Famous Birthdays on October 17

John Wilkes (1725-1797)

English radical, journalist (The North Briton) and politician, born in London

1729 Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, French opera composer (La belle Arsène), born in Fauquembergues, France (d. 1817)
1730 Ernestus Weinrauch, German composer (Cain and Abel), organist, and Benedictine priest, born in Donauwörth, Bavaria (now Germany) (d. 1793)
1734 Grigori Orlov, Russian military officer and favorite of Catherine the Great (helped her overthrow Peter III), born in Bezhetsky Uyezd, Russia (d. 1783) [NS]
1811 Albertus van Raalte, Dutch-American Reformed vicar (settled Holland, Michigan), born in Wanneperveen, Netherlands (d. 1876)
1813 Georg Büchner, German playwright (d. 1837)
1815 Emanuel Geibel, German poet and playwright (Gedichte), born in Lübeck (d. 1884)
1817 Samuel Ringgold Ward, American Black abolitionist, minister and orator (Autobiography of a Fugitive Negro), born in Maryland (d. 1866)
1817 Syed Ahmad Khan, Indian Muslim intellectual and one of the founding fathers of the Pakistan movement, born in Delhi, Mughal Empire (d. 1898)
1833 Paul Bert, French Zoologist, Physiologist and pioneer of aerospace medicine whose study of the effects of air pressure on the body, such as altitude sickness and 'the bends', made possible space and ocean exploration, born in Auxerre, Burgundy (d. 1886)
1840 Yaa Asantewaa, Ghanaian queen of Ashanti Empire, led fight against British colonialism, born in Besease, Ghana (d. 1921) appropriate date
1844 Miguel Nieto, Spanish composer, born in Reus, Spain (d. 1915)
1845 Franz Ehrle, German Jesuit and Vatican librarian (modernised the Vatican Library), born in Isny im Allgäu, Kingdom of Württemberg, (d. 1934)
1848 William "Candy" Cummings, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (credited with creating the curveball), born in Ware, Massachusetts (d. 1924)
1853 Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (d. 1920)
1859 William "Buck" Ewing, American Baseball HOF catcher (NL home run leader 1883 NY Giants; Cincinnati Reds) and manager (NY Giants, Cincinnati Reds), born in Hoagland, Ohio (d. 1906)
1860 Dionyssios Lavrangas, Greek conductor, composer, and pedagogue, born in Argostólion, Greece (d. 1915)
1864 Elinor Glyn, British novelist (3 Weeks) and screenwriter, born in Jersey, Channel Islands (d. 1943)
1865 James Rudolph Garfield, American politician (d. 1950)
1875 Alfred Polgar, Austrian writer and theater critic (Yes & No!), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1955)
1878 Barlow Carkeek, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (6 Tests, 6 dismissals; Victoria), born in Walhalla, Australia (d. 1937)
1878 Henri Mulet, French organist, cellist, and composer (Carillon-Sortie; Esquisses Byzantines), born in Paris (d. 1967)
1884 Lewis Bennison, American actor (The Road Called Straight), born in Oakland, California (d. 1929)
1885 Aaf Bouber [Aaf ten Hoope], Dutch actress (Bleeke Bet, Jantjes) and wife of Herman Bouber, born in Hoorn, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (d. 1974)
1886 Spring Byington, American actress (December Bride), born in Colorado Springs, Colorado (d. 1971)
1890 Roy Kilner, English cricketer (d. 1928)
1892 Herbert Howells, British organist, composer (chiefly of Anglican Church scared music), and teacher, born in Lydney, Gloucestershire England (d. 1983)
1892 Otakar Jeremiáš, Czech composer and conductor, born in Písek, Bohemia (d. 1962)
1892 Theodor Eicke, Nazi official (d. 1943)
1893 Fritz Ascher, German Expressionist artist, born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1970)
1893 Jean Binet, Swiss composer, born in Geneva (d. 1960)
1895 Doris Humphrey, American dancer and choreographer (Dances of Women), born in Oak Park, Illinois (d. 1958)
1896 Frank Forest [Hayek], American actor (Big Broadcast of 1937, Champagne Waltz), born in St. Paul, Minnesota (d. 1976)
1898 Mildred O. Knopf, American cookbook writer (Food of Italy), born in New York (d. 1993)
1898 Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese music teacher (Suzuki Method), born in Nagoya, Japan (d. 1998)
1898 Simon Vestdijk, Dutch writer and poet (5th Seal), born in Harlingen, Netherlands (d. 1971)
1900 Jean Arthur, American actress (Shane, Mr Smith Goes to Washington), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1991)
1900 Teodoro Valcárcel, Peruvian classical composer (d. 1942)
1902 Irene Ryan [Noblitt], American actress (Beverly Hillbillies - "Granny"; Pippin), born in El Paso, Texas (d. 1973)
1903 Nathanael West, American novelist ("Miss Lonelyhearts"; "The Day of the Locust"), born in NYC (d. 1940)
1905 Franco Albini, Italian Rationalist architect, industrial and furniture designer (Albini desk), born in Robbiate, Italy (d. 1977)
1906 Paul Derringer, American baseball player (d. 1987)
1907 John Marley [Mortimer Marlieb], American actor (Cat Ballou; Love Story; The Godfather), born in NYC (d. 1984)
1908 Red Rolfe, American baseball player (d. 1969)
1909 (William Randolph) "Cozy" Cole, American jazz drummer ("Topsy I"; "Topsy II"), and educator, born in East Orange, New Jersey (d. 1981)
1912 John Paul I [Albino Luciano], 263rd Roman Catholic pope (1978), born in Canale d'Agordo, Belluno, Veneto, Italy (d. 1978)
1914 Albert Markos, Romanian composer (Torso I), born in Székelykeresztúr, Hungary (now Cristuru Secuiesc, Romania) (d. 1981)
1914 Jerry Siegel, American comic book writer (co-creator, with Joe Shuster, of "Superman"), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1996)

Arthur Miller (1915-2005)

American playwright (Death of a Salesman, Crucible), born in NYC, New York

1916 Robert Lowery [Hank], American stage and screen actor (Batman and Robin (1949); Circus Boy - "Big Tim"; The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1971)
1916 Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz, Polish organist and composer, born in Sierpc, Poland (d. 1998)
1917 Marsha Hunt, American actress (Born to the West; Cry 'Havoc'; Johnny Got His Gun), and human rights and peace activist, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2022)
1917 Martin Donnelly, New Zealand cricket batsman (7 Tests, 1 x 100, 4 x 50, HS 206; Wellington, Canterbury) and rugby union centre (1 Test England 1947), born in Ngāruawāhia, New Zealand (d. 1999)
1917 Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-born American novelist (d. 1991)

Rita Hayworth (1918-1987)

American actress (Gilda; Cover Girl; The Lady from Shanghai), born in NYC, New York

1919 Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov, Russian physicist, Ekaterinoslav (now Dnipro), Ukraine (d. 2021)
1920 Miguel Delibes, Spanish writer
1920 Montgomery Clift, American actor (From Here to Eternity, Judgement at Nuremberg), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 1966)
1920 Rudolf Hrusinský, Czech actor and director (Short Cut, Golden Eels), born in Nová Včelnice (d. 1994)
1921 George Mackey Brown, poet
1921 Maria Gorokhovskaya, Russian gymnast (equal record 7 x Olympic medals, Soviet Union 1952; 2 x gold [team, all-round], 5 x silver), born in Yevpatoria, Russia (d. 2001)
1921 Pricilla Lanford Buckly, editor/columnist (National Review)
1921 Tom Poston, American actor (Newhart, Mork & Mindy, Steve Allen Show, Newhart), born in Columbus, Ohio (d. 2007)
1922 Louis Benjamin, showman
1922 Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian composer (d. 2001)
1922 Pierre Juneau, Canadian film and broadcast executive, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2012)
1923 Barney Kessel, American jazz guitarist (The Wrecking Crew), born in Muskogee, Oklahoma (d. 2004)
1924 Don Coryell, American College/Pro Football HOF coach (NCAA Division champion 1966, 67, 68 San Diego State; St. Louis Cardinals, SD Chargers), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2010)
1926 Beverly Garland [Fessenden], American actress (My Three Sons, Scarecrow and Mrs. King), born in Santa Cruz, California (d. 2008)
1926 Julie Adams [Betty May Adams], American actress (Yancy Derringer, Code Red), born in Waterloo, Iowa
1926 Karl Gordon Henize, American astronomer and NASA astronaut (STS-51-F), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1993)
1928 Ivan Marinov, composer
1928 Jim Gilliam, American MLB player and coach (Dodgers, NL rookie of year 1953), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 1978)
1928 Zacharias J de Beer, South African physician/MP (DP)
1929 Ram Da-Oz [Abraham Daus], Israeli composer, born in Berlin
1930 Angelo Paccignini, composer
1930 Jimmy Breslin, American investigative journalist, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist (NY Post; Daily News: Newsday), and novelist The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight), born in NYC, New York (d. 2017)
1930 Robert Atkins, American nutritionist (d. 2003)
1931 Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian writer
1932 Gundaris Poné, Latvian-American violinist, composer, and educator (NYU-New Paltz, 1964-94), born in Riga, Latvia (d. 1994)
1932 Paul Anderson, American light super heavyweight lifter (Olympic gold 1956)
1932 William J. Hughes, American politician and diplomat (Rep-D-New Jersey, 1975-95), born in Salem, New Jersey (d. 2019)
1933 Jeanine Deckers, Belgian singer-songwriter, and Dominican nun known as 'The Singing Nun' ("Dominique"), born in Laeken, Belgium (d. 1985)
1933 William A Anders, Maj Gen, USAF/astronaut (Apollo 8), born in Hong Kong
1934 (Donald) "Der" Scutt, American architect (Grand Hyatt; One Astor Place; Trump Tower), born in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania (d. 2010)
1934 Barend P Tammeling, Dutch journalist (Trouw, Groninger Gezinsbode)
1934 Emmanuel "Rico" Rodriguez, Jamaican ska trombonist (The Specials), born in Kingston (d. 2015)
1934 Johnny Haynes, English soccer forward (56 caps; Fulham 594 games), born in London, England (d. 2005)
1935 Alan Brown, cricketer (England opening attack Brown & White vs Pak 1961)
1936 David Hobson, American politician (Rep-R-Ohio 1991-2009), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1936 Hiroo Kanamori, Japanese seismologist
1937 Paxton Whitehead, English actor (Back to School), born in East Malling, Kent

Evel Knievel (1938-2007)

American motorcycle daredevil (Snake River Canyon), born in Butte, Montana

1940 Jim Smith, English soccer midfielder and manager (Birmingham City, QPR, Portsmouth, Derby County), born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire (d. 2019)
1940 Peter Stringfellow, British nightclub owner (Stringfellows), born in Sheffield, England (d. 2018)
1941 Alan Howard, British rock bassist (Brian Poole & The Tremeloes - "Do You Love Me?")
1941 Earl Thomas Conley, American country singer ("Too Many Times"), born in Portsmouth, Ohio
1941 Jim Seals, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler (Seals & Crofts - "Summer Breeze"), born in Sidney, Texas (d. 2022)
1941 Viden Apostolov, Bulgarian soccer defender (22 caps; PFC Botev Plovdiv 429 games), born in Novi Iskar, Bulgaria (d. 2020)
1942 Gary Puckett, American pop vocalist (Gary Puckett & The Union Gap - "Woman, Woman"; "Lady Willpower"), born in Hibbing, Minnesota
1943 Susan Davenny Wyner, American soprano (Walter Naumberg Prize), born in New Haven, Connecticut
1944 Carol Cole, West Medford Mass, actress (Ellie-Grady)
1946 Adam Michnik, Polish activist
1946 Bob Seagren, American pole vaulter/actor (Olympic gold 1968, "Soap"), born in Pomona California
1946 Drusilla Modjeska, Australian writer and editor
1946 Herb Orvis, American College Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle (University of Colorado; NFL: Detroit Lions, Baltimore Colts), born in Petoskey, Michigan (d. 2020)
1946 James Ray "Jim" Tucker, American rock guitarist (Turtles - "Happy Together"), born in Los Angeles, California
1946 Michael Hossack, American rock drummer (The Doobie Brothers), born in Paterson, New Jersey (d. 2012)
1946 Sir Cameron Mackintosh, British stage producer
1946 Vicki Hodge, actress (Confessions of a Sex Maniac), born in London, England
1947 Charles A Ingene, macromarketing researcher
1947 Gene Green, American politician (Rep-D-Texas 1993-2019), born in Houston, Texas
1947 Michael McKean, American actor (Laverne & Shirley, - "Lenny"; Saturday Night Live, 1994-95; This Is Spinal Tap), born in NYC, New York
1948 George Wendt, American actor (Norm in Cheers), born in Chicago, Illinois
1948 Margot Kidder, Canadian American actress (Lois Lane in Superman films, Amityville Horror), born in Yellowknife, Canada (d. 2018)
1949 Bill Hudson, comedian (Bonkers, Hudson Brothers Show), born in Portland, Oregon
1949 Maurice Willis Wright, American classical composer (The Trojan Conflict) and educator (Temple University, 1980-present), born in Front Royal, Virginia
1950 Eric Hughes, English rugby league utility back (10 Tests England, 8 Great Britain; Widnes 481 games), born in Prescot district, England (d. 2020)
1950 Howard E Rollins Jr, actor (Bannister-Wildside, Another World), born in Baltimore, Maryland
1950 Michael Lynn Synar, American politician (Rep-D-Oklahoma, 1979-95), born in Vinita, Oklahoma
1950 Sandra Reemer, Dutch singer ("As Love Goes")
1955 Georgios Alogoskoufis, Greek politician
1955 Kerry James Marshall, American artist whose works seek to challenge the marginalization of African-Americans, born in Birmingham, Alabama
1955 Sam Bottoms, actor (Prime Risk, Savages), born in Santa Barbara, California
1956 Fred Hickman, American sports broadcaster (CNN, TBS, YES Network, ESPN; NY Sports Emmy Award 2004), born in Springfield, Illinois (d. 2022)

Mae Jemison (66 years old)

1956 1st African American woman in space (STS 47), born in Decatur, Alabama

1956 Robin LO Linschoten, Dutch ass. secretary of Social Affairs (VVD)
1957 Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino, Italian-Welsh session and touring rock bassist (Paul Young; The Who; John Mayer Trio), born in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
1957 Lawrence Bender, American film producer (Reservoir Dogs; Death Proof; Django Unchained; An Inconvenient Truth), born in The Bronx, New York City
1957 Vincent Van Patten, Belrose NY, actor (Apple's Way, 3 for the Road)

Alan Jackson (64 years old)

1958 American country singer (Here in the Real World), born in Newnan, Georgia

1958 Blaine McCallister, American golfer (5 PGA Tour titles), born in Fort Stockton, Texas
1958 Gianmaria Testa, Italian singer-songwriter, born in Cavallermaggiore (d. 2016)
1958 Howard Alden, American jazz guitarist (George Van Eps), born in Newport Beach, California
1959 Mark Peel, Australian historian and academic
1959 Norm MacDonald, Canadian stand-up comedian, writer, and actor (Saturday Night Live, 1993-98; Dirty Work; The Norm Show), born in Quebec City, Quebec (d. 2021)
1959 Richard Roeper, American columnist and film critic, born in Chicago, Illinois
1959 Ron Drummond, American writer
1959 Russell Gilbert, Australian comedian
1960 Guy Henry, British actor (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), born in London, England
1960 Mandy Yachad, cricketer (South African ODI opening batsman 1991)
1960 Rob Marshall, American choreographer, stage and film director (Chicago; Mary Poppins Returns), born in Madison, Wisconsin
1961 Mike De Palmer, American tennis player and coach (coach Boris Becker), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 2021)
1962 Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, French concert pianist (Beethoven International Piano Competition, 1986), born in Lannion, France
1962 Mike Judge, Ecuadorian born American cartoonist, born in Guayaquil, Ecuador
1963 Petri Alanko, Finnish classical flute player (Finnish RSO, 1988-2012) and educator (Sibelius Academy, since 2012), born in Joensuu, Finland
1963 Sergio Goycochea, Argentine footballer
1964 David Cromer, American theatre director and actor (The Band's Visit), born in Skokie, Illinois
1965 Connie Ann Hearn, actress (New Kind of Family), born in Anchorage, Alaska
1965 Pinnaduwage Aravinda De Silva, cricket (Sri Lanka's greatest batsman)
1966 Danny Ferry, NBA forward (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Doug McMillon (56 years old)

1966 American businessman and CEO of Walmart (2014-), born in Memphis, Tennessee

1966 Mark Gatiss, English actor and writer
1966 Tommy Kendall, American race car driver and television personality
1967 Allen West, American heavy metal guitarist (Obituary; Southwicked), born in Brandon, Florida
1967 Marianne Werdel-Witmeyer, American professional tennis player, 1986-97 (ranked 21st in 1995), born in Los Angeles, California
1967 Mark Johnson, infielder (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Worcester, Massachusetts
1967 Nathalie Tauziat, Bangui Cent Afr Rep, tennis star (1993 Quebec City)
1967 René Dif, Algerian-Danish pop-dance singer-songwriter (Aqua - "Barbie Girl"), born in Copenhagen, Denmark
1968 (David) "Ziggy" Marley, Jamaican Grammy Award-winning reggae performer (The Melody Makers), philanthropist, and son of Bob Marley, born in Kingston, Jamaica
1969 Alfred Pupunu, NFL tight end (San Diego Chargers)

Ernie Els (53 years old)

1969 South African golfer (US Open 1994, 97; British Open 2002, 12), born in Johannesburg, South Africa

1969 Joe Courtney, NBA forward (Cleveland Cavaliers)
1969 Rick Mercer, Canadian comedian
1969 Wood Harris, American actor
1969 Wyclef Jean, Haitian-American rapper and singer-songwriter, born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti
1970 Anil Kumble, cricketer (great Indian leg-spinner since 1990)
1970 Jean-Paul de Young, soccer player (FC Utrecht)
1970 John Mabry, outfielder (St Louis Cardinals), born in Wilmington, Delaware
1970 Marciano Vink, soccer player (Genoa/PSV)
1970 Shauna O'Brien, Pasco Wash, actress (Showgirls)
1971 Byron Chamberlain, American football tight end (Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
1971 Chris Kirkpatrick, American pop countertenor ('N Sync - "I Thought She Knew"), born in Clarion, Pennsylvania on
1971 Ernest Dixon, NFL linebacker (New Orleans Saints)
1971 Henry McMillian, NFL defensive tackle (Seattle Seahawks)
1971 Martin Heinrich, American politician (Senator-D-New Mexico 2013-), born in Fallon, Nevada

Eminem (50 years old)

1972 American rapper and movie star (The Real Slim Shady, Stan and 8 Mile), born in St. Joseph, Missouri

1972 Joe McEwing, American baseball player
1972 Tarkan [Tevetoğlu], Turkish pop singer (Şımarık), born in Alzey, West Germany
1974 Ariel Levy, American feminist writer
1974 Janne Puurtinen, Finnish keyboardist (HIM), born in Helsinki, Finland
1974 John Rocker, American baseball player
1974 Matthew Macfadyen, British actor
1975 Francis Bouillon, American hockey player
1976 Sebastián Abreu, Uruguayan footballer
1977 Bryan Bertino, American film director and screenwriter
1977 Dudu Aouate, Israeli footballer
1979 Angel Bat Dawid, American composer, clarinetist, pianist, and vocalist (The Oracle: Requiem for Jazz), born in Atlanta, Georgia