35 historically significant individuals born on January 29. January 29 is the birth date of 14 notable individuals throughout history, including those in literature, politics, science, and sports. Among those born on this day are French author and Nobel Prize winner Romain Rolland (1866), Pakistani physicist and Nobel laureate Abdus Salam (1926), and Australian feminist writer Germaine Greer (1939). Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Ben Halim (1921) shares this birth date, as does Soviet football referee Tofiq Bahramov (1925), who officiated the controversial 1966 World Cup final.
Total Born
35
Countries
26
Top Century
20th· 18
Top Field
association football player
4 individuals
Headline Figures
scientist
Linda B. Buck
1947 – PresentNobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2004)
anarchist
Germaine Greer
1939 – PresentFeminist author whose groundbreaking 1970 book 'The Female Eunuch' became a defining text of the women's liberation movement.
biographer
Romain Rolland
1866 – 1944French novelist and musicologist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915 for his idealistic works including the epic novel Jean-Christophe.
Birth Distribution by Century
20th (18)
19th (8)
13th C.20th C.
20th Century
18Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Linda B. Buck
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2004)
Germaine Greer
anarchistbroadcaster
Feminist author whose groundbreaking 1970 book 'The Female Eunuch' became a defining text of the women's liberation movement.
Romário
association football coachassociation football player
Prolific striker who won the 1994 World Cup with Brazil and scored over 1,000 career goals. After retirement, he became a politician and has served as a Brazilian senator since 2015.
Tigran Sargsyan
bankerdiplomat
Former Prime Minister of Armenia (2008-2014) and economist who previously served as Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia for nearly a decade.
Mulatu Teshome
diplomatminister
Ethiopian diplomat and politician who served as President of Ethiopia from 2013 to 2018.
Abdus Salam
physicisttheoretical physicist
Theoretical physicist who shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the electroweak unification theory, becoming the first Pakistani Nobel laureate in science.
Tofiq Bahramov
association football assistant refereeassociation football player
Soviet football referee best known for officiating the controversial 1966 World Cup final between England and West Germany, where he awarded England's disputed third goal.
Johanne Harrelle
actormodel
Canadian actress, model, and writer
Balantrapu Rajanikanta Rao
musicologistsongwriter
Indian songwriter
Arne Hestenes
film criticfood critic
Norwegian journalist
Teresa Teng
actorfilm actor
Teresa Teng was one of the most influential Chinese pop singers of all time, whose romantic ballads dominated Asian markets from the 1970s to 1990s. Her songs became cultural phenomena across Greater China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, earning her the title "Asia's eternal queen of pop."
Mustafa Ben Halim
diplomatpolitician
Libyan diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Libya from 1954 to 1957 under King Idris I during the early years of Libyan independence.
HK
Han Kuang-wei
engineermilitary personnel
Republic of China Navy admirals & Taiwanese military officer and engineer
Jessica Iskandar
actorcomedian
Indonesian actress and television presenter known for her roles in soap operas and her work as an entertainment show host.
Olga Tokarczuk
donoressayist
Polish novelist who won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature for works like 'Flights' and 'The Books of Jacob' that blend mythology, history, and contemporary themes.
Sileshi Sihine
athletics competitorlong-distance runner
Ethiopian long-distance runner who won Olympic silver medals in the 10,000m at both the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games.
SM
Saúl Martínez
association football player
Honduran striker who played for Real España and represented Honduras in multiple CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments. He was known for his goal-scoring ability in the Honduran National League.
Josip Iličić
association football player
Slovenian attacking midfielder and forward who has played for Atalanta in Serie A and represents the Slovenia national team.
19th Century
8Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Romain Rolland
biographeressayist
French novelist and musicologist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915 for his idealistic works including the epic novel Jean-Christophe.
Heinrich Ritter von Wittek
juristminister
Austrian politician (1844-1930)
Süleyman Nazif
journalistpoet
Turkish poet (1870–1927)
Raoul Barré
animatorcaricaturist
Canadian American cartoonist (1874–1932)
Petru Bogdan
chemist
Romanian chemist (1873–1944)
Marko Tajčević
composermusicologist
Croatian and Serbian composers and musicians (1900–1984)
Albert Ernest Newbury
painter
Australian artist (1891-1941)
PC
Pedro de Calasans
journalistjudge
Brazilian writer (1837–1874)
18th Century
3Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Simeon Borden
civil engineerengineer
American civil engineer (1798-1856)
Alexis Caswell
astronomerbiographer
American scientist (1799–1877)
MK
Magnús Ketilsson
publisherwriter
Icelandic publisher and scribe
17th Century
1Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Lucy Hutchinson
biographerphysician
British writer (1620-1681)
16th Century
1Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Filippo Salviati
astronomerliterary scholar
Italian astronomer (1583-1614)
15th Century
2Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Sebastian Münster
astronomercartographer
German cartographer, cosmographer, and scholar (1488–1552)
Sebastian Franck
theologiantranslator
German Renaissance humanist
14th Century
1Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Charles V of France
monarchpolitician
King of France from 1364 to 1380 (1338–1380)
13th Century
1Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
authorIslamic jurist
Syrian Islamic jurist, theologian and spiritual writer (1292-1350)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most famous person born on January 29?
Romain Rolland, a French author and Nobel Prize winner born in 1866, is likely the most recognized person born on January 29. His literary works and humanitarian efforts made him a cultural figure of the early 20th century.
Are there any Nobel Prize winners born on January 29?
Yes, there are two Nobel Prize winners born on January 29: Romain Rolland, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915, and Abdus Salam, who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979. Both contributed to literature and theoretical physics.
What types of professions are represented among famous people born on January 29?
Notable January 29 births include literature with Romain Rolland, politics with Mustafa Ben Halim, sports officiating with referee Tofiq Bahramov, theoretical physics with Abdus Salam, and feminist scholarship with Germaine Greer. This variety reflects the broad range of professions represented by individuals born on this date.