AFI Biography

Group formed in 1991 in Ukiah, CA; members include Hunter Burgan (born May 14, 1976), bass; Adam Carson (born February 5, 1975), drums; Davey Havok (born November 20, 1975, in Rochester, NY), vocals; Jade Errol Puget (born November 26, 1973), guitar.

J. J. Abrams Biography

Born Jeffrey Jacob Abrams, June 27, 1966, in New York, NY, to Gerald (a television producer) and Carol (a television producer) Abrams; married Katie McGrath (a public-relations executive), c. 1995; children: Henry, Gracie, August.

Don Adams Biography

Born Donald James Yarmy, April 13, 1923, in New York, NY; died of lymphoma and a lung infection, September 25, 2005, in Los Angeles, CA. Actor.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Biography

Born Mahmoud Saborjhian, October 28, 1956, in Aradan, Iran; son of a blacksmith; married to a university lecturer; children: two sons, one daughter. Education: Iran University of Science and Technology, Ph.D., 1987.

Sophie Albou Biography

Born Sophie Haggiag in 1967, in Paris, France; daughter of Yvan (a clothing-company executive) and Nicole (a clothing designer) Haggiag; married Franck (a clothing company executive; separated); children: Adrian Joseph, Paul. Education: Studied management at the Sorbonne; attended the Institut Français de la Mode.

Monica Ali Biography

Born in 1967, in Dhaka, Bangladesh; emigrated to Britain, 1971; daughter of Hatem (a teacher) and Joyce (a counselor) Ali; married Simon Torrance (a management consultant); children: Felix, Shumi (daughter). Education: Earned PPE (philosophy, politics, and economics) degree from Wadham College, Oxford University.

Robert Allenby Biography

Born Robert Mark Allenby, July 12, 1971, in Melbourne, Australia; son of Don and Sylvia Allenby; married Sandy, 1999; children: Harry Jack, Lily Bela.

June Allyson Biography

Born Eleanor Geisman, October 7, 1917, in the Bronx, NY; died of pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis, July 8, 2006, in Ojai, CA. Actress.

Brad Anderson Biography

Born Bradbury H. Anderson, April 29, 1949, in Sheridan, WY; son of Marbury Anderson (a Lutheran minister); married Janet; children: two sons.

Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe Biography

Tom Anderson born October 13, 1975; son of an entrepreneur. Chris DeWolfe born c.

Karel Appel Biography

Born Karel Christian Appel, April 25, 1921, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands; died of a heart ailment, May 3, 2006, in Zurich, Switzerland. Artist.

Alan Arkin Biography

Born Alan Wolf Arkin, March 26, 1934, in Brooklyn, NY; son of David I. (an artist and teacher) and Beatrice (a teacher; maiden name, Wortis) Arkin; married Jeremy Yaffe (a nurse), 1955 (divorced, 1960); married Barbara Dana (an actress and screenwriter), June 16, 1964 (divorced); married Suzanne Newlander, c.

Michelle Bachelet Biography

Born Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria, September 29, 1951, in Santiago, Chile; daughter of Alberto Bachelet Martínez (an Air Force general) and Ángela Jeria Gómez (an archeologist); married Jorge Dávalos (an architect), 1977 (separated, c. 1986); children: Sebastian, Francisca (with Dávalos), Sofia (with a physician).

Kurmanbek Bakiyev Biography

Born Kurmanbek S. Bakiyev, August 1, 1949, in Masadan, Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan; son of Sali (a farm manager) Bakiyev; married; children: sons Marat, Maxim.

Michael Ball Biography

Born c. 1964; son of a musician.

Banksy Biography

Addresses: Agent—c/o Lazarides Gallery, 8 Greek St., London W1D 4DG, United Kingdom.

Tiki Barber Biography

Born Atiim Kiambu Barber, April 7, 1975, in Roanoke, VA; son of James (J.B.) and Geraldine Barber; married Ginny Cha (a fashion publicist), c. 1999; children: A.J., Chason.

Brenda C. Barnes Biography

Born c. 1955; married Randall Barnes (a business executive); children: Jeff, Erin, Brian.

Syd Barrett Biography

Born Roger Keith Barrett, January 6, 1946, in Cambridge, England; died of complications from diabetes, July 7, 2006, in Cambridge, England. Musician.

Alison Bechdel Biography

Born September 10, 1960, in Lock Haven, PA; daughter of Bruce Allen (a high school English teacher, antiques dealer, and funeral director) and Helen (a high school English teacher and actress; maiden name, Fontana) Bechdel. Education: Simon's Rock Early College (now Simon's Rock of Bard College), A.A., 1979; Oberlin College, B.A., 1981.

Frances Beinecke Biography

Born Frances Gillespie Beinecke, c. 1960, in Summit, New Jersey; daughter of William S.

Gabrielle Bell Biography

Born c. 1975, in London, England.

Wendy Bellissimo Biography

Born c. 1967, in Connecticut; daughter of Jay (a tool designer) and Lonnie (a furniture-store owner) Jarmolinski; married Joe Bellissimo (a marketing executive), 1995; children: Gracie, Cecilia, Willow, Marlie.

Peter Benchley Biography

Born Peter Bradford Benchley, May 8, 1940, in New York, NY; died of pulmonary fibrosis, February 11, 2006, in Princeton, NJ. Author.

Dierks Bentley Biography

Born Dierks Bentley, November 20, 1975, in Phoenix, AZ; son of Leon (a stockbroker) and Cathy (a homemaker) Bentley; married Cassidy Black, December 14, 2005. Education: Attended the University of Vermont and Vanderbilt University.

Wolfgang Bernhard Biography

Born Wolfgang Ayerle in September, 1960, in Böhen, Germany. Education: Earned master's degree in electrical engineering and economics from the Technical University, Darmstadt, Germany, 1986; Columbia University, M.B.A., 1988; earned doctorate in economics from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 1990.

George Best Biography

Born May 22, 1946, in Belfast, Northern Ireland; died of multiple organ failure, November 25, 2005, in London, England. Professional soccer player.

J. Darius Bikoff Biography

Born c. 1962, in New York; son of William (owner of a real estate management company and metals importer) and Suzie (a homemaker) Bikoff; married Nanne Puritz (an actress), May 28, 1994; children: one daughter.

Natalie Bloom Biography

Born in 1971 in Melbourne, Australia; daughter of a clothing-store owner; married Brian Hamersfeld (a marketing executive), 1999; children: Chloe, Amber. Education: Earned degree in visual communication from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 1992.

Julie Bowen Biography

Born Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer, March 3, 1970, in Baltimore, MD; daughter of Jack (worked in commercial real estate) and Susie Luetkemeyer; married Scott Phillips, September, 2004. Education: Brown University, B.A., 1991.

T. C. Boyle Biography

Born Thomas John Boyle, December 2, 1948, in Peekskill, NY; son of a janitor/bus driver and secretary; married Karen Kvashay, 1974; children: Kerrie, Milo, Spencer. Education: State University of New York at Potsdam, B.A., 1968; University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, M.F.A., 1974, Ph.D., 1977.

Nancy Brinker Biography

Born December 6, 1946, in Peoria, IL; daughter of Marvin (a commercial real-estate developer) and Eleanor (a homemaker; maiden name, Newman) Goodman; married Robert Leitstein (divorced); married Norman E. Brinker (a restaurant chain founder/owner), 1981; children: Eric (from first marriage).

Christopher Brosius Biography

Born in the United States. Education: Earned degree in visual design.

Howard Brown and Karen Stewart Biography

Born Howard Brown in 1967 in Montana; son of Bob and Florence (owners of a hardware store and a clothing store) Brown; married Karen Stewart; children: Hazel. Born Karen Stewart, c.

Jerry Bruckheimer Biography

Born September 21, 1945, in Detroit, MI; married Bonnie (a producer; marriage ended); married Linda Sue Cobb (a writer and antiques dealer). Education: University of Arizona, B.A., 1965.

Fernando Bujones Biography

Born Fernando Bujones Jr., March 9, 1955, in Miami, FL; died of complications from melanoma, November 10, 2005, in Miami, FL. Ballet dancer.

Jake Burton Biography

Born Jake Burton Carpenter, April 29, 1954, in New York, NY; married Donna (a gourmet-food store owner); children: George, Taylor, Tim. Education: Attended the University of Colorado—Boulder; earned degree from New York University, c.

Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake Biography

Born Stewart Butterfield in 1973 in Lund, British Columbia; married Caterina Fake. Born Caterina Fake, c.

Red Buttons Biography

Born Aaron Chwatt, February 5, 1919, in Manhattan, NY; died of vascular disease, July 13, 2006, in Los Angeles, CA. Comedian and actor.

Oleg Cassini Biography

Born Oleg Cassini Loiewski, April 11, 1913, in Paris, France; died from a cranial blood vessel break, March 17, 2006, in Manhasset, NY. Fashion designer.

Elaine L. Chao Biography

Born March 26, 1953, in Taiwan; daughter of James (owner of a shipping firm) and Ruth Chao; married Mitch McConnell (a U.S. senator), 1993; children: three stepdaughters.

Steve Chen and Chad Hurley Biography

Steve Chen born in August of 1978 in Taiwan. Chad Hurley born c.

Lee Child Biography

Born October 29, 1954, in Coventry, England; married Jane (an environmentalist), 1975; children: Ruth. Education: University of Sheffield, LL.B.

Daniel Clowes Biography

Born April 14, 1961, in Chicago, IL; son of an auto mechanic mother; married Erika; children: Charlie. Education: Earned art degree from the Pratt Institute, 1984.

Sacha Baron Cohen Biography

Born Sacha Noam Baron Cohen, October 13, 1971, in London, England; son of Gerald Baron (an accountant and clothing-store owner) and Daniella (an exercise instructor) Cohen. Education: Earned degree in history from Christ's College, Cambridge University.

Stephen Colbert Biography

Born April 20, 1964, in Charleston, SC; married Evelyn McGee; children: three. Education: Attended Hampden-Sydney College, c.

Anne Cole Biography

Born c. 1930, in California; daughter of Fred Cole (a swimwear manufacturer).

Bill Condon Biography

Born William Condon, October 22, 1955, in New York, NY. Education: Graduated from Columbia University.

Michael Connelly Biography

Born July 21, 1956, in Philadelphia, PA; son of W. Michael (a property developer) and Mary (a homemaker) Connelly; married Linda McCaleb (a literary manager), April, 1984; children: Callie.