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A Dozen Women We Love Have Big Birthdays in January

Diane Keaton, Naomi Judd, and Dolly Parton turn 75 this month. Other notable women reach 50, 60, 65 and 70. Can you guess who's turning 80?

As we start the new year, the world seems a little more hopeful. We’d like to think that these 12 women with significant January birthdays will feel a little cheerier on their special days, even if they can’t have the big bash they might have liked.

Happy birthday to all!

Diane Keaton, Jan. 5th: 75 years old

January celebrity birthdays

Think of the range of movies Diane Keaton has starred in: The Godfather, Annie Hall, Reds, Baby Boom, the Nancy Meyers comedies. We love how multi-faceted she is. She’s written books, published her photography, and directed films, and with her distinctive mix of menswear–neckties, vests, baggy pants, and fedora hats–she’s also been a style icon for decades. Despite an Oscar, scores of other awards, love affairs with famous men, and fawning profiles, we appreciate that she stays humble, approachable. A down-to-earth badass! What a great combination!

Imelda Staunton, Jan. 9th: 65 years old

January celebrity birthdays

Imelda Staunton is known for character roles, and probably her most memorable one was the creepily cruel Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies. But she’s classically trained and can do Shakespeare as well as magic curses. Bit of trivia: She’s been married to Jim Carter (Downton Abbey‘s Carson) for almost 40 years.

Naomi Judd, Jan. 11th: 75 years old

january celebrity birthdays

The mother of two high-achieving, talented daughters (Wynonna and Ashley), Naomi Judd has been a great example to them of how to build and sustain a career. She raised her daughters as a single mom and later, she and Wynonna formed the Grammy-winning duo, The Judds. They became the most famous mother-daughter team in country music. She later shifted into acting, proving that it’s never too late to try something new.

Mary J. Blige, Jan. 11th: 50 years old

She’s not just a singer, but dang, Mary J. Blige’s singing is good. Her 1994 album My Life has been ranked as one of Time magazine’s Greatest 100 albums. Billboard magazine named her 2006 song “Be Without You” as the most successful R&B/Hip-Hop song of all time. While she’s been conquering the music world, she found time to act in films and TV shows. We can’t wait to see what she does next. There’s plenty of time.

Kirstie Alley, Jan. 12th: 70 years old

We first me Kirstie Alley when she took the role of Sam’s love interest on Cheers after Shelly Long left the show. Since then, she’s starred in a number of films and TV shows, bringing along that adorably husky voice that could belong to no other.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Jan. 13th, 60 years old

Besides her years on Saturday Night Live, as Jerry’s gal pal in Seinfeld, and the number-two-turned-number-one on Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is celebrated for her hilarious turn as the newly unfuckable star in Amy Schumer’s classic (and oh-so true) comedy skit. She’s our kind of woman because she’ll say anything and make sure it’s funny.

Faye Dunaway, Jan. 14th: 80 years old

One of the true icons of the screen, Faye Dunaway has been a force to be reckoned with ever since she shot her way through Texas as Bonnie Parker in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. She’s gone on to star in landmark films (Chinatown), to controversial ones (Mommy Dearest), to those that have captured the national temperature (Network). Happy 80th to one of the greats.

Regina King, Jan. 15th: 50 years old

Regina King plays a hero in the highly acclaimed series The Watchmen, but she’s a hero in real life too. The Oscar- and Emmy-winning star has devoted herself to empowering young people from low-income communities and she was an early and powerful proponent of gender equality on film and television sets. Brava!

Dolly Parton, Jan. 19th: 75 years old

It feels like we’ve been writing about Dolly Parton all year. We did a story about the documentary on her life and about her key investment in a COVID vaccine. Plus, she is one of our 2020 Women of the Year. It sure seems like this glorious woman has a message for all of us: Make the best use possible of all the years you’re given.

Geena Davis, Jan. 21st: 65 years old

One of the great Hollywood stories, in our minds, is the way the beloved Thelma in the greatest female buddy movie ever grew into such a powerful advocate for women in media and film. Geena Davis is the founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which works collaboratively with the entertainment industry to dramatically increase the presence of female characters in media. She’s as brainy and committed as she is beautiful and talented.

Nastassja Kinski, Jan. 24th: 60 years old

She’s come along way from Tess, the doomed innocent she played in the 1979 film of the same name, directed by Roman Polanski. She went on to star with a snake in a famous Richard Avedon photo and in a slew of other films both in the U.S. and Europe. She has series acting chops and continental sophistication (she’s fluent in four languages) and has overcome at least a couple of bad influences: her abusive father Klaus Kinski and Polanski, with whom she had a relationship when she was 15 and he 43, which would make it rape. We’re impressed with how she’s risen above.

Mimi Rogers, Jan. 27th: 65 years old

Many fans might know her best as the first Mrs. Tom Cruise, but we really hate it when a woman’s credentials are primarily linked to the famous men around her. Mimi Rogers has had a good run as an actress on her own merit (we’ll never forget her in Someone to Watch Over Me), and we love that she has a secret skill (shouldn’t we all have a secret skill?). She’s a killer poker player. Who knew?

By NextTribe Editors

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