August 8, 1951

1951Martin Brest, American director, producer, and screenwriter^[†]

Martin Brest is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. After his feature debut, Going in Style (1979), he directed the action comedies Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Midnight Run (1988), which were critical and commercial hits. He then directed Scent of a Woman (1992), starring Al Pacino, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and earned Brest nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.

1951Phil Carlson, Australian cricketer (died 2022)^[†]

Phillip Henry Carlson was an Australian cricketer who played in two Test matches and four One Day Internationals (ODIs) in 1979. He was an all-rounder who played for Queensland between 1969–70 and 1980–81. He played his two Test matches for Australia v England in the 1978–79 Ashes series and the four One Day Internationals against the same opponents. He was called up by Australia when most of their regular first-choice players were playing in World Series Cricket.

1951Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian engineer, academic, and politician, 5th President of Egypt (died 2019)^[†]

Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Eissa Al-Ayyat was an Egyptian politician, engineer, and professor who was the fifth president of Egypt from 2012 to 2013, when General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi removed him from office in a coup d'état after protests in June. Affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood organization, Morsi led the Freedom and Justice Party from 2011 to 2012.

1951Mamoru Oshii, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter^[†]

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984), Angel's Egg (1985), Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993), and Ghost in the Shell (1995). He also holds the distinction of directing the first ever OVA, Dallos (1983). As a writer, Oshii has worked as a screenwriter, and occasionally as a manga writer and novelist. His most notable works as a writer include the manga Kerberos Panzer Cop (1988–2000) and its feature film adaptation Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999).

1951Randy Shilts, American journalist and author (died 1994)^[†]

Randy Shilts was an American journalist and author. After studying journalism at the University of Oregon, Shilts began working as a reporter for both The Advocate and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as for San Francisco Bay Area television stations. In the 1980s, he was noted for being the first openly gay reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.

1951Louis van Gaal, Dutch footballer and manager^[†]

Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal is a Dutch former football player and former manager who currently serves as an advisor for Ajax. At club level, he served as manager of Ajax, Barcelona, AZ, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, as well as having three spells in charge of the Netherlands national team. Van Gaal has won 20 major honours in his managerial career at club level, along with 3 stints as coach of the Dutch national team. He is sometimes nicknamed the "Iron Tulip".