Did you know about Helena Bonham Carter
Bonham Carter rose to prominence by playing Lucy Honeychurch in A Room with a View (1985) and the title character in Lady Jane (1986).
Famous Birthdays on May 26
May 26 has 179 recorded notable births across history, from 1264 to 2000. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
1966 — Helena Bonham Carter
English actress
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Famous Birthdays
179 source records
1264 – 2000
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Today in history
Major events on May 26
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1991 Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes the first elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era. Source
- 451 Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire takes place. The Sasanids defeat the Armenians militarily but guarantee them freedom to openly practice Christianity. Source
Did you know about John Wayne
Nicknamed "Duke", he became a popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood's Golden Age, especially in Western and war movies.
Did you know about Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill was the only woman named on the lists of "Greatest MCs of All Time" (2006) by MTV and 10 Greatest Rappers by Billboard, and appeared on Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers and VH1's 100 Women in Music.
Did you know about Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since 1983.
Did you know about Dayle Haddon
During the earlier part of her career as a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of many top fashion and beauty magazines, as well as the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1973.
More major people born on May 26
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1907
John Wayne
American actor, director, and producer (died 1979)
Marion Robert Morrison, known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood's Golden Age, especially in Western and war movies. His career flourished from the silent film era of the 1920s to the American New Wave in the 1970s, as he appeared in a total of 179 film and television productions. He was among the top box-office draws for three decades, and appeared with many other important Hollywood stars of his era. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Wayne as one of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.
1975
Lauryn Hill
American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She is considered one of the most influential musicians of her time. A definitive figure in neo soul and a pioneer of rap-singing and melodic rap, The Telegraph credited Hill with the popularization of hip-hop. NPR named her one of the 50 Great Voices and stated that her "voice is the story of the hip-hop generation". She was the only woman named on the lists of "Greatest MCs of All Time" (2006) by MTV and 10 Greatest Rappers by Billboard, and appeared on Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers and VH1's 100 Women in Music.
1949
Jeremy Corbyn
British journalist and politician
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since 1983. He is the parliamentary leader of Your Party, which he co-founded with Zarah Sultana in July 2025. Corbyn had previously been a member of the Labour Party from 1965 until his automatic expulsion in 2024 for standing for election as an independent MP, and served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020 and was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus. He identifies ideologically as a socialist on the political left.
1948
Dayle Haddon
Canadian model and actress (died 2024)
Dayle Haddon was a Canadian model and actress, known for promoting anti-aging products manufactured by L'Oréal. Additionally, she was credited as the author of Ageless Beauty: A Woman's Guide to Lifelong Beauty and Well-Being. During the earlier part of her career as a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of many top fashion and beauty magazines, as well as the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1973. Haddon also served as a wellness contributor to CBS News where she appeared regularly on The Early Show at the turn of the 21st century. Haddon married French businessman Glenn Souham, who was murdered because of his believed connections to the Iran-Contra affair. They had one daughter, journalist and producer Ryan Haddon. Haddon died at her daughter's property due to carbon monoxide poisoning in December 2024.
1953
Kay Hagan
American lawyer and politician (died 2019)
Janet Kay Hagan was an American lawyer, banking executive, and politician who served as a United States senator from North Carolina from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the North Carolina Senate from 1999 to 2009. By defeating Republican Elizabeth Dole in the 2008 election, she became the first woman to defeat an incumbent woman in a U.S. Senate election. She ran for re-election in 2014 and lost to Republican Thom Tillis, Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, in a close race. As of 2025, she is the last Democrat to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.
1967
Philip Treacy
Irish milliner, hat designer
Philip Anthony Treacy is an Irish haute couture milliner, or hat designer, who has been mostly based in London for his career, and who was described by Vogue magazine as "perhaps the greatest living milliner". In 2000, Treacy became the first milliner in eighty years to be invited to exhibit at the Paris haute couture fashion shows. He has won British Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards five times, and has received public honours in both Britain and Ireland. His designs have been displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
1981
Anthony Ervin
American swimmer
Anthony Lee Ervin is an American competitive swimmer who has won four Olympic medals and two World Championship golds. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the men's 50-meter freestyle, and earned a silver medal as a member of the second-place United States relay team in the 4×100-meter freestyle event. He was the second swimmer of African descent, after Anthony Nesty of Suriname, to win an individual gold medal in Olympic swimming. He is the first United States citizen of African descent to earn a gold medal in an individual Olympic swimming event. In 2017, he knelt for the US national anthem prior to the start of a competition in Brazil.
1623
William Petty
English economist and philosopher (died 1687)
Sir William Petty was an English economist, physician, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth in Ireland. He developed efficient methods to survey the land that was to be confiscated and given to Cromwell's soldiers. He also remained a significant figure under King Charles II and King James II, as did many others who had served Cromwell. Petty was also a scientist, inventor, and merchant, a charter member of the Royal Society, and briefly a member of the Parliament of England. However, he is best remembered for his theories on economics and his methods of political arithmetic. He was knighted in 1661.
1921
Inge Borkh
German soprano (died 2018)
Inge Borkh was a German operatic dramatic soprano. She was first based in Switzerland, where she received international attention when she appeared in the first performance in German of Menotti's The Consul, in Basel, in 1951. In 1952, Borkh became a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. She appeared at leading opera houses in Europe and the Americas, and at festivals such as Bayreuth and Salzburg. Trained first as an actress, she was admired for both singing and stage presence, especially in the Richard Strauss roles of Salome and Elektra. She also performed in contemporary opera, such as the premiere of Josef Tal's Ashmedai at the Hamburg State Opera in 1971. Her recordings include complete operas and recitals. Borkh was awarded the Hans-Reinhart-Ring, the highest honour for theatre professionals in Switzerland.
1908
Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ
Vietnamese politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam (died 1976)
Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ was a South Vietnamese politician who was the first vice president of South Vietnam, serving under President Ngô Đình Diệm from 1956 until Diệm's overthrow and assassination in 1963. He also served as the first prime minister of South Vietnam, serving from November 1963 to late January 1964. Thơ was appointed to head a civilian cabinet by the military junta of General Dương Văn Minh, which came to power after overthrowing and assassinating Diệm, the nation's first president. Thơ's rule was marked by a period of confusion and weak government, as the Military Revolutionary Council (MRC) and the civilian cabinet vied for power. Thơ lost his job and retired from politics when Minh's junta was deposed in a January 1964 coup by General Nguyễn Khánh.
1983
Nathan Merritt
Australian rugby league player
Nathan Merritt is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he played in the National Rugby League for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, with whom he won the 2014 NRL Premiership, and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. Merritt has also played representative football for the City New South Wales, Indigenous All Stars and Prime Minister's XIII sides. A prolific try-scorer, he was the NRL's top try-scorer in 2006 and 2011, and in 2013 became the 9th player in the history of the League to score 150 tries.
1936
Natalya Gorbanevskaya
Russian-Polish poet and activist (died 2013)
Natalya Yevgenyevna Gorbanevskaya was a Russian poet, a translator of Polish literature and a civil-rights activist. She was one of the founders and the first editor of A Chronicle of Current Events (1968–1982). On 25 August 1968, with seven others, she took part in the 1968 Red Square demonstration against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. In 1970 a Soviet court sentenced Gorbanevskaya to incarceration in a psychiatric hospital. She was released from the Kazan Special Psychiatric Hospital in 1972, and emigrated from the USSR in 1975, settling in France. In 2005, she became a citizen of Poland.
1985
Monika Christodoulou
Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
Monika Christodoulou also known by her stage name Monika, is a Greek singer-songwriter. Her debut album Avatar was released in 2008 and her second album Exit followed in 2010. Both albums achieved platinum status in her native Greece and were met with critical acclaim. Her third album, Secret in the Dark, was the first to be given an international release, in 2015. It was recorded in New York in collaboration with musicians from the Dap-Kings, and sees Christodoulou moving away from the folk, singer-songwriter style of her earlier albums towards a disco and funk sound.
1983
Demy de Zeeuw
Dutch footballer
Demy Patrick René de Zeeuw is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He previously played for AGOVV, Go Ahead Eagles, AZ and AFC Ajax. While at AZ he was a key player in the squad that won the 2008–09 Dutch league, the club's first championship victory in 28 years. Following this success he transferred to Ajax, with whom he won the 2009–10 Dutch Cup, and the 2010–11 Dutch league title. A good tackler and a gifted passer of the ball, he made 24 appearances for the Netherlands national team.
1966
Zola Budd
South African runner
Zola Budd is a South African middle-distance and long-distance runner. She competed at the 1984 Olympic Games for Great Britain and the 1992 Olympic Games for South Africa, both times in the 3000 metres. In 1984 (unratified) and 1985, she broke the world record in the 5000 metres. She was also a two-time winner at the World Cross Country Championships (1985–1986). Budd mainly trained and raced barefoot. Her mile best of 4:17.57 in 1985 stood as the British record for 38 years until Laura Muir ran 4:15.24 on 21 July 2023.
1937
Manorama
Indian actress and singer (died 2015)
Gopishantha, better known by her stage name Manorama, also called Aachi, was an Indian actress, comedian and playback singer who had appeared in more than 1500 films and 5000 stage performances predominantly in the Tamil and also in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Sinhala. She was honoured with Kalaimamani award in 1995. In 2002, Government of India awarded Manorama the Padma Shri for her contribution in the field of arts. She is a recipient of one National Film Award, one Filmfare Award South and seven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
1960
Romas Ubartas
Lithuanian discus thrower
Romas Ubartas is a retired male discus thrower from Lithuania who won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics for the USSR and a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics for Lithuania, the nation's first gold. His personal best was 70.06m. He also became European champion, in 1986. When Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union, he trained at Dynamo in Vilnius. In 1993, after finishing fourth at the World Track and Field Championships in Germany, Ubartas failed a doping test and was disqualified for four years.
1923
James Arness
American actor (died 2011)
James King Arness was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the series Gunsmoke. He has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) and four more made-for-television Gunsmoke films in the 1990s. In Europe, Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the Western series How the West Was Won. He was the older brother of actor Peter Graves.
1949
Philip Michael Thomas
American actor
Philip Michael Thomas is an American retired actor, musician and composer best known for his role as detective Ricardo Tubbs on the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice. His first notable roles were in Coonskin (1975) and opposite Irene Cara in the 1976 film Sparkle. After his success in Miami Vice, he appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies and advertisements for telephone psychic services. He also voiced the character Lance Vance in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006).