Famous Birthdays on August 20

August 20 has 225 recorded notable births across history, from 1377 to 2003. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.

Demi Lovato

1992 — Demi Lovato

American singer-songwriter and actress

By · — Wikipedia

Famous Birthdays 225 source records 1377 – 2003 Leo

Major events on August 20

See what else happened on this day in history.

  1. 1858 Charles Darwin first publishes his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, alongside Alfred Russel Wallace's same theory. Source
  2. 1648 The Battle of Lens is the last major military confrontation of the Thirty Years' War, contributing to the signing of the Peace of Westphalia in October that year. Source

Did you know about Demi Lovato

After appearing on the children's television series Barney & Friends (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series As the Bell Rings (2007–2008), and as the titular character on the sitcom Sonny with a Chance (2009–2011).

Did you know about Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwriter with his partner David Porter, as well as a session musician and record producer.

Did you know about Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison was defeated by Cleveland in the 1892 United States presidential election, becoming the first president to be succeeded in office by his predecessor.

Did you know about John Noble

John Noble is best known for his roles as Denethor in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003), and Dr. Walter Bishop in the Fox science fiction series Fringe (2008–2013).

Did you know about KRS-One

KRS-One rose to prominence as part of the hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s.

More major people born on August 20

Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.

1942 Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes

American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor (died 2008)
Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwriter with his partner David Porter, as well as a session musician and record producer. Hayes and Porter were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of writing scores of songs for themselves, the duo Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, and others. In 2002, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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1833 Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison

American general, lawyer, and politician, 23rd President of the United States (died 1901)
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison V, a Founding Father. A Union army veteran and a Republican, he defeated Democratic Party incumbent Grover Cleveland to win the presidency in the 1888 United States presidential election by winning the Electoral College while losing the popular vote. He was defeated by Cleveland in the 1892 United States presidential election, becoming the first president to be succeeded in office by his predecessor.
Wikipedia source
1948 John Noble

John Noble

Australian actor and director
John Noble is an Australian actor. He is best known for his roles as Denethor in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003), and Dr. Walter Bishop in the Fox science fiction series Fringe (2008–2013). His other television credits include the supernatural drama Sleepy Hollow (2013–2017) and the police procedural Elementary (2015–2019). Noble has also lent his distinctively deep voice to animated and video game projects, most notably as Leland Monroe in Rockstar Games' L.A. Noire (2011), Unicron in the animated series Transformers: Prime (2010–2013), and Scarecrow in the DC Comics game Batman: Arkham Knight (2015).
Wikipedia source
1965 KRS-One

KRS-One

American rapper and producer
Lawrence Parker, known professionally as KRS-One and Teacha, is an American rapper and singer from the Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is known for his songs "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha ", and "My Philosophy". Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Following the release of the group's debut album, Criminal Minded, fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started the "Stop the Violence Movement" after La Rock's death. He is also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered an influence on many hip-hop artists.
Wikipedia source
1992 Alex Newell

Alex Newell

American actor and singer
Alex Eugene Newell is an American actor and singer. They are known for their role as Unique Adams on the Fox musical series Glee and Mo on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Newell also starred as Asaka in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island at the Circle in the Square Theatre in 2018. For their role in Shucked, Newell won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Newell and J. Harrison Ghee were the first openly non-binary actors to be nominated for and win the Tony Award.
Wikipedia source
1937 Andrei Konchalovsky

Andrei Konchalovsky

Russian director, producer, and screenwriter
Andrei Sergeyevich Konchalovsky is a Russian film and theatre director, screenwriter, and producer. His filmmaking career spans over 60 years in Soviet, Hollywood, and contemporary Russian cinema. Early in his career, he was a screenwriting collaborator of Andrei Tarkovsky. His film credits include Uncle Vanya (1970), Siberiade (1979), House of Fools (2002), The Postman's White Nights (2014), Paradise (2016), and Dear Comrades! (2020). During the 1980's, he resided in the United States, where he directed films such as Maria's Lovers (1984), Runaway Train (1985), Shy People (1987), and Tango & Cash (1989). He also directed the 1997 miniseries adaptation of the ancient Greek narrative The Odyssey.
Wikipedia source
1982 Mijaín López

Mijaín López

Cuban wrestler
Mijaín López Núñez is a Cuban retired Greco-Roman wrestler. Widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, López is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion, for a total of 10 world gold medals, and a five-time Pan American Games champion. He is the younger brother of Michel López Núñez, a Cuban amateur boxer. López was Cuba's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, and one of the country's flag bearers at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Wikipedia source
1954 Quinn Buckner

Quinn Buckner

American basketball player and coach
William Quinn Buckner is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played collegiate basketball for the Indiana University Hoosiers, and won a national championship in 1976. He was a captain of the last undefeated NCAA Division I basketball champion and of the 1976 Olympics gold medal team. Buckner was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 7th pick of the 1976 NBA draft. He had a ten-year NBA career for three teams: the Bucks, the Boston Celtics, and the Indiana Pacers. In 1984, he won an NBA title with the Celtics.
Wikipedia source
1990 Ranomi Kromowidjojo

Ranomi Kromowidjojo

Dutch swimmer
Ranomi Kromowidjojo is a retired Dutch swimmer of mixed Dutch-Javanese Surinamese origin who mainly specialises in sprint freestyle events. She is a triple Olympic champion, winning the gold medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympics, and in the 50 m freestyle and 100 m freestyle at the 2012 Olympics. Kromowidjojo holds the world record as part of the Dutch team in the 4×50 m freestyle relay. She formerly held world records in the 50 meter freestyle, and the 4 × 100 m and 4 × 200 m freestyle relays. She has won a total of 45 medals in FINA World Championship events.
Wikipedia source
1984 Laura Georges

Laura Georges

French footballer
Laura Stéphanie Georges is a French retired footballer who is the Secretary General of the French Football Federation. She last played for German club Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga, and served as the first-choice captain of her club and played primarily as a central defender, but was also used as a defensive midfielder. Georges was also a France women's international having made her senior international debut in September 2001. She represented her nation at seven major international tournaments; the 2003, 2011 and 2015 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2017 editions of the UEFA Women's Championship.
Wikipedia source
1517 Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle

Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle

French cardinal and art collector (died 1586)
Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, Comte de La Baume Saint Amour, typically known as Cardinal Granvelle in English, was a Burgundian statesman, made a cardinal, who followed his father as a leading minister of the Spanish Habsburgs. Granvelle was one of the most influential European politicians during the time which immediately followed the appearance of Protestantism in Europe; "the dominating Imperial statesman of the whole century". He was also a notable art collector, the "greatest private collector of his time, the friend and patron of Titian and Leoni and many other artists".
Wikipedia source
1917 Terry Sanford

Terry Sanford

65th governor of North Carolina (died 1998)
James Terry Sanford was an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford served as the 65th governor of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965, was a two-time U.S. presidential candidate in the 1970s, and served as a U.S. senator from 1986 to 1993. He was a strong proponent of public education and introduced several reforms and new programs in North Carolina's schools and institutions of higher education as the state's governor. From 1970 to 1985, Sanford served as the president of Duke University.
Wikipedia source
1933 George J. Mitchell

George J. Mitchell

American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician
George John Mitchell Jr. is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A leading member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from Maine from 1980 to 1995, and as Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995. After retiring from the Senate, Mitchell played a leading role in negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland and the Middle East. He was appointed United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland (1995–2001) by President Clinton and as United States Special Envoy for Middle East Peace (2009–2011) by President Barack Obama.
Wikipedia source
1947 Larry Kudlow

Larry Kudlow

American conservative news analyst, economist, and journalist
Lawrence Alan Kudlow is an American conservative broadcast news analyst, economist, columnist, journalist, political commentator, and radio personality. He is a financial news commentator for Fox Business and served as the director of the National Economic Council during the first Trump administration from 2018 to 2021. He assumed that role after his previous employment as a CNBC television financial news host. He is the vice chair of the board of the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank founded to promote an America First public policy agenda.
Wikipedia source
1939 Fernando Poe Jr.

Fernando Poe Jr.

Filipino actor and politician (died 2004)
Ronald Allan Kelley Poe, known professionally as Fernando Poe Jr., was a Filipino actor, director and screenwriter. Nicknamed "Da King" and often referred to by his initials FPJ, he has been described as a cultural icon, having dominated the Philippine box-office from the 1960s to 1990s through his leading roles in action films. For his career that spanned nearly five decades, he has received numerous honors including the Order of National Artists of the Philippines in 2006 and the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999.
Wikipedia source
1983 Andrew Garfield

Andrew Garfield

American-English actor
Andrew Russell Garfield is an English and American actor. He is known for his work across a variety of genres, from biographical dramas to action films, spanning both independent and blockbuster productions. His accolades include a Tony Award, two Critics' Choice Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a British Academy Television Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2022, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
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1964 Azarias Ruberwa

Azarias Ruberwa

Congolese lawyer and politician, Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Azarias Ruberwa Manywa is a Congolese politician, lawyer, and public figure. During the Second Congo War he was Secretary-General of the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD-G) rebel group. Following the war, he was one of the vice-presidents in the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 2003 and 2006. He has also been the leader and president of RCD-G's political party since 2003. He is a member of the Banyamulenge community of South Kivu who belong to the Tutsi ethnic group.
Wikipedia source
1946 Connie Chung

Connie Chung

American journalist
Constance Yu-Hwa Chung Povich is an American journalist who has been a news anchor and reporter for the U.S. television news networks ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC. Some of her more famous interview subjects include Claus von Bülow and U.S. representative Gary Condit, whom Chung interviewed first after the Chandra Levy disappearance, and basketball legend Magic Johnson after he went public about being HIV-positive. In 1993, she became the second woman to co-anchor a network newscast, as part of CBS Evening News.
Wikipedia source
1989 Kirko Bangz

Kirko Bangz

American rapper and producer
Kirk Jerel Randle, better known by his stage name Kirko Bangz, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2011 single "Drank in My Cup", which peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His guest appearance on Meek Mill's 2012 single, "Young & Gettin' It", peaked at number 86. As his following releases have failed to chart, he has been regarded as a one-hit wonder.
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