(belated) birthdays: january 8 & january 9

Elvis Presley, (1935-1977), the oft-named "King of Rock 'N' Roll," he has one of the most recognizable faces and names in pop culture history; with 17 number-one singles in his career, 14 Grammy nominations, and a hit film career to boot, Elvis is an icon, starring in such films as Blue Hawaii, G.I. Blues, and Jailhouse Rock
Sarah Polley, 32, Canadian actress-turned-filmmaker whose work in the movies The Sweet Hereafter, Go, Dawn of the Dead, and Splice and TV series Avonlea, Slings & Arrows, and John Adams made her famous; her filmmaking career, however, has proven more lucrative with critics - she directed and wrote 2007's Away from Her and received an Oscar nod for her screenwriting
Harriet Sansom Harris, 56, though her most famous role of late is as semi-insane inmate Felicia Tillman on Desperate Housewives, this character actress has appeared in dozens of TV series and films including notable roles in Addams Family Values, Union Square, Memento, and Frasier
John McTiernan, 60, action flick director whose biggest hits have included Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October and whose least successful efforts have included Last Action Hero and The 13th Warrior - though I've always preferred Medicine Man (great movie; see it stat)
Jose Ferrer, (1912-1992), three-time Oscar-nominated actor (for Joan of Arc, Moulin Rouge (1952), and Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) - for which he won), his other most noted roles in a prolific filmography include Lawrence of Arabia, The Caine Mutiny, and Dune, and he and singer and one-time wife Rosemary Clooney are the parents of Crossing Jordan actor Miguel Ferrer
Michelle Forbes, 46, one-time soap star on Guiding Light, she's since become a go-to supporting player for countless television series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Homicide: Life on the Street, The District, 24, Prison Break, and In Treatment; her most recent major role was as villain Maryann Forrester in season two of True Blood
Graham Chapman, (1941-1989), member of the beloved Monty Python acting and comedy troupe, his work included writing for countless British comedy series, as well as for the films And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, and The Meaning of Life; he also played the title character in Life of Brian and King Arthur in Holy Grail
Gaby Hoffmann, 29, one-time child star who played Kevin Costner's daughter in Field of Dreams, advice-giving friend Jessica in Sleepless in Seattle, young Demi Moore in Now and Then, and Tommy Lee Jones' teenage daughter in Volcano; as an adult she's had supporting roles in the films You Can Count on Me and Life During Wartime
Amber Benson, 34, her most notable roles was as off-and-on lover of witch Willow (Allyson Hannigan), Amber, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but she's also played parts in Latter Days and Grey's Anatomy

Imelda Staunton, 55, wonderful British character actress whose work in film has garnered her tremendous critical praise, particularly for her work as the title character in the Mike Leigh film Vera Drake, for which she received an Oscar nod; in addition to Drake, she's played the roles of the nurse in Shakespeare in Love, Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing (1993), the insufferable Charlotte Jennings Palmer in Sense & Sensibility, the gruff Bunty in Chicken Run, the frazzled cook Mrs. Blatherwick in Nanny McPhee, and the demonic Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series
J.K. Simmons, 56, another prolific character actor, his most recognizable roles are as J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man trilogy and doting father Mac MacGuff in Juno, though he also had roles in dozens of other films and TV shows that include The Cider House Rules, Law & Order: SVU, Oz, Thank You For Smoking, The Closer, and Up in the Air
Joely Richardson, 46, sister to the late Natasha Richardson and daughter of legendary actress Vanessa Redgrave, this English actress has garnered most praise as long-suffering wife Julia McNamara on Nip/Tuck, in addition to playing parts in the live-action 101 Dalmatians, The Patriot, The Tudors, and the upcoming American adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Bob Denver, (1935-2005), instantly recognizable as the bumbling title character on the cult hit TV series Gilligan's Island, he also had a regular role on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and the '60s series The Good Guys
Joey Lauren Adams, 43, she's most noted for her work in "guy movies," with love interest roles in Dazed and Confused, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Big Daddy, she's also recently played a recurring guest role on Starz's Party Down and the lover of one of Toni Collette's personalities in United States of Tara
Susannah York, 72, British actress whose Oscar nod came from playing an exhausted dance marathon contestant in They Shoot Horses Don't They?, she additionally had roles in such noted films as Tom Jones and A Man for All Seasons, as well as playing the biological mother of our title superhero in Superman - and speaking of which...
K Callan, 69, American character actress whose most remembered role was as Superman's earthbound adoptive mother in the TV series Lois & Clark: The Adventures of Superman; she's also had guest parts in countless television shows including Nip/Tuck, Desperate Housewives, How I Met Your Mother, Dawson's Creek, NYPD Blue, Coach, and Dallas