Shawn Wayan is an actor known for co-starring with his brother Marlon in various comic spoofs, including the Scary Movie franchise.
1971-
Actress Sigourney Weaver is best known for her roles in films since the 1980s, including Ghost Busters, Working Girl and Alien.
1949-
Songwriter Cynthia Weil is famous for singles including "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" for The Animals and "Walking in the Rain" for The Ronettes.
1940-
1933-
Former U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner served New York's 9th Congressional District from 1999 to 2011, when he abruptly resigned over a sexting scandal.
1964-
Harvey Weinstein founded the Miramax Film Corporation with his brother Bob and together the two produced hit films including Pulp Fiction and Good Will Hunting.
1952-
Mae West started in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York, and later moved to Hollywood to star in films known for their blunt sexuality and steamy settings.
1893-1980
1846-1914
1862-1937
Joss Whedon is a writer and director best known as the creator of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
1964-
1899-1985
Meg Whitman is the successful corporate executive, serving as CEO of eBay and later Hewlett Packard. In 2010 she lost her bid to win the California governorship.
1956-
Walt Whitman was an American poet whose verse collection Leaves of Grass is a landmark in the history of American literature.
1819-1892
Jeffrey Wigand became famous in the 1990s when he took public his knowledge that cigarette companies had tried to conceal the dangers of smoking.
1942-
1973-
1959-
American composer and conductor John Williams has scored more than 75 films, including Jaws, the Star Wars trilogy, E.T. and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
1932-
Ted Williams was homeless in 2011 when a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch made him famous with a viral Internet video story.
1957-
1963-
1897-1972
Henry Winkler is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Fonzie on the hit 1970s sitcom Happy Days. He has produced and directed several television series.
1945-
Dick Wolf is an Emmy-winning television producer who brought the Law & Order franchise to the small screen.
1946-
Paul Wolfowitz is a U.S. government official who is best known as the leading architect of the Iraq War under President George Bush's administration.
1943-
Filmmaker and novelist Ed Wood is famous for his low-budget films of the 1950s like Plan 9 From Outer Space, which are celebrated today as sheer camp.
1924-1978
Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, is a professional basketball player known for his fierce defensive play and 2011 name change.
1979-
1915-
Rosalyn S. Yalow was a Nobel Prize-winning medical physicist who conducted groundbreaking research on type II diabetes.
1921-
One-third of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter Yarrow co-wrote and sang hits like "Puff the Magic Dragon." He is now a social and political activist.
1938-
1939-
Adam Yauch (aka MCA) was a co-founder and member of the Beastie Boys, the popular rap group.
1964-2012
Benh Zeitlin is an American filmmaker best known for his critically-acclaimed 2012 film, Beasts of the Southern Wild.
1982-
Mark Zuckerberg is co-founder and CEO of the social-networking website Facebook, as well as one of the world's youngest billionaires.
1984-