Famous birthdays by year
Famous People Born in 1945
Born in 1945? 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 81 in 2026 · Chinese zodiac: Year of the Rooster
The 1940s
The most famous people born in 194578
b. 1945Aung San Suu Kyi
Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner who spent years under house arrest and later led Myanmar's civilian government
PoliticsAge 81
View profile Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Cabinet Secretariat · CC BY 4.0
1945–1981Bob Marley
Jamaican singer-songwriter who took reggae worldwide with the Wailers through songs such as No Woman, No Cry and One Love
MusicWould be 81
View profile Photo: Dennis Morris; Distributed by Island Records · Public domain
b. 1945Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Former metalworker and union leader who has served three terms as President of Brazil, leading the Workers' Party
PoliticsAge 80
View profile Photo: Palácio do Planalto from Brasilia, Brasil · CC BY 2.0
1945–2024Franz Beckenbauer
German defender known as Der Kaiser who invented the attacking sweeper role and won the World Cup as captain and coach
SportsWould be 81
View profile Photo: Panini Group · Public domain
b. 1945Rodrigo Duterte
Former mayor of Davao who served as President of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022 and led a deadly war on drugs
PoliticsAge 81
View profile Photo: Government of the Philippines · Public domain
b. 1945Helen Mirren
British actress who won an Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth II
FilmAge 81
View profile Photo: Martin Kraft · CC BY-SA 4.0
b. 1945Eric Clapton
Influential blues-rock guitarist and singer of Wonderful Tonight
MusicAge 81
View profile Photo: Raph_PH · CC BY 2.0
b. 1945Patrick Modiano
Nobel Prize-winning French novelist known for his works on memory
LiteratureAge 81
View profile Photo: Frankie Fouganthin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Born in 1945, month by month
- January
- Slobodan Praljak (January 2) · Bosnian Croat general and politician convicted of war crimes
- Richard R. Schrock (January 4) · Nobel Prize-winning American chemist who studied chemical reactions
- Rod Stewart (January 10) · British rock singer with a distinctive raspy voice and numerous hits
- Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (January 29) · Former President of Mali who previously served as Prime Minister
- Tom Selleck (January 29) · American actor best known for the television series Magnum, P.I
- February
- Bob Marley (February 6) · Jamaican singer-songwriter who took reggae worldwide with the Wailers through songs such as No Woman, No Cry and One Love
- Mia Farrow (February 9) · Golden Globe-winning actress known for Rosemary's Baby
- Yoshinori Ohsumi (February 9) · Nobel Prize-winning biologist who discovered mechanisms for autophagy
- Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein (February 14) · Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein and head of its princely house
- George F. Smoot (February 20) · Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist who studied the early universe
- Barry Bostwick (February 24) · Actor best known for playing Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- March
- Anselm Kiefer (March 8) · Influential German painter and sculptor known for monumental works
- Rodrigo Duterte (March 28) · Former mayor of Davao who served as President of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022 and led a deadly war on drugs
- Eric Clapton (March 30) · Influential blues-rock guitarist and singer of Wonderful Tonight
- April
- Linda Hunt (April 2) · Oscar-winning actress who stars in the TV drama NCIS: Los Angeles
- Daniel Cohn-Bendit (April 4) · Leader of the May 1968 student protests in France
- Joël Robuchon (April 7)
- Ritchie Blackmore (April 14) · English guitarist and founding member of the band Deep Purple
- Thein Sein (April 20) · Former President of Myanmar who initiated major democratic reforms
- Björn Ulvaeus (April 25) · Singer-songwriter and member of the Swedish pop group ABBA
- May
- Jeffrey C. Hall (May 3) · Nobel Prize-winning geneticist who studied biological clocks
- Jupp Heynckes (May 9) · German football manager who won the treble with Bayern Munich
- Yochanan Vollach (May 14) · Israeli footballer who played in the 1970 World Cup
- Pete Townshend (May 19) · Lead guitarist and principal songwriter for the rock band The Who
- Anton Zeilinger (May 20) · Nobel Prize-winning physicist known for his work in quantum mechanics
- Priscilla Presley (May 24) · American actress and the former wife of Elvis Presley
- Laurent Gbagbo (May 31) · Ivorian politician who served as President of Côte d'Ivoire
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder (May 31) · Influential German director and major figure in New German Cinema
- June
- Eddy Merckx (June 17) · Cyclist regarded as the most successful rider in history
- Aung San Suu Kyi (June 19) · Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner who spent years under house arrest and later led Myanmar's civilian government
- Radovan Karadžić (June 19) · Bosnian Serb leader convicted of war crimes and genocide
- Chandrika Kumaratunga (June 29) · First female President of Sri Lanka
- Hadja Saran Daraba Kaba (June 29)
- July
- Debbie Harry (July 1) · Lead singer of the influential New Wave band Blondie
- Eizo Yuguchi (July 4) · Japanese footballer who won an Olympic bronze medal in 1968
- Moncef Marzouki (July 7) · Former President of Tunisia and human rights activist
- Micheline Calmy-Rey (July 8) · Swiss politician who served twice as President of the Confederation
- Alexander, Crown Prince of Serbia (July 17)
- Edie McClurg (July 23) · Prolific character actress known for roles in classic eighties comedy films
- Helen Mirren (July 26) · British actress who won an Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth II
- Mircea Lucescu (July 29) · Successful Romanian football manager who led clubs across Europe
- Patrick Modiano (July 30) · Nobel Prize-winning French novelist known for his works on memory
- August
- Douglas Osheroff (August 1) · Physicist who won the Nobel Prize for discovering superfluidity in helium-3
- Wim Wenders (August 14) · Acclaimed German film director and photographer
- Steve Martin (August 14) · American comedian and actor known for The Jerk and Parenthood
- Khaleda Zia (August 15) · First female Prime Minister in the history of Bangladesh
- Ian Gillan (August 19) · Lead singer of the hard rock band Deep Purple
- Vince McMahon (August 24) · Long-time chairman and promoter of World Wrestling Entertainment
- Marsha P. Johnson (August 24)
- Van Morrison (August 31) · Northern Irish singer and songwriter behind the classic hit Brown Eyed Girl
- September
- Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi (September 1) · Former President of Yemen who served from 2012 to 2022
- Franz Beckenbauer (September 11) · German defender known as Der Kaiser who invented the attacking sweeper role and won the World Cup as captain and coach
- Richard Thaler (September 12) · Nobel Prize-winning economist and pioneer in the field of behavioural economics
- Bryan Ferry (September 26) · English singer and songwriter who fronted the band Roxy Music
- Ehud Olmert (September 30) · Former Prime Minister of Israel and Mayor of Jerusalem
- October
- Ram Nath Kovind (October 1) · Fourteenth President of India and former senior lawyer
- Desi Bouterse (October 13) · Former military leader and two-time President of Suriname
- Huell Howser (October 18) · Television host who explored the culture and history of California
- John Lithgow (October 19) · Award-winning American actor known for 3rd Rock from the Sun
- Angus Deaton (October 19) · Nobel Prize-winning economist known for his work on poverty
- Divine (October 19)
- Nikita Mikhalkov (October 21) · Russian filmmaker and actor who won an Academy Award
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (October 27) · Former metalworker and union leader who has served three terms as President of Brazil, leading the Workers' Party
- November
- Gerd Müller (November 3) · German footballer and one of the greatest ever goalscorers
- Thongloun Sisoulith (November 10)
- Daniel Ortega (November 11) · President of Nicaragua and former Sandinista revolutionary leader
- Neil Young (November 12) · Canadian-American musician known for the song Heart of Gold
- Stella Obasanjo (November 14)
- Anni-Frid Lyngstad (November 15) · Lead singer of the internationally successful Swedish pop group ABBA
- Abdelmadjid Tebboune (November 17) · President of Algeria since late 2019
- Mahinda Rajapaksa (November 18) · Former President of Sri Lanka who ended the country's civil war
- Goldie Hawn (November 21)
- James Avery (November 27) · Actor best known for the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- December
- Bette Midler (December 1) · Award-winning American singer, actress, and comedian
- Moshe Katsav (December 5) · Former politician who served as the eighth President of Israel
- Adly Mansour (December 23) · Former interim President of Egypt and senior judge
- Lemmy (December 24) · Frontman and bassist of the heavy metal band Motörhead
- Birendra of Nepal (December 28) · King of Nepal who introduced multi-party democracy to his country