Who Was Alive

Were William Golding and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. William Golding and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 31 years, from 1961 to 1993.

William Golding was 49 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 31 when William Golding died, aged 81.

William Golding

British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate

Born 19 September 1911 · died 19 June 1993, aged 81

Barack Obama

44th President of the United States

Born 4 August 1961 · living, 65 as of September 2026

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Adolf Hitler
  3. Ronald Reagan
  4. William Golding
  5. Nelson Mandela
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
William Golding and Barack Obama in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.