Famous Birthdays on November 17

Vespasian (9-79 AD)

Roman Emperor (69-79 AD), born in Falacrina, Italy

331 Julian 'the Apostate', Roman Emperor (361-63) tried to re-instate paganism, born in Constantinople (d. 363)
1503 Il Bronzino, Italian Florentine painter in Mannerist style (Eleanor de Toledo & her Son), born in Florence (d. 1572)
1576 Roque Gonzales, Paraguayan missionary (d. 1628)
1594 Johan van Beverwijck, Dutch physician and writer (Treasure of Health) (d. 1647)
1612 Dorgon, Manchu prince, Prince-Regent for Shunzhi Emperor (introduced compulsory wearing of queues) (d. 1650)
1681 Pierre François le Courayer, French theologian (d. 1776)
1685 Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye, French Canadian trader and explorer of North Dakota and the upper Missouri River, born in Trois-Rivières, New France (d. 1749)
1690 Noel-Nicolas Coypel, French painter and cartoonist (d. 1734)
1729 Maria Antonietta of Spain, queen of Sardinia (d. 1785)
1752 Nicolas Appert, French inventor of airtight food preservation (food canning, bouillon tablet), born in Châlons-en-Champagne, France (d. 1841)

Louis XVIII (1755-1824)

1st post-revolutionary King of France (1814-24), born in Versailles, France

1765 Étienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald, French marshal (d. 1840)
1771 Jonathan Huntington, Early American composer, born in Windham, Connecticut (d. 1838)
1787 Michele Carafa, Italian opera composer (Le nozze di Lammermoor), born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples (now Italy) (d. 1872)
1790 August Ferdinand Möbius, German mathematician (d. 1868)
1794 George Grote, British historian (History of Greece), born in Clay Hill, England (d. 1871)
1794 John Barrien Montgomery, Commander (Union Navy), (d. 1873)
1799 Titian Peale, American artist and naturalist (American Ornithology), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1885)
1808 Alberich Zwyssig, Swiss monk and composer (Swiss psalm - Swiss National Anthem), born in Bauen, Switzerland (d. 1854)
1814 Joseph Finegan, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1885)
1816 August Wilhelm Ambros, Austrian Czech musicologist (History of Music), born in Vysoké Mýto, Bohemia (d. 1876)
1826 John McArthur, Scottish-American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Erskine, Scotland (d. 1906)
1827 Petko Slavejkov, Bulgarian writer (d. 1895)
1834 Stephen Hinsdale Weed, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Potsdam, New York (d. 1863)
1835 Andrew L. Harris, governor of Ohio (d. 1915)
1837 David Capriles, Curacaos director of psychiatry of Monte Christo, Curacao (d. 1902)
1837 Willem Coenen, Dutch composer and pianist, born in Rotterdam (d. 1918)
1854 Louis Lyautey, French general and colonial administrator (Indochina, Morocco) Minister of Defense (1916-17), born in Nancy, France (d. 1934)
1859 Gerhard Schjelderup, Norwegian opera composer and musicologist, born in Kristiansand, Norway (d. 1933)
1865 John Stanley Plaskett, Canadian astronomer (Plaskett's twins), born in Hickson, Ontario (d. 1941)
1866 Voltairine de Cleyre, American anarchist, writer and speaker, born in Leslie, Michigan (d. 1912)
1876 Baron Joseph van de Meulebroeck, Belgian politician, (mayor of Brussels, Belgium) (d. 1958)
1877 Frank Calder, British born Canadian ice hockey executive (first NHL President), born in Bristol, England (d. 1943)
1878 Grace Abbott, American social worker (US Children's Bureau), born in Grand Island, Nebraska (d. 1939)
1885 Henri de Man, Belgian sociologist and politician (chairman Belgian Workers Party), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1953)
1886 Crane Wilbur, American director and writer (Bat, Canon City, Yellow Cargo), born in Athens, New York (d. 1973)

Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976)

1st Viscount Alamein, British WWII Field Marshal (African campaign, D-Day) and WWI officer, born in London

1888 Ariantje "Jeanne" Leg, actress (It Vijgeblaadje, It Hippie), born (d. 1973)
1890 Jack Cusack, American pro football pioneer (Canton Bulldogs), born in Canton, Ohio (d. 1973)
1891 Guido Pannain Italian composer, born in Naples, Kingdom of Italy (d. 1977)
1891 Jean Del Val [Gautier], French actor (Sainted Devil, Flying Deuces), born in Reims, France (d. 1975)
1892 Max Deutsch, Austrian-French composer, born in Vienna (d. 1982)
1894 Eelco van Kleffens, Dutch minister of Foreign affairs (1939-46) and diplomat (d. 1983)
1894 Sophocles Venizelos, Greek politician, premier of Greece (1944, 50-51), born in Chania, Crete (d. 1964)
1895 Gregorio López y Fuentes, Mexican author (d. 1966)
1895 Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian philosopher, born in Oryol, Russian Empire (d. 1975)

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

Russian psychologist, born in Orsha, Russian Empire

1897 Eddie Baker, American actor (A Man About Town, Collars and Cuffs), born in Davis, West Virginia (d. 1968)
1897 Frank Fay, American vaudeville comedian and actor (God's Gift to Women, Love Nest), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1961)
1897 Sara Haden, American actress (A Family Affair), born in Galveston, Texas (d. 1981)
1899 Douglas Shearer, Canadian film sound engineer (d. 1971)
1899 Roger Vitrac, French poet and dramatist (Coup of Trafalgar), born in Pinsac, France (d. 1952)
1901 Joyce Wethered, British golfer (English Ladies' champion 1920–24), born in London, England (d. 1997)
1901 Lee Strasberg, Austrian acting coach and actor (The Godfather: Part II, Somewhere in the Night), born in Budzanów, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (d. 1982)
1901 Max Zehnder, Swiss composer, born in Turgi (d. 1972)
1901 Walter Hallstein, West German politician (CDU) (Hallstein doctrine, 1st President of the EU 1958-67)), born in Mainz, German Empire (d. 1982)
1902 Eugene Wigner, Hungarian-American physicist and mathematician (1963 Nobel Prize for Physics), worked on the Manhattan Project, born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary (d. 1995)
1903 Joseph Kaminski, Russian born Israeli composer, born in Odessa, Ukraine (d. 1972)
1904 Isamu Noguchi, Japanese American sculptor (1963 Fine Arts Medal, Noguchi table), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1988)
1904 L.F. "Jack" Owen, American blues singer and guitarist ("It Must've Been The Devil"), born in Bentonia, Mississippi (d. 1997)
1904 Salomėja Nėris [Salomėja Bačinskaitė - Bučienė], Lithuanian poet, born in Kiršai, Poland (d. 1945)
1905 Adam Ważyk [Adam Wagman], Polish poet and author (Eyes & Mouth), born in Warsaw, Russian Empire (d. 1982)
1905 Arthur Chipperfield, Australian cricketer (batsman & leggie 99 on Test debut), born in Ashfield, New South Wales (d. 1987)
1905 Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians, first wife of King Leopold III (1934-35), born in Arvfurstens palats, Stockholm, Kingdom of Sweden (d. 1935)
1905 Mischa Auer [Ounskowsky], Russian actor (My Man Godfrey), born in St Petersburg, Russia (d. 1967)
1906 Betty Bronson, American actress (Evel Knievel, One Stolen Night), born in Trenton, New Jersey (d. 1971)
1906 Soichiro Honda, Japanese engineer, founder and CEO of Honda Motor Co, born in Hamamatsu, Japan (d. 1991)
1907 Israel Regardie, English occultist, Aleister Crowley's secretary, born in London, England (d. 1985)
1909 Gerald Savory, British actor playwright and TV producer (Heart of the Matter), born in London, England (d. 1996)
1911 Charles Walters, American actor, choreographer and director (Lili, Easter parade), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1982)
1911 Christian Fouchet, French diplomat (d. 1974)
1911 Jimmy DeBerry, American blues guitarist, banjo player, and singer, born in Gumwood, Arkansas (d. 1985)
1911 Nobutaka Shikanai, Japanese media CEO (Fujisankei Communications Group), born in Hokkaido, Japan (d. 1990) [1]
1911 William Tannen, American actor (Jailhouse Rock, Sitting Bull), born in NYC, New York (d. 1976)
1914 Archie Campbell, American country recording artist, comedian, and writer (Hee Haw), born in Bullsgap, Tennessee (d. 1987)
1915 (Clarence) "Shorty" Cherock, American swing jazz and big band trumpeter (Jimmy Dorsey; Gene Krupa; Nelson Riddle), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 1980)
1916 Winson Hudson, American civil rights activist (rural Mississippi), born in Harmony, Mississippi (d. 2004)
1917 Jack Lescoulie, American TV host (Jackie Gleason Show), born in Sacramento, California (d. 1987)
1919 Hershy Kay, American composer (Olympic Hymn, A Chorus Line), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1981)
1919 Ludwig Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord, German journalist, born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1996)
1920 Camillo Felgen, Luxembourgish baritone pop and schlager singer ("Bonjour les amies" / "Hello Friends"), lyricist, translator ("I Want to Hold Your Hand" / ""Komm, gib mir deine Hand"'; She Loves You" / "Sie liebt dich"), and broadcaster, born in Tétange, Luxembourg (d. 2005)
1921 Albert Bertelsen, Danish painter
1922 Emile Noel, international civil servant
1923 Bert Sutcliffe, New Zealand cricket batsman (42 Tests, 5 x 100s, TS 230no; Otago CA), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2001)
1923 Mike Garcia, American baseball player (d. 1986)
1923 Robert Francis Vere Heuston, British professor of law
1925 Charles Mackerras, Australian conductor, born in Schenectady, New York (d. 2010)
1925 Colin Campbell Mitchell, soldier
1925 Libby Newman, painter/printmaker/curator

Rock Hudson (1925-1985)

American actor (Pillow Talk, A Farewell to Arms, Ice Station Zebra), born in Winnetka, Illinois

1927 Fenella Fielding, English actress (Carry On films), born in London (d. 2018)
1927 Robert Drasnin, American clarinetist, composer, and film and television music supervisor (CBS, 1977-91), born in Charleston, West Virginia (d. 2015)
1927 [Robin] "Robert" Brown, American actor (Here Come the Brides - "Jason"; Primus), born in Trenton, New Jersey
1928 Colin McDonald, Australian cricket batsman (47 Tests, 5 x 100s; Victoria), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2021)
1928 Ellis Hillman, British Labour party politician, lecturer, and writer (London Under London), born in London (d. 1996)
1928 John Sangster, Australian jazz composer (The Hobbit Suite), born in Sandringham, Australia (d. 1995)
1928 Rance Howard, American actor (Splash, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind), born in Duncan, Oklahoma (d. 2017)
1929 Edgar White, American yachtsman (Olympic gold 1952)
1929 Norm Zauchin, baseball player (d. 1999)
1929 Pieter A H Bos, Dutch lawyer/attorney general on Aruba
1929 Sumner White, US yachtsman (Olympic gold 1952), born in NYC, New York (d. 1988)
1930 Bob Mathias, American decathlete (Olympic gold 1948, 52) and congressman, born in Tulare, California (d. 2006)
1930 Brian Lenihan, snr, Irish politician and minister, born in Dundalk, County Louth (d. 1995)
1930 David Werner Amram, composer ("Splendor in the Grass"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1931 Wayne Andre, American jazz and session trombonist, born in Manchester, Connecticut (d. 2003)
1933 Alan Harrington, Welsh soccer defender (11 caps; Cardiff City 348 games), born in Penarth, Wales (d. 2019)
1933 Orlando Peña, Cuban baseball player
1934 Alan Curtis, American harpsichordist, musicologist and conductor, born in Mason, Michigan (d. 2015)
1934 Jim Inhofe, (Senator-R-Oklahoma 1995-, Rep-R-Oklahoma 1987-94), born in Des Moines, Iowa
1934 Marion Montgomery [Marian Runnells], American-British jazz singer ("Maybe the Morning"), born in Natchez, Mississippi, (d. 2002)
1935 Anton Sailer, Austrian skier (Olympic-3 golds-1956)
1935 Imrat Khan, Indian sitar and surbahar player and composer, born in Calcutta, British India (d. 2018)
1935 Roswell Rudd ,American free-jazz trombonist (Archie Shepp), and avant-garde composer. (New York Art Quartet), born in Sharon, Connecticut (d. 2017)
1935 Toni Sailer, Austrian alpine ski racer (Olympic gold Downhill, Giant slalom, Slalom 1956; 7 x World C'ship gold), born in Kitzbühel, Austria (d. 2009)
1936 Dahlia Ravikovitch, Israeli poet (d. 2005)
1937 Peter Edward Cook, Torquay England, actor/comedian (Bedazzled)
1938 Alvaro Leon Cassuto, composer

Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)

Canadian folk singer ("Sundown"; "The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald"), born in Orillia, Ontario

1938 Thomas Black, English industrial/auto collector
1939 Auberon Waugh, British author (d. 2001)
1940 Luke Kelly, Irish folk music singer and banjo player
1941 Peter Hoagland, American politician (Rep-D-Nebraska 1989-95), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 2007)
1942 Annemarie Oster, Dutch actress (Goede Tijden Slechte Tijden)
1942 Bob Gaudio, American pop-rock musician and songwriter (Four Seasons - "Sherry"; "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You"), born in The Bronx, New York
1942 Khang Khek Leu 'Comrade Dutch', Cambodian Khmer Rouge figure convicted of crimes against humanity, born in Choyaot village, Cambodia (d. 2020)

Martin Scorsese (80 years old)

1942 American film director (Raging Bull; Taxi Driver; The Last Waltz; Goodfellas; The Departed), born in Queens, New York

1943 Lauren Hutton [Mary], model/actress (American Gigolo), born in Charleston, South Carolina
1943 Richard Anthony Hewson, British musician, poducer, arranger, and conductor (RAH Band - "The Crunch"), born in Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside, England
1944 (Harold Eugene) Gene Clark, American singer-songwriter (The Byrds - "Eight Miles High"), born in Tipton, Missouri (d. 1991)

Danny DeVito (78 years old)

1944 American Emmy Award-winning actor (Taxi - "Louie"; Ruthless People; Twins; It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Frank"), born in Neptune Township, New Jersey

1944 Jim Boeheim, Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Syracuse; John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award 2006), born in Lyons, New York

Lorne Michaels (78 years old)

1944 Canadian TV producer, actor and comedy writer (Saturday Night Live), born in Toronto, Ontario

1944 Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect (Pritzker Prize - 2000), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands
1944 Sarolta Monspart, Hungarian orienteering competitor (first non-Scandinavian female to win World C'ship 1972; 14 x national titles), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2021)

Tom Seaver (1944-2020)

American Baseball HOF pitcher (NL Cy Young Award 1969, 73, 75; 12 x MLB All Star; NY Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago WS), born in Fresno, California [1]

Elvin Hayes (77 years old)

1945 American Basketball Hall of Fame forward (NBA All-Star 1969–1980; NBA scoring champion 1969), born in Rayville, Louisiana

1945 Jeremy Hanley, British Lower house member
1945 Roland Joffe, director (City of Joy, Mission, Killing Fields)
1946 Lawrence "Black" Ardoin, American zydeco accordionist and drummer, born in Duralde, Louisiana
1946 Martin Barre, British rock guitarist (Jethro Tull - "Aqualung"), born in Kings Heath, Birmingham, England
1946 Terry E. Branstad, Governor of Iowa
1947 (Robert) "Stewkey" Antoni, American power pop vocalist and keyboard player (The Nazz - "Hello It's Me"), born in Newport, Rhode Island
1947 Inky Mark, Canadian politician
1947 Rod Clements, English rocker (Lindisfarne), born in North Shields, Tyne and Wear
1947 Steven E. de Souza, American scriptwriter and producer (Die Hard, Commando), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1947 Stewkey [Robert Antoni], rocker
1948 Howard Dean, American politician, Governor of Vermont (1991-2003), born in East Hampton, New York
1948 Iain Sutherland, Scottish folk-soft rock vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist (Sutherland Brothers & Quiver - "Arms of Mary"; "(I Don't Want to Love You But) You Got Me Anyway"), born in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland (d. 2019)
1948 Jaime Huelamo, Spanish cyclist (Olympic bronze 1972) drug disqualified
1948 Tom Wolf, American politician, Governor of Pennsylvania (2015-), born in Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania
1949 John Boehner, American politician (Rep-R-Ohio 1991-2015, Speaker of the House 2011-15), born in Reading, Ohio
1949 Thomas Lionel Hill, American 110m hurdler (Olympic bronze 1972), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
1950 Roland Matthes, German swimmer (Olympic gold 100, 200m backstroke 1968, 72; WR x 19), born in Pößneck, Thuringia, Germany
1950 Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish race car driver and race team owner
1951 Butch Davis, American football coach (Cleveland Browns 2007–10; Uni of North Carolina 2017–21; FIU 2017-21), born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
1951 Dean Paul Martin, Jr, American pop singer (Dino, Desi & Billy), and actor (Misfits of Science), born in Santa Monica, California (d. 1987)
1951 Jack Vettriano, Methil Scotland, Scottish painter (The Singing Butler)
1951 Nasty Canasta, Warner Bros. cartoon character created by Chuck Jones (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series), first debuts in "Drip-Along Daffy"
1951 Stephen Root, American actor

Cyril Ramaphosa (70 years old)

1952 South African anti-apartheid activist, businessman and President of South Africa (2018-), born in Soweto, South Africa

1952 Roman Codreanu, Romania, wrestler (Olympic-1980)
1953 Jilly Johnson, British model and pop vocalist (Blonde on Blonde), born in England
1953 Vítor Oliveira, Portuguese soccer midfielder (Braga, Portimonense) and manager (won 11 promotions to Primeira Liga, 6 as champion), born in Matosinhos, Portugal (d. 2020)
1954 Jeremy Lloyds, English cricket umpire (5 Tests, 18 ODIs, 1 T20I) and all-rounder (Somerset CCC, Orange Free State, Gloucestershire CCC), born in Penang, Malaya (d. 2022)
1954 Jorge Hernández, Cuban boxer Olympic gold light flyweight 1976; World C'ship gold 1974, 78), born in Havana, Cuba (d. 2019)
1954 Mark "Chopper" Read, Australian criminal and crime author (Chopper: From the Inside), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2013)
1955 Bill McCreary, Ontario, NHL referee
1955 Dennis Maruk, Canadian hockey player
1955 Peter Cox, British pop-rock singer-songwriter (Go West - "Call Me"; "King of Wishful Thinking"), born in Kingston upon Thames, England
1955 Yolanda King, actress (Fluke, Ghosts of Mississippi)
1956 Enzo Favata, Italian jazz saxophonist and composer, born in Alghero, Sardinia, Italy
1957 Debbie Thrower, British journalist and BBC News presenter, born in Nairobi, Kenya
1957 Jim Babjak, American guitarist and songwriter (The Smithereens - "Only A Memory"), born in Salzburg, Austria
1958 Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, actress (Color of Money), born in Oak Park, Illinois
1959 Terry Fenwick, English footballer
1959 William R. Moses, American actor (Cole-Falcon Crest), born in Los Angeles, California
1960 Jonathan Ross, British talk show host (Tall Guy)
1960 Kirk Fogg, host of Legends of the Hidden Temple

RuPaul (62 years old)

1960 American drag queen, actor, singer and TV personality (RuPaul's Drag Race), born in San Diego, California

Chanda Kochhar (61 years old)

1961 Indian business woman (CEO of ICICI Bank), born in Jodhpur, India

1961 Merete Van Kemp, Danish actress (Grace-Dallas, Princess Daisy)
1961 Pat Toomey, American politician (Senator-R-Pennsylvania 2011-, Rep-R-PA 1999-2005), born in Providence, Rhode Island
1961 Robert Stethem, U.S. Navy Seabee diver murdered by terrorists on TWA Flight 847 (d. 1985)
1962 Dédé Fortin, Canadian rock and ska singer (Les Colocs), born in Saint-Thomas-Didyme, Quebec (d. 2000)
1962 Eric Olson, American actor (Apple's Way), born in Santa Monica, California
1962 Torleif Thedéen, Swedish concert cellist, born in Sweden
1963 Pedro Luis Estrada, American murderer (FBI Most Wanted List), born in Brooklyn, New York
1964 Marina Tcherkasova, American pairs figure skater (Olympic silver 1980)
1964 Ralph Garman, American actor (The Joe Schmo Show), and radio personality, born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1965 Amanda Brown, Australian musician (The Go-Betweens) and composer
1965 Danton Supple, British rock record producer and sound mixer, born in London, England
1965 Paul Sorrento, Somerville MA, infielder (Seattle Mariners)
1965 Rob Koll, Bellefonte PA, 163 lbs/74 kg freestyle wrestler (Olymp-96)
1965 Winthrop Graham, Jamaica, 4x400m runner (Olympic silver 1988)
1966 Daisy Fuentes, model/MTV veejay (America's Funniest Videos)
1966 Jeff Buckley, American musician and singer ("Hallelujah"), Anaheim, California (d. 1997)
1966 Jeff Nelson, pitcher (NY Yankees), born in Baltimore, Maryland
1966 Kate Ceberano, Australian singer
1966 Richard Fortus, American guitarist (The Psychedelic Furs; Guns N' Roses, since 2002), born in St. Louis, Missouri