Celebrity Birthdays for June 19 – Phylicia Rashad, Paula Abdul and More

Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:

Phylicia Rashad

Age: 63

Occupation: Actress

Known For: Her role as no-nonsense Clair Huxtable on TV’s ‘The Cosby Show’ as well as being the first African-American actress to win a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for ‘A Raisin in the Sun’

Paula Abdul

Age: 49

Occupation: Singer, Dancer, Choreographer, and TV personality

Known For: Singing hits such as ‘Straight Up,’ choreographing video routines for stars including Janet Jackson, and eight years as the perpetually ditzy judge on ‘American Idol’

Gena Rowlands

Age: 81

Occupation: Actress

Known For: Oscar-nominated roles in the films ‘Gloria’ and ‘A Woman Under the Influence,’ and her performance in the chick flick weeper ‘The Notebook’

Salman Rushdie

Age: 64

Occupation: Author

Known For: His fourth novel, 1988′s ‘The Satanic Verses,’ which drew violent protests from Muslims and resulted in the declaration of a fatwa against him by the Ayatollah Khomeini

Ann Wilson

Age: 61

Occupation: Singer, Songwriter, and Musician

Known For: Being the lead singer for the band Heart and possessing what is almost inarguably one of the best female voices in rock history, which she showed off on sublime hits such as ‘Magic Man,’ ‘Crazy on You’ and ‘Barracuda’

Kathleen Turner

Age: 57

Occupation: Actress

Known For: Starring roles in the films ‘Peggy Sue Got Married,’ ‘Romancing the Stone’ and ‘The War of the Roses,’ as well as making grown men lust for a cartoon when she voiced sexy Jessica Rabbit in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’

Zoe Saldana

Age: 33

Occupation: Actress

Known For: Roles in the films ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ and ‘Star Trek,’ and for playing the blue-faced Neytiri in James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’