List of Famous people who are 79

Gunter Thielen was chairman and chief executive officer of the Bertelsmann Stiftung.

Pål Bjarne Tyldum is a retired cross-country skier from Norway. Specializing in the longer distances, he won a gold medal in the 50 km event at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, he won a gold medal in the 4 × 10 km relay. Additionally, he won three Olympic silver medals and seven national cross-country championships. His best result at the world championships was fourth place in the 30 km and 4 × 10 km relay in 1970.

Gilbert Guillaume Marie-Jean Aubry is the Réunionnais bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion, as well as a poet and a singer. Aubry has served as the bishop of the diocese, which is based in the city of Saint-Denis, Réunion, since his episcopal consecration on May 2, 1976.

Franciscus Jozef Maria (Frans) Wiertz is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was bishop of Roermond from 1993 until 2017.

Michael Rex Giles is an English drummer, percussionist and vocalist best known as one of the co-founders of King Crimson in 1969. Prior to the formation of King Crimson, he was part of the eccentric pop trio Giles, Giles and Fripp along with his brother, bassist Peter, and guitarist Robert Fripp. They were active between 1967-1968.

David Botstein is an American biologist serving as the chief scientific officer of Calico. He served as the director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University from 2003 to 2013, where he remains an Anthony B. Evnin Professor of Genomics.

Willis Reed Jr. is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was voted one of the "50 Greatest Players in NBA History".

Ewa Wiśniewska is a Polish actress. Her sister, Małgorzata Niemirska, is also an actress.