40.6979° N, 73.9995° W

NEW YORK CITY

Most Famous People Born in New York City, USA

Notable people
22,064
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1935
Most distinctive
Screenwriter 5.4×

If the 20th century held a casting call, it was in New York. Almost all of the city's notable births fall after 1900, fueled by an entertainment economy — Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, the studio system, late-night TV, hip-hop in the Bronx — that has minted more actors, comedians, and musicians than any other American city. Even its 19th-century names skew literary: poets, editors, journalists, not generals or industrialists.

Standouts

What New York City Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is New York City's biggest profession — 14% of all notables (3,012).

New York City over-indexes on screenwriter 5.4× the global rate.

New York City under-produces football — only 0.1× the global rate.

  1. Actor 3,012 2.6×
  2. Politician 1,004 0.4×
  3. Writer 859 1.2×
  4. Film 841 3.1×
  5. Lawyer 794 2.1×
  6. Music 767 2.4×
  7. Baseball 584 2.3×
  8. Singer 573 1.3×
  1. Screenwriter 522 5.4×
  2. Producer 225 3.6×
  3. Novelist 299 3.4×
  4. Film 841 3.1×
  5. Photographer 287 2.7×
  6. Actor 3,012 2.6×
  7. Music 767 2.4×
  8. Baseball 584 2.3×
  1. Football 365 0.1×
  2. Politician 1,004 0.4×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Science
  • Other
All22,064
Sort By

Showing 2,151 of 22,064 notable people

2666 SCHOLAR

Robert Alter

Born 1935

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2684 MATHEMATICIAN

William Browder (mathematician)

Born 1934

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2688 ACTOR

Tony Darrow

Born 1938

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2706 FILM

Bruce Malmuth

1934 - 2005

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2713 ACTOR

Peter Brown (actor)

1935 - 2016

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2714 FILM

Gerald B. Greenberg

1936 - 2017

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2718 ART HISTORIAN

Michael Fried

Born 1939

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2728 POET

Jerome Rothenberg

Born 1931

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2768 MUSIC

Michael Rabin

1936 - 1972

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2772 FILM

Leonard Goldberg

1934 - 2019

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2784 PHOTOGRAPHER

Ron Galella

Born 1931

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2793 PHYSICIST

Heinz Pagels

1939 - 1988

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2800 WRITER

Stanley Elkin

1930 - 1995

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2812 FILM

Jud Taylor

1932 - 2008

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2819 BASEBALL

Rocky Colavito

Born 1933

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2835 POLITICIAN

James Florio

Born 1937

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2844 POLITICIAN

Malcolm Wallop

1933 - 2011

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2847 POLITICIAN

John V. Tunney

1934 - 2018

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2851 ACTOR

Mark Forest

Born 1933

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2860 PROFESSOR

Arthur Butz

Born 1933

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2865 BASKET

Satch Sanders

Born 1938

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2874 MISSIONARY

C. Peter Wagner

1930 - 2016

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2896 WRITER

John Berendt

Born 1939

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2900 ACTOR

John LaMotta

Born 1939

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2902 SCREENWRITER

Sandy Baron

1937 - 2001

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2915 ACTOR

Jon Cypher

Born 1932

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2917 PRODUCER

Maynard Solomon

1930 - 2020

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2929 MUSIC

Hilly Kristal

1931 - 2007

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2935 PSICOLOG

Kitty Genovese

1935 - 1964

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2936 ACTOR

Reni Santoni

1939 - 2020

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2937 FILM

Alex de Renzy

1935 - 2001

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2944 MUSIC

Pete La Roca

1938 - 2012

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2961 SCREENWRITER

Mary Rodgers

1931 - 2014

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2972 ACTOR

Patricia Breslin

1931 - 2011

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2974 MATHEMATICIAN

Arthur Jaffe

Born 1937

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2976 ACTOR

John Karlen

1933 - 2020

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2982 WRITER

Pete Hamill

1935 - 2020

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2993 MUSIC

Grachan Moncur III

Born 1937

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2994 WRITER

E. L. Konigsburg

1930 - 2013

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2996 PHILOSOPHER

Robert Paul Wolff

Born 1933

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3024 ARTIST

Jim Aparo

1932 - 2005

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3030 CHOREOGRAPHER

Robert Joffrey

1930 - 1988

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3031 ENTREPRENEUR

Jac Holzman

Born 1931

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3034 NOVELIST

Joyce Johnson

Born 1935

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3037 ECONOMIST

Paul Davidson (economist)

Born 1930

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3043 COMPOSER

Billy Goldenberg

1936 - 2020

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3045 COMPOSER

Barry De Vorzon

Born 1934

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3063 NOVELIST

Joanne Greenberg

Born 1932

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3072 CHESS

Donald Byrne

1930 - 1976

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3097 FILM

Bert Schneider

1933 - 2011

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3129 FILM

Lawrence Schiller

Born 1936

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3130 CHEMIST

Stuart A. Rice

Born 1932

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3134 ACTOR

Grant Williams (actor)

1931 - 1985

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3178 THEATRE

Richard Foreman

Born 1937

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3179 POLITICIAN

Harry Browne

1933 - 2006

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3180 PHILOSOPHER

Robert Merrihew Adams

1937 - 1996

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3201 SINGER

Joe Cuba

1931 - 2009

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3208 ACTOR

Malachy McCourt

Born 1931

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3212 WRITER

Suzy McKee Charnas

Born 1939

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3215 RABBI

Harold Kushner

Born 1935

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3230 LAWYER

Bob Arum

Born 1931

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3236 ACTOR

Luana Anders

1938 - 1996

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3241 SECRETARY

Joseph A. Califano Jr.

Born 1931

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3245 MUSIC

Sabu Martinez

1930 - 1979

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3257 MUSIC

Peter Nero

Born 1934

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3258 ARTIST

Peter Campus

Born 1937

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3276 SINGER

Jeanne Lee

1939 - 2000

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3280 DESIGNER

Der Scutt

1934 - 2010

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3281 TEACHER

Alan V. Oppenheim

Born 1937

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3308 COMPOSER

Chuck Israels

Born 1936

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3332 ACTOR

Stuart Damon

Born 1937

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3335 PHYSICIST

Stephen L. Adler

Born 1939

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3340 SCREENWRITER

Steve Landesberg

1936 - 2010

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3343 FILM

Ken Jacobs

Born 1933

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3345 NAZI

Dan Burros

1937 - 1965

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3351 BIOGRAPHER

Al Goldstein

1936 - 2013

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3362 ACTOR

Julie Bovasso

1930 - 1991

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3369 ENTREPRENEUR

Jack Trout

1935 - 2017

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3376 WRITER

Barry N. Malzberg

Born 1939

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3379 FILM

Robert Ellis Miller

1932 - 2017

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3401 ECONOMIST

Marina von Neumann Whitman

Born 1935

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3418 NOVELIST

Robert Katz

1933 - 2010

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3424 CHOREOGRAPHER

Adam Darius

1930 - 2017

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3427 PSYCHOLOGIST

Richard Herrnstein

1930 - 1994

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3429 HISTORIAN

Robert Dallek

Born 1934

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3436 SCREENWRITER

David Newman (screenwriter)

1937 - 2003

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3439 BOXER

Chuck Wepner

Born 1939

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3447 BASKET

Jack Molinas

1931 - 1975

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3472 ECONOMIST

Richard R. Nelson

Born 1930

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3505 MUSIC

Wes Farrell

1939 - 1996

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3509 ACTOR

Nita Talbot

Born 1930

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3513 ARTIST

Robert Barry (artist)

Born 1936

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3520 PRESENTER

Marvin Kalb

Born 1930

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3530 GEOLOGIST

Bruce C. Murray

1931 - 2013

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3533 SOCIOLOGIST

Cynthia Enloe

Born 1938

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3534 POLITICIAN

Margaret Heckler

1931 - 2018

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3542 POET

Toni Cade Bambara

1939 - 1995

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3543 POLITICIAN

Maurice Hinchey

1938 - 2017

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3546 MUSIC

Dannie Richmond

1931 - 1988

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3557 ACTOR

Bob Dornan

Born 1933

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3574 SCREENWRITER

David Giler

Born 1930

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3598 WRITER

Kenneth Silverman

1936 - 2017

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3613 ECONOMIST

George Reisman

Born 1937

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3622 PROFESSOR

Michael J. Flynn

Born 1934

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3624 CINEMA

Isidore Mankofsky

Born 1931

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3625 ACTOR

Lelia Goldoni

Born 1936

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3631 ACTOR

Whitman Mayo

1930 - 2001

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3632 WRITER

Perry Robinson

1938 - 2018

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3651 HISTORIAN

Martin Duberman

Born 1930

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3653 SCREENWRITER

Avery Corman

Born 1935

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3661 COMPOSER

Michael Small

1939 - 2003

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3667 WRITER

George Gilder

Born 1939

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3690 JUDGE

Edwin Torres (judge)

Born 1931

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3696 COMPOSER

Larry Harlow (musician)

Born 1939

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3698 SCREENWRITER

Salvatore Bonanno

1932 - 2008

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3701 BASKET

Doug Moe

Born 1938

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3708 MATHEMATICIAN

Daniel Kleitman

Born 1934

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3710 WRITER

Avi (author)

Born 1937

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3714 MUSIC

Richie Powell

1931 - 1956

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3723 PHILOLOGIST

Mary Lefkowitz

Born 1935

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3731 COMPOSER

Philip Corner

Born 1933

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3733 ACADEMIC

Jack Zipes

Born 1937

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3735 SOCIOLOGIST

Sidney Tarrow

Born 1938

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3738 COMPOSER

Arthur B. Rubinstein

1938 - 2018

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3741 BASKET

Frank Layden

Born 1932

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3749 ARTIST

Paul Matisse

Born 1933

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3774 SCREENWRITER

Stanley Ralph Ross

1935 - 2000

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3783 ACTOR

Marilyn Cooper

1934 - 2009

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3791 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Mary Catherine Bateson

Born 1939

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3799 BUSINESS

Larry Silverstein

Born 1931

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3813 PIANIST

Don Randi

Born 1937

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3819 FILM

Bernie Brillstein

1931 - 2008

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3843 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Melvyn Goldstein

Born 1938

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3847 PHOTOGRAPHER

Gardner McKay

1932 - 2001

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3858 BANDLEADER

Andrew Cyrille

Born 1939

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3861 ARTIST

Alison Knowles

Born 1933

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3866 WRITER

Richard A. Lupoff

1935 - 2020

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3876 POET

Alicia Ostriker

Born 1937

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3899 HISTORIAN

Jonathan Ned Katz

Born 1938

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3900 DIPLOMAT

Frank G. Wisner

Born 1938

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3910 PIANIST

Philippa Schuyler

1931 - 1967

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3912 POET

Sandra Gilbert

Born 1936

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3921 ACTOR

Jonathan Goldsmith

Born 1938

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3924 MATHEMATICIAN

Robert M. Solovay

Born 1938

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3926 NOVELIST

Frank Conroy

1936 - 2005

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3928 FILM

Howard Smith (director)

1936 - 2014

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3944 COMPOSER

Al Kasha

1937 - 2020

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3952 PSYCHOLOGIST

Eleanor Rosch

Born 1938

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3962 COMPOSER

Jimmie Haskell

1936 - 2016

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3980 COMPOSER

Tom Smothers

Born 1937

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4001 ATHLETIC

Carl Kaufmann

1936 - 2008

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4015 ACTOR

Jackie Loughery

Born 1930

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4055 WRITER

Paul Krassner

1932 - 2019

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4058 CONDUCTOR

Hiroshi Wakasugi

1935 - 2009

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4060 ACTOR

Patience Cleveland

1931 - 2004

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4065 SCREENWRITER

Herb Gardner

1934 - 2003

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4090 PHYSICIST

Peter Goldreich

Born 1939

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4092 ACTOR

Barbara Colby

1939 - 1975

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4105 PHILOSOPHER

Richard J. Bernstein

Born 1932

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4122 FILM

Alexander Singer

Born 1932

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4130 ACTOR

John Byner

Born 1938

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4142 SURGEON

Sherwin B. Nuland

1930 - 2014

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4157 PHYSICIST

Gerald Feinberg

1933 - 1992

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4163 BOXER

Joey Giardello

1930 - 2008

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4166 WRITER

Judith Exner

1934 - 1999

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4174 ACTOR

Lawrence Montaigne

1931 - 2017

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4179 SINGER

Mike Seeger

1933 - 2009

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4185 ACTOR

Jed Allan

1937 - 2019

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4198 WRITER

John Anthony West

1932 - 2018

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4199 ACTOR

Diana Sands

1934 - 1973

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4208 ACTOR

Brigid Berlin

1939 - 2020

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4211 MUSIC

Bob Gibson (musician)

1931 - 1996

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4215 AUTHOR

Rona Jaffe

1931 - 2005

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4217 ACTOR

Carmine Caridi

1934 - 2019

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4219 BIOLOGIST

Richard Ellis (biologist)

Born 1938

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4229 POLITICIAN

Richard Riordan

Born 1930

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4252 ACTOR

Mark Slade

Born 1939

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4254 FEMINIST

Selma James

Born 1930

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4274 ANIMATOR

Fred Wolf (animator)

Born 1932

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4282 LAWYER

Lynne Stewart

1939 - 2017

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4283 SINGER

Napoleon XIV

Born 1938

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4291 BASKET

Sihugo Green

1933 - 1980

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4309 PHILOSOPHER

Cora Diamond

Born 1937

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4326 WRITER

Curtis Roosevelt

1930 - 2016

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4331 PROFESSOR

Peter Brooks (writer)

Born 1938

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4341 HISTORIAN

Allen Weinstein

1937 - 2015

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4348 PLAYER

Ken Uston

1935 - 1987

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4394 INVESTOR

Arthur Levitt

Born 1931

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4396 WRITER

Mike Zwerin

1930 - 2010

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4416 WRITER

Aaron Elkins

Born 1935

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4426 ACTOR

Novella Nelson

1939 - 2017

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4429 WRITER

Morgan Llywelyn

Born 1937

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4433 BANK

Sanford I. Weill

Born 1933

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4434 PHYSICIST

Gordon Baym

Born 1935

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4441 PHYSICIST

Jack Sarfatti

Born 1939

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4473 POLITICIAN

Jeb Stuart Magruder

1934 - 2014

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4483 PLAYWRIGHT

Arthur Kopit

Born 1937

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4487 SONGWRITER

Jack Keller (songwriter)

1936 - 2005

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4501 ACTOR

Cynthia Harris

Born 1934

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4516 WRITER

Bill Berkson

1939 - 2016

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4520 RADIO

Les Crane

1933 - 2008

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4531 FILM

Stephen Dwoskin

1939 - 2012

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4532 ENTREPRENEUR

Leonard Lauder

Born 1933

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4538 HISTORIAN

Martin J. Sherwin

Born 1937

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4554 WRITER

Hettie Jones

Born 1934

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4577 ESSAYIST

Barbara Goldsmith

1937 - 2016

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4611 POLITICIAN

Arne Carlson

Born 1934

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4615 FILM

Gus Trikonis

Born 1937

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4616 BIOLOGIST

Arnold J. Levine

Born 1939

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4630 CURATOR

Thomas Hoving

1931 - 2009

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4638 ACTOR

Joseph Rigano

1933 - 2014

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4646 FILM

Joyce Chopra

Born 1936

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4657 PSYCHOLOGIST

Paul Rozin

Born 1936

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4675 BIOGRAPHER

Cindy Adams

Born 1930

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4687 POLITICIAN

Richard Burke (politician)

1932 - 2016

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4697 SINGER

Peter La Farge

1931 - 1965

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4700 BIOLOGIST

Roger Payne

Born 1935

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4704 BANJOIST

Eric Weissberg

1939 - 2020

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4710 NOVELIST

Leonard Michaels

1933 - 2003

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4728 HISTORIAN

Charles S. Maier

Born 1939

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4730 POET

Jack Hirschman

Born 1933

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4731 ACTOR

Janet MacLachlan

1933 - 2010

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4780 DRIVER

Peter Revson

1939 - 1974

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4781 AUTHOR

Merlin Stone

1931 - 2011

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4795 PRODUCER

Fred Silverman

1937 - 2020

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4798 ACTOR

Georgine Darcy

1936 - 2004

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4812 FILM

Eleanor Bergstein

Born 1938

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4816 SINGER

Donald Jones (actor)

1932 - 2004

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4824 MATHEMATICIAN

Doris Schattschneider

Born 1939

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4826 PSYCHIATRIST

Stephen Barrett

Born 1933

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4842 SINGER

Sugar Pie DeSanto

Born 1935

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4844 ACTOR

Aron Tager

1934 - 2019

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4850 BASEBALL

Bo Belinsky

1936 - 2001

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4852 ACTOR

Betsy Jones-Moreland

1930 - 2006

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4860 POLITICIAN

Joel Kovel

1936 - 2018

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4862 COMPOSER

Jacques Levy

1935 - 2004

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4874 PHILOSOPHER

Jane Mansbridge

Born 1939

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4875 SCREENWRITER

Francine Pascal

Born 1938

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4888 AUTHOR

Bernie Glassman

1939 - 2018

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4898 WRITER

Shane Stevens (author)

1937 - 2007

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4906 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Sheila Greibach

Born 1939

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4910 ACTOR

Elizabeth Hubbard

Born 1933

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4922 CORRESPONDENT

John Sack

1930 - 2004

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4933 PHYSICIAN

Stanley Plotkin

Born 1932

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4950 ECONOMIST

Stanley Engerman

Born 1936

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4961 ACTOR

Terry Becker

1930 - 2014

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4967 DANCER

Tony Mordente

Born 1935

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4969 PAEDIATRICIAN

Barbara Starfield

1932 - 2011

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4972 MUSIC

Buell Neidlinger

1936 - 2018

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4976 PLAYER

Gene Scott (tennis)

1937 - 2006

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4995 LAWYER

Jerry Reinsdorf

Born 1936

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4996 FILM

D'Urville Martin

1939 - 1984

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5010 NOVELIST

Pamela Moore (author)

1937 - 1964

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5037 HISTORIAN

Edward Jay Epstein

Born 1935

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5042 NOVELIST

John Morressy

1930 - 2006

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5058 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

David Gries

Born 1939

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5064 NEUROSCIENTIST

Paul Bach-y-Rita

1934 - 2006

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5081 PSYCHOLOGIST

Bruce Tuckman

1938 - 2016

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5091 HISTORIAN

Nikki Keddie

Born 1930

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5117 JOURNALIST

Mario Amaya

1933 - 1986

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5120 ARCHITECT

Peter Bohlin

Born 1937

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5124 ECONOMIST

Paul Hersey

1931 - 2012

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5133 FILM

Martin Davidson

Born 1939

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5134 BIOLOGIST

Milton Diamond

Born 1934

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5137 WRITER

Robert Daley

Born 1930

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5145 NOVELIST

Stephen Dixon (author)

1936 - 2019

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5153 ACTOR

Joseph Chaikin

1935 - 2003

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5156 MUSIC

David Lewin

1933 - 2003

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5157 SCREENWRITER

Ellen Weston

Born 1939

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5176 PHOTOGRAPHER

Bob Adelman

1930 - 2016

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5208 SONGWRITER

Martin Charnin

1934 - 2019

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5209 WRITER

Sandy Stone (artist)

Born 1936

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5211 AUTHOR

Brennan Manning

1934 - 2013

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5213 CHOREOGRAPHER

Donald McKayle

1930 - 2018

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5219 ASTRONAUT

Robert A. Parker

Born 1936

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5227 ACTOR

Denise Alexander

Born 1939

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5232 ATHLETIC

Charles Jenkins Sr.

Born 1934

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5242 ECONOMIST

Franklin M. Fisher

1934 - 2019

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5243 MATHEMATICIAN

J. Peter May

Born 1939

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5246 PHYSICIST

David Goodstein

Born 1939

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5247 ACTOR

Joan Evans (actress)

Born 1934

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5262 BASKET

Rudy LaRusso

1937 - 2004

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5263 LINGUIST

Harlan Lane

1936 - 2019

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5286 CHEMIST

Robert Shapiro (chemist)

1935 - 2011

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5289 BASKET

Dick Bavetta

Born 1939

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5302 ECONOMIST

Aaron Wildavsky

1930 - 1993

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5322 JOURNALIST

Charles Osgood

Born 1933

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5338 WRITER

Louis Wolfson (writer)

Born 1931

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5339 ACTOR

Richard Liberty

1932 - 2000

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5347 WRITER

Alfred Appel

1934 - 2009

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5359 FILM

Irwin Yablans

Born 1934

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5387 MUSIC

Julius La Rosa

1930 - 2016

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5392 MATHEMATICIAN

Stephen Grossberg

Born 1939

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5401 BIOLOGIST

Donald Kennedy

1931 - 2020

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5409 RABBI

Marshall Meyer

1930 - 1993

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5411 OPERA

Ezio Flagello

1931 - 2009

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5415 ACADEMIC

Miriam T. Griffin

1935 - 2018

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5416 SONGWRITER

Doug Morris

Born 1938

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5419 PIANIST

Paul Griffin (musician)

1937 - 2000

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5423 ACTOR

Lawrence Hauben

1931 - 1985

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