On this day · Virgo

August 23 birthdays

286 notable historical figures were born on August 23, and 169 died on this day. Everyone born on August 23 is a Virgo.

19% of August 23 birthdays work in Arts & Music, more than any other field. More come from United States (84) than any other country.

Born on August 23

• Kobe Bryant (1978 to 2020. American basketball player (1978–2020))
• Louis XVI (1754 to 1793. King of France from 1774 to 1792)
• Osman I (1258 to 1326. First sultan of the Ottoman Empire)
• Gretchen Whitmer (born 1971. Governor of Michigan since 2019)
• Interregnum (688 to 741. Frankish military and political leader (c. 688–741))
• Queen Noor of Jordan (born 1951. Queen of Jordan from 1978 to 1999)
• Henry Every (1659 to 1699. English captain and pirate (late 1600s))
• Halimah Yacob (born 1954. President of Singapore from 2017 to 2023)
• Alexandre Desplat (born 1961. French film composer (born 1961))
• Michael Randrianirina (born 1973. President of Madagascar since 2025)
• Eleftherios Venizelos (1864 to 1936. Prime Minister of Greece (1910–20; 1928–33))
• William Lane Craig (born 1949. American philosopher and theologian (born 1949))
• Richard II, Duke of Normandy (963 to 1026. Duke of Normandy from 996 to 1026)
• Georges Cuvier (1769 to 1832. French paleontologist (1769–1832))
• Houari Boumédiène (1932 to 1978. Head of State of Algeria from 1965 to 1978)
• Jonathan M. Wainwright (general) (1883 to 1953. American WWII army general captured by Japanese)
• Kenneth Arrow (1921 to 2017. American economist (1921–2017))
• Robert Mulligan (1925 to 2008. American director, producer (1925–2008))
• Gene Kelly (1912 to 1996. American actor, dancer, singer, and producer (1912–1996))
• Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse (1741 to 1788. French Navy officer and explorer (1741–1788))
• Clifford Geertz (1926 to 2006. American anthropologist (1926–2006))
• Marie Henriette of Austria (1836 to 1902. Queen of the Belgians from 1865 to 1902)
• Konstantin Novoselov (born 1974. Russian–British physicist)
• Curtis Sittenfeld (born 1975. American novelist (born 1975))
• Roza Otunbayeva (born 1950. President of Kyrgyzstan from 2010 to 2011)
• Kazumi Totaka (born 1967. Japanese composer and voice actor)
• Tanguturi Prakasam (1872 to 1957. Chief Minister of Andhra State from 1953 to 1954)
• Cris Morena (born 1956. Musical artist)
• Francis I of Lorraine (1517 to 1545. Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1544 to 1545)
• Moritz Moszkowski (1854 to 1925. German composer, pianist and teacher)
• Serhiy Zhadan (born 1974. Ukrainian poet, novelist, essayist, and translator (born 1974))
• Jim Murphy (born 1967. Former Leader of the Scottish Labour Party)
• Osborne Reynolds (1842 to 1912. Anglo-Irish innovator (1842–1912))
• Michel Rocard (1930 to 2016. 88th Prime Minister of France (1930–2016))
• Stanley Pons (born 1943. American electrochemist (born 1943))
• Bah Ndaw (born 1950. President of Mali from 2020 to 2021)
• Tien Soeharto (1923 to 1996. First Lady of Indonesia from 1967 until 1996)
• Caroline Manzo (born 1961. American television personality)
• Shaun Martin (1978 to 2024. American composer and musician (1978–2024))
• Yuriy Yekhanurov (born 1948. Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2005 to 2006)
• Miguel da Paz, Prince of Portugal (1498 to 1500. Iberian heir apparent (1498–1500))
• Jaume Plensa (born 1955. Catalan artist and sculptor (born 1955))
• Ernst Krenek (1900 to 1991. Austrian/American composer (1900–1991))
• Chanda Prescod-Weinstein (born 1982. American cosmologist (born c. 1982))
• Dacre Stoker (born 1958. Canadian author)
• Constant Lambert (1905 to 1951. British composer and ballet director (1905–1951))
• Józef Maria Hoene-Wroński (1776 to 1853. Polish philosopher (1776–1853))
• Thomas A. Steitz (1940 to 2018. American biochemist (1940–2018))
• Robert Curl (1933 to 2022. American chemist (1933–2022))
• Henry Tizard (1885 to 1959. English chemist, inventor, and defence adviser (1885–1959))
• Onora O'Neill (born 1941. British philosopher & college principal (born 1941))
• River Phoenix (1970 to 1993. American actor (1970–1993))
• Julian Nott (born 1960. British composer)
• Paul Otlet (1868 to 1944. Belgian documentalist (1868–1944))
• Astley Cooper (1768 to 1841. British surgeon and anatomist (1768–1841))
• Evangelos Zappas (1800 to 1865. Greek philanthropist and businessman (1800–1865))
• Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (born 1980. Marine biologist, policy expert (born 1980))
• Gabriel von Max (1840 to 1915. German painter)
• Mahmud Tarzi (1865 to 1933. Afghan politician, secular activist and journalist (1865–1933))
• Robert Rich (musician) (born 1963. American ambient musician and composer (born 1963))

Died on August 23

• Yevgeny Prigozhin (1961 to 2023. Russian oligarch and mercenary leader (1961–2023))
• William Wallace (1270 to 1305. Scottish knight (1270–1305))
• Abu Bakr (573 to 634. First caliph of Rashidun Caliphate from 632 to 634)
• Zhuge Liang (181 to 234. Chinese statesman and strategist (181–234))
• Oscar Hammerstein II (1895 to 1960. American librettist (1895–1960))
• Princess Stéphanie of Belgium (1864 to 1945. Crown Princess of Austria (1864–1945))
• Abdulmejid II (1868 to 1944. Ottoman caliph from 1922 to 1924)
• Richard II, Duke of Normandy (963 to 1026. Duke of Normandy from 996 to 1026)
• David Rose (songwriter) (1910 to 1990. English-born American conductor and composer (1910–1990))
• Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (1470 to 1498. Queen of Portugal from 1497 to 1498)
• Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40 to 93. Roman governor and general (40–93))
• Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (1736 to 1806. French physicist (1736–1806))
• Adolf Loos (1870 to 1933. Austrian and Czechoslovak architect and theorist of modern architecture)
• Stafford Beer (1926 to 2002. British management consultant and cyberneticist)
• Deodoro da Fonseca (1827 to 1892. President of Brazil from 1889 to 1891)
• Hertha Ayrton (1854 to 1923. English electrical engineer and activist)
• Saad Zaghloul (1858 to 1927. Prime Minister of Egypt (1924))
• Eric Gairy (1922 to 1997. Grenadian politician (1974–79))
• Rudolph Valentino (1895 to 1926. Italian actor (1895–1926))
• Kuroda Kiyotaka (1840 to 1900. Prime Minister of Japan from 1888 to 1889)
• Clarence J. Brown (1893 to 1965. American politician (1893–1965))
• Ziyad ibn Abihi (623 to 673. Arab administrator and statesman (c. 622 – 673))
• Germán Busch (1903 to 1939. 36th President of Bolivia)
• Naum Gabo (1890 to 1977. Soviet sculptor (1890–1977))
• Ebussuud Efendi (1490 to 1574. Ottoman chief jurist (1490–1574))
• Albert Roussel (1869 to 1937. French composer (1869–1937))
• Luis de León (1527 to 1591. Spanish poet and friar (1527–1591))
• Rafael Urdaneta (1788 to 1845. Venezuelan general)
• Emperor Rokujō (1164 to 1176. Emperor of Japan from 1165 to 1168)
• Henry Hopkins Sibley (1816 to 1886. American military leader (1816–1886))

Explore the day before or after: August 22 · August 24. Or find who shares your exact birthday.