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Welcome to Our Generation USA!
Popular Female Icons
Featured are those iconic influences who have made significant contributions to making Life in the United States what it is Today!
Madonna: "Queen of Pop"
YouTube Video of Madonna singing "Papa Don't Preach"
Madonna Louise Ciccone; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She achieved popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Madonna is known for reinventing both her music and image, and for maintaining her autonomy within the recording industry.
Music critics have acclaimed her musical productions, which have generated some controversy. Often referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she is cited as an influence by numerous other artists around the world.
Madonna's popularity was further enhanced by her film roles, including Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), and Evita (1996); the latter earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. However, most of her other films have been panned by critics.
Her other ventures include fashion design, writing children's books, and filmmaking. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, particularly after she founded entertainment company Maverick (including the label Maverick Records). In 2007 she signed an unprecedented US $120 million 360 deal with Live Nation.
Having sold more than 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is recognized as the best-selling female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed her as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second best-selling female artist in the United States, with 64.5 million certified albums.
According to Billboard, Madonna is the top touring female artist of all time, grossing over a billion dollars from her concerts. She was ranked at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of American singles chart.
Madonna became one of the five founding members of the UK Music Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility.
Music critics have acclaimed her musical productions, which have generated some controversy. Often referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she is cited as an influence by numerous other artists around the world.
Madonna's popularity was further enhanced by her film roles, including Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), and Evita (1996); the latter earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. However, most of her other films have been panned by critics.
Her other ventures include fashion design, writing children's books, and filmmaking. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, particularly after she founded entertainment company Maverick (including the label Maverick Records). In 2007 she signed an unprecedented US $120 million 360 deal with Live Nation.
Having sold more than 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is recognized as the best-selling female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed her as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second best-selling female artist in the United States, with 64.5 million certified albums.
According to Billboard, Madonna is the top touring female artist of all time, grossing over a billion dollars from her concerts. She was ranked at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of American singles chart.
Madonna became one of the five founding members of the UK Music Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility.
Oprah Winfrey
YouTube Video of Oprah Winfrey's inspirational Women's Empowerment Speech*
* -- Oprah Winfrey delivered a rallying cry to women and hope for "a new day" when receiving the Cecile B. DeMille Award at the 2018 Golden Globes.
"O" Magazine by Oprah Winfrey
Pictured: LEFT: Oprah had a chance to do a rare interview with Queen Of Rock N’ Roll, Tina Turner. The interview aired on OWN TV. Tina discusses being raped by Ike Turner, her legacy, love at first sight, and finally retiring. RIGHT: Tom Cruise jumping up-and-down on the couch during his interview on the Oprah Winfrey television show.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist.
She is best known for her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011.
Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she has been ranked the richest African-American, the greatest black philanthropist in American history, and is currently North America's first and only multi-billionaire black person.
Several assessments rank her as the most influential woman in the world. In 2013, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama and honorary doctorate degrees from Duke and Harvard.
Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a teenage single mother and later raised in an inner-city Milwaukee neighborhood. She has stated that she was molested during her childhood and early teens and became pregnant at 14; her son died in infancy.
Sent to live with the man she calls her father, a barber in Tennessee, Winfrey landed a job in radio while still in high school and began co-anchoring the local evening news at the age of 19.
Her emotional ad-lib delivery eventually got her transferred to the daytime-talk-show arena, and after boosting a third-rated local Chicago talk show to first place, she launched her own production company and became internationally syndicated.
Credited with creating a more intimate confessional form of media communication, she is thought to have popularized and revolutionized the tabloid talk show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue, which a Yale study says broke 20th-century taboos and allowed LGBT people to enter the mainstream.
By the mid-1990s, she had reinvented her show with a focus on literature, self-improvement, and spirituality. Though criticized for unleashing a confession culture, promoting controversial self-help ideas, and an emotion-centered approach, she is often praised for overcoming adversity to become a benefactor to others.
From 2006 to 2008, Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of Barack Obama, by one estimate, delivered over a million votes in the close 2008 Democratic primary race.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Oprah Winfrey:
She is best known for her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011.
Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she has been ranked the richest African-American, the greatest black philanthropist in American history, and is currently North America's first and only multi-billionaire black person.
Several assessments rank her as the most influential woman in the world. In 2013, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama and honorary doctorate degrees from Duke and Harvard.
Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a teenage single mother and later raised in an inner-city Milwaukee neighborhood. She has stated that she was molested during her childhood and early teens and became pregnant at 14; her son died in infancy.
Sent to live with the man she calls her father, a barber in Tennessee, Winfrey landed a job in radio while still in high school and began co-anchoring the local evening news at the age of 19.
Her emotional ad-lib delivery eventually got her transferred to the daytime-talk-show arena, and after boosting a third-rated local Chicago talk show to first place, she launched her own production company and became internationally syndicated.
Credited with creating a more intimate confessional form of media communication, she is thought to have popularized and revolutionized the tabloid talk show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue, which a Yale study says broke 20th-century taboos and allowed LGBT people to enter the mainstream.
By the mid-1990s, she had reinvented her show with a focus on literature, self-improvement, and spirituality. Though criticized for unleashing a confession culture, promoting controversial self-help ideas, and an emotion-centered approach, she is often praised for overcoming adversity to become a benefactor to others.
From 2006 to 2008, Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of Barack Obama, by one estimate, delivered over a million votes in the close 2008 Democratic primary race.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Oprah Winfrey:
Bette Midler
YouTube Video of Bette bidding fond farewell for Johnny Carson's last Tonight Show*: "One More For My Baby" - Bette Midler
* -- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Pictured: LEFT: Bette Midler backstage at the Grammy Awards, February 1990; RIGHT: Bette Midler in “The Rose”, for which she was nominated for the “Best Actress” Oscar award
Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, comedian, and film producer. In a career spanning almost half a century, Midler has won three Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a special Tony Award. She has sold over 35 million records worldwide and along with that has also received four Gold, three Platinum and three Multiplatinum albums by RIAA.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Midler began her professional career in several Off-Off-Broadway plays prior to her engagements in Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway in the late 1960s. She came to prominence in 1970 when she began singing in the Continental Baths, a local gay bathhouse, where she managed to build up a core following. Since then, she has released 13 studio albums as a solo artist.
Throughout her career, many of her songs became hits on the record charts, including her renditions of "The Rose", "Wind Beneath My Wings", "Do You Want to Dance", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", and "From a Distance". In 2008, she signed a contract with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to perform a series of shows titled "Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On", which ended in January 2010. Midler made her motion picture debut in 1979 with the movie "The Rose", which earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress. In the following years she starred in a string of hit films that includes "Down and Out in Beverly Hills", "Outrageous Fortune", "Beaches", "The First Wives Club", and "The Stepford Wives", as well as "For the Boys" and "Gypsy", the latter two of which she won two further Golden Globes.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Midler began her professional career in several Off-Off-Broadway plays prior to her engagements in Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway in the late 1960s. She came to prominence in 1970 when she began singing in the Continental Baths, a local gay bathhouse, where she managed to build up a core following. Since then, she has released 13 studio albums as a solo artist.
Throughout her career, many of her songs became hits on the record charts, including her renditions of "The Rose", "Wind Beneath My Wings", "Do You Want to Dance", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", and "From a Distance". In 2008, she signed a contract with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to perform a series of shows titled "Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On", which ended in January 2010. Midler made her motion picture debut in 1979 with the movie "The Rose", which earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress. In the following years she starred in a string of hit films that includes "Down and Out in Beverly Hills", "Outrageous Fortune", "Beaches", "The First Wives Club", and "The Stepford Wives", as well as "For the Boys" and "Gypsy", the latter two of which she won two further Golden Globes.
Angelina Jolie
YouTube Video Angelina Jolie: Best Scenes
Pictured: Angelina Jolie appearing in: LEFT “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” (2005); and RIGHT: “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” (2003)
Angelina Jolie Pitt is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and has been cited as Hollywood's highest-paid actress. Jolie made her screen debut as a child alongside her father, Jon Voight, in Lookin' to Get Out (1982). Her film career began in earnest a decade later with the low-budget production Cyborg 2 (1993), followed by her first leading role in a major film, Hackers (1995). She starred in the critically acclaimed biographical television films George Wallace (1997) and Gia (1998), and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama Girl, Interrupted (1999).
Jolie's starring role as the video game heroine Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) established her as a leading Hollywood actress. She continued her successful action-star career with Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Wanted (2008), and Salt (2010), and received critical acclaim for her performances in the dramas A Mighty Heart (2007) and Changeling (2008), which earned her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Beginning in the 2010s, she expanded her career into directing, screenwriting, and producing, starting with the wartime dramas In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011) and Unbroken (2014). Her biggest commercial success came with the fantasy picture Maleficent (2014).
In addition to her film career, Jolie is noted for her humanitarian efforts, for which she has received a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and an honorary damehood of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG), among other honors. She promotes various causes, including conservation, education, and women's rights, and is most noted for her advocacy on behalf of refugees as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
As a public figure, Jolie has been cited as one of the most influential and powerful people in the American entertainment industry, as well as the world's most beautiful woman, by various media outlets. Her personal life is the subject of wide publicity. Divorced from actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton, she has been married to actor Brad Pitt since 2014. They have six children together.
Jolie's starring role as the video game heroine Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) established her as a leading Hollywood actress. She continued her successful action-star career with Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Wanted (2008), and Salt (2010), and received critical acclaim for her performances in the dramas A Mighty Heart (2007) and Changeling (2008), which earned her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Beginning in the 2010s, she expanded her career into directing, screenwriting, and producing, starting with the wartime dramas In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011) and Unbroken (2014). Her biggest commercial success came with the fantasy picture Maleficent (2014).
In addition to her film career, Jolie is noted for her humanitarian efforts, for which she has received a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and an honorary damehood of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG), among other honors. She promotes various causes, including conservation, education, and women's rights, and is most noted for her advocacy on behalf of refugees as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
As a public figure, Jolie has been cited as one of the most influential and powerful people in the American entertainment industry, as well as the world's most beautiful woman, by various media outlets. Her personal life is the subject of wide publicity. Divorced from actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton, she has been married to actor Brad Pitt since 2014. They have six children together.
Amy Adams
YouTube video of Amy Adams: Gets Raw in New 'American Hustle' Clip (Exclusive)
Pictured: LEFT: Amy Adams with Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle” (2013); RIGHT: as Lois Lane in “Man of Steel” (2013) starring Henry Cavill as Superman)
Amy Lou Adams (born August 20, 1974) is an American actress and singer. Adams began her career on stage performing in dinner theater and later made her feature film debut in Drop Dead Gorgeous.
After moving to Los Angeles and appearing in a series of television guest appearances and roles in B movies, Adams appeared as Brenda Strong in Steven Spielberg's Frank Abagnale biopic Catch Me If You Can. Her breakthrough role came in the 2005 independent film Junebug, for which she received critical acclaim and her first of four Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2007, Adams starred in the Disney animated musical film Enchanted, a critical and commercial success, and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her lead performance. She received her second Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and first BAFTA Award nomination for her supporting role in the 2008 film Doubt.
Adams received two more Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award nominations for her supporting roles in the 2010 sports drama The Fighter and the 2012 psychological drama The Master. She achieved further success in 2013 for portraying Lois Lane in the Superman movie Man of Steel, a supporting role in the Spike Jonze-directed comedy-drama Her, and a con artist in David O. Russell's crime film American Hustle; the last of these won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy along with a fourth BAFTA nomination, and a fifth Oscar nomination, her first in the Best Actress category.
In 2014, she portrayed Margaret Keane in Big Eyes, for which she won a second Golden Globe and received a fifth BAFTA nomination.
After moving to Los Angeles and appearing in a series of television guest appearances and roles in B movies, Adams appeared as Brenda Strong in Steven Spielberg's Frank Abagnale biopic Catch Me If You Can. Her breakthrough role came in the 2005 independent film Junebug, for which she received critical acclaim and her first of four Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2007, Adams starred in the Disney animated musical film Enchanted, a critical and commercial success, and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her lead performance. She received her second Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and first BAFTA Award nomination for her supporting role in the 2008 film Doubt.
Adams received two more Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award nominations for her supporting roles in the 2010 sports drama The Fighter and the 2012 psychological drama The Master. She achieved further success in 2013 for portraying Lois Lane in the Superman movie Man of Steel, a supporting role in the Spike Jonze-directed comedy-drama Her, and a con artist in David O. Russell's crime film American Hustle; the last of these won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy along with a fourth BAFTA nomination, and a fifth Oscar nomination, her first in the Best Actress category.
In 2014, she portrayed Margaret Keane in Big Eyes, for which she won a second Golden Globe and received a fifth BAFTA nomination.
Angelica Huston
YouTube Video of Anjelica Huston in Prizzi's Honor-"You wanna do it Charlie" scene with Jack Nicholson*
* -- Jack Nicholson
Pictured: LEFT: in "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001); RIGHT: Receiving 1986 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for “Prizzi’s Honor" (1985)
Anjelica Huston: born July 8, 1951) is an American actress, director and former fashion model. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, when she won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston.
She also received Academy Award nominations for Enemies, a Love Story (1989) and The Grifters (1990). Huston received British Academy Award nominations for her work in the Woody Allen films Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993). Among her other roles, she starred as Morticia Addams in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993), receiving Golden Globe nominations for both, and played the Grand High Witch in the children's movie The Witches (1990). She has frequently collaborated with director Wes Anderson, including The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). She is also the author of two memoirs; A Story Lately Told and Watch Me.
Her first notable role was in Bob Rafelson's remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981). Later, her father cast her as Maerose, daughter of a Mafia don whose love is scorned by a hit man (Jack Nicholson) in the film adaptation of Richard Condon's Mafia-satire novel Prizzi's Honor (1985). Huston won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, making her the first person in Academy Award history to win an Oscar when a parent and a grandparent had also won one.
Huston earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her portrayal of a con artist in Stephen Frears' The Grifters (1990). She also starred as the lead in her father's final directorial film, The Dead (1987), an adaptation of a James Joyce story.
She was then cast as Morticia Addams, in the hugely successful 1991 movie adaptation of The Addams Family. In 1993, she reprised the role for the sequel Addams Family Values. Anjelica also starred in the 1998 Hollywood blockbuster, Ever After: A Cinderella Story alongside Drew Barrymore and Melanie Lynskey as the Baroness Rodmilla De Ghent.
She starred in two Wes Anderson films, The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), as well as appearing in a minor role in 2007's The Darjeeling Limited. She voiced the role of Queen Clarion in the Disney Fairies film series starring Tinker Bell. On January 22, 2010, Huston was honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2011, Huston was in the film Horrid Henry: The Movie. Huston later appeared on the NBC television series, Smash, portraying Broadway producer Eileen Rand. Huston has recently expanded her horizons, following in her father's footsteps in the director's chair. Her first directorial credit was Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), followed by Agnes Browne (1999), in which she both directed and starred, and then Riding the Bus with My Sister (2005).
She also received Academy Award nominations for Enemies, a Love Story (1989) and The Grifters (1990). Huston received British Academy Award nominations for her work in the Woody Allen films Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993). Among her other roles, she starred as Morticia Addams in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993), receiving Golden Globe nominations for both, and played the Grand High Witch in the children's movie The Witches (1990). She has frequently collaborated with director Wes Anderson, including The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). She is also the author of two memoirs; A Story Lately Told and Watch Me.
Her first notable role was in Bob Rafelson's remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981). Later, her father cast her as Maerose, daughter of a Mafia don whose love is scorned by a hit man (Jack Nicholson) in the film adaptation of Richard Condon's Mafia-satire novel Prizzi's Honor (1985). Huston won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, making her the first person in Academy Award history to win an Oscar when a parent and a grandparent had also won one.
Huston earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her portrayal of a con artist in Stephen Frears' The Grifters (1990). She also starred as the lead in her father's final directorial film, The Dead (1987), an adaptation of a James Joyce story.
She was then cast as Morticia Addams, in the hugely successful 1991 movie adaptation of The Addams Family. In 1993, she reprised the role for the sequel Addams Family Values. Anjelica also starred in the 1998 Hollywood blockbuster, Ever After: A Cinderella Story alongside Drew Barrymore and Melanie Lynskey as the Baroness Rodmilla De Ghent.
She starred in two Wes Anderson films, The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), as well as appearing in a minor role in 2007's The Darjeeling Limited. She voiced the role of Queen Clarion in the Disney Fairies film series starring Tinker Bell. On January 22, 2010, Huston was honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2011, Huston was in the film Horrid Henry: The Movie. Huston later appeared on the NBC television series, Smash, portraying Broadway producer Eileen Rand. Huston has recently expanded her horizons, following in her father's footsteps in the director's chair. Her first directorial credit was Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), followed by Agnes Browne (1999), in which she both directed and starred, and then Riding the Bus with My Sister (2005).
Cate Blanchett
YouTube Video of Cate Blanchett in The Aviator - Katharine and Howard playing golf
Pictured: Cate Blanchett in LEFT: “Elizabeth” (1998); RIGHT: with Leonardo De Caprio in “The Aviator” (2004)
Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett (born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actress and theater director. She has received critical acclaim and many accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and three British Academy Awards. Blanchett came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in Shekhar Kapur's 1998 film Elizabeth, for which she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award, and earned her first Academy Award for Best Actress nomination.
Her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's 2004 film The Aviator (2004) brought her critical acclaim and many accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, making her the only actor to win an Oscar for portraying another Oscar-winning actor. In 2013, she starred as Jasmine French in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine (2013), for which she won numerous accolades including the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Blanchett is one of only six actors, and the only actress, to receive Academy Award nominations for portraying the same role in two films, as well as the only Australian to win two acting Oscars.
A seven-time Oscar nominee, she has also received nominations for Notes on a Scandal (2006), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), I'm Not There (2007) and Carol (2015).
Her other notable films include
Blanchett has also had an extensive career on stage and is a four-time Helpmann Award winner for Best Female Actor in a Play. Her earlier roles include the title role in Electra at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (1992), Ophelia in Hamlet at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney (1994), Susan in Plenty in the West End (1999), and the title role in Hedda Gabler with the Sydney Theatre Company (2004).
From 2008 to 2013, she and her husband Andrew Upton were co-CEOs and artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company.
Her other roles on stage include Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire in Sydney, New York at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center (2009), Yelena in Uncle Vanya in Sydney, Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center and New York at Lincoln Center (2011), and Claire in The Maids in Sydney (2013) and New York at Lincoln Center (2014).
Blanchett has been awarded the Centenary Medal for Service to Australian Society by the Australian government. She was appointed Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 2012.
She has been presented with a Doctor of Letters from University of New South Wales, University of Sydney, and Macquarie University in recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the arts, philanthropy and the community. In 2015, she was honored by the Museum of Modern Art and received the British Film Institute Fellowship in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the industry.
Her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's 2004 film The Aviator (2004) brought her critical acclaim and many accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, making her the only actor to win an Oscar for portraying another Oscar-winning actor. In 2013, she starred as Jasmine French in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine (2013), for which she won numerous accolades including the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Blanchett is one of only six actors, and the only actress, to receive Academy Award nominations for portraying the same role in two films, as well as the only Australian to win two acting Oscars.
A seven-time Oscar nominee, she has also received nominations for Notes on a Scandal (2006), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), I'm Not There (2007) and Carol (2015).
Her other notable films include
- The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999),
- Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–03) and The Hobbit trilogy (2012–14),
- Babel (2006),
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008),
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014),
- and Cinderella (2015).
Blanchett has also had an extensive career on stage and is a four-time Helpmann Award winner for Best Female Actor in a Play. Her earlier roles include the title role in Electra at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (1992), Ophelia in Hamlet at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney (1994), Susan in Plenty in the West End (1999), and the title role in Hedda Gabler with the Sydney Theatre Company (2004).
From 2008 to 2013, she and her husband Andrew Upton were co-CEOs and artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company.
Her other roles on stage include Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire in Sydney, New York at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center (2009), Yelena in Uncle Vanya in Sydney, Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center and New York at Lincoln Center (2011), and Claire in The Maids in Sydney (2013) and New York at Lincoln Center (2014).
Blanchett has been awarded the Centenary Medal for Service to Australian Society by the Australian government. She was appointed Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 2012.
She has been presented with a Doctor of Letters from University of New South Wales, University of Sydney, and Macquarie University in recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the arts, philanthropy and the community. In 2015, she was honored by the Museum of Modern Art and received the British Film Institute Fellowship in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the industry.
Charlize Theron
YouTube Video of Top 10 Charlize Theron Performances
Pictured: Charlize Theron as LEFT: Serial Killer Aileen Wuornos in “Monster” (2003); RIGHT: in “Prometheus” (2012)
Charlize Theron (born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress, producer and fashion model. She has starred in several Hollywood films, such as The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), The Cider House Rules (1999), The Italian Job (2003), Hancock (2008), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
Theron received critical acclaim for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), for which she won the Academy Award, Silver Bear, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress among several other accolades, becoming the first South African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category.
She received further Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her performance in the sexual harassment-themed drama North Country in 2005 and a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in Jason Reitman's 2011 film Young Adult.
Theron became a U.S. citizen in 2007, while retaining her South African citizenship. In the late 2000s, she moved into the field of producing, both in television and film. In 2006, she produced the documentary East of Havana.
She had producing credits on the films The Burning Plain (2008) and Dark Places (2015), both of which she starred in. In 2012, she played Queen Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman and Meredith Vickers in Prometheus, both of which were box office successes.
She will reprise her role of Queen Ravenna in the 2016 prequel film The Huntsman: Winter's War.
Theron received critical acclaim for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), for which she won the Academy Award, Silver Bear, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress among several other accolades, becoming the first South African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category.
She received further Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her performance in the sexual harassment-themed drama North Country in 2005 and a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in Jason Reitman's 2011 film Young Adult.
Theron became a U.S. citizen in 2007, while retaining her South African citizenship. In the late 2000s, she moved into the field of producing, both in television and film. In 2006, she produced the documentary East of Havana.
She had producing credits on the films The Burning Plain (2008) and Dark Places (2015), both of which she starred in. In 2012, she played Queen Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman and Meredith Vickers in Prometheus, both of which were box office successes.
She will reprise her role of Queen Ravenna in the 2016 prequel film The Huntsman: Winter's War.
Cher
YouTube Video of Cher in Concert Singing her greatest musical hit "Believe"
Pictured: Cher LEFT: performing live in her Farewell Tour Concert Series beginning in 2002; RIGHT: Accepting her Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Moonstruck (1987)
Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946) is an American singer and actress. Described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry, she is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for having worked in numerous areas of entertainment, as well as adopting a variety of styles and appearances during her five-decade-long career, which has led to her being nicknamed the Goddess of Pop.
Cher gained popularity in 1965 as one-half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher after their song "I Got You Babe" reached number one on the American and British charts.
She began her solo career simultaneously, releasing in 1966 her first million-seller song, "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)". She became a television personality in the 1970s with her shows The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, watched by over 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run, and Cher. She emerged as a fashion trendsetter by wearing elaborate outfits on her television shows.
While working on television, she established herself as a solo artist with the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed", and "Dark Lady". After her divorce from Sonny Bono in 1975, Cher launched a comeback in 1979 with the disco-oriented album Take Me Home and earned $300,000 a week for her 1980–82 residency show in Las Vegas.
In the early 1980s, Cher made her Broadway debut in the play Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, and then starred in the film adaptation of the same title.
In the ensuing years, she starred in films such as Silkwood, Mask, and Moonstruck, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1988.
At the same time, she revived her musical career by recording the rock-inflected albums Cher, Heart of Stone, and Love Hurts, all of which yielded several successful singles. She reached a new commercial peak in 1998 with the song "Believe", which features the pioneering use of Auto-Tune, also known as the "Cher effect".
Her 2002–05 Living Proof: The Farewell Tour became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time, earning $250 million. In 2008, she signed a $180 million deal to headline the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for three years.
After seven years of absence, she returned to film in the 2010 musical Burlesque. Cher's first studio album in 12 years, Closer to the Truth (2013), became her highest-charting solo album in the U.S. to date at number three.
Cher has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, a special CFDA Fashion Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, among several other honors.
Throughout her career, she has sold 200 million records worldwide. She is the only artist to date to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in each decade from the 1960s to the 2010s. Outside of her music and acting, she is noted for her political views, philanthropic endeavors and social activism, including LGBT rights and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Cher gained popularity in 1965 as one-half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher after their song "I Got You Babe" reached number one on the American and British charts.
She began her solo career simultaneously, releasing in 1966 her first million-seller song, "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)". She became a television personality in the 1970s with her shows The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, watched by over 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run, and Cher. She emerged as a fashion trendsetter by wearing elaborate outfits on her television shows.
While working on television, she established herself as a solo artist with the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed", and "Dark Lady". After her divorce from Sonny Bono in 1975, Cher launched a comeback in 1979 with the disco-oriented album Take Me Home and earned $300,000 a week for her 1980–82 residency show in Las Vegas.
In the early 1980s, Cher made her Broadway debut in the play Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, and then starred in the film adaptation of the same title.
In the ensuing years, she starred in films such as Silkwood, Mask, and Moonstruck, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1988.
At the same time, she revived her musical career by recording the rock-inflected albums Cher, Heart of Stone, and Love Hurts, all of which yielded several successful singles. She reached a new commercial peak in 1998 with the song "Believe", which features the pioneering use of Auto-Tune, also known as the "Cher effect".
Her 2002–05 Living Proof: The Farewell Tour became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time, earning $250 million. In 2008, she signed a $180 million deal to headline the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for three years.
After seven years of absence, she returned to film in the 2010 musical Burlesque. Cher's first studio album in 12 years, Closer to the Truth (2013), became her highest-charting solo album in the U.S. to date at number three.
Cher has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, a special CFDA Fashion Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, among several other honors.
Throughout her career, she has sold 200 million records worldwide. She is the only artist to date to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in each decade from the 1960s to the 2010s. Outside of her music and acting, she is noted for her political views, philanthropic endeavors and social activism, including LGBT rights and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Diane Keaton
YouTube Video of Diane Keaton in Annie Hall: Best Scenes
Pictured: LEFT: Diane Keaton with co-stars Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler in “The First Wives Club” (1996); RIGHT: With Al Pacino from The Godfather Film Series
Diane Keaton (born Diane Hall; January 5, 1946) is an American film actress, director, producer and screenwriter. She began her career on stage and made her screen debut in 1970.
Her first major film role was as Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather (1972), but the films that shaped her early career were those with director and co-star Woody Allen, beginning with Play It Again, Sam in 1972. Her next two films with Allen, Sleeper (1973) and Love and Death (1975), established her as a comic actor. Her fourth, Annie Hall (1977), won her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Keaton subsequently expanded her range to avoid becoming typecast as her Annie Hall persona. She became an accomplished dramatic performer, starring in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and received Academy Award nominations for Reds (1981), Marvin's Room (1996) and Something's Gotta Give (2003).
Some of her popular later films include Baby Boom (1987), Father of the Bride (1991), The First Wives Club (1996), and The Family Stone (2005). Keaton's films have earned a cumulative gross of over US$1.1 billion in North America.
In addition to acting, she is also a photographer, real estate developer, author, and occasional singer.
Click here for more about Diane Keaton.
Her first major film role was as Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather (1972), but the films that shaped her early career were those with director and co-star Woody Allen, beginning with Play It Again, Sam in 1972. Her next two films with Allen, Sleeper (1973) and Love and Death (1975), established her as a comic actor. Her fourth, Annie Hall (1977), won her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Keaton subsequently expanded her range to avoid becoming typecast as her Annie Hall persona. She became an accomplished dramatic performer, starring in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and received Academy Award nominations for Reds (1981), Marvin's Room (1996) and Something's Gotta Give (2003).
Some of her popular later films include Baby Boom (1987), Father of the Bride (1991), The First Wives Club (1996), and The Family Stone (2005). Keaton's films have earned a cumulative gross of over US$1.1 billion in North America.
In addition to acting, she is also a photographer, real estate developer, author, and occasional singer.
Click here for more about Diane Keaton.
Dolly Parton
YouTube Video (with Burt Reynolds*) singing "I will always love you", in a scene from the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1982)
*- Burt Reynolds
Pictured: Dolly Parton LEFT: from 1975 Hee Haw Photo Galleries; RIGHT with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dabney Coleman in the movie “9 to 5” (1980)
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian, known primarily for her work in country music.
Her career began as a child performer, then recording a few singles from the age of 13. Relocating to Nashville at age 18 in 1964, her first commercial successes were as a songwriter. She rose to prominence in 1967 as a featured performer on singer Porter Wagoner's weekly syndicated TV program; their first duet single, "The Last Thing on My Mind", was a top-ten hit on the country singles chart and led to several successful albums before they ended their partnership in 1974.
Moving towards mainstream pop music, her 1977 single "Here You Come Again" was a success on both the country and pop charts. A string of pop-country hits followed into the mid-1980s, the most successful being her 1980 hit "9 to 5" and her 1983 duet with Kenny Rogers "Islands in the Stream", both of which topped the U.S. pop and country singles charts.
A pair of albums recorded with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris were among her later successes. In the late 1990s, she returned to classic country/bluegrass with a series of acclaimed recordings. Non-musical ventures include Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, and her efforts on behalf of childhood literacy, particularly her Imagination Library, as well as Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede and Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show.
Parton is the most honored female country performer of all time. Achieving 25 RIAA certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, she has had 25 songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard Country charts, a record for a female artist. She has 41 career top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and she has 110 career charted singles over the past 40 years.
All-inclusive sales of singles, albums, hits collections, and digital downloads during her career have topped 100 million worldwide. She has garnered eight Grammy Awards, two Academy Award nominations, ten Country Music Association Awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards, three American Music Awards, and is one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award. Parton has received 46 Grammy nominations, tying her with Bruce Springsteen for the most Grammy nominations and placing her in tenth place overall.
In 1999, Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She has composed over 3,000 songs, notably "I Will Always Love You" (a two-time U.S. country chart-topper for Parton, as well as an international pop hit for Whitney Houston). She is also one of the few to have received at least one nomination from the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, and Emmy Awards.
As an actress, she starred in films such as 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Rhinestone.
Click here for more about Dolly Parton.
Her career began as a child performer, then recording a few singles from the age of 13. Relocating to Nashville at age 18 in 1964, her first commercial successes were as a songwriter. She rose to prominence in 1967 as a featured performer on singer Porter Wagoner's weekly syndicated TV program; their first duet single, "The Last Thing on My Mind", was a top-ten hit on the country singles chart and led to several successful albums before they ended their partnership in 1974.
Moving towards mainstream pop music, her 1977 single "Here You Come Again" was a success on both the country and pop charts. A string of pop-country hits followed into the mid-1980s, the most successful being her 1980 hit "9 to 5" and her 1983 duet with Kenny Rogers "Islands in the Stream", both of which topped the U.S. pop and country singles charts.
A pair of albums recorded with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris were among her later successes. In the late 1990s, she returned to classic country/bluegrass with a series of acclaimed recordings. Non-musical ventures include Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, and her efforts on behalf of childhood literacy, particularly her Imagination Library, as well as Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede and Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show.
Parton is the most honored female country performer of all time. Achieving 25 RIAA certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, she has had 25 songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard Country charts, a record for a female artist. She has 41 career top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and she has 110 career charted singles over the past 40 years.
All-inclusive sales of singles, albums, hits collections, and digital downloads during her career have topped 100 million worldwide. She has garnered eight Grammy Awards, two Academy Award nominations, ten Country Music Association Awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards, three American Music Awards, and is one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award. Parton has received 46 Grammy nominations, tying her with Bruce Springsteen for the most Grammy nominations and placing her in tenth place overall.
In 1999, Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She has composed over 3,000 songs, notably "I Will Always Love You" (a two-time U.S. country chart-topper for Parton, as well as an international pop hit for Whitney Houston). She is also one of the few to have received at least one nomination from the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, and Emmy Awards.
As an actress, she starred in films such as 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Rhinestone.
Click here for more about Dolly Parton.
Emma Thompson
YouTube Video of Emma Thompson from "Howard's End": Henry's Proposal
Pictured: Emma Thompson LEFT: With Anthony Hopkins in “Howards End” (1992); RIGHT: with Hugh Grant in “Sense and Sensibility” (1995)
Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her portrayals of reticent women, often in period dramas and literary adaptations, and playing haughty or matronly characters with a sense of irony. She is considered one of Britain's most accomplished actresses.
Born in London to English actor Eric Thompson and Scottish actress Phyllida Law, Thompson was educated at Newnham College, University of Cambridge, where she became a member of the Footlights troupe.
After appearing in several comedy programmes, she first came to prominence in 1987 in two BBC TV series, Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War, winning the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her work in both.
Her first film role came in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy, and in the early 1990s she frequently collaborated with her then husband, actor and director Kenneth Branagh. The pair became popular in the British media, and co-starred in several films including Dead Again (1991) and Much Ado About Nothing (1993).
In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her work in the period drama Howards End.
The following year she garnered dual Academy Award nominations for her roles in The Remains of the Day, as a stately housekeeper, and In the Name of the Father, as a lawyer. She scripted and starred in 1995's Sense and Sensibility, which earned her (among other awards) an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress.
Other notable film and television credits include,
In 2013, she received acclaim and several award nominations for her portrayal of P. L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks.
Thompson is married to actor Greg Wise, with whom she lives in London and has one daughter and an adopted son. She is an activist in the areas of human rights and environmentalism, and has received criticism for her outspoken nature. She has also authored two books adapted from The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Click here for more about Emma Thompson.
Born in London to English actor Eric Thompson and Scottish actress Phyllida Law, Thompson was educated at Newnham College, University of Cambridge, where she became a member of the Footlights troupe.
After appearing in several comedy programmes, she first came to prominence in 1987 in two BBC TV series, Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War, winning the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her work in both.
Her first film role came in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy, and in the early 1990s she frequently collaborated with her then husband, actor and director Kenneth Branagh. The pair became popular in the British media, and co-starred in several films including Dead Again (1991) and Much Ado About Nothing (1993).
In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her work in the period drama Howards End.
The following year she garnered dual Academy Award nominations for her roles in The Remains of the Day, as a stately housekeeper, and In the Name of the Father, as a lawyer. She scripted and starred in 1995's Sense and Sensibility, which earned her (among other awards) an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress.
Other notable film and television credits include,
- Harry Potter film series,
- Wit (2001),
- Love Actually (2003),
- Angels in America (2003),
- Nanny McPhee (2005),
- Stranger than Fiction (2006),
- Last Chance Harvey (2008),
- Men in Black 3 (2012), and
- Brave (2012).
In 2013, she received acclaim and several award nominations for her portrayal of P. L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks.
Thompson is married to actor Greg Wise, with whom she lives in London and has one daughter and an adopted son. She is an activist in the areas of human rights and environmentalism, and has received criticism for her outspoken nature. She has also authored two books adapted from The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Click here for more about Emma Thompson.
Faye Dunaway
YouTube Video in "NETWORK" - Faye Dunaway lays down the law
Pictured: Faye Dunaway in LEFT: Bonnie and Clyde; RIGHT: Network
Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress, best known for her starring roles in films from the 1960s onwards. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses of her generation, she has won an Academy Award, three Golden Globes, a BAFTA, an Emmy, and was the first-ever recipient of a Leopard Club Award which honors film professionals whose work has left a mark on the collective imagination. In 2011, the government of France made her an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Dunaway’s career began in the early 1960s on Broadway. She made her screen debut in the 1967 film The Happening, and rose to fame that same year with the gangster film Bonnie and Clyde, for which she received her first Academy Award nomination.
Her most notable films include the crime caper The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), the neo-noir mystery Chinatown (1974), for which she earned her second Oscar nomination, the action-drama disaster The Towering Inferno (1974), the political thriller Three Days of the Condor (1975) and the satirical Network (1976), for which she received an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Dunaway's career evolved to more mature and character roles in subsequent years, often in independent films, beginning with her controversial portrayal of Joan Crawford in the 1981 film Mommie Dearest.
Other notable films in which she has starred include the thriller Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), the drama Barfly (1987), the surrealist comedy-drama Arizona Dream (1993) and the black comedy The Rules of Attraction (2002).
Click here for more about Faye Dunaway.
Dunaway’s career began in the early 1960s on Broadway. She made her screen debut in the 1967 film The Happening, and rose to fame that same year with the gangster film Bonnie and Clyde, for which she received her first Academy Award nomination.
Her most notable films include the crime caper The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), the neo-noir mystery Chinatown (1974), for which she earned her second Oscar nomination, the action-drama disaster The Towering Inferno (1974), the political thriller Three Days of the Condor (1975) and the satirical Network (1976), for which she received an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Dunaway's career evolved to more mature and character roles in subsequent years, often in independent films, beginning with her controversial portrayal of Joan Crawford in the 1981 film Mommie Dearest.
Other notable films in which she has starred include the thriller Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), the drama Barfly (1987), the surrealist comedy-drama Arizona Dream (1993) and the black comedy The Rules of Attraction (2002).
Click here for more about Faye Dunaway.
Frances McDormand Pictured below: Frances McDormand in the movies “Blood Simple”, “Raising Arizona”, “Miller’s Crossing”, “Fargo,”, “The Man Who Wasn’t There”, and “Burn After Reading”
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Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and producer. McDormand is the recipient of numerous accolades, including:
One of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation, McDormand is known for her portrayals of quirky, headstrong female characters. Although primarily recognized for her roles in small-budget independent films, McDormand's worldwide box office gross exceeds $2.2 billion helped by her appearances in Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
McDormand was educated at Bethany College and Yale University. The wife of Joel Coen of the Coen brothers since 1984, she has starred in a number of the Coens' films, including:
For her portrayal of Marge Gunderson in Fargo, McDormand won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
McDormand's other film roles include Mississippi Burning (1988), Almost Famous (2000), and North Country (2005), all of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2017, McDormand starred as a hardened woman seeking justice for her daughter's murder in the crime-drama film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which won her a second Academy Award for Best Actress.
In 2020, she starred in the acclaimed independent drama film Nomadland, earning a third Academy Award for Best Actress and, as one of the film's producers, the Academy Award for Best Picture. Her wins for Nomadland made her the first person in history to win Academy Awards both as producer and performer for the same film, the second woman in history to win Best Actress three times, and the seventh performer overall to win three competitive acting Academy Awards.
McDormand made her Broadway debut in a 1984 revival of the drama Awake and Sing!, and received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her acclaimed performance as Stella Kowalski in a 1988 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire.
McDormand returned to Broadway in 2008 with a revival of The Country Girl, leading to a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Play. In 2011, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for playing a troubled single mother in Good People
On television, McDormand played the titular protagonist in the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge (2014), which won her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and, as one of the miniseries producers, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
Click here for more about Frances McDormand.
- four Academy Awards,
- two Golden Globe Awards,
- three BAFTA Awards,
- two Emmy Awards,
- a Tony Award,
- and is one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting."
One of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation, McDormand is known for her portrayals of quirky, headstrong female characters. Although primarily recognized for her roles in small-budget independent films, McDormand's worldwide box office gross exceeds $2.2 billion helped by her appearances in Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
McDormand was educated at Bethany College and Yale University. The wife of Joel Coen of the Coen brothers since 1984, she has starred in a number of the Coens' films, including:
- Blood Simple (1984),
- Raising Arizona (1987),
- Fargo (1996),
- The Man Who Wasn't There (2001),
- Burn After Reading (2008),
- and Hail, Caesar! (2016).
For her portrayal of Marge Gunderson in Fargo, McDormand won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
McDormand's other film roles include Mississippi Burning (1988), Almost Famous (2000), and North Country (2005), all of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2017, McDormand starred as a hardened woman seeking justice for her daughter's murder in the crime-drama film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which won her a second Academy Award for Best Actress.
In 2020, she starred in the acclaimed independent drama film Nomadland, earning a third Academy Award for Best Actress and, as one of the film's producers, the Academy Award for Best Picture. Her wins for Nomadland made her the first person in history to win Academy Awards both as producer and performer for the same film, the second woman in history to win Best Actress three times, and the seventh performer overall to win three competitive acting Academy Awards.
McDormand made her Broadway debut in a 1984 revival of the drama Awake and Sing!, and received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her acclaimed performance as Stella Kowalski in a 1988 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire.
McDormand returned to Broadway in 2008 with a revival of The Country Girl, leading to a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Play. In 2011, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for playing a troubled single mother in Good People
On television, McDormand played the titular protagonist in the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge (2014), which won her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and, as one of the miniseries producers, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
Click here for more about Frances McDormand.
Gwyneth Paltrow
- YouTube Video of Gwyneth Paltrow in "Shakespeare in Love" | 'Can You Love a Player?'
- YouTube Video Two Lovers: restaurant scene (Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Phoenix, 2008)
- YouTube Video: Shakespeare In Love | 'Who's There?' (HD) - Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes | 1998
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow born September 27, 1972) is an American actress, singer, author, and businesswoman. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Her films have grossed $3.3 billion at the U.S. box office and $8.8 billion worldwide.
Paltrow gained very early notice for her work in films such as Seven (1995), Emma (1996), Sliding Doors (1998), and A Perfect Murder (1998). She garnered wider critical acclaim for her performance as Viola de Lesseps in the historical romance film Shakespeare in Love (1998) which won her several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress. This was followed by roles in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Shallow Hal (2001), and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004).
After becoming a mother, Paltrow significantly reduced her film workload, making occasional appearances in films, such as Proof (2005), for which she earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
In 2009, Paltrow received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for the children's audiobook Brown Bear and Friends and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her guest role as Holly Holliday on the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee in 2011. From 2008 to 2019, Paltrow portrayed Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Since 2005, Paltrow has been the face of Estée Lauder's Pleasures perfume. She is also the face of American fashion brand Coach, owner of a lifestyle company, Goop, and author of several cookbooks.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Gwyneth Paltrow:
Paltrow gained very early notice for her work in films such as Seven (1995), Emma (1996), Sliding Doors (1998), and A Perfect Murder (1998). She garnered wider critical acclaim for her performance as Viola de Lesseps in the historical romance film Shakespeare in Love (1998) which won her several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress. This was followed by roles in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Shallow Hal (2001), and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004).
After becoming a mother, Paltrow significantly reduced her film workload, making occasional appearances in films, such as Proof (2005), for which she earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
In 2009, Paltrow received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for the children's audiobook Brown Bear and Friends and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her guest role as Holly Holliday on the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee in 2011. From 2008 to 2019, Paltrow portrayed Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Since 2005, Paltrow has been the face of Estée Lauder's Pleasures perfume. She is also the face of American fashion brand Coach, owner of a lifestyle company, Goop, and author of several cookbooks.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Gwyneth Paltrow:
- Early life
- Career
- Other projects
- Personal life
- Filmography
- Discography
- Published works
- Awards and nominations
Helen Mirren
YouTube Video of Helen Mirren "State of Play" (2009)
Pictured: Helen Mirren LEFT: in a 1967 film called “Herostratus”; RIGHT: as Queen Elizabeth II (right figure – the left is Queen Elizabeth) in the Movie “The Queen” (2013)
Dame Helen Lydia Mirren, DBE (Mironoff; born 26 July 1945), is an English actor.
Mirren began her acting career with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967, and is one of the few performers who have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, having won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2007, after two previous nominations, for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen.
In 2015 she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, after two previous nominations, for her performance in The Audience, in which she also portrayed Elizabeth II. The Audience was written by Peter Morgan, who also wrote The Queen.
Mirren won her first of several Emmy Awards in 1996 for her performance as police detective Jane Tennison on the acclaimed ITV series Prime Suspect, which ran for a total of seven seasons between 1991 to 2006.
Some of her other notable film roles include:
In 2003, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for Services to the Performing Arts.
In 2013, Mirren was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2014, BAFTA announced that Mirren would be the recipient of the Academy Fellowship.
Click here for more about Helen Mirren.
Mirren began her acting career with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967, and is one of the few performers who have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, having won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2007, after two previous nominations, for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen.
In 2015 she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, after two previous nominations, for her performance in The Audience, in which she also portrayed Elizabeth II. The Audience was written by Peter Morgan, who also wrote The Queen.
Mirren won her first of several Emmy Awards in 1996 for her performance as police detective Jane Tennison on the acclaimed ITV series Prime Suspect, which ran for a total of seven seasons between 1991 to 2006.
Some of her other notable film roles include:
- Marcella in the 1984 film Cal, for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress,
- The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989),
- The Madness of King George (1994),
- Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999),
- Gosford Park (2001),
- Calendar Girls (2003),
- The Last Station (2009),
- Hitchcock (2012),
- The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014).
- She also starred as Victoria Winslow in the action-comedy films Red and Red 2.
In 2003, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for Services to the Performing Arts.
In 2013, Mirren was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2014, BAFTA announced that Mirren would be the recipient of the Academy Fellowship.
Click here for more about Helen Mirren.
Hilary Swank
YouTube Video of Hilary Swank in training from the movie "Million Dollar Baby"
Pictured: Hilary Swank in LEFT: “Boys Don’t Cry” (1999); RIGHT: “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)
Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and producer. She has won two Academy Awards for Best Actress and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.
Swank made her film debut in a minor role for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, before she made her breakout lead role in the fourth installment of the The Karate Kid franchise, The Next Karate Kid in 1994.
On television, she was cast as part of the main cast in the eighth season of the drama series Beverly Hills 90210 as single mother Carly Reynolds from 1997 to 1998.
Swank garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of Brandon Teena in the 1999 biographical independent film Boys Don't Cry, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
She starred in Clint Eastwood's 2004 sports drama film Million Dollar Baby as struggling-waitress-turned-boxer Maggie Fitzgerald, which won her a second Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress.
She starred in other films, such as;
For amplification, click on the hyperlinks below:
Swank made her film debut in a minor role for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, before she made her breakout lead role in the fourth installment of the The Karate Kid franchise, The Next Karate Kid in 1994.
On television, she was cast as part of the main cast in the eighth season of the drama series Beverly Hills 90210 as single mother Carly Reynolds from 1997 to 1998.
Swank garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of Brandon Teena in the 1999 biographical independent film Boys Don't Cry, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
She starred in Clint Eastwood's 2004 sports drama film Million Dollar Baby as struggling-waitress-turned-boxer Maggie Fitzgerald, which won her a second Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress.
She starred in other films, such as;
- The Gift (2000),
- Insomnia (2002),
- Iron Jawed Angels (2004),
- Red Dust (2004),
- The Reaping (2007),
- P.S. I Love You (2007),
- Freedom Writers (2007),
- and The Homesman (2014).
For amplification, click on the hyperlinks below:
J. K. Rowling
YouTube Video: J.K. Rowling Talks Harry Potter and More | Today Show Interview with Matt Lauer (NBC)
Pictured: J.K. Rowling at the White House Easter Egg Roll (2010) (Picture courtesy of Daniel Ogren, CC BY 2.0)
Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE FRSL (born 31 July 1965), pen names J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, is a British novelist, screenwriter and film producer best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series.
The books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and sold more than 400 million copies. They have become the best-selling book series in history and been the basis for a series of films which is the second highest-grossing film series in history.
Rowling had overall approval on the scripts and maintained creative control by serving as a producer on the final installment.
Born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International when she conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series while on a delayed train from Manchester to London in 1990.
The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother, birth of her first child, divorce from her first husband and relative poverty until she finished the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in 1997. There were six sequels, the last, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in 2007.
Since then, Rowling has written four books for adult readers, The Casual Vacancy (2012) and—under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith—the crime fiction novels The Cuckoo's Calling (2013), The Silkworm (2014) and Career of Evil (2015).
Rowling has lived a "rags to riches" life story, in which she progressed from living on state benefits to multi-millionaire status within five years. She is the United Kingdom's best-selling living author, with sales in excess of £238m.
The 2008 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling's fortune at £560 million, ranking her as the twelfth richest woman in the United Kingdom.
Forbes ranked Rowling as the 48th most powerful celebrity of 2007, and Time magazine named her as a runner-up for its 2007 Person of the Year, noting the social, moral, and political inspiration she has given her fans.
In October 2010, Rowling was named the "Most Influential Woman in Britain" by leading magazine editors. She has supported charities including Comic Relief, One Parent Families, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain and Lumos (formerly the Children's High Level Group).
For more about J. K. Rowling, click here.
The books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and sold more than 400 million copies. They have become the best-selling book series in history and been the basis for a series of films which is the second highest-grossing film series in history.
Rowling had overall approval on the scripts and maintained creative control by serving as a producer on the final installment.
Born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International when she conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series while on a delayed train from Manchester to London in 1990.
The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother, birth of her first child, divorce from her first husband and relative poverty until she finished the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in 1997. There were six sequels, the last, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in 2007.
Since then, Rowling has written four books for adult readers, The Casual Vacancy (2012) and—under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith—the crime fiction novels The Cuckoo's Calling (2013), The Silkworm (2014) and Career of Evil (2015).
Rowling has lived a "rags to riches" life story, in which she progressed from living on state benefits to multi-millionaire status within five years. She is the United Kingdom's best-selling living author, with sales in excess of £238m.
The 2008 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling's fortune at £560 million, ranking her as the twelfth richest woman in the United Kingdom.
Forbes ranked Rowling as the 48th most powerful celebrity of 2007, and Time magazine named her as a runner-up for its 2007 Person of the Year, noting the social, moral, and political inspiration she has given her fans.
In October 2010, Rowling was named the "Most Influential Woman in Britain" by leading magazine editors. She has supported charities including Comic Relief, One Parent Families, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain and Lumos (formerly the Children's High Level Group).
For more about J. K. Rowling, click here.
Jane Curtin
YouTube Video of SNL's "Queen of Deadpan" Jane Curtin on decades of comedy
Pictured: Jane Curtin as LEFT: as “Mother Conehead” from Saturday Night Light; and RIGHT: as Dr. Mary Albright in “3rd Rock from the Sun”
Jane Therese Curtin (born September 6, 1947) is an American actress and comedian. She is sometimes referred to as "Queen of the Deadpan"; The Philadelphia Inquirer once called her a "refreshing drop of acid." She was included on a 1986 list of the "Top Prime Time Actors and Actresses of All Time."
First coming to prominence as an original cast member on the hit TV comedy series Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s sitcom Kate & Allie portraying the role of Allison "Allie" Lowell.
Curtin later starred in the hit series 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001), playing the role of Dr. Mary Albright.
Curtin has also appeared in many movie roles, including Charlene in the The Librarian series of movies (2004–2008).
She also reprised one of her Saturday Night Live characters, Prymaat (Clorhone) Conehead, in the 1993 film Coneheads.
For further amplification, click on any of the following hyperlinks:
First coming to prominence as an original cast member on the hit TV comedy series Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s sitcom Kate & Allie portraying the role of Allison "Allie" Lowell.
Curtin later starred in the hit series 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001), playing the role of Dr. Mary Albright.
Curtin has also appeared in many movie roles, including Charlene in the The Librarian series of movies (2004–2008).
She also reprised one of her Saturday Night Live characters, Prymaat (Clorhone) Conehead, in the 1993 film Coneheads.
For further amplification, click on any of the following hyperlinks:
Jennifer Garner
YouTube Video: Jennifer Garner's Halloween
Pictured: Jennifer Garner featured on cover of Vanity Fair magazine
Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress and film producer. She made her film debut in the comedy Dude, Where's My Car (2000).
Following a supporting role in Pearl Harbor, Garner gained recognition for her performance as CIA officer Sydney Bristow in the ABC spy-action thriller Alias, which aired from 2001 to 2006. For her work on the series, she won a Golden Globe Award and a SAG Award, and received four Emmy Award nominations.
While working on Alias, Garner gained a cameo role in Catch Me if You Can (2002), followed by a praised leading performance in the romantic comedy film 13 Going on 30 (2004). Garner has appeared in supporting as well as lead film roles including the superhero films Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005), the comedy-drama Juno (2007), and the fantasy romantic comedy The Invention of Lying (2009).
In the 2010s, she appeared in the fantasy comedy-drama film The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012), the biographical drama Dallas Buyers Club (2013), and the comedy Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014).
Garner works frequently as an activist for education and has worked closely as a board member of Save the Children, and she has been an ambassador of the organization since the late 2000s.
She is also an advocate for anti-paparazzi campaigns among celebrity children. Following a four-year marriage to Scott Foley, Garner married actor Ben Affleck in 2005, with whom she has three children. She and Affleck separated in 2015.
Click here for more about Jennifer Garner.
Following a supporting role in Pearl Harbor, Garner gained recognition for her performance as CIA officer Sydney Bristow in the ABC spy-action thriller Alias, which aired from 2001 to 2006. For her work on the series, she won a Golden Globe Award and a SAG Award, and received four Emmy Award nominations.
While working on Alias, Garner gained a cameo role in Catch Me if You Can (2002), followed by a praised leading performance in the romantic comedy film 13 Going on 30 (2004). Garner has appeared in supporting as well as lead film roles including the superhero films Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005), the comedy-drama Juno (2007), and the fantasy romantic comedy The Invention of Lying (2009).
In the 2010s, she appeared in the fantasy comedy-drama film The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012), the biographical drama Dallas Buyers Club (2013), and the comedy Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014).
Garner works frequently as an activist for education and has worked closely as a board member of Save the Children, and she has been an ambassador of the organization since the late 2000s.
She is also an advocate for anti-paparazzi campaigns among celebrity children. Following a four-year marriage to Scott Foley, Garner married actor Ben Affleck in 2005, with whom she has three children. She and Affleck separated in 2015.
Click here for more about Jennifer Garner.
Jennifer Lawrence
YouTube Video: Best Jennifer Lawrence acting scene 'I don't like change' American Hustle (2013)
Pictured: Jennifer Lawrence speaking at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con International, for "X-Men: Apocalypse", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.
Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Lawrence suffered from hyperactivity and social anxiety as a child.
At the age of 14, she was spotted by a talent scout in New York City, who arranged for her to audition for roles. She soon moved to Los Angeles and began her acting career by playing guest roles in television shows.
Her first major role came as a main cast member on the sitcom The Bill Engvall Show (2007–09). She made her film debut with a supporting role in Garden Party (2008), following which she had her breakthrough with the acclaimed role of a poverty-stricken teenager in the independent drama Winter's Bone (2010).
Lawrence achieved wider recognition for playing the mutant Mystique in X-Men: First Class (2011), a role she reprised in later installments of the X-Men franchise.
Her starring role as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games film series (2012–15) established her as the highest-grossing action heroine of all time.
Lawrence has earned several accolades from her collaborations with the director David O. Russell. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing a depressed widow in the romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook (2012), making her the second-youngest Best Actress Oscar winner.
She received the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for portraying a troubled wife in the black comedy American Hustle (2013). She also won three Golden Globe Awards for her roles in the two aforementioned films and for starring as the eponymous inventor in the biopic Joy (2015).
Lawrence is one of the highest-paid and most-successful actresses in the world, with her films grossing over US$5 billion worldwide thus far. She is the youngest actress to accrue four Academy Award nominations.
Lawrence is also a vocal advocate of feminism and gender equality, and is the founder of the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation through which she supports various charitable organizations.
Click here for more about Jennifer Lawrence.
At the age of 14, she was spotted by a talent scout in New York City, who arranged for her to audition for roles. She soon moved to Los Angeles and began her acting career by playing guest roles in television shows.
Her first major role came as a main cast member on the sitcom The Bill Engvall Show (2007–09). She made her film debut with a supporting role in Garden Party (2008), following which she had her breakthrough with the acclaimed role of a poverty-stricken teenager in the independent drama Winter's Bone (2010).
Lawrence achieved wider recognition for playing the mutant Mystique in X-Men: First Class (2011), a role she reprised in later installments of the X-Men franchise.
Her starring role as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games film series (2012–15) established her as the highest-grossing action heroine of all time.
Lawrence has earned several accolades from her collaborations with the director David O. Russell. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing a depressed widow in the romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook (2012), making her the second-youngest Best Actress Oscar winner.
She received the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for portraying a troubled wife in the black comedy American Hustle (2013). She also won three Golden Globe Awards for her roles in the two aforementioned films and for starring as the eponymous inventor in the biopic Joy (2015).
Lawrence is one of the highest-paid and most-successful actresses in the world, with her films grossing over US$5 billion worldwide thus far. She is the youngest actress to accrue four Academy Award nominations.
Lawrence is also a vocal advocate of feminism and gender equality, and is the founder of the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation through which she supports various charitable organizations.
Click here for more about Jennifer Lawrence.
Jennifer Lopez
YouTube Video: Jennifer Lopez sings "Ain't Your Mama"
Pictured: Lopez at the 25th GLAAD Media Awards, April 2014
Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known as J. Lo, is an American singer, actress, dancer, fashion designer, author and producer.
She became interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry following a minor role in the 1986 film My Little Girl, to the dismay of her Puerto Rican parents, who believed that it was an unrealistic career route for a Hispanic.
Lopez gained her first regular high-profile job as a Fly Girl dancer on In Living Color in 1991, where she remained a regular until she decided to pursue an acting career in 1993.
She received her first leading role in the Selena biopic of the same name in 1997. Lopez became the first Latina actress to earn over US$1 million for a role the following year, with the film Out of Sight. She ventured into the music industry in 1999 with her debut studio album, On the 6.
With the simultaneous release of her second studio album J.Lo and her film The Wedding Planner in 2001, Lopez became the first woman to have a number one album and film in the same week.
Her 2002 remix album, J to tha L–O! The Remixes, became the first in history to debut at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, while her fifth studio album, Como Ama una Mujer (2007), received the highest first-week sales for a Spanish album in the United States.
Along with Pitbull, she recorded "We Are One (Ole Ola)", which served as the official song of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Beyond entertainment, Lopez enjoys a highly successful business career, consisting of various clothing lines, accessories, fragrances, a production company, television shows and a charitable foundation among other business interests.
Lopez's personal relationships have attracted worldwide media attention; she has been married three times. Following the breakdown of her first marriage, Lopez dated rapper and entertainment mogul Sean Combs.
Following the breakdown of her second marriage to husband Cris Judd, she dated actor Ben Affleck. Their relationship was the subject of much media interest; their planned wedding was cancelled four days before the ceremony.
Lopez then wed longtime friend Marc Anthony; they separated after seven years of marriage. Lopez gave birth to their twins, Emme and Maximilian, in 2008.
Click here for more about Jennifer Lopez.
She became interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry following a minor role in the 1986 film My Little Girl, to the dismay of her Puerto Rican parents, who believed that it was an unrealistic career route for a Hispanic.
Lopez gained her first regular high-profile job as a Fly Girl dancer on In Living Color in 1991, where she remained a regular until she decided to pursue an acting career in 1993.
She received her first leading role in the Selena biopic of the same name in 1997. Lopez became the first Latina actress to earn over US$1 million for a role the following year, with the film Out of Sight. She ventured into the music industry in 1999 with her debut studio album, On the 6.
With the simultaneous release of her second studio album J.Lo and her film The Wedding Planner in 2001, Lopez became the first woman to have a number one album and film in the same week.
Her 2002 remix album, J to tha L–O! The Remixes, became the first in history to debut at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, while her fifth studio album, Como Ama una Mujer (2007), received the highest first-week sales for a Spanish album in the United States.
Along with Pitbull, she recorded "We Are One (Ole Ola)", which served as the official song of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Beyond entertainment, Lopez enjoys a highly successful business career, consisting of various clothing lines, accessories, fragrances, a production company, television shows and a charitable foundation among other business interests.
Lopez's personal relationships have attracted worldwide media attention; she has been married three times. Following the breakdown of her first marriage, Lopez dated rapper and entertainment mogul Sean Combs.
Following the breakdown of her second marriage to husband Cris Judd, she dated actor Ben Affleck. Their relationship was the subject of much media interest; their planned wedding was cancelled four days before the ceremony.
Lopez then wed longtime friend Marc Anthony; they separated after seven years of marriage. Lopez gave birth to their twins, Emme and Maximilian, in 2008.
Click here for more about Jennifer Lopez.
Jessica Lange
YouTube Video: The Films of Jessica Lange
Pictured: Jessica Lange at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, 2014
Jessica Phyllis Lange (born April 20, 1949) is an American actress who has received worldwide acclaim for her work in film, theater, and television.
The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, one Tony Award, three Emmy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and three Dorian Awards.
In 1998, Entertainment Weekly listed Lange among the 25 Greatest Actresses of the '90s. In 2016, Lange became the twenty-second thespian to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.
Lange was discovered by producer Dino De Laurentiis while modeling part-time for the Wilhelmina modelling agency. She made her professional film debut in his 1976 remake of the 1933 action-adventure classic King Kong, for which she won her first Golden Globe Award.
In 1982, she became the first performer in 40 years to receive two Oscar nominations within the same year; she won her second Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a soap opera star in Tootsie, and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the troubled actress Frances Farmer, in Frances.
Lange received three more nominations before garnering a sixth Oscar nomination and winning, along with her third Golden Globe Award, the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as a manic depressive housewife in Blue Sky (1994).
In 1995, Lange became the second actress in Oscar history, after Meryl Streep, to win Best Actress after winning Best Supporting Actress; a record she held for nearly 20 years before being succeeded by Cate Blanchett in 2014.
In 2010, she won her first Primetime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' famed aunt, Big Edie, in HBO's Grey Gardens (2009).
Between 2011 and 2013, she won her first Screen Actors Guild Award, fifth Golden Globe Award, and second and third Emmy Awards for her performances in the first and third seasons of FX's, American Horror Story (2011–2015).
In 2016, Lange garnered her first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for her critically acclaimed performance in the Broadway revival of Long Day's Journey into Night.
In addition to acting, Lange is a photographer with three published works.
She has also been a foster parent and currently holds a Goodwill Ambassador position for UNICEF, specializing in HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Russia.
Click here fore more about Jessica Lange.
The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, one Tony Award, three Emmy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and three Dorian Awards.
In 1998, Entertainment Weekly listed Lange among the 25 Greatest Actresses of the '90s. In 2016, Lange became the twenty-second thespian to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.
Lange was discovered by producer Dino De Laurentiis while modeling part-time for the Wilhelmina modelling agency. She made her professional film debut in his 1976 remake of the 1933 action-adventure classic King Kong, for which she won her first Golden Globe Award.
In 1982, she became the first performer in 40 years to receive two Oscar nominations within the same year; she won her second Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a soap opera star in Tootsie, and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the troubled actress Frances Farmer, in Frances.
Lange received three more nominations before garnering a sixth Oscar nomination and winning, along with her third Golden Globe Award, the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as a manic depressive housewife in Blue Sky (1994).
In 1995, Lange became the second actress in Oscar history, after Meryl Streep, to win Best Actress after winning Best Supporting Actress; a record she held for nearly 20 years before being succeeded by Cate Blanchett in 2014.
In 2010, she won her first Primetime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' famed aunt, Big Edie, in HBO's Grey Gardens (2009).
Between 2011 and 2013, she won her first Screen Actors Guild Award, fifth Golden Globe Award, and second and third Emmy Awards for her performances in the first and third seasons of FX's, American Horror Story (2011–2015).
In 2016, Lange garnered her first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for her critically acclaimed performance in the Broadway revival of Long Day's Journey into Night.
In addition to acting, Lange is a photographer with three published works.
She has also been a foster parent and currently holds a Goodwill Ambassador position for UNICEF, specializing in HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Russia.
Click here fore more about Jessica Lange.
Joanne Woodward
YouTube Video from "The Long, Hot Summer" with Paul Newman*: "I'm Gonna Kiss You (1958)"
*-- Paul Newman (who was also Joanne Woodward's real-life husband)
Pictured: Joanne Woodward in LEFT: “The Long Hot Summer” (1958); RIGHT: “Rachel, Rachel” (1968)
Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an American actress, producer, activist, and philanthropist. She is perhaps best known for her Academy Award-winning role in The Three Faces of Eve (1957).
Woodward's first film was a post-Civil War Western, Count Three and Pray, in 1955. She continued to move between Hollywood and Broadway, eventually understudying in the New York production of Picnic, which featured her future husband Paul Newman.
The two were married in 1958, after their work together in the film The Long, Hot Summer. By that time, Woodward had starred in The Three Faces of Eve (1957), for which she won the 1957 Academy Award for Best Actress.
She appeared with husband Paul Newman in ten feature films:
Both appeared in the HBO miniseries Empire Falls but had no scenes together.
She starred in five films that Newman directed or produced but in which he did not star:
Woodward has continued to act, in such films as Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973) opposite Martin Balsam, and Philadelphia (1993) in which she played the mother to Tom Hanks' character.
She appeared in the television films Sybil (1976), opposite Sally Field, and Crisis at Central High (1981). She was the narrator for Martin Scorsese's screen version of The Age of Innocence (1993).
Woodward was a co-producer and starred in a 1993 broadcast of the play Blind Spot, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie.
She was executive producer of the 2003 television production of Our Town, featuring Newman as the stage manager (for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award.) She wrote the teleplay and directed a 1982 production of Shirley Jackson's story Come Along with Me, for which husband Newman provided the voice of the character Hughie under the screen name of P. L. Neuman.
In 1995, Woodward directed off-broadway revivals of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy and Waiting for Lefty at the Blue Light Theater Company in New York.
Woodward served as the artistic director of the Westport Country Playhouse from 2001 to 2005.
She recorded a reading of singer John Mellencamp's song "The Real Life" for his box set On the Rural Route 7609. In 2011, she narrated the Scholastic/Weston Woods film All the World.
Woodward had first met Newman in 1953. They later reconnected on the set of The Long Hot Summer in 1957. Woodward and Newman married on January 29, 1958, in Las Vegas. On March 28 of the same year, Woodward won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Three Faces of Eve. The couple remained married for 50 years, until Newman's death from lung cancer on September 26, 2008.
Woodward and Newman had three daughters: Elinor Teresa (1959), known on screen as Nell Potts and generally as Nell Newman, Melissa "Lissy" Stewart (1961), and Claire "Clea" Olivia Newman (1965). They also have two grandsons, by Lissy.
In 1988, Newman and Woodward established the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a nonprofit residential summer camp, and year-round center named after the Wyoming mountain hideaway of the outlaws in Newman's film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The camp, located in Ashford, Connecticut, provides services to 20,000 children and their families coping with cancer, and other serious illnesses and conditions, free of charge.
In 1990, Woodward graduated from Sarah Lawrence College, along with her daughter Clea. Newman delivered the commencement address, during which he said he dreamed that a woman had asked, "How dare you accept this invitation to give the commencement address when you are merely hanging on to the coattails of the accomplishments of your wife?"
Woodward and Newman made their home in Westport, Connecticut.
Click here for more about Joanne Woodward.
Woodward's first film was a post-Civil War Western, Count Three and Pray, in 1955. She continued to move between Hollywood and Broadway, eventually understudying in the New York production of Picnic, which featured her future husband Paul Newman.
The two were married in 1958, after their work together in the film The Long, Hot Summer. By that time, Woodward had starred in The Three Faces of Eve (1957), for which she won the 1957 Academy Award for Best Actress.
She appeared with husband Paul Newman in ten feature films:
- The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
- Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958)
- From the Terrace (1960)
- Paris Blues (1961)
- A New Kind of Love (1963)
- Winning (1969)
- WUSA (1970)
- The Drowning Pool (1975)
- Harry & Son (1984)—(directed by Newman)
- Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990)
Both appeared in the HBO miniseries Empire Falls but had no scenes together.
She starred in five films that Newman directed or produced but in which he did not star:
- Rachel, Rachel (1968)
- They Might Be Giants (1971)
- The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds—which featured their daughter, Nell Potts (1972)
- The Shadow Box (1980)—(television movie)
- The Glass Menagerie (1987)
Woodward has continued to act, in such films as Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973) opposite Martin Balsam, and Philadelphia (1993) in which she played the mother to Tom Hanks' character.
She appeared in the television films Sybil (1976), opposite Sally Field, and Crisis at Central High (1981). She was the narrator for Martin Scorsese's screen version of The Age of Innocence (1993).
Woodward was a co-producer and starred in a 1993 broadcast of the play Blind Spot, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie.
She was executive producer of the 2003 television production of Our Town, featuring Newman as the stage manager (for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award.) She wrote the teleplay and directed a 1982 production of Shirley Jackson's story Come Along with Me, for which husband Newman provided the voice of the character Hughie under the screen name of P. L. Neuman.
In 1995, Woodward directed off-broadway revivals of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy and Waiting for Lefty at the Blue Light Theater Company in New York.
Woodward served as the artistic director of the Westport Country Playhouse from 2001 to 2005.
She recorded a reading of singer John Mellencamp's song "The Real Life" for his box set On the Rural Route 7609. In 2011, she narrated the Scholastic/Weston Woods film All the World.
Woodward had first met Newman in 1953. They later reconnected on the set of The Long Hot Summer in 1957. Woodward and Newman married on January 29, 1958, in Las Vegas. On March 28 of the same year, Woodward won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Three Faces of Eve. The couple remained married for 50 years, until Newman's death from lung cancer on September 26, 2008.
Woodward and Newman had three daughters: Elinor Teresa (1959), known on screen as Nell Potts and generally as Nell Newman, Melissa "Lissy" Stewart (1961), and Claire "Clea" Olivia Newman (1965). They also have two grandsons, by Lissy.
In 1988, Newman and Woodward established the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a nonprofit residential summer camp, and year-round center named after the Wyoming mountain hideaway of the outlaws in Newman's film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The camp, located in Ashford, Connecticut, provides services to 20,000 children and their families coping with cancer, and other serious illnesses and conditions, free of charge.
In 1990, Woodward graduated from Sarah Lawrence College, along with her daughter Clea. Newman delivered the commencement address, during which he said he dreamed that a woman had asked, "How dare you accept this invitation to give the commencement address when you are merely hanging on to the coattails of the accomplishments of your wife?"
Woodward and Newman made their home in Westport, Connecticut.
Click here for more about Joanne Woodward.
Jodie Foster
YouTube Video: "The Silence of the Lambs" - Clarice (Jodie Foster) meets Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins)
Pictured: Jodie Foster in LEFT: “Taxi Driver” (1976); RIGHT: “The Accused” (1988)
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress, director and producer who has worked in films and on television. She has often been cited as one of the best actresses of her generation.
Foster began her career at the age of three as a child model in 1965, and two years later moved to acting in television series, with the sitcom Mayberry R.F.D. being her debut. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she worked in several primetime television series and starred in children's films.
Foster's breakthrough came in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976), in which she played a teenage prostitute; the role garnered her a nomination for an Academy Award.
Her other critically acclaimed roles as a teenager were in the musical Bugsy Malone (1976) and the thriller The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), and she became a popular teen idol by starring in Disney's Freaky Friday (1976), Candleshoe (1977) and Foxes (1980).
After attending college at Yale, Foster struggled to transition to adult roles until winning widespread critical acclaim for her portrayal of a rape survivor in The Accused (1988), for which she won several awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
She won her second Academy Award three years later for her role in the sleeper hit The Silence of the Lambs, where she played Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee investigating a serial murder case.
Foster made her debut as a film director the same year with the moderately successful Little Man Tate (1991), and founded her own production company, Egg Pictures, in 1992. The company's first production was Nell (1994), in which she also played the title role, gaining another nomination for an Academy Award.
Her other films in the 1990s included,
Her second film direction, Home for the Holidays (1995), was not well-received commercially, while critical reviews were mixed.
After career setbacks in the early 2000s, which included the cancellation of a film project and the closing down of her production company, Foster starred in four thrillers:
She has focused on directing in the 2010s, directing the films The Beaver (2011) and Money Monster (2016), as well as episodes for Netflix television series Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.
She also starred in the film Elysium (2013).
In addition to her two Academy Awards, Foster has won three BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award and the Cecil B DeMille Award.
Click here for more about Jodie Foster.
Foster began her career at the age of three as a child model in 1965, and two years later moved to acting in television series, with the sitcom Mayberry R.F.D. being her debut. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she worked in several primetime television series and starred in children's films.
Foster's breakthrough came in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976), in which she played a teenage prostitute; the role garnered her a nomination for an Academy Award.
Her other critically acclaimed roles as a teenager were in the musical Bugsy Malone (1976) and the thriller The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), and she became a popular teen idol by starring in Disney's Freaky Friday (1976), Candleshoe (1977) and Foxes (1980).
After attending college at Yale, Foster struggled to transition to adult roles until winning widespread critical acclaim for her portrayal of a rape survivor in The Accused (1988), for which she won several awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
She won her second Academy Award three years later for her role in the sleeper hit The Silence of the Lambs, where she played Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee investigating a serial murder case.
Foster made her debut as a film director the same year with the moderately successful Little Man Tate (1991), and founded her own production company, Egg Pictures, in 1992. The company's first production was Nell (1994), in which she also played the title role, gaining another nomination for an Academy Award.
Her other films in the 1990s included,
- period drama Sommersby,
- Western comedy Maverick (1994),
- science fiction film Contact (1997),
- and period drama Anna and the King (1999).
Her second film direction, Home for the Holidays (1995), was not well-received commercially, while critical reviews were mixed.
After career setbacks in the early 2000s, which included the cancellation of a film project and the closing down of her production company, Foster starred in four thrillers:
- Panic Room (2002),
- Flightplan (2005),
- Inside Man (2006)
- and The Brave One (2007).
She has focused on directing in the 2010s, directing the films The Beaver (2011) and Money Monster (2016), as well as episodes for Netflix television series Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.
She also starred in the film Elysium (2013).
In addition to her two Academy Awards, Foster has won three BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award and the Cecil B DeMille Award.
Click here for more about Jodie Foster.
Melissa McCarthy
YouTube Video: Cut For Time: Supermarket Spree (Melissa McCarthy) - Saturday Night Live
Pictured: Melissa McCarthy before (left) and after (right) her 75 pound weight loss.
Melissa Ann McCarthy (born August 26, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, fashion designer and producer.
McCarthy first gained recognition for her role as Sookie St. James on the television series Gilmore Girls from 2000 to 2007.
From 2007 to 2009, she appeared as Dena on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?.
McCarthy was then cast as Molly Flynn on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, on which she starred from 2010 to 2016 and earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series as well as two other nominations during subsequent seasons.
She has also been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her work as host on Saturday Night Live three years consecutively.
McCarthy achieved success and fame for her breakthrough film role as Megan Price in the comedy film Bridesmaids (2011), which garnered her award nominations including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a BAFTA nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2013, she co-starred in the comedy films Identity Thief and The Heat. She has also appeared in supporting roles in The Nines (2007), The Back-up Plan (2010), Life as We Know It (2010), This Is 40 (2012) and The Hangover Part III (2013).
In 2014, McCarthy starred in the comedy Tammy and the comedy-drama film St. Vincent. In 2015, she headlined the action comedy film Spy, for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical nomination.
In 2016, she starred in the comedy films The Boss and Ghostbusters.
McCarthy is the founder of the production company On the Day Productions with her husband Ben Falcone. In 2015, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and released women's plus size clothing collection, Melissa McCarthy Seven7. Also in 2015, Forbes named McCarthy the third highest-paid actress in the world that year.
Click here for more about Melissa McCarthy.
McCarthy first gained recognition for her role as Sookie St. James on the television series Gilmore Girls from 2000 to 2007.
From 2007 to 2009, she appeared as Dena on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?.
McCarthy was then cast as Molly Flynn on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, on which she starred from 2010 to 2016 and earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series as well as two other nominations during subsequent seasons.
She has also been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her work as host on Saturday Night Live three years consecutively.
McCarthy achieved success and fame for her breakthrough film role as Megan Price in the comedy film Bridesmaids (2011), which garnered her award nominations including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a BAFTA nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2013, she co-starred in the comedy films Identity Thief and The Heat. She has also appeared in supporting roles in The Nines (2007), The Back-up Plan (2010), Life as We Know It (2010), This Is 40 (2012) and The Hangover Part III (2013).
In 2014, McCarthy starred in the comedy Tammy and the comedy-drama film St. Vincent. In 2015, she headlined the action comedy film Spy, for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical nomination.
In 2016, she starred in the comedy films The Boss and Ghostbusters.
McCarthy is the founder of the production company On the Day Productions with her husband Ben Falcone. In 2015, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and released women's plus size clothing collection, Melissa McCarthy Seven7. Also in 2015, Forbes named McCarthy the third highest-paid actress in the world that year.
Click here for more about Melissa McCarthy.
Meryl Streep
YouTube Video: as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady
Pictured: Meryl Streep in LEFT: Kramer vs. Kramer and RIGHT: Sophie’s Choice
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress and singer. Cited in the media as the "best actress of her generation" — a designation she objects to — Streep is particularly known for her versatility in her roles, transformation into the characters she plays, and her accent adaptation.
She made her professional stage debut in The Playboy of Seville in 1971, and went on to receive a 1976 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for A Memory of Two Mondays/27 Wagons Full of Cotton.
She made her screen debut in the 1977 television film The Deadliest Season, and made her film debut later that same year in Julia. In 1978, she won an Emmy Award for her role in the miniseries Holocaust, and received her first Academy Award nomination for The Deer Hunter.
Nominated for 19 Academy Awards in total, Streep has more nominations than any other actor or actress; she won Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), and Best Actress for Sophie's Choice (1982) and for The Iron Lady (2011).
Streep is one of the ten actors to have won three or more competitive Academy Awards for acting. Her other nominated roles are:
She returned to the stage for the first time in over 20 years in The Public Theater's 2001 revival of The Seagull, won a second Emmy Award in 2004 for the HBO miniseries Angels in America (2003), and starred in the Public Theater's 2006 production of Mother Courage and Her Children.
Streep has also received 29 Golden Globe nominations, winning eight—more nominations, and more competitive (non-honorary) wins than any other actor (male or female).
Her work has also earned her two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Cannes Film Festival award, five New York Film Critics Circle Awards, two BAFTA awards, two Australian Film Institute awards, five Grammy Award nominations, and five Drama Desk Award nominations, among several others.
She was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2004 and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2011 for her contribution to American culture through performing arts. President Barack Obama awarded her the 2010 National Medal of Arts and in 2014 the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2003, the government of France made her a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Click here for more about Meryl Streep.
She made her professional stage debut in The Playboy of Seville in 1971, and went on to receive a 1976 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for A Memory of Two Mondays/27 Wagons Full of Cotton.
She made her screen debut in the 1977 television film The Deadliest Season, and made her film debut later that same year in Julia. In 1978, she won an Emmy Award for her role in the miniseries Holocaust, and received her first Academy Award nomination for The Deer Hunter.
Nominated for 19 Academy Awards in total, Streep has more nominations than any other actor or actress; she won Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), and Best Actress for Sophie's Choice (1982) and for The Iron Lady (2011).
Streep is one of the ten actors to have won three or more competitive Academy Awards for acting. Her other nominated roles are:
- The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981),
- Silkwood (1983),
- Out of Africa (1985),
- Ironweed (1987),
- Evil Angels (1988),
- Postcards from the Edge (1990),
- The Bridges of Madison County (1995),
- One True Thing (1998),
- Music of the Heart (1999),
- Adaptation (2002),
- The Devil Wears Prada (2006),
- Doubt (2008),
- Julie & Julia (2009),
- August: Osage County (2013),
- and Into the Woods (2014).
She returned to the stage for the first time in over 20 years in The Public Theater's 2001 revival of The Seagull, won a second Emmy Award in 2004 for the HBO miniseries Angels in America (2003), and starred in the Public Theater's 2006 production of Mother Courage and Her Children.
Streep has also received 29 Golden Globe nominations, winning eight—more nominations, and more competitive (non-honorary) wins than any other actor (male or female).
Her work has also earned her two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Cannes Film Festival award, five New York Film Critics Circle Awards, two BAFTA awards, two Australian Film Institute awards, five Grammy Award nominations, and five Drama Desk Award nominations, among several others.
She was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2004 and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2011 for her contribution to American culture through performing arts. President Barack Obama awarded her the 2010 National Medal of Arts and in 2014 the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2003, the government of France made her a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Click here for more about Meryl Streep.
Barbra Streisand
- YouTube Video of Barbra Streisand singing her Signature Song: "People"
- YouTube Video of Barbra Streisand Singing "The Way We Were"
- YouTube Video: The Life and Career of Barbra Streisand by WatchMojo
Barbara Joan Streisand (known professionally as Barbra Streisand): her career has spanned six decades, becoming an icon in multiple fields of entertainment, winning numerous awards, and has earned her recognition as Mother of All Contemporary Pop Divas or Queen of The Divas.
She has been recognized with:
She is among a small group of entertainers who have been honored with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award, and is one of only the two who have also won a Peabody.
Streisand is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with more than 72.5 million albums in the United States and with a total of 245 million records sold worldwide, making her the best-selling female artist among the top-selling artists recognized by the Recording Industry Association of America, (The only female in the top ten, and the only artist outside of the rock 'n' roll genre.)
After beginning a successful recording career in the 1960s, Streisand ventured into film by the end of the decade.
She starred in the critically acclaimed Funny Girl, for which she won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.
Her other films include The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) The Way We Were (1973), and A Star Is Born (1976), for which she received her second Academy Award, composing music for the love theme "Evergreen", the first woman to be honored as a composer.
With the release of Yentl in 1983, Streisand became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film. The film won an Oscar for Best Score and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical; Streisand received the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, the first (and to date only) woman to win that award.
The RIAA and Billboard recognize Streisand as holding the record for the most top-ten albums of any female recording artist: a total of 33 since 1963. According to Billboard, Streisand holds the record for the female with the most number one albums. Billboard also recognizes Streisand as the greatest female of all time on its Billboard 200 chart and one of the greatest artists of all time on its Hot 100 chart.
Streisand is the only recording artist to have a number-one album in each of the last six decades, having released 53 Gold albums, 31 Platinum albums, and 14 Multi-Platinum albums in the United States.
Click here for more about Barbra Streisand.
She has been recognized with:
- two Academy Awards,
- ten Grammy Awards including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Grammy Legend Award,
- five Emmy Awards including one Daytime Emmy,a Special Tony Award,
- an American Film Institute award,
- a Kennedy Center Honors prize,
- four Peabody Awards,
- The Presidential Medal Of Freedom
- and eleven Golden Globes.
She is among a small group of entertainers who have been honored with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award, and is one of only the two who have also won a Peabody.
Streisand is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with more than 72.5 million albums in the United States and with a total of 245 million records sold worldwide, making her the best-selling female artist among the top-selling artists recognized by the Recording Industry Association of America, (The only female in the top ten, and the only artist outside of the rock 'n' roll genre.)
After beginning a successful recording career in the 1960s, Streisand ventured into film by the end of the decade.
She starred in the critically acclaimed Funny Girl, for which she won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.
Her other films include The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) The Way We Were (1973), and A Star Is Born (1976), for which she received her second Academy Award, composing music for the love theme "Evergreen", the first woman to be honored as a composer.
With the release of Yentl in 1983, Streisand became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film. The film won an Oscar for Best Score and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical; Streisand received the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, the first (and to date only) woman to win that award.
The RIAA and Billboard recognize Streisand as holding the record for the most top-ten albums of any female recording artist: a total of 33 since 1963. According to Billboard, Streisand holds the record for the female with the most number one albums. Billboard also recognizes Streisand as the greatest female of all time on its Billboard 200 chart and one of the greatest artists of all time on its Hot 100 chart.
Streisand is the only recording artist to have a number-one album in each of the last six decades, having released 53 Gold albums, 31 Platinum albums, and 14 Multi-Platinum albums in the United States.
Click here for more about Barbra Streisand.
Halle Berry
YouTube Video: "Make Me Feel Good" - Monster's Ball (9/11) Movie CLIP (2001)
Pictured: Halle Berry (Left) as the Bond girl “Jinx” in the James Bond movie “Die Another Day” (2002); (Center) in “Monsters Ball” (2001); and (Right) in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Halle Maria Berry (born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model.
She won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in the romantic drama Monster's Ball (2001), which made her the only woman of color to win a Best Actress Academy Award to date, as of 2016.
Berry was one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood during the 2000s and has been involved in the production of several of the films in which she performed. She is also a Revlon spokesmodel.
Before becoming an actress, she started modeling and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the 1st runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant and coming in 6th place in the Miss World Pageant in 1986.
Her breakthrough film role was in the romantic comedy Boomerang (1992), alongside Eddie Murphy, which led to roles in films such as the comedy The Flintstones (1994), the political comedy-drama Bulworth (1998) and the television film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), for which she won the Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, among many other awards.
In addition to her Academy Award win, Berry garnered high-profile roles in the 2000s such as Storm in the X-Men film series (beginning in 2000), the action crime thriller Swordfish (2001), and the spy film Die Another Day (2002), where she played Bond Girl Jinx.
She then appeared in the X-Men sequels, X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
In the 2010s, she appeared in movies such as the science fiction film Cloud Atlas (2012), the crime thriller The Call (2013) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
Divorced from baseball player David Justice and singer-songwriter Eric Benét, Berry has a daughter by model Gabriel Aubry, and a son by actor Olivier Martinez.
Click here for more about Halle Berry.
She won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in the romantic drama Monster's Ball (2001), which made her the only woman of color to win a Best Actress Academy Award to date, as of 2016.
Berry was one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood during the 2000s and has been involved in the production of several of the films in which she performed. She is also a Revlon spokesmodel.
Before becoming an actress, she started modeling and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the 1st runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant and coming in 6th place in the Miss World Pageant in 1986.
Her breakthrough film role was in the romantic comedy Boomerang (1992), alongside Eddie Murphy, which led to roles in films such as the comedy The Flintstones (1994), the political comedy-drama Bulworth (1998) and the television film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), for which she won the Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, among many other awards.
In addition to her Academy Award win, Berry garnered high-profile roles in the 2000s such as Storm in the X-Men film series (beginning in 2000), the action crime thriller Swordfish (2001), and the spy film Die Another Day (2002), where she played Bond Girl Jinx.
She then appeared in the X-Men sequels, X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
In the 2010s, she appeared in movies such as the science fiction film Cloud Atlas (2012), the crime thriller The Call (2013) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
Divorced from baseball player David Justice and singer-songwriter Eric Benét, Berry has a daughter by model Gabriel Aubry, and a son by actor Olivier Martinez.
Click here for more about Halle Berry.
Goldie Hawn
YouTube Video of Johnny Carson Interview with Goldie Hawn
Pictured: Goldie Hawn in: (LEFT) the TV series “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in”; (CENTER) the movie “Overboard”; (RIGHT) “The First Wives Club”
Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, director, producer, and occasional singer, who rose to fame on television's Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968–70).
She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1969 film, Cactus Flower, maintaining bankable star status for more than three decades thereafter.
She is the mother of actors Oliver Hudson, Kate Hudson and Wyatt Russell, and has been in a relationship with actor Kurt Russell since 1983. She founded The Hawn Foundation in 2003.
Hawn was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the title role in the 1980 film Private Benjamin.
Other films include:
She is set to star in her first film for 15 years with a role in Mother/Daughter (2017).
Click here for more about Goldie Hawn.
She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1969 film, Cactus Flower, maintaining bankable star status for more than three decades thereafter.
She is the mother of actors Oliver Hudson, Kate Hudson and Wyatt Russell, and has been in a relationship with actor Kurt Russell since 1983. She founded The Hawn Foundation in 2003.
Hawn was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the title role in the 1980 film Private Benjamin.
Other films include:
- There's a Girl in My Soup (1970),
- Butterflies Are Free (1972),
- The Sugarland Express (1974),
- Shampoo (1975),
- Foul Play (1978),
- Seems Like Old Times (1980),
- Best Friends (1982),
- Overboard (1987),
- Bird on a Wire (1990),
- Death Becomes Her (1992),
- Housesitter (1992),
- The First Wives Club (1996),
- and The Banger Sisters (2002).
She is set to star in her first film for 15 years with a role in Mother/Daughter (2017).
Click here for more about Goldie Hawn.
Christine Baranski
YouTube Video: Christine Baranski Tribute
Christine Jane Baranski (born May 2, 1952) is an American stage and screen actress. She won Tony Awards for her work in the original Broadway productions of The Real Thing in 1984 and Rumors in 1989, both for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She went on to win the 1995 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryanne Thorpe in the sitcom Cybill (1995–98).
Baranski's other Broadway credits include her debut in Hide and Seek (1980), Hurlyburly (1984), The House of Blue Leaves (1986) and Boeing Boeing (2008).
A 15-time Emmy Award nominee, her other television work includes her portrayals of Diane Lockhart in The Good Wife, and Dr. Beverly Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory.
Her film roles include the following:
Click here for more about Christine Baranski.
Baranski's other Broadway credits include her debut in Hide and Seek (1980), Hurlyburly (1984), The House of Blue Leaves (1986) and Boeing Boeing (2008).
A 15-time Emmy Award nominee, her other television work includes her portrayals of Diane Lockhart in The Good Wife, and Dr. Beverly Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory.
Her film roles include the following:
- 9½ Weeks (1986),
- Legal Eagles (1986),
- Reversal of Fortune (1990),
- Addams Family Values (1993),
- Jeffrey (1995),
- The Birdcage (1996),
- Bulworth (1998),
- Cruel Intentions (1999),
- Bowfinger (1999),
- Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000),
- Chicago (2002),
- Mamma Mia! (2008),
- and Into the Woods (2014).
Click here for more about Christine Baranski.
Kate Hudson
YouTube Video: Goldie Hawn Crashed Kate Hudson's High School Party
Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress, author and businesswoman. She rose to prominence starring in the film Almost Famous (2000), for which she won a Golden Globe and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Hudson's other films include,
Hudson co-founded the fitness brand and membership program, Fabletics, operated by JustFab.
In 2016, Hudson released her first book, Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body. In 2017, she released her second book, Pretty Fun: Creating and Celebrating a Lifetime of Tradition.
Click here for more about Kate Hudson.
Hudson's other films include,
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003),
- Raising Helen (2004),
- The Skeleton Key (2005),
- You, Me and Dupree (2006),
- Fool's Gold (2008),
- Bride Wars (2009),
- Nine (2009),
- and Deepwater Horizon (2016).
Hudson co-founded the fitness brand and membership program, Fabletics, operated by JustFab.
In 2016, Hudson released her first book, Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body. In 2017, she released her second book, Pretty Fun: Creating and Celebrating a Lifetime of Tradition.
Click here for more about Kate Hudson.
Julia Roberts
YouTube Video of Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich: "A Lame-Ass Offer"
Pictured: Julia Roberts in (L) Pretty Woman; (R) Erin Brockovich
Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress and producer. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990), which grossed US $464 million worldwide.
She has won three Golden Globe Awards (out of eight nominations) and has been nominated for four Academy Awards for her film acting, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Erin Brockovich (2000).
Her films have collectively brought box office receipts of over US$2.7 billion, making her one of the most successful actresses in terms of box office receipts:
She received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie nomination for her performance in the HBO television film The Normal Heart (2014).
Roberts was the highest-paid actress in the world throughout most of the 1990s and in the first half of the 2000s.
Her fee for 1990's Pretty Woman was US$300,000; in 2003, she was paid an unprecedented US $25 million for her role in Mona Lisa Smile (2003). As of 2007 Roberts's net worth was estimated to be US$140 million. She has been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" eleven times, tied with Halle Berry.
Click here for more about Julia Roberts.
She has won three Golden Globe Awards (out of eight nominations) and has been nominated for four Academy Awards for her film acting, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Erin Brockovich (2000).
Her films have collectively brought box office receipts of over US$2.7 billion, making her one of the most successful actresses in terms of box office receipts:
- Mystic Pizza (1988),
- Sleeping with the Enemy (1991),
- Hook (1991),
- The Pelican Brief (1993),
- My Best Friend's Wedding (1997),
- Conspiracy Theory (1997),
- Notting Hill (1999),
- Runaway Bride (1999),
- Ocean's Eleven (2001),
- Mona Lisa Smile (2003),
- Ocean's Twelve (2004),
- Charlie Wilson's War (2007),
- Valentine's Day (2010),
- Eat Pray Love (2010),
- Mirror Mirror (2012),
- and Money Monster (2016)
She received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie nomination for her performance in the HBO television film The Normal Heart (2014).
Roberts was the highest-paid actress in the world throughout most of the 1990s and in the first half of the 2000s.
Her fee for 1990's Pretty Woman was US$300,000; in 2003, she was paid an unprecedented US $25 million for her role in Mona Lisa Smile (2003). As of 2007 Roberts's net worth was estimated to be US$140 million. She has been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" eleven times, tied with Halle Berry.
Click here for more about Julia Roberts.
Sally Field
YouTube Video of Sally Field as "Norma Rae"
Pictured: Sally Field has definitely made a career for herself after Forest Gump (below left), with movies including Lincoln, Mrs. Doubtfire, and The Amazing Spider-Man franchise. (Courtesy of Movie Pilot)
Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American film and television actress and director.
Field began her career in television, starring on the sitcoms Gidget (1965–66) and The Flying Nun (1967–70). She ventured into film with Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and later Norma Rae (1979), for which she received the Academy Award for Best Actress.
She later received Golden Globe Award nominations for her performances in Absence of Malice (1981) and Kiss Me Goodbye (1982), before receiving her second Academy Award for Best Actress for Places in the Heart (1984). Field received further nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Murphy's Romance (1985) and Steel Magnolias (1989).
In the 1990s, Field appeared in a wide range of films, including Not Without My Daughter (1991) and Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), before being nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Forrest Gump (1994).
In the 2000s, she returned to television with a recurring role on the NBC medical drama ER, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2001.
From 2006 to 2011, she portrayed the lead role of Nora Walker on the ABC television drama Brothers & Sisters, for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2007.
Field later starred as Mary Todd Lincoln in Lincoln (2012), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades.
She also appeared as Aunt May in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and reprised the role in the 2014 sequel.
As a director, Field is known for the television film The Christmas Tree (1996), an episode of the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon as well as the feature film Beautiful (2000). In 2014, she was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Click here for more about Sally Field.
Field began her career in television, starring on the sitcoms Gidget (1965–66) and The Flying Nun (1967–70). She ventured into film with Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and later Norma Rae (1979), for which she received the Academy Award for Best Actress.
She later received Golden Globe Award nominations for her performances in Absence of Malice (1981) and Kiss Me Goodbye (1982), before receiving her second Academy Award for Best Actress for Places in the Heart (1984). Field received further nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Murphy's Romance (1985) and Steel Magnolias (1989).
In the 1990s, Field appeared in a wide range of films, including Not Without My Daughter (1991) and Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), before being nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Forrest Gump (1994).
In the 2000s, she returned to television with a recurring role on the NBC medical drama ER, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2001.
From 2006 to 2011, she portrayed the lead role of Nora Walker on the ABC television drama Brothers & Sisters, for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2007.
Field later starred as Mary Todd Lincoln in Lincoln (2012), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades.
She also appeared as Aunt May in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and reprised the role in the 2014 sequel.
As a director, Field is known for the television film The Christmas Tree (1996), an episode of the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon as well as the feature film Beautiful (2000). In 2014, she was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Click here for more about Sally Field.
Julie Andrews
YouTube Video: Julie Andrews sings "The Sound of Music -- My Favorite Things"
Pictured: Julie Andrews in (L) "Mary Poppins" (1964); (R) "Victor/Victoria" (1995)
Dame Julia Elizabeth "Julie" Andrews, DBE (Wells; born 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, author, theater director and dancer.
Andrews, a child actress and singer, appeared on the West End in 1948 and made her Broadway debut in The Boy Friend (1954). She rose to prominence starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady (1956), playing Eliza Doolittle, and Camelot (1960), playing Queen Guinevere. In 1957, Andrews starred in the premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein's written-for-television musical Cinderella, a live network broadcast seen by over 100 million viewers.
Andrews made her feature film debut in Mary Poppins (1964), and won the Academy Award
for Best Actress for her performance in the title role. She starred in The Sound of Music (1965), playing Maria von Trapp, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Between 1964 and 1986, she starred in the following:
In 2000, Andrews was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the performing arts. In 2002, she was ranked #59 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. In 2003, she revisited her first Broadway success, this time as a stage director, with a revival of The Boy Friend.
From 2001 to 2004, Andrews starred in The Princess Diaries (2001), The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). From 2004 to 2010, she lent her voice to the Shrek animated films, and Despicable Me (2010).
Andrews has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA, five Golden Globes, three Grammys, two Emmys, the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honors Award, and the Disney Legend Award. She is an author of children's books and has published her autobiography, Home: A Memoir of My Early Years (2008).
Click here for more about Julie Andrews.
Andrews, a child actress and singer, appeared on the West End in 1948 and made her Broadway debut in The Boy Friend (1954). She rose to prominence starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady (1956), playing Eliza Doolittle, and Camelot (1960), playing Queen Guinevere. In 1957, Andrews starred in the premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein's written-for-television musical Cinderella, a live network broadcast seen by over 100 million viewers.
Andrews made her feature film debut in Mary Poppins (1964), and won the Academy Award
for Best Actress for her performance in the title role. She starred in The Sound of Music (1965), playing Maria von Trapp, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Between 1964 and 1986, she starred in the following:
- The Americanization of Emily (1964),
- Hawaii (1966),
- Torn Curtain (1966),
- Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967),
- Star! (1968),
- The Tamarind Seed (1974),
- 10 (1979),
- Victor/Victoria (1982),
- That's Life! (1986),
- and Duet for One (1986).
In 2000, Andrews was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the performing arts. In 2002, she was ranked #59 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. In 2003, she revisited her first Broadway success, this time as a stage director, with a revival of The Boy Friend.
From 2001 to 2004, Andrews starred in The Princess Diaries (2001), The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). From 2004 to 2010, she lent her voice to the Shrek animated films, and Despicable Me (2010).
Andrews has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA, five Golden Globes, three Grammys, two Emmys, the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honors Award, and the Disney Legend Award. She is an author of children's books and has published her autobiography, Home: A Memoir of My Early Years (2008).
Click here for more about Julie Andrews.
Kate Winslet
YouTube Video of Kate Winslet in the Movie "The Reader (2008)
Pictured: Kate Winslet in (L) Titanic (1997); (R) Revolutionary Road (2008)
Kate Elizabeth Winslet, CBE (born 5 October 1975), is an English actress and singer. She is the recipient of an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a BIFA Award, four Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, an AACTA Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Winslet is the youngest person to receive six Academy Award nominations, with seven nominations in total, and is one of the few actresses to win three of the four major American entertainment awards (EGOT). In addition, she has won awards from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts and European Film Academy, among others, and the Honorary César Award in 2012.
Brought up in Berkshire, Winslet studied drama from childhood and began her career in British television in 1991. She made her film debut in Heavenly Creatures (1994), for which she received praise. She garnered recognition for her supporting role in Sense and Sensibility (1995) before achieving global stardom with the epic romance Titanic (1997), which was the highest-grossing film of all time at that point.
Winslet's performances in the following movies continued to draw praise from film critics:
In 2008, film critic David Edelstein described her as "the best English-speaking film actress of her generation".
Winslet won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Reader (2008) and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for playing the title role in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011).
Winslet's greatest commercial successes since Titanic include the romantic comedy The Holiday (2006), the animated film Flushed Away (2006), and the first two films of The Divergent Series.
In addition to acting, Winslet has narrated documentaries and children's books. She was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 2000 for narrating Listen to the Storyteller.
Winslet has also provided her vocals to soundtracks of her films, including the single "What If" from Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001).
Divorced from two film directors, Jim Threapleton and Sam Mendes, Winslet is currently married to businessman Ned Rocknroll.
Click here for more about Kate Winslet.
Winslet is the youngest person to receive six Academy Award nominations, with seven nominations in total, and is one of the few actresses to win three of the four major American entertainment awards (EGOT). In addition, she has won awards from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts and European Film Academy, among others, and the Honorary César Award in 2012.
Brought up in Berkshire, Winslet studied drama from childhood and began her career in British television in 1991. She made her film debut in Heavenly Creatures (1994), for which she received praise. She garnered recognition for her supporting role in Sense and Sensibility (1995) before achieving global stardom with the epic romance Titanic (1997), which was the highest-grossing film of all time at that point.
Winslet's performances in the following movies continued to draw praise from film critics:
- Iris (2001),
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004),
- Finding Neverland (2004),
- Little Children (2006),
- Revolutionary Road (2008),
- The Dressmaker (2015)
- and Steve Jobs (2015)
In 2008, film critic David Edelstein described her as "the best English-speaking film actress of her generation".
Winslet won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Reader (2008) and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for playing the title role in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011).
Winslet's greatest commercial successes since Titanic include the romantic comedy The Holiday (2006), the animated film Flushed Away (2006), and the first two films of The Divergent Series.
In addition to acting, Winslet has narrated documentaries and children's books. She was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 2000 for narrating Listen to the Storyteller.
Winslet has also provided her vocals to soundtracks of her films, including the single "What If" from Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001).
Divorced from two film directors, Jim Threapleton and Sam Mendes, Winslet is currently married to businessman Ned Rocknroll.
Click here for more about Kate Winslet.
Angela Bassett
YouTube Video of Angela Bassett as Tina Turner
Pictured: Angela Bassett as (L) Rosa Parks in The Rosa Parks Story (2002); (R) Coretta Scott King in Betty & Coretta (2013)
Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for her biographical film roles, most notably her performance as Tina Turner in the biopic What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won a corresponding Golden Globe Award.
Bassett has additionally portrayed the following :
Bassett's performance as Parks was honored with her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Bassett began her film career in the mid-1980s, after earning a bachelor of arts degree from Yale University and a master of fine arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.
In the 1990s, she appeared in films nearly every year.
The 2000s saw a succession of films starring Bassett, with her appearing in at least one film every year.
Bassett's success has continued into the 2010s. Bassett earned nominations for her roles in films such as The Score (2001), Akeelah and the Bee (2006), Meet the Browns (2008) and Jumping the Broom (2011) and won awards for her performances in How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) and Music of the Heart (1999) among others.
In 2013, she had a recurring role on the FX horror series American Horror Story: Coven,
earning her second Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance as Voodoo queen Marie Laveau.
She returned for Freak Show, the anthology series' fourth season, portraying a three-breasted woman named Desiree Dupree for which she received another nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.
In 2015, Bassett returned for the fifth season Hotel portraying Ramona Royale, a famous movie star. In 2016, Bassett returned to the series's sixth cycle, Roanoke, portraying an alcoholic actress named Monet Tumusiime, who plays struggling mother and former police officer Lee Harris in the My Roanoke Nightmare documentary.
Click here for more about Angela Bassett.
Bassett has additionally portrayed the following :
- Betty Shabazz in both Malcolm X (1992) and Panther (1995),
- Katherine Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992),
- Rosa Parks in The Rosa Parks Story (2002),
- Voletta Wallace in Notorious (2009)
- and Coretta Scott King in Betty & Coretta (2013).
Bassett's performance as Parks was honored with her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Bassett began her film career in the mid-1980s, after earning a bachelor of arts degree from Yale University and a master of fine arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.
In the 1990s, she appeared in films nearly every year.
The 2000s saw a succession of films starring Bassett, with her appearing in at least one film every year.
Bassett's success has continued into the 2010s. Bassett earned nominations for her roles in films such as The Score (2001), Akeelah and the Bee (2006), Meet the Browns (2008) and Jumping the Broom (2011) and won awards for her performances in How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) and Music of the Heart (1999) among others.
In 2013, she had a recurring role on the FX horror series American Horror Story: Coven,
earning her second Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance as Voodoo queen Marie Laveau.
She returned for Freak Show, the anthology series' fourth season, portraying a three-breasted woman named Desiree Dupree for which she received another nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.
In 2015, Bassett returned for the fifth season Hotel portraying Ramona Royale, a famous movie star. In 2016, Bassett returned to the series's sixth cycle, Roanoke, portraying an alcoholic actress named Monet Tumusiime, who plays struggling mother and former police officer Lee Harris in the My Roanoke Nightmare documentary.
Click here for more about Angela Bassett.
Whoopi Goldberg
YouTube Video Whoopi Goldberg - Comic Relief VI
Pictured: Whoopi Goldberg (Upper Left) as moderator of “The View” (ABC: 1997-Present); (Upper Right) in “Sister Act” (1992); and (Lower Picture) The Movie “Ghost” (1990) with Patrick Swayze
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally by her stage name Whoopi Goldberg , is an American comedian, actress, author and television host. She has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards for her work in television, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Oscar, and a Tony Award.
She was the second black woman in the history of the Academy Awards to win an acting Oscar.
In the period drama film, The Color Purple (1985), her breakthrough role was playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
In the romantic fantasy film Ghost (1990), Goldberg played Oda Mae Brown, an eccentric psychic who helped a slain man (Patrick Swayze) save his lover (Demi Moore), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1992, she starred as a pretend nun in the comedy Sister Act. From 1998 to 2002, she was co-producer of the television game show Hollywood Squares. Since 2007, she has been the moderator of the daytime television talk show, The View.
For more about Whoopi Goldberg, click here.
She was the second black woman in the history of the Academy Awards to win an acting Oscar.
In the period drama film, The Color Purple (1985), her breakthrough role was playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
In the romantic fantasy film Ghost (1990), Goldberg played Oda Mae Brown, an eccentric psychic who helped a slain man (Patrick Swayze) save his lover (Demi Moore), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1992, she starred as a pretend nun in the comedy Sister Act. From 1998 to 2002, she was co-producer of the television game show Hollywood Squares. Since 2007, she has been the moderator of the daytime television talk show, The View.
For more about Whoopi Goldberg, click here.
Jane Fonda, Actress, Activist and Fitness Guru
YouTube Video: Jane Fonda in 'Klute' (1971)
YouTube Video: Jane Fonda in 'On Golden Pond' (1981)
Pictured below: Jane Fonda clockwise from upper left: in Cat Ballou (1965); from her fitness videos; Fonda at an anti-Vietnam War conference in the Netherlands in January 1975; Women’s March on Washington (2017)
Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model and fitness guru. She is a two-time Academy Award winner and two-time BAFTA Award winner. In 2014, she was the recipient of the American Film Institute AFI Life Achievement Award.
Fonda was a visible political activist in the counterculture era during the Vietnam War and later became involved in advocacy for women. She was famously and controversially photographed sitting on an anti-aircraft gun on a 1972 visit to Hanoi. She has also protested the Iraq War and violence against women, and describes herself as a feminist.
In 2005, she, Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem co-founded the Women's Media Center, an organization that works to amplify the voices of women in the media through advocacy, media and leadership training, and the creation of original content. Fonda serves on the board of the organization.
In early March 2017, in an interview with Brie Larson, published by People magazine, Fonda stated, "One of the great things the women's movement has done is to make us realise that (rape and abuse is) not our fault. We were violated and it's not right." She said, "I’ve been raped, I’ve been sexually abused as a child and I’ve been fired because I wouldn’t sleep with my boss." She said, "I always thought it was my fault; that I didn’t do or say the right thing. I know young girls who’ve been raped and didn’t even know it was rape. They think, ‘It must have been because I said ‘no’ the wrong way.’"
Through her work, Fonda said she wants to help abuse victims "realize that [rape and abuse] is not our fault". Fonda said that her difficult past led her to become such a passionate activist for women’s rights.
The actress is an active supporter of the V-Day movement, which works to stop violence against women and girls. In 2001, she established the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health, which aims to help prevent teen pregnancy. She was a victim of the "disease to please" in her early life, which plagued many American females of her generation. Fonda revealed in 2014 that her mother, Frances Ford Seymour, was recurrently sexually abused as young as eight, and this may have led to her suicide when Jane was 12.
Fonda has been a longtime supporter of feminist causes, including V-Day, a movement to stop violence against women, inspired by the off-Broadway hit The Vagina Monologues, of which she is an honorary chairperson. She was at the first summit in 2002, bringing together founder Eve Ensler, Afghan women oppressed by the Taliban, and a Kenyan activist campaigning to save girls from genital mutilation.
In 2001, she established the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia to help prevent adolescent pregnancy through training and program development.
On February 16, 2004, Fonda led a march through Ciudad Juárez, with Sally Field, Eve Ensler and other women, urging Mexico to provide sufficient resources to newly appointed officials helping investigate the murders of hundreds of women in the rough border city. That same year, she served as a mentor to the first all-transgender cast of The Vagina Monologues.
In the days before the September 17, 2006 Swedish elections, Fonda went to Sweden to support the new political party Feministiskt initiativ in their election campaign.
In My Life So Far, Fonda stated that she considers patriarchy to be harmful to men as well as women. She also states that for many years, she feared to call herself a feminist, because she believed that all feminists were "anti-male".
But now, with her increased understanding of patriarchy, she feels that feminism is beneficial to both men and women, and states that she "still loves men", adding that when she divorced Ted Turner, she felt like she had also divorced the world of patriarchy, and was very happy to have done so.
In April 2016, Fonda said that while she was 'glad' that Bernie Sanders was running, she predicted Hillary Clinton would become the first female president whose win she believed would result in "violent backlash". She went on to say that we need to "help men understand why they are so threatened – and change the way we view masculinity.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jane Fonda:
Fonda was a visible political activist in the counterculture era during the Vietnam War and later became involved in advocacy for women. She was famously and controversially photographed sitting on an anti-aircraft gun on a 1972 visit to Hanoi. She has also protested the Iraq War and violence against women, and describes herself as a feminist.
In 2005, she, Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem co-founded the Women's Media Center, an organization that works to amplify the voices of women in the media through advocacy, media and leadership training, and the creation of original content. Fonda serves on the board of the organization.
In early March 2017, in an interview with Brie Larson, published by People magazine, Fonda stated, "One of the great things the women's movement has done is to make us realise that (rape and abuse is) not our fault. We were violated and it's not right." She said, "I’ve been raped, I’ve been sexually abused as a child and I’ve been fired because I wouldn’t sleep with my boss." She said, "I always thought it was my fault; that I didn’t do or say the right thing. I know young girls who’ve been raped and didn’t even know it was rape. They think, ‘It must have been because I said ‘no’ the wrong way.’"
Through her work, Fonda said she wants to help abuse victims "realize that [rape and abuse] is not our fault". Fonda said that her difficult past led her to become such a passionate activist for women’s rights.
The actress is an active supporter of the V-Day movement, which works to stop violence against women and girls. In 2001, she established the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health, which aims to help prevent teen pregnancy. She was a victim of the "disease to please" in her early life, which plagued many American females of her generation. Fonda revealed in 2014 that her mother, Frances Ford Seymour, was recurrently sexually abused as young as eight, and this may have led to her suicide when Jane was 12.
Fonda has been a longtime supporter of feminist causes, including V-Day, a movement to stop violence against women, inspired by the off-Broadway hit The Vagina Monologues, of which she is an honorary chairperson. She was at the first summit in 2002, bringing together founder Eve Ensler, Afghan women oppressed by the Taliban, and a Kenyan activist campaigning to save girls from genital mutilation.
In 2001, she established the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia to help prevent adolescent pregnancy through training and program development.
On February 16, 2004, Fonda led a march through Ciudad Juárez, with Sally Field, Eve Ensler and other women, urging Mexico to provide sufficient resources to newly appointed officials helping investigate the murders of hundreds of women in the rough border city. That same year, she served as a mentor to the first all-transgender cast of The Vagina Monologues.
In the days before the September 17, 2006 Swedish elections, Fonda went to Sweden to support the new political party Feministiskt initiativ in their election campaign.
In My Life So Far, Fonda stated that she considers patriarchy to be harmful to men as well as women. She also states that for many years, she feared to call herself a feminist, because she believed that all feminists were "anti-male".
But now, with her increased understanding of patriarchy, she feels that feminism is beneficial to both men and women, and states that she "still loves men", adding that when she divorced Ted Turner, she felt like she had also divorced the world of patriarchy, and was very happy to have done so.
In April 2016, Fonda said that while she was 'glad' that Bernie Sanders was running, she predicted Hillary Clinton would become the first female president whose win she believed would result in "violent backlash". She went on to say that we need to "help men understand why they are so threatened – and change the way we view masculinity.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jane Fonda:
- Early life
- Acting career
- Exercise videos
- Retirement and return
- Work after retirement (2010–present)
- Political activism
- Writing
- Charitable work
- Personal life
- Honors
- Jane Fonda filmography
- See Also:
- Official website
- Jane Fonda on IMDb
- Jane Fonda at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jane Fonda on NETFLIX
- Jane Fonda at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Works by or about Jane Fonda in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- "Jane Fonda collected news and commentary". The New York Times.
- Jane Fonda Profile at Turner Classic Movies
- About.com article about Fonda's Vietnam era activities
- Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem discuss The Women's Media Center, their non-profit media organization. (video)
- Fonda Family Genealogy
- Photo gallery at CBS News
- Jane Fonda Video produced by Makers: Women Who Make America
- An Interview with Jane Fonda on Gender
Lady Gaga
- YouTube Video of Lady Gaga with Tony Bennett: The Lady is a Tramp (from Duets II: The Great Performances)
- YouTube Video:Top 10 Most Viewed Lady Gaga Music Videos
- YouTube Video: Top 10 Best Lady Gaga Music Videos
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenager, singing at open mic nights, and acting in school plays.
Lady Gaga studied at Collaborative Arts Project 21, through New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, before dropping out to pursue a career in music. After Def Jam Recordings canceled her contract, she worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where she signed a joint deal with Interscope Records and Akon's label, KonLive Distribution, in 2007.
Lady Gaga rose to prominence the following year with her debut studio album, The Fame, and its chart-topping singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". The album was later reissued to include the EP The Fame Monster (2009), which yielded the successful singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone", and "Alejandro".
Lady Gaga's five succeeding studio albums all debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Her second full-length album, Born This Way (2011), explored electronic rock and techno-pop and sold more than one million copies in its first week. The title track became the fastest-selling song on the iTunes Store, with over one million downloads in less than a week.
Following her EDM-influenced third album, Artpop (2013), and its lead single "Applause", Gaga released the jazz album Cheek to Cheek (2014) with Tony Bennett, and the soft rock album Joanne (2016).
Lady Gaga also ventured into acting, playing leading roles in the miniseries American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016), for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, and the critically acclaimed musical drama film A Star Is Born (2018). Her contributions to the latter's soundtrack, which spawned the chart-topping single "Shallow", made her the first woman to win an Academy, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Grammy Award in one year.
Lady Gaga returned to her dance-pop roots with her sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020), which yielded the number-one single "Rain on Me". She followed this with her second collaborative album with Bennett, Love for Sale, and a starring role in the biographical crime film House of Gucci, both in 2021.
Having sold 124 million records as of 2014, Lady Gaga is one of the world's best-selling music artists and the fourth highest-earning female musician of the 2010s. Her accolades include:
She has also been included in several Forbes' power rankings and ranked fourth on VH1's Greatest Women in Music (2012). Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 and 2019 and placed her on their All-Time 100 Fashion Icons list.
Her philanthropy and activism focus on mental health awareness and LGBT rights; in 2012, she founded the Born This Way Foundation, a non-profit organization aiming to empower youth, improve mental health, and prevent bullying. Gaga's business ventures include Haus Laboratories, a vegan cosmetics brand that launched in 2019.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Lady Gaga:
Lady Gaga studied at Collaborative Arts Project 21, through New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, before dropping out to pursue a career in music. After Def Jam Recordings canceled her contract, she worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where she signed a joint deal with Interscope Records and Akon's label, KonLive Distribution, in 2007.
Lady Gaga rose to prominence the following year with her debut studio album, The Fame, and its chart-topping singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". The album was later reissued to include the EP The Fame Monster (2009), which yielded the successful singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone", and "Alejandro".
Lady Gaga's five succeeding studio albums all debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Her second full-length album, Born This Way (2011), explored electronic rock and techno-pop and sold more than one million copies in its first week. The title track became the fastest-selling song on the iTunes Store, with over one million downloads in less than a week.
Following her EDM-influenced third album, Artpop (2013), and its lead single "Applause", Gaga released the jazz album Cheek to Cheek (2014) with Tony Bennett, and the soft rock album Joanne (2016).
Lady Gaga also ventured into acting, playing leading roles in the miniseries American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016), for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, and the critically acclaimed musical drama film A Star Is Born (2018). Her contributions to the latter's soundtrack, which spawned the chart-topping single "Shallow", made her the first woman to win an Academy, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Grammy Award in one year.
Lady Gaga returned to her dance-pop roots with her sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020), which yielded the number-one single "Rain on Me". She followed this with her second collaborative album with Bennett, Love for Sale, and a starring role in the biographical crime film House of Gucci, both in 2021.
Having sold 124 million records as of 2014, Lady Gaga is one of the world's best-selling music artists and the fourth highest-earning female musician of the 2010s. Her accolades include:
- 12 Grammy Awards,
- 18 MTV Video Music Awards,
- 16 Guinness World Records,
- awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Council of Fashion Designers of America,
- and recognition as Billboard's Artist of the Year (2010) and Woman of the Year (2015).
She has also been included in several Forbes' power rankings and ranked fourth on VH1's Greatest Women in Music (2012). Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 and 2019 and placed her on their All-Time 100 Fashion Icons list.
Her philanthropy and activism focus on mental health awareness and LGBT rights; in 2012, she founded the Born This Way Foundation, a non-profit organization aiming to empower youth, improve mental health, and prevent bullying. Gaga's business ventures include Haus Laboratories, a vegan cosmetics brand that launched in 2019.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Lady Gaga:
- Life and career
- 1986–2004: Early life
- 2005–2007: Career beginnings
- 2008–2010: Breakthrough with The Fame and The Fame Monster
- 2011–2014: Born This Way, Artpop, and Cheek to Cheek
- 2015–2017: American Horror Story, Joanne, and Super Bowl performances
- 2018–2020: A Star Is Born, Vegas residency, and Chromatic
- Love for Sale and House of Gucci
- Artistry
- Public image
- Activism
- Impact
- Achievements
- Discography
- Tours and residencies
- Filmography
- See also:
- Artists with the most number-ones on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
- Honorific nicknames in popular music
- LGBT culture in New York City
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of LGBT people from New York City
- List of Billboard Social 50 number-one artists
- Best-selling female artists of all time
- Official website
- Lady Gaga at Curlie
- Lady Gaga at IMDb
- Lady Gaga at Rotten Tomatoes
- Appearances on C-SPAN
Sandra Bullock
YouTube Video: Top 10 Sandra Bullock Movies (by WatchMojo.com)
Pictured Below: Sandra Bullock in the (Clockwise from Upper Left “Miss Congeniality” (2000), “Crash” (2004), “The Blind Side” (2009), “Gravity” (2013)
Sandra Annette Bullock (born July 26, 1964) is an American actress, producer, and philanthropist.
Bullock made her acting debut with a minor role in the 1987 thriller Hangmen, and made her television debut in the film Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989), and played the lead role in the short-lived NBC sitcom Working Girl.
Bullock's breakthrough role was in the film Demolition Man (1993). She subsequently starred in several successful films including:
Bullock achieved further success in the following decades in:
Bullock was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama for playing Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side (2009), and was nominated in the same categories for her performance in Gravity (2013).
Bullock's greatest commercial success is the animated comedy film Minions (2015), which grossed over US$1 billion at the box office. In 2007, she was one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses. She was also named "Most Beautiful Woman" by People magazine in 2015.
In addition to her acting career, Bullock is the founder of the production company Fortis Films. She has produced some of the films in which she starred, including
Bullock was an executive producer of the ABC sitcom George Lopez, and made several appearances during its run.
For more about Sandra Bullock, click on any of the following blue hyperlinks: See also:
Bullock made her acting debut with a minor role in the 1987 thriller Hangmen, and made her television debut in the film Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989), and played the lead role in the short-lived NBC sitcom Working Girl.
Bullock's breakthrough role was in the film Demolition Man (1993). She subsequently starred in several successful films including:
- Speed (1994),
- While You Were Sleeping (1995),
- The Net (1995),
- A Time to Kill (1996),
- Hope Floats (1998),
- and Practical Magic (1998).
Bullock achieved further success in the following decades in:
- Miss Congeniality (2000),
- Two Weeks Notice (2002),
- Crash (2004),
- The Proposal (2009),
- and The Heat (2013).
Bullock was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama for playing Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side (2009), and was nominated in the same categories for her performance in Gravity (2013).
Bullock's greatest commercial success is the animated comedy film Minions (2015), which grossed over US$1 billion at the box office. In 2007, she was one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses. She was also named "Most Beautiful Woman" by People magazine in 2015.
In addition to her acting career, Bullock is the founder of the production company Fortis Films. She has produced some of the films in which she starred, including
Bullock was an executive producer of the ABC sitcom George Lopez, and made several appearances during its run.
For more about Sandra Bullock, click on any of the following blue hyperlinks: See also:
- Sandra Bullock at AllMovie
- Sandra Bullock at Rotten Tomatoes
- Sandra Bullock: 2010's Triumphs – slideshow by Life magazine
- Interview with Sandra Bullock. November 2009. Glamour (magazine)
- Interview with Sandra Bullock. September 2013. Vogue (magazine)
Reese Witherspoon
YouTube Video of Top 10 Best Reese Witherspoon Performances
Pictured below: Reese Witherspoon starring in (Clockwise from upper left) “Legally Blonde” (2001); “Walk the Line” (2005); “Wild” (2014); “Sweet Home Alabama” (2002)
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress, producer, and entrepreneur. She is the recipient of several awards, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Born in New Orleans and raised in Tennessee, she began her career as a teenager, making her professional screen debut in The Man in the Moon (1991), for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award.
Following breakout roles in Desperate Choices: To Save My Child (1992) and Jack the Bear (1993), Witherspoon starred in the comedy-drama Pleasantville (1998), for which she won the Young Hollywood Award for Breakthrough Performance.
Witherspoon's leading role of Tracy Flick in Election (1999) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Witherspoon's breakthrough role was playing Elle Woods in the 2001 film Legally Blonde, for which she received her second Golden Globe nomination.
The following year, she starred in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama, which emerged as her biggest live-action commercial success.
In 2005, she portrayed June Carter in Walk the Line, which earned her the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics Choice Award for Best Actress.
Her other films include:
In 2014, Witherspoon produced the thriller Gone Girl and received critical acclaim for portraying Cheryl Strayed in Wild, for which she earned her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and a fourth Golden Globe nomination.
In 2017, she co-produced and starred in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies, for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie and Outstanding Limited Series, winning the latter as a producer.
Witherspoon owns a production company Hello Sunshine, a clothing company Draper James, and she is actively involved in children's and women's advocacy organizations.
Witherspoon serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007, serving as honorary chair of the charitable Avon Foundation.
Witherspoon received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Reese Witherspoon:
Born in New Orleans and raised in Tennessee, she began her career as a teenager, making her professional screen debut in The Man in the Moon (1991), for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award.
Following breakout roles in Desperate Choices: To Save My Child (1992) and Jack the Bear (1993), Witherspoon starred in the comedy-drama Pleasantville (1998), for which she won the Young Hollywood Award for Breakthrough Performance.
Witherspoon's leading role of Tracy Flick in Election (1999) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Witherspoon's breakthrough role was playing Elle Woods in the 2001 film Legally Blonde, for which she received her second Golden Globe nomination.
The following year, she starred in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama, which emerged as her biggest live-action commercial success.
In 2005, she portrayed June Carter in Walk the Line, which earned her the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics Choice Award for Best Actress.
Her other films include:
- Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003),
- Monsters vs. Aliens (2009),
- Water for Elephants (2011),
- and Sing (2016).
In 2014, Witherspoon produced the thriller Gone Girl and received critical acclaim for portraying Cheryl Strayed in Wild, for which she earned her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and a fourth Golden Globe nomination.
In 2017, she co-produced and starred in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies, for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie and Outstanding Limited Series, winning the latter as a producer.
Witherspoon owns a production company Hello Sunshine, a clothing company Draper James, and she is actively involved in children's and women's advocacy organizations.
Witherspoon serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007, serving as honorary chair of the charitable Avon Foundation.
Witherspoon received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Reese Witherspoon:
- Early life
- Acting career
- Other ventures
- Philanthropy
- Personal life
- In the media
- Filmography
- Accolades
- See also:
Susan Sarandon
- YouTube Video: The Films of Susan Sarandon
- YouTube Video: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - Dammit Janet Scene (1/5) | Movieclips
- YouTube Video of Susan Sarandon Starring in "Thelma and Louise"
Susan Abigail Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an American actress and activist.
Sarandon is an Academy Award and BAFTA Award winner who is also known for her social and political activism for a variety of causes. She was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1999 and received the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award in 2006.
Sarandon began her career in the 1970 film Joe, before appearing in the soap opera A World Apart (1970–71).
In 1974, Sarandon co-starred as a young Zelda Fitzgerald surrogate in the TV movie F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles' and in 1975, she starred in the popular cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Sarandon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Atlantic City (1980), Thelma & Louise (1991), Lorenzo's Oil (1992), and The Client (1994), before winning for Dead Man Walking (1995). Sarandon has also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Client, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress for Dead Man Walking.
Sarandon's other films include:
Sarandon made her Broadway debut in An Evening with Richard Nixon in 1972 and went on to receive Drama Desk Award nominations for the Off-Broadway plays, A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking (1979) and Extremities (1982). She returned to Broadway in the 2009 revival of Exit the King.
On television, Sarandon is a six-time Emmy Award nominee, including for her guest roles on the sitcoms Friends (2001) and Malcolm in the Middle (2002), and appearances in the TV films Bernard and Doris (2007) and You Don't Know Jack (2010). In 2017, Sarandon portrayed Bette Davis in the first season of FX's anthology series Feud, for which she was nominated for both for acting and producing Emmys. She was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy award for executive producing Cool Women in History in 2002.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Susan Sarandon:
Sarandon is an Academy Award and BAFTA Award winner who is also known for her social and political activism for a variety of causes. She was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1999 and received the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award in 2006.
Sarandon began her career in the 1970 film Joe, before appearing in the soap opera A World Apart (1970–71).
In 1974, Sarandon co-starred as a young Zelda Fitzgerald surrogate in the TV movie F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles' and in 1975, she starred in the popular cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Sarandon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Atlantic City (1980), Thelma & Louise (1991), Lorenzo's Oil (1992), and The Client (1994), before winning for Dead Man Walking (1995). Sarandon has also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Client, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress for Dead Man Walking.
Sarandon's other films include:
- Pretty Baby (1978),
- The Hunger (1983),
- The Witches of Eastwick (1987),
- Bull Durham (1988),
- White Palace (1990),
- Little Women (1994),
- Stepmom (1998),
- Enchanted (2007),
- The Lovely Bones (2009),
- Tammy (2014),
- The Meddler (2015)
- and A Bad Moms Christmas (2017).
Sarandon made her Broadway debut in An Evening with Richard Nixon in 1972 and went on to receive Drama Desk Award nominations for the Off-Broadway plays, A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking (1979) and Extremities (1982). She returned to Broadway in the 2009 revival of Exit the King.
On television, Sarandon is a six-time Emmy Award nominee, including for her guest roles on the sitcoms Friends (2001) and Malcolm in the Middle (2002), and appearances in the TV films Bernard and Doris (2007) and You Don't Know Jack (2010). In 2017, Sarandon portrayed Bette Davis in the first season of FX's anthology series Feud, for which she was nominated for both for acting and producing Emmys. She was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy award for executive producing Cool Women in History in 2002.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Susan Sarandon:
- Early life
- Career
- Political views and activism
- Personal life
- Filmography
- Awards and nominations
- See also:
- Susan Sarandon: A Hollywood One of a Kind
- Susan Sarandon on IMDb
- Susan Sarandon at the Internet Broadway Database
- Susan Sarandon at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Susan Sarandon at AllMovie
- Susan Sarandon at the New Jersey Hall of Fame
- Susan Sarandon in the Hollywood Walk of Fame Directory
- Susan Sarandon at the TCM Movie Database
- Susan Sarandon at TVGuide.com
Emma Stone
YouTube Video: Top 10 Emma Stone Performances (by WatchMojo)
Pictured below: Emma Stone in the movies (Clockwise from upper left) “ZombieLand” (2009), “The Help” (2011), “Birdland” (2014); and “La La Land” (2016)
Emily Jean Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress. The recipient of such accolades as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe, she is the highest-paid actress in the world. She has appeared in Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2013 and the Time 100 in 2017, and has been cited in the media as one of the most talented actresses of her generation.
Born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, Stone began acting as a child, in a theater production of The Wind in the Willows in 2000. As a teenager, she relocated to Los Angeles with her mother, and made her television debut in In Search of the New Partridge Family (2004), a reality show that produced only an unsold pilot.
After small television roles, she made her film debut in Superbad (2007), and received positive media attention for her role in Zombieland (2009). The 2010 teen comedy Easy A was Stone's first starring role, earning her nominations for the BAFTA Rising Star Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. This breakthrough was followed with further success in the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love and the drama The Help (both 2011).
Stone gained wider recognition for playing Gwen Stacy in the 2012 superhero film The Amazing Spider-Man, and its sequel in 2014. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role of a recovering drug addict in the black comedy-drama Birdman (2014).
Stone's Broadway debut came in a revival of the musical Cabaret (2014–2015). Stone won an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing an aspiring actress in the highly successful musical film La La Land (2016), following which she portrayed Billie Jean King in the biographical sports film Battle of the Sexes (2017).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Emma Stone:
Born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, Stone began acting as a child, in a theater production of The Wind in the Willows in 2000. As a teenager, she relocated to Los Angeles with her mother, and made her television debut in In Search of the New Partridge Family (2004), a reality show that produced only an unsold pilot.
After small television roles, she made her film debut in Superbad (2007), and received positive media attention for her role in Zombieland (2009). The 2010 teen comedy Easy A was Stone's first starring role, earning her nominations for the BAFTA Rising Star Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. This breakthrough was followed with further success in the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love and the drama The Help (both 2011).
Stone gained wider recognition for playing Gwen Stacy in the 2012 superhero film The Amazing Spider-Man, and its sequel in 2014. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role of a recovering drug addict in the black comedy-drama Birdman (2014).
Stone's Broadway debut came in a revival of the musical Cabaret (2014–2015). Stone won an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing an aspiring actress in the highly successful musical film La La Land (2016), following which she portrayed Billie Jean King in the biographical sports film Battle of the Sexes (2017).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Emma Stone:
Shirley MacLaine
YouTube Video of Shirley MacLaine: "Terms of Endearment Emma's Pain Shot
Pictured below: Shirley MacLaine in (clockwise from upper left) “Terms of Endearment” (1983 with Jack Nicholson); “The Apartment” (1960 with Jack Lemmon); Irma la Douce (1963); and The Turning Point (1977)
Shirley MacLaine (born April 24, 1934) is an American film, television and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author.
An Academy Award winner, MacLaine received the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute in 2012, and received the Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts in 2013.
MacLaine is known for her New Age beliefs, and has an interest in spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a series of autobiographical works that describe these beliefs, document her world travels, and describe her Hollywood career.
A six-time Academy Award nominee, MacLaine received a nomination for Best Documentary Feature for The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir (1975), and Best Actress nominations for Some Came Running (1958), The Apartment (1960), Irma la Douce (1963), and The Turning Point (1977), before winning Best Actress for Terms of Endearment (1983).
MacLaine twice won the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress, for Ask Any Girl (1959), and The Apartment (1960); and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Special for the 1976 TV special, Gypsy In My Soul. She has also won five competitive Golden Globe Awards and received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 1998 ceremony.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Shirley MacLaine:
An Academy Award winner, MacLaine received the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute in 2012, and received the Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts in 2013.
MacLaine is known for her New Age beliefs, and has an interest in spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a series of autobiographical works that describe these beliefs, document her world travels, and describe her Hollywood career.
A six-time Academy Award nominee, MacLaine received a nomination for Best Documentary Feature for The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir (1975), and Best Actress nominations for Some Came Running (1958), The Apartment (1960), Irma la Douce (1963), and The Turning Point (1977), before winning Best Actress for Terms of Endearment (1983).
MacLaine twice won the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress, for Ask Any Girl (1959), and The Apartment (1960); and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Special for the 1976 TV special, Gypsy In My Soul. She has also won five competitive Golden Globe Awards and received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 1998 ceremony.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Shirley MacLaine:
- Early life
- Lawsuits
- Career
- Personal life
- Awards and honors
- Filmography
- Television work
- See also:
- Official website
- Shirley MacLaine on IMDb
- Shirley MacLaine at the Internet Broadway Database
- Shirley Maclaine at Emmys.com
- Shirley MacLaine interview on BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs, November 11, 1983
Glenda Jackson
YouTube Video of Glenda Jackson in "Touch of Class" (1973)
Pictured below: Glenda Jackson (L) Starring King Lear stage production; (R) as a member of the British Labour MP
Glenda May Jackson, CBE (born 9 May 1936) is a British actress and former Labour Party politician.
As a professional actress from the late 1950s, Jackson spent four years as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1964, being particularly associated with the work of director Peter Brook.
During Jackson's film career, she won two Academy Awards for Best Actress: for Women in Love (1970) and A Touch of Class (1973). Other award-winning performances include Alex in the film Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and the BBC television serial Elizabeth R (also 1971); for the latter, she received a Primetime Emmy Award.
She first became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1992, as Member for Hampstead and Highgate. Early in the government of Tony Blair, she served as a Junior Transport minister from 1997 to 1999, later becoming critical of Blair. After constituency boundary changes, from 2010 until her retirement from politics in 2015, she represented Hampstead and Kilburn.
At the 2010 general election, her majority of 42 votes was one of the closest results of the entire election. She announced in 2011 that she would stand down as an MP at the 2015 general election.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Glenda Jackson:
As a professional actress from the late 1950s, Jackson spent four years as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1964, being particularly associated with the work of director Peter Brook.
During Jackson's film career, she won two Academy Awards for Best Actress: for Women in Love (1970) and A Touch of Class (1973). Other award-winning performances include Alex in the film Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and the BBC television serial Elizabeth R (also 1971); for the latter, she received a Primetime Emmy Award.
She first became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1992, as Member for Hampstead and Highgate. Early in the government of Tony Blair, she served as a Junior Transport minister from 1997 to 1999, later becoming critical of Blair. After constituency boundary changes, from 2010 until her retirement from politics in 2015, she represented Hampstead and Kilburn.
At the 2010 general election, her majority of 42 votes was one of the closest results of the entire election. She announced in 2011 that she would stand down as an MP at the 2015 general election.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Glenda Jackson:
- Early life and career
- Critical and commercial success
- Later acting career
- Political career
- Personal life and honours
- Filmography
- Theatre
- Awards and nominations
- See also:
- Camden Labour Party
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 2010–present
- Contributions in Parliament during
- at Hansard Archives
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Glenda Jackson on IMDb
- Glenda Jackson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Glenda Jackson at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
Glenn Close
YouTube Video of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction
Pictured below: Glenn Close starring in (L) Fatal Attraction (1987), and (R) Jagged Edge (1985)
Glenda ("Glenn") Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress, singer and film producer. She began her professional stage career in 1974 in Love for Love, and was mostly a New York stage actress through the rest of the 1970s and early 1980s, appearing in both plays and musicals, including the Broadway productions of Barnum in 1980 and The Real Thing in 1983, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
Close's film debut was in The World According to Garp (1982), which she followed up with supporting roles in The Big Chill (1983) and The Natural (1984); all three earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Close would later receive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in Fatal Attraction (1987), Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and Albert Nobbs (2011).
Close won two more Tony Awards in the 1990s, for Death and the Maiden in 1992 and Sunset Boulevard in 1995, while she won her first Emmy Award for the 1995 TV film Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story.
Close starred as Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 2003 TV film The Lion in Winter, winning a Golden Globe Award. In 2005 she starred in the drama series The Shield. Then, from 2007 to 2012, she starred as Patty Hewes in the FX drama series Damages, a role that won her a Golden Globe and two Emmys.
Close has voiced the character of Mona Simpson in the animated sitcom The Simpsons since 1995.
She returned to Broadway in November 2014, in a revival of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance.
Close's other films include:
Close is a six-time Academy Award nominee, tying the record for being the actress with the most nominations never to have won (along with Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter). As of 2018, Close has more Oscar nominations without a win than any other living actor.
In addition, Close has been nominated for four Tonys (three wins), fourteen Emmys (three wins), thirteen Golden Globes (two wins), two Drama Desk Awards (one win) and eight Screen Actors Guild Awards (one win). She has also won an Obie award and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and a BAFTA. Close has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has been inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Glenn Close:
Close's film debut was in The World According to Garp (1982), which she followed up with supporting roles in The Big Chill (1983) and The Natural (1984); all three earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Close would later receive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in Fatal Attraction (1987), Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and Albert Nobbs (2011).
Close won two more Tony Awards in the 1990s, for Death and the Maiden in 1992 and Sunset Boulevard in 1995, while she won her first Emmy Award for the 1995 TV film Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story.
Close starred as Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 2003 TV film The Lion in Winter, winning a Golden Globe Award. In 2005 she starred in the drama series The Shield. Then, from 2007 to 2012, she starred as Patty Hewes in the FX drama series Damages, a role that won her a Golden Globe and two Emmys.
Close has voiced the character of Mona Simpson in the animated sitcom The Simpsons since 1995.
She returned to Broadway in November 2014, in a revival of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance.
Close's other films include:
- Jagged Edge (1985),
- Hamlet (1990),
- Reversal of Fortune (1990),
- 101 Dalmatians (1996),
- Paradise Road (1997),
- Air Force One (1997),
- Cookie's Fortune (1999),
- Heights (2005),
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- and The Girl With All The Gifts (2016).
Close is a six-time Academy Award nominee, tying the record for being the actress with the most nominations never to have won (along with Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter). As of 2018, Close has more Oscar nominations without a win than any other living actor.
In addition, Close has been nominated for four Tonys (three wins), fourteen Emmys (three wins), thirteen Golden Globes (two wins), two Drama Desk Awards (one win) and eight Screen Actors Guild Awards (one win). She has also won an Obie award and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and a BAFTA. Close has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has been inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Glenn Close:
- Early life and family
- Film
- Television
- Theatre
- Reception, acting style and legacy
- Personal life
- Activism
- Awards and nominations
- Filmography
- Stage
- See also:
Helen Hunt
YouTube Video: As Good as It Gets (8/8) Movie CLIP - The Greatest Woman Alive (1997)
Pictured below: Helen Hunt in (L) TV Sitcom “Mad About You”; (R) accepting the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in the movie “As Good as it Gets”
Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She is best known for starring as Jamie Buchman in the sitcom Mad About You (1992–1999), for which she won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and for starring as Carol Connelly in the romantic comedy film As Good as It Gets (1997), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Hunt's other notable films include:
Hunt's performance in The Sessions garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She made her directorial debut with the comedy-drama film Then She Found Me (2007). Hunt has also won four Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Helen Hunt:
Hunt's other notable films include:
- Twister (1996),
- Cast Away (2000),
- What Women Want (2000),
- Pay It Forward (2000),
- and The Sessions (2012).
Hunt's performance in The Sessions garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She made her directorial debut with the comedy-drama film Then She Found Me (2007). Hunt has also won four Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Helen Hunt:
Keira Knightley
YouTube Video of a Clip from the movie "Begin Again" - Keira Knightley - A Step You Can't Take Back
Keira Christina Knightley (born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Having worked extensively in both the British and the American film Industries, she has won an Empire Award and multiple nominations for the British Academy, the Golden Globe, and the Academy Awards.
Knightley featured as the highest-paid English actress on Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2008. Apart from acting in films, she had also starred in Broadway and West End Theatre productions.
Knightley began acting as a child on television and made her feature film debut in 1995; she ventured into such supporting roles as Sabé in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and Frankie Smith in the psychological horror film The Hole (2001). She made her breakthrough with the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, and achieved international fame in 2003 after playing Elizabeth Swann in the $4.5 billion grossing Pirates of the Caribbean film series.
The 2005 romance film Pride & Prejudice marked a significant turning point in Knightley's career; her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet earned her critical acclaim and a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards. She later became known for her roles as the heroines of other such period dramas as the 2007 productions Atonement and Silk and the 2012 release Anna Karenina.
Knightley's transition to roles in independent films including the dramas The Duchess (2009) and Never Let Me Go (2010) was well received; both the productions earned her nominations at the British Independent Film Awards.
In 2014, Knightley was nominated for the London Film Critics' Circle's British Actress of the Year Award for her performances as an aspiring singer-songwriter in the musical romantic comedy Begin Again, a young underachiever in the comedy drama Laggies, and English cryptanalyst Joan Clarke in the historical drama The Imitation Game. For the last of the aforementioned film roles, she also garnered nominations for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress among other accolades.
Knightley's West End debut with Martin Crimp's 2009 production The Misanthrope was well received and earned her a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award. She also starred as the eponymous heroine in the 2015 Broadway production of the 1873 naturalist play Thérèse Raquin.
Knightley is a celebrity endorser and has been associated with brands including Asprey ad Chanel. She is also a philanthropist and supports numerous charitable organisations.
Knightley has been married to musician James Righton since 2013.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Keira Knightley:
Knightley featured as the highest-paid English actress on Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2008. Apart from acting in films, she had also starred in Broadway and West End Theatre productions.
Knightley began acting as a child on television and made her feature film debut in 1995; she ventured into such supporting roles as Sabé in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and Frankie Smith in the psychological horror film The Hole (2001). She made her breakthrough with the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, and achieved international fame in 2003 after playing Elizabeth Swann in the $4.5 billion grossing Pirates of the Caribbean film series.
The 2005 romance film Pride & Prejudice marked a significant turning point in Knightley's career; her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet earned her critical acclaim and a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards. She later became known for her roles as the heroines of other such period dramas as the 2007 productions Atonement and Silk and the 2012 release Anna Karenina.
Knightley's transition to roles in independent films including the dramas The Duchess (2009) and Never Let Me Go (2010) was well received; both the productions earned her nominations at the British Independent Film Awards.
In 2014, Knightley was nominated for the London Film Critics' Circle's British Actress of the Year Award for her performances as an aspiring singer-songwriter in the musical romantic comedy Begin Again, a young underachiever in the comedy drama Laggies, and English cryptanalyst Joan Clarke in the historical drama The Imitation Game. For the last of the aforementioned film roles, she also garnered nominations for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress among other accolades.
Knightley's West End debut with Martin Crimp's 2009 production The Misanthrope was well received and earned her a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award. She also starred as the eponymous heroine in the 2015 Broadway production of the 1873 naturalist play Thérèse Raquin.
Knightley is a celebrity endorser and has been associated with brands including Asprey ad Chanel. She is also a philanthropist and supports numerous charitable organisations.
Knightley has been married to musician James Righton since 2013.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Keira Knightley:
- Early life and background
- Career
- Personal life and off-screen work
- Media image
- Filmography
- Theatre appearances
- Music videos
- Soundtrack appearances
- Awards and nominations
- See Also:
Diane Lane
YouTube Video: Diane Lane Best Expressions from "Unfaithful"
Pictured below: Diane Lane in (L) Unfaithful and (R) Under the Tuscan Sun.
Diane Colleen Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance.
Lane has since appeared in several notable films, including the 2002 film Unfaithful, which earned her Satellite, New York Film Critics Circle, and National Society of Film Critics awards for Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama). Her performance in Unfaithful also garnered her Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actress.
Lane has starred in:
Lane played Martha Kent in Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Justice League (2017).
Click here for more about Diane Lane.
Lane has since appeared in several notable films, including the 2002 film Unfaithful, which earned her Satellite, New York Film Critics Circle, and National Society of Film Critics awards for Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama). Her performance in Unfaithful also garnered her Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actress.
Lane has starred in:
- The Outsiders (1983),
- A Walk on the Moon (1999),
- The Perfect Storm (2000),
- Under the Tuscan Sun (2003),
- Cinema Verite (2011),
- and Trumbo (2015).
Lane played Martha Kent in Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Justice League (2017).
Click here for more about Diane Lane.
Jennifer Aniston
YouTube Video of Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Kissing Ross (David Schwimmer) to the background music "With or Without You" by U2.
Pictured: Jennifer Aniston as "Rachel" kissing "Ross" (David Schwimmer) for the First Time on the popular TV Show "Friends" (1994-2004) .
Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress, producer, and businesswoman. She is the daughter of actor John Aniston and actress Nancy Dow.
Aniston gained worldwide recognition for portraying Rachel Green on the popular television sitcom Friends (1994–2004), a role which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. The character was widely popular during the airing of the series and became recognized as one of the 100 greatest female characters in United States television. Aniston has played the female protagonist in a number of comedies and romantic comedy films.
Her box office hits include Bruce Almighty (2003), The Break-Up (2006), Marley & Me (2008), Just Go with It (2011), Horrible Bosses (2011) and We're the Millers (2013), each of which have grossed over US$200 million in worldwide receipts.
Her most critically acclaimed roles were in The Good Girl (2002), for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, and the drama Cake (2014), for which she received nominations for the Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress.
Her other films include Along Came Polly (2004) and He's Just Not That Into You (2009).
She is the co-founder, in 2008, of the production company Echo Films.
In 2012, Aniston received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood and as of 2017, her net worth is estimated to be US$200 million.
She has also been included in magazines' lists of the world's most beautiful women. In 2004, Aniston was named "The Most Beautiful Woman" by People magazine, and Men's Health magazine voted her the "Sexiest Woman of All Time" in 2011.
She has also been included in magazines' lists of the world's most beautiful women. Divorced from actor Brad Pitt, to whom she was married for five years, Aniston is married to actor Justin Theroux since 2015, although they have been separated since February 2018.
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Aniston gained worldwide recognition for portraying Rachel Green on the popular television sitcom Friends (1994–2004), a role which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. The character was widely popular during the airing of the series and became recognized as one of the 100 greatest female characters in United States television. Aniston has played the female protagonist in a number of comedies and romantic comedy films.
Her box office hits include Bruce Almighty (2003), The Break-Up (2006), Marley & Me (2008), Just Go with It (2011), Horrible Bosses (2011) and We're the Millers (2013), each of which have grossed over US$200 million in worldwide receipts.
Her most critically acclaimed roles were in The Good Girl (2002), for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, and the drama Cake (2014), for which she received nominations for the Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress.
Her other films include Along Came Polly (2004) and He's Just Not That Into You (2009).
She is the co-founder, in 2008, of the production company Echo Films.
In 2012, Aniston received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood and as of 2017, her net worth is estimated to be US$200 million.
She has also been included in magazines' lists of the world's most beautiful women. In 2004, Aniston was named "The Most Beautiful Woman" by People magazine, and Men's Health magazine voted her the "Sexiest Woman of All Time" in 2011.
She has also been included in magazines' lists of the world's most beautiful women. Divorced from actor Brad Pitt, to whom she was married for five years, Aniston is married to actor Justin Theroux since 2015, although they have been separated since February 2018.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jennifer Aniston:
- Early life
- Career
- Other work and business ventures
- Philanthropy
- Personal life
- In the media
- Accolades
- Filmography
- See also:
Lily TomlinPictured: Lily Tomlin: (L) as herself; (R) as Ernestine (the nosy, condescending telephone operator)
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer.
Tomlin began her career as a stand-up comedian, and performing Off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was performing as a cast member on the variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1969 until 1973. She currently stars on the Netflix series Grace and Frankie as Frankie Bergstein. Her performance as Frankie garnered her nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2015 and 2016.
In 1974, Tomlin was cast by Robert Altman in her first film; her performance as Linnea Reese in Nashville won her several awards and nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1977, her performance as Margo Sperling in The Late Show won her the Best Actress Award at the Berlin International Film Festival and nominations for the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Lead Actress.
Her other notable films include:
Her signature role was written by her wife (then partner), Jane Wagner, in a show titled The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe which opened on Broadway in 1985 and won Tomlin the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play.
She is also known as the voice of Ms. Frizzle on the children's series The Magic School Bus.
She won her first Emmy Awards in 1974 for writing and producing her own television special, Lily. Tomlin won a Grammy Award for her 1972 comedy album This Is a Recording.
In 2014, she was given Kennedy Center Honors and in 2017 she received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
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Tomlin began her career as a stand-up comedian, and performing Off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was performing as a cast member on the variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1969 until 1973. She currently stars on the Netflix series Grace and Frankie as Frankie Bergstein. Her performance as Frankie garnered her nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2015 and 2016.
In 1974, Tomlin was cast by Robert Altman in her first film; her performance as Linnea Reese in Nashville won her several awards and nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1977, her performance as Margo Sperling in The Late Show won her the Best Actress Award at the Berlin International Film Festival and nominations for the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Lead Actress.
Her other notable films include:
- 9 to 5 (1980),
- All of Me (1984),
- Flirting with Disaster (1996),
- Tea with Mussolini (1999),
- I Heart Huckabees (2004),
- and Grandma (2015).
Her signature role was written by her wife (then partner), Jane Wagner, in a show titled The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe which opened on Broadway in 1985 and won Tomlin the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play.
She is also known as the voice of Ms. Frizzle on the children's series The Magic School Bus.
She won her first Emmy Awards in 1974 for writing and producing her own television special, Lily. Tomlin won a Grammy Award for her 1972 comedy album This Is a Recording.
In 2014, she was given Kennedy Center Honors and in 2017 she received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for further amplification:
Renée Zellweger
- YouTube Video: Me, Myself & Irene (1999): Behind The Cameras
- YouTube Video: Renee Zellweger On ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ And How She Feels About Bridget’s Weight
- YouTube Video: Judy Garland's triumph and tragedy, portrayed by Renee Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.
Zellweger was one of the highest-paid actresses in the world by 2007, and was named Hasty Pudding's Woman of the Year in 2009.
Zellweger had her first starring role in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994). She subsequently earned early acclaim with her appearance in Empire Records (1995), and gained wider recognition for her role in Jerry Maguire (1996).
For Nurse Betty (2000), she won her first Golden Globe, and for her portrayals of Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and Roxie Hart in Chicago (2002), she garnered consecutive Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. She reprised her role as Bridget Jones in two equally successful sequels (2004–2016).
Zellweger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as a loquacious farmer in the American Civil War drama Cold Mountain (2003). She played the wife of boxer James J. Braddock in Cinderella Man (2005) and author Beatrix Potter in Miss Potter (2006).
Roles in smaller scale films, such as Appaloosa (2008), My One and Only (2009), and Case 39 (2009), were followed by a six-year hiatus from the screen. In 2019, she starred in the Netflix thriller anthology series What/If and received critical acclaim for portraying Judy Garland in the biopic Judy.
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Zellweger was one of the highest-paid actresses in the world by 2007, and was named Hasty Pudding's Woman of the Year in 2009.
Zellweger had her first starring role in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994). She subsequently earned early acclaim with her appearance in Empire Records (1995), and gained wider recognition for her role in Jerry Maguire (1996).
For Nurse Betty (2000), she won her first Golden Globe, and for her portrayals of Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and Roxie Hart in Chicago (2002), she garnered consecutive Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. She reprised her role as Bridget Jones in two equally successful sequels (2004–2016).
Zellweger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as a loquacious farmer in the American Civil War drama Cold Mountain (2003). She played the wife of boxer James J. Braddock in Cinderella Man (2005) and author Beatrix Potter in Miss Potter (2006).
Roles in smaller scale films, such as Appaloosa (2008), My One and Only (2009), and Case 39 (2009), were followed by a six-year hiatus from the screen. In 2019, she starred in the Netflix thriller anthology series What/If and received critical acclaim for portraying Judy Garland in the biopic Judy.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Renee Zellweger:
Reba McEntire
- YouTube Video of Reba McEntire from her TV Show "Reba"
- YouTube Video: Reba McEntire - Does He Love You
- YouTube Video: The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia ~ Reba McEntire and Vicki Lawrence
Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955) is an American country singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band, on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos.
While a sophomore in college at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, McEntire performed the National Anthem at the National Rodeo in Oklahoma City and caught the attention of country artist Red Steagall who brought her to Nashville, Tennessee. She signed a contract with Mercury Records a year later in 1975. She released her first solo album in 1977 and released five additional studio albums under the label until 1983.
Signing with MCA Nashville Records, McEntire took creative control over her second MCA album, My Kind of Country (1984), which had a more traditional country sound and produced two number one singles: "How Blue" and "Somebody Should Leave". The album brought her breakthrough success, bringing her a series of successful albums and number one singles in the 1980s and 1990s.
McEntire has since released 29 studio albums, acquired 42 number one singles, 16 number one albums, and 28 albums have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. She often is referred to as "The Queen of Country," and she is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
In the early 1990s, McEntire branched into film starting with 1990's Tremors. She has since starred in the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun (2001) and in her television sitcom Reba (2001–07), for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series–Musical or Comedy.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Reba McEntire:
While a sophomore in college at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, McEntire performed the National Anthem at the National Rodeo in Oklahoma City and caught the attention of country artist Red Steagall who brought her to Nashville, Tennessee. She signed a contract with Mercury Records a year later in 1975. She released her first solo album in 1977 and released five additional studio albums under the label until 1983.
Signing with MCA Nashville Records, McEntire took creative control over her second MCA album, My Kind of Country (1984), which had a more traditional country sound and produced two number one singles: "How Blue" and "Somebody Should Leave". The album brought her breakthrough success, bringing her a series of successful albums and number one singles in the 1980s and 1990s.
McEntire has since released 29 studio albums, acquired 42 number one singles, 16 number one albums, and 28 albums have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. She often is referred to as "The Queen of Country," and she is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
In the early 1990s, McEntire branched into film starting with 1990's Tremors. She has since starred in the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun (2001) and in her television sitcom Reba (2001–07), for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series–Musical or Comedy.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Reba McEntire:
- Early life
- Music career
- Acting career
- Musical styles and legacy
- Personal life
- Accolades
- Discography
- Filmography
- See also:
Marlee Matlin
- YouTube Video: Marlee Matlin's Remarks at FCC Hearing on Broadband Access for People With Disabilities
- YouTube Video from "BRIDGE TO SILENCE": Marlee Matlin and Lee Remick
- YouTube Video: Marlee Matlin in Desperate Housewives
Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, author, and activist. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Children of a Lesser God (1986) and to date is the only deaf performer to have won an Academy Award; also, having won the award at the age of 21, she is the youngest winner in the category.
Her work in film and television has resulted in a Golden Globe award, with two additional nominations, and four Emmy nominations.
Deaf since she was 18 months old, due to illness and high fevers, she is also a prominent member of the National Association of the Deaf. Her longtime interpreter is Jack Jason.
Career:
Matlin made her stage debut at the age of seven, as Dorothy in an International Center on Deafness and the Arts (ICODA) children's theatre of The Wizard of Oz, and continued to appear with the ICODA children's theater group throughout her childhood.
Her discovery by Henry Winkler during one of her ICODA theater performances ultimately led to her film debut in Children of a Lesser God (1986). The film received generally positive reviews and Matlin's performance as Sarah Norman, a reluctant-to-speak deaf woman who falls for a hearing man, drew high praise: Richard Schickel of TIME magazine wrote, "[Matlin] has an unusual talent for concentrating her emotions -- and an audience's -- in her signing.
But there is something more here, an ironic intelligence, a fierce but not distancing wit, that the movies, with their famous ability to photograph thought, discover in very few performances."
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times was also impressed with Matlin, writing, "She holds her own against the powerhouse she's acting with, carrying scenes with a passion and almost painful fear of being rejected and hurt, which is really what her rebellion is about,"
Paul Attasanio of the Washington Post said, "The most obvious challenge of the role is to communicate without speaking, but Matlin rises to it in the same way the stars of the silent era did -- she acts with her eyes, her gestures."
Children of a Lesser God brought her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama and an Academy Award for Best Actress. Only 21 years old at the time, Matlin remains the youngest actress to receive the Oscar in the Best Actress category; she is still the only deaf Academy Award recipient in any category.
Two years later, she made a guest appearance on Sesame Street with Billy Joel performing a revised version of "Just the Way You Are" with lyrics by Tony Geiss. Matlin used sign language during the song and hugged Oscar the Grouch during the song's conclusion. One year after that, Billy Joel invited her to perform in his video for "We Didn't Start the Fire".
In 1989, Matlin portrayed a deaf widow in the television movie Bridge to Silence. In that role, she spoke in addition to using sign language. People magazine did not like the film, but praised Matlin's work, writing, "the beautiful, emotionally moving Matlin is too good for this well-intentioned but sentimental slop."
Matlin was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work as the lead female role in the television series Reasonable Doubts (1991–1993).
Matlin was nominated for an Emmy Award for a guest appearance in Picket Fences (1992) and became a regular on that series during its final season (1996).
Matlin played Carrie Buck in the 1994 television drama Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story, based on the 1927 United States Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell 274 U.S. 200. In that role, Matlin portrayed a hearing woman for the first time in her career, which earned her a CableACE nomination for Best Actress.
Matlin later had recurring roles in The West Wing, and Blue's Clues. Other television appearances include Seinfeld ("The Lip Reader"), The Outer Limits ("The Message"), ER, The Practice, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for her guest appearances in Seinfeld, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and The Practice.
In 2002, Matlin published her first novel, titled Deaf Child Crossing, which was loosely based on her own childhood. She later wrote and published a sequel titled Nobody's Perfect, produced on stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in partnership with VSA Arts in October 2007. In 2004, she starred in the movie What the Bleep Do We Know!? as Amanda. Also in 2003, she hosted the 3rd Annual Festival for Cinema of the Deaf in Chicago.
In 2006, Matlin played a deaf parent in Desperate Housewives. She had a recurring role as Joy Turner's (who made many jokes about Matlin's deafness at her expense) public defender in My Name Is Earl and played the mother of one of the victims in an episode of CSI: NY.
That same year, Matlin was cast in season 4 of The L Word as Jodi Lerner, a lesbian sculptor. She appeared in season 4 (2007), season 5 (2008), and season 6 (2009) as the girlfriend of one of the show's protagonists, Bette Porter, played by Jennifer Beals.
On February 4, 2007, and February 7, 2016, Matlin interpreted the "Star Spangled Banner" in American Sign Language at Super Bowl XLI in Miami, Florida, and at Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California, respectively. In January 2008, she appeared on Nip/Tuck as a television executive.
In 2008, Matlin participated as a competitor in the sixth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Her dance partner was newcomer Fabian Sanchez. Matlin and Sanchez were the sixth couple eliminated from the competition.
On May 6, 2009, Matlin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On November 8, 2009, Matlin appeared on Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show, hosted by Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein.
After Borstein imitated Matlin calling MovieFone and singing "Poker Face," Matlin herself appeared and launched into a comical tirade against Borstein over being made fun of, and how she was not invited to provide her own voice for Family Guy. Matlin went on to voice Stella, Peter Griffin's coworker, in the Season 10 episode "The Blind Side;" Stella later became a recurring character.
In 2010, Matlin produced a pilot for a reality show she titled My Deaf Family, which she presented to various national network executives. Although they expressed interest, no network purchased rights to the show. On March 29, 2010, Matlin uploaded the pilot to YouTube and launched a viral marketing campaign.
On July 26, 2010, Matlin signed a speech at an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In the following year, Matlin was a finalist on the NBC show The Celebrity Apprentice, competing to win money for her charity, The Starkey Hearing Foundation, finishing in second place. However, on one episode of The Celebrity Apprentice, "The Art of the Deal", which was transmitted on April 3, 2011, she raised more funds than had ever been raised for charity in a single event on any television show before, $986,000.
Donald Trump, who was then hosting The Celebrity Apprentice, then donated an additional $14,000 to make the contribution an even million.
In 2013, Matlin played herself in No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie. As of January 2015, Matlin also acted as the ACLU's celebrity ambassador for disability rights.
As a "celebrity ambassador" for the ACLU, in attempts to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the deaf community, Matlin discussed the communication barriers when deaf individuals are stopped by the police.
Matlin played the recurring character of Melody Bledsoe on Switched at Birth. In September 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the revival production of the musical Spring Awakening.
Beginning in 2017, Matlin played the recurring role of Harriet on the Syfy television series, The Magicians.
On July 31, 2017, it was announced by Deadline that Matlin joined as a series regular in the third season of the ABC thriller Quantico. She starred in the role of ex-FBI agent Jocelyn Turner.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Marlee Matlin:
Her work in film and television has resulted in a Golden Globe award, with two additional nominations, and four Emmy nominations.
Deaf since she was 18 months old, due to illness and high fevers, she is also a prominent member of the National Association of the Deaf. Her longtime interpreter is Jack Jason.
Career:
Matlin made her stage debut at the age of seven, as Dorothy in an International Center on Deafness and the Arts (ICODA) children's theatre of The Wizard of Oz, and continued to appear with the ICODA children's theater group throughout her childhood.
Her discovery by Henry Winkler during one of her ICODA theater performances ultimately led to her film debut in Children of a Lesser God (1986). The film received generally positive reviews and Matlin's performance as Sarah Norman, a reluctant-to-speak deaf woman who falls for a hearing man, drew high praise: Richard Schickel of TIME magazine wrote, "[Matlin] has an unusual talent for concentrating her emotions -- and an audience's -- in her signing.
But there is something more here, an ironic intelligence, a fierce but not distancing wit, that the movies, with their famous ability to photograph thought, discover in very few performances."
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times was also impressed with Matlin, writing, "She holds her own against the powerhouse she's acting with, carrying scenes with a passion and almost painful fear of being rejected and hurt, which is really what her rebellion is about,"
Paul Attasanio of the Washington Post said, "The most obvious challenge of the role is to communicate without speaking, but Matlin rises to it in the same way the stars of the silent era did -- she acts with her eyes, her gestures."
Children of a Lesser God brought her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama and an Academy Award for Best Actress. Only 21 years old at the time, Matlin remains the youngest actress to receive the Oscar in the Best Actress category; she is still the only deaf Academy Award recipient in any category.
Two years later, she made a guest appearance on Sesame Street with Billy Joel performing a revised version of "Just the Way You Are" with lyrics by Tony Geiss. Matlin used sign language during the song and hugged Oscar the Grouch during the song's conclusion. One year after that, Billy Joel invited her to perform in his video for "We Didn't Start the Fire".
In 1989, Matlin portrayed a deaf widow in the television movie Bridge to Silence. In that role, she spoke in addition to using sign language. People magazine did not like the film, but praised Matlin's work, writing, "the beautiful, emotionally moving Matlin is too good for this well-intentioned but sentimental slop."
Matlin was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work as the lead female role in the television series Reasonable Doubts (1991–1993).
Matlin was nominated for an Emmy Award for a guest appearance in Picket Fences (1992) and became a regular on that series during its final season (1996).
Matlin played Carrie Buck in the 1994 television drama Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story, based on the 1927 United States Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell 274 U.S. 200. In that role, Matlin portrayed a hearing woman for the first time in her career, which earned her a CableACE nomination for Best Actress.
Matlin later had recurring roles in The West Wing, and Blue's Clues. Other television appearances include Seinfeld ("The Lip Reader"), The Outer Limits ("The Message"), ER, The Practice, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for her guest appearances in Seinfeld, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and The Practice.
In 2002, Matlin published her first novel, titled Deaf Child Crossing, which was loosely based on her own childhood. She later wrote and published a sequel titled Nobody's Perfect, produced on stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in partnership with VSA Arts in October 2007. In 2004, she starred in the movie What the Bleep Do We Know!? as Amanda. Also in 2003, she hosted the 3rd Annual Festival for Cinema of the Deaf in Chicago.
In 2006, Matlin played a deaf parent in Desperate Housewives. She had a recurring role as Joy Turner's (who made many jokes about Matlin's deafness at her expense) public defender in My Name Is Earl and played the mother of one of the victims in an episode of CSI: NY.
That same year, Matlin was cast in season 4 of The L Word as Jodi Lerner, a lesbian sculptor. She appeared in season 4 (2007), season 5 (2008), and season 6 (2009) as the girlfriend of one of the show's protagonists, Bette Porter, played by Jennifer Beals.
On February 4, 2007, and February 7, 2016, Matlin interpreted the "Star Spangled Banner" in American Sign Language at Super Bowl XLI in Miami, Florida, and at Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California, respectively. In January 2008, she appeared on Nip/Tuck as a television executive.
In 2008, Matlin participated as a competitor in the sixth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Her dance partner was newcomer Fabian Sanchez. Matlin and Sanchez were the sixth couple eliminated from the competition.
On May 6, 2009, Matlin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On November 8, 2009, Matlin appeared on Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show, hosted by Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein.
After Borstein imitated Matlin calling MovieFone and singing "Poker Face," Matlin herself appeared and launched into a comical tirade against Borstein over being made fun of, and how she was not invited to provide her own voice for Family Guy. Matlin went on to voice Stella, Peter Griffin's coworker, in the Season 10 episode "The Blind Side;" Stella later became a recurring character.
In 2010, Matlin produced a pilot for a reality show she titled My Deaf Family, which she presented to various national network executives. Although they expressed interest, no network purchased rights to the show. On March 29, 2010, Matlin uploaded the pilot to YouTube and launched a viral marketing campaign.
On July 26, 2010, Matlin signed a speech at an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In the following year, Matlin was a finalist on the NBC show The Celebrity Apprentice, competing to win money for her charity, The Starkey Hearing Foundation, finishing in second place. However, on one episode of The Celebrity Apprentice, "The Art of the Deal", which was transmitted on April 3, 2011, she raised more funds than had ever been raised for charity in a single event on any television show before, $986,000.
Donald Trump, who was then hosting The Celebrity Apprentice, then donated an additional $14,000 to make the contribution an even million.
In 2013, Matlin played herself in No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie. As of January 2015, Matlin also acted as the ACLU's celebrity ambassador for disability rights.
As a "celebrity ambassador" for the ACLU, in attempts to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the deaf community, Matlin discussed the communication barriers when deaf individuals are stopped by the police.
Matlin played the recurring character of Melody Bledsoe on Switched at Birth. In September 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the revival production of the musical Spring Awakening.
Beginning in 2017, Matlin played the recurring role of Harriet on the Syfy television series, The Magicians.
On July 31, 2017, it was announced by Deadline that Matlin joined as a series regular in the third season of the ABC thriller Quantico. She starred in the role of ex-FBI agent Jocelyn Turner.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Marlee Matlin:
- Early life
- Personal life
- Filmography
- Awards
- Published works
- See also:
- Official website
- Marlee Matlin at AllMovie
- Marlee Matlin on IMDb
- Marlee Matlin at the TCM Movie Database
- Works by or about Marlee Matlin in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
Taraji Penda Henson (born September 11, 1970) is an American actress and author. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in Baby Boy (2001).
Henson received praise for her performances as a sex-worker in Hustle & Flow (2005), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination; and as a single mother of a disabled child in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), for which she received Academy Award, SAG Award and Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2010 Henson appeared in the action comedy Date Night, and co-starred in the remake of The Karate Kid.
Henson has also had an extensive and successful career in television, including series such as The Division, Boston Legal and Eli Stone.
In 2011, she starred in the Lifetime Television film Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story, which brought her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
From 2011 to 2013, Henson co-starred as Detective Jocelyn Carter in the CBS drama Person of Interest, for which she won an NAACP Image Award.
Henson starred in the ensemble films Think Like a Man (2012) and its 2014 sequel. In 2015 she began starring as Cookie Lyon in the Fox drama series Empire, for which she became the first African-American woman to win a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series. She also won a Golden Globe Award; and was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2015 and 2016.
In 2016, Time named Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world. That year, she released a New York Times best selling autobiography titled Around the Way Girl. Also that year, she was praised for her starring role as Katherine Johnson in the critically acclaimed drama film Hidden Figures, for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Taraji P. Henson:
Henson received praise for her performances as a sex-worker in Hustle & Flow (2005), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination; and as a single mother of a disabled child in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), for which she received Academy Award, SAG Award and Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2010 Henson appeared in the action comedy Date Night, and co-starred in the remake of The Karate Kid.
Henson has also had an extensive and successful career in television, including series such as The Division, Boston Legal and Eli Stone.
In 2011, she starred in the Lifetime Television film Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story, which brought her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
From 2011 to 2013, Henson co-starred as Detective Jocelyn Carter in the CBS drama Person of Interest, for which she won an NAACP Image Award.
Henson starred in the ensemble films Think Like a Man (2012) and its 2014 sequel. In 2015 she began starring as Cookie Lyon in the Fox drama series Empire, for which she became the first African-American woman to win a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series. She also won a Golden Globe Award; and was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2015 and 2016.
In 2016, Time named Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world. That year, she released a New York Times best selling autobiography titled Around the Way Girl. Also that year, she was praised for her starring role as Katherine Johnson in the critically acclaimed drama film Hidden Figures, for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Taraji P. Henson:
- Early life and education
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Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1972) is an American actress, author, and producer.
Spencer is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. She is one of two black actresses to have received three Academy Award nominations, the first black actress to receive two consecutive Academy Award nominations in back-to-back years, and the first black actress to receive an Academy Award nomination after previously winning.
Spencer made her film debut in the 1996 drama A Time to Kill. Following a decade of brief roles in film and television, her breakthrough came in 2011, when she played a maid in 1960s America in The Help, for which she won several awards, including the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.
For her performance in Ryan Coogler's biographical drama Fruitvale Station (2013), she received the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Spencer went on to appear in such films as:
Spencer received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for playing other women in 1960s America, the mathematician Dorothy Vaughan in the biographical drama Hidden Figures (2016), and a cleaning woman in the fantasy film The Shape of Water (2017).
As an author, Spencer has created a children's book series, titled Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective. She has published two books in the series, titled The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit (2013) and The Sweetest Heist in History (2015)
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Octavia Spencer:
Spencer is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. She is one of two black actresses to have received three Academy Award nominations, the first black actress to receive two consecutive Academy Award nominations in back-to-back years, and the first black actress to receive an Academy Award nomination after previously winning.
Spencer made her film debut in the 1996 drama A Time to Kill. Following a decade of brief roles in film and television, her breakthrough came in 2011, when she played a maid in 1960s America in The Help, for which she won several awards, including the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.
For her performance in Ryan Coogler's biographical drama Fruitvale Station (2013), she received the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Spencer went on to appear in such films as:
- Smashed (2012),
- Snowpiercer (2013),
- Get on Up (2014),
- The Divergent Series (2015–16),
- Gifted (2017),
- and Ma (2019).
Spencer received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for playing other women in 1960s America, the mathematician Dorothy Vaughan in the biographical drama Hidden Figures (2016), and a cleaning woman in the fantasy film The Shape of Water (2017).
As an author, Spencer has created a children's book series, titled Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective. She has published two books in the series, titled The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit (2013) and The Sweetest Heist in History (2015)
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Octavia Spencer:
Janelle Monáe
- YouTube Video: Janelle Monáe – Make Me Feel
- YouTube Video: Hidden Figures Movie CLIP - Make You the First (2017) - Janelle Monáe
- YouTube Video: Hidden Figures Movie CLIP - Already Be One (2016) - Janelle Monáe Movie
Janelle Monáe Robinson ( born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and producer. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society.
Monáe's musical career began in 2003 when she released an unofficial demo album titled The Audition.
In 2007, she publicly debuted with a conceptual EP titled Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase). It peaked at number two on the US Top Heatseekers chart, and in 2010, through Bad Boy Records, Monáe released her first full-length studio album, The ArchAndroid, a concept album and sequel to her first EP.
In 2011, Monáe was featured as a guest vocalist on fun.'s single "We Are Young", which achieved major commercial success, topping the charts of over ten countries and garnering Monáe a wider audience. Her second studio album, The Electric Lady, was released in 2013 and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, serving as the fourth and fifth installments of her seven-part Metropolis concept series.
In 2016, Monáe made her theatrical film debut in two high profile productions; she starred in Hidden Figures as NASA mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson, and also starred in Moonlight. Hidden Figures was a box office success, while Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 89th annual ceremony.
Monáe's third studio album, Dirty Computer, also described as a concept album, was released in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim; it was chosen as the best album of the year by several publications and earned Monáe two nominations at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and was further promoted by Monáe's Dirty Computer Tour, which lasted from June–August 2018.
Throughout her career, Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. She won a MTV Video Music Award and the ASCAP Vanguard Award in 2010. She was also honored with the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award in 2015 and the Trailblazer of the Year Award in 2018. In 2012, she became a CoverGirl spokeswoman.
Boston City Council named October 16, 2013 "Janelle Monáe Day" in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, in recognition of her artistry and social leadership.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Janelle Monáe:
Monáe's musical career began in 2003 when she released an unofficial demo album titled The Audition.
In 2007, she publicly debuted with a conceptual EP titled Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase). It peaked at number two on the US Top Heatseekers chart, and in 2010, through Bad Boy Records, Monáe released her first full-length studio album, The ArchAndroid, a concept album and sequel to her first EP.
In 2011, Monáe was featured as a guest vocalist on fun.'s single "We Are Young", which achieved major commercial success, topping the charts of over ten countries and garnering Monáe a wider audience. Her second studio album, The Electric Lady, was released in 2013 and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, serving as the fourth and fifth installments of her seven-part Metropolis concept series.
In 2016, Monáe made her theatrical film debut in two high profile productions; she starred in Hidden Figures as NASA mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson, and also starred in Moonlight. Hidden Figures was a box office success, while Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 89th annual ceremony.
Monáe's third studio album, Dirty Computer, also described as a concept album, was released in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim; it was chosen as the best album of the year by several publications and earned Monáe two nominations at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and was further promoted by Monáe's Dirty Computer Tour, which lasted from June–August 2018.
Throughout her career, Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. She won a MTV Video Music Award and the ASCAP Vanguard Award in 2010. She was also honored with the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award in 2015 and the Trailblazer of the Year Award in 2018. In 2012, she became a CoverGirl spokeswoman.
Boston City Council named October 16, 2013 "Janelle Monáe Day" in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, in recognition of her artistry and social leadership.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Janelle Monáe:
Allison Janney
(TOP) "The West Wing" (NBC: 1999-2006);
and (BOTTOM) "Mom" (CBS: 2013-Present)
- YouTube Video: Behind the Scenes with Mom’s Allison Janney and Anna Faris
- YouTube Video: Allison Janney in the West Wing
- YouTube Video: Allison Janney in "The Girl on the Train (2016) - Did You Murder Megan?"
(TOP) "The West Wing" (NBC: 1999-2006);
and (BOTTOM) "Mom" (CBS: 2013-Present)
Allison Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an American actress. A prolific character actress, Janney has received many accolades, including an Academy Award, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in two cities in Ohio, Janney won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the summer of 1984, following her graduation from Kenyon College.
After years of minor and uncredited film and television appearances, Janney's breakthrough came with the role of C. J. Cregg in the NBC political drama The West Wing (1999–2006), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Awards. The character was widely popular during the airing of the series and was later recognized as one of the greatest female characters on American television.
In 2014, Janney won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Margaret Scully on the Showtime period drama Masters of Sex.
Since 2013, she has starred as a cynical recovering addict in the CBS sitcom Mom. Her performance on the show has gained her five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won her two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Janney made her professional stage debut with the Off-Broadway production Ladies and followed with numerous bit parts in various similar productions, before making her Broadway debut in the 1996 revival of Present Laughter. She won Drama Desk Awards and received Tony Award nominations for her performances in the 1997 Broadway revival of A View from the Bridge, and the 2009 original Broadway production of the musical 9 to 5.
Her film roles include:
In 2017, for her performance as LaVona Golden in the black comedy I, Tonya, Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Allison Janney:
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in two cities in Ohio, Janney won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the summer of 1984, following her graduation from Kenyon College.
After years of minor and uncredited film and television appearances, Janney's breakthrough came with the role of C. J. Cregg in the NBC political drama The West Wing (1999–2006), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Awards. The character was widely popular during the airing of the series and was later recognized as one of the greatest female characters on American television.
In 2014, Janney won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Margaret Scully on the Showtime period drama Masters of Sex.
Since 2013, she has starred as a cynical recovering addict in the CBS sitcom Mom. Her performance on the show has gained her five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won her two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Janney made her professional stage debut with the Off-Broadway production Ladies and followed with numerous bit parts in various similar productions, before making her Broadway debut in the 1996 revival of Present Laughter. She won Drama Desk Awards and received Tony Award nominations for her performances in the 1997 Broadway revival of A View from the Bridge, and the 2009 original Broadway production of the musical 9 to 5.
Her film roles include:
- Private Parts (1997),
- Primary Colors (1998),
- 10 Things I Hate About You (1999),
- Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999),
- American Beauty (1999),
- The Hours (2002),
- Hairspray (2007),
- Juno (2007),
- The Help (2011),
- The Way, Way Back (2013),
- Tammy (2014),
- Spy (2015),
- Tallulah (2016),
- The Girl on the Train (2016),
- Bad Education (2019),
- and The Addams Family (2019).
In 2017, for her performance as LaVona Golden in the black comedy I, Tonya, Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Allison Janney:
- Early life and education
- Career
- Personal life
- Filmography
- Awards and nominations
- See also:
- Allison Janney
- Allison Janney on IMDb
- Allison Janney at the TCM Movie Database
- Allison Janney at the Internet Broadway Database
- Allison Janney at Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Allison Janney at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
- "Allison Janney". The Guardian. London, UK. January 28, 2008. The Guardian
Queen Latifah
- YouTube Video of Queen Latifah: 'California Dreamin'
- YouTube Video: Queen Latifah - Ladies First (feat. Monie Love)
- YouTube Video: Queen Latifah in "Chicago"
Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, and producer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album All Hail the Queen on November 28, 1989, featuring the hit single "Ladies First". Nature of a Sista' (1991) was her second and final album with Tommy Boy Records.
Latifah starred as Khadijah James on the FOX sitcom Living Single from 1993 to 1998.
Latifah then starred in the lead role of Set It Off (1996) and released her fourth album, Order in the Court, on June 16, 1998, with Motown Records. Latifah gained mainstream success and acclaim with her performance in the film Chicago (2002), receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Latifah released her fifth album The Dana Owens Album in 2004. In 2007 and 2009, she released two more studio albums – Trav'lin' Light and Persona. She created the daytime talk show The Queen Latifah Show, which ran from late 2013 to early 2015 on CBS. She has appeared in a number of films, such as:
Latifah received critical acclaim for her portrayal of blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO film Bessie (2015), which she co-produced, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.
Since 2016, Latifah has starred as Carlotta Brown in the musical drama series Star.
Latifah has long been considered one of hip-hop's pioneer feminists. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.
Latifah's work in music, film and television has earned her:
For more about Queen Latifah, click on any of the following blue hyperlinks:
Latifah starred as Khadijah James on the FOX sitcom Living Single from 1993 to 1998.
- Her third album, Black Reign (1993), spawned the single "U.N.I.T.Y.", which, being a large influence on women, won a Grammy Award and peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Latifah then starred in the lead role of Set It Off (1996) and released her fourth album, Order in the Court, on June 16, 1998, with Motown Records. Latifah gained mainstream success and acclaim with her performance in the film Chicago (2002), receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Latifah released her fifth album The Dana Owens Album in 2004. In 2007 and 2009, she released two more studio albums – Trav'lin' Light and Persona. She created the daytime talk show The Queen Latifah Show, which ran from late 2013 to early 2015 on CBS. She has appeared in a number of films, such as:
- Bringing Down the House (2003),
- Taxi (2004),
- Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2005),
- Beauty Shop (2005),
- Last Holiday (2006),
- Hairspray (2007),
- Joyful Noise (2012),
- 22 Jump Street (2014)
- and Girls Trip (2017).
Latifah received critical acclaim for her portrayal of blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO film Bessie (2015), which she co-produced, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.
Since 2016, Latifah has starred as Carlotta Brown in the musical drama series Star.
Latifah has long been considered one of hip-hop's pioneer feminists. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.
Latifah's work in music, film and television has earned her:
- a Grammy Award,
- an Emmy Award,
- a Golden Globe Award,
- three Screen Actors Guild Awards,
- two NAACP Image Awards,
- an Academy Award nomination
- and sales of over two million records.
For more about Queen Latifah, click on any of the following blue hyperlinks:
- Early life and education
- Music career
- Film and television
- Artistry
- Products and endorsements
- Personal life
- Legacy and influence
- Discography
- Tours
- Filmography
- See also:
Anne Hathaway
- YouTube Video of Anne Hathaway Best Movies
- YouTube Video: Anne Hathaway's "Ocean's 8" Performance Is Awesome
- YouTube Video: I Dreamed a Dream - FULL SCENE - Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. One of the highest-paid actresses in the world in 2015, she has received multiple awards, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe.
Hathaway's films have earned over $6.8 billion worldwide, and she appeared in the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2009.
Hathaway graduated from Millburn High School in New Jersey, where she acted in several plays.
As a teenager, Hathaway was cast in the television series Get Real (1999–2000) and made her breakthrough as the protagonist in her debut film, the Disney comedy The Princess Diaries (2001).
Hathaway made a transition to adult roles with the 2005 dramas Havoc and Brokeback Mountain. The comedy film The Devil Wears Prada (2006), in which she played an assistant to a fashion magazine editor, was her biggest commercial success to that point. She played a recovering alcoholic in the drama Rachel Getting Married (2008), which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Hathaway followed this with roles in the commercially successful romantic films Bride Wars (2009), Valentine's Day (2010), Love & Other Drugs (2010), and the fantasy film Alice in Wonderland (2010).
In 2012, Hathaway starred as Selina Kyle in her highest-grossing film The Dark Knight Rises, the final installment in The Dark Knight trilogy. That year, she also played Fantine, a prostitute dying of tuberculosis, in the musical romantic drama Les Misérables, for which she won various accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Hathaway went on to play a scientist in the science fiction film Interstellar (2014), the owner of an online fashion site in the comedy film The Intern (2015), and a haughty actress in the heist film Ocean's 8 (2018). Hathaway has also won an Emmy Award for providing her voice in The Simpsons, sung for soundtracks, appeared on stage, and hosted events.
Hathaway supports several charities and causes. She is a board member of the Lollipop Theatre Network, an organization that brings films to sick children in hospitals, and advocates gender equality as a UN Women goodwill ambassador.
Hathaway is married to businessman Adam Shulman, with whom she has a son.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Anne Hathaway:
Hathaway's films have earned over $6.8 billion worldwide, and she appeared in the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2009.
Hathaway graduated from Millburn High School in New Jersey, where she acted in several plays.
As a teenager, Hathaway was cast in the television series Get Real (1999–2000) and made her breakthrough as the protagonist in her debut film, the Disney comedy The Princess Diaries (2001).
Hathaway made a transition to adult roles with the 2005 dramas Havoc and Brokeback Mountain. The comedy film The Devil Wears Prada (2006), in which she played an assistant to a fashion magazine editor, was her biggest commercial success to that point. She played a recovering alcoholic in the drama Rachel Getting Married (2008), which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Hathaway followed this with roles in the commercially successful romantic films Bride Wars (2009), Valentine's Day (2010), Love & Other Drugs (2010), and the fantasy film Alice in Wonderland (2010).
In 2012, Hathaway starred as Selina Kyle in her highest-grossing film The Dark Knight Rises, the final installment in The Dark Knight trilogy. That year, she also played Fantine, a prostitute dying of tuberculosis, in the musical romantic drama Les Misérables, for which she won various accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Hathaway went on to play a scientist in the science fiction film Interstellar (2014), the owner of an online fashion site in the comedy film The Intern (2015), and a haughty actress in the heist film Ocean's 8 (2018). Hathaway has also won an Emmy Award for providing her voice in The Simpsons, sung for soundtracks, appeared on stage, and hosted events.
Hathaway supports several charities and causes. She is a board member of the Lollipop Theatre Network, an organization that brings films to sick children in hospitals, and advocates gender equality as a UN Women goodwill ambassador.
Hathaway is married to businessman Adam Shulman, with whom she has a son.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Anne Hathaway:
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, talk show host, and producer.
Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, television, and theater. Hudson became the youngest woman and second African-American woman to receive all four of the major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (EGOT). She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
Hudson rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of American Idol, placing seventh. She made her film debut as Effie White in the musical Dreamgirls (2006), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the youngest African-American to win in a competitive acting category.
After signing to Arista Records, Hudson released her self-titled debut studio album in 2008, which was certified Gold in the United States and the United Kingdom, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.
Hudson's subsequent studio albums, I Remember Me (2011) and JHUD (2014), both charted within the top ten of the Billboard 200, with the former also being certified Gold in the US.
Meanwhile, her other acting roles include the following films:
Hudson also contributed as a coach on the UK and the US version of The Voice from 2017 up to 2019, becoming the first female coach to win the former. In 2022, she began hosting a talk show, The Jennifer Hudson Show.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jennifer Hudson:
Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, television, and theater. Hudson became the youngest woman and second African-American woman to receive all four of the major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (EGOT). She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
Hudson rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of American Idol, placing seventh. She made her film debut as Effie White in the musical Dreamgirls (2006), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the youngest African-American to win in a competitive acting category.
After signing to Arista Records, Hudson released her self-titled debut studio album in 2008, which was certified Gold in the United States and the United Kingdom, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.
Hudson's subsequent studio albums, I Remember Me (2011) and JHUD (2014), both charted within the top ten of the Billboard 200, with the former also being certified Gold in the US.
Meanwhile, her other acting roles include the following films:
- Sex and the City (2008),
- The Secret Life of Bees (2008),
- Winnie Mandela (2011),
- Black Nativity (2013),
- Sing (2016),
- Cats (2019)
- and Respect (2021),
- the television shows:
- Smash (2012),
- Empire (2015)
- and Confirmation (2016),
- and her Broadway debut with the musical The Color Purple.
Hudson also contributed as a coach on the UK and the US version of The Voice from 2017 up to 2019, becoming the first female coach to win the former. In 2022, she began hosting a talk show, The Jennifer Hudson Show.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jennifer Hudson:
Zoe Seldana
- YouTube Video:Avatar (2009) Behind the Scenes (Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver)
- YouTube Video: Avengers: Infinity War Cast ★ All Best Funniest Moments
- YouTube Video with Zoe Salana on Raising Twins
Zoë Yadira Saldaña Nazario (born June 19, 1978) is an American actress. Following her performances with the theater group Faces, she was in a 1999 episode of Law & Order. Her film career began a year later with Center Stage (2000) portraying a ballet dancer.
Saldana worked in science fiction films, beginning in 2009 with her first of multiple appearances as Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek film series and her first appearance as Neytiri in the Avatar film series. She portrayed Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
Due to her appearances in some of the highest-grossing films of all time, such as Avatar and Avengers: Endgame, Saldana is the second highest-grossing film actress of all time, as of 2019. Her films grossed more than $11 billion worldwide.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Zoe Saldana:
Saldana worked in science fiction films, beginning in 2009 with her first of multiple appearances as Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek film series and her first appearance as Neytiri in the Avatar film series. She portrayed Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
Due to her appearances in some of the highest-grossing films of all time, such as Avatar and Avengers: Endgame, Saldana is the second highest-grossing film actress of all time, as of 2019. Her films grossed more than $11 billion worldwide.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Zoe Saldana:
- Early life
- Career
- Personal life
- Filmography
- Awards and nominations
- See also:
- Zoe Saldana
- Zoe Saldana on IMDb
- Zoe Saldana at the TCM Movie Database
- Zoe Saldana at AllMovie
- Zoe Saldana, at Future Movies
- "Zoe Saldana Shines on ESSENCE's April Cover". Essence. March 9, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Sandell, Laurie (March 1, 2010). "Zoë Saldana: The Most Elegant Member of the Glam New Guard". Glamour. Condé Nast. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
Uma Thurman
- YouTube Video: Pulp Fiction | 'I Want To Dance' (HD) - Uma Thurman, John Travolta | MIRAMAX
- YouTube Video: Fall Out Boy - Uma Thurman
- YouTube Video: Pulp Fiction | '20 Greatest Moments’ (HD) - Uma Thurman, John Travolta | MIRAMAX
Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films.
Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 covers of British Vogue, Thurman starred in Dangerous Liaisons (1988). She rose to international prominence with her performance as Mia Wallace in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Often hailed as Tarantino's muse, she reunited with the director to play the main role in Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2 (2003, 2004), which brought her two additional Golden Globe Award nominations.
Established as a leading Hollywood actress, her other notable films include:
In 2011, Thurman was a member of the jury for the main competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival, and in 2017, she was named president of the 70th edition's "Un Certain Regard" jury.
Thurman made her Broadway debut in The Parisian Woman (2017–2018).
For her performance in the made-for-HBO film Hysterical Blindness (2002), Thurman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Film, and for her five-episode role in the NBC musical series Smash (2012), she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Thurman has starred in the miniseries The Slap (2015) and the series Imposters (2017–2018).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Uma Thurman:
Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 covers of British Vogue, Thurman starred in Dangerous Liaisons (1988). She rose to international prominence with her performance as Mia Wallace in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Often hailed as Tarantino's muse, she reunited with the director to play the main role in Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2 (2003, 2004), which brought her two additional Golden Globe Award nominations.
Established as a leading Hollywood actress, her other notable films include:
- Henry & June (1990),
- The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996),
- Batman & Robin (1997),
- Gattaca (1997),
- Les Misérables (1998),
- The Producers (2005),
- My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006),
- Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac (2013)
- and The House That Jack Built (2018).
In 2011, Thurman was a member of the jury for the main competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival, and in 2017, she was named president of the 70th edition's "Un Certain Regard" jury.
Thurman made her Broadway debut in The Parisian Woman (2017–2018).
For her performance in the made-for-HBO film Hysterical Blindness (2002), Thurman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Film, and for her five-episode role in the NBC musical series Smash (2012), she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Thurman has starred in the miniseries The Slap (2015) and the series Imposters (2017–2018).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Uma Thurman:
- Early life
- Career
- Public image
- Personal life
- Filmography
- Awards
- See also:
- Uma Thurman on IMDb
- Uma Thurman at AllMovie
- Uma Thurman at Models.com
- Uma Thurman at Rotten Tomatoes
- First 30 Years of Tibet House video
- Tibet House US Channel
Jessica Alba
- YouTube Video: Entourage - Jessica Alba
- YouTube Video: L.A.'S FINEST Official Trailer (2019) Jessica Alba, Bad Boys Series HD
- YouTube Video: KILLERS ANONYMOUS Official Trailer (2019) Jessica Alba, Gary Oldman Action Movie HD
Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28, 1981) is an American actress and businesswoman. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994), but rose to prominence at 19, as the lead actress of the television series Dark Angel (2000–2002), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.
Her big screen breakthrough came in Honey (2003). She soon established herself as a Hollywood actress, and has starred in numerous box office hits throughout her career, including:
She is a frequent collaborator of director Robert Rodriguez, having starred in:
Since 2019, Alba stars in the Spectrum action crime series L.A.'s Finest.
In 2011, Alba co-founded The Honest Company, a consumer goods company that sells baby, personal and household products. Magazines including Men's Health, Vanity Fair and FHM have included her on their lists of the world's most beautiful women.
Alba will star in and executive produce a new documentary series for Disney+ called "Parenting Without Borders" (working title) which will focus on families around the world and their beliefs and culture.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jessica Alba:
Her big screen breakthrough came in Honey (2003). She soon established herself as a Hollywood actress, and has starred in numerous box office hits throughout her career, including:
- Fantastic Four (2005),
- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007),
- Good Luck Chuck (2007),
- The Eye (2008),
- Valentine's Day (2010),
- Little Fockers (2010),
- and Mechanic: Resurrection (2016).
She is a frequent collaborator of director Robert Rodriguez, having starred in:
- Sin City (2005),
- Machete (2010),
- Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011),
- Machete Kills (2013),
- and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014).
Since 2019, Alba stars in the Spectrum action crime series L.A.'s Finest.
In 2011, Alba co-founded The Honest Company, a consumer goods company that sells baby, personal and household products. Magazines including Men's Health, Vanity Fair and FHM have included her on their lists of the world's most beautiful women.
Alba will star in and executive produce a new documentary series for Disney+ called "Parenting Without Borders" (working title) which will focus on families around the world and their beliefs and culture.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jessica Alba:
Annette Bening
- YouTube Video: Annette Bening on playing Academy Award-winning actress in 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool'
- YouTube Video: The Face Of Love Movie CLIP - Lie (2014) - Ed Harris, Annette Bening Movie HD
- YouTube Video: Annette Bening on Her Similarity to Senator Elizabeth Warren
Annette Carol Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress. She began her career on stage with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival company in 1980, and played Lady Macbeth in 1984 at the American Conservatory Theater. She was nominated for the 1987 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her Broadway debut in Coastal Disturbances and for the 2019 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for All My Sons.
Bening is a four-time Academy Award nominee for the films:
In 2006, Bening received a film star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Bening won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for American Beauty, two Golden Globe Awards for Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Mrs. Harris.
In 2019, Bening played the roles of Supreme Intelligence and Mar-Vell / Wendy Lawson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Captain Marvel, which became her highest grossing release.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Annette Bening:
Bening is a four-time Academy Award nominee for the films:
- The Grifters (1990),
- American Beauty (1999),
- Being Julia (2004),
- and The Kids Are All Right (2010).
In 2006, Bening received a film star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Bening won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for American Beauty, two Golden Globe Awards for Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Mrs. Harris.
In 2019, Bening played the roles of Supreme Intelligence and Mar-Vell / Wendy Lawson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Captain Marvel, which became her highest grossing release.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Annette Bening:
Janelle Monáe
- YouTube Video: Janelle Monáe - Screwed (feat. Zoë Kravitz) [Official Music Video]
- YouTube Video: Hidden Figures Movie CLIP - Make You the First (2017) - Janelle Monáe
- YouTube Video: The Rise of Janelle Monáe | No Small Parts
Janelle Monáe Robinson (/moʊˈneɪ/; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and record producer. Monáe is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society.
Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Monáe won an MTV Video Music Award and the ASCAP Vanguard Award in 2010. Monáe was also honored with the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award in 2015 and the Trailblazer of the Year Award in 2018.
In 2012, Monáe became a CoverGirl spokesperson. Boston City Council named October 16, 2013 "Janelle Monáe Day" in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, in recognition of her artistry and social leadership.
Monáe's musical career began in 2003 upon releasing a demo album titled The Audition:
In 2016, Monáe made her theatrical film debut in two high-profile productions; Monáe starred in Hidden Figures as NASA mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson, and also starred in Moonlight. Hidden Figures was a box office success, while Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 89th annual ceremony.
Monáe's third studio album, Dirty Computer, also described as a concept album, was released in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim; it was chosen as the best album of the year by several publications and earned Monáe two nominations at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and was further promoted by Monáe's Dirty Computer Tour, which lasted from June to August 2018.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Janelle Monáe:
Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Monáe won an MTV Video Music Award and the ASCAP Vanguard Award in 2010. Monáe was also honored with the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award in 2015 and the Trailblazer of the Year Award in 2018.
In 2012, Monáe became a CoverGirl spokesperson. Boston City Council named October 16, 2013 "Janelle Monáe Day" in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, in recognition of her artistry and social leadership.
Monáe's musical career began in 2003 upon releasing a demo album titled The Audition:
- In 2007, Monáe publicly debuted with a conceptual EP titled Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase). It peaked at number two on the US Top Heatseekers chart.
- In 2010, through Bad Boy Records, Monáe released a first full-length studio album, The ArchAndroid, a concept album and sequel to her first EP.
- In 2011, Monáe was featured as a guest vocalist on fun.'s single "We Are Young", which achieved major commercial success, topping the charts of more than ten countries and garnering Monáe a wider audience.
- Her second studio album, The Electric Lady, was released in 2013 and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, serving as the fourth and fifth installments of the seven-part Metropolis concept series.
In 2016, Monáe made her theatrical film debut in two high-profile productions; Monáe starred in Hidden Figures as NASA mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson, and also starred in Moonlight. Hidden Figures was a box office success, while Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 89th annual ceremony.
Monáe's third studio album, Dirty Computer, also described as a concept album, was released in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim; it was chosen as the best album of the year by several publications and earned Monáe two nominations at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and was further promoted by Monáe's Dirty Computer Tour, which lasted from June to August 2018.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Janelle Monáe:
Ava DuVernay, Film and Television Producer
- YouTube Video of a Guide to the Films of Ava DuVernay | Director's Trademarks
- YouTube Video: Ava DuVernay On Her Journey To Become The First Black Woman To Direct An Oscar Nominated Film | TIME
- YouTube Video: The Queen Sugar Scene That Made Ava DuVernay Cry | Queen Sugar | Oprah Winfrey Network
Ava Marie DuVernay (born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker. She won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award.
For her work on Selma (2014), DuVernay became the first black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and also the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
In 2017, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her film 13th (2016).
DuVernay's 2018 Disney children's fantasy film A Wrinkle in Time made her the first black woman to direct a live-action film earning $100 million at U.S. box office.
The following year, she created, co-wrote, produced and directed the Netflix drama limited series When They See Us, based on the 1989 Central Park jogger case, which has earned critical acclaim. The series was nominated for 16 Emmy Awards including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series and won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Limited Series.
In 2020, DuVernay was elected to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences board of governors as part of the directors branch.
Style and themes:
Michael T. Martin says, "DuVernay is among the vanguard of a new generation of black filmmakers who are the busily undeterred catalyst for what may very well be a black film renaissance in the making."
Martin further speaks of DuVernay's mission and "call to action" which constitutes a strategy "to further and foster the black cinematic image in an organized and consistent way, and to not have to defer and ask permission to traffic our films: to be self-determining.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Ava Marie DuVernay:
For her work on Selma (2014), DuVernay became the first black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and also the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
In 2017, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her film 13th (2016).
DuVernay's 2018 Disney children's fantasy film A Wrinkle in Time made her the first black woman to direct a live-action film earning $100 million at U.S. box office.
The following year, she created, co-wrote, produced and directed the Netflix drama limited series When They See Us, based on the 1989 Central Park jogger case, which has earned critical acclaim. The series was nominated for 16 Emmy Awards including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series and won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Limited Series.
In 2020, DuVernay was elected to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences board of governors as part of the directors branch.
Style and themes:
Michael T. Martin says, "DuVernay is among the vanguard of a new generation of black filmmakers who are the busily undeterred catalyst for what may very well be a black film renaissance in the making."
Martin further speaks of DuVernay's mission and "call to action" which constitutes a strategy "to further and foster the black cinematic image in an organized and consistent way, and to not have to defer and ask permission to traffic our films: to be self-determining.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Ava Marie DuVernay:
- Early life and education
- Career
- Personal life
- Filmography
- Awards, nominations, honors
- DuVernay test
- See also:
Jennifer Connelly
- YouTube Video of Jennifer Connelly | Career Opportunities Hottest Scenes
- YouTube Video: Requiem for a Dream (8/12) Movie CLIP - I Have a Favor to Ask (2000)
- YouTube Video: "A Beautiful Mind" Best Scene
Jennifer Connelly’s Roles in Order of Vulnerability (continued from above):
BY OLIVIA ARMSTRONG | APRIL 1, 2014 (Tribeca Film Festival)
Ever notice Jennifer Connelly rarely plays a happy-go-lucky character? We did too! Since 'Noah' is now in theaters, we've gathered all of the actress's less-than-cheery roles in one place.
Who doesn't love Jennifer Connelly? To celebrate her role as Naameh in Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic Noah, we’re reflecting on the sensitive roles the actress endures and their ironically shared fate – that they are almost always left betrayed, alone, confused, or broken-hearted. This is not to say her characters are in any way weak...they are just more often than not caught in some unfortunate situations. So without further ado, let's take a look at Jennifer's heavy-hearted past.
Hulk (2008)
Role: Betty Ross
Vulnerable circumstance: When she’s forced to choose between the love of her life and the acceptance of her father, who only wanted a son in the first place. Ouch.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Role: Alicia Nash
Vulnerable circumstance: After John's (Russell Crowe) hallucinations cause him to nearly kill their baby, Alicia must decide whether it's worth it to remain the devoted wife.
House of Sand and Fog (2003)
Role: Kathy Nicolo
Vulnerable circumstance: An alcoholic struggling to overcome her depression after her husband’s abandonment, Kathy's home is suddenly taken over by crazy Behrani (Sir Ben Kingsley) and his even crazier family. After a series of unfortunate events, Kathy attempts suicide, but fails.
Labyrinth (1986)
Role: Sarah Williams
Vulnerable circumstance: When Sarah regretfully wishes her brother Toby away to the goblins and must figure out a way to get him back by befriending David Bowie.
Little Children (2006)
Role: Kathy Adamson
Vulnerable circumstance: Kathy is cheated on by her husband Brad (Patrick Wilson) who begins an affair with Sarah (Kate Winslet) after their children become playmates. In the end, things kind of work out for the better, but sadly, Patrick Wilson is the real winner here.
He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)
Role: Janine Gunders
Vulnerable circumstance: Ben (Bradley Cooper) confesses IN A HOME DEPOT to Janine that he’s been having an affair with Anna (Scarlett Johansson). Not cool.
Dark Water (2005)
Role: Dahlia Williams
Vulnerable circumstance: When Dahlia sacrifices her life by offering to stay with the creepy liquid ghost in return for her daughter Cece’s safety.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Role: Marion Silver
Vulnerable circumstance: Harry (Jared Leto) loses his heroin connections in Brooklyn and is forced to venture outside the city, leaving Marion in dire straights and in desperate need of a fix. She takes it upon herself to get her drugs even if it means er… hanging out with some indecent characters.
[End of Article]
___________________________________________________________________________
Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress who began her career as a child model. She appeared in magazine, newspaper and television advertising, before she made her film acting debut in the crime film Once Upon a Time in America (1984).
Connelly continued modeling and acting, starring in a number of films, including the horror film Phenomena (1985), the musical fantasy film Labyrinth (1986), the romantic comedy Career Opportunities (1991), and the period superhero film The Rocketeer (1991).
She gained critical acclaim for her work in the science fiction film Dark City (1998) and for playing a drug addict in Darren Aronofsky's drama Requiem for a Dream (2000).
In 2002, Connelly won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Alicia Nash in Ron Howard's biopic A Beautiful Mind (2001): see about YouTube Video.
Connelly's subsequent credits include:
In 2020, she took on the lead role in the TNT dystopian television series Snowpiercer.
Connelly was named Amnesty International Ambassador for Human Rights Education in 2005. She has been the face of Balenciaga fashion advertisements, as well as for Revlon cosmetics. In 2012, she was named the first global face of the Shiseido Company.
Magazines, including Time, Vanity Fair and Esquire, as well as the Los Angeles Times newspaper, have included her on their lists of the world's most beautiful women.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jennifer Connelly:
BY OLIVIA ARMSTRONG | APRIL 1, 2014 (Tribeca Film Festival)
Ever notice Jennifer Connelly rarely plays a happy-go-lucky character? We did too! Since 'Noah' is now in theaters, we've gathered all of the actress's less-than-cheery roles in one place.
Who doesn't love Jennifer Connelly? To celebrate her role as Naameh in Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic Noah, we’re reflecting on the sensitive roles the actress endures and their ironically shared fate – that they are almost always left betrayed, alone, confused, or broken-hearted. This is not to say her characters are in any way weak...they are just more often than not caught in some unfortunate situations. So without further ado, let's take a look at Jennifer's heavy-hearted past.
Hulk (2008)
Role: Betty Ross
Vulnerable circumstance: When she’s forced to choose between the love of her life and the acceptance of her father, who only wanted a son in the first place. Ouch.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Role: Alicia Nash
Vulnerable circumstance: After John's (Russell Crowe) hallucinations cause him to nearly kill their baby, Alicia must decide whether it's worth it to remain the devoted wife.
House of Sand and Fog (2003)
Role: Kathy Nicolo
Vulnerable circumstance: An alcoholic struggling to overcome her depression after her husband’s abandonment, Kathy's home is suddenly taken over by crazy Behrani (Sir Ben Kingsley) and his even crazier family. After a series of unfortunate events, Kathy attempts suicide, but fails.
Labyrinth (1986)
Role: Sarah Williams
Vulnerable circumstance: When Sarah regretfully wishes her brother Toby away to the goblins and must figure out a way to get him back by befriending David Bowie.
Little Children (2006)
Role: Kathy Adamson
Vulnerable circumstance: Kathy is cheated on by her husband Brad (Patrick Wilson) who begins an affair with Sarah (Kate Winslet) after their children become playmates. In the end, things kind of work out for the better, but sadly, Patrick Wilson is the real winner here.
He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)
Role: Janine Gunders
Vulnerable circumstance: Ben (Bradley Cooper) confesses IN A HOME DEPOT to Janine that he’s been having an affair with Anna (Scarlett Johansson). Not cool.
Dark Water (2005)
Role: Dahlia Williams
Vulnerable circumstance: When Dahlia sacrifices her life by offering to stay with the creepy liquid ghost in return for her daughter Cece’s safety.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Role: Marion Silver
Vulnerable circumstance: Harry (Jared Leto) loses his heroin connections in Brooklyn and is forced to venture outside the city, leaving Marion in dire straights and in desperate need of a fix. She takes it upon herself to get her drugs even if it means er… hanging out with some indecent characters.
[End of Article]
___________________________________________________________________________
Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress who began her career as a child model. She appeared in magazine, newspaper and television advertising, before she made her film acting debut in the crime film Once Upon a Time in America (1984).
Connelly continued modeling and acting, starring in a number of films, including the horror film Phenomena (1985), the musical fantasy film Labyrinth (1986), the romantic comedy Career Opportunities (1991), and the period superhero film The Rocketeer (1991).
She gained critical acclaim for her work in the science fiction film Dark City (1998) and for playing a drug addict in Darren Aronofsky's drama Requiem for a Dream (2000).
In 2002, Connelly won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Alicia Nash in Ron Howard's biopic A Beautiful Mind (2001): see about YouTube Video.
Connelly's subsequent credits include:
- the Marvel superhero film Hulk (2003), in which she played Bruce Banner's love interest Betty Ross,
- the horror film Dark Water (2005),
- the drama Blood Diamond (2006),
- the science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008),
- the romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You (2009),
- and the biopic Creation (2009).
- In the 2010s, she took on supporting roles in Aronofsky's epic film Noah (2014) and in the action film Alita: Battle Angel (2019).
In 2020, she took on the lead role in the TNT dystopian television series Snowpiercer.
Connelly was named Amnesty International Ambassador for Human Rights Education in 2005. She has been the face of Balenciaga fashion advertisements, as well as for Revlon cosmetics. In 2012, she was named the first global face of the Shiseido Company.
Magazines, including Time, Vanity Fair and Esquire, as well as the Los Angeles Times newspaper, have included her on their lists of the world's most beautiful women.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jennifer Connelly:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- YouTube Video: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Steals Tina Fey’s Emmy - "Late Night With Conan O'Brien"
- YouTube Video: Top 10 Hilarious Julia Louis-Dreyfus Moments
- YouTube Video: Julia Louis-Dreyfus has honestly never looked better
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus Hall (born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, singer and producer. She is known for her work in the following television comedy series:
Julia is one of the most decorated actresses in American television history, winning more Emmy Awards and more Screen Actors Guild Awards than any other performer, tying Cloris Leachman for the most acting wins.
Louis-Dreyfus broke into comedy as a performer in The Practical Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois, which led to her casting in the sketch show Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985. Her breakthrough came in 1989 with a nine-season run playing Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, one of the most critically and commercially successful sitcoms of all time.
Other notable television roles include Christine Campbell in The New Adventures of Old Christine, which had a five-season run on CBS, and her role as Selina Meyer in Veep, which ran for seven seasons on HBO.
Her film roles include:
Louis-Dreyfus received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010, and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2016, Time named Louis-Dreyfus as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. In 2018, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, presented by the Kennedy Center as America's highest comedy honor.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Julie Louis-Dreyfus:
- Saturday Night Live (1982–1985),
- Seinfeld (1989–1998),
- The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010),
- and Veep (2012–2019).
Julia is one of the most decorated actresses in American television history, winning more Emmy Awards and more Screen Actors Guild Awards than any other performer, tying Cloris Leachman for the most acting wins.
Louis-Dreyfus broke into comedy as a performer in The Practical Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois, which led to her casting in the sketch show Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985. Her breakthrough came in 1989 with a nine-season run playing Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, one of the most critically and commercially successful sitcoms of all time.
Other notable television roles include Christine Campbell in The New Adventures of Old Christine, which had a five-season run on CBS, and her role as Selina Meyer in Veep, which ran for seven seasons on HBO.
Her film roles include:
- Hannah and Her Sisters (1986),
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989),
- Deconstructing Harry (1997),
- and Enough Said (2013).
- She also voiced roles in the animated films A Bug's Life (1998), Planes (2013) and Onward (2020).
Louis-Dreyfus received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010, and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2016, Time named Louis-Dreyfus as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. In 2018, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, presented by the Kennedy Center as America's highest comedy honor.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Julie Louis-Dreyfus:
- Early life
- Career
- Personal life
- Politics
- Filmography
- Awards and nominations
- See also:
- Alfred Dreyfus – A distant relative at the center of the Dreyfus Affair miscarriage of justice
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus on IMDb
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus at Emmys.com
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus Video produced by Makers: Women Who Make America
Carol Burnett and The Carol Burnett Show (CBS: 1967-1991)
- YouTube Video: The Virgin Prince from The Carol Burnett Show
- YouTube Video: Carol Burnett -- "My Personal Best"
- YouTube Video: Best Carol Burnett Show Bloopers
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedienne, singer and writer. She is best known for her groundbreaking comedy variety show The Carol Burnett Show, which originally aired on CBS. It was one of the first of its kind to be hosted by a woman. She has achieved success on stage, television and film in varying genres including dramatic and comedic roles. She has also appeared on various talk shows and as a panelist on game shows.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Burnett moved with her grandmother to Hollywood, where she attended Hollywood High School and eventually studied theater and musical comedy at UCLA. Later she performed in nightclubs in New York City and had a breakout success on Broadway in 1959 in Once Upon a Mattress, for which she received a Tony Award nomination.
Burnett soon made her television debut, regularly appearing on The Garry Moore Show for the next three years, and won her first Emmy Award in 1962. Burnett had her television special debut in 1963 when she starred as Calamity Jane in the Dallas State Fair Musicals production of Calamity Jane on CBS.
Burnett moved to Los Angeles, and began an 11-year run as star of The Carol Burnett Show on CBS television from 1967 to 1978. With its vaudeville roots, The Carol Burnett Show was a variety show that combined comedy sketches with song and dance. The comedy sketches included film parodies and character pieces. Burnett created many memorable characters during the show's run, and both she and the show won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.
During and after her variety show, Burnett appeared in many television and film projects. Her film roles include:
On television, she has appeared in other sketch shows; in dramatic roles in 6 Rms Riv Vu (1974) and Friendly Fire (1979); in various well-regarded guest roles, such as in Mad About You, for which she won an Emmy Award; and in specials with Julie Andrews, Dolly Parton, Beverly Sills, and others.
Burnett returned to the Broadway stage in 1995 in Moon Over Buffalo, for which she was again nominated for a Tony Award.
Burnett has written and narrated several memoirs, earning Grammy nominations for almost all of them, and a win for In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox.
In 2005, Burnett was recognized as "one of America's most cherished entertainers" and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom "for enhancing the lives of millions of Americans and for her extraordinary contributions to American entertainment", by President George W. Bush.
In 2013, Burnett was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2019, the Golden Globes named an award after her for career achievement in television, the Carol Burnett Award, and Burnett received its first award.
Click here for more about Carol Burnett.
___________________________________________________________________________
The Carol Burnett Show:
The Carol Burnett Show was an American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. In 1975, frequent guest star Tim Conway became a regular after Waggoner left the series. In 1977, Dick Van Dyke replaced Korman but it was agreed that it was not a match and he left after 10 episodes.
The show originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. The series originated in CBS Television City's Studio 33, and won 25 primetime Emmy Awards. In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Carol Burnett Show number 17 on its list of the 60 Greatest Shows of All Time, and in 2007 it was included on the list of Time's 100 Best TV Shows of All Time.
After the original run ended, material from 1972 to 1977 (seasons 6–10) was repackaged as a half-hour series known as Carol Burnett and Friends, which has aired in various syndicated outlets more-or-less continuously since the original series ended. Because of this format, material from the first five seasons did not air, outside of their original run, until 2019 when MeTV acquired the rights to these earlier seasons and began airing them.
The cast has periodically reunited for various one-off specials and short appearances, and several members of the cast went on to star in Mama's Family (1983–1990), a half-hour situation comedy based on a sketch series from The Carol Burnett Show.
Background:
By 1967, Carol Burnett had been a popular veteran of television for 12 years, having made her first appearances in 1955 on The Paul Winchell Show and the sitcom Stanley starring the comedian Buddy Hackett. In 1959, she became a regular supporting cast member on the CBS-TV variety series The Garry Moore Show.
Departing the series in the spring of 1962, she pursued other projects in film, Broadway productions, and headlining her own television specials. Burnett signed a contract with CBS for 10 years which required her to do two guest appearances and a special a year. Within the first five years of this contract, she had the option to "push the button", a phrase the programming executives used, and be put on the air in 30 one-hour, pay-or-play variety shows.
After discussion with her husband Joe Hamilton, in the last week of the fifth year of the contract, Burnett decided to call the head of CBS Michael Dann and exercise the clause. Dann, explaining that variety is a "man's genre", offered Burnett a sitcom called Here's Agnes. Burnett had no interest in doing a sitcom, and because of the contract, CBS was obliged to give Burnett her own variety show.
The popular and long-running variety show that resulted not only established Burnett as a television superstar, but it also made her regular supporting cast household names. It was frequently nominated for Emmys for best variety series and won three times.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about The Carol Burnett Show:
Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedienne, singer and writer. She is best known for her groundbreaking comedy variety show The Carol Burnett Show, which originally aired on CBS. It was one of the first of its kind to be hosted by a woman. She has achieved success on stage, television and film in varying genres including dramatic and comedic roles. She has also appeared on various talk shows and as a panelist on game shows.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Burnett moved with her grandmother to Hollywood, where she attended Hollywood High School and eventually studied theater and musical comedy at UCLA. Later she performed in nightclubs in New York City and had a breakout success on Broadway in 1959 in Once Upon a Mattress, for which she received a Tony Award nomination.
Burnett soon made her television debut, regularly appearing on The Garry Moore Show for the next three years, and won her first Emmy Award in 1962. Burnett had her television special debut in 1963 when she starred as Calamity Jane in the Dallas State Fair Musicals production of Calamity Jane on CBS.
Burnett moved to Los Angeles, and began an 11-year run as star of The Carol Burnett Show on CBS television from 1967 to 1978. With its vaudeville roots, The Carol Burnett Show was a variety show that combined comedy sketches with song and dance. The comedy sketches included film parodies and character pieces. Burnett created many memorable characters during the show's run, and both she and the show won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.
During and after her variety show, Burnett appeared in many television and film projects. Her film roles include:
- Pete 'n' Tillie (1972),
- The Front Page (1974),
- The Four Seasons (1981),
- Annie (1982),
- Noises Off (1992),
- and Horton Hears a Who! (2008).
On television, she has appeared in other sketch shows; in dramatic roles in 6 Rms Riv Vu (1974) and Friendly Fire (1979); in various well-regarded guest roles, such as in Mad About You, for which she won an Emmy Award; and in specials with Julie Andrews, Dolly Parton, Beverly Sills, and others.
Burnett returned to the Broadway stage in 1995 in Moon Over Buffalo, for which she was again nominated for a Tony Award.
Burnett has written and narrated several memoirs, earning Grammy nominations for almost all of them, and a win for In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox.
In 2005, Burnett was recognized as "one of America's most cherished entertainers" and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom "for enhancing the lives of millions of Americans and for her extraordinary contributions to American entertainment", by President George W. Bush.
In 2013, Burnett was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2019, the Golden Globes named an award after her for career achievement in television, the Carol Burnett Award, and Burnett received its first award.
Click here for more about Carol Burnett.
___________________________________________________________________________
The Carol Burnett Show:
The Carol Burnett Show was an American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. In 1975, frequent guest star Tim Conway became a regular after Waggoner left the series. In 1977, Dick Van Dyke replaced Korman but it was agreed that it was not a match and he left after 10 episodes.
The show originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. The series originated in CBS Television City's Studio 33, and won 25 primetime Emmy Awards. In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Carol Burnett Show number 17 on its list of the 60 Greatest Shows of All Time, and in 2007 it was included on the list of Time's 100 Best TV Shows of All Time.
After the original run ended, material from 1972 to 1977 (seasons 6–10) was repackaged as a half-hour series known as Carol Burnett and Friends, which has aired in various syndicated outlets more-or-less continuously since the original series ended. Because of this format, material from the first five seasons did not air, outside of their original run, until 2019 when MeTV acquired the rights to these earlier seasons and began airing them.
The cast has periodically reunited for various one-off specials and short appearances, and several members of the cast went on to star in Mama's Family (1983–1990), a half-hour situation comedy based on a sketch series from The Carol Burnett Show.
Background:
By 1967, Carol Burnett had been a popular veteran of television for 12 years, having made her first appearances in 1955 on The Paul Winchell Show and the sitcom Stanley starring the comedian Buddy Hackett. In 1959, she became a regular supporting cast member on the CBS-TV variety series The Garry Moore Show.
Departing the series in the spring of 1962, she pursued other projects in film, Broadway productions, and headlining her own television specials. Burnett signed a contract with CBS for 10 years which required her to do two guest appearances and a special a year. Within the first five years of this contract, she had the option to "push the button", a phrase the programming executives used, and be put on the air in 30 one-hour, pay-or-play variety shows.
After discussion with her husband Joe Hamilton, in the last week of the fifth year of the contract, Burnett decided to call the head of CBS Michael Dann and exercise the clause. Dann, explaining that variety is a "man's genre", offered Burnett a sitcom called Here's Agnes. Burnett had no interest in doing a sitcom, and because of the contract, CBS was obliged to give Burnett her own variety show.
The popular and long-running variety show that resulted not only established Burnett as a television superstar, but it also made her regular supporting cast household names. It was frequently nominated for Emmys for best variety series and won three times.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about The Carol Burnett Show:
- Production
- Broadcast
- Characters and sketches
- After the series
- List of guest stars (by Season, Seasons 1 -11)
- Legacy
- Home media
- Nielsen ratings/broadcast schedule
- See also:
Beyoncé Knowles
- YouTube Video of Beyonce Knowles performing Halo (Live From Wynn Las Vegas)
- YouTube Video: Beyonce Knowles - Crazy in love (Live @ MTV Summer 2003)
- YouTube Video: Beyoncé Performs Her Favorite Song of Lemonade "All Night" Live in Miami (Formation Worldwide Tour)
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. Beyoncé has been noted for her boundary-pushing artistry and her vocal ability. Her success has made her a cultural icon and earned her the nickname "Queen Bey".
Beyoncé performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Their hiatus saw the release of her debut album Dangerously in Love (2003), which featured the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy".
Following the 2006 disbanding of Destiny's Child, Beyoncé released her second solo album, B'Day, which contained singles "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar". Beyoncé also starred in multiple films such as:
Her marriage to Jay-Z and her portrayal of Etta James in Cadillac Records (2008) influenced her third album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), which earned a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 2010. It spawned the successful singles "If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies", and "Halo".
After professionally splitting from her manager and father Mathew Knowles in 2010, she released her musically diverse fourth album 4 in 2011.
Beyoncé later achieved critical acclaim for her sonically experimental visual albums, Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016), the latter of which was the world's best-selling album of 2016 and the most acclaimed album of her career, exploring themes of infidelity, feminism, and womanism.
In 2018, she released Everything Is Love, a collaborative album with her husband, Jay-Z, as the Carters. As a featured artist, Beyoncé topped the Billboard Hot 100 with the remixes of "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran in 2017 and "Savage" by Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.
The same year, she released the musical film Black Is King with an accompanying visual album, with praise from critics. In 2022, Beyoncé received further critical acclaim for her seventh studio album Renaissance, which experimented with disco and house music and paid homage to LGBTQ+ ball culture.
She obtained her first solo number-one since 2008 with the album's lead single, "Break My Soul", with Renaissance being her first solo studio album since 2016.
She is one of the world's best-selling recording artists, having sold over 200 million records worldwide. Her success during the 2000s was recognized with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)'s Top Certified Artist of the Decade as well as Billboard's Top Female Artist of the Decade. She is the first solo artist to have their first seven studio albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200.
Beyoncé's accolades include:
In 2014, Billboard named her the highest-earning black musician of all time, while in 2020, she was included on Time's list of 100 women who defined the last century.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Beyonce Knowles:
Beyoncé performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Their hiatus saw the release of her debut album Dangerously in Love (2003), which featured the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy".
Following the 2006 disbanding of Destiny's Child, Beyoncé released her second solo album, B'Day, which contained singles "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar". Beyoncé also starred in multiple films such as:
- Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002),
- The Pink Panther (2006),
- Dreamgirls (2006),
- Obsessed (2009),
- and The Lion King (2019).
Her marriage to Jay-Z and her portrayal of Etta James in Cadillac Records (2008) influenced her third album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), which earned a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 2010. It spawned the successful singles "If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies", and "Halo".
After professionally splitting from her manager and father Mathew Knowles in 2010, she released her musically diverse fourth album 4 in 2011.
Beyoncé later achieved critical acclaim for her sonically experimental visual albums, Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016), the latter of which was the world's best-selling album of 2016 and the most acclaimed album of her career, exploring themes of infidelity, feminism, and womanism.
In 2018, she released Everything Is Love, a collaborative album with her husband, Jay-Z, as the Carters. As a featured artist, Beyoncé topped the Billboard Hot 100 with the remixes of "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran in 2017 and "Savage" by Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.
The same year, she released the musical film Black Is King with an accompanying visual album, with praise from critics. In 2022, Beyoncé received further critical acclaim for her seventh studio album Renaissance, which experimented with disco and house music and paid homage to LGBTQ+ ball culture.
She obtained her first solo number-one since 2008 with the album's lead single, "Break My Soul", with Renaissance being her first solo studio album since 2016.
She is one of the world's best-selling recording artists, having sold over 200 million records worldwide. Her success during the 2000s was recognized with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)'s Top Certified Artist of the Decade as well as Billboard's Top Female Artist of the Decade. She is the first solo artist to have their first seven studio albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200.
Beyoncé's accolades include:
- 32 Grammy Awards (the most of any person),
- 26 MTV Video Music Awards (including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2014),
- 24 NAACP Image Awards,
- 31 BET Awards,
- and 17 Soul Train Music Awards,
- all of the above which are more than any other singer.
In 2014, Billboard named her the highest-earning black musician of all time, while in 2020, she was included on Time's list of 100 women who defined the last century.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Beyonce Knowles:
- Life and career
- Artistry
- Public image
- Personal life
- Legacy
- Achievements
- Business and ventures
- Discography
- Filmography
- Tours and residencies
- See also:
Michelle Yeoh
- YouTube Video: The best of Michelle Yeoh -- Good Morning America (GMA)
- YouTube Video: Michelle Yeoh on Her Journey from Action Hero to Oscar Nominee | Women Changing the World | PEOPLE
- YouTube Video: Michelle Yeoh wins 2023 Oscar for Best Actress In a Leading Role - full speech
Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng PSM (/joʊ/ YOH; born Yeoh Choo Kheng; simplified Chinese: 杨紫琼; traditional Chinese: 楊紫瓊; pinyin: Yáng Zǐqióng; 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress.
Credited as Michelle Khan in her early films in Hong Kong, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own stunts, such as
She later moved to the United States where she gained further recognition for her roles in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and the Ang Lee martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) for which she earned a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role nomination.
She gained a career resurgence with a multi-year recurring role on Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2020). For her role as Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) she received the Academy Award for Best Actress becoming the first Asian individual to win the Oscar for Best Actress, the first Malaysian to win an Academy Award in any category, and the second woman of color to win Best Actress after Halle Berry in 2002.
Yeoh's other works include:
She played supporting roles in the romantic comedies Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and Last Christmas (2019), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
On television, Yeoh recently starred in the fantasy miniseries The Witcher: Blood Origin (2022).
The film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes ranked her the greatest action heroine of all time in 2008. In 1997, she was chosen by People as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World", and in 2009 the same magazine listed her as one of the "35 All-Time Screen Beauties".
In 2022, Time named her one of the world's 100 most influential people on its annual listicle and its Icon of the Year.
Early life and education:
Yeoh was born on 6 August 1962 in Ipoh, Perak, to a Malaysian Chinese family of Hokkien and Cantonese ancestry. Her parents are Janet Yeoh and Yeoh Kian-teik (died on 5 November 2014), a lawyer and Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) politician.
She grew up speaking Malay and English, and could not read or speak Cantonese very well. She expressed that lack as her "greatest regret" in 2022. Despite that, she learned to speak Cantonese fluently in the 1980s and some Mandarin in the 2000s.
Yeoh was keen on dance from an early age, beginning ballet at the age of four. She studied at Main Convent Ipoh, an all-girls secondary school, as a primary student. At the age of 15, she moved with her parents to the United Kingdom, where she was enrolled in an all-girls boarding school.
Yeoh later studied at the UK's Royal Academy of Dance in London, majoring in ballet. However, a spinal injury prevented her from becoming a professional ballet dancer, and she transferred her attention to choreography and other arts. She received a BA degree in creative arts with a minor in drama in 1982 from Crewe & Alsager College in Cheshire.
Career:
Main article: List of Michelle Yeoh performances
Early career and first retirement (1983–1991):
In 1983, at the age of 20, Yeoh won the Miss Malaysia World contest. She was Malaysia's representative at Miss World 1983 pageant in London, where she placed 18th. Later that year, she traveled to Australia where she won the Miss Moomba International 1984 pageant.
Her first acting work was in a television commercial for Guy Laroche watches with Jackie Chan. This caught the attention of a fledgling Hong Kong film production company, D&B Films. Although she had passive understanding of the Ipoh Cantonese spoken in her hometown, she could not speak it. During a phone call in Cantonese, she was offered to co-star in a television commercial with a Sing Lung, and only realized that was Jackie Chan's Cantonese name when she arrived in studio. She learned to speak Cantonese as she began her career in Hong Kong.
Yeoh started her film career acting in action and martial arts films, where she did most of her own stunts. Already with her third credit, Yes, Madam (1985), she was given a main role.
She was credited as Michelle Khan in these earlier films. This alias was chosen by D&B Films, who thought it might be more marketable to international and western audiences. Yeoh married Dickson Poon, who headed the D&B Group, in 1987 and retired from acting.
Return and establishment as action and martial arts star (1992–2001):
Yeoh returned to acting with Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992) after having divorced Poon. She appeared in The Heroic Trio (1993), and the Yuen Woo-ping films Tai Chi Master and Wing Chun in 1993 and 1994, respectively.
She changed her stage name back to Michelle Yeoh when she started her Hollywood career with Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997. In the 1997 James Bond film, she played Wai Lin opposite star Pierce Brosnan.
Brosnan was impressed, describing her as a "wonderful actress" who was "serious and committed about her work". He referred to her as a "female James Bond" in reference to her combat abilities. She wanted to perform her own stunts but was prevented because director Roger Spottiswoode considered it too dangerous. Nevertheless, she performed all of her own fighting scenes.
In 1997, she played Soong Ai-ling in the award-winning The Soong Sisters. Yeoh was approached by director Ang Lee to star as Yu Shu Lien in her first Mandarin-language martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).
She did not speak Mandarin until the 2000s, and she had to learn the Mandarin lines for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon phonetically. The film was an international success, and earned Yeoh a BAFTA 2000 nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Career fluctuations (2002–2016):
In 2002, Yeoh produced her first English film, The Touch, through her own production company Mythical Films. In 2005, Yeoh starred as Mameha in the film adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha, and she continued her English-language work in 2007 with Sunshine. In 2008, Yeoh starred in the fantasy action film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with Brendan Fraser and Jet Li. In 2011, she portrayed Aung San Suu Kyi in Luc Besson's The Lady.
Yeoh was blacklisted by the Burmese government allegedly because of her participation in The Lady; she was refused entry to Myanmar on 22 June 2011 and was deported on the same day.
In October 2011, Yeoh was chosen by Guerlain to be its skincare ambassador. Yeoh's role was to help strengthen the French cosmetics company's relationship with Asia.
Yeoh did not branch out into television until 2015, with her first role playing Mei Foster, wife to the British Ambassador to Thailand, who is secretly a North Korean spy named Li-Na, on the fifth season of the Cinemax/Sky series Strike Back.
Star Trek and return to prominence (2017–2020):
In 2016, Yeoh was cast as Starfleet Captain Philippa Georgiou of the starship USS Shenzhou in the series Star Trek: Discovery, and recurs as Georgiou's "mirror" doppelganger later in the show. Yeoh went on to play the role for three seasons, garnering critical acclaim and becoming a fan favorite.
Following the success of Star Trek: Discovery, a spinoff series with Yeoh in the leading role, was commissioned in 2019. The series, which would center on Yeoh's character, Emperor Georgiou working as a member of Section 31, a secret intergalactic spy organisation, is still "in development" as of January 2023.
In 2018, Yeoh played family matriarch Eleanor Young in Jon M. Chu's Crazy Rich Asians, a film adaptation of Kevin Kwan's book of the same name, opposite Constance Wu and Henry Golding. Carlos Aguilar of TheWrap described her performance as "convincingly subdued".
In 2019, she played Christmas themed-store owner "Santa" in Last Christmas, opposite Henry Golding and Emilia Clarke. The film was released on 8 November 2019, and was a box office success grossing over $121 million worldwide.
Yeoh played Ying Nan in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. The film was released in theaters on 3 September 2021.
It was announced at The Game Awards 2020 that Yeoh would star in Ark: The Animated Series, a series based on the video game Ark: Survival Evolved by Studio Wildcard, in which she plays the role of Mei-Yin Li, the Beast Queen of the Jungle.
Breakthrough and award success (2021–present):
In 2022, Yeoh starred in the science fiction surreal comedy film Everything Everywhere All at Once from filmmaking duo Daniels, released in March to critical acclaim.
In the film, she played struggling laundromat owner Evelyn Wang, a role that was praised by critics, with David Ehrlich of IndieWire claiming it the "greatest performance that Michelle Yeoh has ever given". It was for this role that Yeoh earned her first Golden Globe win (becoming the first Malaysian actor to win Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes her first Oscar nomination, her second BAFTA nomination, and her first Critics' Choice Awards nomination.
Additionally, she became the first Asian woman to win any individual category in the Screen Actors Guild Awards, winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. Yeoh is the first Malaysian to be nominated, and to win an Academy Award.
Yeoh is set to appear in the upcoming Disney+ series American Born Chinese, based on the book of the same name by Gene Luen Yang. In June 2022, it was announced that she will star in the eight-part series The Brothers Sun for Netflix.
She is also set to star in A Haunting in Venice directed by Kenneth Branagh and as Madame Morrible in the two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked directed by Jon M. Chu.
Personal life:
Yeoh is Buddhist.
Yeoh was married to Hong Kong entrepreneur Dickson Poon, owner of businesses such as Harvey Nichols and Charles Jourdan, from 1988 to 1992. In 1998, Yeoh was engaged to Alan Heldman, an American cardiologist.
In 2004, she started dating Jean Todt, then the general manager and CEO of Scuderia Ferrari and later the president of the FIA. In July 2008, she confirmed her engagement to him during an interview with Craig Ferguson on CBS's The Late Late Show. She lives in Geneva, Switzerland, with Todt.
Yeoh does not have any children.
In March 2008, she visited Vietnam to film a documentary for the Asian Injury Prevention Foundation Yeoh is a patron of the Save China's Tigers project committed to protecting the endangered South China tiger.
In 2022, she told Vanity Fair that Shakespeare and Stephen King were her favorite authors and that Tarzan was her favorite fictional hero.
Filmography:
Main article: List of Michelle Yeoh performances
Awards, honors, and styles:
In 1999, she was a member of the jury at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival. On 19 April 2001, Yeoh was awarded the Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP), which carries the title Dato', by Sultan Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak, her home state, in recognition of the fame she brought to the state.
On 25 November 2002, Yeoh was honored as The Outstanding Young People of the World (TOYP) (Cultural Achievement) by JCI (Junior Chamber International). On 23 April 2007, French President Jacques Chirac conferred upon Yeoh the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor (French: Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur).
The decoration was presented to her in a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on 3 October 2007. She was promoted to Officer of the same French Order (Officier de la Légion d'honneur) by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on 14 March 2012 at a ceremony held at the president's residence, the Élysée Palace on that day, and promoted to Commander (Commandeur), the highest honour available to non-French citizens, by François Hollande at the official residence of the French Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.
On 22 May 2012, Yeoh was awarded the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Perak (SPMP) which carries the title Dato' Seri during the investiture ceremony in conjunction with the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah's birthday.
Yeoh received the Excellence in Asian Cinema award during the 7th Asian Film Awards in March 2013 in Hong Kong. On 1 June 2013, Yeoh was awarded the Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM) which carries the title Tan Sri during the investiture ceremony in conjunction with the birthday of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah. On 30 November 2013, Yeoh presided as the Chief Guest at the International Film Festival of India.
On 12 February 2016, Yeoh was made an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, becoming the first Malaysian citizen to receive that honour. Yeoh was included in the BBC's 100 Women list of 2020. She was placed on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
On 13 August 2022, Yeoh received an honorary doctorate of fine arts degree from the American Film Institute for her contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image. She became the first Asian artist to receive the honor. On 9 December 2022, Yeoh received the Kirk Douglas Award from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Michelle Yeoh:
Credited as Michelle Khan in her early films in Hong Kong, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own stunts, such as
- Yes, Madam (1985),
- Magnificent Warriors (1987),
- Police Story 3: Supercop (1992),
- The Heroic Trio (1993),
- and Holy Weapon (1993).
She later moved to the United States where she gained further recognition for her roles in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and the Ang Lee martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) for which she earned a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role nomination.
She gained a career resurgence with a multi-year recurring role on Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2020). For her role as Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) she received the Academy Award for Best Actress becoming the first Asian individual to win the Oscar for Best Actress, the first Malaysian to win an Academy Award in any category, and the second woman of color to win Best Actress after Halle Berry in 2002.
Yeoh's other works include:
- Memoirs of a Geisha (2005),
- Sunshine (2007),
- Reign of Assassins (2010),
- Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011),
- Crouching Tiger,
- Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016),
- and The Lady (2011), where she portrayed Aung San Suu Kyi.
She played supporting roles in the romantic comedies Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and Last Christmas (2019), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
On television, Yeoh recently starred in the fantasy miniseries The Witcher: Blood Origin (2022).
The film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes ranked her the greatest action heroine of all time in 2008. In 1997, she was chosen by People as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World", and in 2009 the same magazine listed her as one of the "35 All-Time Screen Beauties".
In 2022, Time named her one of the world's 100 most influential people on its annual listicle and its Icon of the Year.
Early life and education:
Yeoh was born on 6 August 1962 in Ipoh, Perak, to a Malaysian Chinese family of Hokkien and Cantonese ancestry. Her parents are Janet Yeoh and Yeoh Kian-teik (died on 5 November 2014), a lawyer and Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) politician.
She grew up speaking Malay and English, and could not read or speak Cantonese very well. She expressed that lack as her "greatest regret" in 2022. Despite that, she learned to speak Cantonese fluently in the 1980s and some Mandarin in the 2000s.
Yeoh was keen on dance from an early age, beginning ballet at the age of four. She studied at Main Convent Ipoh, an all-girls secondary school, as a primary student. At the age of 15, she moved with her parents to the United Kingdom, where she was enrolled in an all-girls boarding school.
Yeoh later studied at the UK's Royal Academy of Dance in London, majoring in ballet. However, a spinal injury prevented her from becoming a professional ballet dancer, and she transferred her attention to choreography and other arts. She received a BA degree in creative arts with a minor in drama in 1982 from Crewe & Alsager College in Cheshire.
Career:
Main article: List of Michelle Yeoh performances
Early career and first retirement (1983–1991):
In 1983, at the age of 20, Yeoh won the Miss Malaysia World contest. She was Malaysia's representative at Miss World 1983 pageant in London, where she placed 18th. Later that year, she traveled to Australia where she won the Miss Moomba International 1984 pageant.
Her first acting work was in a television commercial for Guy Laroche watches with Jackie Chan. This caught the attention of a fledgling Hong Kong film production company, D&B Films. Although she had passive understanding of the Ipoh Cantonese spoken in her hometown, she could not speak it. During a phone call in Cantonese, she was offered to co-star in a television commercial with a Sing Lung, and only realized that was Jackie Chan's Cantonese name when she arrived in studio. She learned to speak Cantonese as she began her career in Hong Kong.
Yeoh started her film career acting in action and martial arts films, where she did most of her own stunts. Already with her third credit, Yes, Madam (1985), she was given a main role.
She was credited as Michelle Khan in these earlier films. This alias was chosen by D&B Films, who thought it might be more marketable to international and western audiences. Yeoh married Dickson Poon, who headed the D&B Group, in 1987 and retired from acting.
Return and establishment as action and martial arts star (1992–2001):
Yeoh returned to acting with Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992) after having divorced Poon. She appeared in The Heroic Trio (1993), and the Yuen Woo-ping films Tai Chi Master and Wing Chun in 1993 and 1994, respectively.
She changed her stage name back to Michelle Yeoh when she started her Hollywood career with Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997. In the 1997 James Bond film, she played Wai Lin opposite star Pierce Brosnan.
Brosnan was impressed, describing her as a "wonderful actress" who was "serious and committed about her work". He referred to her as a "female James Bond" in reference to her combat abilities. She wanted to perform her own stunts but was prevented because director Roger Spottiswoode considered it too dangerous. Nevertheless, she performed all of her own fighting scenes.
In 1997, she played Soong Ai-ling in the award-winning The Soong Sisters. Yeoh was approached by director Ang Lee to star as Yu Shu Lien in her first Mandarin-language martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).
She did not speak Mandarin until the 2000s, and she had to learn the Mandarin lines for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon phonetically. The film was an international success, and earned Yeoh a BAFTA 2000 nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Career fluctuations (2002–2016):
In 2002, Yeoh produced her first English film, The Touch, through her own production company Mythical Films. In 2005, Yeoh starred as Mameha in the film adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha, and she continued her English-language work in 2007 with Sunshine. In 2008, Yeoh starred in the fantasy action film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with Brendan Fraser and Jet Li. In 2011, she portrayed Aung San Suu Kyi in Luc Besson's The Lady.
Yeoh was blacklisted by the Burmese government allegedly because of her participation in The Lady; she was refused entry to Myanmar on 22 June 2011 and was deported on the same day.
In October 2011, Yeoh was chosen by Guerlain to be its skincare ambassador. Yeoh's role was to help strengthen the French cosmetics company's relationship with Asia.
Yeoh did not branch out into television until 2015, with her first role playing Mei Foster, wife to the British Ambassador to Thailand, who is secretly a North Korean spy named Li-Na, on the fifth season of the Cinemax/Sky series Strike Back.
Star Trek and return to prominence (2017–2020):
In 2016, Yeoh was cast as Starfleet Captain Philippa Georgiou of the starship USS Shenzhou in the series Star Trek: Discovery, and recurs as Georgiou's "mirror" doppelganger later in the show. Yeoh went on to play the role for three seasons, garnering critical acclaim and becoming a fan favorite.
Following the success of Star Trek: Discovery, a spinoff series with Yeoh in the leading role, was commissioned in 2019. The series, which would center on Yeoh's character, Emperor Georgiou working as a member of Section 31, a secret intergalactic spy organisation, is still "in development" as of January 2023.
In 2018, Yeoh played family matriarch Eleanor Young in Jon M. Chu's Crazy Rich Asians, a film adaptation of Kevin Kwan's book of the same name, opposite Constance Wu and Henry Golding. Carlos Aguilar of TheWrap described her performance as "convincingly subdued".
In 2019, she played Christmas themed-store owner "Santa" in Last Christmas, opposite Henry Golding and Emilia Clarke. The film was released on 8 November 2019, and was a box office success grossing over $121 million worldwide.
Yeoh played Ying Nan in Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. The film was released in theaters on 3 September 2021.
It was announced at The Game Awards 2020 that Yeoh would star in Ark: The Animated Series, a series based on the video game Ark: Survival Evolved by Studio Wildcard, in which she plays the role of Mei-Yin Li, the Beast Queen of the Jungle.
Breakthrough and award success (2021–present):
In 2022, Yeoh starred in the science fiction surreal comedy film Everything Everywhere All at Once from filmmaking duo Daniels, released in March to critical acclaim.
In the film, she played struggling laundromat owner Evelyn Wang, a role that was praised by critics, with David Ehrlich of IndieWire claiming it the "greatest performance that Michelle Yeoh has ever given". It was for this role that Yeoh earned her first Golden Globe win (becoming the first Malaysian actor to win Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes her first Oscar nomination, her second BAFTA nomination, and her first Critics' Choice Awards nomination.
Additionally, she became the first Asian woman to win any individual category in the Screen Actors Guild Awards, winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. Yeoh is the first Malaysian to be nominated, and to win an Academy Award.
Yeoh is set to appear in the upcoming Disney+ series American Born Chinese, based on the book of the same name by Gene Luen Yang. In June 2022, it was announced that she will star in the eight-part series The Brothers Sun for Netflix.
She is also set to star in A Haunting in Venice directed by Kenneth Branagh and as Madame Morrible in the two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked directed by Jon M. Chu.
Personal life:
Yeoh is Buddhist.
Yeoh was married to Hong Kong entrepreneur Dickson Poon, owner of businesses such as Harvey Nichols and Charles Jourdan, from 1988 to 1992. In 1998, Yeoh was engaged to Alan Heldman, an American cardiologist.
In 2004, she started dating Jean Todt, then the general manager and CEO of Scuderia Ferrari and later the president of the FIA. In July 2008, she confirmed her engagement to him during an interview with Craig Ferguson on CBS's The Late Late Show. She lives in Geneva, Switzerland, with Todt.
Yeoh does not have any children.
In March 2008, she visited Vietnam to film a documentary for the Asian Injury Prevention Foundation Yeoh is a patron of the Save China's Tigers project committed to protecting the endangered South China tiger.
In 2022, she told Vanity Fair that Shakespeare and Stephen King were her favorite authors and that Tarzan was her favorite fictional hero.
Filmography:
Main article: List of Michelle Yeoh performances
Awards, honors, and styles:
In 1999, she was a member of the jury at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival. On 19 April 2001, Yeoh was awarded the Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP), which carries the title Dato', by Sultan Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak, her home state, in recognition of the fame she brought to the state.
On 25 November 2002, Yeoh was honored as The Outstanding Young People of the World (TOYP) (Cultural Achievement) by JCI (Junior Chamber International). On 23 April 2007, French President Jacques Chirac conferred upon Yeoh the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor (French: Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur).
The decoration was presented to her in a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on 3 October 2007. She was promoted to Officer of the same French Order (Officier de la Légion d'honneur) by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on 14 March 2012 at a ceremony held at the president's residence, the Élysée Palace on that day, and promoted to Commander (Commandeur), the highest honour available to non-French citizens, by François Hollande at the official residence of the French Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.
On 22 May 2012, Yeoh was awarded the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Perak (SPMP) which carries the title Dato' Seri during the investiture ceremony in conjunction with the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah's birthday.
Yeoh received the Excellence in Asian Cinema award during the 7th Asian Film Awards in March 2013 in Hong Kong. On 1 June 2013, Yeoh was awarded the Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM) which carries the title Tan Sri during the investiture ceremony in conjunction with the birthday of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah. On 30 November 2013, Yeoh presided as the Chief Guest at the International Film Festival of India.
On 12 February 2016, Yeoh was made an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, becoming the first Malaysian citizen to receive that honour. Yeoh was included in the BBC's 100 Women list of 2020. She was placed on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
On 13 August 2022, Yeoh received an honorary doctorate of fine arts degree from the American Film Institute for her contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image. She became the first Asian artist to receive the honor. On 9 December 2022, Yeoh received the Kirk Douglas Award from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Michelle Yeoh:
- Awards, honors, and styles
- See also:
Brooke Shields
TOP: A young Brooke Shields with Christopher Atkins in her first (and also controversial) movie "Blue Lagoon" (1980)
BOTTOM: Brooke Shields and her recent (3/30/2023) appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- YouTube Video: Brooke Shields & Christopher Atkins Nude Makeout Scene | The Blue Lagoon (1980)
- YouTube Video: The Blue Lagoon (1980): Emmeline goes into labor on the island
- YouTube Video: Brooke Shields appearing recently on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TOP: A young Brooke Shields with Christopher Atkins in her first (and also controversial) movie "Blue Lagoon" (1980)
BOTTOM: Brooke Shields and her recent (3/30/2023) appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. She was initially a child model and gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film Pretty Baby (1978). She continued to model into her late teenage years and starred in several dramas in the 1980s, including The Blue Lagoon (1980), and Franco Zeffirelli's Endless Love (1981).
In 1983, Shields suspended her career as a model to attend Princeton University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Romance languages.
In the 1990s, Shields returned to acting and appeared in minor roles in films. She also starred in the NBC sitcoms Suddenly Susan (1996–2000), for which she received two Golden Globe nominations, and Lipstick Jungle (2008–2009). In 2017, Shields returned to NBC with a major recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the show's 19th season.
Shields voiced Beverly Goodman in the Adult Swim animated series Mr. Pickles (2014-2019) and its spinoff Momma Named Me Sheriff.
Early life:
Brooke Christa Shields was born in Manhattan, New York, on May 31, 1965, the daughter of actress and model Teri Shields (née Schmon; 1933–2012) and businessman Frank Shields (1941–2003). Her mother was of English, German, Scotch-Irish, and Welsh descent, while her father had English, French, Irish, and Italian ancestry.
According to research by William Addams Reitwiesner, Shields has ancestral links with a number of noble families from Italy, in particular from Genoa and Rome. These are namely (in chronological order of descent from 1355 to 1965) the following dynasties:
Her paternal grandmother was Italian noblewoman Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi, who was the daughter of an Italian prince and an American socialite. Her great-uncle was the Italian nobleman Alessandro Torlonia, the husband of Infanta Beatriz of Spain.
When Teri announced that she was pregnant, Frank's family paid her a sum to terminate the pregnancy. Teri took the money, but violated the agreement and gave birth to Shields.
Frank married Teri, but they were divorced when Shields was five months old. She has two stepbrothers and three half-sisters. When Shields was only five days old, her mother openly stated she wanted her to be active in show business, saying: "She's the most beautiful child and I'm going to help her with her career." Growing up, Shields took piano, ballet, and horse-riding lessons.
Shields was raised in the Roman Catholic faith. For her confirmation at age 10, she took the name Camille, after Camillus de Lellis. While attending high school, she resided in Haworth, New Jersey, across the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan.
Shields has stated that her first encounter with the paparazzi was in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria New York at the age of 12, stating that she "stood like a statue wondering why they were all hired to photograph me" and that she "debuted at the Waldorf."
Shields attended the New Lincoln School until eighth grade. She graduated from the Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1983. She went to Princeton University to pursue her bachelor's degree in French literature, where she graduated in 1987.
She was a member of the Princeton Triangle Club and the Cap and Gown Club. Her autobiography, On Your Own, was published in 1985. Her 1987 senior thesis was titled "The Initiation: From Innocence to Experience: The Pre-Adolescent/Adolescent Journey in the Films of Louis Malle, Pretty Baby and Lacombe Lucien."
Shortly after Shields graduated from college, her four-year transcript was published in the July 1987 edition of Life Magazine. Based on that transcript, The New York Times published a light-hearted op-ed piece intended to tweak the claim that Princeton produced superior, well-rounded graduates.
Noting that Shields "got all As and Bs, and obviously paid attention to her school work", it claimed she "got cheated" because Princeton did not require her to take any classical studies, medieval, modern or American history, nor any course in mathematics, philosophy, economics, political science, world literature, or science with laboratory experience. "[I]f that adds up to a liberal arts education from a place like Princeton, there is no longer any danger that our society will ever suffer from elitism in any form."
Career:
Early Work:
Shields began her career as a model when she was 11 months old in 1966. Her first job was for Ivory Soap, when she was photographed by Francesco Scavullo. She continued as a successful child model with model agent Eileen Ford, who, in her Lifetime biography, stated that she started her children's division just for Shields.
Shields worked with director Woody Allen in his 1977 film Annie Hall, but her role was cut out of the final edit of the film.
In 1978, when she was 12 years old, Shields played a child prostitute in the controversial film Pretty Baby. Eileen Ford, founder of the Ford Modeling Agency, said of Brooke Shields: "She is a professional child and unique. She looks like an adult and thinks like one."
In 1980, 14-year-old Shields was the youngest fashion model ever to appear on the cover of Vogue. Later that same year, Shields appeared in controversial print and TV ads for Calvin Klein jeans. The TV ad included her saying the famous tagline: "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." Brooke Shields ads would help catapult Klein's career to super-designer status.
From 1981 to 1983, Shields, her mother, photographer Garry Gross, and Playboy Press were involved in litigation in the New York City Courts over the rights to photographs her mother had signed away to Gross (when dealing with models who are minors, a parent or legal guardian must sign such a release form while other agreements are subject to negotiation).
Gross was the photographer of a controversial set of nude images taken in 1975 of a then ten-year-old Brooke Shields with the consent of her mother, Teri Shields, for the Playboy Press publication Sugar 'n' Spice. The images portray Shields nude, standing and sitting in a bathtub, wearing makeup and covered in oil. The courts ruled in favor of the photographer due to a strange twist in New York law. It would have been otherwise had Brooke Shields been considered a child "performer" rather than a model.
By the age of 16, Shields had become one of the most recognizable faces in the United States, because of her dual career as a provocative fashion model and child actress.
Time magazine reported in its February 9, 1981, cover story that her day rate as a model was $10,000. In 1983, Shields appeared on the cover of the September issue of Paris Vogue, the October and November issues of American Vogue and the December edition of Italian Vogue. During that period Shields became a regular at New York City's nightclub Studio 54.
In 2009, a picture of a naked Brooke Shields taken when she was 10 and included in a work by Richard Prince, Spiritual America, created a stir. It was removed from an exhibition at the Tate Modern after a warning from the police.
Film:
Shields's first major film role was as a lead actress in Louis Malle's Pretty Baby (1978), a movie in which she played a child named Violet who lived in a brothel (in which there were numerous nude scenes). She was only 12 years old when the film was released, and controversy regarding child pornography arose. This was followed by a slightly less controversial and less notable film, Wanda Nevada (1979).
After two decades of movies, her best known films are still arguably The Blue Lagoon (1980), which included nude scenes between teenage lovers on a tropical island (Shields later testified before a U.S. Congressional inquiry that older body doubles were used in some of them), and Endless Love (1981).
The MPAA initially rated Endless Love with an X rating. The film was re-edited to earn an R rating. She won the People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Young Performer in four consecutive years from 1981 to 1984. In 1998, she played a lesbian, Lily, in The Misadventures of Margaret.
In 2001, Lifetime aired the film What Makes a Family, starring Shields and Cherry Jones in a true story of a lesbian couple who fought the adoption laws of Florida.
Television appearances:
Shields began her television career at an early age. In 1980, she was the youngest guest star to ever appear on The Muppet Show, in which she and the Muppets put on their own version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She was also the youngest person to host ABC's Fridays, a Saturday Night Live-like sketch comedy show, in 1981.
In one episode of the popular comedy sitcom Friends, Shields played Joey's stalker. This role led directly to her being cast in the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan, in which she starred from 1996 until 2000, and which earned a People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series for her, in 1997, and two Golden Globe nominations.
In the early 1980s, she starred in the USPHS PSA sponsored by the American Lung Association as an initiative that VIPs should become examples and advocates of non-smoking. In the mid-1980s, Brooke began her support of the USO by touring with Bob Hope.
Shields made a couple of guest appearances on That '70s Show. She played Pam Burkhart, Jackie's (Mila Kunis) mother, who later was briefly involved with Donna's (Laura Prepon) father (played by Don Stark). Shields left That '70s Show when her character was written out.
Shields recorded the narration for the Sony/BMG recording of The Runaway Bunny, a concerto for violin, orchestra, and reader, by Glen Roven. It was performed by the Royal Philharmonic and Ittai Shapira.
In 1993, she made a guest appearance in a Season 4 episode of The Simpsons, called "The Front."
In the late 2000s, Shields guest-starred on shows like FX's Nip/Tuck and CBS' Two and a Half Men.
In 2005, Shields appeared in a season-two episode of HBO's Entourage, entitled "Blue Balls Lagoon." In 2007, she made a guest appearance on Disney's Hannah Montana, playing Susan Stewart, Miley and Jackson's mother, who died in 2004. In 2008, she returned in the primetime drama Lipstick Jungle. The series ended a year later.
Starting in 2010, she made guest appearances on The Middle as the mother of a brood of terror-inducing children and the nemesis of Frankie Heck (played by Patricia Heaton).
She also appeared as a featured celebrity in NBC's genealogy documentary reality series, Who Do You Think You Are?, where it was revealed that, through her father's ancestry, she is the distant cousin (many generations removed) of King Louis XIV of France, and thus a descendant of both Saint Louis and Henry IV of France.
Starting in 2013, Shields has been an occasional guest co-host in the 9:00 hour of Today on NBC. She also recurred during Season Nineteen of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Sheila Porter, the grandmother of Olivia Benson's adopted son, Noah Porter.
Shields is the subject of the 2023 documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, directed by Lana Wilson, who also directed the Taylor Swift documentary, Miss Americana. The two-part series, which airs on Hulu on 3 April 2023, is “A look at actor, model and icon Brooke Shields as she transforms from a sexualized young girl to a woman discovering her power.”
Theater:
Shields has appeared in several Broadway musical theater productions. She played Rizzo in the 1994 revival of Grease. For four months, beginning July 2001, she played Sally Bowles in the long-running 1998 revival of Cabaret.
In September 2004, Shields replaced Donna Murphy in the role of Ruth Sherwood in the 2003 revival of Wonderful Town until the show closed four months later. Her performance was widely praised. Ben Brantley of The New York Times praised the "goofy sweetness" she brought to her interpretation of the role, but wrote that she fell short of Donna Murphy's "perfection." In April 2005, Shields played Roxie Hart in a long-running production of Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End.
Later the same year, she reprised the role in the Broadway revival, from September 9 to October 30. This made her the first performer to have starred in Chicago, Cabaret, and Grease on Broadway, three long-running revivals noted for "stunt casting" of celebrities not known for musical theatre. She took over the role of Morticia Addams in the Broadway musical The Addams Family on June 28, 2011.
Other media:
In 2006, Shields wrote Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression and in 2015 she published There Was a Little Girl about the relationship she had with her mother. In 2022, she launched a podcast called Now What? focusing on how people respond to adversity.
Personal life:
As a child, she lived with her mother on the Upper East Side.
In June 2009, Shields related that she lost her virginity at age 22 to actor Dean Cain while they were dating at Princeton. She said it would have occurred earlier had she had a better self-image.
In the 1990s, Shields promoted physical fitness as an extension of femininity, maintaining that femininity and athletics are compatible.
Despite coming out against the fur industry in 1989, Shields later went on to create her own mink fur coat at Kopenhagen Fur.
Shields has been married twice. From 1997 to 1999, she was married to tennis player Andre Agassi; the couple had been together since 1993.
Following her divorce from Agassi, she married television writer Chris Henchy in 2001, after they had met through common friends in 1999. They have two daughters and live in Greenwich Village, New York City.
She is a spokeswoman for Tupperware's Chain of Confidence SMART Girls campaign, a program that teaches girls to nurture their mental and physical well-being.
Postpartum depression:
Between April and May 2005, Shields spoke to magazines (such as Guideposts) and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to publicize her battle with postpartum depression, an experience that included depression, thoughts of suicide, an inability to respond to her baby's needs and delayed maternal bonding.
Her book, Down Came the Rain, discusses her experience, contributing to a greater public awareness of postpartum depression.
In May 2005, actor Tom Cruise—a Scientologist whose beliefs frown upon psychiatry—condemned Shields, both personally and professionally, for using and speaking in favor of the antidepressant drug Paxil.
As Cruise said, "Here is a woman and I care about Brooke Shields, because I think she is an incredibly talented woman, you look at [and think], where has her career gone?" Shields responded that Cruise's remarks on antidepressants were "irresponsible" and "dangerous".
She also argued that he should "stick to fighting aliens" (a reference to Cruise's role in War of the Worlds as well as some of the more esoteric aspects of Scientology doctrine and teachings), "and let mothers decide the best way to treat postpartum depression."
Shields responded to a further attack by Cruise with an op-ed titled "War of Words", published in The New York Times on July 1, 2005, in which she made an individual case for the medication and stated: "In a strange way, it was comforting to me when my obstetrician told me that my feelings of extreme despair and my suicidal thoughts were directly tied to a biochemical shift in my body. Once we admit that postpartum is a serious medical condition, then the treatment becomes more available and socially acceptable.
With a doctor's care, I have since tapered off the medication but, without it, I wouldn't have become the loving parent I am today." On August 31, 2006, according to USA Today, Cruise apologized in person to Shields for the incident; she accepted the apology, saying it was "heartfelt". That November, she and her husband attended Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes.
Relationship with Michael Jackson:
On July 7, 2009, Shields spoke at the memorial service for Michael Jackson. She stated in that speech that she first met Jackson when she was 13 years old, and the two instantly became friends.
Shields said: "Thinking back to when we met and the many times that we spent together and whenever we were out together, there would be a caption of some kind, and the caption usually said something like 'an odd couple' or 'an unlikely pair,' but to us it was the most natural and easiest of friendships... Michael always knew he could count on me to support him or be his date and that we would have fun no matter where we were. We had a bond... Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun.
In her eulogy, she shared anecdotes, including an occasion in which she was Jackson's date for one of Elizabeth Taylor's weddings, and the pair sneaked into Taylor's room to get the first look at her dress, only to discover Taylor asleep in the bed. Shields gave a tearful speech, referring to the many memories she and Jackson shared and briefly joked about his famous sequin glove.
She also mentioned Jackson's favorite song "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin, which was later sung in the memorial service by Jermaine Jackson.
Jackson stated in his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey that he was dating Shields at the time. Shields has stated that Jackson asked her to marry him numerous times and to adopt a child together.
In a conversation with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach in 2001, Jackson said of Shields:
That was one of the loves of my life. I think she loved me as much as I loved her, you know?
We dated a lot. We, we went out a lot. Her pictures were all over my wall, my mirror, everything. And I went to the Academy Awards with Diana Ross and this girl walks up to me and says 'Hi, I'm Brooke Shields.' Then she goes, 'Are you going to the after-party?' I go, 'Yeah.' 'Good, I'll see you at the party.' I'm going, 'Oh my God, does she know she's all over my room?' So we go to the after-party. She comes up to me she goes, 'Will you dance with me?' I went, 'Yes. I will dance with you.' Man, we exchanged numbers and I was up all night, singing, spinning around my room, just so happy. It was great.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Brooke Shields:
In 1983, Shields suspended her career as a model to attend Princeton University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Romance languages.
In the 1990s, Shields returned to acting and appeared in minor roles in films. She also starred in the NBC sitcoms Suddenly Susan (1996–2000), for which she received two Golden Globe nominations, and Lipstick Jungle (2008–2009). In 2017, Shields returned to NBC with a major recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the show's 19th season.
Shields voiced Beverly Goodman in the Adult Swim animated series Mr. Pickles (2014-2019) and its spinoff Momma Named Me Sheriff.
Early life:
Brooke Christa Shields was born in Manhattan, New York, on May 31, 1965, the daughter of actress and model Teri Shields (née Schmon; 1933–2012) and businessman Frank Shields (1941–2003). Her mother was of English, German, Scotch-Irish, and Welsh descent, while her father had English, French, Irish, and Italian ancestry.
According to research by William Addams Reitwiesner, Shields has ancestral links with a number of noble families from Italy, in particular from Genoa and Rome. These are namely (in chronological order of descent from 1355 to 1965) the following dynasties:
- Gattilusi-Palaiologos-Savoy,
- Grimaldi,
- Imperiali,
- Carafa,
- Doria,
- Doria-Pamphili-Landi,
- Chigi-Albani,
- and Torlonia dynasties.
Her paternal grandmother was Italian noblewoman Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi, who was the daughter of an Italian prince and an American socialite. Her great-uncle was the Italian nobleman Alessandro Torlonia, the husband of Infanta Beatriz of Spain.
When Teri announced that she was pregnant, Frank's family paid her a sum to terminate the pregnancy. Teri took the money, but violated the agreement and gave birth to Shields.
Frank married Teri, but they were divorced when Shields was five months old. She has two stepbrothers and three half-sisters. When Shields was only five days old, her mother openly stated she wanted her to be active in show business, saying: "She's the most beautiful child and I'm going to help her with her career." Growing up, Shields took piano, ballet, and horse-riding lessons.
Shields was raised in the Roman Catholic faith. For her confirmation at age 10, she took the name Camille, after Camillus de Lellis. While attending high school, she resided in Haworth, New Jersey, across the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan.
Shields has stated that her first encounter with the paparazzi was in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria New York at the age of 12, stating that she "stood like a statue wondering why they were all hired to photograph me" and that she "debuted at the Waldorf."
Shields attended the New Lincoln School until eighth grade. She graduated from the Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1983. She went to Princeton University to pursue her bachelor's degree in French literature, where she graduated in 1987.
She was a member of the Princeton Triangle Club and the Cap and Gown Club. Her autobiography, On Your Own, was published in 1985. Her 1987 senior thesis was titled "The Initiation: From Innocence to Experience: The Pre-Adolescent/Adolescent Journey in the Films of Louis Malle, Pretty Baby and Lacombe Lucien."
Shortly after Shields graduated from college, her four-year transcript was published in the July 1987 edition of Life Magazine. Based on that transcript, The New York Times published a light-hearted op-ed piece intended to tweak the claim that Princeton produced superior, well-rounded graduates.
Noting that Shields "got all As and Bs, and obviously paid attention to her school work", it claimed she "got cheated" because Princeton did not require her to take any classical studies, medieval, modern or American history, nor any course in mathematics, philosophy, economics, political science, world literature, or science with laboratory experience. "[I]f that adds up to a liberal arts education from a place like Princeton, there is no longer any danger that our society will ever suffer from elitism in any form."
Career:
Early Work:
Shields began her career as a model when she was 11 months old in 1966. Her first job was for Ivory Soap, when she was photographed by Francesco Scavullo. She continued as a successful child model with model agent Eileen Ford, who, in her Lifetime biography, stated that she started her children's division just for Shields.
Shields worked with director Woody Allen in his 1977 film Annie Hall, but her role was cut out of the final edit of the film.
In 1978, when she was 12 years old, Shields played a child prostitute in the controversial film Pretty Baby. Eileen Ford, founder of the Ford Modeling Agency, said of Brooke Shields: "She is a professional child and unique. She looks like an adult and thinks like one."
In 1980, 14-year-old Shields was the youngest fashion model ever to appear on the cover of Vogue. Later that same year, Shields appeared in controversial print and TV ads for Calvin Klein jeans. The TV ad included her saying the famous tagline: "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." Brooke Shields ads would help catapult Klein's career to super-designer status.
From 1981 to 1983, Shields, her mother, photographer Garry Gross, and Playboy Press were involved in litigation in the New York City Courts over the rights to photographs her mother had signed away to Gross (when dealing with models who are minors, a parent or legal guardian must sign such a release form while other agreements are subject to negotiation).
Gross was the photographer of a controversial set of nude images taken in 1975 of a then ten-year-old Brooke Shields with the consent of her mother, Teri Shields, for the Playboy Press publication Sugar 'n' Spice. The images portray Shields nude, standing and sitting in a bathtub, wearing makeup and covered in oil. The courts ruled in favor of the photographer due to a strange twist in New York law. It would have been otherwise had Brooke Shields been considered a child "performer" rather than a model.
By the age of 16, Shields had become one of the most recognizable faces in the United States, because of her dual career as a provocative fashion model and child actress.
Time magazine reported in its February 9, 1981, cover story that her day rate as a model was $10,000. In 1983, Shields appeared on the cover of the September issue of Paris Vogue, the October and November issues of American Vogue and the December edition of Italian Vogue. During that period Shields became a regular at New York City's nightclub Studio 54.
In 2009, a picture of a naked Brooke Shields taken when she was 10 and included in a work by Richard Prince, Spiritual America, created a stir. It was removed from an exhibition at the Tate Modern after a warning from the police.
Film:
Shields's first major film role was as a lead actress in Louis Malle's Pretty Baby (1978), a movie in which she played a child named Violet who lived in a brothel (in which there were numerous nude scenes). She was only 12 years old when the film was released, and controversy regarding child pornography arose. This was followed by a slightly less controversial and less notable film, Wanda Nevada (1979).
After two decades of movies, her best known films are still arguably The Blue Lagoon (1980), which included nude scenes between teenage lovers on a tropical island (Shields later testified before a U.S. Congressional inquiry that older body doubles were used in some of them), and Endless Love (1981).
The MPAA initially rated Endless Love with an X rating. The film was re-edited to earn an R rating. She won the People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Young Performer in four consecutive years from 1981 to 1984. In 1998, she played a lesbian, Lily, in The Misadventures of Margaret.
In 2001, Lifetime aired the film What Makes a Family, starring Shields and Cherry Jones in a true story of a lesbian couple who fought the adoption laws of Florida.
Television appearances:
Shields began her television career at an early age. In 1980, she was the youngest guest star to ever appear on The Muppet Show, in which she and the Muppets put on their own version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She was also the youngest person to host ABC's Fridays, a Saturday Night Live-like sketch comedy show, in 1981.
In one episode of the popular comedy sitcom Friends, Shields played Joey's stalker. This role led directly to her being cast in the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan, in which she starred from 1996 until 2000, and which earned a People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series for her, in 1997, and two Golden Globe nominations.
In the early 1980s, she starred in the USPHS PSA sponsored by the American Lung Association as an initiative that VIPs should become examples and advocates of non-smoking. In the mid-1980s, Brooke began her support of the USO by touring with Bob Hope.
Shields made a couple of guest appearances on That '70s Show. She played Pam Burkhart, Jackie's (Mila Kunis) mother, who later was briefly involved with Donna's (Laura Prepon) father (played by Don Stark). Shields left That '70s Show when her character was written out.
Shields recorded the narration for the Sony/BMG recording of The Runaway Bunny, a concerto for violin, orchestra, and reader, by Glen Roven. It was performed by the Royal Philharmonic and Ittai Shapira.
In 1993, she made a guest appearance in a Season 4 episode of The Simpsons, called "The Front."
In the late 2000s, Shields guest-starred on shows like FX's Nip/Tuck and CBS' Two and a Half Men.
In 2005, Shields appeared in a season-two episode of HBO's Entourage, entitled "Blue Balls Lagoon." In 2007, she made a guest appearance on Disney's Hannah Montana, playing Susan Stewart, Miley and Jackson's mother, who died in 2004. In 2008, she returned in the primetime drama Lipstick Jungle. The series ended a year later.
Starting in 2010, she made guest appearances on The Middle as the mother of a brood of terror-inducing children and the nemesis of Frankie Heck (played by Patricia Heaton).
She also appeared as a featured celebrity in NBC's genealogy documentary reality series, Who Do You Think You Are?, where it was revealed that, through her father's ancestry, she is the distant cousin (many generations removed) of King Louis XIV of France, and thus a descendant of both Saint Louis and Henry IV of France.
Starting in 2013, Shields has been an occasional guest co-host in the 9:00 hour of Today on NBC. She also recurred during Season Nineteen of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Sheila Porter, the grandmother of Olivia Benson's adopted son, Noah Porter.
Shields is the subject of the 2023 documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, directed by Lana Wilson, who also directed the Taylor Swift documentary, Miss Americana. The two-part series, which airs on Hulu on 3 April 2023, is “A look at actor, model and icon Brooke Shields as she transforms from a sexualized young girl to a woman discovering her power.”
Theater:
Shields has appeared in several Broadway musical theater productions. She played Rizzo in the 1994 revival of Grease. For four months, beginning July 2001, she played Sally Bowles in the long-running 1998 revival of Cabaret.
In September 2004, Shields replaced Donna Murphy in the role of Ruth Sherwood in the 2003 revival of Wonderful Town until the show closed four months later. Her performance was widely praised. Ben Brantley of The New York Times praised the "goofy sweetness" she brought to her interpretation of the role, but wrote that she fell short of Donna Murphy's "perfection." In April 2005, Shields played Roxie Hart in a long-running production of Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End.
Later the same year, she reprised the role in the Broadway revival, from September 9 to October 30. This made her the first performer to have starred in Chicago, Cabaret, and Grease on Broadway, three long-running revivals noted for "stunt casting" of celebrities not known for musical theatre. She took over the role of Morticia Addams in the Broadway musical The Addams Family on June 28, 2011.
Other media:
In 2006, Shields wrote Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression and in 2015 she published There Was a Little Girl about the relationship she had with her mother. In 2022, she launched a podcast called Now What? focusing on how people respond to adversity.
Personal life:
As a child, she lived with her mother on the Upper East Side.
In June 2009, Shields related that she lost her virginity at age 22 to actor Dean Cain while they were dating at Princeton. She said it would have occurred earlier had she had a better self-image.
In the 1990s, Shields promoted physical fitness as an extension of femininity, maintaining that femininity and athletics are compatible.
Despite coming out against the fur industry in 1989, Shields later went on to create her own mink fur coat at Kopenhagen Fur.
Shields has been married twice. From 1997 to 1999, she was married to tennis player Andre Agassi; the couple had been together since 1993.
Following her divorce from Agassi, she married television writer Chris Henchy in 2001, after they had met through common friends in 1999. They have two daughters and live in Greenwich Village, New York City.
She is a spokeswoman for Tupperware's Chain of Confidence SMART Girls campaign, a program that teaches girls to nurture their mental and physical well-being.
Postpartum depression:
Between April and May 2005, Shields spoke to magazines (such as Guideposts) and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to publicize her battle with postpartum depression, an experience that included depression, thoughts of suicide, an inability to respond to her baby's needs and delayed maternal bonding.
Her book, Down Came the Rain, discusses her experience, contributing to a greater public awareness of postpartum depression.
In May 2005, actor Tom Cruise—a Scientologist whose beliefs frown upon psychiatry—condemned Shields, both personally and professionally, for using and speaking in favor of the antidepressant drug Paxil.
As Cruise said, "Here is a woman and I care about Brooke Shields, because I think she is an incredibly talented woman, you look at [and think], where has her career gone?" Shields responded that Cruise's remarks on antidepressants were "irresponsible" and "dangerous".
She also argued that he should "stick to fighting aliens" (a reference to Cruise's role in War of the Worlds as well as some of the more esoteric aspects of Scientology doctrine and teachings), "and let mothers decide the best way to treat postpartum depression."
Shields responded to a further attack by Cruise with an op-ed titled "War of Words", published in The New York Times on July 1, 2005, in which she made an individual case for the medication and stated: "In a strange way, it was comforting to me when my obstetrician told me that my feelings of extreme despair and my suicidal thoughts were directly tied to a biochemical shift in my body. Once we admit that postpartum is a serious medical condition, then the treatment becomes more available and socially acceptable.
With a doctor's care, I have since tapered off the medication but, without it, I wouldn't have become the loving parent I am today." On August 31, 2006, according to USA Today, Cruise apologized in person to Shields for the incident; she accepted the apology, saying it was "heartfelt". That November, she and her husband attended Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes.
Relationship with Michael Jackson:
On July 7, 2009, Shields spoke at the memorial service for Michael Jackson. She stated in that speech that she first met Jackson when she was 13 years old, and the two instantly became friends.
Shields said: "Thinking back to when we met and the many times that we spent together and whenever we were out together, there would be a caption of some kind, and the caption usually said something like 'an odd couple' or 'an unlikely pair,' but to us it was the most natural and easiest of friendships... Michael always knew he could count on me to support him or be his date and that we would have fun no matter where we were. We had a bond... Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun.
In her eulogy, she shared anecdotes, including an occasion in which she was Jackson's date for one of Elizabeth Taylor's weddings, and the pair sneaked into Taylor's room to get the first look at her dress, only to discover Taylor asleep in the bed. Shields gave a tearful speech, referring to the many memories she and Jackson shared and briefly joked about his famous sequin glove.
She also mentioned Jackson's favorite song "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin, which was later sung in the memorial service by Jermaine Jackson.
Jackson stated in his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey that he was dating Shields at the time. Shields has stated that Jackson asked her to marry him numerous times and to adopt a child together.
In a conversation with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach in 2001, Jackson said of Shields:
That was one of the loves of my life. I think she loved me as much as I loved her, you know?
We dated a lot. We, we went out a lot. Her pictures were all over my wall, my mirror, everything. And I went to the Academy Awards with Diana Ross and this girl walks up to me and says 'Hi, I'm Brooke Shields.' Then she goes, 'Are you going to the after-party?' I go, 'Yeah.' 'Good, I'll see you at the party.' I'm going, 'Oh my God, does she know she's all over my room?' So we go to the after-party. She comes up to me she goes, 'Will you dance with me?' I went, 'Yes. I will dance with you.' Man, we exchanged numbers and I was up all night, singing, spinning around my room, just so happy. It was great.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Brooke Shields:
- Filmography
- Film
- Television
- Awards and nominations
- Published works
- See also:
- Brooke Shields at IMDb
- Brooke Shields at Turner Classic Movies
- Brooke Shields at the Internet Broadway Database
- Brooke Shields at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- WebMD article on Brooke Shields and Postpartum Depression
- "Regarding Ardy": an online short film with Brooke Shields
- Brooke Shields 2007 Interview on Sidewalks Entertainment
- Brooke Shields 2007 short film on Funny Or Die
Taylor Swift
- YouTube Video: Top 10 Taylor Swift Musical Performances
- YouTube Video: TAYLOR SWIFT Live iHeartRadio Music Festival 2014 HD
- YouTube Video: Taylor Swift - Live in Las Vegas 22/09/2012
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Recognized for her songwriting, musical versatility, artistic reinventions, and influence on the music industry, she is a prominent cultural figure of the 21st century, as elaborated on further below.
Swift began songwriting professionally at age 14 and signed with Big Machine Records in 2005 to become a country musician.
Under Big Machine, she released six studio albums, four of them to country radio, starting with her self-titled album (2006).
Her next record, Fearless (2008), explored country pop, and its singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" catapulted her to mainstream fame.
Speak Now (2010) incorporated rock influences, and Red (2012) experimented with electronic elements and featured Swift's first Billboard Hot 100 number-one song, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together".
She forwent her country image with 1989 (2014), a synth-pop album supported by chart-topping songs "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood". Media scrutiny inspired her next album, the hip-hop-flavored Reputation (2017), and its number-one single "Look What You Made Me Do".
After signing a new contract with Republic Records in 2018, Swift released her seventh album, Lover (2019), and autobiographical documentary, Miss Americana (2020). She embraced indie folk and alternative rock on her 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore and explored chill-out styles on Midnights (2022). The albums broke multifarious records, led by the respective number-one singles "Cardigan", "Willow", and "Anti-Hero".
A dispute with Big Machine led Swift to re-record her first six albums, launching three of them from 2021 to 2023 as "Taylor's Versions". Her song "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" is the longest to top the Hot 100. Swift has directed music videos and films such as All Too Well: The Short Film (2021) and played supporting roles in others.
Having sold over 200 million records globally, Swift is one of the best-selling musicians, the most streamed woman on Spotify, and the only act to have five albums open with over one million copies sold in the US. She has been featured in listicles such as Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists, the Time 100, and Forbes Celebrity 100.
Among her accolades are 12 Grammy Awards, including:
Honored with titles such as Artist of the Decade and Woman of the Decade, Swift is an advocate for artists' rights and women's empowerment.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Taylor Swift:
Cultural impact of Taylor Swift
American musician Taylor Swift (b. 1989: see above) has made a cultural impact with her music, artistry, performances, image, views, and actions, often referred to as the Taylor Swift effect by publications.
Debuting as a 16-year-old independent singer-songwriter in 2006, Swift steadily amassed fame, success, and public curiosity throughout her career, becoming a cultural figure in the process.
Regarded as a trailblazer of the 21st century, Swift is known for her versatile musicality, songwriting prowess and business acuity that has inspired numerous artists and entrepreneurs worldwide. She began in country music, gradually expanded into pop, and explored alternative rock, indie folk and electronic styles, blurring music genre boundaries.
Critics describe her as a modern cultural quintessence wielding a rare combination of chart success, critical acclaim, intense fan support and controversy, enabling her to have a wide impact on and response from the music industry and beyond.
With a strong political and economic leverage, Swift has used her influence and social media power to spotlight and criticize issues within the music industry and society at large, fostering reforms to:
From the end of the album era to the rise of the internet, Swift heralded changes in how music is distributed to, perceived and consumed by the general public across the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s decades. Her consistent commercial success is considered unconventional by journalists, with unprecedented achievements in:
Simultaneously. Bloomberg Businessweek said Swift is "The Music Industry", one of her many honorific sobriquets.
Swift is a prominent subject of critical fascination, intellectual research, media studies, and cultural analysis, generally focused on concepts of:
Scholars attribute Swift's dominant position in popular culture, despite the polarizing disposition of her mass media perception, to her:
Various academic institutions offer courses on Swift.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Cultural Impact of Taylor Swift:
Swift began songwriting professionally at age 14 and signed with Big Machine Records in 2005 to become a country musician.
Under Big Machine, she released six studio albums, four of them to country radio, starting with her self-titled album (2006).
Her next record, Fearless (2008), explored country pop, and its singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" catapulted her to mainstream fame.
Speak Now (2010) incorporated rock influences, and Red (2012) experimented with electronic elements and featured Swift's first Billboard Hot 100 number-one song, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together".
She forwent her country image with 1989 (2014), a synth-pop album supported by chart-topping songs "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood". Media scrutiny inspired her next album, the hip-hop-flavored Reputation (2017), and its number-one single "Look What You Made Me Do".
After signing a new contract with Republic Records in 2018, Swift released her seventh album, Lover (2019), and autobiographical documentary, Miss Americana (2020). She embraced indie folk and alternative rock on her 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore and explored chill-out styles on Midnights (2022). The albums broke multifarious records, led by the respective number-one singles "Cardigan", "Willow", and "Anti-Hero".
A dispute with Big Machine led Swift to re-record her first six albums, launching three of them from 2021 to 2023 as "Taylor's Versions". Her song "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" is the longest to top the Hot 100. Swift has directed music videos and films such as All Too Well: The Short Film (2021) and played supporting roles in others.
Having sold over 200 million records globally, Swift is one of the best-selling musicians, the most streamed woman on Spotify, and the only act to have five albums open with over one million copies sold in the US. She has been featured in listicles such as Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists, the Time 100, and Forbes Celebrity 100.
Among her accolades are 12 Grammy Awards, including:
- three Album of the Year wins;
- a Primetime Emmy Award;
- 40 American Music Awards;
- 29 Billboard Music Awards;
- 12 Country Music Association Awards;
- three IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year awards;
- and 98 Guinness World Records.
Honored with titles such as Artist of the Decade and Woman of the Decade, Swift is an advocate for artists' rights and women's empowerment.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Taylor Swift:
- Life and career
- Artistry
- Achievements
- Cultural status
- Wealth and philanthropy
- Discography
- Filmography
- Tours
- See also:
- Official website
- Taylor Swift at IMDb
- List of best-selling female music artists
- List of Grammy Award winners and nominees by country
- List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
- List of most-followed Instagram accounts
- List of most-followed Twitter accounts
- List of most-subscribed YouTube channels
Cultural impact of Taylor Swift
American musician Taylor Swift (b. 1989: see above) has made a cultural impact with her music, artistry, performances, image, views, and actions, often referred to as the Taylor Swift effect by publications.
Debuting as a 16-year-old independent singer-songwriter in 2006, Swift steadily amassed fame, success, and public curiosity throughout her career, becoming a cultural figure in the process.
Regarded as a trailblazer of the 21st century, Swift is known for her versatile musicality, songwriting prowess and business acuity that has inspired numerous artists and entrepreneurs worldwide. She began in country music, gradually expanded into pop, and explored alternative rock, indie folk and electronic styles, blurring music genre boundaries.
Critics describe her as a modern cultural quintessence wielding a rare combination of chart success, critical acclaim, intense fan support and controversy, enabling her to have a wide impact on and response from the music industry and beyond.
With a strong political and economic leverage, Swift has used her influence and social media power to spotlight and criticize issues within the music industry and society at large, fostering reforms to:
- Spotify,
- Apple Music,
- Ticketmaster and recording contracts,
- and awareness of artists' rights:
From the end of the album era to the rise of the internet, Swift heralded changes in how music is distributed to, perceived and consumed by the general public across the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s decades. Her consistent commercial success is considered unconventional by journalists, with unprecedented achievements in:
- album sales,
- digital sales,
- streaming,
- airplay,
- vinyl sales,
- charts,
- and touring,
Simultaneously. Bloomberg Businessweek said Swift is "The Music Industry", one of her many honorific sobriquets.
Swift is a prominent subject of critical fascination, intellectual research, media studies, and cultural analysis, generally focused on concepts of:
- superstardom,
- internet culture,
- celebrity culture,
- celebrity–industrial complex,
- socio-musicological phenomena,
- poptimism,
- feminism,
- gender-based power dynamics,
- capitalism,
- consumerism,
- Americanism,
- post-postmodernism,
- and a millennial paradigm.
Scholars attribute Swift's dominant position in popular culture, despite the polarizing disposition of her mass media perception, to her:
- musical sensibility and artistic integrity;
- global and intergenerational appeal;
- acumen for marketing trends;
- and the complex sociological relationship between Swift, her fandom, detractors, and the mainstream media.
Various academic institutions offer courses on Swift.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Cultural Impact of Taylor Swift:
- Fame and stardom
- Genre and musicianship
- Commercial influence
- Industry and economy
- Mass media coverage
- Gender and feminism
- Political role
- Fashion and aesthetic
- Fandom dynamics
- Generational appeal
- Creative inspiration
- Scholarly research
America Ferrera
- YouTube Video: America Ferrera Treasures 20 Years Of Friendship With “The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants” Cast on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- YouTube Video: America Ferrera's POWERFUL Critics Choice Awards Speech (also see below)
- YouTube Video: America Ferrera's Career Highlights
America Georgina Ferrera (born April 18, 1984) is an American actress. She has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, among others. In 2007, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Born in Los Angeles to Honduran parents, Ferrera developed an interest in acting at a young age, performing in several stage productions at her school.
She made her feature film debut in 2002 with the comedy-drama Real Women Have Curves, earning praise for her performance.
She achieved modest success early in her career with roles in films such as the comedy-dramas Gotta Kick It Up! (2002) and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005); the latter earned her the Imagen Award for Best Actress and her first nomination for the ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.
She garnered further critical acclaim and recognition for her starring role as Betty Suarez in the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty (2006–2010). For her performance, she won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, the first for a Latina woman in the category.
Ferrera's other notable film roles include:
She provided the voice of Astrid Hofferson in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, including the three films and the television series Dreamworks Dragons.
She co-produced and starred as Amy Sosa in the NBC workplace comedy series Superstore (2015–2021).
Early life and education:
Ferrera, the youngest of six children, was born in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, América Griselda Ayes and Carlos Gregorio Ferrera, were originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and immigrated to the United States in the mid-1970s. Ferrera has stated that she has Lenca ancestry.
Her mother worked as the director of the housekeeping staff for one of the Hilton Hotels, and stressed the importance of higher education. When Ferrera was seven, her parents divorced and her father returned to Honduras. Ferrera was estranged from her father when he died there in 2010.
Ferrera was raised in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles, where she attended Calabash Street Elementary School, George Ellery Hale Middle School and El Camino Real High School.
At age seven she played a small role in a school production of Hamlet, and when she was 10 she played the Artful Dodger in Oliver!.
While at El Camino High School, she took acting lessons. She entered the University of Southern California (USC) on a presidential scholarship, double-majoring in theatre and international relations. She dropped out to focus on her acting career, but completed her bachelor's degree in May 2013.
Career:
Debut and early roles (2002–2005):
In July 2002, Ferrera appeared in her first television film, Gotta Kick It Up! for The Disney Channel. While at a theatre program at Northwestern University that same year, she made her feature movie debut in Real Women Have Curves. Ferrera followed this with roles in television (Touched by an Angel).
She also appeared in the movie Plainsong, based on the novel by Kent Haruf, which also featured Aidan Quinn and Rachel Griffiths. Ferrera played a pregnant teenager, Victoria Roubideaux, who has been kicked out of her mother's house; she is taken in by two kindly brothers who live alone on a farm.
In the 2005 film How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer, she starred as Bianca, a 17-year-old third-generation Mexican-American who is disgusted with the boys in her neighborhood but finds romance with a boy from a neighboring town.
In 2006, she appeared in the short film 3:52, which won the Audience Award at the San Diego Women Film Festival.
Later that year, she featured in the movie Steel City, which received nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and the Sundance Film Festival. In December 2005, she appeared in the Off-Broadway play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, directed by Trip Cullman.
Breakthrough and rise to fame (2006–2010):
In 2006, Ferrera landed the lead role of Betty Suarez in ABC's new comedy-drama Ugly Betty, an adaptation of the successful Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea (1999–2001), in which Ferrera portrays a girl whom her peers find extremely unattractive, thus the series title.
As Betty Suarez, Ferrera wears braces, has bushy eyebrows and a disheveled wig, and cosmetics and clothing intended to downplay her own looks, in contrast to most of the "glammed up" characters; Ferrera herself invented the term "Bettification" to describe the process of creating her onscreen persona.
In 2007, Ferrera won numerous accolades for her performance in the series; she also won the "triple crown" for acting in television;
In the wake of her Golden Globe win, Ferrera was congratulated by Hilda L. Solis in the United States House of Representatives and was commended for "helping to break down stereotypes and provide a role model for young Latinas".
Time included Ferrera in their 2007 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Also in 2007, Ferrera won the Imagen Foundation's Creative Achievement Award.
Ferrera starred as Carmen in the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and reprised the role in 2008's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.
Among other film work, she voice the role of Astrid in the hit animated film How to Train Your Dragon (2010). She also appeared in The Dry Land which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and ran at the Dallas International Film Festival where it won the top prize in the Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature.
Post-Ugly Betty projects and Superstore (2011–present):
Ferrera made her London stage debut on November 7, 2011, playing Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago in London's West End.
In 2012, Ferrera was featured in the four-hour documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, which premiered on PBS October 1 and 2, 2012. The series introduces women and girls living in very difficult circumstances and struggling to challenge them. The Half the Sky PBS TV series is produced by Show of Force along with Fugitive Films.
Ferrera starred alongside David Cross and Julia Stiles in the dark comedy It's a Disaster, which premiered at the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival and had a limited commercial release on April 12, 2013.
On May 17, 2013, ABC announced that Ferrera was cast in a limited-run telenovela titled Pedro & Maria, a modern-day take on Romeo and Juliet set in Washington, D.C. The series had been in development at MTV since 2010 with Ferrera serving as a director on the project, which would have interactive participation online content from viewers. ABC later decided not to move forward with the series.
On March 16, 2015, Ferrera was added to the cast of the upcoming NBC sitcom Superstore, portraying Amy, a 10-year veteran floor supervisor at a superstore named Cloud 9.
In addition to her main role, Ferrera also had co-production duties for the series. After NBC had initially announced a sixth season of the series, the network revealed on February 28, 2020, that Ferrera would be departing the series at the end of the fifth season citing new projects and spending time with family.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down Superstore's fifth season with one episode left to film, her departure was delayed into season 6 in order to give her character's arc a proper closure. On March 10, 2021, NBC announced that Ferrera would return for the show's one-hour series finale.
In February 2019, it was announced that Ferrera would be credited as an executive producer and director for the Netflix comedy-drama series Gentefied. The series premiered on February 21, 2020.
In February 2021, it was announced that Ferrera would make her feature length directorial debut with I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, based on the young adult novel of the same name by Erika L. Sánchez.
Adapted by Linda Yvette Chávez, the film will be a co-production with Netflix, Anonymous Content, Aevitas Creative Management and MACRO.
Personal life
Ferrera first met actor, director, and writer Ryan Piers Williams when he cast her in a student film at USC. The couple got engaged in June 2010, and married on June 27, 2011. On January 1, 2018, Ferrera and Williams revealed that they were expecting their first child. She announced on her Instagram page on May 29, 2018, that she had given birth that month to a boy, Sebastian.
On May 4, 2020, Ferrera gave birth to a girl, Lucia.
On June 27, 2020, Ferrera announced that she and Williams had been together for a total of 15 years.
In 2018, her edited anthology of stories, American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures, was published by Gallery Publishing Group.
Political activities:
Ferrera has been politically active. During the 2008 presidential primaries, she, alongside Chelsea Clinton and Amber Tamblyn, led the Hillblazers organization in support of Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Ferrera attended both the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. At the 2016 convention, she addressed the delegates as a speaker, sharing the stage with Lena Dunham.
Ferrera has been active, through her involvement with the organization Voto Latino and by appearing on various news programs, in getting Latinos in the United States to vote. Ferrera also works with Eva Longoria to co-host She Se Puede, a digital lifestyle platform which encourages voting within the Latina community. As a continuation of their work prior to the 2020 presidential campaign, Ferrera and Longoria recently held a textbanking event with VoteRiders to educate voters about Georgia's strict Voter ID laws ahead of the Georgia Senate runoff.
Ferrera was the opening speaker for the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017.
Ferrera spoke at the Families Belong Together protest on June 30, 2018.
Ferrera signed an October 2023 open letter of artists for ceasefire during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
Fighting sexual harassment:
In October 2017, Ferrera began her participation in the #MeToo campaign, publicly revealing that she was sexually harassed when she was nine years old. She did not reveal any details about the harassment or the person who harassed her.
In January 2018, Ferrera was a founding member of the Time's Up legal defense fund.
Soccer investment:
In July 2020, Ferrera was announced as an investor in a primarily female group that was awarded a Los Angeles-based franchise in the National Women's Soccer League. The new team, since unveiled as Angel City FC, started playing in 2022.
Other ventures:
In April 2019, Ferrera gave a TEDTalk entitled "My Identity is a Superpower".
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about America Ferrera: ___________________________________________________________________________
Critics Choice Awards: Read America Ferrera’s Inspiring Acceptance Speech in Full -- The Hollywood Reporter
BY KIMBERLY NORDYKE -- JANUARY 14, 2024 8:10PM
America Ferrera was honored with the SeeHer Award at Sunday night’s Critics Choice Awards.
Margot Robbie introduced her Barbie co-star, saying: “She is an artist and an activist. She tells us the truth and asks us to reach for something more in the world and in ourselves. She deserves to be celebrated.”
When Ferrera stepped to the stage, she had a bit of a teleprompter issue that got the audience laughing (in a supportive way) before delivering an inspirational speech.
Read her full speech below:
Thank you so much to the Critics Choice Association. Truly, your voices shape how people think about and value the stories we tell. I’m deeply thankful to you for this acknowledgment and this honor.
Receiving the SeeHer Award for my contributions to more authentic portrayals of women and girls — could it be more meaningful to me? Because I grew up as a first-generation Honduran American girl in love with TV, film and theater, who desperately wanted to be a part of a storytelling legacy that I could not see myself reflected in.
Of course, I could feel myself in characters who were strong and complex. But these characters rarely, if ever, looked like me. I yearned to see people like myself onscreen as full humans.
When I started working over 20 years ago — that seems impossible, I know — but it seemed impossible that anyone could make a career portraying fully dimensional Latina characters but because of writers, directors, producers and executives who are daring enough to rewrite outdated stories and to challenge deeply entrenched biases, I, and some of my beloved Latina colleagues, have been supremely blessed to bring to life some fierce and fantastic women.
Uh, skip this part. I cut that. (Laughter.) Thank you. OK. Stop, stop, stop. (Applause.)
Because of that, we have had the chance to bring through some deeply layered Latina characters and characters that I could not have seen growing up.
But now I can see her and I see her expanding in the next generation of talent like my beloved Ariana Greenblatt, who plays my daughter in Barbie, and in Jenna Ortega, and in Selena Gomez, and in so many more out there.
To me, this is the best and highest use of storytelling to affirm one another’s full humanity, to uphold the truth that we are all worthy of being seen — Black, brown, indigenous Asian, trans, disabled, any body type, any gender. We are all worthy of having our lives richly and authentically reflective.
There have been so many people along my path who have truly seen me and who I would not be here without. So I have to think Jodi Peikoff, Carrie Byalick, Kim Gillingham, Ali Trustman and my wonderful team at CAA and my incredible publicists, Molly Kawachi and Brianna Smith.
I also know that I would not be standing here today without Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig. Margot, where’d you go? Margot, you saw value in Barbie, an entirely female idea that most would have dismissed as too girly, too frivolous or just too problematic. But you had the courage and the vision to take it on. Thank you for gifting the world with Barbie.
And Greta. Greta, I can’t see you because the cameraman is standing right and I can only see Ryan [Gosling]. (Laughter.) There you are. Greta, thank you for proving through your incredible mastery as a filmmaker that women’s stories have no difficulty achieving cinematic greatness and box office history at the same time and that unabashedly telling female stories does not diminish your powers, it expands them. Greta, your mind, your talent, your heart have inspired us all. And thank you for asking me to be your Gloria.
Thank you to thank you to our Kens — Noah Baumbach, Tom Ackerley, David Heyman and Ryan Gosling — for all being man enough to support women’s work. You are all brilliant and you are more than “Kenough.”
Thank you to Pam Abdy, Mike De Luca, Robbie Brenner and the wonderful teams at Warner Bros. and Mattel for all of your support.
And thank you to my husband, my husband Ryan, not Gosling, the other one. El esposo de Gloria. You see me and my dreams and you believe and support them as if they were your own. I love you.
This is for every kid yearning to break in. I see you, and you’ve got this. Thank you.
Goodnight.
[End of Speech]
Born in Los Angeles to Honduran parents, Ferrera developed an interest in acting at a young age, performing in several stage productions at her school.
She made her feature film debut in 2002 with the comedy-drama Real Women Have Curves, earning praise for her performance.
She achieved modest success early in her career with roles in films such as the comedy-dramas Gotta Kick It Up! (2002) and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005); the latter earned her the Imagen Award for Best Actress and her first nomination for the ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.
She garnered further critical acclaim and recognition for her starring role as Betty Suarez in the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty (2006–2010). For her performance, she won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, the first for a Latina woman in the category.
Ferrera's other notable film roles include:
- the drama The Dry Land (2010),
- the romantic comedy Our Family Wedding (2010),
- the crime drama End of Watch (2012),
- and the fantasy comedy Barbie (2023).
She provided the voice of Astrid Hofferson in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, including the three films and the television series Dreamworks Dragons.
She co-produced and starred as Amy Sosa in the NBC workplace comedy series Superstore (2015–2021).
Early life and education:
Ferrera, the youngest of six children, was born in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, América Griselda Ayes and Carlos Gregorio Ferrera, were originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and immigrated to the United States in the mid-1970s. Ferrera has stated that she has Lenca ancestry.
Her mother worked as the director of the housekeeping staff for one of the Hilton Hotels, and stressed the importance of higher education. When Ferrera was seven, her parents divorced and her father returned to Honduras. Ferrera was estranged from her father when he died there in 2010.
Ferrera was raised in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles, where she attended Calabash Street Elementary School, George Ellery Hale Middle School and El Camino Real High School.
At age seven she played a small role in a school production of Hamlet, and when she was 10 she played the Artful Dodger in Oliver!.
While at El Camino High School, she took acting lessons. She entered the University of Southern California (USC) on a presidential scholarship, double-majoring in theatre and international relations. She dropped out to focus on her acting career, but completed her bachelor's degree in May 2013.
Career:
Debut and early roles (2002–2005):
In July 2002, Ferrera appeared in her first television film, Gotta Kick It Up! for The Disney Channel. While at a theatre program at Northwestern University that same year, she made her feature movie debut in Real Women Have Curves. Ferrera followed this with roles in television (Touched by an Angel).
She also appeared in the movie Plainsong, based on the novel by Kent Haruf, which also featured Aidan Quinn and Rachel Griffiths. Ferrera played a pregnant teenager, Victoria Roubideaux, who has been kicked out of her mother's house; she is taken in by two kindly brothers who live alone on a farm.
In the 2005 film How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer, she starred as Bianca, a 17-year-old third-generation Mexican-American who is disgusted with the boys in her neighborhood but finds romance with a boy from a neighboring town.
In 2006, she appeared in the short film 3:52, which won the Audience Award at the San Diego Women Film Festival.
Later that year, she featured in the movie Steel City, which received nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and the Sundance Film Festival. In December 2005, she appeared in the Off-Broadway play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, directed by Trip Cullman.
Breakthrough and rise to fame (2006–2010):
In 2006, Ferrera landed the lead role of Betty Suarez in ABC's new comedy-drama Ugly Betty, an adaptation of the successful Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea (1999–2001), in which Ferrera portrays a girl whom her peers find extremely unattractive, thus the series title.
As Betty Suarez, Ferrera wears braces, has bushy eyebrows and a disheveled wig, and cosmetics and clothing intended to downplay her own looks, in contrast to most of the "glammed up" characters; Ferrera herself invented the term "Bettification" to describe the process of creating her onscreen persona.
In 2007, Ferrera won numerous accolades for her performance in the series; she also won the "triple crown" for acting in television;
- she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy,
- the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series,
- and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, becoming the first Latina woman to win the Outstanding Lead Actress Award.
In the wake of her Golden Globe win, Ferrera was congratulated by Hilda L. Solis in the United States House of Representatives and was commended for "helping to break down stereotypes and provide a role model for young Latinas".
Time included Ferrera in their 2007 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Also in 2007, Ferrera won the Imagen Foundation's Creative Achievement Award.
Ferrera starred as Carmen in the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and reprised the role in 2008's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.
Among other film work, she voice the role of Astrid in the hit animated film How to Train Your Dragon (2010). She also appeared in The Dry Land which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and ran at the Dallas International Film Festival where it won the top prize in the Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature.
Post-Ugly Betty projects and Superstore (2011–present):
Ferrera made her London stage debut on November 7, 2011, playing Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago in London's West End.
In 2012, Ferrera was featured in the four-hour documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, which premiered on PBS October 1 and 2, 2012. The series introduces women and girls living in very difficult circumstances and struggling to challenge them. The Half the Sky PBS TV series is produced by Show of Force along with Fugitive Films.
Ferrera starred alongside David Cross and Julia Stiles in the dark comedy It's a Disaster, which premiered at the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival and had a limited commercial release on April 12, 2013.
On May 17, 2013, ABC announced that Ferrera was cast in a limited-run telenovela titled Pedro & Maria, a modern-day take on Romeo and Juliet set in Washington, D.C. The series had been in development at MTV since 2010 with Ferrera serving as a director on the project, which would have interactive participation online content from viewers. ABC later decided not to move forward with the series.
On March 16, 2015, Ferrera was added to the cast of the upcoming NBC sitcom Superstore, portraying Amy, a 10-year veteran floor supervisor at a superstore named Cloud 9.
In addition to her main role, Ferrera also had co-production duties for the series. After NBC had initially announced a sixth season of the series, the network revealed on February 28, 2020, that Ferrera would be departing the series at the end of the fifth season citing new projects and spending time with family.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down Superstore's fifth season with one episode left to film, her departure was delayed into season 6 in order to give her character's arc a proper closure. On March 10, 2021, NBC announced that Ferrera would return for the show's one-hour series finale.
In February 2019, it was announced that Ferrera would be credited as an executive producer and director for the Netflix comedy-drama series Gentefied. The series premiered on February 21, 2020.
In February 2021, it was announced that Ferrera would make her feature length directorial debut with I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, based on the young adult novel of the same name by Erika L. Sánchez.
Adapted by Linda Yvette Chávez, the film will be a co-production with Netflix, Anonymous Content, Aevitas Creative Management and MACRO.
Personal life
Ferrera first met actor, director, and writer Ryan Piers Williams when he cast her in a student film at USC. The couple got engaged in June 2010, and married on June 27, 2011. On January 1, 2018, Ferrera and Williams revealed that they were expecting their first child. She announced on her Instagram page on May 29, 2018, that she had given birth that month to a boy, Sebastian.
On May 4, 2020, Ferrera gave birth to a girl, Lucia.
On June 27, 2020, Ferrera announced that she and Williams had been together for a total of 15 years.
In 2018, her edited anthology of stories, American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures, was published by Gallery Publishing Group.
Political activities:
Ferrera has been politically active. During the 2008 presidential primaries, she, alongside Chelsea Clinton and Amber Tamblyn, led the Hillblazers organization in support of Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Ferrera attended both the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. At the 2016 convention, she addressed the delegates as a speaker, sharing the stage with Lena Dunham.
Ferrera has been active, through her involvement with the organization Voto Latino and by appearing on various news programs, in getting Latinos in the United States to vote. Ferrera also works with Eva Longoria to co-host She Se Puede, a digital lifestyle platform which encourages voting within the Latina community. As a continuation of their work prior to the 2020 presidential campaign, Ferrera and Longoria recently held a textbanking event with VoteRiders to educate voters about Georgia's strict Voter ID laws ahead of the Georgia Senate runoff.
Ferrera was the opening speaker for the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017.
Ferrera spoke at the Families Belong Together protest on June 30, 2018.
Ferrera signed an October 2023 open letter of artists for ceasefire during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
Fighting sexual harassment:
In October 2017, Ferrera began her participation in the #MeToo campaign, publicly revealing that she was sexually harassed when she was nine years old. She did not reveal any details about the harassment or the person who harassed her.
In January 2018, Ferrera was a founding member of the Time's Up legal defense fund.
Soccer investment:
In July 2020, Ferrera was announced as an investor in a primarily female group that was awarded a Los Angeles-based franchise in the National Women's Soccer League. The new team, since unveiled as Angel City FC, started playing in 2022.
Other ventures:
In April 2019, Ferrera gave a TEDTalk entitled "My Identity is a Superpower".
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about America Ferrera: ___________________________________________________________________________
Critics Choice Awards: Read America Ferrera’s Inspiring Acceptance Speech in Full -- The Hollywood Reporter
BY KIMBERLY NORDYKE -- JANUARY 14, 2024 8:10PM
America Ferrera was honored with the SeeHer Award at Sunday night’s Critics Choice Awards.
Margot Robbie introduced her Barbie co-star, saying: “She is an artist and an activist. She tells us the truth and asks us to reach for something more in the world and in ourselves. She deserves to be celebrated.”
When Ferrera stepped to the stage, she had a bit of a teleprompter issue that got the audience laughing (in a supportive way) before delivering an inspirational speech.
Read her full speech below:
Thank you so much to the Critics Choice Association. Truly, your voices shape how people think about and value the stories we tell. I’m deeply thankful to you for this acknowledgment and this honor.
Receiving the SeeHer Award for my contributions to more authentic portrayals of women and girls — could it be more meaningful to me? Because I grew up as a first-generation Honduran American girl in love with TV, film and theater, who desperately wanted to be a part of a storytelling legacy that I could not see myself reflected in.
Of course, I could feel myself in characters who were strong and complex. But these characters rarely, if ever, looked like me. I yearned to see people like myself onscreen as full humans.
When I started working over 20 years ago — that seems impossible, I know — but it seemed impossible that anyone could make a career portraying fully dimensional Latina characters but because of writers, directors, producers and executives who are daring enough to rewrite outdated stories and to challenge deeply entrenched biases, I, and some of my beloved Latina colleagues, have been supremely blessed to bring to life some fierce and fantastic women.
Uh, skip this part. I cut that. (Laughter.) Thank you. OK. Stop, stop, stop. (Applause.)
Because of that, we have had the chance to bring through some deeply layered Latina characters and characters that I could not have seen growing up.
But now I can see her and I see her expanding in the next generation of talent like my beloved Ariana Greenblatt, who plays my daughter in Barbie, and in Jenna Ortega, and in Selena Gomez, and in so many more out there.
To me, this is the best and highest use of storytelling to affirm one another’s full humanity, to uphold the truth that we are all worthy of being seen — Black, brown, indigenous Asian, trans, disabled, any body type, any gender. We are all worthy of having our lives richly and authentically reflective.
There have been so many people along my path who have truly seen me and who I would not be here without. So I have to think Jodi Peikoff, Carrie Byalick, Kim Gillingham, Ali Trustman and my wonderful team at CAA and my incredible publicists, Molly Kawachi and Brianna Smith.
I also know that I would not be standing here today without Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig. Margot, where’d you go? Margot, you saw value in Barbie, an entirely female idea that most would have dismissed as too girly, too frivolous or just too problematic. But you had the courage and the vision to take it on. Thank you for gifting the world with Barbie.
And Greta. Greta, I can’t see you because the cameraman is standing right and I can only see Ryan [Gosling]. (Laughter.) There you are. Greta, thank you for proving through your incredible mastery as a filmmaker that women’s stories have no difficulty achieving cinematic greatness and box office history at the same time and that unabashedly telling female stories does not diminish your powers, it expands them. Greta, your mind, your talent, your heart have inspired us all. And thank you for asking me to be your Gloria.
Thank you to thank you to our Kens — Noah Baumbach, Tom Ackerley, David Heyman and Ryan Gosling — for all being man enough to support women’s work. You are all brilliant and you are more than “Kenough.”
Thank you to Pam Abdy, Mike De Luca, Robbie Brenner and the wonderful teams at Warner Bros. and Mattel for all of your support.
And thank you to my husband, my husband Ryan, not Gosling, the other one. El esposo de Gloria. You see me and my dreams and you believe and support them as if they were your own. I love you.
This is for every kid yearning to break in. I see you, and you’ve got this. Thank you.
Goodnight.
[End of Speech]
Sofia Vergara
- YouTube Video: Sofia Vergara's Funniest Moments on Modern Family
- YouTube Video: Sofia Vergara’s First Fight Scene | Griselda | Netflix Philippines
- YouTube Video: Sofía Vergara Most Savage Moments
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara (Spanish: born July 10, 1972) is a Colombian and American actress and television personality. She is most known for her roles as Griselda Blanco in the Netflix miniseries GRISELDA (2024) as well as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in the ABC sitcom Modern Family (2009–2020), which garnered her four Golden Globe Awards nominations and four Primetime Emmy Awards. The role established her as one of the highest-paid actresses in America.
She rose to prominence while co-hosting two television shows for Spanish-language television network Univision in the late 1990s. Her first notable acting job in English was in the film Chasing Papi (2003).
She subsequently appeared in:
She has also had voice-over roles in the animated films:
Vergara expanded to dramatic roles by portraying drug lord Griselda Blanco in the miniseries Griselda (2024).
Since 2020, she has been a judge on the television talent show America's Got Talent.
Vergara is also known as a business woman, and brand ambassador. She designs her own fashion line for Kmart and signed with both Pepsi and CoverGirl in 2011. She launched her first fragrance "Sofia by Sofia Vergara" in 2014 and has since released four more fragrances.
She is one of the few Latinas in ad campaigns in the United States.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Socia Vergara:
She rose to prominence while co-hosting two television shows for Spanish-language television network Univision in the late 1990s. Her first notable acting job in English was in the film Chasing Papi (2003).
She subsequently appeared in:
- Four Brothers (2005)
- Tyler Perry's comedies:
- Meet the Browns (2008)
- and Madea Goes to Jail (2009),
- receiving an ALMA Award nomination for the latter.
- Vergara also acted in:
- New Year's Eve (2011),
- The Three Stooges (2012),
- Machete Kills (2013),
- Fading Gigolo (2013),
- Chef (2014),
- and Hot Pursuit (2015).
She has also had voice-over roles in the animated films:
- Happy Feet Two (2011),
- Escape from Planet Earth (2013),
- and The Emoji Movie (2017).
Vergara expanded to dramatic roles by portraying drug lord Griselda Blanco in the miniseries Griselda (2024).
Since 2020, she has been a judge on the television talent show America's Got Talent.
Vergara is also known as a business woman, and brand ambassador. She designs her own fashion line for Kmart and signed with both Pepsi and CoverGirl in 2011. She launched her first fragrance "Sofia by Sofia Vergara" in 2014 and has since released four more fragrances.
She is one of the few Latinas in ad campaigns in the United States.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Socia Vergara:
Tyra Banks
- YouTube Video: New 'DWTS' host Tyra Banks shows us her best dance moves l GMA
- YouTube Video: Top 10 Craziest Moments from The Tyra Banks Show
- YouTube Video: Tyra Banks: From model to mogul
Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress.
Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15 and was the first Black American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, the latter on which she appeared three times.
Banks was one of only a few Black models to achieve Supermodel status. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world's top-earning models.
Banks began acting on television in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1993) and made her film debut in the drama Higher Learning (1995). In 2000, she had major film roles, such as Eve in Disney Channel's Life-Size and Zoe in the box-office hit Coyote Ugly.
Banks had small roles in the romantic sports film Love & Basketball (2000), the horror film Halloween: Resurrection (2002), and in the television series Gossip Girl (2009) and Glee (2013).
In 2003, Banks created the long-running reality television series America's Next Top Model, which she executive produced and presented for the first twenty-two seasons, until the series' cancellation in October 2015. She remained executive producer for the revival of the series in 2016 and enlisted Rita Ora as host for the twenty-third cycle before reassuming the duties herself for the twenty-fourth cycle.
Banks was the co-creator of True Beauty (2009–2010), and had her own television talk show, The Tyra Banks Show (2005–2010), which aired on The CW and won two Daytime Emmy awards for Outstanding Talk Show Informative. In 2015, she co-hosted the talk show FABLife for two months.
In 2017, Banks was the host of America's Got Talent for its 12th season. In 2020, she was the host of Dancing with the Stars for its 29th season, also serving as an executive producer.
In 2010, Banks published a young adult novel titled Modelland, based on her life as a model, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011.
She also has her own production company, Bankable Productions, which produced The Tyra Banks Show, America's Next Top Model, and the 2008 film The Clique.
Banks is one of four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly been ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine.
She is also one of only seventeen models to be ranked as a Legendary Supermodel by MODELS.com
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Tyra Banks:
Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15 and was the first Black American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, the latter on which she appeared three times.
Banks was one of only a few Black models to achieve Supermodel status. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world's top-earning models.
Banks began acting on television in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1993) and made her film debut in the drama Higher Learning (1995). In 2000, she had major film roles, such as Eve in Disney Channel's Life-Size and Zoe in the box-office hit Coyote Ugly.
Banks had small roles in the romantic sports film Love & Basketball (2000), the horror film Halloween: Resurrection (2002), and in the television series Gossip Girl (2009) and Glee (2013).
In 2003, Banks created the long-running reality television series America's Next Top Model, which she executive produced and presented for the first twenty-two seasons, until the series' cancellation in October 2015. She remained executive producer for the revival of the series in 2016 and enlisted Rita Ora as host for the twenty-third cycle before reassuming the duties herself for the twenty-fourth cycle.
Banks was the co-creator of True Beauty (2009–2010), and had her own television talk show, The Tyra Banks Show (2005–2010), which aired on The CW and won two Daytime Emmy awards for Outstanding Talk Show Informative. In 2015, she co-hosted the talk show FABLife for two months.
In 2017, Banks was the host of America's Got Talent for its 12th season. In 2020, she was the host of Dancing with the Stars for its 29th season, also serving as an executive producer.
In 2010, Banks published a young adult novel titled Modelland, based on her life as a model, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011.
She also has her own production company, Bankable Productions, which produced The Tyra Banks Show, America's Next Top Model, and the 2008 film The Clique.
Banks is one of four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly been ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine.
She is also one of only seventeen models to be ranked as a Legendary Supermodel by MODELS.com
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Tyra Banks:
- Early life and education
- Modeling career
- Television and film career
- Other ventures
- Personal life
- Philanthropy
- Filmography
- Bibliography
- Awards and nominations
- See also:
- Tyra Banks at IMDb
- Tyra Banks at Fashion Model Directory
- Tyra Banks at AllMovie
- Tyra Banks at People.com
- The Tyra Banks Show website
- The New York Times Profile/Interview
Millie Bobby Brown including the Netflix show "Stranger Things" (Netflix: 2016-Present, and found under the web page "Paranormal"), which launched her Career
- YouTube Video: Millie Bobby Brown Rewatches Stranger Things, Grey's ...
- YouTube Video: Millie Bobby Brown Shares her Favorite Scene from Stranger ...
- YouTube Video: Millie Bobby Brown Takes a Lie Detector Test | Vanity Fair
Millie Bobby Brown (born 19 February 2004) is a British actress. She gained recognition for playing Eleven in the Netflix science fiction series Stranger Things (2016–present), for which she received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Brown has starred in the monster film Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and its sequel Godzilla vs. Kong (2021).
She also starred in and produced the Netflix films Enola Holmes (2020), its 2022 sequel, and Damsel (2024).
In 2018, Brown was featured in the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people, and was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, the then youngest person selected for this position.
Early life:
Brown was born in Marbella, Málaga, Spain, on 19 February 2004, the third of four children born to British parents Kelly and Robert Brown. Brown was given the name "Bobby" from her father.
Her father is an estate agent. She was born with partial hearing loss in her left ear and gradually lost all hearing in that ear over several years. She moved with her family back to England when she was four, settling in Bournemouth. When she was eight, the family moved to Orlando, Florida.
Career:
2013–2017: Early roles and Stranger Things:
In 2013, Brown made her acting debut as a guest star in the ABC fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, a spin-off of Once Upon a Time, portraying the role of Young Alice.
In 2014, she had a starring role in the BBC America paranormal drama-thriller series Intruders as Madison O'Donnell. She made guest appearances in:
In 2016, Brown was cast to play Eleven in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things.
She received critical praise for her performance and she was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
She then won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with her co-stars while also winning the 43rd Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series.
For her role as Eleven in the second season of Stranger Things, she received her second nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Primetime Emmy Award in 2018.
In November 2016, Brown starred in the music video for Sigma and Birdy's single "Find Me". Since November 2016, she has appeared in commercial advertisements for investment and financial service company Citigroup.
In January 2017, she made her modelling debut in Calvin Klein's "By Appointment" campaign. The following month, she was signed to the agency IMG Models. Brown appeared in the campaign of the Italian brand Moncler in the summer of 2018. Brown has also made appearances on the cover of Vogue.
2018–present:
She was chosen to voice in the Darren Aronofsky-produced virtual reality experience Spheres: Songs of Spacetime.
In 2018, she was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time, becoming the youngest person to be included in the list. In addition she was named by Time magazine as one of the most influential teens of 2017 and of 2018.
That year, she become the youngest person ever to be appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
EA Games announced that Brown collaborated with The Sims 4 programmers to feature in the Sims 4 Positivity Challenge.In 2018, The Hollywood Reporter ranked Brown as among Hollywood's top thirty stars under age eighteen.
Brown made her feature film debut in 2019, in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the sequel to the 2014 film Godzilla.
She reprised her role in the next sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). She became the ambassador of UEFA's Together #WePlayStrong campaign.
In 2019, Brown launched Florence by Mills, her own beauty product line. It is available at UK pharmacy Boots, Walmart in the United States, and Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada.
In 2020, Brown starred in and produced the film adaptation of The Enola Holmes Mysteries.
In 2022, Brown reprised her role as Enola Holmes in the sequel, Enola Holmes 2 and according to Variety earned $10 million for the role, emerging as one of the year's highest paid actresses in Hollywood.
Also that year, she was made an ambassador of the fashion brand Louis Vuitton.
Brown released her debut novel, Nineteen Steps, based on her own family history, in September 2023. The novel is described as an "epic story of love, loss and secrets."
In 2024, Brown starred in and executive produced the fantasy film Damsel for Netflix, directed by Spanish filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo based on a screenplay by Dan Mazeau.
She will next star in the Russo brothers's The Electric State, an adaptation of Simon Stålenhag's graphic novel of the same name.
Personal life:
Brown came into the public eye at age 12 after being cast in Stranger Things. At age 14, homophobic quotes, falsely attributed to Brown, circulated on social media in meme form, which Brown stated was one of the reasons she eventually quit Twitter.
In addition to online bullying, she has also faced social media users and articles sexualizing her.
In response, Brown captioned a 2020 Instagram post on her 16th birthday with the comment "There are moments I get frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and unnecessary insults that ultimately have resulted in pain and insecurity for me."
After Brown turned 18 in February 2022, her social media profiles began to be flooded by sexually explicit material from users.
Since 2021, Brown has been in a relationship with actor Jake Bongiovi. In April 2023, Brown announced their engagement.
As of August 2022, she is an online student at Purdue University in Indiana, studying health and human services.
Brown has a total of ten pets: four dogs, two cats, two tortoises named Becky and David, a rabbit named Eeyore and a donkey named Bernard.
In May 2023, Brown announced a long term pet apparel and accessories agreement with Kanine Group subsidiary, Kanine Pets World Limited, in a deal negotiated by Brown's global licensing partner IMG.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Millie Bobby Brown:
Brown has starred in the monster film Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and its sequel Godzilla vs. Kong (2021).
She also starred in and produced the Netflix films Enola Holmes (2020), its 2022 sequel, and Damsel (2024).
In 2018, Brown was featured in the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people, and was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, the then youngest person selected for this position.
Early life:
Brown was born in Marbella, Málaga, Spain, on 19 February 2004, the third of four children born to British parents Kelly and Robert Brown. Brown was given the name "Bobby" from her father.
Her father is an estate agent. She was born with partial hearing loss in her left ear and gradually lost all hearing in that ear over several years. She moved with her family back to England when she was four, settling in Bournemouth. When she was eight, the family moved to Orlando, Florida.
Career:
2013–2017: Early roles and Stranger Things:
In 2013, Brown made her acting debut as a guest star in the ABC fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, a spin-off of Once Upon a Time, portraying the role of Young Alice.
In 2014, she had a starring role in the BBC America paranormal drama-thriller series Intruders as Madison O'Donnell. She made guest appearances in:
- the CBS police procedural drama NCIS,
- the ABC sitcom Modern Family,
- and the ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy.
In 2016, Brown was cast to play Eleven in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things.
She received critical praise for her performance and she was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
She then won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with her co-stars while also winning the 43rd Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series.
For her role as Eleven in the second season of Stranger Things, she received her second nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Primetime Emmy Award in 2018.
In November 2016, Brown starred in the music video for Sigma and Birdy's single "Find Me". Since November 2016, she has appeared in commercial advertisements for investment and financial service company Citigroup.
In January 2017, she made her modelling debut in Calvin Klein's "By Appointment" campaign. The following month, she was signed to the agency IMG Models. Brown appeared in the campaign of the Italian brand Moncler in the summer of 2018. Brown has also made appearances on the cover of Vogue.
2018–present:
She was chosen to voice in the Darren Aronofsky-produced virtual reality experience Spheres: Songs of Spacetime.
In 2018, she was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time, becoming the youngest person to be included in the list. In addition she was named by Time magazine as one of the most influential teens of 2017 and of 2018.
That year, she become the youngest person ever to be appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
EA Games announced that Brown collaborated with The Sims 4 programmers to feature in the Sims 4 Positivity Challenge.In 2018, The Hollywood Reporter ranked Brown as among Hollywood's top thirty stars under age eighteen.
Brown made her feature film debut in 2019, in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the sequel to the 2014 film Godzilla.
She reprised her role in the next sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). She became the ambassador of UEFA's Together #WePlayStrong campaign.
In 2019, Brown launched Florence by Mills, her own beauty product line. It is available at UK pharmacy Boots, Walmart in the United States, and Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada.
In 2020, Brown starred in and produced the film adaptation of The Enola Holmes Mysteries.
In 2022, Brown reprised her role as Enola Holmes in the sequel, Enola Holmes 2 and according to Variety earned $10 million for the role, emerging as one of the year's highest paid actresses in Hollywood.
Also that year, she was made an ambassador of the fashion brand Louis Vuitton.
Brown released her debut novel, Nineteen Steps, based on her own family history, in September 2023. The novel is described as an "epic story of love, loss and secrets."
In 2024, Brown starred in and executive produced the fantasy film Damsel for Netflix, directed by Spanish filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo based on a screenplay by Dan Mazeau.
She will next star in the Russo brothers's The Electric State, an adaptation of Simon Stålenhag's graphic novel of the same name.
Personal life:
Brown came into the public eye at age 12 after being cast in Stranger Things. At age 14, homophobic quotes, falsely attributed to Brown, circulated on social media in meme form, which Brown stated was one of the reasons she eventually quit Twitter.
In addition to online bullying, she has also faced social media users and articles sexualizing her.
In response, Brown captioned a 2020 Instagram post on her 16th birthday with the comment "There are moments I get frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and unnecessary insults that ultimately have resulted in pain and insecurity for me."
After Brown turned 18 in February 2022, her social media profiles began to be flooded by sexually explicit material from users.
Since 2021, Brown has been in a relationship with actor Jake Bongiovi. In April 2023, Brown announced their engagement.
As of August 2022, she is an online student at Purdue University in Indiana, studying health and human services.
Brown has a total of ten pets: four dogs, two cats, two tortoises named Becky and David, a rabbit named Eeyore and a donkey named Bernard.
- Her dogs include a poodle named Winnie,
- a Golden retriever named Marley,
- a mongrel named Pepperoni
- and a Cavapoo named Luna.
- She had an English Mastiff named Dolly who died in 2020.
- She frequently posts photos of fostered cats and dogs on social media to help them get adopted.
In May 2023, Brown announced a long term pet apparel and accessories agreement with Kanine Group subsidiary, Kanine Pets World Limited, in a deal negotiated by Brown's global licensing partner IMG.
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