Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Spanish playwright and poet (d. 1681) was born on January 17, 1600.

Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño, usually referred as Pedro Calderón de la Barca, was a dramatist, poet, writer and a knight of the Order of Santiago, known primarily for being one of the most distinguished Baroque writers of the Spanish Golden Age, especially for its theater. During certain periods of his life he served as soldier and a Roman Catholic priest. Born when the Spanish Golden Age theatre was being defined by Lope de Vega, he developed it further, his work being regarded as the culmination of the Spanish Baroque theatre. As such, he is regarded as one of Spain's foremost dramatists and one of the finest playwrights of world literature.