Who Was Alive in 2024

James WatsonAge 96

1928–present · Science & Invention

Co-discovered the structure of DNA

Noam ChomskyAge 96

1928–present · Philosophy & Thought

Father of modern linguistics, political activist

Tu YouyouAge 94

1930–present · Science & Invention

Discovered artemisinin, Nobel Prize in Medicine

Yoko OnoAge 91

1933–present · Art

Avant-garde artist, peace activist

Wole SoyinkaAge 90

1934–present · Literature

First African Nobel laureate in Literature

Jane GoodallAge 90

1934–present · Science & Invention

World's foremost expert on chimpanzees

Dalai LamaAge 89

1935–present · Philosophy & Thought

Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Woody AllenAge 89

1935–present · Film & Entertainment

Annie Hall, prolific filmmaker

Pope FrancisAge 88

1936–2025 · Philosophy & Thought

First pope from the Americas

Francis Ford CoppolaAge 85

1939–present · Film & Entertainment

The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now

Bob DylanAge 83

1941–present · Music

Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature

Billie Jean KingAge 81

1943–present · Sports

Tennis champion, gender equality advocate

Aung San Suu KyiAge 79

1945–present · Activism & Social Change

Myanmar democracy leader, Nobel laureate

Steven SpielbergAge 78

1946–present · Film & Entertainment

Jaws, Schindler's List, greatest blockbuster director

Haruki MurakamiAge 75

1949–present · Literature

Norwegian Wood, surreal modern fiction

Oprah WinfreyAge 70

1954–present · Film & Entertainment

Media mogul, cultural icon

Ai WeiweiAge 67

1957–present · Art

Chinese dissident artist, Sunflower Seeds

Rigoberta MenchúAge 65

1959–present · Activism & Social Change

Indigenous rights leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Wayne GretzkyAge 63

1961–present · Sports

The Great One, greatest ice hockey player

Barack ObamaAge 63

1961–present · Politics & Leadership

44th US President, first African American president

Michael JordanAge 61

1963–present · Sports

Greatest basketball player of all time

Jeff BezosAge 60

1964–present · Business & Industry

Founded Amazon, space entrepreneur

Elon MuskAge 53

1971–present · Business & Industry

Tesla, SpaceX, tech entrepreneur

BanksyAge 50

1974–present · Art

Anonymous street artist, subversive murals

Roger FedererAge 43

1981–present · Sports

Tennis legend, 20 Grand Slam titles

BeyoncéAge 43

1981–present · Music

Global pop icon, Lemonade

Serena WilliamsAge 43

1981–present · Sports

Greatest female tennis player of all time

Usain BoltAge 38

1986–present · Sports

Fastest man in history

Lionel MessiAge 37

1987–present · Sports

Greatest footballer of all time

Taylor SwiftAge 35

1989–present · Music

Best-selling music artist of the 2020s

Malala YousafzaiAge 27

1997–present · Activism & Social Change

Youngest Nobel Prize laureate, education advocate

Billie EilishAge 23

2001–present · Music

Bad Guy, youngest Album of the Year winner

Greta ThunbergAge 21

2003–present · Activism & Social Change

Youth climate activist, Fridays for Future