Birthdays

TODAY: Sir John Arbuthnot, former MP, 83; Sir Ronald Arculus, former diplomat, 72; Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Berger, 70; Professor Marilyn Butler, Rector, Exeter College, Oxford University, 58; Sir Alexander Cairncross, Chancellor, Glasgow University, 84; Mr Bevan Congdon, cricketer, 57; Mr James Couchman MP, 53; Mr Christopher Dearnley, organist, 65; Mr Patrick Leigh Fermor, author, 80; Sir Archibald Forster, former chairman and chief executive, Esso UK, 67; Sir Vivian Fuchs, Antarctic explorer, 87; Mr Bryan Gould MP, 56; Miss Anne Gregg, broadcaster, 55; Mr Win Griffiths MP, 52; Mr Michael Jackson, Controller, BBC 2, 37; Lt-Gen Sir Jeremy Mackenzie, commander, Ace Rapid Reaction Corps, 55; Mr Leslie Nielsen, actor, 69; Miss Mary Quant, fashion designer, 61; Mr Burt Reynolds, actor, 59; Baroness Sharples, former director, TVS, 72; Mr Dennis Skinner MP, 63; Miss Kim Stanley, actress, 70; Mr John Surtees, motor and motor-cycle racing champion, 61; Mr E.W. Swanton, author and sports commentator, 88; Miss Mary Tregear, art historian, 71; Mr Malcolm Walker, chairman and chief executive, Iceland Group, 49.

TOMORROW: Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Charles Abbott, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic, 53; General Sir John Akehurst, former commandant, Staff College, Camberley, 65; General Sir John Archer, former Commander- in-Chief, UK Land Forces, 71; Professor Arnold Beckett, pharmacist, 75; Mr Roland Boyes MP, 58; Mr Alec Carlile MP, 47; Miss Annette Crosbie, actress, 61; Mr Howard Davies, Director General, CBI, 44; Sir James Dunnett, former senior civil servant, 81; Dr Kenneth Edwards, Vice-Chancellor, Leicester University, 61; Mr Stephen Gibbs, former chairman, Turner and Newall, 75; Lord Greene of Harrow Weald, former trade union leader, 85; Mr Steve Hackett, rock guitarist, 45; Mr Paul Hamlyn, publisher, 69; Miss Christine Hancock, General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing, 52; Mr Anthony Howard, journalist, 61; Mr Simon MacCorkindale, actor, 43; Sir Robin Mackworth-Young, Librarian-Emeritus to the Queen, 75; Lord Morison, a Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland, 64; Lord Moyola, former Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, 72; Mr John Raisman, former chairman, Shell UK, 66; Sir Richard Rougier, High Court judge, 63; Mr Peter Snape MP, 53; The Hon Nicholas Soames MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, 47; Mr Peter Temple-Morris MP, 57; Sir Aubrey Trotman-Dickenson, former Principal, University of Wales College of Cardiff, 69; Mr Gundappa Viswanath, cricketer, 46; Lord Wigoder QC, 74; Mr Alexander Wilson, librarian, 74; Mr Franco Zeffirelli, film director, 72.