Famous October Birthdays a to z

Le Corbusier was a Swiss-born French architect who belonged to the first generation of the so-called International school of architecture.

Simon Cowell is a record producer and television personality known for his scathing critical remarks as a judge on the television show, "American Idol."

Michael Crichton was an American author best known for his sci-fi and medical thrillers. The movie based on his book, Jurassic Park, was one of the highest-grossing films in history.

Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American singer, best known as one of the most popular salsa performers of all time, recording 23 gold albums. 

Matt Damon is an American actor and Academy Award-winning screenwriter for his work on Good Will Hunting. He plays Jason Bourne in the hit film series.

Militant suffragette Emily Wilding Davison fought to gain equal voting rights for British women before dying at the Epsom Derby in 1913.

American actress Laraine Day portrayed steadfast women in Hollywood films of the 1940s, including nurse Mary Lamont in seven Dr. Kildare movies.

Ruby Dee is an American actress, playwright, screenwriter, activist, poet and journalist, perhaps best known for starring in the 1961 film A Raisin in the Sun. She's also known for her civic work with husband Ossie Davis.

Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson hosted NOVA ScienceNow and appeared on such shows as The Daily Show and Real Time with Bill Maher.

Director and producer Ted Demme created Yo! MTV Raps, and worked on the films Beautiful Girls, Life and Blow.

Educator John Dewey originated the experimentalism philosophy. A proponent of social change and education reform, he founded The New School for Social Research.

William Dodd was an American historian and diplomat who wrote about the antebellum South and the Civil War.

Snoop Dogg is a West Coast rapper who evolved under the tutelage of Dr. Dre, and has received fame for albums such as Doggystyle, Tha Doggfather and Reincarnation.

Domitian was a Roman emperor from years AD 81 to 96 and was known for the reign of terror members of the Senate lived under in his last years.

William O. Douglas was a government official who in 1939 became the second youngest Supreme Court justice in U.S. history.

TV and rap star Drake is best known in Canada for playing wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and for hit songs like "Best I Ever Had" and "Take Care."

Alfred Dreyfus was a French army officer who was wrongly convicted of treason based primarily on anti-semitism. The scandal was known as the Dreyfus Affair.

Richard Dreyfuss is an American actor known for his roles in Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, American Graffiti and The Goodbye Girl.

American swimmer Gertrude Ederle achieved fame when she competed in the 1924 Olympics and became the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926.

Annie Edson Taylor was a teacher and daredevil who was the first person to ride down Niagara Falls in a barrel.

Zac Efron is a teen heartthrob who appears in films and on TV, notably in the High School Musical films.

American actor Jesse Eisenberg is known for memorable performances in movies from indie drama The Squid and the Whale to Oscar contender The Social Network.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, promoted Atoms for Peace at the United Nations General Assembly in order to ease Cold War tensions.

Ruth Ellis is best known for the murder of her lover, leading to her execution, the last of a woman in England.

Brooke Ellison became a quadriplegic after she was struck by a car as a seventh-grader. In 2002, her inspirational life story was published in Miracles Happen: One Mother, One Daughter, One Journey.

Eminem is an American rapper, record producer, and actor, who is known as one of the most controversial and best-selling artists of the early 21st century.

Robert F. Engle is a co-recipient of the 2003 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, honored for developing methods to analyze unpredictable movements in the financial market.

Nicknamed "The Ox," bass guitarist John Entwistle was a founding member of the legendary rock band the Who.

Dale Evans was the longtime screen partner and wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers. She wrote several hit songs, including "Happy Trails to You."

Isabella Farnese was the Queen consort of Spain, wife of Philip V of Spain. She exerted tremendous influence of Spain's foreign policy and expansion.

Quarterback Brett Favre led the Green Bay Packers to victory in Super Bowl XXXI, and is the all-time leader in career passing yards and touchdowns.

Jon Favreau is a Hollywood actor, screenwriter, director and producer known for film projects like Swingers, Elf and Iron Man.

Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson is the ex-wife of Britain's Prince Andrew and is also a children's book author and film producer.

Actress Joely FIsher is best known for her work on the popular 1990s sitcom Ellen.

With the Red Hot Chili Peppers, bassist Flea has scored numerous hit albums, including 1991's BloodSugarSexMagik and 2006's Stadium Arcadium.

Ari Fleischer is best known as the former White House Press Secretary serving President George W. Bush from 2001-2003.

Academy Award-winning actress Joan Fontaine has appeared in such films as Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Jane Eyre (1944) and Othello (1952).

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was a member of Charles Manson's "Family," who was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford.

Annette Funicello is an American singer and actress known for her starring roles on Walt Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club and in the Beach Party film series.

Zach Galifianakis is a comedic actor who struck Hollywood gold after appearing in the 2009 blockbuster The Hangover.

Irish actor Michael Gambon is best known for his role as Albus Dumbledore in five of the seven J.K. Rowling Harry Potter films. Prior to his role as Dumbledore, Gambon was known as one of the leading thespians of his generation.

Mahatmas Gandhi was the primary leader of India's independence movement and also the architect of a form of civil disobedience that would influence the world.

Alexander Gardner was a Scottish photographer who moved to the United States and took some of the most memorable photos of the American Civil War.

Entrepreneur Bill Gates founded the world's largest software business, Microsoft, with Paul Allen and became one of the richest men in the world.

Silent film actress Janet Gaynor won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Actress in 1929, for her role in the movie Seventh Heaven.

Bob Geldof is best known as the singer of the band the Boomtown Rats and for his political activism, particularly his anti-poverty efforts in Africa.

A jazz trumpeter and composer, Dizzy Gillespie played with Charlie Parker and developed the music known as "bebop." His best-known compositions include "Oop Bob Sh' Bam," "Groovin' High," "Salt Peanuts" and "A Night in Tunisia."

Joseph Goebbels was minister of propaganda for the German Third Reich under Adolf Hitler. He presented a favorable image of the Nazi regime to the Germans.

Jeff Goldblum is a film, TV and stage actor known for his roles in work like The Fly, Jurassic Park, Igby Goes Down and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Baseball player Juan Gonzalez, considered by some to be the best Puerto Rican player since Roberto Clemente, played for the Rangers, Tigers, Royals and Indians.

John Gotti was an organized crime leader who became head of the Gambino family.

Nancy Grace is the outspoken host of HLN's top-rated show, Nancy Grace.

Peter Greene is an American character actor best known for his roles as villains in Pulp Fiction and The Mask.

Ellie Greenwich is best known as the writer of hit songs from the 1960's through the 1980's.

Ioan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor best known for playing Horatio Hornblower in the Emmy Award-winning A&E miniseries.

Benjamin Guggenheim was an heir in the wealthy Guggenheim family. Following a trip to Europe, he decided to sail on the maiden voyage of the Titanic.

Chuck Hagel cofounded Vanguard Cellular Systems, is a former Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska, and was nominated for U.S. secretary of defense by Barack Obama.

Adelaide Hall was an American-born jazz singer whose improvisational wordless rhythms ushered in what became known as scat.

Daryl Hall is a singer-songwriter who's part of the mega-hit duo Hall & Oates, known for hit songs like "Sara Smile," "One on One" and "Out of Touch."

Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights activists who helped African Americans register to vote and who cofounded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

Actor Harry Hamlin starred in the television series L.A. Law as lawyer Michael Kuzak for five seasons and was voted People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 1987.

Darrell Hammond is an actor, stand-up comedian, and impressionist known for his long stint on Saturday Night Live and his spot-on impression of former president Bill Clinton.

Art Hanes was mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, between 1961 and 1963. He actively opposed racial integration.

James Hanratty was hanged in 1962 after being convicted of shooting a couple near London, but his guilt is still disputed.

Irish actor Richard Harris is best known for his performances as King Arthur in Broadway's Camelot and Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films.

Caroline Harrison married future U.S. President Benjamin Harrison in 1853. As first lady, she oversaw the installation of electricity in the White House.

Robert Harting is a German discus thrower and Olympic gold medalist. Known for tearing open his shirt after big wins, he is often called "The Incredible Hulk."

Václav Havel is a playwright who in 1989 became the president of Czechoslovakia, contining on after the country became the Czech Republic until 2003.

U.S. Secretary of State John Hay began his career as Abraham Lincoln’s private secretary, and was later known for promoting an "Open Door" policy in China.

Helen Hayes was an American actress best known for being one of two women to have received all four entertainment awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.

Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th president of the United States and oversaw the end of the rebuilding efforts of the Reconstruction.

American film actress Rita Hayworth is best known for her stunning explosive sexual charisma on screen in films throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

Painter, Al Held was know for his painting complex cube-like structures in the 1960s, and his precise and brightly colored geometric forms in the 1980s.

Republican, Jesse Helms was a United States Senator from North Carolina who served for five terms (1973-2003). He was known for his right-wing politics and opposition to civil rights legislation.