Portrait of George A. Romero

Birthday profile

George A. Romero

George A. Romero, American director and producer (died 2017)

Born
February 4, 1940
Died
July 16, 2017
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1940

About George A. Romero

George Andrew Romero (; February 4, 1940 – July 16, 2017) was an American and Canadian filmmaker, writer, editor, and actor. Regarded as an influential pioneer of the horror film genre, particularly zombie films, he has been described as an "icon" and the "father of the zombie film". The first three films in his Night of the Living Dead series—Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), and Day of the Dead (1985)—are widely regarded as among the best and most influential horror films ever made, and were major contributors to the modern cultural image of the zombie. Noted for his frequent social commentary, Romero had a prolific career outside of zombie films, although still largely within the horror genre. The Crazies (1973), The Amusement Park (1975), Martin (1977), Creepshow (1982), and Monkey Shines (1988) are regarded as minor cult works, as is his anthology television series Tales from the Darkside (1983–1988). His ventures outside horror include the feminist drama film Season of the Witch (1972) and the action film Knightriders (1981), while his final three films—Land of the Dead (2005), Diary of the Dead (2007), and Survival of the Dead (2009)—form the second half of his Night of the Living Dead franchise. == Early life == Romero was born on February 4, 1940, in the New York City borough of the Bronx, the son of Anne Romero (Dvorsky) and George M. Romero, a commercial artist. His mother was Lithuanian, and his father was from Spain and had emigrated to Cuba as a child. His father has been reported as being born in A Coruña, with his family coming from the Galician town of Neda, although Romero once described his father as of Castilian descent. Raised in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, he would frequently ride the subway into Manhattan to rent film reels to view at his house.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

The world when George A. Romero was born

George A. Romero was born in 1940. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1940

  • #1 song"In the Mood" – Glenn Miller
  • Top movieRebecca
  • Best-selling bookFor Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentFirst televised college basketball game
  • Top headlineWinston Churchill becomes British Prime Minister
  • Technology milestoneFirst McDonald's restaurant opens
  • Defining fadSwing music hits its peak
  • Notable inventionJeep (military vehicle)
  • World population2.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
  • Sports championCincinnati Reds (World Series)
  • U.S. population132.2M

1940 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in George A. Romero's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19402026
Gas$0.18$3.45/gal
Average home$5,300$435,000
Average income$3,100$67,500
Minimum wage$0.30$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population132.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.