Today is the birthday
… of Peter Graves. Mr. Phelps is 82. Long before he was on Mission Impossible, Graves was Jim Newton on the Saturday morning show Fury. He’s Jim Arness’s little brother. The family name is Aurness.
… of author John Updike. “[O]ne of the chief glories of postwar American literature” is 76.
Updike is known for writing about middle-class, middle-aged, ordinary Americans. He is also known for writing about the theme of adultery. His most popular books feature a character named Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, a man who is afraid of responsibility, aging, and his tedious job, and who suffers marital problems. The last two novels in Updike’s “Rabbit” series, Rabbit is Rich (1981) and Rabbit at Rest (1990), earned Updike a number of awards including the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, and two respective Pulitzer Prizes.
… of Grammy award winner Charley Pride. He’s 70.
… of Brad Dourif. Deadwood’s Doc Cochran is 58.
… of Jazz guitar great Bill Frisell. He’s 57.
… of the first African-American Miss America. Vanessa Williams is 45.
… of Oscar nominee — for best supporting actress in Chicago — Queen Latifah. She’s 38.
Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States, was born on this date in 1837.
John C. Calhoun was born on this date in 1782. Calhoun was a representative, senator, vice president (for both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson), secretary of war and secretary of state.