39.2868° N, 76.6201° W

BALTIMORE

Most Famous People Born in Baltimore, United States

Notable people
2,329
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1939
Most distinctive
Baseball 7.0×

A port city whose distinctive professions are baseball at seven times the global rate, basketball, and an unusually thick column of officers, novelists, and lawyers — the shape of a Mid-Atlantic city that has always sat at the meeting point of the Navy yard, the courts, and the literary establishment. Frank Zappa, Babe Ruth, Michael Phelps, and Edgar Allan Poe (who died here, not born) all belong to this bench, and the 19th-century tail is heavier than in most American cities its size.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Baltimore during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1950s with 245 notable births.

What Baltimore Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Baltimore's biggest profession — 11% of all notables (255).

Baltimore over-indexes on baseball7.0× the global rate.

Baltimore under-produces painter — only 0.6× the global rate.

  1. Politician255
  2. Actor189
  3. Baseball186
  4. Football149
  5. Basket102
  6. Lawyer88
  7. Writer66
  8. Music54
  1. Baseball1867.0×
  2. Basket1023.5×
  3. Officer422.7×
  4. Novelist232.5×
  5. Lawyer882.2×
  6. Music541.6×
  7. Actor1891.5×
  1. Painter350.6×
  2. Football1490.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Baltimore's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Music
  • Other
All2,329
Sort By

Showing 144 of 2,329 notable people

0005 COMPOSER

Philip Glass

Born 1937

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0029 ACTOR

John Astin

Born 1930

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0031 POLITICIAN

Barbara Mikulski

Born 1936

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0057 ARCHITECT

Charles Jencks

1939 - 2019

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0081 MATHEMATICIAN

Solomon W. Golomb

1932 - 2016

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0089 BASEBALL

Al Kaline

1934 - 2020

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0123 ACTOR

Anita Gillette

Born 1936

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0128 ACTOR

Nicholas Pryor

Born 1935

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0143 PRIEST

James Stafford

Born 1932

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0174 PHYSICIST

James Hartle

Born 1939

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0192 ASTRONOMER

George Coyne

1933 - 2020

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0222 FILM

Walon Green

Born 1936

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0244 HISTORIAN

David Hackett Fischer

Born 1935

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0254 POLITICIAN

Gordon R. England

Born 1937

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0277 BASKET

Gene Shue

Born 1931

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0300 SCREENWRITER

David Jacobs (writer)

Born 1939

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0305 SCREENWRITER

Allan Burns

Born 1935

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0309 AUTHOR

Arthur Waskow

Born 1933

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0334 SONGWRITER

Nick Venet

1936 - 1998

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0346 MATHEMATICIAN

John Corcoran (logician)

Born 1937

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0358 PIANIST

Albert Dailey

1939 - 1984

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0368 NOVELIST

Frank Deford

1938 - 2017

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0413 WRITER

Donald L. Coburn

Born 1938

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0438 SCREENWRITER

George Gipe

1933 - 1986

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0447 POLITICIAN

Beverly Byron

Born 1932

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0448 PRIEST

F. Joseph Gossman

1930 - 2013

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0459 MUSIC

Ethel Ennis

1932 - 2019

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0465 MATHEMATICIAN

Basil Gordon

1931 - 2012

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0475 RADIO

Barry Farber

1930 - 2020

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0478 WRITER

Marc Olden

1933 - 2003

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0499 SCREENWRITER

Jay Tarses

Born 1939

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0508 COMPOSER

Erik Darling

1933 - 2008

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0526 ACTOR

Joe Warfield

Born 1937

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0532 ACTOR

Conrad Brooks

1931 - 2017

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0590 CARDIOLOGIST

Morton Mower

Born 1933

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0603 SINGER

Spiro Malas

1933 - 2019

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0638 MUSIC

Nedda Casei

1932 - 2020

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0643 ASTRONOMER

Dennis Rawlins

Born 1937

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0653 PHILOSOPHER

Lawrence Sklar

Born 1938

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0701 BIOLOGIST

Neal L. First

1930 - 2014

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0712 WRITER

William Levy (author)

1939 - 2019

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0720 PRODUCER

Terry "Buzzy" Johnson

Born 1938

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0730 ACTOR

Remak Ramsay

Born 1937

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0755 HISTORIAN

James J. Cooke

1939 - 2016

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0789 POLITICIAN

Harold M. Ickes

Born 1939

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0790 PAINTER

Lowell Blair Nesbitt

1933 - 1993

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0828 SCULPTOR

Anita Huffington

Born 1934

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0862 ACTOR

Peter Griffith

1933 - 2001

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0866 CARTOONIST

Bob Weber (cartoonist)

1934 - 2020

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0888 MATHEMATICIAN

Donald L. Iglehart

Born 1933

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0901 SCIENTIST

Christopher Jencks

Born 1936

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0909 OFFICER

Walter Fillmore

1933 - 2017

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0925 BASEBALL

Harry Wendelstedt

1938 - 2012

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0961 BIOCHEMIST

W. Wallace Cleland

1930 - 2013

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0980 NOVELIST

Bud Sparhawk

Born 1937

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0990 POLITICIAN

Melvin Steinberg

Born 1933

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1002 NEUROSCIENTIST

Louis R. Caplan

Born 1936

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1012 POLITICIAN

Theodore J. Sophocleus

1939 - 2018

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1018 LOBBYIST

Joan Claybrook

Born 1937

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1026 PHOTOGRAPHER

Roland Freeman

Born 1936

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1041 LAWYER

Stephen H. Sachs

Born 1934

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1050 PUBLISHER

Philip Merrill

1934 - 2006

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1071 JUDGE

Marvin J. Garbis

Born 1936

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1078 OPHTHALMOLOGIST

David Paton (ophthalmologist)

Born 1930

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1081 BASSIST

Paul H. Brown

1934 - 2016

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1086 SPRINT

Art Bragg

1930 - 2018

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1096 WRESTLER

Killer Karl Kox

1931 - 2011

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1097 PAINTER

Raoul Middleman

Born 1935

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1126 SINGER

J. R. Bailey

1932 - 1980

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1128 BASEBALL

Phil Linz

Born 1939

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1129 FOOTBALL

Dick Bielski

Born 1932

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1130 SCULPTOR

Penelope Jencks

Born 1936

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1134 ACTOR

William Elliott (actor, born 1934)

1934 - 1983

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1169 POLITICIAN

Ruth M. Kirk

1930 - 2011

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1172 TELEVISION

Tom Fenton

Born 1930

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1187 ACTOR

Paul Swift

1934 - 1994

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1246 FOOTBALL

George Young (American football executive)

1930 - 2001

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1252 FOOTBALL

Joe Speca

Born 1937

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1254 POLITICIAN

Ellen Sauerbrey

Born 1937

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1257 POLITICIAN

David T. Kennedy

1934 - 2014

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1261 HISTORIAN

Jean H. Baker

Born 1933

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1269 POLITICIAN

Rollie Heath

Born 1937

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1292 BIOLOGIST

Myra Sklarew

Born 1934

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1316 POLITICIAN

Robert Bloxom

Born 1937

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1328 BASEBALL

Jack Scarbath

Born 1930

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1341 POLITICIAN

John S. Arnick

1933 - 2006

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1356 COMPOSER

Elizabeth R. Austin

Born 1938

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1365 PHOTOGRAPHER

Amos Badertscher

Born 1936

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1366 POLITICIAN

Harriette L. Chandler

Born 1937

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1377 POLITICIAN

Pete Rawlings

1937 - 2003

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1400 MISSING

Roger Howell Jr.

1936 - 1989

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1404 POLITICIAN

Earlene Hill Hooper

Born 1938

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1419 SINGER

Sallie Blair

Born 1934

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1426 LACROSSE

Tom Scott (linebacker)

1930 - 2015

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1439 BASEBALL

Jim Lehew

1937 - 2016

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1446 BUSINESS

William P. Carey

1930 - 2012

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1453 BUSINESS

John McDonnell (businessman)

Born 1938

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1467 BASEBALL

Barry Shetrone

1938 - 2001

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1504 PHYSICIAN

Alan Hofmann

Born 1931

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1518 PRODUCER

Lewis Merenstein

1934 - 2016

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1566 BASEBALL

Don Rudolph

1931 - 1968

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1569 PRIEST

Joseph Maskell

1939 - 2001

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1604 POLITICIAN

Martha Scanlan Klima

Born 1938

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1608 MILITAR

William R. Jecelin

1930 - 1950

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1640 TELEVISION

Jefferson Kaye

1936 - 2012

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1647 POLITICIAN

J. Robert Hooper

1936 - 2008

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1656 FOOTBALL

Roger Shoals

Born 1938

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1660 ACADEMIC

Louis H. Miller

Born 1935

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1676 FOOTBALL

Larry Surock

1930 - 2007

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1679 POLITICIAN

Donald B. Elliott

Born 1931

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1682 LAWYER

William M. Nickerson

Born 1933

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1685 FOOTBALL

Hezekiah Braxton

1936 - 2013

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1702 BASEBALL

Ed Napoleon

1937 - 2020

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1770 JOURNALIST

Catherine Mackin

1939 - 1982

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1773 MARINE

John S. Grinalds

Born 1938

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1813 BASEBALL

Roy Dietzel

1931 - 2018

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1833 POLITICIAN

William H. Amoss

1936 - 1997

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1834 SURGEON

Liebe Sokol Diamond

1931 - 2017

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1843 BASKET

Dave Smalley (basketball)

1934 - 2007

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1855 POLITICIAN

Frank Boston

1938 - 2011

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1903 NURSE

Esther McCready

1931 - 2020

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1907 POET

John Thomas Idlet

1930 - 2002

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1909 POLITICIAN

Margaret "Peggy" Murphy

Born 1930

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1932 POLITICIAN

Julian L. Lapides

Born 1931

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1933 LAWYER

Gerald Curran

1939 - 2013

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1940 PUBLISHER

Alfred Prettyman

Born 1935

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1946 POLITICIAN

Norman R. Stone Jr.

Born 1935

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1960 LAWYER

Alan M. Wilner

Born 1937

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1961 LAWYER

Jean Camper Cahn

1935 - 1991

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1992 OFFICER

Henry G. Chiles Jr.

Born 1938

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2005 POLITICIAN

Carolyn J. Krysiak

Born 1939

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2034 POLITICIAN

John R. Schneider

1937 - 2002

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2039 WRITER

Louis S. Diggs

Born 1932

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2082 ANNOUNCER

Roger Carroll

1934 - 2019

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2104 ACADEMIC

J. Donald Freeze

1932 - 2006

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2132 POLITICIAN

Joseph T. Ferraracci

Born 1937

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2178 OFFICER

John A. Baldwin Jr.

Born 1933

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2255 STATISTICIAN

Donna Brogan

Born 1939

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2272 PROFESSOR

William K. Scarborough

Born 1933

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2275 ADMIRAL

Francis N. Smith

Born 1930

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2304 EMPLOYEE

Jock Freedman

Born 1931

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2312 CAMPAIGN

Ephraim Levin

Born 1933

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2317 POLITICIAN

Terry Martin (Alaska politician)

Born 1936

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2320 SINGER

Bill Wood (cantante)

Born 1938

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