birthdays: december 23

Harry Shearer, 67, known both for his roles as part of the noted Christopher Guest troop (with roles in This is Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration) and probably moreso as a host of characters as part of the central voice cast of The Simpsons - Mr. Burns, Smithers, Ned Flanders, Rev. Lovejoy, Kent Brockman, Principal Skinner, and Dr. Hibbert, to name a few; his role as a voice actor and writer for the show garnered him three Emmy nominations
Susan Lucci, 64, the most famous loser in awards history perhaps, she got 18 Daytime Emmy nominations for Best Actress for All My Children before finally winning in 1999; in addition she recently did a stint on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars and I personally am most fond of her A Christmas Carol inspired starring role in the TV movie Ebbie
Elizabeth Hartman, (1943-1987), though her life ended tragically at age 43 due to an apparent suicide, her debut performance created quite a stir, playing a young blind woman in the 1965 film A Patch of Blue; she won an Oscar nomination for the role, but her remaining acting career was fairly sparse, starring in the original 1973 Walking Tall and voicing lead character Mrs. Brisby in The Secret of NIMH in 1982
Corey Haim, (1971-2010), he skyrocketed to fame as a child star in the '80s, becoming a teen idol thanks to the movies Lucas, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, and Dream a Little Dream; but his star fell abruptly thanks to partying ways and he tragically died of pneumonia complications earlier this year
Eddie Vedder, 46, he's spent 20 years as the frontman for the hit '90s rock band Pearl Jam - see "Jeremy" or "Last Kiss," but his pursuits outside of the group's discography have garnered him a lot of attention, including his work for the soundtrack of Into the Wild
Frederic Forrest, 74, though his Oscar nomination came in 1979 for the Bette Midler musical drama The Rose, his career otherwise has included some impressive entries such as The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, and Falling Down
Jess Harnell, 47, much-used voice actor responsible for such characters as Sewer Urchin in The Tick, Wakko in The Animaniacs, Ironhide in the Transformers movies, and Captain Hero in Drawn Together, he's done work in countless animated films and television shows and is a go-to for extra voices for Pixar films
James Gregory, (1911-2002), most well-known for playing sleazy politician John Iselin in 1962's The Manchurian Candidate, he also played bit parts in dozens of television series and movies and notably had a regular role as Inspector Frank Luger in the TV series Barney Miller