Today’s Birthdays: July 9th

From Those Were The Days (In Part)

1764 – Ann Radcliffe
author: The Italian, The Mysteries of Udolpho, The Romance of the Forest; died Feb 6, 1823

1819 – Elias Howe
inventor: patented the lock stitch sewing machine; died Oct 3, 1867;

1879 – Ottorino Respighi
viola-player, pianist, composer: Fontane di Roma [Fountains of Rome], Pini di Roma [Pines of Rome], and Feste romane [Roman Festivals]; died Apr 18, 1936

1901 – Dame Barbara Cartland
romance novelist featuring virginal heroines: Jigsaw, Etiquette Handbook, The Herb for Happiness, Lights, Laughter and a Lady, The Passionate Pilgrim, Search for a Wife, Woman – The Enigma; authored 723 books, sold over 1 billion copies worldwide [in 36 languages]; advocate of feminine virtues and commanding men; died May 21, 2000

1916 – Edward Heath
Prime Minister of Great Britain [1970-1974]

1924 – Leonard Pennario
concert pianist; composer: Midnight on the Cliffs theme from film Julie

1927 – Ed Ames
singer: group: The Ames Brothers: You You You, The Man with the Banjo, The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane, Tammy, Melody d’Amour; solo: My Cup Runneth Over, Who Will Answer; actor: Daniel Boone

1927 – Susan Cabot (Harriet Shapiro)
actress: The Wasp Woman, Machine Gun Kelly, Carnival Rock, Son of Ali Baba, Sorority Girl; murdered by her son Dec 10, 1986

1927 – Jim McReynolds
folk singer [w/brother]: group: Jim & Jesse: Cotton Mill Man, Ballad of Thunder Road, Freight Train, Diesel on My Tail

1929 – Lee Hazlewood
songwriter: The Fool, These Boots are Made for Walkin’, Sugar Town; singer: Jackson [w/Nancy Sinatra]; died Aug 4, 2007

1929 – Wally (Walter Charles) Post
baseball: Cincinnati Redlegs, Cincinnati Reds [World Series: 1961], Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians; died Jan 06, 1982

1936 – James Hampton
actor: F Troop, Love American Style, Evening Shade, Doris Day Show, The China Syndrome, Force Five

1938 – Brian Dennehy
actor: Cocoon, 10, Presumed Innocent, First Blood, Semi-Tough, Silverado, Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye

1942 – Richard Roundtree
actor: Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored, Q, Body of Influence, Shaft, Shaft’s Big Score, Shaft (2000)

1946 – Bon (Ronald) Scott
singer: group: AC/DC; died Feb 19, 1980

1947 – O.J. (Orenthal James) Simpson
Pro Football Hall of Famer: running back: Heisman Trophy: USC [1968], Buffalo Bills; actor: Naked Gun series, The Towering Inferno, Roots, Capricorn One; defendant in the ’trial of the century’: acquitted of 1994 murder of ex-wife, Nicole, Ron Goldman [1995]; found responsible for their deaths in a civil suit [1997]

1951 – Dave Parker
‘The Cobra’: baseball: Pittsburgh Pirates [NL MVP: 1978; World Series: 1979], Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics [World Series: 1988, 1989], Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays; baseball’s 1st million-dollar player; coach: California Angels, St. Louis Cardinals; restauranteur

1952 – John Tesh
Emmy Award-winning composer: musical score for Tourde France [1987], Pan-American Games [1983]; Concetta, Romantic Christmas [w/wife Connie Selleca]; TV host: Entertainment Tonight, CBS Sports

1954 – Debbie Sledge
singer; group: Sister Sledge: We are Family

1955 – Jimmy Smits
Emmy Award-winning actor: L.A. Law [1989-90]; N.Y.P.D. Blue, Birdland, Glitz, Mi Familia, Gross Misconduct, The Cisco Kid, Price of Glory

1956 – Tom (Thomas Jeffrey) Hanks
Academy Award-winning actor: Forrest Gump [1994], Philadelphia [1993]; Apollo 13, Sleepless in Seattle, Big, Joe Versus the Volcano, Splash, The Money Pit, You’ve Got Mail, The Green Mile, Cast Away

1957 – Kelly McGillis
actress: Witness, The Accused, Top Gun

1959 – Marc (Peter) Almond
singer: duo: Soft Cell: Tainted Love; group: Marc & the Mambas: LP: Torment and Toreros; solo: Stories of Johnny, LP: Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters

1959 – Jim Kerr
singer: group: Simple Minds: Changeling, Premonition, The American, Love Song, Don’t You [Forget About Me], LP: Sparkle in the Raintories

1965 – Frank Bello
musician: bass: group: Anthrax

1976 – Fred Savage
actor: The Wonder Years, The Princess Bride, Little Monsters, The Boy Who Could Fly