Celebrity Birthdays - August

Steve Guttenberg became an '80s movie favorite by joining the Police Academy, discovering Cocoon aliens, befriending Number 5 and attempting to change diapers with Tom Selleck and Ted Danson. Considering that résumé, an ordinary day at the office must have seemed terribly dull.

August 24, 1958, in Brooklyn, New York

Trivia

• He headed to Hollywood soon after high school.
• Diner helped launch his movie career.
• He played Mahoney in four Police Academy films.
• He starred in Cocoon and its sequel.
• He helped teach Number 5 about life in Short Circuit.
• Three Men and a Baby topped the 1987 domestic box office.
• He competed on Dancing with the Stars.

Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s often meant one thing on Thursday nights: if Vanessa Huxtable was in trouble, millions of families were probably watching to see how she'd get out of it. Tempestt Bledsoe spent her childhood doing homework between television scenes, growing up in front of America while somehow keeping the same warmth and charm that first made audiences fall in love with her. That's no small feat when your teenage years are permanently preserved in television reruns.

August 1, 1973, in Chicago, Illinois

Trivia

• Began acting in television commercials as a child.
• Played Vanessa Huxtable on The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992.
• Appeared in nearly every episode of the series.
• Earned a finance degree from New York University.
• Hosted The Tempestt Bledsoe Show.
• Starred in the sitcom Guys with Kids.
• Has performed voice acting for animated television series.
• Successfully transitioned from child star to adult actress.
• Has enjoyed a professional entertainment career spanning more than 40 years.
• Is known for keeping a low-profile private life despite early fame.

Billy Boyd became internationally famous as Peregrin "Pippin" Took in The Lord of the Rings, proving that even the fellow most likely to knock something down a well can eventually help save Middle-earth. Behind the curious hobbit, however, is a Scottish actor, musician and songwriter whose career reaches from Glasgow stages to some of the biggest films ever made.

August 28, 1968, in Glasgow, Scotland

Trivia

• He once worked as a bookbinder.
• He trained at drama school in Glasgow.
• Boyd plays guitar and sings.
• He fronts the band Beecake.
• He composed Pippin's haunting movie melody.
• He performed "The Last Goodbye."

Phoebe Bridgers has somehow made a remarkably successful career out of sounding as though she has just remembered something devastating while standing alone in a supermarket parking lot at 2:00 in the morning. Armed with a guitar, a wonderfully dry sense of humor, an occasional skeleton suit and lyrics capable of turning everyday disappointment into an existential crisis, Bridgers has become one of the defining singer-songwriters of her generation. And just when listeners think a song couldn't possibly become more melancholy, the orchestra arrives.

August 17, 1994, in Orange, California

Trivia

• Bridgers began playing guitar at around 12 or 13 years old and performed as a teenager around the Los Angeles area.
• Before her solo breakthrough, she played bass in the band Sloppy Jane.
• She attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where she studied vocal jazz.
• Bridgers formed boygenius with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus in 2018.
• She won four Grammy Awards in a single night in 2024—three connected to boygenius and one for her collaboration with SZA.
• Her record label, Saddest Factory Records, takes its name from a play on the word “satisfactory.”
• Her third solo album, Lost Weekend, arrived on August 14, 2026—only three days before her 32nd birthday.

Brian Blessed doesn’t just enter a room—he conquers it, plants a flag, and declares it his kingdom in a voice that can be heard from three postcodes away. He’s the only man alive who could narrate your grocery shopping and make it sound like an epic quest. If the world ever faces an alien invasion, Blessed won’t need a weapon—he’ll just shout “GORDON’S ALIVE!” and watch them flee.

October 9, 1936, in Mexborough, Yorkshire, England

Trivia

• Royal Connection: A friend of Queen Elizabeth II, Blessed once delivered a Shakespeare monologue at Buckingham Palace at her personal request.
• Everest Obsession: Came within 1,000 feet of the summit of Everest without oxygen—an extraordinary feat even for experienced climbers.
• Voice of Authority: Has voiced everything from animated characters to GPS systems, with fans requesting “the Brian Blessed voice” for decades.
• Loud Legacy: Officially recognized for having one of the loudest voices in the acting world, capable of being heard across a crowded field without a microphone.

River Phoenix became one of Hollywood’s most respected young actors before he was old enough to complain convincingly about turning 30. With Stand by Me, Running on Empty, My Own Private Idaho and even a turn as young Indiana Jones, Phoenix demonstrated a natural screen presence that made acting look almost suspiciously easy. His career lasted only a few years, but the performances he left behind continue to explain why his name remains so familiar decades later.

August 23, 1970, in Madras, Oregon

October 31, 1993, in West Hollywood, California

Trivia

• River Phoenix was the older brother of actor Joaquin Phoenix.
• His film debut was Explorers in 1985.
• He played Chris Chambers in Stand by Me.
• He earned an Oscar nomination at only 18.
• He played young Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade.
• He was a singer and guitarist in Aleka’s Attic.
• He won Venice’s Volpi Cup for My Own Private Idaho.

Leslie Odom Jr. has the kind of voice that makes you question your own life decisions—like why you ever thought karaoke was a good idea. Whether he’s belting out show tunes, crooning a jazz ballad, or casually dropping an Oscar-nominated performance, he does it all with the effortless cool of someone who probably even brushes his teeth on beat. If charisma were a superpower, Leslie would already be running the Avengers and producing the soundtrack.

August 6, 1981, in Queens, New York, New York

Trivia

• Award Winner: Odom Jr. has taken home a Tony and a Grammy. The man’s got more hardware than a Home Depot aisle.
• Author: He penned a motivational book called Failing Up, proving that even his setbacks are inspiring.
• Family Man: He’s married to actress Nicolette Robinson, and the two frequently perform and record together—think power couple, but with perfect pitch.
• Voice of Gold: His Christmas albums are so smooth, even Santa puts down the eggnog and listens.

Amanda Tapping spent years protecting Earth from Goa'uld System Lords, Replicators and assorted intergalactic troublemakers in Stargate SG-1, which makes the average day at the office sound rather uneventful. As Samantha Carter, she brought brains, courage and considerable firepower to science fiction television—and then moved behind the camera and started telling everybody else what to do.

August 28, 1965, in Rochford, England

Trivia

• Amanda grew up in Ontario, Canada.
• She studied drama at the University of Windsor.
• She co-founded the comedy troupe Random Acts.
• She directed an episode of Stargate SG-1.
• She starred in and produced Sanctuary.
• She co-founded Sanctuary for Kids.

Andy Samberg has spent much of his professional life demonstrating that ridiculous ideas become considerably less ridiculous when pursued with absolute commitment. Whether he is solving crimes as Jake Peralta in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, singing about questionable activities with The Lonely Island, getting trapped in an endless wedding day in Palm Springs, or wearing a wig that appears to have its own representation, Samberg has built a career around intelligent comedy pretending not to be intelligent.

August 18, 1978, in Berkeley, California

Trivia

• Samberg graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2000.
• He spent seven seasons on Saturday Night Live, from 2005 until 2012.
• "Dick in a Box," performed with Justin Timberlake, won an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.
• Samberg won a Golden Globe in 2014 for playing Jake Peralta in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
• He voiced Johnny throughout the Hotel Transylvania movie franchise.
• Samberg has been married to musician and harpist Joanna Newsom since 2013.

Emily Hampshire has turned deadpan sarcasm into something approaching an Olympic event, winning audiences over as Stevie Budd on Schitt’s Creek while building a career filled with comedy, drama, science fiction and characters who frequently look as though they have already heard your excuse and aren't buying a word of it.

August 29, 1981, in Montreal, Quebec

Trivia

• Emily played Stevie Budd for all six seasons of Schitt’s Creek.
• She played Jennifer Goines in 12 Monkeys.
• Hampshire voiced Misery in Ruby Gloom.
• She appeared in David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis.
• She won a Canadian Comedy Award for My Awkward Sexual Adventure.
• She shared a 2021 SAG Award with the Schitt’s Creek ensemble.

Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in one NBA game, grabbed 55 rebounds in another and once averaged 48.5 minutes per game in a sport where regulation games last 48 minutes. At some point you stop describing those numbers as impressive and begin wondering whether Wilt had been informed that basketball records were supposed to be difficult to break.

August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

October 12, 1999, in Bel-Air, California

Trivia

• Chamberlain stood 7 feet 1 inch tall and was an accomplished track-and-field athlete as well as a basketball player.
• He spent a season with the Harlem Globetrotters before entering the NBA.
• As a rookie, he won both NBA Rookie of the Year and league MVP.
• Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962, a record that still stands.
• During the 1961–62 season, he averaged an almost unbelievable 50.4 points and 48.5 minutes per game.
• His 55 rebounds in a single game remain another NBA record.
• After years of dominating as a scorer, Chamberlain led the NBA in total assists in 1967–68.
• He retired with 23,924 rebounds, still the highest career total in NBA history.

Playing the President of the United States is impressive. Playing him so convincingly that people still wish they could vote for you years later is something else entirely. Martin Sheen has spent a lifetime portraying soldiers, leaders, revolutionaries, and ordinary men facing extraordinary circumstances, all while proving that great acting doesn't require the loudest voice—just the most believable one.

August 3, 1940, in Dayton, Ohio

Trivia

• Starred as Captain Benjamin Willard in Apocalypse Now.
• Played President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet in The West Wing.
• Won a Golden Globe Award for The West Wing.
• Received numerous Primetime Emmy Award nominations throughout his career.
• Suffered a heart attack during the filming of Apocalypse Now but returned to finish the movie.
• Is the father of actors Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Renée Estevez, and Ramon Estevez.
• Has been married to Janet Sheen since 1961.
• Is well known for his humanitarian and social activism.
• Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sean Penn has spent more than four decades proving that the cheerful surfer dude from Fast Times at Ridgemont High was merely camouflage. Since then, he has played killers, grieving fathers, politicians, gangsters, soldiers and enough intensely troubled men to make Jeff Spicoli seem like he belonged to an entirely different actor. Add two Academy Awards, directing, writing, humanitarian work and a famously complicated relationship with celebrity, and Penn has built the sort of résumé that suggests relaxation has never been particularly high on his list of priorities.

August 17, 1960, in Santa Monica, California

Trivia

• His performance as Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High became his first iconic movie role.
• Penn has received five Best Actor Oscar nominations, winning for Mystic River and Milk.
• He directed the acclaimed 2007 film Into the Wild, based on Jon Krakauer's book about Christopher McCandless.
• Penn and Robin Wright have two children, Dylan and Hopper, both of whom entered the entertainment industry.
• He helped establish the disaster-relief organization that became CORE –

Michelle Yeoh is the only person who can deliver a heartfelt monologue, leap off a rooftop, disarm three henchmen mid-air, and still land with perfect hair. If she ever challenged gravity to a fight, gravity would politely bow out. Whether she’s dodging bullets, controlling universes, or schooling James Bond in how real spies get it done, Michelle Yeoh doesn’t just steal scenes—she high-kicks the doors off them.

August 6, 1962, in Ipoh, Malaysia

Trivia

• Royal Recognition: In 2023, Yeoh received the title of Tan Sri, one of Malaysia’s highest civilian honors—because "icon" wasn’t enough.
• Language Mastery: She speaks multiple languages, including English, Cantonese, and Malay, and often learns lines phonetically in others.
• Stunt Queen: Yeoh has done most of her own stunt work throughout her career, sometimes with wires, sometimes with sheer willpower.
• Bond Girl: She starred as Wai Lin opposite Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies, arguably making James Bond look like her sidekick.

Rudolf Schenker co-founded Scorpions, plays the sort of rhythm guitar capable of rearranging nearby furniture, and has spent more than half a century helping turn a German band into an international rock institution. If you've ever attempted an air-guitar performance of “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” Rudolf deserves at least part of the blame.

August 31, 1948, in Hildesheim, West Germany

Trivia

• He founded Scorpions in 1965.
• Michael Schenker is his younger brother.
• Rudolf primarily plays rhythm guitar.
• He is strongly associated with Flying V guitars.
• He co-wrote “Rock You Like a Hurricane.”
• He has occasionally sung lead vocals.
• Scorpions once announced—and abandoned—their retirement.

Steve Martin has spent more than half a century making it very difficult to decide what occupation to put beside his name. Comedian? Certainly. Actor? Absolutely. Writer? Several shelves' worth. Musician? Grammy-winning, thank you very much. Playwright, producer, art collector and television creator? Apparently the man has never encountered a lane he felt obliged to remain in. He once became one of America's biggest stand-up comedians while wearing a white suit, playing a banjo and pretending to be considerably more foolish than he actually was, then walked away from stand-up near the height of his fame because he'd decided he'd done enough. Most performers spend their lives trying to become Steve Martin. Steve Martin has spent his life repeatedly deciding to become somebody else.

August 14, 1945, in Waco, Texas

Trivia

• Martin learned magic long before he became famous as a comedian.
• He also practiced juggling during his early performing years.
• Martin learned banjo partly by slowing records down so he could identify individual notes.
• He studied philosophy at California State University, Long Beach, before transferring to UCLA.
• His interest in philosophy influenced the deliberately illogical structure of his early comedy.
• Martin considered becoming a professor before entertainment took over.
• He won an Emmy as a television writer years before becoming a famous stand-up comedian.
• His early writing work included The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
• Martin was never an official Saturday Night Live cast member despite becoming closely associated with the show.
• His white stand-up suit was deliberately chosen so audiences in large venues could see his physical movements more easily.

Chandra Wilson has spent decades playing Dr. Miranda Bailey on Grey's Anatomy, which means she has survived more hospital disasters, romantic complications, improbable medical emergencies and catastrophically unlucky doctors than anyone should reasonably encounter in several lifetimes. As the formidable physician affectionately known as "The Nazi" during the show's early years, Wilson turned Bailey into one of television's most enduring characters—and proved that you don't have to be the tallest person in the room when everybody already knows who's in charge.

August 27, 1969, in Houston, Texas

Trivia

• Wilson earned a BFA from NYU.
• She once worked for Deutsche Bank.
• Miranda Bailey debuted in 2005.
• Wilson has received five Emmy nominations.
• She has directed numerous Grey's Anatomy episodes.
• Wilson has also performed on Broadway.

Mike Colter has played lawyers, criminals, soldiers, priests and one exceptionally durable superhero who can stop bullets with his skin. At 6-foot-3 and equipped with a voice that could probably convince a parking meter to waive the fine, Colter has built a career around commanding the screen without needing to make much noise about it.

August 26, 1976, in Columbia, South Carolina

Trivia

• Mike stands just over 6-foot-3.
• A Soldier's Story inspired him to act.
• He earned an MFA from Rutgers University.
• He played Big Willie Little in Million Dollar Baby.
• Luke Cage first appeared in Jessica Jones.
• He received two Critics Choice nominations for Evil.

Robert Plant possesses one of those voices that requires very little introduction. A few seconds of “Whole Lotta Love,” “Black Dog,” or “Immigrant Song” and anyone within reasonable earshot knows exactly who has arrived. As the towering voice of Led Zeppelin, Plant helped redefine what a rock singer could sound like, while the years since Zeppelin have shown that he was never interested in spending the rest of his life simply polishing old trophies. More than half a century later, he remains musically curious, occasionally unpredictable, and quite capable of reminding younger singers who helped write the instruction manual.

August 20, 1948, in West Bromwich, England,

Trivia

• Before pursuing music professionally, he briefly trained to become a chartered accountant.
• Plant recommended his friend John Bonham when Jimmy Page was looking for a drummer for the band that became Led Zeppelin.
• His fascination with J.R.R. Tolkien influenced lyrics in several Led Zeppelin songs.
• Plant wrote the lyrics to “Stairway to Heaven,” while Jimmy Page composed the music.
• Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
• Plant and Alison Krauss won Album of the Year at the 2009 Grammys for Raising Sand.
• He was appointed a CBE for services to music in 2009.

Vera Farmiga is the kind of actress who could read a grocery list and still make you cry, question your life choices, and maybe check under the bed for demons. She’s played everything from a loving mom to a ghost-whispering paranormal investigator, and somehow always looks like she just walked out of a Vogue editorial—despite being surrounded by furniture that’s usually flying across the room. Seriously, if Farmiga shows up with a crucifix and a calm expression, you know things are not going to be calm for long.

August 6, 1973, Clifton, New Jersey

Trivia

• Bates Motel: Vera’s performance as Norma Bates in the TV series Bates Motel won her critical acclaim and an army of slightly uncomfortable fans.
• Family Talent: Her younger sister, Taissa Farmiga, is also a successful actress—clearly, dramatic flair runs in the family.
• Multilingual Marvel: Vera is fluent in Ukrainian and English, and has used both in interviews and films. She even once said she dreams in Ukrainian.
• Directorial Debut: In Higher Ground, she cast her real-life daughter as the younger version of her character. Now that’s a family affair.

Patrick Ewing spent much of his career standing between opposing players and the basket like a very large notice reading, “Access Denied.” He could score, rebound, block shots, and carry the expectations of New York basketball fans—possibly the only burden heavier than Patrick Ewing himself. For 15 seasons, Madison Square Garden belonged to the towering center whose intensity rarely changed, even when everyone around him was shouting, waving towels, or explaining why this year was definitely going to be the Knicks’ year.

August 5, 1962, in Kingston, Jamaica

Trivia

• Won the 1984 NCAA championship.
• Became a three-time First Team All-American.
• Won Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1992.
• Played center for the celebrated 1992 Dream Team.
• Selected first overall in the 1985 NBA Draft.
• Drafted by the New York Knicks.
• Won the 1986 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
• Selected to 11 NBA All-Star teams.
• Earned seven All-NBA selections.
• Named to three NBA All-Defensive Second Teams.
• Spent 15 seasons with the Knicks.
• Led New York to the NBA Finals in 1994.