| 143521 | December 21 | Birth | 1934 – Giuseppina Leone, Italian sprinter |
| 143522 | December 21 | Birth | 1935 – John G. Avildsen, American director, producer, and cinematographer |
| 143523 | December 21 | Birth | 1935 – Lorenzo Bandini, Italian race car driver (d. 1967) |
| 143524 | December 21 | Birth | 1935 – Yusuf Bey, American activist (d. 2003) |
| 143525 | December 21 | Birth | 1935 – Phil Donahue, American talk show host and producer |
| 143526 | December 21 | Birth | 1935 – Edward Schreyer, Canadian academic and politician, 22nd Governor General of Canada |
| 143527 | December 21 | Birth | 1937 – Jane Fonda, American actress, producer, and activist |
| 143528 | December 21 | Birth | 1937 – Donald F. Munson, American politician |
| 143529 | December 21 | Birth | 1938 – Larry Bryggman, American actor |
| 143530 | December 21 | Birth | 1938 – Frank Moorhouse, Australian journalist, author, and screenwriter |
| 143531 | December 21 | Birth | 1938 – John Quayle, English actor |
| 143532 | December 21 | Birth | 1939 – Lloyd Axworthy, Canadian academic and politician, 2nd Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| 143533 | December 21 | Birth | 1939 – Wafic Saïd, Syrian-Monacan businessman and philanthropist |
| 143534 | December 21 | Birth | 1940 – Arvi Lind, Finnish journalist |
| 143535 | December 21 | Birth | 1940 – Ray Hildebrand, American singer-songwriter (Paul & Paula) |
| 143536 | December 21 | Birth | 1940 – Frank Zappa, American contemporary composer, guitarist, and record producer (The Mothers of Invention) (d. 1993) |
| 143537 | December 21 | Birth | 1942 – Hu Jintao, Chinese engineer and politician, 6th President of China |
| 143538 | December 21 | Birth | 1942 – Reinhard Mey, German singer-songwriter and guitarist |
| 143539 | December 21 | Birth | 1942 – Anthony Summers, Irish journalist and author |
| 143540 | December 21 | Birth | 1942 – Carla Thomas, American singer |
| 143541 | December 21 | Birth | 1943 – André Arthur, Canadian journalist and politician |
| 143542 | December 21 | Birth | 1943 – Lena Bergman, Swedish actress |
| 143543 | December 21 | Birth | 1943 – Albert Lee, English guitarist and songwriter (Heads Hands & Feet and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings) |
| 143544 | December 21 | Birth | 1943 – Jack Nance, American actor (d. 1996) |
| 143545 | December 21 | Birth | 1943 – Walter Spanghero, French rugby player |
| 143546 | December 21 | Birth | 1944 – Bill Atkinson, English footballer and referee (d. 2013) |
| 143547 | December 21 | Birth | 1944 – Michael Tilson Thomas, American pianist, composer, and conductor |
| 143548 | December 21 | Birth | 1944 – Zheng Xiaoyu, Chinese diplomat (d. 2007) |
| 143549 | December 21 | Birth | 1946 – Roy Karch, American director, producer, and screenwriter |
| 143550 | December 21 | Birth | 1946 – Christopher Keene, American conductor (d. 1995) |