The Half-Century Club: The Obama Edition

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Eddie Murphy

Date of birth: April 3, 1961

Obama connection: Murphy, the second-highest-grossing actor of all time, recently cut a check for more than $30,000 to attend a Democratic National Committee fundraiser. A portion of the dough goes to the Obama 2012 campaign.

Captions by Lauren Williams

Laurence Fishburne

Date of birth: July 30, 1961

Obama connection: Count the commander-in-chief among the thespian's fans. He hosted a screening of Fishburne's film Thurgood at the White House in February 2011.

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Michael J. Fox

Date of birth: June 9, 1961

Obama connection: The actor, who has had a public struggle with Parkinson's disease, praised the president in 2009 for lifting the ban on stem cell research.

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Forest Whitaker

Date of birth: July 15, 1961

Obama connection: Not only has Whitaker campaigned for Obama in the past, but the politician named the actor-director to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in 2009.

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Chi McBride

Date of birth: Sept. 23, 1961

Obama connection: In 2008, ABC was the only major network that didn't air Obama's 30-minute campaign ad, opting for its regularly scheduled show Pushing Daisies — starring McBride — instead.

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George Lopez

Date of birth: April 23, 1961

Obama connection: The president once took time out of his busy schedule to film a funny sketch with the comedian for his TBS talk show, Lopez Tonight.

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Isiah Thomas

Date of birth: April 30, 1961

Obama connection: A basketball lover, Obama is probably a fan of NBA veteran Isiah Thomas. And Thomas is definitely a fan of his — he donated big bucks to Obama's campaign in '08.

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Ann Coulter

Date of birth: Dec. 8, 1961

Obama connection: The Democratic president and the über-conservative pundit? Let's just say they're not bosom buddies.

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Diana, Princess of Wales

Date of birth: July 1, 1961

Obama connection: Although Diana died in a 1997 car accident — before Obama was a public figure — her son William and his new bride, Catherine, visited the Obamas at the White House this summer.

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Carl Lewis

Date of birth: July 1, 1961

Obama connection: The Olympic gold medalist recently announced his plan to run for the New Jersey Senate. Although his campaign was later halted because of residency requirements, he said that Barack Obama was his inspiration to run.

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George Clooney

Date of birth: May 6, 1961

Obama connection: The humanitarian met with the president last year to discuss the Sudan and has had to shoot down rumors that he advised Obama behind closed doors.

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Tim Meadows

Date of birth: Feb. 6, 1961

Obama connection: The former Saturday Night Live cast member's name came up quite a bit when folks started speculating about who in the show's less-than-diverse cast would play Obama in political skits. Meadows — who's clearly the right age for the part — was no longer on the show, but he gave the New York Observer his sketch ideas.

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Kim Wayans

Date of birth: Oct. 16, 1961

Obama connection: On her website, Wayans applauded Barack and Michelle for their "date nights" and defended them against critics. "It's such a healthy thing for us to behold on an international stage," she wrote. "A married couple with mutual respect, admiration and desire for each other."

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Kym Whitley

Date of birth: June 7, 1961

Obama connection: Like so many comedians, this funny lady couldn't wait to incorporate the president into her act after the '08 election. She joked that she now says to any cute white guy who approaches her, "Wanna make an Obama baby?"