Famous birthdays by year
Famous People Born in 1978
Born in 1978? 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 48 in 2026 · Chinese zodiac: Year of the Horse
The 1970s
The most famous people born in 197888
b. 1978Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Comedian and actor who became President of Ukraine in 2019 and has led the country's resistance to Russia's full-scale invasion
PoliticsAge 48
Photo: Press Service of the President of Ukraine · CC BY 4.0
1978–2020Kobe Bryant
American basketball star who won five NBA titles in 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and died in a helicopter crash
SportsWould be 48
Photo: Kobe_Bryant_8.jpg : * Kobe_Bryant_7144.jpg : Sgt. Joseph A. Lee derivative work: JoeJohnson2 ( talk ) derivative work: J · Public domain
b. 1978Gianluigi Buffon
Italian goalkeeper who won the 2006 World Cup, ten Serie A titles with Juventus and earned 176 caps for Italy
SportsAge 48
Photo: Original: Doha Stadium Plus Qatar from Doha, Qatar Derivative work: Alza08 Author: · CC BY 2.0
b. 1978Frank Lampard
Chelsea's all-time record goalscorer and former England footballer
SportsAge 48
Photo: Mehdi Bolourian · CC BY 4.0
b. 1978Miroslav Klose
German footballer and the record goalscorer in World Cup history
SportsAge 48
Photo: Sven Mandel · CC BY-SA 4.0
b. 1978Didier Drogba
Chelsea legend and record goalscorer for the Ivory Coast
SportsAge 48
Photo: Ailura · CC BY-SA 3.0 at
b. 1978Rachel McAdams
Canadian actress known for Mean Girls and The Notebook
FilmAge 47
Photo: Kevin Paul · CC BY 4.0
b. 1978Nelly Furtado
Canadian singer-songwriter known for hits like I'm Like a Bird
MusicAge 47
Photo: Sven Mandel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Born in 1978, month by month
- January
- Davit Mujiri (January 2) · Retired Georgian footballer who played for the national team
- Emilio Palma (January 7)
- Karla Avelar (January 7)
- Gennaro Gattuso (January 9) · Italian World Cup winning footballer and manager
- Emile Heskey (January 11) · Former England striker known for his time at Leicester and Liverpool
- Tinga (January 13) · Brazilian footballer who played as a central midfielder
- Omar Sy (January 20) · French actor best known for starring in The Intouchables and Lupin
- Volodymyr Hroisman (January 20) · Ukrainian politician who served as the nation's Prime Minister
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy (January 25) · Comedian and actor who became President of Ukraine in 2019 and has led the country's resistance to Russia's full-scale invasion
- Lila Tretikov (January 25) · Tech executive and former Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation
- Charlene, Princess of Monaco (January 25) · Former Olympic swimmer and current Princess of Monaco
- Gianluigi Buffon (January 28) · Italian goalkeeper who won the 2006 World Cup, ten Serie A titles with Juventus and earned 176 caps for Italy
- Jamie Carragher (January 28) · Liverpool defender who made over seven hundred appearances for the club
- February
- Kota Yoshihara (February 2) · Japanese striker who represented his country at the 1999 Copa América
- Amal Clooney (February 3) · High-profile barrister specialising in international human rights law
- Joan Capdevila (February 3) · Spanish defender who won the World Cup and European Championship
- Olena Zelenska (February 6) · Screenwriter who serves as the First Lady of Ukraine
- Ashton Kutcher (February 7) · American actor known for That '70s Show and Punk'd who became a prominent technology investor backing Skype, Uber and Airbnb
- Daniel Van Buyten (February 7) · Belgian football defender who won multiple titles with Bayern Munich
- Tanja Nijmeijer (February 13)
- Danai Gurira (February 14) · Actress known for The Walking Dead and Black Panther
- Yuji Nakazawa (February 25) · Former captain of the Japanese national football team
- Kakha Kaladze (February 27) · Former AC Milan defender and current Mayor of Tbilisi
- March
- Jensen Ackles (March 1) · Actor best known for starring in the series Supernatural
- Lucas Neill (March 9) · Former Australian football captain and Premier League defender
- Didier Drogba (March 11) · Chelsea legend and record goalscorer for the Ivory Coast
- Walter Samuel (March 23) · Argentine footballer and Champions League winning defender
- April
- Irene Skliva (April 4)
- Carles Puyol (April 13) · Long-serving Barcelona captain and Spanish World Cup-winning defender
- Lara Dutta (April 16) · Indian actress and winner of the Miss Universe pageant
- Satoshi Yamaguchi (April 17) · Japanese footballer who played as a defender for Gamba Osaka
- James Franco (April 19) · American actor and filmmaker known for 127 Hours and Milk
- Laura Lopes (April 19)
- Stana Katic (April 26) · Actress best known for her lead role in the series Castle
- May
- Mosab Hassan Yousef (May 5)
- Lúcio (May 8) · Brazilian World Cup-winning defender who captained his national team
- Laetitia Casta (May 11) · French model and actress who appeared in Asterix & Obelix
- Malin Akerman (May 12) · Swedish-American actress known for the film Watchmen
- Lionel Scaloni (May 16) · Manager who led Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup
- Ricardo Carvalho (May 18) · Portuguese central defender who won major titles with Porto and Chelsea
- Ginnifer Goodwin (May 22) · American actress known for Once Upon a Time
- Hideaki Kitajima (May 23) · Japanese international footballer who played as a forward for Kashiwa Reysol
- Sylvie Tellier (May 28)
- June
- Miroslav Klose (June 9) · German footballer and the record goalscorer in World Cup history
- Matt Bellamy (June 9) · Lead singer and multi-instrumentalist for the English rock band Muse
- Saadet Özkan (June 15)
- Daniel Brühl (June 16) · Actor known for Rush and Inglourious Basterds
- Zoe Saldaña (June 19) · American actress known for Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy
- Dirk Nowitzki (June 19) · German basketball player who spent his entire career with the Mavericks
- Frank Lampard (June 20) · Chelsea's all-time record goalscorer and former England footballer
- Juan Román Riquelme (June 24) · Argentine footballer celebrated as a legendary playmaker for Boca Juniors
- Shunsuke Nakamura (June 24) · Japanese professional footballer known for his creative play and free-kicks
- Nicole Scherzinger (June 29) · Lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls and television talent judge
- July
- Jüri Ratas (July 2) · Former Prime Minister of Estonia and former Mayor of Tallinn
- Michelle Rodriguez (July 12) · American actress known for her roles in action films
- Virginia Raggi (July 18) · First female mayor of Rome and Five Star Movement politician
- Josh Hartnett (July 21) · American actor known for roles in Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down
- Louise Brown (July 25)
- Ruhollah Zam (July 27)
- August
- Louis Saha (August 8) · French striker who won titles with Manchester United
- Siarhiej Cichanoŭski (August 18)
- James Corden (August 22) · Actor and comedian known for hosting The Late Late Show
- Kobe Bryant (August 23) · American basketball star who won five NBA titles in 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and died in a helicopter crash
- September
- Chris Hipkins (September 5) · New Zealand politician who served as the country's 41st Prime Minister
- Dejan Stanković (September 11) · Serbian footballer and manager who played for Inter Milan
- Ron DeSantis (September 14) · American politician serving as the Governor of Florida
- Eiður Guðjohnsen (September 15) · Icelandic striker who played for Chelsea and Barcelona
- Anthony Mackie (September 23) · Actor who plays Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Ani Lorak (September 27) · Ukrainian singer and songwriter who rose to fame at Eurovision
- October
- Ayumi Hamasaki (October 2) · Best-selling Japanese singer and influential pop culture icon
- Claudio Pizarro (October 3) · Record-breaking Peruvian striker who spent much of his career in Germany
- Liu Yang (October 6) · Military pilot who became the first Chinese woman in space
- Usher (October 14) · Multi-platinum American R&B singer, songwriter and dancer
- CM Punk (October 26) · Professional wrestler and two-time WWE Champion
- Vanessa-Mae (October 27) · British violinist famous for blending classical music with pop styles
- Gwendoline Christie (October 28) · Actress known for playing Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones
- November
- Rio Ferdinand (November 7) · Former England captain and Manchester United central defender
- Rachel McAdams (November 17) · Canadian actress known for Mean Girls and The Notebook
- Nonso Anozie (November 17)
- Katherine Heigl (November 24) · Emmy-winning actress known for the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy
- Gael García Bernal (November 30) · Mexican actor and director known for The Motorcycle Diaries
- December
- Jen Psaki (December 1) · Former White House Press Secretary and television political commentator
- Nelly Furtado (December 2) · Canadian singer-songwriter known for hits like I'm Like a Bird
- Ian Somerhalder (December 8) · American actor known for The Vampire Diaries and Lost
- Manny Pacquiao (December 17) · Legendary boxer who won world titles in eight different weight divisions
- Katie Holmes (December 18) · American actress who rose to fame in the drama Dawson's Creek
- John Legend (December 28) · American singer and songwriter known for the hit song All of Me
- Tyrese Gibson (December 30) · American R&B singer and actor in the Fast & Furious franchise