Birthdays

TODAY: Pope John Paul II, 76; Miss Holly Aird, actress, 27; Sir Richard Body MP, 69; Mr John Bruton, Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland, 49; Miss Caroline Charles, fashion designer, 54; Mr John Clement, former chairman, Unigate Group, 64; Mr Perry Como, singer, 84; Sir Patrick Cormack MP, 57; Mr Graham Dilley, cricketer, 37; Professor Sir Anthony Epstein, pathologist, 75; Sir Anthony Fell, former MP, 82; Mr Brian Fletcher, former jockey, 49; Professor Geoffrey Hall, former director, Brighton Polytechnic, 68; Rear-Admiral Peter Hammersley, 68; Lord Hartwell, former chairman and Editor-in-Chief, the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, 85; Mr Keith Hellawell, chief constable, West Yorkshire, 54; Mr David Jamieson MP, 49; Mr George Kitson, former Principal, Central School of Speech and Drama, 74; Sir Geoffrey Littler, former senior civil servant, 66; Professor Malcolm Longair, astronomer, 55; Miss Miriam Margolyes, actress, 55; Professor Edward Marsland, former Vice-Chancellor, Birmingham University, 73; Lord St John of Fawsley, author, barrister and former MP, 67; M Jacques Santer, President of the European Commission, 59; Mr Norbert "Nobby" Stiles, footballer, 54; Mr Rick Wakeman, rock keyboard player and composer, 47; Miss Toyah Willcox, singer and actress, 38; Mr Charles Wintour, former editor, the Evening Standard, 79.

TOMORROW: Lord Bowness, solicitor and former Mayor of Croydon, 53; Mr Christopher Chope, barrister and former government minister, 49; Mr Francis Cornish, Senior British Trade Commissioner, Hong Kong, 54; Dr Edward de Bono, Secretary-General, Supranational Independent Thinking Organisation (SITO), 63; Dame Ann Ebsworth, High Court judge, 59; Mr James Fox, actor, 57; Baroness Hylton-Foster, Patron, British Red Cross Society, 88; Mrs Helen Jackson MP, 57; Mr David Jacobs, broadcaster, 70; Sir Igor Judge, High Court judge, 55; Air Chief Marshal Sir Thomas Kennedy, 68; Mr Robert Kilroy-Silk, television presenter, and former MP, 54; Mr John Lyons, former General Secretary, Electrical Power Engineers' Association, 70; Mrs Diana Maddock MP, 51; Mr Michael McGowan, MEP, 56; Mr Noel Mander, organ maker, 84; Mr Paul Moriarty, actor, 50; Sir Edward Parkes, former Vice-Chancellor, Leeds University, 70; Dr Max Perutz, molecular biologist, 82; Mr Leslie Sands, actor and playwright, 75; Sir Michael Scott, former diplomat, 73; Professor Gordon Stone, chemist, 71; Mr Pete Townshend, guitarist and singer, 51; Mr Sandy Wilson, composer and playwright, 72; Miss Victoria Wood, writer and comedienne, 43.