Famous people born on 20 October

• Arthur RimbaudFrench poet · 1854–1891
  37 yrs
• John DeweyAmerican philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer · 1859–1952
  92 yrs
• James ChadwickEnglish physicist (1891-1974), who discovered the neutron in 1932 · 1891–1974
  82 yrs
• Isabelle de CharrièreDutch French-language writer and composer · 1740–1805
  65 yrs
• Jomo KenyattaFirst Prime Minister (1963 to 1964) and President (1964 to 1978) of self-governing Kenya · 1893–1978
  84 yrs
• BábFounder of Bábism and, according to the Baháʼís, predecessor of Baháʼu'lláh · 1819–1850
  30 yrs
• Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount PalmerstonBritish statesman and prime minister · 1784–1865
  80 yrs
• Bela LugosiHungarian-American actor · 1882–1956
  73 yrs
• Dmitry Donskoy ↗Prince of Moscow · 1350–1389
  38 yrs
• Stanisław Leszczyński ↗King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania · 1677–1766
  88 yrs
• Li Peng ↗4th Premier of the People's Republic of China · 1928–2019
  90 yrs
• Tom Petty ↗American musician · 1950–2017
  66 yrs
• Branislav Nušić ↗Serbian writer · 1864–1938
  73 yrs
• Charles Ives ↗American modernist composer · 1874–1954
  79 yrs
• Stéphane Hessel ↗French diplomat, ambassador, writer, concentration camp survivor · 1917–2013
  95 yrs
• Alphonse Allais ↗French writer and humorist · 1854–1905
  51 yrs
• Otfried Preußler ↗German children's books author · 1923–2013
  89 yrs
• Jean-Pierre Melville ↗French filmmaker and actor · 1917–1973
  55 yrs
• Pauline Bonaparte ↗French princess · 1780–1825
  44 yrs
• Aelbert Cuyp ↗Dutch landscape painter · 1620–1691
  71 yrs
• Art Buchwald ↗Journalist, humorist, United States Marine · 1925–2007
  81 yrs
• Jacobus Arminius ↗Dutch theologian, inspirator of Arminianism, champion of tolerance · 1560–1609
  48 yrs
• Janet Jagan ↗President of Guyana, prime minister of Guyana, nurse · 1920–2009
  88 yrs
• Bálint Balassi ↗Hungarian poet, writer, soldier · 1554–1594
  39 yrs
• Jelly Roll Morton ↗American ragtime and jazz pianist, bandleader and composer · 1890–1941
  50 yrs
• Jerry Orbach ↗American actor and singer · 1935–2004
  69 yrs

Only people with a known day of birth are listed, and only people who have died. Dates are from Wikidata (CC0), last updated 22 October 2026.

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