Van Cliburn was an iconic American pianist who became a household name in his home country in 1958 after winning one of the most popular classical-music competitions in the world, the International Tchaikovsky Competition. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists the world has ever known.
Some of his most prestigious awards include the Kennedy Center Honor and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to being honored with America's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003, he was also honored with Russia's highest civilian award, the Russian Order of Friendship in 2004.
Throughout his career, he performed for several world leaders and twelve U.S. Presidents, including John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama.
He began learning how to play the piano when he was only three years old.
Van Cliburn was a famous American pianist, who was born on July 12, 1934. As a person born on this date, Van Cliburn is listed in our database as the 12th most popular celebrity for the day (July 12) and the 18th most popular for the year (1934).
People born on July 12 fall under the Zodiac sign of Cancer, the Crab. Van Cliburn is the 248th most popular Cancer.
Aside from information specific to Van Cliburn's birthday, Van Cliburn is the 1706th most famous American and ranks 19th in famous people born in Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
In general, Van Cliburn ranks as the 2987th most popular famous person, and the 5th most popular pianist of all time. “The Famous Birthdays” catalogs over 25,000 famous people, everyone from actors to singers to scientists to serial killers and more. If you're curious to see who was born on your birthday, you can use our database to find out who, what, where, when and why. You can search by birthday, birthplace, claim to fame or any other information by typing in the search box, or simply browse our site by selecting the month, the day, the horoscope, or any other clickable option.
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