August 18th

08-18-1906 – 10-31-1996 Marcel Carné – Born in Paris, France. He was a French film director. His best-known film, Children of Paradise (1945), is considered one of the greatest films of all time. During WWII, Carné worked in the Vichy zone, several of his film team were Jewish. It was under difficult conditions that the film was made. It was released after the liberation of France. In the late 1990s, the film was voted “Best French Film of the Century.” His last film was made in 1976. Carné was an out gay man and several of his later films contained references to male homosexuality. His one-time lover was actor Roland Lesaffre, who appeared in many of his films.

08-18-1983 Mika – Born in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a Lebanese-British singer and songwriter. After recording Dodgy Holiday, Mika was named number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2007 in an annual BBC poll of music critics. He released his first full-length album, Life in Cartoon Motion on Island Records in 2007, which sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide. His latest album, No Place in Heaven, was released June 15, 2015. In an August 2012 interview with the magazine Instinct, the singer confirmed that he is gay.

08-18-1953 Jim Gray – Born in Glasgow, Kentucky, He is the first openly gay mayor of Lexington, Kentucky. On January 26,2016, Gray announced that he is running for the U.S. Senate in 2016. The seat is currently held by Republican Rand Paul. Gray was married for seven years and has no children. He publicly announced he is gay in 2005.