1955 births

William Henry Gates III is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Following Microsoft's initial public offering in 1986 and the subsequent increase in its stock price, Gates became the world's then-youngest billionaire in 1987, at age 31. Forbes magazine ranked him as the world's wealthiest person for 18 out of 24 years between 1995 and 2017, including 13 years consecutively from 1995 to 2007. Gates became the first centibillionaire in 1999, when his net worth briefly surpassed US$100 billion. According to Forbes, as of February 2026, his net worth stood at US$107.7 billion, making him the 18th-wealthiest individual in the world.

Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa is a French former politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012.

Pope Leo XIV is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States, the first to hold either U.S. or Peruvian citizenship, the first from the Order of Saint Augustine, and the second from the Americas.

English computer scientist (born 1955)

Jair Messias Bolsonaro is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1991 to 2019.

Walter Bruce Willis is a retired American actor. Widely recognised as a Hollywood icon of the action genre, he first achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series Moonlighting (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining widespread recognition as an action hero for his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise (1988–2013).

Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist (1955–2017)

Spanish politician (born 1955)

Chinese novelist and screenwriter

American actor

American actress, comedian, author and television personality

French football player, manager and executive (born 1955)

German politician, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany

French actress

American actor (1955-)

Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation since 2024 and former Russian defense minister

American stand-up comedian (1955–2022)

Grand Duke (head of state) of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (2000–2025)

Prime Minister of Turkey (born 1955)

American writer (born 1955)

American actor

French racing driver

Japanese manga artist and character designer (1955-2024)

Ethiopian politician; Prime Minister of Ethiopia (1955-2012)

Australian guitarist

Italian actress (born 1955)

Swedish geneticist (born 1955)

American actor and filmmaker (1955–2017)

German football executive and former football player

Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. He received international attention after writing, directing and starring in the independent drama film Sling Blade (1996), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. For his role in A Simple Plan (1998), he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

German filmmaker (born 1955)

German singer, songwriter, and actress

Italian fashion designer

American country singer and actress (born 1955)

Hong Kong actor

American actor

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 2005

King of Bhutan from 1972–2006

American cellist (born 1955)

Finnish politician and the 40th prime minister of Finland

Belarusian gymnast (*1955)

Canadian computer scientist

John Lennon's killer

Somali model and actress

American actress

software engineer, businessman, former Google CEO

Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007

founder of the Japanese new religious group Aum Shinrikyo

Lindsey Olin Graham is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 2019 to 2021. Graham served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.

American actor, musician and playwright

Croatian actress and singer (1955–2021)

American actor (1955–2017)

Japanese association football player and manager

Swedish stage actress, film actress, beauty pageant contestant, actress (1955–)

Malawi religious figure and politician

Italian pianist and composer (born 1955)

Laura Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf is an American actress and comedian. Known for her complex and versatile roles across the stage and screen, she has received various accolades throughout a career spanning more than four decades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards.

American actor

British politician (born 1955)

Indian fim actor, producer, director and teacher