Janet Gaynor (1906-1984)

Janet Gaynor was born Laura Gainor on October 6, 1906, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  In 1926, at the age of 20, she turned in a superb performance as Anna Burger in The Johnstown Flood (1926). The Hollywood moguls knew they had a top star on their hands. The next year she turned in acclaimed performances in two classic films, 7th Heaven (1927) and Sunrise (1927). Based on the strength of those two films plus Street Angel (1928), Janet received the very first Academy Award for best actress. This was the first and only time an actress won the Oscar for multiple roles.

Elisabeth Shue (1963-)

Elisabeth Shue was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to Anne Brewster (Wells), who worked for the Chemical Banking Corporation, and James William Shue, a lawyer and real estate developer. During her studies, she found a way to make a little extra money by acting in television commercials. Elisabeth became a common sight in ads for Burger King, DeBeers diamonds, and Hellman’s mayonnaise. Her first movie role was in 1984. She acted in The Karate Kid. She played the girlfriend of Ralph Macchio. In 1986, she acted with Terrance Stamp in the British horror movie Link. Adventures in Babysitting was her first acting job where she was the main character.

Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977)

Fannie Lou Hamer was an American voting and women’s rights activist, community organizer, and a leader of the civil rights movement. She was the co-founder and vice-chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) and represented it at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. She also founded the Freedom Farm Cooperative (FFC) and co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus. She led the civil rights activism during the early 1960s and became a registered voter in the State of Mississippi in 1963, because of which she was harassed, extorted, shot at, and assaulted by white supremacists and the police.

Jeremy Sisto (1974-)

Jeremy Merton Sisto is an American film, television, and stage actor, producer, and screenwriter. A talented thespian, he has been active professionally for the majority of his life. Hailing from a family of performers, Sisto fell in love with acting almost organically. He made his debut in 1991 in the Kelvin Kline and Danny Glover starrer ‘Grand Canyon’ and then went on to act in two television films consecutively before working in the cult classic ‘Clueless’ in 1995. he year 2014 marked a new turn in his career, as he co-wrote, produced and acted in the comedy film ‘Break Point’. Presently, he stars in Robert Munic’s newest show ‘Ice’.

Ioan Gruffudd (1973-)

Ioan Gruffudd is an eminent Welsh actor, best known for playing the role of Harold Lowe in the super hit romantic movie ‘Titanic’ and of Lt John Beales in the war film ‘Black Hawk Down’. His other notable film projects include ‘Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box’, ‘Fantastic 4’, ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘King Arthur’. Besides the big screen, Gruffudd has worked on the small screen as well. He is famous for playing Andrew Martin in the TV series ‘Ringer’, Dr Henry Morgan in drama ‘Forever’ and John Booth in the series ‘Unreal’. The famous plays he participated in are ‘Hedda Gabler’, ‘The Decameron’, ‘The Play What I Wrote’ and ‘Trouble Sleeping’

Bruno Sammartino (1935-2018)

Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was an Italian-American professional wrestler known for his tenure with World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). He is regarded as a true pioneer in his industry and is often listed among the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Dubbed as “The Living Legend” during his lifetime, he had several other monikers throughout his career, including “The Italian Strongman” and “The Strongest Man in the World”. Sammartino began his career as a professional wrestler in December 1959 in Pittsburgh and had his first match in Madison Square Garden in the following month. After his retirement, Sammartino continued to be involved with the industry and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.

Tony Dungy (1955-)

Tony Dungy is the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl, first NFL head coach to defeat all 32 NFL teams, youngest assistant coach in NFL history at the age of 25 and the youngest coordinator at the age of 28. Furthermore, he is the third person in NFL history to win a title as a player and as a head coach. Proficient at the game since young, his playing prowess first came to limelight during his years at the University of Minnesota. Interestingly, despite his outstanding talent and exceptional skills, he was not drafted into any of the NFL teams. Eventually, he secured himself a place with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and later with San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants.