- May 2 Moshoeshoe II, King of Lesotho (1966-90), born in Morija, Lesotho (d. 1996)
- May 3 Chris Cannizzaro, American baseball player, born in Oakland, California (d. 2016)
- May 4 Tyrone Davis, American R&B singer (Can I Change My Mind, Turn Back The Hands Of Time), born in Greenville, Mississippi (d. 2005)
- May 4 William J. Bennett, American politician, U.S. Secretary of Education (1985-88), born in NYC, New York
- May 4 Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican writer and political activist, born in Mexico City
- May 5 Jerzy Skolimowski, director (Hands Up, Deep End), born in Warsaw, Poland
- May 5 Johnnie Taylor, Crawfordsville, Arkansas, R&B and multi-genre singer (Disco Lady, I Believe in You), (d. 2000)
- May 5 Michael Murphy, actor (McCabe & Mrs Miller, Unmarried Woman), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 6 Jean Garon, Quebec economist and politician
- May 6 Larry Gogan, Irish radio personality
- May 7 Johnny Caldwell, Irish flyweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1956), born in Belfast, Ireland (d. 2009)
- May 8 Javed Burki, cricketer (Pakistani batsman in 25 Tests 1960-69)
- May 8 Pierre Lucien Claverie, bishop of Oran
- May 8 Jean Giraud, French comic artist (Alien, Tron), born in Val-de-Marne, French (d. 2012)
- May 9 Geoffrey Holland, civil servant
- May 9 Charles Simic Yugoslavian-born poet, 15th Poet Laureate of the United States
- May 10 Manuel Santana, Spanish tennis player (4-time Grand Slam singles champion), born in Madrid, Spain
- May 10 Maxim Shostakovich, Leningrad Russia, conductor (Atlanta Symph)
- May 10 Merritt Ranew, baseball player
- May 10 Peter Davies, Major-General/Director-General (RSPCA)
- May 10 Philip Gordon Winsor, American composer, Born in Morris, Illinois (d. 2012)
- May 10 Jean Becker, French director, screenwriter and actor
- May 11 Carla Bley [Carla Borg], American musician (Escalator Over the Hill), born in Oakland, California
- May 11 Harvey Sollberger, flutist/composer (2 Oboes Troping), born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- May 12 Andrei Amalrik, Russian writer/dissident
- May 12 Millie Perkins, actress (Jane-Knots Landings), born in Passaic, New Jersey
- May 12 Susan Hampshire, actress (Vanity Fair, Living Free), born in London, England
- May 13 Buck Taylor, actor (Monroes, Gunsmoke), born in Hollywood, California
- May 13 Laurent Beaudoin, French Canadian businessman (Bombardier)
- May 13 Giuliano Amato, Italian politician
- May 15 Lenny Welch, Asbury Park NJ, (Breaking up is Hard to Do)
- May 15 Mireille Darc, French actress (Week End, Hurried Man), born in Toulon
Ivan Sutherland
May 16 Ivan Sutherland, American computer scientist (Sketchpad), born in Hastings, Nebraska
Ivan Sutherland
- May 17 Don Dolan, actor (Guy Lewis- General Hospital), born in Staten Island, New York
- May 17 Jason Bernard, actor (Judge-Liar Liar)
- May 17 Pervis Jackson, American R&B singer (Spinners), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2008)
- May 17 Trinus Riemersma, Dutch-Frisian writer (Conquest of Leeuwarden)
- May 18 Janet Fish, Boston USA, American realist artist
- May 19 James Bilbray, American lawyer and politician (Rep-D-Nevada 1987-95), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- May 19 Moisés da Costa Amaral, East Timorese leader, born in Fahinihan, East Timor (d. 1989)
- May 19 Herbie [Brian] Flowers, English musician (bass line for "Walk on the Wild Side"), born in Isleworth, England
- May 20 Alan Smithers, British professor
- May 20 Christina Bass-Kaiser, 3K Dutch speed skater (Olympic gold 1972)
- May 20 Marinella, Greek singer and actress
- May 21 David Groh, American actor (Joe-Rhoda, Don-Another Day), born in Brooklyn, New York
- May 21 Urs Widmer, Swiss writer, born in Basel (d. 2014)
- May 22 Frank Converse, actor (It's About Time, Dr Cook's Garden, Movin' On)
- May 22 Richard Benjamin, American director/actor (Goodbye Columbus, He & She), born in NYC, New York
- May 22 Susan Strasberg, American actress (In Praise of Older Women, Manitou), born in NYC, New York
- May 23 John R Miller, (Rep-R-WA, 1985- )
- May 23 Peter Preston, editor (Guardian)
- May 23 Graham "Johnny" Ball, British TV personality, a populariser of mathematics (Play School), born in Bristol, England
- May 24 Glen Hall, cricket leg-spinner (South African in one Test v England 1964)
- May 24 Thomas "Tommy" Chong, Canadian-American comedian, actor, and cannabis rights activist (Cheech & Chong), born in Edmonton, Alberta
- May 24 David Viscott, American psychiatrist (d. 1996)
- May 25 Ludmil Buldakova, USSR, volleyball player (Olympic gold 1972)
- May 25 Raymond Carver, poet/short story writer (Furious Season)
- May 26 Jackie Liebesit, rocker (Can)
- May 26 Teresa Stratas [Anastasia Stratakis], Canadian operatic soprano (Salome), born in Toronto, Ontario
- May 26 William Elden Bolcom, composer (Oracles), born in Seattle, Washington
- May 26 Pauline Parker, New-Zealandic murderess
- May 26 Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Russian playwright and novelist
Jerry West
May 28 Jerry West, NBA superstar (LA Lakers, Olympic Gold 1960), born in Chelyan, West Virginia
Jerry West
- May 28 Prince Buster, Jamaican reggae musician and producer (Madness), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2016)
- May 29 Francis Thomas (Fay) Vincent, baseball commissioner
- May 30 Wilfried de Pree, Dutch politician and theologian (PvdA)/theologist
- May 31 John Prescott, British Labour MP
- May 31 Peter Yarrow, American (Peter, Paul & Mary-Puff the Magic Dragon), born in NYC, New York