Special Report
Halloween has become a truly global phenomenon, and is marked by parties and parades around the world. One theory holds that many Halloween traditions derived from Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain. For some people, Oct. 31 means a lot more than trick-or-treating and jack-o’-lanterns – it’s their birthday.
Using IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon, and other sources, 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of 36 celebrities – from actors and professional athletes to royalty – who were born on Halloween, celebrated on Oct. 31 every year.
Christopher Columbus’s early life is obscure, but scholars believe he was born in Genoa between Aug. 25 and Oct. 31, 1451, earning him a place on our list. To some he was a heroic explorer and navigator, and the “discoverer” of America; to others he was a brutal exploiter whose actions resulted in the decimation of indigenous peoples. A less controversial explorer and navigator, astronaut Michael Collins, was also born on Halloween – some 480 years later, in 1931.
Actor Stephen Rea, who’s known for his serious and sorrowful face, was a Halloween baby. So was actor John Candy, who was known for his goofiness. “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson was born on October 31, 1961. U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. arrived the same day.
Our list includes two hip-hop musicians who were born a year apart. Adam Horovitz was born on Oct., 1966. Better known as Ad-Rock or King Ad-Rock, he was a member of the Beastie Boys. Robert Matthew Van Winkle, known professionally as Vanilla Ice, was born a year later. His megahit “Ice Ice Baby” was based on “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie. (Here are some other famous people born on major holidays.)
Christopher Columbus
> Born in: 1451
> Known for being a(n): Explorer
Source: Dan Kitwood / Getty Images News via Getty Images
John Keats
> Born in: 1795
> Known for being a(n): Poet
ALSO READ: Famous People Born on Major Holidays
Juliette Gordon Low
> Born in: 1860
> Known for being a(n): Founder of Girl Scouts USA
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Lee Grant
> Born in: 1925
> Known for being a(n): Actress, (“In the Heat of the Night”)
Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Michael Collins
> Born in: 1930
> Known for being a(n): Astronaut
Source: Theo Wargo / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Dan Rather
> Born in: 1931
> Known for being a(n): Journalist
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Moviepix via Getty Images
Ron Rifkin
> Born in: 1939
> Known for being a(n): Actor
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
David Allen Ogden Stiers
> Born in: 1942
> Known for being a(n): Actor and conductor
Source: Tim P. Whitby / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Stephen Rea
> Born in: 1946
> Known for being a(n): Actor
Source: Cooper Neill / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Deidre Hall
> Born in: 1947
> Known for being a(n): Actress
Source: Monica Schipper / Getty Images
Jane Pauley
> Born in: 1950
> Known for being a(n): Journalist
Source: George Rose / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
John Candy
> Born in: 1950
> Known for being a(n): Actor
ALSO READ: Most Popular Halloween Costume in Every State
Source: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Zaha Hadid
> Born in: 1950
> Known for being a(n): Architect
Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Nick Saban
> Born in: 1951
> Known for being a(n): College football coach
Source: Steve Jennings / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Neal Stephenson
> Born in: 1959
> Known for being a(n): Writer
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Peter Jackson
> Born in: 1961
> Known for being a(n): Film director
Source: Mike Coppola / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Larry Mullen Jr.
> Born in: 1961
> Known for being a(n): Musician
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Rob Schneider
> Born in: 1963
> Known for being a(n): Comedian, actor
Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Dermot Mulroney
> Born in: 1963
> Known for being a(n): Actor
Fred McGiff
> Born in: 1963
> Known for being a(n): Former baseball player
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Marco van Basten
> Born in: 1964
> Known for being a(n): Retired soccer player and manager
Source: Evan Agostini / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Adam Horovitz
> Born in: 1966
> Known for being a(n): Musician
Source: Matthew Eisman / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Vanilla Ice
> Born in: 1967
> Known for being a(n): Rapper / TV personality
Source: Scott Gries / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Adam Schlesinger
> Born in: 1967
> Known for being a(n): Musician
Source: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Ruben Fleischer
> Born in: 1974
> Known for being a(n): Filmmaker
Piper Perabo
> Born in: 1976
> Known for being a(n): Actress
Frank Iero
> Born in: 1981
> Known for being a(n): Musician
ALSO READ: Most Played Halloween Songs of All Time
Source: Rick Yeatts / Getty Images
Mike Napoli
> Born in: 1981
> Known for being a(n): Former baseball player
Source: Michael Kovac / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Justin Chatwin
> Born in: 1982
> Known for being a(n): Actor
Source: Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Vanessa Marano
> Born in: 1992
> Known for being a(n): Actress
Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Letitia Wright
> Born in: 1993
> Known for being a(n): Actress
Source: Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Marcus Rashford
> Born in: 1997
> Known for being a(n): Soccer player
ALSO READ: Famous People Born on Major Holidays
Source: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for FIJI Water
Holly Taylor
> Born in: 1997
> Known for being a(n): Actress
Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Sydney Park
> Born in: 1997
> Known for being a(n): Actress
Source: Jerritt Clark / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Willow Smith
> Born in: 2000
> Known for being a(n): Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s daughter, singer
Source: Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Leonor, Princess of Asturias
> Born in: 2005
> Known for being a(n): Heir to the Spanish throne