Celebrity birthdays for the week of Feb. 2-8:
Feb. 2: Singer Graham Nash is 83. Singer Howard Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers is 79. TV chef Ina Garten (“Barefoot Contessa”) is 77. Actor Jack McGee (“The McCarthys”) is 76. Actor Brent Spiner (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 76. Bassist Ross Valory of Journey is 76. Model Christie Brinkley is 71. Actor Michael Talbott (“Miami Vice”) is 70. Actor Kim Zimmer (“Guiding Light”) is 70. Actor Michael T. Weiss (“The Pretender”) is 63. Comedian Adam Ferrara (“Rescue Me”) is 59. Bassist Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots is 59. Actor Jennifer Westfeldt (“Kissing Jessica Stein”) is 55. Rapper T-Mo (Goodie Mob) is 53. Actor Marissa Jaret Winokur is 52. Actor Lori Beth Denberg (“The Steve Harvey Show”) is 49. Steel guitarist Jesse Siebenberg of Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real is 49. Singer Shakira is 48. Actor Rich Sommer (“Mad Men” Film: “The Devil Wears Prada”) is 47. Actor Zosia Mamet (“Girls”) is 37.
Feb. 3: Actor Blythe Danner is 82. Guitarist Dave Davies of The Kinks is 78. Actor Morgan Fairchild is 75. Actor Pamela Franklin (“The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”) is 75. Actor Nathan Lane is 69. Guitarist Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth is 69. Actor Thomas Calabro (“Melrose Place”) is 66. Drummer Lol Tolhurst (The Cure) is 66. Actor Michele Greene (“L.A. Law”) is 63. Country singer Matraca Berg is 61. Actor Maura Tierney (“ER,” ″NewsRadio”) is 60. Actor Warwick Davis (“Harry Potter” films, “Willow”) is 55. Actor Elisa Donovan (“Clueless”) is 54. Singer Daddy Yankee is 49. Actor Isla Fisher is 49. Singer Jessica Harp (The Wreckers) is 43. Actor Matthew Moy (“2 Broke Girls”) is 41. Rapper Sean Kingston is 35. Actor Brandon Micheal Hall (“God Friended Me”) is 32.
Feb. 4: Actor Jerry Adler (“The Good Wife,” ″The Sopranos”) is 96. Actor Gary Conway (“Burke’s Law”) is 89. Drummer John Steel of The Animals is 84. Singer Florence LaRue of the Fifth Dimension is 83. Singer Alice Cooper is 77. Actor Michael Beck is 76. Actor Lisa Eichhorn is 73. Singer Tim Booth of James is 65. Country singer Clint Black is 63. Guitarist Noodles of The Offspring is 62. Bassist Dave Buchanan of Yankee Grey is 59. Actor Gabrielle Anwar (“The Tudors”) is 55. “Daily Show” correspondent Rob Corddry is 54. Actor Michael Goorjian (“Party of Five”) is 54. TV personality Nicolle Wallace (“The View”) is 53. Bassist Rick Burch of Jimmy Eat World is 50. Singer Natalie Imbruglia is 50. Rapper Cam’ron is 49. Singer Gavin DeGraw is 48. Singer Zoe Manville of Portugal. The Man is 41. Actor Ashley Thomas (“Salvation,” ″24: Legacy”) is 40. Actor Charlie Barnett (“Secrets and Lies,” ″Chicago Fire”) is 37. Actor Kyla Kenedy (“Speechless”) is 22.
Feb. 5: Actor David Selby (“Dark Shadows,” ″Falcon Crest”) is 84. Singer Al Kooper (Blood, Sweat and Tears) is 81. Actor Charlotte Rampling is 79. Actor-director-comedian Christopher Guest is 77. Actor Barbara Hershey is 77. Actor-comedian Tim Meadows (“Saturday Night Live”) is 64. Actor Jennifer Jason Leigh is 63. Actor Laura Linney is 61. Bassist Duff McKagan of Velvet Revolver (and Guns N’ Roses) is 61. Actor Chris Parnell is 58. Singer Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors is 58. Singer Bobby Brown is 56. Actor Michael Sheen (“Masters of Sex,” ″Frost/Nixon,” ″Twilight” films) is 56. Actor David Chisum (“Black Box,” ″One Life to Live”) is 55. Country singer Sara Evans is 54. Country singer Tyler Farr is 41. Keyboardist Mark Shusterman of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats is 40. Actor Darren Criss (“Glee”) is 38. Actor Henry Golding (“Crazy Rich Asians”) is 38. Keyboardist Kyle Simmons of Bastille is 37. Actor Jeremy Sumpter (“Friday Night Lights,” ″Peter Pan”) is 36. Drummer Graham Sierota of Echosmith is 26.
Feb. 6: Actor Mamie Van Doren is 94. Actor Mike Farrell is 86. NBC news anchorman Tom Brokaw is 85. Singer Fabian is 82. Actor Gayle Hunnicutt is 82. Actor Michael Tucker (“L.A. Law”) is 80. Actor Jon Walmsley (“The Waltons”) is 69. Actor Kathy Najimy (“Veronica’s Closet,” ″King of the Hill”) is 68. Drummer Simon Phillips of Toto is 68. Actor-director Robert Townsend (“The Parent ’Hood”) is 68. Actor Barry Miller (“Saturday Night Fever,” ″Fame”) is 67. Actor Megan Gallagher (“Millennium”) is 65. Country singer Richie McDonald of Lonestar is 63. Vocalist Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses is 63. Singer Rick Astley is 59. Bassist Tim Brown of the Boo Radleys is 56. TV host Amy Robach (formerly of “Good Morning America”) is 52. Actor Josh Stewart (“Criminal Minds,” ″Third Watch”) is 48. Actor Ben Lawson (“Designated Survivor”) is 45. Actor Crystal Reed (“Teen Wolf”) is 40. Actor Anna Diop (“24: Legacy”) is 37. Singer Tinashe is 32.
Feb. 7: Comedian Robert Smigel (Triumph the Insult Comic Dog) is 65. Actor James Spader is 65. Country singer Garth Brooks is 63. Keyboardist David Bryan of Bon Jovi is 63. Comedian Chris Rock is 60. Actor Jason Gedrick (“Windfall,” ″Boomtown”) is 58. Actor Essence Atkins (“Half and Half,” ″Smart Guy”) is 53. Guitarist Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit is 50. Bassist Tom Blankenship of My Morning Jacket is 47. Actor Ashton Kutcher is 47. Actor Tina Majorino (“Napoleon Dynamite,” ″Veronica Mars”) is 40. Actor Deborah Ann Woll (“True Blood”) is 40.
Feb. 8: Composer-conductor John Williams is 93. ABC News anchor Ted Koppel is 85. Actor Nick Nolte is 84. Comedian Robert Klein is 83. Actor-guitarist Creed Bratton (“The Office”) (The Grass Roots) is 82. Actor Brooke Adams is 76. Actor Mary Steenburgen is 72. Author John Grisham is 70. Actor Henry Czerny (“Revenge,” ″The Tudors”) is 66. Singer Vince Neil of Motley Crue is 64. Actor Missy Yager (“Manchester by the Sea”) is 57. Actor Mary McCormack is 56. Actor Susan Misner (“Billions,” “The Americans”) is 54. Musician Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk is 51. Actor Seth Green (“Austin Powers,” ″Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is 51. Actor Joshua Morrow (“The Young and the Restless”) is 51. Bassist Phoenix of Linkin Park is 48. Actor William Jackson Harper (“The Good Place”) is 44. Actor Jim Parrack (“True Blood”) is 44. Musician Joey Ryan of Milk Carton Kids is 43. Actor Cecily Strong (“Saturday Night Live”) is 41. Musician Anderson .Paak (solo and with Silk Sonic) is 39. Actor Karle Warren (“Judging Amy”) is 33.
Actor Cecily Strong attends the Concert For America fundraising benefit at The Town Hall on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday even as he has questioned her credibility to take over her country after the U.S. ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.
The Nobel Institute has said Machado could not give her prize to Trump, an honor that he has coveted. Even if it the gesture proves to be purely symbolic, it was extraordinary given that Trump has effectively sidelined Machado, who has long been the face of resistance in Venezuela. He has signaled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who had been Maduro’s second in command.
“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize," Machado told reporters after leaving the White House and heading to Capitol Hill. She said she had done so "as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Trump has raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela, giving no timetable on when elections might be held. Machado indicated that he had provided few specifics on that front during their discussion.
She did not provide more information on what was said, and the White House did not say if Trump accepted the medal or offer other details of its own.
After a closed-door meeting with Trump, Machado greeted dozens of cheering supporters waiting for her near the White House gates, stopping to hug many.
“We can count on President Trump,” she told them without elaborating, prompting some to briefly chant, “Thank you, Trump.”
Before her visit to Washington, Machado had not been seen in public since she traveled last month to Norway, where her daughter received the peace prize on her behalf. She had spent 11 months in hiding in Venezuela before she appeared in Norway after the ceremony.
The jubilant scene after her meeting with Trump stood in contrast to political realities in Venezuela. Rodríguez remains in charge of day-to-day government operations, along with others in Maduro’s inner circle. In her first state of the union speech Thursday, the interim president promoted the resumption of diplomatic ties between the historic adversaries and advocated for opening the state-run oil industry to more foreign investment after Trump pledged to seize control of Venezuelan crude sales.
Trump has said it would be difficult for Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Machado “a remarkable and brave voice” but also said the meeting didn’t mean Trump’s opinion of her changed, calling it “a realistic assessment.”
Leavitt told reporters that Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might be.
Leavitt said Machado had sought the face-to-face meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. She spent about two and a half hours at the White House.
“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado," the press secretary said while the meeting was still going on, other than to have a ”frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”
After leaving the White House, Machado went on to a closed-door meeting with a bipartisan group of senators.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Machado told them that “if there’s not some progress, real progress towards a transition in power, and/or elections in the next several months, we should all be worried.”
“She reminded us that Delcy Rodríguez is, in many ways, worse than Maduro,” he added.
Asked if Machado had heard any commitment from the White House on holding elections in Venezuela, Murphy said, “No, I don’t think she got any commitment from them."
Sen. Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican, was exultant following the meeting, saying Machado "delivered a message that loud and clear: What President Trump did was the most important, significant event in Latin America. That getting rid of Maduro was absolutely essential.”
Machado's Washington stop coincided with U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seizing another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela. It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife less than two weeks ago at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.
Leavitt said Venezuela's interim authorities have been fully cooperating with the Trump administration and noted that Rodríguez's government said it planned to release more prisoners detained under Maduro. Among those released were five Americans this week.
Trump said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.
Just hours after Maduro's capture, Trump said of Machado that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader.” Machado had steered a careful course to avoid offending Trump, notably after winning the peace prize, and had sought to cultivate relationships with him and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate, Machado began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the nongovernmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.
A year later, she drew the anger of Chávez and his allies again for traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush, whom Chávez considered an adversary.
Almost two decades later, she marshaled millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez’s successor, Maduro, for another term in the 2024 election. But ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Ensuing anti-government protests ended in a brutal crackdown.
Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves, Michelle L. Price and Matthew Lee in Washington, and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is welcomed at the Capitol before a meeting with senators, from left, Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient visits American leaders two weeks after President Donald Trump toppled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a stunning military raid, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, center, leaves the Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, center, is welcomed by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., left, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., far left, and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., right, as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient visits American leaders at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado smiles on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
FILE - U.S. President George Bush, right, meets with Maria Corina Machado, executive director of Sumate, a non-governmental organization that defends Venezuelan citizens' political rights, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, May 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, file)
