50+ Celebrities Born on June 11

Jules Burke
May 16, 2024 59 items

Stars align in more ways than one on June 11, a date that seems to have a knack for bringing future celebrities and historical figures both living and deceased into the world. This list celebrates those famous faces who first opened their eyes on this special day, exploring how they've made their mark across various fields from music, such as Britta Phillips, and film, like Shia LaBeouf and Peter Dinklage, to sports and beyond. Whether it's the charm of Hollywood or the thrill of the sports arena, such as Joe Montana, these individuals share more than just a birthday; they share an ability to captivate and inspire audiences around the globe. Here’s a look at some celebrities who celebrate their special day on June 11.

  • Shia LaBeouf
    Shia LaBeouf has been captivating audiences with his riveting performances since he first emerged on the entertainment scene. Born on June 11, 1986, in Los Angeles, California, LaBeouf had a challenging upbringing that saw him grow up in a financially unstable household. Despite these early struggles, he discovered an outlet for his creativity in performing arts, which led him to pursue an acting career. LaBeouf catapulted to stardom at the tender age of 14 when he landed the lead role in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens. His portrayal of the mischievous Louis Stevens earned him a Daytime Emmy Award, firmly establishing his acting credentials. From his youthful antics on television, LaBeouf seamlessly transitioned into more mature roles in films. His breakthrough came in 2007 with the action blockbuster Transformers, where he played the central character Sam Witwicky. The film's success solidified his status as a bankable star in Hollywood. Notably, he took on a challenging role in the semi-autobiographical film Honey Boy, where he portrayed a version of his own father. The film received critical acclaim, testifying to LaBeouf's indomitable spirit and undeniable talent. Despite the highs and lows of his career, Shia LaBeouf remains an intriguing figure in the world of cinema, continually surprising audiences with his intensity and versatility.
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  • Peter Dinklage
    Peter Dinklage, an American actor born in 1969 in Morristown, New Jersey, is known for his powerful performances that defy the stigmas often associated with his form of dwarfism, Achondroplasia. His journey into acting began at a young age, when he appeared in a fifth-grade production of The Velveteen Rabbit. He further honed his craft while studying drama at Bennington College in Vermont. Following graduation, Dinklage worked in a variety of day jobs while pursuing his acting career in off-Broadway productions. Dinklage's breakthrough performance came in 2003 with his role in the film The Station Agent. His portrayal of a man seeking solitude in an abandoned train station earned him critical acclaim and numerous award nominations. This led to a series of roles in films like Elf, Find Me Guilty, and Death at a Funeral. Despite the increasing recognition, Dinklage consistently refused roles that he felt stereotyped dwarfs, maintaining a strong commitment to integrity in his craft. However, it was his role as Tyrion Lannister in the television series Game of Thrones that solidified Dinklage's status as a global star. His portrayal of the witty, sharp-tongued, and deeply complex character won him four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Beyond his acting career, Dinklage is also an advocate for animal rights and a spokesperson for Cruelty Free International. Throughout his career, Peter Dinklage has proven to be not only a remarkable actor but also a figure of resilience and determination, breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes in Hollywood.
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  • Hugh Laurie
    Hugh Laurie, born James Hugh Calum Laurie on June 11, 1959, in Oxford, England, has made a significant impact on the entertainment industry with his multifaceted talents. The son of an Olympic gold medal-winning rower, Laurie followed his father's athletic footsteps and rowed while attending Eton College and Cambridge University. However, it was during his time at Cambridge that Laurie discovered his passion for performance, joining the prestigious Cambridge Footlights drama club. This decision marked the beginning of a successful career in acting, music, directing, and writing. Laurie first gained recognition as part of a comedy duo with Stephen Fry, starring in popular British shows such as A Bit of Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster. His breakthrough in American television came with his role as the irascible Dr. Gregory House on the medical drama House M.D., a role which earned him two Golden Globe awards and several Emmy nominations. Beyond acting, Laurie has also showcased his musical talents as a blues musician, releasing two well-received albums, Let Them Talk and Didn't It Rain. Despite his success in Hollywood, Laurie has never strayed far from his British roots. He has starred in a number of notable British productions, including the critically acclaimed miniseries The Night Manager and the political satire Veep. Beyond screen, Laurie's talents extend to the literary world as well; he authored the novel The Gun Seller, a thriller that was met with positive reviews.
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  • Gene Wilder
    Gene Wilder, born Jerome Silberman, was an influential figure in the world of film and theatre, known for his comedic genius and distinctive style. Born on June 11, 1933, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Wilder developed a passion for acting at a young age. He began studying drama at the University of Iowa, which led him to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in England, further honing his craft. His stage name, Gene Wilder, was inspired by character Eugene Gant from Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel and playwright Thornton Wilder, reflecting his deep respect for literature and theatre. Wilder's career took off after meeting Mel Brooks, a pivotal relationship that led to some of his most memorable roles in classic comedies such as The Producers, for which he received an Oscar nomination, and Young Frankenstein. However, it was his portrayal of the eccentric candy manufacturer in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory that solidified his status as a Hollywood legend. Wilder's performances were characterized by his unique ability to blend humor with heartfelt emotion, creating characters that were both hilarious and deeply human. Off-screen, Wilder was equally compelling. He was an active advocate for ovarian cancer awareness following the death of his third wife, Saturday Night Live comedian Gilda Radner, from the disease. His memoir, Kiss Me Like A Stranger, provides an intimate look into his personal life and career, including his struggles with mental health and his later life away from the spotlight. Wilder passed away on August 29, 2016, leaving behind a legacy of creativity, laughter, and enduring performances that continue to captivate audiences worldwide.
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  • Claire Holt
    Claire Rhiannon Holt (born 11 June 1988) is an Australian actress, known for her roles as Rebekah Mikaelson in the television series The Vampire Diaries and its spinoff series The Originals, Samara Cook in Pretty Little Liars, Emma in H2O: Just Add Water, and Kate in the survival horror film 47 Meters Down.
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  • Joe Montana
    Joe Montana, also known as "Joe Cool" and "The Comeback Kid," is a renowned figure in the world of American football. Born on June 11, 1956, in New Eagle, Pennsylvania, he displayed an early talent for sports, especially football and basketball. His prowess led him to the University of Notre Dame, where his remarkable performance as a quarterback cemented his reputation. He led the Fighting Irish to a national championship in 1977, thus setting the stage for his illustrious professional career. Montana's professional journey began with the San Francisco 49ers in 1979 after being selected in the third round of the NFL Draft. Over the next 14 seasons, Montana transformed the team into one of the most successful franchises in NFL history. With his exceptional skills and unflappable demeanor, he directed the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories (1982, 1985, 1989, 1990) and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times. His spectacular performance in these games earned him the reputation of being a clutch performer, capable of leading his team to victory even under the most stressful circumstances. After a two-year stint with the Kansas City Chiefs, Montana retired from professional football in 1995. His career was marked by numerous accolades, including eight Pro Bowl selections and two NFL MVP titles. In 2000, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a fitting tribute to his significant contribution to the sport. Post-retirement, Montana has remained connected to football through various roles, such as television analyst and corporate speaker, further extending his influence on the sport.
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  • Adrienne Barbeau
    Adrienne Jo Barbeau (born June 11, 1945) is an American actress, singer and the author of three books. Barbeau came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway's original Rizzo in the musical Grease, and as Carol Traynor, the divorced daughter of Maude Findlay (played by Beatrice Arthur) on the sitcom Maude (1972–1978). In 1980 she began appearing in horror and science fiction films, including The Fog (1980), Creepshow (1982), Swamp Thing (1982) and Escape from New York (1981). Other films included: Back to School (1986) and Argo (2012). During the 1990s, she became known for providing the voice of Catwoman on Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), and subsequent Batman cartoon series. In the 2000s, she appeared on the HBO series Carnivàle as Ruthie the snake dancer.
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  • Joshua Jackson
    Joshua Browning Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is an American-Canadian actor. He is known for his starring role as Pacey Witter in the teen drama series Dawson's Creek (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the science fiction series Fringe (2008–2013), Cole Lockhart in the drama series The Affair (2014–18), and Mickey Joseph in the drama miniseries When They See Us (2019). Jackson's best known films include The Mighty Ducks film series (1992–96), Cruel Intentions (1999), The Skulls (2000), and Shutter (2008). For his performance in the Canadian independent film One Week (2008), Jackson won the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
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  • Mehmet Öz
    Mehmet Cengiz Öz (born June 11, 1960), known professionally as Dr. Oz, is a Turkish American television personality, cardiothoracic surgeon, Columbia University professor, pseudoscience promoter, and author. Oprah Winfrey was the first guest on the Discovery Channel series, Second Opinion with Dr. Oz in 2003. Oz became a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show beginning in 2004, and made more than sixty appearances. In 2009, The Dr. Oz Show, a daily television program focusing on medical issues and personal health, was launched by Winfrey's Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television.He is a proponent of alternative medicine, and has been criticized by physicians, government officials, and publications, including Popular Science and The New Yorker, for giving non-scientific advice and promoting pseudoscience. In 2014 the British Medical Journal examined over 400 medical or health recommendations from 40 episodes of his program and found that only 46% of his claims were supported by reputable research, while 15% of his claims contradicted medical research and the remainder of Oz's advice were either vague banalities or unsupported by research.
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  • Ryan Dunn
    Ryan Matthew Dunn (June 11, 1977 – June 20, 2011) was an American stunt performer, comedian, and one of the stars of the MTV reality stunt show Jackass. Dunn rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the CKY Crew with his long-time friend, Bam Margera, for their extreme stunts and pranks recorded on camera, which led to the rise of Jackass. Dunn also hosted Homewrecker and Proving Ground, and appeared in the feature films Blonde Ambition and Street Dreams, as well as in Margera's films Haggard and Minghags. Dunn died in a car crash in 2011.
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  • Vince Lombardi
    Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football player, coach, and executive in the National Football League (NFL). He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight and five total NFL Championships in seven years, in addition to winning the first two Super Bowls at the conclusion of the 1966 and 1967 NFL seasons. Lombardi began his coaching career as an assistant and later as a head coach at St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey. He was an assistant coach at Fordham, at the United States Military Academy, and with the New York Giants before becoming a head coach for the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1967 and the Washington Redskins in 1969. He never had a losing season as a head coach in the NFL, compiling a regular season winning percentage of 72.8% (96–34–6), and 90% (9–1) in the postseason for an overall record of 105 wins, 35 losses, and 6 ties in the NFL.Although Lombardi was noted for his gruff demeanor and "iron discipline", he was far ahead of his time in creating a supportive environment for gay players, and he emphatically challenged existing Jim Crow Laws, and provided leadership to break the color barrier in football. He once said that he "... viewed his players as neither black nor white, but Packer green". Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized as one of the greatest coaches and leaders in the history of all American sports. The year after his sudden death from cancer in 1970, he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the NFL Super Bowl trophy was named in his honor.
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  • Henry Hill

    Henry Hill

    Henry Hill Jr. (June 11, 1943 – June 12, 2012) was an American criminal. Between 1955 and 1980, Hill was associated with the Lucchese crime family. In 1980, Hill became an FBI informant, and his testimony helped secure 50 convictions, including those of mob capo (captain) Paul Vario and James Burke on multiple charges. Hill's life story was documented in the true crime book Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family by Nicholas Pileggi. Wiseguy was subsequently adapted by Martin Scorsese into the critically acclaimed film Goodfellas, in which Hill was portrayed by Ray Liotta.
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  • Greta Van Susteren
    Greta Conway Van Susteren (born June 11, 1954) is an American commentator, lawyer, and former television news anchor for CNN, Fox News, and NBC News. She hosted Fox News's On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren for 14 years (2002–2016) before departing for MSNBC, where she hosted For the Record with Greta for roughly six months in 2017. A former criminal defense and civil trial lawyer, she appeared as a legal analyst on CNN co-hosting Burden of Proof with Roger Cossack from 1994 to 2002, playing defense attorney to Cossack's prosecutor. In 2016, she was listed as the 94th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, up from 99th in 2015.
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  • Maya Moore
    Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), who is on sabbatical. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, Sports Illustrated called Moore the greatest player in the history of women's basketball.In high school, she was the National Gatorade Player of the Year, the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, and a McDonald's All-American. She played forward for the UConn women's basketball team, and won back to back national championships in 2009 and 2010. She was selected as the John Wooden Award winner in 2009 after leading Connecticut to the undefeated national championship. The following season, Moore led Connecticut to its second straight national championship and continued its overall undefeated streak at 78; in the 2010–11 season, she led the Huskies in extending that streak to an NCAA both-gender record (all divisions) of 90. That season, Moore became the first female basketball player to sign with Jordan Brand. After the 2017 season, her win-loss record in the U.S. since high school was 497–78.Moore was the first overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft, and joined a Minnesota Lynx team that already featured all-star caliber players in Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whalen. Since 2011, Moore has continued to excel, both with the Lynx and with overseas teams in Europe and China. Moore has won four WNBA championships (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017), WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2014), WNBA Finals MVP Award (2013), three WNBA All-Star Game MVPs (2015, 2017, 2018), two Olympic gold medals, (2012, 2016), scoring title (2014), and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2011). She has also been selected to four WNBA All-Star teams and three All-WNBA teams. In 2012, she won both the Spanish league title and EuroLeague title playing for Ros Casares Valencia. From 2013 to 2015, Moore also won the Chinese league title every year.
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  • Yui Aragaki
    Yui Aragaki (新垣 結衣, Aragaki Yui, born June 11, 1988) is a Japanese actress, model, singer and occasional radio show host. She was selected as the most desired girlfriend and the most desired female celebrity face on the Oricon's yearly survey for several times.
  • Kim Hee-sun
    Kim Hee-sun (born June 11, 1977) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s with leading roles in television series such as Men of the Bath House (1995), Propose (1997), Wedding Dress (1997), Forever Yours (1998), Mister Q (1998), Sunflower (1998), and Tomato (1999). Kim also starred in the martial arts films Bichunmoo (2000) and The Myth (2005), historical media drama Faith (2012), teen drama Angry Mom (2015) and mystery drama The Lady in Dignity (2017). In 2018, Kim starred in tvN's mystery drama Room No. 9. The same year she confirmed her return to the big screen with independent film Paper Flower. In 2020, Kim starred in the science fiction romance drama Alice which was broadcast on SBS in 2020 and released worldwide on Netflix in 2021.
  • Diana Taurasi
    Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and UMMC Ekaterinburg of Russia. She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Since the day she was drafted, Taurasi has won three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, 2014), one WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2009), two WNBA Finals MVP Awards (2009, 2014), four Olympic gold medals, (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016), five scoring titles (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004), and three FIBA World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018). She is one of only 11 women to attain all four accolades. She has also been selected to seven WNBA All-Star teams and nine All-WNBA teams. In 2011, she was voted by fans as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time. On June 18, 2017, Taurasi became the WNBA all-time leading scorer.Taurasi is considered one of the greatest women to play basketball. Her penchant for scoring in crucial situations has earned her the nickname "White Mamba", first coined by Kobe Bryant. Current Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton also labelled her as the Michael Jordan of the WNBA.
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  • Richard Strauss
    Richard Georg Strauss (German pronunciation: [ˈʁɪçaɐ̯t ˈʃtʁaʊs]; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra, Die Frau ohne Schatten and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; his tone poems, including Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration, Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Also sprach Zarathustra, Ein Heldenleben, Symphonia Domestica, and An Alpine Symphony; and other instrumental works such as Metamorphosen and his Oboe Concerto. Strauss was also a prominent conductor in Western Europe and the Americas, enjoying quasi-celebrity status as his compositions became standards of orchestral and operatic repertoire. Strauss, along with Gustav Mahler, represents the late flowering of German Romanticism after Richard Wagner, in which pioneering subtleties of orchestration are combined with an advanced harmonic style.
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  • Lisa Donovan
    Lisa Donovan (born June 11, 1980) is an American Internet personality best known from YouTube. She is one of the co-founders of Maker Studios, a YouTube video network which provides production and marketing services for over 1,000 YouTube channels.She was also a founder of Zappin Productions, a production company that specialized in viral videos.
  • Jacques-Yves Cousteau
    Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (French: [ʒak iv kusto]; 11 June 1910 – 25 June 1997), was a French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the aqua-lung, pioneered marine conservation and was a member of the Académie française. Cousteau described his underwater world research in a series of books, perhaps the most successful being his first book, The Silent World: A Story of Undersea Discovery and Adventure, published in 1953. Cousteau also directed films, most notably the documentary adaptation of the book, The Silent World, which won a Palme d'or at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. He remained the only person to win a Palme d'Or for a documentary film, until Michael Moore won the award in 2004 for Fahrenheit 9/11.
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  • Ben Jonson
    Benjamin Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet, whose artistry exerted a lasting impact upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours. He is best known for the satirical plays Every Man in His Humour (1598), Volpone, or The Fox (c. 1606), The Alchemist (1610) and Bartholomew Fair (1614) and for his lyric and epigrammatic poetry. "He is generally regarded as the second most important English dramatist, after William Shakespeare, during the reign of James I."Jonson was a classically educated, well-read and cultured man of the English Renaissance with an appetite for controversy (personal and political, artistic and intellectual) whose cultural influence was of unparalleled breadth upon the playwrights and the poets of the Jacobean era (1603–1625) and of the Caroline era (1625–1642).
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  • Daniel Howell
    Daniel James "Dan" Howell (born 11 June 1991) is a British YouTuber and former radio personality. He is best known for his YouTube channel Daniel Howell (formerly known as danisnotonfire), which has reached over six million subscribers. Together with frequent collaborator Phil Lester, Howell presented Sunday night entertainment show Dan and Phil on BBC Radio 1 from January 2013 until August 2014, and presented the station's Internet Takeover slot from September 2014 until April 2016.
  • Chad Everett
    Raymon Lee Cramton (June 11, 1937 – July 24, 2012), known professionally as Chad Everett, was an American actor who appeared in more than 40 films and television series. He was well known for his role as Dr. Joe Gannon in the television drama Medical Center which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.
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  • Ivana Baquero
    Ivana Baquero Macías (born 11 June 1994) is a Spanish actress. At the age of 11, she was chosen by director Guillermo del Toro to star as Ofelia in Pan's Labyrinth, for which she won critical acclaim and the Goya Award for Best New Actress. In 2015, she was cast as Eretria in the television series The Shannara Chronicles.
  • Jeannette Rankin
    Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was an American politician and women's rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940. As of 2019, she remains the only woman Montana has elected to Congress. Each of Rankin's Congressional terms coincided with initiation of U.S. military intervention in the two World Wars. A lifelong pacifist, she was one of 50 House members who opposed the declaration of war on Germany in 1917. In 1941, she was the only member of Congress to vote against declaring war on Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor. A suffragist during the Progressive Era, Rankin organized and lobbied for legislation enfranchising women in several states including Montana, New York, and North Dakota. While in Congress, she introduced legislation that eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. She championed a multitude of diverse women's rights and civil rights causes throughout a career that spanned more than six decades.
  • Jackie Stewart
    Sir John Young "Jackie" Stewart, (born 11 June 1939) is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland. Nicknamed the "Flying Scot", he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships, and twice finishing as runner-up over those nine seasons. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport.Outside of Formula One, he narrowly missed out on a win at his first attempt at the Indianapolis 500 in 1966, and competed in the Can-Am series in 1970 and 1971. Between 1997 and 1999, in partnership with his son, Paul, he was team principal of the Stewart Grand Prix Formula One racing team. Stewart was also instrumental in improving the safety of motor racing, campaigning for better medical facilities and track improvements at motor racing circuits.
  • Saxon Sharbino
    Saxon Paige Sharbino is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Amelia Robbins in the Fox series Touch and the 2010 horror film I Spit on Your Grave. She is set to play Kendra Bowen in the 2015 remake of Poltergeist.
  • Choi Ji-woo
    Choi Ji-woo (born Choi Mi-hyang on June 11, 1975) is a South Korean actress. She is known for starring in the television melodramas Beautiful Days (2001), Winter Sonata (2002), Stairway to Heaven (2003), The Suspicious Housekeeper (2013) and Temptation (2014) and the romantic comedy series Twenty Again (2015) and Woman with a Suitcase (2016).
  • Felipe Esparza
    Felipe Esparza is a Mexican born American stand-up comedian and actor. He began performing stand-up in 1994. He won Last Comic Standing in 2010. Esparza has hosted a weekly podcast called What's Up Fool? since 2014.
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  • Charles B. Rangel
    Charles Bernard Rangel (; born June 11, 1930) is an American politician who was a U.S. Representative for districts in New York from 1971 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second-longest serving incumbent member of the House of Representatives at the time of his retirement, serving continuously since 1971. As its most senior member, he was also the Dean of New York's congressional delegation. Rangel was the first African-American Chair of the influential House Ways and Means Committee. He is also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Rangel was born in Harlem in Upper Manhattan and lives there to this day. He earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he led a group of soldiers out of a deadly Chinese army encirclement during the Battle of Kunu-ri in 1950. Rangel graduated from New York University in 1957 and St. John's University School of Law in 1960. He then worked as a private lawyer, Assistant U.S. Attorney, and legal counsel during the early-mid-1960s. He served two terms in the New York State Assembly, from 1967 to 1971, and then defeated long-time incumbent Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in a primary challenge on his way to being elected to the House of Representatives. Once there, Rangel rose rapidly in the Democratic ranks, combining solidly liberal views with a pragmatic approach towards finding political and legislative compromises. His long-time concerns with battling the importation and effects of illegal drugs led to his becoming chair of the House Select Committee on Narcotics, where he helped define national policy on the issue during the 1980s. As one of Harlem's "Gang of Four", he also became a leader in New York City and State politics. He played a significant role in the creation of the 1995 Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation and the national Empowerment Zone Act, which helped change the economic face of Harlem and other inner-city areas. Rangel is known both for his genial manner, with an ability to win over fellow legislators, and for his blunt speaking; he has long been outspoken about his views and has been arrested several times as part of political demonstrations. He was a strong opponent of the George W. Bush administration and the Iraq War, and he put forth proposals to reinstate the draft during the 2000s. Beginning in 2008, Rangel faced a series of personal legal issues focusing on ethics violations and allegations of failures to abide by the tax laws. The House Ethics Committee focused on whether Rangel improperly rented multiple rent-stabilized New York apartments, improperly used his office in raising money for the Rangel Center at the City College of New York, and failed to disclose rental income from his villa in the Dominican Republic. In March 2010, Rangel stepped aside as Ways and Means Chair. In November 2010, the Ethics Committee found Rangel guilty of 11 counts of violating House ethics rules, and on December 2, 2010, the full House approved a sanction of censure against him. During the 2012 and 2014 elections Rangel faced two strong primary challenges in a now primarily Hispanic district but prevailed. He did not run for re-election in 2016 and left office in January 2017.