Who Was Alive

Were Doris Lessing and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Doris Lessing and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 52 years, from 1961 to 2013.

Doris Lessing was 41 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 52 when Doris Lessing died, aged 94.

Doris Lessing

British novelist, poet, playwright, librettist, biographer, and short story writer

Born 22 October 1919 · died 17 November 2013, aged 94

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. Nelson Mandela
  5. Doris Lessing
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Doris Lessing 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.