April 16th
Actors:
- Ellen Barkin is 66 (“The Big Easy,” “Sea of Love,” “Ocean’s Thirteen”)
- Peter Billingsley is 49 (“A Christmas Story,” “Paternity”)
- Jon Cryer is 55 (“Pretty in Pink,” “Two and A Half Men”)
- Lukas Haas is 44 (“Testament,” “Witness,” “The Ryan White Story”)
- Martin Lawrence is 55 (“Martin,” “Bad Boys,” “Big Momma's House”)
- David Lyons is 44 (“Eat Pray Love,” “Revolution”)
- The late Sir Charlie Chaplin(1889 – 1977)(FAST FACTS: Comedic silent film icon who gained world fame for portraying his character, The Tramp, and starred in “The Great Dictator” and “Modern Times.” His career lasted more than 75 years)
- The late Barry Nelson(1917 – 2007)(He played James Bond in the 1954 film, “Casino Royale”)
- The late Peter Ustinov(1921 – 2004)…he would have been 99(“The Sundowners,” “Agatha Christie Mysteries”)
Musicians:
- Akon is 47 (His given name, Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam)
- Chance The Rapper is 27 (his mama knows him as Chancelor Jonathan Bennett)
- Bobby Vinton is 85
- The late Gerry Rafferty(1947 – 2011)…he would have been 73
- The late Dusty Springfield(1939 – 1999)…she would have been 81
- The late Selena Quintanilla(1971 – 1995)…she would have been 49
Plus:
- Legendary New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 68
- Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is 73 (FAST FACTS: He is a 6-time NBA Champion, 6-time NBA MVP and 19-time All-Star)
- Pope Benedict XVI is 93 (for the Roman numerically challenged, that’s the 16th) (FAST FACTS: Born Joseph Ratzinger, he became the 265th pope on April 19, 2005. His papacy ended on February 28th 2013 – he was the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign. He is now known as Pope Emeritus)
- Model Alek Wek is 43 (As the first black model whose looks did not conform to Caucasian aesthetics, she has been hailed for her influence on the perception of beauty in the fashion industry.)
- Billy West is 68 (Voice actor who has notable roles as the voice of Stimpy from Ren & Stimpy, Roger Klotz on Doug, Elmer Fudd, Popeye, and Woody Woodpecker)
- The late composer Henry Mancini(1924 – 1994)…he would have been 96(FAST FACTS: He wrote many legendary film and TV scores, including "Moon River" and the theme of "The Pink Panther" film series. Winning 20 Grammy Awards and nominated for 72 throughout his lifetime, he wrote the scores for "The Thorn Birds," "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "Days of Wine and Roses," and the themes for "Peter Gunn," "Newhart," "Hotel," and "Remington Steel," just to name a few. He was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995.
- The late inventor/aviator Wilbur Wright(1867 – 1912)(FAST FACT: He is credited by some as the co-inventor and co-pilot of the first successful airplane, which he called a "flying machine." He and Orville's planes were later used in WWI and set the stage for modern aviation. One note though?Gustave Whiteheadbeat him by two years.)