On this day

September 23, 1959

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from September 23, 1959

Notable Births

Jason Alexander

1959Jason Alexander, American actor, singer, and voice artist[†]

Jay Scott Greenspan, known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe Awards. He gained stardom for his role as George Costanza in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series and was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and four Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor in Television.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce

1959Frank Cottrell-Boyce, English author and screenwriter[†]

Frank Cottrell-Boyce is a British screenwriter, novelist and occasional actor, known for his children's fiction and for his collaborations with film director Michael Winterbottom. He has achieved fame as the writer for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony and for sequels to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, a children's classic by Ian Fleming.

Hans Nijman

1959Hans Nijman, Dutch mixed martial artist and wrestler (died 2014)[†]

Johannes Petrus "Hans" Nijman was a Dutch former professional mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He competed in the heavyweight division. He was a RINGS Holland veteran and fought for many other top promotions such as Pride FC and It's Showtime. Nijman is believed to have had connections with Willem Holleeder and other big names in the Dutch criminal underworld. His name appeared in several police records and has also been used in big court cases.

1959Chris O'Sullivan, Australian rugby league player[†]

Chris O'Sullivan is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1990s. O'Sullivan played for the Canberra Raiders. O'Sullivan's position of choice was five-eighth.

Elizabeth Peña

1959Elizabeth Peña, American actress (died 2014)[†]

Elizabeth Maria Peña was an American actress. Her film credits include Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Batteries Not Included, La Bamba, Jacob's Ladder (1990), Rush Hour (1998), The Incredibles (2004), and Nothing like the Holidays (2008). Peña won the 1996 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and a Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film for her work in Lone Star (1996). She also voiced Rosa Santos in the animated television series Maya & Miguel and Mirage in The Incredibles. Peña was a founding member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA).

Karen Pierce

1959Karen Pierce, English diplomat[†]

Dame Karen Elizabeth Pierce, Lady Roxburgh,, is a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to the United States from March 2020 to February 2025.

Historical Context for September 23, 1959

In 1959, the world population was approximately 2,965,950,351 people[†]