Famous People Born in 1956
Celebrate the birthdays of 819 famous people, historical figures and celebrities born in 1956 like Homer Simpson, Tom Hanks and Martina Navratilova.
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On This Day
Birthdays 1 - 200 of 819

Abdalla Hamdok, Sudanese politician (Prime Minister of Sudan 2021-22), born in Al Dibaibat, Sudan

Jan 1 Anatoli Borisovich Polonsky, Russian lt-colonel/cosmonaut

Jan 1 Andy Gill, British guitarist and record producer (Gang of Four - "Damaged Goods"), born in Manchester, England (d. 2020)

Christine Lagarde

French lawyer and politician, 1st female head of the IMF, born in Paris

Jan 1 John O'Donohue, Irish poet (Anam Cara; Benedictus), philosopher, theologian, and one-time priest, born in Connemara, Ireland (d. 2008)

Jan 1 Kôji Yakusho [Hashimoto], Japanese actor (Shall We Dance?), born in Isahaya, Nagasaki, Japan

Jan 1 Mark R. Hughes, American entrepreneur (founder and CEO of Herbalife International), born in La Mirada, California Ltd, d. 2000)

Jan 1 Martin Plaza [Murphy], Australian new wave singer-songwriter (Mental As Anything - "Live It Up"; solo - "Concrete and Clay"), born in Sydney, Australia

Jan 1 Mike Mitchell, American basketball small forward (NBA All-Star 1981; Italian League top scorer 1998), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2011)

Jan 1 Sergei Vasiliyevich Avdeyev, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-15, SK:TM-28)

Jan 1 Sergio Victor Palma, Argentine boxer (WBA Super Bantamweight champion 1980-82), born in La Tigra, Argentina (d. 2021)

Lynda Barry, American cartoonist

Mel Gibson

American actor (Mad Max, Mrs Soffel, Lethal Weapon) and filmmaker, born in Peekskill, New York

Jan 3 Willy T. Ribbs, American auto racer (first African-American to drive in Indianapolis 500), born in San Jose, California

Ann Magnuson, actress (Anything But Love, Hunger), born in Charleston, West Virginia

Jan 4 Bernard Sumner [Albrecht], English rock guitarist, vocalist (Joy Division and New Order), born in Salford, England

Jan 4 Nels Cline, American guitarist and composer (Wilco), born in Los Angeles, California

Chen Kenichi [Ken'ichi Azuma], Japanese celebrity chef, "The Szechuan Sage" (Iron Chef Chinese), born in Tokyo, Japan

Jan 5 Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German politician (President of Germany 2017-), born in Detmold, West Germany

Elizabeth Strout, American novelist ("Olive Kitteridge" - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2009), born in Portland, Maine [1]

David Caruso, American actor (NYPD Blue, Michael Hayes), born in Forest Hills, New York

Jan 7 Rosalyn Bryant, American 4x400m runner (Olympic silver 1976), born in Chicago, Illinois

Archie Roach, Aboriginal Australian blues singer-songwriter (Took The Children Away), born in the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve, Australia (d. 2022)

David Smith, English cricketer (England lefty batsman in 2 Tests v WI 1986), born in Balham, London

Jan 9 Imelda Staunton, British actress (Finding Your Feet, Maleficent), born in Archway, London

Jan 9 Kimberly Beck Hilton, American actress (Kim-Peyton Place), born in Glendale, California

Jan 9 Mike Walczewski, American public address announcer

Antonio Muñoz Molina, Spanish writer (Royal Spanish Academy), born in Úbeda, Jaén, Spain

Jan 10 Don Letts, British film director and musician (Big Audio Dynamite), born in London, England

Jan 10 Shawn Colvin, American country folk singer-songwriter ("Sunny Came Home"), born in Vermillion, South Dakota

Big Bank Hank [Henry Lee Jackson] American rapper (The Sugarhill Gang - "Rapper's Delight"), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2014)

Jan 11 Robert Earl Keen, American singer-songwriter ("What I Really Mean"), born in Houston, Texas

Janet Hubert-Whitten, actress (Vivian Banks-Fresh Prince of Bel Air)

Jan 13 Malcolm Foster, British rock bassist (Pretenders, 1984-89; Simple Minds, 1989-95), born in Hereford, England

Ben Heppner, Canadian tenor, and broadcaster, born in Murrayville, British Columbia

Jan 14 Étienne Daho, French singer-songwriter, born in Oran, Algeria

Mayawati, Indian politician, born in New Delhi, India

Jan 15 Paul Parker, English cricketer (one Test England v Australia 1981), born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Jan 15 Vera Sosulya, Soviet tobogganist (Olympic gold 1980)

Ivan Safronov, Russian journalist, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 2007)

Jan 16 Jennifer Dale, Canadian actress, born in Toronto, Canada

Jan 16 Martin Jol, Dutch football manager, born in The Hague, Netherlands

Jan 16 Saadeddine Othmani, Moroccan politician and Prime Minister of Morocco (2017-present), born in Inezgane, Morocco

Jan 16 Wayne Daniel, West Indies cricketer (WI fast bowler 1976-84), born in Saint Philip, Barbados

Cristina [Monet Zilkha], American dance-pop singer songwriter ("Sleep It Off"), born in New York City (d. 2020)

Jan 17 Faouzi Mansouri, Algerian soccer defender (13 caps; Montpellier, FC Mulhouse), born in Djerba, Tunisia (d. 2022)

Jan 17 Mitch Vogel, American actor (Jamie-Bonanza), born in Alhambra, California

Jan 17 Paul Young, British rock and blue-eyed soul vocalist ("Every Time You Go Away"; Band-Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?"), born in Luton, England

George Mark Collie, American country singer ("Another Old Soldier"), born in Waynesboro Tennessee

Carman Licciardello, American Christian music singer-songwriter ("The Champion"; "Radically Saved"), born in Trenton, New Jersey (d. 2021)

Jan 19 Parthenon Huxley [Richard Miller], American rock guitarist, singer- songwriter and producer (ELO II; The Orchestra; P. Hux), born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Adrian Vernon Fish, British classical composer, and Irish radio host (Fish on Fridays), born in Bristol, England

Bill Maher

American comedian and political commentator (Real Time with Bill Maher, Politically Incorrect), born in New York City

Jan 20 John Naber, American swimmer (Olympic gold 100m/200m backstroke, 4×200m freestyle relay, 4×100m medley; silver 200m freestyle 1976), born in Evanston, Illinois

Jan 20 Maria Larsson, Swedish politician, born in Långasjö, Sweden

Bob Brill, American drummer (Berlin - "You Take My Breath Away"), born in New York City

Jan 21 Forrest Gander, American poet (Be With - 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry), born in Barstow, California

Jan 21 Geena Davis, American actress (Beetlejuice, Fly), born in Wareham, Massachusetts

Jan 21 Robby Benson, American actor (One on One, Running Brave, Chosen), born in Dallas, Texas

Steve Riley, American rock drummer (L.A. Guns; W.A.S.P.), born in Revere, Massachusetts

Larysa Kuzmenko, Canadian concert pianist, and composer, of Ukrainian heritage (Memoriam for the Victims of Chornobyl; Golden Harvest), born in Toronto, Ontario

Jan 23 Lazar Ristovski, Serbian keyboardist (Smak and Bijelo Dugme), born in Novi Pazar, Yugoslavia (d. 2007)

Hanne Krogh, Norwegian singer (Bobbysocks), born in Oslo, Norway

Jan 24 Lounès Matoub, Kabylian singer-songwriter, guitar and mandole player, and Berber rights activist, born in of Taourirt Moussa, Algeria (d. 1998)

Andy Cox, British guitarist (Fine Young Cannibals - "She Drives Me Crazy"), born in Birmingham, England

Jan 25 Bill Turnbull, British television and radio presenter and journalist (Radio Clyde; BBC), born in Guildford, Surrey, England (d. 2022)

Lisa Boray [Schulte Nordholt], Dutch jazz singer ("Lovers Until the End"), born in Breda, Netherlands

Mimi Rogers [Miriam Spickler], American actress (The Rapture; Paper Dolls; Weapons of Mass Distraction), and producer, born in Coral Gables, Florida

[Pierre] "Peter" Schilling, German synthpop musician ("Major Tom (Coming Home)"), born in Stuttgart, Germany

Jeremy Gittins, English actor, born in Manchester, United Kingdom

Jan 30 Keiichi Tsuchiya, Japanese racing driver, born in Tomi, Japan

John Lydon

English singer-songwriter and musician (Sex Pistols - "God Save the Queen"), born in Holloway, United Kingdom

Jan 31 Trevor Manuel, South African politician, born in Cape Town, South Africa

(Christine) "Exene" Cervenka, American punk rock singer and poet (X), born in Chicago, Illinois

Feb 1 Brahmanandam, Indian film actor and comedian, born in Sattenapalle, India

Feb 1 Mike Kitchen, Canadian ice hockey defenceman (NJ Devils) and coach (St. Louis Blues 2003-07), born in Newmarket, Canada

John Jefferson, American football wide receiver (First-team All-Pro 1979, 80 SD Chargers; 4 × Pro Bowl; NFL receiving yards leader 1980; NFL receiving TD leader 1978, 80; GB Packers), born in Dallas, Texas

Feb 3 Lee Ranaldo, American rock guitarist, and singer-songwriter (Sonic Youth - "100%"), born in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York

Nathan Lane

American actor (One of the Boys, Frankie & Johnnie), born in Jersey City, New Jersey

Feb 3 Pamela Cossey, England, model/sister of transsexual Tula

Betty Ong, flight attendant that died on September 11, 2001, on American Airlines Flight 11

Feb 5 Hector Rebaque, Mexican racing driver, born in Mexico City

Feb 5 Vincent "Vinnie" Colaiuta, American touring and session rock and jazz drummer (Frank Zappa, 1979-83; Joni Mitchell, 1982-91; Sting, 1993-2003), born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania

Jon Walmsley, British actor (Jason in The Waltons), born in Lancashire, England

Feb 6 Linda Grovenor, American actress (Die Laughing, Wheels of Fire), born in Baltimore, Maryland

Emo Philips, American comedian

Feb 7 Mark St. John [Norton], American rock guitarist (KISS, April- November, 1984), born in Hollywood, California (d. 2007)

Dave Meros, American progressive rock bassist (Spock's Beard), born in Salinas, California

Philip Jackson Ford Jr, NC, basketball player (Olympic gold 1976)

Kenny Leon, American stage director, producer and actor (A Raisin in the Sun - Tony Award for Best Direction), born in Tallahassee, Florida

Catherine Hickland, American actress (One Life to Live), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Feb 11 David Uosikkinen, American drummer (The Hooters - "All You Zombies"; "And We Danced"), born in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania

Feb 11 Didier Lockwood, French violinist, born in Calais, France (d. 2018)

Feb 11 H.R. [Paul D. Hudson], British-American singer (Bad Brains), born in London, England

Feb 11 Raoul Björkenheim, American avant-garde jazz guitarist, born in Los Angeles, California

Ad P. Melkert, Dutch minister of Social Affairs, born in Gouda, Netherlands

Arsenio Hall

Anerican comedian (Alan Thicke, Arsenio, Coming to America), born in Cleveland, Ohio

Feb 12 Brian Robertson, Scottish rock guitarist (Thin Lizzy), born in Clarkston, Scotland

Liam Brady, Irish footballer, born in Dublin, Ireland

Feb 13 Peter Hook, English rock bassist (New Order - "Round & Round"; "Run"), born in Salford, United Kingdom

Feb 13 Princess Alia bint Al Hussein, Jordanian Royal Family member, born in Amman, Jordan

Feb 13 Richard Eden, Canadian actor (Brick-Santa Barbara, Solar Crisis, Robocop), born in Toronto, Ontario

Feb 13 Yiannis Kouros, Greek-Australian runner, born in Tripoli, Greece

Howard Davis Jr., American boxer (Olympic gold lightweight 1976), born in Glen Cove, New York (d. 2015)

Desmond Haynes, West Indian cricket batsman and administrator (116 Tests; 7,487 runs @ 42.29; 238 ODIs; Director WI Cricket Board), born in Saint James, Barbados

Feb 15 Hilda Beatriz "Hildita" Guevara, Cuba, daughter of "Che" Guevara

Feb 15 Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese racing driver (d. 1992)

Jeffrey Foskett, American session and touring singer and guitarist (The Beach Boys; Brian Wilson; Wondermints), born in San Jose, California (d. 2023)

Feb 17 Richard Karn [Wilson], American actor (Home Improvement) and TV game show host (Family Feud), born in Seattle, Washington

Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer, born in Sollentuna Municipality, Sweden (d. 1997)

Dave Wakeling, British Rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (The English Beat; General Public), born in Birmingham, England

Feb 19 George David Low, American astronaut (STS 32, STS 43), born in Cleveland, Ohio

Jeffrey Immelt

American CEO of General Electric (2001-17), born in Cincinnati, Ohio

Feb 19 Kathleen Beller, American actress (Promises in the Dark, Dynasty, The Betsy), born in Westchester, New York

Feb 19 Peter Holsapple, American rock-pop singer-songwriter (The dB's; Continental Drifters), born in Greenwich, Connecticut

Feb 19 Roderick MacKinnon, American biologist (2003 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for work on ion channels), born in Burlington, Massachusetts

Feb 19 Steve Randell, Tasmanian cricket Test umpire (international panel)

Charles Cummins, 3rd of 5 siblings born on 2/20, born in Clintwood, Virginia

Feb 20 Charlie Adler, American voice actor (Tiny Toon Adventures), born in Paterson, New Jersey

Woody Brown, American actor (Cliff-Facts of Life), born in Dayton, Ohio

Amy Alcott

American golfer (5-time major title winner; US Open 1980), born in Kansas City, Missouri

Eddie Murray

American MLB Hall of Fame 1st baseman, 8x All-star, 3x Golden Glove (Baltimore Orioles, 1977-88 & 96; L.A. Dodgers, 1989-91 & 97, and three other teams), born in Los Angeles, California

Feb 24 Judith Butler, American philosopher, and gender theorist, born in Cleveland, Ohio

Feb 24 Paula Zahn, American journalist and news anchor (ABC; CBS This Morning; Fox; CNN; PBS), born in Omaha, Nebraska

Davie Cooper, Scottish soccer winger (22 caps; Clydebank, Rangers 376 games, Motherwell), born in Hamilton, Scotland (d. 1995)

Keisuke Kuwata, Japanese pop singer,songwriter and film score composer, born in Chigasaki, Japan

Jimmy Nicholl, Irish soccer defender (73 caps Northern Ireland; Manchester United 197 games) and manager (Millwall, Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath), born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Feb 28 Mike Tenay, American wrestling commentator

(Jonathan) "Jono" Coleman, British-Australian television and radio, writer, and comedian, born in Hackney, England (d. 2021)

Feb 29 Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer whose life portrayed in film "Monsters", born in Troy, Michigan (d. 2002)

Feb 29 J. Randy Taraborrelli, American celebrity journalist

Feb 29 Jonathan Coleman, Anglo-Australian entertainer

Jan Van der Roost, Belgian composer (Chemical Suite for Trombone Quartet), born in Duffel, Belgium

Mar 1 Mark Todd, New Zealand equestrian rider (Olympic gold individual eventing 1984, 88), born in Cambridge, New Zealand

Mar 1 Timothy Daly, American actor (Joe-Wings, Diner, Made in Heaven), born in Sufferin, New York

Eusebio Pedroza, Panamanian boxer (WBA featherweight champion 1978-85), born in Panama City, Panama (d. 2019)

Mar 2 Gary Pearce, English rugby union prop (36 caps; Northampton Saints), born in Dinton, England

Mar 2 John Cowsill, American rock drummer (The Cowsills - "We Can Fly"; Beach Boys, 2000-present), born in Newport, Rhode Island

Mar 2 Mark Evans, Australian rock bassist (AC/DC), born in Melbourne, Victoria

John F Reid, New Zealand cricket batsman (19 Tests, 1296 runs @ 46.28, 6 x 100s), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2020)

Mar 3 Stephanie McCallum, Australian concert pianist and educator, born in Sydney, Australia

Mar 3 Zbigniew Boniek, Polish footballer

Kermit Driscoll, American jazz bassist (Bill Frissell), born in Kearney, Nebraska

Adriana Barraza, Mexican actress

Mar 5 Mark Handley, writer (Nell)

Mar 5 Teena Marie [Mary Christine Brockert], American R&B and soul singer-songwriter ("Square Biz"; "Lovergirl"), born in Santa Monica, California (d. 2010)

Peter Roebuck, English cricketer and journalist, born in Oddington, Oxfordshire, England (d. 2011)

Bryan Cranston

American actor (Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle), born in Canoga Park, California

David Malpass, American economist (President of the World Bank 2019-), born in Petoskey, Michigan

Mar 8 John Kapelos, Canadian actor

Mar 8 Laurie Cunningham, English soccer left winger (6 caps; Orient, West Bromwich Albion, Real Madrid, Marseille, Rayo Vallecano), born in London, England (d. 1989)

David Willetts, English Conservative Party politician, born in Birmingham, England

Mar 9 Mark Dantonio, American football coach for Michigan State University, born in El Paso, Texas

Mar 9 Shashi Tharoor, Indian politician and diplomat (United Nations Under-Secretary General), born in London

Janet Alex-Anderson, American golfer (US Open 1982), born in West Sunbury, Pennsylvania

Mar 10 Mitchell Lichtenstein, American actor; son of Roy Lichtenstein

Curtis L Brown Jr, NC, astronaut (STS 47, STS 66, 77, 85, sk:95)

Mar 11 D. J. MacHale, American author and television writer

Mar 11 Rob Paulsen, American voice actor (Pinky and The Brain), born in Detroit, Michigan

Dale Murphy

American baseball outfielder (7 × MLB All-Star; NL MVP 1982, 83; 5 × Gold Glove Award; NL HR leader 1984, 85; Atlanta Braves), born in Portland, Oregon

Mar 12 Lesley Manville, British stage and screen actress (Mum; Phantom Thread; The Crown; Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris), born in Brighton, England

Mar 12 Steve Harris, English hard rock bassist (Iron Maiden - "Gypsy's Kiss"), born in London, England

Dana Delany, American actress (Colleen McMurphy-China Beach, Exit to Eden), born in New York City

Jamie Dimon

American business executive and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, born in New York City

Mar 13 Motoharu Sano, Japanese rock singer-songwriter ("Someday"), born in Taitō, Japan

Alexey Pajitnov, Russian video game designer and computer engineer (Tetris), born in Moscow, Soviet Union

Mar 14 Colin Ayre, British football player (Newcastle United), born in Ashington, Northumberland

Mar 14 Natalya Kuleshova, Russian cosmonaut, born in Moscow, Soviet Union

Mar 14 Patrick Leonard, American songwriter, film composer and music producer (Madonna), born in Crystal Falls, Michigan

Mar 14 Tessa Sanderson, British javelin thrower (Olympic gold. 1984), born in Kingston, Jamaica

Clay Matthews, NFL linebacker (Atlanta Falcons)

Ozzie Newsome, American NFL tight end (Cleveland Browns) and football executive, born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama

Mar 16 Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, Sri Lankan LGBT activist, founder of Equal Ground, born in Sri Lanka [1]

Mar 16 Vladimír Godár, Slovak contemporary classical music and film music composer, born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia

Frank McGarvey, Scottish soccer forward (7 caps; Celtic, St Mirren) and manager (Queen of the South FC), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2023)

Mar 17 Luca Francesconi, Italian classical and electronic music composer (Wanderer; Unexpected End of Formula), born in Milan, Italy

Mar 17 Patrick McDonnell, American cartoonist (Mutts), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey

Mar 17 Rory McGrath, British comedian, television personality, and writer (Who Dares Wins, They Think It's All Over), born in Redruth, Cornwall

Mar 17 Will Rigby, American rock drummer and percussionist (The dB's; Matthew Sweet), born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

"The Model" Rick Martel [Richard Vignault], wrestler (WWF/AWA)

Mar 18 Deborah Jeane Palfrey, American escort owner, born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania (d. 2008)

Mar 18 Ingemar Stenmark, Swedish alpine skier (2 Olympic gold 1980), born in Joesjö, Sweden

Mar 18 Juan Meza, Mexican boxer (WBC Super Bantamweight champion 1984-85), born in Mexicali, Mexico (d. 2023)

Alina Castro, Havanna Cuba, daughter of Fidel

Mar 19 Yegor Gaidar, Russian politician and economist.

Alphonso Martin, British reggae percussionist and vocalist (Steel Pulse, 1977-91 - "Prodigal Son"), born in Birmingham, England

André Malherbe, Belgian motocross racer (FIM 500cc Motocross World Champion 1980, 81, 84), born in Huy, Belgium (d. 2022)

Ingrid Kristiansen

Norwegian long distance athlete (World C'ship gold 10,000m 1987; WR 5,000m, 10,000m, marathon; NYC 1989; Boston Marathon 1986, 89), born in Trondheim, Norway

Mar 21 László Tihanyi, Hungarian composer (Silence of the Winds; Two Imaginary Dialogues), and conductor (Ensemble Intermodulation), born in Budapest, Hungary

Generosa Ammon, American widow of murdered multimillionaire Ted Ammon, suspect in his death, born in Laguna Beach, California (d. 2003)

Mar 22 Lena Olin, Swedish actress (Enemies A Love Story), born in Stockholm, Sweden

José Manuel Barroso, Portuguese politician, president of the European Commission

Mar 23 Laura Thorne, chef (named one of 10 best American chefs)

Ijaz Faqih, cricketer (Pakistan off-spin all-rounder in 5 Tests 80-88)

Steve Ballmer

American businessman, investor and CEO of Microsoft (2000-14), born in Detroit, Michigan

Matthew Garber, English child actor (Mary Poppins), born in London, England (d. 1977)

Mar 25 Sonia M Lannaman, England, 4X100m relayer (Olympic bronze 1980)

Charly McClain, American country singer (Radio Heart), born in Jackson, Tennessee

Mar 26 Tatyana Kochergina, Ukrainian handball player who won Olympic gold 1976, 80 USSR, born in Ovidiopol, Ukraine

(Paul) "Wix" Wickens, British session and touring keyboard player (Paul McCartney; Nik Kershaw; Kevin Coyne), born in Brentwood, Essex, England

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About 1956

How Old? 67 or 68 years old

Generation: Baby Boomer

Chinese Zodiac: Goat/Sheep (Jan 24, 1955 - Feb 11, 1956),

Monkey (Feb 12, 1956 - Jan 30, 1957)