10 Famous People Born on Halloween

Some people are lucky. Like anyone born on Halloween. Cake, candy, and costumes all in one night!

The festive holiday dates back to ancient times the Celtic holiday Samhain , where people lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off ghosts. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 as All Saints' Day and incorporated some of the same traditions. The evening before the celebration was known as All Saints' Eve, eventually becoming known as Halloween.

Okay, with that history lesson out of the way, here's our pick of the guys and ghouls hatching on Halloween.

10. Annabella Lwin

Born in 1966 in Rangoon, Burma, Lwin is best known as a soloist English New Wave band Bow Wow Wow. Former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren first formed the band in 1980, poaching three members from Adam and the Ants. McLaren then recruited then 13-year-old Lwyn, who had been spotted singing on the radio while working at a dry cleaner's in north London. The band also briefly featured another talented troubadour named George Alan O'Dowd, who would later become a worldwide superstar as "Boy George".

Fueled by Lwin's infectious energy and creativity, Bow Wow Wow burst onto the UK music scene with their unique blend of pop melodies and Burundian tom-tom rituals. Appropriately released in 1982 single "I Want Candy" became the band's biggest hit, which also received heavy rotation on MTV. Lwin later embarked on a solo career before rejoining her former band in various changing lineups. Today, she continues to perform on nostalgia tours under the name "Annabella Lwin from the original Bow Wow Wow."

9. Peter Jackson

New Zealand director, screenwriter and producer succeeded turn "Middle Earth" into billion dollar empire thanks to their franchises "The Lord of the Rings" And "The Hobbit" . This vast fortune includes money Jackson makes from selling merchandise, such as the Halloween costumes worn by his legion of fans.

It is no surprise that the Kiwi also owns an impressive collection of gold statues. "The Return of the King » Jackson won Oscars for best adapted screenplay, best director and best picture. In addition to the adaptations of Tolkien's works, the remake "King Kong" Jackson 2005 earned a whopping $500 million at the box office.

Other honours include a knighthood in 2010 for services to the arts. Sir Peter Jackson was also appointed a Member of the Order of New Zealand, the country's highest civilian honour.

8. Adam Horowitz

As a founding member of the seminal rap-rock trio the Beastie Boys, Horovitz (aka Ad-Rock) knows a thing or two about partying. The group's debut album, Licensed to Ill, featured the hit song "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!").

After leaving his punk band The Young And The Useless, Horowitz teamed up with Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "MCA" Yauch to form the Beastie Boys in In 1981 in New York City. They eventually released nine albums, including seven consecutive platinum records. In 2012, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Horowitz also starred in several films , including " Lost Angels, A Kiss Before Dying And "While we are young." In 2006, he married Riot Grrrl singer and feminist activist Kathleen Hanna.

7. Johnny Marr

In 1982, Marr formed The Smiths with Andy Rourke and Morrissey. The prolific Manchester-born guitarist and songwriter, later collaborated with many other famous artists such as The Cribs, Pet Shop Boys, The Pretenders, Modest Mouse and Bryan Ferry.

Marr's signature jangly guitar sound draws on a number of influences, ranging from Jimi Hendrix to African Highlife. Eschewing typical rock 'n' roll power chords and exaggerated solos, Marr favors arpeggio melodies and unusual open-string chord progressions.

In a 2015 interview Marr explained , how he first created his iconic style: "My focus on 100% was to create interesting guitar hooks and make the guitarist's role kind of space-age. Pop guitarist crossed with mad professor. That's how I thought of myself."

6. Stephen Rea

Veteran Irish actor withdrew in more than 70 films, while also working regularly on stage. In 1992, he achieved international recognition for his role as Fergus in Neil Jordan's thriller "The Crying Game" , for which Rea was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Rea was born in Belfast in 1946 and later trained at the prestigious Abbey Theatre School in Dublin. He made his film debut in 1970, playing a villager in Vincent Price's horror film "Cry of the Banshee" . He has collaborated with Jordan frequently throughout his career, including "Breakfast on Pluto ", Michael Collins And "Interview with the Vampire" .

5. Dan Rather

From the fall of Saigon to the rise of dictators This longtime CBS reporter delivered breaking news to households across America. For his efforts, Rather received seven Peabody Awards for Outstanding achievement in broadcasting.

Rather began his career as a reporter for the Associated Press after graduating from Sam Houston State University with a degree in journalism. He also worked as an announcer for the Houston Buffs minor league baseball team.

The Texas native spent 24 years as an anchor, the longest tenure in American television history. During that period, he also served as a correspondent for the network's weekly news magazine, 60 Minutes.

4. Rob Schneider

This popular stand-up comedian worked as a writer and performer on the program " Saturday Night Live" from 1988 to 1994. His role Richmeister, annoying office worker, became one of his signature characters in the long-running comedy series.

Schneider has appeared in films such as "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo", "Grown Ups" and in the 2020 Netflix release "Hubie Halloween" He also recently directed, produced, and starred in in the film "Father and Daughter Trip" , which stars his real-life daughter Miranda Scarlett Schneider.

3. John Candy

If you're a fan of classic comedies from the 1980s and 90s, there's a good chance that John Candy (yes, his real name) appeared in one of them — or 10. The beloved comedian first rose to fame as a cast member series Second City Television along with fellow Canadians Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy and Rick Moranis.

The heavy-handed character actor then steadily built up an impressive body of work in films such as The Blues Brothers, Vacation, Splash, Uncle Buck, Stripes, Home Alone, Uncle Buck, Cool Runnings, Spaceballs And "Planes, trains and automobiles."

Candy was also a co-owner of the team. Toronto Argonauts Canadian Football League . Unfortunately, during the filming of the movie "Wagons East" He died of a heart attack in Mexico in 1994. He was 43 years old.

2. John Keats

Here's a tricky question for all you erudite lovers of English literature: which poet born on Halloween was a contemporary of the author of Frankenstein? If you answered John Keats, Treat yourself.

Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, Keats became one of the most revered figures of the late Romantic era Shelley's wife Mary, who wrote the famous Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, completes this circle of hearts.

Before dying of tuberculosis in 1821 at the age of 25, Keats wrote several famous works, such as Ode to a Nightingale and Sleep and Poetry. Sadly, both Byron and P.B. Shelley would also die young, forever cementing their immortality.

1. Christopher Columbus

He discovered the "New World" in 1492. Not yet. Although he was Italian by birth, the most famous explorer era of geographical discoveries sailed under the flag of the Spanish monarch. Hm? Exactly. However, one thing remains quite clear about Christopher Columbus: His legacy is shrouded in controversy - even his birthday.

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451. Historians place his birth somewhere between August and late October. Regardless. His monumental impact on Western civilization deserves the top spot on our list.

Although the Vikings set foot in North America in the early 6th century, Columbus and his crew were the first Europeans to reach the Caribbean, landing on a small island in what is now the Bahamas. But his arrival there was purely accidental. Funded by Queen Isabella of Castile , Columbus hoped to find a western passage to South Asia and cash in on the lucrative spice trade. Let's just say he missed the mark. Still, he insisted that his voyage took him to India, and mistakenly referred to the natives as "Indians."

However, Columbus is rightly credited with starting colonization America and subsequently the introduction of genocide, slavery, and deadly diseases to the native people. Today, an annual federal holiday is held in his honor, complete with parades and sales of white goods offering huge discounts! His name also inspired the District of Columbia, British Columbia, and the country of Columbia.