9 Milestone Birthdays in July

July 7: Shelley Duvall, 70

En español | The career of this quirky Texas-born actress began when she was cast by director Robert Altman to star in his 1970 film Brewster McCloud. Duvall would appear in six more Altman films, including as L.A. Joan, a groupie in 1975’s Nashville. Her most famous role is Wendy Torrance, the tortured wife of Jack Nicholson’s mad writer in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining in 1980. The Peabody-winning producer of the TV fantasy series Faerie Tale Theatre has kept a low profile since 2002. 

July 8: Wolfgang Puck, 70

How big a culinary king is Puck? He has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, for one. In 1982 the Austrian-born chef opened the ultimate Hollywood restaurant on the Sunset Strip, Spago (now in Beverly Hills), which been ranked as one of the top 40 restaurants in the U.S. He now has his name on a chain of eateries around the world.

July 11: Richie Sambora, 60

Talk about job stability. This Jersey boy  played lead guitar for the rock band Bon Jovi for 30 years while writing chart-topping tunes (“You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” were huge) with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi until leaving the group in 2013. Sambora reunited with the band when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. He’s released several solo recordings; his latest album, Radio Free America, with Australian guitarist Orianthi, was released in 2018. Fun fact: He wrote the theme for TV’s Entertainment Tonight. 

July 13: Ken Jeong, 50

This son of South Korean immigrants is a licensed physician but has figured out that laughter might be the best medicine. He began his entertainment career with a stand-up act before moving into acting, appearing on such TV shows as The Office, Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He made his film debut in 2007’s Knocked Up and was a mainstay of The Hangover franchise, as well as a judge on Fox’s hit reality contest The Masked Singer.

July 18: Dick Button, 90

In 1948 this two-time Olympic figure-skating champ was the first American to take the gold, which he also won in 1952. More firsts from Button: He landed the first double axel jump in competition in 1948 and the first triple jump in 1952. He is also credited with inventing the flying camel spin. Button left the ice and earned a Harvard law degree in 1956. But he found his true calling as an Emmy-winning network skating-event commentator. 

July 18: Dion DiMucci, 80

Few singers have had as varied a career as this artist best known as Dion. First came the doo-wop years with the Belmonts. Then he went solo with such ’60s hits as “The Wanderer” and “Runaround Sue.” Post-British Invasion, he changed his tune with the inspiring 1968 smash “Abraham, Martin and John,” before moving on to Christian music in the ’80s. In 1989 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. A jukebox musical based on his life and career is Broadway-bound.

July 24: Michael Richards, 70

Richards acted in such ’90s film comedies as So I Married an Axe Murder, Problem Child and Trial and Error, but will forever be known as Jerry’s goofy neighbor Cosmo Kramer on nine seasons of NBC’s Seinfeld. He was Emmy-nominated for his supporting role five times and won three trophies.

July 24: Jennifer Lopez, 50

This Fly Girl dancer on TV’s In Living Color was a cultural fixture in the ’90s, becoming the first Latin actress to earn $1 million for a film after starring in the biopic Selena. The multi-talent became a top recording artist with her debut LP On the 6 in 1999 and later an American Idol judge. Now she oversees the TV reality contest World of Dance and is currently on her “It’s My Party” tour in celebration of her 50th birthday. 

July 26: Roger Taylor, 70

The influential British drummer once rejected an offer to play with Genesis. Phil Collins took the job instead, and Taylor formed Queen with singer Freddie Mercury in 1970. The band has been undergoing an amazing revival thanks to the record-breaking success of last year’s biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, with Taylor and guitarist Brian May serving as executive music producers. The band continues to tour with American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert, who began performing with the band in 2011, handling lead vocals.

Big Birthdays in 2019

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