Known to wrestling audiences as the Macho Man, Randy Savage was an influential force within wrestling during the 1980s and ’90s. As both a “face” and “heel” at times, Savage held 20 different championships during his career in the ring. Outside the ring, he was a color commentator for the sport and a prolific live-action and voice actor. One of his most notable roles was as the professional wrestler Bonesaw McGraw in the first “Spider-Man” film. We remember Savage’s life today as well as the lives of other notable people who were born this day in history.
1968: Russell T. Jones, aka O.D.B., U.S. musician and a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan rap group, is born in Brooklyn, New York.
1952: Randy “Macho Man” Savage, U.S. professional wrestler who was one of the stars of the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling circuits, is born in Columbus, Ohio.
In the ring, Savage – a second-generation wrestler whose father, Angelo Poffo, was a favorite in the 1950s and ’60s – was an intense athlete and showman. He wrestled with and against some of pro wrestling’s other great names, exciting his fans with big matchups … such as his win against the massive Andre the Giant. Read more
1940: Tony Mendez, the ex-CIA spy whose story was told in the movie ‘Argo,’ is born in Eureka, Nevada.
1939: Yaphet Kotto, actor whose notable roles include engineer Parker in the sci-fi classic “Alien” and Lieutenant Al Giardello in TV’s “Homicide: Life on the Street,” is born in New York, New York.
1937: Little Willie John, U.S. rhythm and blues singer who had chart success with “Need Your Love So Bad” in 1956 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, is born in Cullendale, Arkansas.
1935: Nera White, U.S. Basketball Hall of Fame member considered to be one of the greatest female basketball players of all time, is born in Macon County, Tennessee.
1934: Joanna Barnes, actress known for her performances in both versions of “The Parent Trap,” in 1961 and 1998, is born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1932: Clyde McPhatter, U.S. R&B vocalist who formed the hit vocal group the Drifters and then embarked on a solo career that included the hit song “A Lover’s Question,” is born in Durham, North Carolina.
1931: John Kerr, U.S. actor and lawyer who played Lieutenant Joe Cable in the movie “South Pacific,” is born in New York, New York.
1929: Ed Asner, actor who rose to fame playing cranky newsman Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970 to 1977 and had later voice acting fame in 2009’s “Up,” is born in Kansas City, Missouri.
1928: C.W. McCall, outlaw country singer known for his 1976 hit song “Convoy,” is born in Audubon, Iowa.
1919: Carol Bruce, U.S. actress known best for her recurring role on “WKRP in Cincinnati” as Mama Carlson, is born in Great Neck, New York.
In 1979, she took over the role that Sylvia Sidney had originated on “WKRP in Cincinnati” a year earlier as Mama Carlson, the tough-talking owner of a radio station managed by her son Arthur, played by Gordon Jump, according to her obituary by The Associated Press. Bruce kept the recurring role until the series ended in 1982. Her other TV credits included “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “The Golden Girls,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Diff’rent Strokes,” “Party of Five,” and “Knots Landing.” Read more
1919: Joseph Wapner, judge who became one of the country’s best-known judges in 1981 when he stepped behind the bench as the original host of “The People’s Court,” is born in Los Angeles, California.
1905: Mantovani, English conductor and entertainer who was the first to sell over 1 million albums in England and had 27 albums reach the Top 40 in the U.S., is born in Venice, Italy.
1887: Georgia O’Keeffe, U.S. artist known as the Mother of American Modernism, is born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
1879: Lewis Stone, U.S. actor known best for his role as Judge James Hardy in the “Andy Hardy” film series, is born in Worcester, Massachusetts.
