January 5, 1931

1931Alvin Ailey, American dancer and choreographer, founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (died 1989)^[†]

Alvin Ailey Jr. was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Center as havens for nurturing Black artists and expressing the universality of the African-American experience through dance.

1931Alfred Brendel, Austrian pianist, poet, and author (died 2025)^[†]

Alfred Brendel was a Czech-born Austrian classical pianist, poet, author, composer and lecturer, based in London. He is noted for his performances of music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, and Franz Liszt. He made three recordings of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas and was the first pianist to record Beethoven's complete works for solo piano.

1931Walt Davis, American athlete (died 2020)^[†]

Walter Francis "Buddy" Davis was an American athlete. After winning a gold medal in the high jump at the 1952 Olympics he became a professional basketball player.

1931Robert Duvall, American actor and director^[†]

Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor. With a career spanning seven decades, he is regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. He has received an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, four Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.