Famous April Birthdays a to z

A. Philip Randolph was a labor leader and social activist who fought for the rights of African-American laborers, including better wages and working conditions.

A leading figure of Italian High Renaissance classicism, Raphael is best known for his "Madonnas," including the Sistine Madonna, and for his large figure compositions in the Palace of the Vatican in Rome.

American actor John Ratzenberger, best known as mailman Cliff Clavin from the television series Cheers, has also contributed voice-acting to every animated Pixar feature film.

Known for her boundless energy and pert demeanor, Reynolds' most memorable turn was in the 1952 musical Singin' in the Rain.

Paul Robeson was an acclaimed 20th century performer known for productions like The Emperor Jones and Othello. He was also an international activist.

Canadian actor Seth Rogen shot to fame in television and film, collaborating several times with director Judd Apatow.

French film director Eric Rohmer was an editor of respected periodicals, including Cahiers du Cinéma, and the maker of films like My Night at Maud's.

Ann Romney is the former first lady of Massachusetts and the wife of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Tony Romo is one of the NFL's top quarterbacks and has played for the Dallas Cowboys.

Saoirse Ronan is an Irish-American film actress best known for her film roles in Atonement, The Lovely Bones and Hanna.

American baseball star Pete Rose established a career record for hits before earning a lifetime suspension for gambling on the sport.

Théodore Rousseau was a French painter known for his landscapes and unruly depictions of nature. He was a member of the Barbizon School of artists in France.

Nightclub owner Jack Ruby murdered Lee Harvey Oswald before Oswald could stand trial for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Paul Rudd is an American actor and film producer who became a minor teen idol with his break-out performance in the 1995 film Clueless and went on to star in numerous comedies.

Dick Sargent was an actor of film and television mostly remembered for his portrayal of Darrin Stephens on TV's Bewitched.

Rose Schneiderman was a labor activist, union leader and social reformer. She held labor-related positions in Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration during the Great Depression.

Jill Scott is a Grammy Award-winning recording artist who's also a poet and actress, known for roles in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Steel Magnolias.

Former Apple Computers Inc. CEO John Sculley famously clashed with Steve Jobs, leading to Jobs's departure from the company he helped found.

Actor Steven Seagal makes popular action movies such as the 1998 hit Under Siege. He studied martial arts in Asia and opened an academy in the U.S.

Edie Sedgwick was a socialite and model who became a muse to Andy Warhol in the 1960s.

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

Known as the "Queen of Tejano Music," Selena was a beloved Latin recording artist who was killed by the president of her fan club.

Andy Serkis is famous for playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, as well as for his roles in King Kong, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and The Hobbit.

Police officer Frank Serpico exposed corruption in the New York City police department. He was the first officer to testify against another officer.

William Shakespeare, often called the English national poet, is widely considered the greatest dramatist of all time.

Ravi Shankar was an Indian musician and composer best known for popularizing the sitar and Indian classical music in Western culture.

Maria Sharapova has won various honors throughout her career, including the 2012 French Open and a silver medal in women's singles at the 2012 Olympics.

Comedian and actress Sherri Shepherd has co-hosted the popular daytime talk show The View since 2007.

Roger Sherman was an American government leader best known as a founding father that signed and drafted the Declaration of Independence and signed the U.S. Constitution.

Jazz and blues vocalist Bessie Smith's powerful, soulful voice won her countless fans and earned her the title "Empress of the Blues."

Charles Sobhraj was a famous serial killer in the 1970's, known for drugging and killing between 12 and 24 western tourists in Asia. His several successful escapes from prison coined him the nickname, "The Serpent."

Jamie Lynn Spears is the younger sister of pop singer Britney Spears, best known for her starring role in the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101. She made headlines in 2007 when she announced she was pregnant with her first child at just 16 years old.

Aaron Spelling remains television’s most prolific producer, primarily known for escapist entertainment.

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."

Rod Steiger was an Academy Award-winning actor known for his roles in On the Waterfront and In the Heat of the Night.

Thaddeus Stevens, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, fought to abolish slavery and helped draft the 14th Amendment during Reconstruction.

In 2008, actress Kristen Stewart landed the role of Bella Swan in the saga Twilight and the movies made her an instant star.

Singer Joss Stone is known for deep throaty vocals, soulful renditions and barefoot performances. At age 16, she released her debut album, The Soul Sessions.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn is the former IMF chief who faced sexual assault charges that were dismissed.

Picabo Street won gold in the Super G women's skiing event at the 1998 Olympics.

Barbra Streisand is the highest-selling female recording artist of all time, and has won awards and acclaim in every medium that she's worked in.

Anne Sullivan was a teacher who, at age 21, taught Helen Keller, who was deaf, mute, and blind, how to communicate and read Braille.

British singer Nathan Sykes is best known as a member of the popular U.K. boy band the Wanted.

Japanese-American actor George Takei played Lieutenant Sulu in the original Star Trek television series and movies and is a popular social-media presence.

Taksin was an 18th century Thai general and king.

Channing Tatum is an American actor who's starred in films like Coach Carter, 21 Jump Street and Dear John.

Laurette Taylor was an American actress whose stage career spanned more than 30 years. Her first significant work was in a Boston production of The Child Wife.

Sean Taylor was the No. 5 NFL draft pick in 2004 and played with the Washington Redskins until he was murdered in 2007.

Shirley Temple was the leading child actor of her time, receiving a special Oscar and starring in films like Bright Eyes and Heidi.

Sachin Tendulkar is an Indian professional cricket player, considered by many to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time.

Scottish actor and voice-over artist David Tennant is best known as the 10th actor to play the lead role in the immensely popular U.K. sci-fi TV show Doctor Who.

Isiah Thomas is generally regarded as one of the best point guards in the history of basketball. He played for the Detroit Pistons.

Academy Award–winning actress Emma Thompson starred in films like Howards End, Sense and Sensibility and Nanny McPhee.

Uma Thurman is an actress known for roles in such films as Kill Bill and its sequel and Pulp Fiction.

Tiny Tim was a singer and musician who had a hit with “Tip Toe Through the Tulips With Me” and guest-starred on shows like Laugh-In and The Tonight Show.

Dara Torres is an American swimmer who has taken home 12 Olympic medals and will seek more at the age of 45 in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend of Raynham, was an 18th century British secretary of state who became known as "Turnip Townshend" for his agricultural innovations.

Spencer Tracy was one of Hollywood's greatest film stars. He appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967 and was nominated for five Academy Awards, two of which he won.

William Monroe Trotter was a Harvard-educated journalist and activist who championed equal rights for African Americans.

World-ranked tennis pro Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open in 2008, as an unseeded player. In 2012, he lost to Andy Murray in the semifinals at Wimbledon.

J.M.W. Turner was a British landscape painter of the 18th and 19th centuries whose work is known for its luminous almost abstract quality.

Björn Ulvaeusis best known as one of four members of 1970s Swedish pop sensation ABBA.

Peter Ustinov was an English actor, writer and director who is known for his Oscar-winning performances in Spartacus (1960) and Topkapi (1964).

Hervé Villechaize was a French actor best known for playing Tattoo on the 1970s television show Fantasy Island.

Businessman Claus Von Bulow was twice accused of attempting to kill his socialite wife, a diabetic, with doses of insulin, and was defended by Alan Dershowitz.

Educator Booker T. Washington was one of the foremost African-American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founding the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, now known as Tuskegee University.

Harold Washington became the first African-American mayor of Chicago in 1983.

Filmmaker, director and writer John Waters, sometimes called the "King of Bad Taste" or the "Pope of Trash," has built a reputation for shocking his audiences.

American singer and guitarist Muddy Waters may have been born in Mississippi, but he defined Chicago blues with songs like "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man."

Emma Watson is best known for playing the character of Hermione, the best friend of Harry Potter in the Harry Potter film franchise.

James D. Watson is a Nobel Prize-winning biophysicist and researcher credited with co-discovering the double-helix structure of DNA.

Hugo Weaving is best known for playing Agent Smith in the Matrix film trilogy and Elrond in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Max Weber was a 19th century German sociologist and one of the founders of modern sociology. He wrote The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism in 1905.

Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood helped set the style for modern punk and New Wave music.

Thornton Wilder is a multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and playwright known for works like The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Ides of March and Our Town.

Playwright August Wilson won two Pulitzer Prizes for his plays Fences (1987) and The Piano Lesson (1990).

Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer who advocated for women's equality. Her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman pressed for educational reforms.

Known as "Black Edison," Granville Woods was an African-American inventor who made key contributions to the development of the telephone, street car and more.