August 20th Today in History ----- More Datebooks This Month ----- 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 30 31

Famous People & Celebrities Born on August 20th:

• Don King
  (1931) - Boxing promoter. Mr. King states he was born August 20, 1931, not August 21, December 2, December 6 or in 1930 or 1932 as reported by some sources.
   
• Jonathan Ke Quan
  (1971) - Played "Round Short" in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Richard 'Data' Wang in The Goonies (1985).
   
• Fred Durst
  (1971) - Lead singer for Limp Bizkit. The band members Limp Bizkit say they "flip the bird" every time they step on stage -- and the fans respond by giving the gesture right back. Durst says the group started using the offensive greeting because they "...dig the sense of extremes." Durst says he doesn't care that fights sometimes break out between fans who hate being flipped off and fans who love the nasty greeting, because, in his words, "There's all these feelings of love and hate being expressed at once." In an interview with Playboy magazine, Durst called singer Christina Aguilera a "spoiled-rotten asshole." Durst admitted he once had a crush on Christina, but says the only time they ever hooked up was for an ice cream. He says he's holding a grudge against the pop star because she begged him to appear with her at the MTV Video Music Awards and then didn't show up for rehearsals.
   
• Isaac Hayes
  (1942) - The musician and songwriter provides the voice of Jerome "Chef" McElroy on South Park. Oscar and Grammy for 1971 film Shaft. Hayes is a member of the Royal Family of Ghana. His royal name is Nene Katey Ocansey I. Hayes, an avid fan of natural health and natural cures, says he believes sprouts, green leafy vegetables and vitamins are better at curing illnesses than conventional drugs. He recharges his own batteries by drinking a concoction of water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup.
   
• Connie Chung
  (1946) - Her real name is Constance Yu-hwa. Chung was once the co-anchor of the CBS Evening News. She now has an evening news program on CNN. Wife of Maury Povich.
   
• Robert Plant
  (1948) - Led Zeppelin. Ever wonder what inspired Plant and Jimmy Page to write their hit, "Whole Lotta Love"? Well, according to Plant, it was pure and simple thievery. Plant says Led Zeppelin stole the song from blues veteran Willie Dixon who later sued the band for plagiarizing his tune "You Need Love." Led Zeppelin agreed to pay royalties to Dixon. Zeppelin hits: "Stairway To Heaven", "Whole Lotta Love" (1969).
   
• Rudy Gatlin
  (1952) - Country musician. Gatlin Brothers.
   
• Doug Fieger
  (1952) - Singer with the Knack. In 1979 the media described the Knack as "...the new Beatles." Knack hits: "My Sharona" (1979), "Good Girls Don't" (1979).
   
• Peter Horton
  (1953) - Actor best known for thirtysomething. Horton's ex-wife Michelle Pfeiffer admits that when she was a struggling actress, she fell under the spell of a wacky cult of vegetarians. The cult's philosophy was so bizarre that she's embarrassed to talk about it now, but Horton rescued her from the cult.
   
• Al Roker
  (1954) - TV personality on NBC's Today show. Roker says he decided to lose weight after his daughter, Courtney, saw him with his shirt off and told him he had enormous breasts. Not wanting to look like Dolly Parton, Roker says he decided it was time to join a gym. He eventually had a gastric band implanted around his stomach to loose weight. On July 18, 2002, his wife gave birth to their eight-pound son Nicholas Albert.