April 9th

Hugh Hefner is 88.

Michael Learned — Momma Walton — is 75.

Dennis Quaid is 60.

Cynthia Nixon is 48.

Keshia Knight Pulliam — Rudy Huxtable — is 35.

Paul Robeson was was born on this date in 1898.

Paul Robeson was the epitome of the 20th-century Renaissance man. He was an exceptional athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist. His talents made him a revered man of his time, yet his radical political beliefs all but erased him from popular history. Today, more than one hundred years after his birth, Robeson is just beginning to receive the credit he is due.

Read more from the profile of Robeson at the PBS site for American Masters.