On This Day

Famous Birthdays on May 30

  • 1010 Emperor Renzong of China, Emperor of the Song dynasty (d. 1063)

Alexander NevskyAlexander Nevsky (1220-1263)

Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Vladimir, considered the key figure in medieval Rus (1252-63), born in Pereslavl-Zalessky, Vladimir-Suzdal (now Russia)

Alexander Nevsky
  • 1423 Georg von Purbach, Austrian mathematician and astronomer (best known for his streamlined presentation of Ptolemaic astronomy in the Theoricae Novae Planetarum), born in Peuerbach, Austria (d. 1461)
  • 1578 Valentin Dretzel, German composer, born in Nuremberg, Germany (d. 1658)
  • 1623 John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, English politician (d. 1686)
  • 1623 Wallerant Vaillant, French painter and engraver, born in Lille, France (d. 1677)
  • 1653 Claudia Felicitas of Austria, Empress consort of Germany, born in Florence, Tuscany (d. 1676)
  • 1664 Giulio Alberoni, Spanish-Italian minister and cardinal, born in Piacenza, duchy of Parma (d. 1752)
  • 1718 Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire, British politician, born in Fairford, Gloucestershire (d. 1793)

Henry AddingtonHenry Addington (1757-1844)

1st Viscount Sidmouth, British Prime Minister (Tory: 1801-04), born in London

Henry Addington
  • 1797 Johann Christian Lobe, German composer, born in Weimar, Germany (d. 1881)
  • 1800 Karl Wilhelm Feuerbach, German mathematician (Position of Feuerbach), born in Jena, Saxe-Weimar, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1834)
  • 1808 Joaquim Casimiro Jr., Portuguese composer, born in Lisbon (d. 1862)
  • 1812 John Alexander McClernand, American politician and Major General (Union Army), born in Breckinridge County, Kentucky (d. 1900)
  • 1814 Eugène Charles Catalan, French-Belgian mathematician (worked on continued fractions, descriptive geometry, number theory and combinatorics), born in Bruges, Belgium (d. 1894)
  • 1819 William McMurdo, British army officer (d. 1894)
  • 1820 Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, French Canadian politician (1st Premier of Quebec), born in Charlesbourg, Quebec (d. 1890)
  • 1829 Levin Goldschmidt, German business law expert, born in Gdańsk, Poland (d. 1897)
  • 1830 Edward Winslow Hinks, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Bucksport, Maine (d. 1894)
  • 1832 George Doherty Johnston, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Hillsborough, North Carolina (d. 1910)
  • 1835 Alfred Austin, English poet laureate of England (Garden), born in Headingley, Yorkshire, England (d. 1913)
  • 1844 Louis Varney, French composer, born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1908)
  • 1845 Amadeus/Amadeo I, duke of Aosta and King of Spain (1870-73), born in Turin, Italy (d. 1890)
  • 1846 Peter Carl Fabergé, Russian goldsmith and jeweler (famous for Fabergé eggs), born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (d. 1920)
  • 1847 Alice Stopford Green, Irish historian and proponent of Irish independence, born in Kells, Ireland (d. 1929)
  • 1853 Andries Andre, Dutch actor and husband of Geertruida Meeuwissen (Trumpeter-Major) (d. 1890)
  • 1853 Karl Valentin, Swedish composer, born in Gothenburg, Sweden (d. 1918)
  • 1859 Pierre Janet, French psychologist and neurologist (contributed to the modern concept of mental and emotional disorders involving anxiety, phobias, and other abnormal behaviour), born in Paris (d. 1947)
  • 1867 Arthur Vining Davis, American industrialist and CEO (Alcoa-1910-57), born in Sharon, Massachusetts (d. 1962)
  • 1871 Amos Rusie, American Baseball HOF pitcher (Triple Crown & NL wins leader 1894; 5 × NL strikeout leader; pitched no-hitter 1891; NY Giants), born in Mooresville, Indiana (d. 1942)
  • 1871 Olga Engl, Austrian actress (Phantom), born in Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (d. 1946)
  • 1875 Giovanni Gentile, Italian philosopher (The Doctrine of Fascism), born in Castelvetrano, Italy (d. 1944)
  • 1878 Mike Donlin, American baseball player (NY Giants), born in Peoria, Illinois (d. 1933)
  • 1879 Colin Blythe, English cricketer (outstanding slow lefty pre-WWI), born in Deptford (d. 1917)
  • 1881 Georg von Küchler, German field marshal and WWII war criminal, born in Schloss Philippsruh, German Empire (d. 1968)
  • 1882 Wyndham Halswelle, Scottish runner (Olympic gold 1908), born in London (d. 1915)
  • 1883 Riccardo Zandonai, Italian composer, born in Borgo Sacco, Rovereto, Austria-Hungary (d. 1944)
  • 1886 Randolph Bourne, American writer (Education and Living), born in Bloomfield, New Jersey (d. 1918)
  • 1887 Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian-American sculptor and lithographer, born in Kyiv, Russian Empire (d. 1964)
  • 1887 Gino Tagliapietra, Italian pianist and composer (Antologia di musica antica e moderna per pianoforte), born in Ljubljana, Slovenia (d. 1954)
  • 1888 James A Farley, postmaster general (1932-38)
  • 1891 Iman J van den Bosch, Belgian resistance fighter
  • 1892 Fernando Amorsolo, Filipino painter (d. 1972)
  • 1894 Hubertus J van Mook, Dutch minister of Colonies (1942-45)
  • 1895 Maurice Tate, English cricket all-rounder (39 Tests, 155 wickets, 1 x 100, 5 x 50), born in Brighton, England (d. 1956)
  • 1896 Howard Hawks, American director and producer (Rio Bravo, Scarface), born in Goshen, Indiana (d. 1977)
  • 1899 Irving Thalberg, American film producer (MGM), born in Booklyn, New York (d. 1936)
  • 1901 Cornelia Otis Skinner, Chic, writer (When Our Hearts Were Young & Gay)
  • 1902 Seton Lloyd, English Archaeologist (Arzawa civilization, Turkey), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1996)
  • 1902 Stepin Fetchit [Lincoln Perry], American actor (Miracle in Harlem) 1st African American film star, born in Key West, Florida (d. 1985)
  • 1903 Countee Cullen, African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance (The Black Christ; Copper Sun), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1946) [1]
  • 1903 Ray Howard-Jones, artist
  • 1904 Ernesto de la Guardia Jr, President of Panama (1956-60)
  • 1906 Bruno Gröning, German faith healer (d. 1959)
  • 1907 Elly Beinhorn, German pilot (d. 2007)
  • 1907 Germaine Tillion, French anthropologist, member of French Resistance (d. 2008)
  • 1908 Mel Blanc, American voice actor, comedian best known for his Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons (Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd & Porky Pig), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1989)

Benny GoodmanBenny Goodman (1909-1986)

American clarinetist and bandleader (King of Swing), born in Chicago, Illinois

Benny Goodman

George HeadleyGeorge Headley (1909-1983)

West Indies cricket batsman (22 Tests; 2,190 runs @ 60.83; 10 x 100), born in Colón, Panama

George Headley
  • 1910 Inge Meysel, German actress (None, Ida Rogalski), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2004)
  • 1911 Douglas Fowley, American actor (Singin' in the Rain, Pistols 'n' Petticoats), born in NYC, New York (d. 1998)
  • 1912 Alexander Langsdorf, physicist
  • 1912 Hugh Griffith, Welsh actor (Ben-Hur, Mutiny on the Bounty, Oliver!), born in Marian Glas, Anglesey, Wales (d. 1980)
  • 1912 Joseph Stein, American dramatist and playwright (Fiddler on the Roof), born in NYC, New York (d. 2010)
  • 1912 Julian Gustave Symons, writer
  • 1913 Cedric Thorpe Davie, British composer of film scores and pedagogue (The Green Man; St. Andrews University), born in Lewisham, London (d. 1983)
  • 1914 Bobby Sherwood, American orchestra leader (Milton Berle Show), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1981)
  • 1915 Jerome Bert Weisner, military scientist/disarmer
  • 1915 Larry Kelley, American College Football Hall of Fame tight end (Heisman Trophy 1936; Unanimous All-American 1936; Yale), born in Hightstown, New Jersey (d. 2000)
  • 1916 Joseph W Kennedy, American chemist (Manhattan Project; 1 of 4 discoverers of plutonium), and educator, born in Nacogdoches, Texas (d. 1957)
  • 1918 Bob Evans, American restaurateur (d. 2007)
  • 1918 Guadalupe "Pita" Amor, Mexican poet (d. 2000)
  • 1919 René Barrientos, President of Bolivia (d. 1969)
  • 1920 George London, bass-baritone (Monterone-Rigoleto), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1985)
  • 1920 John Heawood, Canadian actor, singer and choreographer (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), born in Canada (d. 1995)
  • 1922 Hal Clement [Harry Clement Stubbs], US sci-fi author (Needle, Iceworld), born in Somerville, Massachusetts
  • 1923 James "Jimmy" Lydon, American actor (Twice Blessed, Life with Father), born in Harrington Park, New Jersey
  • 1924 Armando Peraza, Cuban jazz, Latin jazz, and rock percussionist (George Shearing; Cal Tjader; Santana, 1972-90), born in Lawton Batista, Havana, Cuba (d. 2014) [birth year disputed]
  • 1924 Norbert Schemansky, American weightlifter (Olympic gold heavyweight 1952, silver 1948, bronze 1960, 64), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2016)
  • 1925 Claude Prey, French composer, born in Fleury sur Andelle (d. 1998)
  • 1925 Eddy Bruma, Suriname politician
  • 1925 Gerard John Toorenaar, political commissar in Amsterdam (1975-79)
  • 1926 Christine Jorgensen, pioneer transsexual (born George William Jorgensen, Jr)
  • 1926 Edouard Van Remoortel, Belgian conductor (1958-62 St Louis Symphony), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1977)
  • 1926 James Whitman McLamore, businessman
  • 1927 Dick Noel, American TV host (It's a Small Wonder), born in Brooklyn, New York
  • 1927 Evelyn Wesler Zemel, American author (American Glass Animals)
  • 1927 Norman "Clint" Walker, American actor (Kodiak, Cheyenne, Dirty Dozen), born in Hartford, Illinois
  • 1928 Agnès Varda, Belgium-born French director (Vagabond), born in Ixelles, Belgium (d. 2019)
  • 1928 Glyn Moses, Welsh rugby league fullback (2 caps Wales. 9 Great Britain; Salford, St. Helens), born in Nant-y-Moel, Wales (d. 2021)
  • 1928 Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch harpsichordist, organist and conductor, born in 's-Graveland, Netherlands (d. 2012)
  • 1928 John Keith Wright, English economist, Assistant Secretary of State (1971-84)
  • 1928 Pro Hart, Australian artist (d. 2006)
  • 1929 Don Laws, American figure skater and coach (Scott Hamilton, Patrick Chan, Tiffany Chin), born in Washington, D.C.. (d. 2014)
  • 1929 Michael Mellinger, German actor (Goldfinger; The Bourne Identity), born in Kochel, Bavaria (d. 2004)
  • 1930 David Evatt Tunley, Australian composer, born in Australia
  • 1930 Mark Birley, British nightclub owner (d. 2007)
  • 1930 Robert Ryman, American painter
  • 1932 Pauline Oliveros, composer (Sound Patterns), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2016)
  • 1932 Seppo Nummi, Finnish composer and music critic, born in Oulu, Finland (d. 1981)
  • 1933 Sid Mark [Fliegelman], American disc jockey and 'Frank-ophile' (The Sounds of Sinatra, 1960-2022), born in Camden, New Jersey (d. 2022)

Alexey LeonovAlexey Leonov (88 years old)

1934 Russian cosmonaut (Voskhod 2, first person to walk in space), born in Listvyanka, Soviet Union (d. 2019)

Alexey Leonov
  • 1934 Alketas Panagoulias, Greek footballer and coach (d. 2012)
  • 1935 Bill Mallory, College Football coach (Miami, Colorado, Northern Illinois, Indiana), born in Sandusky, Ohio (d. 2018)
  • 1935 Ni Kuang, Hong Kong-American novelist and screenwriter (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), born in Shanghai, China (d. 2022) [1]
  • 1936 Keir Dullea, actor (2001, 2010, David & Lisa), born in Cleveland, Ohio
  • 1936 Roy Harford, New Zealand cricket wicket keeper (3 Tests, 11 dismissals; Auckland), born in London, England
  • 1936 Ruta Lee, actress (Operation Eichmann, Marjorie Morningstar)
  • 1937 Arthur C. Jacobs, Scottish poet, born in Glasgow (d. 1994)
  • 1937 George Zweig, Russian-American physicist (Quark model), born in Moscow, Soviet Union
  • 1938 Lone Koppel, Danish operatic soprano (Danish Royal Theatre, 1962-93) and avant garde rock singer (Savage Garden), born in Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 1939 Dieter Quester, Austrian racing driver, born in Vienna, Austria
  • 1939 Michael J Pollard [Pollack], American character actor (Bonnie & Clyde; Roxanne), born in Passaic, New Jersey (d. 2019)
  • 1940 David Ackroyd, actor (I Come in Peace, Memories of Me), born in Orange, New Jersey
  • 1942 Dan Miller, American politician (Rep-R-Florida 1993-2003), born in Highland Park, Michigan
  • 1943 Francesco Rizzo, Italian soccer midfielder (2 caps; Cagliari, ACF Fiorentina, Bologna FC, Genoa CFC), born in Rovito, Italy (d. 2022)

Gale SayersGale Sayers (1943-2020)

American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback, 4X Pro Bowl, 2X NFL rushing leader (Chicago Bears), and source for the TV movie "Brian's Song", born in Wichita, Kansas [1]

Gale Sayers
  • 1943 Leon Burtnett, American college football coach (Purdue University 1982-86; Big Ten Coach of the Year 1984), born in Fresno, California (d. 2021)
  • 1944 Lenny Davidson, British rock guitarist (Dave Clark Five - "Glad All Over"), born in London, England
  • 1945 Barry Clifford, American underwater explorer (discovered 1st verified pirate shipwreck the Whydah), born in Hyannis, Massachusetts
  • 1945 Gladys Horton, American pop singer (The Marvelettes - "Please Mr. Postman"; "Too Many Fish In The Sea"), born in Gainesville, Florida (d. 2011) [or 1944]
  • 1945 Meredith MacRae, actress (Petticoat Junction, My 3 Sons), born in Houston, Texas
  • 1945 Norman Eshley, English actor
  • 1945 Richard Divila, Brazilian motorsports designer (Fittipaldi Automotive; Ligier, Nissan), born in São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2020)
  • 1945 Steve Smith, American singer (Lawrence Welk Show), born in San Francisco, California
  • 1946 Candy Lightner, American political activist/founder (MADD), born in Pasadena, California
  • 1947 Jocelyne Bourassa, Canadian golfer (LPGA Rookie of the Year 1972; Canadian Open 1973), born in Shawinigan, Quebec (d. 2021)
  • 1947 Krishna Das [Jeffrey Kagel], American new age and kirtan vocalist, and record producer (All One), born in Long Island, New York
  • 1948 Michael Piller, American screenwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1949 Bob Willis, English cricket fast bowler and captain (90 Tests, 325 wickets; 64 ODIs; Surrey CCC, MCC, Warwickshire CCC, Northern Transvaal), born in Sunderland, County Durham, England (d. 2019)
  • 1949 P.J. Carlesimo, American basketball coach
  • 1950 Bertrand Delanoë, French politician
  • 1950 Paresh Rawal, Indian Bollywood actor (Woh Chokri, Woh Chokri), born in Bombay, India
  • 1951 Fernando Lugo, Paraguayan politician
  • 1951 Stephen Tobolowsky, Tx, actor (Single White Female, Thelma & Louise)
  • 1951 Zdravko Čolić, Yugoslav-Bosnian singer, born in Sarajevo, FPR Yugoslavia
  • 1952 Alexander Toradze, Soviet Georgian-American concert pianist and music professor (University of Indiana, 1991-2017), born in Tbilisi, Georgia, USSR (d. 2022)
  • 1952 Zoltán Kocsis, Hungarian pianist, conductor and composer, born in Budapest (d. 2016)
  • 1953 Colm Meaney, actor (Star Trek Deep Space 9)

Brian KobilkaBrian Kobilka (67 years old)

1955 American physiologist who won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (G protein-coupled receptors), born in Little Falls, Minnesota

Brian Kobilka
  • 1955 Jake "The Snake" Roberts, American wrestler, born in Gainesville, Texas
  • 1955 Nicky "Topper" Headon, English drummer (Clash-Complete Control)
  • 1956 Allison Roe, New Zealand athlete (NYC Marathon, Boston 1981; Seoul 1982), born in Auckland, New Zealand
  • 1956 David-Maria Sassoli, Italian politician and journalist, European Parliament President (2019-22), born in Florence, Italy (d. 2022)
  • 1956 Jonathan Idema, Poughkeepsie, New York, torturer, kidnapper and con artist (d. 2012)
  • 1956 Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Greek politician (1st female President of Greece 2020-), born in Thessaloniki, Greece
  • 1957 Chris Van Jaarsveld, guitarist (Sleeze Beez)
  • 1957 Hervé Leroux, French fashion designer and founder of Hervé Léger fashion house, born in Bapaume, France (d. 2017)
  • 1958 Marie Fredriksson, Swedish singer (Roxette - Must Have Been Love), born in Össjö, Sweden (d. 2019)
  • 1958 Michael E Lopez-Alegria, Lt Cmdr/astro (STS 73, sk 92), born in Madrid, Spain
  • 1958 Steve Israel, American politician, member of the United States House of Representatives (D-New York)
  • 1958 Ted McGinley, actor (Love Boat, MWC, Dynasty), born in Newport Beach, California
  • 1959 Claudia Alexander, Canadian-born American NASA Scientist (led Galileo mission to Jupiter), born in Vancouver, British Columbia (d. 2015)
  • 1959 Frank Vanhecke, Belgian politician, born in Bruges, Belgium
  • 1960 Stephen "Tea Tower" Duffy, rocker (Lilac Time-Paradise Song)
  • 1961 Ella Arolovich, Leningrad USSR, model
  • 1961 Harry Enfield, English comedian and actor (Dermot-Men Behaving Badly, Saturday Live), born in Horsham, England
  • 1961 Ralph Carter, American actor (Michael Evans-Good Times), born in NYC, New York
  • 1962 Jan Gunnarsson, Swedish tennis star
  • 1962 John Alt, NFL tackle (KC Chiefs)
  • 1962 Kevin Eastman, American comic book creator
  • 1962 Tonya Pinkins, actress (Livia Frye-All My Children), born in Chicago, Illinois
  • 1963 Helen Patricia Sharman, Great Britain, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-12)
  • 1963 Nasrin Sotoudeh, Iranian human rights lawyer, born in Langarud, Iran
  • 1963 Sally Dyvenor [Whittaker], English actress (Coronation Street), born in Middleton, Lancashire, England
  • 1964 Andrea Montermini, Italian racing driver

Tom MorelloTom Morello (58 years old)

1964 American guitarist (Audioslave; Rage Against the Machine), born in NYC, New York

Tom Morello

Wynonna JuddWynonna Judd (58 years old)

1964 American country singer (The Judds), born in Ashland, Kentucky

Wynonna Judd
  • 1965 Billy Donovan Jr., American basketball head coach (Oklahoma City Thunder 2015-19; University of Florida, NCAA Cship 2006-07), born in Rockville Centre, New York
  • 1965 Tammy Parks, actress (Attack of 60' Centerfold), born in Rockville Centre, New York
  • 1965 Tyronne Stowe, NFL linebacker (Seattle Seahawks)
  • 1966 Gary Martin, cricket pace bowler (Zimbabwe ODI)
  • 1966 Stephen Malkmus, American songwriter, singer and guitarist (Pavement), born in Santa Monica, California
  • 1967 Martin Blunt, British rock singer (The Charlatans - "The Only One I Know"), born in West Midlands, England
  • 1968 Amy Fuller, American rower (World C'ship gold W 8+, 6 x silver; Olympic silver Coxless four 1992), born in Inglewood, California (d. 2023)
  • 1968 Kelley Armstrong, Canadian novelist (Women of the Otherworld), born in Sudbury, Ontario
  • 1968 Tim Burgess, English rock vocalist (Charlatans - "Only One I Know"), born in Salford, Lancashire, England
  • 1968 Zacarias Moussaoui, French citizen found guilty relating to September 11, 2001 attacks
  • 1970 Ness Wadia, Indian industrialist
  • 1970 Sam Rogers, NFL linebacker (Buffalo Bills)

Idina MenzelIdina Menzel (51 years old)

1971 American actress and singer, born in Queens, New York

Idina Menzel
  • 1971 Jiri Slegr, Jihlava Cze, NHL defenseman (Edmonton Oilers, Olympic gold 1998)
  • 1972 Anthony Cook, NFL defensive end/defensive tackle (Tenn Oilers)
  • 1972 Jeff Jones, NFL tackle (Detroit Lions)
  • 1972 Manny Ramirez, Dominican-American baseball outfielder (12 × MLB All-Star; World Series 2004 [MVP], 07; 9 × Silver Slugger Award; Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox), born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  • 1972 Soichiro Hoshi, Japanese seiyuu
  • 1973 Je'Rod Cherry, safety (New Orleans Saints)
  • 1973 Leigh Francis, British comedian
  • 1974 Big L [Lamont Coleman], American rapper (Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous), born in Harlem, New York (d. 1999)
  • 1974 Cee-Lo Green [Thomas Callaway], American Grammy winning singer-songwriter (Crazy, F*** You), reality TV judge (The Voice), record producer, and actor, born in Atlanta, Georgia
  • 1974 David Wilkie, Ellensburg, NHL defenseman (Montreal Canadiens)
  • 1974 Konstantinos Chalkias, Greek footballer
  • 1975 Andrew Farrell, English rugby league and union footballer
  • 1975 Marissa Mayer, American technology executive (CEO of Yahoo, designed Google home page), born in Wausau, Wisconsin
  • 1976 Magnus Norman, Swedish tennis player
  • 1976 Omri Hairi Katz, actor (Marshall Teller-Eerie Indiana), born in Los Angeles, California
  • 1977 Akwá, Angolan footballer
  • 1977 Rachael Stirling, British actress
  • 1978 Lyoto Machida, Brazilian mixed martial artist
  • 1979 Kugimiya Rie, Japanese seiyuu (voice actress)


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