19 historically significant individuals born on June 22. June 22 is the birth date of several notable individuals across literature, science, film, and politics. German novelist Erich Maria Remarque was born in 1898. Nobel Prize-winning chemist Ada Yonath was born in 1939. Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami was born in 1940. Tunisian political leader Rached Ghannouchi was born in 1941, and former Ghanaian president Jerry Rawlings was born in 1947. Each has made contributions to their fields through scientific research, art, or literature.
Total Born
19
Countries
16
Top Century
20th· 11
Top Field
politician
3 individuals
Headline Figures
scientist
J. Michael Kosterlitz
1943 – PresentNobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physics (2016)
scientist
Gérard Mourou
1944 – PresentNobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physics (2018)
actor
Abbas Kiarostami
1940 – 2016Iranian filmmaker who won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival twice and became internationally acclaimed for his poetic, minimalist cinema exploring Iranian rural life.
Birth Distribution by Century
20th (11)
19th (3)
18th (3)
16th C.20th C.
20th Century
11Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
J. Michael Kosterlitz
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physics (2016)
Gérard Mourou
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physics (2018)
Abbas Kiarostami
actorcinematographer
Iranian filmmaker who won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival twice and became internationally acclaimed for his poetic, minimalist cinema exploring Iranian rural life.
Jerry Rawlings
military personnelpolitician
Military leader who ruled Ghana for nearly two decades, first through military coups in 1979 and 1981, then as elected president from 1993 to 2001. He established Ghana's current Fourth Republic and oversaw the transition to multi-party democracy.
Ada Yonath
biochemistchemist
Israeli crystallographer who won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her studies of ribosome structure and function. She was the first woman from the Middle East to receive a Nobel Prize in science.
Zdeněk Mlynář
juristpolitical scientist
Czech politic writer, political analyst and lawyer (1930-1997)
Rosario Murillo
poetpolitician
Nicaraguan politician, poet, and wife of Daniel Ortega who serves as Vice President and was named co-president in 2025. She has been a key figure in the Sandinista government's communications.
Lee Min-ho
actorfilm actor
South Korean actor and singer who gained international fame through Korean dramas like "Boys Over Flowers" and "The Heirs."
Ambroise Oyongo
association football player
Cameroonian left-back who plays in Major League Soccer and has represented Cameroon at international level.
Ľubomír Moravčík
association football coachassociation football player
Slovak attacking midfielder who played for both Slovakia and France national teams during his career. He competed in top European leagues including Ligue 1 and the Premier League.
Rached Ghannouchi
lawyerpolitician
Co-founder and leader of the Ennahda political party, Tunisia's main Islamist movement. He spent decades in exile before returning after the 2011 revolution to become a major political figure.
19th Century
3Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Erich Maria Remarque
novelistplaywright
German novelist best known for his anti-war novel 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (1929), which depicted the horrors of World War I from a German soldier's perspective.
João Barbosa Rodrigues
anthropologistbotanical collector
Brazilian scientist (1842-1909)
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Ernst Ziller
archaeologistarchitect
German architect, active in Greece
18th Century
3Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Michael Heltzen
engineermining engineer
Mining engineer (1712-1770)
Louis Comte
editing staffmagician
Magician (1788-1859)
Thomas Day
abolitionistchildren's writer
Thomas Day, English author and political campaigner (1748-1789)
17th Century
1Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
André-Hercule de Fleury
Catholic bishopCatholic priest
Catholic cardinal (1653-1743)
16th Century
1Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Paul Guldin
astronomermathematician
Swiss mathematician and astronomer
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most famous person born on June 22?
Erich Maria Remarque, a German author known for the anti-war novel 'All Quiet on the Western Front,' was born on June 22, 1898. His novel became a key work in war literature and was adapted into multiple acclaimed films.
Are there any Nobel Prize winners born on June 22?
Yes, Ada Yonath, born on June 22, 1939, was the first Israeli woman to win a Nobel Prize. She received the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her research on the structure and function of ribosomes.
Which famous film director was born on June 22?
Abbas Kiarostami, an acclaimed Iranian filmmaker, was born on June 22, 1940. He is a notable director in world cinema and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for 'Taste of Cherry' in 1997.