Born 1928

Gerd Stern (1928–2025), Beat Generation multimedia artist

Gerd Stern was an influential poet and multimedia artist of the Beat era, as well as the co-founder of the 1960s art collective, USCO. 

Earl Holliman (1928–2024), Police Woman costar

Earl Holliman was an actor best known for his award-winning work in the 1956 western romance “The Rainmaker,” and starring opposite Angie Dickinson in the TV drama “Police Woman.”

John Lasell (1928–2024), Dark Shadows actor

John Lasell was an actor best known for playing vampire hunter Dr. Peter Guthrie on the gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows.” 

Ethel Kennedy (1928–2024), human rights advocate

Ethel Kennedy was the widow of U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and an advocate for human rights.

Lore Segal (1928–2024), Pulitzer Prize-finalist author

Lore Segal was an author and Holocaust survivor whose 2007 novel, “Shakespeare's Kitchen,” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction.

Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg (1928–2024), namesake of Fort Gregg-Adams

Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg was the first Black U.S. Army officer to reach his rank and the only living person in modern history with a military installation named in their honor.

Ruth Westheimer (1928–2024), popular sex guru known as Dr. Ruth

Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a sex therapist who became a pop culture icon thanks to her TV and radio appearances.

Dr. George Woodwell (1928–2024), pioneering climate researcher

Dr. George Woodwell was a pioneering climate researcher whose work helped lead to the banning of the pesticide DDT.

Robert Hughes (1928–2024), winningest boys’ HS basketball coach

Robert Hughes was a boys’ high school basketball coach in Fort Worth, Texas whose successful leadership lead to over 1,300 victories for his teams over decades.

Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. (1928–2024), civil rights leader

Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. was a civil rights leader whose focus on non-violent protest proved highly influential to and helped shape the 1960s civil rights movement.

Warren Winiarski (1928–2024) Napa Valley wine pioneer 

Warren Winiarski was a winemaker whose Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars helped put California’s Napa Valley on the world stage of winemaking.

Richard M. Sherman (1928–2024), Oscar-winning Disney songwriter

Richard M. Sherman was a songwriter who, along with brother wrote beloved songs for Disney movies, including “It’s a Small World” and the Oscar-winning “Chim Chim Cher-ee.” 

Rev. Bill Lawson (1928–2024), civil rights leader who worked with MLK

Rev. William “Bill” Lawson was a Houston civil rights leader who helped peacefully integrate his city and worked alongside

Mary Wells Lawrence (1928–2024), legendary advertising exec

Mary Wells Lawrence was a groundbreaking advertising executive who founded Wells Rich Greene and was known for quotable ad slogans like “I ♥ NY” and “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz.” 

Terry Carter (1928–2024), Battlestar Galactica, McCloud star

Terry Carter was an actor and Emmy Award-winning producer best known as the original Col. Tigh on Battlestar Galactica and Sgt. Joe Broadhurst on McCloud.

Herbert Kroemer (1928–2024), Nobel Prize winner for laser technology

Herbert Kroemer was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose work on laser technology changed the way semiconductors are designed. 

Julie Robinson Belafonte (1928–2024), actress and activist 

Julie Robinson Belafonte was an actress and activist best known as the longtime wife of . 

Martin Greenfield (1928–2024), tailor to the stars 

Martin Greenfield was a Holocaust survivor who became a prominent tailor specializing in dressing the elite, including six U.S. Presidents and such celebrities as , Shaquille O’Neal, , and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Byron Janis (1928–2024), celebrated classical pianist 

Byron Janis was a celebrated classical pianist who drew attention for his 1948 debut at Carnegie Hall, performed when he was just 20 years old, and his later discovery of previously unknown Chopin waltzes. 

Paula Murphy (1928–2023), record-breaking race car driver

Paula Murphy was a record-setting race car driver in the 1960s and ‘70s, the first woman to speed across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in a jet-engine car. 

Elliott Erwitt (1928–2023), often humorous lifestyle photographer

Elliott Erwitt was a photographer whose work was known for his often humorous, black and white portraits of everyday life featuring stars, politicians, and ordinary people.

Joss Ackland (1928–2023), actor in The Mighty Ducks, Lethal Weapon 2 

Joss Ackland was a British character actor known for his performances in such films as “The Mighty Ducks,” “Lethal Weapon 2,” and “White Mischief.” 

M. Russell Ballard (1928–2023), Mormon leader

M. Russell Ballard was a Mormon leader who stood second in line to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church) as president. 

Frank Borman (1928–2023), commander of historic Apollo 8 mission

Frank Borman was an astronaut who commanded Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the moon. 

Betsy Rawls (1928–2023), LPGA champion

Betsy Rawls was a professional golfer who won the U.S. Women’s Open four times, among dozens of other career wins on the LPGA Tour.

Eve Bunting (1928–2023), bestselling children’s author

Eve Bunting was the author of bestselling and award-winning books for children, including “The Wall” and “Smoky Night.” 

Beverly Willis (1928–2023), pioneering female architect

Beverly Willis was a pioneering architect whose influence helped break gender norms in the industry, co-founding the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., and designing a number of notable landmarks. 

Dick Clark (1928–2023), U.S. senator who opposed apartheid 

Richard “Dick” Clark was a former U.S. senator who walked across the state of Iowa to meet residents in-person during his 1972 campaign.

Lauch Faircloth (1928–2023), U.S. senator from North Carolina 

Lauch Faircloth was a politician who served one term representing North Carolina in the U.S. Senate as a Republican.

Tony Roberts (1928–2023), legendary Notre Dame broadcaster 

Tony Roberts was a longtime sports broadcaster who spent 26 years calling games for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. 

Dorothy Casterline (1928–2023), deaf linguist and ASL advocate 

Dorothy Casterline was a deaf linguist and contributor to the Dictionary of American Sign Language (ASL) on Linguistic Principles whose innovative treatment of ASL as a distinct language led to greater mainstream acceptance.

Tom Jones (1928–2023), lyricist known for The Fantasticks

Tom Jones was a lyricist and librettist who wrote “The Fantasticks,” an off-Broadway musical that ran for 42 years with over 17,000 productions.

George Maharis (1928–2023), star of TV’s Route 66

George Maharis was an actor best known for his starring role on the 1960s TV series “Route 66.”

Bill Lee (1928–2023), bassist with Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin

Bill Lee was a bassist who played with musicians including Bob Dylan and and composed music for the movies of his son, Spike Lee.0

Morris Tanenbaum (1928–2023), inventions led to medical imaging tech

Morris Tanenbaum was an innovative thinker in the world of science and technology, helping the legendary Bell Labs make several technological leaps forward in the 1950s and 1960s. They include spearheading the creation of the first silicon transistor and gas-infused silicon transistor, and helping lead the team that invented the first high-field superconducting magnets. That advancement eventually led to the invention of today’s cutting edge medical imaging devices.

Ed Fury (1928–2023), bodybuilder and Ursus actor

Ed Fury was a bodybuilder who starred in sword-and-sandal films of the 1960s including the “Ursus” trilogy.

Gerald Fried (1928–2023), film and television composer 

Gerald Fried was an American film and television composer. He is best known for his work scoring "Roots” and composing Star Trek’s iconic fight-scene music.

Burt Bacharach (1928–2023), great 20th-century songwriter

Burt Bacharach was a songwriting giant whose credits include “What the World Needs Now Is Love” and “I Say a Little Prayer.”

Colonel Joseph Kittinger (1928–2022), pioneering aviation hero

Colonel Joseph Kittinger was a retired Air Force command pilot who set a record in 1960 for the longest freefall skydive.

Gene Cipriano (1928–2022), woodwind player recorded with Sinatra and Prince

Gene Cipriano  was a renowned woodwind session player who recorded with Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Prince, Miles Davis, Olivia Newton-John, and Paul McCartney.  

Hannah Pick-Goslar (1928–2022), Holocaust survivor and friend of Anne Frank

Hannah Pick-Goslar was one of best friends and was often mentioned in her famous diary.

Nick Holonyak Jr. (1928–2022), LED inventor

Nick Holonyak Jr. was an inventor who created the first practical visible-spectrum LED, now used in applications from light bulbs to traffic signals to medical devices.

Clu Gulager (1928–2022), “The Virginian” star

Clu Gulager was an actor known for starring roles in “The Virginian” and “The Return of the Living Dead.”

John Rensenbrink (1928–2022), Green Party co-founder

John Rensenbrink was a co-founder of the Green Party of the United States, the fourth-largest political party in the U.S.

Fidel V. Ramos (1928–2022), former president of the Philippines

Fidel V. Ramos was president of the Philippines in the 1990s and a major figure in the country’s 1986 People Power Revolution.

Bernard Cribbins (1928–2022), “Doctor Who” actor 

Bernard Cribbins was a British actor who starred in “Doctor Who” and narrated the popular children’s show “The Wombles.”

Monty Norman (1928–2022), James Bond theme song composer

Monty Norman was an English singer and composer who wrote the James Bond theme song.

Cotton Rosser (1928–2022), rodeo legend

Cotton Rosser was a legend in the rodeo world, who brought new showmanship to the sport as he operated the Flying U Rodeo Ranch.

Hugh McElhenny (1928–2022), star 49ers halfback in the 1950s

Hugh McElhenny was a halfback for NFL teams including the San Francisco 49ers in the 1950s and ‘60s.