Musicians & Composers
The makers of humanity's soundtrack.
records written
Modern era
Ingrid Bergman
August 29, 1915 – August 29, 1982
Swedish actress (1915–1982)
Modern era
Katharine Hepburn
May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003
American actress (1907–2003)
Modern era
Audrey Hepburn
May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993
British actress (1929–1993)
Modern era
Grace Kelly
November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982
American actress and Princess consort of Monaco (1929–1982)
Modern era
Marilyn Monroe
June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962
American actress and model (1926–1962)
Modern era
Judy Garland
June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969
American actress, singer, dancer and vaudevillian (1922–1969)
Modern era
Fred Astaire
May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987
American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer (1899–1987)
Modern era
Clark Gable
February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960
American actor (1901–1960)
Modern era
Cary Grant
January 18, 1904 – November 29, 1986
British-American actor (1904–1986)
Modern era
John Wayne
May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979
American actor (1907–1979)
Modern era
Laurence Olivier
May 22, 1907 – July 11, 1989
English actor and director (1907–1989)
Modern era
James Dean
February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955
American actor (1931–1955)
Modern era
Marlon Brando
April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004
American actor (1924–2004)
Modern era
Elizabeth Taylor
February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011
British-American actress (1932–2011)
Modern era
Sophia Loren
b. September 20, 1934
Italian actress (born 1934)
Modern era
Paul Newman
January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008
American actor (1925–2008)
Modern era
Clint Eastwood
b. May 31, 1930
American actor and film director (born 1930)
Modern era
Sidney Poitier
February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022
Bahamian and American actor and diplomat (1927–2022)
Modern era
Sean Connery
August 25, 1930 – October 31, 2020
Scottish actor (1930–2020)
Modern era
Robert De Niro
b. August 17, 1943
American actor (born 1943)
Modern era
Al Pacino
b. April 25, 1940
American actor (born 1940)
Modern era
Jack Nicholson
b. April 22, 1937
American actor and filmmaker (born 1937)
Contemporary era
Meryl Streep
b. June 22, 1949
American actress
Contemporary era
Tom Hanks
b. July 9, 1956
American actor and film producer (born 1956)
Contemporary era
Denzel Washington
b. December 28, 1954
American actor (born 1954)
Modern era
Morgan Freeman
b. June 1, 1937
American actor and producer (born 1937)
Contemporary era
Robin Williams
July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014
American actor and comedian (1951–2014)
Contemporary era
Jim Carrey
b. January 17, 1962
Canadian-American actor and comedian (born 1962)
Contemporary era
Leonardo DiCaprio
b. November 11, 1974
American actor and producer (born 1974)
Contemporary era
Johnny Depp
b. June 9, 1963
American actor (born 1963)
Contemporary era
Brad Pitt
b. December 18, 1963
American actor (born 1963)
Contemporary era
Angelina Jolie
b. June 4, 1975
American actress (born 1975)
Contemporary era
Julia Roberts
b. October 28, 1967
American actress (born 1967)
Contemporary era
Will Smith
b. September 25, 1968
American actor, film producer and rapper (born 1968)
Contemporary era
Keanu Reeves
b. September 2, 1964
Canadian actor and musician (born 1964)
Contemporary era
Bruce Lee
November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973
Martial artist and actor who carried kung fu to the world
Contemporary era
Jackie Chan
b. April 7, 1954
Hong Kong actor and martial artist (born 1954)
Modern era
Amitabh Bachchan
b. October 11, 1942
Indian film actor (born 1942)
Contemporary era
Shah Rukh Khan
b. November 2, 1965
Indian actor, producer and television personality
Contemporary era
Heath Ledger
April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008
Australian actor (1979–2008)
Contemporary era
Chadwick Boseman
November 29, 1976 – August 28, 2020
American actor (1976–2020)
Modern era
Louis Armstrong
August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971
American jazz musician, trumpeter and singer (1901–1971)
Modern era
Duke Ellington
April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974
American jazz pianist and composer (1899–1974)
Modern era
Ella Fitzgerald
April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996
American jazz singer (1917–1996)
Modern era
Billie Holiday
April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959
American jazz singer (1915–1959)
Modern era
Frank Sinatra
December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998
American singer and actor (1915–1998)
Modern era
Nat King Cole
March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965
American singer and jazz pianist (1919–1965)
Modern era
Edith Piaf
December 19, 1915 – October 10, 1963
French singer (1915–1963)
Contemporary era
Umm Kulthum
December 31, 1898 – February 3, 1975
Egyptian singer called the Voice of the Arabs
Modern era
Miles Davis
May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991
American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (1926–1991)
Modern era
John Coltrane
September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967
American jazz saxophonist (1926–1967)
Modern era
Charlie Parker
August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955
American jazz saxophonist (1920–1955)
Modern era
B.B. King
September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015
American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter (1925–2015)
Modern era
Ray Charles
September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004
American singer, pianist and songwriter (1930–2004)
Modern era
Sam Cooke
January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964
American singer and songwriter (1931–1964)
Modern era
Nina Simone
February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003
American singer, songwriter and pianist and civil rights activist (1933–2003)
Modern era
Aretha Franklin
March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018
American singer, songwriter, and pianist (1942–2018)
Modern era
James Brown
May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006
American musician (1933–2006)
Modern era
Chuck Berry
October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017
American musician (1926–2017)
Modern era
Little Richard
December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020
American musician (1932–2020)