John Steinbeck · Barack Obama Were John Steinbeck and Barack Obama alive at the same time? Yes. John Steinbeck and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 7 years, from 1961 to 1968. John Steinbeck was 59 when Barack Obama was born.Barack Obama was 7 when John Steinbeck died, aged 66. John SteinbeckAmerican writerBorn 27 February 1902 · died 20 December 1968, aged 66Barack Obama44th President of the United StatesBorn 4 August 1961 · living, 65 as of September 2026 Albert EinsteinAdolf HitlerJohn SteinbeckRonald ReaganNelson MandelaDonald TrumpVladimir PutinMichael JacksonBarack Obama John Steinbeck 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.