BORN THIS WEEK
MAY 17 BOB MERRILL
American songwriter and screenwriter born in 1921. He wrote hits such as How Much is That Doggie in the Window, If I Knew You Were Coming I’d Have Baked a Cake, Honeycomb and People. He died in 1998.
MAY 18 MIRIAM MARGOLYES
Actor born in England in 1941.
She began acting at university, later becoming a well-known face in film and on TV, best known as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films. She became an Australian citizen in 2013.
MAY 19 DAME NELLIE MELBA
Australian Opera singer, born Helen Mitchell in 1861. She made her opera debut in Melbourne in 1887 and became famous around the world. She was made a Dame in 1918 and gave farewell concerts from the mid-1920s until her death in 1931.
MAY 20 MARK WINTERBOTTOM
Australian racing driver born in 1981. His career highlights include winning the Bathurst 1000 in 2013 and being crowned the International Supercar V8 Champion in 2015.
MAY 21 ALBRECHT DURER
German artist born in 1471. He was apprenticed to German artist Michael Wolgemut but later also travelled to Italy to learn from Italian masters and also to the Netherlands to learn from artists such as van Eyck. Among his best known works is Knight, Death and the Devil. He died in 1528
MAY 22 GEORGE BEST
Irish footballer born in 1946. He became a star player with the team Manchester United, but also played with many other teams including Northern Ireland and the Brisbane Lions. Rated one of the greatest players of all time he died in 2005.
MAY 23 ANATOLY KARPOV
Russian chess player born in 1951. He became world champion in 1975 when American Bobby Fischer forfeited. He was beaten by Gary Kasparov in 1985 but took back the title in 1993 and held it again until 1999.