List of Famous people who born in 1956

Natalia Yevgenievna Pavlova is a Russian pair skating coach and former competitor for the Soviet Union.

Igor Yusufov is a former Russian energy Minister who served during Vladimir Putin's first term as President. He is Director on the board of Gazprom & founder and Chairman of Fund Energy, an investment vehicle focusing on operating companies in energy, oil and gas, mining and infrastructure in Russia and Europe. In 2012, media reports linked Fund Energy to a potential purchase of the Coryton Refinery in Essex, England.

David T. Friendly is an American film producer best known for co-producing the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Russell William "Rusty" Wallace Jr. is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He has won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Over the years, Wallace has been inducted in the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2013), the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2013), the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2014) and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (2010).

Laila Soueif is an Egyptian human and women's rights activist, a mathematician and professor at Cairo University. Al Jazeera has called her "an Egyptian revolutionary". She is the widow of fellow activist Ahmed Seif El-Islam, and all three of their children are noted activists: Alaa Abd El-Fattah, Sanaa Seif, and Mona Seif. Her sister is the novelist Ahdaf Soueif.

Maria João Monteiro Grancha is a Portuguese jazz singer. She is known for her vocal flexibility and improvisational skills. Although considered a jazz singer, she incorporates folk music, avant-garde, and electronica.