December 18 - Births

Births

• 1507 – Ōuchi Yoshitaka, Japanese warlord (d. 1551)
• 1602 – Simonds d'Ewes, English antiquarian and politician (d. 1650)
• 1610 – Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange, French philologist (d. 1688)
• 1620 – Heinrich Roth, German Sanskrit scholar (d. 1668)
• 1661 – Christopher Polhem, Swedish scientist and inventor (d. 1751)
• 1662 – James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry, Scottish politician (d. 1711)
• 1707 – Charles Wesley, English Methodist hymnist (d. 1788)
• 1725 – Johann Salomo Semler, German historian and Bible commentator (d. 1791)
• 1778 – Joseph Grimaldi, English clown (d. 1837)
• 1825 – Charles Griffin, American general (d. 1876)
• 1825 – John S. Harris, American politician (d. 1906)
• 1835 – Lyman Abbott, American author (d. 1922)
• 1847 – Augusta Holmès, French composer (d. 1903)
• 1849 – Henrietta Edwards, Canadian women’s rights activist (d. 1931)
• 1851 – Graciano Lopez Jaena, Filipino orator and satirist (d. 1896)
• 1856 – Sir J. J. Thomson, English physicist and Nobel laureate (d. 1940)
• 1860 – Edward MacDowell, American composer and pianist (d. 1908)
• 1861 – Lionel Monckton, English composer for the musical theatre (d. 1924)
• 1863 – Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria (d. 1914)
• 1870 – Saki, English writer (d. 1916)
• 1873 – Francis Burton Harrison, American political figure (d. 1957)
• 1878 – Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union (d. 1953)
• 1879 – Paul Klee, Swiss-born painter (d. 1940)
• 1886 – Ty Cobb, American baseball player (d. 1961)
• 1888 – Dame Gladys Cooper, English actress (d. 1971)
• 1888 – Robert Moses, American public works official (d. 1981)
• 1890 – Edwin Armstrong, American inventor (d. 1954)
• 1897 – Fletcher Henderson, American arranger and composer (d. 1952)
• 1899 – Peter Wessel Zapffe, Norwegian author and philosopher (d. 1990)
• 1904 – George Stevens, American film director (d. 1975)
• 1907 – Bill Holland, American auto racer (d. 1984)
• 1907 – Lawrence Lucie, American jazz guitarist (d. 2009)
• 1908 – Paul Siple, American Antarctic explorer (d. 1969)
• 1908 – Celia Johnson, English actress (d. 1982)
• 1910 – Abe Burrows, American playwright (d. 1985)
• 1910 – Eric Tindill, New Zealand rugby and cricket international player and referee/umpire (d. 2010)
• 1911 – Jules Dassin, American film director (d. 2008)
• 1912 – Benjamin O. Davis Jr., American General (d. 2002)
• 1913 – Alfred Bester, American author (d. 1987)
• 1913 – Willy Brandt, Chancellor of Germany, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1992)
• 1913 – Ray Meyer, American basketball coach (d. 2006)
• 1916 – Douglas Fraser, Scottish-born American trade unionist (d. 2008)
• 1916 – Betty Grable, American actress (d. 1973)
• 1917 – Ossie Davis, American actor and activist (d. 2005)
• 1927 – Ramsey Clark, 66th U.S. Attorney General
• 1927 – Roméo LeBlanc, 25th Governor General of Canada (d. 2009)
• 1928 – Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (d. 2003)
• 1929 – Gino Cimoli, American baseball player
• 1929 – Józef Cardinal Glemp, Cardinal-Archbishop Emeritus of Warsaw
• 1930 – Moose Skowron, American baseball player
• 1931 – Allen Klein, American rock and roll business manager (d. 2009)
• 1931 – Alison Plowden, English historian (d. 2007)
• 1932 – Roger Smith, American actor
• 1933 – Arthur Leigh Allen, American suspected serial killer (d. 1992)
• 1933 – Lonnie Brooks, American blues musician
• 1934 – Boris Volynov, Soviet cosmonaut
• 1935 – Jacques Pépin, French chef
• 1936 – Malcolm Kirk, English professional wrestler (d. 1987)
• 1938 – Chas Chandler, English musician (The Animals) (d. 1996)
• 1938 – Joel Hirschhorn, American songwriter and composer (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Roger E. Mosley, American actor
• 1939 – Michael Moorcock, English author
• 1939 – Harold E. Varmus, American scientist and Nobel laureate
• 1940 – Bramwell Morrison, member of Sharon, Lois & Bram
• 1941 – Wadada Leo Smith, American trumpeter and composer
• 1942 – Harvey Atkin, Canadian actor
• 1943 – Keith Richards, English guitarist (The Rolling Stones)
• 1943 – Alan Rudolph, American film director and screenwriter
• 1945 – Jean Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1946 – Steve Biko, South African anti-apartheid activist (d. 1977)
• 1946 – Steven Spielberg, American film director
• 1947 – Leonid Yuzefovich, Russian crime fiction writer
• 1948 – Bill Nelson, English musician (Be-Bop Deluxe)
• 1948 – Laurent Voulzy, French singer and composer
• 1948 – Edmund Kemper, American serial killer
• 1949 – David A. Johnston, American volcanologist (d. 1980)
• 1949 – Terry Hertzler, American poet
• 1950 – Gillian Armstrong, Australian film director
• 1950 – Randy Castillo, American drummer (Ozzy Osbourne) (d. 2002)
• 1950 – Sarath Fonseka, former commander of the Sri Lanka Army and a former Chief of Defence of Sri Lanka.
• 1950 – Heinz-Josef Kehr, German footballer
• 1950 – Leonard Maltin, American film critic
• 1953 – Elliot Easton, American guitarist (The Cars)
• 1953 – Khas-Magomed Hadjimuradov, Chechen singer-songwriter
• 1954 – Ray Liotta, American actor
• 1956 – Ron White, American comedian
• 1957 – Jonathan Cainer, English astrologer
• 1958 – Geordie Walker, English rock musician and lead guitarist for post-punk band Killing Joke
• 1960 – Kazuhide Uekusa, Japanese economist
• 1961 – Brian Orser, Canadian figure skater
• 1962 – Renaldo Lapuz, Filipino-born American singer
• 1963 – Karl Dorrell, American football coach
• 1963 – Greg D'Angelo, American musician (White Lion)
• 1963 – Pauline Ester, French singer
• 1963 – Allan Kayser, American actor
• 1963 – Norman Brown, smooth jazz musician
• 1963 – Charles Oakley, American basketball player
• 1963 – Brad Pitt, American actor
• 1964 – Stone Cold Steve Austin, American professional wrestler
• 1964 – Don Beebe, American football player
• 1964 – Robson Green, English actor and singer
• 1965 – Mick Collins, American musician (The Gories, The Dirtbombs)
• 1966 – Makiko Esumi, Japanese actress
• 1966 – Mille Petrozza, German singer (Kreator)
• 1967 – Toine van Peperstraten, Dutch sports journalist
• 1968 – Rachel Griffiths, Australian actress
• 1968 – Alejandro Sanz, Spanish singer
• 1968 – Casper Van Dien, American actor
• 1968 – Mark Cooper, Manager of Peterborough F.C
• 1968 – Nina Wadia, British actress/comedian
• 1969 – Santiago Cañizares, Spanish footballer
• 1969 – Justin Edinburgh, English footballer
• 1969 – Akira Iida, Japanese racing driver
• 1970 – Anthony Catanzaro, American fitness model
• 1970 – DMX, American rapper and actor
• 1970 – Lucious Harris, American basketball player
• 1970 – Miles Marshall Lewis, American author
• 1970 – Fernando Solabarrieta, Chilean journalist
• 1970 – Victoria Pratt, Canadian actress and fitness model
• 1970 – Cowboy Troy, American rapper
• 1970 – Rob Van Dam, American professional wrestler
• 1970 – Johnny Yeo, English artist
• 1971 – Barkha Dutt, Indian journalist
• 1971 – Noriko Matsueda, Japanese composer
• 1971 – Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Spanish tennis player
• 1972 – Trevor Chowning, American painter
• 1972 – DJ Lethal, Latvian-born American DJ (House of Pain, Limp Bizkit)
• 1972 – Rah Digga, American rapper
• 1972 – Raymond Herrera, American drummer (Fear Factory) and businessman
• 1973 – Leila Arcieri, American actress and model
• 1974 – Peter Boulware, American football player
• 1974 – Euroboy, Norwegian musician (Turbonegro)
• 1974 – Bill Duggan, American television actor and host
• 1975 – Trish Stratus, Canadian professional wrestler
• 1975 – Masaki Sumitani, Japanese comedian
• 1975 – David O'Doherty, Irish comedian
• 1975 – Vincent van der Voort, Dutch dart player
• 1975 – Sia Furler. Australian singer
• 1975 – Ken Lambert. American IT professional
• 1976 – Koyuki, Japanese actress and model
• 1977 – José Acevedo, Dominican baseball player
• 1977 – Lindsay Armaou, Irish singer
• 1977 – Ryan Scott Ottney, American journalist and comic book writer
• 1978 – Daniel Cleary, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1978 – Ali Curtis, American soccer player
• 1978 – Katie Holmes, American actress
• 1979 – Mamady Sidibe Malian footballer
• 1979 – Carlos, Portuguese footballer
• 1979 – Eric Escobar, Puerto Rican professional wrestler
• 1980 – Christina Aguilera, American singer
• 1980 – Heinz Inniger, Swiss snowboarder
• 1980 – Benjamin Watson, American football player
• 1981 – Jeremy Accardo, American baseball player
• 1981 – Jens Schmidt, German rugby player
• 1982 – Dave Luetkenhoelter, American bassist (Kutless)
• 1983 – Darren Carter, English footballer
• 1983 – Andy Fantuz, Canadian football player
• 1985 – Tara Conner, American beauty contestant (Miss USA)
• 1985 – Hana Soukupová, Czech supermodel
• 1986 – François Hamelin, Canadian short track speed skater
• 1987 – Miki Andō, Japanese figure skater
• 1987 – Ayaka, Japanese singer
• 1987 – Fernando Jara, Panamanian jockey
• 1989 – Ashley Benson, American actress
• 1990 – James Lawrie, Northern Irish footballer
• 1992 – Bridgit Mendler, American actress and singer