German Nazarene movement painter Johann Friedrich Overbeck was born on this day in 1789. The great Czech composer Leos Janacek was born in 1854. Danish painter Albert Gottschalk was born in 1866. Franz Kafka was born in 1883. Bluesman Mississippi John Hurt was born in 1893. Actor George Sanders was born in 1906. Director Ken Russell was born in 1927. Guitarist Tommy Tedesco was born in 1930.

Humorist Dave Barry is 66. Actor Tom Cruise is 51. And WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is 42.

They day, however, belongs to playwright Tom Stoppard who is 76 today. He wrote and directed one of my favorite films, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (which is much better than the play). And as much as Assange is a hero of mine, he mostly just depresses me. Here is a good example of just how fun Stoppard is at his best:

Happy birthday Tom Stoppard!