Robert Adamson was a Scottish chemist and photographer who is best known for producing 2500 Calotype photographic prints with painter David Octavius Hill.
1821-1848
Filmmaker Robert Altman is best known for his highly individualistic films and use of simultaneous layers of dialogue.
1925-2006
1857-1941
1804-1858
Deep-sea archaeologist and oceanographer Robert Ballard is best known for discovering the wreck of the RMS Titanic in 1985.
1942-
Robert Benchley was an American humorist, drama critic and film actor who is best known for his small roles in over 40 films, including How To Sleep.
1889-1945
Robert Blake is an Emmy-winning actor known for his film roles and as the star of the '70s cop drama Baretta. He's also known for the murder trial of his second wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley.
1933-
American poet and activist Robert Bly is best known for writing Iron John: A Book About Men which is credited for starting the Mythopoetic men's movement.
1926-
-1889
Poet Robert Burns is considered one of the most famous characters of Scotland's cultural history. He is best known as a pioneer of the Romantic movement.
1759-1796
1917-2010
1913-1954
Robert Cascoyne-Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, is best known as one of the chief architects behind the League of Nations.
1864-1958
-1926
American illustrator and artist Robert Crumb is best known for his distinctive style and satirical tone and creating the cartoon character Fritz the Cat.
1943-
Legendary award-winning actor Robert De Niro has starred in such films as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Godfather: Part II and Silver Linings Playbook.
1943-
1885-1941
1693-1770
Actor Robert Downey, Jr. is known for his roles in a wide variety of films, including Iron Man, Chaplin, Soapdish, and Wonder Boys.
1965-
Actor Robert Duvall has been in some of the most acclaimed films of all time, including To Kill A Mockingbird, Apocalypse Now, Lonesome Dove and The Godfather.
1931-
1914-2005
1887-1954
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.
1942-
1947-
1924-
A four-time Pulitzer Prize winner in poetry, American Robert Frost depicted realistic New England life through language and situations familiar to the common man.
1874-1963
American engineer and inventor Robert Fulton is best know for developing the first successful steamboat and the world's first steam warship.
1765-1815
Robert Gates served as director of the CIA under George H.W. Bush before serving as secretary of defense under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
1943-
1882-1945
1933-2007
British poet Robert Graves is best known for writing his first volumes of poetry, primarily about war, while serving at the Western Front during World War I.
1895-1985
Quarterback Robert Griffin III won the 2011 Heisman Trophy before emerging as a dynamic playmaker for the NFL's Washington Redskins.
1990-
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."
1984-
Robert Hayden was an African-American poet and professor who is best known as the author of poems, including “Those Winter Sundays” and “The Middle Passage.”
1913-1980
Robert Hichens was a British mariner best known for being at the wheel of the RMS Titanic when it hit the iceberg that resulted in its sinking.
1882-1940
Robert Hooke was an English philosopher, mathematician and architect who discovered the law of elasticity, now known as Hooke's law.
1635-1703
1805-1871
Robert Hunter is a writer and lyricist chiefly known for the songs he has written for the Grateful Dead.
1941-
Robert Iler is an American actor best known for his role as A.J. Sporano on the popular HBO show The Sopranos.
1985-
1833-1899
1892-1954
1930-1988
Robert L. Johnson is an American entrepreneur best known as the founder of the BET channel and as the country’s first African-American billionaire.
1946-
Musician Robert Johnson is best known as one of the greatest blues performers of all time, a recognition that came largely after his death at age 27.
1911-1938
Robert Kennedy was Attorney General during his brother JFK's administration. He later served as a U.S. Senator and was assassinated during his run for the presidency.
1925-1968
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the son of former New York senator and U.S. attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, and nephew of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy.
1954-
1843-1910
1855-1925
Robert E. Lee was the leading Confederate General during the U.S. Civil War and has been venerated as a heroic figure in the South.
1807-1870
Robert Todd Lincoln was an American lawyer and secretary of war best known as the first-born son of President Abraham Lincoln.
1843-1926
1746-1813
1917-1977
1927-2001
Robert Mapplethorpe, recognized as a giant of late 20th century photography, is best known for his large-scale, highly stylized black and white portraits.
1946-1989
Robert C. Maynard was a journalist and publisher best known for being the first African American to own and publish a major daily newspaper (Tribune).
1937-1993
1916-2009
1908-2004
1917-2004
1946-
1868-1953
A legendary tough guy on and off-screen, Robert Mitchum was one of the most memorable leading men of the twentieth century.
1917-1997
1734-1806
1888-1981
1915-1991
1944-
Robert Mugabe has served as president of Zimbabwe since 1987, previously serving as prime minister. He has been re-elected to the presidency multiple times, but elections have reportedly been tainted by fraud and voter intimidation.
1924-
Robert Dale Owen, son of the Welsh social reformer Robert Owen, is best known for being integral to the founding of the Smithsonian Institution.
1801-1877
1949-2003
1864-1944
Actor Robert Pattinson is known for such roles as Cedric Diggory in 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Edward Cullen in 2008's Twilight.
1986-
American explorer Robert Edwin Peary is best known for claiming to be the first person to reach the geographic North Pole.
1856-1920
American poet and critic Robert Pinksy is best known for writing about the significance of every-day experiences.
1940-
American author Robert Pirsig is best known for his philosophical novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (1974).
1928-
Robert Plant is a British rock singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin.
1948-
1918-1987
American artist Robert Rauschenberg is best known for paving the way for pop art of the 1960's with fellow artist Jasper Johns.
1925-2008
Robert Redford is a Hollywood legend, starring in several blockbuster films in his day, and producing and directing many others. He also helped start the Sundance Film Festival in the late 1970s.
1936-
1277-1343
Robert II was king of Scotland from 1371 to 1390, and is best known for his largely ineffectual reign.
1316-1390
1968-
Kevin Rose is an Internet entrepreneur, as well as the founder and CEO of Digg, a popular social news website.
1977-
1916-1999
1839-1915
1919-2003
Robert Louis Stevenson was a 19th century Scottish writer notable for such novels as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
1850-1894
1937-
1946-2002
American actor Robert Vaughn is best known for his 1960s role as Napoleon Solo on the hit TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
1932-
1930-
1905-1989
Noted economist Robert Weaver, was the first African American to serve in the U.S. cabinet as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
1907-1997
1964-
1936-
Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis is behind Romancing the Stone, the Back to the Future trilogy, Forrest Gump, Tales from the Crypt and Cast Away.
1952-
1953-