a
-
F. Murray Abraham
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor / 1939 -
Actor F. Murray Abraham was cast as Antonio Salieri in the feature film Amadeus. His gripping performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1984.
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
-
Jane Alexander
Environmental Activist, Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress, Philanthropist / 1939 -
Actress Jane Alexander won Emmy Awards for her roles in Playing for Time and Warm Springs. In 1992, she became chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
See full bio
(1939-)
Environmental Activist, Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress, Philanthropist
-
Sidney Altman
Academic, Biologist / 1939 -
Sidney Altman is a Nobel Prize-winning Canadian-American molecular biologist.
See full bio
(1939-)
Academic, Biologist
-
Patrick Lichfield
Photographer, Royalty / 1939 - 2005
British photographer Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield achieved success in personal royal portraits, and created the well-known Unipart calendar.
See full bio
(1939-2005)
Photographer, Royalty
-
Frankie Avalon
Film Actor, Singer / 1939 -
Teen idol Frankie Avalon is known for singing the hit "Venus" and for starring in the popular Beach Party film series with Annette Funicello.
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actor, Singer
b
-
Ginger Baker
Drummer / 1939 -
Considered one of the greatest drummers of all time, Ginger Baker played with the bands Cream and Blind Faith. He is known for using two bass drums in his kit.
See full bio
(1939-)
Drummer
-
Peter Bogdanovich
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Film Critic, Director, Producer, Journalist, Screenwriter / 1939 -
American film historian, author and director Peter Bogdanovich is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed film, The Last Picture Show (1971).
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Film Critic, Director, Producer, Journalist, Screenwriter
-
James Booker
Songwriter, Pianist / 1939 - 1983
James Booker was an African-American musician known for his unique fusion of jazz and rhythm-and-blues, and for songs like "The Sunny Side of the Street," "A Taste of Honey" and "Papa Was a Rascal."
See full bio
(1939-1983)
Songwriter, Pianist
-
Donnie Brasco
Police Officer / 1939 -
Donnie Brasco was the alias of Joseph Pistone, an undercover FBI agent that infiltrated the Bonanno crime family.
See full bio
(1939-)
Police Officer
-
Jerome Brudos
Serial Killer / 1939 - 2006
Jerome Brudos was a serial murderer and necrophile who murdered four women in Oregon during the 1960s. He was known as the "The Lust Killer" and "The Shoe Fetish Slayer."
See full bio
| Watch video
(1939-2006)
Serial Killer
-
Edna Buchanan
Journalist, Author / 1939 -
After winning a Pulitzer Prize for journalism, Edna Buchanan wrote a series of mystery novels featuring Miami reporter Britt Montero.
See full bio
(1939-)
Journalist, Author
c
-
George Carruthers
Physicist / 1939 -
Scientist George Carruthers created inventions, such as the ultraviolet camera, or spectograph, which was used by NASA in the 1972 Apollo 16 flight, revealing the mysteries of space and the Earth's atmosphere.
See full bio
(1939-)
Physicist
-
Dixie Carter
Television Actress / 1939 - 2010
Dixie Carter was an actress who most TV viewers remember from the hit series Designing Women.
See full bio
(1939-2010)
Television Actress
-
Judy Chicago
Educator, Women's Rights Activist, Artist, Journalist / 1939 -
Judy Chicago is an American artist, educator and writer, and a leading figure in feminist art. She received critical acclaim in the 1970s for her art project "The Dinner Party."
See full bio
(1939-)
Educator, Women's Rights Activist, Artist, Journalist
-
Joe Clark
Prime Minister / 1939 -
Joe Clark became Canada's youngest prime minister in 1979, serving until 1980. He later served as special representative to the secretary-general of the United Nations for Cyprus.
See full bio
(1939-)
Prime Minister
-
John Cleese
Actor / 1939 -
Comedian John Cleese is most famous for his work with the comedy group Monty Python, and for the popular British television series Fawlty Towers.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1939-)
Actor
-
Judy Collins
Songwriter, Singer / 1939 -
A folk-pop singer, Judy Collins rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s with such hits as "Both Sides Now" and "Send In the Clowns."
See full bio
(1939-)
Songwriter, Singer
-
Claudette Colvin
Civil Rights Activist, Medical Professional / 1939 -
Claudette Colvin was a civil rights activist in Alabama during the 1950s. She refused to give up her seat on a bus months before Rosa Parks' more famous protest.
See full bio
(1939-)
Civil Rights Activist, Medical Professional
-
Francis Ford Coppola
Director, Producer, Screenwriter / 1939 -
Director, producer and screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola is best known for creating The Godfather film series starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino.
See full bio
(1939-)
Director, Producer, Screenwriter
-
Wes Craven
Film Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter / 1939 -
Wes Craven is a horror film director, screenwriter and producer known for projects like Swamp Thing, Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream series.
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter
d
-
Ernie Davis
Football Player / 1939 - 1963
Ernie Davis became the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy before his life was tragically cut short by leukemia at the age of 23.
See full bio
(1939-1963)
Football Player
e
-
Marian Wright Edelman
Civil Rights Activist, Lawyer, Writer / 1939 -
Marian Wright Edelman is best known for her legal advocacy on behalf of African-Americans during and after the Civil Rights Movement.
See full bio
(1939-)
Civil Rights Activist, Lawyer, Writer
-
Samantha Eggar
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress / 1939 -
Samantha Eggar is a British film and television actress. She recently performed as Hera in the Disney film Hercules.
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress
f
-
Siegfried Fischbacher
Theater Actor, Entrepreneur, Magician / 1939 -
Retired magician Siegfried Fischbacher was one-half of the performing duo Siegfried and Roy.
See full bio
(1939-)
Theater Actor, Entrepreneur, Magician
-
Peter Fonda
Film Actor / 1939 -
Peter Fonda is an actor, but most well-known as a counterculture icon of the 1960s. He starred in the film Ulee's Gold, which earned him an Oscar nomination.
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actor
-
David Frost
Talk Show Host / 1939 -
David Frost is an English media personality best known for his 1977 interviews with President Richard Nixon, which were adapted for a play and the critically acclaimed film Frost/Nixon. Frost hosted several television programs in the United States and Britain.
See full bio
(1939-)
Talk Show Host
g
-
James Galway
Musician / 1939 -
James Galway is an internationally renowned flutist who includes both classical and contemporary works in his repertoire.
See full bio
(1939-)
Musician
-
Marvin Gaye
Singer / 1939 - 1984
Marvin Gaye was a soul singer-songwriter with Motown in the 1960s and 1970s. He produced his own records and often addressed controversial themes.
See full bio
(1939-1984)
Singer
h
-
George Hamilton
Film Actor, Television Actor, Entrepreneur, Talk Show Host / 1939 -
Actor George Hamilton has appeared in more than 80 movies and television shows during his career, including the film Light in the Piazza in 1962.
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Entrepreneur, Talk Show Host
-
Valerie Harper
Actress / 1939 -
Actress Valerie Harper won three consecutive Emmy Awards for playing Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1939-)
Actress
-
Tom Hayden
Animal Rights Activist, Civil Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, Political Leader / 1939 -
Tom Hayden is a political activist and writer who served in the California State Assembly and State Senate. He is also the former husband of actress Jane Fonda.
See full bio
(1939-)
Animal Rights Activist, Civil Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, Political Leader
-
Seamus Heaney
Educator, Academic Author, Playwright, Poet / 1939 -
Seamus Henry is a renowned Irish poet and professor who won the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.
See full bio
(1939-)
Educator, Academic Author, Playwright, Poet
-
Paul Hogan
Film Actor, Television Actor, Television Personality / 1939 -
Australian-born actor Paul Hogan is best known for his role as Michael "Crocodile" Dundee from the Crocodile Dundee film series.
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Television Personality
-
John Howard
Prime Minister / 1939 -
Australian politician John Howard was prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, and leader of the Liberal Party from 1985 to 1989 and from 1995 to 2007.
See full bio
(1939-)
Prime Minister
k
-
Harvey Keitel
Film Actor, Television Actor, Producer / 1939 -
Harvey Keitel is best known for his work with director Martin Scorsese in the films Mean Streets and Taxi Driver.
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Producer
l
-
Ralph Lauren
Entrepreneur, Fashion Designer / 1939 -
Ralph Lauren is an American clothing designer best known for his sportswear line, Polo Ralph Lauren, which is the centerpiece of his fashion empire.
See full bio
(1939-)
Entrepreneur, Fashion Designer
-
Michael Learned
Theater Actress, Television Actress / 1939 -
Michael Learned is an Emmy Award-winning American actress best known for her role on the long-running television drama The Waltons.
See full bio
(1939-)
Theater Actress, Television Actress
-
Wen Ho Lee
Engineer, Scientist / 1939 -
Wen Ho Lee is a nuclear engineer who was working at Los Alamos National Laboratory when he was accused of being a Chinese spy.
See full bio
(1939-)
Engineer, Scientist
-
Mildred Loving
Civil Rights Activist / 1939 - 2008
Mildred Loving was a Civil Rights activist in the 1960s. She and her husband successfully defeated Virginia's ban on interracial marriage.
See full bio
(1939-2008)
Civil Rights Activist
m
-
Lee Majors
Television Actor / 1939 -
Actor Lee Majors achieved stardom through a variety of popular TV series, including The Big Valley, The Fall Guy and The Six Million Dollar Man.
See full bio
(1939-)
Television Actor
-
Ian McKellen
Civil Rights Activist, Film Actor, Theater Actor / 1939 -
Ian McKellen is a revered, award-winning British actor of stage and screen known for many roles, including The Lord of the Rings and X-Men series.
See full bio
(1939-)
Civil Rights Activist, Film Actor, Theater Actor
-
Sal Mineo
Film Actor / 1939 - 1976
Sal Mineo was an American was best known for playing a key role in the classic teen film Rebel Without a Cause alongside James Dean.
See full bio
(1939-1976)
Film Actor
o
-
Lee Harvey Oswald
Assassin / 1939 - 1963
Lee Harvey Oswald was a former U.S. Marine who was accused of killing President John F. Kennedy. While in police custody, Oswald was murdered by Jack Ruby.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1939-1963)
Assassin
p
-
John Peel
Disc Jockey / 1939 - 2004
Radio disc jockey and presenter John Peel fueled the British independent music scene by debuting such performers as David Bowie, Joy Division and the Smiths.
See full bio
(1939-2004)
Disc Jockey
r
-
Harry Reid
Lawyer, U.S. Representative, Government Official / 1939 -
Harry Reid is a Democratic U.S. senator from Nevada. He was elected Senate majority leader in 2008.
See full bio
(1939-)
Lawyer, U.S. Representative, Government Official
s
-
John Sculley
Entrepreneur, Engineer / 1939 -
Former Apple Computers Inc. CEO John Sculley famously clashed with Steve Jobs, leading to Jobs's departure from the company he helped found.
See full bio
(1939-)
Entrepreneur, Engineer
-
Neil Sedaka
Songwriter, Singer / 1939 -
Neil Sedaka is an American singer-songwriter known for writing hits like "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Laughter in the Rain."
See full bio
(1939-)
Songwriter, Singer
-
Grace Slick
Songwriter, Singer / 1939 -
Singer-songwriter Grace Slick was one of the lead singers for the band Jefferson Airplane. She wrote the songs "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love".
See full bio
| Watch video
(1939-)
Songwriter, Singer
-
Paul Sorvino
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor / 1939 -
Brooklyn born actor Paul Sorvino has acted on stage, on television and in film and is best known for his role as Henry Kissinger in Nixon (1995).
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
-
Dusty Springfield
Singer / 1939 - 1999
Hailed as Britain's "best ever pop singer" by Rolling Stone, the English-born Dusty Springfield charted several 1960s hits, including "Son of a Preacher Man."
See full bio
| Watch video
(1939-1999)
Singer
-
Mavis Staples
Civil Rights Activist, Singer / 1939 -
Mavis Staples is best known for her extensive gospel career with the Staples Singers.
See full bio
(1939-)
Civil Rights Activist, Singer
-
Joseph Sullivan
Organized Crime Boss / 1939 -
Joseph "Mad Dog" Sullivan is an American gangster thought to have killed between 20 and 30 people, most of them rival mobsters.
See full bio
(1939-)
Organized Crime Boss
t
-
Lily Tomlin
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress, Comedian, Writer / 1939 -
Lily Tomlin is an actress and comedian known for roles on TV shows such as Laugh-In and films such as Nashville.
See full bio
(1939-)
Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress, Comedian, Writer
-
Tina Turner
Singer / 1939 -
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress who topped the pop music charts in the 1980s.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1939-)
Singer
w
-
Paul Winfield
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor / 1939 - 2004
Actor Paul Winfield was best known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper in the film Sounder, which earned him an Academy Award nomination.
See full bio
(1939-2004)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
y
-
Carl Yastrzemski
Baseball Player / 1939 -
Professional baseball player Carl Yastrzemski is regarded as one of the greatest defensive left fielders in Red Sox history.
See full bio
(1939-)
Baseball Player