Birthdays

TODAY: Mr Louis Benjamin, theatrical entrepreneur, 70; Mr Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich, concert pianist, 52; Mr George Mackay Brown, author, 71; Mr Harry Carpenter, journalist and boxing commentator, 67; Mr Sydney Chapman MP, 57; Mr Alexander Cooke, physician, 93; The Earl of Dalhousie, former Governor- General, Rhodesian Federation, 78; Sir Denis Dobson QC, former permanent secretary to the Lord Chancellor, 84; Mr Alan Garner, author, 58; Sir Ralph Gibson, a Lord Justice of Appeal, 70; The Right Rev Ronald Goodchild, Assistant Bishop, Exeter, 82; Sir Christopher Harding, chairman, British Nuclear Fuels, 53; Mr Johnny Haynes, footballer, 58; Mrs Ann Jones, tennis player, 54; Miss Margot Kidder, actress, 44; Lord Kilbracken, author and journalist, 72; Mr Evel Knievel, stunt rider, 53; Mr Michael Lord MP, 54; Mr Arthur Miller, playwright, 77; Mr Edwin Stevens, founder, Amplivox, 87; Mr Bernard Taylor, former chief executive, Glaxo, 57; Sir George Turnbull, chairman of Inchcape plc, 66.

TOMORROW: Sir Timothy Bell, chairman, Lowe Bell Communications, 51; Mr Chuck Berry, rock and roll singer, 66; Lord Clark of Kempston (Sir William Clark), former MP, 75; Lord Cooke of Islandreagh (Victor Cooke), chairman, Springvale EPS, 72; Mr Geordie Dun, amateur jockey, 34; Lord Elis-Thomas (Dafydd Elis Thomas), former MP, 46; Mr Samuel Galbraith MP, 47; Mr Harold Hankins, principal, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, 62; Lord Kimball, former MP, 64; Miss Melina Mercouri, actress, 67; Miss Martina Navratilova, tennis player, 36; Sir Joseph Pope, lecturer in engineering and company director, 78; Dr Kate Pretty, principal, Homerton College, Cambridge, 47; Lady Saltoun, chief of Clan Fraser, 62; Mr George C. Scott, actor, 65; Mr Gladstone Small, cricketer, 31; The Earl of Tankerville, musician, 36; Mr Dick Taverne QC, director, Prima Europe, 64; Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Terry, former Governor of Gibraltar, 66; Mr Pierre Trudeau CH, former Canadian Prime Minister, 73; Dame Janet Vaughan, former principal, Somerville College, Oxford, 93; Vice-Admiral Sir James Willis, former Chief of Naval Staff, Australia, 69.

Lectures

TODAY

National Gallery: Rachel Barnes, 'Maturity: paintings by Holbein', 12 noon.

Victoria & Albert Museum: Jan Ross-Munro, 'Naturalistic Ornament in the 18th Century', 2.30pm.

British Museum: George Hart, 'Tombs of the Theban Nobles', 1.15pm.

Tate Gallery: Laurence Bradbury, 'Intimate Portraits', 1pm.

National Portrait Gallery: Simone Mathews, 'Allan Ramsay 1713-1784, introductions to the exhibition', 2.30pm and 3.30pm.