August 12 :: Historical Births Today

Famous Births

• 1503 - Christian III of Denmark and Norway (d. 1559)


• 1566 - Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (d. 1633)


• 1604 - Tokugawa Iemitsu, Japanese shogun (d. 1651)


• 1629 - Tsar Alexei I of Russia (d. 1676)


• 1643 - King Afonso VI of Portugal (d. 1683)


• 1644 - Heinrich Ignaz Biber, Bohemian composer (d. 1704)


• 1647 - Johann Heinrich Acker, German writer (d. 1719)


• 1686 - John Balguy, English philosopher (d. 1748)


• 1696 - Maurice Greene, English composer (d. 1755)


• 1720 - Konrad Ekhof, German actor (d. 1778)


• 1762 - King George IV of the United Kingdom (d. 1830)


• 1774 - Robert Southey, English poet and biographer (d. 1843)


• 1856 - "Diamond Jim" Brady, American financier (d. 1917)


• 1859 - Katharine Lee Bates, American poet (d. 1929)


• 1866 - Jacinto Benavente, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1954)


• 1867 - Edith Hamilton, German classicist (d. 1963)


• 1872 - Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1956)


• 1876 - Mary Roberts Rinehart, American author (d. 1958)


• 1880 - Radclyffe Hall, British author (d. 1943)


• 1880 - Christy Mathewson, American baseball player (d. 1925)


• 1881 - Cecil B. DeMille, American director (d. 1959)


• 1883 - Pauline Frederick, American actress (d. 1938)


• 1885 - Jean Cabannes, French physicist (d. 1959)


• 1885 - Marion Lorne, American actress (d. 1968)


• 1886 - Sir Keith Murdoch, Australian journalist and newspaper owner (d. 1952)


• 1887 - Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1961)


• 1889 - Zerna Sharp, American writer and educator (Dick and Jane) (d. 1981)


• 1892 - Alfred Lunt, American actor (d. 1977)


• 1902 - Mohammad Hatta, Vice President of Indonesia 1945-1956 (d. 1980)


• 1904 - Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia, only son of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia (d. 1918)


• 1906 - Harry Hopman, Australian-born tennis player and coach (d. 1985)


• 1906 - Tedd Pierce, American animator (d. 1972)


• 1907 - Joe Besser, American actor and comedian (d. 1988)


• 1909 - Richard Bare, American director


• 1910 - Jane Wyatt, American actress (d. 2006)


• 1910 - Yusof bin Ishak, first President of Singapore (d. 1970)


• 1911 - Cantinflas, Mexican actor (d. 1993)


• 1912 - Samuel Fuller, American film director (d. 1997)


• 1914 - Gerd Buchdahl, German philosopher (d. 2001)


• 1914 - Ruth Lowe, Canadian pianist and composer (I'll Never Smile Again) (d. 1981)


• 1915 - Michael Kidd, American choreographer (d. 2007)


• 1918 - Guy Gibson, British aviator, awarded Victoria Cross (d. 1944)


• 1919 - Vikram Sarabhai, Indian physicist (d. 1971)


• 1924 - Derek Shackleton, English cricketer (d. 2007)


• 1924 - Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, leader of Pakistan (d. 1988)


• 1925 - Norris McWhirter, Scottish co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records (d. 2004)


• 1925 - Ross McWhirter, Scottish co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records (d. 1975)


• 1925 - George Wetherill, American scientist (d. 2006)


• 1926 - John Derek, American actor (d. 1998)


• 1926 - Joe Jones, American R&B singer (d. 2005)


• 1926 - Wallace Markfield, American writer (d. 2002)


• 1927 - Porter Wagoner, American singer (d. 2007)


• 1928 - Charles Blackman, Australian artist


• 1928 - Bob Buhl, American baseball player (d. 2001)


• 1928 - Dan Curtis, film and television producer and director


• 1929 - Buck Owens, American singer (d. 2006)


• 1930 - George Soros Hungarian-American financier and political activist


• 1930 - Jacques Tits, Belgian mathematician


• 1931 - William Goldman, American screenwriter


• 1932 - Charlie O'Donnell, American game show announcer


• 1932 - Somdet Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Borommarachininat, Queen of Thailand


• 1933 - Parnelli Jones, American race car driver and team owner


• 1935 - John Cazale, Italian-American actor (d. 1978)


• 1937 - Walter Dean Myers, African-American author


• 1938 - Jean-Paul L'Allier, Canadian Mayor of Quebec


• 1939 - George Hamilton, American actor


• 1939 - Roy Romanow, Canadian politician


• 1939 - Michael D. Antonovich, American politician


• 1941 - Réjean Ducharme, Quebec novelist and playwright


• 1943 - Deborah Walley, American actress (d. 2001)


• 1944 - Peter Hofmann, German tenor


• 1947 - Ron Mael, American musician (Sparks)


• 1947 - Sam Rosen, American sportscaster


• 1949 - Panagiotis Chinofotis, Greek politician


• 1949 - Mark Knopfler OBE, Scottish guitarist (Dire Straits)


• 1950 - Jim Beaver, American actor and writer


• 1951 - Willie Horton, American murderer and rapist


• 1952 - Chen Kaige, Chinese film director


• 1954 - Sam J. Jones, American actor


• 1954 - Pat Metheny, American guitarist


• 1955 - Ann M. Martin, American author


• 1955 - Terry Taylor, American retired professional wrestler


• 1956 - Bruce Greenwood, Canadian actor


• 1959 - Amanda Redman, English actress


• 1960 - Laurent Fignon, French cyclist


• 1961 - Roy Hay, British guitarist and keyboardist (Culture Club)


• 1961 - Lawrence Hayward, English musician (Felt, Denim, Go Kart Mozart)


• 1962 - Miss Cleo, American psychic


• 1963 - Sir Mix A Lot, American rapper


• 1965 - Peter Krause, American actor


• 1966 - Les Ferdinand, English footballer


• 1967 - Regilio Tuur, Dutch boxer


• 1967 - Andrey Plotnikov, Russian race walker


• 1967 - Andy Hui, Hong Kong actor and singer


• 1968 - Andras Jones, American actor


• 1969 - Aga Muhlach, Filipino actor


• 1970 - Anthony Swofford, American novelist


• 1970 - Jim Schlossnagle, baseball coach


• 1970 - Charles Mesure, British actor


• 1971 - Michael Ian Black, American comedian


• 1971 - Rebecca Gayheart, American actress


• 1971 - Pete Sampras, American tennis player


• 1972 - Mark Kinsella, Irish footballer


• 1972 - Takanohana, Sumo yokozuna


• 1973 - Joseba Beloki, Spanish cyclist


• 1973 - Jonathan Coachman, American professional wrestler and executive


• 1973 - Todd Marchant, American ice hockey player


• 1973 - Richard Reid (shoe bomber)


• 1973 - Yvette Nicole Brown, American actress


• 1973 - Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr - son of Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr


• 1973 - Grey DeLisle, American voice actress


• 1974 - Matt Clement, American baseball player


• 1975 - Casey Affleck, American actor


• 1975 - David Filmore, American actor


• 1976 - Mikko Viljami "Linde" Lindström, Finnish guitarist


• 1976 - Antoine Walker, American basketball player


• 1976 - Wednesday 13, American musician (Wednesday 13, Murderdolls)


• 1976 - Brad Lukowich, Canadian ice hockey player


• 1976 - Richard McCourt, English children's television presenter


• 1976 - Henry Tuilagi, Samoan rugby player


• 1977 - Plaxico Burress, American football player


• 1977 - Jesper Grønkjær, Danish footballer


• 1977 - Park Yong-ha, South Korean actor and singer


• 1978 - Hayley Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player


• 1978 - Chris Chambers, American football player


• 1979 - D.J. Houlton, American baseball player


• 1979 - Cindy Klassen, Canadian speed skater


• 1980 - Maggie Lawson, American actress


• 1980 - Dominique Swain, American actress


• 1980 - Matt Thiessen, Canadian-born musician (Relient K)


• 1980 - Jade Villalon, American singer/songwriter


• 1981 - Tony Capaldi, Northern Ireland footballer


• 1981 - Djibril Cissé, French footballer


• 1982 - Alexandros Tzorvas, Greek footballer


• 1983 - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Dutch footballer


• 1984 - Marian Rivera, a Philippine actress


• 1990 - Mario Balotelli, Italian footballer