List of Famous people who born in 1940

Alfreda Benge is a lyricist and illustrator. She was born in 1940 in Austria to a Polish mother, and came to England in 1947. Her stepfather, Ronald Benge, was a prominent librarian who established library schools in developing countries. She has been married to musician Robert Wyatt since 1974. She has contributed lyrics to many of his compositions, and has written lyrics for French musician/producer Bertrand Burgalat, and for Brazilian singer Monica Vasconcelos.

Neil Edward Goldschmidt is an American businessman and Democratic politician from the state of Oregon who held local, state and federal offices over three decades. After serving as the governor of Oregon, Goldschmidt was once considered the most influential and powerful figure in Oregon's politics. His career and legacy were severely damaged by revelations that he had raped a young teenage girl in 1973, during his first term as mayor of Portland.

Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo is an Italian diplomat who served as Deputy Secretary General of NATO from 2001 to 2007, and as acting Secretary General of NATO from 17 December 2003 to 1 January 2004, in between the tenures of George Robertson and Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Prior to being appointed Deputy Secretary General, he served as ambassador of Italy to the Western European Union and to the Committee for Policy and Security of the European Union. He is member of the Italy-USA Foundation.

Harry Northup is an American actor and poet. As an actor, he made frequent appearances in the films of Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme.