Famous birthdays by year

Famous People Born in 1937

Born in 1937? 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 89 in 2026 · Chinese zodiac: Year of the Ox

The 1930s

The most famous people born in 193766

1937–2006

Saddam Hussein

President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 who waged wars with Iran and Kuwait and was executed after the US-led invasion

Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until his overthrow in 2003. He also served as prime minister of Iraq from 1979 to 1991 and later from 1994 to 2003.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Unknown author · Public domain

b. 1937

Valentina Tereshkova

Soviet cosmonaut who became the first woman in space in 1963, orbiting the Earth 48 times aboard Vostok 6

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (born 6 March 1937) is a Russian engineer, politician, and former Soviet cosmonaut. She was the first woman in space, having flown a solo mission on Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: duma.gov.ru · CC BY 4.0

b. 1937

Jack Nicholson

American actor of Chinatown and The Shining who won three Oscars, including for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing charismatic rebels fighting against the social structure.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

b. 1937

Morgan Freeman

American actor of The Shawshank Redemption and Driving Miss Daisy, known for his voice, who won an Oscar for Million Dollar Baby

Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Grammy Award and a Tony Award.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: U.S. Secretary of Defense · Public domain

b. 1937

Jane Fonda

American actress who won Oscars for Klute and Coming Home, launched a fitness video empire and campaigned on climate

Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Fonda's work spans several genres and over seven decades of film and television.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Unstated photographer · Public domain

b. 1937

Anthony Hopkins

Welsh actor who won Oscars for playing Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs and for The Father

Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Omar David Sandoval Sida · CC BY-SA 4.0

b. 1937

Dustin Hoffman

versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters that helped define New Hollywood, winning Oscars for diverse roles spanning divorce drama to autism

Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key leading man actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Sara Komatsu · CC BY-SA 4.0

1937–2026

Harald V of Norway

King of Norway from 1991, a former Olympic sailor who succeeded his father Olav V

Harald V (21 February 1937 – 28 August 2026) was King of Norway from 1991 until his death in 2026. Born in Skaugum, Asker, during the reign of his paternal grandfather, King Haakon VII, Harald was the third child and only son of Crown Prince Olav (later King Olav V) and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Harry Johansen / Sámediggi Sametinget · CC BY 2.0

Born in 1937, month by month

January
- Dyan Cannon (January 4) · Oscar-nominated American actress known for Heaven Can Wait
- Shirley Bassey (January 8) · Welsh singer who recorded three James Bond film theme songs
- Alain Badiou (January 17) · Influential French philosopher and author of Being and Event
- John Hume (January 18) · Nobel Peace Prize winner and Northern Irish politician
- Boris Spassky (January 30) · Russian chess grandmaster and former world champion
- Vanessa Redgrave (January 30) · Award-winning British actress known for her stage and screen career
- Philip Glass (January 31) · American composer known for his minimalist musical style
- Suzanne Pleshette (January 31) · American actress known for The Birds and The Bob Newhart Show
February
- Roberta Flack (February 10) · Grammy-winning singer known for soul and R&B ballads
- Robert Huber (February 20) · Nobel Prize-winning biochemist who studied the structure of photosynthetic proteins
- Harald V of Norway (February 21) · King of Norway from 1991, a former Olympic sailor who succeeded his father Olav V
March
- Abd al-Aziz Boutafliqa (March 2) · Former President of Algeria who served for twenty years
- Olusegun Obasanjo (March 5) · Former President of Nigeria and influential military leader
- Valentina Tereshkova (March 6) · Soviet cosmonaut who became the first woman in space in 1963, orbiting the Earth 48 times aboard Vostok 6
- Juvénal Habyarimana (March 8) · President of Rwanda whose assassination preceded the Rwandan genocide
- Egon Krenz (March 19) · Last communist leader of East Germany
- Warren Beatty (March 30) · Academy Award-winning actor and director known for Bonnie and Clyde
April
- Colin Powell (April 5) · First Black American to serve as Secretary of State
- Bella Akhmadulina (April 10) · Russian poet and prominent figure in the New Wave movement
- Joseph Estrada (April 19) · Former Philippine president and popular action film star
- George Takei (April 20) · Actor who played Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek series
- Jack Nicholson (April 22) · American actor of Chinatown and The Shining who won three Oscars, including for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- Saddam Hussein (April 28) · President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 who waged wars with Iran and Kuwait and was executed after the US-led invasion
May
- Ahmad Yasin (May 1) · Founder and spiritual leader of the Hamas movement
- Thomas Pynchon (May 8) · Reclusive American novelist who wrote Gravity's Rainbow
- George Carlin (May 12) · American comedian known for his dark humour and social criticism
- Madeleine Albright (May 15) · Prague-born diplomat who served as US ambassador to the UN and became America's first female Secretary of State
- Mengistu Haile Mariam (May 21) · Former military officer who served as head of state of Ethiopia
June
- Morgan Freeman (June 1) · American actor of The Shawshank Redemption and Driving Miss Daisy, known for his voice, who won an Oscar for Million Dollar Baby
- Colleen McCullough (June 1) · Australian author of the best-selling novel The Thorn Birds
- Hélène Cixous (June 5) · Influential French feminist writer, playwright and academic
- Robin Warren (June 11) · Pathologist who co-discovered the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers
- Vladimir Arnold (June 12) · Renowned Russian mathematician who made major contributions to dynamical systems
- Anna Hazare (June 15) · Indian social activist known for his anti-corruption and rural development campaigns
- Simeon II of Bulgaria (June 16) · Last Tsar of Bulgaria who later became the country's Prime Minister
- Martti Ahtisaari (June 23) · Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President of Finland
- Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (June 25) · Former Emir of Kuwait who reigned from 2020 until 2023
- Robert Coleman Richardson (June 26) · Physicist who shared a Nobel Prize for discovering superfluidity in helium-3
July
- Tom Stoppard (July 3) · Acclaimed British playwright known for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
- Queen Sonja of Norway (July 4) · Queen consort of Norway and wife of King Harald V
- Michael Sata (July 6) · Former President of Zambia and founder of the Patriotic Front
- David Hockney (July 9) · British painter and major contributor to the pop art movement
- Bill Cosby (July 12) · American comedian and actor known for The Cosby Show
- Lionel Jospin (July 12) · Former Prime Minister of France and Socialist leader
- Yoshirō Mori (July 14) · Former Prime Minister of Japan and Tokyo 2020 Olympic president
- Hunter S. Thompson (July 18) · American journalist and author who founded the Gonzo journalism movement
- Roald Hoffmann (July 18) · Nobel Prize-winning theoretical chemist and writer
- Daniel McFadden (July 29) · Nobel Prize-winning economist known for his work on discrete choice
- Ryutaro Hashimoto (July 29) · Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister in the late 1990s
August
- Dustin Hoffman (August 8) · versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters that helped define New Hollywood, winning Oscars for diverse roles spanning divorce drama to autism
- Andrei Konchalovsky (August 20) · Russian filmmaker whose career spans Soviet and Hollywood cinema
September
- Jared Diamond (September 10) · Scientist and author of the prize-winning book Guns, Germs, and Steel
- Renzo Piano (September 14) · Architect who designed The Shard and Centre Pompidou
- Robert Lucas (September 15) · American economist and Nobel laureate known for rational expectations theory
October
- Mario Capecchi (October 6) · Nobel Prize winner known for creating knockout mice in genetic research
- Bobby Charlton (October 11) · World Cup-winning footballer and Manchester United legend
- Claude Lelouch (October 30) · Oscar-winning French director of the romantic drama A Man and a Woman
November
- Ridley Scott (November 30) · Director of major films including Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator
December
- Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga (December 1) · Politician who served as the first female President of Latvia
- Connie Francis (December 12) · American singer known for hits such as Who's Sorry Now?
- Mitsuo Kamata (December 16) · Japanese defender who helped the national team win Olympic bronze
- Jane Fonda (December 21) · American actress who won Oscars for Klute and Coming Home, launched a fitness video empire and campaigned on climate
- Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (December 29) · Statesman who served as President of the Maldives for thirty years
- Gordon Banks (December 30) · England's World Cup-winning goalkeeper renowned for his save against Pelé
- Anthony Hopkins (December 31) · Welsh actor who won Oscars for playing Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs and for The Father
- Avram Hershko (December 31) · Nobel Prize-winning biochemist who discovered how cells break down proteins

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