8 Milestone Birthdays in February

Jennifer Aniston, Bobby Brown and John McEnroe are among the celebs celebrating big ones

by Susan Wloszczyna, AARP, February 1, 2019 | Comments: 0

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PHOTO BY: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Feb. 5: Michael Sheen, 50

En español | EThe in-demand Welsh actor has been the go-to guy for portrayals of British politician Tony Blair, whom he’s channeled in a trio of productions: the 2003 TV movie The Deal; the 2006 film The Queen, opposite Helen Mirren; and 2010’s The Special Relationship on HBO. He also repeated his stage success as TV host David Frost in the 2008 Oscar-nominated film Frost/Nixon. Next: He’ll play a Roy Cohn-like lawyer in CBS’s web-only series The Good Fight.
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PHOTO BY: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images

Feb. 5: Bobby Brown, 50

The once-promising R&B singer got his start with the pop group New Edition in 1978 before going solo with such hits as “My Prerogative” and the Grammy-winning “Every Little Step.” After marrying superstar Whitney Houston in 1992, his career took a plunge as their exploits became tabloid fodder. In 2005, the couple starred in the reality series, Being Bobby Brown, before divorcing in 2007. He’s struggled since then, facing, among other troubles, the deaths of Houston and their daughter, Bobbi Kristina. Last year his life was the subject of a BET miniseries, The Bobby Brown Story.
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PHOTO BY: Araya Diaz/Getty Images

Feb. 9: Judith Light, 70

The two-time Tony winner got her big break on the daytime soap One Life to Live in 1977 as Karen Wolek, a housewife turned alcoholic prostitute. In 1984, she moved into prime time for an eight-season run on the sitcom Who’s the Boss? as a divorced ad exec who hires a male housekeeper (Tony Danza). An activist for the LGBTQ community, Light played the ex-wife of a transgender person on FX’s Transparent and was Emmy-nominated last year for her role in the series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
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PHOTO BY: Presley Ann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Feb. 11: Jennifer Aniston, 50

From her iconic haircut as Rachel Green on the long-running sitcom Friends to her soap-operatic five-year marriage to ex-husband Brad Pitt, the Emmy-winning actress has left a mark on the cultural landscape — and remains one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. She successfully crossed over into film after Friends, with such hits as Bruce Almighty, The Break-Up and Marley & Me. This year, Aniston will make her television comeback in a new series about the New York media scene called Top of the Morning, also starring Reese Witherspoon.
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PHOTO BY: Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Capital Concerts Inc.

Feb. 14: Renée Fleming, 60

One of the premier American female opera singers got her break in 1988 when she performed as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro in her debut with the Houston Grand Opera, then reprised the role at the Spoleto Festival. Conductor Georg Solti said of Fleming, “In my long life, I have met maybe two sopranos of this quality singing. The other was Renata Tebaldi,” an Italian 20th-century legend. Fleming sang “Danny Boy” at Sen. John McCain’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral last September, and lent her voice to the soundtrack of last year’s best picture Oscar winner, The Shape of Water.
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PHOTO BY: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Feb. 16: John McEnroe, 60

The retired tennis champ was known as much for his perfect shots as for his on-court temper tantrums. He would often question umpires’ calls, saying, “You cannot be serious!” (the title of his 2002 memoir). He dominated the ’80s, ranking as the top singles player four years in a row against such rivals as Jimmy Connors and Björn Borg. He has been married to rock singer Patty Smyth since 1997, and still plays tennis for fun.
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PHOTO BY: Erik Pendzich/Alamy

Feb. 19: Roger Goodell, 60

Goodell has been described as “the most powerful man in sports.” That’s because he is the commissioner of the National Football League, a position he has held since 2006. He started his NFL career in 1982 as an administrative intern for one of his predecessors, Pete Rozelle. Goodell and the NFL have been hit with controversy lately over the league’s concussion crisis and players’ right to protest during the National Anthem.
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PHOTO BY: Rich Fury/Getty Images

Feb. 22: Kyle MacLachlan, 60

For many, MacLachlan will always be Boy Scout-like Dale Cooper, the special agent on David Lynch’s Twin Peaks in the early ’90s who couldn’t pass up a “damn fine cup of coffee” and a slice of cherry pie while investigating the murder of Laura Palmer. He also appeared on Showtime’s bizarre 2017 update of the series, and was brave enough to star in the notorious NC-17-rated Vegas romp Showgirls in 1995. His next project? Playing Franklin D. Roosevelt in Atlantic Crossing, a Norwegian World War II drama series.
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See Who Else Has a Big Birthday in 2019

Celebs turning 50 (besides Jennifer Aniston) ...

and marking 60 ...

and celebrating 70!