IMDb: Most Popular People Born In 1961

1-50 of 3,698 names.

Sort by: STARmeter▲ \| A-Z \| Height \| Birth Date \| Death Date
1.		George Clooney Actor, Gravity George Timothy Clooney was born on May 6, 1961, in Lexington, Kentucky, to Nina Bruce (née Warren), a former beauty pageant queen, and Nick Clooney, a former anchorman and game show host (who was also the brother of singer Rosemary Clooney). He has Irish, English, and German ancestry. Clooney spent most of this youth in Ohio and Kentucky...
2.		Meg Ryan Actress, Sleepless in Seattle Blond-haired, blue-eyed with an effervescent personality, Meg Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra in Fairfield, Connecticut, to Susan (Duggan), an English teacher and one-time actress, and Harry Hyra, a math teacher. She has Polish, Irish, and German ancestry ("Hyra" is a Polish surname, and "Ryan" is her maternal grandmother's maiden name)...
3.		Tim Roth Actor, Pulp Fiction Often mistaken for an American because of his skill at imitating accents, actor Tim Roth was born Simon Timothy Roth on May 14, 1961 in Lambeth, London, England. His mother, Ann, was a teacher and landscape painter. His father, Ernie, was a journalist who had changed the family name from "Smith" to "Roth"; Ernie was in Brooklyn, New York, to an immigrant family of Irish ancestry...
4.		Elizabeth McGovern Actress, Once Upon a Time in America Daughter of a law professor at Northwestern University, she moved with her family to Los Angeles when he transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.). She began acting in school plays at North Hollywood High, graduated from The Oakwood School and then continued her stage training...
5.		Alfonso Cuarón Writer, Gravity Alfonso Cuarón Orozco was born on November 28th in Mexico City, Mexico. From an early age, he yearned to be either a film director or an astronaut. However, he did not want to enter the army, so he settled for directing. He didn't receive his first camera until his twelfth birthday, and then immediately started to film everything he saw...
6.		Eddie Murphy Actor, Beverly Hills Cop Edward Regan Murphy was born April 3, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York, to Lillian, a telephone operator, and Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer who was also an amateur comedian and actor. After his father died, his mother married Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a Breyer's Ice Cream plant. His siblings are Charlie Murphy and Vernon Lynch...
7.		Jackie Earle Haley Actor, Watchmen
8.		Woody Harrelson Actor, No Country for Old Men Academy Award-nominee Woody Harrelson was born on July 23, 1961 in Midland, Texas, to Diane Lou (Oswald) and Charles Harrelson. He grew up in Lebanon, Ohio, and, after receiving degrees in theater arts and English from Hanover College, had a brief stint in New York theater. He was soon cast as Woody on TV series Cheers...
9.		Rae Dawn Chong Actress, Commando Rae Dawn Chong was born February 28, 1961 in Edmonton, Canada to Maxine Sneed and Tommy Chong. After a few film and television spots, Rae Dawn earned a Genie for her performance in Jean-Jacques Annaud's prehistoric-drama Quest for Fire. She played the young, Ivaka prisoner, Ika. Other notables roles include Harpo's girlfriend "Squeek"...
10.		Virginia Madsen Actress, Sideways One of the hottest stars of the mid-1980s, Virginia Madsen has since played a variety of roles that have cemented her reputation as a fantastic actress who can adapt to any part. Virginia was born in Chicago, Illinois, and belongs to an acting family -- with her brother, Michael Madsen, also an actor...
11.		Robert Carlyle Actor, 28 Weeks Later Robert Carlyle was born in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland, to Elizabeth, a bus company employee, and Joseph Carlyle, a painter and decorator. He was raised by his father after his mother left him when he was four. At the age of 21, after reading Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," he enrolled in acting classes at the Glasgow Arts Centre...
12.		Evan Handler Actor, The Three Stooges
13.		John Corbett Actor, Raising Helen
14.		Christopher Meloni Actor, Man of Steel Blessed with a piercing, blue-eyed glint, brawny looks, cocky "tough guy" stance and effortless charisma, TV's Christopher Meloni has grabbed audiences' attention, male and female alike, finding breakthrough small screen stardom playing both sides of the law. Audiences first were taken in by his sexually...
15.		Jennifer Coolidge Actress, American Pie Jennifer Coolidge is a versatile character actress and experimental comedienne, best known for playing Stifler's mom in American Pie. She was born on August 28, 1961, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, to Gretchen (Knauff) and Paul Constant Coolidge, a plastics manufacturer. Young Coolidge was dreaming of becoming a singer...
16.		Lea Thompson Actress, Back to the Future Lea Katherine Thompson was born on May 31, 1961, in Rochester, Minnesota. She is the youngest of five children. Her parents are Barbara Anne (Barry) and Clifford Elwin "Cliff" Thompson. Since all her siblings were much older than she, Lea says it seemed like she had more than two parents. The family lived in the Starlight Motel...
17.		Michael J. Fox Actor, Back to the Future Michael J. Fox was born Michael Andrew Fox on June 9, 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to Phyllis Fox (née Piper), a payroll clerk, and William Fox. His parents moved their ten-year-old son, his three sisters, Kelli Fox, Karen, and Jacki, and his brother, Steven, to Vancouver, British Columbia...
18.		Nancy Travis Actress, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Nancy Travis was born in New York City, to Theresa, a social worker, and Gordon Travis, a sales executive. She lived in Baltimore and Boston before returning to her birthplace to study drama at New York University. Her first job out of school was with New York's American Jewish Theater, after which she hit the road...
19.		Joanne Whalley Actress, Willow An arresting, dark-haired stunner of 1980s and 1990s continental filming, Joanne Whalley should have made far more of an impact in Hollywood than she did. She was born in Manchester, England and prodded by her parents into acting at an early age, performing in school plays and winning a recurring role at age 10 on the popular long-running British TV serial Coronation Street...
20.		Mary Page Keller Actress, Beginners Mary Page Keller received formal training at the University of Maryland and the Boston Conservatory of Music, leading to various parts in musical theatre in Washington, D.C. After training in New York, doing everything from Soap Opera to dinner theatre, she relocated to Los Angeles to star in Duet for the Fox Network...
21.		Peter Jackson Producer, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Peter Jackson was born as an only child in a small coast-side town in New Zealand in 1961. When a friend of his parents bought him a super 8 movie camera (because she saw how much he enjoyed taking photos), the then eight-year-old Peter instantly grabbed the thing to start recording his own movies, which he made with his friends...
22.		Bonnie Hunt Writer, Return to Me
23.		Forest Whitaker Actor, Platoon Forest Steven Whitaker has packaged a king-size talent into his hulking 6' 2", 220 lb. frame. He won an Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland, and has also won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. He is the fourth African-American male to win an Academy Award for Best Actor...
24.		Elizabeth Daily Actress, Pee-wee's Big Adventure
25.		Ralph Macchio Actor, The Karate Kid Ralph George Macchio was born on November 4, 1961 in Huntington, Long Island, New York. He started out in various TV commercials in the late 1970s before appearing in the puerile comedy movie Up the Academy, then a regular role in 1980 on the television series Eight Is Enough followed by a decent performance...
26.		Laurence Fishburne Actor, The Matrix One of Hollywood's most talented and versatile performers and the recipient of a truckload of NAACP Image awards, Laurence John Fishburne III was born in Augusta, Georgia on July 30, 1961, to Hattie Bell (Crawford), a teacher, and Laurence John Fishburne, Jr., a juvenile corrections officer. His mother transplanted her family to Brooklyn after his parents divorced...
27.		Ally Walker Actress, Universal Soldier Ally Walker was born in Tullahoma, Tennessee and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Actress Ally Walker studied biology and chemistry at the University of California Santa Cruz and went on to work for a genetic engineering firm in San Francisco. While spending a semester at Richmond College of the Arts in London...
28.		Tom Sizemore Actor, Saving Private Ryan Tom Sizemore rose in prominence throughout the 1990s, establishing himself as a memorable tough-guy actor, sought by the most respected directors in the business. Thomas Edward Sizemore, Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Judith (Schannault), an ombudsman staff member, and Thomas Edward Sizemore...
29.		Shane Black Writer, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Considered one of the pioneer screenwriters of the action genre, Black made his mark with his Lethal Weapon screenplay. He also collaborated on the story of the sequel, Lethal Weapon 2. Each successive script he turned in had a higher price attached it, from The Last Boy Scout to The Long Kiss Goodnight, and in between a re-write on the McTiernan/Schwarzenegger Last Action Hero script.
30.		Julia Louis-Dreyfus Actress, A Bug's Life Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born on January 13, 1961, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, to Judith (LeFever), a special needs tutor and author, and Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, a billionaire businessman. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she spent her childhood in Washington, D.C., and New York. She met her husband, Brad Hall, while in college...
31.		Dylan McDermott Actor, The Perks of Being a Wallflower A Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee, Dylan McDermott has proved his talent in film, television and theater. He was born Mark Anthony McDermott in Waterbury, Connecticut, to Diane (Marino) and Richard McDermott. Diane was 15 and Richard was 17 when Dylan was born. Richard earned money by hustling pool...
32.		Graham McTavish Actor, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Graham McTavish is a Scottish television, film, and voice actor. McTavish has also had many supporting roles in British dramas and films such as _Casualty_, _Jekyll_, The Bill, Taggart, and Sisterhood. He also played the ill-tempered Mercenary Commander Lewis in Rambo alongside Sylvester Stallone...
33.		Nia Peeples Actress, General Hospital Nia Peeples was born in Hollywood, California, on December 10, 1961. Her family moved to West Covina, California, where she and her two sisters, Paula and Cynthia, grew up. At eight years old she began performing with her family, giving concerts for community groups and conventions and doing dances of different cultures...
34.		Elias Koteas Actor, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Elias Koteas was born on March 11, 1961, in Montreal, Canada. Both his parents are of Greek descent. Elias attended Vanier College in Montreal before leaving to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1981, of which he is a graduate. He also attended the Actors Studio in New York City...
35.		Eric Stoltz Actor, Mask Eric Cameron Stoltz is a theater-trained actor and producer who has starred in both independent and studio films. He was born on September 30, 1961 in Whittier, California, to Evelyn Berneice (Vawter), a violinist and schoolteacher, and Jack Hamilton Stoltz, an elementary school teacher. He has German...
36.		James Gandolfini Actor, The Man Who Wasn't There James Gandolfini was born in Westwood, New Jersey, to Santa (Penna), a high school lunchlady, and James Joseph Gandolfini, Sr., a bricklayer and head school janitor. His parents were both of Italian origin. Gandolfini began acting in the New York theater. His Broadway debut was in the 1992 revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" with Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin...
37.		Titus Welliver Actor, Argo Titus Welliver was born on March 12, 1961 in New Haven, Connecticut. His father was famous landscape painter Neil Welliver. His mother was a fashion illustrator. He has three brothers, one was killed overseas. He was raised in Philadelphia and New York City, surrounded by poets and painters. He credits them for his creativity...
38.		Carey Lowell Actress, Licence to Kill Daughter of an important North American Geologist, Petroleum Exploration Geologist James David Lowell, she has traveled around the world since she was very young. She spent her childhood in Libya. After traveling to different countries, she went back to the States, where she became a model, appreciated by people like Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein...
39.		Iain Glen Actor, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Iain Glen is a Scottish actor, he was born on June 24, 1961 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy, an independent school for boys (now co-educational), followed by the University of Aberdeen. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he was the winner of the Bancroft Gold Medal...
40.		Heather Locklear Actress, The Perfect Man
41.		Aaron Sorkin Writer, A Few Good Men Aaron Sorkin grew up in Scarsdale, a suburb of New York City where he was very involved in his high school drama and theater club. After graduating from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater, Sorkin intended to pursue a career in acting. It took him only a short time to realize that his true love...
42.		Ricky Gervais Writer, The Office Ricky Dene Gervais was born in a suburb of Reading, Berkshire, to Eva Sophia (House) and Lawrence Raymond Gervais, who was a hod carrier and labourer. His father was born in Ontario, Canada, of French-Canadian descent, and his mother was English. He was educated at Ashmead Comprehensive School and went on to study at University College, London, where he gained a degree in Philosophy...
43.		Todd Haynes Director, I'm Not There. Todd Haynes was always interested in art, and made amateur movies and painted while he was still a child. He attended Brown university and majored in art and semiotics. After he graduated he moved to New York City and made the controversial short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story. The movie uses dolls instead of actors to tell the the story of the late Karen Carpenter...
44.		Steven Weber Actor, Leaving Las Vegas This Queens-born actor has certainly proven himself adept at everything from quirky comedy to flat-out melodrama. Born on March 4, 1961, to a Borscht Belt comic and a nightclub singer, Weber was already appearing in TV commercials by elementary school age. He later studied at the High School of the Performing Arts in New York and graduated from New York State University...
45.		Jared Harris Actor, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Jared Francis Harris was born in London, England. He is the son of Irish actor Richard Harris and Welsh actress Elizabeth Harris (Elizabeth Rees), and brother of Damian Harris and Jamie Harris. Despite his lineage, Jared showed little interest in becoming an actor, until he was cast in a college production while attending North Carolina's Duke University (USA)...
46.		Jane Leeves Actress, James and the Giant Peach Jane Leeves has made her mark in the entertainment world, acting in television, theater and film over the past 20 years. Leeves stars in the Emmy® Award-winning TV Land series, Hot in Cleveland, which in 2011 was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award® for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series...
47.		Raymond Cruz Actor, Training Day Raymond Cruz is mild-mannered man, who studied writing and theater. He is perhaps best-known for his portrayal of the frighteningly lethal "Tuco Salamanca" in AMC's ground-breaking show, Breaking Bad, a character he later reprized for the first two episodes of the "Breaking Bad" spin-off, Better Call Saul.
48.		Amy Sedaris Actress, Puss in Boots
49.		Kim Delaney Actress, Mission to Mars Kim Delaney was born on November 29, 1961 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was raised there as well. Growing up the daughter to Joan and Jack Delaney, retired from Delphi Automotive where he served as a committeeman for the United Auto Workers. She grew up in Roxborough and has four brothers. Ed Delaney and John Delaney who are older...
50.		Henry Rollins Actor, Heat In 1980 Henry Rollins was a teenager living in Arlington, Virginia, just over the river from Washington, DC. He worked as the shift manager for a Haagen-Dazs ice cream shop near Georgetown University, and was a huge fan of a Southern California punk rock band called Black Flag. One day he and his...