Did you know
Robert Reed played Kenneth Preston on the legal drama The Defenders from 1961 to 1965 alongside E.
Notable Deaths on May 12
1992 — Robert Reed
American actor (born 1932)
May 12 has 98 recorded notable deaths across history, from 805 to 2026. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
98 source records
805 – 2026
Today in history
Major events on May 12
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 2002 Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since the Cuban Revolution. Source
- 1846 The Donner Party of pioneers departs Independence, Missouri for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship and cannibalism. Source
- 1780 American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces. Source
- 1865 American Civil War: The Battle of Palmito Ranch: The first day of the last major land action to take place during the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory. Source
Did you know
Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim was an Austrian-American director, screenwriter, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era.
Did you know
David Sanborn began playing the saxophone at the age of 11 and released his first solo album, Taking Off, in 1975.
Did you know
Thomas was appointed as Despot of the Morea by his oldest brother, Emperor John VIII Palaiologos, in 1428, joining his two brothers and other despots Theodore and Constantine, already governing the Morea.
Did you know
In 1966, she shared the Nobel Prize in Literature with the novelist, poet, and short-story writer Shmuel Yosef Agnon.
More major people who died on May 12
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1957
Erich von Stroheim
Austrian-American actor, director, and producer (born 1885)
Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim was an Austrian-American director, screenwriter, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era.
2024
David Sanborn
American saxophonist (born 1945)
David William Sanborn was an American alto saxophonist. He worked in many musical genres; his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B.
1465
Thomas Palaiologos
Despot of Morea (born 1409)
Thomas Palaiologos was Despot of the Morea from 1428 until the fall of the despotate in 1460, although he continued to claim the title until his death five years later.
1970
Nelly Sachs
German poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1891)
Nelly Sachs was a German–Swedish poet and playwright. Her experiences resulting from the rise of the Nazis in World War II Europe transformed her into a poignant spokesperson for the grief and yearnings of her fellow…
1944
Max Brand
American journalist and author (born 1892)
Frederick Schiller Faust was an American writer known primarily for his Western stories using the pseudonym Max Brand. As Max Brand, he also created the popular fictional character of young medical intern Dr.
1986
Elisabeth Bergner
German actress (born 1897)
Elisabeth Bergner was an Austrian-British actress. Primarily a stage actress, her career flourished in Berlin and Paris before she moved to London to work in films.
1971
Heinie Manush
American baseball player and coach (born 1901)
Henry Emmett Manush, nicknamed "Heinie", was an American baseball outfielder.
1856
Jacques Philippe Marie Binet
French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (born 1786)
Jacques Philippe Marie Binet was a French mathematician, physicist and astronomer born in Rennes; he died in Paris, France, in 1856.
1897
Minna Canth
Finnish journalist, playwright, and activist (born 1844)
Minna Canth was a Finnish writer and social activist. Canth began to write while managing her family draper's shop and living as a widow raising seven children.
1759
Lambert-Sigisbert Adam
French sculptor (born 1700)
Lambert-Sigisbert Adam was a French sculptor, born in 1700 in Nancy.
805
Æthelhard
archbishop of Canterbury
Æthelhard was an Archbishop of Canterbury in medieval England.
1003
Sylvester II
pope of the Catholic Church (born 946)
Pope Sylvester II, originally known as Gerbert of Aurillac, was a scholar and teacher who served as the bishop of Rome and ruled the Papal States from 999 to his death.
2014
H. R. Giger
Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (born 1940)
Hans Ruedi Giger was a Swiss artist best known for his airbrushed images that blended human physiques with machines, an art style known as "biomechanical".
1985
Jean Dubuffet
French painter and sculptor (born 1901)
Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet was a French painter and sculptor of the École de Paris.
2018
Dennis Nilsen
Scottish serial killer (born 1945)
Dennis Andrew Nilsen was a Scottish serial killer and necrophile who murdered at least twelve young men and boys between 1978 and 1983.
1935
Józef Piłsudski
Polish field marshal and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland (born 1867)
Józef Klemens Piłsudski was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland.
1641
Thomas Wentworth
1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (born 1593)
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman who played a major role in the period leading up to the outbreak of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
1884
Bedřich Smetana
Czech composer and educator (born 1824)
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival".
1860
Charles Barry
English architect, designed Upper Brook Street Chapel and the Palace of Westminster (born 1795)
Sir Charles Barry was an English architect best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.