- Jan 1 Bo Linde, Swedish neo-classical composer, born in Gävle, Sweden (d. 1970)
- Jan 1 Ford Konno, American swimmer (Olympic gold 1,500m, 4x200m freestyle 1952; WR 200m freestyle 2:03.9, 400m freestyle 4:26.7), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Jan 1 Frederick Lowy, Canadian educator
- Jan 1 James A. Abrahamson, American Air Force general and astronaut
- Jan 1 Joe Orton, British actor and dramatist (Prick Up Your Ears), born in Leicester, England (d. 1967)
- Jan 2 Ed Casey, Australian politician (d. 2006)
- Jan 2 Seiichi Morimura, Japanese mystery novelist (The Devil's Gluttony), born in Saitama, Japan (d. 2023)
- Jan 4 Ed Jenkins, American politician (Rep-D-GA, 1977-93), born in Young Harris, Georgia (d. 2012)
- Jan 4 Ilia II Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia.
- Jan 6 Emil Steinberger, Swiss comedian, born in Lucerne, Switzerland
- Jan 6 Fred L. Turner, American businessman (CEO of McDonalds, 1977-2004), born in Des Moines, Iowa (d. 2013)
- Jan 7 Diane Leather, British athlete (first woman to run sub-5 minute mile), born in Streetly, England (d. 2018)
- Jan 7 Elliott Kastner, American film producer (Angel Heart, Where Eagles Dare), born in New York City (d. 2006)
- Jan 8 Charles Osgood [Wood], American broadcast news anchor (The Osgood File; CBS News Sunday Morning, 1994-2016), writer, and poet, born in New York City (d. 2024) [1]
- Jan 8 Jean-Marie Straub, French film director, with Danièle Huillet (Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach; Sicilia!), born in Metz, France (d. 2022)
- Jan 9 Robert Garcia, American politician hit by Wedtech scandal (Rep-D-NY, 1978-83), born on Roosevelt Island, New York (d. 2017)
- Jan 9 Sonia Garmers, Curaçao writer (Dear Queen), born in Curaçao
- Jan 9 Wilbur Smith, British-South African novelist (When the Lion Feeds, War Cry, River God), born in Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, (now Zambia) (d. 2021)
- Jan 10 Akira Miyoshi, Japanese composer (Conversations; A Diary of the Sea), born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 2013)
- Jan 10 Len Coldwell, English cricket player (England medium-fast bowler in 7 Tests 1962-64), born in Newton Abbot, United Kingdom (d. 1996)
- Jan 11 Goldie Hill, American country singer (Grand Ole Opry; "I Let the Stars Get In My Eyes"), born in Karnes County, Texas (d. 2005)
- Jan 12 Michael Aspel, English television presenter, born in Battersea, London
- Jan 13 Nurdin Jivraj, Tanzanian-British hotel magnate (Buckingham Intl.)
- Jan 13 Ron Goulart, American sci-fi author (Deadwalk, Plunder), and pop culture historian, born in Berkeley, California (d. 2022)
- Jan 13 Tom Gola, American basketball player and NBA Hall-of-Famer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2014)
- Jan 14 Stan Brakhage, American filmmaker, born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 2003)
- Jan 15 Ernest J. Gaines, African-American author (A Lesson Before Dying; The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman), born in Oscar, Louisiana (d. 2019)
- Jan 15 Frank Bough, British sports and current affairs television presenter, born in Fenton, Staffordshire, England (d. 2020)
- Jan 16 Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Soviet cosmonaut (Soyuz 12, 18A, 27, T-3), born in Udomlya, Russia (d. 2003)
Susan Sontag (1933-2004)
Jan 16 American writer, philosopher and political activist (The Benefactor), born in New York City
- Jan 17 Aga Khan, religious leader (Muslims)
- Jan 17 Bruno Schroder, British baron/banker/multi-millionaire
- Jan 17 Dalida [Yolande Christina Gigliotti], French-Italian actress (The Sixth Day), singer ("Bambino"), and Miss Egypt 1954, born in Cairo, Egypt (d. 1987)
- Jan 17 Shari Lewis [Phyllis Hurwitz], American ventriloquist, puppeteer (Lamb Chop), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 1998)
- Jan 17 Sheree North [Dawn Bethel], American actress (The Mary Tyler Moore Show), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2005)
- Jan 18 David Bellamy, English botanist & TV presenter, born in London, England (d. 2019)
- Jan 18 Jean Vuarnet, French alpine skier (Olympic gold downhill 1960; World C'ship gold 1960), born in Le Bardo, Tunisia (d. 2017)
- Jan 18 John Boorman, English filmmaker (Exorcist II, Deliverance, Zardoz), born in Shepperton, United Kingdom
Ray Dolby (1933-2013)
Jan 18 American engineer, sound expert, and inventor (Dolby noise reduction system), born in Portland, Oregon
- Jan 18 Vernon Garrett, American soul and blues singer ("I'm at the Crossroad"; "Without You"), born in Omaha, Nebraska
- Jan 18 Vladimir Yevgrafovich Bugrov, Russian cosmonaut, born in Moscow
- Jan 21 Itzhak Fuks, Israeli El Al captain, crashed in Amsterdam
- Jan 21 Joseph W. Eschbach, American doctor (d. 2007)
- Jan 21 Norman Willis, English union leader (General Secretary of the UK's Trades Union Congress), born in Ashford, Middlesex (d. 2014)
- Jan 21 William Wrigley III, American chewing gum mogul (Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1999)
- Jan 22 Jean-Louis Viale, French jazz drummer, born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France (d. 1984)
- Jan 23 Chita Rivera, American Tony Award-winning dancer, singer, and actress (West Side Story; Bye Bye Birdie; Sweet Charity; Chicago), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2024) [1] [2]
- Jan 23 Joel Spiegelman, American pianist, harpsichord player, composer, music educator (Sarah Lawrence), and poet, born in Buffalo, New York (d. 2023)
- Jan 24 Zeke Carey, American doo-wop and R&B singer (The Flamingos - "I Only Have Eyes For You"), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1999)
- Jan 25 Antonis Georgiadis, Greek soccer manager (Greece, South Africa; AEK Athens, Olympiacos), born in Drama, Greece (d. 2020)
Corazon Aquino (1933-2009)
Jan 25 11th President of the Philippines (1986-92), born in Paniqui, Tarlac, Philippines
- Jan 26 Ercole Baldini, Italian cyclist (Olympic gold men's road race 1956; World C'ship gold individual pursuit 1956; Giro d'Italia 1958), born in Villanova di Forlì, Italy (d. 2022)
- Jan 27 George Montgomery, American drag racer (7 x NHRA national title gas class; Motorsports HOF of America), born in Dayton, Ohio (d. 2023)
- Jan 27 Rita Hennessy, matron-in-chief (QARANC)
- Jan 29 R. C. Alston, British bibliographer, born in Trinidad (d. 2011)
- Jan 29 Ron Townson, American rock vocalist (The 5th Dimension - "Up, Up And Away"), born in St Louis, Missouri (d. 2001)
- Jan 29 Sacha Distel, French singer ("Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" cover), born in Paris, France (d. 2004)
- Jan 29 Wolfgang Gönnenwein, German choral director and educator, and artistic director (Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, 1972-2004), born in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany (d. 2015)
- Jan 30 Louis Rukeyser, American financial journalist (Wall Street Week), born in New York (d. 2006)
- Jan 30 Richard Dufallo, American clarinetist and conductor, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2000)
- Jan 31 Bernardo Provenzano, Mafia Boss (Cosa Nostra), born in Corleone, Sicily (d. 2016)
- Jan 31 Joseph D. Early, American politician (Rep-D-MA, 1975-93), born in Worcester, Massachusetts (d. 2012)
About January 1933
How Old? 91 years old
Generation: Silent Generation
Leap Year: No
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
80-89
Over 90