Imagine getting presents for your birthday plus presents for Christmas, all on the same day. These lucky celebs are or were in that enviable position because they happened to be born on Christmas (December 25). Let’s take a closer look at some of the Yuletide babies who grew up to be famous!
Jeremy Strong
Born on December 25, 1978, Strong stars in Succession, the HBO TV series in which he plays Kendall Roy. He nabbed an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his work on the show.
A graduate of Yale University, Strong has appeared in many films such as Lincoln (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Selma (2014), and The Big Short (2015). He has worked with high-profile directors like Steven Spielberg, Aaron Sorkin, and Ava DuVernay. He and Anne Hathaway star in Armageddon Time (2022), a tale about its director James Gray’s parents.
Jimmy Buffett
Life is just one long vacay in Margaritaville if you ask this laid-back, crowd-pleasing singer, who was born on December 25, 1946. Of course, if you are one of his die-hard Parrotheads, you know that already.
Despite Buffett’s down-home folksiness, he is reportedly among the richest musicians in the world. His wealth, as of 2017, was estimated at $900 million. He has penned three bestselling books: Tales From Margaritaville (1989), Where Is Joe Merchant? (1992), and A Pirate Looks At Fifty (1998).
Annie Lennox
With her platinum blonde pixie haircut and unmistakable singing voice, Annie Lennox has been a fixture on the music scene for years, first with Eurythmics and then as a solo performer beginning in 1992.
Born on December 25, 1954, Rolling Stone included her in its list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. She and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics were tapped for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
CCH Pounder
Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder, named in honor of her godmothers and grandmothers, is probably best known for her role as Dr. Angela Hicks on the TV medical drama ER (1994-97). Born in Guyana on December 25, 1952, her mom reportedly envisioned her as a newscaster, but Pounder forged ahead with an acting career.
She appeared in TV shows such as Quantum Leap, The X-Files, The Shield, Hill Street Blues, and The Cosby Show. Pounder has also lent her voice to animated projects and video games.
Sissy Spacek
Widely acclaimed for her roles in films like Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)—about the life of country singer Loretta Lynn—and Carrie (1976), Mary Elizabeth Spacek, better known as Sissy, has been the recipient of three Golden Globes and an Academy Award.
Born on December 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, she has said that the 1967 death of her teenage brother from leukemia was “the defining event of [her] whole life.” Spacek has also said that she became more intrepid as an actress as a result of that devastating loss.
Helena Christensen
Helena Christensen rose to the top of the modeling profession during the 1990s, becoming the face of promotions for leading fashion houses such as Prada, Chanel, Hermes, and Lanvin.
The New York Times put her in the ranks of supermodels like Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista. She has not only worked in front of the camera but also behind it as a skilled photographer.
Christensen, born on December 25, 1968, is also an activist who has advocated for breast cancer fundraising and climate change awareness.
Humphrey Bogart
Among the most revered of all Hollywood actors from Tinseltown’s Golden Age, Bogart (also known as Bogie) was in some of the greatest films ever made, especially the World War II romance Casablanca (1942).
Who can forget his riveting portrayal of the psychologically unraveling Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny (1954) or as Sam Spade in the noir masterpiece The Maltese Falcon (1941)?
Born on December 25, 1899, on the brink of a new century, Bogart raised eyebrows at the age of 45 when he wooed and wed his leggy co-star from To Have And Have Not (1944), then-20-year-old Lauren Bacall.
Rod Serling
Rod Serling was the genius behind deliciously creepy-with-a-twist TV series like cult classics The Twilight Zone (1969-64) and Night Gallery (1969-73). He served up stories featuring everyday situations and added a dollop of unsettling sci-fi scariness.
A brilliant writer and narrator, he was born on December 25, 1924, and showed an early flair for crafting scripts. Serling went on to win six Emmys for his work.
According to his obituary in The New York Times, he was a hard-driving man who smoked heavily and often had insomnia, taking advantage of his sleeplessness to be creative while he was wide awake at night. He died after undergoing open-heart surgery at the age of 50.