April 15: Births and Deaths

Birthdays are a wonderful daily occurrence in our lives. It is rare to weave through one's day without becoming privy to an announcement or celebration of a birthday or two, whether they belong to family, friends, or other eminent figures. Remembering those who have passed each day is, perhaps, just as noteworthy an endeavor, for if their memories are kept alive, one might argue, so too are their spirits.

Here is a sampling of April 15 honorees:

Birthdays

Emma Watson - Many moviegoers know her as Hermione of Harry Potter fame. Indeed, Ms. Watson's first blockbuster film was "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which was release when she was 11 years old.

Emma Thompson - Curiously, another Emma, and another Harry Potter alumna, celebrates a birthday today. Multiple Oscar winner Emma Thompson is 50 today and has starred in a litany of enormous successes such as "Sense and Sensibility," "The Remains of the Day," and of course, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

Roy Clark - The famed country singer is 75 years old today. Many will remember him as the host of "Hee Haw," but he crossed over easily as a popular entertainer and often guest hosted for Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show."

Ed O'Brien - Together with Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Phil Selway, and Colin Greenwood, they make up Radiohead, a popular alternative band formed in 1989. Guitarist Ed O'Brien is 41 today.

Deaths

Greta Garbo - The legendary film actress died this day in 1990 in New York. She is mostly known for voluntarily transitioning from big screen star to recluse at a relatively young age. Ms Garbo was nominated four times for Academy Awards for "Romance" in 1930, "Anna Christie" (1930), "Camille" (1936), and "Ninotchka" (1939), and also starred in the acclaimed "Anna Karenina." She received an Honorary Academy Award in 1955.

Joey Ramone - He was an iconic punk rock figure and drummer, songwriter and lead singer of "The Ramones." Born in 1951, he passed away from cancer in 2001 at the age of 49. Amazingly, the band performed more than 2,200 concerts in a very active 22 year span until 1996. In addition to Joey, three original members of "The Ramones" have passed away - - guitarist Johnny Ramone, and bassist Dee Dee Ramone.

Jean-Paul Sartre - Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher who passed away on this day in 1980 at the age of 74.. Beyond philosophy, Sartre was complex and a sometimes controversial figure as a political activist. He was also an accomplished novelist, screenwriter, playwright, biographer, and literary critic.