January 31st Birthdays

If you were born on January 31st you share a celebrity birthday with these famous people:

Nolan Ryan (nee Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr.; “The Ryan Express“)

Baseball Hall of Fame American retired MLB pitcher (California Angels, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers), 1969 World Series Champion (New York Mets), and Texas Rangers CEO, born January 31, 1947. (Nolan Ryan 1973 Photo: AP Wirephoto)

Glynn Turman (ex of Aretha Franklin)

American director, actor of TV (A Different World; Peyton Place; The Wire; House of Lies; Fly; Fargo) and movies (Cooley High; Burlesque; Super 8; How Stella Got Her Groove Back; A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ But a Sandwich; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), born January 31, 1947. (Glynn Turman 1969 Peyton Place)

Jonathan Banks 

American actor of movies (Airplane!; 48 Hrs.; Beverly Hills Cop; Dark Blue) & TV (Mike Ehrmantraut on Better Call Saul & Breaking Bad; Frank McPike on Wiseguy; Fired Up; Community; The Gangster Chronicles; Falcon Crest; Women of the House), born January 31, 1947. (Jonathan Banks 1995 Photo: Netta Bank)

K.C. (nee Harry Wayne Casey)

American musician, songwriter (Rock Your Baby), singer and founder of K.C. And the Sunshine Band (Get Down Tonight; That’s the Way [I Like It]; Please Don’t Go; I’m Your Boogie Man; [Shake Shake Shake] Shake Your Booty), born January 31, 1951. (Harry Casey KC & The Sunshine Band 2006 Photo: BradP)

Virginia Ruzici

Romanian professional tennis player, winner of the 1978 French Open women’s singles and women’s doubles grand slam championships, turned tennis pro manager (Simona Halep), born January 31, 1955. (Virginia Ruzici 1981 Photo: Mircea Hudek) 

Johnny Rotten (nee John Joseph Lydon)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame English actor, musician, songwriter, & lead singer of the Sex Pistols (God Save the Queen; C’mon Everybody; Pretty Vacant; Holidays in the Sun; Anarchy in the U.K.) punk rock band, born January 31, 1956. (Johnny Rotten 1977 Photo: Koen Suyk / Dutch National Archives) 

Kelly Lynch (married Mitch Glazer)

American model & actress of TV (90210; Magic City; The L Word; Mr. Mercedes) and film (Road House; Virtuosity; Drugstore Cowboy; Desperate Hours; Charlie’s Angels; Three of Hearts; Persons Unknown; Heaven’s Prisoners; Imaginary Crimes), born January 31, 1959. (Kelly Lynch 2007 Photo: Michael Locke) 

Anthony LaPaglia (ex of Gia Carides)

Australian actor of TV (Without a Trace; Murder One; Frasier; The Code) & movies (Betsy’s Wedding; He Said, She Said; One Good Cop; 29th Street; The Client; Mixed Nuts; Empire Records; Paperback Romance; Whispers in the Dark), born January 31, 1959. (Anthony LaPaglia 2008 Photo: Robert Connolly)

Minnie Driver (ex-fiance of Josh Brolin)

British-American actress of TV (Maya DiMeo on Speechless; About a Boy; Will & Grace; The Riches; Return to Zero) and movies (Good Will Hunting; Grosse Pointe Blank; Sleepers; Big Night; The Phantom of the Opera; Ella Enchanted; Return to Me), born January 31, 1970. (Minnie Driver 2011 Photo: Justin Hoch)

Portia de Rossi (nee Amanda Lee Rogers; married Ellen DeGeneres)

Australian-American actress of TV (Nelle Porter on Ally McBeal; Lindsay Bluth Funke on Arrested Development; Elizabeth North on Scandal; Better Off Ted; Nip/Tuck) and films (The Invisibles; Sirens; Girl), born January 31, 1973. (Portia De Rossi 1999 Photo: John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com)

(Tallulah Bankhead 1933: A. D. Moscon | Mario Lanza 1951: Smith)

Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating their birthday on January 31st!

Remember These January 31st Famous Birthdays

Stuart Margolin

American director, screenwriter & actor of stage, TV (Angel Martin on The Rockford Files; Nichols; Love, American Style; Touched By An Angel; Promised Land; Tom Stone; Mr. Smith; Hill Street Blues; Bret Maverick) and movies (Kelly’s Heroes; Death Wish; Iron Eagle II; Lanigan’s Rabbi) (born Jan. 31, 1940 – died Dec. 12, 2022; age 82). (Stuart Margolin 1965 12 O’Clock High)

Jessica Walter (married Ron Leibman)

Emmy-winning American actress of movies (Play Misty for Me; Grand Prix; The Flamingo Kid; Keep the Change) & TV (Mallory Archer voice on Archer; Lucille Bluth on Arrested Development; Love of Life; Oh Baby; Retired at 35; Bare Essence; Trapper John, M.D.; One Life to Live; 90210) (born Jan. 31, 1941 – died Mar. 24, 2021; age 80). (Jessica Walter 2008 Photo: Kristin Dos Santos)

Jackie Robinson (nee Jack Roosevelt Robinson)

Baseball Hall of Fame American professional baseball player, MLB second baseman who broke the color barrier in 1946 (Brooklyn Dodgers), 1955 World Series champion, 1947 MLB Rookie of the Year, and 1949 NL MVP (born Jan. 31, 1919 – died Oct. 24, 1972; age 53). Jackie Robinson died of a heart attack. (Jackie Robinson 1950 Photo: United States Information Agency) 

Carol Channing is 97 (ex of Alex Carson)

Tony Award-winning American comedic singer, dancer, & actress of stage (Hello, Dolly!), TV (Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In; The Love Boat; The Carol Channing Show) and movies (Thoroughly Modern Millie; The First Traveling Saleslady) (born Jan. 31, 1921 – died Jan. 15, 2019; age 97). Carol Channing died of natural causes.(Carol Channing 1973 Photo: Allen Warren)

Mario Lanza (nee Alfredo Arnold Cocozza)

American opera singer (Madama Butterfly), actor & film star of 1940s-1950s movie musicals (The Great Caruso; The Toast of New Orleans; Because You’re Mine; Seven Hills of Rome; Serenade; For the First Time; That Midnight Kiss; The Student Prince; Winged Victory) (born Jan. 31, 1921 – died Oct. 7, 1959; age 38). Mario Lanza died of a pulmonary embolism. (Mario Lanza 1951: Smith)

James Franciscus

American actor of TV (Mr. Novak; Naked City; Longstreet; Doc Elliot; Hunter; The Investigators) and movies (Beneath the Planet of the Apes; Youngblood Hawke; Miracle of the White Stallions; The Amazing Dobermans; The Outsider) (born Jan. 31, 1934 – died Sept. 10, 1991; age 70). James Franciscus died of emphysema. (James Franciscus 1969 Marooned Photo: Columbia Pictures)

Suzanne Pleshette (married Tom Poston; ex of Troy Donahue) 

American actress of TV (The Bob Newhart Show; The Boys Are Back) & movies (If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium; The Birds; Rome Adventure; Support Your Local Gunfighter; Fate is the Hunter; Blackbeard’s Ghost; The Shaggy D.A.) (born Jan. 31, 1937 – Jan. 19, 2008; age 70). Cousin of John Pleshette. (Suzanne Pleshette 1960s Photo: Film Star Vintage)

Zane Grey (nee Pearl Zane Grey; father of Romer Zane Grey)

American dentist, avid deep-sea fisherman, writer of adventure, baseball, fishing, and children’s books, and western novelist (Riders of the Purple Sage; Twin Sombreros; The Drift Fence; The Hash Knife Outfit; Nevada; Wildfire; Betty Zane; The Lone Star Ranger; Western Union) (born Jan. 31, 1872 – died Oct. 23, 1939; age 67). Zane Grey died of heart failure. (Zane Grey 1895 Photo)

Tallulah Bankhead (ex of John Emery; daughter of William B. Bankhead)

American actress & host of TV, radio (The Big Show), stage (The Little Foxes; Private Lives), movies (Lifeboat; Devil and the Deep; My Sin; Tarnished Lady; Faithless; Thunder Below; A Royal Scandal),(born Jan. 31, 1902 – died Dec. 12, 1968; age 66). Tallulah Bankhead had emphysema and died of pleural pneumonia. (Tallulah Bankhead Photo: Insomnia Cured Here)

Ernie Banks (nee Ernest Banks; “Mr. Cub” and “Mr. Sunshine“)

National Baseball Hall of Fame American professional baseball player, MLB shortstop and first baseman (Chicago Cubs), National League MVP (1958 & 1959),1960 Gold Glove Award winner, and philanthropist (born Jan. 31, 1931 – died Jan 23, 2015; age 83). Ernie Banks died of a heart attack. (Ernie Banks c. 1960s Baseball Card Photo: Baseball Collection)

Garry Moore (nee Thomas Garrison Morfit III)

American comedian, entertainer, host and actor of radio (Talent, Ltd.; The Garry Moore Show), TV (The Garry Moore Show; I’ve Got a Secret; To Tell The Truth; What’s My Line?; Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In), and humor columnist (born Jan. 31, 1915 – died Nov. 28, 1993; age 78). Cause of death for Garry Moore was emphysema. (Garry Moore 1952 I’ve Got a Secret)

Norman Mailer (aka Andreas Wilson; married Barbara Davis)

American journalist (The Village Voice), Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction & non-fiction novelist (The Executioner’s Song; The Armies of the Night; The Naked and the Dead; The Deer Park; Harlot’s Grave; The Castle in the Forest) (born Jan. 31, 1923 – died Nov. 10, 2007; age 84). Ex of Beverly Bentley. Norman Mailer died of acute renal failure. (Norman Mailer 1960: AP Wirephoto)

Jean Simmons (ex of Stewart Granger, Richard Brooks)

Emmy-winning English-American host & actress of films (Guys and Dolls; Hamlet; The Robe; Elmer Gantry; Spartacus; The Happy Ending; Androcles and the Lion; Young Bess; Great Expectations; The Grass is Greener; Black Narcissus) and TV (The Thorn Birds; North and South) (born Jan. 31, 1929 – died Jan. 22, 2010; age 80). Jean Simmons died of lung cancer. (Jean Simmons 1955 Photo)

Franz Schubert

Austrian musician (piano, violin, organ), composer of art songs (classical music set to poetry) for solo voice, orchestral overtures, chamber & piano music, and symphonies (Ave Maria Ethereal; String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor; String Quintet in C; Winterreise; Death and the Maiden; Rosamunde) (born Jan. 31, 1797 – died Nov. 19, 1828; age 31). (Franz Schubert c. 1814: Josef Abel)

Jersey Joe Walcott (nee Arnold Raymond Cream)

International Boxing Hall of Fame American boxer, 1951 World Heavyweight Champion, boxing referee (1965 Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston), 1971-1974 Camden County Sheriff, and actor (The Harder They Fall)  (born Jan. 31, 1914 – died Feb. 25, 1994; age 80). Cause of death for Jersey Joe Walcott is unknown. (Jersey Joe Walcott 1962 Cain’s Hundred Photo: NBC TV) 

Don Hutson (nee Donald Montgomery Hutson)

Pro Football Hall of Fame American NFL football player (1935-1945) & assistant coach (1944-1948) with the Green Bay Packers, 2-time NFL MVP (1941 & 1942), with 3 NFL championship wins (1936, 1939 & 1944) (born Jan. 31, 1913 – died June 26, 1997; age 84). Cause of death for Don Hutson is unknown. (Don Hutson 1935 Photo: ACME Photo)

John Agar (ex of Shirley Temple)

American actor of TV (The Virginian; Rawhide) and movies (Sands of Iwo Jima; Of Love and Desire; Night Fright; Frontier Gun; The Magic Carpet; Along the Great Divide; She Wore a Yellow Ribbon; Johnny Reno; The Rocket Man; Young Fury; Joe Butterfly; Waco) (born Jan. 31, 1921 – died Apr. 7, 2002; age 81). John Agar died of emphysema complications. (John Agar 1954 Shield For Murder)

Joanne Dru (nee Joan Letitia LaCock; ex of Dick Haymes, John Ireland)

American actress of TV (Guestward Ho!) & movies (September Storm; The Light in the Forest; Drango; Hell on Frisco Bay; 3 Ring Circus; The Warriors; Southwest Passage; Forbidden; All the King’s Men; Red River; She Wore a Yellow Ribbon) (born Jan. 31, 1922 – died Sept. 10, 1996; age 74). Joanne Dru died of lymphedema complications. (Joanne Dru 1959 The Wild and the Innocent)

Paul Carr

American director, writer, producer, and actor of movies & TV (The Doctors; The Young and the Restless; Days of Our Lives; The Virginian; Dallas; Mannix; Ironside; The Six Million Dollar Man; Police Story; Mod Squad; 12 O’Clock High; The Rifleman; Rawhide; Quincy M.E.) (born Jan. 31, 1934 – died Feb. 17, 2006; age 72). Paul Carr died of lung cancer. (Paul Carr 1974 Movin’ On)

Eddie Cantor (nee Isidore Itzkowitz; “Banjo Eyes“)

American songwriter (Merrily We Roll Along), singer (Makin’ Whoopee; If You Knew Susie), comedian & actor of stage (Ziegfeld Follies; Kid Boots), radio, & films (Roman Scandals; Kid Millions; Strike Me Pink; Whoopee!; Show Business; Palmy Days) (born Jan. 31, 1892 – died Oct. 10, 1964; age 72). (Eddie Cantor 1940 Forty Little Mothers Trailer)

Henri Desgrange

French sports journalist & editor (L’Auto-Vélo / L’Équipe), world record-setting track & endurance riding bicycle racer, bicycling executive (Parc des Princes velodrome; Velodrome d’Hiver), 1st organizer of the Tour de France (1903-1933), WWI veteran (Croix de Guerre, Légion d’honneur) (born Jan. 31, 1865 – died Aug. 16, 1940; age 75). (Henri Desgrange 1925)

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