A Celebration of Five Business-Minded Celebrity Capricorns

A new year means many things – including Capricorn’s annual astrology spotlight. Known for their practicality and ambition, these January babies are one of the most career-driven signs of the zodiac. Those born between December 22 and January 19 are frequently imbued with professional values and an independent nature – also known as the secret to Capricorn’s success.

Unlike their fiery predecessors, Capricorns tend to stay focused on the finish line ahead and are known as the most “serious-minded of the signs” (My Horoscope). In fact, it’s their “eyes on the prize” mentality that makes these dedicated mountain goats respected professionals in whatever realm they choose. But no one ever succeeded with an all work and no play mentality. Capricorn are also known for their dark, sarcastic sense of humor and an affinity for the finer things – which also helps motivate them to work tirelessly towards their goals.

With such dedication, it’s no wonder that some of our favorite celebrity women have been born under the sign of Capricorn. Celebrate a few birthdays below, and find out how these entertainment powerhouses harnessed their mountain goat potential to succeed in all things entertainment.

Diane Sawyer: December 22, 1945
As one of today’s most respected journalists, Diane Sawyer has had a glorious career in news broadcasting. Though she started her climb as a weather forecaster for a local Kentucky news channel, Sawyer’s ambitious personality took her far beyond rain predictions. After moving to Washington D.C., Sawyer became a staff writer for the White House and eventually rose to staff assistant for President Richard Nixon. After Nixon’s resignation, she continued to work with the politician – assisting him with the writing of his memoirs, which were published in 1978. That same year Sawyer returned to news broadcasting, this time at CBS. Since then she has worked on 60 Minutes, and ABC’s Primetime, 20/20, and Good Morning America. After a five year run as the anchor for World News, Sawyer left the position the past August to focus a bit more time on her family. But stepping down does not spell retirement for this Capricorn. She continues to work for ABC on investigative news stories, and will help oversee a new broadcast. After nearly 50 years in journalism, Sawyer is considered a trailblazer for women in her field. In 2013, she was ranked number 73 on Forbes most powerful women list.

Maggie Smith: December 28, 1934
After six decades in the acting business, it might be easy to fade into the background of modern day pop culture. But not if you’re Maggie Smith. This ambitious, 80-year old Capricorn has managed to stay front and center with crucial roles in both the Harry Potter Series and Masterpiece’s Downton Abbey. Over the years, Smith has dominated all three pillars of the acting world: theater, film, and television. She’s won two Academy Awards, including 1969’s Best Actress for her performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and 1978’s Best Supporting Actress for California Suite. According to FilmSite.org, she is one of only five actresses to win an Oscar for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. While her stage career has frequently focused on Shakespeare roles (from Viola to Desdemona), her Capricorn humor shines through in many of her filmed roles, including the quippy and quick, Dowager Countess of Grantham, a role for which she’s won two Emmy Awards. Aside from a career that’s spanned the better half of a century, Smith’s Capricorn determination seems most-recently apparent in her spot-on portrayal of the beloved Harry Potter character, Professor Minerva McGonagall. She appeared in all eight films, despite her breast cancer battle in 2008. This British dame has been awarded honorary Doctor of Letters’ from Universities all over the UK, including Cambridge, and in 1990 she was given the actual title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. This past year she was made a Companion for the Order of the Companions of Honour in honor of her dramatic works and talent.

Gabby Douglas: December 31, 1995
At 19, this Olympic Gold Medalist might just be the youngest woman on all our birthday lists. During the 2012 Summer Olympics, Gabby Douglas not only helped take the U.S. gymnastics team to a gold medal victory, she also took home the gold for the gymnastic individual all-around event. That year, Douglas – originally from Virginia Beach, VA – snagged many firsts. Not only was she the first African American to win the individual event, she also became the first American, and first woman gymnast to take home the gold medal in both individual and team competitions in the same Olympics. Though her older sister instilled a love for gymnastics in Douglas when she was just a toddler, she didn’t start formal training until she was six – a late start for most Olympic gymnasts. Two years later, her Capricorn focus led her to become the Gymnastics State Champion of Virginia, and at 14 she left her home and her family to train under the renowned gymnast coach, Liang Chow, in Iowa. At the 2011 World Championships she won the Team Gold, and the following year she placed first in the Olympic Trials – “earning the only guaranteed spot on the Olympic Team” (GabbyDouglas.com). Today, this goal-oriented Cap has become a role model for young girls all over the world. She’s graced magazine covers, met President Obama, and worked with Nike to create specialized Gabby Douglas workouts. And come 2016, she’ll once again take the balance beam for the next Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Shonda Rhimes: January 13, 1970
Today, Shonda Rhimes just might be the most powerful woman in television. The youngest of six children, Rhimes has never been one to sit around and wait for something to happen. A born storyteller, Rhimes graduated from Dartmouth College and went on to earn her MFA at University of Southern California. Soon after graduation, Rhimes was hired to write her first feature film screenplay – Crossroads starring Britney Spears, quickly followed by Anne Hathaway’s The Princess Diaries 2. But her transition to television work came about after the 9/11 tragedy and her subsequent adoption of daughter, Harper Lee. While caring for her baby girl, Rhimes was inspired to write the pilot screenplay for what would become Grey’s Anatomy. The well-loved medical drama started its 11th season this past fall and has received more than 25 Emmy nominations, and a handful of wins. Rhimes, the show’s creator, executive producer, and showrunner has also won a Golden Globe for Best Television Series—Drama. Grey’s Anatomy led to a 2007 spinoff, Private Practice, which was also created and run by Rhimes. But, like a true Capricorn, Rhimes wanted to climb even higher. In 2012 her third TV series – Scandal – premiered directly after Grey’s Anatomy. The show, starring Kerry Washington, became an immediate success and helped win Rhimes several GLAAD Media and NAACP Image Awards for her ability and determination to cover the important issues of race and sexuality. As of this past September, Rhimes unofficially owns Thursday night television with the premier of How to Get Away with Murder, for which she is the executive producer. In May of 2007, Time Magazine named Rhimes one of the 100 people who help shape the world.

Dolly Parton: January 19, 1946
By the time Dolly Parton was ten years old, she was writing her own music and performing professionally. A child prodigy of sorts, Parton was only 13 when she performed on the Grand Ole Opry. After graduating from high school she left her hometown in rural Appalachia and moved to Nashville in order to pursue her music career. By 1967, Parton partnered with Porter Wagoner and together they recorded multiple country music hits. 1971’s “Joshua” was her first number one single, but certainly not her last. Six years later she became one of the first crossover country pop stars with “Here You Come Again.” The song not only dominated the charts, but also won Parton her first Grammy Award. After such a successful decade, Parton decided to take on the movie industry, starring in 1980’s 9 to 5. She was also featured on the soundtrack. Over the next twenty years, Parton recorded with a slew of other talented women including Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Alison Krauss; she’s also tried her hand at bluegrass with her 1999 album The Grass Is Blue, which won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album that same year. The hardworking Capricorn is one of few artists to be honored at the annual Kennedy Center Honors, and in 1999 she was conducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. With more than 3,000 songs penned under her hand, Parton is also one of the few to be nominated for an Oscar, Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award. She’s written several books, including 2012’s Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You, and also helped write songs for a musical based on 9 to 5. But she’s not one to take herself too seriously. In 1986 she opened her own theme park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, TN. The amusement park is still open and is one of Tennessee’s biggest tourist destinations.

Of course, these aren’t the only inspiring Capricorn women. Some other notable mountain goat ladies include Julia Luis-Dreyfus, Dianne Keaton, and Patti Smith. So happy birthday, Capricorns! May it be filled with sarcasm, and immeasurable success!

Photos courtesy of PBS Press, Wikipedia, and Wiki Commons