Happy Birthday Yul Brynner! His best-known role remains that of King Mongkut of Siam in the Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical The King and I which he played 4,525 times on stage over the span of his career. He appeared in the original production and later touring productions as well as a 1977 Broadway revival, London Production in 1979 and another Broadway revival in 1985. He also appeared in the film version for which he won an Academy Award as Best Actor and in a short-lived TV version (Anna and the King) on CBS in 1972. Brynner is one of only nine people who have won both a Tony Award and an Academy Award for the same role.

Happy Birthday Cheyenne Jackson! Jackson has been featured in Broadway shows including XANADU, FINIAN'S RAINBOW, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, and AIDA. His first Broadway leading role in ALL SHOOK UP earned him a Theatre World Award for 'Outstanding Broadway Debut.' He's been seen in such television shows such as 30 ROCK, GLEE, UGLY BETTY, and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.

Today in 1981, the second Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof opened at the New York State Theatre, where it ran for 53 performances. Featuring music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, the story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. It spawned four Broadway revivals, a successful 1971 film adaptation, and the show has enjoyed enduring international popularity.

Today in 2007, Xanadu opened at the Helen Hayes Theatre, where it ran for 512 performances. Xanadu is a musical comedy with a book by Douglas Carter Beane and music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, based on the 1980 cult classic film of the same name. The story of the musical focuses on a Greek muse, Clio, who descends from Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California, in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest creation of his life - a roller disco. It earned an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical and a Drama Desk Award for Best Book. It was also nominated for Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Book.

Today in 1980, the first Broadway revival of Camelot opened at the New York State Theatre, where it ran for 56 performances. Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music). It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King. The original 1960 production, directed by Moss Hart and orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett and Philip J. Lang, ran on Broadway for 873 performances, winning four Tony Awards and spawning several revivals, foreign productions and a 1967 film version. The 1980 cast starred Richard Burton, Christine Ebersole, and Richard Muenz.

Today in 2011, the first Broadway revival of Master Class opened at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, where it ran for 67 performances. Master Class is a play by Terrence McNally, which opened on Broadway on November 15, 1995 at the John Golden Theatre, where it ran for 598 performances. The original cast included Zoe Caldwell, Audra McDonald, Karen Kay Cody, David Loud, and Jay Hunter Morris. Caldwell and McDonald won Tony Awards for their performances in 1996. Tyne Daly starred as Callas in a summer 2011 revival of the play at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

Happy Birthday Claude-Michel Schonberg! Schonberg is best known for his collaborations with the lyricist Alain Boublil. Thier stage musical version of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, which opened at the Palais de Sports in Paris in 1980, opened to acclaim in London in 1985 and on Broadway in 1987. In 1989, their success continued with the musical Miss Saigon, which starred Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce. Schonberg's next project with Boublil was The Pirate Queen, a musical about the 16th century Irish pirate, chieftain and adventuress Grace O'Malley, which opened on Broadway on April 5 2007.

Happy Birthday Audra McDonald! The actress earned three Tony Awards by the age of 28 - for her performances in Carousel, Master Class, and Ragtime. She was nominated for another Tony Award for her performance in Marie Christine before she won her fourth in 2004 for her role in A Raisin in the Sun. She reprised her Raisin role for a 2008 television adaptation, earning her a second Emmy Award nomination. Her first Emmy nod came in 2001 for her performance in HBOs Wit. Fans of the small screen also recognize McDonald from her work on ABC's Private Practice. She most recently starred on Broadway in Porgy and Bess and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill- she won Tony Awards for both performances.

Today in 1985, Singin' in the Rain opened at the George Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 367 performances. Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown. Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original. Set in Hollywood in the waning days of the silent screen era, it focuses on romantic lead Don Lockwood, his sidekick Cosmo Brown, aspiring actress Kathy Selden, and Lockwood's leading lady Lina Lamont, whose less-than-dulcet vocal tones make her an unlikely candidate for stardom in talking pictures. Directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, the cast included Don Correia as Don, Mary D'Arcy as Kathy, Peter Slutsker as Cosmo, and Faye Grant as Lina.

Happy Birthday Terrence Mann! Mann's Broadway credits include the Beast in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, Rum Tum Tugger in Cats, Inspector Javert in Les Miserables and Chauvelin in The Scarlet Pimpernel. He also has starred in additional Broadway productions including Lennon, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Getting Away With Murder, A Christmas Carol, Rags, Barnum, Jerome Robbins' Broadway and Jekyll & Hyde. He most recently starred in the 2013 Broadway revival of Pippin.

Happy Birthday David Alan Grier! Grier began his professional career on Broadway as Jackie Robinson in The First, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Theatre World Award. He then joined the cast of Dreamgirls before going on to star opposite Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Play, for which both actors reprised their roles in the film adaptation titled A Soldier's Story. Recently was seen in David Mamet's Race on Broadway and received his second Tony Award nomination. He most recently starred on Broadway in Porgy and Bess.

Happy Birthday Emily Skinner! Emily Skinner was nominated for a Best Actress TONY Award for the Original Broadway Production of Side Show. Other Broadway credits include the original casts of Jekyll & Hyde, James Joyce's The Dead (with Christopher Walken) The Full Monty, Dinner at Eight (Outer Critics Circle nomination, Drama League Award). Most recently, she starred in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot.

Today in 1987, the FIRST Broadway revival of Dreamgirls opened at the Ambassador Theatre, where it ran for 177 performances. Dreamgirls features music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called 'The Dreams', who become music superstars. The musical opened on December 20, 1981 at the Imperial Theatre, and was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical, and won six. It was later adapted into a motion picture from DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures in 2006. The 1987 cast featured Lillias White as 'Effie.'

Today in 1976, the second Broadway revival of Pal Joey opened at the Circle in the SquareTheatre, where it ran for 73 performances. Pal Joey is a musical with a book by John O'Hara (from his novel of the same title) and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart based on a character and situations O'Hara created in a series of short stories published in The New Yorker. The original 1940 Broadway production was directed by George Abbott and starred Gene Kelly. There have been several revivals since, including a 2008-09 Broadway run, and a 1957 film adaptation starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak. The 1976 cast featured: Christopher Chadman (Joey), Harold Gary (Mike), Terri Treas (Kid), Janie Sell (Gladys), and Gail Benedict (Gail).

Happy Birthday, Hunter Foster! Foster is perhaps best known for playing 'Bobby Strong' in Urinetown, for which he received nominations for an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Lucille Lortel Award. In 2003, Foster starred as 'Seymour' in the Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors, for which he received his first Tony Award nomination. Foster also appeared as 'Leo Bloom' in The Producers on Broadway, 'Ensign Pulver' in Mister Roberts at the Kennedy Center, 'Ben' in Modern Orthodox off-Broadway, and 'Sam Phillips' in Million Dollar Quartet.

Happy Birthday, Bob Fosse! Fosse won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction. He was nominated for an Academy Award four times, winning for his direction of Cabaret. Amonst his many Broadway credits are The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, Sweet Charity, Pippin, Chicago, Dancin' and many more.

Today in 1972, the first Broadway revival of Man of La Mancha opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, where it ran for 140 performances. Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote. It tells the story of the 'mad' knight, Don Quixote, as a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition.The original 1965 Broadway production ran for 2,328 performances and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The musical has been revived four times on Broadway, becoming one of the most enduring works of musical theatre.

Today in 1993, the second Broadway revival of Camelot opened at the George Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 56 performances. Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music). It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King. The original 1960 production, directed by Moss Hart and orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett and Philip J. Lang, ran on Broadway for 873 performances, winning four Tony Awards and spawning several revivals, foreign productions and a 1967 film version. The 1993 cast starred Robert Goulet, Steve Blanchard, and Patricia Kies.

Today in 2004, Thoroughly Modern Millie closed at the Marquis Theatre, where it ran for 903 performances. Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan. Based on the 1967 film of the same name, it tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love - a thoroughly modern aim in 1922, when women were just entering the workforce. The production subsequently won six 2002 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Sutton Foster.

Today in 1978, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre), where it ran for 1584 performances. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange, Texas. The original Broadway production was directed by Peter Masterson and Tommy Tune and choreographed by Tune and Thommie Walsh.

Happy Birthday, Kerry Butler! Butler received a 2008 Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for playing Kira/Clio in Xanadu. Other Broadway credits include Blood Brothers, Les Miserables, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination), Penny Pingleton in Hairspray (Clarence Derwent Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations), Sherrie in Rock of Ages, and most recently Brenda in Catch Me If You Can (Drama Desk nomination).

Happy Birthday, John Gallagher, Jr.! Gallagher originated the role of Moritz Stiefel in Spring Awakening on Broadway after performing the role Off-Broadway and in workshops at Lincoln Center. Gallagher won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance. In 2010, Gallagher starred in American Idiot, a musical based on the Green Day album of the same name, playing Johnny aka 'Jesus of Suburbia'. He most recently starred in the Broadway production of The Royal Court Theatre's Jerusalem.

Happy Birthday, Danny Burstein! On Broadway, Burstein's appearances have included A Little Hotel on the Side (1992), Yakov in The Seagull (1992-93), in Saint Joan and Three Men on a Horse (both in 1993), Paul in Company (1995), 1st Officer William Murdoch in Titanic (1997-99), Aldolpho in The Drowsy Chaperone (2006-07), Luther Billis in South Pacific (2008-10), and Taxi Driver in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2010-11). He played the role of Buddy Plummer in the Kennedy Center production of Follies, which went on to play Broadway's Marquis Theatre and LA's Ahmanson Theatre. He is currently starring in the Roundabout revival of Cabaret, for which he earned a 2014 Tony nomination.

Today in 2011, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark opened at the Foxwoods Theatre, where it ran for 1066 performances. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is a rock musical with music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge and a book by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The musical is based on the Spider-Man comics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, published by Marvel Comics, as well as the 2002 film about the character and the Greek myth of Arachne. lt tells the story of the origin of the character, his romance with Mary Jane and his battles with the evil Green Goblin.

Today in 1999, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown closed at the Ambassador Theatre, where it ran for 149 performances. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts. The revival cast featured Anthony Rapp as Charlie Brown, Kristin Chenoweth as Sally and Roger Bart as Snoopy.