jazz and pop singer, dancer, and actressBorn: 6/30/1917Birthplace: Brooklyn, N.Y. She began performing at age six, and by 16 was singing and dancing at Harlem's Cotton Club, where she became an…
(Riley B. King)legendary blues musicianBorn: 9/16/1925Birthplace: Indianola, Miss. One of the most influential guitarists of all time, King remains an icon and a model for Eric Clapton, David…
singer, dancer, and actress Born: 1/17/1927Birthplace: North, S.C. Kitt is best known for the holiday hit "Santa Baby." She started her entertainment career in the early 1950s as a dancer with the…
one of jazz's most influential female singersBorn: 3/27/1924Birthplace: Newark, N.J. Best known for her operatic range, Vaughan was a pioneer in the use of bebop phrasing in popular songs. She…
(Irving Rhames)film, television, and stage actorBorn: 5/12/1959Birthplace: New York City Rhames is best known for playing seedy, often villainous, characters, such as Marsellus Wallace in Pulp…
record company founder and executiveBorn: 11/28/1929Birthplace: Detroit Gordy pursued a career as a boxer and served in the U.S. Army before returning to Detroit where he opened his own record…
singer and actressBorn: 1895Birthplace: Wichita, Kansas McDaniel began her career as a teen, performing for traveling black minstrel shows in the West, and later sang in theaters and clubs. She…
actressBorn: 1962Birthplace: York, England An acclaimed British stage actress, McTeer made her big-screen debut in 1986's Half Moon Street. Although she appeared in several other films, including…
actressBorn: Nov. 18, 1975Birthplace: Darien, Conn. One of independent film's darlings, Sevigny has made a career out of appearing in risky films. In her big-screen debut, she played a teen who…
actressBorn: 7/30/1974Birthplace: Bellingham, Wash. The Oscar-winning actress has certainly paid her dues. In 1990, 16-year-old Swank left her native Bellingham, Washington, for Los Angeles, where…
