Famous Birthdays on April 21

Q: Who was born on April 21?

Famous people born on April 21 include: Sancho VI, Ulrich von Hutten, Marco Antonio Bragadin, Ludovico Carracci, Jan van Riebeeck.

Q: What is Licio Gelli known for?

Licio Gelli, Italian financer (died 2015)

155 people 1132 – 2008

April 21 has seen 155 notable people enter the world across recorded history — from 1132 – 2008. Below are the most significant names born on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · April 21 — Wikipedia

1919 — Licio Gelli

Italian financer (died 2015)

Did you know

He was revealed in 1981 as being the Venerable Master of the clandestine Masonic lodge Propaganda Due (P2)

Did you know

This would lead to him getting arrested in Switzerland in 1982

Did you know

He managed to escape from prison the next year, but eventually agreed to surrender him back into the custody of Swiss authorities for a short period of time in 1987

Did you know

From 1996 until his death in 2015, Gelli remained mostly under house arrest at his home in Arezzo, Italy.

Did you know

Licio Gelli was an Italian Freemason, businessman, and terrorist

Sancho VI

king of Navarre (died 1194)

Sancho Garcés VI, called the Wise was King of Navarre from 1150 until his death in 1194. He was the first monarch to officially drop the title of King of Pamplona in favour of King of Navarre, thus changing the…

1132

Ulrich von Hutten

German religious reformer (died 1523)

Ulrich von Hutten was a German knight, scholar, poet and satirist, who later became a follower of Martin Luther and a Protestant reformer.

1488

Marco Antonio Bragadin

Venetian lawyer and military officer (died 1571)

Marco Antonio Bragadin, also Marcantonio Bragadin, was a Venetian lawyer and military officer of the Republic of Venice.

1523

Ludovico Carracci

Italian painter and etcher (died 1619)

Ludovico Carracci was an Italian early-Baroque painter, etcher, and printmaker from Bologna. His works are characterized by a strong mood invoked by broad gestures and flickering light that create spiritual emotion and…

1555

Jan van Riebeeck

Dutch founder of Cape Town (died 1677)

Johan Anthoniszoon van Riebeeck was a Dutch merchant and colonial administrator who served as the first Commander of the Cape from 1652 to 1662.

1619

Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten

Dutch-English painter (died 1700)

Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten or Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraeten was a Dutch painter of still lifes, in particular floral and vanitas still lifes. He also painted genre scenes and portraits. After starting his career…

1630

Francesco Maidalchini

Catholic cardinal (died 1700)

Francesco Maidalchini was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

1631

Simon de la Loubère

French mathematician, poet, and diplomat (died 1729)

Simon de la Loubère was a French diplomat to Siam (Thailand), writer, mathematician and poet. He is credited with bringing back a document which introduced Europe to Indian astronomy, the "Siamese method" of making…

1642

Joseph Vaz

Sri Lankan priest, missionary, and saint (died 1711)

Joseph Vaz CO was a Oratorian priest and missionary in Dutch Ceylon. Originally from Sancoale in Goa, Portuguese India, Vaz arrived in Ceylon during the Dutch occupation, a time when the Dutch had banned Catholicism in…

1651

Michel Rolle

French mathematician and academic (died 1719)

Michel Rolle was a French mathematician. He is best known for Rolle's theorem (1691). He is also the co-inventor in Europe of Gaussian elimination (1690).

1652

John Law

Scottish economist (died 1729)

John Law was a Scottish-French economist and financier. He rose to power in France where he created a novel financial scheme for French public finances known as Law's System with two institutions at its core, John Law's…

1671

Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg (died 1742)

Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg was Holy Roman Empress, Queen of the Germans, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Bohemia, Archduchess consort of Austria etc. as the spouse of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor.

1673

Louis de Noailles

French general (died 1793)

Louis de Noailles, 4th Duke of Noailles was a French peer and Marshal of France.

1713

Antonín Kammel

Czech violinist and composer (died 1788)

Antonín Kammel was a Bohemian composer and violinist of the Classical period. He is known for his instrumental works composed primarily for strings, though he did compose a few sinfonias and divertimentos that included…

1730

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait

French engineer, hydrographer, and politician, French Minister of Marine and the Colonies (died 1807)

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait was a French shipwright, hydrographer and politician who served as Minister of the Navy and the Colonies from 1799 to 1801.

1752

Humphry Repton

English gardener and author (died 1818)

Humphry Repton was the last great designer of the classic phase of the English landscape garden, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown. His style is thought of as the precursor of the more intricate and…

1752

Jean-Baptiste Biot

French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (died 1862)

Jean-Baptiste Biot was a French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician who co-discovered the Biot–Savart law of magnetostatics with Félix Savart, established the reality of meteorites, made an early balloon flight,…

1774

Alexander Anderson

Scottish-American illustrator and engraver (died 1870)

Dr Alexander Anderson was an American physician and illustrator.

1775

Reginald Heber

English priest (died 1821)

Reginald Heber was an English Anglican bishop, a man of letters, and hymn-writer. After 16 years as a country parson, he served as Bishop of Calcutta until his death at the age of 42. The son of a rich landowner and…

1783

Manuel Blanco Encalada

Spanish-Chilean admiral and politician, 1st President of Chile (died 1876)

Manuel José Blanco y Calvo de Encalada was a vice-admiral in the Chilean Navy, a political figure, and Chile's first President (Provisional) (1826).

1790

John Putnam Chapin

American politician, 10th Mayor of Chicago (died 1864)

John Putnam Chapin served as the 10th Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1846–1847) for the Whig Party.

1810

Alson Sherman

American merchant and politician, 8th Mayor of Chicago (died 1903)

Alson Smith Sherman served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1844–1845) as an Independent Democrat.

1811

Angela Burdett-Coutts

1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, English art collector and philanthropist (died 1906)

Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts was a British philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and Sophia, formerly Coutts, daughter of banker Thomas Coutts. In 1837 she…

1814

Charlotte Brontë

English novelist and poet (died 1855)

Charlotte Nicholls, commonly known by her maiden name Charlotte Brontë, was an English novelist and poet, and was the elder sister of Emily, Anne and Branwell Brontë. She is best known for her novel Jane Eyre, which was…

1816

Fredrik Bajer

Danish lieutenant and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1922)

Fredrik Bajer was a Danish writer, teacher, and pacifist politician who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1908 together with Klas Pontus Arnoldson.

1837

John Muir

Scottish-American environmentalist and author (died 1914)

John Muir, also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for…

1838

William Stang

German-American bishop (died 1907)

William Stang was a German Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of Fall River from 1904 until his death in 1907.

1854

Max Weber

German economist and sociologist (died 1920)

Maximilian Carl Emil Weber was a German sociologist, historian, jurist, and political economist who was one of the central figures in the development of sociology and the social sciences more generally. His ideas…

1864

Alfred Henry Maurer

American painter (died 1932)

Alfred Henry Maurer was an American modernist painter. He exhibited his work in avant-garde circles internationally and in New York City during the early twentieth century. Highly respected today, his work met with…

1868

Mary Rogers Miller

American author and educator (died 1971)

Mary Farrand Rogers Miller was an American writer, naturalist, and educator. She authored The Brook Book (1902) and Outdoor Work (1911), as well as magazine articles and educational pamphlets.

1868

Edwin Stanton Porter

American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1941)

Edwin Stanton Porter was an American film pioneer, most famous as a producer, director, studio manager and cinematographer with the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Famous Players Film Company. Of over 250 films…

1870

Vincent Scotto

French composer and actor (died 1952)

Vincent Scotto was a French composer.

1874

Percy Williams Bridgman

American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1961)

Percy Williams Bridgman was an American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1946 for his work on the physics of high pressures. He also wrote extensively on the scientific method and on other aspects of…

1882

Tatu Kolehmainen

Finnish runner (died 1967)

Tatu Kolehmainen was a Finnish long-distance runner who competed at the 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics. In 1912, he reached the finals of 10,000 m and marathon races, but failed to finish due to a strong heat. In 1920,…

1885

Joe McCarthy

American baseball manager (died 1978)

Joseph Vincent McCarthy was an American manager in Major League Baseball (MLB), most renowned for his leadership of the "Bronx Bombers" teams of the New York Yankees from 1931 to 1946. The first manager to win pennants…

1887

Marcel Boussac

French businessman (died 1980)

Marcel Boussac was a French entrepreneur best known for his ownership of the Maison Dior and one of the most successful thoroughbred race horse breeding farms in European history.

1889

Paul Karrer

Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1971)

Paul Karrer was a Swiss organic chemist best known for his research on vitamins. He and British chemist Norman Haworth won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1937.

1889

Efrem Zimbalist

Sr., Russian-American violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1985)

Efrem Zimbalist was a Russian and American concert violinist, composer, conductor and director of the Curtis Institute of Music.

1889

Freddie Dixon

English motorcycle racer and racing driver (died 1956)

Frederick William Dixon was an English motorcycle racer and racing car driver. The designer of the motorcycle and banking sidecar system, he was also one of the few motorsport competitors to have been successful on two,…

1892

Romeo Bertini

Italian runner (died 1973)

Romeo Bertini was an Italian athlete who competed mainly in the marathon.

1893

Odd Lindbäck-Larsen

Norwegian Army general and war historian (died 1975)

Odd Lindbäck-Larsen was a Norwegian military officer and war historian. He participated in the Norwegian Campaign in Northern Norway during the Second World War as the chief-of-staff, under general Fleischer. He spent…

1897

Maurice Wilson

English soldier, pilot, and mountaineer (died 1934)

Maurice Wilson MC was a British soldier, mystic, and aviator who is known for his ill-fated attempt to climb Mount Everest alone in 1934.

1898

Randall Thompson

American composer and academic (died 1984)

Ira Randall Thompson was an American composer, particularly noted for his choral works, and educator.

1899

Luis Saslavsky

Argentinian director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1995)

Luis Saslavsky was an Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer, notable for his work during the classical era of Argentine cinema.

1903

Jean Hélion

French painter (died 1987)

Jean Hélion was a French painter whose abstract work of the 1930s established him as a leading modernist. His midcareer rejection of abstraction was followed by nearly five decades as a figurative painter. He was also…

1904

Odilo Globocnik

Italian-Austrian SS officer and Holocaust perpetrator (died 1945)

Odilo Lothar Ludwig Globočnik was a Nazi Party official and a perpetrator of the Holocaust. A high-ranking member of the SS, Globočnik was the leader of Operation Reinhard, the organized murder of around one and a half…

1904

Pat Brown

American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (died 1996)

Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 32nd governor of California from 1959 to 1967. His first elected office was as district attorney for San Francisco, and he was later…

1905

Ivan Combe

American businessman, developed Clearasil (died 2000)

Ivan DeBlois Combe was the American inventor of personal-care products, most notably Clearasil and Odor Eaters. In 1949 he established his eponymous company Combe Incorporated in White Plains, New York.

1911

Kemal Satır

Turkish physician and politician (died 1991)

Kemal Satır was a Turkish physician and politician.

1911

Eve Arnold

Russian-American photojournalist (died 2012)

Eve Arnold, OBE (honorary), FRPS (honorary) was an American photojournalist, long-resident in the UK. She joined Magnum Photos agency in 1951, and became a full member in 1957. She was the first woman to join the…

1912

Marcel Camus

French director and screenwriter (died 1982)

Marcel Camus was a French film director. He is best known for Orfeu Negro, which won the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival and the 1960 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

1912

Norman Parkinson

English photographer (died 1990)

Norman Parkinson was an English portrait and fashion photographer. His work revolutionised British fashion photography, as he moved his subjects out of the studio and used outdoor settings. While serving as a Royal Air…

1913

Angelo Savoldi

Italian-American wrestler and promoter, co-founded International World Class Championship Wrestling (died 2013)

Mario Louis Fornini was an Italian/American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter, better known professionally as Angelo Savoldi. At the time of his death, he was known as the world's oldest retired wrestler at…

1914

Garrett Hardin

American ecologist, author, and academic (died 2003)

Garrett James Hardin was an American ecologist and microbiologist. He focused his career on the issue of human overpopulation, and is best known for his exposition of the tragedy of the commons in a 1968 paper of the…

1915

Anthony Quinn

Mexican-American actor (died 2001)

Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca, known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican and American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100…

1915

Estella B. Diggs

American businesswoman and politician (died 2013)

Estella B. Diggs was an American businesswoman, writer and politician from New York.

1916

Eddy Christiani

Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2016)

Eduard "Eddy" Christiani was a Dutch guitarist, singer, and composer. He was best known for songs like Zonnig Madeira (1938), Ouwe Taaie (1943), Op De Woelige Baren (1948), Kleine Greetje Uit De Polder (1950), Spring…

1918

Don Cornell

American singer (died 2004)

Don Cornell was an American singer and guitarist.

1919

Roger Doucet

Canadian tenor (died 1981)

Roger Doucet was a Canadian tenor best known for singing the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", at televised games of the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Alouettes, and Montreal Expos during the 1970s. He was…

1919

Alistair MacLean

Scottish novelist and screenwriter (died 1987)

Alistair Stuart MacLean was a Scottish novelist, who wrote popular thrillers and adventure stories. His books are estimated to have sold over 150 million copies, making him one of the best-selling fiction authors of all…

1922

Allan Watkins

Welsh-English cricketer (died 2011)

Albert John "Allan" Watkins was a Welsh cricketer, who played for England in fifteen Tests from 1948 to 1952.

1922

John Mortimer

English lawyer and author (died 2009)

Sir John Clifford Mortimer was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author. He is best known for short stories about a barrister named Horace Rumpole, adapted from episodes of the TV series Rumpole of the…

1923

Ira Louvin

American singer-songwriter and mandolin player (died 1965)

Ira Lonnie Loudermilk, known professionally as Ira Louvin, was an American country music singer, mandolinist and songwriter. He was a cousin of songwriter John D. Loudermilk.

1924

Anthony Mason

Australian soldier and judge, 9th Chief Justice of Australia (died 2026)

Sir Anthony Frank Mason was an Australian judge who served as the ninth Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1987 to 1995. He was first appointed to the High Court in 1972, having previously served on the Supreme…

1925

John Swinton of Kimmerghame

English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire (died 2018)

Major-General Sir John Swinton of Kimmerghame, was a British Army officer who served as Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District from 1976 until his retirement in…

1925

Elizabeth II

Queen of the United Kingdom and her other realms (died 2022)

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms…

1926

Arthur Rowley

English footballer, manager, and cricketer (died 2002)

George Arthur Rowley Jr., nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his explosive left-foot shot, was an English football player and cricketer. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of English league football,…

1926

Ahmed Arif

Turkish poet and author (died 1991)

Ahmed Arif was a Turkish-Kurdish poet.

1927

Jack Evans

Welsh-Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1996)

William John Trevor "Jack" Evans was a Welsh professional ice hockey defenceman and coach who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks between 1949 and 1963. With…

1928

Hilda Hilst

Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (died 2004)

Hilda de Almeida Prado Hilst was a Brazilian poet, novelist, and playwright. Her work touches on the themes of mysticism, insanity, the body, eroticism, and female sexual liberation. Hilst greatly revered the work of…

1930

Silvana Mangano

Italian actress (died 1989)

Silvana Mangano was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 1950s and '60s.…

1930

Dieter Roth

German-Swiss illustrator and sculptor (died 1998)

Dieter Roth was a Swiss artist known for his artist's books, editioned prints, sculptures, and works made of found materials, including rotting food stuffs. He was also known as Dieter Rot and Diter Rot.

1930

Jack Taylor

English footballer and referee (died 2012)

John Keith Taylor was an English football referee. Later described by the Football League as "perhaps the finest English referee of all time", Taylor was famous for officiating in the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final during…

1930

Morgan Wootten

American high school basketball coach (died 2020)

Morgan Bayard Wootten was an American high school basketball coach for 46 seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He led the Stags to five national championships and 33 Washington Catholic…

1931

Slide Hampton

African-American trombonist and composer (died 2021)

Locksley Wellington Hampton was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelhorn.

1932

Elaine May

American actress, comedian, director, and screenwriter

Elaine Iva May is an American actress, comedian, writer, and director. She first gained fame in the 1950s for her improvisational comedy routines with Mike Nichols before going on to write and direct several critically…

1932

Angela Mortimer

English tennis player (died 2025)

Florence Angela Margaret Mortimer-Barrett was a British world No. 1 tennis player. Mortimer won three major singles titles: the 1955 French Championships, the 1958 Australian Championships and 1961 Wimbledon…

1932

Edelmiro Amante

Filipino lawyer and politician (died 2013)

Edelmiro Atega Amante Sr., was a Filipino politician.

1933

Easley Blackwood

Jr., American pianist, composer, and educator (died 2023)

Easley Rutland Blackwood Jr. was an American professor of music, concert pianist, composer, and the author of books on music theory, including his research into the properties of microtonal tunings and traditional…

1933

Ignatius Zakka I Iwas

Iraqi patriarch (died 2014)

Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas was the 122nd reigning Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and, as such, Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church. Also known by his traditional episcopal name,…

1933

Charles Grodin

American actor and talk show host (died 2021)

Charles Sidney Grodin was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Known for his deadpan delivery and often cast as a put-upon straight man, Grodin became familiar as a supporting actor in…

1935

Thomas Kean

American academic and politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey

Thomas Howard Kean Sr. is an American statesman and academic administrator who served as the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the New Jersey General Assembly…

1935

James Dobson

American evangelist, psychologist, and author, founded Focus on the Family (died 2025)

James Clayton Dobson Jr. was an American evangelical Christian author, psychologist and founder of Focus on the Family (FotF), which he led from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s, he was ranked as one of the most…

1936

Reg Fleming

Canadian-American ice hockey player (died 2009)

Reginald Stephen "Reggie, the Ruffian" Fleming was a professional hockey player in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and…

1936

Gary Peters

American baseball player (died 2023)

Gary Charles Peters was an American professional baseball player. He was a left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played on two major league teams for 14 seasons, from 1959 through 1972. He was one of the…

1937

Ben Zinn

Israeli-born American academic and former international soccer player

Ben T. Zinn is an American academic in engineering and former international soccer player. He is the David S. Lewis Jr., Chair and Regents' Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

1937

John McCabe

English pianist and composer (died 2015)

John McCabe was a British composer and pianist. He created works in many different forms, including symphonies, ballets, and solo works for the piano. He served as director of the London College of Music from 1983 to…

1939

Sister Helen Prejean

American nun, activist, and author

Helen Prejean is an American Catholic religious sister and a leading advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.

1939

Reni Santoni

American actor (died 2020)

Renaldo Santoni was an American film, television and voice actor. He was noted for playing Poppie on the television sitcom Seinfeld, Tony Gonzales in Cobra, and Chico González in Dirty Harry.

1939

Jacques Caron

Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Jacques Joseph Caron is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. He played 72 games in the National Hockey League with the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and Vancouver Canucks between 1967 and 1974, and 26…

1940

Souleymane Cissé

Malian director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2025)

Souleymane Cissé was a Malian film director, regarded as one of the first generation of African filmmakers. He was called "Africa's greatest living filmmaker" while his film Yeelen has been called "conceivably the…

1940

David Boren

American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma (died 2025)

David Lyle Boren was an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms in the United States Senate from 1979…

1941

Geoffrey Palmer

New Zealand politician, 33rd Prime Minister of New Zealand

Sir Geoffrey Winston Russell Palmer is a New Zealand lawyer, political scientist and former politician, who served as the 33rd prime minister of New Zealand for a little over a year from August 1989 until September…

1942

Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan

Indian cricketer and umpire

Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, also known as Venkat, is an Indian former international cricketer and umpire. He was a right arm off break bowler and a lower order batter. He captained the Indian cricket team in test…

1945

Mark Wainberg

Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (died 2017)

Mark Arnold Wainberg, was a Canadian HIV/AIDS researcher and HIV/AIDS activist. He was the director of the McGill University AIDS Centre at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital and Professor of Medicine and of…

1945

Diana Darvey

English actress, singer and dancer (died 2000)

Diana Magdalene Roloff, known professionally as Diana Darvey, was a British actress, singer and dancer, best known for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show.

1945

Al Bumbry

American baseball player

Alonza Benjamin Bumbry is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres from 1972 through 1985. Bumbry was the 1973 American League Rookie of the…

1947

Iggy Pop

American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor

James Newell Osterberg Jr., known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor who was the lead vocalist of the proto-punk band the Stooges. Regarded as the "Godfather of Punk", he…

1947

John Weider

English bass player

John Weider was an English rock musician who played guitar, bass guitar and violin. He is best remembered as the guitarist for The Animals from 1966 to 1968. He was also the bass player for Family from 1969 to 1971.

1947

Gary Condit

American businessman and politician

Gary Adrian Condit is an American former politician from California. A Democrat, Condit represented California's 18th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 2003. He gained…

1948

Paul Davis

American singer-songwriter and musician (died 2008)

Paul Lavon Davis was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his radio hits and solo career that started worldwide in 1970. His career encompassed soul, country, and pop. His most successful songs are 1977's…

1948

Josef Flammer

Swiss ophthalmologist

Josef Flammer is a Swiss ophthalmologist and long-time director of the Eye Clinic at Basel University Hospital. Flammer is a glaucoma specialist who developed a new pathogenetic concept of glaucomatous damage according…

1948

Dieter Fromm

German runner

Dieter Fromm is a retired East German middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. He held the indoor 800 m world record for over ten years.

1948

Patti LuPone

American actress and singer

Patti Ann LuPone is an American actress and singer. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972, she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known…

1949

Shivaji Satam

Indian actor

Shivaji Satam is an Indian television and film actor. He is best known for his role as ACP Pradyuman in the detective television series CID. He is recipient of two Maharashtra State Film Awards. He is honoured with the…

1950

Tony Danza

American actor and producer

Tony Danza is an American actor and retired professional boxer. He is known for co-starring in the television series Taxi (1978–1983) and Who's the Boss? (1984–1992), for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and…

1951

Michael Freedman

American mathematician and academic

Michael Hartley Freedman is an American mathematician at Microsoft Station Q, a research group at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 1986, he was awarded a Fields Medal for his work on the 4-dimensional…

1951

Bob Varsha

American sportscaster

Robert August Varsha is an American broadcast journalist who specializes in covering motorsports. He is best known for being the lap-by-lap commentator for Formula 1 and CART series races for ESPN, ABC Sports, and Speed…

1951

Steve Vickers

Canadian ice hockey player

Stephen James Vickers is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers from 1972 to 1982. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1973.

1951

Gerald Early

American author and academic

Gerald Lyn Early is an American essayist and American culture critic. He is currently the Merle Kling Professor of Modern letters, of English, African studies, African-American studies, American culture studies, and…

1952

Cheryl Gillan

British businesswoman and politician, Secretary of State for Wales (died 2021)

Dame Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Chesham and Amersham from 1992 until her death in 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary…

1952

John Brumby

Australian politician, 45th Premier of Victoria

John Mansfield Brumby is the current Chancellor of La Trobe University and former Victorian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became leader of the Victorian Labor Party and premier…

1953

Ebiet G. Ade

Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Abid Ghoffar bin Aboe Dja’far, better known as Ebiet G. Ade, is an Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist of Javanese descent.

1954

James Morrison

American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

James Paige Morrison is an American actor best known for his portrayal of CTU Director Bill Buchanan on 24.

1954

Mike Wingfield

South African academic and scientist

Michael John Wingfield is a South African academic and scientist who studies plant pathology and biological control. He was the founding director of the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of…

1954

Murathan Mungan

Turkish author, poet, and playwright

Murathan Mungan is a Turkish author, short story writer, playwright, and poet.

1955

Peter Kosminsky

English director, producer, and screenwriter

Peter Kosminsky is a British writer, director and producer. He has directed Hollywood movies such as White Oleander and television films like Warriors, The Government Inspector, The Promise, Wolf Hall and The State.

1956

Phillip Longman

German-American demographer and journalist

Phillip Longman is an American demographer. Presently he is a Schwartz Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, and he formerly worked as a senior writer and deputy assistant managing editor at U.S. News & World…

1956

Hervé Le Tellier

French linguist and author

Hervé Le Tellier is a French writer and linguist, and a member of the international literary group Oulipo. He is its fourth president. Other notable members have included Raymond Queneau, Georges Perec, Italo Calvino,…

1957

Herbert Wetterauer

German painter, sculptor, and author

Herbert Wetterauer is a German painter, sculptor and author. He is known for his paintings in ink and life-sized figures made of paperboard, for which he developed his own technique.

1957

Andie MacDowell

American model, actress, and producer

Rosalie Anderson MacDowell is an American actress and former fashion model. MacDowell is known for her starring film roles in romantic comedies and dramas. She has modeled for Calvin Klein and has been a spokeswoman for…

1958

Yoshito Usui

Japanese illustrator (died 2009)

Yoshito Usui was a Japanese manga artist known for the popular Crayon Shin-chan series. He was born in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

1958

Michael Zarnock

American author

Michael Zarnock is an American writer of collector guides and articles about Hot Wheels toy cars and accessories. Zarnock is known for a massive Hot Wheels collection that earned him a Guinness World Record title in…

1958

Tim Jacobus

American illustrator and painter

Tim Jacobus is an American artist best known for illustrating the covers for nearly one hundred books in R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series. He has done over three hundred book covers and paintings for various different…

1959

Robert Smith

English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Robert James Smith is an English musician who is the co-founder, lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the Cure, a post-punk band formed in 1976. His guitar-playing style,…

1959

David Servan-Schreiber

French physician, neuroscientist, and author (died 2011)

David Servan-Schreiber was a French physician, neuroscientist and author. He was a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He was also a lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine…

1961

Ken Caminiti

American baseball player (died 2004)

Kenneth Gene Caminiti was an American professional baseball third baseman who spent 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres (1995–1998), Texas Rangers (2001) and Atlanta…

1963

Fiona Kelleghan

American academic, critic and librarian

Fiona Kelleghan is an American academic and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy. She was a metadata librarian and a cataloguer at the University of Miami's Otto G. Richter Library. She left the university…

1965

Toby Stephens

English actor

Toby Stephens is an English actor who has appeared in films in the United Kingdom, United States, and India. He is known for the roles of Bond villain Gustav Graves in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day, for which…

1969

Rob Riggle

American actor and comedian

Robert Allen Riggle Jr. is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and retired United States Marine officer. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, joining the Marines in 1990 and later attaining the rank of lieutenant…

1970

Michael Turner

American author and illustrator (died 2008)

Michael Layne Turner was an American comics artist known for his work on Witchblade, Fathom, Superman/Batman, Soulfire, and various covers for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He was also the president of the entertainment…

1971

Steve Backshall

English naturalist, writer, and television presenter

Stephen James Backshall is an English naturalist, explorer, presenter and writer, best known for BBC TV's Deadly... franchise.

1973

David Peachey

Australian rugby league player

David Peachey is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian international and New South Wales representative fullback, he played the majority of his club…

1974

Petero Civoniceva

Fijian-Australian rugby league player

Petero Civoniceva, is a Fijian-Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, in…

1976

Gyula Koi

Hungarian scholar and educator

Gyula Koi is a Hungarian legal scholar and lecturer. His main research fields are administrative law, and theory of public administration. His Chinese name is Guo Yi.

1977

Jamie Salé

Canadian figure skater

Jamie Rae Salé is a Canadian former competitive pair skater. With her former husband David Pelletier, she is the 2002 Olympic Champion and 2001 World Champion. The Olympic gold medals of Salé and Pelletier were shared…

1977

Virginie Basselot

French chef

Virginie Basselot is a French chef de cuisine who held one Michelin star at the restaurant within the Saint James Paris hotel. She became the second woman to be named to the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France. In 2017,…

1979

James McAvoy

Scottish actor

James McAvoy is a Scottish actor and director. He made his acting debut as a teen in The Near Room (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his film career began. His television work includes the…

1979

Tony Romo

American football player and announcer

Antonio Ramiro Romo is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Eastern Illinois…

1980

Tarvaris Jackson

American football player (died 2020)

Tarvaris D'Andre Jackson was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Jackson played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Alabama State…

1983

Kim Wall

British sprinter

Kimberly Wall is an English former sprinter specializing in the 400 metres and the 2010 World Athletics Indoor Championships bronze medalist in the 4 × 400 m relay. She also won eight continental medals throughout her…

1983

Ricky Berens

American swimmer

Richard Berens is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic gold medalist, world champion, and current world record-holder. As a member of the U.S. national team, he holds the world record in the…

1988

Jencarlos Canela

American singer-songwriter and actor

Jencarlos Canela is an American actor and singer. Canela starred in the telenovela Mi corazón insiste en Lola Volcán, and two other telenovelas.

1988

Nikki Cross

Scottish wrestler

Nicola Glencross is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Nikki Cross.

1989

Isco

Spanish footballer

Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez, commonly known as Isco, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for La Liga club Real Betis, which he captains and the Spain national team.

1992

Joc Pederson

American baseball player

Joc Russell Pederson is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs,…

1992

Ludwig Augustinsson

Swedish footballer

Hans Carl Ludwig Augustinsson is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Pro League club Anderlecht and the Sweden national team.

1994

Arianne Hartono

Dutch tennis player

Arianne Hartono is a Dutch former professional tennis player. On 8 April 2024, she reached her career-high singles WTA ranking of No. 135, and on 11 July 2022, she achieved No. 123 in doubles. Hartono has won three…

1996

Mikel Oyarzabal

Spanish footballer

Mikel Oyarzabal Ugarte is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Real Sociedad, which he captains, and the Spain national team.

1997

Jarrett Allen

American basketball player

Jarrett Allen is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns and was selected 22nd overall by…

1998

Choi Hyun-suk

South Korean rapper

Choi Hyun-suk is a South Korean rapper, singer and dancer under YG Entertainment. As a member of boy band Treasure, Choi debuted on August 7, 2020, with the single album entitled The First Step: Chapter One. He is also…

1999

Xavi Simons

Dutch footballer

Xavi Quentin Shay Simons is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Netherlands national team.

2003

Princess Isabella of Denmark

daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark

Princess Isabella of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second child and elder daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary.

2007

Hyein

South Korean singer

Lee Hye-in, known mononymously as Hyein, is a South Korean singer and former child model. She began her musical career at nine years old as a member of the South Korean children's groups U.sso Girl and Play with Me…

2008

April 21 in the Blog

Hirohito's Accession — April 21, 1926

On April 21, 1926, Hirohito, the 124th emperor of Japan, ascended to the throne, marking a new era in Japanese history.

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Famous birthdays

Who was born on April 21?

Licio Gelli — Italian financier and Master of Propaganda Due (1919–2015)

FeaturedLicio Gelli

Birth year1919

Known forA fascist volunteer in his youth, he is chiefly known for his role in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal and in the Bologna massacre

Birthdays on this date155 (1132 – 2008)

Explore April 21

Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.

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Also on April 21 in History

2021

Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala (402) sinks in the Bali Sea during a military drill, killing all 53 on board. Wikipedia →

2019

Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing at least 269. Wikipedia →

2012

Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, killing one person and injuring 116 others. Wikipedia →

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1919 — Licio Gelli

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