Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron of the arts, and noted by his contemporaries as a lyric poet and court playwright, but his volatile temperament precluded him from attaining any courtly or governmental responsibility and contributed to the dissipation of his estate.

12 April 1550

Born on the same birth day (12 April): Armen Alchian • Benoît de Maillet • Bill Bryden • Blerim Džemaili • Brooklyn Decker • Curtis Turner • George N. Briggs • Gustaf Cederström • Helen Forrest • Hiroki Sakai • István Anhalt • Manuel Neri • Raul Pompeia • Robin Anderson (tennis) • Sehun • Thomas Hemsley