Famous people and celebrities born in 1902

We celebrate the remarkable individuals born in 1902. This year gave rise to a new generation of talent, including actors, musicians, athletes, politicians and more who have significantly impacted our world. Dive into the stories of these famous personalities, explore their journeys, and see how they've shaped culture and society since their birth year. Join us as we take a nostalgic trip back to 1902 and honor the stars who continue to shine brightly today.

Jan. 14 Alfred Tarski
Renowned Polish-American logician and mathematician who made fundamental contributions to mathematical logic, semantics, and set theory. He is considered one of the most significant logicians of the 20th century.
Jan. 15 Naz?m Hikmet
Renowned Turkish poet, playwright, and novelist who is considered one of the most significant figures in modern Turkish literature, known for his revolutionary and humanist poetry.
Jan. 30 Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner was a renowned art and architectural historian who revolutionized the understanding of British architectural heritage through his comprehensive county guides. His seminal work, The Buildings of England, remains a definitive reference for architectural scholars and enthusiasts. Pevsner's scholarly contributions significantly influenced architectural research and preservation in the 20th century.
Jan. 31 Tallulah Bankhead
Iconic American actress known for her powerful stage performances and flamboyant personality. She was a prominent figure in theater and film during the early to mid-20th century. Her autobiography 'Tallulah' provided insights into her remarkable life and career.
Feb. 1 Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes was a pioneering African American poet, novelist, and playwright who played a crucial role in the Harlem Renaissance. His innovative poetry used jazz and blues rhythms to explore the African American experience, making significant contributions to American literature and civil rights discourse.
Feb. 4 Charles Lindbergh
Pioneering American aviator who completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927, becoming a global celebrity and transforming aviation history. [bio]
Feb. 17 Marian Anderson
Groundbreaking African American contralto who broke racial barriers in classical music, famously performing at the Lincoln Memorial after being denied by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
Feb. 20 Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams was a legendary American landscape photographer renowned for his breathtaking black and white images of the American West, particularly Yosemite National Park. He was a pioneering environmentalist and a master of photographic technique, developing the Zone System for precise exposure and development control. His iconic images have profoundly influenced landscape photography and conservation awareness.
Feb. 22 Fritz Strassmann
Fritz Strassmann was a renowned German chemist and physicist who played a significant role in nuclear research during the early 20th century. He is best known for his collaborative work on nuclear fission with Otto Hahn, which was groundbreaking in understanding atomic science.
Feb. 27 John Steinbeck
Renowned American novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. His most famous works include 'The Grapes of Wrath' and 'Of Mice and Men', which profoundly depicted the human condition during the Great Depression.
March 9 Will Geer
American actor best known for his role as Grandpa Zebulon Tyler Walton in the popular TV series 'The Waltons', which aired from 1972 to 1981. He was a respected stage and screen actor with a long career in theater and film.
March 17 Bobby Jones
Legendary amateur golfer who won the Grand Slam in 1930, revolutionizing the sport and becoming one of the most celebrated athletes in golf history. He was also a successful lawyer and co-founder of the Augusta National Golf Club.
March 28 Flora Robson
Renowned British actress known for her powerful performances in film and theater, with a career spanning several decades.
April 8 Marion Mack
American silent film actress known for her notable roles in early 20th-century cinema, particularly in comedic performances.
April 20 Donald Wolfit
Renowned British theatre actor and director known for bringing Shakespeare to wider audiences and performing in numerous films during the mid-20th century. He was a significant figure in British theatre and cinema, with notable performances in films like 'Drake of England' and 'Svengali'. His career is believed to have inspired Albert Finney's character in 'The Dresser'.
May 2 Brian Aherne
Brian Aherne was a prominent British-American actor who successfully transitioned from stage to film, appearing in notable movies like 'Juarez' and receiving an Oscar nomination. He had a versatile career spanning theater and cinema from the 1920s to the 1960s.
May 3 Walter Slezak
Austrian-American actor who transitioned from romantic lead to character roles, known for his Tony Award-winning performance in 'Fanny' in 1954. Son of an operatic tenor, he initially studied medicine and worked as a bank clerk before pursuing acting.
May 10 David Selznick
Legendary Hollywood film producer who won Oscars for 'Gone with the Wind' and 'Rebecca', and was awarded the Irving Thalberg Memorial Prize. He was considered one of the most influential producers of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
May 16 Jan Kiepura
Jan Kiepura was a renowned Polish tenor and actor, famous for his performances in opera, operetta, and film during the early to mid-20th century. He was particularly celebrated for his powerful voice and charismatic screen presence. Kiepura starred in numerous international productions and was a significant cultural figure in Poland and Europe.
May 27 Erminio Macario
Prominent Italian comedy actor and performer who was a significant figure in Italian cinema and theater during the mid-20th century.
May 30 Stepin Fetchit
Pioneering African American actor and comedian known for his controversial stereotypical film roles in early Hollywood, who was both criticized and later recognized as a trailblazer for Black performers.
June 16 Barbara McClintock
Pioneering geneticist who revolutionized understanding of genetic inheritance through her groundbreaking work on mobile genetic elements, earning her the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
June 16 Erik Erikson
Renowned developmental psychologist famous for his theory of psychosocial development and influential work on human life stages.
June 29 Richard Rodgers
Legendary American composer, half of the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical theater partnership, who revolutionized Broadway with iconic works like 'Oklahoma!' and 'The Sound of Music'.
July 1 William Wyler
Legendary Hollywood film director who won three Academy Awards for Best Director and is renowned for epic films like 'Ben-Hur' and intimate classics such as 'Roman Holiday'. He is considered one of the most significant directors in American cinema history.
July 7 Vittorio De Sica
Renowned Italian film director, actor, and screenwriter who was a key figure in the Neorealist cinema movement. He directed critically acclaimed films like 'Bicycle Thieves' and won multiple international awards. De Sica significantly influenced world cinema in the mid-20th century.
July 16 Mary Philbin
Silent film actress best known for her role in the classic horror film 'The Phantom of the Opera' (1925) alongside Lon Chaney, where she played Christine Daaé.
July 26 Gracie Allen
Pioneering American comedian and actress, famous for her comedy duo with husband George Burns, known for their groundbreaking radio and television performances.
July 29 Karl Popper
Influential philosopher of science and social theory, best known for his work on critical rationalism and the concept of falsifiability in scientific methodology.
Aug. 8 Paul Dirac
Paul Dirac was a pioneering English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. He is renowned for his 1928 relativistic quantum theory of the electron and for predicting the existence of antiparticles, work that earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Aug. 10 Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer was a prominent Canadian-American actress who was a major Hollywood star during the Golden Age of Cinema, winning an Academy Award and becoming one of MGM's most successful leading ladies.
Aug. 22 Leni Riefenstahl
Controversial German film director known for her Nazi propaganda films, particularly 'Triumph of the Will'. Her artistic work was deeply intertwined with the Nazi regime, which ultimately destroyed her professional reputation. Despite her technical brilliance, she remained a polarizing figure in film history.
Sept. 17 Esther Ralston
Esther Ralston was a prominent American silent film actress who rose to fame in the early 20th century. She began her career in vaudeville and became a notable Hollywood star, particularly known for her role in 'The American Venus'. Despite career challenges, she remained a resilient figure in entertainment.
Sept. 22 John Houseman
Renowned Romanian-American actor, producer, and director known for his distinguished career in theater, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 'The Paper Chase' and was a significant figure in Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre.
Sept. 24 Khomeini
Influential Iranian religious and political leader who led the Iranian Revolution and became the country's first Supreme Leader in 1979.
Sept. 29 Ed Sullivan
Legendary American television host and entertainment icon who hosted 'The Ed Sullivan Show' from 1948 to 1971, introducing numerous famous performers to national audiences.
Oct. 5 Larry Fine
Larry Fine was a famous American comedian and actor, best known as a member of the iconic comedy trio The Three Stooges. He was renowned for his wild, frizzy hair and slapstick comedy performances.
Oct. 5 Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc was an American businessman who transformed McDonald's from a small restaurant into a global fast-food empire. He revolutionized the restaurant industry through franchising and standardization.
Oct. 11 Jayaprakash Narayan
Prominent Indian independence activist and socialist leader who played a crucial role in India's freedom movement and post-independence political reforms. Known as 'JP', he was a key figure in challenging authoritarian governance during the Emergency period of the 1970s.
Oct. 18 Miriam Hopkins
Prominent Hollywood actress of the Golden Age, known for her versatile roles in pre-Code films and classic movies like 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'. She was a significant figure in 1930s and 1940s cinema, working with notable directors and actors of her time.
Oct. 28 Elsa Lanchester
Renowned British actress famous for her iconic role as the Bride of Frankenstein in the classic 1935 horror film. She was married to actor Charles Laughton and had a significant career in film and theater.
Nov. 17 Eugene Wigner
Hungarian-American theoretical physicist and mathematician who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963 for his groundbreaking contributions to understanding atomic nucleus and elementary particle symmetry principles. [bio]
Nov. 21 Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer was a renowned Polish-Jewish writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978. He wrote extensively in Yiddish about Jewish life, culture, and mysticism, creating powerful narratives that explored human complexity and Jewish experience.
Dec. 9 Margaret Hamilton
Iconic American actress best known for her memorable role as the Wicked Witch of the West in the classic film 'The Wizard of Oz'. She was a prominent character actress who became a pop culture legend through her distinctive portrayal.
Dec. 14 Frances Bavier
Frances Bavier was an iconic American television actress best known for her beloved portrayal of Aunt Bee Taylor on 'The Andy Griffith Show', a classic sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1968.