December 23 - Births

Births

• 245 – Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra
• 1173 – Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)
• 1513 – Thomas Smith, English diplomat and scholar (d. 1577)
• 1582 – Severo Bonini, Italian composer (d. 1663)
• 1597 – Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (d. 1639)
• 1613 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)
• 1621 – Edmund Berry Godfrey, English magistrate (d. 1678)
• 1621 – Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1682)
• 1689 – Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
• 1713 – Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 3^rd Yokozuna (d. 1749)
• 1732 – Richard Arkwright, English industrialist and inventor (d. 1792)
• 1743 – Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet (d. 1803)
• 1750 – King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
• 1758 – Nathan Wilson U.S. Representative from New York (d. 1834)
• 1777 – Tsar Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
• 1790 – Jean François Champollion, French Egyptologist (d. 1832)
• 1804 – Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic (d. 1869)
• 1805 – Joseph Smith, Jr., American religious leader (d. 1844)
• 1819 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)
• 1822 – Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (d. 1875)
• 1843 – Richard Conner, American Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient (d. 1924)
• 1854 – Henry B. Guppy, British botanist (d. 1926)
• 1864 – Zorka of Montenegro, Princess of Serbia (d. 1890)
• 1867 – Madam C.J. Walker, American philanthropist and tycoon (d. 1919)
• 1878 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-born mechanical engineer (d. 1972)
• 1885 – Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)
• 1891 – Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (d. 1956)
• 1896 – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Sicilian writer (d. 1957)
• 1900 – Otto Soglow, American comics artist (d. 1975)
• 1902 – Norman Maclean, American author (d. 1990)
• 1907 – Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean writer and poet (d. 2005)
• 1907 – Avraham Stern, Polish-born Zionist leader (d. 1942)
• 1908 – Yousuf Karsh, Turkish-born, Canadian portrait photographer (d. 2002)
• 1910 – Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (d. 1961)
• 1911 – Niels Kaj Jerne, English-born immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1994)
• 1911 – James Gregory, American actor (d. 2002)
• 1916 – Dino Risi, Italian film director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1918 – Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of Germany
• 1918 – José Greco, Italian-born flamenco dancer (d. 2001)
• 1918 – Kumar Pallana, Indian-born American actor
• 1919 – Kenneth M. Taylor, American pilot (d. 2006)
• 1921 – Guy Beaulne, French Canadian actor and theatre director (d. 2001)
• 1922 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician (d. 2001)
• 1923 – Onofre Marimón, Argentine racing driver (d. 1954)
• 1923 – Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist (d. 2008)
• 1923 – Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor
• 1923 – James Stockdale, American admiral and Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2005)
• 1925 – Duncan Hallas, British political figure (d. 2002)
• 1925 – Rayner Unwin, British book publisher (d. 2000)
• 1926 – Robert Bly, American poet
• 1928 – Chronis Aidonidis, Greek singer
• 1929 – Chet Baker, American jazz trumpet player (d. 1988)
• 1929 – Dick Weber, American professional tenpin bowler (d. 2005)
• 1931 – Ronnie Schell, American actor
• 1933 – Akihito, Emperor of Japan
• 1935 – Paul Hornung, American football player
• 1935 – Esther Phillips, American singer (d. 1984)
• 1936 – Frederic Forrest, American actor
• 1937 – Barney Rosenzweig, American television producer
• 1937 – Edward Irving Wortis, American author
• 1938 – Bob Kahn, American Internet pioneer
• 1940 – Jorma Kaukonen, American musician (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
• 1940 – Robert Labine, French-Canadian politician
• 1940 – Eugene Record, American singer (The Chi-Lites) (d. 2005)
• 1941 – Tim Hardin, American musician (d. 1980)
• 1941 – Serge Reding, Belgian weightlifter (d. 1975)
• 1942 – Quentin Bryce, Governor-General of Australia
• 1942 – John Peterman, American fashion designer
• 1943 – Mikhail Gromov, Russian-born mathematician
• 1943 – Harry Shearer, American actor
• 1943 – Ron Allen, American baseball player
• 1943 – Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (d. 1987)
• 1943 – Silvia Sommerlath, Queen of Sweden
• 1944 – Wesley Clark, American military officer
• 1945 – Ron Bushy, American drummer (Iron Butterfly)
• 1946 – Edita Gruberová, Slovak operatic soprano
• 1946 – Susan Lucci, American actress
• 1946 – John Sullivan, British screenwriter
• 1947 – Graham Bonnet, English musician
• 1948 – Jim Ferguson, American guitarist, composer, educator, author, and music journalist
• 1948 – Jack Ham, American football player
• 1948 – Leslie Moonves, American television executive
• 1949 – Adrian Belew, American musician
• 1950 – Michael C. Burgess, American politician
• 1950 – Vicente del Bosque, Spanish football manager
• 1950 – Ilchi Lee, Korean educator and author
• 1951 – Anthony Phillips, British musician (Genesis)
• 1952 – William Kristol, American political commentator
• 1953 – Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia
• 1955 – Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright; Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
• 1956 – Michele Alboreto, Italian Formula one driver (d. 2001)
• 1956 – Dave Murray, English musician (Iron Maiden)
• 1957 – Dan Bigras, Canadian singer
• 1957 – Trisha Goddard, English television presenter
• 1958 – Victoria Williams, American singer
• 1958 – Joan Severance, American actress
• 1959 – Geoff Willis, British engineer
• 1961 – Carol Smillie, British television personality
• 1961 – Ezzat el Kamhawi, Egyptian novelist.
• 1962 – Bertrand Gachot, Belgian racing driver
• 1962 – Kang Je-gyu, South Korean film director
• 1962 – Great Muta, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1963 – Jim Harbaugh, American football player
• 1963 – Donna Tartt, American author
• 1964 – Eddie Vedder, American musician (Pearl Jam)
• 1967 – Carla Bruni, Italian-French model and singer
• 1967 – Tim Fountain, British playwright
• 1967 – Otis Grant, Jamaican-Canadian Professional Boxer
• 1968 – Quincy Jones III, Swedish-American musician
• 1968 – Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, American photographer
• 1969 – Martha Byrne, American actress
• 1969 – Rob Pelinka, American sports agent
• 1970 – Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater
• 1970 – Raymont Harris, American football player
• 1970 – Holly Samos, British radio presenter
• 1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)
• 1971 – Masayoshi Yamazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Michalis Klokidis, Greek footballer
• 1971 – Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite
• 1971 – Wim Vansevenant, Belgian cyclist
• 1974 – Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1975 – Sky Lopez, American actress
• 1975 – Vadim Sharifijanov, Russian ice hockey player
• 1976 – Brad Lidge, American baseball player
• 1976 – Dimitris Mavrogenidis, Greek footballer
• 1976 – Jamie Noble, American professional wrestler
• 1977 – Matt Baker, British television presenter
• 1977 – Alge Crumpler, American football player
• 1977 – Jari Mäenpää, Finnish guitarist and singer
• 1977 – Paul Shirley, American basketball player
• 1978 – Andra Davis, American football player
• 1978 – Esthero, Canadian musician and singer
• 1978 – Jodie Marsh, British glamour model
• 1978 – Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1978 – Estella Warren, Canadian model and actress
• 1979 – Summer Altice, American model and actress
• 1979 – Scott Gomez, American ice hockey player
• 1979 – Holly Madison, American model
• 1979 – Kenny Miller, Scottish football player
• 1980 – Cody Ross, American baseball player
• 1980 – Elvin Ng, Singaporean actor
• 1981 – Beth, Spanish singer
• 1981 – Yuriorkis Gamboa, Cuban boxer
• 1981 – Maritza Correia, American swimmer
• 1982 – Brad Nelson, American baseball player
• 1983 – Michael Chopra, English footballer
• 1983 – Hanley Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
• 1983 – Carlos Jimenez, Spanish ice hockey player
• 1984 – Sebastian Werle, German rugby player
• 1984 – Joseph Stacey, British actor
• 1985 – Harry Judd, British drummer (McFly)
• 1985 – Luke O'Loughlin, Australian actor
• 1986 – TJ Oshie, American ice hockey player
• 1987 – Tommaso Bellazzini, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Owen Franks, New Zealand All Black rugby player
• 1988 – Eri Kamei, Japanese singer
• 1990 – Anna Maria Perez de Taglé, American actress, model, and singer