Famous people born in 1940
The best-known people born in 1940, ranked by how many languages Wikipedia covers them in.
Best known
John LennonBritish musician (1940–1980)
October 9 · d. 1980
Photo: Tony Barnard, Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0
PeléBrazilian footballer (1940–2022)
October 23 · d. 2022
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
Bruce LeeHong Kong–American martial artist and actor (1940–1973)
November 27 · d. 1973
Photo: National General Pictures, Public domain
Wangari Muta MaathaiKenyan environmentalist and politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 (1940–2011)
April 1 · d. 2011
Photo: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Joseph BrodskyRussian-American poet, essayist, and Nobel laureate (1940–1996)
May 24 · d. 1996
Photo: Anefo / Croes, R.C., CC BY-SA 3.0 nl
Muhammad YunusBangladeshi banker, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and the former Chief Adviser of Bangladesh
June 28
Photo: University of Salford Press Office, CC BY 2.0
J. M. CoetzeeSouth African and Australian writer and scholar (born 1940)
February 9
Photo: Mariusz Kubik, http://www.mariuszkubik.pl, CC BY 2.5
Nursultan NazarbayevPresident of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019
July 6
Photo: http://en.kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0
Margrethe II of DenmarkQueen of Denmark from 1972 to 2024 (born 1940)
April 16
Photo: Johannes Jansson, CC BY 2.5
Chuck NorrisAmerican martial artist and action actor (1940–2026)
March 10 · d. 2026
Photo: Yoni S.Hamenahem, CC BY-SA 3.0
Jean-Marie Gustave Le ClézioFrench writer and Nobel Prize winner (born 1940)
April 13
Photo: Holger Motzkau, CC BY-SA 3.0
Joachim GauckGerman Protestant pastor and politician, Federal President of Germnay 2012–2017 (born 1940)
January 24
Photo: EnergieAgentur.NRW, CC BY 2.0
Patrick StewartBritish actor (1940–2026)
July 13 · d. 2026
Photo: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Qaboos bin Said Al Saidsultan of Oman from 1970 to 2020 (1940–2020)
November 18 · d. 2020
Photo: Foreign Ministry of Oman, OGL-om 1.0
Saparmyrat NyýazowPresident of Turkmenistan from 1990 to 2006
February 19 · d. 2006
Photo: Danny Gys, CC BY 4.0
Tarō AsōPrime Minister of Japan from 2008 to 2009
September 20
Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Cabinet Secretariat, CC BY 4.0
Michel Temer24th Vice-President of Brazil from 2011 to 2016 and 37th President of Brazil from 2016 to 2019
September 23
Photo: Beto Barata/PR, CC BY 2.0
Terry GilliamAmerican born-British filmmaker, comedian, and actor (born 1940)
November 22
Photo: Greg2600, CC BY-SA 2.0
Carlos SlimMexican business magnate and investor
January 28
Photo: Secretaría de Cultura Ciudad de México from México, CC BY 2.0
Constantine II of GreeceKing of Greece from 1964 to 1973 (1940–2023)
June 2 · d. 2023
Photo: Prolineserver, CC BY-SA 3.0
Martin SheenAmerican actor (born 1940)
August 3
Photo: Brian McGuirk from Providence, RI, CC BY-SA 2.0
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January
- January 17 · Tabaré Vázquez, President of Uruguay from 2005 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2020
- January 18 · Iva Zanicchi, Italian singer and politician
- January 21 · Jack Nicklaus, American golfer (born 1940)
- January 22 · John Hurt, British actor (1940–2017)
- January 27 · James Cromwell, American actor (born 1940)
- January 29 · Katharine Ross, American actress
February
- February 4 · George A. Romero, Canadian-American filmmaker (1940–2017)
- February 7 · Toshihide Maskawa, Japanese theoretical physicist (1940–2021)
- February 23 · Peter Fonda, American actor and filmmaker (1940–2019)
- February 24 · Denis Law, Scottish footballer (1940–2025)
- February 28 · Mario Andretti, Italian-American racing driver (born 1940)
- February 29 · I. Bartholomeos, Ecumenist ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991
March
- March 9 · Raul Julia, Puerto Rican actor (1940–1994)
- March 12 · Al Jarreau, American jazz and pop singer (1940–2017)
- March 14 · Masahiro Hamazaki, Japanese association football player (1940–2011)
- March 25 · Mina, Italian singer (born 1940)
- March 26 · James Caan, American actor (1940–2022)
- March 29 · Astrud Gilberto, Brazilian-American singer and songwriter (1940–2023)
April
- April 12 · Herbie Hancock, American jazz pianist and composer (born 1940)
- April 15 · Jeffrey Archer, English author and politician (1940–2026)
- April 18 · Joseph L. Goldstein, American biochemist
- April 24 · Sue Grafton, American writer from Kentucky (1940-2017)
- April 26 · Giorgio Moroder, Italian record producer and composer (born 1940)
- April 29 · Peter Diamond, Nobel prize in economics winner
May
- May 7 · Angela Carter, English novelist (1940–1992)
- May 8 · Ricky Nelson, American musician and actor (1940–1985)
- May 9 · James L. Brooks, American director, writer, and producer (born 1940)
- May 17 · Alan Kay, American computer scientist (born 1940)
- May 20 · Leonard Susskind, American physicist
- May 28 · Hiroshi Katayama, Japanese association football player
June
- June 1 · Kip S. Thorne, American physicist (born 1940)
- June 7 · Tom Jones, Welsh singer (born 1940)
- June 8 · Nancy Sinatra, American singer and actress (born 1940)
- June 17 · George Akerlof, American economist and Koshland Professor of Economics
- June 22 · Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer (1940-2016)
- June 23 · Wilma Rudolph, American athlete (1940–1994)
July
- July 3 · Jerzy Buzek, Prime Minister of Poland (r. 1997–2001); President of the European Parliament (r. 2009–2012)
- July 18 · Peter Mutharika, President of Malawi
- July 18 · James Brolin, American actor (born 1940)
- July 27 · Pina Bausch, German dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and ballet director (1940–2009)
- July 28 · Riccardo Muti, Italian conductor
- July 30 · Clive Sinclair, English entrepreneur and inventor (1940–2021)
August
- August 7 · Jean-Luc Dehaene, Prime Minister of Belgium from 1992 until 1999 (1940–2014)
- August 8 · Dennis Tito, American businessman
- August 19 · Johnny Nash, American singer (1940–2020)
- August 20 · Rajendra K. Pachauri, Indian academic (1940-2020)
- August 23 · Thomas A. Steitz, American biochemist (1940–2018)
- August 26 · Michel Micombero, President of Burundi (1940-1983)
September
- September 3 · Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan writer and journalist (1940–2015)
- September 7 · Dario Argento, Italian film director and screenwriter (born 1940)
- September 11 · Brian De Palma, American film director and screenwriter
- September 20 · Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan politician, former President of Afghanistan (1992-2001)
- September 22 · Anna Karina, Danish-French actress (1940–2019)
- September 28 · Fatema Mernissi, 1940-2015, Moroccan sociologist, writer and feminist
October
- October 5 · Milena Dravić, Serbian actress (1940-2018)
- October 14 · Cliff Richard, British singer (born 1940)
- October 15 · Peter C. Doherty, Australian immunologist
- October 19 · Michael Gambon, Irish and English actor (1940–2023)
- October 27 · Shahnaz Pahlavi, Princess of Iran
- October 29 · Frida Boccara, French singer
November
- November 5 · Elke Sommer, German actress (born 1940)
- November 13 · Saul Kripke, American philosopher and logician (1940–2022)
- November 15 · Sam Waterston, American actor, producer and director (born 1940)
- November 15 · Roberto Cavalli, Italian fashion designer (1940–2024)
- November 20 · Arieh Warshel, chemist, biochemist and biophysicist
- November 26 · Enrico Bombieri, Italian mathematician (1940-)
December
- December 1 · Richard Pryor, American comedian and actor (1940–2005)
- December 12 · Dionne Warwick, American singer (born 1940)
- December 23 · Mamnoon Hussain, 12th president of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018
- December 24 · Anthony Fauci, 5th Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022
- December 26 · Edward C. Prescott, American economist (1940-2022)
- December 26 · Teruki Miyamoto, Japanese association football player (1940-2000)
People from Wikidata (CC0), photos from Wikimedia Commons; each photo shows its author and licence.