Today's Famous People's Birthday: August 15.

Join the Newsgod in a joyous celebration of the birth anniversary of these famous people, including Melinda Gates, Natasha Henstridge, Debra Messing, Anthony Anderson, Mikey Graham, Jennifer Lawrence, Joe Jonas, Ben Affleck, H.R.H The Princess Royal, M.C.A, Tony Robinson, Oscar Peterson, Jenny Hanley, Sir Walter Scott, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Dame Wendy Hiller, all born on August 15.

Contents

Who Are The Famous People Born Today?Napoleon Bonaparte will have been 255 years old today.Quick Fact About Napoleon Bonaparte Sir Walter Scott will have been 253 years old today.Quick Fact About Sir Walter Scott Dame Wendy Hiller will have been 112 years old today.Quick Fact About Wendy Hiller Oscar Peterson will have been 99 years old today.Quick Fact About Oscar Peterson More Famous Peoples Birthday: August 15.Melinda Gates is 60 years old today.Tony Robinson is 78 years old today.Jenny Hanley is 77 years old today.H.R.H. The Princess Royal is 74 years old today.M.C.A will have been 45 years old today Ben Affleck is 52 years old today.Mikey Graham is 52 years old today.Jennifer Lawrence is 34 years old today.Joe Jonas is 35 years old today.Anthony Anderson is 54 years old today.Debra Messing is 56 years old today.Natasha Henstridge is 50 years old today.

These famous personalities are known globally because of their contributions to past and present history and have inspired the World through their hard work and dedication. In this article, we will discuss and explore their lives and what made them famous.

Who Are The Famous People Born Today?

Here are some of the famous people born today, August 15:

Napoleon Bonaparte will have been 255 years old today.

Napoleon Bonaparte needs no introduction; he was a famous French military officer and statesman. He was born Napoleone di Buonaparte in Ajaccio, Corsica, on August 15, 1769, a year after the island was transferred from Genoa to France. He was the second of seven surviving children of Carlo Maria Buonaparte and Maria Letizia Ramolinoy.

His father fought alongside Pasquale Paoli for Corsican independence; he later became close friends with the French Governor and became a representative of the French government. Napoleon was sent to mainland France at the age of nine to attend a religious school in Autun and later the military academy, where he excelled in mathematics, history, and geography.

In 1784, he got admission into École Militaire in Paris to be trained as an artillery officer. However, his stay at École Militaire was cut to a year following his father’s death, and he had to complete the two-year course in one year.

Napoleon’s military career began after graduation in 1785. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in La Fère’s artillery regiment. His rise through the ranks was rapid, especially during the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1796, he was made head of the Army of Italy, where he defeated Austrian forces and their Italian allies in the War of the First Coalition, establishing himself as a national hero.

In 1799, Napoleon orchestrated the Coup of 18 Brumaire, overthrowing the French Directory and establishing the Consulate, with himself as First Consul until 1804. By 1804, he declared himself Emperor of the French, beginning a reign characterized by military conquests and reforms, including the Napoleonic Code, a set of civil laws.

Napoleon’s ambitions led to a series of wars known as the Napoleonic Wars, which saw France dominate much of Europe. However, his ambitions led to his downfall. His defeat in his attempt to invade Russia in 1812 and another defeat by the coalition in Leipzig in 1813 was a huge blow to his ambition of French expansion. Following the defeat, he was exiled to the island of Elba; he managed to escape and returned to power for a brief period known as the “Hundred Days:” before being defeated at Waterloo in 1815. He was then exiled to the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he spent the remaining years of his life and died at the age of 51 on May 5, 1821.

Napoleon married twice. His first marriage was to Joséphine de Beauharnais in 1796, but the union was childless, and they divorced in 1810. Seeking an heir, Napoleon married Marie Louise of Austria, a member of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, in 1810. The marriage produced one son, François Charles Joseph Napoleon (Napoleon II), often called the “King of Rome.”

Quick Fact About Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte’s full name given at birth was Napoleone di Buonaparte.
His military career began in 1785.
He became head of the Italy Army in 1796.
Napoleon was first exiled to Elba, where he escaped, and then exiled again to Saint Helena, where he died at age 51.

Sir Walter Scott will have been 253 years old today.

Sir Walter Scott was born to Walter Scott and Anne Rutherford on August 15, 1771, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He became a celebrated Scottish novelist, poet, and historian.

Scott was the ninth of twelve children of his parents, though many of his siblings did not survive infancy. At the age of 18 months, Scott contracted polio, which left him lame. His aunt taught him to read. Scott began his formal education at the Royal High School in Edinburgh and later Kelso Grammar School. At the age of 12, he gained admission to the University of Edinburgh in November 1783, where he studied Classics.

At the age of 14, he became an apprentice at his father’s office to become a Writer to the Signet. He later became interested in legal studies and returned to the University of Edinburgh to study law. Upon completing his law studies, he became a lawyer’s clerk in the Scottish Highlands.

Scott’s literary career began in the late 18th century with the publication of his translations of German ballads. He first became famous with his collection of traditional Scottish ballads, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1802-1803). His transition to fiction came in 1814 with the publication of his novel, “Waverley.”

Scott continued to produce a number of novels referred to as the “Waverley Novels,” including “Rob Roy” (1817), “The Heart of Midlothian” (1818), “Ivanhoe” (1819), and “Kenilworth” (1821).

Scott was also a poet. His notable poems include “The Lay of the Last Minstrel” (1805), “Marmion” (1808), and “The Lady of the Lake” (1810).

Walter Scott received the baronetcy in 1820, becoming Sir Walter Scott,1st Baronet. Scott was the honorary president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Scott married Charlotte Carpenter in 1797. The couple had five children, though only four survived to adulthood: Sophia, Walter, Anne, and Charles. He died at the age of 61 on September 21, 1832.

Quick Fact About Sir Walter Scott

Walter Scott was the ninth of the twelve children of his parents.
He was admitted into the university at the age of 12.
His first novel was “Waverley” in 1814.
Scott died at age 61 and was survived by four children.

Dame Wendy Hiller will have been 112 years old today.

Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller was a talented English actress with an illustrious career spanning over six decades. She was born on August 15, 1912, in Bramhall, Cheshire, England to to Frank Watkin Hiller, a cotton manufacturer, and Marie Stone. She received her education at Winceby House School and Oriel Bank High School..

Wendy joined the Manchester Repertory Company at the age of 18. Her performance in the stage version of “Love on the Dole” in 1934 was a huge success. She made her West End debut at the Garrick Theatre in 1935. Hiller’s performance in “Love on the Dole” in New York in 1936 caught the attention of George Bernard Shaw, who cast her in several of her plays, including “Pygmalion,” in which her role as Eliza Doolittle propelled her to stardom.

Hiller made her film debut in 1937 in “Lancashire Luck” as Betty Lovejoy. However, her role as Eliza Doolittle in the 1938 “Pygmalion” defined her career. The film earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Hiller continued to perform on stage and in film. She appeared in notable films such as “Major Barbara” (1941), “I Know Where I’m Going!” (1945), and “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974). Her performance in the 1958 film “Separate Tables” earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Hiller was also known for her roles in plays such as “Saint Joan,” “The Heiress,” and “Crown Matrimonial.”

She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for “Separate Tables” in 1958 and received nominations for her performances in “Pygmalion” and “A Man for All Seasons” (1966). In recognition of her contributions to the arts, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1971 and was later made a Dame Commander (DBE) in 1975.

Wendy Hiller married playwright Ronald Gow in 1937. The couple had two children: a son named Anthony and a daughter named Ann. She died on May 14, 2003, at the age of 90.

Quick Fact About Wendy Hiller

Wendy Hiller’s name given at birth was Wendy Margaret Hiller.
She began acting professionally at the age of 18 at the Manchester Repertory Company.
Wendy made her acting debut in 1937.
She was married to Ronald Gow and had two children.

Oscar Peterson will have been 99 years old today.

Oscar Peterson was a renowned Canadian jazz pianist and composer born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on August 15, 1925. He died at the age of 82 on December 23, 2007.

Peterson is the son of Daniel Peterson, a porter with the Canadian Pacific Railway and an amateur musician, and Kathleen Olivia John, a domestic worker. His parents were immigrants from the West Indies. Oscar’s father played the piano and taught his children to play various instruments. Oscar began learning piano and trumpet at age five, but after a bout of tuberculosis at age seven, he switched to the piano.

Oscar Peterson was married four times throughout his life. His first marriage to Lillian Fraser ended in divorce, with whom he had five children. He later married Sandra King. Peterson’s third marriage was to Charlotte Huber, with whom he had one child. His final marriage was to Kelly Peterson, whom he married in 1990 and with whom he remained until his death and had one child.

Oscar Peterson’s professional as a jazz pianist started when he was a teenager. He won a national music competition at the age of 14 and dropped out of school to perform with Maynard Ferguson. After hearing Oscar’s performance via a radio program, jazz impresario Norman Granz was impressed with the performance of Oscar Peterson and invited to perform at a jazz concert at the Philharmonic in New York City. Norman later became Peterson’s manager for the greater part of his career.

Peterson recorded over 200 albums and performed with numerous jazz legends, including Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and Irving Ashby. His work with the Oscar Peterson Trio, particularly with bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis, is often regarded as some of the finest in jazz history.

Some of Oscar Peterson’s successful albums include “Night Train” (1963), “We Get Requests” (1964), and “The Oscar Peterson Trio Plays.” He was also known for his contributions to jazz education, teaching piano and improvisation, and heading the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto.

He won eight Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Oscar was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1972, and in 1984, he was promoted to Companion, the highest grade of the order. Peterson was also inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and received the UNESCO International Music Prize.

In addition to his musical accolades, Peterson was recognized for his contributions to racial equality and human rights. He was awarded the Glenn Gould Prize in 1993 and was honored with a postage stamp by Canada Post in 2005.