December 23, 1961

1961Ezzat el Kamhawi, Egyptian journalist and author^[†]

Ezzat El Kamhawi is an Egyptian novelist and journalist. In December 2012, El Kamhawi was awarded the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature for his novel House of the Wolf. In June 2022 he was awarded the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press for his article "Suspicious architecture: The obsession with grand buildings and wide streets".

1961Ketan J. Patel, Kenyan-English biologist and academic^[†]

Ketan Jayakrishna Patel is a British–Kenyan scientist who is Director of the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine and the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit at the University of Oxford. Until 2020 he was a tenured principal investigator at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB).

1961Carol Smillie, Scottish model and actress^[†]

Carol Patricia Smillie is a Scottish former television presenter, actress and model. Smillie became famous as a presenter on British TV during the 1990s and early 2000s. She was best known for assisting Nicky Campbell on the UK version of the game show Wheel of Fortune between 1989 and 1994. Between 1996 and 2003, she was the main presenter on the BBC One home makeover show Changing Rooms.

1961Lorna Tolentino, Filipino actress and producer^[†]

Victoria Lorna Perez Aluquin-Fernandez, better known by her stage name Lorna Tolentino, sometimes known as L.T., an abbreviation of her screen name, is a Filipino actress, model, film producer and television personality. Dubbed as the "Prime Star", she is known for her dramatic roles in film and television and was the fourth actress to achieve the Grandslam status for her performance in the film Narito ang Puso Ko (1992). With a career spanning five decades, she has already appeared in 100 motion pictures and is cited by critics as one of the greatest Filipino actresses in Philippine cinema. She has received numerous accolades including seven FAMAS Awards, four Luna Awards, a Gawad Urian Award and two commendations from Asian Television Award.

1961Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, American author (born 1875)^[†]

Carolyn Sherwin Bailey was an American children's author. She was born in Hoosick Falls, New York and attended Teachers College, Columbia University, from which she graduated in 1896. She contributed to the Ladies' Home Journal and other magazines. She published volumes of stories for children like methods of story telling, teaching children and other related subjects, which include Boys and Girls of Colonial Days (1917); Broad Stripes and Bright Stars (1919); Hero Stories (1919); Tops and Whistles (1937), and The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings (1945). She wrote For the Children's Hour (1906) in collaboration with Clara M. Lewis. In 1947, her book Miss Hickory won the Newbery Medal.

1961Kurt Meyer, German general (born 1910)^[†]

Kurt Meyer was an SS commander and convicted war criminal of Nazi Germany. He served in the Waffen-SS and participated in the Battle of France, Operation Barbarossa, and other engagements during World War II. Meyer commanded the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend during the Allied invasion of Normandy, and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.