African-American entrepreneur Wally Amos founded the Famous Amos cookie brand. He also worked as a talent agent and discovered Simon & Garfunkel.
1936-
Pamela Anderson first gained fame in the pages of Playboy and rose to international fame with her role on Baywatch. She garnered more fame in 2010, when she competed on Dancing with the Stars.
1967-
Dan Aykroyd is a Canadian actor and comedian known for his performances on Saturday Night Live, and in the hit films The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters.
1952-
Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr., was the first African-American general for the U.S. Army, after starting as a volunteer in the Spanish-American War.
1877-1970
1915-1992
1929-
Missy Elliott is a Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist. A rapper and producer, she won the BET Award for best female hip-hop artist numerous times.
1971-
An early 20th century filmmaking pioneer and one of the first to make a narrative fiction film, Alice Guy-Blaché made more than 1,000 films and ran her own film studio in New Jersey, experimenting with sound syncing, color tinting, interracial casting and special effects.
1873-1968
Debbie Harry is a singer and actress who became famous for leading the new wave band Blondie. Her blond hair and cool sexuality made her an instant music icon.
1945-
Estée Lauder started her own company. Seven years later, her Youth-Dew beauty oil launched Estée Lauder, Inc., which became a billion-dollar-a-year business.
1908-2004
Anglo-American stage and film actor Charles Laughton starred in The Old Dark House and Mutiny on the Bounty. He also directed The Night of the Hunter.
1899-1962
1961-
1946-
Tommy Mottola is a high-powered music executive who is credited with launching the careers of Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, and Celine Dion, among others.
1948-
Juan Carlos Onetti was an Uruguayan novelist and short-story writer whose existential works, including A Brief Life, chronicled the decay of modern urban life.
1909-1994
Sydney Pollack is an Oscar-winning film director, producer and actor. His director credits include Tootsie and Three Days of the Condor.
1934-2008
Princess Diana was Princess of Wales while married to Prince Charles. One of the most adored members of the British royal family, she died in a 1997 car crash.
1961-1997
American film and TV actor Alan Ruck is beloved for his role as Cameron Frye, the best friend of Ferris Bueller, in John Hughes's 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
1956-
French author Amandine Aaurore Lucile Dudevant wrote many popular novels during the Romantic period under the pseudonym George Sand.
1804-1876
Fred Schneider is best known as the lead singer of rock band The B-52s. He's known for his style of reciting poetry over music, called sprechgesang.
1951-
Chandra Shekhar Singh was a politician and legislator who served as Prime Minister of India from 1990-1991.
1927-2007
Twyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer who often integrated popular music--including songs by Billy Joel, Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra--into her work.
1941-
1977-
Gideon Welles was a 19th century journalist and politician who served as secretary of the U.S. Navy under presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.
1802-1878
1893-1955
1902-1981