Famous February Birthdays a to z

President Ronald Reagan helped redefine the purpose of government and pressured the Soviet Union to end the Cold War. He solidified the conservative agenda for decades after his presidency.

British thespian Michael Redgrave is acclaimed for his theater and film roles. He has also sired two generations of acting luminaries.

A leading Impressionist painter, Pierre-Auguste Renoir was one of the most famous artists of the early twentieth century.

Actress Christina Ricci played Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family movie. By the late 1990s, she was one of the most in-demand young actresses in Hollywood.

Model and actress Denise Richards is best known for her role in 1998's Wild Things, and for her tumultuous marriage and divorce with actor Charlie Sheen.

American track star Sanya Richards-Ross won Olympic gold in 2004 and 2008, as part of the U.S. 400-meter relay team, and went on to win gold in the women's 400 meters in 2012.

Born in London on February 21, 1946, this actor is best known for portraying memorable villains in films like Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Theives.

International R&B star Rihanna released her first album in 2005 and is known for such hits as "Umbrella," Pon de Replay," "SOS" and "Disturbia."

Molly Ringwald is an American actress known for the series of teen films she did with directer John Hughes in the 1980s, including Sixteen Candles.

French actress Emmanuelle Riva first attracted international attention with the 1959 film Hiroshima Mon Amour. She later received an Academy Award nomination for 2012's Amour.

Emma Roberts, best known for being the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of actress Julia Roberts, has established her own career in television and film.

Known as the "King of Motown," Smokey Robinson founded the R&B group The Miracles, which delivered 37 Top 40 hits for Motown Records.

Former Saturday Night Live castmember Chris Rock has appeared in such films as Bad Company and is the creator of the television show Everybody Hates Chris.

Actor and dancer Cesar Romero performed in movies from the '30s through the '60s. He became a pop culture icon in the 1966 Batman television series.

Filmmaker George A. Romero has created such classic horror films as Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a professional soccer player who has set records while playing for both Manchester United and Real Madrid.

American basketball player Rajon Rondo is an all-star point guard who led the Boston Celtics to the NBA championship in 2008.

Civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger, spurring the Montgomery boycott and other efforts to end segregation.

Founder and lead singer of Guns N' Roses, Axl Rose, is a celebrated but controversial figure in the world of rock.

Kevin Rose is an Internet entrepreneur, as well as the founder and CEO of Digg, a popular social news website.

Kelly Rowland is a member of the top-selling American R&B girl group Destiny's Child.

Mercedes Ruehl is an actress of Cuban and Irish descent. She won a Tony Award for Lost in Yonkers and an Oscar for The Fisher King.

Ja Rule is one of the biggest rappers from the early 2000s, known for hits like "Between Me and You," "Always on Time" and "Put It on Me."

Debra Jo Rupp is an actress who played Kitty on the TV sitcom That '70s Show, which ran from 1998 to 2006.

Hailed as the greatest winner in sports, Basketball Hall of Fame center Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented 11 championships in just 13 seasons.

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

Sebastião Salgado is an award-winning photographer known for his arresting documentation of communities across the world.

Augusta Savage is remembered as an artist, activist, and arts educator, serving as an inspiration to the many that she taught, helped, and encouraged.

Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher best known for his book The World as Will and Representation, and for his pessimistic views of human nature.

Charles Scribner co-founded the publishing house Baker & Scribner, which became Charles Scribner's Sons.

Seal is a Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter with an international reach known for hits like "Crazy," "Kiss From a Rose" and "Love's Divine."

Emmy Award-winning British actress Jane Seymour starred on the dramatic TV series Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, and was in the James Bond film Live and Let Die.

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was an Irish-born British explorer who was a principal figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira is a hugely popular Colombian pop singer who is known for the hits "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie."

Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel's 11th prime minister.

Dr. Anna Howard Shaw was the first female minister in the Methodist Protestant Church. She spent most of her life working for the cause of women's suffrage.

Sidney Sheldon was a best-selling novelist who won Oscar, Tony and Emmy awards for his work on the stage and screen.

William Tecumseh Sherman was a U.S. Civil War Union Army leader known for "Sherman's March," in which he and his troops laid waste to the South.

William Shockley was an engineer and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1956 for his development of the transistor.

Dinah Shore was an award-winning television personality and singer known for her string of TV shows, including Dinah!, Dinah's Place, and Dinah and Friends.

Iconic mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel built the Flamingo casino in Las Vegas, igniting an era of glamour, gambling and gangsters in the desert.

Writer Lemony Snicket became well-known for his series of children's novels, A Series of Unfortunate Events, featuring the Baudelaire siblings.

Dame Muriel Spark was a Scottish novelist, poet and literary critic best known for her novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

Charlotta Spears Bass was a journalist and activist who, as editor of the California Eagle, championed African-American equality and freedom.

Arlen Specter was Philadelphia District Attorney and was elected to the senate five times. He helped initiate the reauthorization of the Patriot Act.

American swimmer Mark Spitz set a world record at the 1972 Olympic Games, when he won seven gold medals across individual and team events.

Jerry Springer is an American talk show host, best known for his tabloid talk show, The Jerry Springer Show. He is also a former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Roger Staubach is a former NFL quarterback who led the Dallas Cowboys to win two Super Bowls. He’s also a businessman and sports commentator.

Gertrude Stein was an American author and poet best known for her modernist writings, extensive art collecting and literary salon in 1920s Paris.

John Steinbeck was a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist whose book The Grapes of Wrath portrayed the plight of migrant workers during the Depression.

Rudolf Steiner was a lecturer and founder of anthroposophy. His works attempted to find a synthesis between science and mysticism.

Alexander Stephens was the Confederate vice president during the American Civil War.

Jazz master Rex Stewart is best known for his work with the Duke Ellington orchestra. Duke Ellington arranged many of his pieces to showcase Stewart's talent.

Theater director Lee Strasberg co-founded the Group Theatre, where he directed experimental plays, and later became artistic director of the Actors Studio.

Dorothy Stratten was a Playboy model and actress before she was murdered at the age of 20.

Levi Strauss started an enduring fashion empire, which he launched by making one of the world's most durable and popular clothing items--the blue jeans.

Julius Streicher was a Nazi demagogue and politician who gained infamy as one of the most virulent advocates of the persecution of Jews during the 1930s.

Jeb Stuart was a General and cavalry leader for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He worked closely with General Robert E. Lee.

A student of such famed physicists as Albert Einstein and Max Planck, Leo Szilard was key in getting the United States to work on the atomic bomb.

Ice-T is best known for his raps about street life and violence, and his influence on the gangster rap genre.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor starred in films like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Butterfield 8, but was just as famous for her violet eyes and scandalous love life.

American football player Lawrence Taylor was a member of the New York Giants and is considered one of the best linebackers in the history of the game.

Italian operatic soprano Renata Tebaldi was best known for her exquisite and emotional quality of her singing.

Entrepreneur Charles Tiffany co-founded Tiffany & Young, which later became the premier jewelry store Tiffany & Co.

Son of Tiffany & Co. founder Charles Tiffany, Louis Tiffany was an internationally renowned glass maker and a leader of the Art Nouveau movement.

As a member of the Monkees, Peter Tork achieved big pop music success in the 1960s, with such hits as "Daydream Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville."

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."

Mexican pop superstar Gloria Trevi's career fell apart in the 1990s when she and her manager were accused of corrupting minors, sexual abuse, and kidnapping.

Travis Tritt is a country music performer known for his bluesy, rock-and-roll-inspired songs.

French director François Truffaut established the New Wave movement in film. He won an Oscar for his 1972 film, Day for Night.

Ivana Trump was once the glamorous wife of real estate mogul Donald Trump.

Mary Tudor was queen of England from 1553 to 1558. She became known as "Bloody Mary" for her persecution of Protestants.

Lana Turner was a film actress and sex symbol who was "discovered" while drinking soda at a diner counter. She made over 50 films and was married seven times.