Gone, But Not Forgotten

1. Carole Lombard

Carole Lombard was born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on October 6, 1908. Her parents divorced in 1916 and her mother took the family on a trip out West. While there they decided to settle down in the Los Angeles area. After being spotted playing baseball in the street with the ...

Born: Jane Alice Peters October 6, 1908 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA

Died: January 16, 1942 (age 33) in Table Rock Mountain, Nevada, USA

2. Frida Kahlo

CBS News Sunday Morning

Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderon was born on July 6, 1907 in Mexico City, Mexico. She was the seventh daughter of Guillermo Kahlo (born Carl Wilhelm Kahlo), a successful German photographer who emigrated to Mexico from Pforzheim, and of a mestiza mother, Matilde Calderón y González. Her ...

Born: Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón July 6, 1907 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Died: July 13, 1954 (age 47) in Mexico City, Mexico

3. James Dean

Actor | East of Eden

James Byron Dean was born February 8, 1931 in Marion, Indiana, to Mildred Marie (Wilson) and Winton A. Dean, a farmer turned dental technician. His mother died when Dean was nine, and he was subsequently raised on a farm by his aunt and uncle in Fairmount, Indiana. After grade school, he moved to ...

Born: James Byron Dean February 8, 1931 in Marion, Indiana, USA

Died: September 30, 1955 (age 24) in Cholame, California, USA

4. Clark Gable

Actor | It Happened One Night

William Clark Gable was born on February 1, 1901 in Cadiz, Ohio, to Adeline (Hershelman) and William Henry Gable, an oil-well driller. He was of German, Irish, and Swiss-German descent. When he was seven months old, his mother died, and his father sent him to live with his maternal aunt and uncle ...

Born: William Clark Gable February 1, 1901 in Cadiz, Ohio, USA

Died: November 16, 1960 (age 59) in Los Angeles, California, USA

5. Gary Cooper

Actor | High Noon

Born to Alice Cooper and Charles Cooper. Gary attended school at Dunstable school England, Helena Montana and Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa (then called Iowa College). His first stage experience was during high school and college. Afterwards, he worked as an extra for one year before getting a ...

Born: Frank James Cooper May 7, 1901 in Helena, Montana, USA

Died: May 13, 1961 (age 60) in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

6. Marilyn Monroe

Actress | Some Like It Hot

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, comedienne, singer, and model. Monroe is of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh descent. She became one of the world's most enduring iconic figures and is remembered both for her winsome embodiment of the Hollywood sex symbol and her tragic personal and ...

Born: Norma Jeane Mortenson June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California, USA

Died: August 5, 1962 (age 36) in Los Angeles, California, USA

7. William Frawley

Actor | I Love Lucy

William Frawley was born in Burlington, Iowa. As a boy he sang at St. Paul's Catholic Church and played at the Burlington Opera House. His first job was as a stenographer for the Union Pacific Railroad. He did vaudeville with his brother Paul, then joined pianist Franz Rath in an act they took to ...

Born: William Clement Frawley February 26, 1887 in Burlington, Iowa, USA

Died: March 3, 1966 (age 79) in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

8. Alice Pearce

Actress | Bewitched

Making a career out of a post-nasal drip, this scene-stealing character comedienne was one of the best Broadway and Hollywood had to offer. It's too bad, then, that she wasn't utilized in films more often for this slight, chinless, parrot-faced, squawky-voiced bundle of (kill)joy could draw laughs ...

Born: October 16, 1917 in New York City, New York, USA

Died: March 3, 1966 (age 48) in Hollywood, California, USA

9. Vivien Leigh

Actress | A Streetcar Named Desire

If a film were made of the life of Vivien Leigh, it would open in India just before World War I, where a successful British businessman could live like a prince. In the mountains above Calcutta, a little princess is born. Because of the outbreak of World War I, she is six years old the first time ...

Born: Vivian Mary Hartley November 5, 1913 in Darjeeling, West Bengal, British India. [now India] Died: July 8, 1967 (age 53) in Belgravia, London, England, UK

10. Marion Lorne

Actress | Strangers on a Train

Forever embraced as the mumbling, bumbling Aunt Clara on the Bewitched (1964) television series, endearing character actress Marion Lorne had a five-decade-long career on the stage before ever becoming a familiar TV household name.

Born Marion Lorne MacDougall on August 12, 1883 (other sources list ...

Born: Marion Lorne MacDougall August 12, 1883 in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, USA

Died: May 9, 1968 (age 84) in New York City, New York, USA

11. Judy Garland

Actress | The Wizard of Oz

One of the brightest, most tragic movie stars of Hollywood's Golden Era, Judy Garland was a much-loved character whose warmth and spirit, along with her rich and exuberant voice, kept theatre-goers entertained with an array of delightful musicals.

She was born Frances Ethel Gumm on 10 June 1922 in ...

Born: Frances Ethel Gumm June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA

Died: June 22, 1969 (age 47) in Chelsea, London, England, UK

12. Sharon Tate

Actress | Valley of the Dolls

Sharon's early life was one of constant moving as her father served in the military. When she lived in Italy, she was voted "Homecoming Queen" of her high school. After being an extra in a few Italian films, Sharon headed to Hollywood where she would again start as an extra. Her first big break ...

Born: Sharon Marie Tate January 24, 1943 in Dallas, Texas, USA

Died: August 9, 1969 (age 26) in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

13. Billie Burke

Actress | The Wizard of Oz

Billie Burke was born Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke on August 7, 1885 in Washington, D.C. Her father was a circus clown, and as a child she toured the United States and Europe with the circus (before motion pictures and after the stage, circuses were the biggest form of entertainment in the...

Born: Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke August 7, 1884 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Died: May 14, 1970 (age 85) in Los Angeles, California, USA

14. Jimi Hendrix

Soundtrack | Woodstock

Widely regarded as the greatest and most influential guitarist in rock history, Jimi Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington, to African-American parents Lucille (Jeter) and James Allen Hendrix. His mother named him John Allen Hendrix and raised him alone while his father, Al ...

Born: Johnny Allen Hendrix November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington, USA

Died: September 18, 1970 (age 27) in Notting Hill, London, England, UK

15. Janis Joplin

Soundtrack | Watchmen

Janis Lyn Joplin was born at St. Mary's Hospital in the oil-refining town of Port Arthur, Texas, near the border with Louisiana. Her father was a cannery worker and her mother was a registrar for a business college. As an overweight teenager, she was a folk-music devotee (especially Odetta, ...

Born: Janis Lyn Joplin January 19, 1943 in Port Arthur, Texas, USA

Died: October 4, 1970 (age 27) in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

16. Betty Grable

Actress | How to Marry a Millionaire

Elizabeth Ruth Grable was born on December 18, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Lillian Rose (Hofmann) and John Conn Grable, a stockbroker. She had German, English, Irish, and Dutch ancestry. Her mother was a stubborn and materialistic woman determined to make her daughter a star. Elizabeth, who ...

Born: Elizabeth Ruth Grable December 18, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Died: July 2, 1973 (age 56) in Santa Monica, California, USA

17. Veronica Lake

Actress | Sullivan's Travels

Veronica Lake was born as Constance Frances Marie Ockleman on November 14, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the daughter of Constance Charlotta (Trimble) and Harry Eugene Ockelman, who worked for an oil company as a ship employee. Her father was of half German and half Irish descent, and her ...

Born: Constance Frances Marie Ockelman November 14, 1922 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Died: July 7, 1973 (age 50) in Burlington, Vermont, USA

18. Agnes Moorehead

Actress | The Magnificent Ambersons

Agnes was born of Anglo-Irish ancestry near Boston, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister (her mother was a mezzo-soprano) who encouraged her to perform in church pageants. Aged three, she sang 'The Lord is my Shepherd' on a public stage and seven years later joined the St. Louis Municipal Opera ...

Born: Agnes Robertson Moorehead December 6, 1900 in Clinton, Massachusetts, USA

Died: April 30, 1974 (age 73) in Rochester, Minnesota, USA

19. Rod Serling

Writer | The Twilight Zone

A former boxer, paratrooper and general all-around angry young man, Rod Serling was one of the radical new voices that made the "Golden Age" of television. Long before The Twilight Zone (1959), he was known for writing such high-quality scripts as "Patterns" and "Requiem for a Heavyweight," both ...

Born: Rodman Edward Serling December 25, 1924 in Syracuse, New York, USA

Died: June 28, 1975 (age 50) in Rochester, New York, USA

20. Jack Cassidy

Actor | The Eiger Sanction

Actor. Jack Cassidy, by his own design, defied mere definition from the day he was born in Richmond Hills, New York in 1927 until his tragic death in 1976. An actor, singer, writer, designer - the consummate showman and irrefutable creative entity - his life never followed a simple path nor did it ...

Born: John Edward Joseph Cassidy March 5, 1927 in Richmond Hill, New York, USA

Died: December 12, 1976 (age 49) in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

21. Minnie Riperton

Soundtrack | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Minnie Riperton was born November 8, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, to Thelma Inez (Matthews) and Daniel Webster Riperton, a Pullman porter. At a young age, Riperton, the youngest of eight children, began taking dancing and ballet. Once she reached high school, she began singing in the Hyde Park A ...

Born: Minnie Julia Riperton November 8, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, USA

Died: July 12, 1979 (age 31) in Los Angeles, California, USA

22. Vivian Vance

Actress | I Love Lucy

Born as Vivian Roberta Jones in Cherryvale, Kansas, she had a brother and four sisters. Her family moved to Independence, Kansas, and later studied drama under Anna Ingleman and William Inge. Their next move, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, brought her to that city's Little Theatre, which provided her ...

Born: Vivian Roberta Jones July 26, 1909 in Cherryvale, Kansas, USA

Died: August 17, 1979 (age 70) in Belvedere, California, USA

23. Emmaline Henry

Actress | Rosemary's Baby

Emmaline Henry was born on November 1, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for Rosemary's Baby (1968), I Dream of Jeannie (1965) and I'm Dickens, He's Fenster (1962). She was married to Mark Roberts. She died on October 8, 1979 in Palm Springs, California, ...

Born: November 1, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Died: October 8, 1979 (age 50) in Palm Springs, California, USA

24. George Tobias

Actor | Sergeant York

American character actor who specialized in none-too-bright pals of the lead, though his range included villains and ethnic types. A native of New York City, he began acting at 15. He studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse and played on Broadway with the Theatre Guild, and with the Provincetown ...

Born: July 14, 1901 in New York City, New York, USA

Died: February 27, 1980 (age 78) in Los Angeles, California, USA

25. Romy Schneider

Actress | L'important c'est d'aimer

Romy Schneider was born on 23 September 1938 in Vienna, Austria into a family of actors. Making her film debut at the age of 15, her breakthrough came two years later in the very popular trilogy Sissi (1955). Her mother, supervising her daughter's career, immediately approved Romy's participation ...

Born: Rosemarie Magdelena Albach-Retty September 23, 1938 in Vienna, Austria

Died: May 29, 1982 (age 43) in Paris, France

26. Vic Morrow

Actor | Combat!

Vic Morrow was born in the Bronx, New York, to Jean (Kress) and Harry Morrow, an electrical engineer. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. Morrow dropped out of high school at 17 to join the U.S. Navy. When he left the Navy, he used the G.I. Bill to study pre-law at Florida State. While ...

Born: Victor Morozoff February 14, 1929 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Died: July 23, 1982 (age 53) in Indian Dunes, California, USA

27. Ingrid Bergman

Actress | Casablanca

Ingrid Bergman was one of the greatest actresses from Hollywood's lamented Golden Era. Her natural and unpretentious beauty and her immense acting talent made her one of the most celebrated figures in the history of American cinema. Bergman is also one of the most Oscar-awarded actresses, tied with ...

Born: August 29, 1915 in Stockholm, Sweden

Died: August 29, 1982 (age 67) in Chelsea, London, England, UK

28. Grace Kelly

Actress | Dial M for Murder

On November 12, 1929, Grace Patricia Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to wealthy parents. Her girlhood was uneventful for the most part, but one of the things she desired was to become an actress which she had decided on at an early age. After her high school graduation in 1947, Grace ...

Born: Grace Patricia Kelly November 12, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Died: September 14, 1982 (age 52) in Monaco

29. Margaret Hamilton

Actress | The Wizard of Oz

Margaret Hamilton was born December 9, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Jennie (Adams) and Walter Hamilton. She later attended Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and practiced acting doing children's theater while a Junior League of Cleveland member. Margaret had already built her resume ...

Born: Margaret Brainard Hamilton December 9, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Died: May 16, 1985 (age 82) in Salisbury, Connecticut, USA

30. Grayson Hall

Actress | The Night of the Iguana

Grayson Hall was an American actress of Jewish descent. She is better known for her role as Dr. Julia Hoffman in Gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows" (1966-1971). She was once nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 1922, Hall was born Shirley Grossman in Philadelphia. Her father...

Born: Shirley Grossman September 18, 1922 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Died: August 7, 1985 (age 62) in New York, USA

31. Anne Baxter

Actress | All About Eve

Anne Baxter was born in Michigan City, Indiana, on May 7, 1923. She was the daughter of a salesman, Kenneth Stuart Baxter, and his wife, Catherine Dorothy (Wright), who herself was the daughter of Frank Lloyd Wright, the world-renowned architect. Anne was a young girl of 11 when her parents moved ...

Born: May 7, 1923 in Michigan City, Indiana, USA

Died: December 12, 1985 (age 62) in New York City, New York, USA

32. Ricky Nelson

Actor | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

Ricky Nelson was born on May 8, 1940 in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA as Eric Hilliard Nelson. He was an actor, known for The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (1952) and Rio Bravo (1959). He was married to Kristin Harmon. He died on December 31, 1985 in De Kalb, Texas, USA.

Born: Eric Hilliard Nelson May 8, 1940 in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA

Died: December 31, 1985 (age 45) in De Kalb, Texas, USA

33. Desi Arnaz

Producer | I Love Lucy

Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III was born in Santiago, Cuba on March 2, 1917. His father was the mayor of Santiago. The 1933 revolution led by Fulgencio Batista had landed his father in jail and stripped the family of its wealth, property and power. His father was released because of the ...

Born: Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y De Acha III March 2, 1917 in Santiago, Cuba

Died: December 2, 1986 (age 69) in Del Mar, California, USA

34. Rita Hayworth

Actress | Gilda

Rita Hayworth was born Margarita Carmen Cansino on October 17, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of dancers. Her father, Eduardo Cansino Reina, was a dancer as was his father before him. He emigrated from Spain in 1913. Rita's American mother, Volga Margaret (Hayworth), who was of mostly ...

Born: Margarita Carmen Cansino October 17, 1918 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Died: May 14, 1987 (age 68) in New York City, New York, USA

35. Hayden Rorke

Actor | When Worlds Collide

Hayden Rorke was best known as the ever suspicious "Dr. Alfred E. Bellows" on the 1960s TV series, I Dream of Jeannie (1965). Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rorke was educated at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and he began his stage career in the 1930s with the Hampden Theatrical Company. A ...

Born: William Henry Rorke October 23, 1910 in Brooklyn, New York, USA

Died: August 19, 1987 (age 76) in Toluca Lake, California, USA

36. Heather O'Rourke

Actress | Poltergeist

Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975 in Santee, San Diego, California, to Kathleen, a seamstress, and Michael O'Rourke, a construction worker. She had German, Danish, English, and Irish ancestry.

Heather entered American cinematic pop-culture before first grade. She was sitting ...

Born: Heather Michele O'Rourke December 27, 1975 in San Diego, California, USA

Died: February 1, 1988 (age 12) in San Diego, California, USA

37. Lucille Ball

Actress | I Love Lucy

The woman who will always be remembered as the crazy, accident-prone, lovable Lucy Ricardo was born Lucille Desiree Ball on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York, the daughter of Desiree Evelyn "DeDe" (Hunt) and Henry Durrell "Had" Ball. Her father died before she was four, and her mother worked ...

Born: Lucille Désirée Ball August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York, USA

Died: April 26, 1989 (age 77) in Beverly Hills, California, USA

38. Rebecca Schaeffer

Actress | Radio Days

Rebecca began modeling at the age of 16, going off to New York on her own to begin her career. Four months later, she found herself in Japan, modeling. Eventually, she landed a co-starring role on My Sister Sam (1986), for which she is now best known. In 1989 she also became a spokesperson for ...

Born: Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer November 6, 1967 in Eugene, Oregon, USA

Died: July 18, 1989 (age 21) in Los Angeles, California, USA

39. Ava Gardner

Actress | The Night of the Iguana

Ava Lavina Gardner was born on December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, North Carolina, to Mary Elizabeth (née Baker) and Jonas Bailey Gardner. Born on a tobacco farm, where she got her lifelong love of earthy language and going barefoot, Ava grew up in the rural South. At age 18, her picture in the window ...

Born: Ava Lavinia Gardner December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, North Carolina, USA

Died: January 25, 1990 (age 67) in Westminster, London, England, UK

40. David White

Actor | Bewitched

American stage actor who appeared frequently on television and occasionally but impressively in films. A Marine Corps veteran of the Second World War, he worked on Broadway and on tour in stage productions after the war. In the late 1950s, he became an increasingly familiar face on American ...

Born: Daniel David White April 4, 1916 in Denver, Colorado, USA

Died: November 27, 1990 (age 74) in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

41. Dick York

Actor | Inherit the Wind

The gangly York is best remembered as the first and most frustrated "Darrin Stephens" on the long-running TV series Bewitched (1964). He left the series in 1969 because of a chronic back ailment. He later founded Acting for Life, a private fund-raising effort for the homeless which he managed from ...

Born: Richard Allen York September 4, 1928 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA

Died: February 20, 1992 (age 63) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

42. Marlene Dietrich

Soundtrack | Witness for the Prosecution

Her father was a police lieutenant and imbued in her a military attitude to life. Marlene was known in school for her "bedroom eyes" and her first affairs were at this stage in her life - a professor at the school was terminated. She entered the cabaret scene in 1920s Germany, first as a spectator ...

Marie Magdelene Dietrich von Losch (aka Marlene) was born in Berlin, Germany on December 27, 1901

Died: May 6, 1992 (age 90) in Paris, France

43. Audrey Hepburn

Actress | Breakfast at Tiffany's

Audrey Hepburn was born as Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman, while her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was born in Úzice, Bohemia, to English and Austrian parents.

After her parents' divorce, ...

Born: Audrey Kathleen Ruston May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Belgium

Died: January 20, 1993 (age 63) in Tolochenaz, Switzerland

44. Vincent Price

Actor | The Abominable Dr. Phibes

Actor, raconteur, art collector and connoisseur of haute cuisine are just some of the attributes associated with Vincent Price. He was born Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. in St. Louis, Missouri, to Marguerite Cobb "Daisy" (Wilcox) and Vincent Leonard Price, who was President of the National Candy ...

Born: Vincent Leonard Price Jr. May 27, 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Died: October 25, 1993 (age 82) in Los Angeles, California, USA

45. River Phoenix

Actor | My Own Private Idaho

River Phoenix was born River Jude Bottom in Madras, Oregon. His mother, Arlyn (Dunetz), a Bronx-born secretary, and his father, John Bottom, a carpenter, met in California in 1968. They worked as itinerant fruit pickers, and later joined the Children of God religious group (John was originally ...

Born: River Jude Bottom August 23, 1970 in Madras, Oregon, USA

Died: October 31, 1993 (age 23) in West Hollywood, California, USA

46. John Candy

Actor | Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Candy was one of Canada's greatest and funniest character actors. His well-known role as the big hearted buffoon earned him classics in Uncle Buck (1989) and Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987). His career has handed him some dry spells but Candy always rebounded.

Born in Newmarket, Ontario, in ...

Born: John Franklin Candy October 31, 1950 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Died: March 4, 1994 (age 43) in Durango, Mexico

47. Kurt Cobain

Soundtrack | The Batman

Kurt Cobain was born on February 20 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. Kurt and his family lived in Hoquiam for the first few months of his life then later moved back to Aberdeen, where he had a happy childhood until his parents divorced. The divorce left Kurt's outlook on the world forever scarred. He...

Born: Kurt Donald Cobain February 20, 1967 in Aberdeen, Washington, USA

Died: April 5, 1994 (age 27) in Seattle, Washington, USA

48. Dick Sargent

Actor | Bewitched

Sargent was a trim, handsome man with a longish chin. He played a variety of gawky businessmen roles in feature films before finding a niche in tv history as the second Darrin on "Bewitched". Shortly before his death, Sargent publicly proclaimed he was gay, and became what he called "a retroactive ...

Born: Richard Stanford Cox April 19, 1930 in Carmel, California, USA

Died: July 8, 1994 (age 64) in Los Angeles, California, USA

49. Raul Julia

Actor | Street Fighter

Raul Julia was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Olga Arcelay, a mezzo-soprano singer, and Raúl Juliá, an electrical engineer. He graduated from Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola High School in San Juan. Here he studied the rigorous classical curriculum of the Jesuits and was always active ...

Born: Raul Rafael Carlos Julia y Arcelay March 9, 1940 in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Died: October 24, 1994 (age 54) in Manhasset, New York, USA

50. Selena

Soundtrack | Don Juan DeMarco

Selena was born in Lake Jackson, Texas, 50 miles southeast of Houston, to Abraham Quintanilla Jr. and Marcella Quintanilla. Abraham opened a Mexican restaurant, Papagayo, in Lake Jackson. Selena was 9 years old when her father discovered her talent for singing. He formed a band consisting of Selena...

Born: Selena Quintanilla April 16, 1971 in Lake Jackson, Texas, USA

Died: March 31, 1995 (age 23) in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

51. Elizabeth Montgomery

Actress | Bewitched

Elizabeth Montgomery was born into show business. Her parents were screen actor Robert Montgomery and Broadway actress Elizabeth Allen. Elizabeth graduated from the Spence School in New York City and attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. After three years' intensive training, she made ...

Born: Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery April 15, 1933 in Hollywood, California, USA

Died: May 18, 1995 (age 62) in Los Angeles, California, USA

52. Tupac Shakur

Actor | Juice

Born in New York City, Tupac grew up primarily in Harlem. In 1984, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he became good friends with Jada Pinkett Smith. His family moved again in 1988 to Oakland, California. His first breakthrough in music came in 1991 as a member of the group Digital ...

Born: Lesane Parish Crooks June 16, 1971 in East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Died: September 13, 1996 (age 25) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

53. Princess Diana

Self | Charles & Diana: Never Meant to Be

Princess Diana was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, and the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry. Diana's activism and glamour made her an international icon and earned her an enduring popularity.

Diana was born into the British nobility ...

Born: Diana Frances Spencer July 1, 1961 in Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk, England, UK

Died: August 31, 1997 (age 36) in Paris, France

54. Mae Questel

Actress | National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Her Orthodox Jewish family were totally averse to her having an entertainment career. Her parents and grandparents forced her to leave the Theatre Guild school (New York) while still a teenager and had their wills drawn up accordingly so as to discourage this career choice.

Studied drama at Columbia...

Born: Mae Kwestel September 13, 1908 in The Bronx, New York, USA

Died: January 4, 1998 (age 89) in New York City, New York, USA

55. Irene Vernon

Actress | Bewitched

Irene Vernon was born on January 16, 1922 in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. She was an actress, known for Bewitched (1964), Fireside Theatre (1949) and The Sound of Fury (1950). She was married to Emmanuel Rosenberg. She died on April 21, 1998 in South Bend, Indiana, USA.

Born: Irene Vergauwen January 16, 1922 in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA

Died: April 21, 1998 (age 76) in South Bend, Indiana, USA

56. Sandra Gould

Actress | Bewitched

While she may have been a small-part character actress most her career, Sandra Gould possessed an unmistakable look and voice that she called her own and separated her from the rest of the pack, contributing to four types of entertainment mediums (stage, screen, TV and radio) for over five decades.

...

Born: July 23, 1916 in Brooklyn, New York, USA

Died: July 20, 1999 (age 82) in Burbank, California, USA

57. Carroll O'Connor

Actor | All in the Family

Carroll was born in Manhattan and raised in Forest Hills, a heavily Jewish community in New York City's borough of Queens. After graduating from high school in 1942, O'Connor joined the Merchant Marines and worked on ships in the Atlantic. In 1946, he enrolled at the University of Montana to study ...

Born: John Carroll O'Connor August 2, 1924 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Died: June 21, 2001 (age 76) in Culver City, California, USA

58. Matthew Ansara

Actor | To Protect and Serve

Matthew Ansara was born on August 29, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for To Protect and Serve (2001), One World (1998) and Con Games (2001). He was married to Julie Ansara. He died on June 25, 2001 in Monrovia, California, USA.

Born: Matthew Michael Ansara August 29, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA

Died: June 25, 2001 (age 35) in Monrovia, California, USA

59. Jack Lemmon

Actor | The Apartment

Jack Lemmon was born in Newton, Massachusetts, to Mildred Lankford Noel and John Uhler Lemmon, Jr., the president of a doughnut company. His ancestry included Irish (from his paternal grandmother) and English. Jack attended Ward Elementary near his Newton, MA home. At age 9 he was sent to Rivers ...

Born: John Uhler Lemmon III February 8, 1925 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA

Died: June 27, 2001 (age 76) in Los Angeles, California, USA

60. Fred Rogers

Actor | Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Fred Rogers was the host of the popular long-running public television children's show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The show debuted in Pittsburgh in 1967 and was picked up by PBS the next year, becoming a staple of public TV stations around the United States. Rogers' mild manner, cardigan sweaters...

Born: Fred McFeely Rogers March 20, 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, USA

Died: February 27, 2003 (age 74) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

61. Gregory Peck

Actor | To Kill a Mockingbird

Eldred Gregory Peck was born on April 5, 1916 in La Jolla, California, to Bernice Mae (Ayres) and Gregory Pearl Peck, a chemist and druggist in San Diego. He had Irish (from his paternal grandmother), English, and some German, ancestry. His parents divorced when he was five years old. An only child...

Born: Eldred Gregory Peck April 5, 1916 in La Jolla [now in San Diego], California, USA

Died: June 12, 2003 (age 87) in Los Angeles, California, USA

62. John Ritter

Actor | Sling Blade

Jonathan Southworth Ritter was born in Burbank, California, on September 17, 1948. He was the son of legendary country singer/actor Tex Ritter (born Woodward Maurice Ritter) and his wife, actress Dorothy Fay (née Dorothy Fay Southworth). The couple married in 1941 and had their first child, Tom ...

Born: Jonathan Southworth Ritter September 17, 1948 in Burbank, California, USA

Died: September 11, 2003 (age 54) in Burbank, California, USA

63. Marlon Brando

Actor | Apocalypse Now

Marlon Brando is widely considered the greatest movie actor of all time, rivaled only by the more theatrically oriented Laurence Olivier in terms of esteem. Unlike Olivier, who preferred the stage to the screen, Brando concentrated his talents on movies after bidding the Broadway stage adieu in ...

Born: Marlon Brando Jr. April 3, 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Died: July 1, 2004 (age 80) in Los Angeles, California, USA

64. Janet Leigh

Actress | Psycho

Janet Leigh was the only child of a couple who often moved from town to town. Living in apartments, Janet was a bright child who skipped several grades and finished high school when she was 15. A lonely child, she would spend much of her time at movie theaters. She was a student, studying music and...

Born: Jeanette Helen Morrison July 6, 1927 in Merced, California, USA

Died: October 3, 2004 (age 77) in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

65. Christopher Reeve

Actor | Superman

Christopher D'Olier Reeve was born September 25, 1952, in New York City, to journalist Barbara Johnson (née Barbara Pitney Lamb) and writer/professor F.D. Reeve (Franklin D'Olier Reeve). He came from an upper-class family; his paternal grandfather was CEO of Prudential Financial, and one of his ...

Born: September 25, 1952 in New York City, New York, USA

Died: October 10, 2004 (age 52) in Mount Kisco, New York, USA

66. Anne Bancroft

Actress | The Graduate

Anne Bancroft was born on September 17, 1931 in The Bronx, NY, the middle daughter of Michael Italiano (1905-2001), a dress pattern maker, and Mildred DiNapoli (1907-2010), a telephone operator. She made her cinema debut in Don't Bother to Knock (1952) in 1952, and over the next five years appeared...

Born: Anna Maria Louise Italiano September 17, 1931 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Died: June 6, 2005 (age 73) in New York City, New York, USA

67. Charles Rocket

Actor | Dumb and Dumber

Charles Rocket was born on August 28, 1949 in Bangor, Maine, USA. He was an actor, known for Dumb and Dumber (1994), Dances with Wolves (1990) and Titan A.E. (2000). He was married to Mary Elizabeth (Beth) Crellin. He died on October 7, 2005 in Canterbury, Connecticut, USA.

Born: Charles Adams Claverie August 24, 1949 in Bangor, Maine, USA

Died: October 7, 2005 (age 56) in Canterbury, Connecticut, USA

68. Wendie Jo Sperber

Actress | Back to the Future

Though she was known best for drawing laughs as whiny, excitable characters throughout her raucous film and TV career, actress/comedienne Wendie Jo Sperber showed a brave, compassionate and humane side in the last years of her life.

The California girl was born on September 15, 1958, in Los Angeles ...

Born: September 15, 1958 in Hollywood, California, USA

Died: November 29, 2005 (age 47) in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA

69. Don Knotts

Actor | The Andy Griffith Show

Don Knotts, the legendary television character actor, was born Jesse Donald Knotts on July 21, 1924 in Morgantown, West Virginia, to William Jesse Knotts and the former Elsie Luzetta Moore. He was the youngest of four sons in a family that had been in America since the 17th century.

His first stint ...

Born: Jesse Donald Knotts July 21, 1924 in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA

Died: February 24, 2006 (age 81) in Los Angeles, California, USA

70. Maureen Stapleton

Actress | Reds

Academy Award-winner Maureen Stapleton was born June 21, 1925 in Troy, New York, to Irene (née Walsh) and John P. Stapleton. Her family was of Irish descent. Maureen moved to New York City at the age of eighteen and did modeling to pay the bills. Already a Tony Award-winner, she made her Academy ...

Born: Lois Maureen Stapleton June 21, 1925 in Troy, New York, USA

Died: March 13, 2006 (age 80) in Lenox, Massachusetts, USA

71. Kasey Rogers

Actress | Strangers on a Train

Kasey Rogers was born Josie Imogene Rogers in Morehouse, Missouri, to Ina Mae (Mocabee) and Eben Elijah Rogers. She moved with her family to California at age two and a half. She got the nickname "Casey" when her neighborhood playmates discovered how well she handled a baseball bat ("I could hit a ...

Born: Josie Imogene Rogers December 15, 1925 in Morehouse, Missouri, USA

Died: July 6, 2006 (age 80) in Los Angeles, California, USA

72. Bruno Kirby

Actor | City Slickers

Native New Yorker and Italianate Bruno Kirby tended towards assertive, pushy, streetwise characters and was armed with a highly distinctive scratchy tenor voice that complemented his slim eyes and droopy puss and accentuated his deadpan comedic instincts on film and TV. The well-regarded character ...

Born: Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr. April 28, 1949 in New York City, New York, USA

Died: August 14, 2006 (age 57) in Los Angeles, California, USA

73. Yvonne De Carlo

Actress | The Ten Commandments

Yvonne De Carlo was born Margaret Yvonne Middleton on September 1, 1922 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was three when her father abandoned the family. Her mother turned to waitressing in a restaurant to make ends meet--a rough beginning for an actress who would, one day, be one of ...

Born: Margaret Yvonne Middleton September 1, 1922 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Died: January 8, 2007 (age 84) in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

74. Alice Ghostley

Actress | To Kill a Mockingbird

Whether portraying a glum, withering wallflower, a drab and dowdy housewife, a klutzy maid or a cynical gossip, eccentric character comedienne Alice Ghostley had the ability to draw laughs from the skimpiest of material with a simple fret or whine. Making a name for herself on the Tony-winning ...

Born: Alice Margaret Ghostley August 14, 1924 in Eve, Missouri, USA

Died: September 21, 2007 (age 83) in Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

75. Heath Ledger

Actor | Brokeback Mountain

When hunky, twenty-year-old heart-throb Heath Ledger first came to the attention of the public in 1999, it was all too easy to tag him as a "pretty boy" and an actor of little depth. He spent several years trying desperately to sway this image, but this was a double-edged sword. His work comprised ...

Born: Heath Andrew Ledger April 4, 1979 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Died: January 22, 2008 (age 28) in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

76. Dick Martin

Producer | Laugh-In

Dick Martin, the comedian and television director who achieved TV immortality as the co-host of Laugh-In (1967) as the comic foil to straight man Dan Rowan, was born on January 30, 1922 in Battle Creek, Michigan. The young Martin was a writer for the popular radio sit-com "Duffy's Tavern" before ...

Born: Thomas Richard Martin January 30, 1922 in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA

Died: May 24, 2008 (age 86) in Santa Monica, California, USA

77. Sydney Pollack

Director | Tootsie

Sydney Pollack was an Academy Award-winning director, producer, actor, writer and public figure, who directed and produced over 40 films.

Sydney Irwin Pollack was born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana, USA, to Rebecca (Miller), a homemaker, and David Pollack, a professional boxer turned pharmacist...

Born: Sydney Irwin Pollack July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Died: May 26, 2008 (age 73) in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, USA

78. George Carlin

Actor | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

George Denis Patrick Carlin was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City, to Mary (Bearey), a secretary, and Patrick John Carlin, an advertising manager for The Sun; they had met while working in marketing. His father was from Donegal, Ireland, and his mother was Irish-American. His parents ...

Born: George Denis Patrick Carlin May 12, 1937 in New York City, New York, USA

Died: June 22, 2008 (age 71) in Santa Monica, California, USA

79. Estelle Getty

Actress | The Golden Girls

She was truly one mother of a mom...on stage, on film and on TV. A favorite firecracker on 80s and 90s television, tiny character player Estelle Getty became best known for her carping, meddlesome moms -- complete with bemused, cynical looks, irreverent digs and dead-pan Henny Youngman-like ...

Born: Estelle Scher July 25, 1923 in New York City, New York, USA

Died: July 22, 2008 (age 84) in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

80. Paul Newman

Actor | The Hustler

Screen legend, superstar, and the man with the most famous blue eyes in movie history, Paul Leonard Newman was born on January 26, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, the second son of Arthur Sigmund Newman (died 1950) and Theresa Fetsko (died 1982). His elder brother was Arthur S. Newman Jr., named for ...

Born: Paul Leonard Newman January 26, 1925 in Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA

Died: September 26, 2008 (age 83) in Westport, Connecticut, USA

81. Bettie Page

Actress | The Dr. Susan Block Show

Bettie Page's life was filled with cult myth, mystery and sadness. Her image captured the imagination of a generation with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality, during an era of strong sexual repression. She was the quintessential pin-up, tacked up on walls in military barracks and garages; ...

Born: Betty Mae Page April 22, 1923 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Died: December 11, 2008 (age 85) in Los Angeles, California, USA

82. Bea Arthur

Actress | The Golden Girls

Actress-comedienne Bea Arthur was born Bernice Frankel on May 13, 1922 in New York City to a Jewish family. She grew up in Maryland, where her parents ran a dress shop. At 12 years old, she was the tallest girl in her school at 5'9".

She earned the title of "Wittiest Girl" in her school, and her ...

Born: Bernice Frankel May 13, 1922 in New York City, New York, USA

Died: April 25, 2009 (age 86) in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

83. Michael Jackson

Soundtrack | Michael Jackson: Thriller

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana, and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. His father, Joe Jackson (no relation to Joe Jackson, also a musician), had been a guitarist, but was forced to give up his musical ambitions following his marriage to Michael's ...

Born: Michael Joseph Jackson August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana, USA

Died: June 25, 2009 (age 50) in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

84. John Hughes

Writer | Planes, Trains & Automobiles

John Hughes was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter. He was credited for creating some of the most memorable comedy films of the 1980s and the 1990s, when he was at the height of his career. He had a talent for writing coming-of-age stories, and for depicting fairly realistic...

Born: John Wilden Hughes Jr. February 18, 1950 in Lansing, Michigan, USA

Died: August 6, 2009 (age 59) in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

85. Patrick Swayze

Actor | Dirty Dancing

Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on August 18, 1952 in Houston, Texas, to Patsy Swayze (née Yvonne Helen Karnes), a choreographer, and Jesse Wayne Swayze, a chemical plant engineer draftsman. His mother owned a dance school in Houston, where Patrick was also a student. His father passed away in 1982. ...

Born: Patrick Wayne Swayze August 18, 1952 in Houston, Texas, USA

Died: September 14, 2009 (age 57) in Los Angeles, California, USA

86. Corey Haim

Actor | The Lost Boys

Corey Haim was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Judy Haim, an Israeli-born data processor, and Bernie Haim, a clothing sales representative. He has a sister, Carol, and a half-brother, Daniel. His family is Jewish. He was raised mostly in Willowdale.

Corey appeared in 26 episodes of the early 1980s ...

Born: Corey Ian Haim December 23, 1971 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Died: March 10, 2010 (age 38) in Burbank, California, USA

87. Dixie Carter

Actress | Designing Women

Dixie is the middle of three children. Her father owned several small retail stores. Early on, she dreamed of being an opera singer, but a botched tonsillectomy at age 7 spoiled any chances for that dream. Still, she sang regularly and studied classical music. She can play the piano, trumpet, and ...

Born: Dixie Virginia Carter May 25, 1939 in McLemoresville, Tennessee, USA

Died: April 10, 2010 (age 70) in Houston, Texas, USA

88. Peter Steele

Soundtrack | Freddy vs. Jason

Peter Steele was born on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Night of the Demons (2009) and The Darkness II (2012). He died on April 14, 2010 in New York City, New York, USA.

Born: Petrus T. Ratajczyk January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Died: April 14, 2010 (age 48) in New York City, New York, USA

89. Lynn Redgrave

Actress | Gods and Monsters

Actress of both the English and American stage and screen, Lynn Redgrave was born in Marylebone, London, England, into one of the world's most famous acting dynasties. As the daughter of Rachel Kempson and Sir Michael Redgrave, sister of Vanessa Redgrave and Corin Redgrave, and granddaughter of Roy...

Born: Lynn Rachel Redgrave March 8, 1943 in Marylebone, London, England, UK

Died: May 2, 2010 (age 67) in Kent, Connecticut, USA

90. Dennis Hopper

Actor | Easy Rider

Multi-talented and unconventional actor/director regarded by many as one of the true "enfant terribles" of Hollywood who led an amazing cinematic career for more than five decades, Dennis Hopper was born on May 17, 1936, in Dodge City, Kansas. The young Hopper expressed interest in acting from a ...

Born: Dennis Lee Hopper May 17, 1936 in Dodge City, Kansas, USA

Died: May 29, 2010 (age 74) in Venice Beach, California, USA

91. Rue McClanahan

Actress | The Golden Girls

A New York stage actress in the 1950s, McClanahan was plucked from the stage by Norman Lear for roles on All in the Family (1971) and later Maude (1972). For two years (1982 - 1984), she played "Aunt Fran" on Mama's Family (1983) until her character was killed off and she joined the cast of The ...

Born: Eddi-Rue McClanahan February 21, 1934 in Healdton, Oklahoma, USA

Died: June 3, 2010 (age 76) in New York, New York, USA

92. Glenn Shadix

Actor | Beetlejuice

William G. Scott was born in 1952 in Bessemer, Alabama. He attended Birmingham-Southern College for two years. He lived in New York City prior to moving to Hollywood in the late 1970s.

Changing his name to Glenn Shadix, he made his film debut in the poorly received The Postman Always Rings Twice (...

Born: William Glenn Scott April 15, 1952 in Bessemer, Alabama, USA

Died: September 7, 2010 (age 58) in Birmingham, Alabama, USA

93. Harold Gould

Actor | Patch Adams

Harold Gould earned a Ph.D. in theater and taught speech and drama at Cornell University.

Pursuing off-Broadway work in the 1950s, he decided to practice what he preached and became a full-time professional actor in the 1960s.

He appeared in hundreds of TV programs during his distinguished performing...

Born: Harold Vernon Goldstein December 10, 1923 in Schenectady, New York, USA

Died: September 11, 2010 (age 86) in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

94. Greg Giraldo

Actor | Common Law

Greg Giraldo was born on December 10, 1965 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Common Law (1996), Z Rock (2008) and Greg Giraldo: Midlife Vices (2009). He was married to MaryAnne McAlpin-Giraldo. He died on September 29, 2010 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, ...

Born: Gregory C. Giraldo December 10, 1965 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Died: September 29, 2010 (age 44) in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

95. Lisa Blount

Actress | An Officer and a Gentleman

Lisa Blount was an actress who appeared in numerous films and television shows, most notably as Lynette Pomeroy in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Along with her husband, actor Ray McKinnon, she received an Academy Award for the 2002 short ...

Born: July 1, 1957 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

Died: October 25, 2010 (age 53) in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

96. Jill Clayburgh

Actress | Bridesmaids

It came as no surprise to film aficionados when, in 1999, Entertainment Weekly named Jill Clayburgh on its list of Hollywood's 25 Greatest Actresses. For decades, she delivered stellar performances in a wide variety of roles.

Jill Clayburgh was born in 1944 in New York City, into a wealthy family, ...

Born: April 30, 1944 in New York City, New York, USA

Died: November 5, 2010 (age 66) in Lakeville, Connecticut, USA

97. Maria Schneider

Actress | Ultimo tango a Parigi

Maria Schneider was a French actress. At age 19 she became famous for Bernardo Bertolucci's film Last Tango in Paris (1972), and The Passenger (1975).

As a teenager, she adored films, going to the cinema up to four times a week. She left home at 15 after an argument with her mother and went to Paris...

Born: Marie Christine Gélin March 27, 1952 in Paris, France

Died: February 3, 2011 (age 58) in Paris, France

98. Michael Gough

Actor | Batman Forever

Tony Award-winning English actor Michael Gough, best known for playing the butler Alfred Pennyworth in the first four Batman (1989, 1992, 1995 & 1997) movies and for playing the arch-criminal Dr. Clement Armstrong in The Avengers (1961) episode "The Cybernauts", was an accomplished performer on ...

Born: Francis Michael Gough November 23, 1916 in Kuala Lumpur, British Malaya [now Malaysia]

Died: March 17, 2011 (age 94) in London, England, UK

99. Elizabeth Taylor

Actress | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was considered one of the last, if not the last, major star to have come out of the old Hollywood studio system. She was known internationally for her beauty, especially for her violet eyes, with which she captured audiences early in her youth and kept the world hooked ...

Born: Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor February 27, 1932 in Hampstead, London, England, UK

Died: March 23, 2011 (age 79) in Los Angeles, California, USA

100. Mary Murphy

Actress | The Wild One

This actress' two-decade career produced only one single stand-out film role but that one role as the "good girl" who redeems "bad boy" Marlon Brando's tough biker in the cult flick The Wild One (1953) put Mary Murphy at the head of the acting class for one brief shining moment. In others, she ...

Born: January 26, 1931 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Died: May 4, 2011 (age 80) in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA