12 September

Across recorded history, 1,450 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 12 September. Below are the 24 most widely documented — ranked by how many language editions of Wikipedia carry an article about them.

← September 11 September 13 →

Johnny Cash

1932–2003

American country singer

Johnny Cash was an American country singer known for his extensive career as a musician and songwriter.

Eugenio Montale

1896–1981

Italian poet

Eugenio Montale was an Italian poet known for his significant contributions to twentieth-century literature.

Steve Biko

1946–1977

South African anti-apartheid activist

Steve Biko was a South African anti-apartheid activist who founded the Black Consciousness Movement.

Norman Borlaug

1914–2009

American biologist

Norman Borlaug was an agronomist who developed high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat varieties to increase global food production.

Leonid Andreyev

1871–1919

Russian playwright, author and poet

Leonid Andreyev was a Russian writer known for his contributions to the development of expressionism in literature.

Anthony Perkins

1932–1992

American actor

Anthony Perkins was an American actor best known for his performance in the film Psycho.

François Guizot

1787–1874

French historian, orator and statesman

François Guizot was a French statesman who served as a prominent historian and orator.

Claude Chabrol

1930–2010

French film director

Claude Chabrol was a French film director known for his contributions to the New Wave movement.

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher

1742–1819

Prussian field marshal

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher was a Prussian field marshal who served as a military commander.

David Foster Wallace

1962–2008

American fiction writer and essayist

David Foster Wallace was an American novelist and essayist known for his complex literary works.

Otto Sander

1941–2013

German film, theater, and voice actor

Otto Sander was a German actor who performed in film, theater, and voice roles throughout his career.

Ian Paisley

1926–2014

politician and former church minister

Ian Paisley was a politician who served as a church minister.

Ernesto Geisel

1907–1996

military and president of Brazil

Ernesto Geisel was a Brazilian military officer who served as the president of Brazil.

Rainis

1865–1929

Latvian poet

Rainis was a Latvian poet who authored numerous literary works and plays.

George Reid

1845–1918

Australian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Australia and 12th Premier of New South Wales

George Reid was an Australian politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Australia and the twelfth Premier of New South Wales.

Raymond Burr

1917–1993

Canadian actor

Raymond Burr was an actor known for his roles in film, television, and stage productions.

Jeremy Brett

1933–1995

English actor

Jeremy Brett was an English actor best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in a television series.

Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges

1830–1889

French historian

Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges was a French historian who analyzed the influence of ancient religious institutions on the development of social structures.

Vladimir Bartol

1903–1967

Slovenian writer

Vladimir Bartol was a Slovenian writer best known for his novel Alamut.

Boris Borisovich Yegorov

1937–1994

Soviet cosmonaut

Boris Borisovich Yegorov was a physician and cosmonaut who served as a crew member on the Voskhod 1 mission.

Ray Dolby

1933–2013

American engineer and inventor of the Dolby noise reduction system

Ray Dolby was an electrical engineer who invented the Dolby noise reduction system.

Rachid Taha

1958–2018

Franco-Algerian singer

Rachid Taha was a Franco-Algerian singer known for his work as a recording artist.

Robert Lowell

1917–1977

American poet

Robert Lowell was an American poet known for his contributions to the confessional poetry movement.

Edmund Randolph

1753–1813

American attorney

Edmund Randolph was an American attorney who served as the first United States Attorney General and the second Secretary of State.

Source: Wikidata, released into the public domain under CC0. Snapshot: 2026-07. Names, dates and roles come from Wikidata; summaries are condensed from it. Nothing here is generated to fill a gap.