Famous Birthdays on January 31

Birthdays 1 - 200 of 289

• 36 BC Antonia Minor, daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor (d. 38 AD)
• 877 Taejo of Goryeo, ruler of Korea (d. 943)
• 1512 Henry of Portugal, Portuguese Catholic clergyman (Archbishop of Lisbon, 1545-70) and ruler (King of Portugal, 1578-80), born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1580)

• 1517 Gioseffo Zarlino, Italian composer and musical theorist, born in Chioggia (d. 1590)

• 1550 Henry I, Duke of Guise, French Catholic leader, (d. 1588)
• 1573 Ambrosius Metzger, German composer,Meistersinger, lyriciat, and teacher, born in Nüremberg (d. 1632)
• 1597 John Francis Regis, French saint (d. 1640)
• 1601 Pieter de Bloot, Dutch landscape painter, born in Rotterdam (d. 1658)
• 1607 James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby, English aristocrat who fought on the Royalist side during English Civil War, born at Knowsley Hall, Merseyside (d. 1651)
• 1612 Henry Casimir I, Dutch count of Nassau-Dietz and Stadholder of Freisland, born in Arnhem (d. 1640)
• 1614 Nicolas Saboly, French composer and poet, born in Monteux, France (d. 1675)
• 1620 Georg Friedrich of Waldeck, Dutch-German prince and Field Marshall (commanded Dutch States Army and German forces), born in Arolsen, County of Waldeck (d. 1692)
• 1633 Nathaniel Crew, English influential bishop (Bishop of Oxford and Durham), born in Steane, England (d. 1721)
• 1673 Louis de Montfort, French catholic priest and saint who preached Mariology (Secret of the Rosary; True Devotion to Mary), born in Montfort-sur-Meu, France (d. 1716)
• 1686 Hans Egede, Norwegian Lutheran missionary (missions to Greenland), born in Harstad, Norway (d. 1758)
• 1734 Julien-Amable Mathieu, French composer, born in Versailles, France (d. 1811)

• 1750 Gerrit Jan Pijman, Dutch minister of War (1798-1800, 1803-06) (d. 1839)
• 1752 Gouverneur Morris, American lawmaker and diplomat (d. 1816)
• 1759 François Devienne, French composer, born in Joinville, France (d. 1803)
• 1778 Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky, Bohemian and Austrian statesman (Minister-President of Austria 1848), born in Prague (d. 1861)
• 1784 Carl Wilhelm Henning, German composer and conductor, born in Öls (d. 1867)

• 1798 Carl Gottlieb Reissiger, German composer and Kapellmeister (Dresden), born in Belzig (d. 1859)

• 1802 Jan van Speyk, Dutch naval hero (blew up own gunboat to avoid capture during Belgian Revolution), born in Amsterdam (d. 1831)
• 1804 Jozsef Bajza, Hungarian poet and critic, born in Szücsi (d. 1858)
• 1810 Daniel Ruggles, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army - Battle of Shiloh), born in Barre, Massachusetts (d. 1897)
• 1812 John Randolph Tucker, American naval officer (Confederate Navy), born in Alexandria, Virginia (d. 1883)
• 1813 Samuel Sarphati, Amsterdam, physician, pharmacist and social activist in Amsterdam, born in Amsterdam (d. 1866)
• 1817 Anthony Winkler Prins, Dutch writer, encyclopedist (Winker Prins Encyclopedia), and Mennote preacher, born in Voorst, Netherlands (d. 1908)
• 1818 William Raine Peck, American planter, politician and solder (Confederate Army Louisiana Tigers), born in Jefferson County, Tennessee (d. 1871)
• 1820 William B. Washburn, American politician (28th Governor of Massachusetts and Senator), born in Winchendon, Massachusetts (d. 1887)

• 1835 William Charles Lunalilo, Monarch of Hawaii (d. 1874)
• 1836 Henryk Szulc, Polish composer, born in Poland (d. 1903)
• 1852 Alfredo Napoleão dos Santos, Portuguese pianist, and composer, born in Porto, Portugal (d. 1917)
• 1857 George Jackson Churchward, British engineer who was chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway (1902-22), born in Stoke Gabriel, Devon, England (d. 1933)
• 1858 André Antoine, French actor and stage manager (founded Théâtre-Libre), born in Limoges, France (d. 1943)
• 1863 Henri Berr, French philosopher (Revue de synthèse), born in Lunéville, France (d. 1954)

• 1865 Shastriji Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1951)
• 1865 Tikhon of Moscow [Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin], 11th Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia, born in Toropets District, Pskov, Russian Empire (d. 1925)
• 1866 Emil Strauss, German writer (Naked Man) (d. 1960)
• 1866 Henry Forster, British politician (Governor-General of Australia 1920-25) and cricketer (Oxford blue 1887-89), born in Catford, England (d. 1936)
• 1868 Theodore W. Richards, American chemist (1st American to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for atomic weights 1914, awarded 1915), born in Germantown, Pennsylvania (d. 1915)
• 1869 Henri Carton de Wiart, Belgian count and politician (Prime Minister of Belgian 1920-21), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1951)
• 1872 Zane Grey, American western novelist (Riders of the Purple Sage), born in Zanesville, Ohio (d. 1939)
• 1877 Max Ettlinger, German philosopher, born in Frankfurt, Germany (d. 1929)
• 1878 Willem van Eysinga, Dutch jurist and diplomat (Paris Peace Conference), born in Noordwijkerhout, Netherlands (d. 1961)
• 1881 Irving Langmuir, American chemist and engineer (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1932, invented gas-filled incandescent lamp), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1957)
• 1881 Joseph Augustine Cushman, American palaentologist, born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts (d. 1949)
• 1882 Josef van Schaik, Dutch politician and lawyer (Vice-Premier of the Netherlands), (d. 1962)
• 1884 Nicholas Joy, French actor (Gentleman's Agreement, Desk Set, Boss Lady), born in Paris, France (d. 1964)
• 1884 Theodor Heuss, 1st President of Germany (Bundespräsident) (d. 1963)
• 1886 Alfonso López Pumarejo, 16th President of Colombia (Liberal: 1934-38 and 1942-46) and statesman (President of UN security council 1948), born in Honda, Colombia (d. 1959)
• 1889 Frank Foster, English cricket all-rounder (11 Tests, 3 x 50, 45 wickets, BB 6/91; Warwickshire CCC), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1958)
• 1890 Adolf Bach, German language professor and sociologist (Deutsche Namenkunde) (d. 1972)
• 1891 Max Drischner, German organist, harpsichordist, kantor, and composer, born in Prieborn, Silesia (d. 1971)
• 1892 Eddie Cantor, American comedian (Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater), born in New York City (d. 1964)
• 1893 Freya Stark, English explorer and travel writer (The Southern Gates of Arabia), born in Paris, France (d. 1993)
• 1894 Isham Jones, American musician, bandleader ("Star Dust") and songwriter ("It Had To Be You"; "I'll See You in My Dreams"), born in Coalton, Ohio (d. 1956) [1]
• 1894 Percy Helton, American actor (Jail Busters, Harbor of Missing Men), born in New York City (d. 1971)
• 1896 Sofya Yanovskaya, Russian mathematician (d. 1966)
• 1898 Fred Rich, Polish-American jazz pianist and dance band bandleader ("I'm Tickled Pink with a Blue-Eyed Baby"; The Abbott and Costello Show), born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1956)
• 1900 Betty Parsons, American artist and art dealer, born in New York City (d. 1982)
• 1901 Blaž Arnič, Slovenian composer (Ples čarovnic (The Dance of the Witches)), and pedagogue, born in Luče, Lower Styria, Austria-Hungary (now Slovenia) (d. 1970)
• 1901 Jan Dieters, Dutch politician, resistance fighter, and a leading member of Communist Party of the Netherlands, born in Slochteren, Netherlands (d. 1943)
• 1901 Marie Luise Kaschnitz, German writer, born in Karlsruhe, Germany (d. 1974)
• 1902 Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist, diplomat and leader of the disarmament movement (Nobel Peace Prize 1982), born in Uppsala, Sweden (d. 1986)
• 1902 Jean Picart le Doux, French artist and tapestry designer (d. 1982)
• 1902 Julian Steward, American anthropologist (cultural ecology), born in Washington D. C. (d. 1972)
• 1902 Salvador Araneta, Filipino lawyer, educator, businessman, and philanthropist, born in Manila, Philippines (d. 1982)
• 1902 Tallulah Bankhead, American stage and film actress (Lifeboat; They Knew What They Wanted; Batman -"Black Widow"), born in Huntsville, Alabama (d. 1968)
• 1903 Gardner Cowles Jr., American publisher (Look Magazine)t, born in Algona, Iowa (d. 1985)
• 1904 Leon Junschlaeger, Dutch sailor, soldier, and head of military intelligence in Dutch Indonesia, born in Maastricht, Netherlands (d. 1956)
• 1905 Anna Blaman [Johanna P Vrugt], Dutch writer (Wife & Friend), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1960)
• 1905 Eva Hart, British Titanic passenger, one of last living survivors, born in Ilford, Essex, England (d. 1996)
• 1905 John O'Hara, American short story writer and novelist (Appointment in Samarra; Pal Joey; BUtterfield-8), born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania (d. 1970)
• 1906 Benjamin Frankel, British composer, born in London, England (d. 1973)
• 1906 Roosevelt Sykes, American blues and boogie-woogie pianist, and singer (The Honeydripper), born in Elmar, Arkansas (d. 1983)
• 1907 Benny Morton, American jazz trombonist (Teddy Wilson Sextet), born in New York City (d. 1985)
• 1907 Emanuel Sayles, American jazz banjo player (Preservation Hall Jazz Band), born in Donaldsonville, Louisiana (d. 1986)
• 1908 Atahualpa Yupanqui, Argentine folk musician, born in Pergamino, Argentina (d. 1992)
• 1908 Simonne Mathieu, French tennis player (French C'ships 1938-39; 11 Grand Slam doubles titles), born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France (d. 1980)
• 1909 Miron Grindea, Romanian-born literary editor (ADAM International Review), born in Târgu Ocna, Moldavia (d. 1995)
• 1910 Herbert Ashworth, English building society industry leader (Nationwide Building Society) (d. 2000)
• 1911 Christina Foyle, English book seller (Foyles), born in London, England (d. 1999) [1]
• 1911 Eddie Byrne, British actor (Star Wars, Island of Terror), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1981)

• 1913 Héctor Iglesias Villoud, Argentine composer, born in San Nicolás, Argentina (d. 1988)
• 1913 Wayne Millner, American NFL Hall of Fame football end, 1936-45 (Boston/Washington Redskins), and US Navy WWII veteran, born in Roxbury Massachusetts (d. 1976)
• 1914 Carey Loftin, American actor (Duel, The French Connection), born in Blountstown, Florida (d. 1997)

• 1914 Sri Daya Mata [Rachel Faye Wright,], Hindu religious figure (Self-Realization Fellowship), born in Salt Lake City, Utah (d. 2010) [1]
• 1915 Alan Lomax, American ethnomusicologist, and folklorist (Library of Congress Archive of American Folk Song), born in Austin, Texas (d. 2002)
• 1915 Bobby Hackett, American jazz cornetist, trumpeter (Glenn Miller; Benny Goodman; Jackie Gleason), and orchestra leader (Air Time '57), born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 1976)
• 1915 Garry Moore [Thomas Garrison Morfit], American radio and TV variety and game show host (I've Got a Secret), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1993)

• 1915 William Crosbie, Scottish artist, born in Hankow, China (d. 1999)
• 1916 Ciro Kroon, Curaçao politician (Premier of Dutch Antilles 1968-69), born in Curaçao (d. 2001)
• 1916 Frank Parker, American tennis player (4-time Grand Slam winner), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1997)
• 1916 Violet Cane, British statistician (d. 2008)
• 1917 Erich Geiringer, New Zealand general practitioner campaigner (founder of the New Zealand Medical Association), born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (d. 1995)
• 1917 José Maceda, Filipino composer and ethnomusicologist, born in Manila, Philippines (d. 2004)

• 1920 Bert Williams, English soccer goalkeeper (24 caps; Wolverhampton Wanderers 381 games), born in Bradley, Staffordshire (d. 2014)
• 1920 Robert Hersant, French newspaper baron, born in Vertou, France (d. 1996)
• 1920 Stewart Udall, American politician (US Secretary of Interior 1961-69), born in St Johns, Arizona (d. 2010)
• 1921 Carol Channing, American actress (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Hello Dolly), singer and comedian, born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2019)
• 1921 E. Fay Jones, American architect (Thorncrown Chapel), born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (d. 2004)
• 1921 John Agar, American actor (Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2002)
• 1921 Mario Lanza [Alfredo Arnold Cocozza], Italian-American actor and singer (Great Caruso; Toast of New Orleans), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1959)
• 1922 Joanne Dru [LaCock], American actress (Red River, All the King's Men), born in Logan, West Virginia (d. 1996)
• 1922 William Sylvester, American actor (2001: A Space Odyssey, Gemini Man), born in Oakland, California (d. 1995)
• 1923 Eddie Ryder, American actor (General Hospital, Up Yours), born in New York City (d. 1997)

• 1924 Tengiz Abuladze, Soviet Georgian filmmaker (Repentance), born in Kutaisi, Georgian SSR, USSR (d. 1994)
• 1925 Benjamin Hooks, American lawyer, Baptist minister, and civil rights leader (NAACP executive director, 1977-92), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2010)
• 1925 Charles Aidman, American actor and TV narrator (New Twilight Zone), born in Frankfort, Indiana (d. 1993)
• 1925 Fred Catherwood, British politician (Vice President of the European Parliament 1989-1992), born in Castledawson, County Londonderry (d. 2014)
• 1925 Micheline Lannoy, Belgian figure skating pairs (Olympic gold 1948), born in Brussels, Belgium
• 1926 Prunella Briance, English charity founder (National Childbirth Trust), born in London, England (d. 2017)

• 1928 Chuck Willis, American rock vocalist ("C.C. Rider"), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 1958)
• 1928 Eric Ash, British engineer and university rector (Imperial College, London), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2021)
• 1928 Robert Clatworthy, English sculptor, born in Bridgwater, Somerset (d. 2015)
• 1928 S. Newman Darby, American inventor of the sailboard, born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (d. 2016)
• 1929 Jean Simmons, British actress (Thorn Birds, Guys & Dolls), born in London, England (d. 2010)
• 1929 Rudolf Mössbauer, German physicist (1961 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovery of 'recoilless nuclear resonance fluorescence'), born in Munich, Germany (d. 2011)
• 1930 Al De Lory, American session pianist, arranger, and record producer (Glen Campbell), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2012)
• 1930 Art Michalik, American football linebacker / guard (All-Pro 1953; Pro Bowl 1953; San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2021)
• 1930 Joakim Bonnier, Swedish racecar driver (d. 1972)
• 1931 Bill Watson, Australian cricketer (NSW & Australian opening batsman mid-1950s), born in Randwick, New South Wales, Australia (d. 2018)
• 1931 Christopher Chataway, British MP/athlete (world record 5k), born in Chelsea, London (d. 2014)

• 1931 Nicholas Gordon-Lennox, British diplomat (Ambassador to Spain, 1984-88), born in the UK (d. 2004)
• 1932 Pieter Brattinga, Dutch graphic artist, born in Hilversum, Netherlands (d. 2004)
• 1932 Rick Hall, American record producer, songwriter, and creator of the "Muscle Shoals sound" (FAME Studio), born in Forest Grove, Mississippi (d. 2018)
• 1932 [Anna] Ottilie Patterson, Irish blues and jazz singer (Chris Barber Jazz Band), born in Comber, Northern Ireland (d. 2011)
• 1933 Bernardo Provenzano, Mafia Boss (Cosa Nostra), born in Corleone, Sicily (d. 2016)
• 1933 Joseph D. Early, American politician (Rep-D-MA, 1975-93), born in Worcester, Massachusetts (d. 2012)
• 1934 Bob Turner, Canadian Hockey HOF defenseman (Stanley Cup 1956, 57, 58, 59, 60 Montreal Canadiens; 6 x NHL All Star), born in Regina, Saskatchewan (d. 2005)
• 1934 Brian Bolus, English cricket batsman (7 Tests @ 41.33; Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire), born in Leeds, England (d. 2020)
• 1934 James Franciscus, American actor (Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Mr Novak, Longstreet), born in Clayton, Missouri (d. 1991)
• 1934 Ron Weatherburn, British jazz pianist, born in the Borough of Barking and Dagenham, England (d. 1995)
• 1935 Bojidar Dimov, Bulgarian pianist and composer (Die Hochzeit von Susa), born in Lom, Bulgaria (d. 2003)
• 1935 Kenzaburo Oe, Japanese novelist (Catch, Personal Matter) who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1994, born in Ōse, Japan
• 1936 Marvin Junior, American R&B baritone singer (The Dells - "Oh What a Nite"), born in Harold, Arkansas (d. 2013)
• 1937 Andrée Boucher, Canadian politician (mayor of Quebec City), born in Sainte-Foy, Quebec (d. 2007)
• 1937 Philip Glass, American minimalist composer (Einstein On The Beach; Koyaanisqatsi), born in Baltimore, Maryland
• 1937 Regimantas Adomaitis, Lithuanian actor
• 1937 Steve Karmen, American jingle writer (I Love NY, This Bud's for You), born in The Bronx, New York
• 1937 Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (The Birds; The Bob Newhart Show - "Emily"), born in New York City (d. 2008)
• 1938 Ajip Rosidi, Indonesian poet/writer (Madjalah Sunda, Pesta)
• 1938 Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, former Queen of the Netherlands (1980-2013), born in Soestdijk Palace, Baarn, Utrecht, Netherlands
• 1938 James G. Watt, American lawyer and US Secretary of the Interior (1981-83), born in Lusk, Wyoming (d. 2023)
• 1938 Lynn Carlin [Mary Lynn Reynolds], American actress (James at 15 - "Joan Hunter"; Faces), born in Los Angeles, California
• 1939 Claude Gauthier, Canadian folk singer-songwriter, and actor, born in Lac-Saguay, Quebec

• 1939 Johnny Egan, American basketball point guard (Detroit Pistons, NY Knicks, Baltimore Bullets, LA Lakers, SD/Houston Rockets) and coach (Houston Rockets 1973-76), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2022)
• 1940 Stuart Margolin, American Emmy Award-winning actor (The Rockford Files - "Angel"; Love American Style), and director, born in Davenport, Iowa (d. 2022) [1]
• 1941 Eugène Terre'Blanche, South African white supremacist and leader of the far-right Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, born in Ventersdorp, Transvaal Province, South Africa (d. 2010)
• 1941 George S Mickelson, (Gov-SD)
• 1941 Jerry Scheff, American session and touring bassist (Elvis Presley, 1969 to 1977), born in Denver, Colorado
• 1941 Jessica Walter, American actress (Play Misty For Me, Arrested Development), born in Brooklyn, New York
• 1941 Len Chappell, American basketball forward (NBA All-Star 1964 NY Knicks; All-American 1962 Wake Forest Uni), born in Portage, Pennsylvania (d. 2018)
• 1941 Richard Gephardt, American politician (Rep-D-MO, 1977-2005), born in St. Louis, Missouri
• 1942 Daniela Bianchi, Italian actress
• 1942 Derek Jarman, actor and director (Angelic Conversation, Edward II)
• 1942 Gerald Chanberlain, American jazz trombonist (Woody Herman's Thundering Herd), born in Refugio, Texas (d. 2007)
• 1944 Anton Korteweg, Dutch poet (For the Good Order)
• 1944 Charlie Musselwhite, American blues harmonica player (Stand Back!; Get Up!), born in Kosciusko, Mississippi
• 1944 John Inverarity, cricketer (Australian batsman 1968-72)
• 1945 Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, British judge, 1st woman to head UK Supreme Court, born in Leeds, England
• 1945 Noah Creshevsky, American electroacoustic composer, born in Rochester, New York (d. 2020)
• 1946 Glynn Turman, American actor (Lew-Peyton Place, Manimal, Centennial), born in New York City
• 1946 Jonathan Banks, actor (Armed & Dangerous, Cold Steel), born in Washington, D.C.
• 1946 Subroto Guha, Indian cricketer (right arm swing bowler for India 1967-69), born in India
• 1946 Terry Kath, American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist (Chicago - "Make Me Smile"), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1978)
• 1947 Earl Okin, British jazz guitarist, songwriter and comic (Musical Genius and Sex Symbol), born in Carshalton, Surrey, England
• 1947 Jim Nollman, American theatre composer, born in Boston, Massachusetts

• 1948 Muneo Suzuki, Japanese politician, born in Hokkaido, Japan
• 1949 Carol Hawkins, English actress (Dialing for Dingbats), born in Chipping Barnet, United Kingdom
• 1949 Frank Ricotti, British jazz and session vibraphonist and percussionist, born in London, England
• 1949 Johan Derksen, Dutch footballer and sports journalist, born in Heteren, Netherlands
• 1949 Ken Wilber, American philosopher and writer, born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• 1951 Dave Benton, Aruban-born musician, born in Oranjestad, Aruba
• 1951 Juan de Dios Castillo, Mexican soccer coach (Copa Centroamericana 2011 Honduras; El Salvador), born in Mexico City (d. 2014)
• 1951 KC [Harry Wayne Casey], American disco and funk singer-songwriter and producer (KC & the Sunshine Band - "That's the Way (I Like It)"; "Get Down Tonight"), born in Opa-locka, Florida
• 1951 Phil Manzanera, English rock guitarist and record producer (Roxy Music - "Love Is The Drug"; "Avalon"), born in London
• 1951 Presiley Baxendale, British QC, born in London, England
• 1952 Nadya Rusheva, Russian painter, born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (d. 1969)
• 1952 Rosanne Musgrave, English headmistress (Blackheath HS, 1989-2000)
• 1952 Thomas Lawrence Toscano, American conductor (Opera OGGI NY), composer, and broadcaster, born in The Bronx, New York
• 1953 "Big Time" Sarah [Streeter], American blues singer, born in Coldwater, Mississippi (d. 2015)
• 1954 Adrian Vandenberg, Dutch rock guitarist (Whitesnake), born in the Hague, Netherlands
• 1954 Faoud Bacchus, West Indies cricketer (West Indian bat late 70's), born in Georgetown, Guyana

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• Year of the Rabbit
  2023
• Year of the Dragon
  2024
• Year of the Snake
  2025
• Year of the Horse
  2026
• Year of the Goat/Sheep
  2027
• Year of the Monkey
  2028