Famous People Born in 1950 a to z

The theme of being caught between two cultures is covered in writer Julia Alvarez's poetry and fiction, including How the García Girls Lost Their Accents.

Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, is best known for her charitable work and equestrian talents.

Entrepreneur Richard Branson launched Virgin Records in 1973. Today Virgin Group holds more than 200 companies in more than 30 countries.

Rebbie Jackson is the eldest child of the famous Jackson musical family and has had a long career as a R&B solo artist.

Actor and producer Gabriel Byrne was involved in many successful films, including Little Women, The Usual Suspects, Vanity Fair and Julie and Julia.

Comedian John Candy was a regular performer for the Second City comedy troupe’s TV show, SCTV, and co-starred with Tom Hanks in the movie Splash.

David Cassidy is a singer and actor, most notably appearing as one of the stars of the musical television series The Partridge Family in the 1970s.

Costa Rican-born Franklin Chang-Díaz was the first Hispanic-American astronaut. He made several trips to space for NASA and developed plasma propulsion.

Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane is best known for his roles such as Hagrid the Giant in the Harry Potter series and Mr. Hyde in Van Helsing.

Siobhan Davies is a British dancer and choreographer. She founded her Siobhan Davies Dance Company in 1988.

Hall of Fame basketball forward Julius Erving, or "Dr. J," was an acrobatic player in the NBA and ABA. His dunks and graceful play helped change the game.

Dann Florek is an actor who once had a lead role on Law & Order and later on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

English musician Peter Frampton began his career with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. He is best known for his hit album Frampton Comes Alive!.

Agnetha Fältskog was a singer with the Swedish band ABBA, famous for hits like "Mamma Mia."

Actor Ed Harris played John Glenn in The Right Stuff, fought a water monster in The Abyss, and was a tormented artist in Pollack.

Larry Hoover, also known as "King Larry," is the notorious former leader of the Gangster Disciple Nation, a Chicago street gang that spread nationwide.

Arianna Huffington is a prolific author and international media mogul who started the award-winning news platform The Huffington Post.

Film director and screenwriter John Hughes directed a string of hit teen films, including Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink.

William Hurt is an Academy Award-winning actor known for his intense dramas and challenging roles in films such as Broadcast News and A History of Violence.

Jay Leno is the late-night talk show host of The Tonight Show. Fallon announced plans to exit the long-running series in April 2013.

Journalist, television personality and author Joan London was on Good Morning America for nearly two decades, and was one of the most popular TV co-hosts.

Jeffrey Lundgren was an Ohio-based cult leader who murdered a family of five.

William H. Macy is an actor known for his diverse characters in films such as Fargo, Boogie Nights and Air Force One.

Jo Marie Payton won over television audiences as Harriette Winslow, a quick-witted and long-suffering wife and mother, on the situation comedy Family Matters.

Comedian and actor Bill Murray is best known for his roles on Saturday Night Live and in the classic comedies Caddy Shack and Stripes. More recently, he was cast as FDR in the film Hyde Park on Hudson.

Jane Pauley was a correspondent and co-anchor for NBC’s Today. She also started the weekly magazine series Real Life with Jane Pauley, later renamed Dateline.

Republican politician Rick Perry was elected governor of Texas in 2000, and ran for the Republican nomination for the 2012 presidential race.

Tom Petty is best known as the front man for the well-known band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He pursued a solo career in 1989, recording hit songs like "Free Fallin'" and "Runnin' Down a Dream."

Actor Randy Quaid is an “everyman” who has appeared in films ranging from dramas such as The Last Detail to comedies like National Lampoon’s Vacation.

Politician Karl Rove was linked to scandals while with the George W. Bush administration, including the email incident relating to U.S. attorneys’ dismissals.

Tim Russert was a one-time political counsel who became a journalist and the longtime host of the public affairs show Meet the Press.

Mutulu Shakur is a former Black Liberation Army member and resistance leader who received a 60-year prison sentence in 1987 for his role in the 1981 Brinks bank robbery. He's also the stepfather of the late rapper Tupac Shakur.

From Three Amigos to Saturday Night Live to Broadway, Canadian comedian Martin Short has amused audiences both on screen and on stage.

American swimmer Mark Spitz set a world record at the 1972 Olympic Games, when he won seven gold medals across individual and team events.

Jack Unterweger was an Austrian serial killer who murdered several women before committing suicide in 1994.

Steven Van Zandt is best known as a founding member, guitarist and backup vocalist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and an actor on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.

Wendy Wasserstein was an award-winning playwright of such works as The Sisters Rosensweig and An American Daughter.

Paul Watkins, a member of Charles Manson's "family," was not involved in the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, but testified for the prosecution in the Manson trial, specifically about Manson's theory of "Helter Skelter."

Tina Weymouth is best known as the bassist in the band The Talking Heads.

Ann Wilson is best known as the vocalist for Heart, the rock band that became famous for songs like "Barracuda."

Stevie Wonder is an American musician and a former child prodigy who became one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century. His hit songs include "Living in the City," "Boogie on a Reggae Woman" and "Isn't She Lovely."

Steve Wozniak is an American computer scientist best known as one of the founders of Apple and the inventor of the Apple II computer.