1896-1977
Sam Waterston is an acclaimed actor known for his film, TV and stage work, including roles in Law & Order and Gore Vidal's Lincoln.
1940-
Emma Watson is best known for playing the character of Hermione, the best friend of Harry Potter in the Harry Potter film franchise.
1990-
Actress Naomi Watts starred in Mulholland Drive and The Ring. She's also a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, and works on HIV/AIDS awareness programs.
1968-
Damon Wayans is an African-American comedian who appeared on the sketch comedy show In Living Color.
1960-
Comedian and actor Keenen Ivory Wayans hosted his own late night show, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show. His famous siblings are Damon, Shawn, Marlon and Kim.
1958-
Marlon Wayans is best known for his role in the Scary Movie series, and for being one of the Wayans siblings.
1972-
Shawn Wayan is an actor known for co-starring with his brother Marlon in various comic spoofs, including the Scary Movie franchise.
1971-
1907-1979
Veteran Australian actress Jacki Weaver has received Academy Award nominations for her work in such films as Animal Kingdom (2010) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012).
1947-
Actress Sigourney Weaver is best known for her roles in films since the 1980s, including Ghost Busters, Working Girl and Alien.
1949-
Hugo Weaving is best known for playing Agent Smith in the Matrix film trilogy and Elrond in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
1960-
British actress and model Rachel Weisz is best known for her performances in The Mummy, Stealing Beauty and The Constant Gardener.
1970-
Actress Raquel Welch was launched as a cinematic sex symbol in One Million Years BC (1966) and continues to be regarded as one of the world's great beauties.
1940-
Orson Welles wrote, directed and starred in the film Citizen Kane, among others, which remains one of the most influential films ever made.
1915-1985
Rutina Wesley is an African-American actress known for her role as Tara Thornton on the HBO vampire series True Blood.
1979-
1928-
Mae West started in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York, and later moved to Hollywood to star in films known for their blunt sexuality and steamy settings.
1893-1980
Samuel West is a British actor best known for his roles in the films Howards End, Notting Hill, Van Helsing and Hyde Park on Hudson.
1966-
1924-1996
Actor, producer and director Forest Whitaker won an Academy Award for his portrayal of dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. He’s also known for films like Bird, Ghost Dog and The Butler.
1961-
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
1914-2008
1948-
1973-
1947-
Actress Esther Williams, nicknamed “America’s Mermaid,” helped popularize synchronized swimming through a string of hugely popular films in the 1940s and 1950s.
1921-
Michelle Williams first came to stardom as a star of teen drama Dawson's Creek. She rose to critical acclaim with films such as Blue Valentine and Brokeback Mountain.
1980-
1951-
1963-
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-
1969-
Luke Wilson is a film actor known mostly for his comedic roles in such films as Old School and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
1971-
1968-
Actor Paul Winfield was best known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper in the film Sounder, which earned him an Academy Award nomination.
1939-2004
Billionaire Oprah Winfrey has hosted her own internationally popular talk show since 1986. She is also an actress, philanthropist, publisher, and producer.
1954-
Oscar winner Kate Winslet has starred in a number of acclaimed dramas and comedies. She first gained fame in the blockbuster Titanic.
1975-
Shelley Winters was a popular American actress who is perhaps most remembered for her starring role in the 1951 film A Place in the Sun, for which won an Oscar.
1920-2006
Elijah Wood is known for playing the hobbit Frodo in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, as well as for parts in The Ice Storm, Sin City and Happy Feet.
1981-
Actress Natalie Wood starred in the films Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean and in West Side Story as Maria. She drowned during a boating trip in 1981.
1938-1981
James Woods is an award-winning actor of stage and screen, known for his versatility in fare like Salvador, My Name Is Bill W. and Ghosts of Mississippi.
1947-
Joanne Woodward is an award-winning American actress best known for her roles in The Three Faces of Eve (1957), Rachel Rachel (1968) and Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973). Woodward is the widow of actor Paul Newman.
1930-
1916-2002
Robin Wright was born in Dallas, Texas on April 8, 1966 but grew up in San Diego, California. The daughter of a pharmaceutical executive and an independent executive sales director for Mary Kay cosmetics, Wright was a natural beauty and began modeling
1966-
Weird Al Yankovic parodies popular hit music. His version of Michael Jackson's "Beat It", which he titled "Eat It", became an MTV favorite.
1959-
Michelle Yeoh is a Chinese actress and dancer known for her roles in Hong Kong action and martial arts films and for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
1962-
Sean Young is an American actress best known for her roles in the films Blade Runner (1982) and No Way Out (1987).
1959-
1955-
Texas-born actress Renee Zellweger first gained wide-spread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire and later Bridget Jones's Diary.
1969-
Zhang Ziyi is a celebrated film actress known for starring in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Rush Hour 2, 2046 and Memoirs of a Geisha.
1979-