February 2 – Brent Jay Spiner, is best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and four subsequent films. His portrayal of Data in Star Trek: First Contact and of Dr. Brackish Okun in Independence Day, both in 1996, earned him a Saturn Award and Saturn Award nomination respectively.
Before Star Trek, Spiner played in various TV shows, including Night Court. In 1987, Spiner started his 15-year run portraying Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, which spanned seven seasons. As a main character, he appeared in all but one of the series’ 178 episodes. He reprised his role in the four spin-off Star Trek films and voiced his character in several Star Trek video games. In 1997, he played John Adams on Broadway in a revival of the musical 1776, which was nominated for a Tony Award. Spiner has appeared in several television series, including, Frasier, Friends and Law & Order, and in movies, including The Aviator and Independence Day.
February 9 –Judith Ellen Light, has appeared on TV and on Broadway, where she won two Tony Awards. Her television roles include Karen Wolek on the soap opera One Life to Live, Angela Bower on the sitcom Who’s the Boss?, Claire Meade on Ugly Betty and Elizabeth “Liz” Donnelly on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She won her first Tony Award in 2012 for her performance on Broadway as Silda in the play Other Desert Cities, and her second in 2013 for her portrayal of Faye in The Assembled Parties.
In 1980, Light won her first Daytime Emmy Award for “Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series.” A courtroom scene from that year’s One Life to Live is held in such high esteem that it is used in acting classes to the current day. In 2000, she received critical acclaim when she starred on stage as Dr. Vivian Bearing in Wit, Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about an academic dying from ovarian cancer. Light is a prominent gay rights and AIDS activist.
February 15 – Kenneth “Ken” Anderson a football quarterback, spent his entire professional career playing for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals and later returned as a position coach. He was also the quarterback coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Starting with the Bengals in 1972, Anderson would become one of the most accurate short-range passers in the league, and was extremely effective at rushing the ball. With Bill Walsh as Anderson’s quarterback coach, Anderson is considered to be one of the first quarterbacks to run what would become known as the “West Coast Offense.”
At the time of Anderson’s retirement following the 1986 season, he held NFL records for consecutive pass completions (20), completion percentage for a single game (20 of 22, 90.9 percent, vs. Pittsburgh in 1974) and completion percentage for a season (70.3 percent in 1982), as well as the Super Bowl records for completion percentage (73.5 percent) and completions (25). Furthermore, Anderson was ranked sixth all-time for passing yards in a career at the time of his retirement. His record for completion percentage in a season stood for 27 years after his retirement.
February 20 – Ivana Trump is a former athlete, socialite and fashion model noted for her marriage to American business magnate Donald Trump. Born in Czechoslovakia, she first moved to Montreal and then to New York where she met Trump. After their marriage in 1977, the Trumps became leading figures in New York high society and business during the 1980s. Ivana Trump took a major role in the Trump Organization, spearheading the signature design of Trump Tower and overseeing the restoration of the landmark Plaza Hotel. In 1990, she was named Hotelier of the Year. After divorcing in 1992, Ivana married Riccardo Mazzucchelli; their marriage was short. In April 2008, Trump, then 59, married Rossano Rubicondi.
Trump has developed lines of clothing, fashion jewelry and beauty products that have been successfully sold through television shopping channels. She has also written several bestselling books as well as a self-help book.
February 25 – Richard Fliehr a semi-retired American professional wrestler, is better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as “The Nature Boy,” Flair is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time with a career that spans 40 years. He is noted for his lengthy and highly decorated tenures with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Flair is officially recognized by WWE, TNA and Pro Wrestling Illustrated as a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion (eight-time NWA Champion, six-time WCW Champion and two-time WWF Champion). Although the actual number of his World Championship reigns varies by source, Flair considers himself a 21-time World Champion in the NWA, WCW and WWE.
