Today CXLV

Birthdays:

• Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaisière, astronomer, discovered what are now known as the Messier objects M32, M36 and M38, as well as the nebulosity in M8, and he was the first to catalogue the dark nebula sometimes known as Le Gentil 3, September 12, 1725 – October 22, 1792


• Richard March Hoe, inventor of the rotary printing press, September 12, 1812 - June 7, 1886


• Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor of the Gatling gun, the first successful rapid-repeating fire arm; in 1862, founded the Gatling Gun Company, which merged with Colt in 1897, September 12, 1818 – February 26, 1903


• Henry Louis [H. L.] Mencken, journalist, satirist, social critic, cynic, and freethinker, known as the "Sage of Baltimore," September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956


• Maurice Chevalier, actor, singer, and popular entertainer, whose signature songs included Louise, Mimi, and Valentine; he made his name as a star of musical comedy, appearing in public as a singer and dancer at an early age, September 12, 1888 – January 1, 1972


• Alfred A. Knopf, publisher, September 12, 1892 – August 11, 1984


• Irène Joliot-Curie, scientist, the daughter of Pierre and Marie Curie, and the wife of Frédéric Joliot-Curie, whom she married in 1926, at which time the couple both hyphenated their surnames; they shared the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; in 1938, her research on the action of neutrons on the heavy elements, was an important step in the discovery of nuclear fission, September 12, 1897 – March 17, 1956


• Benjamin Bernstein, aka Ben Blue, actor and comedian, and dance instructor, dance school owner, and nightclub proprietor, began his motion picture career doing short films for Warner Brothers Studios in 1926, and later worked at the Hal Roach Studios, Paramount Studios, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; like his The Big Broadcast of 1938 co-star Bob Hope, he was a radio comedian; in 1950, he had his own TV series, The Ben Blue Show, and was a regular on The Frank Sinatra Show, September 12, 1901 – March 7, 1975


• James Cleveland JESSE Owens, athlete and civic leader, represented the U.S. in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals; awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976 and, posthumously, the Congressional Gold Medal in 1990, September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980


• Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn, actor, famous for playing Q in the James Bond films, September 12, 1914 – December 19, 1999


• Stanisław Lem, poet, and science fiction, philosophical, and satirical writer, whose books have been translated into 41 languages, made his literary debut in 1946 as a poet, and at that time, also published several dime novels, September 12, 1921 – March 27, 2006


• Stanley Edward STAN Lopata, former MLB catcher, a two-time All-Star who played for parts of 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Braves, 1925


• Ian Holm Cuthbert, aka Sir Ian Holm CBE, actor known for his stage work and for film roles in The Lord of the Rings and The Fifth Element; won a Tony Award in 1967 for Best Featured Actor in a Play as Lenny in The Homecoming; won a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for Chariots of Fire; has played Napoleon Bonaparte three times, 1931


• George Glenn Jones, country singer, 1931


• George Čuvalo, aka George Chuvalo CM, heavyweight boxer, 1958 to 1979, with a 73-20 record, 1937


• Michael Stephen MICKEY Lolich, former MLB pitcher from 1962 until 1979, playing the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers; in the 1968 World Series, he allowed just five runs in three complete games, winning all three including the final and decisive game; awarded the World Series MVP Award; won 14 or more games for ten consecutive seasons, including 25 in 1971 and 22 in 1972; struck out 200 or more batters seven times during his career, and ranks third among lefthanders in career strikeouts with 2,832; won the Babe Ruth Award in 1968, 1940


• MARIA Garsia Rosa Domenica D'Amato MULDAUR, roots-folk and blues singer, best known for Midnight at the Oasis, 1943


• Philip Michael Ondaatje, OC, novelist and poet, known for his Booker Prize-winning novel, adapted into an Academy-Award-winning film, The English Patient, 1943


• Barry Eugene Carter, aka Barry White, soul and disco singer and record producer, September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003


• Joseph Carl JOE Pantoliano, actor, played Cypher in The Matrix, and Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos; in 2003, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for role on The Sopranos, 1951


• Neil Ellwood Peart OC, drummer and lyricist for Rush, which he joined in 1974; has received many awards in the Modern Drummer magazine readers' poll, including Hall of Fame in 1983, the author of three non-fiction books, 1952


• Gerry Beckley, guitarist, a founding member of the rock band America, 1952


• Peter Scolari, television, film, and stage actor, and juggler, appeared in the television series Bosom Buddies, Newhart, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, 1955


• Barry Andrews, musician, guitarist, sculptor, and furniture maker, was a member of the XTC and League of Gentlemen, 1956


• Hans Florian Zimmer, composer, best known for his film scores, began his musical career playing keyboards and synthesizers with Ultravox and The Buggles, among others; nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning for The Lion King, and four Grammy Awards, winning for The Crimson Tide, 1957


• Rachel Claire Ward, granddaughter of the 3rd Earl of Dudley, actress and director, became well known when she starred in the mini-series The Thorn Birds, 1957


• Amy Yasbeck, film and television actress, widow of John Ritter, 1962


• Benjamin BEN Scott Folds, pianist, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, the former front man for the Ben Folds Five, 1966


• Patrick Allan PAT Listach, former MLB shortstop from 1992 to 1997, the 1992 AL Rookie of the Year, 1967


• Lawrence LER LaLonde, guitarist, currently plays for Primus, 1968


• James Louis McCartney, musician, guitarist and drummer, songwriter, and sculptor, the son of Paul and the late Linda McCartney, 1977


• Sean Patrick Burroughs, MLB third baseman for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 1980


• Yao Ming, 7' 6" professional basketball player, 1980


• Emmanuelle Grey EMMY Rossum, actress and singer, best known for her leading roles in the films The Day After Tomorrow and the 2004 version of The Phantom of the Opera, 1986

RIP:

• Jean-Philippe Rameau, composer and music theorist of the Baroque era, replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera, September 25, 1683 - September 12, 1764


• Thomas Dickson Armour, professional golfer, September 24, 1894 – September 12, 1968


• William Lawrence Boyd, actor, best known for his role as Hopalong Cassidy, June 5, 1895 - September 12, 1972


• Stephen Bantu Biko, nonviolent anti-apartheid activist in South Africa; on August 18, 1977, he was arrested at a police roadblock, and died shortly after his arrival in the Pretoria prison; police claimed his death was the result of an extended hunger strike, but he was found to have massive injuries to the head which many saw as strong evidence that he had been heavily and brutally clubbed; on February 2, 1978, the Attorney-General of the Eastern Cape stated that he would not prosecute any police involved in the arrest and detention of Biko; on October 7, 2003, the South African Justice Ministry officials announced that the five policemen who were accused of killing Biko would not be prosecuted because of insufficient evidence, December 18, 1946 – September 12, 1977


• Eugenio Montale, poet, prose writer, editor, and translator, winner of the 1975 Nobel Prize for Literature, October 12, 1896 – September 12, 1981


• Anthony Perkins, actor, best known for his 1960 role as Norman Bates in Psycho; his first movie was The Actress; he received an Academy Award nomination for his role in his second film, Friendly Persuasion; starred in the sequels and prequel to Psycho, including Psycho II, Psycho III, which he directed, and Psycho IV: The Beginning, April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992


• Raymond William Stacey Burr, actor, best known for his roles as Perry Mason and Ironside, May 21, 1917 – September 12, 1993


• William Joseph WILLIE Mosconi, billiards player, winner of the United States Pool Championship eighteen times, June 27, 1913 – September 12, 1993


• Samuel Yewell Tompkins, aka Tom Ewell, actor, April 29, 1909 – September 12, 1994


• Boris Borisovich Yegorov doctor and cosmonaut, earned a doctorate in medicine, with his specialisation being the sense of balance, November 26, 1937 – September 12, 1994


• Peter Jeremy William Huggins, aka Jeremy Brett, actor, appeared in many films and television series during his 40-year career; best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes in a decade-long, 1984 to 1994, series television films, adapted by John Hawkesworth and other writers from the original Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, November 3, 1933 – September 12, 1995


• Stanley William Turrentine, jazz tenor saxophonist, began his career with blues and rhythm and blues bands; in the 1960's, he started working with organist Jimmy Smith, and made many soul jazz recordings both with Smith and as a leader; in the 1970's, he turned to jazz fusion; he returned to soul jazz in the 1980's and into the 1990's, April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000


• Yee Keung Victor Wong, starred as the grandfather in the popular 3 Ninjas series, in Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Emperor, Shanghai Surprise, and The Golden Child, July 30, 1927 – September 12, 2001


• John R. JOHNNY Cash, country and rock music singer and songwriter, known for his deep and distinctive voice, the boom-chick-a-boom or "freight train" sound of his Tennessee Three backing band, and his dark clothing and demeanor, started all his concerts with the introduction "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash;" sold over 50 million albums in his nearly 50 year career; his diversity was evidenced by his presence in four major music halls of fame: the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003