On this day · Leo

August 17 birthdays

302 notable historical figures were born on August 17, and 176 died on this day. Everyone born on August 17 is a Leo.

20% of August 17 birthdays work in Arts & Music, more than any other field. More come from United States (87) than any other country.

Born on August 17

• Robert De Niro (born 1943. American actor (born 1943))
• Thierry Henry (born 1977. French football manager (born 1977))
• Sean Penn (born 1960. American actor and filmmaker (born 1960))
• Jiang Zemin (1926 to 2022. Leader of China from 1989 to 2002)
• Charles V (Emperor Charles I) (1887 to 1922. Habsburg monarch from 1916 to 1918)
• Marcus Garvey (1887 to 1940. Jamaican activist and orator (1887–1940))
• David Koresh (1959 to 1993. American religious cult leader (1959–1993))
• Nelson Piquet (born 1952. Brazilian racing driver (born 1952))
• Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1786 to 1861. Mother of Queen Victoria (1786–1861))
• Julian Fellowes (born 1949. English actor, writer, and politician (born 1949))
• V. S. Naipaul (1932 to 2018. Trinidadian-British writer (1932–2018))
• Leslie Groves (1896 to 1970. American military officer (1896–1970))
• John III Sobieski (1629 to 1696. Ruler of Poland–Lithuania from 1674 to 1696)
• Margaret Hamilton (software engineer) (born 1936. United States software engineer (born 1936))
• Tarja Turunen (born 1977. Finnish musician (born 1977))
• Lady Colin Campbell (born 1949. British author, socialite and television personality (born 1949))
• Muhammad Shah (1702 to 1748. Mughal emperor from 1719 to 1748)
• Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (1473 to 1483. English prince (born 1473))
• Mikhail Botvinnik (1911 to 1995. Soviet chess grandmaster (1911–1995))
• Philippe Aghion (born 1956. French economist (born 1956))
• Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. (1914 to 1988. American politician and businessman (1914–1988))
• Herta Müller (born 1953. German writer and Nobel Prize recipient (born 1953))
• Larry Ellison (born 1944. American businessman (born 1944))
• Marcelo Caetano (1906 to 1980. Prime Minister of Portugal from 1968 to 1974)
• Lisa Coleman (musician) (born 1960. American musician (born 1960))
• Deborah Feldman (born 1986. American-German writer, wrote the 2012 autobiography ''Unorthodox'')
• Andrés Pastrana Arango (born 1954. President of Colombia from 1998 to 2002)
• Mae West (1893 to 1980. American actress (1893–1980))
• William IX, Count of Poitiers (1153 to 1156. English prince (1153–1156))
• Jin Youzhi (1918 to 2015. Head of the House of Aisin-Gioro from 1994 to 2015)
• Elly Griffiths (born 1963. English crime novelist (born 1963))
• Riad Al Solh (1894 to 1951. Lebanese politician (1894–1951))
• George Melly (1926 to 2007. English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer, and lecturer (1926–2007))
• Traian Vuia (1872 to 1950. Romanian inventor and aviation pioneer (1872–1950))
• Tyrus Thomas (born 1986. American basketball player (born 1986))
• Mariano Rampolla (1843 to 1913. Italian cardinal (1843–1913))
• Ingrid Daubechies (born 1954. Belgian physicist and mathematician (born 1954))
• Mahboob Ali Khan (1866 to 1911. Nizam of Hyderabad from 1869 to 1911)
• Geoffrey Elton (1921 to 1994. German–British historian (1921–1994))
• Patrick Manning (1946 to 2016. Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (1991–1995, 2001–2010))
• Rachel Pollack (1945 to 2023. American writer (1945–2023))
• Mohamed Abdelaziz (Sahrawi politician) (1947 to 2016. Sahrawi President from 1976 to 2016)
• Rexhep Meidani (born 1944. President of Albania from 1997 to 2002)
• Jeremi Wiśniowiecki (1612 to 1651. Polish politician (1612–1651))
• Gail Berman (born 1956. American producer and television executive)
• Lennart Torstensson (1603 to 1651. Swedish Field Marshal, Privy Councillor and Governor-General (1603–1651))
• Robert Thirsk (born 1953. Canadian engineer, astronaut and physician (born 1953))
• Maureen O'Hara (1920 to 2015. Irish and American actress (1920–2015))
• Charles Rogier (1800 to 1885. Belgian journalist, statesman)
• Gian Marco (born 1970. Peruvian musician (born 1970))
• Dot Allison (born 1969. Musical artist)
• Mikhail Pokrovsky (1868 to 1932. Russian Soviet historian, revolutionary and writer (1868–1932))
• Austin Butler (born 1991. American actor (born 1991))
• Geraint Jarman (1950 to 2025. Welsh musician (1950–2025))
• Gabriel Kolko (1932 to 2014. American historian (1932–2014))
• Panagiotis Kondylis (1943 to 1998. Greek philosopher and intellectual historian (1943–1998))
• Philibert I, Duke of Savoy (1465 to 1482. Duke of Savoy from 1472 to 1482)
• Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin (1936 to 2006. Ethiopian novelist and poet (1936–2006))
• Carlos Cruz-Diez (1923 to 2019. Venezuelan artist (1923–2019))
• Barbu Știrbei (1799 to 1869. Prince of Wallachia (1799–1869))

Died on August 17

• Frederick the Great (1712 to 1786. King of Prussia from 1740 to 1786)
• Zia-ul-Haq (1924 to 1988. 6th President of Pakistan from 1978 to 1988)
• Rudolf Hess (1894 to 1987. German Nazi politician (1894–1987))
• Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 to 1969. German-American architect (1886–1969))
• José de San Martín (1778 to 1850. Argentine general and leader (1778–1850))
• Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. (1914 to 1988. American politician and businessman (1914–1988))
• Ira Gershwin (1896 to 1983. American lyricist (1896–1983))
• Francesco Cossiga (1928 to 2010. President of Italy from 1985 to 1992)
• Fernand Léger (1881 to 1955. French painter (1881–1955))
• Umberto Boccioni (1882 to 1916. Italian painter and sculptor (1882–1916))
• Irène Némirovsky (1903 to 1942. French novelist (1903–1942))
• Madan Lal Dhingra (1883 to 1909. Indian revolutionary and activist (1883–1909))
• Carloman (710 to 754. 8th-century Frankish ruler)
• Otto Stern (1888 to 1969. German-American experimental physicist (1888–1969))
• Matthew Boulton (1728 to 1809. English industrialist (1728–1809))
• Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne (1130 to 1153. Heir apparent of King Stephen of England (died 1153))
• Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel (1744 to 1836. German-Danish prince and general (1744–1836))
• Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke (1865 to 1947. Swedish prince (1865–1947))
• Akhtar Abdur Rahman (1924 to 1988. Pakistani Gunner Officer and intelligence Head (1924–1988))
• Frank Kermode (1919 to 2010. British literary critic (1919–2010))
• Emperor Go-Fukakusa (1243 to 1304. Emperor of Japan from 1246 to 1260)
• Charles III, Duke of Savoy (1486 to 1553. Duke of Savoy from 1504 to 1553)
• Mariama Bâ (1929 to 1981. Senegalese novelist (1929–1981))
• Wage Rudolf Supratman (1903 to 1938. Indonesian creator of the national anthem (1903–1938))
• Hans Gude (1825 to 1903. Norwegian painter (1825–1903))
• Carlos Drummond de Andrade (1902 to 1987. Brazilian poet and writer)
• Gao Gang (1905 to 1954. Chinese politician (1905–1954))
• Princess Tsehai (1919 to 1942. Child of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie)
• Edwin Morgan (poet) (1920 to 2010. Scottish poet and essayist)
• Florent Schmitt (1870 to 1958. French composer (1870–1958))

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