Aug. 2: Mary-Louise Parker, 60
After getting her start on the soap operaRyans Hopeand appearing in films likeFried Green Tomatoes,Parkerbecame a Broadway regular, earning her first Tony in 2001 for the dramaProof.
For most Americans, she became a household name when she starred as the drug-dealing suburban mom Nancy Botwin for eight seasons onWeeds,for which she was nominated for three Emmys.
When the series ended in 2012, she returned to the warm embrace of Broadway, winning a second Tony forThe Sound Insideand later earning another nomination (her fifth) for a revival of Paula Vogels memory playHow I Learned to Drive; the production was extra special because Parker and costar David Morse were returning to the roles they had originated 25 years earlier off-Broadway.
Next up, shes set to appear in the period drama seriesThe Gray House, about a quartet of female spies who helped the Union win the Civil War.
Aug. 7: Michael Shannon, 50
Aug. 9: Hoda Kotb, 60
The beloved broadcast icon has been a part of the NBC News family since 1998, when she was hired as aDatelinecorrespondent, reporting on such international news stories as the 2004 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
WhenTodayexpanded to a fourth hour, Kotb made the leap to the morning, hosting the chat show portion alongsideKathie Lee Gifford(and later Jenna Bush Hager), and then taking on anchoring duties withSavannah Guthriein 2018 the first time two women led the show.
In 2019, Kotb took home her first Daytime Emmy, and in recent years, shes played herself multiple times in films and TV shows, likeMarry MeandCurb Your Enthusiasm.
Aug. 9: Michael Kors, 65
Despite dropping out of the Fashion Institute of Technology after only two semesters, the Long Islandborn designer successfully launched his first womens collection in 1981, and over time expanded his business to include lower-priced ready-to-wear clothes as well as menswear, shoes, accessories and more.
Kors became the creative director of the French fashion house Celine in 1997 and later won the Menswear Designer of the Year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
For those who dont follow the ins and outs of fashion but love good television, he emerged as a popular, quip-spouting judge on the first 10 seasons ofProject Runway.
This June, the design legend celebrated the opening of a new boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, his return to the street after a four-year break.
Aug. 9: Sam Elliott, 80
With his iconic mustache and deep baritone, the Sacramento-born actor has been a mainstay in the Western genre since he made his screen debut inButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and over the decades, hes played cowboys in everything fromTombstonetoThe Quick and the Dead.
Elliott earned his first Oscar nomination in 2019 forA Star Is Born, and lately hes been lighting up the small screen in two very different shows about the American West: the Netflix sitcomThe Ranch, about a family-run ranch in Colorado, and1883,a prequel toYellowstoneset after the Civil War.
Aug. 14: Earvin Magic Johnson, 65
One of the most dominant NBA players of the 1980s, the 6-foot-9 point guard led the L.A. Lakers to five league championships and was the first rookie to be named the NBA finals MVP.
He shocked the sports establishment when, in 1991, he announced that he was HIV-positive and would be retiring from the league immediately; of course, he had a brief and triumphant return when he played in the 1992 All-Star Game and was a part of the gold-medal-winning Dream Team at the Barcelona Olympics.
In recent years,Magic Johnsonfueled nostalgia has led to the debut of the HBO Max seriesWinning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynastyand the Apple TV+ docuseriesThey Call Me Magic, which included interviews with the likes of President Barack Obama and Larry Bird.
