Famous Birthdays on October 24

Nguyễn Thị Thiên Thanh, better known by her stage name Tila Tequila, is an American model, singer, and reality TV actress. She has also used the names Tila Nguyen, Miss Tila and Tornado Thien. Born in Singapore and raised in Houston, Texas, Tequila moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to pursue her modeling career. She first gained recognition for her active presence on social networking websites. After being featured as a model in numerous men's magazines, she made her reality television debut on the VH1 show Surviving Nugent (2003). After becoming the most popular person on Myspace, Tequila was offered the opportunity to star in her own reality television series. Her bisexuality-themed dating show, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila (2007), aired for two seasons and became MTV's second-highest-rated series premiere of that year.

Kalen Douglas DeBoer is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of Alabama, a position he has held since 2024. DeBoer also served as the head football coach at the University of Sioux Falls from 2005 to 2009, California State University, Fresno from 2020 to 2021, and the University of Washington from 2022 to 2023. At Sioux Falls, his teams won three NAIA Football National Championships, in 2006, 2008, and 2009. At Washington, he led the 2023 Washington Huskies football team to a Pac-12 Conference title and an appearance in the College Football Playoff, where Washington defeated Texas in the 2024 Sugar Bowl before losing to Michigan in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Lakshmi Sahgal was an Indian politician and activist. She was a revolutionary of the Indian independence movement, an officer of the Indian National Army (INA), and the Minister of Women's Affairs in the Azad Hind Government. She is commonly referred to in India as Captain Lakshmi, a reference to her participation in the INA's Rani Jhansi Regiment during the Second World War. A prominent member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), she was a founding member of the All India Democratic Women's Association. In 1998, Sahgal was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award. Following this, in the 2002 Indian presidential election, she was nominated as the presidential candidate opposite A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. A medical doctor by profession, she practiced till her death in Kanpur in 2012.

Ding Liren is a Chinese chess grandmaster who was the 17th World Chess Champion from 2023–24. He is a three-time Chinese Chess Champion and was part of the Chinese teams that won the Chess Olympiads in 2014 and 2018. Ding is the first Chinese player ever to play in a Candidates Tournament and the only Chinese player to pass the 2800 Elo mark on the FIDE world rankings. In July 2016, with a blitz rating of 2875, he was the highest-rated Blitz player in the world. In July 2023, Ding became the No. 1 ranked Rapid player, with a rating of 2830. He achieved his highest classical rating of 2816 in November 2018 and a peak classical ranking of No. 2 in November 2021 behind Magnus Carlsen.

Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’azzam Shah was Sultan of Pahang from 1974 until his abdication in 2019, and the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong, from 1979 to 1984. His abdication as sultan was decided by the Royal Council at an extraordinary meeting on 11 January 2019. A special amendment was made to the state constitution that gave the body more power for this decision, citing the Sultan's incapability to rule due to his failing health. The abdication was announced the next day which was retroactively effective on the day of the Royal Council meeting, paving the way to his son, Abdullah to succeed him as sultan immediately, and subsequently be elected as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong later the same month.

François Gilbert Léopold Silly, known professionally as Gilbert Bécaud, was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "What Now My Love". He remained a popular artist for nearly fifty years, identifiable in his dark blue suits, with a white shirt and "lucky tie"; blue with white polka dots. When asked to explain his gift he said, "A flower doesn't understand botany." His favourite venue was the Paris Olympia under the management of Bruno Coquatrix. He debuted there in 1954 and headlined in 1955, attracting 6,000 on his first night, three times the capacity. On 13 November 1997, Bécaud was present for the re-opening of the venue after its reconstruction.

Ieng Sary was the co-founder and a senior member of the Khmer Rouge and one of the main architects of the Cambodian genocide. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea led by Pol Pot and served in the 1975–79 government of Democratic Kampuchea as foreign minister and deputy prime minister. He was known as "Brother Number Three", as he was third in command after Pol Pot and Nuon Chea. His wife, Ieng Thirith, served in the Khmer Rouge government as social affairs minister. Ieng Sary was arrested in 2007 and was charged with crimes against humanity but died of heart failure before the case against him could be brought to a verdict.

George Henry Crumb Jr. was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical language which "range[s] in mood from peaceful to nightmarish". Crumb's compositions are known for pushing the limits of technical prowess by way of frequent use of extended techniques. The unusual timbres he employs evoke a surrealist atmosphere which portray emotions of considerable intensity with vast and sometimes haunting soundscapes. His few large-scale works include Echoes of Time and the River (1967), which won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Music, and Star-Child (1977), which won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition; however, his output consists of mostly music for chamber ensembles or solo instrumentalists. Among his best known compositions are Black Angels (1970), a striking commentary on the Vietnam War for electric string quartet; Ancient Voices of Children (1970) for a mixed chamber ensemble; and Vox Balaenae (1971), a musical evocation of the humpback whale, for electric flute, electric cello, and amplified piano.

David Stewart was the eldest son of Robert III of Scotland and his wife, Annabella Drummond. The heir apparent to the Scottish throne from 1390 until his death, David held the titles of Prince of Scotland, Duke of Rothesay, and Earl of Carrick. David was named by a general council to rule Scotland as regent, on behalf of his infirm and politically ineffective father, in 1399. He was responsible for the defense of Scotland during the English invasion in 1400. After coming into conflict with his uncle, Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, David was arrested and removed from power in late 1401. He died in mysterious circumstances at Falkland Palace shortly afterwards. David's younger brother, James, eventually succeeded their father as King of Scots.

Petar Stoychev is a Bulgarian swimmer who is one of the most successful long distance marathon swimmers in history. He is an honor swimmer in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. Stoychev has 11 consecutive titles of a major international open water marathon swimming FINA series since 2001 with more than 60 wins in individual swimming marathons. So far, he has swum over 60,000 km in pools, rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. Petar Stoychev has won 11 consecutive victories at the Traversée Internationale du Lac Memphrémagog in Magog, Canada (34 km) and at Lac Saint-Jean in Roberval, Canada (32 km). Also, he has won the Ohrid Lake, North Macedonia swimming marathon 11 consecutive times (30 km). His swimming achievements include swimming around the Manhattan Island in 2010 and winning the extreme Cadiz Freedom Swim in 2011.

Field Marshal Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham, was a British army officer and Whig politician. After serving as a junior officer under William III during the Williamite War in Ireland and Nine Years' War, Temple fought under John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession. During the War of the Quadruple Alliance he led a force of 4,000 troops on a raid on the Spanish coastline which captured Vigo and Pontevedra for ten days. In Parliament Temple generally supported the Whigs but fell out with Sir Robert Walpole in 1733. He was known for his ownership of and modifications to the estate at Stowe House and for serving as a political mentor to the young William Pitt.

Philip Bennett was a Welsh rugby union player who played as a fly-half for Llanelli RFC and the Wales national team. He began his career in 1966, and a year later he had taken over from Barry John as Llanelli's first-choice fly-half. He made 414 appearances for the Scarlets over the course of a 15-year career he scored 131 tries, 43 drop goals, 293 pens and 523 conversions. He made his Wales debut in 1969, but it was not until John's retirement from rugby in 1972 that Bennett became a regular starter for his country. He led Wales to the Five Nations Championship title, including the Grand Slam in 1978, which culminated with his retirement from Wales duty.

Joachim Winkelhock is a German motor racing driver. He competed in and won German Formula Three before moving onto Formula One. Winkelhock would compete in the 1989 season of F1 with the Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives where he would fail to qualify for a race before being replaced mid season with driver Yannick Dalmas. After his brief stint in Formula One Winkelhock would later race in Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft until 2003. The height of Winkelhock's career was his 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans win for BMW. Winkelhock is part of a racing family with his late older brother Manfred Winkelhock, his younger brother, Thomas Winkelhock, and his nephew, son of Manfred, Markus Winkelhock all being racing drivers.

Ronald Clyde Gardenhire is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets from 1981 to 1985. After another year playing in the minor leagues, he served as a manager in the Minnesota Twins farm system for three years, then as a coach for the Twins from 1991 to 2001, and then as the manager from 2002 to 2014, winning the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2010. He then coached for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017 and managed the Detroit Tigers from 2018 through most of 2020, when he retired from baseball.

Benjamin David Gillies is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer of Australian rock band Silverchair from 1992 until the band went on hiatus in 2011. In 2003, Gillies formed Tambalane with Wes Carr, initially as a songwriting project; they released a self-titled album in 2005 and toured Australia but subsequently folded. By June 2011, after Silverchair's disbandment, Gillies was in the final stages of about 12 months of working on his solo album, and he said that it was not a continuation of his earlier work with Tambalane. In 2012, he formed Bento, in which he performs lead vocals, and released the band's debut album Diamond Days.

Kweisi Mfume is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Maryland's 7th congressional district, first serving from 1987 to 1996 and again since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, Mfume first left his seat to become the president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a position he held from 1996 to 2004. In 2006, he ran for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Paul Sarbanes, losing the Democratic primary to the eventual winner, Ben Cardin. Mfume returned to his former House seat in 2020 after it was left vacant by the death of Elijah Cummings.

Emma Donoghue is an Irish Canadian novelist, screenwriter, playwright and literary historian. Her 2010 novel Room was a finalist for the Booker Prize and an international best-seller. Donoghue's 1995 novel Hood won the Stonewall Book Award and Slammerkin (2000) won the Ferro-Grumley Award for Lesbian Fiction. She is a 2011 recipient of the Alex Awards. Room was adapted by Donoghue into a film of the same name. For this, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2025, Donoghue won the Alice B Readers Award given annually to living writers of published works whose careers are distinguished by consistently well-written works about lesbians.

William George Wyman is an English musician who was the bassist of the rock band the Rolling Stones from 1962 to 1993. Wyman was part of the band's first stable lineup and performed on its first 19 studio albums. After his departure, he occasionally took part in live performances with the Rolling Stones and recorded with them in 2023. He also performed as a backing vocalist and bassist for the blues rock band Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings from 1997 to 2018. Wyman was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Rolling Stones in 1989.

Thomas Joseph Mulcair is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2012 to 2017 and leader of the Official Opposition from 2012 to 2015. He was elected to the House of Commons in 2007 and sat as the member of Parliament (MP) for Outremont until 2018. Before entering federal politics, Mulcair served as the member of the National Assembly of Quebec (MNA) for Chomedey from 1994 to 2007, sitting as a Quebec Liberal. He was the environment minister of Quebec from 2003 until 2006 in Premier Jean Charest's government.