Today's Famous Birthdays

[IceWizard]

Gladys Marie Smith
(April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979),

known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress
and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry,
she co-founded Pickford–Fairbanks Studios and United Artists, and was one of the 36
founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Pickford is considered to
be one of the most recognisable women in history.  Known as "America's Sweetheart"
during the silent film era, she is named on the list of the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars as
the 24th top female star from the Classical Hollywood Cinema era and the "girl with the curls".








Shecky Greene
(born Fred Sheldon Greenfield; April 8, 1926)

is an American comedian. He is known for his nightclub performances in Las Vegas, Nevada,
where he became a headliner in the 1950s and '60s. He has appeared in several films,
including Tony Rome; History of the World, Part I; and Splash. In television, he has
guest-starred on such television shows as Love, American Style and Combat!, and later
Laverne & Shirley and Mad About You.








John Richard Schneider
(born April 8, 1960)

is an American actor and country music singer. He is best known for his portrayal of
Beauregard "Bo" Duke in the American television action/comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard
(opposite Tom Wopat, Catherine Bach and James Best), Jonathan Kent in the 2001–11 TV
series Smallville, and James "Jim" Cryer on the television series The Haves and the Have Nots,
created by Tyler Perry.








Juan Ponce de León
(1474 – July 1521)

was a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for leading the first official European expedition
to Florida and for serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santervás de Campos,
Valladolid, Spain, in 1474. Though little is known about his family, he was of noble birth and
served in the Spanish military from a young age. He first came to the Americas as a
"gentleman volunteer" with Christopher Columbus's second expedition in 1493.








Elizabeth Anne Ford
(formerly Warren : April 8, 1918 – July 8, 2011)

was the first lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of President Gerald Ford.
As first lady, she was active in social policy and set a precedent as a politically active presidential
spouse. Ford also served as the second lady of the United States from 1973 to 1974 when her
husband was vice president.








Stephen James Howe
(born 8 April 1947)

is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and backing vocalist in the progressive rock
band Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, North London, Howe developed an
interest in the guitar and began to learn the instrument himself at age 12. He embarked on a
music career in 1964, first playing in several London-based blues, covers, and psychedelic
rock bands for six years, including the Syndicats, Tomorrow, and Bodast.