Famous May Birthdays a to z

Singer Adele is a Grammy Award-winning artist whose throwback, soulful sound has made her an international success.

Maria Gaetana Agnesi is best known for writing the first book discussing integral and differential calculus.

Albert, first duke of Prussia and last grand master of the Teutonic Knights, is known chiefly for ending the Teutonic Knights' government of East Prussia.

Madeleine Albright became the first woman to represent the U.S. in regards to foreign affairs as the secretary of state.

Nicaraguan writer Claribel Alegria, a major voice in contemporary Central American literature, was known for her volume of poetry, Flowers from the Volcano.

Lily Allen is a British recording artist known for her hit songs "Sime" and "The Fear," and for her unruly public behavior.

Sidney Altman is a Nobel Prize-winning Canadian-American molecular biologist.

Don Ameche was an actor know mostly for films in the 1930s and 1940s, radio and TV in the 1950s-1970s, and later the film Trading Places.

Wes Anderson is known for the quirky and humorous films The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor known for his work as part of the hip-hop duo OutKast.

Forward Carmelo Anthony is one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA. Drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2003, he was traded to the New York Knicks in 2011.

Philosopher, novelist and scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah is known for his contributions to political philosophy, moral psychology and the philosophy of culture.

Marshall Herff Applewhite was the leader of the Heaven's Gate religious group. He was a self-proclaimed prophet. He died in the group's mass suicide in 1997.

James Arness is an American actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon on the TV show Gunsmoke for 20 years.

Will Arnett is a comedic actor known for his wacky role as G.O.B. on TV's Arrested Development and his voice-over work in film.

Bea Arthur was an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress who starred in the television shows Maude and The Golden Girls.

Entrepreneur Mary Kay, founder of Mary Kay Inc., built a profitable business from scratch that created new opportunities for women to achieve financial success.

Fred Astaire was an American dancer of stage and film who is best known for a number of successful musical comedy films in which he starred with Ginger Rogers.

John Jacob Astor V, the fifth member of the American Astor family to bear the name John Jacob, became owner and chairman of The Times of London in 1922.

Nancy Astor (1879–1965) was the first woman to serve in the British Parliament, where she advocated temperance, women's rights and German appeasement.

Politician and publisher Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor became a member of Parliament and was the publisher of the London Observer from 1915 to 1945.

Susan Atkins was a member of Charles Manson's "Family" and was convicted of the group's infamous 1969 murder of Sharon Tate, which was orchestrated by Manson.

The Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach and his drummer, Patrick Carney, won multiple 2013 Grammy Awards for their album El Camino and its hit track, "Lonely Boy."

American photographer Richard Avedon was best known for his work in the fashion world and for his minimalist, large-scale character-revealing portraits.

Pharmacologist Julius Axelrod’s studies of neurotransmission of adrenalin and amphetamines led to his investigations into drugs for treatment of mental illness.

Chuck Baldwin is a politician, writer, conservative pastor and radio talk show host. He was the Constitution Party's presidential candidate for the 2008 election.

Stephen Baldwin, youngest brother of actor Alec Baldwin, is known for his television and film career, and for his conservative political and religious beliefs.

Sir James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish dramatist, best known for writing the play Peter Pan.

Singer and actor James Lance Bass came to fame as a member of the boy band 'N Sync.

Children's book writer Frank Baum created the popular Wizard of Oz series. Ruth Plumly Thompson continued to write the series after his death.

James Beard was a chef, television personality and food writer who many consider the father of American-style gourmet cooking.

Soccer great David Beckham has played for Manchester United, England, Real Madrid and the L.A. Galaxy. He is married to Victoria Beckham, also known as Posh from the Spice Girls.

Luciano Benetton is the founder of the Benetton Group, which sells clothing in varying lines, notably the United Colors of Benetton.

Annette Bening is an Oscar-nominated actress known for films like The Grifters, Bugsy, American Beauty and The Kids Are All Right.

Chris Benoit was a popular professional wrestler who, in 2007, killed his wife and son and then committed suicide.

American actor Tom Berenger is best known for playing the hard-drinking TV star in the The Big Chill, the sexy killer in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and violent Hatfield clan member Jim Vance in the TV miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.

Irving Berlin was one of the most prolific and popular songwriters of the 20th century, counting among his many hits "White Christmas" and "Cheek to Cheek."

Chris Berman has served as a host, anchor, and commentator on numerous ESPN programs, including NFL Countdown, NFL Sundays, SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight.

Yogi Berra is best known as a Yankees player who was widely considered one of the best catchers of all-time. Later in life, he managed the team, becoming only one of six managers to lead both National and American League teams to the World Series.

Athlete George Best played for Manchester United and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968. His brief career ended by the time he was 25.

Kenneth Bianchi, known as the Hillside Strangler, is a serial killer best known for working with his cousin Angelo Buono to commit 15 rapes and murders.

Biggie Smalls, also known as Notorious B.I.G., was a revered hip-hop artist and face of East Coast gangsta rap. He was shot and killed on March 9, 1997.

Maeve Binchy was the author of various literary works, including 16 novels. Her most popular books include Light a Penny Candle, Echoes, Circle of Friends and Tara Road.

Montgomery Blair was a 19th century lawyer and politician who represented Dred Scott and served as Abraham Lincoln's postmaster general.

Tony Blair was leader of the British Labour Party from 1994 to 2007, and prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007.

Mel Blanc was a voice actor and entertainer who provided voices for Bugs Bunny and over 400 other cartoon characters.

Cellular and molecular biologist Günter Blobel won the Nobel Prize in 1999 for his discoveries about proteins and their placement in the cell.

Amelia Bloomer was a women's rights activist. She advocated for changes in women's fashion that would be less restrictive. "Bloomers" are named after her.

Nellie Bly was an American journalist known for her investigative and undercover reporting. She earned acclaim in 1887 for her exposé on the conditions of patients at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, and achieved further fame after the New York World sent her on a trip around the world in 1889.

Bono is the frontman of the Irish rock band U2. He's also known for participating in global charity efforts.

On April 14, 1865, actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln while he was watching Our American Cousin at Ford Theater in Washington, D.C.

Scottish gang member Jimmy Boyle got a life sentence for killing Babs Rooney. After his release, Boyle became a businessman and worked with young offenders.

Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist who wrote symphonies, concerti, chamber music, piano works, and choral compositions.

Christian Brando was the eldest son of Hollywood legend Marlon Brando. He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for killing his half-sister’s boyfriend.

Georges Braque, the French painter who invented Cubism, with Pablo Picasso, and became the first living artist to be exhibited at The Louvre in 1961.

American actor Todd Bridges is best known for playing Willis Jackson on the hit TV sitcom Diff’rent Strokes.

Jim Broadbent is an Academy Award-winning British actor known for his work with Mike Leigh, Woody Allen and Terry Gilliam. His film credits include Topsy-Turvy, Iris and Moulin Rouge!.

Russian-born American poet Joseph Brodsky was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1987 for his important lyric and elegiac poems.

James L. Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter, best-known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda and Taxi.

Rebekah Brooks resigned as editor of the British paper that hacked into voicemail for news scoops.

Irish actor Pierce Brosnan is best known for his recurring role as British spy James Bond in the popular James Bond film series.

Chris Brown is a Grammy Award-winning R&B and dance music entertainer who has pleaded guilty to assaulting former girlfriend Rihanna.

Herbert C. Brown was a scientist and professor who won the Nobel Prize for his work in organic chemistry.

James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," was a prolific singer, songwriter and bandleader, as well as one of the most iconic figures in funk and soul music from 1956 to 2006.

John Brown was a 19th-century militant abolitionist known for his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.

Melanie Brown, also known as "Mel B," was previously known as "Scary Spice," a member of the all-girl, British pop group the Spice Girls.

Rebbie Jackson is the eldest child of the famous Jackson musical family and has had a long career as a R&B solo artist.

African-American poet Sterling Brown is best known for writing poetry distinctly rooted in folklore and authentic black dialect. His works, including Southern Road (1932), have been widely praised for their authenticity and phonetic spelling.

Since the end of the 1960s, Actor Roscoe Lee Browne made steady television appearances, including on Barney Miller, The Cosby Show, ER and Will & Grace.

Jack Bruce is considered one of greatest bassists of all time. As the lead singer and bass guitarist for the band Cream, he wrote and sang "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room," among several other hits.

Ambrose Burnside is best known for his leadership as a general of the Union army in the Civil War, and for originating the fashion of sideburns in the United States.

Canadian actor Raymond Burr is best known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside.

In less than two years Kyle Busch has already become the youngest race winner in NASCAR's six-decade history of Cup racing, shortly after turning 20 years old.

David Byrne is a singer/songwriter who is best known as the front man for the art-rock musical group the Talking Heads.

Actor and producer Gabriel Byrne was involved in many successful films, including Little Women, The Usual Suspects, Vanity Fair and Julie and Julia.

Veronica Campbell-Brown is the youngest Jamaican woman to win an Olympic medal. At the 2012 Olympic Games, she became a six-time Olympic medalist.

Calamity Jane was a woman of the Wild West who was respected for her talent with a gun and kindness toward others.

Comedian Drew Carey came to national attention with his hit sitcom The Drew Carey Show before becoming the host of The Price Is Right.

Actor, writer, and comedian George Carlin was known for his stand-up routines as well as TV appearances and roles in such films as 1987's Outrageous Fortune.

Rachel Carson was a marine biologist, environmentalist and writer who alerted the world to the environmental impact of fertilizers and pesticides.

Dixie Carter was an actress who most TV viewers remember from the hit series Designing Women.