October 17, 1959

1959Mustafa Aberchán, Spanish politician^[†]

Mustafa Hamed Mohamed is a Spanish politician who served as the Mayor-President of Melilla from 5 July 1999 to 19 July 2000, and is the leader of Coalition for Melilla. Aberchán was convicted of vote buying by the Supreme Court of Spain in 2021, and was arrested for vote buying in 2024.

1959Ron Drummond, American author and scholar^[†]

Ronald N. Drummond is a writer, editor, and independent scholar.

1959Francisco Flores Pérez, Salvadorian politician, President of El Salvador (died 2016)^[†]

Francisco Guillermo Flores Pérez was a Salvadoran politician who served as President of El Salvador from 1 June 1999 to 1 June 2004 as a member of the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). He previously served as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly from 1994 to 1999, having been president of the Assembly from 1997 to 1999.

1959Russell Gilbert, Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter^[†]

Russell Gilbert is an Australian comedian from Footscray, Victoria, best known for his television appearances on programs such as The Comedy Company, Hey Hey It's Saturday and The Russell Gilbert Show; he was also a radio presenter and a live stage and film actor.

1959Eugenio Hernández Flores, Mexican politician^[†]

Eugenio Javier Hernández Flores is a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was the mayor of Ciudad Victoria from 2001 to 2004 and governor of Tamaulipas from 2004 to 2010, and was also a federal deputy in 2000 and coordinator of the Financial Committee of Tomás Yarrington during his campaign. On May 27, 2015, he was indicted on charges of money laundering alongside his brother-in-law Oscar Gomez Guerra by the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ).

1959Norm Macdonald, Canadian actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter (died 2021)^[†]

Norman Gene Macdonald was a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and writer whose style was characterized by deadpan delivery, eccentric understatement, and the use of folksy, old-fashioned turns of phrase. He appeared in many films and was a regular guest on late-night talk shows, where he became known for his chaotic yet understated style of comedy. Many critics and fellow comedians praised his frequent appearances on talk shows, while late-night host David Letterman regarded him as "the best" of stand-up comedians.

1959Mark Peel, Australian historian and academic^[†]

Mark Andrew Peel, historian and academic, was the Director of Educational Innovation at the University of Leicester until retiring in 2019. He also served the university as Provost, Pro Vice Chancellor and Head of the College of Arts, Humanities and Law. Before going to Leicester, he was Professor of Modern Cultural and Social History and Head of the School of the Arts at the University of Liverpool and a Professor and Head of the School of Historical Studies in the Faculty of Arts at Monash University in Australia. He holds degrees from Flinders University, Johns Hopkins University and Melbourne University and was appointed a full professor in 2007. He was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia in 2008 and became a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2010.

1959Richard Roeper, American journalist and critic^[†]

Richard E. Roeper is an American writer. He is a former columnist and film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, where he wrote for 39 years dating back to 1986 until his departure in 2025. He co-hosted the television series At the Movies with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's successor. From 2010 to 2014, he co-hosted The Roe and Roeper Show with Roe Conn on WLS-AM. From October 2015 to October 2017, Roeper served as the host of the FOX 32 morning show Good Day Chicago. Since 2021, he has hosted a podcast entitled The Richard Roeper Show for American Eagle. He is a regular contributor to Windy City Weekend and its predecessor Windy City Live on WLS-TV. In 2025, Roeper joined RogerEbert.com as a regular contributor.