Who was alive in 1980?

3,682 well-known people were alive in 1980, including Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Michael Jackson. Here are the 80 most notable:

Barack Obama (1961–) — president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 (born 1961)
Donald Trump (1946–) — American businessman and politician (born 1946), President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)
Michael Jackson (1958–2009) — American singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer (1958–2009)
Vladimir Putin (1952–) — 2nd and 4th President of Russia (2000–2008, 2012–present), 7th and 11th Prime Minister of Russia (1999–2000, 2008–2012)
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) — president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 and actor (1911–2004)
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) — President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist (1918–2013)
George W. Bush (1946–) — President of the United States from 2001 to 2009
Joe Biden (1942–) — 46th President of the United States (2021–2025)
Elizabeth II (1926–2022) — Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022 (1926–2022)
Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) — Spanish artist (1904–1989)
Bill Gates (1955–) — American businessman, investor, and philanthropist (born 1955)
Jimmy Wales (1966–) — co-founder of Wikipedia (born 1966)
Pope Francis (1936–2025) — 266th pope of the Catholic Church from 2013 to 2025 (1936–2025)
Steve Jobs (1955–2011) — American entrepreneur; co-founder of Apple Inc. (1955–2011)
Bill Clinton (1946–) — President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 (born 1946)
Angela Merkel (1954–) — chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021 (born 1954)
Neil Armstrong (1930–2012) — American astronaut and lunar explorer (1930–2012)
François Hollande (1954–) — President of France from 2012 to 2017 (born 1954)
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (1978–) — President of Ukraine since 2019
Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) — British stateswoman and prime minister (1925–2013)
Gabriel García Márquez (1927–2014) — Colombian writer and Nobel laureate (1927–2014)
Fidel Castro (1926–2016) — Cuban politician, author and revolutionary (1926–2016)
John Paul II (1920–2005) — 264th pope of the Catholic Church (1978–2005)
Shakira (1977–) — Colombian singer, songwriter, and actress
Benedict XVI (1927–2022) — 265 th pope of the Catholic Church (2005–2013)
Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022) — leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 (1931–2022)
Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992) — German and American actress and singer (1901–1992)
Jimmy Carter (1924–2024) — president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 (1924–2024)
Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) — British theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author (1942–2018)
Elon Musk (1971–) — American businessman (born 1971)
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) — French existentialist philosopher (1905–1980)
Mother Teresa (1910–1997) — Albanian-Indian Catholic nun and missionary (1910–1997)
Emmanuel Macron (1977–) — president of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017
Hillary Clinton (1947–) — American politician and diplomat (born 1947)
George H. W. Bush (1924–2018) — president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 (1924-2018)
Nicolas Sarkozy (1955–) — 23rd president of the French Republic from 2007 to 2012
Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) — Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator (1899–1986)
Kamala Harris (1964–) — Vice President of the United States from 2021 to 2025
Xi Jinping (1953–) — General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party since 2012 (born 1953)
Madonna (1958–) — American singer, songwriter, and actress (born 1958)
Richard Nixon (1913–1994) — president of the United States from 1969 to 1974 (1913–1994)
Naruhito (1960–) — Emperor of Japan (born 1960)
Noam Chomsky (1928–) — American linguist and activist (born 1928)
Hugo Chávez (1954–2013) — Venezuelan politician, 56th president of Venezuela (1954–2013)
Sung Jae-gi (1967–2013) — South Korean masculism activist (1967-2013)
Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980) — British filmmaker (1899–1980)
Muammar Gaddafi (1942–2011) — Military officer and former Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution of Libya (1969-2011)
Bob Dylan (1941–) — American singer-songwriter (born 1941)
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (1954–) — President of Turkey since 2014
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) — French philosopher, social theorist and activist (1908–1986)
John Lennon (1940–1980) — British musician (1940–1980)
Muhammad Ali (1942–2016) — American boxer (1942–2016)
Pelé (1940–2022) — Brazilian footballer (1940–2022)
J. K. Rowling (1965–) — British author and philanthropist (born 1965)
Andy Warhol (1928–1987) — American artist, film director, and producer (1928–1987)
Kofi Annan (1938–2018) — 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations (1938-2018)
Freddie Mercury (1946–1991) — British singer, songwriter and musician, frontman of the rock band Queen (1946–1991)
Gerald Ford (1913–2006) — president of the United States from 1974 to 1977 (1913–2006)
Lech Wałęsa (1943–) — President of Poland from 1990 to 1995 (born 1943)
Charles III (1948–) — King of the United Kingdom since 2022 (born 1948)
Osama bin Laden (1957–2011) — Saudi terrorist and co-founder of al-Qaeda (1957–2011)
Eminem (1972–) — American rapper, record producer and actor (born 1972)
Akira Kurosawa (1910–1998) — Japanese filmmaker (1910–1998)
Diego Maradona (1960–2020) — Argentine football player and manager (1960–2020)
Rafael Correa (1963–) — President of Ecuador (2007 - 2017) y Prófugo de la Justicia
Huang Xianfan (1899–1982) — Chinese historian, ethnologist and educator (1899-1982)
Narendra Modi (1950–) — Prime Minister of India since 2014
Leo XIV (1955–) — 267th Pope of the Catholic Church (2025–)
Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006) — Egyptian writer (1911–2006)
Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) — Prime Minister of India (1966-1977; 1980-1984)
Aung San Suu Kyi (1945–) — former State Counsellor of Myanmar and Leader of the National League for Democracy
Michael Schumacher (1969–) — German racing driver (born 1969)
Angelina Jolie (1975–) — American actress, humanitarian and filmmaker (born 1975)
Steven Spielberg (1946–) — American filmmaker (born 1946)
Dmitry Medvedev (1965–) — President of Russia from 2008 to 2012, Prime Minister of Russia (2012-2020) and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020
Saddam Hussein (1937–2006) — Iraqi politician and revolutionary, president of Iraq from 1979 to 2003
Benjamin Netanyahu (1949–) — Prime Minister of Israel (born 1949), (1996–1999; 2009–2021; 2022–present)
Anna Netrebko (1971–) — Russian and Austrian operatic soprano
Rafael Orozco Maestre (1954–1992) — Colombian singer (1954-1992)
Tenzin Gyatso (1935–) — 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibetans

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