Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1985. This list includes people like Orson Welles, Rock Hudson, Yul Brynner, Ricky Nelson, Paul Castellano and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, artists, novelists and poets who died in 1985. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, France & Russia and many more countries.
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1
Orson Welles(One of the Greatest Filmmakers of All Time and Director of 'Citizen Kane')
Birthdate: May 6, 1915
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States
Died: October 10
American filmmaker, Orson Welles, acted in and directed the 1941 film, Citizen Kane, which is considered to be one the greatest movies ever made. Though hailed as a genius, many of his films didn’t work at the box office. The Stranger, Macbeth, Chimes at Midnight, Touch of Evil and The Trial are some of the other films that he directed.
Birthdate: May 8, 1940
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Teaneck, New Jersey, United States
Died: December 31
Ricky Nelson was an American pop pioneer, rock & roll star, and singer-songwriter. After establishing himself as a top teen idol during the 1950s, Ricky Nelson went on to release several chartbusting songs. He achieved great popularity and was ranked 91st on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list.
3
Rock Hudson(One of the Most Popular Movie Stars of His Time)
Birthdate: November 17, 1925
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Winnetka, Illinois, United States
Died: October 2
Considered a heartthrob and one of the most popular movie stars of all time, some of Rock Hudson’s successful movies are the Magnificent Obsession, Giant, Written on the Wind, Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back, Come September and Send Me No Flowers. He also acted in television. It was speculated that he was a homosexual. He died due to AIDS-related illness.
Birthdate: January 16, 1932
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Died: December 26
Zoologist, primatologist, and conservationist Dian Fossey conducted research on mountain gorillas in Rwanda from 1966 until she was murdered in 1985. She was part of the Trimates assigned to study apes by paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey. She wrote Gorillas in the Mist, which was later turned into a film.
5
Anne Baxter(American Actress Who Starred in Hollywood Films, Broadway Productions and TV Series)
Birthdate: May 7, 1923
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Michigan City, Indiana, United States
Died: December 12
Anne Baxter is best remembered for her Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning performance as Sophie MacDonald in The Razor's Edge. Her other notable projects were the film All About Eve and the series The Name of the Game. She also actively participated in Republican campaigns.
6
Roger Maris(Baseball player)
Birthdate: September 10, 1934
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Hibbing, Minnesota, United States
Died: December 14
7
Kiki Camarena(American Intelligence Officer for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration Who was Kidnapped & Murdered By Drug Traffickers)
Birthdate: July 26, 1947
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Mexicali, Mexico
Died: February 9
Kiki Camarena was a Mexican-American DEA undercover agent. He was kidnapped, tortured, and killed by drug traffickers of the Guadalajara Cartel in Mexico, in 1985. His tale was depicted in Drug Wars: The Camarena Story, Narcos: Mexico, and The Last Narc. He received a posthumous Administrator's Award of Honor.
Birthdate: October 30, 1896
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Quincy, Massachusetts, United States
Died: August 28
Height: 5'0" (152 cm)
Birthdate: September 6, 1942
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: January 13
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
Birthdate: November 14, 1906
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Cherryvale, Kansas, United States
Died: August 8
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
11
Marc Chagall(Jewish-French Artist Who was a Pioneer of Modernism)
Birthdate: July 6, 1887
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Lizona, Belarus
Died: March 28
Russian-French artist Marc Chagall, a key figure of modernism, had explored a wide range of media as an artist, from paintings and drawings to stained glass and ceramics. His major projects included the ceiling of the Paris Opéra, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Jerusalem Windows of Israel.
Birthdate: January 19, 1924
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Died: February 12
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
Birthdate: August 9, 1922
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Radford, Coventry, United Kingdom
Died: December 2
Birthdate: July 19, 1904
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Riverside, Illinois, United States
Died: December 24
Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, one of the great-grandsons of Abraham Lincoln, was the last living descendant of Lincoln. A gentleman farmer, he owned his private farm, and was also a sailor. A qualified lawyer, he also represented Illinois Day as part of the New York World's Fair 1964.
Birthdate: August 29, 1910
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New Iberia, Louisiana, United States
Died: November 26
Vivien Theodore Thomas was laboratory supervisor who never went to college; yet he rose above poverty and racism to develop a procedure for treating cyanotic heart disease. Initially billed as janitor, he began his career as assistant to surgeon Alfred Blalock first at Nashville University and later at Johns Hopkins, and in time discovered the life-saving technique, eventually becoming a teacher of operative techniques.
16
Phil Silvers(American Entertainer and Comedic Actor)
Birthdate: May 11, 1911
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: November 1
Phil Silvers was an American comedian and entertainer. Dubbed theKing of Chutzpah, Silvers won two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards during his illustrious career that spanned almost six decades. In 1996, he was ranked 31st on TV Guide's list of 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time. Silvers’ work has inspired other comedians like Dick Van Dyke.
17
Samantha Smith(American Peace Activist and Child Actress Who Became Famous for Her Anti-War Outreaches During the Cold War)
Birthdate: June 29, 1972
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Houlton, Maine, United States
Died: August 25
Samantha Smith was an American schoolgirl, child actress, and peace activist. She achieved popularity during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States of America; she visited the Soviet Union as a goodwill ambassador which attracted extensive media attention. She also took part in peacemaking activities in Japan before dying in an airplane crash at age 13.
Birthdate: July 24, 1895
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Wimbledon, England
Died: December 7
19
Edmond O'Brien(American Actor Who Mainly Played Character Roles)
Birthdate: September 10, 1915
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: May 9
Edmond O'Brien was an American film director and actor. During his illustrious career, that spanned almost four decades, O'Brien recieved several prestigious awards like an Academy Award and Golden Globe Awards. He also has a couple of stars on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.
20
Simone Signoret(One of the Most Versatile French Actresses of the 20th Century)
Birthdate: March 25, 1921
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Wiesbaden, Germany
Died: September 30
Simone Signoret was a German-born French actress best known for her role in the film Room at the Top, for which she won several awards, including an Academy Award. Growing up during the Nazi occupation, she started acting in the early 1940s. She was professionally active for over 40 years, until her death in 1985.
Birthdate: May 30, 1902
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Key West, Florida, United States
Died: November 19
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
22
Selma Diamond(Actress)
Birthdate: August 5, 1920
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Died: May 13
23
John G. Trump(Scientist)
Birthdate: August 21, 1907
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: February 21
Better known as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s uncle, John G. Trump was an MIT physicist and engineer. Though he had initially aspired to be an architect and join his brother Fred’s real-estate business, John later concentrated on his research that led to the invention of high-voltage generators.
24
Cus D'Amato(Boxing Manager and Trainer Who Handled the Careers of 'Mike Tyson', 'Floyd Patterson', and 'José Torres')
Birthdate: January 17, 1908
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: The Bronx, New York, United States
Died: November 4
25
Ettore Boiardi(Italian-American Chef Known for His Food Products, Named ‘Chef Boyardee’)
Birthdate: October 22, 1897
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Piacenza, Italy
Died: June 21
Italian-American chef Ettore Boiardi is remembered for revolutionizing the culinary industry with his food brand Chef Boyardee, which made a variety of Italian food products, such as sauces and spaghetti, available to Americans for the first time. He even supplied food to the Allied soldiers during World War II.
26
The Singing Nun(Singer-songwriter)
Birthdate: October 17, 1933
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Died: March 29
Singer-songwriter Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers, better known as The Singing Nun, soared to fame with the Billboard-charting track Dominique. She was also a Dominican Order nun, who later took the name Sister Luc Gabriel. She often played the guitar and was accompanied by a chorus of 4 nuns.
27
Lloyd Nolan(Actor)
Birthdate: August 11, 1902
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Died: September 27
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
28
Michael Redgrave(Actor)
Birthdate: March 20, 1908
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bristol, England
Died: March 21
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
29
Johnny Olson(Actor, Radio personality)
Birthdate: May 22, 1910
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New York City
Died: October 12
Birthdate: March 25, 1918
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Seboncourt, France
Died: February 14
Jean-Marie Loret learned he was Adolf Hitler’s illegitimate child when his mother, a French lady named Charlotte revealed it to him on her deathbed. Though Loret died before finding any concrete evidence to prove the same, following his death, proof of cash sent to Charlotte by Hitler proved Loret's claim.
31
Kyu Sakamoto(Singer)
Birthdate: December 10, 1941
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kawasaki Ward, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Died: August 12
With his Billboard number one track Sukiyaki, Kyu Sakamoto became the first to score a pop number one with a song entirely sung in Japanese. Born to a restaurateur, he had started his career singing in jazz clubs. He died in a 1985 plane crash that killed over 500 people.
32
Nelson Riddle(American Arranger, Composer and Orchestrator)
Birthdate: June 1, 1921
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Oradell, New Jersey, United States
Died: October 6
Birthdate: September 7, 1925
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil,, Wales
Died: September 17
Laura Ashley was a Welsh businesswoman and fashion designer. She is credited with co-founding a British textile design company called Laura Ashley plc, which became an international retail chain after some 20 years from its founding. Two years after her death, the Laura Ashley Foundation was established in order to fund arts and social welfare projects.
34
Scott Brady(Actor)
Birthdate: September 13, 1924
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: April 16
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
35
Julie Vega(Model, Singer, Actor)
Birthdate: May 21, 1968
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Quezon City
Died: May 6
36
Potter Stewart(Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)
Birthdate: January 23, 1915
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Jackson
Died: December 7
37
David Byron(Singer, Songwriter)
Birthdate: January 29, 1947
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Epping
Died: February 28
Birthdate: August 29, 1972
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Armero
Died: November 16
Omayra Sánchez was a Colombian girl who died at age 13. After the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted in 1985, a massive lahar demolished her home and Sánchez was trapped in the water beneath the debris of her home. She died after struggling for 60 hours, and has remained a prominent figure in popular culture; she is remembered through music.
39
James Beard(American Chef, Cookbook Author and Television Personality)
Birthdate: May 5, 1903
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Portland, Oregon, United States
Died: January 23
40
Sam Spiegel(Film producer)
Birthdate: November 11, 1901
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Jarosław, Austrian Poland
Died: December 31
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
41
Brian Horrocks(British Army Officer)
Birthdate: September 7, 1895
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Ranikhet, India
Died: January 4
Born to an army doctor in India, Brian Horrocks was educated at Sandhurst and later became a British Army officer. He was skilled in modern pentathlon and had also participated in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. Post-retirement, he penned a memoir and was featured in several BBC programs.
Birthdate: October 16, 1908
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Ergiri (Gjirokastër), Janina Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died: April 11
Enver Hoxha was an Albanian politician. From 1944 to 1954, Hoxha served as the prime minister of Albania. He is credited with rebuilding Albania after World War II. He was also responsible for building the country's first railway line, wiping out epidemics, raising the adult literacy rate, and electrification the country.
43
Grayson Hall(Actress)
Birthdate: September 18, 1922
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: August 7
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
44
Big Joe Turner(Singer)
Birthdate: May 18, 1911
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Died: November 24
45
Masako Natsume(Actor, Model, Poet)
Birthdate: December 17, 1957
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Tokyo
Died: September 11
Masako Natsume was a Japanese actress who achieved worldwide fame after playing Tripitaka in the popular Japanese television series Monkey. Throughout her brief career, Natsume won several awards like the Elan d'or Awards. Masako Natsume remains a household name in Japan; calendars and picture books featuring pictures of Masako Natsume are still popular today.
46
Johnny Marks(American Composer and Songwriter)
Birthdate: November 10, 1909
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Mount Vernon, New York, United States
Died: September 3
47
Efrem Zimbalist(Composer, Conductor, Music educator, Violinist, University teacher)
Birthdate: April 21, 1889
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rostov-on-Don
Died: February 22
48
Fernand Braudel(French Historian and Leader of the Annales School)
Birthdate: August 24, 1902
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Luméville-en-Ornois, France
Died: November 27
Fernand Braudel was a French historian who led a group of historians who were associated with the Annales School. Braudel is credited with popularizing the school in France. As the leader of the school during the 1950s and 1960s, Braudel had a major influence on historical writings around the world. He is also counted among the forefathers of world-systems theory.
Birthdate: July 2, 1894
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: September 28
Andre Kertesz was a photographer known for his immense contribution to photo essay and photographic composition. Although his style and camera angles, which were considered unorthodox at the time, stopped him from achieving international acclaim during his lifetime, Kertesz is now regarded as one of the most influential figures in the field of photojournalism.
Birthdate: April 30, 1901
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Pinsk
Died: July 8
