Biographies of notable people — their path, achievements and key facts.
Suzanne Valadon
French artist Suzanne Valadon (1865–1938) was an artist's model before becoming a respected painter herself. Part of a circle of artists living and working in Paris's Mon...
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
Author and journalist Born in 1969, in Albuquerque, NM; daughter of Nelson P. Valdes (a sociologist) and Maxine Conant (a poet); married Patrick Rodriguez (a writer), 1999; ...
Luther Vandross
Born Luther Ronzoni Vandross, April 20, 1951, in New York, NY; died July 1, 2005, in Edison, NJ. Singer and songwriter. In the 1980s as R&B music turned from vocals to the slick stylin...
John Varvatos
Fashion designer Born c. 1955; children: two. Education: Graduated from Eastern Michigan University. Addresses: Office ...
Daniel Vasella
Chief Executive Officer of Novartis Born in 1953 in Fribourg, Switzerland; son of Oskar (a history professor) Vasella; married Anne-Laurence, 1978; children: one daughter, two son...
Guy Verhofstadt
Prime Minister of Belgium Born Guy Maurice Marie-Louise Verhofstadt, April 11, 1953, in Dendermonde, Belgium; married to a professional opera singer; children: two. ...
Jan Vermeer
Born: October 30, 1632 Delft, Netherlands Died: December 15, 1675 Delft, Netherlands Dutch painter The Dutch painter ...
Jules Verne
Born: February 8, 1828 Nantes, France Died: March 24, 1905 Amiens, France French novelist and writer The French novel...
Amerigo Vespucci
Born: March 9, 1451 Florence, Italy Died: February 22, 1512 Seville, Spain Italian navigator A Florentine navigator a...
Victoria
Born: May 24, 1819 London, England Died: January 22, 1901 Isle of Wight, England English queen Victoria was queen of ...
Gore Vidal
Born: October 3, 1925 West Point, New York American writer Gore Vidal is one of America's most important literary figures on the basis of an enor...
Cleopatra Vii
Born: 69 B.C.E. Alexandria, Egypt Died: August 30, 30 B.C.E. Alexandria, Egypt Egyptian ru...
Henry Viii
Born: June 28, 1491 Greenwich, England Died: January 28, 1547 Westminster, England King of England Henry VIII was kin...
Leonardo da Vinci
Born: April 15, 1452 Vinci, Italy Died: May 2, 1519 Amboise, France Italian artist, painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and scie...
Virgil
Born: October 15, 70 B.C.E. Andes, Italy Died: September 21, 19 B.C.E. Brundisium, Italy R...
Ellen S. Vitetta
Immunologist Born c. 1942. Education: Connecticut College, B.A.; New York University, M.S., 1966, Ph.D., 1968. Addresses: Ho...
Peter Vitousek
January 24, 1949 • Honolulu, Hawaii Ecologist When he began his studies as a young man, Peter Vitousek had no plans to become one of the world's leading ecologists....
Antonio Vivaldi
Born: March 4, 1678 Venice, Italy Died: July 26, 1741 Vienna, Austria Italian composer, violinist and priest Antonio ...
Voltaire
Born: November 21, 1694 Paris, France Died: May 30, 1778 Paris, France French poet and philosopher The French poet, d...
Kurt Vonnegut
Born: November 11, 1922 Indianapolis, Indiana American writer, essayist, and dramatist Kurt Vonnegut is acknowledged as a major voice in American liter...