7 Milestone Celebrity Birthdays in April

Loretta Lynn, Barbra Streisand among those celebrating

by Nicholas DeRenzo, AARP, March 31, 2022

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PHOTO BY: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images

April 3: Marsha Mason, 80

The celebrated actress earned four Oscar nominations in the 1970s and ’80s, three of which resulted from her creative collaborations with then-husband Neil Simon: The Goodbye Girl, Chapter Two and Only When I Laugh. She most recently appeared on the Netflix sitcom Grace & Frankie as the title duo’s friend Arlene.
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PHOTO BY: Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic

April 3: Wayne Newton, 80

Years before the likes of Celine Dion and Lady Gaga had their own residencies in Las Vegas, Mr. Entertainment was the king of Sin City, belting out tunes like “Daddy, Don’t You Walk So Fast,” and “Danke Schoen.” He’s still crooning in Vegas; catch his show Wayne: Up Close & Personal at Bugsy’s Cabaret at the Flamingo Hotel.
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PHOTO BY: John Lamparski/Getty Images

April 6: Marilu Henner, 70

A sitcom fixture from her days on Taxi and Evening Shade, the Chicago-born actress later appeared on such reality hits as Dancing With the Stars and The Celebrity Apprentice. And if you want to know any other minuscule detail from Henner’s life, just ask her: She has what’s called a highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM), which means she can remember not only every role she’s ever taken, but also what she ate for breakfast or wore on a certain day. More recently, she has been appearing in the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel adaptations of the Aurora Teagarden mysteries, as the mother of Candace Cameron Bure’s title sleuth.
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PHOTO BY: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Cracker Barrel

April 14: Loretta Lynn, 90

You probably already know all about the country legend’s humble upbringing in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, from her autobiographical songs and Sissy Spacek’s Oscar-winning depiction of her in Coal Miner’s Daughter. The tenacity in tunes like “Fist City” and “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)” is still on full display as the Queen enters her 10th decade: After a stroke in 2017 and a broken hip in 2018, Lynn released her 50th studio album, Still Woman Enough, last March, and it’s filled with guest appearances by the strong country women — Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Tanya Tucker, Margo Price — for whom she paved the way.
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PHOTO BY: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

April 17: Jennifer Garner, 50

The ever-versatile actress can seamlessly transition from action hero (Alias and Elektra) to romantic-comedy lead (13 Going on 30 and Ghosts of Girlfriend Past) to family film star (last year’s Yes Day), even as she became involuntary tabloid fodder (during her divorce from Ben Affleck). This year, after appearing in the Netflix sci-fi action film The Adam Project, Garner is set to join the revival of the Starz catering comedy Party Down. Outside of the world of entertainment, the mother of three is a board member of Save the Children USA and cofounder of the organic baby food company Once Upon a Farm.
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PHOTO BY: Chris Pizzello/AP Photo

April 21: Elaine May, 90

Since bursting onto the scene in the 1950s as one half of the improvisational duo Nichols and May, Elaine May has been one of the most influential voices of comedy, picking up an Honorary Academy Award, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts and, most recently, the 2019 Tony for The Waverly Gallery. Last year, she cameoed on The Good Fight as a dream version of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and made her first film appearance in 21 years in the Zoom-based pandemic drama The Same Storm.
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PHOTO BY: Kevin Kane/Getty Images for BSB

April 24: Barbra Streisand, 80

One of the entertainment industry’s most celebrated legends, the EGOT winner has conquered stage, screen and popular music, starting with her first Broadway role at 19 (I Can Get It for You Wholesale) and starring in Funny Girl on stage two years later, her 1963 debut album (which won the Grammy for album of the year) and continuing with her Oscar-winning first film role in 1968's Funny Girl. Last year, Babs made chart history with her compilation album, Release Me 2, a collection of rare and unreleased tracks that debuted at No. 15, making her the first female musician to boast Top 20 albums in every decade since the 1960s.

Nicholas DeRenzo is a contributing writer who covers entertainment and travel. Previously he was executive editor of United Airlines’ Hemispheres magazine and his work has appeared in the New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Sunset and New York magazine.

7 Milestone Celebrity Birthdays in April

Loretta Lynn, Barbra Streisand among those celebrating

April 3: Marsha Mason, 80

April 3: Wayne Newton, 80

April 6: Marilu Henner, 70

April 14: Loretta Lynn, 90

April 17: Jennifer Garner, 50

April 21: Elaine May, 90

April 24: Barbra Streisand, 80

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