1891-1974
1946-
Doc Watson was a blind American guitarist/singer and folk music pioneer whose unprecedented flat-picking style and interpretations of traditional American songs influenced generations of musicians.
1923-2012
Composer. Andrew Lloyd Webber is an English composer known for such musical theater hits as Cats, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Phantom of the Opera.
1948-
Jazz musician Ben Webster (1909–1973) played tenor saxophone with jazz greats like Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington and Art Tatum.
1909-1973
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-
British actress and model Rachel Weisz is best known for her performances in The Mummy, Stealing Beauty and The Constant Gardener.
1970-
1903-1992
William Westmoreland was a U.S. Army general who made a name for himself as commander of American troops in Vietnam.
1914-2005
Edward Weston's photography captured organic forms and texture. Portraits of his family taken in the 1940s are some of his best work.
1886-1958
Pearl White was an American silent film actress best known for her role in The Perils of Pauline, in which she did her own stunt work.
1889-1938
1948-
William I is best known for ruling Prussia as regent, and king, and later as German emperor.
1797-1888
Tennessee Williams was an American writer, whose signature works include A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Glass Menagerie.
1911-1983
1963-
Actor Mykelti Williamson has appeared in films such as Forrest Gump and Free Willy, and on TV shows such as 24.
1957-
Sonny Boy Williamson, originally John Lee Curtis Williamson, was a blues singer and harmonica player. He was the first musician to use the nickname Sonny Boy.
1914-1948
Bruce Willis first made a splash on TV in Moonlighting, costarring Cybill Shepherd, but his fame really grew with films such as Die Hard, The Sixth Sense and The Expendables.
1955-
1905-1975
Harriet E. Wilson is best known as the first African-American female novelist.
1825-1900
Singer Mary Wilson, along with friends Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, formed The Supremes in 1961 and soon became a Motown legend.
1944-
Nancy Wilson is a singer, songwriter and guitarist for the rock band Heart, along with her sister, Ann Wilson.
1954-
Reese Witherspoon was introduced to the world of acting at a young age. She has since won numerous awards and worldwide recognition for her film performances.
1976-
Tom Wolfe is a journalist and best-selling author well known as a proponent of the New Journalism, using fiction-writing techniques in journalism.
1931-
Bob Woodward is an American journalist and author who reported on the Watergate scandal for The Washington Post. His coverage greatly contributed to the Post's 1973 Pulitzer Prize.
1943-
Andrew Young, Jr is a clergyman and was an activist during the civil rights movement. He was also a member of congress and twice elected at the mayor of Atlanta.
1932-
1867-1955
Ian Ziering is an actor known for his role on the teen soap opera Beverly Hills 90210, and for appearing on TV's Dancing with the Stars.
1964-