Famous December Birthdays a to z

Terrell Owens is a longtime National Football League wide receiver whose career has been marked by Hall of Fame numbers and controversial statements.

Manny Pacquiao has won world boxing titles in eight different weight divisions, and is considered one of the world's best boxers.

Famed pianist and composer Eddie Palmieri won nine Grammy Awards throughout his career, for albums like The Sun of Latin Music, Solito and Masterpiece.

Sean Parker is an entrepreneur who co-founded the music file-sharing service Napster and was the founding president of Facebook.

Scientist Louis Pasteur came up with the food preparing process known as pasteurization; he also developed a vaccination for anthrax and rabies.

Ann Patchett is an American novelist best known for her PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novel Bel Canto.

As head football coach at Pennsylvania State University, Joe Paterno was one of the most successful coaches in the history of collegiate football.

Mekhi Phifer is an African-American actor whose first role was in the Spike Lee film Clockers, and who was featured on ER for six seasons.

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

Édith Piaf, also known as “The Little Sparrow,” was a French singer who became an icon of France during World War II.

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

Actor and producer Brad Pitt is a Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee and a two-time winner of People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" title (1995 and 2000.)

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church in March 2013, becoming Pope Francis. He is the first pope from the Americas.

Senator Rob Portman of Ohio is an influential Republican politician who served as President George W. Bush's budget chief from 2006 to 2007.

Louis Prima was an influential jazz trumpeter, singer and composer known for songs like "Sing, Sing, Sing," "Angelina," "Buona Sera" and "Jump, Jive an' Wail."

Richard Pryor was a groundbreaking African-American comedian and one of the top entertainers of the 1970s and '80s.

Italian composer Giacomo Puccini started the operatic trend toward realism with his popular works La Boheme and Madame Butterfly.

Czech experimental physiologist Johannes Purkinje discovered the Purkinje effect, Purkinje cells and Purkinje fibers and first introduced the term protoplasm.

Jacques Pépin is a chef and the host of cooking shows on public television. He is also an author, columnist and former guest judge on the Bravo show Top Chef.

Mary Queen of Scots is one of the most fascinating and controversial monarchs of the 16th century who claimed the crowns of four nations in her lifetime.

Uruguayan writer Horacio Quiroga penned short stories inspired by the jungle before committing suicide in 1937. Anaconda is considered his greatest work.

British athlete Paula Radcliffe is one of the elite runners competing today, having set and broken her own record in the women's marathon.

Indian cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh created the spiritual practice of dynamic meditation. He started the Rancho Rajneesh commune in Oregon in the 1980s.

J. Arthur Rank was a British film producer and magnate who also owned two large movie chains.

Lou Rawls was a singer and songwriter known for his baritone voice and the small acting roles he took on the side.

Harry Reid is a Democratic U.S. senator from Nevada. He was elected Senate majority leader in 2008. 

Actress Lee Remick appeared with Andy Griffith in Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd and starred opposite Jack Lemmon in Days of Wine and Roses.

American actor Giovanni Ribisi has been known for playing a range of quirky characters on television and in movies of various genres since the 1990s.

Musician Charlie Rich had several No. 1 country songs in the 1970s, including "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Girl."

Little Richard is a flamboyant American singer and pianist whose hit songs in the mid 1950s were defining moments in the development of rock ‘n’ roll.

Chemist, sanitation engineer, and home economist Ellen Richards opened scientific education and professions to women when she started teaching at MIT in 1884.

Guitarist Keith Richards is one of the driving forces behind the Rolling Stones, the self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band."

Branch Rickey was an innovative baseball executive known for his groundbreaking 1945 decision to bring Jackie Robinson into the major leagues, thereby breaking the color barrier.

Cathy Rigby is best known as a medal-winning American gymnast and Tony nominated actress for her theatrical production in Peter Pan.

Charles Ringling co-founded the Ringling Bros., and later co-owned the Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Painter and muralist Diego Rivera sought to make art that reflected the lives of the working class and native peoples of Mexico.

Aaron Rodgers is quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He steered the franchise to victory in Super Bowl XLVII.

American actor and comedian Ray Romano is best known for his CBS hit Everybody Loves Raymond in which Raymond plays a father and husband.

Lady Countess Rothes was born Lucy Noël "Noëlle" Martha Dyer-Edwards on December 25, 1884, in London, England. Born into a life of great privilege, Nöelle, Countess of Rothes, is remembered for her heroism during the Titanic disaster

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

Helena Rubinstein was a Polish entrepreneur best known for her global cosmetics empire.

Prince Rupert, a 17th century soldier, statesman and scientist, is best known for his talent as a Royalist commander of the English Civil War (1642 - 1651).

Lillian Russell was a singer and actress who first made her mark in the 1881 film Grand Mogul.

Madame de Récamier was a Parisian hostess who attracted her time's literary and political big wigs and inspired the wrath of Napoleon.

Cyrus S. Eaton was a Canadian industrialist and formed the third largest steel company in the United States.

Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone has won dozens of World Championship and U.S. National Championship medals—competing with such teammates as Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson—and won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Ryan Seacrest is known for hosting the popular televised competition American Idol, the annual TV special Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and the radio program American Top 40.

David Sedaris is a humorist and essayist best known for his sardonic autobiographical stories and social commentary.

Monica Seles is a former No. 1-ranked women's tennis player with nine Grand Slam titles. She is also an author and speaker, and competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2008.

Emmy Award–winning television and film writer Rod Serling created and hosted the sci-fi fantasy series The Twilight Zone and co-wrote Planet of the Apes.

Amanda Seyfried is an American actress best known for her roles in Mean Girls and Mamma Mia! She is considered one of Hollywood’s up-and-coming actresses.

Catherine Share, a member of Charles Manson's "Family," was not involved in the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, but was implicated in lesser plots inspired by Manson.

Sam Sheppard was an American physician best known as a homicide suspect in his wife’s murder.

American comedian Sarah Silverman is best known for her controversial statements and performances on her one-woman show, Jesus is Magic.

English musician Paul Simonon was bass player for the punk rock band The Clash.

Frank Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century, forging a career as an award-winning singer and film actor.

David Alfaro Siqueiros was a Mexican painter and muralist whose work reflected his Marxist ideology.

Nikki Sixx founded and played bass in the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. He has written two autobiographies, and hosts the radio show Sixx Sense.

British actress Maggie Smith's distinguished career includes performing opposite Laurence Olivier in Othello to an Academy Award-winning performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, to a role in the Harry Potter series.

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

Patti Smith is a highly influential figure in the New York City punk rock scene, starting with her 1975 album Horses. Her biggest hit is the single "Because the Night."

Fashion designer Kate Spade launched her own line of handbags. Her company has grown to include several retail outlets and a wider range of categories.