November 1960 was a very good month. It produced a slew of admirable women who are now turning 60. Here we celebrate them plus we mark three other celebrity birthdays in November that are very significant.
Kathy Griffin, 60, November 4
“My whole career, I’ve never really gotten in the front door. It’s been figuring out how to get in the side door, the back door, so I’m doing that again,” Kathy Griffin told Steven Colbert not long after she reached new heights of fame (or rather infamy) by posing with a fake severed Trump head. The controversial photo overshadowed her substantial career as a comedian; she’s won a Grammy for one of her comedy albums, an Emmy for her reality TV show, and her books have been bestsellers. But she’s bounced back from the Hollywood blackballing and the criminal investigation that followed the photo. She’s now a First Amendment warrior–as you can see in her documentary on the ordeal called Hell of a Story–and still a very vocal Trump critic.
Tilda Swinton, 60, November 5
She’s not as famous as Meryl Streep, but Tilda Swinton is just as chameleon-like, maybe more so. When not in make up for a role, she has delicate features on a very long neck and Ziggy Stardust hair. But when the cameras roll, she completely disappears into her character, whether it be a vampire, an angel, an alcoholic, a gender-bending English nobleman, or a cold-hearted warrior ice queen. She won an Academy Award for her supporting role in Michael Clayton, and her style, which Vogue says has “become synonymous with strong architectural shapes, bold minimalism and fierce use of color,” has landed her on the Best Dressed List. Brava.
Whoopi Goldberg, 65, November 13
“Movies Were Better When Whoopi Was in Them” declared the headline of a recent story on Vulture. We couldn’t agree more. Who can forget Sister Act, if you’re looking at her comedic style, or The Color Purple, if it’s her drama chops you’re considering? Then there’s Ghost, which artfully combines the two sides and won her an Academy Award. Yes, we are blessed that we still can see Whoopi as the co-host of The View, talking truth to power as she always has, but we all need a good Whoopi laugh in a movie sometime soon. Are you listening Whoopi?
Elizabeth Perkins, 60, November 18
Elizabeth Perkins had her breakthrough as Tom Hanks’ love interest in the thoroughly beloved Big in 1988. Her face when Tom, as Josh, says he wants to be on top at their sleepover is exquisite. Other career highlights include playing Wilma Flintstone in 1994 (OK, the movie wasn’t great, but how cool is it that she got to play such an icon) and her role as an an alcoholic and image-obsessed PTA mother on Weeds. Happy 60th Elizabeth!
Goldie Hawn, 75, November 21
It is difficult to stay relevant as long as Goldie Hawn has. Her run began with Laugh In when she became famous for her giggles and her painted bikini body. Anyone who assumed she was a moon-eyed dumb blonde learned otherwise when watching her in Butterflies Are Free or Cactus Flower, for which she won an Oscar. Her wildly extensive movie resume has made her a Hollywood A-Lister for forever, or so it seems. (Our favorite Goldie movie is a toss up between Private Benjamin and The Banger Sisters.) She’s also famous for her long relationship with actor Kurt Russell (going on 37 years now) and for being the mother of actress Kate Hudson (one of her three children). We think it’s quite an achievement to reach the three-quarters century mark with a productive career and a loving family. Congrats.
Read More: 3 Iconic Women Celebrate Big Birthdays This Month
Amy Grant, 60, November 25
She’s been called “The Queen of Christian Pop,” but that title does Amy Grant a disservice, pigeon-holing her and also suggesting that she’s all goody-goody and no grit. Starting in the late ’80s, she had enormous cross-over hits, such as “Next Time I Fall” and “Baby, Baby.” And her personal life has had some messiness–she left her first husband (and the father of her three children) for fellow musician Vince Gill. Though the break up was surely painful, it made her seem more human, and we hope that now at 60, she has nothing but happiness ahead.
Diane Ladd, 85, November 27
We have so much to thank Diane Ladd for. First, she has shone bright in so many movies and TV series, starting in 1949, including Alice Doesn’t Live Here Any More and Wild at Heart. And then, she’s given us Laura Dern, her daughter and NextTribe favorite. Kudos to you Diane.
Cathy Moriarty, 60, November 29
Cathy Moriarty doesn’t have a long list of movie roles, but when your acting debut is playing against Robert De Niro in Raging Bull, what else can match that? Her tall, blonde Vickie LeMotta in the film is unforgettable–iconic in her 1940s-era swim ensemble, turban included, captured in Scorsese’s black and white. We hope she’s as proud of her contribution to the arts as we are impressed.
Read More: 40 Ways to Celebrate Your Birthday—or Any Other Occasion—Alone
