December 28th Birthdays

Johnny Otis, American singer, musician and impresario, was born on this day in 1921 in Vallejo, California, as Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes. A pioneering influence in rock & roll and rhythm & blues, he is credited with discovering many well-known artists. Johnny passed away at age 90 on January 17, 2012. Here he is in 1958, performing his best-known hit, “Willie and the Hand Jive”

Also born on December 28th:

• 1934
  Dame Maggie Smith, British actress
• 1943
  Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Peruvian cardinal
• 1946
  Edgar Winter, American musician
• 1953
  Martha Wash, American singer
• 1954
  Denzel Washington, American actor
• 1958
  Twila Paris, American singer
• 1960
  Chad McQueen, American actor
• 1970
  Elaine Hendrix, American actress
• 1971
  Benny Agbayani, American baseball player
  William Gates, American basketball player
• 1972
  Adam Vinatieri, American football player
• 1973
  Seth Meyers, American actor
• 1975
  B.J. Ryan, American baseball player
• 1978
  John Legend, American musician
• 1979
  Bill Hall, American baseball player
• 1980
  Vanessa Ferlito, American actress
• 1981
  Elizabeth Jordan Carr, first American test-tube baby
  Sienna Miller, British actress
• 1982
  Cedric Benson, American football player
• 1987
  Thomas Dekker, American actor
• 1989
  Mackenzie Rosman, American actress
• 1990
  David Archuleta, American singer
• 2001
  Madison De La Garza, American actress

December Birthday Calendar

Died on December 28:

• 1945
  Theodore Dreiser, American novelist (age 74)
• 1947
  Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy (age 78)
• 1983
  William Demarest, American actor (age 91)
  Dennis Wilson, American singer, musician (Beach Boys) (age 39)
• 1984
  Sam Peckinpah, American director (age 59)
• 1999
  Clayton Moore, American actor (The Lone Ranger) (age 85)
• 2004
  Jerry Orbach, American actor (“Law & Order”) (age 69)
  Susan Sontag, American writer, political activist (age 71)
• 2013
  Joseph Ruskin, American actor (age 89)
• 2015
  Lemmy, English singer, musician (Motörhead) (age 70)
• 2016
  Debbie Reynolds, American actress, singer (age 84)
• 2017
  Rose Marie, American actress, comedienne (age 94)
• 2018
  Christine McGuire, American singer (age 92)
• 2021
  John Madden, American football coach (age 85)