Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1950. This list includes people like George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw, Sri Aurobindo, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Walter Huston and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, journalists, philosophers and novelists who died in 1950. This list includes people from United States, Germany, United Kingdom & India and many more countries.
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1
George Orwell(Known for His Novels “Animal Farm” and “Nineteen Eighty-Four”)
Birthdate: June 25, 1903
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Motihari, Bihar, India
Died: January 21
The king of dystopia and satire, George Orwell, the pen name adopted by Eric Arthur Blair, was a well-known novelist and critic of the 20th century. A man with a strong mind of his own, Orwell never backed down from stating his views on the socio-political climate he lived in, which he expressed profusely through his influential essays and novels.
Birthdate: July 26, 1856
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Portobello, Dublin, Ireland
Died: November 2
Nobel Prize-winning playwright and author George Bernard Shaw was best known for his realism and his support for women’s rights and socialism. His ideas gave rise to the word “Shavian.” His drama Pygmalion inspired the musical My Fair Lady. His other notable works include Candida and Man and Superman.
3
Al Jolson(Singer and Comedian Known as 'The King of Blackface Performers')
Birthdate: May 26, 1886
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Seredžius, Lithuania
Died: October 23
Singer, comedian, and actor Al Jolson was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer" at the peak of his career. Known for his brash and extroverted performances, he is credited to have played a major role in defining the modern musical. He was the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II and was posthumously awarded the Medal for Merit.
Birthdate: October 31, 1875
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Nadiad, Gujarat, India
Died: December 15
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was an Indian politician who played an influential role in the Indian independence movement. Dubbed the Iron Man of India and Unifier of India, Sardar Patel played an important role in integrating various princely states into a united, independent nation. In 2018, the world's tallest statue called the Statue of Unity was dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Birthdate: September 1, 1875
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: March 19
6
Charles R. Drew(Surgeon and Researcher Who Improved Techniques for Blood Storage)
Birthdate: June 3, 1904
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Died: April 1
Born into a middle-class African-American family, Charles R. Drew initially excelled in football and track and field, and ended up earning athletic scholarships to fund his studies. He grew up to be a renowned surgeon and revolutionized the storage of blood plasma in blood banks.
Birthdate: April 5, 1883
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
Died: April 7
Walter Huston was a Canadian singer and actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of Howard in the 1948 American Western film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Walter Huston was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame a decade after his death.
8
Vaslav Nijinsky(Ballet Dancer, Choreographer and One of the Greatest Male Dancers of All Time)
Birthdate: March 12, 1889
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Kyiv, Ukraine
Died: April 8
Vaslav Nijinsky was a ballet dancer and choreographer. He is counted among the greatest male dancers of the early 20th century. He was known for the intensity of his characterizations. He was brilliant and could dance en pointe, a rare skill few male dancers of his era possessed. He suffered from mental health issues in his later life.
Birthdate: February 22, 1892
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Rockland, Maine, United States
Died: October 19
Birthdate: June 25, 1886
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: January 15
11
Jan Smuts(2nd Prime Minister of South Africa)
Birthdate: May 24, 1870
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Riebeeck West, South Africa
Died: September 11
Jan Smuts was a South African military leader, statesman, and philosopher. He played a key role in the formation of the Union of South Africa and helped shape its constitution. From 1919 to 1924 and again from 1939 to 1948, he served as the Union of South Africa's prime minister. He played a major role in establishing the United Nations.
Birthdate: December 19, 1875
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New Canton, Virginia, United States
Died: April 3
Historian Carter Woodson was is remembered for pioneering Black studies in schools and colleges. He began the Negro History Week, which is now celebrated as the Black History Month. Poverty had pushed him to work in the coal mines initially, and he couldn’t join high school before 20.
Birthdate: February 8, 1883
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Třešť, Czechia
Died: January 8
Business students remember Austrian economist and sociologist Joseph Schumpeter for his contribution to the concepts of entrepreneurship, creative destruction, and business cycles. An academic, who had also taught at Harvard, Schumpeter believed capitalism would someday automatically give way to socialism, a thought he expressed in Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy.
14
Nicholas Black Elk(Traditional Healers)
Birthdate: December 1, 1863
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Powder River, Wyoming, United States
Died: August 19
15
Grover Cleveland Alexander(Baseball Player)
Birthdate: February 26, 1887
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Elba, Nebraska, United States
Died: November 4
16
Emil Jannings(German Actor Who was the First Recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor)
Birthdate: July 23, 1884
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Rorschach, Switzerland
Died: January 2
Emil Jannings was a German actor who became the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was born in Switzerland but moved to Germany as a young child. He began his career as a theater actor and enjoyed tremendous success. He later ventured into films and became a popular figure in Hollywood in the 1920s.
17
Alan Hale(Actor)
Birthdate: February 10, 1892
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Died: January 22
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
Birthdate: December 30, 1879
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Tiruchuzhi, Virudhunagar, India
Died: April 14
Indian Hindu sage Ramana Maharshi had run away to Arunachala, a sacred mountain in Tamil Nadu, at 16, and had stayed there throughout his life. He propagated vichara, or self-enquiry, as the primary means of self-realization, instead of the study of scriptures as proposed by the Advaita Vedanta philosophy.
Birthdate: April 9, 1872
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Paris
Died: March 30
Born into a Jewish family in Paris, three-time French prime minister Léon Blum had initially studied law. He joined politics inspired by the Dreyfus affair. The first socialist and the first Jew to head France, he introduced reforms such as the 40-hour work week and paid vacations.
20
Kurt Weill(German-American Composer Best Known for His Work ‘The Threepenny Opera’)
Birthdate: March 2, 1900
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Dessau, Germany
Died: April 3
Kurt Weill was a German composer best remembered for his collaboration with Bertolt Brecht. An influential composer, Weill's music has been recorded by several performers like Frank Sinatra and David Bowie. Singers like Marianne Faithfull and Anne Sofie von Otter have recorded several albums of his music. His music continues to be performed in classical as well as popular contexts.
21
Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine(Princess)
Birthdate: April 5, 1863
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England
Died: September 24
22
Sara Allgood(Actress)
Birthdate: November 29, 1879
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: September 13
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
23
Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah(Ruler)
Birthdate: 1885 AD
Birthplace: Kuwait City
Died: January 29
24
Cesare Pavese(A Very Influential Italian Novelist, Poet and Short story writer)
Birthdate: September 9, 1908
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Santo Stefano Belbo, Italy
Died: August 27
Italian author Cesare Pavese is remembered for his themes of gloom and loneliness and for his protagonists who were often loners. His prolonged fight with fascists and the failure of his affair with actor Constance Dowling led him to commit suicide by consuming sleeping pills in a Turin hotel.
25
Eliel Saarinen(A Leading Architect and Urban Planner Known for His 'Art Nouveau' Buildings)
Birthdate: August 20, 1873
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Rantasalmi
Died: July 1
Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen was a prominent architect of Finland. He later moved to the US where he influenced modern architecture. He also collaborated with son Eero, a leading American architect. Notable buildings designed by Eliel, known for his designs inArt Nouveau style, includes Helsinki Central Station and Joensuu City Hall in Finland; and St Paul's Church in Estonia.
26
Henry L. Stimson(Politician)
Birthdate: September 21, 1867
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York City, New York (state) New York, U.S.
Died: October 20
27
Milada Horáková(Czech Politician Wrongfully Convicted and Executed on Fabricated Charges by the 'Communist Party of Czechoslovakia')
Birthdate: December 25, 1901
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Prague, Czech Republic
Died: June 27
Czech lawyer-politician Milada Horáková remained active in underground resistance-movement during the Second World War. She was convicted on fabricated charges of conspiracy and treason by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and executed by hanging. Her trial verdict was posthumously annulled and she was rehabilitated and awarded Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1st Class) and Order of the White Double Cross (1st Class).
28
Max Beckmann(German Expressionist Painter and Printmaker)
Birthdate: February 12, 1884
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Leipzig, Germany
Died: December 27
Max Beckmann was a German painter, sculptor, draftsman, printmaker, and writer. Even though scholars classify him as an Expressionist artist, he personally never identified as one. He became involved with the New Objectivity movement in the 1920s. He taught at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts at Washington University in his last years.
29
Ransom Eli Olds(Automotive designer)
Birthdate: June 3, 1864
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Geneva, Ohio, United States
Died: August 26
30
Rafael Sabatini(Writer)
Birthdate: April 29, 1875
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Iesi, Italy
Died: February 13
Rafael Sabatini was an Italian-English author who wrote romance and adventure novels. Sabatini is best remembered for his bestselling novels like The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood: His Odyssey, and Bellarion the Fortunate. Overall, Rafael Sabatini wrote 34 novels, six non-fiction books, eight short story collections, and several uncollected short stories.
31
Werner Haase(German Physician and Medicine Professor)
Birthdate: August 2, 1900
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Köthen, Germany
Died: November 30
Originally professor of medicine, Werner Haase served as the deputy personal physician of German Chancellor Adolf Hitler from 1933 until the latter’s death in 1945, remaining with him in the Führerbunker to the very end. After Hitler committed suicide, he continued serving wounded soldiers and civilians until he was made a prisoner of war and died while serving his term.
32
Walton Walker(Army General)
Birthdate: December 3, 1889
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Belton, Texas, United States
Died: December 23
33
Karl Renner(President of Austria from 1945 to 1950)
Birthdate: December 14, 1870
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Dolní Dunajovice, Czech Republic
Died: December 31
Remembered as the Father of the Republic in Austria, Karl Renner led his country as its third president. Previously, he had also led the first Austrian republic. Born into a humble family of wine-growers, he studied law and began his political career with the SDAP.
34
Liane de Pougy(Vedette)
Birthdate: July 2, 1869
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: La Flèche, France
Died: December 26
Liane de Pougy was a French dancer and vedette who performed at the Folies Bergère in Paris. Remembered for her captivating looks, de Pougy was widely regarded as one of Paris's most notorious courtesans. She also served as the subject for many artists like Paul César Helleu and Jean Baptiste Guth.
35
Elsie de Wolfe(Actor, Architect, Socialite)
Birthdate: December 20, 1865
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York City
Died: July 12
One of the first female interior designers of her time, Elsie de Wolfe was largely known for her anti-Victorian elements in her designs. She was also a professional stage actor and had also launched her own theater company. Her works include the Colony Club, New York’s first women’s club.
36
Fats Navarro(Jazz trumpet player, who was a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940s)
Birthdate: September 24, 1923
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Key West, Florida, United States
Died: July 6
37
Dinu Lipatti(Pianist)
Birthdate: April 1, 1917
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Bucharest, Romania
Died: December 2
38
Melitta Bentz(Entrepreneur)
Birthdate: January 31, 1873
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Dresden, Germany
Died: June 29
Birthdate: June 6, 1890
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Raha, Assam
Died: August 5
Birthdate: July 3, 1879
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Warsaw
Died: March 1
Polish-American scholar Alfred Korzybski had initially been sent to the U.S. by the Russian intelligence services. After the fall of the tsarist rule, he stayed back in the U.S. The pioneer of general semantics, he believed human knowledge is shaped by one’s linguistic reach and the nervous system.
41
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze(Swiss Composer, Musician and Music Educator Who Developed 'Dalcroze Eurhythmics' Method of Learning Music)
Birthdate: July 6, 1865
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: July 1
Remembered for pioneering the eurythmics approach of learning music, Swiss composer Émile Jaques-Dalcroze was a major figure of the modernist movement in music. Starting his career as a professor at the Geneva Conservatory, he later launched his own music school, which was later shut down by the Nazis.
Birthdate: August 15, 1872
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Died: December 5
Sri Aurobindo was an Indian philosopher, poet, yogi, teacher, and nationalist. He was one of the most influential leaders of the Indian independence movement before becoming a spiritual reformer, focusing on spiritual evolution and human progress. He is credited with founding the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, which continues to serve spiritual aspirants from all over the world.
43
Prince Hubertus of Prussia(Prince)
Birthdate: September 30, 1909
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Marmorpalais, Potsdam, Germany
Died: April 8
44
Constantin Carathéodory(Greek Mathematician Who Made Important Contributions to the Theory of Real Functions and to the Calculus of Variations)
Birthdate: September 13, 1873
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: February 2
Greek-origin German mathematician Constantin Carathéodory is best remembered for his work on concepts such as real functions and the calculus of variations. Initially an engineer working for a British project in Egypt, he later switched to study math. He also taught at the universities of Berlin and Munich.
Birthdate: February 14, 1896
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kingston upon Hull
Died: September 21
British astrophysicist and cosmologist Edward Arthur Milne was a brilliant student and a Cambridge scholar. Remembered for his work on kinematic relativity, he introduced the Milne model, too. He applied the Saha equation in his studies on the spectral lines of stars and also lectured on Christianity.
46
Walter Damrosch(American Conductor and Composer)
Birthdate: January 30, 1862
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Wrocław, Poland
Died: December 22
German-born American conductor and composer Walter Damrosch, best-known in his day as an avowed propagandist and conductor of the music of Richard Wagner, directed the New York Symphony Orchestra for over four decades. He conducted world premiere performances of George Gershwin's An American in Paris and Piano Concerto in F. He played key role in founding of the Carnegie Hall.
47
Charles Koechlin(Composer)
Birthdate: November 27, 1867
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: December 31
48
Jane Cowl(Film Actress)
Birthdate: December 14, 1883
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: June 22
49
John Rabe(Rescuer of Civilians During the Nanking Massacre)
Birthdate: November 23, 1882
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Died: January 5
German businessman John Rabe was a staunch Nazi supporter but is remembered for his self-less act of saving the lives of countless Chinese refugees during the Japanese occupation of Nanjing. The NSZ chairman hid many Chinese at his home, with the Nazi flag hung as a sign of resistance.
50
Evangeline Booth(British Theologian and the 4th General of The Salvation Army)
Birthdate: December 25, 1865
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: London, England
Died: July 17
Evangeline Booth is remembered as the first female general of the Salvation Army, founded by her parents, William Booth and Catherine Mumford. Her beauty and musical skills earned her the nickname White Angel of the Slums. Her efforts ranged from aiding unwed mothers and working women, to organizing fundraisers.
