'Forever Young'...

1. Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in East Tupelo, Mississippi, to Gladys Presley (née Gladys Love Smith) and Vernon Presley (Vernon Elvis Presley). He had a twin brother who was stillborn. In 1948, Elvis and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee where he attended Humes High School. ...

January 8, 1935 - August 16, 1977 (42yrs) *cardiac arrhythmia the King of Rock & Roll...

2. 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 ...

August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009 (50yrs) *homicide the King of Pop...

3. 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 ...

June 1, 1926 - August 5, 1962 (36yrs) *drug overdose Voted 'Sexiest Woman of the Century' by People Magazine 1999...

4. John F. Kennedy

Writer | Profiles in Courage

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts, to Rose Kennedy (née Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald) and Joseph P. Kennedy. John was named after his maternal grandfather, John "HoneyFitz" Fitzgerald, the mayor of Boston. John was very ill as a child and was given the last ...

May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963 (46yrs) *assassination 35th President of the United States...

5. John Kennedy Jr.

Actor | A Matter of Degrees

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. was born on November 25, 1960, in Washington, DC, to John Fitzgerald Kennedy (President-to-be John F. Kennedy) and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy (Jacqueline Kennedy). Three weeks before his birth, his father was elected President of the United States, and the nation ...

November 25, 1960 - July 16, 1999 (38yrs) *plane crash Voted "Sexiest Man Alive" by People Magazine in 1988...

6. Robert F. Kennedy

Writer | The Missiles of October

Robert Francis Kennedy (1925-68), US politician, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, the third son of Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy and wife Rose Kennedy. He studied at Harvard and at the University of Virginia University Law School, served at sea (1944-46) in World War II, was admitted to the bar...

November 20, 1925 - June 6, 1968 (42yrs) *assassination New York Senator/'68 Presidential Candidate...

7. 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 ...

December 23, 1971 - March 10, 2010 (38yrs) *pulmonary edema Ranked #26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars...

8. John Belushi

Actor | Saturday Night Live

John Belushi was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on January 24, 1949, to Agnes Demetri (Samaras) and Adam Anastos Belushi, a restaurant owner. His father was an Albanian immigrant, from Qytezë, and his mother was also of Albanian descent. He grew up in Wheaton, where the family moved when he was ...

January 24, 1949 - March 5, 1982 (33yrs) *acute cocaine and heroin intoxication His performance as John "Bluto" Blutarsky in Animal House/1978 is ranked #48 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time...

9. Brittany Murphy

Actress | Clueless

Brittany Murphy was born Brittany Anne Bertolotti on November 10, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, to Sharon Kathleen Murphy and Angelo Joseph Bertolotti. Her father's ancestry is Italian, and her mother is of Irish and Slovak descent. Her father moved the family back to Edison, New Jersey as a native New...

November 10, 1977 - December 20, 2009 (32yrs) *pneumonia, anemia and drug intoxication She kept a notebook by her bed and would write poems in the middle of the night...

10. 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 ...

October 31, 1950 - March 4, 1994 (43yrs) *heart attack Pictured on one of four 51¢ Canadian commemorative postage stamps honoring "Canadians in Hollywood", issued 22 May 2006...

11. Whitney Houston

Soundtrack | The Bodyguard

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born into a musical family on 9 August 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, the daughter of gospel star Cissy Houston (née Emily Lee Drinkard) and John Russell Houston, Jr., and cousin of singing star Dionne Warwick.

She began singing in the choir at her church, The New Hope ...

August 9, 1963 - February 11, 2012 (48yrs) *accidental drowning caused by heart disease and cocaine use The Prom Queen of Soul...

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 ...

January 24, 1943 - August 9, 1969 (26yrs) *homicide Her first beauty pageant win was "Miss Tiny Tot" when she was 6-months-old...

13. 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 ...

August 23, 1970 - October 31, 1993 (23yrs) *drug induced heart falure Ranked #86 in Empire (UK) magazine's 'The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time' list. [October 1997]...

14. 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 ...

April 4, 1979 - January 22, 2008 (28yrs) *accidental overdose of prescription drugs Named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2001...

15. Michael Clarke Duncan

Actor | The Green Mile

Michael Clarke Duncan was born on December 10, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised on Chicago's South Side by his single mother, Jean, a house cleaner, Duncan grew up resisting drugs and alcohol, instead concentrating on school. He wanted to play football in high school, but his mother wouldn't let ...

November 10, 1957 - September 3, 2012 (54yrs) *respiratory falure Was a blue belt in Brazilian JuJutsu...

16. Carole Lombard

Actress | My Man Godfrey

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 ...

October 6, 1908 - January 16, 1942 (33yrs) *plane crash She was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...

17. 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 ...

February 1, 1901 - November 16, 1960 (59yrs) *coronary thrombosis Chosen by Empire magazine in 1995 as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#36)...

18. Natalie Wood

Actress | Rebel Without a Cause

Natalie Wood was an American actress of Russian and Ukrainian descent. She started her career as a child actress and eventually transitioned into teenage roles, young adult roles, and middle-aged roles. She drowned off Catalina Island on November 29, 1981 at age 43.

Wood was born July 20, 1938 in ...

July 20, 1938 - November 29, 1981 (43yrs) *drowning with undetermined factors involved Entertainment Weekly's '100 greatest stars of all time' (#70)...

19. 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. ...

August 18, 1952 - September 14, 2009 (57yrs) *pancreatic cancer Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. [1991]

20. Bernie Mac

Actor | The Bernie Mac Show

Bernard Jeffrey McCollough was born in 1957 in Chicago, the son of Mary McCullough and Jeffery Harrison. He grew up in the city, in a rougher neighborhood than most others, with a large family living under one roof. This situation provided him with a great insight into his comedy, as his family, ...

October 5, 1957 - August 9, 2009 (51yrs) *complications from pneumonia Very intelligent and engaging in TV, movie, and his stand-up...

21. 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 ...

September 17, 1948 - September 11, 2003 (54yrs) *aortic dissection An actor's actor, and a man of many talents...

22. Bob Crane

Actor | Hogan's Heroes

Bob Crane was born in Waterbury, CT, the youngest of two sons. In school he was known for being a class clown and an intense music lover. His favorites were jazz and big band. Bob's specialty was the drums. After graduating from Stamford High School in 1946, he turned his attention to his love for ...

July 13, 1928 - June 29, 1978 (49yrs) *homicide In the late 1950's he began his successful career in radio, working at KNX radio becoming 'King of the Airwaves' in Los Angeles...

23. Aaliyah

Soundtrack | Romeo Must Die

Talented. Beautiful. Modest. These three words described R&B singer-turned-actress Aaliyah perfectly.

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Diane (Hankerson) and Michael Haughton. Her uncle was music manager Barry Hankerson and her brother is director Rashad Haughton. Aaliyah was ...

January 16, 1979 - August 25, 2001 (22yrs) *plane crash Chosen as one of Teen People Magazine's '21 Hottest Stars Under 21.' [1999

24. 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 ...

December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988 (12yrs) *cardiopulmonary arrest and intestinal stenosis Ranked #65 on VH1's '100 Greatest Kid Actors' special...

25. 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...

February 18, 1950 - August 6, 2009 (59yrs) *heart attack Started out in the 1970s as a writer for National Lampoon magazine, and inspired the 'Brat Pack' movement of the 1980s...

26. Cass Elliot

Soundtrack | Free Guy

Cass Elliot was born Ellen Naomi Cohen on September 19, 1941, in Baltimore, Maryland. She grew up in the Washington D.C. environs and in her senior year of high school, performed in a summer stock production of "The Boyfriend" at the Owings Mills Playhouse, where she played the French nurse who ...

September 19, 1941 - July 29, 1974 (32yrs) *heart attack Ranked #23 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll...

27. 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 ...

July 1, 1961 - August 31, 1997 (36yrs) *car accident Is known 'world-wide' as the 'Peoples-Princess'...

28. 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 ...

June 10, 1922 - June 22, 1969 (47yrs) *accidental barbiturate overdose Entertainment Weekly voted her the 23rd Greatest Movie Star of all time...

29. 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...

February 20, 1967 - April 5, 1994 (27yrs) *suicide by gunshot Ranked #49 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists...

30. Jon-Erik Hexum

Actor | Voyagers!

In the early 1980s, this ruggedly handsome young American actor of Norwegian parentage was seen as the "next big thing", and then suddenly he was dead from an accident via a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The son of Thorleif Hexum (born in Norway) and Gretha Paulsen (born in Minnesota), Jon-Erik ...

November 5, 1957 - October 18, 1984 (26yrs) *accidental self-inflicted gunshot Was considered the 'Next Huge Actor' in the early 80s...

31. Freddie Prinze

Actor | Chico and the Man

Freddie Prinze was born Frederick Karl Pruetzel in New York City, New York, to a Puerto Rican mother, Aurea Elena Ruiz, and a German immigrant father, Edward Karl Pruetzel. Freddie grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City. As a chubby child, he was often bullied, but was quite ...

June 22, 1954 - January 29, 1977 (22yrs) *suicide by gunshot Changed his name to Freddie Prinze; to indicate that he was 'The Prinze of Comedy'...

32. Chris Farley

Actor | Tommy Boy

Christopher Crosby Farley was born on February 15, 1964, in Madison, Wisconsin, to Mary Anne (Crosby) and Thomas Farley, who owned an oil company. Among his siblings are actors Kevin P. Farley and John Farley. He was of Irish heritage. Farley studied theatre and communications on Marquette ...

February 15, 1964 - December 18, 1997 (33yrs) *accidental opiate/cocaine intoxication and coronary atherosclerosis Heavy-Weight Funnyman...

33. Gary Coleman

Actor | Diff'rent Strokes

Without a doubt Gary Coleman was THE child TV star of the late 1970s and early 1980s. A refreshingly confident little tyke with sparkling dark, saucer-like eyes and an ingratiating, take-on-anyone burst of personality, the boy charmed the pants right off of TV viewers the minute he was glimpsed in ...

February 8, 1968 - May 28, 2010 (42yrs) *brain hemorrhage Was 'the' child TV star of the late 1970s and early 1980s...

34. Jean Harlow

Actress | China Seas

Harlean Carpenter, who later became Jean Harlow, was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 3, 1911. She was the daughter of a successful dentist and his wife. In 1927, at the age of 16, she ran away from home to marry a young businessman named Charles McGrew, who was 23. The couple pulled up ...

March 3, 1911 - June 7, 1937 (26yrs) *uremic poisoning brought on by acute nephritis She was the very first film actress to grace the cover of 'Life Magazine' in May 1937...

35. Dominique Dunne

Actress | Poltergeist

Dominique Dunne was born in Santa Monica, California, the daughter of Ellen Beatriz Griffin Dunne and Dominick Dunne, a producer, actor, and writer. Actor Griffin Dunne is her brother. After her parents' divorce, she moved first to New York, and then to Beverly Hills. Upon graduation from high ...

November 23, 1959 - November 4, 1982 (22yrs) *homicide Was very superstitious and believed in supernatural phenomena...

36. Amy Winehouse

Soundtrack | Amy

Amy Jade Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 in Enfield, London, England and raised in Southgate, London, England to Janis Holly Collins (née Seaton), a pharmacist & Mitchell "Mitch" Winehouse, a window panel installer and taxi driver. Her family shared her love of theater and music. Amy was ...

September 14, 1983 - July 23, 2011 (27yrs) *alcohol poisoning A five-time Grammy Award-winning English singer-songwriter...

37. 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 ...

September 25, 1952 - October 10, 2004 (52yrs) *heart falure Truly was a Superman...

38. Phil Hartman

Actor | NewsRadio

Phil Hartman was born Philip Edward Hartmann on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. His surname was originally "Hartmann", but he later dropped the second "n". He was one of eight children of Doris Marguerite (Wardell) and Rupert Loebig Hartmann, a salesman. He was of German, Irish, ...

September 24, 1948 - May 28, 1998 (49yrs) *homicide Was a 'Saturday Night Live cast-member for 8 seasons...

39. 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...

April 16, 1971 - March 31, 1995 (23yrs) *homicide Was named "Female Artist of The Year" for 9 years in a row, at the Tejano Music Awards...

40. Ryan Dunn

Writer | Jackass 3D

Ryan Dunn (June 11, 1977 - June 20, 2011) was an American reality television personality, actor and stunt man. He was a member of the Jackass and Viva La Bam crew.

Ryan Matthew Dunn was born in Medina, Ohio, to Linda Sue (Reese) and Ronald James Dunn. He came to prominence as a member of the CKY ...

June 11, 1977 - June 20, 2011 (34yrs) *car accident Was a founding member of the MTV reality series 'JackAss'...

41. 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 ...

March 9, 1940 - October 24, 1994 (54yrs) *complications from a stroke He was a passionate supporter of The Hunger Project, a foundation devoted to the elimination of world hunger. For 17 years, he served as the Project's spokesperson...

42. 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 ...

June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996 (25yrs) *homicide Tupac is listed as the most successful gangsta MC in the "Guinness Book of World Records..."

43. The Notorious B.I.G.

Soundtrack | Bad Boys

Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, was born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Jamaican parents, Voletta Wallace, a pre-school teacher, and Selwyn George Latore, a welder and small-time politician. He was raised in the poor Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. ...

May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997 (24yrs) *homicide Awarded the 1995 Billboard Magazine Award for hip-hop artist of the year...

44. 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 ...

November 27,1942 - September 18, 1970 (27yrs) *drug overdose Played his guitar left-handed; a Fender Stratocaster, and would often smash it and/or light it on fire after a show...

45. Karen Carpenter

Soundtrack | Paul Williams: Still Alive

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Karen Carpenter moved with her family to Downey, California, in 1963. Karen's older brother, Richard Carpenter, decided to put together an instrumental trio with him on the piano, Karen on the drums and their friend Wes Jacobs on the bass and tuba. In a battle of the...

March 2, 1950 - February 4, 1983 (32yrs) *heart failure caused by chronic anorexia Ranked #29 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll...

46. Sid Vicious

Soundtrack | The Astronaut's Wife

Along with fellow Sex Pistol member, Johnny Rotten, lanky, sneering, pock faced Sid epitomised the punk movement born in the mid 1970s in working class England. Sid Vicious (real name John Beverly) wasn't an original member of the Pistols, but rather joined the band after original bassist, Glen ...

May 10, 1957 - February 2, 1979 (21yrs) *drug overdose Former bassist for the pioneering punk band The Sex Pistols...

47. Freddie Mercury

Soundtrack | Flash Gordon

Freddie Mercury was born on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, sent him off to a private school in India, from 1955 til 1963. In 1964, he and his family flew to England. In 1966 he started his education at the Ealing College of Art, where he graduated in 1969. He ...

September 5, 1946 - November 24, 1991 (45yrs) *aids Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 (as a member of Queen)...

48. Andy Kaufman

Actor | Taxi

Referred to by some as a dadaistic comedian, Andy Kaufman took comedy and performance art to the edges of irrationality and blurred the dividing line between reality and imagination. Born in New York City on January 17, 1949, the first son of Stanley and Janice Kaufman, Andy grew up on New York in ...

January 17, 1949 - May 16, 1984 (35yrs) *lung cancer He took comedy and performance art to the edges of irrationality and blurred the dividing line between reality and imagination...

49. Steve Irwin

Actor | Dr. Dolittle 2

Steve Irwin was born in 1962 to parents Lyn and Bob Irwin, who were animal naturalists. He shared the love for animals all his life, stemming from being raised at the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park. There, he partook in daily duties of animal feeding and care. He quickly established himself with...

February 2, 1962 - September 4, 2006 (44yrs) *stingray attack Over 360 million people tuned in to watch the Steve Irwin Memorial Service on Animal Planet on September 19, 2006...

50. Gene Siskel

Self | Siskel & Ebert & the Movies

Gene Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. He partnered with fellow critic Roger Ebert to present a series of television shows which centered on film reviews. Their partnership lasted from 1975 to Siskel's death in 1999. Siskel became famous for his heated ...

January 26, 1946 - February 20, 1999 (53yrs) *complications from brain surgery Stated he had only ever walked out of three movies in his career as a film critic; The Million Dollar Duck/1971, Maniac/1980, and Black Sheep/1996...

51. Natasha Richardson

Actress | The Parent Trap

Natasha Jane Richardson was born in Marylebone, London, England, to director and producer Tony Richardson and actress Vanessa Redgrave. She was the sister of actress Joely Richardson, the niece of actors Corin Redgrave and Lynn Redgrave, and the granddaughter of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel ...

52. Sal Mineo

Actor | Exodus

Salvatore (Sal) Mineo Jr. was born to Josephine and Sal Sr. (a casket maker), who emigrated to the U.S. from Sicily. His siblings were Michael, Victor and Sarina. Sal was thrown out of parochial school and, by age eight, was a member of a street gang in a tough Bronx neighborhood. His mother ...

53. Patrice O'Neal

Actor | 25th Hour

O'Neal was born in New York in 1969, but moved to Boston when he was just 1 year old. He was educated at West Roxbury High School and went on to attend Northeastern University, both in Boston. After this, various jobs followed including a sausage cart vendor at a train station, flower seller and ...

54. Buddy Holly

Soundtrack | Big Fish

Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression, and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his siblings. His ...

55. J.P. Richardson

Actor | It Came from Trafalgar

J.P. Richardson was born on March 11, 1968 in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. He is an actor, known for It Came from Trafalgar (2009), From Nashville with Music (1969) and Haunting Villisca (2006).

56. Ritchie Valens

Soundtrack | La Bamba

Ritchie, the 'California Kid' was from a family of poverty stricken fruit pickers and was the first rock star to originate from the West Coast and one of the innovators of 'Latino rock. In an eight month career he scored three hits with 'Come On Let's Go', 'Donna' and 'La Bamba' before being killed...

57. 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 ...

58. Martin Luther King

Soundtrack | Freedom Writers

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the son of Alberta Christine (Williams), a schoolteacher, and Martin Luther King Sr. a pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. For Martin the civil rights movement began one summer in 1935 when he was six ...

January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968 (39yrs) *assassination Won Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1964...

59. 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 ...

60. Chris Penn

Actor | Reservoir Dogs

Christopher Shannon Penn was born on October 10, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, the third son of actress Eileen Ryan (née Annucci) and director, actor, and writer Leo Penn. His siblings are musician Michael Penn and actor Sean Penn. His father was from a Lithuanian Jewish/Russian Jewish family, ...

61. Bruce Lee

Actor | Jing wu men

Bruce Lee remains the greatest icon of martial arts cinema and a key figure of modern popular media. Had it not been for Bruce Lee and his movies in the early 1970s, it's arguable whether or not the martial arts film genre would have ever penetrated and influenced mainstream North American and ...

62. Brandon Lee

Actor | The Crow

Born on February 1, 1965 to Bruce Lee (Martial Arts idol) and Linda Lee Cadwell. Brother to Shannon Lee. In 1970-71, they moved to Hong Kong, where Brandon lived until age eight, becoming fluent in Cantonese. By the time he was able to walk, he was already involved in learning about martial arts ...

63. John Lennon

Actor | A Hard Day's Night

John Winston (later Ono) Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, to Julia Lennon (née Stanley) and Alfred Lennon, a merchant seaman. He was raised by his mother's older sister Mimi Smith. In the mid-1950s, he formed his first band, The Quarrymen (after Quarry Bank High School, ...

64. Christopher Pettiet

Actor | Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

Born in Plano, Texas, Christopher Pettiet began career as a child actor making appearances in television series, made-for-television movies and films. He starred in two hit flicks, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991) and Point Break (1991), and then joined the cast of the Western TV series ...

65. David Strickland

Actor | Suddenly Susan

David Strickland was born in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, on October 14, 1969. Raised in Princeton, New Jersey, he never thought about an acting career until moving to the LA suburb of Pacific Palisades while in high school. Instead of going to college, he joined a theater company and began ...

66. Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes

Soundtrack | Captain Marvel

Controversial, flamboyant, and spontaneous are probably the best words to describe Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. Born in Philadelphia, and raised throughout the world as the daughter of a U.S. Army serviceman, Lisa Lopes became one of the most important trendsetters in the 1990s music scene. After ...

67. DJ AM

Actor | Iron Man 2

DJ AM was born on March 30, 1973 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Iron Man 2 (2010), Gone Too Far (2009) and Crazy Town: Drowning (2002). He died on August 28, 2009 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

68. John Denver

Soundtrack | Armageddon

His birth occurred on Friday, December 31st, 1943, as the son of an Air Force officer, Denver was constantly moved from state to state and country to country. It was in Tucson, Arizona, that his grandmother gave him his first acoustic guitar, a gift that would prove an icebreaker when meeting other...

69. Anna Nicole Smith

Actress | Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult

Anna Nicole Smith was born on November 28, 1967 in Houston, Texas, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), Be Cool (2005) and Illegal Aliens (2007). She was married to J. Howard Marshall II and Billy Smith. She died on February 8, 2007 in Hollywood...

70. Dana Hill

Actress | National Lampoon's European Vacation

Dana Hill was born Dana Lynne Goetz on May 6, 1964, in a suburb of Los Angeles, to parents Sandy Hill and Ted Goetz, a commercial director. Despite diabetes ending a promising future in athletics when she was just ten years old, Dana gamely threw herself into acting when still in her early teen ...

71. Big Pun

Soundtrack | That Awkward Moment

Big Pun was born on November 9, 1971 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for That Awkward Moment (2014), Vacation (2015) and Life of the Party (2018). He was married to Liza Rios. He died on February 7, 2000 in White Plains, New York, USA.

72. Montgomery Clift

Actor | From Here to Eternity

Edward Montgomery Clift (nicknamed 'Monty' his entire life) was born on October 17, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, just after his twin sister Roberta (1920-2014) and eighteen months after his brother Brooks Clift. He was the son of Ethel "Sunny" Anderson (Fogg; 1888-1988) and William Brooks Clift (1886-...

73. Glenn Quinn

Actor | Angel

Quinn was born in Dublin, Ireland, and moved to the United States with his mother and two sisters in 1988. His first role was as a pool shark in the Richard Marx video Satisfied. He later landed a major role in the John Travolta film Shout (1991), where he shared a screen kiss with Gwyneth Paltrow....

74. Rico Yan

Actor | Mula sa puso

Rico Yan was born on March 14, 1975 in the Philippines. He was an actor, known for Mula sa puso (1997), Got 2 Believe (2002) and Flames: The Movie (1997). He died on March 29, 2002 in Palawan, Philippines.

75. Nate Dogg

Soundtrack | Real Steel

Nate Dogg was born on August 19, 1969 in Long Beach, California, USA. He was a music artist and actor, known for Real Steel (2011), I Spy (2002) and The Fast and the Furious (2001). He was married to La Toya. He died on March 15, 2011 in Long Beach, California, USA.

76. 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, ...

77. Jim Morrison

Soundtrack | Army of the Dead

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American poet, singer, and songwriter from Florida. He was the lead vocalist of the rock band "The Doors" (1965-1973), and has been cited as "one of the most influential frontmen in rock history". Morrison recorded a total of six studio albums with the Doors, all...

78. Richard Burton

Actor | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Probably best-remembered for his turbulent personal life with Elizabeth Taylor (whom he married twice), Richard Burton was nonetheless also regarded as an often brilliant British actor of the post-WWII period.

Burton was born Richard Walter Jenkins in 1925 into a Welsh (Cymraeg)-speaking family in ...

79. Steve McQueen

Actor | The Great Escape

He was the ultra-cool male film star of the 1960s, and rose from a troubled youth spent in reform schools to being the world's most popular actor. Over 40 years after his untimely death from mesothelioma in 1980, Steve McQueen is still considered hip and cool, and he endures as an icon of popular ...

80. Truman Capote

Actor | Murder by Death

Truman Capote was born on September 30, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Murder by Death (1976), The Innocents (1961) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). He died on August 25, 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

September 30, 1924 - August 25, 1984 (59yrs) *liver complications American author who penned many literary classics...

81. Heavy D

Actor | The Cider House Rules

Dwight Arrington Myers (May 24, 1967 - November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American rapper, record producer, and actor. Myers was the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a group which included dancers/hype men G-Whiz (Glen Parrish), "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), and ...

82. Tommy Marth

Actor | Twenty4Hours

Tommy Marth was born on November 23, 1978 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Twenty4Hours (2002), Live from Abbey Road (2006) and The Killers: Live from the Royal Albert Hall (2009). He died on April 23, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

83. Marvin Gaye

Soundtrack | High Fidelity

Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. (known professionally as Marvin Gaye; April 2, 1939 - April 1, 1984) was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of successes, earning him the nicknames ...

84. Otis Redding

Soundtrack | Top Gun

Otis Redding was born on September 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia, USA. He was a music artist and composer, known for Top Gun (1986), Hamburger Hill (1987) and Road House (1989). He was married to Zelma Redding. He died on December 10, 1967 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

85. Rudolph Valentino

Actor | The Eagle

Hollywood's original Latin Lover, a term that was invented for Rudolph Valentino by Hollywood moguls. Alla Nazimova's friend Natacha Rambova (nee Winifred Hudnut) became romantically involved with Rudy and they lived together in her bungalow from 1921 (during the filming of Camille) until they ...

86. Ol' Dirty Bastard

Soundtrack | Bulworth

Ol' Dirty Bastard was born on November 15, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Bulworth (1998), Nerve (2016) and Don't Look Up (2021). He was married to Icelene Jones. He died on November 13, 2004 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

87. John Cazale

Actor | Dog Day Afternoon

John Cazale was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to an Irish-American mother, Cecilia (Holland), and an Italian-American father, John Cazale. Cazale made only five feature films in his career, which fans and critics alike call classics. But before his film debut, in the short The American Way (1962),...

88. Dominic Lucero

Actor | Newsies

Dominic Lucero was born August 28th, 1967 in the state of California. From the time he was small, Dominic wanted to be an actor and his mother knew that it was destined to happen. He sang and danced to the radio as a kid, and showed a natural talent for it. Dominic participated in Drama Club and ...

89. 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 ...

90. Peg Entwistle

Actress | Thirteen Women

Peg Entwistle was born on February 5, 1908 in Port Talbot, Wales at the home of her maternal grandparents, John and Caroline Stevenson because Caroline was to act as midwife. Peg's mother was Emily Stevenson Entwistle and her father was actor/ stage manager Robert Symes Entwistle (1872-1922). They ...

91. Hank Williams

Soundtrack | The Last Picture Show

Hank Williams was born in September 1923 in a small Alabama farming community about 70 miles south of Montgomery. His father was a railroad engineer who was also a victim of shell shock after a year of fighting in France in 1918 during World War I and spent many years in veterans hospitals. Hank's ...

92. Stevie Ray Vaughan

Soundtrack | Unbreakable

Stevie Ray Vaughan was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Dallas, Texas. He was the main guitarist and frontman for the musical trio "Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble" from 1978 to his death in 1990. Vaughan and his band-mates specialized in blues rock, and Vaughan was a key ...

93. Jonathan Brandis

Actor | The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter

Born in Danbury, Connecticut, USA, to Greg and Mary, Jonathan Brandis began his career at age 5, acting in several television commercials. He also appeared in small parts in several films and TV shows before his first starring role in the 1990 film The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990). ...

94. Marky Cielo

Actor | Encantadia: Pag-ibig hanggang wakas

Marky Cielo was born on May 12, 1988 in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Philippines. He was an actor, known for Encantadia: Pag-ibig hanggang wakas (2006), Sine novela (2007) and Zaido: The Space Sheriff (2007). He died on December 7, 2008 in Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines.

95. Justin Mentell

Actor | G-Force

Justin Mentell was born on December 16, 1982 in Austin, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for G-Force (2009), Boston Legal (2004) and 5-25-77 (2008). He died on February 1, 2010 in Blanchardville, Wisconsin, USA.

96. Patsy Cline

Soundtrack | Assassin's Creed

Patsy Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8, 1932 in Winchester, Virginia. Her brush with show business came at age four when she won a prize in an amateur tap dancing contest. By the time she entered grade school, her family was fully aware of her musical talent. On her eighth ...

97. Brynn Hartman

Actress | North

Brynn Hartman was born on April 11, 1958 in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA. She was an actress, known for North (1994), 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996) and E! True Hollywood Story (1996). She was married to Phil Hartman and Douglas Iver Torfin. She died on May 28, 1998 in Encino, California, USA.

April 11, 1958 - May 28, 1998 (40yrs) *suicide

98. Lana Clarkson

Actress | Fast Times at Ridgemont High

This beautiful, long-legged blonde actress was known to be a kind, intelligent and dependable actor with a comedic talent as well. She appeared in many American TV hits of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Three's Company (1976), The Jeffersons (1975), The New Mike Hammer (1984), Riptide (1984), Knight ...

99. Kellie Waymire

Actress | Enterprise

Kellie Waymire was born on July 27, 1967 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and Playing by Heart (1998). She died on November 13, 2003 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

100. Andy Whitfield

Actor | Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Andy Whitfield was born on October 17, 1971 in Amlwch, Anglesey, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Spartacus (2010), Gabriel (2007) and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011). He was married to Vashti Whitfield. He died on September 11, 2011 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.