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Celebrities born during the holidays have even more reason to celebrate.
From entertainer Ricky Martin and Wheel of Fortune host Ryan Seacrest on Christmas Eve to icons like supermodel Helena Christensen and singer Annie Lennox on Christmas Day, here’s a look at stars who share their birthday with holiday cheer.
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Ricky Martin
On Christmas Eve, 1971, Ricky Martin was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While the singer’s older twin sons, Matteo and Valentino, arrived on August 9, 2008, his third child, daughter Lucia, was born via surrogate on the same day as her famous father. Martin later welcomed his fourth child, a son named Renn, in October 2019. His kids could be the reason he starred as the character Don Juan Diego in the fun 2020 Netflix holiday film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.
Ryan Seacrest
With a Christmas Eve birthday, it’s no surprise Ryan Seacrest loves the holiday season, especially since it culminates with his decades-long tradition of ringing in the New Year as the host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. How does Seacrest, who turned 50 in 2024, like to spend his big day? The star shared with People that his birthday is typically “all about fun” and “food.”
Louis Tomlinson
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Former One Direction band member Louis Tomlinson celebrates his big day on December 24, just weeks before his son, Freddie Reign. Tomlinson and his ex-girlfriend, stylist Briana Jungwirth, welcomed the boy on January 21, 2016.
Helena Christensen
Danish 1990s supermodel Helena Christensen made her debut into the world on Christmas Day in 1968 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Instead of strutting her stuff on the catwalk, the former Victoria’s Secret Angel has spent the past few celebrating her birthday with cold plunges in frigid water, a Scandinavian tradition.
Humphrey Bogart
Iconic actor Humphrey Bogart was born in New York City on Christmas Day, 1899, though his exact birth date was long debated. Many speculated that the festive timing of his birth was a clever invention by studio executives attempting to soften his tough-guy image. December 25, however, is now widely accepted as his true birthday.
In the 1995 book Bogart: In Search of My Father, the star’s son, Stephen Bogart, revealed that the Casablanca icon resented sharing his birthday with such a major holiday. “Once, on my birthday, he said, ‘Steve, I hope you enjoy it. I never had a birthday of my own to celebrate. I got cheated out of a birthday.'” Humphrey died from esophageal cancer in Hollywood on January 14, 1957.
Annie Lennox
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Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox made her debut on December 25, 1954, in Aberdeen, Scotland. “We didn’t have very much,” the “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” entertainer shared about her modest childhood to Tinnitist.
“I used to hang a sock at the end of the bed and I would get some tangerines and maybe a couple of sweets. It wasn’t such a big deal in that respect.” Despite the tough times, Lennox said she had “no issues at all” with not receiving extra presents compared to if her birthday had fallen on a different day.
In 2010, Lennox embraced the holiday spirit by releasing A Christmas Cornucopia, an album featuring her take on timeless classics like “The First Noel” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
Jeremy Strong
Actor Jeremy Strong was a Christmas baby, born in Boston in 1978, and he’s said he has always felt special feting his birthday on such a beloved holiday. However, starring later in life as Kendall Roy in HBO‘s Succession was a true gift. “I have opportunities that I only ever imagined,” he said in October 2024 interview with The Sunday Times.
Sissy Spacek
Coal Miner’s Daughter actress Sissy Spacek, born on Christmas Day, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, revealed in her memoir, My Extraordinary Ordinary Life, that as a Christmas baby, she’s “not used to celebrating” her birthday or “being the center of that kind of attention.”
Jimmy Buffet
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Born in 1946, “Margaritaville” singer Jimmy Buffet admitted in the liner notes for his 1996 holiday album Christmas Island that sharing his birthday with Santa’s big day was “rough going at first.”
As an adult, he preferred sun over snow and made a name for himself singing about the island life, including in his song “Christmas in the Caribbean.” The “Cheeseburger in Paradise” hitmaker died from skin cancer at age 73 in September 2023.
Barbara Mandrell
Country music legend Barbara Mandrell was born on Christmas Day, 1948, in Houston, Texas. While she is best known for crooning songs like 1981’s “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” and 1973’s “The Midnight Oil,” Mandrell also released her own holiday album, Christmas at Our House, in 1984.
