June 21 birthdays
1921 JANE RUSSELL American actor
Russell was one of Hollywood’s leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. Her first film role was in the Howard Hughes feature The Outlaw (1943). She starred in more than 20 films in a career split between acting and music.
1947 SHIRIN EBADI Iranian human rights activist
Ebadi was a political activist, lawyer, former judge and founder of the Defenders of
Human Rights Centre in Iran. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, becoming the first Muslim woman to receive a Nobel.
1948 LIONEL ROSE Australian boxer
A bantamweight boxer, Rose was the first Indigenous Australian to win a world title. He later became the first Indigenous Australian to be named Australian of the Year. Rose has been awarded “legend” status in the Australian Boxing Hall of Fame.
1953 BENAZIR BHUTTO
Pakistani Prime Minister
Bhutto served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan, from 1988-1990 and again from 1993-1996. While competing in the 2008 elections, Bhutto was assassinated after a political rally in Rawalpindi.
1955 MICHEL PLATINI
French footballer
Platini won the Ballon d’or three times – 1983, 1984 and 1985 – and came seventh in the FIFA Player of the Century vote. As president of UEFA, in 2015 he was banned over ethics violations.
1982 PRINCE WILLIAM English Royal
William, the Duke of Cambridge is the son of Prince Charles and the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. He is second in line of succession for the throne after his father. He married Catherine Middleton in 2011. They have three children.
1983 EDWARD SNOWDEN American NSA contractor
Snowden leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency, revealing numerous global surveillance programs. In 2020, a federal court ruled the mass surveillance program was illegal and possibly unconstitutional.