Celebrity picks for Derby Dead Pool 2025: A

 

Aaron, Tommy
Born 22 February 1937  (Gainesville, Georgia, USA)
American former professional golfer. Winner of the 1973 Masters.
[Picture of Tommy Aaron]

 

Abagnale, Frank
Born 27 April 1948  (New York, USA)
Con man who inspired Catch Me If You Can.
[Picture of Frank Abagnale]

 

Abbas, Mahmoud
Born 26 March 1935  (Safed, Palestine)
President of the Palestinian Authority.
[Picture of Mahmoud Abbas]

 

Abbot, Russ
Born 16 September 1947  (Chester, Cheshire, England)
Comedian and actor. Born Russell Roberts, he was voted "funniest man on television" 5 times. If he was the funniest, then we'd hate to see who was the unfunniest. Also Pipe Smoker of the Year 2001, which might be more relevant to the DDP.
[Picture of Russ Abbot]

 

Abbott, Diane
Born 27 September 1953  (Paddington, London, England)
MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington since 1987. Once a candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party. Previously a familiar face on TV political shows, e.g. This Week (2010-15). Caused conniptions in 2019 by drinking a canned mojito on a train.
[Picture of Diane Abbott]

 

Abdi, Mazloum
Born in Kobani, Ba'athist Syria  (exact date unknown)
Kurdish military leader, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces; the US has in the past treated him as a legitimate political leader, a view not shared by the Turks. Born 1967
[Picture of Mazloum Abdi]

 

Abdul Aziz, Salman bin
Born 31 December 1935  (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
King of Saudi-Arabia since 2015. Defers a lot of authority to his axe-wielding son.
[Picture of Salman bin Abdul Aziz]

 

Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem
Born 16 April 1947  (New York City, New York, USA)
US basketball player with the LA Lakers in the 1970s and 80s but he insists he's Roger Murdock, an airline co-pilot!
[Picture of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]

 

Abrams, Gracie
Born 7 September 1999  (Los Angeles, California, USA)
American singer-songwriter. I was about to write that she got to number 98 in the Dutch charts with a song called "I Miss You, I'm Sorry" but then I realised that she had a 2024 UK Number One with "That's So True." This is why old farts like me shouldn'
[Picture of Gracie Abrams]

 

Acerbi, Angelo
Born 23 September 1925  (Sesta Godano, Kingdom of Italy)
Italian cardinal.
[Picture of Angelo Acerbi]

 

Achuthanandan, V. S.
Born 20 October 1923  (Alappuzha, Kerala, India)
Indian politician who was Chief Minister for the State of Kerala from 2006 to 2011.
[Picture of V. S. Achuthanandan]

 

Acosta, Nelson
Born 6 December 1944  (Paso de los Toros, Uruguay)
Retired footballer and coach. Among other clubs coached Everton de Viña del Mar, two stints. (Notto be confused with a UK Merseyside club of a similar name). Also coached the Chilean & Bolivian National teams.
[Picture of Nelson Acosta]

 

Acton, Loren
Born 7 March 1936  (Lewistown, Montana, USA)
Solar X-ray physicist who flew aboard a Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist.
[Picture of Loren Acton]

 

Adami, Edward Fenech
Born 7 February 1934  (Birkirkara, Malta)
Maltese politician who won four General Elections serving two terms as Prime Minister and then became the island's 7th President . Pro-Europe, he was instrumental in Malta joining the EU.
[Picture of Edward Fenech Adami]

 

Adamkus, Valdas
Born 3 November 1926  (Kaunas, Lithuania)
President of Lithuania from 1998-2003 and 2004-2009.
[Picture of Valdas Adamkus]

 

Adams (Actor), Tony
Born 11 December 1940  (Anglesey, Wales)
Suave Welsh actor, best known as Dr. Bywaters in General Hospital and Adam Chance in Crossroads. Played Elgin in Doctor Who story The Green Death, until he fell ill and had to be replaced.
[Picture of Tony Adams (Actor)]

 

Adele, (singer)
Born 5 May 1988  (London, England)
Singer and current most successful recording artist in Britain, with massive sales of her first two albums, '19' and '21' respectively.
[Picture of (singer) Adele]

 

Adie, Kate
Born 19 September 1945  (Sunderland, England)
Fearless BBC journalist.
[Picture of Kate Adie]

 

Adler, Jerry
Born 4 February 1929  (New York City, New York, USA)
US TV Actor from The Sopranos
[Picture of Jerry Adler]

 

Adler, Lou
Born 13 December 1933  (Chicago, IL, USA)
Producer who produced albums with Carole King and then the Rocky Horror Picture Show
[Picture of Lou Adler]

 

Adler, Steven
Born 22 January 1965  (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
Former Guns N' Roses drummer.
[Picture of Steven Adler]

 

Admoni, Nahum
Born 21 November 1929  (Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine)
Former head of Mossad during the 80s.
[Picture of Nahum Admoni]

 

Adorf, Mario
Born 8 September 1931  (Zurich, Switzerland)
German film and stage actor.
[Picture of Mario Adorf]

 

Advani, L. K.
Born 8 November 2027  (Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan)
Former Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. He is also one of the co-founders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
[Picture of L. K. Advani]

 

Affleck, Ben
Born 15 August 1972  (Berkeley, California, USA)
Turn-of-the-millennium Hollywood leading man who, following a string of box office bombs in the early 2000s, switched to low-level auterism. And an ill-advised turn as Batman.
[Picture of Ben Affleck]

 

Afkhami, Mahnaz
Born 18 January 1941  (Kerman, Imperial State of Iran)
Iranian women's rights activist and former government minister.
[Picture of Mahnaz Afkhami]

 

Ag Ghaly, Iyad
Born in Abeïbara, Kidal Region, French Sudan  (exact date unknown)
A Malian Tuareg Islamist militant, leader of Tuareg rebel forces against the Malian Government. Born 1954.
[Picture of Iyad Ag Ghaly]

 

Aga Khan, Prince Karim Prince Karim Aga Khan is no longer with us
Born 13 December 1936  (Geneva, Switzerland)

Died 4 February 2025  (Lisbon, Portugal)

Age at death: 88  (read death notice)
49th and current Imam of the Ismaili Muslims & horse-racing fan.
[Picture of Prince Karim Aga Khan]

 

Agam, Yaacov
Born 11 May 1928  (Rishon LeZion, Israel)
Sculpter who likes optical and kinetic art
[Picture of Yaacov Agam]

 

Ağca, Mehmet Ali
Born 9 January 1958  (Ismailli, Hekimhan, Malatya, Turkey)
Turkish gunman who attempted to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981. Served 10 years for an assassination attempt on someone else that actually did succeed, released in 2010.
[Picture of Mehmet Ali Ağca]

 

Agnew, Pete
Born 14 September 1946  (Dunfermline, Scotland)
Scottish hard rock bassist for Nazareth.
[Picture of Pete Agnew]

 

Agostini, Giacomo
Born 16 June 1942  (Brescia, Italy)
Successful Motorcycle racer, winning 15 World Championships. Also tried a couple of season of Formula One, managing a few third places and a second, befor erturning to two wheels as a team manger.
[Picture of Giacomo Agostini]

 

Ahrweiler, Helene
Born 29 August 1926  (Athens, Greece)
Greek-French Byzanthologist.
[Picture of Helene Ahrweiler]

 

Aitken, Jonathan
Born 30 August 1942  (Dublin, Rep of Ireland)
Disgraced ex-cabinet minister.
[Picture of Jonathan Aitken]

 

Akihito of Japan, Emperor
Born 23 December 1933  (Tokyo, Japan)
First son of Emperor Hirohito, acceded to the Imperial throne on the death of his father in 1989.
[Picture of Emperor Akihito of Japan]

 

Akinnagbe, Gbenga
Born 12 December 1978  (Washington, D.C. USA)
Tv actor, played Chris Parlow in The Wire.
[Picture of Gbenga Akinnagbe]

 

Akira, Asa
Born 3 January 1986  (Manhatten, New York, USA)
Porn star who won, for real, the Female Performer of the Year Award in 2013. WTF?
[Picture of Asa Akira]

 

Akiyoshi, Toshiko
Born 12 December 1929  (Liaoyang, Manchuria, China)
Jazz artist and the first Japanese student to study at the Berklee School of Music.
[Picture of Toshiko Akiyoshi]

 

al-Adel, Saif
Born 11 April 1960  (Alexandria, Egypt)
Senior member of al-Qaeda, wanted in connection with the 1998 US Embassy bombings.
[Picture of Saif al-Adel]

 

Alaimo, Marc
Born 5 May 1942  (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)
Actor best known as baddie Gul Dukat in 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'.
[Picture of Marc Alaimo]

 

al-Assad, Asma
Born 11 August 1975  (London, England)
First lady of Syria and thus married to Bashar Al-Assad. I know women love a bastard but come on...
[Picture of Asma al-Assad]

 

Al-Assad, Bashar
Born 11 September 1965  (Damascus, Syria)
President of Syria since his father's death in 2000.
[Picture of Bashar Al-Assad]

 

Al-Attar, Najah
Born 10 January 1933  (Damascus, Syria)
Vice-President of Syria since 2006.
[Picture of Najah Al-Attar]

 

Al-Bashir, Omar
Born 1 January 1944  (Hosh Bannaga, Northern State, Sudan)
Former Sudanese President, deposed in 2019.
[Picture of Omar Al-Bashir]

 

Albert II, King
Born 6 June 1934  (Laeken, Belgium)
King of Belgium from 1993 until his abdication in 2013.
[Picture of King Albert II]

 

Albertine, Viv
Born 1 December 1954  (Sydney, Australia)
Australian-British punk guitarist for The Stills.
[Picture of Viv Albertine]

 

Albright, Tenley
Born 18 July 1935  (Newton Centre, Massachusetts, USA)
Figure skater, 1956 Olympic champion.
[Picture of Tenley Albright]

 

Alda, Alan
Born 28 January 1936  (New York, New York, USA)
US actor, best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in 'M*A*S*H'.
[Picture of Alan Alda]

 

Alderton, John
Born 27 November 1940  (Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England)
Amiable actor, star of 'Please Sir!' and other TV shows & comedies. Husband of Pauline Collins. Also the narrator of 'Fireman Sam'.
[Picture of John Alderton]

 

Aldred, Sophie
Born 20 August 1962  (London, England)
Actress who played teenage companion Ace in 'Doctor Who' from 1987-89 despite being well into her twenties.
[Picture of Sophie Aldred]

 

Aldret, Heather
Born 1 March 1969  (USA)
Hailing from Charleston, South Carolina, she was a contestant on Survivor 41. As you no doubt all remember, she was as the weakest link of Luvu, and she worked with Erika Casupanan to crack the majority alliance. They were successfully able to turn the f
[Picture of Heather Aldret]

 

Aldrin, Buzz
Born 20 January 1930  (Montclair, New Jersey, USA)
Second man on the Moon, who has always claimed he'd have been the first if it wasn't for the fact that the only door of the lunar lander was on Neil Armstrong's side.
[Picture of Buzz Aldrin]

 

Aleandro, Norma
Born 2 May 1936  (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Argentina's leading actress who has also appeared in a number of Hollywood films, earning an Oscar nomination for her role in "Gaby: A True Story".
[Picture of Norma Aleandro]

 

Alexander, James
Born 17 December 1948  (Memphis, Tennessee, USA)
American R&B musician and last surviving member Bar-Kays, a backing band for Otis Redding.
[Picture of James Alexander]

 

Alexandra, Princess
Born 25 December 1936  (Windsor, Berkshire, England)
First cousin of the Queen and sister to Prince Michael of Kent. Variously known as The Honourable Lady Ogilvy and Princess Alexandra of Kent.
[Picture of Princess Alexandra]

 

alexievich, svetlana
Born 31 May 1948  (Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine)
Belarussian journalist and writer, Nobel Prize winner in 2015
[Picture of svetlana alexievich]

 

al-Hasan, Suhayl
Born 10 June 1970  (Beit Ana, Jableh, Latakia, Syria)
Former commander of the Syrian Army's Special Forces.
[Picture of Suhayl al-Hasan]

 

al-Hayya, Khalil
Born 5 November 1960  (Gaza City, Egyptian Gaza Strip)
Deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, also one of the Acting Chairmen following the assassination of Yahya Sinwar (See DDP 2024)
[Picture of Khalil al-Hayya]

 

Al-Houthi, Abdul Khaliq Badruddin
Born in Yemen  (exact date unknown)
Houthi military commander, terrorist, and younger brother of the movements leader, Abdul-Malik. Born 1984.
[Picture of Abdul Khaliq Badruddin Al-Houthi]

 

al-Houthi, Abdul-Malik
Born 22 May 1979  (Saada Governorate, North Yemen)
Current Emir of the Houthi movement
[Picture of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi]

 

al-Houthi, Mohammed
Born in Saada, North Yemen  (exact date unknown)
Yemeni political leader, former President of the Revolutionary Committee of Yemen. Born 1979.
[Picture of Mohammed al-Houthi]

 

Ali Zardari, Asif
Born 21 July 1956  (Nawabshah, Pakistan)
Widower of Benazir Bhutto, who announced that he would nominally head her party whilst their son is at university in England. Then became insurgent target number 1 when he became President of the country in 2008.
[Picture of Asif Ali Zardari]

 

AL-JULANI, Abu Mohammad
Born in Deir ez-Zor, Syria  (exact date unknown)
Emir of the al-Nusra Front in Syria since 2012.
[Picture of Abu Mohammad AL-JULANI]

 

Allard, Wayne
Born 2 December 1943  (Fort Collins, Colorado, USA)
American politician and long-time Senator from Colorado.
[Picture of Wayne Allard]

 

Allardyce, Sam
Born 19 October 1954  (Dudley, West Midlands, England)
Gum-chewing, headpiece wearing, bung-taking (Allegedly - at the DDP lawyer's request) football manager, who likes his teams to play dirty, unattractive football. Formerly at Bolton & Newcastle United.
[Picture of Sam Allardyce]

 

Allen, Dave (Gruber)
Born in Naperville, Illinois  (exact date unknown)
comedic actor whose bum looks lends itself to playing quirky roles
[Picture of Dave (Gruber) Allen]

 

Allen, Joseph P.
Born 27 June 1937  (Crawfordsville, Indiana, USA)
US astronaut who didn't get the biggest gigs, but still left a mark, for example as consultant to the Armageddon movie
[Picture of Joseph P. Allen]

 

Allen, Marshall
Born 25 May 1924  (Louisville, Kentucky, USA)
US jazz saxophonist, currrent leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra after having been a part of it for decades
[Picture of Marshall Allen]

 

Allen, Tim
Born 13 June 1953  (Denver, Colorado, USA)
The Toolman, moved from 80s stand up to 90 sitcom to being the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story films.
[Picture of Tim Allen]

 

Allen, Woody
Born 30 November 1935  (Brooklyn, New York, USA)
Comedy film actor/writer/director, born Allen Stewart Konigsberg.
[Picture of Woody Allen]

 

Allison, Donnie
Born 7 September 1939  (Hueytown, Alabama, USA)
Former NASCAR driver who had a famous battle with Cale Yarborough in the 1979 Daytona 500.
[Picture of Donnie Allison]

 

Al-Masri, Abu Hamza
Born 15 April 1958  (Alexandria, Egypt)
Blind, one-armed and loopy Muslim cleric, currently in jail for inciting racial hatred.
[Picture of Abu Hamza Al-Masri]

 

al-Nakhalah, Ziyad
Born 6 April 1953  (Khan Yunis, All-Palestine Protectorate, Egypt)
Leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad since 2018
[Picture of Ziyad al-Nakhalah]

 

Alou, Felipe
Born 12 May 1935  (Haina, Dominican Republic)
The first Dominican to play regular in Major League Baseball, as well as a three-time All Star.
[Picture of Felipe Alou]

 

Alpert, Herb
Born 31 March 1935  (Los Angeles, California, USA)
Trumpeter and record company executive. The A in A&M Records and the man responsible for (or should that be "guilty of"?) signing The Carpenters.
[Picture of Herb Alpert]

 

al-Qurashi, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi
Date and place of birth unknown
Current Caliph of the Islamic State, following the assassination of his predecessor in 2023. Not much is known about him!
[Picture of Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi]

 

Al-Sabah, Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber
Born 27 September 1940  (Kuwait City, Kuwait)
Emir of Kuwait since December 2023
[Picture of Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah]

 

al-Sahhaf, Muhammad Saeed
Born 30 July 1937  (Hillah, Iraq)
Saddam Hussein's extremely professional media spokesperson, nicknamed Comical Ali.. Those were the days.
[Picture of Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf]

 

al-Sayyed, Ibrahim Amin
Born in Haouch al-Nabi, Baalbek District, Lebanon  (exact date unknown)
Head of the Political Council of Hezbollah since the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, born 1960.
[Picture of Ibrahim Amin al-Sayyed]

 

Al-Senussi, Ahmed
Born in Masrsa Matrouh, Egypt  (exact date unknown)
Libyan member of the Senussi House.
[Picture of Ahmed Al-Senussi]

 

al-Sharaa, Farouk
Born 10 December 1938  (Damascus, Syria)
Vice-President of Syria.
[Picture of Farouk al-Sharaa]

 

al-Zahar, Mahmoud
Born 6 May 1945  (Gaza City, British Mandate for Palestine)
Co-founder of Hamas and former foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority.
[Picture of Mahmoud al-Zahar]

 

Amarildo, (footballer)
Born 29 July 1939  (Campos dos Goytacazes, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Amarildo Tavares da Silveira, is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a centre forward. He is the last survivor of the winning Brazilian 1962 FIFA World Cup team.
[Picture of (footballer) Amarildo]

 

Ames, Rachel
Born 2 November 1929  (Portland, Oregon, USA)
US film and TV actress, probably best known for her long-running role in General Hospital.
[Picture of Rachel Ames]

 

Amiss, Dennis
Born 7 April 1943  (Birmingham, UK)
Batsman who has the highest ODI average of any England cricketer to have played more than five times. Also one of only two cricketers to have hit a century in both their first and last ODIs.
[Picture of Dennis Amiss]

 

Anderson, Criscilla
Born 25 March 1980  (Los Angeles, California, USA)
Wife of Coffey Anderson.
[Picture of Criscilla Anderson]

 

Anderson, Eunice
Date and place of birth unknown
Minor american actress who lived in Europe for a while, born 1922
[Picture of Eunice Anderson]

 

Anderson, Willie
Born 24 February 1947  (Liverpool, UK)
Former Aston Villa winger, place in the history books probably comes down to him being the first ever substitute brought on by Manchester United (replacing George Best in the 1965 Charity Shield).
[Picture of Willie Anderson]

 

Andersson, Harriet
Born 14 February 1932  (Stockholm, Sweden)
Ingmar Bergman-film actress.
[Picture of Harriet Andersson]

 

Anderton, Nick
Born 22 April 1996  (Preston, England)
Football player, Bristol Rovers.
[Picture of Nick Anderton]

 

Andre, Annette
Born 24 June 1939  (Drummoyne, Australia)
Australian actress.
[Picture of Annette Andre]

 

Andress, Ursula
Born 19 March 1936  (Ostermundigen, Switzerland)
Actress & sex symbol, best known for her sultry performance in Dr. No.
[Picture of Ursula Andress]

 

Andretti, Mario
Born 28 February 1940  (Motovun, Croatia)
Italian-American racing driver, the last American to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix, in 1978.
[Picture of Mario Andretti]

 

Andrew, Prince
Born 19 February 1960  (London, England)
Second son of Queen Elizabeth II. Married to Sarah Ferguson from 1986 to 1996. Shunned by society for attending too many sketchy parties on and off Jeffrey Epstein's island
[Picture of Prince Andrew]

 

Andrews, Julie
Born 1 October 1935  (Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England)
Actress - star of 'The Sound of Music'.
[Picture of Julie Andrews]

 

Aniston, Nicole
Born 9 September 1987  (San Diego, California, USA)
Popular adult actress. Filmed her first anal scene in 2017, apparently.
[Picture of Nicole Aniston]

 

Anka, Paul
Born 30 July 1941  (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Singer songwriter and lyricist of one of the most famous songs of all time, 'My Way', based on a French tune called 'Comme d'habitude'.
[Picture of Paul Anka]

 

Annand, Eddie
Born 24 March 1973  (Glasgow, Scotland)
Notable scottish football player with a long career. Now suffering from an incurable but less aggressive brain tumour
[Picture of Eddie Annand]

 

Annesley, Hugh
Born 22 June 1939  (Dublin, Rep of Ireland)
Police officer who served as Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary from 1989 to 1996.
[Picture of Hugh Annesley]

 

Annis, Francesca
Born 14 May 1945  (Kensington, London, England)
BAFTA-winning actress for playing Lillie Langtry in period drama 'Lillie'. Film roles include 'Macbeth' and 'Dune'.
[Picture of Francesca Annis]

 

Ann-Margaret, (actress)
Born 28 April 1941  (Valsjöbyn, Jämtlands Iän, Sweden)
Swedish-born American actress, something of a siren in the 1960s. Also had a singing career.
[Picture of (actress) Ann-Margaret]

 

Anoa'i, Samu
Born 29 March 1963  (San Francisco, California, USA)
Wrestler, member of the widespread Samoan wrestling family. Perhaps still best remembered as one-half of early 90s tag team The Headshrinkers.
[Picture of Samu Anoa'i]

 

Anthony, Piers
Born 6 August 1934  (Oxford, UK)
Fantasy novellist, behind the long-lasting Xanth series.
[Picture of Piers Anthony]

 

Anthony, Ray
Born 20 January 1922  (Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, USA)
Bandleader, best known for his songs, 'Hokey Pokey' and 'Bunny Hop'.
[Picture of Ray Anthony]

 

Antonoff, Jack
Born 31 March 1984  (Bergenfield, New Jersey, USA)
Singer songwriter & producer, of band Bleachers, and formerly of the detestable Fun. Struggles with depression, anxiety and OCD,
[Picture of Jack Antonoff]

 

Aoun, Michel
Born 17 February 1935  (Beirut, Lebanon)
Lebanese military commander and politician. Also briefly ex-PM and President of the country. Not the safest of job roles, being a Lebanese politician right now...
[Picture of Michel Aoun]

 

Apablaza, Galvarino
Born 9 November 1950  (Santiago, Chile)
Chilean Marxist guerrilla known to have participated in several murders and kidnappings. He was known to be living in exile in Argentina, with a wife and three sons.
[Picture of Galvarino Apablaza]

 

Aparicio, Luis
Born 29 April 1934  (Maracaibo, Venezuela)
First Venezuelan inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, regarded as one of the greatest shortstops in the sport's history.
[Picture of Luis Aparicio]

 

Apatow, Maude
Born 15 December 1997  (Los Banos, California, USA)
Actress, best known for her roles as the daughter to her real-life mother's characters in movies, including 'This Is 40'.
[Picture of Maude Apatow]

 

Apostol, Eugenia
Born 29 September 1925  (Sorsogon, Philippines)
Publisher, whose political publications helped cause the downfall of two Filipino presidents.
[Picture of Eugenia Apostol]

 

Applegate, Christina
Born 25 November 1971  (Hollywood, California, USA)
American actress & comedienne who has suffered from & beaten breast cancer.
[Picture of Christina Applegate]

 

Aragonés, Sergio
Born 6 September 1937  (Sant Mateu, Castellón, Spain)
Spanish-born Mexican cartoonist for Mad magazine.
[Picture of Sergio Aragonés]

 

Arato, Andras
Born 11 July 1945  (Koszeg, Hungary)
Legendary stock photo character, Hide the Pain Harold, who keeps smiling no matter what.
[Picture of Andras Arato]

 

Arau, Alfonso
Born 11 January 1932  (Mexico City, Mexico)
Actor: The Wild Bunch, Romancing the Stone.
[Picture of Alfonso Arau]

 

Arber, Werner
Born 3 June 1929  (Granichen, Switzerland)
Swiss scientist. Shared the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
[Picture of Werner Arber]

 

Arcand, Denys
Born 25 June 1941  (Deschambault, Canada)
Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. Won Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2004
[Picture of Denys Arcand]

 

Archer, Bill
Born in   (exact date unknown)
The founder of the Wickes and Focus DIY superstore chains and the former chairman of Brighton and Hove Albion, who presided over the sale of the football ground in 1997, a "business" decision the club is still struggling to recover from.
[Picture of Bill Archer]

 

Archer, Jeffrey
Born 15 April 1940  (London, England)
Habitual liar, novelist and former Conservative Party deputy chairman. Convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice in 2001.
[Picture of Jeffrey Archer]

 

Arend, Rene
Born 20 December 1928  (Luxembourg)
Chef who went from Luxembourg to burgers, the longtime Executive Chef for McDonald's who created the McRib and Chicken McNuggets.
[Picture of Rene Arend]

 

Argent, Rod
Born 14 June 1945  (St Albans, Hertfordshire, England)
Rock musician who founded and lead the Zombies, and later, Argent.
[Picture of Rod Argent]

 

ARGENTO, Dario
Born 7 September 1940  (Rome, Italy)
Italian film director, producer and screenwriter.
[Picture of Dario ARGENTO]

 

Argerich, Martha
Born 5 June 1941  (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Acclaimed pianist.
[Picture of Martha Argerich]

 

Ariyoshi, George
Born 12 March 1926  (Honolulu, Hawaii, USA)
American politician and lawyer who was the third Governor of Hawaii, serving a record 12 years. Now the oldest surviving governor of any US state.
[Picture of George Ariyoshi]

 

Armatrading, Joan
Born 9 December 1950  (Basseterre, Saint Kitts)
Singer-songwriter best known for her hits 'Love and Affection' and 'Drop the Pilot'. An alleged affair with Blue Peter's Valerie Singleton is the stuff of myth and legend.
[Picture of Joan Armatrading]

 

Armfield, Diana
Born 11 June 1920  (Ringwood, England)
Landscape artist.
[Picture of Diana Armfield]

 

Armstrong, Karen
Born 14 November 1944  (Worcestershire, England)
British writer primarily focusing on religion. Author of the Charter for Compassion
[Picture of Karen Armstrong]

 

Armstrong, Lance
Born 18 September 1971  (Plano, Texas, USA)
Former cyclist, 7 times winner of the Tour de France, who overcame brain, lung and testicular cancer. It was revealed in 2012 that he was a systematic drugs cheat all along and now enters into sporting infamy.
[Picture of Lance Armstrong]

 

Arnett, Peter
Born 13 November 1934  (Riverton, New Zealand)
Journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1966 for his reports from Vietnam. Worked for CNN from 1981-1999.
[Picture of Peter Arnett]

 

Arnold, Billy Boy
Born 16 September 1935  (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
Renowned blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He has worked with blues legends such as Bo Diddley, Johnny Shines, Otis Rush, Earl Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters . . . and many many more.
[Picture of Billy Boy Arnold]

 

Arnold, Frances
Born 25 July 1956  (Edgewood, Pennsylvania, USA)
Nobel Prize winning chemist in 2018 for pioneering the use of directed evolution to engineer enzymes, apparently.
[Picture of Frances Arnold]

 

Arnoux, Rene
Born 4 July 1948  (Pontcharra, France)
French racecar driver, winning 7 Formula One Grands Prix
[Picture of Rene Arnoux]

 

Arpaio, Joe
Born 14 June 1932  (Springfield, Massachusetts, USA)
Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. A controversial figure, accused of abusing his powers. Became famous for accusing Barack Obama for having forged his birth certificate during his first election 2008. Sounds a bit like a Jealous Joey.
[Picture of Joe Arpaio]

 

Arrighi, Nike
Born 9 March 1947  (Nice, France)
Former French actress, now a visual artist. Starred in films The Devil Rides Out and Women In Love.
[Picture of Nike Arrighi]

 

Arrington, Jim
Born 1 September 1932  (Los Angeles, California, USA)
Incredibly physically fit elderly man no doubt very helpful given he is the worlds oldest bodybuilder. Has a poor opinion of his own physique which he says motivates him to keep training.
[Picture of Jim Arrington]

 

Arroyo, Martina
Born 2 February 1937  (New York City, New York, USA)
American opera singer.
[Picture of Martina Arroyo]

 

Arslanogullari, Berkin
Born 3 June 2005  (place of birth unknown)
Turkish-German U19 footballer for Union Berlin fighting bone cancer.
[Picture of Berkin Arslanogullari]

 

Arthur, Toni
Born 27 December 1940  (Oxford, England)
Best remembered as a presenter of 'Play Away' and 'Play School'.
[Picture of Toni Arthur]

 

Ascherson, Neal
Born 5 October 1932  (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Scottish journalist specializing in Eastern European history.
[Picture of Neal Ascherson]

 

Ascott, Roy
Born 26 October 1934  (Bath, England)
British cybernetics artist.
[Picture of Roy Ascott]

 

Ashcroft, Chloe
Born 7 July 1942  ()
Children's television presenter, most notably of 'Play School'.
[Picture of Chloe Ashcroft]

 

Asher, Peter
Born 22 June 1944  (London, England)
Peter from music act Peter and Gordon fame.
[Picture of Peter Asher]

 

Ashton, John
Born 30 November 1957  (Forest Gate, London, England)
Guitarist and composer with post punk/new wave band The Psychedelic Furs.
[Picture of John Ashton]

 

Askwith, Robin
Born 12 October 1950  (Southport, Lancashire, England)
Actor best known for his starring role in a series of "sex comedies" in the 1970s.
[Picture of Robin Askwith]

 

Aspel, Michael
Born 12 January 1933  (London, England)
Host of 'This Is Your Life' and 'Antiques Roadshow'.
[Picture of Michael Aspel]

 

Astin, John
Born 30 March 1930  (Baltimore, Maryland, USA)
Actor - starred as Gomez Addams in 'The Addams Family', and has mainly appeared in TV comedies since.
[Picture of John Astin]

 

Astiz, Alfredo
Born 8 November 1951  (Argentina)
Notorious torturer The Angel of Death under the Videla dictatorship.
[Picture of Alfredo Astiz]

 

Astley, Rick
Born 6 February 1966  (Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, England)
Shy and retiring singer who had phenomenal success with the hit single 'Never Gonna Give You Up', the biggest selling UK single of 1987. Later became a phenomenon of a different kind as that single became part of an internet meme known as 'Rickrolling'.
[Picture of Rick Astley]

 

Atherton, William
Born 30 July 1947  (Orange, Connecticut, USA)
Film actor best known as slimy reporter Dick Thornburg in the first two 'Die Hard' films.
[Picture of William Atherton]

 

Atkins, Eileen
Born 16 June 1934  (London, England)
BAFTA and Olivier award-winning actress and writer. Infamously chatted up by actor Colin Farrell at the age of 69.
[Picture of Eileen Atkins]

 

Atkins, Martin
Born 3 August 1959  (Coventry, England)
English drummer and session musician.
[Picture of Martin Atkins]

 

Atkins, Ronnie
Born 16 November 1964  (Vejle, Denmark)
Pretty Maids singer, suffering from lung cancer.
[Picture of Ronnie Atkins]

 

Atkinson, Big Ron
Born 18 March 1939  (Liverpool, England)
Former footballer, manager and pundit. Renowned for his eclectic style of commentary, for example "'There's a few tired limbs in the blue legs" and "van Nistelrooy, predating as usual...". Got a bit too eclectic with some racist remarks and was sacked.
[Picture of Big Ron Atkinson]

 

Atkinson, Bill
Born 17 March 1951  (USA)
American computer engineer who worked for Apple contributing to many everyday computing features.
[Picture of Bill Atkinson]

 

Atlan, Henri
Born 27 December 1931  (Blida, Algeria)
French biophysicist and cyberneticist, best know for his theory 'Complexity from noise'
[Picture of Henri Atlan]

 

Attenborough, David
Born 8 May 1926  (London, England)
Broadcaster, author, naturalist and also ex-Controller of BBC2. Brother of Sir Richard.
[Picture of David Attenborough]

 

Attwood, Richard
Born 4 April 1940  (Wolverhampton, Staffordhore)
Retored British racing driver, who took part in Formula One with nothing to show for it except a second place finish in Monaco. He did win the Le Mans 24-hour in 1970, Porsche's frirst win (which features in the Steve McQueen film).
[Picture of Richard Attwood]

 

Atwood, Margaret
Born 18 November 1939  (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Author and poet. Wrote the 'The Handmaid's Tale'.
[Picture of Margaret Atwood]

 

Atyam, Angelina
Born in Bobi, Uganda  (exact date unknown)
Ugandan human rights activist and a recipient of the UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights, born 1946.
[Picture of Angelina Atyam]

 

Auber, Brigitte
Born 27 April 1928  (Paris, France)
French actress.
[Picture of Brigitte Auber]

 

Auchincloss, Jake
Born 29 January 1988  (Newton, Massachussetts, USA)
House Representative for Boston since 2021. Gave a speech in the house written entirely by AI.
[Picture of Jake Auchincloss]

 

Austin, Pamela
Born 20 December 1941  (Omaha, Nebraska, USA)
American actress.
[Picture of Pamela Austin]

 

Avalon, Frankie
Born 18 September 1940  (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
Italian-American pop idol of the 1950s who also played the Teen Angel in "Grease".
[Picture of Frankie Avalon]

 

Avdonin, Alexander
Born 10 June 1932  (Sverdlovsk, Russia)
First person to try to exhume the Romanovs
[Picture of Alexander Avdonin]

 

Awdry, Christopher
Born 2 July 1940  (Devizes, UK)
Author involved with Thomas the Tank Engine stories originally authored by his father
[Picture of Christopher Awdry]

 

Ayckbourn, Alan
Born 12 April 1939  (London, UK)
One of Britain's most prolific and acclaimed living playwrights, who has shunned TV and film for six decades to focus on the stage.
[Picture of Alan Ayckbourn]

 

Aykroyd, Dan
Born 1 July 1952  (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Comedian, actor, musician and screenwriter, of 'Blues Brothers', 'Ghostbusters' and 'Saturday Night Live' fame.
[Picture of Dan Aykroyd]

 

Ayoade, Richard
Born 23 May 1977  (Hammersmith, London, England)
BAFTA-winning actor and comedian for "The IT Crowd" and frequent panel show guest.
[Picture of Richard Ayoade]

 

Ayres, Pam
Born 14 March 1947  (Stanford in the Vale, Berkshire, England)
Humorous poet, often on TV.
[Picture of Pam Ayres]

 

AZALEA, Iggy
Born 7 June 1990  (Sydney, NSW, Australia)
Australian rap singer, born Amethyst Amelia Kelly.
[Picture of Iggy AZALEA]

 

Azaria, Hank
Born 25 April 1964  (Forest Hills, New York, USA)
Actor - the voice of grouchy barman Moe in 'The Simpsons'. Is there a Homer Sexual in the house?
[Picture of Hank Azaria]

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