Who Was Alive in 2021

James WatsonAge 93

1928–present · Science & Invention

Co-discovered the structure of DNA

Noam ChomskyAge 93

1928–present · Philosophy & Thought

Father of modern linguistics, political activist

Tu YouyouAge 91

1930–present · Science & Invention

Discovered artemisinin, Nobel Prize in Medicine

Desmond TutuAge 90

1931–2021 · Activism & Social Change

Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize

Yoko OnoAge 88

1933–present · Art

Avant-garde artist, peace activist

Wole SoyinkaAge 87

1934–present · Literature

First African Nobel laureate in Literature

Jane GoodallAge 87

1934–present · Science & Invention

World's foremost expert on chimpanzees

Dalai LamaAge 86

1935–present · Philosophy & Thought

Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Woody AllenAge 86

1935–present · Film & Entertainment

Annie Hall, prolific filmmaker

Pope FrancisAge 85

1936–2025 · Philosophy & Thought

First pope from the Americas

Francis Ford CoppolaAge 82

1939–present · Film & Entertainment

The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now

PeléAge 81

1940–2022 · Sports

The King of Football, 3 World Cups

Bob DylanAge 80

1941–present · Music

Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature

Billie Jean KingAge 78

1943–present · Sports

Tennis champion, gender equality advocate

Aung San Suu KyiAge 76

1945–present · Activism & Social Change

Myanmar democracy leader, Nobel laureate

Steven SpielbergAge 75

1946–present · Film & Entertainment

Jaws, Schindler's List, greatest blockbuster director

Haruki MurakamiAge 72

1949–present · Literature

Norwegian Wood, surreal modern fiction

Oprah WinfreyAge 67

1954–present · Film & Entertainment

Media mogul, cultural icon

Ai WeiweiAge 64

1957–present · Art

Chinese dissident artist, Sunflower Seeds

Rigoberta MenchúAge 62

1959–present · Activism & Social Change

Indigenous rights leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Wayne GretzkyAge 60

1961–present · Sports

The Great One, greatest ice hockey player

Barack ObamaAge 60

1961–present · Politics & Leadership

44th US President, first African American president

Michael JordanAge 58

1963–present · Sports

Greatest basketball player of all time

Jeff BezosAge 57

1964–present · Business & Industry

Founded Amazon, space entrepreneur

Elon MuskAge 50

1971–present · Business & Industry

Tesla, SpaceX, tech entrepreneur

BanksyAge 47

1974–present · Art

Anonymous street artist, subversive murals

Roger FedererAge 40

1981–present · Sports

Tennis legend, 20 Grand Slam titles

BeyoncéAge 40

1981–present · Music

Global pop icon, Lemonade

Serena WilliamsAge 40

1981–present · Sports

Greatest female tennis player of all time

Usain BoltAge 35

1986–present · Sports

Fastest man in history

Lionel MessiAge 34

1987–present · Sports

Greatest footballer of all time

Taylor SwiftAge 32

1989–present · Music

Best-selling music artist of the 2020s

Malala YousafzaiAge 24

1997–present · Activism & Social Change

Youngest Nobel Prize laureate, education advocate

Billie EilishAge 20

2001–present · Music

Bad Guy, youngest Album of the Year winner

Greta ThunbergAge 18

2003–present · Activism & Social Change

Youth climate activist, Fridays for Future