birthdays: december 10

Kenneth Branagh, 50, the modern Shakespeare expert himself hits the big 5-0 today; he's best known for his film adaptations of Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet, his marriage to actress Emma Thompson, his one-off role as Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and his four Oscar nominations.  On top of that, he's directing next year's superhero movie Thor and starring as Laurence Olivier (a fellow Shakespeare go-to) in My Week with Marilyn
Raven-Symone, 25, she got her start as precocious little Olivia toward the latter half of The Cosby Show's run and transitioned her fame as a kid with incredible comedic timing toward roles in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, the Doctor Dolittle movies, and That's So Raven
Susan Dey, 58, she hit it big as a '70s flower child Laurie Partridge in The Partridge Family, and moved into acting in several television movies in the late '70s, early '80s before landing the starring role of Grace van Owen in the ratings and critical bonanza L.A. Law; since the end of the show's run, she's largely disappeared from the front of the camera, save for a few more TV movies
Michael Clarke Duncan, 53, known for his sizable stature and deep-toned voice, he's best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in The Green Mile, but his label as a Academy Award nominee has largely been misused since, as his film credits since include the Planet of the Apes remake, The Scorpion King, Daredevil, and The Island; though his voice work is a shining spot, with roles in Kung Fu Panda and Family Guy
Cornelia Funke, 52, German children's book author well-known most for her Inkworld trilogy (Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath) and for The Thief Lord and Dragon Rider; she's sold more than 10 million copies of her books worldwide and was included on Time's 2005 "most influential people" list
Fionnula Flanagan, 69, Irish actress best-known by American audiences as the spooky Mrs. Mills in The Others and as Felicity Huffman's garish mother in Transamerica, her other credits include Waking Ned Devine, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Four Brothers, and the 2009 edition of A Christmas Carol; she also had a regular role on the Showtime series Brotherhood, as well as a recurring role on Lost
Victor McLaglen, (1886-1959), he won an Oscar for 1935's The Informer, and he's well-known for his prolific career in adventure films of the '20s and '30s; in the '40s and '50s he primarily worked in westerns, having a late-in-career boost with an Oscar-nominated turn in the John Wayne film The Quiet Man
Dorothy Lamour, (1914-1996), actress primarily known for her sidekick role in the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby Road movies, she carved out a film career for herself with such movies as My Favorite Brunette and The Greatest Show on Earth
George Newbern, 46, possibly most recognizable as the dopey Brian McKenzie in the 1990s Father of the Bride movies, he was Elisabeth Shue's love interest in Adventures in Babysitting, Dixie Carter's beloved son Payne in Designing Women, Debra Winger's now-grown-up son in The Evening Star, and Danny the "yeti" on Friends (among TONS of other TV and film credits)
Patrick Flueger, 27, he's best known for playing Shawn on the USA series The 4400, but he got his start as hair-dyed Jeremiah in The Princess Diaries and will play the Kevin Bacon replacement's competition for the heart of Ariel in the upcoming remake of Footloose
Harold Gould, (1923-2010), a five-time Emmy nominee, his credits include playing Rhoda's dad Martin on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda, Kid Twist in The Sting, Rose Nylund's long-time boyfriend Miles on The Golden Girls, and Jamie Lee Curtis' absent-minded father in the remake of Freaky Friday