Famous January Birthdays a to z

Singer Claudine Longet recorded seven albums from 1966 to 1972 and user her popularity to transition into an acting career. She murdered her boyfriend in 1976.

James Longstreet was the principle general of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving under Robert E. Lee.

Professional golfer Nancy Lopez was named Player of the Year four times during her career. She was the first woman to be awarded the Frances Ouimet Award.

American diving champion Greg Louganis won 13 world championships and made history at the 1982 Olympics as the first diver ever awarded a perfect score.

Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus is best known for playing Elaine on the sitcom Seinfeld. She has also starred on The New Adventures of Old Christine, and the HBO TV series Veep.

Linda Lovelace is a pornographic actress who had instant success with the 1972 film Deep Throat.

Country singer Patty Loveless is famous for her blend of musical styles, and songs like "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye?"

Victor Lustig was a con artist who became known at "the man who sold the Eiffel Tower."

John Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, was the lead singer and front man for the English punk rock band the Sex Pistols.

David Lynch is a film director and screenwriter known for his dark, offbeat films, notable Blue Velvet and Eraserhead

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Douglas MacArthur was an American general best known for his command of Allied forces in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Sean MacBride was an Irish politician and the former chief of staff of the IRA

Bill Maher is an American comedian, talk show host and political commentator.

Author Norman Mailer used a style combining fiction and journalism to write the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Executioner's Song.

Edouard Manet was a French painter who depicted everyday scenes of people and city life. He was a leading artist in the transition from realism to impressionism.

Eli Manning is the Super Bowl–winning quarterback for the New York Giants, the brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning.

French-American actor and model, Gilles Marini, finished second place on the eighth season of dance-competition show Dancing with the Stars.

Jesse L. Martin is a singer and a TV, film and stage performer known for his roles in Rent and Law & Order.

A poet and a journalist, José Martí spent his short life fighting for Cuban independence. He died in 1895 during a failed attempt to win freedom for Cuba.

Nick Mason was a founding member and drummer of the British psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd.

Mobster Joseph Massino became boss of the Bonanno crime family when other crime bosses were being sent to jail for life. The press called him "the Last Don."

Dave Matthews is the front man, guitarist and singer-songwriter of The Dave Matthews Band.

Architect Thom Mayne helped found the architectural design firm Morphosis, and co-founded the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc).

Actress Danica McKellar played Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years. She has also written a series of New York Times best-sellers, including Math Doesn't Suck.

William McKinley is best known for being president when the United States acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Founder of female musician showcase Lilith Fair, McLachlan's emotional ballads include "I Will Remember You," "Sweet Surrender," "Adia" and "Angel".

Recording artist and fashion designer Malcolm McLaren came to fame as manager of the Sex Pistols. Later, he recorded several albums of his own material.

Lyle Menendez was convicted, along with his brother Erik, of killing his parents. They each unsuccessfully claimed self-defense, and were sentenced to life in prison in 1996.

Ethel Merman is best known as a gutsy, powerful musical comedy performer and remembered for her brassy style and powerful mezzo-soprano voice.

Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk who was a revered pacifist and author, with works like Seven Storey Mountain and Thoughts in Solitude.

Kate Middleton, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, married Prince William in 2011 at Westminster Abbey. She will not be a princess until Prince Charles inherits the throne.

Heather Mills is best known as the ex-wife of musician Paul McCartney as well as for her activism and philanthropy.

Author A.A. Milne wrote beloved classic children's books about the adventures of Christopher Robin and the toy animal Winnie-the-Pooh.

Ronnie Milsap is a multiple Grammy Award-winning country music singer and pianist. A blind performer, Milsap's songs were frequent cross-over hits during the 1970s and 1980s.

Sal Mineo was an American was best known for playing a key role in the classic teen film Rebel Without a Cause alongside James Dean.

Anthony Minghella was an Academy Award-winning director best known for his adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. Released in 1996, the film claimed the Oscar for best picture in 1997.

Tom Mix was an America actor, producer and director and one of the most famous silent film cowboys.

Moliere was a renowned 17th century French dramatist, actor, director and all-around artist known for his innovative stage comedies.

Dwight Morrow (1873–1931) helped draft an early workers' compensation law, devised a national aviation policy, and served as ambassador to Mexico.

With her incredibly thin, boyish body, model Kate Moss created quite a stir in the modeling world, launching what became known as the waif look.

Lucretia Mott was a leading social reformer of her time and helped to form the Free Religious Association.

A prolific artist, Austrian composer Wolfgang Mozart created a string of operas, concertos, symphonies and sonatas that profoundly shaped classical music.

Patricia Neil was an American film and stage actress who is best known for her performances in The Day The Earth Stood Still and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

R&B talent Marc Nelson co-founded Boyz II Men but quit before they hit it big. He continued on as a solo artist and songwriter for well-known performers.

Paul Newman came to be known as one of the finest actors of his time. He also started the Newman's Own food company, which donates all profits to charity.

English physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton, most famous for his law of gravitation, was instrumental in the scientific revolution of the 17th century.

Professional golfer Jack Nicklaus, nicknamed "the Golden Bear," won the U.S. Open four times and the Professional Golfers Association championship five times.

Organized crime figure Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti was a member of Al Capone’s Chicago gang, and the front man for Capone’s empire when Capone was imprisoned.

Richard Nixon was the 37th U.S. president and the only commander-in-chief to resign from his position, after the 1970s Watergate scandal.

Elin Nordegren is the former wife of Tiger Woods, and mother to his two children.

Michelle Obama is a lawyer, Chicago city administrator and community outreach worker, as well as the wife of U.S. President Barack Obama and the 44th first lady.

St. Bernadette of Lourdes was best known as a saint who received visions from the Virgin Mary in a cave near Lourdes. Pope Pius XI canonized her as a saint in 1933.

Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships during the peak of his magnificent 18-year professional career.

Sportscaster and newscaster Keith Olbermann is best known for hosting ESPN's SportsCenter and his own MSNBC/Current TV nightly news program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

Aristotle Onassis is best known as the Greek shipping tycoon who married JFK’s widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, in 1968. Onassis died on March 15, 1975.

Fighter Victor Ortiz is an American boxer who won the welterweight title in 2011.

Broadcast journalist Charles Osgood anchored CBS Morning News, the Sunday Night News and Sunday Morning. More recently, he has hosted The Osgood File.

Pop singer Mark Owen became famous as a member of Take That and as a U.K. reality TV star.

Thomas Paine was an English American writer and pamphleteer whose "Common Sense" and other writings influenced the American Revolution, and helped pave the way for the Declaration of Independence.

Country music queen Dolly Parton is a cultural icon whose voluptuous figure and powerful voice made her popular on both stage and screen.

American boxer Floyd Patterson was the first to hold the world heavyweight championship twice. He won a gold medal in the 1952 Olympic Games.

Suffragette Alice Paul dedicated her life's work to women's rights and was a key figure in the push for the 19th Amendment.

Senator Rand Paul, son of Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, is best known for his support of the Tea Party movement and his controversial comments on the Civil Rights Act.

Charles Perrault was a French poet and author known for writing the Mother Goose fairy tales.

Steve Perry was the lead singer of pop rock band Journey from 1977 to 1986. He is known for having a wide vocal range, which can be heard on such popular hits as "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Oh Sherrie."

Former police sergeant Drew Peterson was convicted in the 2004 murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. He was also named a suspect in 2007 in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

American record producer Sam Phillips is best known for discovering musicians Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Howlin' Wolf, among other blues, country and rock 'n' roll artists. He is also known for revolutionizing the music industry and introducing rock 'n' roll to the world throughout the 1950s.

Suzanne Pleshette was an Emmy Award-nominated actress known for roles in films like The Geisha Boy and The Birds, as well as the television series The Bob Newhart Show.

American writer, critic and editor Edgar Allan Poe is famous for his tales and poems of horror and mystery, including The Raven.

Fritz Pollard was the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl, the first African-American NFL coach and one of the NFL's first black players.

Famous 20th century artist Jackson Pollock revolutionized the world of modern art with his unique abstract painting techniques.

English golfer Ian Poulter is a successful member of both the PGA and European tours.

Terence Powderly served as union leader of the Knights of Labor from 1879 to 1893. Under his leadership, the union saw both unprecedented growth and sudden decline.

Steve Prefontaine is best known as the runner who once held the U.S. record in every long-distance event. He died in a car crash in 1974 at age 24.

Musician and actor Elvis Presley endured rapid fame in the mid-1950s—on the radio, TV and the silver screen—and continues to be one of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll.

Professional athlete. Considered one of the top players in the sport, Albert Pujols is a Major League Baseball first baseman for Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

British social anthropologist A.R. Radcliffe-Brown had a profound impact on British and American social anthropology through his version of Functionalism.