- Angelina Jolie, an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian of global repute, has been a prominent figure in Hollywood for her remarkable acting prowess and dedication to philanthropic endeavors. Born on June 4th, 1975 in Los Angeles, California to actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, she was destined for the limelight from an early age. Her breakthrough came with the biographical television film George Wallace (1997), which won her a Golden Globe Award. However, it was her portrayal of video game heroine Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider that launched Jolie into international stardom. Jolie's career is marked by diverse roles across genres that showcase her versatility as an actor. She bagged an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Girl Interrupted (1999). In addition to mainstream cinema success with films like Mr & Mrs Smith, Wanted, and Maleficent, she ventured into directing and screenwriting with projects such as In the Land of Blood and Honey(2011) - a war drama set during the Bosnian War. Apart from being one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses over time, Angelina Jolie has made significant contributions towards humanitarian causes. She became involved with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) after filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in Cambodia – eventually becoming their Goodwill Ambassador and later Special Envoy. Her work focuses on areas like refugee rights, conservationist efforts including wildlife protection initiatives globally along with education programs especially designed for children affected by conflict.
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Birthdate: 06-04-1975
- Nationality: United States of America
- 1Girl, Interrupted723 Votes
- 2Salt760 Votes
- 3Mr. & Mrs. Smith845 Votes
- Eminem, born as Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is a globally recognized figure in the music industry known for his raw talent and controversial lyrics. Born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph Missouri, Eminem's early life was marked by hardship and struggle. Raised primarily by his mother in Detroit, Michigan after a tumultuous relationship with his father who left when he was still an infant, Eminem found solace and expression through rap music. Rising to prominence in the late 1990s with his debut album Infinite, Eminem quickly gained notoriety for his provocative themes and explicit language. His unique style of storytelling combined with intricate wordplay won him critical acclaim despite stirring controversy among conservative audiences. His second studio album The Slim Shady LP launched him into superstardom earning him both commercial success and critical recognition including a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. In addition to being one of the best-selling solo artists of all time with over 220 million records sold worldwide; Eminem has also made significant contributions to the film industry too. He starred in the semi-autobiographic movie 8 Mile, where he portrayed a struggling rapper akin to himself during his early days in Detroit which earned him an Academy award for Best Original Song – Lose Yourself. Despite facing numerous challenges throughout his personal life including battles with addiction; Eminem continues to be regarded as one of the most influential figures within hip-hop culture.
- Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, USA
- Birthdate: 10-17-1972
- Nationality: United States of America
- Allen Ginsberg had no intention of taking the stage alone at San Francisco's Six Gallery on Oct. 7, 1955, but was left to represent the nascent Beat Generation when novelists Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs declined the invitation. Ginsberg's incantatory reading of his epic poem "Howl" was swiftly recognized as a milestone in the development of America's first native literary movement. Published in 1956, the poem's nonjudgmental allusions to drug use and homosexuality sparked a 1957 obscenity trial, while its critical perspective on postwar conformity earned it a spot in the Beat trinity alongside Kerouac's 1957 bestseller On the Road and Burroughs' hallucinatory 1959 novel Naked Lunch. As famous for his politics and lifestyle as for his verse, Ginsberg was a pioneer champion of gay rights and the legalization of marijuana, while in Communist countries he stumped for free speech. An intimate of Bob Dylan and the Beatles, Ginsberg drew sell-out crowds to his readings while becoming the poet laureate of the marginalized and alienated. Although he appeared in a number of motion pictures, including Robert Frank's short "Pull My Daisy" (1959) and Dylan's three-hour "Renaldo and Clara" (1978), Ginsberg's true medium remained poetry, to which he brought the mesmeric qualities of rabbi, yogi and revival tent preacher. At the time of his death in 1997, Ginsberg was recognized as an important link between the Beats, the Hippies, punk rock and grunge, and was eulogized as possibly the greatest American poet of the second half of the 20th Century.
- Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, USA
- Birthdate: 06-03-1926
- Nationality: United States of America
- Famed New Orleans author Anne Rice received her M.A. in creative writing, soon thereafter penning "Interview With the Vampire," the first book of her legendary "Vampire Chronicles." Rice's books, most of them written serially, are known for their erotic overtones. In 1994 "Interview With the Vampire" was made into a major motion picture starring mega-celebrities Tom Cruise as Lestat and Brad Pitt as Louie (with a young Kirsten Dunst as Claudia), with Rice herself working on the screenplay. The film was well received, but the second Rice book-to-screen adaptation, "The Queen of the Damned," starring Stewart Townsend and singer Aaliyah, was not as successful. Rice also wrote the TV pilot "Rag and Bone" (starring Dean Cain) and the 2001 miniseries "Feast of All Saints." Anne Rice died on December 11, 2021 at the age of 80.
- Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Birthdate: 10-04-1941
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: The Vampire Chronicles, New Tales of the Vampires, Lives of the Mayfair Witches, Sleeping Beauty
- Andy Warhol, a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art, was born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He rose from humble beginnings to become a defining persona in the contemporary art world. His parents were working-class immigrants from Slovakia, and he showed an early interest in art, studying commercial art at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. With his unique perspective on the intersection of art, celebrity, and business, Warhol's work became iconic for its boldness, simplicity, and exploration of consumer culture. After graduating, Warhol moved to New York City to pursue a career in commercial illustration, where his signature drawing style quickly garnered recognition amongst advertising agencies. However, it was during the 1960s that he pioneered the groundbreaking pop art movement, taking inspiration from popular culture and creating works based on familiar subjects such as Campbell's Soup Cans or Marilyn Monroe. These pieces not only propelled Warhol into stardom but also sparked controversy and critical debates about the nature of art itself. Warhol's impact reached beyond painting and printmaking. He ventured into various other forms of media, including film, photography, and music. In 1964, he established "The Factory," a studio where he and his collaborators made art and films, attracting a diverse crowd of bohemians, intellectuals, and celebrities. It was here that Warhol fostered an environment of creativity and eccentricity, shaping the culture of the era. He also managed the rock band The Velvet Underground, further demonstrating his influence on popular culture. Warhol died in New York City on February 22, 1987, leaving behind a vast body of work that continues to inspire and provoke to this day.
- Birthplace: Pittsburgh, USA, Pennsylvania
- Birthdate: 08-06-1928
- Nationality: United States of America
- Andrew Holleran is the pseudonym of Eric Garber (born 1943), an Aruban novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is a prominent novelist of post-Stonewall gay literature. He was a member of The Violet Quill, a gay writer's group that met briefly from 1980-81. The Violet Quill included other prolific gay writers like Edmund White and Felice Picano. Garber, who has historically been very protective of his privacy, uses "Andrew Holleran" as his pseudonym.
- Birthdate: 01-01-1944
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alfred Hitchcock, born in London, England in 1899, emerged as one of the most iconic and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Known as the Master of Suspense, Hitchcock's career spanned six decades, during which he directed over 50 feature films. His eerie themes and innovative techniques have made him an icon in the world of film, influencing generations of filmmakers. Hitchcock's journey into filmmaking started in the silent era where he made a name for himself with films such as The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog in 1927. However, it was his transition to Hollywood in the late 1930s that catapulted his career to unprecedented heights. He masterfully blended elements of suspense, horror, and psychological drama in his films, creating a unique genre that was distinctly his own. Some of his most celebrated works include Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and the timeless classic Psycho (1960). These films showcased Hitchcock's ability to evoke fear and suspense, while simultaneously exploring complex human emotions. In addition to his directing, Hitchcock was also known for his distinctive personal style and his unusual cameo appearances in his own films, often appearing in brief, non-speaking roles. Despite never winning an Academy Award for Best Director, Hitchcock's contribution to cinema was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 1968, demonstrating his enduring influence. Alfred Hitchcock passed away in 1980, but his legacy continues to inspire and captivate audiences worldwide, cementing his place as a true titan of cinema.
- Birthplace: Leytonstone, London, England, UK
- Birthdate: 08-13-1899
- Nationality: United States of America, United Kingdom
- 1Psycho1,390 Votes
- 2Rear Window1,478 Votes
- 3North by Northwest1,335 Votes
- Angela Elwell Hunt (born December 20, 1957) is a prolific Christian author, and her books include The Tale of Three Trees, The Debt, The Note, and The Nativity Story, among others.
- Birthplace: Winter Haven, Florida
- Birthdate: 12-20-1957
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: Young Believer on Tour
- Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 21, 1903 – January 14, 1977), known professionally as Anaïs Nin (, French: [ana.is nin]) was a French-Cuban American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin was the daughter of composer Joaquín Nin and Rosa Culmell, a classically trained singer. Nin spent her early years in Spain and Cuba, about sixteen years in Paris (1924–1940), and the remaining half of her life in the United States, where she became an established author. Beginning at age eleven, Nin wrote journals prolifically for six decades and even up until her death. Her journals, many of which were published during her lifetime, detail her private thoughts and personal relationships. Her journals also describe her marriage to Hugh Parker Guiler and marriage to Rupert Pole, in addition to her numerous affairs, including those with psychoanalyst Otto Rank and writer Henry Miller, both of whom profoundly influenced Nin and her writing. In addition to her journals, Nin wrote several novels, critical studies, essays, short stories, and volumes of erotica. Much of her work, including the collections of erotica Delta of Venus and Little Birds, was published posthumously amid renewed critical interest in her life and work. Nin spent her later life in Los Angeles, California, where she died of cervical cancer in 1977.
- Birthplace: Nanterre, France, Neuilly-sur-Seine
- Birthdate: 02-21-1903
- Nationality: France, United States of America
- Series Written: Cities of the Interior
- Alice Walker is one of America's most celebrated writers of literary fiction, but it is for her novel The Color Purple (1982) that she remains best known. Walker's third novel won a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award and was made into a successful film of the same name by Steven Spielberg in 1985. Since then, Walker has written a number of novels, essays and books of poetry, and is also a highly-regarded activist and speaker.
- Birthplace: Eatonton, Georgia, USA
- Birthdate: 02-09-1944
- Nationality: United States of America
- Adrienne Cecile Rich (; May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse." Rich criticized rigid forms of feminist identities, and valorized what she coined the "lesbian continuum"; which is a female continuum of solidarity and creativity which has impacted and even filled women's lives.Her first collection of poetry, A Change of World, was selected by renowned poet W. H. Auden for the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. Auden went on to write the introduction to the published volume. She famously declined the National Medal of Arts, protesting the vote by House Speaker Newt Gingrich to end funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.
- Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
- Birthdate: 05-16-1929
- Nationality: United States of America
- Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical fiction and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name Andre Norton, but also under Andrew North and Allen Weston. She was the first woman to be Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy, first woman to be SFWA Grand Master, and first inducted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
- Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Birthdate: 02-17-1912
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: Witch World Stories, Imperial Lady, Witch World: The Turning, Moon Singer/Free Trader/Moon Magic, Carolus Rex
- A prolific writer and producer who created one of the most successful TV franchises in history, Dick Wolf entered the history books when his creation "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010) tied perennial Western "Gunsmoke" (CBS, 1955-1975) as the longest-running shows on television. After starting his career writing forgettable movies in the late 1970s, Wolf joined the writing staff of "Hill Street Blues" (NBC, 1981-87) before moving on to form his own production company and embark on his signature "Law & Order" franchise, which was unique in breaking up the hour into two halves; the first dedicated to the police investigation of a crime and the second focusing on the courtroom prosecution. Because of the show's ratings success, Wolf had free reign to develop any show he pleased. That resulted in a string of interesting, but ultimately short-lived series failing to last more than a season. He decided instead to expand the "Law & Order" universe into two highly successful shows, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ) and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC, 2001-2011), both of which utilized the original's winning formula. With several characters making crossover appearances, Wolf was able to boost another show's appeal by adding an audience favorite to the cast for an episode, an arc or a season. Though he flopped with "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" (NBC/Court TV, 2005-06) and "Law & Order: Los Angeles" (NBC, 2010-11), Wolf's franchise flourished and underscored the producer's TV dominance for over three decades.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 12-20-1946
- Nationality: United States of America
- 1Lennie Briscoe4,978 Votes
- 2John Munch4,576 Votes
- 3Fin Tutuola4,411 Votes
- Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, The Devil's Dictionary, A Sole Survivor: Bits of AutobiographyAmbrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – circa 1914) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and Civil War veteran. Bierce's book The Devil's Dictionary was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. His story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" has been described as "one of the most famous and frequently anthologized stories in American literature"; and his book Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (also published as In the Midst of Life) was named by the Grolier Club as one of the 100 most influential American books printed before 1900.A prolific and versatile writer, Bierce was regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the United States, and as a pioneering writer of realist fiction. For his horror writing, Michael Dirda ranked him alongside Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft. His war stories influenced Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway, and others, and he was considered an influential and feared literary critic. In recent decades Bierce has gained wider respect as a fabulist and for his poetry.In December 1913, Bierce traveled to Chihuahua, Mexico, to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. He disappeared, and was rumored to be traveling with rebel troops. He was never seen again.
- Birthplace: Ohio
- Birthdate: 06-24-1842
- Nationality: United States of America
Andrew Preston Peabody
Portsmouth Sunday school hymn book, The choice of a profession, Views of duty adapted to the timesAndrew Preston Peabody was an American clergyman and author. Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, Peabody was descended from Lieut. Francis Peabody of St. Albans, who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1635. He learned to read before he was three years old, entered Harvard College at the age of twelve, and graduated in 1826, the youngest graduate of Harvard with the single exception of Paul Dudley. In 1833 Peabody became assistant pastor of the South Parish of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; the senior pastor died before Peabody had been preaching a month, and he succeeded to the charge of the church, which he held until 1860. In 1853 to 1863 he was proprietor and editor of the North American Review. Peabody was preacher to Harvard University and the Plummer professor of Christian morals from 1860 to 1881, and was professor emeritus from 1881 until his death in Boston, Massachusetts, shortly before his 82nd birthday. A bronze tablet dedicated to his memory is found in Appleton Chapel, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The inscription on the tablet concludes with: "He moved among the teachers and students of Harvard College, and wist not that his face shown."- Birthplace: Beverly, Massachusetts
- Birthdate: 03-19-1811
- Nationality: United States of America
Anita Desai, born Anita Mazumdar (born 24 June 1937) is an Indian novelist and the Emerita John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As a writer she has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times. She received a Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978 for her novel Fire on the Mountain, from the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters. She won the British Guardian Prize for The Village by the Sea.- Birthplace: Mussoorie, India
- Birthdate: 06-24-1937
- Nationality: India
- For over 30 years, Andy Rooney was an integral part of the CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" (1968- ). A veteran journalist and celebrated war correspondent, Rooney's show-closing editorials, entitled "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney," ran the gamut in subject matter from the topical - politics, social ills, the march of time - to the mundane, which took the form of amusing and often curmudgeonly rants on computers, desk clutter, changes in social graces and the foibles of everyday life. His commentary, which was also documented in newspapers, magazines and a number of books, made him among the most popular segments on the program, as well as one of its most parodied. No matter which side of the fence viewers found themselves on in regard to Rooney, there was no denying his position as one of the most well-known and regarded television figures of the late 20th century and into the new millennium.
- Birthplace: Albany, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 01-14-1919
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner, which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (with help from assistants) drawing until 1977. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats (in the years 1937–45) and Long Sam (1954). He won the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in 1947 for Cartoonist of the Year, and their 1979 Elzie Segar Award, posthumously for his "unique and outstanding contribution to the profession of cartooning". Comic strips dealt with northern urban experiences until the year Capp introduced "Li'l Abner", the first strip based in the South. Although Capp was from Connecticut, he spent 43 years teaching the world about Dogpatch, reaching an estimated 60 million readers in over 900 American newspapers and 100 foreign papers in 28 countries. M. Thomas Inge says Capp made a large personal fortune through the strip and "had a profound influence on the way the world viewed the American South".
- Birthplace: USA, Connecticut, New Haven
- Birthdate: 09-28-1909
- Nationality: United States of America
- The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business, Nation Transformed by Information, Express trusts under the common lawAlfred DuPont Chandler Jr. (September 15, 1918 – May 9, 2007) was a professor of business history at Harvard Business School and Johns Hopkins University, who wrote extensively about the scale and the management structures of modern corporations. His works redefined business and economic history of industrialization. He received the Pulitzer Prize for History for his work, The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business (1977). He has been called "the doyen of American business historians".
- Birthplace: Guyencourt, Delaware
- Birthdate: 09-15-1918
- Nationality: United States of America
- Andrew M. Greeley (February 5, 1928 – May 29, 2013) was an American Roman Catholic priest, sociologist, journalist and popular novelist. Greeley was a Professor of Sociology at the University of Arizona and the University of Chicago, and a Research Associate with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). For many years, he wrote a weekly column for the Chicago Sun-Times and contributed regularly to The New York Times, the National Catholic Reporter, America, and Commonweal.
- Birthplace: Oak Park, Illinois
- Birthdate: 02-05-1928
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: Nuala Anne McGrail series, Time Between the Stars, Angel Fire, World of Maggie Ward, Family Saga
Allan Havis
Haut Goût, American Political Plays, Haunting of Jim CrowAllan Havis is a playwright with pronounced political themes and probes on colliding cultures. His works range from minimal-language texts to ambiguous, ironic narratives that delineate the genesis, paradoxes, and seduction of evil. Several of his dramas involve Jewish identity, cultural alienation, and universal problems of racism. His literary influences come, in part, from August Strindberg and Harold Pinter. In addition to his plays, Havis wrote a novel for children, Albert the Astronomer. He edited an anthology for University of Illinois Press, American Political Plays. Fifteen Havis plays are published in editions by Broadway Play Publishing Inc., Theatre Communications Group, Penguin/Mentor, and University of Illinois. His book Cult Films: Taboo and Transgression covers ninety years of cinema. Southern Illinois University Press published his next edited anthology 2010, American Political Plays after 9/11. His first opera libretto, Lilith, had its world premiere at the Conrad Prebys Music Center in UC San Diego on December 4, 2009. The chamber opera, based on his play, highlights Adam's first wife of supernatural proportion and partly staged in a modern era.- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Birthdate: 09-26-1951
- Nationality: United States of America
- The Tennis Partner, My Own Country: A Doctor's Story of a Town and Its People in the Age of Aids, Cutting for StoneAbraham Verghese (born 1955) is an American physician, author, Professor for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at Stanford University Medical School and Senior Associate Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. He is also the author of three best-selling books, two memoirs and a novel. In 2011, he was elected to be a member of the Institute of Medicine. He received the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama in 2015. He was born in Ethiopia to parents from Kerala, India, who worked as teachers. In 2009, Knopf published his new book and first novel, Cutting for Stone. In 2010, Random House published the paperback version of the book and since that time, it has risen steadily up the bestseller charts, ranking #2 on The New York Times trade paperback fiction list on March 13, 2011. It has been on The New York Times list for well over two years. In 2014, Dr. Verghese received the 19th Annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities.
- Birthplace: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Birthdate: 01-01-1955
- Nationality: India, United States of America
- Never Have Your Dog Stuffed And Other Things I've Learned, Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself (Random House Large PrintAlan Alda, born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo on January 28, 1936, is a celebrated American actor, director, screenwriter, comedian, and author. Born in the Bronx, New York, to a theatrical family, Alda was destined for the stage. His father, Robert Alda, was an actor and singer, and his mother, Joan Browne, was a former showgirl. Alda's early exposure to the performing arts cultivated a deep passion for acting and storytelling, ultimately shaping his illustrious career. Alda is perhaps best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the iconic television series M*A*S*H, which aired from 1972 to 1983. His portrayal of the wise-cracking Army surgeon earned him five Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Beyond M*A*S*H, Alda has maintained a diverse career spanning both film and television. He has appeared in numerous films, including The Aviator, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, and Bridge of Spies. Alda's contributions to television include roles in The West Wing, 30 Rock, and The Blacklist. In addition to acting, Alda has made significant contributions behind the camera and beyond the entertainment industry. He directed and wrote many episodes of M*A*S*H and authored several books. His interest in science communication led him to host PBS's Scientific American Frontiers for over a decade. In 2005, Alda helped establish the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, further demonstrating his commitment to bridging the gap between science and the public. Alda's multifaceted career and enduring influence on the entertainment industry have solidified his legacy as one of America's most beloved actors.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 01-28-1936
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alyssa Milano, born in Brooklyn, New York on December 19, 1972, is a multi-hyphenate who has made significant contributions to the entertainment industry as an actress, producer, author, and activist. Her journey into stardom began with her role in the sitcom Who's the Boss? when she was just 11 years old. This early exposure to acting not only ignited her passion for the arts but also laid the foundation for a successful career. Over time, she expanded her portfolio with notable performances in popular television series such as Melrose Place, Charmed, and Mistresses, exhibiting her versatility as an artist. Beyond the realm of acting, Milano's influence extends into the sphere of activism. A fervent advocate for children's rights, she has used her platform to raise awareness about various issues, particularly those concerning child health and wellbeing. She has worked closely with UNICEF, traveling to countries like India and Angola to support their cause. Her dedication to philanthropy underscores her commitment to using her celebrity status to make a positive difference in the world. In addition to acting and activism, Milano has also made her mark as an author and producer. She has written several books, including Safe At Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic and Hacktivist, showcasing her diverse interests and talents. As a producer, she has been involved in the creation of numerous projects, including the series Romantically Challenged and the film My Girlfriend's Boyfriend. Alyssa Milano's multi-dimensional career reflects her dynamic personality and tireless dedication to her craft and causes.
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 12-19-1972
- Nationality: United States of America
- 1Commando127 Votes
- 2Fear113 Votes
- 3Hall Pass80 Votes
- Aaron Sorkin, widely recognized as one of the most respected and celebrated screenwriters in Hollywood, was born in 1961 in New York City. He burst onto the scene with his debut play, A Few Good Men, which he wrote on cocktail napkins during his bartending nights. This play was later turned into a blockbuster film starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, solidifying Sorkin's reputation in the entertainment industry. Sorkin's career widened when he transitioned into television, creating and writing critically acclaimed shows such as The West Wing and The Newsroom. His unique storytelling style, characterized by rapid-fire dialogue and complex political narratives, has earned him numerous accolades, including multiple Emmy Awards. Yet, his work is not limited to television. His screenplay for The Social Network, a film about the inception of Facebook, earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In addition to his writing prowess, Aaron Sorkin ventured into directing, making his directorial debut with Molly's Game, a high-stakes poker drama based on a true story. The film was praised for its sharp dialogues and narrative progression, reflecting Sorkin's signature style. Despite his success, Sorkin remains grounded, often attributing his accomplishments to his early theater experiences and diligent work ethic. His talent for compelling scriptwriting continues to shape the landscape of modern cinema and television.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 06-09-1961
- Nationality: United States of America
- Anne Inez McCaffrey (1 April 1926 – 21 November 2011) was an American-born writer who emigrated to Ireland and was best known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. Early in McCaffrey's 46-year career as a writer, she became the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction and the first to win a Nebula Award. Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list. In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
- Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Birthdate: 04-01-1926
- Nationality: Republic of Ireland, United States of America
- Series Written: Tower and the Hive, Crystal Singer series, The Crystal Universe, The Twins of Petaybee, Dinosaur Planet
- Alex Sánchez (born 1957) is a Mexican American author of award-winning novels for teens and adults. His first novel, Rainbow Boys (2001), was selected by the American Library Association (ALA), as a Best Book for Young Adults. Subsequent books have won additional awards, including the Lambda Literary Award. Although Sanchez's novels are widely accepted in thousands of school and public libraries in America, they have faced a handful of challenges and efforts to ban them. In Webster, New York, removal of Rainbow Boys from the 2006 summer reading list was met by a counter-protest from students, parents, librarians, and community members resulting in the book being placed on the 2007 summer reading list.
- Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
- Birthdate: 01-01-1957
- Nationality: United States of America
- Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana. Das lustvolle Leben der Herzogin von Devonshire., Georgiana's WorldAmanda Lucy Foreman (born 1968) is a British/American biographer and historian. Her books include Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, A World on Fire, and The World Made by Women. She also wrote and starred in a four-part documentary regarding the role of women in society, entitled The Ascent of Woman.
- Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
- Birthdate: 01-01-1968
- Nationality: United States of America, England
- Aimee Nezhukumatathil (born in Chicago, Illinois) is an American poet, best known for her jovial and accessible reading style and lush descriptions of exotic foods and landscapes. Nezhukumatathil draws upon her Filipina and Malayali Indian background to give a unique perspective on love, loss, and land.
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Birthdate: 12-01-1974
- Nationality: India, United States of America
- Alice French (March 19, 1850 – January 9, 1934), better known as Octave Thanet, was an American novelist and short fiction writer.
- Birthplace: Andover, Massachusetts
- Birthdate: 03-19-1850
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alma Routsong (November 26, 1924 – October 4, 1996) was an American novelist best known for her lesbian fiction, published under the pen name Isabel Miller.
- Birthplace: Traverse City, Michigan
- Birthdate: 11-26-1924
- Nationality: United States of America
- Adi Da Samraj, born Franklin Albert Jones (November 3, 1939 – November 27, 2008), was an American spiritual teacher, writer and artist. He was the founder of a new religious movement known as Adidam. He changed his name numerous times throughout his life; these names included Bubba Free John, Da Free John, Da Love-Ananda, Da Kalki, Da Avadhoota and Da Avabhasa, among others. From 1991 until his death, he was known as Adi Da Love-Ananda Samraj or Adi Da.Adi Da initially became known in the spiritual counterculture of the 1970s for his books and public talks, and for the activities of his religious community. His philosophy was essentially similar to many eastern religions which see spiritual enlightenment as the ultimate priority of human life. Distinguishing his from other religious traditions, Adi Da declared that he was a uniquely historic avatar (incarnation of a god or divinity in human form). As such, Adi Da stated that henceforth devotional worship of him would be the sole means of spiritual enlightenment for anyone else.Adi Da wrote many books about his spiritual philosophy and related matters, founding a publishing house to print them. He gained praise from authorities in spirituality and philosophy, but was also criticized for what were perceived as his isolation, controversial behavior, claims toward exclusive realization, and cult-like community.In the mid-1980s, allegations by former followers of false imprisonment, brainwashing, sexual abuse, assault and involuntary servitude received international media attention. These allegations resulted in lawsuits or threatened suits on both sides
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Birthdate: 11-03-1939
- Nationality: Fiji, United States of America
- We Came All the Way from Cuba So You Could Dress Like This?: Stories, Days of Awe, This Is What Happened in Our Other LifeAchy Obejas (born June 28, 1956) is a Cuban-American writer and translator focused on personal and national identity issues, living in Oakland, California. She frequently writes on her sexuality and nationality, and has received numerous awards for her creative work. Obejas' stories and poems have appeared in Prairie Schooner, Fifth Wednesday Journal, TriQuarterly, Another Chicago Magazine and many other publications. Some of her work was originally published in Esto no tiene nombre, a Latina lesbian magazine published and edited by tatiana de la tierra, which gave voice to the Latina lesbian community. Obejas worked as a journalist in Chicago for more than two decades, and is currently the Distinguished Visiting Writer at Mills College in Oakland, California, where she teaches creative writing.
- Birthplace: Havana, Cuba
- Birthdate: 06-28-1956
- Nationality: United States of America, Cuba
- A popular and gifted composer and conductor who enjoyed success in multiple mediums, Andre Previn won four Best Music Oscars for "My Fair Lady" (1964), among others, before embarking on a lengthy second career as a conductor for some of the world's most acclaimed symphony orchestras. Born Andreas Ludwig Previn on April 6, 1929, in Berlin, Germany, he was the son of an amateur pianist and showed remarkable aptitude, as well as perfect pitch, before the age of six years old. He was soon enrolled at the Berlin Conservatory, but the rise of the Nazis spurred his family, who were Jewish, to relocate to Paris, France. There, Previn studied at the Paris Conservatory before moving again, this time to the United States, where they settled in New York City and later, Los Angeles, California. There, he became a U.S. citizen in 1943, and supported the family by playing in jazz clubs at an movie houses. He also learned English through comic books and movies, and the latter medium provided Previn with his first entry into professional music. His father's second cousin, Charles Previn, was the music director for Universal Studios, and while Previn was still a student at Beverly Hills High School, he began working as a composer, conductor and arranger for MGM. He earned his first screen credit as composer for "The Sun Comes Up" (1949), a vehicle for canine star Lassie, but after serving in the U.S. Army in 1950, returned to Hollywood, where he worked his way up to composing, conducting and arranging for such prestige pictures as "Gigi" (1958) and "Porgy & Bess" (1959), for which he won his first of four eventual Academy Awards. During this period, Previn also recorded numerous jazz albums, both as performer and arranger, and collaborated with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie and Shorty Rogers. At the height of his success in Hollywood, with two more Oscars to his name for "Irma la Douce" (1963) and "My Fair Lady" (1964), Previn decided to dream of conducting for orchestra, and joined the St. Louis Symphony in 1963. Four years later, he was selected to conduct the Houston Symphony Orchestra, but left in 1968 to become principal conductor for the London Symphony, and remained there for the next 11 years. During this period, Previn's music career threatened to be overshadowed by his personal life: he had become romantically involved with actress Mia Farrow while still married to singer Dory Previn, and the Previns' subsequent divorce, coupled with Dory Previn's hospitalization for a mental breakdown, lent a patina of scandal to his marriage to Farrow in 1970. The couple would remain together for the next nine years, producing two children and adopting three more, including a Korean girl named Soon-Yi,who would generate her own scandal decades later by becoming romantically involved with Farrow's significant other, Woody Allen. Despite the negative attention, Previn remained a popular figure in the classical music world and other mediums: he was the star of a series of well-regarded music programs made by BBC Television during his tenure with the London Symphony, and his subsequent efforts as musical director and/or principal conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic drew sizable audience numbers. Previn also wrote and recorded numerous musical works, ranging from symphonies and concerts for cello, guitar and violin to orchestral works, the musical "Coco," about designer Coco Chanel in 1970, and an opera based on "A Streetcar Named Desire" which debuted in 1998. After serving as orchestral director of the Oslo Philharmonic from 2002 to 2006, Previn wrote a second opera, based on the 1945 film "Brief Encounter," which premiered in 2009. He continued to remain active during the final years of his life, balancing conducting assignments with lifetime achievement awards from the Kennedy Center Honors and Recording Academy, among others. He also worked extensively with the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, to whom he was married from 2002 to 2006. Previn died at his home in Manhattan on February 28, 2019 at the age of 89.
- Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
- Birthdate: 04-06-1929
- Nationality: United States of America, Germany
- Andrea Cagan is an American writer, biographer and ghostwriter. She has edited and collaborated on more than fifteen books, including biographies of Diana Ross, Grace Slick, Joan Lunden and Prem Rawat. She has brought a dozen books to the bestseller lists, including three New York Times #1 bestsellers and one Los Angeles Times #1 bestseller.Cagan appeared in the 1970 anti-Vietnam War film Captain Milkshake, which saw a revival in 2003.
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction, who has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels and many faithful novelizations of film scripts.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Birthdate: 11-18-1946
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: Star Wars Republic Commando, The Transformers, Icerigger Trilogy, Spellsinger, Dinotopia
- The Evolution of Physics, Ideas and Opinions, The Origins of the General Theory of RelativityAlbert Einstein ( EYEN-styne; German: [ˈalbɛɐ̯t ˈʔaɪnʃtaɪn] (listen); 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. He is best known to the general public for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = m c 2 {\displaystyle E=mc^{2}} , which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation". He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect", a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory. Near the beginning of his career, Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led him to develop his special theory of relativity during his time at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern (1902–1909). However, he realized that the principle of relativity could also be extended to gravitational fields, and he published a paper on general relativity in 1916 with his theory of gravitation. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In 1917, he applied the general theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe.Except for one year in Prague, Einstein lived in Switzerland between 1895 and 1914, during which time he renounced his German citizenship in 1896, then received his academic diploma from the Swiss federal polytechnic school (later the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, ETH) in Zürich in 1900. After being stateless for more than five years, he acquired Swiss citizenship in 1901, which he kept for the rest of his life. In 1905, he was awarded a PhD by the University of Zurich. The same year, he published four groundbreaking papers during his renowned annus mirabilis (miracle year) which brought him to the notice of the academic world at the age of 26. Einstein taught theoretical physics at Zurich between 1912 and 1914, before he left for Berlin, where he was elected to the Prussian Academy of Sciences. In 1933, while Einstein was visiting the United States, Adolf Hitler came to power. Because of his Jewish background, Einstein did not return to Germany. He settled in the United States and became an American citizen in 1940. On the eve of World War II, he endorsed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt alerting him to the potential development of "extremely powerful bombs of a new type" and recommending that the US begin similar research. This eventually led to the Manhattan Project. Einstein supported the Allies, but he generally denounced the idea of using nuclear fission as a weapon. He signed the Russell–Einstein Manifesto with British philosopher Bertrand Russell, which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons. He was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, until his death in 1955. Einstein published more than 300 scientific papers and more than 150 non-scientific works. His intellectual achievements and originality have made the word "Einstein" synonymous with "genius". Eugene Wigner wrote of Einstein in comparison to his contemporaries that "Einstein's understanding was deeper even than Jancsi von Neumann's. His mind was both more penetrating and more original than von Neumann's. And that is a very remarkable statement."
- Birthplace: Ulm, Germany
- Birthdate: 03-14-1879
- Nationality: Switzerland, Weimar Republic, United States of America, German Empire, Austria-Hungary
- Series Written: The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein
- A title holder in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most prolific producer in television history, Aaron Spelling quietly oversaw some five decades of popular programming that ranged from "The Mod Squad" (ABC, 1968-1973) and "Starsky and Hutch" (ABC, 1975-79) to "Charlie's Angels" (ABC, 1976-1981), "The Love Boat" (ABC, 1977-1986), "Dynasty" (ABC, 1981-89), "Beverly Hills, 90210" (Fox, 1990-2000) and "7th Heaven" (The WB, 1996-2007). An aspiring playwright, Spelling broke into television in the late 1950s, penning scripts for live television before moving into production in the early 1960s. Spelling's most notable series were marked by their compelling plots and characters and the attractive performers he hired to populate them. Audiences loved his shows, which kept their producer active well into his eighth decade. Later known as the father of "90210" star Tori Spelling, the sweet-natured producer's affection for a juicy story, told with verve by an appealing cast, gave his work a lasting immortality that endured long after his passing in 2006.
- Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, USA
- Birthdate: 04-22-1923
- Nationality: United States of America
- Screenwriters Award-Winner Set, Collection 3, The Da Vinci Code Illustrated ScreenplayPerhaps no other screenwriter in the annals of Hollywood history had as varied a career as Akiva Goldsman. For the first decade of his life as a film scribe, Goldsman collaborated with Joel Schumacher on some of the director's more derided films, including "Batman Forever" (1995) and the universally lambasted "Batman & Robin" (1997). Despite the financial success of both movies, Goldsman was trapped in a cycle of taking any job that came his way, rather than putting pen to paper on the stories he wanted to write. By the time the millennium rolled around, Goldsman was one of the top scribes working in the business, thanks in part to a lucrative side business as an uncredited writer-for-hire. But he finally received the respect he deserved when he became a member of the power trio that included director Ron Howard and star Russell Crowe on "A Beautiful Mind" (2001), which earned Goldsman his first Academy Award win. Following another critically acclaimed Howard-Crowe-Goldsman collaboration on "Cinderella Man" (2005), he baited controversy with successful adaptations of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" (2006) and "Angels and Demons" (2009), both of which confirmed that he was the top working screenwriter of his day.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 07-07-1962
- Nationality: United States of America
- Two Films by Ang Lee Eat Drink Man Woman & The Wedding Banquet, Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonAng Lee OBS (Chinese: 李安; pinyin: Lǐ Ān; born 23 October 1954) is a Taiwanese film director and screenwriter. Born in the Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in the United States. His filmmaking career has seen him experience international critical and popular acclaim and a range of accolades. Lee garnered success with Pushing Hands (1991), The Wedding Banquet (1993), and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), which explored the relationships and conflicts between tradition and modernity, Eastern and Western; the three films are informally known as the "Father Knows Best" trilogy. The films garnered Lee success both in his native Taiwan and internationally, precipitating his arrival in Hollywood with Sense and Sensibility (1995), for which he received critical praise and a number of accolades. He went on to direct films in a broad range of genres, including the drama The Ice Storm (1997); the Western Ride with the Devil (1999); the martial arts wuxia drama Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000); the superhero blockbuster Hulk (2003); the romantic drama Brokeback Mountain (2005); the erotic espionage period drama Lust, Caution (2007); and the magic realist survival film Life of Pi (2012). Much of Lee's work is known for its emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions, which commentators believe is responsible for his success in offsetting cultural barriers and achieving international recognition.Lee has been nominated for nine Academy Awards, of which he has won three: Best Foreign Language Film for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Best Director for Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi, becoming the first non-white person to win the latter. For The Wedding Banquet and Sense and Sensibility, Lee won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival; for Brokeback Mountain and Lust Caution, he won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Lee is one of four directors to win the Golden Lion twice and the sole filmmaker to have been awarded the Golden Bear twice. Lee has also been awarded Directors Guild of America, Golden Globe and British Academy Film Awards, among others, and is the recipient of the Order of Brilliant Star, the second highest civilian honor bestowed by the Government of the Republic of China.
- Birthplace: Taiwan, Chaojhou, Pingtung
- Birthdate: 10-23-1954
- Nationality: United States of America, Taiwan
- Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre both for the stage and on film. He won three Tony Awards and three Academy Awards, among other honors.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 08-31-1918
- Nationality: United States of America
- Aaron Copland (; November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Composers". The open, slowly changing harmonies in much of his music are typical of what many people consider to be the sound of American music, evoking the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit. He is best known for the works he wrote in the 1930s and 1940s in a deliberately accessible style often referred to as "populist" and which the composer labeled his "vernacular" style. Works in this vein include the ballets Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid and Rodeo, his Fanfare for the Common Man and Third Symphony. In addition to his ballets and orchestral works, he produced music in many other genres, including chamber music, vocal works, opera and film scores. After some initial studies with composer Rubin Goldmark, Copland traveled to Paris, where he first studied with Isidor Philipp and Paul Vidal, then with noted pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. He studied three years with Boulanger, whose eclectic approach to music inspired his own broad taste. Determined upon his return to the U.S. to make his way as a full-time composer, Copland gave lecture-recitals, wrote works on commission and did some teaching and writing. He found composing orchestral music in the modernist style he had adapted abroad a financially contradictory approach, particularly in light of the Great Depression. He shifted in the mid-1930s to a more accessible musical style which mirrored the German idea of Gebrauchsmusik ("music for use"), music that could serve utilitarian and artistic purposes. During the Depression years, he traveled extensively to Europe, Africa, and Mexico, formed an important friendship with Mexican composer Carlos Chávez and began composing his signature works. During the late 1940s, Copland became aware that Stravinsky and other fellow composers had begun to study Arnold Schoenberg's use of twelve-tone (serial) techniques. After he had been exposed to the works of French composer Pierre Boulez, he incorporated serial techniques into his Piano Quartet (1950), Piano Fantasy (1957), Connotations for orchestra (1961) and Inscape for orchestra (1967). Unlike Schoenberg, Copland used his tone rows in much the same fashion as his tonal material—as sources for melodies and harmonies, rather than as complete statements in their own right, except for crucial events from a structural point of view. From the 1960s onward, Copland's activities turned more from composing to conducting. He became a frequent guest conductor of orchestras in the U.S. and the UK and made a series of recordings of his music, primarily for Columbia Records.
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
- Birthdate: 11-14-1900
- Nationality: United States of America
- Albert Brooks, born Albert Lawrence Einstein on July 22, 1947, is an illustrious figure in the realm of entertainment, known for his various talents as a comedian, actor, writer, and director. A native of Beverly Hills, California, Brooks inherited his knack for entertainment from his parents: his father, Harry Einstein, was a renowned radio comic, and his mother, Thelma Leeds, a successful actress. Brooks's comedic style, often characterized by a unique blend of satire and neurotic humor, was first recognized when he began performing stand-up routines during the late 1960s. Brooks made his film debut in Martin Scorsese's 1976 classic Taxi Driver, laying the foundations of a successful acting career spanning several decades. His prowess as a writer-director emerged with the critically acclaimed film Real Life (1979), marking the beginning of his filmmaking journey. Over the years, he has directed several noteworthy films, including Lost In America (1985) and Defending Your Life (1991), reinforcing his place in Hollywood as a versatile artist. His compelling performances in films like Broadcast News (1987) earned him an Academy Award nomination, reflecting the depth and range of his acting abilities. Despite his on-screen accomplishments, Brooks has also made significant contributions in the realm of voice acting. He lent his voice to the character Marlin in Pixar's beloved Finding Nemo series, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Additionally, Brooks authored a novel titled 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America, published in 2011, which was heralded as a New York Times Best Seller. With a career expanding over five decades, Albert Brooks continues to be celebrated as an influential figure whose myriad talents transcend different mediums within the entertainment industry.
- Birthplace: Beverly Hills, California, USA
- Birthdate: 07-22-1947
- Nationality: United States of America
- 1Defending Your Life50 Votes
- 2Lost in America35 Votes
- 3Broadcast News31 Votes
- Adolphe Menjou, an iconic figure in the film industry, was a man that epitomized Hollywood's Golden Age. Born on February 18, 1890, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was an American actor recognized for his distinctive style and persona on and off the screen. His journey into the world of cinema began after he graduated from Cornell University with a degree in engineering, a path that quickly morphed into pursuing a career in acting after a brief stint on Broadway. Menjou's acting career spanned both silent and sound films, which is a testament to his adaptability and immense talent. He made his debut in silent movies in 1914, but it was not until his role in The Sheik in 1921 that he shot to stardom. The actor's fame continued to grow with his unforgettable performances in classics like A Woman of Paris in 1923. When the era of talkies arrived, Menjou transitioned seamlessly, featuring in successful films such as The Front Page (1931), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Off-screen, Menjou had a reputation as a dapper gentleman. Known for his impeccable dress sense, he was often voted as one of the best-dressed men in America. He penned his autobiography titled It Took Nine Tailors in 1948, which gave readers an insight into his life and career. Despite his success and popularity, Menjou's personal life was marked by controversy; his outspoken anti-communist views during the McCarthy era led to widespread criticism. Adolphe Menjou passed away on October 29, 1963, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire generations of actors.
- Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Birthdate: 02-18-1890
- Nationality: United States of America
- Disney's Pocahontas Illustrated Songbook, Alan Menken Songbook, E.Z. Play Today PocahontasAmerican composer Alan Menken was responsible for some of the best known film and stage musicals of the late 20th Century. Born in New York City, he originally set out to become a recording artist. In the mid-'70s, he began gravitating towards musical theater, contributing songs to a number of revues and workshops. His early attempts to write a full musical, though, went unproduced. His luck changed when he began a long partnership with playwright and lyricist Howard Ashman. They worked together on a musical adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" that ran Off-Broadway. Their next collaboration, however, earned them a place in musical theater history. Based on a little seen 1960 film, "Little Shop of Horrors" opened in 1982 and went on to become the highest grossing Off-Broadway production of all time. The play was adapted to film in 1986, and Menken and Ashman's original composition "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space" earned the duo an Oscar nomination. The pair were hired by Disney as the company was attempting to reinvigorate its animated film division. They wrote the music for "The Little Mermaid" (1989), winning Oscars for Best Original Song ("Under the Sea") and Best Score. That kicked off one of the most successful runs in film history. They partnered again on "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), and added another two Academy Awards. As work began on Disney's next animated offering, "Aladdin" (1992), Ashman died from complications related to AIDS. Famed lyricist Tim Rice stepped in and worked with Menken to complete the music for "Aladdin," and again, the film won Oscars for Best Original Song ("A Whole New World") and Best Score. Menken also worked with Jack Feldman on Disney's live-action musical, "Newsies" (1992). While the film was considered a flop, the property went on to find new life as a successful Broadway show. Menken returned to working with Disney animation, working with Stephen Schwartz on "Pocahontas" (1995) and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996), as well as with David Zippel for "Hercules" (1997). He also contributed the score to a number of other films, including "Life With Mikey" (1993), "Home On the Range" (2004) and "Tangled" (2010). Menken and Schwartz reunited to provide the music for Disney's hit "Enchanted" (2007). He also worked with the studio to adapt both "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin" into Tony-winning Broadway shows. He had additional success adapting the films "Sister Act" and "A Bronx Tale" into Broadway musicals. Menken's Disney partnership continued as well. He worked with the studio on its live-action film adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" (2017), before partnering with the Oscar and Tony-winning team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul on a live-action version of "Aladdin" (2019). He went on to work with Broadway superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda on a similar update of "The Little Mermaid" and re-teamed with Schwartz on the "Enchanted" sequel, "Disenchanted."
- Birthplace: New Rochelle, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 07-22-1949
- Nationality: United States of America
- Endre Antal Miksa DeToth, better known as Andre DeToth (May 15, 1913–October 27, 2002), was a Hungarian-American film director, born and raised in Makó, Csanád County, Austria-Hungary. He directed the 3D film House of Wax, despite being unable to see in 3D himself, having lost an eye at an early age. Upon naturalization as a United States citizen in 1945, he took Endre Antal Miksa DeToth as his legal name.
- Birthplace: Hungary, Makó, Csongrád
- Birthdate: 05-15-1912
- Nationality: United States of America, Hungary, Austria-Hungary
- Born on January 11, 1755, on the island of Nevis in the British West Indies, Alexander Hamilton's life was a testament to the power of determination and intelligence. Despite facing numerous adversities early in his life, including being orphaned as a child, he managed to carve out an impressive career that significantly shaped the formation of the United States. Hamilton's intellect shone from a young age. Recognized by community leaders in Nevis for his potential, they pooled resources to send him to America for education. He attended King's College (now Columbia University) in New York City. During the American Revolution, Hamilton served as aide-de-camp to General George Washington, displaying exceptional strategic skills and administrative prowess. Post-war, Hamilton's influence further grew as a key contributor to the Federalist Papers, a series of essays advocating for the ratification of the Constitution. In 1789, he was appointed the first Secretary of the Treasury by President Washington, where he implemented financial systems that are still in place today. His vision of a strong central government and industrial economy often clashed with contemporaries like Thomas Jefferson, igniting debates that continue to resonate in American politics. Alexander Hamilton's legacy extends far beyond his untimely death in a duel against Aaron Burr in 1804; his foundational work in establishing modern American fiscal policy and constitutional interpretation leaves an indelible mark on the country's history.
- Birthplace: Charlestown, Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Birthdate: 01-11-1757
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers
- Al Roker, born Albert Lincoln Roker Jr., is an accomplished American weather forecaster, television presenter, author, and actor. He was born on August 20, 1954, in Queens, New York, showcasing a deep interest in broadcasting from an early age. His education at the State University of New York at Oswego, where he received a degree in communications, further solidified his passion for media. Roker's career has been marked by significant accomplishments in the world of television. His longstanding tenure as a weather anchor on NBC's The Today Show began in 1996, following an initial period as a fill-in. Roker's amiable personality and professionalism established him as a household name. He additionally gained recognition for reporting on some of the most destructive hurricanes in U.S. history. Beyond his weather-forecasting duties, Roker pioneered innovative programming as the CEO of Al Roker Entertainment, a leading producer of original TV content. In addition to his television career, Roker has made his mark as an author. He has penned several non-fiction books, including an acclaimed memoir titled Never Goin' Back: Winning the Weight Loss Battle For Good, which details his personal journey with weight loss and health. His noteworthy contributions have earned him multiple Emmy Awards, further attesting to his impact on the entertainment industry.
- Birthplace: Queens, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 08-20-1954
- Nationality: United States of America
Bruce Nash
SPORTS HALL OF SHAME'S FUNTASTIC TRIVIA AND STICKER BOOK, MORE LITTLE BIG LEAGUERS, BASEBALL HALL OF SHAME'S FUNTASTIC TRIVIA AND STICKER BOOKBruce Mitchell Nash (born August 14, 1947) is an American reality television producer.Nash first entered reality TV with Before They Were Stars. His credits include the Sci Fi Channel series Who Wants to Be a Superhero? with Stan Lee; World's Most Amazing Videos for NBC and Spike TV; Most Shocking as well as Most Daring for Court TV/truTV; Amazing Sports Stories for Fox Sports Net, which garnered four Sports Emmy nominations; Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories for CBS, NBC's For Love or Money; Who Wants To Marry My Dad?, ABC Family's 2003 version of Dance Fever with Merv Griffin Entertainment and Bob Bain Productions, and Meet My Folks. He is also the creator of Modern Marvels.- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Birthdate: 08-14-1947
- Nationality: United States of America
- Born in Chicago in 1943, Martin Mull moved to Connecticut during high school, then attended the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating with a MFA in painting. While in school, Mull began playing guitar in a band and writing his own songs. As the folk music scene began to gain in popularity, Mull found himself playing solo gigs and his songs and banter began to take on a comedic tone. Between 1972 and 1975, Mull released five albums of comic infused folk music. After meeting with creator Norman Lear about a writing job on the show "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" (Syndicated, 1976-77), Mull was instead offered a part on the show, playing the twins Garth and Barth Gimble. After Garth was fatally impaled on an aluminum Christmas tree, Barth continued on the series' "Fernwood 2 Night" (Syndicated, 1977) and "America 2 Night" (Syndicated, 1978). Both shows satirized talk shows and began the long collaboration between Mull and Fred Willard. In 1979, Mull's comedy album "Sex and Violins" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. Mull continued to make a mark for himself on screen, playing memorable supporting roles in a multitude of films and series, including "Taxi" (ABC, 1978-1982), "Mr. Mom" (1983), and most notably in "Roseanne" (ABC, 1988-1997, 2018) playing her gay boss with Willard playing his domestic partner. His remarkable professional longevity extended through the 2000s and into the 2010s, continuing to put his unique comic spin on a number of roles in shows like "Two and a Half Men" (CBS, 2003-2015) and "Veep" (HBO, 2012-), as well as films like "A Futile and Stupid Gesture" (Netflix, 2018) about the life of Doug Kenney, who brought the National Lampoon to the national spotlight and was one of the first writers on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975-). In 2018, it was announced that he would be a series regular on the new comedy "The Cool Kids" (Fox, 2018-). Martin Mull died on June 27, 2024 at the age of 80.
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Birthdate: 08-18-1943
- Nationality: United States of America
- Former playwright-turned-filmmaker Alan Ball left behind the rather anonymous and distressing world of sitcom writing to make his breakthrough as the screenwriter of the Academy Award-winning film "American Beauty" (1999). Prior to that success, Ball penned off-Broadway productions, including "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress," before cutting his teeth on sitcoms like "Grace Under Fire" (ABC, 1993-98) and "Cybill" (CBS, 1994-98). Because of his fascination with dysfunctional families, he created "Six Feet Under" (HBO, 2001-05), a darkly comic drama about a family that runs a funeral home in Los Angeles after the untimely death of their patriarch (Richard Jenkins). With its morbidly funny take on mortality and those who deal with it on a daily basis, "Six Feet Under" quickly became a flagship series for HBO, while earning numerous awards and nominations. For his part, Ball established himself as one of the pre-eminent talents on television and on the big screen, earning a reputation for unflinching drama tinged with a dark sense of humor.
- Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Birthdate: 05-13-1957
- Nationality: United States of America
- Amy Sedaris, a multifaceted American talent, is known for her exceptional work in both the comedy and literature worlds. Born on March 29, 1961, in Endicott, New York, she established herself as a prominent writer, comedian, and actress. With her distinctive characters and comedic style, Sedaris ingratiates herself to audiences with her unique blend of humor and satire. Sedaris's esteemed career in entertainment began with her role in the comedy group, The Second City, and later evolved through her iconic character Jerri Blank on Comedy Central's series Strangers with Candy. This cult classic showcased her versatility and solidified her status within the comedy realm. Simultaneously, Sedaris built an impressive reputation as an author. Her books, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence and Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People, brought her recognition in the literature world as they exhibit her creative writing flair combined with her sharp wit. Despite her fame and success in acting and writing, Sedaris doesn't limit herself to these talents. She has also dipped her toes into the world of voice-over work in several animated films such as Shrek the Third and Puss in Boots, proving her range beyond live-action roles. A dynamic force in the world of entertainment, Amy Sedaris continues to bring laughter and joy through her diverse portfolio of work.
- Birthplace: Endicott, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 03-29-1961
- Nationality: United States of America
- Amiri Baraka (born Everett LeRoi Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous books of poetry and taught at several universities, including the State University of New York at Buffalo and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He received the PEN/Beyond Margins Award, in 2008 for Tales of the Out and the Gone.Baraka's career spanned nearly 50 years, and his themes range from black liberation to white racism. Some poems that are always associated with him are "The Music: Reflection on Jazz and Blues", "The Book of Monk", and "New Music, New Poetry", works that draw on topics from the worlds of society, music, and literature. Baraka's poetry and writing have attracted both high praise and condemnation. In the African-American community, some compare Baraka to James Baldwin and recognize him as one of the most respected and most widely published black writers of his generation. Others have said his work is an expression of violence, misogyny, and homophobia. Regardless of viewpoint, Baraka's plays, poetry, and essays have been defining texts for African-American culture.Baraka's brief tenure as Poet Laureate of New Jersey (2002–2003) involved controversy over a public reading of his poem "Somebody Blew Up America?", which resulted in accusations of anti-Semitism and negative attention from critics and politicians.
- Birthplace: USA, Newark, New Jersey
- Birthdate: 10-07-1934
- Nationality: United States of America
- Like Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe before her, Esther Williams achieved the seemingly impossible by transforming her skill at competitive swimming into a popular movie career. A star athlete and Olympic hopeful in her teens, she gained her earliest exposure to show business as the female lead in showman Billy Rose's Aquacade. Executives at MGM who saw her swimming abilities and pin-up worthy looks signed her immediately to a contract with the studio. There she starred in a series of musicals built around Williams' extraordinarily graceful water ballets. Audiences ate up the ultra-lightweight fare, making her one of the most popular movie stars of the 1940s and 1950s, though her career declined whenever she decided to pursue roles on dry land. After retiring in the early sixties, she parlayed her association with all things aquatic into lucrative licensing deals for ladies' swimwear and swimming pools. Due to these savvy decisions, she enjoyed her later decades out of spotlight and lived to be 91, with her physically fit background likely contributing to her longevity.
- Birthplace: Inglewood, California, USA
- Birthdate: 08-08-1921
- Nationality: United States of America
- 1Dangerous When Wet36 Votes
- 2Jupiter's Darling17 Votes
- 3Thrill of a Romance28 Votes
- Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved movie musicals, particularly as part of Arthur Freed's production unit at Metro Goldwyn Mayer, during the genre's heyday. Many people thought the pair were married, but in fact they were not a romantic couple at all. Nevertheless, they shared a unique comic genius and sophisticated wit that enabled them to forge a six-decade-long partnership that produced some of Hollywood and Broadway's greatest hits.
- Birthplace: Bronx, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 12-02-1914
- Nationality: United States of America
- Joseph Allan Nevins (May 20, 1890 – March 5, 1971) was an American historian and journalist, known for his extensive work on the history of the Civil War and his biographies of such figures as Grover Cleveland, Hamilton Fish, Henry Ford, and John D. Rockefeller, as well as his public service. He was a leading exponent of business history and oral history.
- Birthplace: Camp Point, Illinois
- Birthdate: 05-20-1890
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: Ordeal of the Union
- Alexandrea Borstein (born February 15, 1971) is an American actress, writer, producer, and comedian. She is known for voicing Lois Griffin on the animated comedy series Family Guy (1999–present), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award from multiple nominations. Borstein also had lead roles as various characters on the sketch comedy series MADtv (1997–2009), Dawn Forchette in the medical comedy series Getting On (2013–15), and Susie Myerson in the historical comedy-drama series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–present), the latter of which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. She had supporting roles in numerous films, including The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), Catwoman (2004), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), Dinner for Schmucks (2010), Ted (2012), ParaNorman (2012), and A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014). She spent her childhood in Deerfield, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, before moving with her family to Northridge, California, a neighborhood of Los Angeles. She graduated from Chatsworth High School in 1989. Borstein is a graduate of San Francisco State University, where she studied rhetoric. She was trained in improvisational comedy at the ACME Comedy Theatre, near Hollywood, California, and was selected to join the cast of MADtv after being scouted by talent agents. Borstein was also a writer and voice actor for several television shows, including Casper, Pinky and the Brain, and Power Rangers Zeo, before joining the cast of MADtv in 1997 as a featured player, becoming a repertory player mid-season.
- Birthplace: USA, Highland Park, Illinois
- Birthdate: 02-15-1973
- Nationality: United States of America
Paul Hutchens
The timber wolf, The Palm Tree Manhunt, Killer Cat (Sugar Creek GangPaul Hutchens (April 7, 1902, Thorntown, Indiana – January 23, 1977, Colorado Springs, Colorado) was an American author. In addition to writing The Sugar Creek Gang, a series of 36 Christian-themed juvenile fictional books about the adventures of a group of young boys, he also wrote numerous adult fiction books, many with a romance theme. The author was a graduate of Moody Bible Institute. The Sugar Creek Gang books have been popular in evangelical Christian homes and have remained in print through multiple format and cover art changes. The books were also dramatized on the radio. His books were originally published by WM B. Eerdmans, and later reprinted by other publishers such as Van Kampen Press and Moody Press.- Birthdate: 04-02-1902
- Nationality: United States of America
- Anne Tyler (born October 25, 1941) is an American novelist, short story writer, and literary critic. She has published 22 novels, the best known of which are Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982), The Accidental Tourist (1985), and Breathing Lessons (1988). All three were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with Breathing Lessons winning the prize in 1989. She has also won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize, the Ambassador Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 2012 she was awarded The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence. Tyler's twentieth novel, A Spool of Blue Thread, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2015. She is recognized for her fully developed characters, her "brilliantly imagined and absolutely accurate detail," and her "rigorous and artful style" and "astute and open language."Tyler has been compared to John Updike, to Jane Austen, and to Eudora Welty, among others.
- Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Birthdate: 10-25-1941
- Nationality: United States of America
- Albert Ellis (September 27, 1913 – July 24, 2007) was an American psychologist who in 1955 developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). He held MA and PhD degrees in clinical psychology from Columbia University and the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). He also founded and was the President of the New York City-based Albert Ellis Institute for decades. He is generally considered to be one of the originators of the cognitive revolutionary paradigm shift in psychotherapy and one of the founders of cognitive-behavioral therapies.Based on a 1982 professional survey of US and Canadian psychologists, he was considered as the second most influential psychotherapist in history (Carl Rogers ranked first in the survey; Sigmund Freud was ranked third). Psychology Today noted, "No individual—not even Freud himself—has had a greater impact on modern psychotherapy."
- Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Birthdate: 09-27-1913
- Nationality: United States of America
- Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome (in collaboration with Jerome Bixby), John A. Sentry, William Scarff, and Paul Janvier.
- Birthplace: Kaliningrad, Russia
- Birthdate: 01-09-1931
- Nationality: Lithuania, United States of America
- The Dr. Drew and Adam Book, Not Taco Bell Material, President Me: The America That's in My HeadAdam Carolla, with a multifaceted career spanning television, radio and podcasting, has etched his name in the annals of entertainment history. Born in Los Angeles in 1964, Carolla's journey towards stardom was no cakewalk. After graduating from North Hollywood High School, he held an array of jobs including carpentry and boxing instruction, before finding his true calling in the realm of media and entertainment. Carolla's breakthrough came when he joined the popular radio program 'Loveline' co-hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky. His candid humor and unique perspectives resonated with audiences across America, catapulting the show into national syndication. This success paved the way for numerous opportunities in television, most notably as a co-creator and performer on Comedy Central's The Man Show and Crank Yankers. Carolla's innovative approach to comedy further solidified his status as an influential figure in the industry. In the age of digital media, Carolla did not lag behind. In 2009, he launched 'The Adam Carolla Show', a daily podcast that swiftly became one of the most downloaded podcasts worldwide. His skill as an author is equally impressive, with multiple books such as In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks making it to the New York Times Best Seller list.
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Birthdate: 05-27-1964
- Nationality: United States of America
- Ethnography of the Cahuilla Indians, Culture, a critical review of concepts and definitionsAlfred Louis Kroeber (June 11, 1876 – October 5, 1960) was an American cultural anthropologist. He received his PhD under Franz Boas at Columbia University in 1901, the first doctorate in anthropology awarded by Columbia. He was also the first professor appointed to the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. He played an integral role in the early days of its Museum of Anthropology, where he served as director from 1909 through 1947. Kroeber provided detailed information about Ishi, the last surviving member of the Yahi people, whom he studied over a period of years. He was the father of the acclaimed novelist, poet, and writer of short stories Ursula K. Le Guin.
- Birthplace: Hoboken, New Jersey
- Birthdate: 06-11-1876
- Nationality: United States of America
- This celebrated American screenwriter wrote such classics features as "The Thin Man" (1934), "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) and "Father of the Bride (1950) as well as the play and screen versions of "The Diary of Anne Frank" with his wife Frances Goodrich. Their collaboration resulted in four Academy Award nominations and a Pulitzer Prize and earned the pair a place as one of the top husband-and-wife writing teams in cinema. The prolific pair turned out witty, sophisticated screwball comedy as easily as musicals and films that on the surface may have seemed charged with mere sentiment but which delved deep into characters.
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 02-16-1900
- Nationality: United States of America
- Corinne Anita Loos (April 26, 1889 – August 18, 1981) was an American screenwriter, playwright and author, primarily known for her successful novel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She became arguably the first-ever staff scriptwriter in 1912 when D.W. Griffith put her on the payroll at Triangle Film Corporation. She went on to write many of the Douglas Fairbanks films, as well as the stage adaptation of Colette’s Gigi.
- Birthplace: Mount Shasta, USA, California
- Birthdate: 04-26-1889
- Nationality: United States of America
- Christopher Felver: The Importance of Being, New Orleans, Mon Amour: Twenty Years of Writings from the CityAndrei Codrescu (Romanian pronunciation: [anˈdrej koˈdresku]; born December 20, 1946) is a Romanian-American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and commentator for National Public Radio. He was the Mac Curdy Distinguished Professor of English at Louisiana State University from 1984 until his retirement in 2009.
- Birthplace: Sibiu, Romania
- Birthdate: 12-20-1946
- Nationality: United States of America, Romania
- Los Dinosaurios Son Diferentes/Dinosaurs Are Different, Painted words, At Mary BloomsAliki Liacouras Brandenberg or pen name Aliki (born September 3, 1929) is an American author and illustrator of books for children.
- Birthplace: Wildwood Crest, New Jersey
- Birthdate: 09-03-1929
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alison Lurie (born September 3, 1926) is an American novelist and academic. She won the Pulitzer Prize for her 1984 novel Foreign Affairs. Although better known as a novelist, she has also written numerous non-fiction books and articles, particularly on children's literature and the semiotics of dress.
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Birthdate: 09-03-1926
- Nationality: United States of America
- Andrew Klavan (; born July 13, 1954) is an American writer of crime and suspense novels. Dubbed by Stephen King "the most original American novelist of crime and suspense since Cornell Woolrich", Klavan has been nominated for the Edgar Award five times and has won twice. Klavan has also worked in film and as an essayist and video satirist. He hosts "The Andrew Klavan Show" podcast on The Daily Wire.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Birthdate: 07-13-1954
- Nationality: United States of America
Quentin Reynolds
The Wounded Don't Cry, Minister of death, Leave it to the peopleQuentin James Reynolds (April 11, 1902 – March 17, 1965) was an American journalist and World War II war correspondent.- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
- Birthdate: 04-11-1902
- Nationality: United States of America
- Tears of Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics, The Diary of Alicia Keys, How Can I Keep from Singing?: Transforming the Lives of African Children and Families Affected by AIDSAlicia Keys, born as Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981, in New York City, is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and actress. Known for her soulful voice and signature piano playing, Keys is a classically trained pianist who began composing songs at age 12. She attended the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan, where she honed her skills and graduated as valedictorian at age 16. Keys's career breakthrough came in 2001 with the release of her debut album, Songs in A Minor, which sold over 12 million copies worldwide and earned her five Grammy Awards. This included the prestigious awards for Best New Artist and Song of the Year for her hit single "Fallin'." Over the years, Keys has released multiple chart-topping albums including The Diary of Alicia Keys, As I Am, and Girl on Fire, each showcasing her unique blend of R&B, soul, jazz, and hip-hop elements. Aside from music, Keys has also ventured into acting and philanthropy. She made her film debut in the 2006 action film Smokin' Aces and later appeared in The Secret Life of Bees. In 2003, she co-founded Keep a Child Alive, a nonprofit organization aimed at providing treatment, love, and support to families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. With her diverse talents and relentless dedication, Alicia Keys has firmly established herself as one of the leading figures in contemporary music and continues to inspire millions around the world with her artistry and humanitarian efforts.
- Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 01-25-1981
- Nationality: United States of America
Annette Broadrick
Unheavenly Angel, Megan'S Marriage, Candlelight For TwoAnnette Broadrick (born November 26, 1938) is an American writer of over 55 romance novels since 1984.- Birthdate: 11-26-1938
- Nationality: United States of America
Gelett Burgess
The picaroons, The Romance of the Commonplace, Lady MechanteFrank Gelett Burgess (January 30, 1866 – September 18, 1951) was an artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist. An important figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary renaissance of the 1890s, particularly through his iconoclastic little magazine, The Lark, he is best known as a writer of nonsense verse, such as "The Purple Cow", and for introducing French modern art to the United States in an essay titled The Wild Men of Paris. He was the author of the popular Goops books, and he coined the term blurb.- Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
- Birthdate: 01-30-1866
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alpheus Hyatt Verrill, known as Hyatt Verrill, (23 July 1871 – 14 November 1954) was an American zoologist, explorer, inventor, illustrator and author. He was the son of Addison Emery Verrill, the first professor of zoology at Yale University. He authored many books on natural history and science fiction works.
- Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut
- Birthdate: 07-23-1871
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alice Hoffman (born March 16, 1952) is an American novelist and young-adult and children's writer, best known for her 1995 novel Practical Magic, which was adapted for a 1998 film of the same name. Many of her works fall into the genre of magic realism and contain elements of magic, irony, and non-standard romances and relationships.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Birthdate: 03-16-1952
- Nationality: United States of America
- Abraham Pais (; May 19, 1918 – July 28, 2000) was a Dutch-American physicist and science historian. Pais earned his Ph.D. from University of Utrecht just prior to a Nazi ban on Jewish participation in Dutch universities during World War II. When the Nazis began the forced relocation of Dutch Jews, he went into hiding, but was later arrested and saved only by the end of the war. He then served as an assistant to Niels Bohr in Denmark and was later a colleague of Albert Einstein at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Pais wrote books documenting the lives of these two great physicists and the contributions they and others made to modern physics. He was a physics professor at Rockefeller University until his retirement.
- Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Birthdate: 05-19-1918
- Nationality: Netherlands, Denmark, United States of America
- Pretty blonde performer Amber Benson racked up numerous film and television credits before rising to fame on the popular supernatural series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Benson moved with her family to Los Angeles at age fourteen in 1991. By 1993 she had made the first of three "Jack Reed" TV-movies, "Jack Reed: Badge of Honor," appearing as the daughter of the titular Chicago cop in this NBC entry as well as its 1994 and 1996 follow-ups. 1993 also saw the actress make her big-screen debut with featured roles in the teen thriller "The Crush" and Steven Soderbergh's coming-of-age drama "King of the Hill." Her relatively small but memorable parts in these very different features helped to launch the young performer's career. The following year she was featured in Anthony Drazan's period drama "Imaginary Crimes" and had a pivotal supporting role in the social satire "S.F.W.." Playing determined, pure-hearted and somewhat wise characters seemed to come easy to Benson, who brought a palpable intelligence to her powerful performances. She essayed the charmingly innocent daughter of divorced dad Randy Quaid in "Bye Bye, Love" (1995) and guest starred on an episode of the Fox series "Partners" the following year.
- Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Birthdate: 01-08-1977
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: Ghosts of Albion, 30 Days Of Night
- Anne Waldman (born April 2, 1945) is an American poet. Since the 1960s, Waldman has been an active member of the Outrider experimental poetry community as a writer, performer, collaborator, professor, editor, scholar, and cultural/political activist. She has also been connected to the Beat poets.
- Birthplace: USA, New Jersey, Millville
- Birthdate: 04-02-1945
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alan Brown Le May (June 3, 1899 – April 27, 1964) was an American novelist and screenplay writer. He is most remembered for two classic Western novels, The Searchers (1954) and The Unforgiven (1957). They were adapted into the motion pictures The Searchers (1956; starring John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter, and directed by John Ford) and The Unforgiven (1960; starring Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn, and directed by John Huston). He also wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for North West Mounted Police (1940; directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard), Reap the Wild Wind (1942; directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Ray Milland, Paulette Goddard and John Wayne, and Blackbeard the Pirate (1952; directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Robert Newton and Linda Darnell. He wrote the original source novel for Along Came Jones (1945; produced by and starring Gary Cooper), as well as a score of other screenplays and an assortment of other novels and short stories. Le May wrote and directed High Lonesome (1950) starring John Drew Barrymore and Chill Wills and featuring Jack Elam. Le May also wrote and produced (but did not direct) Quebec (1951), also starring John Drew Barrymore.
- Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Birthdate: 06-03-1899
- Nationality: United States of America
- Andrew Weil is an actor who appeared in "The Hemp Revolution," "Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary," and "The 11th Hour."
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Birthdate: 06-08-1942
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alistair Cooke (20 November 1908 – 30 March 2004) was a British writer whose work as a journalist, television personality and radio broadcaster was done primarily in the United States. Outside his journalistic output, which included Letter from America and America: A Personal History of the United States, he was well known in the United States as the host of PBS Masterpiece Theatre from 1971 to 1992. After holding the job for 22 years, and having worked in television for 42 years, Cooke retired in 1992, although he continued to present Letter from America until shortly before his death. He was the father of author and folk singer John Byrne Cooke.
- Birthplace: Salford, Lancashire, England, UK
- Birthdate: 11-20-1908
- Nationality: United States of America, United Kingdom
- Adam LeFevre (born August 11, 1950) is an American character actor, poet, and playwright who works in cinema, television, theater and commercials. LeFevre was born in Albany, New York, the son of Helen (née Rhodes), a hospital patient representative, and Ira Deyo LeFevre, a physician. He completed his undergraduate at Williams College in 1972, and he holds graduate degrees from both the Iowa Playwrights Workshop and the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. In 2012, LeFevre appeared as Farley in the off-Broadway production of Him at Primary Stages.
- Birthplace: USA, Albany, New York
- Birthdate: 08-11-1950
- Nationality: United States of America
- Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877 or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American and French dancer who performed to acclaim throughout Europe. Born in California, she lived in Western Europe and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50, when her scarf became entangled in the wheels and axle of the car in which she was riding.
- Birthplace: California
- Birthdate: 05-27-1877
- Nationality: France, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, United States of America, Russia
- Amitai Etzioni (; born Werner Falk, January 4, 1929) is a German-born American sociologist, best known for his work on socioeconomics and communitarianism. He founded the Communitarian Network, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to supporting the moral, social, and political foundations of society. He was called the “guru” of the communitarian movement in the early 1990s, and he established the Communitarian Network to disseminate the movement's ideas. His writings emphasize the importance of having a carefully-crafted balance between individual rights and social responsibilities, and between autonomy and order, in all societies. In 2001, Etzioni was named among the top 100 American intellectuals, as measured by academic citations, in Richard Posner's book, Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline. Etzioni is currently the Director of the Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies at The George Washington University, where he also serves as a University Professor and professor of International Affairs. His most recent book, called Reclaiming Patriotism, will be published by University of Virginia Press is September 2019.
- Birthplace: Cologne, Germany
- Birthdate: 01-04-1929
- Nationality: United States of America, Germany
- Amy Sherman-Palladino is a television writer and producer best known for creating the hit series "Gilmore Girls." Born into a California showbiz family (her father is 1960s standup comic Don Sherman), she joined the writing staff of the hit sitcom "Roseanne" in 1990 as part of star and producer Roseanne Barr's campaign to get more female voices onto her show. In 1992, she and writing partner Jennifer Heath were nominated for an Emmy for an episode in which Roseanne's teenage daughter Becky begins taking birth-control pills. Sherman married another member of the "Roseanne" writing staff, Daniel Palladino, and changed her professional name in the mid-'90s. After stints as a writer and producer on other short-lived sitcoms, including the Kirstie Alley vehicle "Veronica's Closet," Sherman-Palladino was in the midst of an unsuccessful pitch meeting with the fledgling WB network when she spontaneously began describing an idea about a mother and daughter close enough in age that they acted more like siblings. That concept turned into the comedy-drama "Gilmore Girls," a critical success due in large part to Sherman-Palladino's distinctive rapid-fire dialogue, laden with multiple obscure pop-culture references. Sherman-Palladino and her husband left the series after six seasons due to a contract dispute. Her next series, "The Return of Jezebel James," starred Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose as estranged sisters; a critical bomb, it was canceled after only three episodes. She bounced back, however, in 2012, with the well-received ballet-themed comedy "Bunheads," featuring Broadway star Sutton Foster.
- Birthplace: Van Nuys, California, USA
- Birthdate: 01-17-1966
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alan Brennert (born May 30, 1954 in Englewood, New Jersey) is an American author, television producer, and screenwriter. Brennert has lived in Southern California since 1973 and completed graduate work in screenwriting at the University of California, Los Angeles.
- Birthplace: Englewood, New Jersey
- Birthdate: 05-30-1954
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: Author's Choice Monthly
- Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, currently an announcer for Fox NASCAR, and a top executive for Hendrick Motorsports. He formerly drove the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 23 full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons between 1993 and 2015, and served as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in select races during the 2016 season. Gordon started his professional racing career in the Busch Series with Hugh Connerty Racing, followed by Bill Davis Racing, winning three races, and began racing full-time in the Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in 1993. He is a four-time Winston Cup champion, having won the title in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001. He also won the Daytona 500 three times in 1997, 1999, and 2005. He is third on the all-time Cup wins list with 93 career wins, the most in NASCAR's modern era (1972–present). Gordon's 81 pole positions led all active drivers and is third all-time; Gordon won at least one pole in 23 consecutive seasons, making this a NASCAR record. He was also the active "iron man" leader for consecutive races participated in with 797 through the 2015 season.In 1998, NASCAR named Gordon to its 50 Greatest Drivers list. In 2008, ten years later, ESPN's Terry Blount ranked him 10th in the 25 Greatest Drivers of All-Time. Foxsports.com named him as the fifth best NASCAR driver of all time.Gordon, along with Rick Hendrick, co-owns the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson, who won seven Cup championships from 2006 to 2010, 2013, and in 2016. Gordon also has an equity stake in the No. 24 team. Gordon also owned a Busch Series team between 1999 and 2000, Gordon/Evernham Motorsports (co-owned with Ray Evernham; later solely owned as JG Motorsports), winning twice. Gordon was born in Vallejo, California, and raised in Pittsboro, Indiana, and considers Sonoma Raceway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway as his "home" tracks. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch and their two children Ella Sofia and Leo Benjamin.
- Birthplace: Vallejo, California, USA
- Birthdate: 08-04-1971
- Nationality: United States of America
- Albert Payson Terhune (December 21, 1872 – February 18, 1942) was an American author, dog breeder, and journalist. He was popular for his novels relating the adventures of his beloved collies and as a breeder of collies at his Sunnybank Kennels, the lines of which still exist in today's Rough Collies.
- Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey
- Birthdate: 12-21-1872
- Nationality: United States of America
- The Joy Luck Club, Mid-life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude, The Hundred Secret SensesAmy Tan (born February 19, 1952) is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships and the Chinese American experience. Her novel The Joy Luck Club was adapted into a film in 1993 by director Wayne Wang. Tan has written several other novels, including The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter's Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, and The Valley of Amazement. Tan's latest book is a memoir entitled Where The Past Begins: A Writer's Memoir (2017). In addition to these, Tan has written two children's books: The Moon Lady (1992) and Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat (1994), which was turned into an animated series that aired on PBS. Despite her success, Tan has also received substantial criticism for her depictions of Chinese culture and apparent adherence to stereotypes.
- Birthplace: Oakland, USA, California
- Birthdate: 02-19-1952
- Nationality: United States of America
Anne Stuart
Cameron's Landing, Ice Blue, Cupid Connection (By Request)Anne Stuart, born Anne Kristine Stuart (born May 2, 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), is an American romance novelist. She has written over 100 novels and is a recipient of the Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Birthdate: 05-02-1948
- Nationality: United States of America
- Allen Mulherin Steele, Jr. (born January 19, 1958) is an American journalist and science fiction author.
- Birthplace: Nashville, Tennessee
- Birthdate: 01-19-1958
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: Coyote Trilogy, Coyote Universe, Near Space
Allan Scott
Goodbye Again, The Complete Commodore 64, The Spectrum Add-On GuideAllan Scott (May 23, 1906 – April 13, 1995) was a screenwriter who was nominated for an Academy Award for So Proudly We Hail!. He co-wrote the screenplays for a number of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films: Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), Swing Time (1936), Shall We Dance (1937), and Carefree (1938), as well as Roberta (1935), in which they played supporting roles.He died on 13 April 1995 at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, at aged 88.Allan was the father of actor Pippa Scott and brother of film producer and screenwriter Adrian Scott.- Birthplace: Arlington, New Jersey
- Birthdate: 05-23-1906
- Nationality: United States of America
- Abe Burrows (December 18, 1910 – May 17, 1985) was an American humorist, author, and director for radio and the stage. He won a Tony Award.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 12-18-1910
- Nationality: United States of America
- Terminator 3: Terminator Hunt, The Complete Fighter's Handbook, The Grand Duchy of KarameikosAaron Dale Allston (December 8, 1960 – February 27, 2014) was an American game designer and author of many science fiction books, notably Star Wars novels. His works as a game designer include game supplements for role-playing games, several of which served to establish the basis for products and subsequent development of TSR's Dungeons & Dragons game setting Mystara. His later works as a novelist include those of the X-Wing series: Wraith Squadron, Iron Fist, Solo Command, Starfighters of Adumar, and Mercy Kill. He wrote two entries in the New Jedi Order series: Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream and Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand. Allston wrote three of the nine Legacy of the Force novels: Betrayal, Exile, and Fury, and three of the nine Fate of the Jedi novels: Outcast, Backlash, and Conviction.
- Birthplace: Corsicana, Texas
- Birthdate: 01-01-1960
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: Double Agent, Bard's Tale, Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Star Wars: X-Wing
- Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, including The Demolished Man, winner of the inaugural Hugo Award in 1953. Science fiction author Harry Harrison wrote, "Alfred Bester was one of the handful of writers who invented modern science fiction."Shortly before his death, the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) named Bester its ninth Grand Master, presented posthumously in 1988. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 2001.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Birthdate: 12-18-1913
- Nationality: United States of America
- The Life of John Marshall, The Young Man And the World, The Bible As Good ReadingAlbert Jeremiah Beveridge (October 6, 1862 – April 27, 1927) was an American historian and US senator from Indiana. He was an intellectual leader of the Progressive Era and a biographer of Chief Justice John Marshall and President Abraham Lincoln.
- Birthplace: Ohio, USA
- Birthdate: 10-06-1862
- Nationality: United States of America
- Abraham Joshua Heschel (January 11, 1907 – December 23, 1972) was a Polish-born American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century. Heschel, a professor of Jewish mysticism at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, authored a number of widely read books on Jewish philosophy and was active in the civil rights movement.
- Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
- Birthdate: 01-11-1907
- Nationality: Poland, United States of America
- Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr (March 29, 1831 – March 10, 1919) was a British novelist and teacher. Her career is an illustration of the capacity of woman under stress of sorrow to conquer the world and be successful. Many of the plots of her stories are laid in Scotland and England. The scenes are from her girlhood recollection of surroundings. Her works include, Jan Vedder's Wife, The Border Shepherdess, Feet of Clay, Friend Olivia, The Bow of Orange Ribbon, Remember the Alamo, She Loved a Sailor, A Daughter of Fife, The Squire of Sanddal Side, Paul and Christina, Master of His Fate, The, Household of McNeil, The Last of the Macallisters, Between Two Loves, A Sister to Esau, A Rose of a Hundred Leaves, A Singer from the Sea, The Beads of Tasmer, The Hallam Succession, The Lone House, Christopher and Other Stories, The Lost Silver of Briffault.
- Birthplace: Ulverston, United Kingdom
- Birthdate: 03-29-1831
- Nationality: United States of America
- Anne Sexton (November 9, 1928 – October 4, 1974) was an American poet known for her highly personal, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967 for her book Live or Die. Her poetry details her long battle with depression, suicidal tendencies, and intimate details from her private life, including relationships with her husband and children, whom it was later revealed she physically and sexually assaulted.
- Birthplace: Newton, Massachusetts
- Birthdate: 11-09-1928
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alan Dershowitz was born on September 1, 1938, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Raised an Orthodox Jew, Dershowitz graduated from Brooklyn College in 1959 and went on to graduate first in his class from Yale Law School in 1962. He served a clerk to the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for a year, then as clerk of Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg during the 1963-64 term. In 1964, he became assistant professor at Harvard Law School, and became full professor in 1967; at the time, he was the youngest full professor of law in the school's history. Dershowitz described himself as a lawyer of last resort and only accepted cases he felt were challenging and precedent setting, mostly in criminal defense. He represented many high-profile defendants in his legal career, either as a defense attorney or consultant, including Patty Hearst, Harry Reems, Leona Helmsley, Mike Tyson, Michael Milken, OJ Simpson, and Julian Assange. One of Dershowitz's most renowned cases was his appellate defense of socialite Claus von Bulow, convicted of the attempted murder of his wealthy wife Sunny, who had slipped into a coma under mysterious circumstances. His appeal was successful in overturning von Bulow's conviction, and the attorney published his account of the trial in the book Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bulow Case, published in 1985 and adapted into the 1990 film "Reversal of Fortune." Over his career, Dershowitz wrote dozens of books (both fiction and non-fiction) and made innumerable appearances on TV news programs as a legal pundit. He retired from teaching at Harvard in 2013. In his later years, Dershowitz devoted a good deal of his time and energy to finding a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 09-01-1938
- Nationality: United States of America
- Allan Sherman (born Allan Copelon; November 30, 1924 – November 20, 1973) was an American comedy writer, television producer, singer and actor who became famous as a song parodist in the early 1960s. His first album, My Son, the Folk Singer (1962), became the fastest-selling record album up to that time. His biggest hit single was "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh", a comic novelty in which a boy describes his summer camp experiences to the tune of Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours.
- Birthplace: USA, Chicago, Illinois
- Birthdate: 11-30-1924
- Nationality: United States of America
- Fiat Money Inflation in France, Seven Great Statesmen In The Warfare Of Humanity With Unreason, The Duty on paper. Why it should be removedAndrew Dickson White (November 7, 1832 – November 4, 1918) was an American historian and educator, who was the cofounder of Cornell University and served as its first president for nearly two decades. He was known for expanding the scope of college curricula. A politician, he had served as state senator in New York. He was later appointed as a US diplomat to Germany and Russia, among other responsibilities.
- Birthplace: Homer, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 11-07-1832
- Nationality: United States of America
- Aaron Vincent McGruder (born May 29, 1974) is an American writer, lecturer, producer, screenwriter and cartoonist best known for writing and drawing The Boondocks, a Universal Press Syndicate comic strip and its animated TV series adaptation for which he was the creator, executive producer, and head writer.
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Birthdate: 05-29-1974
- Nationality: United States of America
- Andrew Henry Vachss (born October 19, 1942) is an American crime fiction author, child protection consultant, and attorney exclusively representing children and youths.Vachss' last name rhymes with "tax".He grew up in Manhattan on the Lower West Side.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Birthdate: 10-19-1942
- Nationality: United States of America
- Series Written: Burke, Batman
- A dark-haired, somber-looking former model, Ali MacGraw gained instant screen stardom in "Goodbye, Columbus" (1969). The following year, she earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination as the doomed collegiate heroine of the sweet, extremely popular "Love Story" (1970). She was also effective in the comic role of Alan King's mistress in "Just Tell Me What You Want" (1980). For much of the 1980s, MacGraw found employment on the small screen. She played the daughter-in-law of Robert Mitchum's character in the mammoth ABC miniseries "War and Remembrance" (1983), and appeared as the sophisticated Lady Ashley Mitchell for the 1984-85 season of "Dynasty" (ABC). After publishing her memoirs in 1991, MacGraw concentrated on a career as a designer, appearing in the occasional project like her son Josh Evans' first feature "Glam" (1997).
- Birthplace: Pound Ridge, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 04-01-1939
- Nationality: United States of America
- Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976), sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, author, and performance artist who was the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist, and was also one-half of the duo Evelyn Evelyn, and the lead singer and songwriter of Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra.
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
- Birthdate: 04-30-1976
- Nationality: United States of America
- Andre Jules Dubus II (August 11, 1936 – February 24, 1999) was an American short story writer and essayist.
- Birthplace: Lake Charles, Louisiana
- Birthdate: 08-11-1936
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alice Dalgliesh (October 7, 1893 – June 11, 1979) was a naturalized American author and publisher who wrote more than 40 fiction and non-fiction books, mainly for children. She has been called "a pioneer in the field of children's historical fiction". Three of her books were runners-up for the annual Newbery Medal, the partly autobiographical The Silver Pencil, The Bears on Hemlock Mountain, and The Courage of Sarah Noble, which was also named to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list. As the founding editor (in 1934) of Scribner's and Sons Children's Book Division, Dalgliesh published works by award-winning authors and illustrators including Robert A. Heinlein, Marcia Brown, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Katherine Milhous, Will James, Leonard Weisgard, and Leo Politi. Her prominence in the field of children's literature led to her being appointed the first president of the Children's Book Council, a national nonprofit trade association of children's book publishers and presses.
- Birthplace: Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago
- Birthdate: 10-07-1893
- Nationality: Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America
Andrew Neiderman
Lightning Strikes, Eye of the Storm, The end of the rainbowAndrew Neiderman (born October 26, 1940), is a best-selling American novelist. In 1987, he became the ghost writer for V. C. Andrews following her death in 1986. He formerly taught English at Fallsburg Jr./Sr. High School, in upstate New York. Neiderman is arguably best known as the author of The Devil's Advocate, later adapted into a film starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, and Charlize Theron, and directed by Taylor Hackford. Neiderman also adapted the novel Rain into a film, based on a series of novels released under Andrews' name. Neiderman wrote the stage adaptation of Flowers in the Attic based on the novel by V.C. Andrews, published online in 2014. The world premiere was produced in New Orleans, Louisiana, in August 2015 by See 'Em On Stage: A Production Company and was directed by Christopher Bentivegna. Andrew Neiderman has written the libretto for a musical stage adaptation of The Devil's Advocate.He also co-authored the screenplay for Duplicates, a USA Network cable movie, and has had six of his other novels adapted into films. With the publication of Guardian Angel by Dorchester Publishers in January 2010, Neiderman has, between his V. C. Andrews novels and those under his name, reached 125 published novels. A resident of Palm Springs, California, Neiderman was honored with a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars on October 17, 1997.- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Birthdate: 10-26-1940
- Nationality: United States of America
- Angela Davis, a name synonymous with political activism and academia, was born on January 26, 1944, in Birmingham, Alabama. Known primarily as a radical African American educator and activist for civil rights, Davis's early life was marked by racial segregation and societal turmoil. Her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement started at an early age, with the influences of her mother, Sallye Davis - an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Davis pursued her desire for knowledge and equality beyond the confines of her hometown, earning her Bachelor's degree from Brandeis University in Massachusetts. She further augmented her expertise by studying philosophy at the University of Frankfurt in Germany. Davis's intellectual journey didn't end there - she continued her quest for knowledge at the University of California, San Diego, where she earned her Ph.D. in philosophy under the guidance of renowned philosopher Herbert Marcuse. Her career as an academic is marked by her tenure as a professor at UCLA, which was marred by controversy due to her association with the Communist Party USA. Davis's political career took a sharp turn when she was charged in connection with the armed takeover of a California courtroom in 1970. Her arrest and subsequent trial became a flashpoint for debate about racial prejudice and justice. Acquitted on all charges in 1972, Davis went on to become a prolific author and lecturer, addressing issues of race, women's rights, and the criminal justice system.
- Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Birthdate: 01-26-1944
- Nationality: United States of America
- Refused admission to a variety of film schools, writer-director Adam Rifkin moved to Los Angeles to try his luck amidst the professional ranks of filmmaking. Struggling to make ends meet as a cartoonist for greeting-card companies and local publications, he finally attracted the attention of youthful producer Brad Wyman with his script for the decidedly off-beat "The Dark Backward" (1991), about a failing comedian whose career takes off when he grows a third arm out of his back, which would eventually become his first feature to get a theatrical release. Prior to directing it, he wrote and helmed "Never on Tuesday" and "Tale of Two Sisters" (both 1989), working with actors like Charlie Sheen, Peter Berg, Nicolas Cage and Claudia Christian, among others, and receiving praise for his handling of varied film techniques, though neither film had a prayer of attracting anything but a cult audience. Reteaming with Sheen, writer-director Rifkin proved with "The Chase" (1994) that he was not just about circus freaks, and TV offered him the chance to work in the genres of sci-fi (as supervising producer on USA Network's "The Swamp Thing" 1990-93) and horror (as creator and co-executive producer of ABC's "Bone Chillers" 1996-97).
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Birthdate: 12-31-1966
- Nationality: United States of America
- Anne Spencer Lindbergh (née Morrow; June 22, 1906 – February 7, 2001) was an American author and aviator, and the wife of aviator Charles Lindbergh.Her books and articles spanned genres from poetry to nonfiction, touching upon topics as diverse as youth and age, love and marriage, peace, solitude and contentment, and the role of women in the 20th century. Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea is a popular inspirational book, reflecting on the lives of American women.
- Birthplace: USA, Englewood, New Jersey
- Birthdate: 06-22-1906
- Nationality: United States of America
- Albert Romolo Broccoli (April 5, 1909 – June 27, 1996), nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pinewood Studios. Co-founder of Danjaq, LLC and Eon Productions, Broccoli is most notable as the producer of many of the James Bond films. He and Harry Saltzman saw the films develop from relatively low-budget origins to large-budget, high-grossing extravaganzas, and Broccoli's heirs continue to produce new Bond films.
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
- Birthdate: 04-05-1909
- Nationality: United States of America
- Annabelle Gurwitch's acting talents were showcased on the big screen many times throughout the course of her Hollywood career. Gurwitch's acting career began mostly with her roles in various films, such as "Bright Lights, Big City" (1988) with Michael J. Fox, the Mariel Hemingway drama "The Suicide Club" (1988) and the Uma Thurman thriller "Kiss Daddy Good Night" (1988). She also appeared in "Pizza Man" (1991) and the Michael J. Fox comedy "Life With Mikey" (1993). She worked in television in her early acting career as well, including a part on "Not Necessarily the News" (HBO, 1982-83). She kept working in film throughout the nineties, starring in "Shut Yer Mouth!" (1995), "Three Wishes" (1995) with Patrick Swayze and "The Cable Guy" (1996) with Jim Carrey. She also appeared in "Intimate Betrayal" (1996). In her more recent career, she continued to act in the dramatic adaptation "Pollock" (2000) with Ed Harris, the comedy "Teddy Bear's Picnic" (2002) with Howard Hesseman and the comedy "The 4th Tenor" (2002) with Rodney Dangerfield. She also appeared in the drama "Manfast" (2003) with Lala Sloatman and the Eddie Murphy box office smash comedy "Daddy Day Care" (2003). Gurwitch most recently acted in the dramatic adaptation "Atlas Shrugged Part One" (2011) with Taylor Schilling.
- Birthplace: Mobile, Alabama, USA
- Birthdate: 11-04-1961
- Nationality: United States of America
- Albert Maltz (; October 28, 1908 – April 26, 1985) was an American playwright, fiction writer and screenwriter. He was one of the Hollywood Ten who were jailed in 1950 for their 1947 refusal to testify before the US Congress about their alleged involvement with the Communist Party USA. They and many other US entertainment industry figures were subsequently blacklisted, which denied Maltz employment in the industry for many years.
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Birthdate: 10-28-1908
- Nationality: United States of America
- Adam Rapp wore many hats within the creative world: he was a writer of young adult literature, a film director, a TV writer, a playwright, a teacher, and a guitarist. Rapp was born on June 15, 1968 in Chicago, IL. He attended high school at St. John's Military Academy and attended Clarke College in Iowa, where he captained the varsity basketball team. He moved to New York City after college, where he worked in the publishing world and began writing fiction and plays. He later attended Juilliard as a playwriting fellow. In 1996, he had his first young adult novel, Missing The Piano, published. By the early 2000s, his plays began receiving attention from theater companies across the United States. He wrote and directed the dark comedy film "Winter Passing" (2005), which starred Zooey Deschanel, Ed Harris, and Will Ferrell. After the mild success of this film, Rapp continued to work in Hollywood. He served as a creative consultant on the lesbian-themed drama "The L Word" (Showtime 2004-09). He also wrote for the psychological drama "In Treatment" (HBO 2008-2010) during its last season. He next directed "Loitering With Intent" (2014), a comedy starring Marisa Tomei and Sam Rockwell, which debuted to mixed reviews at the Tribeca Film Festival.
- Birthplace: Joliet, Illinois, USA
- Birthdate: 06-15-1968
- Nationality: United States of America
- Known just as well for her socially relevant work as a playwright as for her stunning reputation as an actor, Anna Deavere Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1950. After graduating from Arcadia University with her Bachelor's in 1971, she earned an MFA in acting from American Conservatory Theater and embarked upon a career as a professional actor. Though she would earn quick notoriety for playing Glamorama the Shampoo Girl on the soap opera "All My Children" (ABC, 1970-2011) in 1970, Deavere Smith would find a real home on the stage, appearing in productions like the Riverside Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and The American Place Theatre's "Aye, Aye, Aye, I'm Integrated." In 1992, she wrote and starred in "Fires in the Mirror," her first of several one-woman-shows written in the documentary theater style, with Deavere Smith portraying several real-life people who survived a socially tumultuous historical event. She would earn tremendous acclaim with several such plays including "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992," "The Arizona Project," "Let Me Down Easy," and "On Grace." Deavere Smith has also consistently worked as a college professor, teaching at Stanford University, the University of Southern California, Carnegie Mellon University, and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, in addition to enjoying a successful career on screen. She notably appeared in the White House films "Dave" (1993) and "The American President" (1995) before joining the cast of the presidential series "The West Wing" (NBC, 1999-2006). She later co-starred on the series "Nurse Jackie" (Showtime, 2009-2015). In 2018, Deavere Smith appeared in the biographical dramedy "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
- Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Birthdate: 09-18-1950
- Nationality: United States of America
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Roots: The Saga of an American Family, Queen: The Story of an American FamilyAlex Haley was an American writer, actor, and producer who was known for writing "Malcolm X," "Malcolm X," and "Queen."
- Birthplace: Ithaca, New York, USA
- Birthdate: 08-11-1921
- Nationality: United States of America
- Anita Hale Shreve (October 7, 1946 – March 29, 2018) was an American writer, chiefly known for her novels. One of her first published stories, Past the Island, Drifting (published in 1975), was awarded an O. Henry Prize in 1976.
- Birthplace: Dedham, Massachusetts
- Birthdate: 10-07-1946
- Nationality: United States of America
- Alfred de Grazia (December 29, 1919 – July 13, 2014), born in Chicago, Illinois, was a political scientist and author. He developed techniques of computer-based social network analysis in the 1950s, developed new ideas about personal digital archives in the 1970s, and defended the catastrophism thesis of Immanuel Velikovsky.
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Birthdate: 12-29-1919
- Nationality: United States of America
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