Famous People Born in 1954 a to z

Entrepreneur and investor Paul Allen is best known for being the cofounder, with Bill Gates, of Microsoft.

Adam Ant came to fame in the early 1980s as the lead singer of the New Wave band Adam and the Ants.

Philosopher, novelist and scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah is known for his contributions to political philosophy, moral psychology and the philosophy of culture.

Jim Belushi, younger brother of the late John Belushi, starred on his own TV sitcom, According to Jim, as well as in several theater and film productions.

Ruby Bridges was the first African-American child to attend an all-white public elementary school in the American South.

Model Christie Brinkley embodies the all-American look that dominated the fashion industry in the 1980s, during which she appeared on over 200 magazine covers.

Susan Butcher was a champion American dog musher and four-time winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Oscar-winning director James Cameron is best known for the highly acclaimed, box-office hits Aliens (1986), Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009).

Jane Campion is a New Zealand film director and writer who won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for The Piano in 1993. She also directed Bright Star.

Actor/director/producer Jackie Chan's unique blend of impressive martial arts and screwball physical comedy has helped make him an international film star.

Hugo Chávez served as president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013. During his presidency, he sold oil to Cuba and resisted efforts to stop narcotic trafficking in Columbia, and subsequently strained relations with the United States.

Sandra Cisneros is a Latina American novelist who wrote the bestselling novel "The House on Mango Street."

Recep Tayyip Erdogan became prime minister of Turkey in 2003, and is best known for his vision of Turkey's economic interdependence in the Arab world.

When Carly Fiorina was hired as Hewlett-Packard's CEO, she was the first woman to take control of a Fortune 100 company.

Cuban musician, composer, and bandleader Juan De Marcos González formed Sierra Maestra, a musical group dedicated to traditional Cuban folk music.

Matt Groening is a cartoonist and creator of The Simpsons, the longest-running entertainment series in prime time television.

The granddaughter of 19th century media mogul William Randolph Hearst, Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974. She spent 19 months with her captors—joining them in criminal acts soon after her kidnapping—before she was captured by the FBI.

François Hollande is the 24th president of France, and a member of the Socialist Party. He succeeded Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012.

Ron Howard is best known for his roles on the shows Happy Days and The Andy Griffith Show, and as the director for films, including A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13.

Jermaine Jackson was a member of the Jackson 5 music group and brother to Michael Jackson.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the son of former New York senator and U.S. attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, and nephew of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy.

A successful lawyer, Victoria Kennedy became a well-known figure in Washington, D.C., when she married Senator Ted Kennedy in 1992.

Stieg Larsson was the Swedish author best known for his Millenium novels, including The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Ang Lee is an Academy Award-winning director, producer and screenwriter whose films include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain.

Annie Lennox is a singer/songwriter known for her work with the Eurythmics and as a solo act. Her hits include “Sweet Dreams,” “Who’s That Girl?” and “Why.”

American actor Ray Liotta is best known for his on-the-edge tough-guy characterizations in films like Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1992) and No Escape (1994).

Cindy McCain is an Arizona businesswoman, a philanthropist who works with international nonprofit organizations, and the wife of U.S. Senator John McCain.

Stanley A. McChrystal led the Joint Special Operations Command in Iraq during the Persian Gulf Wars and was top Commander of American forces in Afghanistan.

Bob McDonnell, a prominent Republican politician, became governor of Virginia in 2010.

Scott McNealy co-founded the computer technology company Sun Microsystems, a fervent rival of Windows.

Angela Merkel is a German politician best known as the first female chancellor of Germany and one of the architects of the European Union.

Anthony Minghella was an Academy Award-winning director best known for his adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. Released in 1996, the film claimed the Oscar for best picture in 1997.

Vittorio Missoni is an Italian business executive best known as the CEO of the Missoni brand, founded by his parents in the 1950s.

A lifelong governmental and political figure, David Paterson was the first African American governor of New York state.

Walter Payton was a running back for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League and is in the Football Hall of Fame.

Former police sergeant Drew Peterson was convicted in the 2004 murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. He was also named a suspect in 2007 in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

Stone Phillips is a television personality and reporter, best known as the host of Dateline NBC and guest host for other NBC shows.

Mobster Thomas Pitera was a hitman for the Gambino and Bonanno organized crime families. Notorious for his brutal crimes, he is nicknamed “The Butcher.”

Dennis Quaid is an actor known for a wide variety of films, from Breaking Away to Dreamscape to Postcards from the Edge.

Condoleezza Rice is the first black woman to serve as the United States' national security adviser, as well as the first black woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State (2005-09).

Al Roker is a television personality, a weatherman for NBC's Today show, and a nine-time Emmy winner.

Singer David Lee Roth has become a legend of rock 'n' roll, as the wild frontman for Van Halen and as a solo artist.

Bobby Sands was an Irish nationalist who led a hunger strike in prison in 1981. He was elected Member of Parliament during the strike and died May 5, 1981.

Liberal political commentator Ed Schultz is the host of a radio talk show called The Ed Schultz Show and the MSNBC television program The Ed Show.

Jerry Seinfeld is an actor and comedian best known for his starring role in the hit television sitcom Seinfeld.

Al Sharpton is an outspoken and sometimes controversial political activist in the fight against racial prejudice and injustice.

American photographer Cindy Sherman is known for her elaborately "disguised" self-portraits that focus on social role-playing and sexual stereotypes.

Ricky Skaggs is a legendary country and bluegrass singer and mandolin player.

Former San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in baseball history.

Nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in US history.

Howard Stern is a disk jockey, talk show host, author and television personality. His long-running show is currently broadcast via satellite radio.

Neil Tennant is a British musician, songwriter and singer, best known as one half of the electronic dance music group the Pet Shop Boys.

John Travolta is a Golden Globe-winning actor whose breakout role was in "Saturday Night Fever." He had a career revival in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction."

Danitra Vance appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1986 and acted in films such as Limit Up and Little Man Tate.

A preeminent bluesman, award-winning guitarist and singer Stevie Ray Vaughan earned critical and commercial success during the 1980s.

Former star of the hit TV drama St. Elsewhere, actor/director Denzel Washington has earned popular and critical acclaim for his roles in several feature films, including Training Day and American Gangster.

Nancy Wilson is a singer, songwriter and guitarist for the rock band Heart, along with her sister, Ann Wilson. 

Billionaire Oprah Winfrey has hosted her own internationally popular talk show since 1986. She is also an actress, philanthropist, publisher, and producer.