Famous November Birthdays a to z

Tommy Makem was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

Terrence Malick is a critically acclaimed American film director who films include: Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Tree of Life.

Jena Malone started acting while still a child and has appeared in films including Bastard out of Carolina (1996) and Contact (1997).

David Mamet is a playwright and screenwriter known for such heady works as American Buffalo and Glengarry Glen Ross.

American actor, comedian and television personality Howie Mandel is best known for creating the cartoon series Bobby's World and hosting Deal or No Deal.

Herman J. Mankiewicz was a journalist and screenwriter who won an Academy Award for his work on the film Citizen Kane.

Wilma Mankiller worked for several years as a leading advocate for the Cherokee people, and became the first woman to serve as their principal chief in 1985.

Charles Manson is an American cult leader whose followers carried out several notorious murders in the late 1960s and inspired the book Helter Skelter.

Robert Mapplethorpe, recognized as a giant of late 20th century photography, is best known for his large-scale, highly stylized black and white portraits.

Garry Marshall produced some of the most popular television shows in the 1970s, including The Odd Couple and Mork and Mindy. He also directed Pretty Woman.

Harpo Marx was a talented comedian and mime best known for his performances as part of the Marx Brothers comedy act.

Bat Masterson was a prominent lawman, gambler, saloon keeper and sports writer of the American West. He was a good friend of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp.

Rachel McAdams is a Canadian actress best known for her roles in Mean Girls, Wedding Crashers, The Time Traveler's Wife, Sherlock Holmes and The Vow.

Andrew McCarthy is best known for his roles in iconic 1980s "Brat Pack" films such as Pretty in Pink, Less than Zero, and St. Elmo's Fire.

Jenny McCarthy was named Playboy's 1994 Playmate of the Year and hosted MTV's Singled Out from 1995 to 1997. She began hosting Love in the Wild in June 2012.

Billy the Kid is best known for his time as a thief and gunfighter, constantly on the run from law enforcement.

Matthew McConaughey is an American actor from Texas known for his laid back persona and good looks. He was named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2005.

Mindy McCready was best known for her hit country music album Ten Thousand Angels, as well as for her ongoing personal struggles. At the age of 37, she was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Scott McNealy co-founded the computer technology company Sun Microsystems, a fervent rival of Windows.

Clyde McPhatter was a popular rhythm-and-blues singer in the 1950s. One of the most dramatic vocalists of his generation, his style anticipated soul music.

Erik Menendez and brother Lyle were found guilty of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. They were both sentenced to life in prison in 1996.

S. Epatha Merkerson is an Emmy-Award-winning actress who’s starred on the TV series Law & Order for 17 years.

Dennis Miller is an Emmy-winning comedian and actor known for his biting humor filled with esoteric and wide-ranging knowledge.

Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, responsible for hits such as "Both Sides Now" and "Big Yellow Taxi," is widely considered 1960s and '70s folk royalty.

Claude Monet was a famous French painter whose work gave a name to the art movement Impressionism which was concerned with capturing light and natural forms.

Economist Jean Monnet was deputy secretary general and financial adviser of the League of Nations. Monnet helped unify and modernize Europe after WWII.

Actor Ricardo Montalban is best known for playing Mr. Roarke on television's Fantasy Island—the role that launched him into true stardom.

With her husky voice and beauty, Demi Moore was a fixture in 'Brat Pack' movies of the 1980s, such as St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night.

Barbara Morgan was the first teacher-astronaut to complete a shuttle mission on board the Endeavor in 2007.

Comedic actor Tracy Morgan, known for his unpredictable antics, got his big break on Saturday Night Live. His 30 Rock character is loosely based on his over-the-top personality.

Brittany Murphy was an actress who appeared in a string of critically acclaimed films, including Girl, Interrupted (1999) and 8 Mile (2002).

Ryan Murphy is the creator of the popular American television programs Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story and The New Normal.

Reverend Pauli Murray was an American civil rights advocate and ordained priest. She is best known for furthering the civil rights and feminist causes.

James Naismith invented tha game of basketball in 1891.

Janet Napolitano was the Democratic governor of Arizona before becoming Secretary of Homeland Security under Barack Obama in 2009.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi’s father, was a leader of India’s nationalist movement and became India’s first prime minister after its independence.

Nelly is an American rapper and singer known for such hits as "Country Grammar" and "Dilemma."

Actor Judd Nelson has made a career out of playing bad guys and antiheroes. His portrayal of a tough teenager in The Breakfast Club helped him become a star.

Mike Nichols in an American theater and film director, best known for his 1967 classic, The Graduate. He's won an Academy Award, as well as multiple Tony and Emmy Awards.

Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia was commander in chief of Tzar Nicholas II's army during WWI. The Russian Revolution ended his career.

Dennis Nilsen is best known as the English murderer of many young men in the late 1970's and early 80's.

Science educator Bill Nye is best known for hosting Bill Nye, the Science Guy, a PBS Kids show about science.

Georgia O'Keefe is a 20th century American painter best known for her flower canvases and southwestern landscapes.

Lamar Odom is an American basketball player for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, best known for playing seven seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, and for marrying reality star Khloé Kardashian.

José Clemente Orozco was a painter who helped lead the revival of Mexican mural painting in the 1920s. His works are complex and often tragic.

Robert Dale Owen, son of the Welsh social reformer Robert Owen, is best known for being integral to the founding of the Smithsonian Institution.

Ignacy Paderewski was a world famous concert pianist who also became Poland’s first prime minister in 1919.

Actress Geraldine Page, born in Missouri 1924, was well respected for her dedication to her roles on stage and screen, winning an Oscar and an Emmy.

Gordon Parks was an African-American photographer, filmmaker and author, best known for his work published in LIFE magazine and for directing the hit movie Shaft.

General George Patton led the Third Army in a very successful sweep across France during World War II in 1944. He was skilled at tank warfare.

Attorney and politician Tim Pawlenty is a former Republican Minnesota state senator, and served as governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2009.

U.S. Army General David Petraeus became director of the CIA in 2011. He resigned from the post in 2012, after his extramarital affair with Paula Broadwell was publicized.

Actress Mackenzie Phillips, daughter of rock musician John Phillips, starred in the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time and the Disney Channel's So Weird.

Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, prompting a bloody conflict over Kansas' slavery status.

Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet overthrew the Allende government in 1973 and stayed in power until 1998. He was never tried for alleged human rights abuses.

Oscar Pistorius, the "Blade Runner," is a South African sprint runner who became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics in 2012. In 2013, Pistorius admitted to shooting and killing his girlfriend, South African model Reeva Steenkamp.

Dana Plato was a child actress on the television show Diff'rent Strokes. She fell into drug addiction and died of an overdose in 1999.

James Polk was the 11th president of the United States, known for his territorial expansion of the nation chiefly through the Mexican-American War.

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was a 20th century clergyman and U.S. representative who was a major force in establishing civil rights for African Americans.

Prince Charles is the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and is the heir apparent to the British throne.

Elpidio Quirino (1890–1956) was the second president of the Independent Republic of the Philippines.

Bonnie Raitt is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose musical range encompasses blues, folk, rhythm and blues, pop, and country rock.

Hot-tempered chef Gordon Ramsay owns a number of successful restaurants but is best known as the star of television series Hell's Kitchen.

James T. Rapier served in Congress as a U.S. Representative from Alabama. He was one of only three black congressmen during Reconstruction and helped to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1875.

American film and television actress Tara Reid has appeared in such hit movies as The Big Lebowski and American Pie.

Condoleezza Rice is the first black woman to serve as the United States' national security adviser, as well as the first black woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State (2005-09).

Susan Rice is a U.S. Cabinet member with the Obama administration who is the country’s ambassador to the United Nations.

Bill Richardson served in Clinton's cabinet and as New Mexico’s governor but he was unsuccessful in his bid for a 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Doris Roberts played the role of meddling mother Marie Barone on the hit television comedy Everybody Loves Raymond.

In the 1990s, Robin Roberts began hosting Sportscenter and appearing as a guest reporter on Good Morning America. In 2005, she was hired as a full-time co-anchor of the morning news program.