42.3449° N, 71.0753° W

BOSTON

Most Famous People Born in Boston, United States

Notable people
3,663
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1926
Most distinctive
Novelist 3.5×

America's oldest civic intelligentsia. Boston's notables are unusually concentrated in the 1700s and 1800s by American standards, and the distinctive shelves still read like a Yankee almanac — novelists, lawyers, military officers, mathematicians, and diplomats, the trades of a city where Harvard, the State House, and the Old North Church share a few square miles. The modern half tilts more conventionally toward Red Sox baseball, actors, and a deep college-bred music scene.

Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1950s with 348 notable births.

What Boston Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is Boston's biggest profession — 9% of all notables (314).

Boston over-indexes on novelist3.5× the global rate.

Boston under-produces football — only 0.2× the global rate.

  1. Actor314
  2. Politician312
  3. Writer149
  4. Lawyer135
  5. Baseball110
  6. Painter106
  7. Music102
  8. Football87
  1. Novelist503.5×
  2. Baseball1102.6×
  3. Officer632.6×
  4. Mathematician452.5×
  5. Lawyer1352.1×
  6. Music1021.9×
  7. Diplomat371.7×
  8. Actor3141.6×
  1. Football870.2×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

16501700175018001850190019502000
  • Politics & Law
  • Sports
  • Writing
  • Film & TV
  • Science
  • Music
  • Other
All3,663
Sort By

Showing 305 of 3,663 notable people

0006 SINGER

Donna Summer

1948 - 2012

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0010 BUSINESS

Michael Bloomberg

Born 1942

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0016 SINGER

James Taylor

Born 1948

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0018 PHILOSOPHER

Daniel Dennett

Born 1942

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0023 ZOOLOGIST

Temple Grandin

Born 1947

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0031 ACTOR

Madeline Kahn

1942 - 1999

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0063 ACTOR

Jack Nance

1943 - 1996

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0064 ASTRONAUT

Christa McAuliffe

1948 - 1986

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0069 ACTOR

Paul Guilfoyle

Born 1949

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0075 LITERARY

Stephen Greenblatt

Born 1943

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0088 ARTIST

Chris Burden

1946 - 2015

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0095 HISTORIAN

Daniel Pipes

Born 1949

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0113 BASSIST

Tony Levin

Born 1946

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0121 SINGER

Alan Wilson (musician)

1943 - 1970

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0161 PRODUCER

Joe Boyd

Born 1942

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0170 LINGUIST

John Boswell

1947 - 1994

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0180 EDITOR

Lew Rockwell

Born 1944

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0185 POLITICIAN

Thomas Menino

1942 - 2014

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0186 ACTOR

George Wyner

Born 1945

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0188 SOCIOLOGIST

Elaine Showalter

Born 1941

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0192 SOCIOLOGIST

Arlie Russell Hochschild

Born 1940

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0204 ACTOR

Meshach Taylor

1947 - 2014

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0205 WRESTLER

Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)

Born 1949

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0207 ACTOR

John Schuck

Born 1940

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0219 FILM

Peter Guber

Born 1942

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0227 DRUG TRAFFICK

George Jung

Born 1942

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0263 POLITICIAN

Richard Armitage (naval officer)

Born 1945

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0271 ACTOR

Beth Howland

1941 - 2015

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0292 ACTOR

Joseph Pilato

1949 - 2019

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0296 ACTOR

Christopher Allport

1947 - 2008

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0301 ASTRONOMER

Sandra Faber

Born 1944

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0308 ACTOR

Mark Frechette

1947 - 1975

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0327 SCULPTOR

Jonathan Borofsky

Born 1942

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0332 POLITICIAN

Bob Taft

Born 1942

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0338 WRITER

Peter Abrahams (American author)

Born 1947

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0346 POLICE

William Bratton

Born 1947

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0358 MUSIC

Peter Guralnick

Born 1943

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0366 WRITER

Cynthia Voigt

Born 1942

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0369 ATHLETIC

John Thomas (athlete)

1941 - 2013

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0399 ECONOMIST

Stephen Ross (economist)

1944 - 2017

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0428 LITERARY

John Brockman (literary agent)

Born 1941

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0431 ACTOR

Natalie Trundy

1940 - 2019

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0442 POET

Mark O'Brien (poet)

1949 - 1999

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0451 ACTOR

Richard McGonagle

Born 1946

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0461 ASTRONOMER

Brian O'Leary

1940 - 2011

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0463 NOVELIST

Barbara Delinsky

Born 1945

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0476 NOVELIST

Janet Morris

Born 1946

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0491 WRITER

Charles Palliser

Born 1947

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0533 ACTOR

Regina Carrol

1943 - 1992

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0538 MATHEMATICIAN

Hartry Field

Born 1946

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0545 HISTORIAN

Elizabeth Fox-Genovese

1941 - 2007

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0574 MUSIC

Clifford Jarvis

1941 - 1999

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0588 MUSIC

Sib Hashian

1949 - 2017

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0593 MUSIC

Peter Rowan

Born 1942

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0599 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Paul Mockapetris

Born 1948

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0612 ENTERTAINER

Tom Sullivan (singer)

Born 1947

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0613 POLITICIAN

Peter Plympton Smith

Born 1945

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0615 CHEMIST

Peter Dervan

Born 1945

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0617 MUSIC

Watermelon Slim

Born 1949

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0619 THEOLOGIAN

Peter J. Gomes

1942 - 2011

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0632 ACTOR

Allen Danziger

Born 1942

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0634 PHYSICIST

Arthur Zajonc

Born 1949

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0638 PRIEST

William Murphy (Bishop of Rockville Centre)

Born 1940

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0650 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Harry R. Lewis

Born 1947

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0660 IMMUNOLOGIST

Charles Janeway

1943 - 2003

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0684 CREATOR

L. Peter Deutsch

Born 1946

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0692 NOVELIST

George Mastras

Born 1945

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0701 COMPOSER

Jerry Bergonzi

Born 1947

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0707 POLITICAL

Ed Rollins

Born 1943

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0735 ACTOR

Zack Norman

Born 1940

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0737 MUSIC

Tom Werman

Born 1945

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0742 DIPLOMAT

Jeffrey Davidow

Born 1944

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0750 MUSIC

Fran Sheehan

Born 1949

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0762 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Barbara Simons

Born 1941

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0794 POLITICIAN

Howard Phillips (politician)

1941 - 2013

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0812 MATHEMATICIAN

Steven Kleiman

Born 1942

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0820 LINGUIST

Barbara Johnson

1947 - 2009

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0822 AUTHOR

Jewelle Gomez

Born 1948

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0823 MUSIC

Walter Powers (musician)

Born 1946

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0867 IMMUNOLOGIST

Charles A. Dinarello

Born 1943

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0869 PHYSICIAN

Linda Laubenstein

1947 - 1992

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0878 SKATER

Maribel Owen

1940 - 1961

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0905 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

David Waltz

1943 - 2012

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0912 PIANIST

Pete Levin

Born 1942

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0925 SINGER

Donna Loren

Born 1947

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0953 FOOTBALL

Jack Concannon

1943 - 2005

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0971 ECONOMIST

Paul Rubin

Born 1942

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0979 PROFESSOR

Robert Cover

1943 - 1986

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0981 OFFICER

Bing West

Born 1940

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1002 SCULPTOR

Douglas Abdell

Born 1947

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1003 LAWYER

John A. Rizzo

Born 1948

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1007 NOVELIST

Eleanor Taylor Bland

1944 - 2010

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1015 PHYSICIAN

Jonathan Mann (WHO official)

1947 - 1998

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1030 BIOCHEMIST

Christopher T. Walsh

Born 1944

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1062 POET

Lewis Hyde

Born 1945

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1084 SINGER

Meredith D'Ambrosio

Born 1941

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1090 HISTORIAN

Arthur Waldron

Born 1948

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1100 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Harry Harding (political scientist)

Born 1946

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1110 PHOTOGRAPHER

Joyce Tenneson

Born 1945

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1120 SINGER

Andy Pratt (singer-songwriter)

Born 1947

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1127 WRITER

Bill Wilson (pastor)

Born 1948

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1132 MUSICOLOGIST

David Evans (musicologist)

Born 1944

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1135 POLITICIAN

Brian J. Donnelly

Born 1946

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1149 NOVELIST

Jeanne Robinson

1948 - 2010

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1158 PRIEST

Arthur Kennedy (bishop)

Born 1942

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1165 MUSIC

Paul Williams (journalist)

1948 - 2013

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1193 SPORT

Sheldon Brown (bicycle mechanic)

1944 - 2008

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1199 PHYSICIST

Robert Shaw (physicist)

Born 1946

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1200 HISTORIAN

David E. Nye

Born 1946

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1214 ENTREPRENEUR

Doug Carlston

Born 1947

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1246 HISTORIAN

Frances D. Fergusson

Born 1944

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1263 DIPLOMAT

Ken Hackett

Born 1947

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1294 WRITER

Wallace Tripp

1940 - 2018

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1321 BUSINESS

Jim Davis (businessman)

Born 1943

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1322 COACH

John Cunniff

1944 - 2002

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1359 POET

Stephen Ratcliffe

Born 1948

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1381 ASTRONAUT

Albert Sacco

Born 1949

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1401 ENTREPRENEUR

Thomas R. DiBenedetto

Born 1949

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1422 BASKET

Harry Barnes (basketball)

Born 1945

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1428 MATHEMATICIAN

Elliot Koffman

Born 1942

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1476 PHOTOGRAPHER

Sean Kenney (actor)

Born 1944

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1478 SPORT

Peter Gammons

Born 1945

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1480 POET

Diana Lewis Burgin

Born 1943

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1487 PAINTER

Domenic Cretara

1946 - 2017

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1490 ECONOMIST

William A. Barnett

Born 1941

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1501 PIANIST

Lowell Davidson

1941 - 1990

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1504 HOCKEY

Tim Taylor (ice hockey coach)

1942 - 2013

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1514 PSYCHIATRIST

Mark Goulston

Born 1948

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1516 WRITER

P. T. Deutermann

Born 1941

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1523 BASKET

Grady O'Malley

Born 1948

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1527 JOURNALIST

B. Ruby Rich

Born 1948

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1534 WRITER

Beverly Swerling

1949 - 2018

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1577 ENTREPRENEUR

Frank Blake

Born 1949

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1592 LAWYER

John G. Heyburn II

1948 - 2015

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1603 SINGER

Kate Taylor

Born 1949

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1612 PHOTOGRAPHER

Carol Beckwith

Born 1945

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1630 LITERARY

Brenda Wineapple

Born 1949

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1643 POET

Judy Malloy

Born 1942

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1649 ACTOR

Ronald Hunter

1943 - 2013

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1664 SINGER

Robbin Thompson

1949 - 2015

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1681 CARDIOLOGIST

Jonathan L. Halperin

Born 1949

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1686 ACTOR

Mario Roccuzzo

Born 1940

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1712 FOOTBALL

Barry Brown (American football)

Born 1943

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1729 SHOT PUTTER

Bruce Pirnie

Born 1942

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1733 EPIDEMIOLOGIST

Philip J. Landrigan

Born 1942

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1744 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Sally Price

Born 1943

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1753 SCREENWRITER

Stephanie Braxton

Born 1944

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1755 THEOLOGIAN

Barry Hollowell

1948 - 2016

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1780 ART DIRECTOR

Tom Jung

Born 1942

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1787 LAWYER

Mark L. Wolf

Born 1946

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1791 PHYSICIST

Donald H. Weingarten

Born 1945

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1806 LAWYER

Peter Rodman

1943 - 2008

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1813 WRITER

Malcolm Margolin

Born 1940

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1817 PHYSICIST

William E. Caswell

1947 - 2001

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1822 PASTOR

Gordon Hugenberger

Born 1948

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1840 PRODUCER

Rebecca Eaton

Born 1947

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1853 THEATRE

Paul Ryan Rudd

1940 - 2010

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1860 ATHLETE

Marilyn King

Born 1949

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1866 HISTORIAN

William Chafe

Born 1942

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1877 POLITICIAN

David Parks (politician)

Born 1943

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1885 ARTIST

Nancy Buchanan

Born 1946

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1890 SPORT

John Allis

Born 1942

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1921 NOVELIST

Richard Bowes

Born 1944

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1928 TEACHER

Jack Santino

Born 1947

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1942 LAWYER

James G. Carr

Born 1940

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1946 RESEARCH

John Pollini

Born 1945

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1957 BASEBALL

Ed Sprague Sr.

1945 - 2020

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1958 WRITER

Sarah Smith (writer)

Born 1947

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1961 JOURNALIST

Walter V. Robinson

Born 1946

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1970 PRIEST

Mark E. Brennan

Born 1947

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1977 WRITER

Deborah Howe

1946 - 1978

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1987 PROFESSOR

Paula Hyman

1946 - 2011

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2002 MUSIC

Rose Rosengard Subotnik

Born 1942

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2005 LAWYER

Ellen Segal Huvelle

Born 1948

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2025 JOURNALIST

Dick Carlson

Born 1941

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2046 WORKER

Belleruth Naparstek

Born 1942

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2054 WRITER

Arnette Lamb

1947 - 1998

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2056 SONGWRITER

David Batteau

Born 1949

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2059 JOURNALIST

Janet Daley

Born 1944

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2062 MUSIC

Tom van der Geld

Born 1947

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2067 PHYSICIST

Harold Metcalf

Born 1940

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2071 CONVICT

John Connolly (FBI)

Born 1940

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2091 POLITICIAN

Michael J. Connolly

Born 1947

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2113 FILM

James Dubro

Born 1946

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2126 RIDER

Dorothy Morkis

Born 1942

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2128 HOCKEY

Herb Pinder (ice hockey)

Born 1946

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2134 DIPLOMAT

Laurence Foley

1942 - 2002

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2138 SPORT

Mike Addesa

Born 1945

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2143 HISTORIAN

Peter Hayes (Historiker)

Born 1946

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2149 HISTORIAN

S. Ilan Troen

Born 1940

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2151 WRITER

Duncan Ball

Born 1941

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2152 FILM

Amy Greenfield

Born 1940

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2158 CURATOR

Gary Russell Libby

Born 1944

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2168 COACH

Ron Polk

Born 1944

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2171 WRESTLER

B.J. Annis

Born 1947

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2180 ARTIST

Mel Kendrick

Born 1949

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2188 MOBSTER

Vincent M. Ferrara

Born 1949

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2205 POLITICIAN

Salvatore DiMasi

Born 1945

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2225 BASEBALL

Joe Coleman (baseball, born 1947)

Born 1947

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2243 COMPOSER

Tison Street

Born 1943

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2249 NOVELIST

Christopher Tilghman

Born 1946

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2254 ACTOR

Terrayne Crawford

Born 1945

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2257 EXPLORER

Gregory Deyermenjian

Born 1949

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2258 POLITICIAN

Mark F. Miller

Born 1943

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2270 MOBSTER

Robert F. Carrozza

Born 1940

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2277 BIOLOGIST

Mary Lou Clements-Mann

1946 - 1998

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2295 NOVELIST

Linda Barlow

Born 1948

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2324 NOVELIST

William C. Hammond

Born 1947

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2340 BUSINESS

Richard F. Syron

Born 1943

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2345 WRITER

Dave DeWitt

Born 1944

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2348 VIDEO GAME

Lauren Elliott

Born 1946

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2353 SPORT

Bob Sheridan

Born 1944

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2367 FILM

Roy Karch

Born 1946

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2371 POLITICIAN

Wilma Chan

Born 1949

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2386 ACTOR

Rusty Stevens

Born 1948

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2414 RACER

Gina Bovaird

Born 1949

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2422 PHOTOGRAPHER

Jim Dow

Born 1942

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2428 ACTOR

Jimmy Brogan

Born 1948

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2433 WRITER

Lea Wait

Born 1946

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2448 RADIO

Steve Sweeney

Born 1948

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2470 POLITICIAN

Cory Atkins

Born 1949

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2479 POLITICIAN

Cynthia Stone Creem

Born 1942

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2482 BASEBALL

Dick Mills (baseball)

1945 - 2015

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2520 WRITER

Martha Bayles

Born 1948

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2530 POLITICIAN

Gloria Fox

Born 1942

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2551 ACTOR

Kenneth Kamal Scott

1940 - 2015

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2555 POET

Deborah Warren

Born 1946

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2566 POLITICIAN

Therese Murray

Born 1947

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2580 POLITICIAN

Elizabeth Poirier

Born 1942

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2584 LAWYER

William F. Downes

Born 1946

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2588 COSTUME DESIGNER

Marlene Stewart (costume designer)

Born 1949

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2624 CRIMINAL

Robert Donati

1940 - 1991

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2627 MISSING

Michael C. McFarland

Born 1948

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2631 WRITER

Johanna Fiedler

1945 - 2011

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2637 ARMY

John Andrew Barnes III

1945 - 1967

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2654 CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Jerrold D. Green

Born 1948

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2672 POLITICIAN

Michael A. McManus Jr.

Born 1943

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2679 JOURNALIST

Neal Kozodoy

Born 1942

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2699 POLITICIAN

William B. Golden

Born 1948

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2716 POLITICIAN

Louis Kafka

Born 1945

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2733 ACTOR

Bob DeSimone

Born 1945

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2740 POLITICIAN

David B. Cohen (mayor)

Born 1947

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2747 MODEL

Michael Sands (media)

1945 - 2012

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2760 COMPOSER

Alfred Fisher

1942 - 2016

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2761 MUSIC

Bob Gullotti

1949 - 2020

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2765 OFFICER

John J. McGinty III

1940 - 2014

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2780 BASEBALL

Fred Newman (baseball)

1942 - 1987

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2781 BASKET

Kevin Mackey

Born 1946

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2794 BASKET

Lew Perkins

Born 1945

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2800 SKATER

Lorraine Hanlon

Born 1946

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2803 POLITICIAN

Marjorie Clapprood

Born 1949

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2807 HISTORIAN

Margaret Mills

Born 1946

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2821 ARTIST

John Terelak

Born 1942

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2828 LECTURER

Aldridge Bousfield

1941 - 2020

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2838 OFFICER

William P. Driscoll

Born 1947

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2863 ZOOLOGIST

James Francis Lynch

1942 - 1998

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2867 POLITICIAN

Jim Coburn

Born 1944

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2873 ACADEMIC

Harriet Elam-Thomas

Born 1941

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2882 WRESTLER

Steve DiSalvo

Born 1949

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2885 SCREENWRITER

Topper Carew

Born 1943

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2898 SCIENCE

Robert J. Shillman

Born 1946

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2923 CHEMIST

Millard H. Alexander

Born 1943

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2934 RADIO

Christopher Lydon

Born 1940

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2961 LINGUIST

Leroy Vail

1940 - 1999

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2987 FOOTBALL

Dick Cunningham (American football)

Born 1944

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3007 FOOTBALL

Roger Perdrix

Born 1943

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3022 LAWYER

Richard David Emery

Born 1946

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3028 MUSIC

Bob Enos

1947 - 2008

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3030 POLITICAL

Rick Ahearn

Born 1949

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3033 ARTIST

James William Chichetto

Born 1941

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3040 POLITICIAN

Jerry Relph

Born 1944

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3097 LAWYER

Champ Lyons

Born 1940

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3140 TRADE UNION

May Chen

Born 1948

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3168 POLITICIAN

Charles Yancey

Born 1948

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3181 BASEBALL

Don Mason (baseball)

1944 - 2018

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3218 POLITICIAN

Michael J. Coppola

1942 - 2005

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3224 VIDEO GAME

Chris Deering

Born 1947

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3254 LAWYER

William Thaddeus Coleman III

Born 1947

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3264 FOOTBALL

Jeff Queen

1946 - 2018

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3272 EMPLOYEE

Kenneth Morse

Born 1946

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3273 POLITICIAN

Peter E. Madden

Born 1942

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3278 FOOTBALL

Tom Hennessey

1942 - 2012

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3292 POLITICIAN

Steve Cassano

Born 1947

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3307 FOOTBALL

Brendan McCarthy (American football)

1945 - 1997

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3337 FOOTBALL

Jack Reilly (American football)

Born 1946

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3358 POLITICIAN

Ginny Coppola

Born 1949

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3368 POLITICIAN

William B. Broydrick

Born 1948

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3370 SCIENTIST

Stephen Selkowitz

Born 1948

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3374 BIOCHEMIST

Richard März

Born 1947

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3410 COXSWAIN

Stewart MacDonald (rowing)

Born 1949

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3428 ROWER

Ted Washburn (rowing)

Born 1942

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3433 ROWER

Charles Hewitt (rower)

Born 1949

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3434 ROWER

Steve Brooks (rower)

Born 1948

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3449 ROWER

Hughie Pollock

Born 1942

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3469 RADIO

Jim Sampson

Born 1948

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3486 CANOE

Malcolm Hickox

Born 1946

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3492 WRITER

Robert Perkins (artist)

Born 1949

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3495 POLITICIAN

Kenneth Weyler

Born 1941

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3519 ACADEMIC

Gerard T. Indelicato

Born 1946

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3566 DANCER

Alma Yoray

1941 - 2010

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