Age fabrication

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Age fabrication occurs when an individual deliberately misrepresents his or her true age. It is usually practised with the intent to garner privileges or status that would not otherwise be available to the individual. This can be accomplished by making oral or written statements, by using falsified documents, or by altering archives of vital records.

For example, until the early 1950s in Hollywood it was extremely common for actresses to subtract at least one year from their actual age. On some occasions, age is increased so as to make cutoffs for minimum legal or employable age in showbusiness or professional sports. There are many stories of men lying about their age to join the armed forces, for example to fight in World War I [3]. Sometimes it is not the people themselves who lower their public age, but others around them such as publicists, parents, and other handlers. Using original source material such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, the census, Social Security applications, identity documents and death certificates usually provides the correct date and year. Most cases involve taking or adding one or two years to their age. However, in more extreme case such as with Al Lewis and Charo, a decade has been added or subtracted.

Contents 1 Famous incidents 1.1 Sportspeople 1.2 Musicians 1.3 Actors 1.4 Politics 1.5 Writers 1.6 Artists 1.7 Other 2 Age disputes and discrepancies 2.1 Actors 2.2 Athletes 2.3 Musicians 2.4 Politics 2.5 Other 3 References and notes 4 See also

[edit] Famous incidents

[edit] Sportspeople

• Danny Almonte (born April 7, 1987) played in the Little League World Series for his Bronx team in 2001, despite being over the cutoff age for the league. His parents had provided a doctored birth certificate misrepresenting his birth year as 1989. A Sports Illustrated writer discovered the discrepancy when Almonte's Dominican elementary school records gave his correct birth year.^[1]
• Major League Baseball player Rafael Furcal (born August 24, 1977) was first believed to have been born in 1980. Thus, during his major league rookie season, his 40 stolen bases were considered the most ever by a teenaged player, breaking the record set in 1906 by Ty Cobb. When it was discovered that Furcal had been a 21-year-old rookie, the 84-year-old record reverted to Cobb.^[2]
• Another MLB player, Miguel Tejada (born May 25, 1974), admitted in April 2008 that he had shaved two years off his age when he signed his first professional contract in 1993, claiming at the time that he had been born on the same date in 1976.^[3]
• Many other baseball players, mostly from Latin America, have recently had their ages corrected. The list includes Manny Aybar, Bartolo Colón, Deivi Cruz, Octavio Dotel, Juan Guzman, David Ortiz, Ramon Ortiz, Luis Polonia, Alfonso Soriano, Luis Vizcaino, and Enrique Wilson. A few players' ages have dropped, including Adrián Beltré, Edgar Rentería, Esteban Yan and Wilson Betemit; in these cases the players had lied about being older so that they could sign contracts before turning 16. In a milder case, Odális Pérez was discovered to be six days older than originally reported.
• Romanian gymnasts admitted in 2002 that their ages were fabricated so they could compete in events for which they were ineligible. Alexandra Marinescu, Gina Gogean, Monica Zahiu, and Daniela Silivaş admitted that Romanian authorities fabricated their ages so they could compete in senior competition. Silivas, born May 9, 1972, admitted in 2002 that her passport had been changed to May 9, 1970 so she could compete at the 1985 FIG World Champinships while 13. (Until 1986, an FIG rule provided that the minimum age of a gymnast was 14 for senior competitions. The minimum was changed to 15 from 1986 until 1996; since 1997, the minimum age has been 16.) [4]
• American golfer Tom Shaw claimed throughout his career on the PGA Tour to have been born on December 13, 1942. He was suspected by some of being older, notably by Frank Hannigan, who as Executive Director of the United States Golf Association paired him with the then-19-year-old Ben Crenshaw and 24-year-old Johnny Miller, both known as fast players, for the first two rounds of the 1971 U.S. Open for his apparent amusement. As it turned out, Hannigan was right; in 1988, Shaw produced a birth certificate proving that he had been born on the same date in 1938, which made him eligible for the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) starting with the 1989 season.^[4]

• There have been many alleged cases among cricketers, especially those from Pakistan. The practice reflects a lack of formal birth records in parts of Pakistan, and also young cricketers' (and their associates') desire to make a big impact in age group cricket by playing when overage. The claim that Shahid Afridi was fifteen when he made his test match debut is widely dismissed, but has not been positively disproved. Waqar Younis is sometimes said to have been born in 1969 rather than 1971. However, unlike with the American examples above it may be that the claimed ages cannot be disproved with certainty because authoritative documentation is not merely concealed but actually nonexistent.

[edit] Musicians

• Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971) said he was not sure of his exact birthdate, but celebrated it on July 4. He claimed the year as 1900 when speaking in public, although he used 1900 for his Social Security and other papers filed with the government. Using Roman Catholic Church documents (at the time Armstrong was born, the birth certificate was not compulsory), jazz historian Tad Jones gave his birthday as August 4, 1901.
• Ludwig van Beethoven's age was given as seven, rather than nine, for his first public performances. The deception was perpetrated by his father and confused the composer for the remainder of his life.
• Eubie Blake made himself appear older and was given a 100 year birthday retrospective based on his incorrect age. In his later years Blake listed his birth year as 1883 and his 100th birthday was celebrated in 1983. Most sources including Encyclopædia Britannica also incorrectly list his birth year as 1883. Every official document issued by the government lists his birthday as February 7, 1887, including the 1900 Census (with February 1887), his 1917 World War I draft registration, his 1920 passport application, and his 1936 Social Security application.
• James Blunt, born February 22, 1974, made himself three years younger.
• Al Bowlly's age remains the subject of much speculation. Having "lost" his birth certificate, the crooner claimed an 1899 birthdate, but his death certificate from 1941 gives his age as 43, and bandmembers have given his birth date as 1895, 1891, and even 1890.
• 50 Cent, born July 6, 1975. Many sources incorrectly list his birth year as 1976, but 1975 was verified when the documents of his arrest in August 1994 surfaced; his age was listed as 19 years on his police report. IMDb has adopted 1975 as the correct year. His correct age is also verifiable on the New York inmate records, searching under his department identification number.^[5]
• Shawn Colvin deducted two years from her actual age for most of her career. In 1994 she revealed that she had been lying, saying, "I shaved two years off. But I couldn't keep track. Different magazines said I was 30, 35. Then I was asked to play at Gloria Steinem's 60th birthday party and I realized it was time to cut the bullshit and tell the truth."^[6]
• Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942) claims to have been born a full seven years later, in 1949. United States Library of Congress copyright searches for both Ronnie James Dio and Ronald James Padavona material both return listings invariably citing the 1942 birthdate. He was in his first band, The Vegas Kings in 1958, which means that if the 1949 date were correct, he would have been 9 years old. More recently, his high school has placed a plaque of the singer on their website, showing a graduation year of 1960, adding more validity to the 1942 date.
• Fabolous (born November 11, 1977) had the years 1979 and 1980 given for his birth. According to his mugshot, he was born in 1977.^[7]
• Eminem (born October 17, 1972) said during a 1999 interview on the Howard Stern show that he was 24. He was 27 years old at the time.
• Ella Fitzgerald (born April 25, 1917) was believed to have been born on the same date in 1918 due to a misprint on a marriage certificate. The truth was discovered by Fitzgerald's biographer, Stuart Nicholson.
• Barry Manilow, born June 17, 1943. Various websites claimed he was born in 1946.
• Nellie McKay's age is a matter of dispute. At the time of the release of her 2004 debut album Get Away from Me, McKay's official website billed her as, "a multi-talented 'youngster' of 19",^[8] with an "official" birthdate of December 13, 1984. Later that year her father claimed that she was actually born on April 13, 1982, making her actual age 22.^[9] McKay began college in 2000, also implying she was born in 1982.
• Nelly, rapper, was born on November 2, 1974, according to Texas birth records. The year was originally given as 1978, and as late as 1980 by some sources. He was even named as one of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" in 2001 and 2002, while he was actually 27 and 28 years old respectively.
• Master P, born April 29, 1967, but many sources originally reported that he had been born in 1968, 1969, or 1970. His actual age was revealed after an arrest in 2005, when police documents noted he was born in 1967. His younger brother Silkk Tha Shocker was also revealed to be a year older than reported, also from arrest documents.^[10]
• Lou Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) made himself two years younger (1935). When he died, his death certificate listed 1933 as his correct year.
• Toni Tennille, half of the husband-and-wife duo Captain & Tennille, born May 8, 1940, was encouraged by her record label to shave five years off her age because the label was concerned that a 35-year-old starting a recording career would be seen as unusual. She compromised by using 1943 as her birth year, which has appeared in numerous sources. Tennille herself corrected the error in a 2006 entry on her blog, in which she also confirmed that she had married her musical partner Daryl Dragon on November 11, 1975 instead of February 14 in the same year.^[11] IMDb also gives her year of birth as 1940.
• Obie Trice was born on November 14, 1977. Some sources have claimed he was born in 1978 or 1979, but in the lyrics to his song "Follow My Life" he says that he was born in 1977.
• Ol' Dirty Bastard (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004) is incorrectly listed as being born in 1969, but his birth and death certificate and documents of his arrest says he was indeed born in 1968. IMDb also says he was born in 1968.
• Meat Loaf, rock singer. His biography says he was born September 27, 1947, but today he insists he was actually born September 27, 1951. When asked about which year was correct, he replied "1951. I have it on my passport and driving license. [I said 1947 in my autobiography] because I just wanted to maintain a constant lie. I was born in 1951 but see what a great thing it is, because everybody asks me? And I can keep it up - I can tell you I was born in 1952. Names and ages piss me off. So I just continually lie." Considering that he moved to Los Angeles in 1967 and worked as a bouncer in a bar, and assuming he did so legally, it seems more likely that 1947 is correct.
• R. Kelly, born January 8, 1967. Various websites claimed he was born in 1969.
• Despite allegations of being a "compulsively honest person"[5] on the posthumously "official" website created by personal friends, Tiny Tim routinely lied about his age in several interviews. In life, he often gave his birth year as either 1922, 1923, 1926, 1930, 1932, or 1933. According to tinytim.org, his passport lists his birthday as April 12, 1932[6].
• Tripp Eisen was born June 29, 1965, but claimed he was 10 years younger. His true age was revealed when he was arrested on staturory charges in 2005.
• Peter Tork was born February 13, 1942, but some sources say he was born in 1944. This was encouraged to make fellow band mate Michael Nesmith appear to be the oldest Monkee.

[edit] Actors

• Gracie Allen, comedian, was notorious for keeping her true age concealed and even her husband George Burns did not know her exact age. Various sources claim she was born on July 26 in 1894, 1895, 1897, 1902 or 1906. Her exact age could not be retrieved by a birth certificate, as it was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Allen herself gave her year of birth as 1906, despite the fact the earthquake occurred three months before her birthday in 1906. Her school leaving records imply that she was actually born in 1895.
• Lucille Ball, born August 6, 1911, and Desi Arnaz, born March 2, 1917, split the difference of their ages for the purpose of being the same age, largely because it was uncommon for men to marry older women at the time. Both claimed to have been born in 1914.
• [The Bangles: Susanna Hoffs, January 17, 1957; current birth year listed as 1959.
• Monica Bellucci was born September 30 in 1964, 1968, or 1969, as given by various sources.
• Laura Betti was born May 1, 1927. However, until her death, she was widely believed to have been born on May 1, 1934. In fact, all her obituaries referred to the 1934 date. The actress herself had encouraged that erroneous belief.
• Sandra Bullock's birthdate was erroneously given as July 26 in 1964, 1965, and 1967 for most of her early career. In 1997 Vanity Fair discovered that the correct year was 1964.^[12]
• Irene Cara's exact age was a mystery for most of her career, with various sources claiming that she was born on March 18 in either 1964 or 1959. In 2004 the Associated Press retrieved a copy of her voter registration records from Florida, which verified that she was actually born in 1959. Cara vehemently claimed that she was born in 1964, but refused to comment on the voter registration records.^[13]
• Buster Crabbe made himself both younger and older, and the birthdate varies. Government documents give his birth date as February 7, 1908.
• Charo, born March 13, 1941 trimmed 10 years from her age, claiming to have been born in 1951. A Las Vegas judge even ruled in her favor after she petitioned to get 1951 recognized as her "correct" date on official documents. She married in 1966, making the validity of the date questionable.^[14]
• Shannon Elizabeth, born September 7, 1973, has had 1976 frequently mentioned as her birth year. 1973 is the date provided by her Texas birth certificate
• Fabio, born March 15, 1959, claimed to have been born in 1961. In 2001, the correct year was discovered by People.
• Laurence Fishburne, born July 30, 1961 had previously claimed to have been born in 1958 in order to win a part in Apocalypse Now.
• William Friedkin was born on August 29, 1935, but his birth year was originally given as 1939. As a result, after his Best Director Oscar win for The French Connection he seemingly became the youngest winner of the category. After his actual age was discovered, the record returned to Norman Taurog.
• Paul Gleason, best known for his role as Principal Richard Vernon in the 1985 teen film The Breakfast Club, gave his date of birth as May 4, 1944, but upon his death in May of 2006 it was revealed that he was in fact 67 years old, which means he was actually born in 1939.
• Paulette Goddard, born June 3, 1910. Almost every year from 1905 to 1915 has been cited as her birth year, the most common years being 1909 to 1911. Her New York state birth certificate shows 1910, her Switzerland death certificate shows 1905. Her year of birth has apparently been confirmed, as US Census documents list her parents as being childless in early 1910, and having a nine-year-old daughter in early 1920.
• Whoopi Goldberg, born November 13, 1955, added several years to her age in order to secure more acting work and make her appear as a more experienced actor, as she had dropped out of high school at age 15. Some sources still cite her as being born in 1949 or 1950.
• Darrell Hammond, born October 8, 1955, had previously claimed to have been born in 1960. This is unlikely as he graduated from high school in 1974.
• Katharine Hepburn (May 12, 1907- June 29, 2003), claimed to have been born on November 8, 1909. November 8 was her brother's birthday, and she adopted it after he accidentally hanged himself.
• Mila Kunis was only 14 years old when she auditioned for That 70s Show, claiming that she was "turning 18 soon".
• Jennifer Jason Leigh; birth year listed for years as 1962; many currently dispute it as being as early as 1957.
• Al Lewis, actor from "The Munsters", is reported by various sources to have been born on April 30 in either 1910 or 1923. Shortly after Lewis' death, his son claimed that he was actually born in 1923.^[15] This contradicts Lewis' own statement that he was born in 1910.^[16] Lewis claimed to have graduated from high school in 1927 and to have earned a Ph.D from Columbia University in 1941,^[17] but research by Dan Barry of the New York Times failed to reveal evidence of either.^[18] In April 2006, Lewis' listing on the Social Security Death Index gave his date of birth as April 30, 1923.^[19]
• Susan Lucci, soap opera actor, is known for being evasive about her age. She also claims in interviews that previous reports of her age are incorrect.^[20] She graduated from high school in 1964, implying that she was born in 1946 or 1945, as she has a late December birthday.^[21]
• Jennifer Lopez (born July 24, 1969) originally gave her year of birth as 1970. Her true birth year was revealed when she was arrested with Sean Combs in New York after a nightclub shooting incident. Under oath, she specified a birth year of 1969 for the police report.^[22]
• Merle Oberon gave her birth date as February 19 in, variously, 1911, 1904, 1915 and 1917.
• Traci Lords, born on May 7, 1968, claimed for the purpose of being eligible to act in pornographic films that she was born in 1964. On July 18, 1986 it was discovered that she had only recently turned 18, and that most of her pornographic films had been made while she was under age.
• Mercedes McCambridge, born March 16, 1916, had her year of birth given as 1918 for most of her career. After her death in 2004, the Social Security death index revealed that she was actually two years older.
• Gates McFadden, an actor on Star Trek: The Next Generation, does not have a clearly confirmed birthday or year of birth. Paramount gives her birthday as August 28, 1953 on officially licensed products, but she reportedly admitted that her actual birthday is March 2, 1949, and both dates appear in various sources. McFadden graduated from Brandeis University in 1970, making a 1953 year of birth very unlikely.^[23]
• Andy Milonakis, an MTV television personality, has never verified his actual age, and MTV also refuses to comment on the matter. He has a growth hormone condition known as hypopituitarism which gives him the outward appearance of a teenage boy. He stated in interviews in 2003 that he was 27 years old, but later claimed to have been lying. His actual birthdate is January 30, 1976, found on New York property records.
• Meredith Monroe gave her birth year as 1977. People claiming to be former schoolmates assert that she was born in 1969.
• Elizabeth Montgomery gave her birth year as 1938. most sources say that she was born in 1933.
• Natalie Schafer claimed to have been born in 1912, but on her death it was revealed she was born November 5, 1900.
• Jackie Stallone, mother of actor Sylvester Stallone, claimed when she was on Celebrity Big Brother that she was 71 (or born in 1933).^[24] Her claim is unlikely, as her son would have been born when she was only 12. According to the 1930 US census, which became publicly available in 2002, she was born in 1921.
• Ben Turpin made himself younger in his Hollywood press kit.

[edit] Politics

• Ann Coulter was born December 8, 1961 according to most reliable sources, although she gives the year as 1963. There are also different dates on two of Coulter's driver licenses: her Washington, DC license has a 1963 birthdate while her Connecticut license has a 1961 birthdate. She was most likely born in 1961, as she voted in the 1980 U.S. Presidential election. Had she been born in 1963, her 1980 vote would have been a felony.^[25] Coulter also gave her birthdate as December 8, 1961 on her Connecticut and Florida voter registrations.^[26] When asked about the date on her voter registrations for a 2005 TIME cover story, the magazine reported that "Coulter says she won't confirm the date 'for privacy reasons'".^[27]
• Fidel Castro, born August 13, 1927, made himself one year older (1926), because he was too young to enroll at a school.
• Teresa Gorman, born September 30, 1931, knocked first five, then ten, years off her age when seeking selection as Conservative Party candidate for Billericay in 1987, due to her fear that a woman in her fifties would never be selected.
• Fethullah Gülen, leader of an influential Islamic organization in Turkey, claimed^[28] to be born on 10 November 1938, which is the day Kemal Atatürk died and is therefore loaded with symbolism. Later he changed^[29] the date to 27 April 1941. Incidentally, that was the day Athens fell in World War II. Other accounts^[30] say he was born in 1937, or that his exact date of birth is unknown.
• Nancy Reagan, born July 6, 1921, gave her birth year as 1923 during her career as an actress, and carried the deception over when she became First Lady of the United States, going so far as to publish the incorrect 1923 date in her autobiography in 1989. Two years later she was first "outed" as a 70-year-old.^[31] Because of this, many World almanacs list the wrong date.
• Joseph Stalin, born December 18 (December 6 OS), 1878, changed the date to December 21, 1879 later in his life for unknown reasons. The December 18, 1878 birth date is maintained by his birth registry, his School Leaving Certificate, his extensive tzarist Russia police file, and all other surviving pre-revolution documents. Russian playwriter and historian Edward Radzinski argues in his book Stalin, that Stalin changed the year to 1879 to have a nation-wide birthday celebration of his 50th birthday. He could not do it in 1928 because his rule was not absolute enough. The incorrect December 21, 1879 date was printed in many almanacs and encyclopedias during Stalin's reign, and remains one of the most widely reported incorrect dates of birth.^[32]
• Eva Perón, born May 7, 1919, had her birth certificate altered after becoming First Lady of Argentina. She made herself seem to be three years younger and also made it appear that her parents had been married.^[33]

[edit] Writers

• Knut Hamsun, born 4 August 1859, died 19 February 1952. He gave his birth year as 1860 to make his age easier to calculate. The correct time of birth was discovered by a researcher who checked the parish register.
• Riley Weston, a writer and actress for Felicity, claimed that she was an 18-year-old when she began on the show. After it was discovered Weston was actually 32, she issued a public apology.^[34]
• Dan Savage was discovered to be lying about his age by five years by Seattle Weekly writer Mark D. Fefer. Fefer was able to cite three occasions from Savage's newspaper column, and one occasion when he was asked to confirm his age to a reporter researching a Seattle Post-Intelligencer profile on him.^[35]

[edit] Artists

• Frida Kahlo, born July 6, 1907 changed her birth year to 1910 to affiliate herself further with the Mexican Revolution, which began in that year.

[edit] Other

• Howard Hughes gave his birthday as December 24 (Christmas Eve) for most of his life, but his baptismal records give his birthday as September 24.^[36]
• Joseph Merrick (5 August 1862 - 11 April 1890), known popularly as The Elephant Man. Many early biographies incorrectly give 1860 as his birthyear.
• Barbara Walters's biographies usually give her date of birth as September 25, 1931. In 2002 the 1930 Federal Census became public, and census researchers discovered that the Enumeration District 41-184 shows her family on page 198, with father Louis Walters aged 34, wife Dena Walters aged 33, Jacqueline aged 3 years and 11 months, and Barbara, aged six months. This was recorded around April 21, 1930, so Walters was born around October 1929.

[edit] Age disputes and discrepancies

(data here is more vague)

[edit] Actors

• Halle Berry has had her birth year cited as both 1968 and 1966. 1966 is more likely, as she graduated from high school in 1984. Berry corrected the discrepancy during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, when she stated that she would turn 40 in August 2006.^[37]
• Caprice Bourret, model, claimed on Celebrity Big Brother (UK) that she was born in 1972. A longstanding feud with Jordan (Katie Price) claims that she was born in 1964. Price claims to have been born in 1977 but according to her California birth record and IMDb, her birth was in 1971.
• Charles Bronson made himself appear younger in his Hollywood press kit.^[38]
• Charlie Chaplin, actor, has had several years reported as his year of birth. Chaplin had commented on his age, saying that while he produced The Great Dictator he discovered that he was born within several days of Adolf Hitler in 1889.
• Roxann Dawson is an actor best known for her role on Star Trek: Voyager. Most sources gave her year of birth as 1964 during her time on Voyager, although the California birth index states she was born in 1958. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 1980,^[39] and most likely in 1976 from Beverly Hills High School, supporting that she was born in 1958. Upon inquiring her official website, Dawson maintains she turned 40 in 2004.
• Jason Earles (from the Disney Channel series, Hannah Montana) has had a debate swirling around his birth year (a USA Today claims 1977, others stated 1985, and a Chicago Sun-Times article claimed 1988).
• The Gabor sisters are widely thought to be older than they claim, but official documents are not available.
• Salma Hayek was born on September 2, 1966 according to most sources. In 2004 E! reported that she was to be profiled by an unknown "large magazine", but documents were uncovered implying she was actually several years older, and when Hayek's publicist was asked for comment, no birth certificate or any other record to verify Hayek's age were provided.^[40]
• Scarlett Johansson, actress, born on November 22, 1984, is rumored to be older.^{[citation needed]}
• Jeffrey Jones, actor, born September 28, 1946; some sources say he was born in 1947. After an arrest in 2004, The Smoking Gun obtained a copy of his arrest card, which gave his year of birth as 1946.^[41]
• Harvey Keitel, born May 13, 1939, is incorrectly listed as being born in 1941.
• Ashton Kutcher, born February 7, 1978. In 2004 rumors began to circulate that Kutcher was actually born in 1974, but that would be unlikely, as Kutcher graduated from high school in 1996, at which time his age was authenticated.^[40]
• Dana Reeve, upon her March 6, 2006 death it was reported in the United States that she was born March 17, 1961. In England her birth date was simultaneously being reported as February 19, 1961. No definitive date has been established.
• Robin Williams, actor, born July 21, 1951; some sources say he was born in 1952.
• John Schneider, from Dukes of Hazzard, was born on April 8, 1960, but claimed to have been born in 1954 in order to get the role on that show.
• Wendie Jo Sperber, widely reported as being born on September 15, 1962. On the day of her death in November 2005, her publicist said she was 46, which would have meant she was actually born in 1959. Further research (and an AP article from Sept. 2005) revealed her actual age to have been 47, and her actual birthdate to be September 15, 1958.

[edit] Athletes

• Freddy Adu, born June 2, 1989, is frequently rumored actually to be older; these rumors suggest that his birth certificate was doctored to make him eligible for play in little league soccer, where he could excel. Since he usually played in a higher age bracket, however, the only advantage he could have received was psychological.
• David Bautista, born on January 18 in either 1966 or 1969, depending on the source, is a professional wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment, wrestling as Batista. When he made his debut in the WWE, he claimed that he was born in 1969, but when Bautista signed a new contract in January 2005, he was rumored to have revealed that he was born in 1966. However, this claim was later withdrawn by some websites, and was never confirmed by Bautista.^[42]
• Althea Gibson, tennis player, had numerous age discrepancies at the time of her death. She was reportedly born on August 25, 1927, but there were other sources^[who?] that claimed she was older. These claims, since proven false, are severe, as Gibson played in many juvenile tennis tournaments that she would have been unable to play in at an older age.
• Orlando Hernández, born on October 11, 1965 or 1969, depending on the source, claimed to have been born in 1969 when he defected from Cuba in 1997 to pitch in Major League Baseball. The Smoking Gun published what was alleged to be his divorce decree from Cuba, which gave his year of birth as 1965.^[43] Both the official web site of Major League Baseball and ESPN list the 1969 date, as there is no definite proof that the decree is genuine.
• Sonny Liston, boxer, claimed to have been born on May 8, 1932. Although no son named Charles (his given name) is listed with the family in the 1930 census, Liston biographer Nick Tosches reported that Liston's mother believed he was born in January 1929, and dates as early as 1927 have frequently been cited.
• Greg Oden (basketball player), born January 22, 1988, is frequently rumored to be older due to his looks.
• Kirby Puckett, baseball player, was reported throughout his playing career to have been born on March 14, 1961. When he died in 2006, it was confirmed that he had actually been born on the same day in 1960. Some baseball sources have not yet corrected his age.
• Wang Zhizhi, Chinese basketball player, born July 8, 1977, had his age altered by Chinese officials (presumably without any input from Wang) to extend his period of eligibility for international junior competitions. His passport lists his year of birth as 1979;^[44] the worldwide governing body for the sport, FIBA, has used this date in roster listings for international competitions.^[45]
• Another Chinese basketball player, Yi Jianlian, is currently the subject of a separate age controversy. He is listed in his passport and hukou (residency papers) with a birth date of October 27, 1987. However, Yi is frequently rumored to be anywhere from three to six years older; allegedly, his age was altered for the same reasons as was Wang's. In the program to a 2004 Chinese basketball event, Yi was listed as having been born in 1984, but Chinese authorities indicated it was a "typo". Later, at an exhibition match shortly before the 2006 FIBA World Championship, Yi was reported by the Houston Chronicle to have told current NBA player Shane Battier that he was 24, making his year of birth 1982 or possibly 1981 (as the 2006 Worlds were held in August and September, before his listed birth date). However, a Chinese newspaper reported that Battier disavowed the comment attributed to him, and Yi later denied the report. A state-run television network in China, CCTV, later reported that he was born in 1984. At his first NBA practice, he refused to answer questions about his age. For more details, including sources, see the "Age discrepancy" section of Yi's Wikipedia entry.

[edit] Musicians

This article does not cite any references or sources. (February 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

• Bizzl,the all time rapper was born on October 7, 1986, not 1988 as reported by various organisations. It is said he reduced his age to make himself look younger.
• Christina Aguilera, born in 1980, is generally believed to have been born on December 18, though some think that she was born actually on September 18.
• Afrika Bambaataa, born April 10 or October 4, 1957 or 1960; his age is hotly debated.
• Eazy-E, September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995. His tombstone and death certificate list 1963 as his birth year, but his birth certificate says 1964. IMDb and Birthdatabase.com has adopted 1963 as the correct year but many other sources claim 1964.
• Brett Gurewitz, guitarist of Bad Religion, born May 12, 1962. Some sources incorrectly list 1964 as his birth year, but 1962 is believed to be the correct year, according to Birthdatabase.com.
• Dexter Holland, singer and guitarist of The Offspring, born December 29, 1965. Various websites claim that he was actually born in 1966. 1965 is more likely to be correct; see Birthdatabase.com (Noodles also confirmed this on the Offspring's official forums).
• Robert Johnson, influential bluesman, was reportedly born on May 8, 1911. However, available records do not support that year. Records from his lifetime (school, marriage) and immediately afterward (death certificate) give various other years, including 1909 and 1912.
• Al Jourgensen, singer of Ministry, October 8, 1958. Various sources claim he was born on October 7, October 8 or October 9 of either 1958 or 1959.
• Madonna. When she began her music career in the early 1980s, her publicist billed her as being born in 1960. Madonna had commented on her age, saying that while she was married to Sean Penn, she discovered that she was born within several days of Michael Jackson, in 1958.
• Keith Moon, drummer for The Who, born in 1946. Some sources have listed his birth year as 1947. According to legend, he lied about his age for his "21st birthday party" held at a Holiday Inn in 1967 (whose rowdy festivities - highlighted by the driving of a car into the hotel's swimming pool - led The Who to be banned from Holiday Inn locations). Moon was, however, twenty-one at the time.
• David Lee Roth, former singer of Van Halen, born October 10, 1954. The other years 1953 or 1955 have each been claimed, depending on source.
• Tina Turner, pop singer, is generally thought to have been born on November 26, 1939, but some sources, mostly older ones, still say November 26, 1938. Most sources now agree she was likely born in 1939 but used the 1938 date early in her career to appear older.
• Snoop Dogg, rapper, born October 20, has many sources that list his year of birth at 1971 although prominent sources such as MTV list his birth year as 1972. A possibility exists that he was born as early as 1966 according to some sources.
• Eddie Van Halen, guitarist of Van Halen, born January 26, 1955, some sources say he was born in 1957.
• Eddie Rabbitt, country music singer. Older information showed his year of birth as 1944 but at the time of his death in 1998 it was confirmed to be 1941.
• Ronnie Milsap, country music singer. Older music encyclopedia's often cite a birth year of 1946 but most recent publications, and, presumably the singer himself, say 1943.
• Thekra, The Tunisian singer Zikra, who was killed in 2003, died at the age of 42. This would have made 1961 her year of birth. Many other sources cite her actual year of birth ranging from 1961 to 1966. According to a press release on her death, she was 42 when she died.

[edit] Politics

• Kim Jong-il, supposedly born February 16, 1942; some sources claim he was actually born in 1941 but adjusted his birth year to be thirty years younger than his father. In fact, most Western and non-Pyongyang sources cite a 1941 birthdate. The location of his birth is also disputed, as most sources claim he was born in the Soviet Union, but his official biography claims he was born in Korea.
• Piara Khabra, born November 20, 1924, or perhaps 1922. Birth registration was not compulsory in India until August 20, 1970 so it is difficult to determine the truth.

[edit] Other

• Surinder Sunar, English poker player, believed to have been born on April 1, 1959, has refused to confirm the exact date in interviews. Other years between 1960 and 1962 have all been suggested.
• Middlebush Giant was a sideshow performer who used various ages and birth locations, and left no record of where he was born or in what year.
• Hugo Kelly, larrikin Australian journalist, claimed to have been born on April 29, 1970, but chronological impossibilities in his own Wikipedia entry eventually led his admitting the true date was 29 April 1967.
• Lilian Garcia, WWE ring announcer, born on August 19, 1966; most wrestling fansites favor 1973, a date which appears to have originated on Wikipedia. She graduated from Irmo High School in 1984 and from the University of South Carolina in 1988.

[edit] References and notes

[edit] See also

• Impostors

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