

Jonathan Stewart Vickers, known professionally as Jon Vickers, was a world renowned Canadian heldentenor.

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29/10/1925

Dominick Dunne, American journalist and author (died 2009)

Dominick John Dunne was an American writer, investigative journalist, and producer. He began his career in film and television as a producer of the pioneering gay film The Boys in the Band (1970) and as the producer of the drama film The Panic in Needle Park (1971). He turned to writing in the early 1970s. After the 1982 murder of his daughter Dominique, an actress who had her breakthrough role in the film Poltergeist that year, he began to write about the interaction of wealth and high society with the judicial system. Dunne was a frequent contributor to Vanity Fair, and, beginning in the 1980s, often appeared on television discussing crime.

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Robert Hardy, English actor (died 2017)

Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Siegfried Farnon in the BBC television series All Creatures Great and Small, Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter film series, and Winston Churchill in several productions, beginning with the Southern Television series Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years. He was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Actor for All Creatures Great and Small in 1980 and Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years in 1982. Aside from acting, Hardy was an acknowledged expert on the medieval English longbow and wrote two books on the subject.

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Haim Hefer, Polish-Israeli songwriter and poet (died 2012)

Haim Hefer was a Polish-born Israeli songwriter, poet, columnist, translator and writer. He wrote for numerous composers and musical artists, as well as for military bands. Several of his songs are considered Israeli classics. He was awarded the Israel Prize in 1983 as recognition for his contributions to Israeli music.

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Klaus Roth, British mathematician (died 2015)

Klaus Friedrich Roth was a German-born British mathematician who won the Fields Medal for proving Roth's theorem on the Diophantine approximation of algebraic numbers. He was also a winner of the De Morgan Medal and the Sylvester Medal, and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

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Zoot Sims, American saxophonist and composer (died 1985)

John Haley "Zoot" Sims was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big band, afterward enjoying a long solo career, often in partnership with fellow saxmen Gerry Mulligan and Al Cohn.

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29/10/1924

Bernard Middleton, British restoration bookbinder (died 2019)

Bernard Chester Middleton was a preeminent British restoration bookbinder. He was regarded as one of the foremost book craftsmen and trade historians of modern times, lecturing and teaching in Europe and the Americas. He authored two major works, A History of English Craft Bookbinding Technique (1963) and The Restoration of Leather Bindings (1972), which became essential reading for professional bookbinders, scholars and collectors.

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29/10/1923

Carl Djerassi, Austrian-American chemist, author, and playwright (died 2015)

Carl Djerassi was an Austrian-born Bulgarian-American pharmaceutical chemist, novelist, playwright and co-founder of Djerassi Resident Artists Program with Diane Wood Middlebrook. He is best known for his contribution to the development of oral contraceptive pills, nicknamed the "father of the pill".

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Gerda van der Kade-Koudijs, Dutch runner, hurdler, and long jumper (died 2015)

Gerda Johanna Marie van der Kade-Koudijs, née Koudijs, was a Dutch athlete who competed at the 1948 Olympics. She won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay with Xenia Stad-de Jong, Netti Witziers-Timmer, and Fanny Blankers-Koen, she finished fourth in the long jump and was eliminated in a heat of the 80 m hurdles. Two years earlier she won European titles in the 4 × 100 m relay and long jump and finished sixth in the individual 100 m race.

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29/10/1922

Neal Hefti, American trumpet player and composer (died 2008)

Neal Paul Hefti was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for The Odd Couple movie and TV series and for the Batman TV series.

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29/10/1921

Baselios Thoma Didymos I, Indian metropolitan (died 2014)

Baselios Marthoma Didymus I born C. T. Thomas was the primate of the Malankara Orthodox Church from 2005 to 2010. He was the 7th Catholicos of the Malankara since the Catholicate of the East was established India and the 20th Malankara Metropolitan. He was the 7th Catholicos of East.

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Baku Mahadeva, Sri Lankan civil servant and academic (died 2013)

Deshamanya Balakumara Mahadeva was a leading Sri Lankan Tamil civil servant.

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Bill Mauldin, American soldier and cartoonist (died 2003)

William Henry Mauldin was an American editorial cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by the archetypal characters Willie and Joe, two weary and bedraggled infantry troopers who stoically endure the difficulties and dangers of duty in the field.

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29/10/1920

Baruj Benacerraf, Venezuelan-American physician and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2011)

Baruj Benacerraf Lasry was a Venezuelan and American immunologist, who shared the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the "discovery of the major histocompatibility complex genes which encode cell surface protein molecules important for the immune system's distinction between self and non-self." His colleagues and shared recipients were Jean Dausset and George Davis Snell.

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Václav Neumann, Czech violinist and conductor (died 1995)

Václav Neumann was a Czech conductor, violinist, violist, and opera director.

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29/10/1918

Bernard Gordon, American screenwriter and producer (died 2007)

Bernard Gordon was an American writer and producer. For much of his 27-year career he was prevented from taking screen credit by the Hollywood Blacklist. Among his best-known works are screenplays for Flesh and Fury (1952), Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956), and 55 Days at Peking (1963).

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Diana Serra Cary, American actress and author (died 2020)

Diana Serra Cary, known as Baby Peggy, was an American child film actress, vaudevillian, author and silent film historian. She was the last surviving person with a substantial career in silent films.

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29/10/1915

William Berenberg, American physician and academic (died 2005)

William Berenberg, M.D. was an American physician, Harvard professor, and pioneer in the treatment and rehabilitation of cerebral palsy.

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29/10/1914

Maxim of Bulgaria, Bulgarian patriarch (died 2012)

Patriarch Maxim (Maximus) was the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church from 1971 until his death.

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29/10/1913

Al Suomi, American ice hockey player and referee (died 2014)

Albert William Suomi was an American ice hockey player, who played 5 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1936–37 season. Although he did not aspire to play at a professional level, Suomi nevertheless spent his young life playing hockey and was eventually scouted while playing with friends. Suomi began his career playing for the Chicago Baby Ruth team in 1934, a marketing ploy started by the company that produced the candy of the same name. In 1936, he joined a minor league team in Detroit, Michigan and, based on his experiences with the Chicago Baby Ruth team, was deemed too professional to be eligible for the 1936 United States Olympic ice hockey team.

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29/10/1910

A. J. Ayer, English philosopher and author (died 1989)

Sir Alfred Jules "Freddie" Ayer was an English philosopher known for his promotion of logical positivism, particularly in his books Language, Truth, and Logic (1936) and The Problem of Knowledge (1956).

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29/10/1907

Edwige Feuillère, French actress (died 1998)

Edwige Feuillère was a French stage and film actress.

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29/10/1906

Fredric Brown, American author (died 1972)

Fredric Brown was an American science fiction, fantasy, and mystery writer. He is known for his use of humor and for his mastery of the "short short" form—stories of one to three pages, often with ingenious plotting devices and surprise endings. Humor and a postmodern outlook carried over into his novels as well. One of his stories, "Arena", was adapted into a 1967 episode of the American television series Star Trek.

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29/10/1905

Henry Green, English author (died 1973)

Henry Vincent Yorke, who wrote under the pen name Henry Green, was an English writer best remembered for the novels Party Going, Living, and Loving. He published a total of nine novels between 1926 and 1952. He is considered as one of the group designated in the 1920s/30s as the 'Bright Young Things' by the tabloid press.

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29/10/1901

Émilienne Morin, French activist (died 1991)

Émilienne Léontine Morin was a French anarchist activist, journalist and stenographer. Born into an anarcho-syndicalist family, she joined the French anarchist movement at an early age, going on to write for its newspapers and contribute to anarchist legal defence campaigns. In 1927, she met and fell in love with Buenaventura Durruti, a Spanish anarchist in whose legal defence she had participated. She followed him to Belgium, where she lived a semi-clandestine life until the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic. She then moved to Barcelona and joined the National Confederation of Labour (CNT). Morin struggled in her new home due to a lack of understanding the Spanish language, the sexism expressed by many Spanish male anarchists, and Durruti's prolonged absence from her life. She raised their child, Colette, as a single parent, as Durruti spent most of the subsequent years in exile or prison. Following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, she joined her companion on the Aragon front, where she was an administrator for the Durruti Column. Morin left Spain with her daughter when Durruti was killed in action during the Siege of Madrid. She remained active among the Spanish exiles until her retirement and later became a key primary source about her companion's life.

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29/10/1899

Akim Tamiroff, Georgian-American actor (died 1972)

Akim Mikhailovich Tamiroff was an Armenian-American actor of film, stage, and television. One of the premier character actors of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tamiroff developed a prolific career despite his thick accent, appearing in at least 80 motion pictures over a span of 37 years.

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29/10/1898

Alan Barker, English soldier (died 1984)

Brigadier Alan Robert Barker was a senior British Indian Army officer of the Second World War.

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29/10/1897

Joseph Goebbels, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Nazi Germany (died 1945)

Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and philologist who was the Gauleiter of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. He was one of Adolf Hitler's closest and most devoted followers and was known for his skills in public speaking and his extreme antisemitism which was evident in his publicly voiced views. He advocated for progressively harsher discrimination, including the extermination of Jews and other groups in the Holocaust.

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Billy Walker, English footballer (died 1964)

William Henry Walker was a prominent English footballer of the 1920s and 1930s. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest footballers to ever play for Aston Villa and England. As a manager he won the FA Cup with each of Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest, some 24 years apart, which remains the longest interval between FA cup wins as manager.

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29/10/1891

Fanny Brice, American actress and singer (died 1951)

Fania Borach, known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedian, illustrated song model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. She is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series The Baby Snooks Show.

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29/10/1883

Victor Hochepied, French swimmer and water polo player (died 1966)

Victor Fernand Hochepied was a French freestyle swimmer who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics.

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29/10/1882

Jean Giraudoux, French author and playwright (died 1944)

Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II.

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29/10/1881

John DeWitt, American football player and hammer thrower (died 1930)

John Riegel DeWitt was an American athlete. He played college football for Princeton from 1901 to 1903 and was selected as an All-American in 1902 and 1903. He also competed in the hammer throw, setting the world record in 1903 and winning the silver medal at the 1904 Summer Olympics.

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29/10/1880

Abram Ioffe, Russian physicist and academic (died 1960)

Abram Fedorovich Ioffe was a Russian and Soviet physicist. He received the Stalin Prize (1942) and the Lenin Prize (1961) (posthumously). Ioffe was an expert in various areas of solid state physics and electromagnetism. He established research laboratories for radioactivity, superconductivity, and nuclear physics, many of which became independent institutes. He has been described as the "father of Soviet physics".

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29/10/1879

Alva B. Adams, American lawyer and politician (died 1941)

Alva Blanchard Adams Sr. was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Pueblo, Colorado. He served nine years as a United States senator from Colorado, serving by appointment from 1923 to 1924, then serving again from 1933 until his death in 1941. He was the first U.S. senator from Colorado who was born in Colorado. He is the namesake of the Alva B. Adams Tunnel under Rocky Mountain National Park.

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Franz von Papen, German soldier and politician, Chancellor of Germany (died 1969)

Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen, Erbsälzer zu Werl und Neuwerk was a German politician, diplomat, army officer and Prussian nobleman. A national conservative, he served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932, and then as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1934. A committed monarchist, Papen is largely remembered for his role in bringing Hitler to power.

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29/10/1877

Narcisa de Leon, Filipino film producer (died 1966)

Narcisa Buencamino vda. de León was a Filipino film producer and businesswoman.

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Wilfred Rhodes, English cricketer and coach (died 1973)

Wilfred Rhodes was an English professional cricketer who played 58 Test matches for England between 1899 and 1930. In Tests, Rhodes took 127 wickets and scored 2,325 runs, becoming the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches. He holds the world records both for the most appearances made in first-class cricket and the most wickets taken. He completed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in an English cricket season a record 16 times. Rhodes played for Yorkshire and England into his fifties, and in his final Test in 1930 was, at 52 years and 165 days, the oldest player who has appeared in a Test match.

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29/10/1875

Marie of Romania (died 1938)

Marie was the last queen of Romania from 10 October 1914 to 20 July 1927 as the wife of King Ferdinand I.

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29/10/1866

Antonio Luna, Filipino general and politician (died 1899)

Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta was a Filipino brigadier general and a pharmacist who fought in the Philippine–American War before his assassination on June 5, 1899, at the age of 32.

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Carl Gustav Witt, German astronomer (died 1946)

Carl Gustav Witt was a German astronomer and discoverer of two asteroids who worked at the Berlin Urania Observatory, a popular observatory of the Urania astronomical association of Berlin.

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29/10/1861

Andrei Ryabushkin, Russian painter (died 1904)

Andrei Petrovich Ryabushkin was a Russian painter. His major works were devoted to life of ordinary Russians of the 17th century.

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29/10/1855

Paul Bruchési, Canadian archbishop (died 1939)

Louis Joseph Napoléon Paul Bruchési was a Canadian prelate, the second Archbishop of Montreal. In 1910 he directed the 21st International Eucharistic Congress held in Montreal.

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Paul-Jacques Curie, French physicist and academic (died 1941)

Jacques Curie was a French physicist and professor of mineralogy at the University of Montpellier. Along with his younger brother, Pierre Curie, he studied pyroelectricity in the 1880s, leading to their discovery of some of the mechanisms behind piezoelectricity.

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29/10/1837

Harriet Powers, American folk artist and quilter (died 1910)

Harriet Powers was an American folk artist and quilter born into slavery in rural northeast Georgia. Powers used traditional appliqué techniques to make quilts that expressed local legends, Bible stories, and astronomical events. Powers married young and had a large family. After the American Civil War and emancipation, she and her husband became landowners by the 1880s, but lost their land due to financial problems.

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29/10/1832

Narcisa de Jesús, Ecuadorian saint (died 1869)

Narcisa de Jesús Martillo Morán was an Ecuadorian virgin and Dominican tertiary in the Roman Catholic Church. Martillo was known for her charitable giving and strict devotion to Jesus Christ while living a virginal and austere life of prayer and penance. Her devotion to prayer and the mortification of the flesh was strong and it led her to the decision to live as a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Patrocínio (Peru), where she died on 8 December 1869. Narcisa de Jesús was beatified on 25 October 1992.

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29/10/1831

James Boucaut, English-Australian politician, 11th Premier of South Australia (died 1916)

Sir James Penn Boucaut (;) was a South Australian politician and Australian judge. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly on four occasions: from 1861 to 1862 for City of Adelaide, from 1865 to 1870 for West Adelaide (1865–1868) and The Burra (1868–1870), from 1871 to 1878 for West Torrens (1871–1875) and Encounter Bay (1875–1878), and a final stint in Encounter Bay in 1878.

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29/10/1822

Mieczysław Halka-Ledóchowski, Russian-Polish cardinal (died 1902)

Mieczysław Halka-Ledóchowski was a Polish Roman Catholic cardinal-priest. He was born in Górki in Russian-controlled Congress Poland to Count Josef Ledóchowski and Maria Zakrzewska. He was uncle to Saint Ursula Ledóchowska, the Blessed Maria Teresia (Theresa) Ledóchowska and Father Włodzimierz Ledóchowski, General Superior of the Society of Jesus.

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29/10/1815

Dan Emmett, American composer (died 1904)

Daniel Decatur Emmett was an American composer, entertainer, and founder of the first troupe of the blackface minstrel tradition, the Virginia Minstrels. He is most remembered as the composer of the song "Dixie".

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29/10/1812

Louise Granberg, Swedish playwright (died 1907)

Louise Elisabeth Granberg was a Swedish playwright, translator and theatre director.

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29/10/1808

Caterina Scarpellini, Italian astronomer and meteorologist (died 1873)

Caterina Scarpellini was an Italian astronomer and meteorologist who discovered a comet and as a meteorologist she established a station in Rome in the 1850s. She published more than fifty notes and reports over twenty years, and was rewarded with a silver medal by the Italian government.

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29/10/1740

James Boswell, Scottish lawyer and author (died 1795)

James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck, was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, Life of Samuel Johnson, which is commonly said to be the greatest biography written in the English language. A great mass of Boswell's diaries, letters, and private papers were recovered from the 1920s to the 1950s, and their publication by Yale University significantly elevated his standing among modern scholars.

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29/10/1711

Laura Bassi, Italian physicist and academic, first woman to have doctorate in science (died 1778)

Laura Maria Caterina Bassi Veratti was an Italian physicist and academic. Recognized and depicted as "Minerva", she was the first woman to have a doctorate in science, and the second woman in the world to earn the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Working at the University of Bologna, she was the first salaried female teacher in a university. At one time the highest paid employee of the university, by the end of her life Bassi held two other professorships. She was also the first female member of any scientific establishment, when she was elected to the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna in 1732 at 21.

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29/10/1704

John Byng, English admiral and politician, 11th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (died 1757)

Admiral of the Blue John Byng was a Royal Navy officer and politician who was court-martialled and executed by firing squad. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen, he participated at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718. Over the next thirty years he built up a reputation as a solid naval officer and received promotion to vice-admiral in 1747. He also served as Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland Colony in 1742, Commander-in-Chief, Leith, 1745 to 1746 and was a member of Parliament from 1751 until his death.

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29/10/1690

Martin Folkes, English mathematician and astronomer (died 1754)

Martin Folkes was an English antiquary, numismatist, mathematician and astronomer who served as the president of the Royal Society from 1741 to 1752.

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29/10/1682

Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, French historian, explorer, and author (died 1761)

Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, S.J. was a French Jesuit priest, traveller, and historian, often considered the first historian of New France.

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29/10/1562

George Abbot, English archbishop and academic (died 1633)

George Abbot was an English bishop who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1611 to 1633. He also served as the fourth chancellor of the University of Dublin, from 1612 to 1633.

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29/10/1550

Laura Guidiccioni, Italian noblewoman and poet (died 1597/9)

Laura Guidiccioni was an Italian noblewoman and poet.

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29/10/1507

Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Spanish general (died 1582)

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba, known as the Grand Duke of Alba in Spain and Portugal and as the Iron Duke or shortly 'Alva' in the Netherlands and Belgium, was a Spanish military officer, statesman and diplomat.

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29/10/1504

Shin Saimdang, South Korean painter and poet (died 1551)

Shin Saimdang was a Korean artist, writer, calligraphist, and poet, who lived during the Joseon period. She was born in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. Her birth home, Ojukheon, which is also her maternal family's home, is well-preserved to this day. She was the mother of the Korean Confucian scholar Yi I. Often held up as a model of Confucian ideals, her respectful nickname was Eojin. Her real name was Shin In-seon. Her pen names were Saim, Saimdang, Inimdang, and Imsajae.

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29/10/1497

Benedetto Accolti the Younger, Italian cardinal (died 1549)

Benedetto Accolti the younger was an Italian cardinal. He was born in Florence, Italy, the son of Michele Accolti, patrician of Arezzo, and Lucrezia Alamanni. He died in Florence of an apoplexy. He was a nephew of Cardinal Pietro Accolti and therefore was known as Il Giovane or the Cardinal of Ravenna.

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29/10/1463

Alessandro Achillini, Italian physician and philosopher (died 1512)

Alessandro Achillini was an Italian philosopher and physician. He is known for the anatomic studies that he was able to publish, made possible by a 13th-century edict putatively by Emperor Frederick II allowing for dissection of human cadavers, and which previously had stimulated the anatomist Mondino de Luzzi at Bologna.

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