Author Voltaire wrote the satirical novella Candide and, despite controversy during his lifetime, is widely considered one of France's greatest Enlightenment writers.
1694-1778
Wernher von Braun was a German engineer who worked on rocket technology, first for Germany and then for the United States.
1912-1977
Basketball star Dwyane Wade plays as a guard for the Miami Heat, with which he has won two NBA Championships, in 2006 and 2012.
1982-
Swedish businessman and diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is best known for saving thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II.
1912-1947
1905-1989
Wendy Wasserstein was an award-winning playwright of such works as The Sisters Rosensweig and An American Daughter.
1950-2006
Charlie Watts is best known for playing drums as part of the famed rock 'n' roll group the Rolling Stones. He is also a noted jazz musician.
1941-
Anthony Wayne was an American general and U.S. Representative best known for winning the Battle of Fallen Timbers which removed Native American claims to Ohio and the surrounding area.
1745-1796
Weegee was a photographer noted for his gritty yet compassionate images of the aftermath of New York street crimes and disasters.
1899-1968
1944-
1893-1955
1759-1833
1027-1087
Wendy Williams is a radio DJ and TV talk show host known for her no-nonsense attitude and brash on-air personality.
1964-
1883-1963
Sonny Boy Williamson, originally John Lee Curtis Williamson, was a blues singer and harmonica player. He was the first musician to use the nickname Sonny Boy.
1914-1948
Ann Wilson is best known as the vocalist for Heart, the rock band that became famous for songs like "Barracuda."
1950-
1897-1972
English rocker Ron Wood became the Rolling Stones' guitarist in the mid-1970s, and is now a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
1947-
1770-1850
Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki has been ranked No. 1 on the WTA Tour, and is the youngest singles player worldwide to be ranked in the top 10.
1990-
Pioneering African-American writer Richard Wright is best known for the classic texts Black Boy and Native Son.
1908-1960
1156-1987
1902-1981
1922-
1569-1618
William Butler Yeats was one of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century and received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.
1865-1939
1921-1971
1954-
Benh Zeitlin is an American filmmaker best known for his critically-acclaimed 2012 film, Beasts of the Southern Wild.
1982-
1915-1981