Born 1931

Alan Simpson (1931–2024), longtime U.S. senator from Wyoming 

Alan Simpson was a longtime Republican politician from Wyoming best known for his tenure in the U.S. Senate, which included a decade as Senate whip.

Marcel Bonin (1931–2025), four-time Stanley Cup winner

Marcel Bonin was a National Hockey League veteran who was on four Stanley Cup-winning teams, one with the Detroit Red Wings and three with the Montreal Canadiens. 

Rosita Missoni (1931–2025), fashion house co-founder

Rosita Missoni was co-founder of the legendary luxury fashion house Missoni, along with her husband, .

Silvia Pinal (1931–2024), Mexican film star

Silvia Pinal was a Mexican star of film and television best known for her work with movie maker Luis Buñuel, including “Viridiana,” “The Exterminating Angel,” and “Simon of the Desert.” 

Mitzi Gaynor (1931–2024), star of “South Pacific”

Mitzi Gaynor was an actress and singer known for movie musicals including “South Pacific” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

Caterina Valente (1931–2024), popular French-Italian singer

Caterina Valente was a French-Italian singer and musician who sang in 11 different languages and performed with icons like Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Ella Fitzgerald.

James Earl Jones (1931–2024), the voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa

James Earl Jones was the acclaimed actor whose deep, rich voice was featured as Darth Vader in several “Star Wars” films and as Mufasa in “The Lion King.”

Nick Mileti (1931–2024), founder of the Cleveland Cavaliers

Nick Mileti was an attorney, author, and businessman who was founder of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and former owner of the MLB’s Cleveland Indians. 

Maxine Singer (1931–2024), biologist who helped map DNA 

Maxine Singer was a molecular biologist who helped map DNA and led the debate about the ethics of genetic engineering.

Audrey Flack (1931–2024), acclaimed photorealist artist

Audrey Flack was an acclaimed photorealist artist whose paintings and sculpture earned worldwide accolades.

Willie Mays (1931–2024), all-time baseball legend

Willie Mays was a legendary MLB outfielder who played most of his career for the New York/San Francisco Giants. He was often called the greatest baseball player of all time.

Darryl Hickman (1931–2024), child actor known for The Grapes of Wrath

Darryl Hickman was a child actor best known for playing Winfield Joad in “The Grapes of Wrath” and Danny in “Leave Her to Heaven.” 

Alice Munro (1931–2024), Nobel Prize-winning writer

Alice Munro was a Nobel Prize-winning short story author whose acclaimed work focused on womanhood and rural living.

Dr. Cyril Wecht (1931–2024), famed forensic pathologist

Dr. Cyril Wecht was a longtime forensic pathologist who became a high-profile public official after working on landmark cases like on the assassination of President , the killing, and death. 

Whitey Herzog (1931–2024), Hall of Fame MLB manager

Whitey Herzog was a baseball player and manager best known for his time leading the St. Louis Cardinals.

Robert MacNeil (1931–2024), MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour co-anchor

Robert MacNeil was a Canadian-American journalist who co-founded the long running news program that is now known as “PBS NewsHour.” 

Naomi Barber King (1931–2024), civil rights activist 

Naomi Barber King was a civil rights activist who married Rev. Alfred Daniel Williams King (1930–1969), brother of Rev. .

Paolo Taviani (1931–2024), acclaimed Italian film director 

Paolo Taviani was an award-winning Italian film director whose work with his brother, Vittorio Taviani, included “Caesar Must Die,” “Padre Padrone,” “Leonora addio,” and “The Night of the Shooting Stars.” 

Charles “Lefty” Driesell (1931–2024), college basketball coach 

Charles “Lefty” Driesell was a legendary college basketball coach known for his team-building skills, leading to over 100 wins with four different schools.

Elmore Nickleberry (1931–2023), 1968 Memphis sanitation strike worker 

Elmore Nickleberry was a sanitation worker and activist who took part in the 1968 strikes in Memphis, Tennessee, and marched alongside to fight for better working conditions and pay.

Ellen Holly (1931–2023), One Life to Live star 

Ellen Holly was an actress who starred as Carla Gray-Hall on “One Life to Life,” becoming the first Black star of a daytime soap opera.

Don Walsh (1931–2023), record-setting deep sea explorer 

Don Walsh was an oceanographer and explorer who explored the ocean floor and was the first human to visit the Mariana Trench, seven miles below the surface of the ocean.

Bertie Bowman (1931–2023), long-serving Congressional aide 

Bertie Bowman was a long-serving Congressional aide on Capitol Hill who got his start sweeping steps and ended his career as the longtime hearings manager for the Foreign Relations Committee.

Don Laughlin (1931–2023), Nevada resort town namesake

Don Laughlin was a developer, casino operator, and hotelier who built the Nevada resort town of Laughlin, named after himself and now the third largest casino destination in the state.

Joanna Merlin (1931–2023), Law & Order judge

Joanna Merlin was the original Tzeitel in the first Broadway production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” and later became a familiar face to television audiences for her recurring role as Judge Lena Petrovsky on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” 

Roy Kidd (1931–2023), Hall of Fame college football coach

Roy Kidd was a Hall of Fame college football coach who led the Eastern Kentucky Colonels to over 300 wins and two championship wins.

Nechama Tec (1931–2023), Holocaust survivor, historian, and scholar

Nechama Tec was a Holocaust survivor, scholar, and author of the book “Defiance: The Bielski Partisans,” which inspired the 2008 film of the same name.

Clarence Avant (1931–2023), “The Black Godfather” of music

Clarence Avant was a music executive and businessman who advised some of the biggest names in music history.0

Betty Ann Bruno (1931–2023), child actress from The Wizard of Oz 

Betty Ann Bruno was a longtime reporter and television host for KTVU in San Francisco, as well as a former child actress and one of the last surviving cast members of The Wizard of Oz.

David Gilmour (1931–2023), founder of Fiji water 

David Gilmour was a serial entrepreneur who started or was involved in a series of business ventures, most notably the Fiji water brand, which for a time was the number one brand of imported water. 

Lowell Weicker (1931–2023), U.S. senator and Connecticut governor 

Lowell Weicker was a Republican U.S. congressman who later went Independent and served as governor of Connecticut.

Bobby Osborne (1931–2023), mandolinist with the Osborne Brothers 

Bobby Osborne was a singer and mandolinist with the bluegrass duo the Osborne Brothers, known for their hit song “Rocky Top.” 

George Winterling (1931–2023), meteorologist who created heat index

George Winterling was the longtime chief meteorologist at Jacksonville, Florida’s WJXT, where he developed the concept of the heat index. 

Daniel Ellsberg (1931–2023), Pentagon Papers whistleblower

Daniel Ellsberg was a political activist who exposed the Pentagon Papers, top-secret documents that analyzed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Milt Larsen (1931–2023), co-founder of the Magic Castle 

Milt Larsen was an actor, magician, and writer who co-founded the Magic Castle, a private club for magicians and the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. 

Jim Ferree (1931–2023), PGA Tour champion

Jim Ferree was a PGA Tour champion and the model for the first Senior PGA Tour logo.

James Abourezk (1931–2023), first Arab American U.S. Senator

James Abourezk was a Democratic politician from South Dakota who became the first Arab American elected to the U.S. Senate.

Nick Bollettieri (1931–2022), famous coach of tennis stars     

Nick Bollettieri was a pioneering tennis coach who worked with many top pro players including Andre Agassi and Monica Seles.  

William Reynolds (1931–2022), star of “The F.B.I.”

William Reynolds was one of the stars of the 1960s-‘70s TV show “The F.B.I.”

Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022), last leader of the Soviet Union

Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union, who presided over the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the Cold War.

Gerald Potterton (1931–2022), “Heavy Metal” director 

Gerald Potterton was a director and animator best known for directing the 1981 animated cult classic film “Heavy Metal.”

Ann Shulgin (1931–2022), pioneer of psychedelic drugs in therapy

Ann Shulgin was an author and therapist who worked with her late husband, Alexander Shulgin, to pioneer the use of psychedelic drugs in therapy.

Mona Hammond (1931–2022), British actress in “EastEnders”

Mona Hammond was a Jamaican-British actress with a longtime stage career who starred on “EastEnders” in the 1990s.

Philip Baker Hall (1931–2022), “Boogie Nights,” “Seinfeld” actor

Philip Baker Hall was a prolific character actor whose many movies and TV shows included “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” “Seinfeld,” and “Modern Family.”

Dervla Murphy (1931–2022), bicycled from Ireland to India

Dervla Murphy was an Irish travel writer whose books included “Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle.”

Robert Morse (1931–2022), star of “Mad Men,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”

Robert Morse was an actor who starred on Broadway and on the big screen in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

Bobbie Nelson (1931–2022), Willie Nelson’s sister and pianist

Bobbie Nelson was a pianist who played with her younger brother, Willie Nelson, for more than 50 years.

Monica Vitti (1931–2022), Italian film star known for “Modesty Blaise”

Monica Vitti was the “Queen of Italian Cinema,” best known in the English-speaking world for her starring role in the spy spoof “Modesty Blaise.”

Diana Maxwell, Lady Farnham (1931–2021), lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth

Diana Maxwell, Lady Farnham , was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom for 34 years.