AARP Hearing Center
Vivica A. Fox, David Spade, Hilary Swank and Giorgio Armani are celebrating birthdays this month.
AARP (Monica Schipper/Getty Images; FOX/Getty Images; Michael Loccisano/Getty Images; Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images)
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July 4: Eva Marie Saint, 100
One of the last surviving stars of the Hollywood Golden Age, Eva Marie Saint is officially the oldest living Oscar winner. She took home the best supporting actress trophy nearly 70 years ago for 1954’s On the Waterfront and played the iconic femme fatale Eve Kendall in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. She added an Emmy to her mantelpiece for her role in the 1990 TV movie People Like Us, and while her output has unsurprisingly slowed down a bit in the past few decades, she has remained a vibrant presence in Hollywood: She showed up at the 2018 Academy Awards, for instance, to present the award for best costume design, and even voiced a character in 2022 in the scripted podcast series Radio Play Revival.
July 7: Shelley Duvall, 75
After being discovered by film scouts for Robert Altman, the quirky, Houston-born actress became something of a muse for the legendary director, appearing in such films as McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville and even his live-action version of Popeye, in which she channeled the noodle-limbed Olive Oyl. Horror fans will of course remember her foray into scream-queendom in The Shining, while children of the ’80s and ’90s saw a somewhat softer side, when she produced and costarred in a series of award-winning kids shows like Faerie Tale Theatre and Tall Tales & Legends. She effectively retired in 2002 and lives in Texas, where she raises animals and writes poetry, but this year she returned to the screen in the horror flick The Forest Hills.
Editor’s note: Duvall died July 11 at the age of 75.
July 8: Jeffrey Tambor, 80
A sitcom fixture for decades, Jeffrey Tambor broke out with a role in the Three’s Company spin-off The Ropers, before appearing on Hill Street Blues, Max Headroom and more throughout the ’80s. But it was his performance in The Larry Sanders Show as Hank Kingsley, a late-night talk show sidekick, that cemented his icon status. He earned four Emmy nominations for the show and picked up two more nods for his role as the patriarch George Bluth Sr. in the cult-hit sitcom Arrested Development. But it wasn’t until 2015 that he’d win the first of back-to-back Emmys for his lauded (if controversial) turn as the transgender matriarch Maura Pfefferman in Transparent. After he was accused of sexual harassment, Tambor was fired from the series, and his most recent appearance was in the 2020 comedy Magic Camp.
July 8: Wolfgang Puck, 75
The Austrian-born celebrity chef got his start with formal training at the age of 14, but it wasn’t until after he moved to Los Angeles in 1975 that his culinary style started to really crystallize: By combining traditional French technique with the agricultural riches of the Golden State and abundant Asian inspirations, Puck was an early proponent of California cuisine. His restaurant Spago became a celebrity magnet, and while he has become a TV fixture on shows like Good Morning America and his own Emmy-winning cooking series, Puck has always remained a serious chef. Over the years, his restaurants have earned Michelin stars and he landed a James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, but he also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
July 10: Mavis Staples, 85
The Chicago-born gospel and soul luminary has been blowing the roof off venues since she was 11, when she joined her family’s group, the Staple Singers. She released her solo debut in 1969, and over the decades recorded such hit tunes as “I Have Learned To Do Without You” and “I’ll Take You There.” She won three Grammys in the process, including most recently in 2021 for album of the year, for her work on Jon Batiste’s We Are. A living legend, Staples was inducted with the Staple Singers into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and last year, Rolling Stone ranked her number 46 on its list of the 200 greatest singers of all time. Staples “proved that voices can age in remarkable and expressive ways,” writes critic David Browne. “Reflecting a life that’s had its shares of highs (joining The Band at The Last Waltz) and lows (the loss of her father and sisters), Staples imbues everything she sings with experience, warmth, wisdom, and acceptance.”
July 11: Giorgio Armani, 90
Giorgio Armani turns 90 on July 11, 2024.
Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images
After working as a buyer in a Milan department store, the future fashion legend trained in an atelier and launched his own ready-to-wear label in 1975. Armani quickly gained attention across Europe for his power suits, but he became a household name in the 1980s when Hollywood began to take notice, with his looks appearing on red carpets and in American Gigolo and Miami Vice. Over the years, his empire has expanded to include fragrances, accessories, home goods and even a pair of luxury hotels. These days, Armani ranks as Italy’s second-richest person (after the Nutella heir), with about $6.6 billion to his name, and throughout his nearly 50 years in the business, he’s kept his business independently owned.
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