We remember legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s life today as well as the lives of other notable people who were born this day in history.
Click to discover notable people who died this day in history including Kobe Bryant.
1955: Eddie Van Halen, one of the greatest rock guitarists in history and a major influence on up-and-coming guitarists, is born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
1951: Andy Hummel, U.S. musician who played bass with Big Star, is born in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
1946: Gene Siskel, U.S. movie critic known best for his partnership with Roger Ebert, is born in Chicago, Illinois.
Aside from the entertainingly antagonistic chemistry the Laurel-and-Hardy-like duo displayed, “Sneak Previews” was the first to focus regularly with any real depth on new movies. Its influence over moviegoers was unequaled. A trademarked thumbs-up or thumbs-down could make or break a new film at the box office, a position that put the hosts on lists of the most powerful people in Hollywood – even if they spent all their time in Chicago film theater balconies. Read more
1931: Mary Murphy, U.S. actress who starred opposite Marlon Brando in “The Wild One,” is born in Washington, D.C.
1925: Paul Newman, U.S. actor and food-products entrepreneur known for roles in movies including “The Hustler” and “Cool Hand Luke,” is born in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
As an actor, he was nominated nine times for an Academy Award and finally won for playing the aging pool shark Fast Eddie Felson in “The Color of Money” (1986), a role he first played in 1961’s “The Hustler.” Newman earned his first Tony nomination for his role in the 2003 Broadway revival of “Our Town,” and an Emmy nomination for the televised presentation of the play on Public Broadcasting Service/Showtime. He won an Emmy in 2005 for the miniseries “Empire Falls,” his last on-screen role. Read more
1925: Joan Leslie, U.S. actress and singer during Hollywood’s golden age who appeared in movies such as “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” is born in Detroit, Michigan.
1923: Anne Jeffreys, glamorous actress and singer who starred on “General Hospital” and the classic sitcom “Topper,” is born in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
1921: Akio Morita, Japanese businessman who co-founded Sony, is born in Nagoya, Japan.
1918: Philip Jose Farmer, U.S. author of science fiction, including the novel series “World of Tiers” and “Riverworld,” is born in Terra Haute, Indiana.
1915: William Hopper, U.S. actor known best for playing private detective Paul Drake in TV’s “Perry Mason,” is born in New York, New York.
1913: Jimmy Van Heusen, U.S. songwriter whose compositions include “Darn That Dream” and “High Hopes,” is born in Syracuse, New York.
1905: Maria von Trapp, Austrian matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers, whose story was dramatized in “The Sound of Music,” is born in Vienna, Austria.
Tho
ugh she felt devoted to her religious calling, von Trapp struggled under the tight discipline of the convent and the lack of exercise and fresh air. Her 1926 appointment to the von Trapp house was, in part, an attempt to let her spread her wings a bit before taking her vows. It was to be a temporary, 10-month assignment. Read more
1905: Charles Lane, U.S. character actor with notable roles in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “I Love Lucy,” is born in San Francisco, California.
1892: Zara Cully, U.S. actress who played Mother Jefferson on “The Jeffersons,” is born in Worcester, Massachusetts.
1892: Bessie Coleman, U.S. aviator who was the first African-American to hold an international pilot’s license, is born in Atlanta, Texas.
1880: Douglas MacArthur, U.S. five-star general of the Army during World War II, is born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
1826: Julia Grant, U.S. first lady who was the wife of President Ulysses S. Grant, is born in St. Louis, Missouri.
