Famous Birthdays on March 17

1231 Emperor Shijō of Japan (d. 1242)

James IV (1473-1513)

King of Scotland (1488-1513), born in Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598)

Japanese daimyō & warrior (Japan's second "great unifier"), born in Nakamura-ku, Japan

1578 Francesco Albana, Italian painter (Mary's Ascension), born in Bologna (d. 1660)
1628 Daniel van Papenbroeck, Flemish historian, born in Antwerp, Spanish Netherlands (d. 1714)
1664 Georg Österreich, German Baroque composer (founded the Bokemeyer collection), baptized in Magdeburg, Brandenburg-Prussia (now Germany) (d. 1735)
1665 Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, French harpsichordist, organist, singer, and composer (Les pièces de clavessin; Céphale et Procris), born in, Paris (d. 1729)
1675 Petrus Laurentius Wockenfuss, Polish composer, born in Bruskowo Wielkie, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (d. 1721)
1676 Thomas Boston, Scottish church leader (d. 1732)
1685 Jean-Marc Nattier, French portrait painter (painted Louis XV's court), born in Paris, France (d. 1766)
1695 Antoine Court, French minister and itinerant preacher in the Reformed church who restored Protestantism to France, born in Villeneuve-de-Berg, France (d. 1760)
1725 Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born American military and political leader (d. 1806)
1745 Nicolas Séjan, French organist and composer, born in Paris, France (d. 1819)
1746 Jan Dawid Holland, Polish composer, born in Sankt Andreasberg, Electorate of Saxony (now Germany) (d. 1827)
1754 Madame Roland [Marie-Jeanne Phlippon], French revolutionary (member of the Girondist faction), born in Paris, France (d. 1793)
1775 Ninian Edwards, American politician (Governor of Illinois Territory, 1809–1813; U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1818–1824; Governor of Illinois 1826–1830), born in Montgomery County, Maryland (d. 1833)
1777 Roger Brooke Taney, 5th Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court (Dred Scott decision), born in Calvert, Maryland (d. 1864)
1780 Thomas Chalmers, Scottish minister and 1st moderator (Free Church of Scotland 1843-47), born in Anstruther, Scotland (d. 1847)
1781 Dominique Jacques de Eerens, Dutch general and politician (Governor-General of Dutch East Indies 1836-40), born in Alkmaar, Dutch Republic (d. 1840)
1781 Ebenezer Elliott, British Poet. Know as the "Corn Law Rhymer'" (d. 1849)
1789 Edmund Kean, British Shakespearean tragic actor (Shylock), born in London, England (d. 1833)
1804 James Bridger, American scout, fur trader and mountain man par excellence, born in Richmond, Virginia (d. 1881)
1806 Norbert Rillieux, American chemical engineer and inventor (sugar refiner), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1894)
1820 Jean Ingelow, English poet (d. 1897)
1820 Patrick Edward Connor, Irish-American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland (d. 1891)
1826 Oskar Peschel, German geographer (classified men into seven races in his book "The Races of Man: and their geographical distribution"), born in Dresden (d. 1875)
1828 Patrick Cleburne, Irish -born American Major General (Confederate Army), born in Ovens, Ireland (d. 1864)
1832 Moncure Daniel Conway, American minister, abolitionist and writer (Life of Thomas Paine), born in Stafford County, Virginia (d. 1907) [1]
1832 Walter Quintin Gresham, American statesman, jurist, and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Lanesville, Indiana (d. 1895)

Gottlieb Daimler (1834-1900)

German engineer and inventor, designed 1st motorcycle, born in Schorndorf, Kingdom of Württemberg

1839 Josef Rheinberger, German organist, composer, and educator (Munich Conservatory, 1877-1901), born in Vaduz, Liechtenstein (d. 1901)
1846 Kate Greenaway, English artist known for her children's book illustrations (Under the Window), born in London (d. 1901)
1848 Horace Nicholl, British composer, born in Tipton, England (d. 1922)
1856 Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (d. 1910)
1862 Silvio Gesell, Belgian economist (d. 1930)
1863 Homer Plessy, American Creole shoemaker and civil rights pioneer (plaintiff in landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson 1896), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1925)
1866 Pierce Butler, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1939)
1870 Horace Donisthorpe, British entomologist (d. 1951)
1872 Douglas Carr, England cricket spin bowler (1 Test, 7 wickets; Kent CCC), born in Cranbrook, England (d. 1950)
1872 Willie Quaife, British cricketer (England batsman 1899-1902; 7 Tests for England, 228 runs), born in Newhaven, East Sussex, England (d. 1951)
1873 Margaret Bondfield, British politician and 1st British female cabinet minister (1929-31), born in Chard, Somerset (d. 1953)
1874 Kincsem, Hungarian horse that never lost a race, born in Kisbér, Hungary (d. 1877)
1874 Stephen Samuel Wise, American Rabbi and President of Zionist Org of America, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1949)
1876 Frederic Ayers, American composer, born in Binghamton, New York (d. 1926)
1877 Albert Hahn, Dutch political cartoonist (Het Volk), born in Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1918)
1880 Guillermo Uribe Holguin, Colombian composer, born in Bogotá, Colombia (d. 1971)
1880 Lawrence Oates, English army officer and Antarctic explorer (d. 1912)
1880 Sir Patrick Hastings, British barrister (d. 1952)
1881 Kristian Elster, Norwegian author (Less bror Harris), born in Trondheim, Norway (d. 1947)
1881 Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
1883 Urmuz, Romanian writer (d. 1923)
1884 Alcide Nunez, American jazz clarinetist, born in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (d. 1934)
1886 Princess Patricia of Connaught, British princess (d. 1974)
1888 Frank Buck, American actor (Africa Screams, Tiger Queen, Tiger Fangs), born in Gainesville, Texas (d. 1950)
1888 Paul Ramadier, French politician (d. 1961)
1890 Harold Morris, American composer, born in San Antonio Texas (d. 1964)
1892 Sayed Darwish, Egyptian singer & songwriter, "father of Egyptian popular music" (Ana Haweet), born in Kôm el-Dikka, Alexandria (d. 1923)
1894 Paul Green, American novelist and playwright (In Abraham's Bosom), born in Lillingotn, North Carolina (d. 1981)
1897 Jozef C. Mazur, American stained glass artist and painter (d. 1970)
1900 Alfred Newman, American film music arranger, conductor and composer, winner of 9 Academy Awards (The Robe; How The West Was Won; Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1970)

Eisaku Satō (1901-1975)

Prime Minister of Japan (1963-72) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1974), born in Tabuse, Yamaguchi, Japan

1901 Piotr Perkowski, Polish composer, born in Oweczacze (now Druzhne), Ukraine (d. 1990)

Bobby Jones (1902-1971)

American golfer, course designer (13 major titles, Grand Slam 1930), born in Atlanta, Georgia

1904 Patrick Hamilton, English author and playwright (Gaslight, Rope), born in Hassocks, England (d. 1962)
1906 Brigitte Helm [Gisele Eve von Kuenheim], German actress (Gloria, Gold, Metropolis), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1996)
1906 Michael O'Shea, American actor (It's a Great Life, Lady of Burlesque), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 1973)
1906 Tamara Geva, Russian-born dancer and actress, born in St. Petersburg (d. 1997)
1907 Jean Van Houtte, Belgian politician (Prime Minister of Belgium, 1952-56; Finance Minister, 1950-52 and 1958-61), born in Ghent, Belgium (d. 1991)
1907 Sonny Werblin, former owner of the New York Jets (d. 1991)
1908 Boris Polevoy, Russian journalist and writer, born in Moscow, Russian Empire (d. 1981) [OS=Mar 4]
1908 Radie Britain, American composer, born near Silverton, Texas (d. 1994)
1909 Lovie Lee [Edward Lee Watson], American electric blues pianist, singer, and songwriter, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee (d. 1997)
1909 Patrick Reilly, British diplomat (ambassador to Paris and Moscow, stopped Kim Philby becoming head of UK Secret Service), born in Ooty, British India (d. 1999) [1]

Bayard Rustin (1910-1987)

American civil rights leader (March on Washington organizer, Social Democrats USA), born in West Chester, Pennsylvania

1911 Raffaele d'Alessandro, Swiss pianist, organist, and composer, born in St. Gallen, Switzerland (d. 1959)

Sammy Baugh (1914-2008)

American College/Pro Football quarterback (TCU; NFL C'ship 1937, 42; 4 × First-team All-Pro; 6 × Pro Bowl; 4 × NFL passing yards leader; Washington Redskins), born in Temple, Texas

1915 Hans Namuth, German-born photographer (Todos Santos, Guatemala), born in Essen, Germany (d. 1990)
1915 Henry Bumstead, American art director (d. 2006)
1915 William "Bill" Roycroft, Australian equestrian 3 day (Olympic bronze 1976), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2011)
1916 David Stafford-Clark, English psychiatrist, born in Bromley, Kent, England (d. 1999)
1916 Ray Ellington [Henry Pitts Brown], British drummer, bandleader, and singer (The Goon Show), born in Kensington, England (d. 1985)
1917 Brian Boydell, Irish composer, born in Howth, Ireland (d. 2000)
1918 Józef Franczak, Polish soldier and anti-communist resistance fighter who was the last cursed soldiers, born in Kozice Górne, Kingdom of Poland (d. 1963)
1919 Hank Sauer, American baseball left fielder (NL MVP, HR leader, RBI leader 1952; MLB All Star 1950, 52; Chicago Cubs), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2001)

Nat King Cole (1919-1965)

American jazz pianist and pop vocalist ("Unforgettable", "Mona Lisa"), born in Montgomery, Alabama

1920 John La Montaine, American composer (Pulitzer 1959), born in Oak Park, Illinois (d. 2013)
1920 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician (founding father of Bangladesh, Prime Minister and President of Bangladesh), born in Tungipara, British India (d. 1975)
1921 Donald Barron, Scottish accountant and CEO (Midland Bank), born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland (d. 2015)
1921 Mick Harvey, Australian cricketer (in Newcastle Brother of Neil Test umpire), born in Newcastle, Australia (d. 2016)
1922 Megan Bull, British head mistress (Holloway Jail)

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1922-1975)

Founding father of Bangladesh and 1st and 4th President of Bangladesh (1971-72 and 1975-76), born in Tungipara, Bengal Presidency, British India

1924 Stephen Dodgson, British composer, born in Chelsea, London, England (d. 2013)
1925 Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian film and stage actor
1926 Siegfried Lenz, German writer (Ein Kriegsende)
1927 Nancy Sheehan, writer
1927 Patrick Allen, British actor (Roman Holiday;Dial "M" for Murder), born in Nyasaland, Africa (d. 2006)
1927 Roberto Suazo Córdova, President of Honduras (1982-86), born in La Paz, Honduras (d. 2018)
1927 Sulkhan Nasidze, Georgian composer, born in Tiflis, Transcaucasia, Soviet Union (now Tblisi, Georgia) (d. 1996)
1928 Edino Krieger, Brazilian composer, born in Santa Catarina state (d. 2022)
1928 Eunice Gayson, British actress and 1st Bond Girl (Sylvia Trench- "Dr. No" and "From Russia With Love"), born in London (d. 2018) [1]
1928 William John McKeag, Canadian politician (d. 2007)
1930 James Irwin, American air force officer and NASA astronaut (Apollo 15, 8th person to walk on the moon), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1991)
1931 David Peakall, British scientist (d. 2001)
1931 Lorraine Ellison, American soul singer ("Stay with Me"; "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)"), and songwriter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1983)
1932 Dick Curless, American country music singer-songwriter (A Tombstone Every Mile), born in Fort Fairfield, Maine (d. 1995)
1932 Donald N. Langenberg, American physicist, born in Devil's Lake, North Dakota (d. 2019)
1933 Myrlie Evers-Williams, American civil rights activist (NAACP chair), born in Vicksburg, Mississippi
1933 Penelope Lively, British writer (Moon Tiger, The Ghost of Thomas Kempe), born in Cairo, Egypt
1934 Erhard Grosskopf, German avant-garde composer, born in Berlin, Germany
1934 Q T Macon, blues vocal/guitar
1935 (Patrick Henry} "Adam" Wade, American pop singer (The Writing On The Wall), actor (Kiss Me Goodbye), and 1st US Black game show host (Musical Chairs), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2022)
1935 Vladimir Popović, Serbian soccer midfielder (20 caps, Yugoslavia; Red Star Belgrade) and manager (Intercontinental Cup, Red Star Belgrade 1991), born in Belgrade, Serbia (d. 2020)
1936 Ken Mattingly, American USN naval officer, and NASA astronaut (Apollo 16; STS-4, -51-C), born in Chicago, Illinois
1936 Ladislaw Kupkovic, Slovak composer, born in Bratislava (d. 2016)
1936 Robert Daniel, American Republican Congressman for Virginia (1972-1983), born in Richmond, Virginia (d. 2012)
1937 Frank Calabrese [Frankie Breeze], American mafia hitman, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2012)
1937 Galina Samsova, Russian ballerina, born in Stalingrad, Soviet Union
1938 Fred Akers, American football coach (University of Wyoming; University of Texas, Austin; Purdue; career college record 108–75–3), born in Blytheville, Arkansas (d. 2020)
1938 Keith O'Brien, Scottish Catholic archbishop (St Andrews & Edinburgh), born in Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
1938 Rudolf Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer and choreographer (Kirov), born on a train near Irkutsk, Soviet Union (d. 1993)
1938 Zoletta "Zola" Taylor, American pop singer (The Platters, 1954-62 - "The Great Pretender"; "Only You"; "Twilight Time"), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2007)
1939 Jim Gary, American sculptor known for whimsical monumental art and sculptors of large, colorful dinosaurs made from discarded automobile parts, born in Sebastian, Florida (d. 2006)

Robin Knox-Johnston (84 years old)

1939 British yachtsman who completed the 1st single non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in 1969, born in London, England

1939 Shahid Mahmoud, Pakistani cricketer (opener scored 16 & 9 in only Pak Test)
1940 Mark White, American politician, lawyer, and 43rd Governor of Texas (1983-7), born in Henderson, Texas (d. 2017)
1941 Clarence Collins, American doo-wop singer (Imperials - "Tears On My Pillow"), born in Brooklyn, New York
1941 Edward Harper, English composer, born in Taunton, England (d. 2009)
1941 Paul Kantner, American rock singer and guitarist (Jefferson Airplane; Jefferson Starship), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2016)
1941 Wang Jin-pyng, Taiwanese politician
1942 Dimitris Poulikakos, Greek rock singer-songwriter (Exadaktylos; MGC), and actor, born in Athens, Greece

John Wayne Gacy (1942-1994)

American serial killer who killed 33 young men, born in Chicago, Illinois

1942 Sidney Barthelemy, American politician (Mayor of New Orleans), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
1943 Don Mitchell, American actor (Mark-Ironside), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2013)
1943 Jim Weatherly, American pop and country songwriter ("Midnight Train To Georgia"), born in Pontotoc, Mississippi (d. 2021)
1943 Tony Newman, English drummer (Sounds Incorporated, T.Rex), born in Southampton, England
1944 Cito Gaston, American MLB player and manager (Toronto Blue Jays), born in San Antonio, Texas
1944 John Sebastian, American singer (Loving Spoonful - "Summer In The City"; solo - "Welcome Back"), born in NYC, New York
1944 Pat McCauley, Northern Irish rock keyboardist and drummer (Them - "Here Comes The Night") (d. 1984)

Pattie Boyd (79 years old)

1944 English model, photographer and author who married both George Harrison and Eric Clapton (not at the same time), born in Taunton, England

1945 Elis Regina (Costa), Brazilian pop-samba-bossa nova singer ("Arrastão" - "Pull the Trawling Net"), born in Porto Alegre, Brazil (d. 1982)
1945 Michael Hayden, American general and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1946 Harold Brown, American rock drummer (War, 1969-94 - "Summer": "Low Rider"), born in Long Beach, California
1946 Michael Peter Finnissey, English composer, born in London, England
1947 Ian Gomm, British rock rhythm guitarist (Brinsely Schwarz, 1970-74 - Hooked On Love), and songwriter (Cruel To Be Kind), born in Chiswick, England
1947 James K. Morrow, American author (The Last Witchfinder), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1947 Jan Andersson, Swedish politician
1947 Yury Chernavsky, Russian-born Composer and Producer
1948 Alex MacDonald, Scottish Footballer and football manager
1948 Alexander Nelson Hood, 4th Viscount Bridport, British-born investment banker
1948 Fran Byrne, Irish musician (Ace), born in Dublin, Ireland
1948 Jessica Williams, American jazz pianist and composer (In the Key of Monk), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2022)
1948 Pat Lloyd, English rocker (The Equals), born in London, England
1948 Robert Braunwart, who added thousands of dates to this database
1948 William [Ford] Gibson, Canadian sci-fi author (Neuromancer, Count Zero)
1949 Pat Rice, Irish soccer defender and coach (49 caps; Arsenal, Watford), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
1949 Patrick Duffy, American actor (Dallas - "Bobby Ewing"; Man from Atlantis), born in Townsend, Montana
1950 Betty Dukes, American Walmart employee who fought against gender discrimination (2001 Betty Dukes v. Walmart lawsuit), born in Tallulah, Louisiana
1950 Michael Been, American musician (The Call), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 2010)
1951 Donald Findlay, Scottish lawyer, born in Cowdenbeath, Scotland

Kurt Russell (72 years old)

1951 American actor (Thing, Overboard, Mean Seasons), born in Springfield, Massachusetts

1951 Scott Gorham, American rock guitarist (Thin Lizzy - "Jailbreak"; "21 Guns"), born in Glendale, California
1952 Nikos Xydakis, Greek musician and composer
1953 Chuck Muncie, American football running back, (d. 2013)
1953 Filemon Lagman, Filipino communist revolutionary (d. 2001)
1954 Lesley-Anne Down, British actress and singer (A Little Night Music; Moonraker), born in London, England
1954 Rena Jones, American musician and producer
1955 Bill Beyers, American actor (Capitol - "Wally McCandless"), born in Lake Success, New York (d. 1992)
1955 Cynthia McKinney, American politician (Rep-D-Georgia, Green Party presidential candidate 2008), born in Atlanta, Georgia
1955 Gary Sinise, American actor (Apollo 13, CSI: NY, Forrest Gump), born in Blue Island Illinois
1955 Paul Overstreet, American country singer (Daddy's Come Around), born in Van Cleave, Mississippi
1956 Frank McGarvey, Scottish soccer forward (7 caps; Celtic, St Mirren) and manager (Queen of the South FC), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2023)
1956 Luca Francesconi, Italian classical and electronic music composer (Wanderer; Unexpected End of Formula), born in Milan, Italy
1956 Patrick McDonnell, American cartoonist (Mutts), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey
1956 Rory McGrath, British comedian, television personality, and writer (Who Dares Wins, They Think It's All Over), born in Redruth, Cornwall
1956 Will Rigby, American rock drummer and percussionist (The dB's)
1957 Hamish Kilgour. New Zealand drummer (The Clean - "Tally Ho!"), born in Christchurch, New Zealand (d. 2022)
1957 Mal Donaghy, Northern Irish footballer
1958 Pat Bolland, Canadian Broadcaster
1959 Christian Clemenson, American actor (Boston Leagal; CSI:Miami), born in Humboldt, Iowa
1959 Danny Ainge, American NBA basketball player (Boston Celtics, 1981-69; 3 other teams 1989-95), coach (Phoenix Suns, 1996-99), and executive (Boston Celtics, 2000-present)and MLB baseball (Toronto Blue Jays, 1979-81) player, born in Eugene, Oregon
1959 Mike Lindup, British rock keyboardist, singer, and songwriter (Level 42 - "Lessons In Love"; "Something About You"), born in London, England
1959 Paul Black [Marmorstein], American rock singer (L.A. Guns, 1985-87), and drummer, born in San Francisco, California
1960 Arye Gross, American actor (Ellen), born in Los Angeles, California
1960 Vicki Lewis, actress (Beth-Newsradio), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1961 Andrew Paul, English actor (The Bill), born in London, England
1961 Casey Siemaszko, American actor (Biloxi Blues, 3 O'Clock High), born in Chicago, Illinois
1961 Dana Reeve, American actress, wife of Christopher Reeve and activist (Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation), born in Teaneck, New Jersey (d. 2006)
1962 Clare Grogan, Scottish new wave singer (Altered Images - "Happy Birthday"), and actress (Gregory's Girl; Eastenders), born in Glasgow
1962 Janet Gardner, American rock singer, and rhythm guitarist (Vixen - "Rev It Up"), born in Juneau, Alaska
1962 Kalpana Chawla, Indian-American astronaut (1st woman of Indian origin into space, later died in Columbia disaster), born in Karnal, India (d. 2003)
1962 Roxy Petrucci, American rock drummer (Vixen - "Rev It Up'), born in Rochester, Michigan
1963 Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Chinese actor, born in Macau
1963 Michael Ivins, American rock bassist and keyboard player (The Flaming Lips, 1983-2021 - "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots"), born in Omaha, Nebraska
1963 Nick Peros, Canadian classical composer (Prayer of Consolation)
1963 Rebeca Arthur, American actress (Mary Anne-Perf Strangers, Opposites Attract), born in Cumberland, Maryland
1963 Roger Harper, Guyanese cricketer (West Indies off-spinner), born in Georgetown, Guyana
1964 Alex Shoumidoub, NHL goaltender (Belarus, Olympics 1998)
1964 Jacques Songo'o, Cameroonian football goalkeeper, born in Sackbayeme, Cameroon
1964 Lee Dixon, English footballer (Arsenal), born in Manchester, England
1964 Rob Lowe, American actor (St Elmo's Fire, The West Wing), born in Charlottesville, Virginia