Famous People Born in 1972 a to z

Ben Affleck is known for co-writing and acting in Good Will Hunting, starring in Armageddon, and directing, co-producing and acting in Argo.

Biggie Smalls, also known as Notorious B.I.G., was a revered hip-hop artist and face of East Coast gangsta rap. He was shot and killed on March 9, 1997.

Quarterback Drew Bledsoe was a starter with the New England Patriots for nearly eight years, before moving on to lead the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys.

Wayne Brady is a comedian and actor known for his work on TV's Whose Line Is It Anyhow, The Wayne Brady Show and Don't Forget the Lyrics.

Author Paula Broadwell made headlines in 2012, when her extramarital affair with U.S. General David Petraeus was uncovered.

Cat Power is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music fuses folk, country and blues, as heard on albums like Moon Pix and The Greatest.

Actress Sarah Clarke is best known for her roles as Nina Myers on the television drama 24 and Renée Dwyer in the Twilight saga.

Toni Collette is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress.

Comedian Dane Cook released multiple comedy albums, including Harmful if Swallowed (2003) and Retaliation (2005). He has since done multiple comedy acts and acted in film.

Actress Drea de Matteo played mob girlfriend Adriana La Cerva for five seasons on HBO's The Sopranos.

Jean Dujardin is a French actor and comedian. He is the first French actor to win an Oscar for Best Actor, for his performance in the 2011 film The Artist.

First a child star on Charles in Charge, Actress Nicole Eggert is best known for her role as lifeguard Summer Quinn on Baywatch.

Eminem is an American rapper, record producer, and actor, who is known as one of the most controversial and best-selling artists of the early 21st century.

American Actress Jennifer Garner earned notice for her role on the hit show Felicity, and was subsequently cast as the star of the ABC television drama Alias.

Jennie Garth is an actress notable for her long stint on TV's Beverly Hill 90210 in the 1990s, and her later appearance on Dancing with the Stars.

Nikki Haley was elected governor of South Carolina in 2010, becoming both the first female and Indian-American to fill the role.

Geri Halliwell was known as "Ginger Spice" in the all-girl, British pop group the Spice Girls. Halliwell has the most No. 1 singles of any female musician in U.K. history.

Mia Hamm is a former American soccer player who has scored more international goals than any other player, male or female.

Angie Harmon is American model and actress who has starred in the series Baywatch Nights, Law & Order and Rizzoli & Isles.

Dwayne Johnson became a film actor (2001's The Mummy) after gaining fame with the World Wrestling Federation as "The Rock."

directed British actor Jude Law received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Cold Mountain. He also played "Gigolo Joe" in Steven Spielberg's film A.I.

Lisa Leslie was an All-Star basketball player, Olympic gold medalist and WNBA league MVP.

American actress Leslie Mann is known for her comedic performances, especially in several films directed by her husband, Judd Apatow.

Actor, scriptwriter and improvisational comic Jason Mantzoukas has played Rafi on the FX show The League and co-starred with Sacha Baron Cohen in The Dictator.

Stephen Marley is the third child of legendary reggae artist Bob Marley who has won five Grammys for his music.

Jenny McCarthy was named Playboy's 1994 Playmate of the Year and hosted MTV's Singled Out from 1995 to 1997. She began hosting Love in the Wild in June 2012.

Alyssa Milano started her career as a child star, appearing on TV's Who's the Boss? and onstage in Annie. She returned as an adult to the drama Charmed.

Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad is a professor, author and media commentator who is executive director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Standing 7 feet tall and weighing 315 pounds, Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant players in the NBA. After his 2011 retirement, he became an on-screen league analyst.

Gwyneth Paltrow is an American actress best known for her lead roles in Seven (1995), Emma (1996) and Great Expectations (1998). In 1998 she won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Shakespeare in Love.

New York City resident Etan Patz disappeared in 1979, when he was 6 years old. Nearly 33 years later, in May 2012, New Jersey resident Pedro Hernandez confessed to the murder.

Scott Peterson is best known as the man who murdered his eight-month pregnant wife, Laci, in 2002. A jury sentenced him to death by lethal injection.

Manny Ramirez is a Dominican-American baseball player who helped the Red Sox win the World Series after an 86-year losing streak.

Maya Rudolph is a comedian and actor who became a household name via her Saturday Night Live tenure, which ran from 2000 to 2007.

Antonio Sabato Jr. is an actor known for his roles on General Hospital, Melrose Place and Charmed. He has also modeled for Calvin Klein.

After years of scene-stealing small acting roles, Octavia Spencer rose to fame with her award-winning performance in 2011's The Help.

Shawn Stockman has made a name for himself by harmonizing with Philadelphia's Boyz II Men, serving as a judge on television's The Sing-Off and raising awareness about autism.

Timbaland is a rapper and music producer known for smash hits like "Cry Me a River," "4 Minutes," "The Way I Are" and "Give It to Me."

Actor and comedian Chris Tucker came to fame playing Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series.

Sofia Vergara starred in the Tyler Perry films Meet the Browns (2008) and Madea Goes to Jail (2009). She is also known for playing Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on ABC's Modern Family, which premiered in 2009.

Marlon Wayans is best known for his role in the Scary Movie series, and for being one of the Wayans siblings.

One of soccer's all-time greats, Zinedine Zidane led France to victory at the 1998 World Cup, but was thrown out of the '06 Cup final for striking an opponent.