Famous People Born in 1961

Celebrities born in 1961 include George Clooney, Eddie Murphy, James Gandolfini. Here are 39 of the best-known stars born that year, plus a look at life in 1961.

📜 Explore the year you were born

Celebrities born in 1961

• George Clooney
  Actor · Director · Born May 6, 1961
  Age 65
• Eddie Murphy
  Actor · Singer · Born Apr 3, 1961
  Age 65
• James Gandolfini
  Actor · Born Sep 18, 1961
  Died 2013
• Michael J. Fox
  Actor · Born Jun 9, 1961
  Age 65
• Stephen Hillenburg
  Actor · Director · Born Aug 21, 1961
  Died 2018
• Susan Boyle
  Actor · Singer · Born Apr 1, 1961
  Age 65
• Forest Whitaker
  Actor · Director · Born Jul 15, 1961
  Age 65
• Woody Harrelson
  Actor · Director · Born Jul 23, 1961
  Age 65
• Meg Ryan
  Actor · Born Nov 19, 1961
  Age 64
• Carl Lewis
  Athlete · Born Jul 1, 1961
  Age 65
• Laurence Fishburne
  Actor · Director · Born Jul 30, 1961
  Age 65
• Wayne Gretzky
  Athlete · Born Jan 26, 1961
  Age 65
• Dave Mustaine
  Musician · Singer · Born Sep 13, 1961
  Age 65
• Ricky Gervais
  Actor · Comedian · Born Jun 25, 1961
  Age 65
• Tim Roth
  Actor · Director · Born May 14, 1961
  Age 65
• Jennifer Coolidge
  Actor · Born Aug 28, 1961
  Age 65
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus
  Actor · Singer · Born Jan 13, 1961
  Age 65
• Billy Ray Cyrus
  Singer · Musician · Born Aug 25, 1961
  Age 65
• Aaron Sorkin
  Actor · Director · Born Jun 9, 1961
  Age 65
• Heather Locklear
  Actor · Model · Born Sep 25, 1961
  Age 65
• Virginia Madsen
  Actor · Born Sep 11, 1961
  Age 65
• Boy George
  Musician · Singer · Born Jun 14, 1961
  Age 65
• Robert Carlyle
  Actor · Director · Born Apr 14, 1961
  Age 65
• Wynton Marsalis
  Musician · Born Oct 18, 1961
  Age 65
• The Edge
  Musician · Singer · Born Aug 8, 1961
  Age 65
• Bonnie Hunt
  Actor · Comedian · Born Sep 22, 1961
  Age 65
• Lea Thompson
  Actor · Director · Born May 31, 1961
  Age 65
• Isiah Thomas
  Athlete · Born Apr 30, 1961
  Age 65
• Ralph Macchio
  Actor · Director · Born Nov 4, 1961
  Age 65
• Jodi Benson
  Singer · Musician · Born Oct 10, 1961
  Age 65
• John Corbett
  Actor · Singer · Born May 9, 1961
  Age 65
• Christopher Meloni
  Actor · Born Apr 2, 1961
  Age 65
• Dylan McDermott
  Actor · Born Oct 26, 1961
  Age 65
• k.d. lang
  Actor · Singer · Born Nov 2, 1961
  Age 65
• George Lopez
  Actor · Comedian · Born Apr 23, 1961
  Age 65
• Melissa Etheridge
  Musician · Singer · Born May 29, 1961
  Age 65
• Mariel Hemingway
  Actor · Born Nov 22, 1961
  Age 64
• Amy Sedaris
  Actor · Comedian · Born Mar 29, 1961
  Age 65
• Elizabeth McGovern
  Actor · Singer · Born Jul 18, 1961
  Age 65

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Celebrity data from Wikidata; prices from USPS, US Department of Labor and BLS CPI. Updated November 2026.