December 19th is the birthday

Al Kaline Plaque… of Oscar-nominee Cicely Tyson. She’s 73. Tyson was nominated for the 1973 best actress award for her performance in Sounder.

… of Al Kaline. The hall of fame right fielder is 72.

… of Kevin McHale. The basketball hall of fame member is 49.

… of Mike Lookinland. Bobby Brady is 46.

… of Flashdance’s Jennifer Beals. She’s 43. Flashdance was her second film. She played Clifford’s girlfriend in My Bodyguard. Adam Baldwin (no relation to “the” Baldwins) was the bodyguard, Matt Dillon the bully, and Joan Cusack another girlfriend.

… of Jake Gyllenhaal. The Oscar nominated actor is 26.

Edith Piaf was born on this date in 1915. Petite Piaf (4-10, 90 pounds) was known as the “sparrow of the streets.” She was the leading chanteuse of her day, most well-known for “La vie en rose.” (Here’s a video from 1954.) According to some reports she used her fame to ingratiate herself to Nazi officers during the occupation of France, then in turn used that to gain access to French prisoners with whom she had her photo taken. The prisoners used the photo to create false identity cards to assist in an escape. Ms. Piaf died in 1963.