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People: Famous People born in 1927

People in chronological context: 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1927th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 927th year of the 2nd millennium, the 27th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year of the 1920s decade. ()

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2,242 people found (page 1/75):

Peter Falk(† 83)

Actor | New York City, New York (US)

Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American actor and comedian. He best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo (1968–2003), which earned him four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.Falk was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for Murder, Inc. (1960) and Pocketful of Miracles (1961). He is also known for his collaborations with filmmaker and actor John Cassavetes in films such as: Husbands (1970), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Opening Night (1977), Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky (1976) and the Columbo episode: Étude in Black (1972). Falk's other film roles include It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), The Great Race (1965), Anzio (1968), Murder by Death (1976), The Cheap Detective (1978), The In-Laws (1979), The Princess Bride (1987), Wings of Desire (1987), The Player (1992), and Next (2007).

* 09/16/1927

Janet Leigh(† 77)

Actress | Merced, California (US)

Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress. Her career spanned over five decades. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, Leigh was discovered at 18 by actress Norma Shearer, who helped her secure a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Leigh appeared in radio programs before her first formal foray into acting, making her film debut in the drama The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947). With MGM, she appeared in many films which spanned a wide variety of genres, which include the crime-drama Act of Violence (1948), the drama Little Women (1949), the comedy Angels in the Outfield (1951), the romance Scaramouche (1952) and the western drama The Naked Spur (1953). She played dramatic roles during the late 1950s, in such films as Safari (1956) and Orson Welles's film noir Touch of Evil (1958). With RKO Radio Pictures she co-starred in the romantic comedy Holiday Affair (1949) with Robert Mitchum. Leigh achieved her biggest success starring as Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Psycho (1960).For her performance, Leigh won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Intermittently, she continued to appear in films, including Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Harper (1966), Night of the Lepus (1972), and Boardwalk (1979). She made her Broadway debut in 1975 in a production of Murder Among Friends. She would also go on to appear in two horror films with her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis: The Fog (1980) and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998). In addition to her work as an actress, Leigh also wrote four books between 1984 and 2002, two of which were novels. Leigh had two brief marriages as a teenager (one of which was annulled) before marrying actor Tony Curtis in 1951. The pair's highly publicized union ended in divorce in 1962, and after starring in The Manchurian Candidate that same year, Leigh remarried and scaled back her career. She died in 2004 at age 77, following a year-long battle with vasculitis.

* 07/06/1927

Roger Moore(† 89)

Actor | Stockwell, London, England (GB)

Sir Roger George Moore, KBE was an English actor and film producer, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.His family announced his death, after a short battle with cancer, on 23 May 2017.

* 10/14/1927

Barbara Rush(† 97)

Actress | Denver, Colorado (US)

Barbara Rush is an American Golden Globe Award-winning movie and television actress. In 1954, Rush won the Golden Globe Award as most promising female newcomer for her role in the 1953 American black-and-white science fiction film, It Came From Outer Space. Later in her career, Rush became a regular performer in the television series Peyton Place, and appeared in TV movies, miniseries, and a variety of other programs, including the soap opera All My Children, as well as starring in films including Bigger Than Life, The Young Philadelphians, The Young Lions, Robin and the 7 Hoods and Hombre.

* 01/04/1927

Michael Constantine(† 94)

Actor | Reading, Pennsylvania (US)

Michael Constantine (born Gus Efstratiou (Ευστρατίου); May 22, 1927 – August 31, 2021) was an American actor. He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos), in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). Earlier, he earned acclaim for his television work, especially as the long-suffering high school principal, Seymour Kaufman, on ABC's comedy-drama, Room 222, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1970; he was again recognized by the Emmy Awards, as well as the Golden Globe Awards, the following year. After the conclusion of Room 222, Constantine portrayed night court magistrate Matthew J. Sirota on the 1976 sitcom Sirota's Court, receiving his second Golden Globe nomination. Constantine reprised his role as Gus Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016).

* 05/22/1927

Gina Lollobrigida(† 95)

Actress | Subiaco, Rome (IT)

Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida OMRI (4 July 1927 – 16 January 2023) was an Italian actress, model, and photojournalist. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and 1960s, a period in which she was an international sex symbol. Dubbed "the most beautiful woman in the world", at the time of her death she was among the last surviving high-profile international actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. As her film career slowed, Lollobrigida established a second career as a photojournalist. In the 1970s she achieved a scoop by gaining access to Fidel Castro for an exclusive interview. Lollobrigida continued as an active supporter of Italian and Italian-American causes, particularly the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). In 2008 she received the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Foundation's Anniversary Gala. In 2013, she sold her jewellery collection and donated the nearly US$5 million from the sale to benefit stem-cell therapy research. She won the Henrietta Award at the 18th Golden Globe Awards. According to Italian newspapers, Gina Lollobrigida’s estimated net worth at her death was $215 million.

* 07/04/1927

Robert Shaw(† 51)

Actor | Westhoughton, Lancashire, England (GB)

Robert Archibald Shaw (9 August 1927 – 28 August 1978) was an English stage and film actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting, From Russia with Love, A Man for All Seasons, the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Black Sunday (1977), The Deep (1977) and Jaws, where he played the shark hunter Quint.

* 08/09/1927

Brock Peters(† 78)

Actor | New York City, New York (US)

Brock Peters or Brock G. Peters (born George Fisher; July 2, 1927 – August 23, 2005) was an American actor, best known for playing the role of Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and for his role as "Crown" in the 1959 film version of Porgy and Bess. In later years, he gained recognition among Star Trek fans for his portrayals of Fleet Admiral Cartwright in two of the Star Trek feature films and Joseph Sisko, father of Benjamin Sisko, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He was also notable for his role as Hatcher in Soylent Green.

* 07/02/1927

Walter Sparrow(† 73)

Actor | Eltham, London, England (GB)

Walter Leonard Sparrow was an English film and television actor best known for his appearance as Duncan in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner. He began his career as a stand up comedian before turning to drama and performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He made his movie debut in 1965's Dr.Terror's House of Horrors. As well as Robin Hood, Sparrow appeared in more than 30 films, including I Hired A Contract Killer, The Accidental Tourist, The Secret Garden, Now & Then, Jane Eyre, Ever After and Treasure Island. He also appeared in over 50 television guest spots on both American and British TV. One of his more notable guest appearances was in the 1989 episode Danger UXD of the sitcom Only Fools and Horses, which had 16.1 million viewers, as porn shop owner Dirty Barry.

* 01/22/1927

William Daniels(97)

Actor | Brooklyn, New York (US)

William David Daniels (born March 31, 1927) is an American actor who is known for his television roles, notably as Mark Craig on the drama series St. Elsewhere, for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards; the voice of KITT on the television series Knight Rider; and George Feeny on the sitcom Boy Meets World, which earned him four People's Choice Award nominations. He reprised his Knight Rider role in the sequel TV movie Knight Rider 2000 and his Boy Meets World role in the sequel series Girl Meets World. He also portrayed Carter Nash (the actual identity of the eponymous comedic superhero) in Captain Nice. Daniels's film roles include Mr. Braddock (Benjamin Braddock's father) in The Graduate, Howard Maxwell-Manchester in Two for the Road, and John Adams in the musical film 1776. He was president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1999 to 2001 and led the union's efforts during the 2000 commercial actors strike. Daniels is also noted for having portrayed in film or on television the three most prominent members of the Adams political family: John Adams, his cousin and fellow founding father, Samuel Adams, and John Adams's son John Quincy Adams.

* 03/31/1927

L.Q. Jones(† 94)

Actor | Beaumont, Texas (US)

Justus Ellis McQueen Jr. (August 19, 1927 – July 9, 2022), known professionally as L.Q. Jones, was an American actor. He appeared in Sam Peckinpah's films Ride the High Country (1962), Major Dundee (1965), The Wild Bunch (1969), The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973). His later film roles include Casino (1995), The Patriot, The Mask of Zorro (1998), and A Prairie Home Companion (2006). His other roles included Western television series such as Cheyenne, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Laramie, Wagon Train, and The Virginian. He was the writer and director of the 1975 science fiction film A Boy and His Dog, based on Harlan Ellison's novella of the same name.

* 08/19/1927

Jerry Stiller(† 92)

Actor | Brooklyn, New York City, New York (US)

Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020) was an American comedian and actor. He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 2015. Stiller saw a late-career resurgence starting in 1993, playing George Costanza's father Frank on the sitcom Seinfeld, a part which earned him an Emmy nomination. The year Seinfeld went off the air, Stiller began his role as the eccentric Arthur Spooner on the CBS comedy series The King of Queens, another role that garnered widespread acclaim. Stiller appeared together with his son Ben Stiller in films such as Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid, and Zoolander 2. He also performed voice-over work for films and television, including The Lion King 1½ and Planes: Fire and Rescue. In his later career, Stiller became known for portraying grumpy and eccentric characters who were nevertheless beloved.

* 06/08/1927
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Sidney Poitier(† 94)

Actor | Miami, Florida (US)

Sidney Poitier ( PWAH-tyay; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first Black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. In 1999, he was ranked among the "American Film Institute's 100 Stars". Poitier was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Poitier's family lived in the Bahamas, then still a Crown colony, but he was born in Miami, Florida, while they were visiting, which automatically granted him U.S. citizenship. He grew up in the Bahamas, but moved to Miami at age 15, and to New York City when he was 16. He joined the American Negro Theatre, landing his breakthrough film role as a high school student in the film Blackboard Jungle (1955). Poitier gained stardom for his leading roles in films such as The Defiant Ones (1958) for which he made history becoming the first African American to receive an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination. Additionally Poitier won the Silver Bear for Best Actor for his performance. In 1964, he won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field (1963). Poitier also received acclaim for Porgy and Bess (1959), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), and A Patch of Blue (1965), because of his strong roles as epic African American male characters. He continued to break ground in three successful 1967 films which dealt with issues of race and race relations: To Sir, with Love; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and In the Heat of the Night, the latter of which earned him Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations. In a poll the next year he was voted the US's top box-office star. Poitier also directed various films, including A Warm December (1973), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), and Stir Crazy (1980). He later starred in Shoot to Kill (1988) and Sneakers (1992). Poitier was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. He received numerous honors including the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1982, the Kennedy Center Honor in 1995, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1999, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2002. In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. In 2016, he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for outstanding lifetime achievement in film. From 1997 to 2007, he was the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan.

* 02/20/1927

Eartha Kitt(† 81)

Actress | South Carolina (US)

Eartha Mae Kitt (born Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby". Kitt began her career in 1942 and appeared in the 1945 original Broadway theatre production of the musical Carib Song. In the early 1950s, she had six US Top 30 entries, including "Uska Dara" (1953) and "I Want to Be Evil" (1953). Her other recordings include the UK Top 10 song "Under the Bridges of Paris" (1954), "Just an Old Fashioned Girl" (1956) and "Where Is My Man" (1983). Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the world". She starred as Catwoman in the third and final season of the television series Batman in 1967. In 1968, her career in the U.S. deteriorated after she made anti-Vietnam War statements at a White House luncheon. Ten years later, Kitt made a successful return to Broadway in the 1978 original production of the musical Timbuktu!, for which she received the first of her two Tony Award nominations. Her second was for the 2000 original production of the musical The Wild Party. Kitt wrote three autobiographies. Kitt found a new generation of fans through her roles in the Disney films The Emperor's New Groove (2000), in which she voiced the villainous Yzma, and Holes (2003). She reprised the role as Yzma in the direct-to-video sequel Kronk's New Groove (2005), as well as the animated series The Emperor's New School (2006–2008). Her work on the latter earned her two Daytime Emmy Awards. She posthumously won a third Emmy in 2010 for her guest performance on Wonder Pets!

* 01/17/1927

Freddie Jones(† 91)

Actor | Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England (GB)

Frederick Charles Jones (12 September 1927 – 9 July 2019) was an English actor who had an extensive career in television, theatre and cinema productions for almost sixty years. In theatre, he was best known for originating the role of Sir in The Dresser; in film, he was best known for his role as the showman Bytes in The Elephant Man (1980); and in television, he was best known for playing Sandy Thomas in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 2005 to 2018.

* 09/12/1927

David Hedison(† 92)

Actor | Providence, Rhode Island (US)

Albert David Hedison Jr. (May 20, 1927 – July 18, 2019) was an American film, television, and stage actor. He was known for his roles as the title character in The Fly (1958), Captain Lee Crane in the television science fiction drama Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–1968), and CIA agent Felix Leiter in two James Bond films, Live and Let Die (1973) and Licence to Kill (1989).

* 05/20/1927

George C. Scott(† 71)

Actor | Wise, Virginia (US)

George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American actor, director and producer. He had a celebrated career on both stage and screen. With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his portrayal of stern but complex authority figures. Described by The Guardian as "a battler and an actor of rare courage", his roles earned him numerous accolades including two Golden Globes, and two Primetime Emmys as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards and five Tony Awards. Though he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing General George S. Patton in Patton (1970), he became the first actor to decline the award, having warned the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences months in advance that he would do so on the basis of his belief that performances cannot be compared to others. His other Oscar-nominated roles include Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Hustler (1961), and The Hospital (1971). Scott's other notable films include Dr. Strangelove (1964), Petulia (1968), The Day of the Dolphin (1973), Movie Movie (1978), and The Exorcist III (1990). Scott gained fame for his roles on television earning two Primetime Emmy Awards for his performances in Hallmark Hall of Fame (1971), and 12 Angry Men (1997). He also played leading roles in Jane Eyre (1970), Beauty and the Beast (1976), and A Christmas Carol (1984). Scott continued to maintain a prominent stage career even as his film stardom waned, and by the end of his career he had accrued five Tony nominations for his performances in Comes a Day (1959), The Andersonville Trial (1960), Uncle Vanya (1974), Death of a Salesman (1975), and Inherit the Wind. He directed several of his own films and plays and often collaborated with his wives Colleen Dewhurst and Trish Van Devere.

* 10/18/1927

Clint Walker(† 90)

Actor | Hartford, Illinois (US)

Norman Eugene Walker, known as Clint Walker (born May 30, 1927), was an American actor best known for his cowboy role as "Cheyenne Bodie" in the TV Western series, Cheyenne.

* 05/30/1927

Elizabeth Hoffman(† 96)

Actress | Corvallis, Oregon (US)

Elizabeth Hoffman (February 8, 1926 – August 21, 2023) was an American character actress. She was best known for her regular role as Beatrice Reed Ventnor (mother of the sisters played by actresses Swoosie Kurtz, Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember and Julianne Phillips) on the NBC drama series Sisters (1991–1996).

* 02/08/1927

Jack Cassidy(† 49)

Actor | Richmond Hill, New York (US)

John Joseph Edward Cassidy (March 5, 1927– December 12, 1976) was an American actor, singer and theatre director. He received multiple Tony Award nominations and a win, as well as a Grammy Award, for his work on the Broadway production of the musical She Loves Me. He also received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He was the father of teen idols David Cassidy and Shaun Cassidy.

* 03/05/1927

William Hickey(† 69)

Actor | Brooklyn, New York, New York City (US)

William Edward Hickey (September 19, 1927 – June 29, 1997) was an American actor. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston film Prizzi's Honor (1985), as well as Uncle Lewis in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) and the voice of Dr. Finkelstein in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).

* 09/19/1927

Roy Jenson(† 80)

Actor | Calgary, Alberta (CA)

Roy Jenson was born on February 9, 1927 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is known for his work on Chinatown (1974), Soylent Green (1973) and Harper (1966). He was married to Marina Petrova and Barbara Dionysius. He died on April 24, 2007 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

* 02/09/1927

Tim O'Connor(† 90)

Actor | Chicago, Illinois (US)

Timothy Joseph O'Connor (July 3, 1927 – April 5, 2018) was an American character actor.Some of O'Connor's best-known roles include: Dr. Elias Huer in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Jack Boland in General Hospital, and Elliot Carson in Peyton Place.[2] He also had recurring roles on Barnaby Jones and Dynasty and made several appearances on Cannon.

* 07/03/1927

Harvey Korman(† 81)

Actor | Chicago, Illinois (US)

Harvey Herschel Korman (February 15, 1927 – May 29, 2008) was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. He is best remembered as a main cast member alongside Carol Burnett, Tim Conway and Vicki Lawrence on the CBS sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1977) for which he won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. His early roles were on The Danny Kaye Show and The Lucy Show. Korman briefly starred in his own sitcom The Harvey Korman Show (1980) and continued to work with his The Carol Burnett Show cast mates in projects such as The Tim Conway Show (1980), and Mama's Family (1983–1984). He starred in several comedy films by Mel Brooks including Blazing Saddles (1974), High Anxiety (1977), and History of the World, Part 1 (1981). His other notable film include Herbie Goes Bananas (1980), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), and Curse of the Pink Panther (1983). Korman is known for his voice work, taking on roles such as The Great Gazoo in The Flintstones (1965–1966). He is also known for voice roles in Garfield and Friends, Alice in Wonderland, Dumb and Dumber, Hey Arnold!, The Wild Thornberrys, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.

* 02/15/1927

Lois Nettleton(† 80)

Actress | Oak Park, Illinois (US)

Lois June Nettleton (August 16, 1927 – January 18, 2008) was an American film, stage, radio and television actress. She received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won two Daytime Emmy Awards.

* 08/06/1927

Tom Bosley(† 83)

Actor | Chicago, Illinois (US)

Thomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also appeared in: - Murder, She Wrote - Father Dowling Mysteries, and He originated the title role of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical Fiorello!, earning the 1960 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.

* 10/01/1927

Lois Maxwell(† 80)

Actress | Kitchener, Ontario (CA)

Lois Maxwell was a Canadian actress who is best known for playing Miss Moneypenny in the early James Bond movies.

* 02/14/1927

John Carson(† 89)

Actor | Colombo, Ceylon. [now Sri Lanka]

John Carson was an English actor known for his appearances in film and television. Not to be confused with the American TV entertainer John "Johnny" Carson.

* 02/28/1927

Victor Wong(† 74)

Actor | San Francisco, California (US)

Victor Gee Keung Wong (traditional Chinese: 黃自強; simplified Chinese: 黄自強; pinyin: Huáng Zìqiáng; Jyutping: Wong4 Zi6koeng4; July 30, 1927 – September 12, 2001) was a Chinese-American actor, artist, and journalist. He appeared in supporting roles in films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Chinese sorcerer Egg Shen in John Carpenter's cult film Big Trouble in Little China, royal adviser Chen Bao Shen in the Best Picture–winning The Last Emperor (1987), rural storekeeper Walter Chang in the comedy horror film Tremors (1990), and Grandpa Mori in the 3 Ninjas tetralogy (1992-98). He also played several starring roles for independent filmmaker Wayne Wang, who described him as his "alter-ego". Earlier in his career, Wong worked for KQED as an on-air reporter and later a pioneering photojournalist. His association with Mark Rothko, whom he met during his studies at the San Francisco Art Institute, saw him interact with several luminaries of the Beat Generation, including Jack Kerouac, who fictionalized him as "Arthur Ma" in his novel Big Sur.

* 07/30/1927

Richard Johnson(† 87)

Actor | Upminster, Essex, England (GB)

Richard Keith Johnson (30 July 1927 – 5 June 2015) was an English stage and screen actor, writer and producer. Described by Michael Coveney as "a very 'still' actor – authoritative, calm and compelling," he was a staple performer in British films and television from the 1960s until the 2010s, often playing urbane sophisticates and authoritative characters. He had a distinguished theatrical career, notably as a cornerstone member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and was once acclaimed as "the finest romantic actor of his generation."

* 07/30/1927
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