Who has a big birthday in 2021? As the calendar flips, here are some of the famous figures turning 21, 50, 75, and even a fabulous 100 in the new year.
Turning 21 (born in 2000)
- Actress Mackenzie Foy (of Twilight and Interstellar fame)
- Funny Cide (winner of the 2003 Kentucky Derby)
- Sometime performer Frankie Jonas (the “bonus Jonas”)
- Russian band t.A.T.u. (founded in 2000)
Turning 50 (born in 1971)
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
- Director Ava DuVernay (Selma, etc.)
- Actor and director Ben Affleck (Argo, Batman v Superman, etc.)
- Comedian and actress Maya Rudolph (of SNL and Away We Go)
- Soccer star Mia Hamm
- Actor Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
- Director Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation)
Rapper Tupac Shakur would, amazingly, have been only 50 this year. He was killed in 1996.
Turning 75 (born in 1946)
- Singer Jimmy Buffett (“Margaritaville,” etc.)
- President George W. Bush (Iraq War, etc.)
- Singer and actress Cher (Moonstruck, “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves”)
- Director Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark)
- Beloved multi-talent Dolly Parton (“I Will Always Love You” and on and on)
- Actor Sylvester Stallone (yes, Rocky is 75)
- Actor Anthony Daniels (yes, C-3PO is 75)
Not turning 75 this year, alas:
- Designer Gianni Versace (killed in 1996)
- Feminist author Andrea Dworkin (died in 2005)
- Actor Alan Rickman (aka Severus Snape and Hans Gruber — died in 2016)
- Magician Ricky Jay (died in 2018)
- Actress Peggy Lipton (The Mod Squad — died in 2019)
Turning 100 this year (born in 1921)
- Fictional food mascot Betty Crocker (created in 1921)
- Author Farley Mowat (Never Cry Wolf)
- Royal Consort Prince Philip (husband of Queen Elizabeth II)
- Cartoonist Al Jaffee (MAD magazine, etc.)
Celebrating posthumous centennials this year:
- Producer Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek and all its spinoffs, died in 1991)
- Actor Yves Montand (The Wages of Fear, died in 1991)
- Author Alex Haley (Roots, died in 1992)
- Crime author Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley, died in 1995)
- TV personality Steve Allen (The Tonight Show, died in 2000)
- Comedian Rodney Dangerfield (“I don’t get no respect,” died in 2004)
- Journalist Ben Bradlee (editor of The Washington Post, died in 2014)
- Astronaut John Glenn (first American in orbit, died in 2016)
- Actor Abe Vigoda (Barney Miller, died in 2016 after years of rumors)
- Actress Carol Channing (Hello Dolly!, died in 2019)
Turning 200 this year (born in 1821)
- Doctor Elizabeth Blackwell (first woman to receive a medical degree, February 3)
- Christian Science Church founder Mary Baker Eddy (July 16)
- Luggage magnate Louis Vuitton (August 4)
- Author Fedor Dostoevsky (Crime and Punishment, November 11)
- Author Gustave Flaubert (Madame Bovary, December 12)
- Nurse Clara Barton (founder of the American Red Cross, December 25)
Turning 600 this year (born in 1421)
- English King Henry VI (War of the Roses, etc., December 6)
Turning 1900 this year (born in 121)
- Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (author of the Meditations)
Who’ll be born this year and make it onto our list at age 21? Check back with us in 2042. Happy New Year to everyone having a birthday in 2021!