25 Famous People Born on Leap Day

Born to Quaker parents in England, Ann Lee came to the United States in 1774 and founded the American branch of the Shakers, a religious movement that believed by being celibate they could do Jesus Christ’s work on Earth.

Gioachino Rossini composed 20 operas, mostly comedic works like “The Barber of Seville.” He is also famous for his grander work “William Tell,” whose overture is among the most recognizable classical musical pieces.

Virginia-born William Harvey Carney, born into slavery, was the first First African American recipient of the Medal of Honor for bravery during the Civil War.

Irish-born engineer John Philip Holland built the first modern submarine. He had hoped its creation would deter war.

Augusta Savage, the seventh of 14 children, was an African American equal rights advocate and sculptor who created busts of prominent African American leaders, including W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey, during the Harlem Renaissance in the early 20th century.

Oscar-nominated director William Wellman, nicknamed “Wild Bill” because of his service as an aviator during World War I, won the gold statue for Best Writing, Original Story, for the original “A Star Is Born” in 1937.

Jimmy Dorsey was a saxophone-playing Big Band leader during the Swing Era of the1930s and 1940s.

Dinah Shore was a popular singer during the Big Band era. She gained additional fame as a much-admired host of variety and talk shows on television from the 1950s until the early 1990s. She was famous for blowing a goodnight kiss to viewers.

Baseball player Al Rosen had an impactful 10-year career with the Cleveland Indians. He drove in more than 100 runs five times and was the most valuable player in 1953. Rosen later became a successful executive with the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and San Francisco Giants.

Tempest Storm (born Annie Blanche Banks) is a burlesque performer, singer, and actress whose career has spanned more than 60 years.

Hall of Fame hockey player Henri Richard played for the dynastic Montreal Canadiens for 20 years beginning in 1955-56 and won 11 Stanley Cups, including five in a row.

The well-traveled coach is considered one of the best defensive minds in football. Kiffin was the defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they won the 2003 Super Bowl.

Ken Foree has more than 100 television and acting credits that go back to 1963. He’s known for roles in horror films such as “Dawn of the Dead,” “Halloween,” and “The Lords of Salem.”

Jirō Akagawa is a prolific novelist from Japan whose works include the book “Ghost Train.” He has written more than 500 books, many of them mysteries, over a nearly 40-year career.

Hermione Lee is a noted literary scholar who’s written about authors Virginia Woolf, Willa Cather, and Philip Roth. In 2008, she was elected president of Wolfson College at Oxford.

Aileen Wuornos was convicted in 1992 of killing seven men in Florida and southern Georgia between 1989 and 1990 in what her defense attorneys described as acts of self defense. After she was convicted, she pled guilty to three more murders and said she killed the men for money and not self defense. She was executed by lethal injection. Charlize Theron won an Oscar for playing her in “Monster” in 2003.

Tony Robbins (his birth name is Anthony J. Mahavoric) is a successful author (“Unlimited Power” and “Awaken the Giant Within”) and motivational speaker who appears frequently on television infomercials.

Gonzalo Lira is a novelist and filmmaker. His first book, titled “Counterparts,” was published in 1997. Among his screenwriting credits are “Secuestro” (2005), “Soldier of Fortune” (2000), and “The Public Space” (2018).

Eugene Volokh, who emigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union when he was 7 years old, is a noted First Amendment attorney who is the founder of The Volokh Conspiracy, a legal blog.

Saul Williams is a rapper, poet, and actor, who starred in the 1998 movie “Slam.”

Besides carving out a career as a rapper, Ja Rule is also an actor and reality television star. He became a hip-hop star in the early 2000s while performing under the Murder Inc. label.

Actor Peter Scanavino might be best known as Detective Dominick Carisi Jr. on the long-running television crime series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” He’s also appeared on the television series “The Good Wife” and “The Blacklist.”

Cam Ward is a recently retired hockey player who played all 13 years for the Carolina Hurricanes. In 2006, he won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded to the most valuable player during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Cullen Jones swam a leg on the American men’s 4×100-meter freestyle team that set a world record at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

Jessie Usher has appeared in many television series, including “Survivor’s Remorse,” “Level Up,” and “The Boys.” He also played the stepson of Will Smith’s character in the film “Independence Day: Resurgence.”

With 80 acting credits as a tough guy character defending and defying the law, Dennis Farina was a familiar face to audiences on television for shows like “Law & Order” and movies such as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Get Shorty.”