Famous February Birthdays a to z

Physicist Steven Chu was co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1997 for his work on cooling atoms, and became the U.S. Secretary of Energy in 2009.

Journalist and editor Francis P. Church is remembered best for his 1897 editorial reply to Virginia O'Hanlon, in which he declares Santa Claus is real.

The son of famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez, Julio César Chávez Jr. won the World Boxing Council's middleweight title in 2011, then lost the title to Sergio Martinez in 2012.

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

Chelsea Clinton is a media correspondent and activist who is the daughter of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton.

Joseph Gordon Coates was the prime minister of New Zealand 1925–1928, who later instituted rigorous policies to combat the economic depression of the 1930s.

A talented, troubled grunge performer, Kurt Cobain became a rock legend with his band Nirvana in the 1990s and committed suicide at his Seattle home in 1994.

Diminutive television star Gary Coleman made "What'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" a household catch-phrase in the 1980s.

Ronald Colman was an Academy Award-winning British actor.

Constantine I was the first Christian Roman emperor. He ruled at the beginning of the 4th century and began the evolution of the empire into a Christian state.

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.

Robin Cook was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Livingston from 1983 until his death.

Considered the Godfather of Shock Rock, singer Alice Cooper came to fame in the 1970s, alarming audiences with his garish, often ghoulish stage performances.

Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus identified the concept of a heliocentric solar system, in which the sun, rather than the earth, is the center of the solar system.

Singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow sang backup for stars like Rod Stewart before becoming a star in own right. Her 1996 album Sheryl Crow won two Grammys.

In his screen career of more than 30 years, Jeff Daniels has starred in a wide range of films, including The Purple Rose of Cairo and Dumb & Dumber.

Charles Darwin is best known for his work as a naturalist, developing a theory of evolution to explain biological change.

Arthur Davidson was one of the four founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

Legendary guitarist Dave Davies played in The Kinks with brother Ray Davies, penned hits like "Death of a Clown," and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Charlie Day is an American actor best known for his role as Charlie Kelly on the TV show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Hubert de Givenchy is a French fashion designer who provided Audrey Hepburn's iconic dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer who is best known for his winning bouts in six different weight classes, and for his popular televised fights.

Michel de Montaigne was a 16th century French author best known for his series of philosophical essays, which were published in 1575.

Actor and cultural icon James Dean starred in East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. He was killed in a tragic car accident at age 24.

Millvina Dean was the youngest of the 705 survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic and lived to be the last survivor.

John Deere was an American inventor and manufacturer of agricultural equipment. In 1837, Deere started an eponymous company that went on to become an international powerhouse.

Michael Dell helped launch the personal computer revolution in the 1980s with the creation of the Dell Computer Corporation, now known as Dell Inc.

Actor, director and writer Laura Dern, daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, has played everything from willowy ingénues to drug-addicted washouts. She's known for starring in Jurassic Park, and for co-producing and starring on the series Enlightened.

Charles Dickens was the well-loved and prolific British author of numerous works that are now considered classics.

James Dickey was a Poet Laureate and novelist best known for his 1970 book Deliverance.

American singer and pianist Fats Domino was a rhythm-and-blues star who became one of the first rock-and-roll stars and who helped define the New Orleans sound.

Paul Dooley drew comic strips for his local newspaper before he turned to the big screen, taking roles in films such as Sixteen Candles and Breaking Away.

Jimmy Dorsey was known for playing the clarinet and alto saxophone in the Dorsey Brothers, which performed with all the big names in big band and swing music.

Frederick Douglass, a former slave and eminent human rights leader in the abolition movement, was the first black citizen to hold a high U.S. government rank.

American football wide receiver Donald Driver, drafted by the Greenbay Packers in 1999, won the 14th season of Dancing with the Stars in May 2012.

W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the most important African-American activists during the first half of the 20th century. He co-founded the NAACP and supported Pan-Africanism.

Actress and musician Haylie Duff is Hillary Duff’s older sister. Haylie earned national fame as Summer Wheatley in the 2004 cult classic Napoleon Dynamite.

Prince Andrew, the brother of Prince Charles, is the Duke of York and fourth in line to the British throne.

Renato Dulbecco was an Italian virologist best known winning the Nobel Prize for pioneering the growing of viruses in culture in the 1950s.

U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles made major contributions to U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War.

Jimmy Durante was an American comedian whose career in every major entertainment performance medium spanned more than six decades.

Actor Charles Durning appeared in such films as The Sting, Tootsie and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. He also had roles on such shows as Rescue Me, Everybody Loves Raymond and Evening Shade.

British-born Christopher Eccleston is best known as the ninth actor to play the lead role in the popular U.K. science-fiction television program Doctor Who.

Inventor Thomas Edison created such great innovations as the electric light bulb, the telephone and the phonograph. A savvy businessman, he held more than a 1,000 patents for his inventions.

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.

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.

American Country music singer-songwriter Sara Evan made the hit albums Real Fine Place and Stronger. Her song "Born to Fly," won a 2001 Country Music Award.

Barney Ewell was one of the leading sprinters of the 1940s, and won three medals at the 1948 Olympics.

Comedian and actor Chris Farley had an ensemble role on Saturday Night Live, and was also know for his movie roles in the comedies Wayne's World and Tommy Boy.

Mia Farrow is an American actress who starred in Rosemary's Baby. She dated Woody Allen for more than a decade before the relationship ended in scandal.

Farrah Fawcett was an American actress best known for her role in the TV series Charlie’s Angels. She was also famous for her pin-up status and her signature hairstyle.

Antonio Guzmán Fernández was president of the Dominican Republic from 1978 to 1982, helping to stabilize the economy and demilitarize the government.

Ibrahim Ferrer was a singer and Cuban musician who performed as part of the Grammy Award-winning Buena Vista Social Club.

Luis A. Ferré was a Puerto Rican industrialist who formed the New Progressive Party and was governor of Puerto Rico.

Roberta Flack is a Grammy-winning singer and pianist known for hits like “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.”

Victor Fleming was a Hollywood director, notably helming Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.

Pretty Boy Floyd is best known for his constant run-ins with police and violent bank robberies.

Peter Fonda is an actor, but most well-known as a counterculture icon of the 1960s. He starred in the film Ulee's Gold, which earned him an Oscar nomination.

An Academy Award-winning director, John Ford is considered to be one of the best filmmakers of all time. He is best known for directing Westerns.

Tennessee Ernie Ford was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop and gospel musical genres.

Miloš Forman is an Academy Award winning Czech film director. He is best known for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus.

Jeff Fort is an American criminal best known as the founder and leader of the Black P. Stone Nation gang. Other crimes have included misuse of federal funds, drug trafficking and attempted terrorism.

Writer, feminist and women's rights activist Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique (1963) and co-founded the National Organization for Women.

Melville Fuller was Chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1888 to 1910.

Dubbed “King of Hollywood,” Gone with the Wind actor Clark Gable epitomized Hollywood's Golden Age, and was a legend for his on- and off-screen romances.

Actress Eva Gabor played the socialite turned farm wife, Lisa Douglas, on the TV series Green Acres. Her sisters Zsa Zsa and Magda were also entertainers.

Zsa Zsa Gabor is an actress and socialite famous for her bubbly, flirtatious persona -- referring to nearly everyone as "darling." She's been married nine times.

Josh Gad is a Tony Award-nominated and Grammy Award-winning singer and actor known for his roles in The Book of Mormon, 1600 Penn and Jobs.

Italian scientist and scholar Galileo made pioneering observations that laid the foundation for modern physics and astronomy.

Francis Galton was an English explorer and anthropologist best known for his research in eugenics and human intelligence. He was the first to study the effects of human selective mating.

James Galway is an internationally renowned flutist who includes both classical and contemporary works in his repertoire.

Willie Garson is a TV and film actor who hit it big starring opposite Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex and the City

.

Justin Gatlin sprinted to fame by setting a world record in the 100-meter race. Months later, he tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended. Gatlin is slated to make a comeback at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

David Geffen is an ambitious, energetic music and movie executive who established a vast Hollywood-based empire, featuring Geffen Records and DreamWorks.

Frank Gehry is a Canadian-American architect known for postmodern designs, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Stan Getz was an American jazz saxophonist best known for his popularization of the bossa nova sound.

Park Geun-hye was sworn in as South Korea's first female president in 2013. She is the daughter of former South Korean President Park Chung-hee.

Writer Ellen Gilchrist won the 1984 National Book Award for her short fiction collection Victory Over Japan.