Famous birthdays by year
Famous People Born in 1921
Born in 1921? Meet the well-known people who share your birth year, from the biggest names to the ones you might not expect, month by month.
Turning 105 in 2026 · Chinese zodiac: Year of the Rooster
The 1920s
The most famous people born in 192147
1921–1992Satyajit Ray
Bengali filmmaker of Pather Panchali and the Apu Trilogy who received an honorary Oscar for his lifetime's work
Photo: Dinu Alam Newyork · CC BY-SA 4.0
1921–2021Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Greek-born naval officer who married Elizabeth II, founded the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and was the longest-serving British consort
Photo: Allan Warren · CC BY-SA 3.0
1921–2008Suharto
Indonesian army general who seized power in the 1960s and ruled as president for 31 years until protests forced him out
Photo: State Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia · Public domain
1921–1989Andrei Sakharov
Soviet physicist who designed the hydrogen bomb, then became a leading dissident and won the Nobel Peace Prize
Photo: Vladimir Fedorenko / Владимир Федоренко · CC BY-SA 3.0
1921–2016Nancy Reagan
American actress and first lady who led the 'Just Say No' anti-drug campaign and was Ronald Reagan's closest adviser
Photo: Official White House photographer · Public domain
1921–2006Stanisław Lem
Polish science fiction writer best known for the novel Solaris
Photo: Courtesy of Lem's secretary, Wojciech Zemek. Resize and digital processing by Masur. · CC BY-SA 3.0
1921–2003Charles Bronson
American film star known for tough-guy roles in action movies
Photo: Herald American · Public domain
1921–2004Peter Ustinov
Multi-talented British actor, director, and double Oscar winner
Photo: Allan Warren · CC BY-SA 3.0
Born in 1921, month by month
- January
- Friedrich Dürrenmatt (January 5) · Swiss playwright and author of The Visit and The Physicists
- Murray Bookchin (January 14) · American social theorist and pioneer of the environmental movement
- Yoichiro Nambu (January 18) · Nobel Prize-winning physicist known for his work on subatomic particles
- Patricia Highsmith (January 19) · American novelist who created the psychological thriller character Tom Ripley
- Marija Gimbutas (January 23) · Archaeologist known for her theories on Neolithic European culture
- Akio Morita (January 26) · Japanese entrepreneur and co-founder of the Sony Corporation
- Donna Reed (January 27) · Oscar-winning actress known for It's a Wonderful Life
- February
- Betty Friedan (February 4) · Feminist author of the influential book The Feminine Mystique
- Lana Turner (February 8) · Hollywood star and pin-up model known for The Postman Always Rings Twice
- Hua Guofeng (February 16) · Successor to Mao Zedong as Chairman of the Communist Party
- John Rawls (February 21) · Political philosopher who wrote the influential book A Theory of Justice
- Jean-Bedel Bokassa (February 22) · Military leader who became the self-proclaimed Emperor of Central Africa
- March
- Cyd Charisse (March 8) · American dancer and actress in Golden Age Hollywood musicals
- Astor Piazzolla (March 11) · Argentine composer who revolutionised traditional tango music
- Vasily Smyslov (March 24) · Seventh world chess champion and a leading Soviet grandmaster
- Simone Signoret (March 25) · Oscar-winning French actress known for Room at the Top
- April
- Thomas Schelling (April 14) · Nobel Prize-winning economist known for his work on game theory
- Peter Ustinov (April 16) · Multi-talented British actor, director, and double Oscar winner
- May
- Satyajit Ray (May 2) · Bengali filmmaker of Pather Panchali and the Apu Trilogy who received an honorary Oscar for his lifetime's work
- Arthur Leonard Schawlow (May 5) · Nobel Prize-winning physicist who co-invented the laser
- Sophie Scholl (May 9) · Student member of the White Rose anti-Nazi resistance group
- Joseph Beuys (May 12) · Influential German artist known for his sculpture and performance art
- Andrei Sakharov (May 21) · Soviet physicist who designed the hydrogen bomb, then became a leading dissident and won the Nobel Peace Prize
- Jack Steinberger (May 25) · Physicist and Nobel laureate who co-discovered the muon neutrino
- June
- Suharto (June 8) · Indonesian army general who seized power in the 1960s and ruled as president for 31 years until protests forced him out
- Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (June 10) · Greek-born naval officer who married Elizabeth II, founded the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and was the longest-serving British consort
- Jane Russell (June 21) · Hollywood actress and legendary star of The Outlaw
- Judy Holliday (June 21) · Oscar-winning actress known for the film Born Yesterday
- P. V. Narasimha Rao (June 28) · Former Indian Prime Minister who introduced major economic reforms
- July
- Gérard Debreu (July 4) · French-born mathematician and Nobel Prize-winning economist
- Nancy Reagan (July 6) · American actress and first lady who led the 'Just Say No' anti-drug campaign and was Ronald Reagan's closest adviser
- John Glenn (July 18) · First American astronaut to orbit the Earth
- Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (July 19) · Medical physicist who developed the radioimmunoassay technique for measuring hormones
- August
- Esther Williams (August 8) · American swimmer and actress known for her elaborate aquamusical films
- Alex Haley (August 11) · American author of the historical novel Roots
- Gene Roddenberry (August 19) · Television writer and producer who created the Star Trek series
- Kenneth Arrow (August 23) · Influential American economist and Nobel Prize winner
- September
- Stanisław Lem (September 12) · Polish science fiction writer best known for the novel Solaris
- Paulo Freire (September 19) · Brazilian educator and philosopher known for his work on critical pedagogy
- Deborah Kerr (September 30) · Six-time Oscar-nominated British actress known for From Here to Eternity
- October
- Yves Montand (October 13) · French actor and singer who became a major film star
- Gunnar Nordahl (October 19) · Swedish footballer who was a prolific goalscorer for AC Milan
- Georges Brassens (October 22) · French singer and poet known for his literary lyrics
- Michael I of Romania (October 25) · The last King of Romania who reigned during World War II
- November
- Charles Bronson (November 3) · American film star known for tough-guy roles in action movies
- Alexander Dubček (November 27) · Czechoslovak politician who led the Prague Spring reforms
- December
- Yuri Nikulin (December 18) · Beloved Soviet actor and circus performer known for comedic roles