Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is upon us and when the clock strikes midnight on the night of Monday, February 4 (or the morning of Tuesday, February 5) it will officially be the Year of the Pig.
Occupying the 12th spot in the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Pig comes after the Dog and ahead of the Rat, which is the first creature of the zodiac calendar. Gentle, friendly, stubborn and – according to some – lazy, Pigs make great teachers, police officers (a little on the nose, but whatever), politicians, singers and actors.
Below, we give you 25 famous people born in the Year of the Pig:
1. Oliver Cromwell (1599)
Image via Wikimedia
One of the most controversial figures in the history of the British Isles, Oliver Cromwell was born in Huntingdon, England on April 25, 1599 (a Year of the Pig, we checked), according to Biography.com. A military leader on the side of the parliamentarians during the English Civil Wars, Cromwell later served as lord protector of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Viewed by some as a dictator, by others as a genocidal maniac, and others yet as a defender of liberty, Cromwell was named as ‘one of the greatest Britons of all time’ in a 2002 poll conducted by the BBC.
2. Richard Attenborough (1923)
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The older brother of Sir David Attenborough, arguably the most celebrated voice in nature programing, Richard Attenborough is famous for his roles in The Great Escape, Jurassic Park and Miracle on 34th Street, among other acclaimed films. Born on August 29, 1923, the eldest Attenborough served in the Royal Air Force during WWII, afterwards becoming an actor, director and producer. He was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1967 and was the recipient of a long list of additional honors before his death in 2014.
3. Stephen King (1947)
Image via @stephenking/Instagram
An icon of the literary world, Stephen King has been churning out spine-chilling tales of horror and suspense for the past five decades. Born in Portland, Maine on September 21, 1947, King is a bona fide pop-culture behemoth, responsible for writing such celebrated stories as The Shining, IT, Under the Dome and The Dark Tower series – many of which have been adapted to film. According to Biography.com, King’s books have sold over 350 million copies worldwide.
4. Hillary Clinton (1947)
Image via @hillaryclinton/Instagram
A former politician and first lady of the United States of America, Hillary Clinton was born on the 26th of October, 1947 with the name Hillary Diane Rodham. The wife of a former US president, Bill ‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman’ Clinton, Ms. Clinton served as the 67th secretary of state of the US under President Obama. She made history in 2016 when she became the first woman to be nominated as the presidential candidate of a major political party. She ultimately lost in the election to the nation’s top office to the current president, Donald Trump.
5. Sir Elton John (1947)
Image via @eltonjohn/Instagram
The original ‘Rocket Man,’ Sir Elton John has been hailed by more than a few folks as one of the most popular – and influential – musicians of the 20th century. Born in England in March of 1947, Biography.com notes the singer and pianist was “one of the top acts” of the ’70s and his hit tracks, such as ‘Crocodile Rock’ and ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,’ still receive airtime today. In addition to his musical endeavours, Sir Elton is also known for his philanthropic work.
6. Larry David (1947)
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He’s pret-tay, pret-tay good at what he does, which is making people LOL and occasionally shoot soft drink out their nose because they're cackling so hard (don’t ask, it’s a messy, messy tale). He’s Larry David, a comedy great and occasional butcher of Julius Caesar quotes. Born in Brooklyn, New York on July 2, 1947, David was one of the main brains behind hit sitcom Seinfeld and the creator of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
7. Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947)
Image via IMDB
The ‘Governator’ himself, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a Pig. Born in Graz, Austria on July 30, 1947, Schwarzenegger began his climb to the top as a bodybuilder, before venturing into the shiny world of Hollywood as a film star and then on to the highest office in the US state of California in 2003. His filmography is long, but we’ll mention a few highlights – just in case you’ve been living under a rock: The Terminator series, Conan the Barbarian, Kindergarten Cop and The Expendables series.
8. David Letterman (1947)
Image via IMDB
One of the best-known talk show hosts of all time (if not the best-known talk show host of all time), David Letterman is famous for his time behind the desk on Late Night with David Letterman and The Late Show. A comedian with a cynical and brash sense of humor, Letterman was ranked 17th on Forbes’ list of ‘richest men in the entertainment industry’ in 2007 and 14th on the publication’s list of ‘most powerful personalities in entertainment’ in 2009. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 12, 1947.
9. Camilla Parker Bowles (1947)
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Born on the 17th of July, 1947, Camilla Parker Bowles is the wife of Charles, Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. She spent her youth in East Sussex and South Kensington and received her education in the UK, Switzerland and France. Prior to marrying Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall was married to an officer in the British Army and has two children from this earlier marriage. She is heavily involved in a number of charitable organizations and has worked to raise awareness for a number of causes, including sexual violence and poverty.
10. Sean Bean (1959)
Image via HBO/IMDB
You might think that the man who played Ned Stark in HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones would be a Year of the Wolf (read: Dog) man, but alas, he too is a Pig. Born in the ‘Steel City,’ Sheffield, England, on April 17, 1959, Bean has had face time in a number of notable films, from playing a villain in 1995’s GoldenEye, opposite Pierce Brosnan, to the conflicted Boromir in the first installment of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
11. Weird Al Yankovic (1959)
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Famous for his comical renditions of popular songs, Weird Al was born on October 23, 1959 as Alfred Matthew Yankovic in Downey, California. He rose to fame in the 1980s with a series of creative and witty rehashes of such notable tracks as Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ (which became ‘Eat It’) and Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ (which became ‘Like a Surgeon’). His most recent studio album, Mandatory Happiness, was released in 2014. In 2018, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
12. Winona Ryder (1971)
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Born in October of 1971 in Winona, Minnesota, Winona Ryder has appeared in a number of notable films, including Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. She received back-to-back Academy Award nominations for her roles in The Age of Innocence and Little Women. A shoplifting scandal in 2001 put a damper on her career, but she returned in fine form in 2016 with a role in Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things.
13. Tupac Shakur (1971)
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His life story has become a thing of legend. Tupac Shakur was born on June 16, 1971 and killed at the age of 25 in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 13, 1996. His murder remains officially unsolved to this day. Nothing short of a lyrical monster, Pac is responsible for a string of gangster rap hits, including ‘Hit ‘Em Up,’ ‘How Do U Want It’ and ‘California Love,’ that any respectable ‘party person’ still bumps regularly. Back in 2012, Pac appeared in ‘hologram’ form at Coachella Music Festival to perform two songs alongside Snoop Doggy Dogg, which leads us to our next G on the list…
14. Snoop Dogg (1971)
Image via @snoopdogg/Instagram
Whether or not you were aware of Snoop when he busted on to the scene under the tutelage of Dr. Dre on 1992’s The Chronic, chances are you’ve heard of him now. From the opening lines of ‘Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang’ Snoop was destined for greatness, whether anyone knew it at the time or not. Since then, he’s cemented himself as a successful rapper, appeared in countless films and TV shows and even (briefly) reinvented himself as a reggae artist, Snoop Lion, the reincarnation of Bob Marley. Snoop Dogg was born on October 20, 1971.
15. Elon Musk (1971)
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The controversy-prone face of Tesla and SpaceX, among other companies and projects, Elon Musk was born on the 28th of June, 1971. He holds American, Canadian and South African citizenships. Arguably one of the most famous entrepreneurs of our time, Musk made his first billion back in 2002 with the sale of PayPal, a company he helped co-found. In addition to building stuff, selling stuff and launching things into space, Musk also briefly served as an advisor to the Trump administration – although he abandoned this role after President Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Accord. Musk was offered permanent residency in China back in January of this year, after he professed his love for the Middle Kingdom while visiting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.
16. Mark Wahlberg (1971)
Image via IMDB
Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts in June of 1971, Mark Wahlberg is an accomplished actor who got his start in showbiz as the face of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, a hip hop group most notable for the song ‘Good Vibrations,’ which made it to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1991. Although his youth included numerous run-ins with the law (he spent 45 days in prison for “the savage beating of a Vietnamese man”), he eventually got his shit together and ended up acting in a number of acclaimed films, such as The Perfect Storm, The Fighter, The Departed and Ted.
17. Justin Trudeau (1971)
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also an oinker, born on Christmas Day in 1971 in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa. The eldest son of former Canadian leader Pierre Trudeau, Justin was elected as the Great White North’s 23rd prime minister back in 2015. He is the second youngest person to be elected to the nation’s highest office.
18. Missy Elliott (1971)
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Melissa Arnette Elliott, better known by her alias Missy Elliott, is an American rap artist from Virginia. Born on the 1st of July in 1971, Elliott started her rap career back in the 1990s as a member of the all-female group Sista. She went on to play a role in Swing Mob before eventually going solo in 1997. She’s known for a string of hit songs, including ‘Get Ur Freak On,’ ‘One Minute Man’ and ‘Work It,’ and has won numerous Grammy Awards. According to Billboard, Elliot is the top-selling female rapper in the history of Nielsen Music.
19. Pavel Bure (1971)
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Born in the former Soviet Union on March 31, 1971, Russian hockey star Pavel Bure is a Hockey Hall of Fame member who played for the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers. He spent 12 seasons in the NHL, racking up 779 points and earning himself the moniker ‘The Russian Rocket’ due to his incredible speed.
20. Ewan McGregor (1971)
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Obi-Wan Kenobi – err, we mean Ewan McGregor – was born in Scotland on the 31st of March in 1971. A celebrated philanthropist, producer and actor, McGregor garnered international praise back in 1996 with his role in the film Trainspotting. He became a household name two years later when he accepted the role of legendary Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy. In addition to acting, McGregor is notable for his globetrotting adventures with friend Charley Boorman. Back in 2004, the duo filmed a documentary series called Long Way Round that profiled their 12-country overland journey on motorcycles from London to New York. In 2007, Boorman and McGregor reunited to film Long Way Down, which documented their motorcycle trip from Scotland to South Africa.
21. Adam Driver (1983)
Image via IMDB
Our previous member of this list, McObi-Wan, shares something in common with Adam Driver: Star Wars. Driver, who was born in San Diego, California on the 19th of November 1983, has also become a household name in recent years due to his role as the villainous Kylo Ren in Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy. Prior to his time in a galaxy far, far away, Driver gained recognition for his part in the popular HBO series Girls.
22. Amy Winehouse (1983)
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A member of the infamous ‘27 Club,’ Amy Winehouse is famous for contralto vocals and hit tracks, including ‘Valerie’ and ‘Back to Black.’ Born on the 14th of September 1983, Winehouse was a widely celebrated musician, having won five Grammy Awards for her 2006 album Back to Black. She tragically passed away in 2011 from accidental alcohol poisoning.
23. Jonah Hill (1983)
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Notable for his appearances in a number of hit comedies, including Knocked Up, Superbad, 21 Jump Street and This Is the End, Jonah Hill was born in Los Angeles, California in December of 1983. According to Biography.com, Hill was regularly mistaken for close friend Seth Rogan up until his appearance in 2010’s Get Him to the Greek.
24. Donald Glover (1983)
Image via IMDB
Donald Glover is a modern-day renaissance man, famous for acting, music, stand-up comedy and production work. Rapping under the name Childish Gambino, Glover has dropped a number of successful tracks, including ‘Redbone’ and ‘This is America.’ Another Star Wars alumni (he played Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story), Glover has been hailed for his role in creating Atlanta, a television show he co-writes, directs, produces and stars in. He was born on September 25, 1983 at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
25. Carrie Underwood (1983)
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Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma on the 10th of March, 1983, Carrie Underwood rose to fame back in 2005 when she won the fourth season of hit TV show American Idol. Since then, she has gone on to become one of the best-selling artists in the country music genre, selling more than 65 million albums worldwide. Underwood is a mother to two boys and is married to retired NHLer Mike Fisher.
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UPDATE (February 3, 2019 at 11.20am CST): This article has been updated to include additional celebrities.
UPDATE (February 2, 2019 at 10.25pm CST): This article has been updated to include Amy Winehouse and Winona Ryder.
[Cover image via IMDB]
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