1944 births

Beniamino "Mino" Reitano (December 7, 1944 – January 27, 2009) was an Italian singer, songwriter and actor.
Reitano was born in Fiumara, a small village in Calabria. His father, an employee at the local railway station, was very passionate about music, and encouraged all his sons to learn to play an instrument. After a spell in the local brass band, Reitano moved to Reggio Calabria, where he studied at the Francesco Cilea Conservatory for eight years, learning piano, trumpet, and violin. In the late 1950s, Reitano moved with his brothers to Hamburg, where they formed a rock'n'roll band, Benjamin & His Brothers. They often played at the Star-Club, sharing the bill with Rory Storm, Tony Sheridan and The Beatles. After a couple of years, Reitano returned to Italy, where he recorded his first single, Twist Time. After a successful performance at the Castrocaro Music Festival, he was offered a contract with the Italian label Dischi Ricordi, and in 1967 he participated for the first time at the Sanremo Festival. His first commercial hit was Avevo un cuore (che ti amava tanto) (1968).
Reitano was an actor and starred in such films as Povero Cristo, I'm Crazy About Iris Blond and Long Lasting Days.Reitano died in Agrate Brianza, aged 64, of intestinal cancer, after a long period of illness.

Giuseppe Pambieri (born 18 November 1944) is an Italian stage, television and film actor.

Gianfranco Michele Maisano, best known as Michele (born 22 June 1944) is an Italian singer and actor.

Stuart McGugan (born 2 March 1944) is a Scottish actor and television presenter.

Paul Kraus (born 1944) is a Holocaust survivor and mesothelioma patient. Kraus was born in and survived a Nazi forced labor camp during World War II. In 1997, Kraus was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of cancer caused by asbestos. Doctors originally believed that the cancer was terminal and he had only weeks to live, but Kraus is now considered to be the longest-lived mesothelioma survivor. Today, Kraus is an Australian author and cancer survivor whose writings focus on Australia, health, and spirituality. His book Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient’s Guide is a best-selling book on the subject.

María del Rocío Mohedano Jurado (Spanish pronunciation: [roˈθi.o xuˈɾaðo], 18 September 1944 – 1 June 2006), better known as Rocío Jurado, was a Spanish singer and actress. She was born in Chipiona (Cádiz) and nicknamed "La más grande" ("The Greatest").In 2000 in New York City, she won the prize "La voz del Milenio" for best female voice of the 20th century. Rocío Jurado sold more than 16 million records, making her one of the best-selling Spanish female singers. She received 5 platinum and 30 gold discs.

Piero Focaccia (born 16 October 1944) is an Italian pop singer and film actor.

Franco Ferrini (born 5 January 1944) is an Italian screenwriter. His works often fall into the genres of horror or thriller. He was one of the interviewees represented in the book Spaghetti Nightmares.

Camillo Ferdinando "Roby" Facchinetti (born 1 May 1944) is an Italian musician, singer and keyboardist of the band Pooh. He was born in Bergamo, Lombardy.
He was the main Pooh songwriter, sharing this role with guitarist Dodi Battaglia starting from 1972 LP Alessandra. Facchinetti was a member of the band until their split up in 2016. He also published several solo albums.
He participated at the Sanremo Music Festival 2007 together with his son Francesco Facchinetti, and again at the 2018 edition with Riccardo Fogli.

Susan Maureen Fleetwood (21 September 1944 – 29 September 1995) was a British stage, film, and television actress, who specialized in classical theatre. She received popular attention in the television series Chandler & Co and The Buddha of Suburbia.