- May 1 Giovannino Guareschi, Italian writer (Don Camillo, Peppone), born in Roccabianca, Emilia, Kingdom of Italy (d. 1968)
- May 2 William Bakewell, American actor (All Quiet on the Western Front; Gone With The Wind), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1993)
- May 5 Jacques Massu, French general who led Battle of Algiers, born in Châlons-sur-Marne (d. 2002)
- May 5 Kurt Böhme, German bass, born in Dresden, Germany (d. 1989)
- May 6 Necil Kazım Akses, Turkish classical composer, born in Istanbul, Turkey (d. 1999)
- May 7 Leo Sternbach, Polish-American chemist, created first benzodiazepines including valium, born in Abbazia, Austria-Hungary (d. 2005) [1]
- May 7 Wouter Paap, Dutch composer, born in Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 1981)
- May 8 John Graham, Jr. American architect (Space Needle - Seattle), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 1991)
- May 8 Laura Liddell, English actress (Shakespeare Wallah), born in Barrow-in-Furness, England (d. 1992)
- May 9 Mary Goldsmith, American ceramist (d. 2007)
- May 10 Carl Albert, American politician, US speaker of the House (1971-77), (Rep-D-OK 1947-77), born in McAlester, Oklahoma (d. 2000)
- May 10 Henry Diamond, Irish Nationalist MP, born in Belfast, Ireland (d. 1996)
- May 15 Lars-Erik Larsson, Swedish composer (God in Disguise (Förklädd gud, Op. 24); Linden), and pedagogue (Stockholm Conservatory; Uppsala University), born in Åkarp Sweden (d. 1986)
- May 16 John Holland, American actor (My Fair Lady, Chinatown), born in Fremont, Nebraska (d. 1993)
- May 16 Mohammed Roem, Indonesian politician (as Foreign Minister negotiated Roem–Van Roijen Agreement that led to independence), born in Parakan, Central Java (d. 1983)
- May 17 Sigismund Toduţă, Romanian composer, born in Simeria, Romania (d. 1991)
- May 19 John Griggs, American actor (The Joey Bishop Show; Fearless Fosdick), born in Evanston, Illinois (d. 1967)
- May 19 Percy Williams, Canadian athlete (Olympic gold 100m / 200m 1928), born in Vancouver, British Columbia (d. 1982)
James Stewart (1908-1997)
May 20 American actor (The Philadelphia Story; It's a Wonderful Life; Mr Smith Goes to Washington; Vertigo), born in Indiana, Pennsylvania
- May 22 Horton Smith, American golfer (US Masters 1934, 36), born in Springfield, Missouri (d. 1963)
- May 22 Rattana Pestonji, Thai filmmaker and cinematographer (Tang), born in Bangkok, Thailand (d. 1970)
John Bardeen (1908-1991)
May 23 American physicist, electrical engineer and co-inventor of the transistor (Nobel 1956, 1972), born in Madison, Wisconsin
- May 23 Max Abramovitz, American architect (Lincoln Center, UN Building), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2004)
- May 24 Krešimir Fribec, Croatian composer, born in Daruvar, Croatia (d. 1996)
- May 24 Michael Roberts, English historian ("The Military Revolution: 1560-1660"), born in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire (d. 1996)
- May 25 Theodore Roethke, American poet (Words for the Wind), born in Saginaw, Michigan (d. 1963)
- May 26 Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ, Prime Minister of South Vietnam, born in Long Xuyên, Annam, French Indochina (d. 1976)
- May 26 Robert Morley, British actor (Marie Antoinette, The Young Ones, How the Other Half Loves), born in Semley, Wiltshire, England (d. 1992)
- May 26 Vera Van [Webster], American radio and dance band singer, born in Marion, Ohio (d. 2006)
- May 27 Alec Brown, English snooker player (Daily Mail Gold Cup 1939, 40; News of the World 1951), born in London (d. 1995)
- May 27 Harold Rome, American composer (Fanny; Pins & Needles), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 1993)
- May 27 Melle Oldeboerrigter, Dutch painter and cartoonist, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1976)
- May 28 Ian Fleming, English author (James Bond novels), born in London, England (d. 1964)
- May 29 Dick Metz, American golfer (US Open 1938 runner-up; 10 PGA Tour titles), born in Arkansas City, Kansas (d. 1993)
- May 30 Mel Blanc, American radio comedian and voice actor, best known for his Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons (Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd & Porky Pig), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1989)
- May 31 Dominic "Don" Ameche, American actor (Cocoon, Trading Places), born in Kenosha, Wisconsin (d. 1993)
- May 31 Gene Gifford American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and arranger (Jean Goldkette; Casa Loma Orchestra), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1970)
- May 31 Nils Poppe, Swedish actor (the Seventh Seal, Dum-Bom), born in Malmö, Skåne län, Sweden (d. 2000)
About May 1908
How Old? 116 years old
Generation: Greatest Generation
Leap Year: Yes
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
80-89
Over 90