Celebrities born in August 1961

Barack Hussein Obama II ( bə-RAHK hoo-SAYN oh-BAH-mə; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the United States. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.

Julie Ellen "Tawny" Kitaen (August 5, 1961 – May 7, 2021) was an American actress, model, and media personality. She began her career as a television actress, appearing in the television films Malibu (1983) and California Girls (1985). She also starred in the comedies The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak and Bachelor Party (both 1984), and the horror film Witchboard (1986).

Jennifer Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress. A character actress with performances across screen and television, primarily in the comedy genre, Coolidge is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2023, Coolidge was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Elpidia Carrillo (born August 16, 1961) is a Mexican actress and director. Her career includes roles in both Latin American and US film and television. She is best known in the United States for her supporting role in the iconic action film Predator, as well as Bread and Roses and Nine Lives.

Joanne Whalley (born 25 August 1961), credited as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer from 1988 to 1995, is an English actress who began her career in 1974 at the age of 12. She has appeared primarily on television, but also in nearly 30 feature films, including Dance with a Stranger (1985), Willow (1988), Scandal (1989), Storyville (1992) The Secret Rapture (1993) and Mother's Boys (1994). Following her marriage to Val Kilmer in 1988, she was credited as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer until their divorce in 1996.

Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his number one single "Achy Breaky Heart", which became the first single ever to achieve triple platinum status in Australia. It was also the best-selling single in the same country in 1992. Due to the song's music video, the line dance rose in popularity.

Richard Allan Ream (born August 8, 1961), better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer for rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 45 million records worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone.

Yolanda Yvette Adams (born August 27, 1961) is an American gospel singer, record producer, actress, and host of her own nationally syndicated morning gospel show. She has sold nearly 10 million albums worldwide, with some albums achieving multi-platinum status. She has won 5 Grammy Awards, 4 Dove Awards, 5 BET Awards, 6 NAACP Image Awards, 6 Soul Train Music Awards, 2 BMI Awards and 16 Stellar Awards. She was the first Gospel artist to be awarded an American Music Award.

John King (born August 30, 1963) is an American news anchor. He is CNN's chief national correspondent, based in Washington, DC, and is anchor of its roundtable political discussion program Inside Politics. He is the former anchor of State of the Union, as well as John King, USA, which appeared weeknights at 7pm/ET on CNN before being canceled.

Suniel Shetty (born 11 August 1961) is an Indian film actor, producer and entrepreneur who is predominantly active in Bollywood films. In a career spanning more than 25 years, he has acted in over 100 films. His major works have been action and comedy films. He has received a Filmfare Award out of five nominations for the film Dhadkan.