9 Milestone Birthdays in January
Christy Turlington, George Foreman, Jason Bateman and others celebrate big ones this month
by Susan Wloszczyna, AARP, January 2019
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PHOTO BY: Slaven Vlasic/WireImage/Getty Images
Jan. 2: Christy Turlington, 50
In English | This cover girl was one of the original so-called “supermodels” — along with Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford — whose career began in the late '80s. MTV fans will remember her from music videos for Duran Duran’s "Notorious" and George Michael’s" Freedom! '90." Turlington, who has been married to actor Edward Burns since 2003, promotes awareness of maternal health in countries around the world.
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PHOTO BY: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Jan. 5: Marilyn Manson, 50
The ghoulish heavy-metal musician, born Brian Hugh Warner, created his alter ego by combining the names of bombshell actress Marilyn Monroe with cult leader Charles Manson. One of his first hits was a 1996 creepy cover of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." He often courts controversy and was labeled a “shock rocker” for his twisted lyrics and goth trappings. Manson turned to acting on such TV shows as Californication and Sons of Anarchy. Fun fact: He’s godfather to Johnny Depp’s daughter, Lily-Rose. -
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PHOTO BY: Gary Miller/Getty Images for Houston Sports Awards
Jan. 10: George Foreman, 70
These days he's known as the indoor-grill entrepreneur, with sales of over $100 million worldwide. But in the '70s, “Big George” was hailed as a boxing dynamo, a two-time world heavyweight champ and an Olympic gold medalist. He knocked out an undefeated Joe Frazier in 1973 but suffered his first pro loss to Muhammad Ali in 1974 in what was dubbed “The Rumble in the Jungle.” A Broadway musical based on the Oscar-winning 1996 documentary about the match, When We Were Kings, is due in 2020. -
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PHOTO BY: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Jan. 14: Jason Bateman, 50
This affable actor got his start at a young age on such '80s TV shows as Silver Spoons, while his older sis, Justine, starred on Family Ties. He made a name for himself on Fox’s cult-hit sitcom Arrested Development, playing Michael Bluth, a straight man in a clan of kooks, who takes over the family business when his father goes to jail. Bateman made his directorial debut with the 2013 film comedy Bad Words and currently stars and directs Netflix’s crime series Ozark. He is wed to Paul Anka’s daughter Amanda. -
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PHOTO BY: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Jan. 14: Dave Grohl, 50
Grohl joined Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic as the drummer in the famed Seattle band Nirvana, whose 1991 album, Nevermind — with songs such as "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Come as You Are" — brought grunge music to the masses. After Cobain’s suicide in 1994, Grohl took on lead guitar and vocals as the founder of the Foo Fighters. He's said that after Cobain died, he told himself, “I’m going to live every day like my last day. Even if it’s the worst day.” -
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PHOTO BY: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Jan. 17: Maury Povich, 80
The local news anchor turned purveyor of tabloid TV was told by his journalist dad, Shirley, that he had “big-shot-itis.” That oversize sense of confidence has served him well as the host of syndicated successes such as A Current Affair and The Maury Povich Show (shortened to just Maury in 1995), which often uses paternity tests to establish guests' fatherhood. Povich, wed to TV journalist Connie Chung since 1984, co-produced the Oscar-winning 2003 short-subject documentary, Twin Towers. -
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PHOTO BY: David Livingston/Getty Images
Jan. 22: Linda Blair, 60
Who can forget this child star’s performance as Regan — who was possessed by the devil in 1973’s The Exorcist? While veteran actress Mercedes McCambridge did the voice of the demon and a puppet was used to make Blair’s head spin, the 14-year-old fully earned her Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. She would go on to do the controversial 1974 TV drama Born Innocent. In 2004, she established the Linda Blair World Heart Foundation to help rescue mistreated animals. -
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PHOTO BY: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Jan. 22: Steve Perry, 70
The lead singer of the rock band Journey has said he was inspired to pursue his music dreams after hearing Sam Cooke’s song “Cupid” on the radio. He took over as Journey’s primary vocalist in 1977, adding a pop sound to a string of radio hits such as "Any Way You Want It," "Who’s Crying Now" and the anthemic "Don’t Stop Believin'." Perry's also had success as a solo act; he came out with a new album, Traces, in October. -
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PHOTO BY: JB Lacroix/WireImage/Getty Images
Jan. 27: Patton Oswalt, 50
This funnyman is one of the more successful stand-up comics to transition into acting. He played Spencer Olchin on the sitcom The King of Queens for nine seasons, voiced Remy the animated rat in 2007’s Ratatouille and costarred with Charlize Theron in 2011’s Young Adult. After he tragically lost his wife, true-crime writer Michelle McNamara, in 2016, he helped bring to press her long-researched book, I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer last year. It was a huge best-seller and contributed to the killer's arrest in April. Oswalt takes over as the voice of Max the Jack Russell terrier in June’s The Secret Life of Pets 2. -
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PHOTO BY: From left: Myrna M. Suarez/Getty Images; Presley Ann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images; Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images