Celebrity Birthdays - August

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 –

Meagan Good is the kind of actress who could walk into a scene with three lines and walk out with the whole movie. She’s got that “cool older cousin energy” that makes you want to borrow her clothes and her life advice. Honestly, if confidence had a face, it’d probably look like Meagan giving you side-eye and saying, “You’re really wearing that?”

August 8, 1981, Panorama City, LA, California

Trivia

• Young Prodigy: Meagan began acting in commercials at age four and had appeared in over 60 by the time she was a teen.
• Directorial Debut: She directed the 2022 film If Not Now, When?, co-starring and co-producing alongside longtime friends.
• Author: She co-wrote The Wait with her then-husband, DeVon Franklin, a best-selling relationship book about love, faith, and timing.
• Fashion Icon: Meagan’s style has long been admired for its boldness, edge, and individuality. Whether on the red carpet or in character, she always turns heads.

Blake Lively went from sharing a magical pair of jeans to ruling Manhattan's Upper East Side, fighting a shark, refusing to age and making a simple favor anything but simple. Along the way, the Gossip Girl star became a producer, director and one of Hollywood's most recognizable leading ladies—apparently deciding that merely surviving Serena van der Woodsen's social calendar wasn't challenging enough.

August 25, 1987, in Los Angeles, California

Trivia

• Blake grew up in an acting family.
• She was class president in high school.
• She played Serena in 121 Gossip Girl episodes.
• She married Ryan Reynolds in 2012.
• The Shallows pitted her against a great white shark.
• She made her directing debut with a Taylor Swift video.

Lil Yachty sailed into hip-hop calling himself Lil Boat, sporting bright red braids and making music that sounded as though somebody had mixed Atlanta rap, Saturday-morning cartoons and a bag of brightly colored candy in the same recording studio. Then, just when everyone thought they had him figured out, he started experimenting with psychedelic rock, alternative music and live instrumentation. Apparently nobody told Yachty that musicians are supposed to remain conveniently inside the little genre box provided for them.

August 23, 1997, in Mableton, Georgia

Trivia

• His real name is Miles Parks McCollum.
• He is also known as Lil Boat.
• “Minnesota” helped launch his career in 2015.
• “One Night” became his breakthrough platinum hit.
• “Broccoli” earned him a Grammy nomination.
• He briefly attended Alabama State University.
• Let's Start Here embraced psychedelic rock.

Ben Barnes has enjoyed the sort of acting career that suggests somebody handed him a checklist reading “prince, immortal aristocrat, murderous billionaire, Marvel villain, dark wizard” and he simply replied, “Yes.” Add accomplished singer and musician to the collection, and Barnes has apparently decided that having one respectable career at a time is unnecessarily restrictive.

August 20, 1981, in London, England

Trivia

• He studied drama and English literature at Kingston University and graduated with honors in 2004.
• Before becoming a major actor, Barnes performed with the National Youth Music Theatre and was a member of the boy band Hyrise.
• His breakthrough role was Prince Caspian, which he played in two Chronicles of Narnia films.
• Barnes tried to buy his Dorian Gray portrait as a gift for his mother, but the painting eventually went to a museum instead.
• He has played major characters in Westworld, The Punisher and Shadow and Bone.
• Barnes released his debut full-length album, Where the Light Gets In, in 2025.

Elvis Costello took a perfectly respectable name like Declan Patrick MacManus, borrowed the first name of rock-and-roll royalty, put on enormous glasses and proceeded to spend decades making it impossible to decide exactly what sort of musician he was. Rock, punk, New Wave, country, jazz, classical and sophisticated pop have all received visits—and Costello apparently never saw a musical boundary he couldn't wander across.

August 25, 1954, in London, England

Trivia

• His real name is Declan Patrick MacManus.
• His father was professional singer Ross MacManus.
• He once worked as a computer operator.
• “Oliver's Army” became his biggest UK single.
• He co-wrote several songs with Paul McCartney.
• He married jazz star Diana Krall in 2003.
• The Attractions entered the Rock Hall with him in 2003.

Neil Armstrong traveled nearly a quarter of a million miles, landed a fragile spacecraft on another world with fuel running dangerously low, and then stepped outside as hundreds of millions of people watched. Most of us become flustered when someone watches us parallel park. Armstrong handled the most closely observed arrival in human history with the calm manner of a man who appeared to be checking whether the Moon had been delivered in satisfactory condition.

August 5, 1930, near Wapakoneta, Ohio

August 25, 2012, in Cincinnati, Ohio

Trivia

• Earned his student pilot certificate at age 16.
• Learned to fly before receiving a driver’s license.
• Achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
• Studied aeronautical engineering at Purdue University.
• Served as a naval aviator during the Korean War.
• Flew 78 combat missions over Korea.
• Piloted the F9F Panther fighter jet.
• Became a civilian experimental test pilot.
• Flew more than 200 types of aircraft.
• Piloted the rocket-powered X-15.

Christian Slater possesses one of those voices that could probably make reading the instructions for a dishwasher sound slightly dangerous. After breaking through as the rebellious Jason "J.D." Dean in Heathers, Slater became one of the most recognizable young actors of the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in Pump Up the Volume, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, True Romance and Interview with the Vampire. Decades later, Mr. Robot introduced him to another generation and finally brought him a Golden Globe.

August 18, 1969, in New York City

Trivia

• He began acting professionally as a child and appeared on One Life to Live at about eight years old.
• His mother, Mary Jo Slater, became a prominent casting executive in film and television.
• Slater made his Broadway debut as a child in The Music Man.
• His performance as J.D. in Heathers helped turn the film into an enduring cult classic.
• He donated his salary from Interview with the Vampire to charities associated with River Phoenix after replacing the late actor.
• Slater won a Golden Globe in 2016 for his performance in Mr. Robot.

Jennifer Coolidge has spent decades proving that you don't need to be the leading lady to walk away with the movie. Give her three minutes, an outrageous outfit and a few lines of dialogue, and there is an excellent chance nobody remembers what the leading lady was doing anyway.

August 28, 1961, in Boston, Massachusetts

Trivia

• Studied theater at Emerson College.
• Trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
• Was a member of The Groundlings.
• Made an early TV appearance on Seinfeld.
• Mike White wrote Tanya with Coolidge in mind.
• Her New Orleans home was used in The Beguiled.
• She has won two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Taika Waititi has built a career by approaching filmmaking as though somebody accidentally left him alone with the studio keys. He has directed vampires sharing a flat, a troublesome boy roaming the New Zealand wilderness, the Norse god of thunder having an identity crisis, and himself as an imaginary Adolf Hitler. Somewhere along the way he won an Academy Award, proving that occasionally the person causing all the trouble really does know exactly what he is doing.

August 16, 1975, in Wellington, New Zealand

Trivia

• His short film Two Cars, One Night earned him his first Academy Award nomination.
• Much of the dialogue in What We Do in the Shadows was improvised rather than performed directly from a complete script.
• Waititi frequently acts in films he directs, including as Viago, Alamein, Korg and the imaginary Hitler in Jojo Rabbit.
• He won the Academy Award and BAFTA for the adapted screenplay of Jojo Rabbit.
• He also won a Grammy for the Jojo Rabbit compilation soundtrack.
• Waititi is also an experienced painter and photographer and has exhibited his visual artwork.

Barbara Eden spent five seasons living in a bottle, blinking her way through impossible situations and trying very hard not to get Major Nelson court-martialed. As Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie, she became one of the most recognizable television stars of the 1960s, although after watching her turn living rooms into palaces and make troublesome people disappear, generations of viewers were left wondering why household appliances still required switches.

August 23, 1931, in Tucson, Arizona

Trivia

• Eden was crowned Miss San Francisco in 1951.
• She appeared with Elvis Presley in Flaming Star.
• I Dream of Jeannie ran for five seasons.
• Jeannie's bottle began as a liquor decanter.
• NBC famously worried about showing Jeannie's navel.
• Eden later starred in Harper Valley PTA.
• She received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1988.

Most people struggle to decide what they want to do with their lives. Greta Gerwig apparently looked at the entertainment industry and replied, "Yes." Acting? Certainly. Writing? Absolutely. Directing? Why not? Before long, she was collecting Academy Award nominations while proving that heartfelt stories, sharp humor, and unforgettable characters can happily share the same screen.

August 4, 1983, in Sacramento, California

Trivia

• Began her career in independent "mumblecore" films.
• Co-wrote and starred in Frances Ha.
• Directed Lady Bird (2017).
• Earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
• Directed Little Women (2019).
• Directed the global blockbuster Barbie (2023).
• Co-writes frequently with Noah Baumbach.
• Has received multiple Academy Award nominations.
• Is known for character-driven storytelling.
• Combines humor with emotional depth in her films.

Mark’s the kind of guy who could make a guitar solo so laid-back you’d swear it was reclining in a hammock — and yet, it would still melt your face off. He doesn’t need pyrotechnics; he’s got tone for days.

August 12, 1949, in Glasgow, Scotland

Trivia

• Dire Straits Founder: Formed in 1977.
• Signature Sound: Fingerstyle guitar, no pick needed.
• Songwriting Icon: Known for cinematic lyrics and storytelling.
• Award Winner: Multiple Grammys with Dire Straits.
• Film Composer: Scored The Princess Bride and Local Hero.

Some actors spend years searching for the role of a lifetime. Sam Worthington found one that required him to become a towering blue alien, ride flying creatures, and save an entire planet. It's safe to say that most workplace dress codes don't prepare you for that. Still, if someone offered you a trip to Pandora, you'd probably ask where to park rather than whether the job came with health insurance.

August 2, 1976, in Godalming, England

Trivia

• Graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).
• Starred as Jake Sully in James Cameron's Avatar franchise.
• Avatar became one of the highest-grossing films in history.
• Returned as Jake Sully in Avatar: The Way of Water.
• Played Perseus in Clash of the Titans and Wrath of the Titans.
• Appeared in the acclaimed war film Hacksaw Ridge.
• Starred in Everest, based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster.
• Played a major role in Under the Banner of Heaven.
• Known for performing physically demanding action roles.

Anna Gunn didn’t just play Skyler White—she owned Skyler White. She’s the TV wife who could balance a checkbook, outwit a drug kingpin, and deliver a withering glare that could stop a freight train. If you’re ever tempted to start a secret criminal enterprise, remember: somewhere out there is an Anna Gunn character who will catch you, call you out, and still manage to make you feel bad for missing dinner.

August 11, 1968, in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Trivia

• Double Emmy Winner: Outstanding Supporting Actress for Breaking Bad in 2013 and 2014.
• Stage Presence: Appeared on Broadway in The Rehearsal.
• Western Roots: Played Martha Bullock in HBO’s Deadwood.
• Versatile Performer: Has worked in drama, comedy, film, and theater.
• Strong Advocate: Speaks out on gender representation in entertainment.

Aaron Paul became internationally famous playing Jesse Pinkman, a young man whose career choices could generously be described as catastrophically poor. Fortunately, Paul's own decisions worked out rather better. His emotionally raw performance in Breaking Bad turned what could have been a supporting character into one of television's most memorable figures, earned him three Primetime Emmy Awards and ensured that the word "bitch" would never again sound quite the same coming from anyone else.

August 27, 1979, in Emmett, Idaho

Trivia

• His father was a Baptist minister.
• Jesse Pinkman was originally supposed to die early.
• Paul won three Emmys for playing Jesse.
• He voiced Todd Chavez in BoJack Horseman.
• Bryan Cranston is his son's godfather.

Warren Buffett has spent a lifetime proving that you can become one of history's most successful investors without shouting into three monitors, buying a yacht shaped like another yacht, or describing every financial decision as "disruptive." The Oracle of Omaha built his reputation with patience, common sense and an extraordinary ability to recognize a good business—and on August 30, the man who made compound interest look almost exciting celebrates another birthday.

August 30, 1930, in Omaha, Nebraska

Trivia

• Warren bought his first stock at age 11.
• Studied under Benjamin Graham at Columbia.
• Took control of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965.
• Has lived for decades in a house bought in 1958.
• Charlie Munger was his longtime business partner.
• Has pledged over 99% of his wealth to philanthropy.
• Stepped down as Berkshire CEO at the end of 2025.

Bob Balaban has spent more than half a century perfecting the art of appearing completely reasonable while surrounded by people who have clearly lost control of the situation. Whether navigating Christopher Guest's wonderfully peculiar world in A Mighty Wind, joining the enormous ensemble of Gosford Park, or calmly investigating extraterrestrial musical communication in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Balaban has become one of Hollywood's great "Oh, I know that guy!" actors — which, after hundreds of performances, is practically an honorary title.

August 16, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois

Trivia

• Balaban made his Broadway debut in the original 1968 production of Neil Simon's Plaza Suite.
• He appeared in the 1969 Academy Award-winning film Midnight Cowboy early in his screen career.
• In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Balaban played interpreter and cartographer David Laughlin alongside real-life French director François Truffaut.
• Balaban played fictional NBC president Russell Dalrymple in several memorable episodes of Seinfeld.
• He received an Academy Award nomination as one of the producers of Gosford Park.
• In addition to acting and directing, Balaban wrote the McGrowl series of children's books about a bionic dog.

Anthony Anderson has spent decades proving that the fellow making you laugh in one scene may be perfectly capable of frightening the daylights out of you in the next. Comedy eventually became his calling card, particularly as the wonderfully opinionated Andre “Dre” Johnson on black-ish, but Anderson’s résumé includes cops, criminals, fathers, game-show hosting, animated characters and enough movie appearances to make channel surfing unexpectedly complicated. If Anthony Anderson appears on the screen, there is a reasonable chance something funny is about to happen.

August 15, 1970, in Los Angeles, California

Trivia

• Anderson played Detective Kevin Bernard on Law & Order.
• He returned to Law & Order when the series was revived in 2022.
• He starred as Andre “Dre” Johnson throughout all eight seasons of black-ish.
• He was also an executive producer of black-ish.
• He received seven consecutive Emmy nominations for playing Dre.
• Anderson received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2020.
• He was named a Disney Legend in 2022.
• He hosted ABC's revival of To Tell the Truth.
• He has hosted food and travel television programs.

Charlize Theron is the kind of actress who can beat up ten guys in a stairwell, deliver a monologue about existential despair, and then walk into a Dior ad like nothing happened. If elegance and danger had a baby, it would be named Charlize and already have an Oscar. She’s so cool, even her scowls are frame-worthy.

August 7, 1975, in Benoni, South Africa

Trivia

• Multilingual Star: Theron speaks fluent Afrikaans and learned Zulu as a child—making her an action hero and a polyglot.
• Oscar History: She was the first South African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category.
• Stunt Cred: She does most of her own stunts, especially in films like Atomic Blonde, where she trained so hard she cracked teeth.
• Adoption Advocate: Charlize is a proud mother of two adopted children and an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and women’s empowerment.

Earvin “Magic” Johnson earned his nickname before he was old enough to legally order a celebratory beer, and then spent the next several decades making sure nobody asked for it back. He won championships, turned passing a basketball into performance art, helped make the Lakers' Showtime era compulsory television, survived one of the most frightening announcements of his life, built a formidable business career and eventually started collecting pieces of professional sports teams. Most people would consider five NBA championships a satisfactory life's work. Magic apparently considered them something to do before going into business.

August 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan

Trivia

• Sportswriter Fred Stabley Jr. gave him the nickname “Magic” during high school.
• He led Everett High School to a Michigan state championship.
• Johnson played two seasons at Michigan State University.
• Michigan State won the 1979 NCAA championship.
• The championship game featured Magic Johnson against Larry Bird.
• Johnson was the first overall selection in the 1979 NBA Draft.
• He spent his entire NBA playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
• His Lakers jersey number was 32.
• Johnson won five NBA championships.
• He was NBA Finals MVP three times.
• He won three regular-season NBA MVP awards.
• He was selected to 12 NBA All-Star Games.
• Johnson averaged 11.2 assists per game during his NBA career.