Paris Hilton Biography (1981-)

Socialite. Born on February 17, 1981, in New York, New York. Paris Whitney Hilton is the eldest child of real estate developer Richard Hilton and socialite Kathy Richards Hilton. Along with sister Nicky and brothers Barron and Conrad, Hilton is one of multiple heirs to the Hilton hotel fortune.

Given the childhood nickname “Star” by her mother and grandmother, Hilton,…

Denzel Washington Biography (1954-)

Actor, director. Born Denzel Jermaine Washington, Jr. on December 28, 1954, in Mount Vernon, New York, where the Boys & Girls Club would help keep him out of trouble. When he was 14, his parents’ marriage broke down and he and his older sister were sent away to boarding school.

Washington went to Fordham University to study journalism….

Princess Diana Biography (1961-1997)

British royalty. Born Diana Spencer on July 1st, 1961, near Sandringham, England. Diana, Princess of Wales, was one of the most adored members of the British royal family. She was the daughter of Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Frances Ruth Burke Roche, Viscountess Althorp (later known as the Honorable Frances Shand Kydd). Her parents divorced when Diana was…

Elvis Presley Biography (1935-1977)

Singer, musician, actor. Born Elvis Aron Presley on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. (He later changed the spelling of his middle name to the biblical form of Aaron.) From very humble beginnings, Elvis Presley grew up to become one of the biggest names in rock and roll. He was originally supposed to be a twin, but his brother…

Harry Houdini Biography (1874-1926)

Magician, escape artist. Born Erich Weisz on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary. One of seven children born to a Jewish rabbi and his wife, Erich moved with his family as a child to Appleton, Wisconsin, where he later claimed he was born. When he was 13, Erich moved with his father to New York City, taking on odd…

Charlie Chaplin Biography (1889-1977)

(born April 16, 1889, London, England—died December 25, 1977, Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland) British comedian, producer, writer, director, and composer who is widely regarded as the greatest comic artist of the screen and one of the most important figures in motion-picture history.

Named after his father, a British music hall entertainer, Chaplin spent his early childhood with his mother, the singer Hannah…

Marilyn Monroe Biography (1926-1962)

Actress. Born Norma Jeane Mortenson (later baptized as Norma Jeane Baker) on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. During her all-too-brief life, Marilyn Monroe overcame a difficult childhood to become of the world’s biggest and most enduring sex symbols. She never knew her father, and her mother Gladys, developed psychiatric problems and was eventually placed in…

Bob Marley Biography (1945-1981)

Singer, musician, songwriter. Born on February 6, 1945, in Jamaica. Bob Marley helped introduce reggae music to the world and remains one of its most beloved artists to this day. The son of a black teenage mother and much older, later absent white father, he spent his early years in the rural village known as Nine Miles…

Johnny Depp Biography (1963-)

Actor, director, musician. Born John Christopher Depp, Jr. in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963, to parents John and Betty Sue Depp. Johnny’s father worked as a civil engineer, and his mother came from full-blooded Cherokee stock, and worked as a waitress and homemaker. The youngest of four children, Depp was withdrawn and a self-admitted oddball. “I made odd…

Humphrey Bogart Biography (1899-1957)

(born Dec. 25, 1899, New York, New York, U.S.—died Jan. 14, 1957, Hollywood, California) American actor who became a preeminent motion picture “tough guy” and was a top box office attraction during the 1940s and ’50s. In his performances he projected the image of a worldly wise, individualistic adventurer with a touch of idealism hidden beneath a hardened exterior….

Albert Camus Biography (1913 – 1960)

(born Nov. 7, 1913, Mondovi, Alg.—died Jan. 4, 1960, near Sens, France) French novelist, essayist, and playwright, best known for such novels as L’Étranger (1942; The Stranger), La Peste (1947; The Plague), and La Chute (1956; The Fall) and for his work in leftist causes. He received the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Early years

Less than a year after Camus…