Caption	Owen at the 2005 San Sebastian International Film Festival
Birth date	October 03, 1964
Birth place	Coventry, England, UK
Spouse	2 children
Occupation	Actor
Yearsactive	1987–present

Clive Owen (born 3 October 1964) is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991. He then garnered critical acclaim for his work in the film Close My Eyes (1991) before getting international notice for his performance as a struggling writer in Croupier (1998). In 2005, Owen won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his appearance in the drama Closer (2004). He has since played leading as well as supporting roles in films such as Sin City (2005), Inside Man (2006), Children of Men (2006) and The International (2009).

Early life

The fourth of five brothers, Owen was born in Coventry, England, the son of Pamela and Jess Owen. His father, a country and western singer, left the family when Owen was three years old, and despite a brief reconciliation when Owen was nineteen, the two have remained estranged. Raised by his mother and stepfather, a railway ticket clerk, he has described his childhood as "rough."

After Closer, he appeared in Derailed alongside Jennifer Aniston, the comic book thriller Sin City as the noir antihero Dwight McCarthy and as a mysterious bank robber in Inside Man. Despite public denials, Owen had long been rumoured to be a possible successor to Pierce Brosnan in the role of James Bond. A public opinion poll in the United Kingdom in October 2005 (SkyNews) found that he was the public's number one choice to star in the next installment of the series. In that same month, however, it was announced that fellow British actor Daniel Craig would become the next James Bond. In an interview in the September 2007 issue of Details, he claimed that he was never offered or even approached concerning the role. In 2006, Owen spoofed the Bond connection by making an appearance in the remake of The Pink Panther in which he plays a character named "Nigel Boswell, Agent 006" (when he introduces himself to Inspector Clouseau, he quips that Owen's character is "one short of the big time").

In 2006, Owen starred in the highly acclaimed Children of Men, for which he received widespread praise. The film was nominated for various awards, including an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; Owen worked on the screenplay, although he was uncredited. The next year he starred alongside Paul Giamatti in the film Shoot 'Em Up and appeared as Sir Walter Raleigh opposite Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth I of England in the film . He appeared in the Christmas special of the Ricky Gervais show Extras, as revealed in the video podcast teaser. Owen starred in The International (2009), a film which he described as a "paranoid political thriller". He then played the lead in The Boys Are Back, an Australian adaptation of the book The Boys Are Back In Town by Simon Carr.

In April 2010, he was cast as the lead in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's horror-thriller Intruders.

In June 2010 it was announced that Owen and Nicole Kidman will star in an HBO film about Ernest Hemingway and his relationship with Martha Gellhorn entitled Hemingway & Gellhorn. James Gandolfini will serve as executive producer to the film written by Barbara Turner and Jerry Stahl. The film will be directed by Philip Kaufman and will reportedly begin shooting next year.

Personal life

In an incident he later described as "very schmaltzy", he met his future wife, the actress Sarah-Jane Fenton, when they performed the leads in Romeo and Juliet at the Young Vic. The couple married on 6 March 1995 and live in Highgate, London and Wrabness, north Essex, with their two daughters – Hannah and Evie.

In November 2006, he became patron of the Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich, Essex, England and launched an appeal for funds to repair deteriorating elements of the fabric.

He enjoys the music of indie rock band Hard-Fi and has been seen at two of their concerts, Brixton Academy, 15 May 2006 and Wembley Arena, 18 December 2007. He is also an avid Liverpool F.C fan.

Filmography

References

External links

Category:1964 births Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Coventry

Name	Ridley Scott
Caption	Ridley Scott in 2006
Birth date	November 30, 1937
Birth place	South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom
Death date
Occupation	Film director, film producer
Years active	1965–present
Spouse	Felicity Heywood (1964–1975)Sandy Watson (1979–1989)

Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer known for his stylish visuals and an obsession for detail. His films include The Duellists (1977), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Legend (1985), Thelma & Louise (1991), Gladiator (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), Hannibal (2001), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), American Gangster (2007), Body of Lies (2008), and Robin Hood (2010).

Scott is to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. He is the older brother of film director Tony Scott.

Background

Scott was born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England, the son of Elizabeth and Colonel Francis Percy Scott. He was raised in an Army family, meaning that for most of his early life, his father — an officer in the Royal Engineers — was absent. Ridley's older brother, Frank, joined the Merchant Navy when he was still young and the pair had little contact. During this time the family moved around, living in (among other areas) Cumbria, Wales and Germany. He has a younger brother, Tony, also a film director. After the Second World War, the Scott family moved back to their native north-east England, eventually settling in Teesside (whose industrial landscape would later inspire similar scenes in Blade Runner). He enjoyed watching films, and his favourites include Lawrence of Arabia, Citizen Kane and Seven Samurai. Scott studied in Teesside from 1954 to 1958, at Grangefield Grammar School and later in West Hartlepool College of Art, graduating with a Diploma in Design. He progressed to an M.A. in graphic design at the Royal College of Art from 1960 to 1962.

At the RCA he contributed to the college magazine, ARK and helped to establish its film department. For his final show, he made a black and white short film, Boy and Bicycle, starring his younger brother, Tony Scott, and his father. The film's main visual elements would become features of Scott's later work; it was issued on the 'Extras' section of The Duellists DVD. After graduation in 1963, he secured a job as a trainee set designer with the BBC, leading to work on the popular television police series Z-Cars and the science fiction series Out of the Unknown. Scott was an admirer of Stanley Kubrick early in his development as a director. For his entry to the BBC traineeship, Scott remade Paths of Glory as a short film.

He was assigned to design the second Doctor Who serial, The Daleks, which would have entailed realising the famous alien creatures. However, shortly before Scott was due to start work, a schedule conflict meant that he was replaced on the serial by Raymond Cusick.

At the BBC, Scott was placed into a director training programme and, before he left the corporation, had directed episodes of Z-Cars, its spin-off, Softly, Softly, and adventure series Adam Adamant Lives!.

In 1968, Ridley and Tony Scott founded Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a film and commercial production company. Five members of the Scott family are directors, all working for RSA. Brother Tony has been a successful film director for more than two decades; sons, Jake and Luke are both acclaimed commercials directors as is his daughter, Jordan Scott. Jake and Jordan both work from Los Angeles and Luke is based in London.

In 1995, Shepperton Studios was purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott, which extensively renovated the studios while also expanding and improving its grounds.

Early career

Scott left the BBC in 1968 and established a production company, Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), working with Alan Parker, Hugh Hudson, Hugh Johnson and employing his younger brother, Tony. After making television commercials in the UK during the 1970s, including most notably the 1974 Hovis advert, "Bike Round" (New World Symphony), which was filmed in Shaftesbury, Dorset, he moved to Hollywood, where he produced and directed a number of top box office films.

Early films

The Duellists

The Duellists of 1977 was Ridley Scott's first feature film. It was produced in Europe and won a Best Debut Film medal at the Cannes Film Festival but made limited commercial impact in the US. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, it featured two French Hussar officers, D'Hubert and Feraud (played by Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel). Their quarrel over an initially minor incident turns into a bitter, long-drawn out feud over the following fifteen years, interwoven with the larger conflict that provides its backdrop. The film is lauded for its historically authentic portrayal of Napoleonic uniforms and military conduct, as well as its accurate early-19th-century fencing techniques recreated by fight choreographer William Hobbs.

Alien

Scott's box office disappointment with The Duellists was compounded by the success received by Alan Parker with American-backed films — Scott admitted he was "ill for a week" with envy. Scott had originally planned to next adapt a version of Tristan and Iseult, but after seeing , he became convinced of the potential of large scale, effects-driven films. He therefore accepted the job of directing Alien, the ground-breaking 1979 horror/science-fiction film that would give him international recognition. The film was mostly shot in 1978, but Scott's production design and atmospheric visuals, and the film's emphasis on realism over movie heroics have given Alien almost ageless appeal.

While Scott would not direct the three Alien sequels, the female action hero Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver), introduced in the first film, would become a cinematic icon. Scott was involved in the 2003 restoration and re-release of the film including media interviews for its promotion. At this time Scott indicated that he had been in discussions to make the fifth and final film in the Alien franchise. However, in a 2006 interview, the director remarked that he had been unhappy about Alien: The Director's Cut, feeling that the original was "pretty flawless" and that the additions were merely a marketing tool.

Blade Runner

After a year working on the film adaptation of Dune, and following the sudden death of his brother Frank, Scott signed to direct the film version of Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Starring Harrison Ford and featuring an acclaimed soundtrack by Vangelis, Blade Runner was a disappointment in theatres in 1982 and was pulled shortly thereafter. Scott's notes were used by Warner Brothers to create a rushed director's cut in 1991 which removed the voiceovers and modified the ending. Scott personally supervised a digital restoration of Blade Runner and approved the Final Cut. This version was released in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto cinemas on 5 October 2007, and as an elaborate DVD release on 18 December 2007. Today Blade Runner is often ranked by critics as one of the most important science fiction films of the 20th century and is usually discussed along with William Gibson's novel Neuromancer as initiating the cyberpunk genre. Scott regards Blade Runner as his "most complete and personal film".

"1984" Apple Macintosh commercial

In 1984 Scott directed the television commercial 1984, written by Steve Hayden and Lee Clow, produced by Chiat/Day, and starring Anya Major as the unnamed heroine and David Graham as "Big Brother". It was released for a single airing in the United States on 22 January 1984 during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. It introduced the Macintosh for the first time and is now considered a "watershed event" and a "masterpiece".

1984 used the unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by her white tank top with a Picasso-style picture of Apple’s Macintosh computer on it) as a means of saving humanity from "conformity" (Big Brother).

These images were an allusion to George Orwell's noted novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, which described a dystopian future ruled by a fictional "Big Brother".

Legend

In 1985 Scott directed Legend, a fantasy film produced by Arnon Milchan. Having not tackled the fairy tale genre, Scott decided to create a "once upon a time" film set in a world of fairies, princesses, and goblins. Scott cast Tom Cruise as the film's hero, Jack, Mia Sara as Princess Lily, and Tim Curry as the Satan-like Lord of Darkness. But a series of problems with both principal photography, including the destruction of the forest set by fire, and post-production (including heavy editing and substitution of Jerry Goldsmith's original score with a score by Tangerine Dream) hampered the film's release and as a result Legend received scathing reviews. Following a DVD release, it has since become a cult classic.

1987–92

Desiring a box office hit and respect from the press, who considered him a commercial filmmaker devoted to fantastic visuals with little substance, Scott decided to postpone further science fiction and fantasy work to avoid being typecast. Instead, he began to focus on down-to-earth, mature, suspense thrillers.

Among them came Someone to Watch Over Me, a romantic police drama starring Tom Berenger, Lorraine Bracco and Mimi Rogers in 1987, and Black Rain, a 1989 cop drama starring Michael Douglas and Andy García, shot partially in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. Both achieved mild success at the box office.

Again, Scott received praise for lavish visuals, but was still criticised for films that were little more than extended versions of his glossy TV commercials.

Thelma & Louise (1991) starring Geena Davis as Thelma, and Susan Sarandon as Louise, was successful, and revived Scott's reputation. However, his next project—an independent movie, —was less successful. It is a visually striking film telling the story of Christopher Columbus. However, it was a box office failure, and Scott did not release another film for four years.

Recent career

In 1995, with his brother Tony, Scott formed the film and television production company, Scott Free Productions in Los Angeles. All his subsequent feature films, starting with White Squall and G.I. Jane, starring Demi Moore and Viggo Mortensen, were produced under the Scott Free banner. Also in 1995 the two brothers purchased controlling interest in Shepperton Studios, which later merged with Pinewood Studios. Scott and his brother have produced, since 2005, the CBS series Numb3rs, a crime drama about a genius mathematician who helps the FBI solve crimes.

Gladiator–2005

The huge success of Scott's film Gladiator (2000) has been credited with reviving the nearly defunct "sword and sandal" historical genre. Scott then turned to Hannibal, the sequel to Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs. In 2001, Scott released the war film, Black Hawk Down (2001), which further established his position as a critically and financially successful film maker. The film won two Oscars.

In 2003 Scott directed Matchstick Men, adapted from the novel by Eric Garcia and starring Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman. It received mostly positive reviews and performed moderately at the box office. In 2005 he made the modestly successful Kingdom of Heaven, a movie about the Crusades which consciously sought to connect history to current events. The Moroccan government sent the Moroccan cavalry as extras in the epic battle scenes.

Unhappy with the theatrical version of the film (which he blamed on paying too much attention to the opinions of preview audiences), Scott supervised a director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven, which was released on DVD in 2006. In an interview to promote the latter, when asked if he was against previewing in general, Scott stated: "It depends who's in the driving seat. If you've got a lunatic doing my job, then you need to preview. But a good director should be experienced enough to judge what he thinks is the correct version to go out into the cinema."

2006–present

Scott teamed up again with Gladiator star Russell Crowe, directing the movie A Good Year, based on the best-selling book. The film was released on 10 November 2006, with a score by Marc Streitenfeld. Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp and Subsidiary studio 20th Century Fox (who backed the film) dismissed A Good Year as "a flop" at a shareholders' meeting only a few days after the film's release.

Scott's next directorial work was on American Gangster, the story of real-life drug kingpin Frank Lucas. He was the third director to attempt the project after Antoine Fuqua and Terry George. Denzel Washington and Benicio del Toro had been cast in the initial Steven Zaillian-scripted project under the working title Tru Blu, both actors having been paid salaries of $20 m and $15 m respectively without doing any production on the film. Following George's departure, Scott took over the project in early 2006. He had Zaillian rewrite the script to focus on the dynamic between Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts. Washington signed back on to the project as Lucas, and Crowe signed on to play Roberts. The film finally premiered in November 2007 to positive reviews and good box office. In late 2008 Scott released the espionage thriller Body of Lies starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Crowe once again which opened to luke-warm ticket-sales and mixed reviews.

Scott directed an adaptation of Robin Hood titled Robin Hood, which starred Russell Crowe as Robin Hood and Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, and which was released on 13 May 2010 in Australia and 14 May 2010 in America. The film also starred Max von Sydow and William Hurt.

Scott and his brother Tony produced the film adaptation of the 1980s TV cult classic The A-Team, which was directed by Joe Carnahan and released on 11 June 2010.

Planned projects

In October 2007, it was announced that Scott would be directing Blood Meridian, a movie adaptation of the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. It was later announced in 2008 that Todd Field had taken over the position.

In April 2008, Scott announced his new project, The Kind One, a period drama set for release in 2010. The film will star recent Academy Award nominee Casey Affleck.

On 12 October 2008, Scott confirmed that after a 25 year wait for the rights to become available, he is making a return to science fiction with a film adaptation of the book The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. He was looking for a script writer. In March 2009, Scott confirmed that the film would be in 3D citing James Cameron's Avatar as an inspiration for doing so. "I'm filming a book by Joe Haldeman called Forever War. I've got a good writer doing it. I've seen some of James Cameron's work, and I've got to go 3D. It's going to be phenomenal."

Another science fiction project to which Scott has been attached is an adaptation of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, with Leonardo DiCaprio also attached.

On 31 July 2009, news of a two part prequel to Alien surfaced, with Ridley attached to direct. The film is being developed by 20th Century Fox.

Scott announced on 15 October 2009 that he will direct a film adaptation of the Red Riding trilogy.

On 6 July 2010, YouTube announced the launch of Life In A Day, an experimental documentary that will be executive produced by Scott. It will incorporate footage shot on 24 July 2010 that is submitted by YouTube users from around the world.

Personal life

Ridley Scott was married to Felicity Heywood from 1964 to 1975. The couple had two sons, Jake and Luke, both of whom work as directors on Scott's production company Ridley Scott Associates. Scott later married advertising executive Sandy Watson in 1979, with whom he had a daughter, Jordan Scott, and divorced in 1989.

His current partner is the actress Giannina Facio, whom he has cast in all his movies since White Squall except American Gangster. He divides his time between homes in London, France, and Los Angeles.

Approach and style

Scott was not initially considered an actors' director , but has become more receptive to ideas from his cast as his career has developed. Examples include Susan Sarandon's suggestions that the character of Louise pack shoes in plastic bags in one scene of Thelma & Louise, and another where her character exchanges jewellery for a hat and other items— and Tim Robbins' collaboration with Scott and Susan Sarandon to rework the final scene with a more upbeat ending. Russell Crowe commented, "I like being on Ridley's set because actors can perform [...] and the focus is on the performers." Paul M. Sammon, in his book , commented in an interview with Brmovie.com that Scott's relationship with his actors has improved considerably over the years.

On the other hand, he can be a demanding and difficult director to work for. He was nicknamed "Guvnor" in the Blade Runner production. Several crew members wore protest t-shirts with slogans such as "Yes Guvnor, my ass" and "Will Rogers never met Ridley Scott" in reference to Will Rogers' most famous quotation, "I never met a man I didn't like". This was mainly in response to the way that Scott directed his first American crew, which some considered too harsh.

His striking visual style, incorporating a detailed approach to production design and innovative, atmospheric lighting, has been influential on a subsequent generation of filmmakers — many of whom have imitated his style. Scott commonly uses slow pacing until the action sequences, which are characterised by frequent, rapid edits. Examples include Alien and Blade Runner; the LA Times critic Sheila Benson, for example, would call the latter "Blade Crawler" "because it's so damn slow". Another technique he employs is use of sound or music to build tension, as heard in Alien, with hissing steam, beeping computers and the noise of the machinery in the space ship.

Scott has developed a method for filming intricate shots as swiftly as possible:

"I like working, always, with a minimum of three cameras. [...] So those 50 set-ups [a day] might only be 25 set-ups except I'm covering in the set-up. So you're finished. I mean, if you take a little bit more time to prep on three cameras, or if it's a big stunt, eleven cameras, and — whilst it may take 45 minutes to set up — then when you're ready you say 'Action!', and you do three takes, two takes and is everybody happy? You say, 'Yeah, that's it.' So you move on."

Some of his movies feature strong conflicts between father and son that usually end with the latter killing the former (Blade Runner, Gladiator) or witnessing the event (Kingdom of Heaven). The Lord of Darkness in Legend also mentions his "father" on a few occasions. As part of the conflict between father and son there are some repetitive scenes: in Gladiator, the son hugs the father seemingly as an expression of love but this embrace turns into the suffocation and death of the father. There is a similar sequence in Blade Runner.

Scott utilises cityscapes as an emphasis to his storytelling (i.e., a futuristic Los Angeles in Blade Runner, Tokyo in Black Rain, Jerusalem in Kingdom of Heaven).

In Gladiator, Blade Runner and Kingdom of Heaven, a son gets to know his father when he is grown up. Other common elements are that the mother is not seen, and that the son or father is seen performing his last actions. For example, Roy Batty is dying when he saves Deckard, Maximus dies after killing Commodus and Godfrey of Ibelin kills some enemies after he has been mortally wounded by an arrow. In addition, the hero is saved from death before attaining his greatest deeds: Deckard is saved by Rachel, Maximus is saved by a slave and Balian is saved by a Muslim enemy. Similar situations can be seen in Tony Scott's Man on Fire.

Military and officer classes as characters reflecting his father's career, such as in G.I. Jane and Black Hawk Down and Kingdom of Heaven.

Storyboarding his films extensively. These illustrations, when made by himself, have been referred to as "Ridleygrams" in DVD releases.

Like Stanley Kubrick, Scott was once known for requesting a great many takes. This was evident on Blade Runner: the crew nicknamed the movie "Blood Runner" because of this.

He often makes use of classical music (the Hovis advertisements, Someone to Watch Over Me).

Extensive use of smoke and other atmospheres (in Alien, Blade Runner and Black Rain), plus fans and fan-like objects (Blade Runner, Black Rain and the large Boeing jet engines in the 1984 TV advertisement). Fans are also used in Hannibal, for symbolic purposes.

Consistency in his choice of composers, using Jerry Goldsmith (Alien and Legend), Vangelis (Blade Runner and 1492: Conquest of Paradise) or Hans Zimmer (Black Rain, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down and Matchstick Men). Scott has also twice used songs by Sting during the film credits ("Valparaiso" for White Squall and "Someone to Watch Over Me" for the movie of the same title).

DVD format and director's cut

Scott is known for his enthusiasm for the DVD format, providing audio commentaries and interviews for all his films where possible. In the July 2006 issue of Total Film magazine, he stated: "After all the work we go through, to have it run in the cinema and then disappear forever is a great pity. To give the film added life is really cool for both those who missed it and those who really loved it." He was knighted in the 2003 New Year honours.

Ridley Scott box office

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Date ! Movie ! Studio ! United States gross ! Worldwide gross ! Theatres ! Opening weekend ! Opening theatres ! Budget |- | 1977 | The Duellists | Par. | | | | | | $900,000 |- | 1979 | Alien | Fox | $80,931,801 | $104,931,801 | 757 | $3,527,881 | 91 | $11,000,000 |- | 1982 | Blade Runner | WB | $32,768,670 | $33,139,618 | 1,325 | $6,150,002 | 1,295 | $28,000,000 |- | 1985 | Legend | Uni. | $15,502,112 | | 1,187 | $4,261,154 | 1,187 | $30,000,000 |- | 1987 | Someone to Watch Over Me | Col. | $10,278,549 | | 894 | $2,908,796 | 892 | $17,000,000 |- | 1989 | Black Rain | Par. | $46,212,055 | $134,212,055 | 1,760 | $9,677,102 | 1,610 | $30,000,000 |- | 1991 | Thelma & Louise | MGM | $45,360,915 | | 1,180 | $6,101,297 | 1,179 | $16,500,000 |- | 1992 | | Par. | $7,191,399 | | 1,008 | $3,002,680 | 1,008 | $47,000,000 |- | 1996 | White Squall | BV | $10,292,300 | | 1,524 | $3,908,514 | 1,524 | $38,000,000 |- | 1997 | G.I. Jane | BV | $48,169,156 | | 2,043 | $11,094,241 | 1,945 | $50,000,000 |- | 2000 | Gladiator | DW | $187,705,427 | $457,640,427 | 3,188 | $34,819,017 | 2,938 | $103,000,000 |- | 2001 | Hannibal | MGM | $165,092,268 | $351,692,268 | 3,292 | $58,003,121 | 3,230 | $87,000,000 |- | 2001 | Black Hawk Down | SonR | $108,638,745 | $172,989,651 | 3,143 | $179,823 | 4 | $92,000,000 |- | 2003 | Matchstick Men | WB | $36,906,460 | $65,565,672 | 2,711 | $13,087,307 | 2,711 | N/A |- | 2005 | Kingdom of Heaven | Fox | $47,398,413 | $211,652,051 | 3,219 | $19,635,996 | 3,216 | $130,000,000 |- | 2006 |A Good Year | Fox | $7,459,300 | $42,056,466 | 2,067 | $3,721,526 | 2,066 | $35,000,000 |- | 2007 | American Gangster | Uni. | $130,164,645 | $265,697,825 | 3,110 | $43,565,115 | 3,054 | $100,000,000 |- | 2008 | Body of Lies | WB | $39,394,666 | $115,321,950 | 2,714 | $12,884,416 | 2,710 | $70,000,000 |- | 2010 | Robin Hood | Uni. | $105,269,730 | $321,669,730 | 3,505 | $36,063,385 | 3,503 | $155,000,000 |- | 2012 | Prometheus | Fox | | | | | | |}

Filmography

Commercials

Bike Round for Hovis (1973)

Chanel... Share the fantasy. for Chanel (1979)

1984 for Apple Computer (1984)

Deficit Trials for W.R. Grace (1986)

The Choice of a New Generation for Pepsi (1986) (Starred Don Johnson and Glenn Frey)

''Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo Super Bowl commercial (1992)

Awards and important nominations

Awards

Cannes

* 1977: The Duellists

Saturn Awards

* 1979: Alien

Important nominations

Academy Awards

* 1991: Thelma & Louise

* 2000: Gladiator

* 2001: Black Hawk Down

Golden Globe

* 2000: Gladiator

* 2006: American Gangster

BAFTA

* 1991: Thelma & Louise (Best Film)

* 1991: Thelma & Louise (Best Director)

* 2000: Gladiator (Best Director)

* 2006: American Gangster (Best Film)

Music Videos

Satellite 15... The Final Frontier by Iron Maiden.

TV shows

Numb3rs (Producer, 2005–2010)

The Good Wife (Executive producer, 2009–present)

The Pillars of the Earth (Executive producer, 2010–present)

References

External links

Ridley Scott at Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile

Ridley Scott Associates (RSA)

They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?

Video interview with STV's Grant Lauchlan, discussing Kingdom of Heaven and Blade Runner

Times Interview with Ridley Scott 5 October 2006

Total Film: Interview with Ridley Scott, 15 July 2007

RSA Films (Ridley and Tony Scott's advertising production company), 30 November 2007

Category:1937 births Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Art Category:Apple Inc. advertising Category:English film directors Category:English film producers Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Living people Category:People from South Shields Category:Science Fiction Hall of Fame

Caption	F. Murray Abraham, 2008
Birth name	Fahrid Murray Abraham
Birth date	October 24, 1939
Birth place	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names	Frank Murray Abraham
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1971–present
Spouse

Fahrid Murray Abraham (born October 24, 1939) is an American actor. He became known during the 1980s after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus. He appeared in many roles, both leading and supporting, in films such as All the President's Men and Scarface. He is also known for his television and theatre work.

Early life

Abraham was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Josephine, a housewife, and Fahrid Abraham, an auto mechanic. who immigrated from Syria during the 1920s famine; his paternal grandfather was a cantor in the Syriac Orthodox Church. He was a gang member during his teenage years. He worked with Pacino again in the gangster film Scarface in 1983, playing drug dealer Omar Suárez.

Abraham won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (1984).

Immediately after Amadeus, he appeared in The Name of the Rose (1986), in which he played Bernardo Gui, nemesis to Sean Connery's William of Baskerville. His director on the film, Jean-Jacques Annaud, has described Abraham as an "egomaniac" on the set, who considered himself more important than Sean Connery, since Connery did not have an Oscar.

Since Amadeus, he has mainly focused on classical theatre, and has starred in many Shakespearean productions such as Othello and Richard III, as well as many other plays by the likes of Samuel Beckett and Gilbert and Sullivan.

He is also known for his roles in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995), Ahdar Ru'afo in (1998), and Gus Van Sant's Finding Forrester (2000), where he once again played nemesis to Connery.

Abraham has focused on stage work throughout his career, giving notable performances as Pozzo in Mike Nichols's production of Waiting for Godot, Malvolio in Twelfth Night for the New York Shakespeare Festival, and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, for the Off Broadway Theatre For A New Audience (TFANA) in March 2007, which was performed at the Duke Theatre in New York and also at The Swan Theatre, part of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Abraham most recently made a guest appearance on the popular television series Saving Grace, on which he played an angel, Matthew and the , on which he played Dr. Theodore Nichols, father of Det. Zach Nichols.

Oscar jinx

Abraham's relatively low-profile film career subsequent to his Academy Award has been widely considered an example of the "Oscar jinx". According to film critic Leonard Maltin, professional failure following an early success is referred to in Hollywood circles as the "F. Murray Abraham syndrome". Abraham rejects this notion and once told an interviewer:

The Oscar is the single most important event of my career. I have dined with kings, shared equal billing with my idols, lectured at Harvard and Columbia. If this is a jinx, I'll take two.

In the same interview, Abraham said:

Even though I won the Oscar, I can still take the subway in New York, and nobody recognizes me. Some actors might find that disconcerting, but I find it refreshing.

Personal life

Abraham has been married to Kate Hannan since 1962; they have two children. He taught Theater at Brooklyn College.

Work

Filmography

Theatre credits

Angels in America

The Ritz

Triumph of Love

Teibele and Her Demon

Othello

Landscape of the Body

Richard II

''King Lear

Much Ado About Nothing

The Fantasticks

Waiting for Godot

Mauritius

Oedipus Rex

Twelfth Night

The Merchant of Venice

A Life in the Theatre

Almost an Evening

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Legend

Awards and honours

Theatre

1980: Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Play, for Teibele and Her Demon - Nominated

1992: Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Play, for A Life in the Theatre - Nominated

Film

1984: Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Actor, for Amadeus - Won

1985: Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for Best Actor (Tied with Albert Finney for Under the Volcano (1984)), for Amadeus - Won

1985: Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role, for Amadeus - Won

1985: Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, for Amadeus - Won

1986: BAFTA Awards for Best Actor, for Amadeus - Nominated

Awards for lifetime achievement

In July 2004, during a ceremony in Rome, he was awarded the "Premio per gli Italiani nel Mondo". This is a prize distributed by the Marzio Tremaglia foundation and the Italian government to Italian emigrants and their descendants who have distinguished themselves abroad.

In popular culture

In The Simpsons episode "", Homer rushes home to see Abraham on Inside the Actors Studio and does not stop for a bathroom break, consequently costing his father his kidneys.

In the season six episode of Monk, "Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan", Abraham is an object of obsession for the character Marci Maven.

In January 2010, Abraham was the on-the-scene hero of a real-life crime scene at the Classic Stage Company in New York, when he traded blows with a thief in the dressing room area during a public rehearsal.

References

External links

F. Murray Abraham at Internet off-Broadway Database

Yahoo! Movies Biography

F. Murray Abraham at IMG Artists

Category:1939 births Category:Actors from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American people of Assyrian descent Category:American actors of Italian descent Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Brooklyn College faculty Category:Living people

Name	Jonathan Ross
Caption	Jonathan Ross at Live 8 on 2 July 2005
Birth name	Jonathan Stephen Ross
Birth date	November 17, 1960
Birth place	Camden, London, England
Occupation	Broadcaster, film critic
Years active	1980–present
Spouse

Jonathan Stephen Ross OBE (born 17 November 1960) is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross from 2001 until he left the BBC in 2010. Ross is to host a new chat show on ITV1 from 2011. Ross also hosted his own radio show on BBC Radio 2, and acted as a film critic and presenter of The Film Programme. Other regular roles have included being a regular panellist on the comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over from 1999 to 2006, and presenting the annual British Comedy Awards from 1991 to 2007, and 2009 onwards.

Ross began his television career as a programme researcher, before débuting as a television presenter for The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross on Channel 4 in 1987. Over the next decade he had several radio and television roles, many through his own production company, Channel X. In 1995 he sold his stake in Channel X, and embarked on a career with the BBC. In 1999, Ross took over presenting The Film Programme from Barry Norman, and also began presenting his own radio show, while two years later he began hosting Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. For the chat show, Ross won three British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards for Best Entertainment Performance, in 2004, 2006 and 2007. By 2006 Ross was believed to be the BBC's highest paid star. In 2005, Ross was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to broadcasting. Ross has a boldness in presenting, which some would consider often risqué, and as a result, he has sometimes been surrounded by controversy. As a result, in 2008 he wrote a semi-autobiographical work titled Why Do I Say These Things?, detailing some of his life experiences.

Ross has been married to the author, journalist and broadcaster Jane Goldman since 1988; they have three children. Ross and Goldman have together established the television production company Hotsauce TV. Ross is known as an avid fan and collector of comic books and memorabilia, and has written his own comic book, Turf. Ross is known for his distinctive voice, flamboyant style of dress, He grew up in Leytonstone

Broadcast career

Early career

Ross began his career as a researcher on the Channel 4 show Loose Talk. After leaving this, he worked on various other shows before beginning another research job on Soul Train, which became Solid Soul. It is believed his first appearance on television was as an extra in the 1981 It Ain't Half Hot, Mum episode, The Last Roll Call.

Channel X: 1987–95

Whilst on Solid Soul, he met fellow researcher Alan Marke, and the two devised what would prove to be a breakthrough hit for Ross in 1987, The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross.

The pair based their concept on the successful American show Late Night with David Letterman, and formed a new production company called Channel X, to produce a pilot. Ross was not originally slated as the show's host, but with little time to find one Jonathan Ross stepped in and made his television debut on the show in January 1987.

While the series was initially a co-production with Colin Calendar, ownership transferred to Marke and Ross, meaning that the latter retained a great deal of control as well as being presenter. The show proved popular for both Ross and for Channel 4, making him one of the major personalities on the channel.

A year later, his documentary series The Incredibly Strange Film Show introduced many to the works of cult filmmakers like Sam Raimi and Jackie Chan.

In 1989, he co-presented the biennial BBC charity telethon Comic Relief, the same year he launched One Hour with Jonathan Ross a short lived chat show on Channel 4, most notable for the game show segment "Knock down ginger" which introduced comedians such as Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson to television.

In 1991, he presented the annual British Comedy Awards on ITV. He has presented the event each year since, but in 2008 announced he would be stepping down from the role following his suspension from the BBC. In 1992 he presented an interview with Madonna about her Erotica album and Sex Book promotion.

In 1993, he was the narrator for FIA Formula One 1993 Season Review video.

Ross has appeared in numerous television entertainment programmes on several channels throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He was a regular panellist on the sports quiz They Think It's All Over, and hosted the panel game It's Only TV...But I Like It. Other projects include the BBC joke-quiz Gagtag, the Channel 4 variety show Saturday Zoo, new-acts showcase The Big Big Talent Show, and the ITV programme Fantastic Facts.

In 1995 he left Channel X, despite its profitable nature. He was quoted in a 1998 article as stating:

Television 1999–2006

He took over presenting of The Film Programme in 1999, the BBC's long-running cinema review series, after Barry Norman left the show. Ross himself has made a number of cameo appearances in films, playing himself in the Spice Girls' film Spiceworld (1997) and voicing the character of Doris in the UK version of Shrek 2 (2004). He also played himself in Only Fools and Horses, presenting Goldrush, a fictional television quiz on which the main character, Del Boy, was a contestant. In 2001 he voiced characters in two episodes of the animated comedy series Rex the Runt. In the 30 October episode of Film 2006, Ross also claimed that he had appeared as an extra in the 1981 movie 'The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin', as an Israeli soldier raiding Entebbe airport. He also appeared on the first pilot show for Shooting Stars, acting as a team captain.

BBC Radio: 1999–2010

Ross began presenting a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2 in 1999. He has also presented radio shows for BBC Radio 1 and Virgin Radio (having previously worked on Richard Branson's earlier venture, Radio Radio), as well as the now-defunct commercial radio network service The Superstation, where his producer was Chris Evans.

From 23 May 2009, Ross' BBC Radio 2 show was pre-recorded 24 hours before broadcast. This decision was made to make the show more watertight and, according to the press, to make sure Ross's off-the-cuff comments that may, and have, cause offence can be edited out.

Ross' show on Radio 2 last aired on 17 July 2010 when his contract at the BBC ended.

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross: 2001–10

at Live 8 in July 2005]] On 2 November 2001, Ross began presenting his chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

In 2005, Ross anchored the BBC television coverage of the Live 8 concerts. Later that year he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting. He celebrated the news by playing "God Save the Queen" by The Sex Pistols (which was banned by the BBC when released in 1977) on his BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show. On 21 June 2006 Ross was made a Fellow of University College London, where he studied.

In early 2006, Ross announced that after eight years he was quitting his regular panellist seat on the sport/comedy quiz show They Think It's All Over, stating:

However, after Ross' departure, only two more episodes of the show were made before it was cancelled.

In January 2006 he presented Jonathan Ross' Asian Invasion, broadcast on BBC Four. The three-part documentary followed Ross as he explored the film industry in Japan, Hong Kong and Korea, interviewing directors and showcasing clips. His interest in Asian culture and his self confessed love for anime and video games led him to making three series of BBC Three show Japanorama, as well as producing another series for the same channel called Adam and Joe Go Tokyo, starring Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish. He produced the latter programme through his own production company Hot Sauce.

In June 2006, a bidding war was sparked between BBC and other broadcasters for Ross' services. Although other broadcasters were unsuccessful in poaching Ross, it is believed that their bids were higher than the BBC during negotiations. ITV, who bid for Ross, poached chat host Michael Parkinson around the same time. Ross became the highest paid television personality in Britain, when a new BBC contract secured his services until 2010, for a reported £18 million (£6 million/year).

On 25 June 2006, he performed at the Children's Party At The Palace for The Queen's 80th birthday. In August 2006, Ross was enlisted to ask the first question since the transition from beta for the Yahoo Answers in UK and Ireland. On 16 March 2007, Ross hosted Comic Relief 2007 alongside Fearne Cotton and Lenny Henry. On 7 July 2007 Ross presented at the Live Earth concert.

Starting on 10 September 2007 he presented the BBC Four series Comics Britannia, about the history of the British comic. This forms the core of a Comics Britannia season, which includes another documentary, In Search of Steve Ditko, by Ross.

In May 2008, Ross won the Sony Gold Award "Music Radio Personality of the Year".

On 3 August 2008, on BBC1, he hosted Jonathan Ross Salutes Dad's Army.

In 2010, Ross took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.

On 7 April 2010, Ross' first comic book was published. Turf was written by Jonathan himself and drawn by artist Tommy Lee Edwards.

Leaving the BBC (2010)

On 7 January 2010, Ross confirmed that he would leave the BBC in July 2010, having decided not to renegotiate his contract. This would see him leave all his regular BBC roles, namely his Friday night chat show, Radio 2 show and a film review programme, although he would be continuing with some specials, such as Comic Relief and the BAFTA Awards.

Explaining the decision, Ross said:

Although I have had a wonderful time working for the BBC, and am very proud of the shows I have made while there, over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end. While there, I have worked with some of the nicest and most talented people in the industry and had the opportunity to interview some of the biggest stars in the world, and am grateful to the BBC for such a marvellous experience. I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated

The decision came a day after it was announced that Graham Norton had signed a two year deal with the BBC, and the BBC's media correspondent Torin Douglas speculated Norton would be a ready-made replacement for Ross's chat show role, while Mark Kermode of BBC Radio 5 Live was a potential successor in the film review role, but that "replacing Ross on radio will be harder".

Ross's final Friday Night chat show episode aired on 16 July 2010, with David Beckham, Jackie Chan, Mickey Rourke and Roxy Music as guests. Ross ended the show with an affectionate tribute to his guests and to the audience, while mentioning that he had promised his friend Morrissey that he would remain composed and "wouldn't cry". His final Radio 2 show was broadcast the following day. Patrick Kielty initially took over Ross' Radio 2 slot from 24 July 2010 after which Graham Norton took over permanently.

ITV (2010 onwards)

Ross will host a new chat show on ITV1, to begin shortly before Christmas 2010. The first series will run for thirteen weeks and Prince Harry will be the only guest on the first show. Speaking about the new show, Ross said: "I am thrilled and excited that after a short break I will be rolling up my sleeves and creating a brand new show for ITV1."

On 19 December 2010 Ross presented a three hour Channel 4 list show, 100 Greatest Toys, with the broadcaster describing Ross as a "huge toy enthusiast with a private collection that would rival any museum's."

Controversies

BBC contract

In April 2006, Ross, along with other BBC personalities, had details of his fees leaked to the tabloid press. It was claimed at the time by a then unidentified BBC mole, that Ross earned £530,000 (equivalent to £10,000 per show) per year for hosting his Radio 2 show. This was a controversial revelation. For some, the BBC was abusing its dominant position over commercial rivals in paying popular personalities such high fees, and for others debasing its public service remit. While refusing to comment specifically on the leak in line with the BBC policy on the matter, Ross did hint during his radio show that the figure was exaggerated; in addition to this, any pay highlighted as being 'his' would actually be split between himself and his producer/co-presenter on the show, Andy Davies.

David Cameron interview

In June 2006, when Conservative party leader David Cameron appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Ross began a line of questioning relating to Conservative ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, culminating in the question "Did you or did you not have a wank thinking of Margaret Thatcher?". Ross was defended by the BBC publicly, but repeat showings of the interview have been banned.

Heather Mills comment

In 2006, Ross was criticised when he made a joke against Heather Mills, soon after she and Paul McCartney announced they were to divorce. He branded Mills, who only has one leg, a "fucking liar" and that he "wouldn't be surprised if we found out she's actually got two legs".

"1,000 journalists" comment

On 5 December 2007, Ross joked at the British Comedy Awards that his salary meant that he was "worth 1,000 BBC journalists". His quip came shortly after the BBC had announced plans for more than 2,000 jobs cuts, and was condemned as "obscene" by the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists.

The Russell Brand Show and Andrew Sachs

Following a guest appearance by Ross on The Russell Brand Show broadcast on 18 October 2008, Ross was suspended for 12 weeks without pay by the BBC on 29 October, after a series of answer phone messages were left for 79-year-old actor Andrew Sachs regarding Sachs' granddaughter Georgina Baillie, by Russell Brand and Ross, which were broadcast on the pre-recorded show. After little initial interest, a media story about the calls generated a high number of complaints. Brand resigned from the BBC, while Ross was suspended without pay. BBC director general Mark Thompson stated that Ross should take the disciplinary action as a "final warning". The BBC was later fined £150,000 by Britain's broadcast regulator for airing the calls.

On 21 November 2008 the BBC Trust said that the phone calls were a "deplorable intrusion with no editorial justification". The trust gave its backing to Ross's 12 week suspension but recommended that no further action be taken against him. He returned to work in January, and the first episode of a new series of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross with guests Tom Cruise, Stephen Fry and Lee Evans, and music from Franz Ferdinand, was broadcast on 23 January 2009.

Gwyneth Paltrow interview

The BBC Trust ruled that Ross’ interview with Gwyneth Paltrow, broadcast on 2 May 2008, breached editorial guidelines. They ruled that bad language in an episode of Ross's pre-recorded BBC1 chat show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, in which the presenter told Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow he "would fuck her" was "gratuitous and unnecessarily offensive". The trust said it disagreed with the judgement made by BBC management that the episode should be broadcast uncensored, adding that the comment was made in an "overly sexual way" and that it had upheld a number of complaints made about the edition of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. The trust reminded BBC staff that "the casual gratuitous use of the most offensive language is not acceptable on the BBC in accordance with the BBC's existing guidelines and practices", adding that "this particularly applies in entertainment programmes".

"Hannah Montana" comment

On 13 May 2009, Ross was accused of homophobia after a comment he made on his radio show. In which he said,

If your son asks for a Hannah Montana MP3 player, then you might want to already think about putting him down for adoption in later life, when they settle down with their partner.

An incorrect version of this quote was also circulated, in which Ross was accused of saying:

If your son asks for a Hannah Montana MP3 player, you might want to already think about putting him down for adoption before he brings his … erm … partner home.

Ofcom received 61 complaints following the comment. A representative from the BBC defended Ross saying the comment was made "purely in jest" and that "Jonathan is not homophobic in any sense and never meant for his comments to be taken seriously." On 7 July 2009 Ofcom ruled that Ross did not breach the broadcasting code. They wrote in their opinion that "the comment was clearly presented as a joke intended to make light of the reactions that some parents may have if their child chooses a toy that is very widely recognised to be designed and marketed for the opposite sex" and that the nature of the joke and tone and manner in which it was presented "made clear that it was not intended to be hostile or pejorative towards the gay community in general."

Video games

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |-style="background:#B0C4DE;" ! Year ! Video game ! Role ! Notes |- | 2010 || Fable III || Barry Hatch || |}

Personal life

at the British Academy Television Awards 2009]] Ross married author/journalist/broadcaster Jane Goldman, ten years his junior, in 1988, when Goldman was just 18. They have since had three children: Betty Kitten (named after Bettie Page), Harvey Kirby (named after Jack Kirby, a comic book creator whom Ross especially admires), and Honey Kinney. The family lives in Hampstead.

Ross and others have used his rhotacism for comic effect and he is sometimes known as "Wossy," including on his Twitter feed (@wossy).

Ross is known for owning exotic pets. He is a big fan of David Bowie, Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry, Queen (he was in the audience for Queen at Wembley), British punk rock, Spandau Ballet, Sparks, Star Trek, Doctor Who (his favourite Doctor was Jon Pertwee), and comic books. Ross has even co-owned a comic shop in London with Paul Gambaccini and released Turf, his first comic book, in 2010, with American artist Tommy Lee Edwards. He was also the visual inspiration for the main character in the comic book Saviour. Ross is also greatly interested in Japan, presenting a BBC-TV series on many different aspects of Japanese culture, Japanorama, for three series between 2002–07. He was a regular at London's Blitz club during the early 1980s (famous for the Blitz Kids). He is a fan and friend of the singers Morrissey and George Michael.

He is a close friend of comedian Ricky Gervais and bought him a kitten after Gervais' previous cat, Colin, had died. The cat's name is Ollie and was presented to him on an episode of Ross' talk show Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. He was one of the special celebrity guests in the final episode of Gervais's second season of Extras, in which Gervais's character, Andy Millman, and Ross were shown to be the best of friends after a fictional appearance on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.

He is also a friend of author Neil Gaiman, and he and his wife appear in Gaiman's short story "The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch", collected in Fragile Things.

In 2005, Ross was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting. He celebrated the news by playing "God Save the Queen" by The Sex Pistols on his Radio 2 show.

When talking to Colin Farrell on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 19 February 2010, Ross claimed not to have drunk alcohol for ten years.

Ross has attended a fund raiser for the James Randi Educational Foundation called The Amazing Meeting in London in 2009 and 2010. Interviewed by Rebecca Watson, Ross described himself as a big fan of James Randi and the other speakers – who were mainly prominent sceptics – and said that he and his wife had come to have a sceptical view of the world. Ross has been supportive of Simon Singh's efforts to defend an accusation of libel by the British Chiropractic Association and Ross has posed for the Geek Calendar 2011, a fund raiser for the libel reform in the UK.

At a book signing event in Central London in September 2010, Ross stated that as a youngster he went to school in Leyton (Leyton Senior High School) and supports Leyton Orient F.C.

References

Further reading

Jonathan Ross: The Biography, Neil Simpson, John Blake Publishing Ltd (31 July 2007), ISBN 184454432X

Why Do I Say These Things?, Jonathan Ross, Bantam Press (16 October 2008), ISBN 0593060822

External links

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross at TV.com

Jonathan Ross on BBC Radio 2

Interactive video talk by Jonathan Ross on Ealing studios for the British Film Institute

Category:Alumni of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies Category:Alumni of Southampton Solent University Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:BBC people Category:English voice actors Category:English television actors Category:English film critics Category:English radio DJs Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters Category:English television presenters Category:English television producers Category:English television writers Category:Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Leytonstone Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:People from Camden

Caption	McKellen at the premiere of in Wellington, New Zealand, 1 December 2003
Birth date	May 25, 1939
Birth place	Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1959–present
Partner	Brian Taylor (1964–1972)Sean Mathias (1978–1988)
Website	http://www.mckellen.com/

Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award and two Academy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is known to many for roles such as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy and as Magneto in the X-Men films.

In 1988, McKellen came out and announced he was gay. He became a founding member of Stonewall, one of the United Kingdom's most influential LGBT rights groups, of which he remains a prominent spokesman.

He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979, and knighted in the 1991 New Year Honours for his outstanding work and contributions to theatre. In the 2008 New Year Honours he was made a Companion of Honour (CH) for services to drama and to equality.

Early years

McKellen was born in Burnley, Lancashire, England, though he spent most of his early life in Wigan. Born shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the experience had some lasting impact on him. In response to an interview question when an interviewer remarked that he seemed quite calm in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks, he said: "Well, darling, you forget — I slept under a steel plate until I was four years old."

McKellen's father, Denis Murray McKellen, a civil engineer, was a lay preacher, and both of his grandfathers were preachers. At the time of Ian's birth, his parents already had a five-year-old daughter, Jean. His home environment was strongly Christian, but non-orthodox. "My upbringing was of low nonconformist Christians who felt that you led the Christian life in part by behaving in a Christian manner to everybody you met." of which he is still a supporter, attending regularly to talk to pupils. McKellen's acting career started at Bolton Little Theatre, of which he is now the patron. An early fascination with the theatre was encouraged by his parents, who took him on a family outing to Peter Pan at the Manchester Opera House when he was three. When he was nine, his main Christmas present was a wood and bakelite, fold-away Victorian Theatre from Pollocks Toy Theatres, with cardboard scenery and wires to push on the cut-outs of Cinderella and of Olivier's Hamlet. His sister took him to his first Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night, by the amateurs of Wigan's Little Theatre, shortly followed by their Macbeth and Wigan High School for Girls' production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with music by Mendelssohn and with the role of Bottom played by Jean McKellen. (Jean continued to act, direct, and produce amateur theatre up to her death.)

He won a scholarship to St Catharine's College, Cambridge, when he was eighteen, where he developed an attraction to Derek Jacobi. He has characterised it as "a passion that was undeclared and unrequited". began their relationship in 1964. It lasted for eight years, ending in 1972. They lived in London, where McKellen continued to pursue his career as an actor. For over a decade, he has lived in a five-story Victorian conversion in Narrow Street, Limehouse. In 1978 he met his second partner, Sean Mathias, at the Edinburgh Festival. According to Mathias, the ten-year love affair was tempestuous, with conflicts over McKellen's success in acting versus Mathias' somewhat less-successful career.

A friend of Ian Charleson and a great admirer of his work, McKellen contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, For Ian Charleson: A Tribute.

In the early 1980s, McKellen lost his appetite for meat except for fish, and so mostly precludes it from his diet.

Theatre

While at Cambridge McKellen was a member of the Marlowe Society, appearing in Henry IV (as Shallow) alongside Trevor Nunn and Jacobi (March 1959), Cymbeline (as Posthumus, opposite Margaret Drabble as Imogen) and Doctor Faustus. His first professional appearance was in 1961 at the Nottingham Playhouse, as Roper in A Man for All Seasons, although an audio recording of the Marlowe Society's Cymbeline had gone on commercial sale as part of the Argo Shakespeare series.

Sir Ian is also President and Patron of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain, an association of amateur theatre organisations throughout the UK.

Popular success

in The Lord of the Rings, 2001-2003]] McKellen had taken film roles throughout his career — beginning in 1969 with his role of George Matthews in A Touch of Love, but it was not until the 1990s that he became more widely recognised in this medium, through several roles in blockbuster Hollywood movies. Six Degrees of Separation, in which he starred with Stockard Channing, Donald Sutherland, and Will Smith. In the same year, he appeared in minor roles in the television miniseries Tales of the City (based on the novel by his friend Armistead Maupin) and the film Last Action Hero, in which he played Death. The same year, McKellen appeared in the TV movie And the Band Played On, about the discovery of the AIDS virus, for which McKellen won a CableACE Award for Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries and was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

In 1995, he played the title role in the critical hit Richard III, which transported the setting 400 years into the future in 1930s fascist England. McKellen co-produced and co-wrote the film, adapting the play for the screen based on a stage production of Shakespeare's play directed by Richard Eyre for the Royal National Theatre, in which McKellen had appeared. In his review of the film, Hal Hinson of The Washington Post, called McKellen's performance a "lethally flamboyant incarnation" and said his "florid mastery ... dominates everything". His performance in the title role garnered best actor nominations for the BAFTA Award and Golden Globe, and won the European Film Award for Best Actor. His screenplay was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

His breakthrough role among mainstream American audiences came with the modestly acclaimed Apt Pupil, based on a story by Stephen King. McKellen portrayed an old Nazi officer, living under a false name in the U.S., who was befriended by a curious teenager (Brad Renfro) who threatened to expose him unless he told his story in detail. His casting was based partly on his performance in Cold Comfort Farm, seen by Apt Pupil director Bryan Singer, despite the BBC's refusal to release it in cinemas. On January 10, 2011 it was officially confirmed that Mckellen would reprise the role of Gandalf in the film adaptation of The Hobbit. , 2006]] On 16 March 2002, he was the host on Saturday Night Live. In 2003, McKellen made a guest appearance as himself on the American cartoon show The Simpsons, in a special British-themed episode entitled "The Regina Monologues", along with Tony Blair and J. K. Rowling. In April and May 2005, he played the role of Mel Hutchwright in Granada Television's long running soap opera, Coronation Street, fulfilling a lifelong ambition. He is also known for his voicework, having narrated Richard Bell's film Eighteen, as a grandfather who leaves his World War II memoirs on audiocassette for his teenage grandson.

McKellen has appeared in limited release films, such as Emile (which was shot in a few days during the X2 shoot), Neverwas and Asylum. He appeared as Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code. During a 17 May 2006 interview on The Today Show with the Da Vinci Code cast and director, Matt Lauer posed a question to the group about how they would have felt if the film had borne a prominent disclaimer that it is a work of fiction, as some religious groups wanted. McKellen appeared in the 2006 series of Ricky Gervais' comedy series Extras, where he played himself directing Gervais' character Andy Millman in a play about gay lovers. McKellen received a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series nomination for his performance. He also appeared in the 2009 remake of the 1967 The Prisoner, where he played the character Number Two.

LGBT rights campaigning

2010]]

2003 in Manchester.]] While McKellen had made his sexual orientation known to his fellow actors early on in his stage career, it was not until 1988 that he came out to the general public, in a programme on BBC Radio 3. McKellen also described Howard's junior ministers, the Conservatives David Wilshire and Dame Jill Knight, who were the architects of Section 28, as the 'ugly sisters' of a political pantomime.

Section 28, which proposed to prohibit local authorities from "promoting homosexuality" 'as a kind of pretended family relationship', was ambiguous and the actual impact of the amendment was uncertain. McKellen became active in fighting the proposed law, and declared himself gay on a BBC Radio programme where he debated the subject of Section 28 with the conservative journalist Peregrine Worsthorne.}}

McKellen is a co-founder of Stonewall, a LGB rights lobby group in the United Kingdom, named after the Stonewall riots. and FFLAG where he appears in their video Parents Talking.

In 1994, at the closing ceremony of the Gay Games, he briefly took the stage to address the crowd, saying, "I'm Sir Ian McKellen, but you can call me Serena" (This nickname, originally given to him by Stephen Fry, had been circulating within the gay community since McKellen's knighthood was conferred). In 2007 McKellen became a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust, an organisation that provides support to young, homeless and troubled LGBT people.

In 2006, McKellen became a Patron of Oxford Pride. At the time he said:

}}

McKellen has taken his activism internationally, where it caused a major stir in Singapore. Invited to do an interview on a morning show, he shocked the interviewer by asking if they could recommend him a gay bar. The program immediately ended. In December 2008, he was named in Out's annual Out 100 list.

Other charity work

In April 2010, along with Brian Cox and Eleanor Bron, appeared in a series of TV advertisements to support Age UK, the charity recently formed from the merger of Age Concern and Help the Aged. All three actors gave their time free of charge.

Selected stage and screen credits

Stage

plaque.]]

Much Ado About Nothing, Royal National Theatre, Old Vic, London, 1965

Trelawny of the 'Wells', National Theatre, London & Chichester Festival, 1965

The Promise, West End; Broadway, 1967

Edward II (in title role), Edinburgh Festival & West End, 1969

Hamlet (title role), UK/European Tour, 1971

'Tis Pity She's a Whore, UK Tour, 1972

Dr Faustus (title role), Royal Shakespeare Company, Edinburgh Festival & Aldwych Theatre (London), 1974

King John, RSC, 1975

Romeo and Juliet (as Romeo), RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon & London, 1976

The Winter's Tale, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1976

Macbeth (title role), RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon & Young Vic (London), 1976–1977

The Alchemist, RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon & London, 1977

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, RSC, Barbican Arts Centre (London), 1977

Three Sisters, RSC, UK Tour, 1978

Bent, (as Max) Royal Court and Criterion, London, 1979

Amadeus (as Salieri), Broadway, 1980

Coriolanus (title role), National Theatre, 1984

Wild Honey, National Theatre, 1984 (& Broadway, 1986)

The Cherry Orchard (as Lopakhin), National Theatre, 1985

The Duchess of Malfi, National Theatre, 1985

The Real Inspector Hound, National Theatre, London & Paris, 1985

Othello (as Iago), RSC, London & Stratford-upon-Avon, 1989

Richard III (title role), National Theatre, world tour, 1990 & US tour, 1992

Uncle Vanya (title role), National Theatre, 1992

Peter Pan (as Mr. Darling/Captain Hook), National Theatre, 1997

An Enemy of the People, National Theatre, 1997 & Ahmanson Theatre (Los Angeles), 1998

Present Laughter, West Yorkshire Playhouse (Leeds, England), 1998

Dance of Death, at the Broadhurst Theatre (New York) in 2001. At the Lyric Theatre (London, England) in 2003

Aladdin, (as Widow Twankie) Old Vic, 2004 & 2005

The Cut, Donmar Warehouse, 2006

King Lear by William Shakespeare, (as Lear), Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2007

The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, (as Sorin), Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2007; New York (Brooklyn Academy of Music), 2007 Minneapolis, 2007, New London Theatre (West End), 2007–8

King Lear by William Shakespeare, (as Lear), New Zealand, 2007; New York (Brooklyn Academy of Music), 2007, Minneapolis, 2007, New London Theatre (West End), 2007–8

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, (as Estragon), London, 2009 the Theatre Royal Haymarket

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett; revival at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2010 for a limited run

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett; Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Australia 2010

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett; Fugard Theatre, Cape Town, South Africa 2010

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1966 | David Copperfield | David Copperfield | (TV) |- |rowspan=3| 1969 | The Promise | Leonidik | |- | Alfred the Great | Roger | |- | A Touch of Love | George Matthews | |- |rowspan=2| 1981 | Priest of Love | Lawrence | |- | Pillar of Fire | Narrator | Documentary |- |rowspan=2| 1982 | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Paul Chauvelin | |- | Walter | Walter | Royal Television Society Award for Best Performance |- | 1983 | The Keep | Dr. Theodore Cuza | |- |rowspan=2| 1985 | Plenty | Sir Andrew Charleson | |- | Zina | Arthur Kronfeld | |- | 1989 | Scandal | John Profumo | |- |rowspan=4| 1993 | Six Degrees of Separation | Geoffrey Miller | |- | The Ballad of Little Jo | Percy Corcoran | |- | Last Action Hero | Death | (uncredited cameo) |- | And the Band Played On | Bill Kraus | CableACE Award for Supporting Actor in a Movie or MiniseriesNominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie |- |rowspan=3| 1994 | To Die For | Quilt Documentary Narrator | (voice) |- | The Shadow | Dr. Reinhardt Lane | |- | I'll Do Anything | John Earl McAlpine | |- |rowspan=3| 1995 | Restoration | Will Gates | |- | Richard III | Richard III | European Film Award for Best ActorEvening Standard British Film Award for Best FilmNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Adapted ScreenplayNominated—Chlotrudis Award for Best ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama |- | Jack and Sarah | William | |- | 1996 | | Nicholas II | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television FilmNominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a MovieNominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film |- |rowspan=2| 1997 | Swept from the Sea | Dr. James Kennedy | |- | Bent | Uncle Freddie | |- |rowspan=2| 1998 | Apt Pupil | Kurt Dussander | Saturn Award for Best Supporting ActorBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (also for Gods and Monsters)Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (also for Gods and Monsters) |- | Gods and Monsters | James Whale | British Independent Film Award for Best ActorBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (also for Apt Pupil)Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorChlotrudis Award for Best ActorFlorida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (also for Apt Pupil)Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead MaleKansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorLos Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNational Board of Review Award for Best ActorOnline Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorSan Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorSan Sebastián International Film Festival Award for Best ActorToronto Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated—Academy Award for Best ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama |- | 1999 | David Copperfield | Mr. Creakle | (TV) |- | 2000 | X-Men | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Villain |- | 2001 | | Gandalf the Grey | Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best CastSaturn Award for Best Supporting ActorScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting RoleNominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Empire Award for Best British ActorNominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion PictureNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated—DVD Exclusive Awards for Best Audio Commentary (shared with Elijah Wood and Liv Tyler)Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Christopher Lee) |- |rowspan=2| 2002 | | Gandalf the White | Online Film Critics Society Award for Best CastPhoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best CastNominated—Empire Award for Best British ActorNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |- | Tusker | Tusker | |- |rowspan=4| 2003 | | Gandalf the White | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best CastNational Board of Review Award for Best CastScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting RoleNominated—Empire Award for Best British ActorNominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast |- | Emile | Emile | Nominated—Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |- | The Simpsons | Himself |The Regina Monologues episode |- | X2 | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | Nominated—Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Villain |- | 2004 | ''Eighteen | Jason Anders (in voice) | |- |rowspan=4| 2005 | Neverwas | Gabriel Finch | |- | Asylum | Dr. Peter Cleave | |- | The Magic Roundabout | Zebedee | (voice) |- |Coronation Street |Mel Hutchwright |(10 episodes) |- |rowspan=4| 2006 | Extras | Ian McKellen | Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series |- | Flushed Away | The Toad | Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production |- | | Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto | Nominated—Irish Film & Television Award for Best International ActorNominated—Teen Choice Awards for Movies – Choice Sleazebag (also for The Da Vinci Code) |- | The Da Vinci Code | Sir Leigh Teabing | Nominated—Teen Choice Awards for Movies – Choice Sleazebag (also for ) |- |rowspan=2| 2007 | Stardust | Narrator | (voice) |- | The Golden Compass | Iorek Byrnison | (voice) |- | 2008 | King Lear | King Lear | Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie |- | 2009 | The Prisoner | Number Two | Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie |- | 2012 | The Hobbit: Part I | Gandalf | Pre-production |- | 2013 | The Hobbit: Part II | Gandalf | Pre-production |}

Music

Vampire in the music video "Heart" by Pet Shop Boys

The man who's "falling out of reach" in the music video "Falling Out of Reach" by Guillemots

Appears on the Scissor Sisters track "Invisible Light", from their 2010 album "Night Work", reciting a passage regarding the "Invisible Light" of the title.

Audiobooks

Audiobook narrator of Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series Wolf Brother, Spirit Walker, Soul Eater, Outcast, "Oath Breaker", "Ghost Hunter"

Awards and honours

In 2004 McKellen was conferred an honourary Doctor of Letters by Lancaster University. He was praised for his diversity of roles, his "deeply considered dramatic technique" and his Lancastrian roots.

1981: New York Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, for Amadeus

1984: London Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Revival, for Wild Honey

1984: London Evening Standard Award for Best Actor, for Coriolanus

1989: London Evening Standard Award for Best Actor, for Othello

1990: London Olivier Award for Best Actor, for Richard III

1998: Back Stage West Garland Awards, for his one-man show A Knight Out in Los Angeles

2004: Manila, Philippines Pride International Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement & Distinction Award''

2007: Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production, for Flushed Away

In May 2007, he was named, by the Independent on Sunday Pink List, the fifth most influential gay person in Britain, down from the 1st place the previous year. 2009: San Sebastián International Film Festival Donostia Award in recognition of an extensive professional career. 2010: Empire Awards 2010 : Empire Icon Award

References

External links

McKellen's home page

Interviews, blogs and clips

Good Morning (TVNZ) interview with McKellen - Waiting for Godot/The Hobbit

Interview and photoshoot factory-publishing.com

McKellen's personal pages on the Lord of the Rings movie, with a diary and answers to questions by fans

Interview at www.sci-fi-online.com

Podcast interview

Interview at AfterElton.com

Extended BBC interviews with McKellen as he prepares to play King Lear

"A conversation with Sir Ian": Interactive video interview with McKellen on Shakespeare, Richard III and Richard's opening speech

Emma Brockes, Every inch a king (interview) The Guardian, November 2007

Ian McKellen: A Free Man The Telegraph, 15 December 2008

Category:2012 Summer Olympics cultural ambassadors Category:Actors awarded British knighthoods Category:Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Category:American Theatre Hall of Fame inductees Category:Annie Award winners Category:European Film Awards winners (people) Category:Back Stage West Garland Award recipients Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:British atheists Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:English atheists Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English vegetarians Category:English video game actors Category:English voice actors Category:Evening Standard Award for Best Actor Category:Gay actors Category:Independent Spirit Award winners Category:Knights Bachelor Category:LGBT people from England Category:LGBT rights activists from the United Kingdom Category:Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Category:Old Boltonians Category:Olivier Award winners Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Burnley Category:People from Wigan Category:Royal National Theatre Company members Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members Category:Shakespearean actors Category:Tony Award winners Category:Audio book narrators Category:1939 births Category:Living people

Name	Guy Ritchie
Caption	Ritchie, in September 2008.
Birth name	Guy Stuart Ritchie
Birth date	September 10, 1968
Birth place	Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England
Occupation	Film maker, screenwriter,pub landlord, businessman
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	(divorced)

Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English screenwriter, film maker, pub landlord, fathers rights family law reformer and businessman.

Early life

Ritchie was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Ritchie, who is dyslexic, was expelled from Stanbridge Earls School, one of the most prominent institutions specialising in dyslexia in the UK, at the age of 15. He has stated that drug use was the reason for the expulsion; his father has said that it was because his son was caught "cutting class and entertaining a girl in his room." He also attended Sibford School.

In addition to his elder sister, Tabitha, a dance instructor, Ritchie has a half-brother, Kevin Bayton, who was born to Amber Parkinson when she was a teenager and given up for adoption. From 1973 until 1980, when they divorced, Ritchie's mother was married to Sir Michael Leighton, 11th baronet. As a divorcée, she is correctly styled as Amber, Lady Leighton.

Directing career

Ritchie directed a 20-minute short film in 1995 entitled The Hard Case. His first full-length feature was the successful Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998. He was introduced to Madonna when the soundtrack for the film was issued on her Maverick Records label. The film introduced actor Jason Statham (The Transporter) to worldwide audiences, and introduced former footballer Vinnie Jones to a new career as a film star. In 2000 Ritchie won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. Ritchie created and produced a spin-off television series called Lock, Stock....

His second feature film was Snatch, released in the year 2000. Originally known as Diamonds, it was another caper comedy, this time backed by a major studio. The cast featured such Hollywood big names as Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis Farina, along with the returning Vinnie Jones and Statham. Similar to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in featuring a complex and inventive storyline in which the characters weave in and out of each others' lives, the film also plays with time, depicting events from various perspectives. It currently has a rating of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ritchie accompanied Madonna to the debuts of her film The Next Best Thing and album Music. Following his marriage to Madonna, Ritchie began focusing his filmmaking on his famous wife, directing her in both a music video (for the song "What It Feels Like for a Girl", a controversial video that showed Madonna engaging in violent behaviour, ostensibly directed at men, including T-boning a car with three men in it, tasering and robbing a man at an ATM, scratching a police car and shooting two officers with a water gun, driving her car through a group of men playing street hockey and incinerating a man by throwing a lighter into a pool of gasoline) and a short film, Star, for the BMW films series. Ritchie's next film, also featuring Madonna, was a remake of the 1974 Lina Wertmüller hit Swept Away (also entitled Swept Away). Ritchie cast Madonna as a rich, rude, socialite who, after a shipwreck, is trapped on a deserted island with a slovenly Communist sailor who humiliates her. Ritchie renamed the woman Amber Leighton after his mother. This film was both a critical and commercial disappointment. He later accompanied Madonna to the debuts of her films Die Another Day, I'm Going To Tell You A Secret, Arthur and the Invisibles, and I Am Because We Are, as well as her West End play debut in Up for Grabs. Madonna supported her husband by attending the debuts of Ritchie's films Snatch, Revolver, and RocknRolla.

Ritchie's next project was a Vegas-themed heist film entitled Revolver, which was critically panned in the US and UK. It was however an underground success in Germany, where it was released very late, as a straight-to-DVD release.

Another project Guy Ritchie was involved with was a hidden camera show called Swag, for Channel Five in the UK, which turned the table on criminals and opportunists by using stunts to trap them in the act.

Ritchie has also written and directed RocknRolla starring Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Gerard Butler, Tom Hardy, Jeremy Piven, Thandie Newton, and Tom Wilkinson. It scores 60% on Rotten Tomatoes & was generally received well. Ritchie will also direct a film based on a comic book series he created with Virgin Comics entitled Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper. The film rights were acquired by Warner Brothers in July 2007. The film's being produced by Silver Pictures.

In 2008, Ritchie directed a commercial for Nike called "Take It To The Next Level", about a young Dutch footballer who signs for Arsenal, showing the progression of his career from his viewpoint, until he makes his debut for the Netherlands. The commercial features cameo appearances from some football players with music by Eagles of Death Metal.

Ritchie's latest movie, Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, made its theatrical release on December 25, 2009. The film received generally positive reviews and grossed more than $520 million worldwide, becoming Ritchie's most successful film financially. A sequel is presently being filmed.

Personal life

On 18 May 2000, Ritchie was arrested by the police after he assaulted a 20-year-old man outside the Kensington home he shared with Madonna, causing actual bodily harm.

On 22 December 2000, Guy married the American pop singer and actress Madonna at Skibo Castle in Scotland. They have a son, Rocco, born 11 August 2000 in Los Angeles, California, and adopted a Malawian baby boy named David. On 15 October 2008, British media reported that a split was "imminent" between Ritchie and Madonna. The split was confirmed by their spokesperson and Ritchie and Madonna went public with the split because they "can’t bear to live with the pretence any longer".

On 15 December 2008, it was announced by Madonna's spokeswoman that the singer had agreed to a divorce settlement with Ritchie, the terms of which grant him between £50million and £60million, a figure that includes the value of the couple's London pub and residence and Wiltshire estate in England.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie's marriage was dissolved by District Judge Reid by decree nisi at the clinical Principal Registry of the Family Division in High Holborn, London. Madonna and Ritchie entered into a compromise agreement for Rocco and David, then aged eight and three respectively, and divided the children's time between Ritchie’s London home and Madonna’s in New York, where the two will be joined by her daughter Lourdes, from a previous relationship.

During his marriage to Madonna, he followed Kabbalah and was a regular attendee of services at the Kabbalah Centre which his former wife is heavily involved in. Although Ritchie is no longer affiliated with Kabbalah his children are still raised according to the teachings.

Ritchie was the inspiration for, and is the subject of, singer Robbie Williams' single "She's Madonna" from his 2006 album Rudebox.

Ritchie started training in Shotokan karate at the age of seven at the Budokwai in London, where he later achieved a black belt in judo. He also has a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Ritchie is a fan of the English football team Chelsea.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Film ! Notes ! colspan="3" |Credited as |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1995 | The Hard Case | 20 min short film | Director | | Writer |- | style="text-align:center;"| 1998 | Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels | Feature film debut | Director | | Writer |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2000 | Snatch | | Director | | Writer |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2001 | The Hire: Star | BMW Short Film Commercial | Director | | |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2002 | Swept Away | With Madonna | Director | | Writer |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2005 | Revolver | | Director | | Writer |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2007 | Suspect | Television | Director | | |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2008 | RocknRolla | | Director | Producer | Writer |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2009 | Sherlock Holmes | | Director | | |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2011 | Sherlock Holmes 2 | | Director | | |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2012 | The Fistfull | | Director | | Writer |}

References

External links

Category:1968 births Category:Edgar Award winners Category:English film directors Category:English film producers Category:English screenwriters Category:Living people Category:British practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Category:English businesspeople Category:British karateka Category:British judoka

Category:People from Hatfield, Hertfordshire

Category:Madonna (entertainer)

Name	Ellen DeGeneres
Caption	Ellen DeGeneres (2009)
Birth name	Ellen DeGeneres
Birth date	January 26, 1958
Birth place	Metairie, Louisiana, U.S.
Active	1981 – present
Medium	Stand-up comedy, television, film
Nationality	American
Spouse	Portia de Rossi (2008–present)

}}

Ellen DeGeneres (; born January 26, 1958) is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season.

DeGeneres has hosted both the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmys. As a film actress, she starred in Mr. Wrong, appeared in EDtv and The Love Letter, and provided the voice of Dory in the Disney-Pixar animated film Finding Nemo, for which she was awarded a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, the first and only time a voice performance won a Saturn Award.

She also starred in two television sitcoms, Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002. During the fourth season of Ellen in 1997, Degeneres came out publicly as a lesbian in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Shortly afterwards, her character Ellen Morgan also came out to a therapist played by Winfrey, and the series went on to explore various LGBT issues including the coming out process.

She has won twelve Emmys and numerous other awards for her work and charitable efforts.

Early life and education

DeGeneres was raised in Metairie, Louisiana, the daughter of Betty Jane DeGeneres (née Pfeffer), a speech therapist, and Elliott DeGeneres, an insurance agent. She has one brother, Vance DeGeneres, who is a producer and musician. She is of French, English, German and Irish descent. DeGeneres was raised as a Christian Scientist until the age of thirteen. In 1973 DeGeneres' parents filed for separation and were divorced the following year. Shortly after, Betty Jane remarried Roy Gruessendorf, who worked as a salesman. Betty Jane and Ellen moved with Gruessendorf from the New Orleans area to Atlanta, Texas. Vance stayed with their birth father.

DeGeneres graduated from Atlanta High School in May 1976, after completing her first years of high school at Grace King High School in Metairie, Louisiana. She moved back to New Orleans to attend the University of New Orleans, where she majored in communication studies. After one semester, she left school to do clerical work in a law firm with her cousin Laura Gillen. She also held a job selling clothes at the chain store the Merry-Go-Round at the Lakeside Shopping Center. Other working experiences included being a waitress at TGI Friday's and another restaurant, a house painter, a hostess, and a bartender. She relates much of her childhood and career experiences in her comedic work.

Career

Stand-up comedy

DeGeneres started performing stand-up comedy at small clubs and coffee houses. By 1981 she was the emcee at Clyde's Comedy Club in New Orleans. Degeneres cites Woody Allen and Steve Martin as her main influences at this time. In the early 1980s she began to tour nationally, being named Showtime's Funniest Person in America in 1982. In 1986 she appeared for the first time on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, who likened her to Bob Newhart.

Ellen reached its height of popularity in February 1997, when DeGeneres made her homosexuality public on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Subsequently her character on the sitcom came out of the closet in April to her therapist, played by Oprah Winfrey, revealing that she was gay. The coming out episode, titled "The Puppy Episode", was one of the highest-rated episodes of the show. Later episodes of the series did not match its popularity, and after declining ratings, the show was canceled. DeGeneres returned to the stand-up comedy circuit, and later re-established herself as a successful talk show host.

Ellen's Energy Adventure

DeGeneres starred in a series of films for a show named Ellen's Energy Adventure, which is part of the Universe of Energy attraction and pavilion at Walt Disney World's Epcot. The film also featured Bill Nye, Alex Trebek, Michael Richards and Jamie Lee Curtis. The show revolved around DeGeneres falling asleep and finding herself in an energy-themed version of Jeopardy!, playing against an old rival, portrayed by Curtis, and Albert Einstein. The next film had DeGeneres hosting an educational look at energy, co-hosted with Nye. The ride first opened on September 15, 1996, as Ellen's Energy Crisis but was quickly renamed to the more positive-sounding Ellen's Energy Adventure.

The Ellen Show

DeGeneres returned to series television in 2001 with a new CBS sitcom, The Ellen Show.

2001 Emmy Awards

DeGeneres received wide exposure on November 4, 2001 when she hosted the televised broadcast of the Emmy Awards. Presented after two cancellations due to network concerns that a lavish ceremony following the September 11, 2001 attacks would appear insensitive, the show required a more somber tone that would also allow viewers to temporarily forget the tragedy. DeGeneres received several standing ovations for her performance that evening which included the line: "What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?"

In August 2005, DeGeneres hosted the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony held on September 18, 2005. This was three weeks after Hurricane Katrina, making it the second time she hosted the Emmys following a national tragedy. She also hosted the Grammy Awards in 1996 and in 1997.

Voice acting

DeGeneres lent her voice to the role of Dory, a fish with short-term memory loss, in the summer 2003 hit animated Disney/Pixar film Finding Nemo. The film's director, Andrew Stanton, claimed that he chose Ellen because she "changed the subject five times before one sentence had finished" on her show. For her performance as Dory, DeGeneres won the Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for "Best Supporting Actress"; "Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie" from the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards; and the Annie Award from the International Animated Film Association for "Outstanding Voice Acting". She was also nominated for a Chicago Film Critics Association Award in the "Best Supporting Actress" category. She also provided the voice of the dog in the prologue of the Eddie Murphy feature film Dr. Dolittle. Her win of the Saturn Award marked the first and only time the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has given the acting award for a voice performance.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

DeGeneres launched a daytime television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2003. Amid a crop of several celebrity-hosted talk shows surfacing at the beginning of that season, such as those of Sharon Osbourne and Rita Rudner, her show has consistently risen in the Nielsen ratings and received widespread critical praise. It was nominated for 11 Daytime Emmy Awards in its first season, winning four, including Best Talk Show. The show has won 25 Emmy Awards in its first three seasons on the air. DeGeneres is known for her dancing and singing with the audience at the beginning of the show and during commercial breaks. She often gives away free prizes and trips to her studio audience with the help of her sponsors.

DeGeneres celebrated her thirty-year class reunion by flying her graduating class to California to be guests on her show in February 2006. She presented Atlanta High School with a surprise gift of a new electronic LED marquee sign.

In May 2006, DeGeneres made a surprise appearance at the Tulane University commencement in New Orleans. Following George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton to the podium, she came out in a bathrobe and furry slippers. "They told me everyone would be wearing robes," she said. Ellen then went on to make another commencement speech at Tulane in 2009.

The show broadcast for a week from Universal Studios Orlando in March 2007. Skits included DeGeneres going on the Hulk Roller Coaster Ride and the Jaws Boat Ride.

In May 2007 DeGeneres was placed on bed rest due to a torn ligament in her back. She continued hosting her show from a hospital bed, tended to by a nurse, explaining "the show must go on, as they say." Guests sat in hospital beds as well.

On May 1, 2009, DeGeneres celebrated her 1000th episode, featuring celebrity guests such as Oprah, Justin Timberlake, and Paris Hilton, among others.

79th Academy Awards

On September 7, 2006, DeGeneres was selected to host the 79th Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on February 25, 2007. This makes her the first openly gay or lesbian person to have hosted the event. During the Awards show DeGeneres said, "What a wonderful night, such diversity in the room, in a year when there's been so many negative things said about people's race, religion and sexual orientation. And I want to put this out there: if there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there would be no Oscars, or anyone named Oscar, when you think about that." Reviews of her hosting gig were positive, with one saying, "DeGeneres rocked, as she never forgot that she wasn't just there to entertain the Oscar nominees but also to tickle the audience at home." Regis Philbin said in an interview that "the only complaint was there's not enough Ellen."

DeGeneres was nominated for an Emmy Award as host of the Academy Awards broadcast.

2007 Writers Guild strike

DeGeneres, like many actors who are also writers, is a member of both the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Thus, although DeGeneres verbally supported the 2007 WGA strike she did not support it when she crossed the picket line the day after the strike began. Her representatives said she was competing with other first-run syndicated shows during the competitive November sweeps period, and that she could not break her contracts or risk her show losing its time slot. As a show of solidarity with the strikers, DeGeneres omitted her monologue during the strike, typically written by WGA writers. The WGA condemned her while the AFTRA defended her.

Commercial spokeswoman

In November 2004, DeGeneres appeared, dancing, in an ad campaign for American Express. Her most recent American Express commercial, a two-minute black-and-white spot where she works with animals, debuted in November 2006 and was created by Ogilvy and Mather. In 2007, the commercial won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial.

DeGeneres began working with Cover Girl Cosmetics in September 2008, for which she has been criticized, as her animal-friendly values clash with Procter and Gamble's (the maker of Cover Girl Cosmetics) animal testing. Her face is the focus of new Cover Girl advertisements starting in January 2009. The beauty campaign will be DeGeneres' first.

American Idol

On September 9, 2009, it was confirmed that DeGeneres would replace Paula Abdul as a judge of the ninth season of American Idol. Her role started after the contestant auditions, at the beginning of "Hollywood Week". DeGeneres also reportedly signed a contract to be a judge on the show for at least five seasons. She made her American Idol debut on February 9, 2010.

On July 29, 2010, DeGeneres and Fox executives announced that the comedienne would be departing from the series after one season. In a statement, DeGeneres said that the series "didn't feel like the right fit for me".

Eleveneleven

On May 26, 2010, Ellen announced on her show that she was starting her own record label entitled "eleveneleven". She mentioned that she had been looking for videos of performances on YouTube to start her label. Her first act to be signed is Greyson Chance, a 12-year-old who gained fame after his cover of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" went viral. Ellen explained her choice of name, claiming that she often sees the number when looking at her clocks, that she found Greyson on the 11th, and that the singer's soccer jersey has the number 11.

Some months later, on September 16, 2010, Ellen announced her label's second signed artist, 16-year old Tom Andrews, from the United Kingdom.

Also as of 2010, pop singer Jessica Simpson has joined the label.

Personal life

DeGeneres was in a relationship (1997–2000) with former Another World actress Anne Heche, who went on to marry cameraman Coley Laffoon. From 2001 to 2004, DeGeneres and actress/director/photographer Alexandra Hedison were in a relationship. They appeared on the cover of The Advocate after their separation had already been announced to the media.

Since 2004, DeGeneres has had a relationship with former Ally McBeal and Arrested Development star Portia de Rossi. After the overturn of the same-sex marriage ban in California, DeGeneres announced on a May 2008 show that she and de Rossi were engaged, and gave de Rossi a three-carat pink diamond ring. The passage of Proposition 8 cast doubt on the legal status of their marriage but a subsequent Supreme Court judgment validated it because it occurred before November 4, 2008.

DeGeneres and de Rossi live in Beverly Hills, with three dogs and four cats, and both are vegan.

On August 6, 2010, de Rossi filed a petition to legally change her name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres The petition was granted on September 23, 2010.

In her book, Love, Ellen, DeGeneres' mother, Betty DeGeneres, describes being initially shocked when her daughter came out as a lesbian, but has become one of her strongest supporters, an active member of Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign's Coming Out Project.

In 2007, Forbes estimated DeGeneres' net worth at US$65 million.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- align="center" ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1990 | Arduous Moon | Herself | Short film |- | 1991 | Wisecracks | Herself | Documentary |- | 1993 |Coneheads | Coach | |- | 1994 | Trevor | Herself | Short film |- | rowspan=2|1996 | Ellen's Energy Adventure | Herself | Short film |- |Mr. Wrong | Martha Alston | |- | rowspan=2|1998 |Goodbye Lover | Sgt. Rita Pompano | |- |Dr. Dolittle | Prologue Dog | Voice |- | rowspan=2|1999 | EDtv | Cynthia | |- | The Love Letter | Janet Hall | |- | rowspan=2|2003 | Pauly Shore Is Dead | Herself | |- | Finding Nemo | Dory | VoiceAnnie Award for Outstanding Voice Acting in an Animated Feature ProductionKids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated MovieSaturn Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance |- | 2004 | My Short Film | Herself | Short film |}

Television

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- align="center" ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1988 | Women of the Night | Herself | Comedy Special |- | 1989 | Open House | Margo Van Mete | Episode: "The Bad Seed" Episode: "Let's Get Physicals" |- | 1992 | Laurie Hill | Nancy MacIntyre | Episode: "Pilot" Episode: "The Heart Thing" Episode: "Walter and Beverly" |- | 1994–1998 | Ellen | Ellen Morgan | 109 episodes |- | 1995 | Roseanne | Dr. Whitman | Episode: "The Blaming of the Shrew" |- | 1998 | Mad About You | Nancy Bloom | Episode: "" |- | 2000 | If These Walls Could Talk 2 | Kal | Segment: "2000" |- | 2001 | On the Edge | Operator | Segment: "Reaching Normal" |- | 2001–2002 | The Ellen Show | Ellen Richmond | 18 episodes |- | rowspan=2|2003 | | Herself | Comedy special |- | MADtv | Herself | Episode: "9.3" |- | 2003–present | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Herself | TV show |- | rowspan=2|2004 | E! True Hollywood Story | Herself | |- | Six Feet Under | Herself | Episode: "" |- | 2005 | Joey | Herself | Episode: "Joey and the Sex Tape" |- | rowspan=4|2007 | Ellen's Really Big Show | Herself | |- | Sesame Street | Herself | Episode: "The Tutu Spell" (uncredited) |- | Forbes 20 Richest Women in Entertainment | Herself | |- | The Bachelorette | Herself | |- | 2007–2008 | American Idol | Herself | Episode: "Idol Gives Back 2007" "Idol Gives Back 2008" |- | 2008 | Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show | Herself | Comedy special |- | rowspan=2|2009 | Ellen's Bigger, Longer & Wider Show | Herself | Comedy special |- | So You Think You Can Dance | Guest Judge | "Week 7 (July 22, 2009)" |- | 2010 | American Idol | Judge | Season 9. |- | 2010 | The Simpsons | Herself | Episode: "Judge Me Tender" |}

Discography

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- align="center" ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background: #B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |1996 | | Stand-up comedy | Live CD |- |}

Awards

;Daytime Emmy Awards

Outstanding Talk Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

Outstanding Talk Show Host, The Ellen DeGeneres Show – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Outstanding Special Class Writing, The Ellen DeGeneres Show – 2005, 2006, 2007

;Emmy Awards

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, Ellen: "The Puppy Episode" – 1997

;People's Choice Awards

Favorite Funny Female Star – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Favorite Talk Show Host – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Favorite Yes I Chose This Star – 2008

;Kids' Choice Awards

Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie – 2004

; Tulane University President's Medal 2009

Bibliography

References

External links

The Ellen DeGeneres Show's official website

Ellen DeGeneres blog

Ellen DeGeneres community Forum

DeGeneres talks about coming out experience, an April 1999 article about her appearance at the University of Michigan

DeGeneres on the JohnJay and Rich radio show helping a mother in need to win a car

Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Louisiana Category:American film actors Category:American actors of English descent Category:American actors of French descent Category:American actors of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American philanthropists Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American Christian Scientists Category:American television actors Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American vegans Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Lesbian actors Category:LGBT comedians Category:LGBT people from the United States Category:LGBT television personalities Category:LGBT Christians Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:Saturn Award winners Category:University of New Orleans alumni Category:Women comedians Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:Reality television judges Category:American activists Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors

Caption	Don Cheadle at his Brooklyn's Finest Interview in 2010
Birth date	November 29, 1964
Birth name	Donald Frank Cheadle, Jr.
Birth place	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Years active	1984–present
Occupation	Actor, producer, philanthropist, author
Partner	Bridgid Coulter (1997–present)

Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. (; born November 29, 1964)

Cheadle was to make his directorial debut with the adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Tishomingo Blues. In a July, 2007 interview he stated, "'Tishomingo' is dead..."

Cheadle has also appeared in NFL commercials promoting the Super Bowl from 2002 to 2005. He so regularly appeared for the NFL in its Super Bowl advertising that in 2006, in a drive to have fans submit their own advertising ideas, the NFL sought his permission to reference his previous commercials to portray themselves as having no new ideas – "he quickly signed off on the idea and found it funny." Abe Sutton (along with Etan Bednarsh), one of the finalists in this NFL contest, played on this commercial by proposing an ad where an entire team of football players are Don Cheadle.

Cheadle and Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder, are working together to launch a comedy show on NBC.

In 2009, Cheadle performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on Historian Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.

In 2010, Cheadle assumed the role of James Rhodes in the film Iron Man 2, replacing Terrence Howard, his Crash co-star.

In 2010, Cheadle was appointed, "U.N. Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador."

Personal life

Cheadle and his girlfriend, actress Bridgid Coulter, have two daughters: Ayana Tai Cheadle (born 1995) and Imani Cheadle (born 1997). They currently reside in Santa Monica, California.

According to Brett Ratner, director of the film After the Sunset, Cheadle is an expert player of the strategic board game Go, and advised Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek for a scene in the film in which they play it.

According to the episode of the "National Heads-Up Poker Championship" aired on NBC on April 15, 2007, Cheadle defeated noted poker champion Phil Ivey in the first round of the tournament. The two met in the "Hearts & Diamonds" bracket. Cheadle, as an amateur player, was considered a significant underdog against the professional Ivey, notorious for his stone-cold "poker face". On the episode aired April 29, 2007, in the second round of the tournament, Cheadle was defeated and knocked out of the tournament by Vegas poker pro Scott Fischman. In the same tournament in 2009, he defeated David Pham in the first round only to lose to Paul Wasicka in the round of 32.

At the 2007 World Series of Poker, Cheadle and poker player Annie Duke organized an annual charity poker tournament, "Ante Up for Africa". Many Hollywood actors were expected to play in the tournament, which had a $5,000 buy-in. Money finishers were encouraged to donate part of their winnings to the International Rescue Committee or the Enough Project. The annual tournament is one of two non-bracelet events listed on the official WSOP schedule. The editor of British entertainment magazine The Edge of Entertainment, Charlie Edge, in October 2006 wrote, 'Don Cheadle is one of the most, if not the most beautiful man in Hollywood... His sort of natural beauty is a rare thing indeed.'

The school where his sister Cindy works, Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, is involved with raising awareness of the genocide in Darfur, a cause Cheadle is also involved in. In 2007, Cheadle was awarded the BET Humanitarian award of the year for his numerous humanitarian services he rendered for the cause of the people of Darfur and Rwanda.

In 2010 Cheadle, who is also an avid golfer, became the first celebrity spokesman for Dixon Golf, maker of the world's first recyclable golf ball. He has indicated his support for Dixon Golf stems from his dual passion for environmentalism and golf.

On December 13, 2007, Cheadle and fellow actor George Clooney were presented with the Summit Peace Award by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome for their work to stop the genocide and relieve the suffering of the people of Darfur. The award was presented by the World Summit of Nobel Laureates, Mikhail Gorbachev, and TheCommunity.com.

In 2008, Cheadle's family history was profiled on the PBS series African American Lives 2. A DNA test shows that he may have ancestry in present day Cameroon.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Filmography |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1984 | 3 Days | Angel | |- | 1985 | Moving Violations | Juicy Burgers Worker | |- | 1986 | Punk | | |- | 1987 | Hamburger Hill | Pvt. Washburn | |- | 1988 | Colors | Roccet | |- | 1992 | Roadside Prophets | Happy Days Manager | |- | rowspan="2"| 1993 | | Goldilocks | |- | Lush Life | Jack | (TV movie) |- | rowspan="2"| 1995 | Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead | Rooster | |- | Devil in a Blue Dress | Mouse Alexander | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role |- | 1996 | | Earl "The Goat" Manigault | (TV movie)Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special |- | rowspan="3"| 1997 | Volcano | Emmit Reese | |- | Rosewood | Sylvester Carrier | Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture |- | Boogie Nights | Buck Swope | Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best CastNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |- | rowspan="3"| 1998 | Out of Sight | Maurice Miller | |- | | Sammy Davis Jr. | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television FilmNominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a MovieNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special |- | Bulworth | L.D. | Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture |- | 1999 | | Grant Wiggins | (TV movie)Black Reel Award for Network/Cable – Best ActorNominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a MovieNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic SpecialNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film |- | 2000 | Traffic | Montel Gordon | Black Reel Award for Best Supporting ActorScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |- | rowspan="3"| 2000 | Mission to Mars | Luke Graham | |- | Fail Safe | Lt. Jimmy Pierce | (TV movie) |- | | Cash | |- | rowspan="7"| 2001 | Things Behind the Sun | Chuck | Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a MovieNominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male |- | Manic | Dr. David Monroe | |- | Swordfish | Agent J.T. Roberts | |- | Ticker | Passenger | |- | Rush Hour 2 | Kenny | (uncredited) |- | Ocean's Eleven | Basher Tarr | |- | Abby Singer | Himself |- | 2003 | | Pearl Madison | |- | rowspan="5"| 2004 | Ocean's Twelve | Basher Tarr | Nominated—BET Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Theatrical FilmNominated—Association Award for Best CastNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture |- | After the Sunset | Henri Mooré | |- | | Bonny Simmons | |- | "Unchained Memories" - Readings From The Slave Narratives | | Film received two Emmy nominations and won the Christopher Award |- | Hotel Rwanda | Paul Rusesabagina | Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated—Black Reel Award for Best CastNominated—Academy Award for Best ActorNominated—Black Reel Award for Best ActorNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture DramaNominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for CrashNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion PictureNominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role |- | 2005 | Crash | Det. Graham Waters | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting RoleNominated—Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Black Reel Award for Best ActorNominated—Gotham Award for Best Ensemble CastNominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for Hotel RwandaNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role |- | rowspan="2"| 2006 | | Dr. Nourmand | |- | King Leopold's Ghost | Narrator | |- | rowspan="4"| 2007 | Reign Over Me | Alan Johnson | |- | Talk to Me | Petey Greene | African-American Film Critics-Best ActorGotham Award for Best Ensemble CastNominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Male LeadNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion PictureNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |- | Ocean's Thirteen | Basher Tarr | |- | Darfur Now | Himself | |- | 2008 | Traitor | Samir Horn | Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best ActorNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture |- | rowspan="2"| 2009 | Hotel for Dogs | Bernie | |- | | Himself | Documentary |- | rowspan="3"| 2010 | Brooklyn's Finest | Clarence 'Tango' Butler | |- | Iron Man 2 | Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes/War Machine | (replaces Terrence Howard) |- | | FBI Agent Wendell Everett | |- | rowspan="2"| 2012 | Marching Powder | Thomas McFadden | |- | The Avengers | Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes/War Machine | |- | 2013 | Iron Man 3 | Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes/War Machine | |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Producer |- ! Year ! Film ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2004 | Crash | Producer | Black Movie Award for Outstanding Motion PictureIndependent Spirit Award for Best First FeatureNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Film |- | rowspan="2"| 2007 | Talk to Me | Executive producer | |- | Darfur Now | Producer | |- | rowspan="2"| 2008 | Traitor | Producer | |- | Crash | Producer | 2 Episodes (2008) |}

; Voice acting Iron Man 2: The Video Game }}

External links

Don Cheadle: The Hotel for Dogs Interview with Kam Williams

European edition of Don Cheadle's book Not on Our Watch, published by Maverick House Publishers 2007

10 Questions for Don Cheadle on Time.com (a division of Time Magazine)

Don Cheadle interview

Not On Our Watch: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Jerry Weintraub

Don Cheadle Wins Sexiest Man 2009

Don Cheadle signs TV production deal

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/12/entertainment/la-et-people-speak12-2009dec12

Category:1964 births Category:Actors from Denver, Colorado Category:Actors from Missouri Category:African American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American television producers Category:American Christians Category:African American television actors Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from the Kansas City metropolitan area