Famous Birthdays on March 11

  • 1544 Torquato Tasso, Italian Renaissance poet (Aminta, Apologia), born in Sorrento, Kingdom of Naples (d. 1595)
  • 1549 Henric Laurenszoon Spieghel, Dutch Renaissance writer and poet (Hertspiegel), born in Amsterdam (d. 1612)
  • 1596 Isaac Elsevier, Dutch book publisher (House of Elzevir), born in Leiden (d. 1651)
  • 1654 Heinrich Georg Neuss, German composer, Lutheran theologian, and poet, born in Elbingerode, Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (now Germany) (d. 1716)
  • 1683 Giovanni Veneziano, Italian composer, born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples, Spanish Empire (now Italy) (d. 1742)
  • 1725 Henry Benedict Stuart, pretender to the throne of Great Britain (d. 1807)
  • 1730 Otto Friedrich Müller, Danish Naturalist who was a pioneer in the study of microorganisms including bacteria, diatoms, and infusoria, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1784)
  • 1731 Robert Treat Paine, American judge and Founding Father (signed US Declaration of Independence), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1814)
  • 1738 Benjamin Tupper, Continental Army officer, and pioneer to the Ohio Country (d. 1792)
  • 1781 Anthony Philip Heinrich, America's 1st "full-time" composer, born in Schönbüchel, Bohemia (d. 1861)
  • 1785 John McLean, American jurist (US Supreme Court Justice, 1829-61; Ohio Supreme Court Justice (1816-22) and US Postmaster General (1823-28), born in Morris County, New Jersey (d. 1861)
  • 1787 Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (d. 1852)
  • 1793 Jan Frans Willems, Flemish writer and philologist, born in Boechout, Belgium (d. 1846)
  • 1811 Marsena Rudolph Patrick, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Hounsfield, New York (d. 1888)
  • 1811 Urbain Jean Joseph le Verrier, French astronomer (made calculations that proved existence of Neptune), born in Saint-Lô, France (d. 1877)
  • 1812 James Speed, Atty Gen (Union), (d. 1887)
  • 1812 William Vincent Wallace, Irish-American violinist (known as the 'Australian Paganini'), and composer (Maritana), born in Waterford, Ireland (d. 1865)
  • 1818 John Wilkins Whitfield, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Franklin, Tennessee (d. 1879)
  • 1819 Henry Tate, English sugar producer (established Tate Gallery in London), born near Chorley, England (d. 1899)
  • 1819 Marius Petipa, French ballet dancer and choreographer (Don Quiotte), born in Marseille, France (d. 1910)
  • 1822 Allison Nelson, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1862)
  • 1832 Franz Melde, German physicist (Melde test), born in Großenlüder (d. 1901)
  • 1832 William Ruffin Cox, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1919)
  • 1838 Ōkuma Shigenobu, Japanese politician (Prime Minister of Japan 1898, 1914-1916), born in Saga, Japan (d. 1922)
  • 1840 Edmund Kirby Jr, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Brownville, New York (d. 1863)
  • 1846 Antonio Cândido Gonçalves Crespo, Brazilian-born Portuguese poet, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (d. 1886)
  • 1860 Thomas Hastings, American architect (NY Public Library), born in NYC, New York (d. 1929)
  • 1863 Andrew Stoddart, English cricket batsman & captain (16 Tests, 2 x 100, HS 173; Middlesex CCC) and rugby union centre & captain (10 Tests; first captain Barbarians RFC), born in Westoe, England (d. 1915)
  • 1863 Wobbe de Vries, Dutch linguist (d. 1942)
  • 1870 Arthur E Ochse, South African cricket batsman (2 Tests; Transvaal), born in Graaff-Reinet, South Africa (d. 1918)
  • 1870 Herm McFarland, American MLB outfielder (first grand slam in AL history), born in Des Moines, Iowa (d. 1935)
  • 1870 Louis Bachelier, French mathematician (d. 1946)
  • 1873 David Horsley, English-born film executive (d. 1933)
  • 1876 Carl Ruggles, American composer (Evocations), born in Marion, Massachusetts (d. 1971)
  • 1876 David Wijnkoop, Dutch revolutionary socialist, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1941)
  • 1879 Justus Hermann Wetzel, German composer, born in n Kyritz, Germany (d. 1973)
  • 1879 Niels Bjerrum, Danish chemist (ph tests), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1958)
  • 1880 Harry H. Laughlin, American eugenecist (d. 1943)
  • 1884 Jan Lemaire, Dutch writer and actor (Village by the River, Beautiful Juliet), born in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (d. 1982)
  • 1884 Lewi Pethrus, Swedish politician (d. 1974)

Malcolm Campbell (1885-1948)

British motor racer (world land and water speed record holder), born in London, England

  • 1887 Raoul Walsh, American film director (Thief of Baghdad, Battle Cry), (d. 1980)
  • 1890 Vannevar Bush, American engineer and science administrator (developed 1st electronic analogue computer), born in Everett, Massachusetts (d. 1974)

Shemp Howard (1895-1955)

American actor and comedian (3 Stooges), born in Brooklyn, New York

  • 1897 Dick Tyldesley, English cricket spin bowler (7 Tests, 19 wickets, BB 3/50; Lancashire CCC), born in Westhoughton, England (d. 1943)
  • 1897 Henry Dixon Cowell, American composer (New Musical Resources), born in Menlo Park, California (d. 1965)
  • 1898 (Irving Milford) "Miff" Mole, American jazz trombonist, and composer (Red Nichols and His Five Pennies - "Slippin' Around"; Sophie Tucker), born in Roosevelt, Long Island, New York (d. 1961)
  • 1898 Dorothy Gish, American film actress (Orphans of the Storm), born in Massillon, Ohio (d. 1968)
  • 1899 Frederick IX, King of Denmark (1947-72), born at Sorgenfri Palace, Denmark (d. 1972)
  • 1902 Josef Martin Bauer, German writer and director (As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me), born in Taufkirchen, Germany (d. 1970)
  • 1903 Dorothy Schiff, American owner and publisher (NY Post), born in NYC, New York (d. 1989)
  • 1903 George Dickinson, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 8 wickets; Otago, Wellington) and rugby union five-eighth (NZ 5 x tour matches; Otago RFU), born in Dunedin, New Zealand (d. 1978)

James Franklin Hyde (1903-1999)

American inventor who created silica, born in Solvay, New York

  • 1903 Lawrence Welk, American accordionist and orchestra leader (Lawrence Welk Show), born in Strasburg, North Dakota (d. 1992)
  • 1903 Ronald Syme, New Zealand classicist and historian, born in Eltham, New Zealand (d. 1989)
  • 1904 Cornelis Jan Bakker, Dutch nuclear physicist (Director of CERN), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1960)
  • 1905 Gilroy Roberts, American sculptor (Chief Engraver of the US Mint, 1948-64), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1992)
  • 1906 Hasan Ferit Alnar, Turkish composer, born in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire (d. 1978)
  • 1906 Zino Davidoff, Ukrainian businessman, born in Novhorod-Siversky, Ukraine (d. 1994)
  • 1907 Eleni Gatzoyiannis, Greek heroine (subject of "Eleni" by son Nicholas Gage about how she saved her children) (d. 1948)
  • 1907 Helmuth James von Moltke, German jurist who opposed the Nazis (July 20th plot), born in Kreisau, Germany (d. 1945)
  • 1907 Jessie Matthews, British actress (Gangway, First a Girl), born in London, England (d. 1981)
  • 1910 Robert Havemann, German chemist and dissident, born in Munich, Germany (d. 1982)
  • 1911 Alan Gifford [John Lennox], American actor (Time Lock, 2001: A Space Odyssey), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1989)
  • 1911 Fitzroy Maclean, 1st Baronet, Scottish adventurer, soldier, writer and politician who was an inspiration for Ian Flemings James Bond, born in Cairo, Khedivate of Egypt, Ottoman Empire (d. 1996)
  • 1912 Robert Clifford Latham, English Pepys scholar, born in Audley, England (d. 1995)
  • 1912 Xavier Montsalvatge, Spanish composer (El gato con botas), born in Girona, Spain (d. 2002)
  • 1913 John Jacob Weinzweig, Canadian composer (The Enchanted Hill; Red Ear Of Corn), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2006)
  • 1913 Thomas Gray, English pioneering anaesthetist, born in Liverpool, England (d. 2008)
  • 1915 J. C. R. Licklider, American computer scientist and Internet pioneer (d. 1990)
  • 1915 Karl Krolow, German poet and translator, born in Hannover (d. 1999)
  • 1915 Vijay Hazare, Indian cricket batsman and captain (30 Tests, 7 x 100, HS 164no; Maharashtra, Central India, Baroda, Holkar), born in Sangli, India (d. 2004)
  • 1916 Ezra Jack Keats, children's literature author (d. 1983)

Harold Wilson (1916-1995)

British Prime Minister (Labour: 1964-70, 1974-76), born in Huddersfield, England

  • 1917 Robert L Carter, Caryville, Florida, American civil rights activist and judge (Brown v. Board of Education, NAACP v. Alabama) (d. 2012)
  • 1919 Mercer Ellington, son of Duke Ellington, American composer, and bandleader, born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1996)
  • 1920 D J Enright, England, poet/novelist (Some Men are Brothers)
  • 1920 Henry Marking, CEO (British Airways)
  • 1920 Kenneth Dover, chancellor (St Andrews University)
  • 1921 Astor Piazzolla, Argentinian banodeonist, and composer (Tango Nuevo), born in Mar del Plata, Argentina (d. 1992)
  • 1921 F. M. Busby, American sci-fi author (Star Rebel)
  • 1921 Frank Harary, American mathematician (d. 2005)
  • 1922 Abdul Razak bin Hussain, premier of Malaysia (1970-77)
  • 1922 Cornelius Castoriadis, Greek philosopher and economist, born in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (d. 1997)
  • 1922 José Luis López Vázquez, Spanish actor, director and comedian (La Cabina, Travels With My Aunt), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2009)
  • 1922 Thom Kelling, Dutch singer, guitarist, and bandleader (Programa de Manha), born in 's-Gravenhage, Netherlands (d. 1968)

Vinnette Carroll (1922-2002)

American actress and 1st African-American woman to direct on Broadway (1972: Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope), born in NYC, New York

  • 1923 Ad[rianus C] de Besten, Dutch literary (River Basin)
  • 1923 Alexander Xaver Gwerder, Swiss writer, born in Thalwil, Zurich (d. 1952)

Louise Brough (1923-2014)

American tennis player (Wimbledon 1948-50, 55), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

  • 1923 Morschi Mirando [Thomas Weiss], German/Dutch gypsy artist
  • 1923 Terence Alexander, English actor (Bergerac), born in London, England (d. 2009)
  • 1925 James Miskin, QC/recorder of London
  • 1926 Adrienne Keith Cohen, travel editor
  • 1926 Ilhan Mimaroglu, Turkish electronic music composer and musician, born in Istanbul, Turkey (d. 2012)
  • 1926 Patricia Tindaole, England, architect

Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990)

American civil rights leader (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), born in Linden, Alabama

  • 1926 Thomas Starzl, American surgeon, performed 1st successful liver transplant, born in Le Mars, Iowa (d. 2017)
  • 1927 Alan Betts, emeritus professor (Royal Veterinary College)
  • 1927 Raymond Jackson [Jaki], British cartoonist
  • 1927 Robert Mosbacher, US politician(?)
  • 1927 Ron Todd, British trade unionist
  • 1928 Albert Salmi, American stage and screen character actor (Caddyshack; The Brothers Karamazov; Bus Stop), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1990)
  • 1928 Peter Roger Hunt, English director (Dr No), born in London, England
  • 1929 Erskine Childers, Irish writer and United Nations civil servant official, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1996)
  • 1929 Jackie McGlew, South African cricket batsman (34 Tests, 7 x 100, HS 255no; Natal), born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (d. 1998)
  • 1929 Józef Zapędzki, Polish sport shooter (Olympic gold 25m rapid fire pistol 1968, 72), born in Rokitno, Poland (d. 2022)
  • 1929 Timothy Carey, American actor (Paths of Glory, The Killing), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1994)
  • 1930 Bobby Winkles, American College Baseball Hall of Fame coach (Arizona State University) and manager (California Angels, Oakland A's), born in Tuckerman, Arkansas (d. 2020)
  • 1930 David Gentleman, designer/painter
  • 1931 Colin Jillings, New Zealand thoroughbred horse trainer (W. S. Cox Plate 1993 The Phantom Chance; 4 x Auckland Cup winners; 5 x NZ Derby winners), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2022)
  • 1931 Peter Walters, CEO (Midland Bank)

Rupert Murdoch (92 years old)

1931 Australian-born American media mogul (NY Post, News of the World, FOX-TV), born in Melbourne, Victoria

  • 1932 Leroy Jenkins, American jazz violinist, avant-garde jazz and contemporary classical composer, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2007)
  • 1932 Nigel Lawson, British journalist and politician (UK Chancellor 1983-89 reformed tax laws), born in London, England (d. 2023) [1]
  • 1932 Valerie French, British actress (Jubal), born in London, England (d. 1990)
  • 1933 Saïd Amara, Algerian soccer midfielder (5 caps; Strasbourg, Béziers, Bordeaux) and manager (Algeria), born in Saïda, Algeria (d. 2020)
  • 1933 Terry J Hatter Jr, American judge in California
  • 1934 George Stamatoyannopoulos, Greece, medical genetics researcher
  • 1934 Joep Straesser, Dutch composer (Blossom songs, Ramasasiri), born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (d. 2004)
  • 1934 Sam Donaldson, ABC White House correspondent (Prime Time), born in El Paso, Texas
  • 1934 Sydney Burke, South African cricket fast bowler (2 Tests; 11-196 on Test debut v NZ 1961), born in Pretoria, South Africa
  • 1935 Sandra Milo, Italian actress
  • 1936 Antonin Scalia, 105th Supreme Court Justice (1986-2016), born in Trenton, New Jersey (d. 2016)
  • 1937 Alexandra Zabelina, Russian fencer (Olympic gold USSR women's team foil 1960, 68, 72), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 2022)
  • 1937 Carlos Larrañaga, Spanish actor
  • 1937 John Ward, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper (8 Tests; 17 dismissals), born in Timaru, New Zealand (d. 2021)
  • 1937 Milan Vukcevich, Yugoslavian chemist and a grandmaster of chess problem composition, born in Belgrade, Serbia (d. 2003)
  • 1939 Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez, American Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winning Tex-Mex and conjunto accordionist (Texas Tornados), born in San Antonio, Texas [1]
  • 1939 Lorraine Hunt, American businesswoman, and former Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, born in Niagara Falls, New York
  • 1940 Alberto Cortez, Argentinian singer
  • 1940 Jon Gibson, American flute and saxophone player (Philip Glass Ensemble, 1968-2019), and composer (The Voyage of The Beagle), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2020)
  • 1942 Charles Swan, American actor
  • 1942 Peter Eyre, actor (Hedda)
  • 1944 Graham Lyle, Scottish singer-songwriter ("What's Love Got to Do with It"), born in Bellshill, Scotland
  • 1944 Ric Rothwell, British rock drummer (Mindbenders - "The Game of Love"), born in Reddish, Cheshire, England
  • 1944 Robert "Bobby" Lyle, American jazz pianist, born in Memphis, Tennessee
  • 1945 Dock Ellis, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1968-79, All-Star (Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, and 3 other teams), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2008)
  • 1945 Harvey Mandel, American rock guitarist (The Snake), born in Morton, Illinois
  • 1945 Timothy Mason, consultant (British Arts Council)
  • 1945 Tricia O'Neal, actress (Piranha Part II), born in Shreveport, Louisiana
  • 1946 Brigitte Fossey, French actress (Man Who Died Twice), born in Tourcoing France
  • 1947 Geoffrey Hunt, Australia, world-champion squash player
  • 1947 Mark Stein, American rock singer, Hammond organ and keyboard player, and songwriter (Vanilla Fudge - "You Keep Me Hanging On"), born in Bayonne, New Jersey
  • 1948 César Gerónimo, Dominican baseball player
  • 1948 Dominique Sanda [Varaigne], French actress (The Conformist, 1900, First Love), born in Paris, France
  • 1948 George Kooymans, Dutch rock singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Golden Earring - "Radar Love"), born in The Hague, Netherlands
  • 1948 Jan Schelhaas, English musician (Caravan, Camel), born in Liverpool
  • 1948 Roy Barnes, 80th Governor of Georgia
  • 1949 Richard de Bois, Dutch drummer/producer
  • 1950 Bobby McFerrin, American Grammy Award-winning vocalist ("Don't Worry Be Happy"), and classical music conductor, born in New York City
  • 1950 Jerry Zucker, American director (Airplane, Naked Gun), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • 1951 Katie Kissoon [Farthing], Trinidadian-British pop singer ("Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep"), and session and touring backing vocalist (Van Morrison; Eric Clapton; Roger Water; Mark Knopfler), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Douglas Adams (1952-2001)

English author (Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy), born in Cambridge, England

  • 1952 Susan Richardson, Coatesville Pa, actress (Susan-8 is Enough)
  • 1953 Bernie LaBarge, Canadian musician
  • 1953 Chet Catallo, American jazz guitarist (Spyro Gyra), born in Rochester, New York
  • 1953 Chuck Jackson, Canadian singer and harmonica player (Downchild, 1990-present; Cameo Blues Band, 1978-92), born in Toronto, Ontario
  • 1953 Jimmy Iovine, American record producer (Interscope Records), born in Brooklyn, New York
  • 1954 Gale Norton, 48th United States Secretary of the Interior
  • 1955 Catharina "Nina" Hagen, German punk rock singer, and actress (The Go-Blue Girl), born in East Berlin, East Germany
  • 1956 Curtis L Brown Jr, NC, astronaut (STS 47, STS 66, 77, 85, sk:95)
  • 1956 D. J. MacHale, American author and television writer
  • 1956 Rob Paulsen, American voice actor (Pinky and The Brain), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • 1957 Cheryl Lynn, American singer
  • 1957 Elena Donaldson-Akhmilovskaya, Leningrad, Soviet Union, Chess Grandmaster, (d. 2012)
  • 1957 Qasem Soleimani, Iranian major general of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, born in Kerman, Iran (d. 2020)
  • 1957 The Lady Chablis [Benjamin Knox], American transgender entertainer (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), born in Quincy, Florida (d. 2016)
  • 1958 Anissa Jones, American actress (d. 1976)
  • 1958 Flemming Rose, Danish journalist
  • 1958 Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, interim President of Iraq
  • 1958 Jim Pinkerton, American pundit
  • 1960 Christophe Gans, French film director
  • 1961 Bruce Watson, Canadian-Scottish rock guitarist, sitar and mandolin player (Big Country - "Wonderland"; "In A Big Country"), born in Timmons, Ontario
  • 1961 Elias Koteas, Canadian actor
  • 1961 Ken [Kenneth Sean Carson], American model & boyfriend of Barbie, born in El Segundo, California
  • 1961 Mike Percy, rocker (Dead or Alive-Spin Me Round)
  • 1961 Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ruler and President of the UAE (2022-), born in Al Ain, Trucial States
  • 1962 Jeffrey Nordling, American actor
  • 1962 Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, Somali diplomat and 9th President of Somalia (2017-present), born in Mogadishu, Somalia
  • 1962 Peter Berg, American film actor, director and producer
  • 1963 Alexandra "Alex" Kingston, British actress (Doctor Who, ER, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders), born in Epsom, Surrey, England
  • 1964 Emma Chambers, British actress (The Vicar of Dibley, Notting Hill), born in Doncaster, England (d. 2018)
  • 1964 Shane Richie, British actor (EastEnders, Flushed Away), born in Harlesden, London
  • 1964 Vinnie Paul, American drummer (Pantera), born in Abilene, Texas (d. 2018)
  • 1965 Andy Sturmer, American pop-rock singer, songwriter and producer (Jellyfish; Puffy AmiYumi), born in Los Angeles County, California
  • 1965 Jesse Jackson, Jr., American politician (US House of Representative from Illinois, 1995-2012), born in Greenville, South Carolina
  • 1965 Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, British interior designer and television host (Changing Rooms), born in Kensington, London, England
  • 1965 Wallace Langham, American actor (The Larry Sanders Show; CSI), born in Fort Worth, Texas
  • 1966 Joe Hachem, Australian poker player (first Australian to win World Series of Poker, 2005 record $7.5m), born in Lebanon
  • 1966 Pavel Petrovich Mukhortov, Russian cosmonaut
  • 1966 Stéphane Demol, Belgian soccer central defender (38 caps; Anderlecht, Bologna, Porto, Toulouse, Standard Liège), born in Watermael-Boitsfort, Belgium (d. 2023)
  • 1967 Andrew Zesers, Australian cricketer (1987 World Cup)
  • 1967 Bill Houlder, Thunder Bay, NHL defenseman (Tampa Bay Lightning)
  • 1967 Brad Carson, American politician
  • 1967 John Barrowman, Scottish-American actor, singer, presenter and writer (Captain Jack Harkness-Doctor Who), born in Glasgow, Scotland
  • 1967 Sergei Bautin, Belarusian ice hockey defenceman (Olympic gold Unified Team 1992; Winnipeg Jets, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks), born in Rahachow, Belarus (d. 2022)
  • 1968 Lisa Loeb, American Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter ("Stay (I Missed You)"), born in Bethesda, Maryland
  • 1969 Dan Lacroix, NHL left wing (NY Rangers), born in Montreal, Quebec
  • 1969 John Fina, NFL offensive tackle (Buffalo Bills)