1940 births

John Winston Ono Lennon was an English musician, songwriter and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento (23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, is recognised as a Guinness World Record. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000, Pelé was vot

Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong and American martial artist, actor, and filmmaker. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy, which was formed from his experiences in unarmed fighting and self-defense—as well as eclectic, Zen Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies—as a new school of martial arts thought. With a career spanning Hong Kong and the United States, Lee is regarded as the first global Chinese film star and one of the most influential martial artists in the history of cinema. Known for his roles in five feature-length martial arts films, he is credited with helping to popularize martial arts films in the 1970s and promoting Hong Kong action cinema.

Alfredo James Pacino is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, during which he has earned many accolades, including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, achieving the Triple Crown of Acting. He has also received four Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA, two Actor Awards, and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2001, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2007, the National Medal of Arts in 2011, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016. Films in which he has appeared have grossed over $3 billion worldwide.

Russian-American poet (1940-1996)

Bangladeshi banker, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and the former Chief Adviser of Bangladesh

South African and Australian writer and scholar (born 1940)

Sir Richard Starkey, known as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, usually for one song on each album, including "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help from My Friends". He also wrote and sang the Beatles songs "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden", and is credited as a co-writer of three others.

President of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019

Queen of Denmark from 1972 to 2024 (born 1940)

American musician (1940–1993)

Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris was an American martial artist, actor, screenwriter, and author. He held black belts in karate, taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, he won numerous martial arts championships and later founded his own discipline, Chun Kuk Do. Norris began working in the American film industry as a martial arts instructor for celebrities before making his screen debut with a minor role in The Wrecking Crew (1968). Friend and fellow martial artist Bruce Lee invited him to play one of the main villains in The Way of the Dragon (1972). While Norris continued acting, friend and student Steve McQueen suggested he take it seriously. Norris took the starring role in the action film Breaker! Breaker! (1977), which turned a profit. His second lead, Good Guys Wear Black (1978), became a hit, and he soon became a popular action film star.

Nancy Patricia Pelosi is an American politician who was the 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first female elected speaker and the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress, heading the House Democrats from 2003 to 2023. Her 20 years as a House party leader are tied with Joe Martin's as the second-longest after Sam Rayburn. Pelosi is in her 20th term, having served in the House since 1987, representing California's 11th congressional district, which includes most of San Francisco. She is the dean of California's congressional delegation.

Chinese novelist and playwright (1940- )

French writer and Nobel Prize winner (born 1940)

sultan of Oman from 1970 to 2020 (1940–2020)

President of Turkmenistan from 1990 to 2006

American born-British filmmaker, comedian, and actor (born 1940)

Mexican business magnate and investor

British actor (born 1940)

President of Costa Rica (1986–1990, 2006–2010)

Welsh physicist

4th President of the Republic of Indonesia (1940–2009)

King of Greece from 1964 to 1973

British actress

Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez, known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans more than six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and four Actor Awards. In 1989, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

James Edmund Caan was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in The Godfather (1972), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978.

American actress (1940–2023)

Ecumenist ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991

American actor and filmmaker (1940–2019)

Uruguayan writer and journalist (1940–2015)

President of Uruguay from 2005 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2020

Iranian film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer (1940-2016)

American film director and screenwriter

American physicist (born 1940)

Welsh singer (born 1940)

British actor (1940–2023)

Japanese theoretical physicist (1940–2021)

British actor (1940–2017)

Afghanistan politician, former President of Afghanistan (1992-2001)

Italian-American racing driver (born 1940)

American jazz pianist and composer (born 1940)

British singer (born 1940)

Canadian-American filmmaker (1940–2017)

American athlete (1940–1994)

American economist and Koshland Professor of Economics

American singer and actress (born 1940)

Prime Minister of Poland (r. 1997–2001); President of the European Parliament (r. 2009–2012)

7th President of Singapore

American comedian and actor (1940–2005)

1940-2015, Moroccan sociologist, writer and feminist

Japanese association football player (1940-2000)

Scottish painter and musician better known as the original bass guitarist of the English rock band the Beatles (1940–1962)

Danish-French actress (1940–2019)

Japanese association football player (1940–1978)

American economist (1940-2022)

American businessman

Japanese association football player (1940–2011)

English novelist (1940–1992)

American singer (born 1940)