Black British Actors

Colour	#DEDEE2
Name	Irene Adler
Series	Sherlock Holmes
First	A Scandal in Bohemia
Creator	Arthur Conan Doyle
Gender	Female
Occupation	Singer
Nationality	American

Irene Adler is a fictional character featured in the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, published in July 1891. She is one of the most notable female characters in the Sherlock Holmes series, despite appearing in only one story.

Fictional character biography

According to "A Scandal in Bohemia," the character was born in New Jersey in 1858. She followed a career in opera as a contralto, performing in La Scala, Milan, Italy, and a term as prima donna in the Imperial Opera of Warsaw, Poland, indicating that she was an extraordinary singer. Adler retired in her late twenties and moved to London.

Dr. Watson refers to her as "the late Irene Adler" at the time of the story's publication. The reasons for her death are not stated. It has been speculated, however, that the reason for both her early retirement and her early demise was a hidden health problem. On the other hand, the word "late" can also mean "former", as she had married Godfrey Norton, making Adler her former name. Doyle employs this same usage in "The Adventure of the Priory School" in reference to the Duke's former status as a cabinet minister.

On March 20, 1888, according to the story, Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein and hereditary King of Bohemia, makes an incognito visit to Holmes in London. The King asks the famous detective to secure a photograph from Adler.

The monarch reigned from Prague but, in 1883, he had reportedly paid "a lengthy visit to Warsaw" where he "made the acquaintance of the well-known adventuress, Irene Adler." The two became lovers; afterward, Adler had kept a photograph of the two of them. The 30-year-old King explained to Holmes that he intended to marry Clotilde Lothman von Saxe-Meningen (an unseen character), second daughter of the King of Scandinavia; the marriage would be threatened if his prior relationship with Adler should come to light.

Using his considerable skill for disguise, Holmes traced her movements and learned much of her private life. He then set up a faked incident to cause a diversion that would let him discover where the picture was hidden. Adler detected Holmes through his disguise; but before this, she treated him, as the supposed victim of a crime outside her home, with spontaneous care and solicitude.

When he came back to snatch the photo, he found Adler gone, along with her new husband and the goods, which had been replaced with a letter to Holmes, explaining how she had outwitted him, but also that she was happy with her new husband, had more honourable feeling than her former lover, and would not compromise him, provided the King did not try anything against her in the future.

An addition to Doyle's gallery of distinct female personalities, Adler had "the face of the most beautiful of women and the mind of the most resolute of men," according to the King. She had the wit to outdo Holmes, and he admired her not only for this, but for her noble generosity both to him, and the small-minded, petty king.

Appearances

Irene Adler is also mentioned in the following stories:

"A Case of Identity"

"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle"

"The Five Orange Pips" (probably; see below)

"His Last Bow"

In "The Five Orange Pips", Holmes mentions that he has been beaten four times, thrice by a man and once by a woman. Since "The Five Orange Pips" is set in September 1887, before "A Scandal in Bohemia", which is set in March 1888, Holmes could not be referring to the specific appearance of Irene Adler during "A Scandal in Bohemia" if the chronology is correct. However, a never revealed prior encounter between Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler would explain this apparent discrepancy. Judging by the reaction of Holmes towards Adler in "A Scandal in Bohemia," this encounter remains quite possible.

Doyle had made clear chronological mistakes in other Holmes stories, and no other woman is mentioned to ever be held in the same regard by Holmes or to have beaten Holmes. Also, in "A Case of Identity", Watson mentions that Adler is the only person he has ever known to have beaten Holmes.

Gayle Hunnicutt portrayed Irene Adler in "A Scandal in Bohemia", the first episode of the 1984 Granada Television series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, opposite Jeremy Brett's Holmes. On radio, Sarah Badel portrayed Irene Adler in the November 7th 1990 BBC Radio broadcast of "A Scandal in Bohemia" opposite Clive Merrison's Holmes.

Holmes's relationship to Adler

Adler earns Holmes's unbounded admiration. When the King of Bohemia says, "Would she not have made an admirable queen? Is it not a pity she was not on my level?" Holmes replies scathingly that Miss Adler is indeed on a much different level than the King (by which he means higher -- an implication lost on the King).

The beginning of "A Scandal in Bohemia" describes the high regard in which Holmes held Adler:

This "memory" is kept alive by a photograph of Irene Adler, which had been left for the King when she and her new husband took flight with the condemning photograph of her and the King. Sherlock had asked for and received this photo as his payment for his part in the case. This photograph is one of his most prized possessions. Holmes himself, who rarely noticed such things, told Watson that "she was a lovely woman, with a face that a man might die for."

Later appearances in fiction

In his fictional biographies of Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe, William S. Baring-Gould puts forth an argument that Adler and Holmes reconnected after the latter's supposed death at Reichenbach Falls. They performed on stage together incognito, and became lovers. According to Baring-Gould, Holmes and Adler's union produced one son, Nero Wolfe, who would follow in his father's footsteps as a detective.

Perhaps the most important post-Conan Doyle contribution to the Holmes/Adler canon is a series of mystery novels written by Carole Nelson Douglas featuring Irene Adler as the protagonist and sleuth, chronicling her life after her famous encounter with Sherlock Holmes and which feature Holmes as a supporting character. The series includes Godfrey Norton as Irene's supportive barrister husband; Penelope "Nell" Huxleigh, a vicar's daughter and former governess who is Irene's best friend and biographer; and Nell's love interest Quentin Stanhope as supporting characters as well. Historical characters such as Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Alva Vanderbilt and Consuelo Vanderbilt, and journalist Nellie Bly, among others, also make appearances. In the books, Douglas strongly implies that Irene's birth mother was Lola Montez and her father possibly Ludwig I of Bavaria. Douglas provides Irene with a back story as a pint-size child vaudeville performer who was trained as an opera singer before going to work as a Pinkerton detective.

In a series of novels by John Lescroart, it is stated that Adler and Holmes had a son, Auguste Lupa, and it is implied that he later changes his name to Nero Wolfe. In the 2009 novel The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King, it is stated that Irene Adler, who is deceased when the book begins, once had an affair with main character Sherlock Holmes and gave birth to a son, Damian Adler, an artist now known as The Addler.

In the 1976 film Sherlock Holmes in New York, Adler (Charlotte Rampling) helps Holmes and Watson to solve a bank robbery organised by Holmes' nemesis, Professor Moriarty, after he takes her son hostage to prevent Holmes from investigating the case (Holmes and Watson later rescue the boy). Although the boy's father is undisclosed, Adler comments that he has intellectual powers similar to Holmes'.

In the 1984 television adaptation of "A Scandal in Bohemia" with Jeremy Brett (the first-ever episode of the series), Adler is played by Gayle Hunnicutt.

In the 1984 made-for-TV film The Masks of Death, a widowed Irene Adler, played by Anne Baxter, is a guest at Graf Udo Von Felseck (Anton Diffring)'s country house where Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Watson (John Mills) are investigating the supposed disappearance of a visiting prince. Although Holmes initially considers her a suspect, she proves her innocence and becomes an ally.

Irene Adler later appeared in the 1992 TV movie Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady, where she was played by Morgan Fairchild opposite Christopher Lee as Holmes.

In an episode of the PBS Kids show Wishbone actress Sally Nystuen Vahle portrays Irene Adler for the adaptation of "A Scandal in Bohemia" entitled "A Dogged Espose".

She is portrayed by Rachel McAdams in the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes. In that film, she is a skilled professional thief, as well as a divorcée, with the story set several years after A Scandal in Bohemia. McAdams will reprise her role in the 2011 sequel Sherlock Holmes 2.

References in popular culture

In "Angels of Music" by Kim Newman, published in Tales of the Shadowmen Vol. 2 (2006), Erik, the Phantom of the Opera gathers his own Charlie's Angels-like team of female agents, the so-called "Angels of Music", consisting of Christine Daaé, Irene Adler and Trilby O'Ferrall. She also encounters Erik and Christine in Nicholas Meyer's 1993 novel, The Canary Trainer.

In Shadows over Baker Street, Irene Adler appears in the short story "Tiger! Tiger!" by Elizabeth Bear, which is set in India in 1882.

Irene Adler appears in the short story "The Adventure of the Retiring Detective" by Michael Mallory, which is set in 1903, and is included in the collection The Adventures of the Second Mrs. Watson.

DC Comics featured Irene Adler as a character in one of Eclipso's story arcs. Here, Adler is possessed by one of Eclipso's black diamonds, killing both the King of Bohemia and her husband, before Dr. Watson is himself possessed by Eclipso and stops her from killing Holmes. She later throws herself through a skylight in order to save Holmes from the possessed Dr. Watson, dying from the fall.

Irene Adler is mentioned twice in the Case Closed manga series, once in "The Murder at Mycroft Manor", where a book about her 'mocking' portrayal was the motive for the murders, and once in the feature film , where she is a player character inside the VR game's Victorian England level. She is shown as the main character Shinichi Kudo's mother Yukiko Kudo.

Irene Adler is also the name of the main female character in the novel The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte. The story was loosely adapted by Roman Polanski as The Ninth Gate.

In the fifth season episode of House M.D., entitled "Joy to the World", Wilson makes up a character named Irene Adler who is described as a patient once treated by House in Christmas of 2001, whom he fell for but never ended up with. More significantly, the first patient in the show's series premiere is named Rebecca Adler, a nod to Irene by the writers.

Marvel Comics had a character named Irene Adler, a foe exclusive to the X-Men. The former lover of Mystique and adoptive mother of Rogue, she was a mutant precognitive who went by the codename "Destiny". Before she became a mutant terrorist Irene Adler worked as a detective in Austria. Hints within canon suggested that the long lived Destiny was either the actual character within the Holmes stories, or was the woman the character was based on, depending whether or not the current writer of the books considered Holmes a "fictional" character in the context of the Marvel Universe.

External links

"A Few Words about theatres in Warsaw, or where Sang Irene Adler" by Joanna Polatynska with Catharina Polatynska"

Category:Sherlock Holmes characters Category:Fictional singers Category:Fictional characters from New Jersey

Name	Pete Postlethwaite, OBE
Caption	At the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh, 2004
Birth name	Peter William Postlethwaite
Birth date	February 07, 1946
Birth place	Warrington, England, UK
Death date	January 02, 2011
Death place	Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, UK
Death cause	Cancer
Years active	1975–2010
Occupation	Actor
Spouse	Jacqueline Morrish (2003–2011; his death)
Nationality	British

Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE (; 7 February 19462 January 2011), was an English stage, film and television actor.

After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr. Kobayashi, in The Usual Suspects, and he appeared in Alien 3, In the Name of the Father, Amistad, Brassed Off, The Shipping News, The Constant Gardener, The Age of Stupid, Inception, The Town, and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. He also played The Keeper in post-apocalyptic film Aeon Flux.

Postlethwaite was born in Warrington in 1946. He trained as a teacher and taught drama before training as an actor. Steven Spielberg called Postlethwaite "the best actor in the world" after working with him on . He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in In the Name of the Father in 1993, and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 New Year's Honours List. Postlethwaite died from cancer on 2 January 2011.

Early life

Postlethwaite was born in Warrington, which was then in Lancashire, on 7 February 1946. He was the fourth and youngest child of William and Mary Postlethwaite née Lawless. He was raised in a working-class Roman Catholic family with two sisters, Anne and Patricia, and a brother, Michael. He trained as a teacher at St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill and taught drama at Loreto College, Manchester, before training as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Career

Postlethwaite started his career at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre where his colleagues included Bill Nighy, Jonathan Pryce, Antony Sher and Julie Walters. Postlethwaite and Walters had an intimate relationship during the latter half of the 1970s. He was a veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company and other acting companies.

On 13 January 1981, he took the leading role in a BBC TV black comedy by Alan Bleasdale, The Muscle Market, which was a spin-off from Boys from the Blackstuff; it was part of the Play for Today series and also featured Alison Steadman.

After other early appearances in small parts for television programmes such as The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first film success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in In the Name of the Father in 1993. He is perhaps best known for his role as mysterious lawyer Mr. Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects. He also made appearances in several successful films, including Alien 3, Amistad, Brassed Off, The Shipping News, The Constant Gardener, Inception and as Friar Lawrence in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.

In 2003, he was both the physical and vocal actor for the villain Deeth in Zixx: Level One, a Canadian TV series created by IDT Entertainment. The same year, he went to Australia and New Zealand, touring a 90-minute one-man play called Scaramouche Jones where he played a clown trying to find out why he is who he is before he dies at midnight, receiving a nomination for the TMA Award for Best Actor and winning the Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Solo Performance. This was directed by Rupert Goold, who would also direct his Lear in 2008, in which Postlethwaite played every character. As well as Australia, the play toured Canada, New Zealand and Britain to great acclaim.

In the 2004 book The Art of Discworld, Terry Pratchett said that he had always imagined Sam Vimes as 'a younger, slightly bulkier version of Pete Postlethwaite'.

Steven Spielberg called Postlethwaite "the best actor in the world" after working with the actor on the , to which Postlethwaite quipped: "I'm sure what Spielberg actually said was, 'The thing about Pete is that he thinks he's the best actor in the world.'"

One of his more notable roles was as antagonist Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill in ITV's Sharpe series, which starred Sean Bean. Postlethwaite has said that this was one of his favourite roles and that he and Sean played so well off each other because of their mutual love and respect for each other. Bernard Cornwell, the author and creator of the Sharpe series, specifically wrote Hakeswill's character in later novels to reflect Postletwaite's performance as the character in the TV series. Postlethwaite also co-starred with Sean Bean in When Saturday Comes.

Postlethwaite next starred in the Liverpool stage production of King Lear in 2008 at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, and at the Young Vic, London. He appears in the climate change-themed film The Age of Stupid, premiered in March 2009. Having recently installed a wind turbine in his garden, he said was really impressed by the film and made an impassioned call for action on climate change on its release in The Sun newspaper; "The stakes [of climate of change] are very, very high. They're through the roof. How could we willingly know that we're going into extinction... and let it happen."

Awards

He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 New Year's Honours List and received an honorary degree from Liverpool University in 2006. He received an Academy Award nomination for his role In the Name of the Father.

Personal life

He lived in West Itchenor, West Sussex, before moving to Shropshire, near Bishop's Castle, with his wife Jacqueline (Jackie) Morrish Postlethwaite, a former BBC producer, whom he married in 2003 in Chichester. In a March 2009 interview with Scotland on Sunday, Postlethwaite commented on his smoking habit, stating: "We've got to hope the next generation will do things differently. I'm sure that in 20 years' time the kids will say: 'Can you believe that people actually used to smoke – put these funny little things in their mouths, lit them and sucked all that crap into their lungs?"

Political views

Postletwaite appeared as a taxi driver in one of the Labour Party's political broadcasts during the 1997 general election. He was an activist against climate change and at the UK premiere of The Age of Stupid, he told Ed Miliband, then-Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, that would return his OBE and vote for any party other than Labour, if the Kingsnorth coal-fired power station was given the go-ahead by the government. A month later the Government announced a change to its policy on coal - no new coal-fired power station will get government consent unless it can capture and bury 25% of the emissions it produces immediately - and 100% of emissions by 2025. This, a source told The Guardian, represented “a complete rewrite of UK energy policy”.

Illness and death

Postlethwaite was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1990, and had one testicle removed. He died at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on 2 January 2011 after suffering from cancer.

Filmography

Films

Television

References

External links

Daily Telegraph Obituary

Category:Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Category:Cancer deaths in England Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Warrington Category:Shakespearean actors Category:Testicular cancer survivors Category:1946 births Category:2011 deaths Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors

Name	Paul Bettany
Caption	Bettany at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International
Birth date	May 27, 1971
Birth place	Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1994–present
Spouse

Paul Bettany (born 27 May 1971) is an English actor. Appearing in a wide variety of films, he has been nominated for BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Early life

Bettany was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, the son of Anne (née Kettle), a stage singer, theatre teacher, and stage manager, and Thane Bettany, a dancer, actor and drama teacher. Bettany was raised Roman Catholic. He has an older sister, Sarah, and had a younger brother, Matthew, who died after a fall at Queenswood when he was eight years old. While Thane taught at the all-girls boarding school Queenswood School in Hertfordshire, the family lived on the campus. Soon after his brother's death, Paul left home and went to live on his own in London and his parents later divorced. He lived in a small flat and earned money by playing his guitar in the streets as a busker. After two years, he found a new job in a home for the elderly.

Career

When Bettany was 19, he decided to be an actor, and he pursued that career with determination, studying at the Drama Centre London in Chalk Farm. He made his stage debut in Stephen Daldry's acclaimed West End revival of An Inspector Calls at the Aldwych Theatre, playing the part of Eric Birling. He also appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company's productions of Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar (for which he received a Charleson Award nomination). When Bettany was 21 he appeared in a BBC production of Oliver Twist, as Bill Sikes.

After appearing in the finale of Sean Bean's series Sharpe as HRH The Prince of Orange at the Battle of Waterloo, he made his film debut with a small part in Bent, a Holocaust drama which also featured Clive Owen, Jude Law, and Ian McKellen. He continued doing work in stage and television, these included Joe Penhall's Love and Understanding, which played at London's Flatbush Theatre and then ran in Connecticut. He had roles in the television productions Killer Net and Coming Home, during which he met and dated Emily Mortimer. He did his last theatre work in One More Wasted Year and Stranger's House at the Royal Court Theatre.

He filmed several more movies, including his first leading role in Gangster No. 1. The British Independent Film Awards nominated him for Best Actor, and the London Film Critics' Circle nominated him for British Newcomer of the Year.

Back in Hollywood, writer/director Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) was planning a new film called The Sin Eater (also known as The Order). He was impressed by Bettany's audition tape, though Bettany eventually decided to film A Knight's Tale instead. The studio executives were not impressed, but Helgeland was determined to cast him, even writing the part of Chaucer for him. A Knight's Tale would be Bettany's first big Hollywood production, and most American audiences would have their first look at Paul Bettany when he walked onscreen muddy and naked. "My buttocks entered the American market before I did," he joked on the movie's DVD commentary track.

He received critical acclaim for A Knight's Tale, including winning the London Film Critics Circle Award for Best British Supporting Actor. After the movie wrapped, Helgeland, determined that Hollywood should recognise Bettany's talent, showed the audition tape to many of his peers, including Ron Howard, who promptly cast Bettany in A Beautiful Mind.

After A Beautiful Mind, Bettany was offered the role of serial killer Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon, opposite Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins. He turned down the role in favour of accepting a part with Stellan Skarsgård and Nicole Kidman in controversial director Lars von Trier's Dogville.

Bettany's next major project saw him starring again alongside Russell Crowe in Peter Weir's . His portrayal of surgeon and naturalist Stephen Maturin brought in more critical acclaim, including a BAFTA nomination, British Actor of the Year (London Film Critics' Circle), and Best Actor (Evening Standard).

On 28 June 2004, Bettany and 13 other actors were included in the 2004 invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Dogville and The Reckoning were released in limited cinemas in 2004. In September of that year, Bettany made his leading-man debut in Wimbledon, a romantic comedy with Kirsten Dunst. The film's cast would also introduce him to Jon Favreau, playing his manager, a relationship that would return when Favreau cast him as the voice of Jarvis in Iron Man. In spring 2005, Bettany went to Vancouver to film Firewall, a thriller starring Harrison Ford and Virginia Madsen, which reunited him with Wimbledon director Richard Loncraine. He spent the autumn of 2005 filming The Da Vinci Code, based on Dan Brown's bestselling novel and starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou. In the film, he played an Opus Dei monk named Silas.

In 2007, Bettany went to London to star in There For Me, written by his friends Dan Fredenburgh and Doraly Rosen. In 2008, he appeared in the New Line Cinema family fantasy Inkheart, playing the part of a fire-eater named Dustfinger.

Personal life

On New Year's Day 2003, Bettany married Jennifer Connelly in a ceremony in Scotland attended by a small circle of friends and family; they met while starring together in A Beautiful Mind and began dating in 2002. He moved to Brooklyn, New York, with Connelly and her son Kai. The couple's own son, Stellan (named for actor Stellan Skarsgård) was born on 5 August 2003. Stellan's godfather is the actor Charlie Condou. The couple are expecting their second child together in 2011.

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" |- ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |rowspan="2"| 1997 | Bent | Captain | |- | Sharpe´s Waterloo | Prince William of Orange | Television movie-series |- |rowspan="3"| 1998 | Coming Home | Edward Carey-Lewis | Television movie |- | Killer Net | Joe Hunter | Television mini-series |- | The Land Girls | Philip | |- |rowspan="2"| 1999 | Every Woman Knows a Secret | Rob | Television mini-series |- | After the Rain | Steph | |- |rowspan="5"| 2000 | Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) | Jimmy | |- | The Suicide Club | Shaw | |- | David Copperfield | James Steerforth | Television movie |- | Dead Babies | Quentin | |- | Gangster No. 1 | Young Gangster | Nominated — British Independent Film Award for Best ActorNominated — London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Newcomer of the Year |- |rowspan="2"|2001 | A Knight's Tale | Geoffrey Chaucer | London Film Critics' Circle Award for Supporting Actor of the YearNominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer |- | A Beautiful Mind | Charles Herman | Nominated — London Film Critics' Circle Award for Supporting Actor of the YearNominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |- |rowspan="2"| 2002 | Euston Road | "Y" | Short film |- | The Heart of Me | Rickie | Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor also for |- |rowspan="3"| 2003 | | Dr. Stephen Maturin | Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor also for The Heart of MeLondon Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actor of the YearNominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting RoleNominated — BFCA Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor |- | The Reckoning | Nicholas | |- | Dogville | Tom Edison | |- | 2004 | ''Wimbledon | Peter Colt | Nominated — Empire Award for Best British ActorJordan Awards—Best Actor |- |rowspan="2"| 2006 | Firewall | Bill Cox | |- | The Da Vinci Code | Silas | |- |rowspan="4"| 2008 | Iron Man | J.A.R.V.I.S | Voice Only |- | The Secret Life of Bees | T. Ray Owens | Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble |- | Inkheart | Dustfinger | |- | Broken Lines | Chester | |- |rowspan="2"| 2009 | The Young Victoria | Lord Melbourne | |- | Creation | Charles Darwin | |- |rowspan="5"| 2010 | Legion | Michael | |- | Iron Man 2 | J.A.R.V.I.S | Voice Only |- | Margin Call | | |- |The Tourist | John Acheson | |- |Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated | Professor Pericles | Voice Only |- |2011 | ''Priest | Ivan Isaacs | Filming |- | 2012 | The Avengers | J.A.R.V.I.S | Voice Only |}

References

External links

Category:Alumni of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Category:Alumni of the Drama Centre London Category:English actors Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English buskers Category:Actors from London Category:People from Harlesden Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members Category:1971 births Category:Living people

Name	Michael Sheen
Caption	Sheen at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2010.
Birth date	February 05, 1969
Birth name	Michael Christopher Sheen
Birth place	Newport, Wales
Occupation	Actor
Partner	Kate Beckinsale (1992–2003; 1 child)Lorraine Stewart (2003–2010) Rachel McAdams (2010 - present)
Years active	1993—

Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh film and stage actor. Having worked with screenwriter Peter Morgan on five films, Wales to Irene and Meyrick Sheen, both of whom worked in personnel management. His father is also a part-time professional Jack Nicholson look-alike. He has a younger sister, Joanne. When Sheen was five, the family moved to Liverpool, where he became a lifelong Liverpool F.C. fan by watching the side of the 1970s. He returned to his parents' home of Port Talbot, Wales three years later, where he attended Glan Afan Comprehensive School and played football for Baglan boys club. but chose to pursue an acting career instead. He recalled: "I was wearing a Swansea kit at the time, so everyone called me Swansea, which I hated. Tony Adams was playing against me and I skinned him a few times, so I must have made an impression." Deciding not to take the trial as it would have meant the family leaving Port Talbot for London, After leaving school, Sheen accepted a place to study acting at the National Youth Theatre of Wales in Cardiff and then trained at the internationally renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Career

During his second year at RADA he scored his first starring role, opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced. Sheen soon established himself as one of the most promising talents on the theatrical scene, notably being cast as Mozart in Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus, which was staged at the Old Vic Theatre and directed by Sir Peter Hall. He later reprised this role on Broadway.

His television screen debut came in 1993 in the BBC drama serial, Gallowglass (based on the novel by Ruth Rendell),

He has since appeared in the films Wilde (1997) (in which he played Robert Ross), Mary Reilly and his most recent role as Castor/Zuess in the new TRON movie(2010). However, he remained primarily a stage actor, having starred in high-profile productions of Henry V, Peer Gynt, The Dresser, Caligula and Look Back in Anger, among others.

In 2003, he appeared with Kate Beckinsale in the gothic action film Underworld as the werewolf Lucian. Salon critic Andrew O'Hehir commented that while the "... entire movie is full of campy overacting... [Shane] Brolly and Sheen seem to have been selected for their talents in this regard." Sheen has also appeared with Beckinsale in the season seven premiere of Punk'd.

He has become well-known for playing real-life characters. He played Tony Blair in the Channel 4 drama The Deal and later, in the film The Queen. He has also played Kenneth Williams in on BBC Four, H G Wells in H G Wells: War with the World on BBC Two, and in 2006, he played Nero in the BBC's .

At the 2005 British Academy Television Awards, Sheen was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in the TV drama, Dirty Filthy Love, in which he played a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In 2007, he received two BAFTA nominations, this time for Best Supporting Actor in a Film, for his performance in The Queen, and for Best Television Actor, for his role in Fantabulosa; once again, he was unsuccessful in both cases.

Later that year, he played David Frost in the critically acclaimed Donmar Warehouse production of Peter Morgan's Frost/Nixon, which later transferred to the Gielgud Theatre before heading to Broadway in 2007. He has reprised the role in the 2008 Ron Howard-directed film adaptation.

In 2007, he read Paul Torday's novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime. The same year, Sheen was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

On 2 October 2007, it was announced that Peter Morgan was working on a sequel to The Queen, and that Sheen will be reprising his role as Tony Blair in The Special Relationship, starring alongside Dennis Quaid as former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton.

In January 2009, he returned to the role of Lucian in , the third release in the Underworld film series and prequel to the original 2003 film.

In March 2009 Sheen played Brian Clough to critical acclaim in Peter Morgan's adaptation of David Peace's novel The Damned Utd, based on Clough's 44-day spell in charge of Leeds United. The same year, he co-starred as the vampire Aro in the second installment of the Twilight film series, New Moon, released on November 20. He was the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" on the November 22, 2009 edition of Top Gear.

November 2009 also saw the release of the DVD Michael Sheen presents You're The Boss, a documentary comedy celebrating the game's greatest football managers and the highs and lows of football management.

In 2010, Sheen appeared in the Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland, alongside Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway. In the same year, he also had a cameo role in the British independent film My Last Five Girlfriends; co-starred in American thriller Unthinkable, alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Carrie-Anne Moss; and starred in the third installment of Peter Morgan's Blair trilogy, The Special Relationship. Later that year, he was also seen in science fiction sequel Tron Legacy and Beautiful Boy, an independent movie by Shawn Ku.

Sheen made a guest appearance in four episodes in season 4 of NBC's 30 Rock as Wesley Snipes, a love interest for the show's protagonist Liz Lemon played by Tina Fey.

In July 2010, Sheen filmed an edition of the BBC Wales TV series Coming Home, which spotlights celebrities with Welsh roots exploring their family history. The programme was due for transmission on 24 November 2010 on BBC One Wales (also available on various satellite services).

In August 2010, Sheen portrayed Garry Kasparov in the music video for the Manic Street Preachers single "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love" opposite Anna Friel. Sheen said it came about as he is a friend of lead singer James Dean Bradfield from the band.

He appears in the film Jesus Henry Christ with Toni Collette, the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris, and is set to star in the film adaptation of Resistance, based on the Owen Sheers novel of the same name, having co-written the screenplay with director Amit Gupta.

In 2011, Michael is set to appear in, and direct, a staging of the Passion play in his hometown Port Talbot over Easter. He will also return to the stage to play the role of Hamlet at the Young Vic Theatre in the winter. The play will be directed by Ian Rickson.

2012 will see Sheen return as Aro, in the second part of Breaking Dawn, the adaptation of the fourth novel in the Twilight Saga.

Personal life

Sheen and English actress Kate Beckinsale have a daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, born 31 January 1999. When Beckinsale shot the film The Golden Bowl, Sheen hit actor Jeremy Northam after he had insulted Beckinsale.

Sheen lived for a time in the United States with Beckinsale, but since their relationship ended, he now splits his time between London and Los Angeles co-parenting their daughter. After the relationship broke down in 2010, Sheen began dating Canadian actress Rachel McAdams.

On 15 July 2008, Sheen was awarded the freedom of the borough of Neath Port Talbot, making him one of the youngest people to receive the honour and putting him amongst a select group of people including Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Sheen was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. He was named Actor of the Year in GQ Magazine's 2009 Men of the Year Awards.

Michael Sheen captained the winning Rest of World team in the 2010 Soccer Aid, a British charity match for UNICEF UK. He is one of the Honorary Patrons of the London children's charity Scene & Heard. Mark Jones, the Manager of Port Talbot Town FC announced that they offered the Vice-Presidency of their club to Sheen and he accepted.

Filmography

References

External links

Michael Sheen on Twitter

Q&A;: Michael Sheen

The Queen 's Michael Sheen">Yahoo Lifestyle: "The Queen 's Michael Sheen (interview), January 29, 2008

BBC News, January 11, 2007: "Actor Sheen backs Burberry fight"

Comprehensive career Q&A; on theartsdesk.com September 11, 2010

Category:1969 births Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:Living people Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Newport Category:People from Port Talbot Category:Welsh film actors Category:Welsh stage actors Category:Welsh television actors

Name	Jessica Alba
Caption	Alba at the Declare Yourself Inauguration Ball in 2009
Birth name	Jessica Marie Alba
Birth date	April 28, 1981
Birth place	Pomona, California, United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Spouse

Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28, 1981) is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994). Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel (2000–2002).

Alba's early life was marked by a multitude of physical maladies. During childhood, she suffered from collapsed lungs twice, had pneumonia 4-5 times a year, as well as a ruptured appendix and a tonsillar cyst. Alba has also had asthma since she was a child. Alba graduated from high school at age 16, and she subsequently attended the Atlantic Theater Company.

Career

.]] Alba expressed interest in acting since the age of five. In 1992, the 11-year-old Alba persuaded her mother to take her to an acting competition in Beverly Hills, California whose grand prize was free acting classes. Alba won the grand prize, and took her first acting lessons. An agent signed Alba nine months later. Her first appearance on film was a small role in the 1994 feature Camp Nowhere as Gail. She was originally hired for two weeks but her role turned into a two-month job in a leading role when one of the prominent actresses dropped out. She then performed the role of Maya in the first two seasons of the television series Flipper.

In 1998, she appeared as Melissa Hauer in a first-season episode of the Steven Bochco crime-drama Brooklyn South, as Leanne in two episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, and as Layla in an episode of . In 1999, she appeared in the Randy Quaid comedy feature P.U.N.K.S.. After Alba graduated from high school, she studied acting with William H. Macy and his wife, Felicity Huffman, at the Atlantic Theater Company, which was developed by Macy and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and film director, David Mamet.

Alba rose to greater prominence in Hollywood in 1999 after appearing as a member of a snobby high school clique in the Drew Barrymore romantic comedy Never Been Kissed, and as the female lead in the 1999 comedy-horror film Idle Hands, opposite Devon Sawa. Alba later revealed that she had suffered from an eating disorder while in preparation for Dark Angel.

Alba has been well-received in popular culture. She received the Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress and Saturn Award for Best Actress (TV) for her role in Dark Angel. She has frequently appeared on Maxim's Hot 100 list. In 2006, Alba received an MTV Movie Award for "Sexiest Performance" for Sin City. Her acting has also drawn criticism, however, as she was nominated for a 2007 Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performances in Awake, Good Luck Chuck, and . She was also nominated for the same award in 2005 for her performances in Fantastic Four and Into the Blue.

Alba's most notable film roles have included an aspiring dancer-choreographer in Honey, exotic dancer Nancy Callahan in Sin City, and as the Marvel Comics character Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman in Fantastic Four. She then appeared in , in Into the Blue later that year, and Good Luck Chuck a few years later. Alba went on to host the 2006 MTV Movie Awards and performed sketches spoofing the movies King Kong, , and The Da Vinci Code. In February, she hosted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Science and Technical Awards. Alba has been represented by talent agents Patrick Whitesell and Brad Cafarelli. The film was released on February 1, 2008. Though the film was not well received by critics, Alba's performance was both positively and negatively received. Alba won a Teen Choice for Choice Movie Actress: Horror/Thriller and a Razzie Award for Worst Actress-nomination. Also in 2008, Alba starred alongside Mike Myers and Justin Timberlake in "box office bomb" The Love Guru. Both the film and Alba's performance were panned by critics. Alba was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress. The movie finished filming in November, 2008. The film is in post-production and set to be released in 2010. Ugly Betty star America Ferrera was originally set to star as the lead but had to pull out due to filming commitments with her television show Ugly Betty.

Alba starred alongside Kate Hudson and Casey Affleck in the film adaption of the book of the same name, The Killer Inside Me. In the movie, Alba played Joyce Lakeland, a prostitute. The film was released in 2010. Also in 2010, Alba starred in the romantic comedy Valentine's Day, alongside Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Emma Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, and Jennifer Garner. The film was released on February 12, 2010.

Public image

magazine. Alba objected to being on the cover of the magazine and filed suit, but later dropped the action.]]

In 2001, Alba was ranked No. 1 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list. She said that "I have to go to certain lengths to use sexuality to my advantage, while guiding people to thinking the way I want them to." In 2005, Alba was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, and also appeared in the magazine's 100 Most Beautiful list in 2007. In 2002, Alba was voted as the fifth Sexiest Female Star for 2002 in a Hollywood.com poll, #4 in the Top 10 Sci-Fi Babes, #6 in FHM's Sexiest Girls for their poll, and ranked at #12 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" 2002 edition. In 2005, Alba was ranked at #5 on the Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list.

On the cover of the March 2006 issue, Playboy magazine named Alba among its 25 Sexiest Celebrities, and the Sex Star of the Year. Alba was involved in litigation against Playboy for its use of her image (from a promotional shot for Into the Blue) without her consent, which she contends gave the appearance that she was featured in the issue in a "nude pictorial". However, she later dropped the lawsuit after receiving a personal apology from Playboy owner Hugh Hefner, who agreed to make donations to two charities that Alba has supported.

When reports surfaced that a 21-year-old Chinese girl was seeking plastic surgery to resemble Alba in order to win back an ex-boyfriend, the star spoke out against the perceived need to change one's appearance for love.

In 2006, Alba ranked #3 on E! Television's 101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies. In 2006 readers of AskMen.com voted Alba No. 1 on 99 Most Desirable Women, while in 2007, Maxim Magazine placed Alba on the number 2 spot of their "Top 100". Both GQ and In Style had Alba on their June covers, and in May, after eight million votes, FHM (UK and USA editions) named Alba the winner as "2007’s Sexiest Woman in the World". Alba has been regarded as one of the world's most attractive women, being named to Maxim's Hot 100 in 2008. In 2007 Alba was ranked in at #1 in FHM's Sexiest Girls of 2007 poll, in the magazine's Latvian edition. Alba was ranked #4 on Empire Magazine's 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in 2007. In 2006 and 2007 Alba was voted #1 as the most sexy woman in the world by the Norwegian FHM. Alba appeared in the 2009 Campari calendar. Campari printed 9,999 copies of the calendar featuring photos of Alba posing sexually in swimsuits, and high heels. In 2008, Alba was ranked #34 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list, was ranked #2 on Wizard magazine's "Sexiest Women of TV" list, and was named in GQ Magazine one of the 25 Sexiest Women in film of all time.}}

Alba fears being typecast as a sex kitten based on the bulk of parts offered to her, commenting, "Somehow, I don't think this is happening to Natalie Portman." Alba also maintains a strict no-nudity clause in her contract. She was given the option to appear nude in Sin City by the film's directors, Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, but declined the offer, saying, "I don't do nudity. I just don't. Maybe that makes me a bad actress. Maybe I won't get hired in some things. But I have too much anxiety".

Personal life

Religion

Alba was raised as a Catholic throughout her teenage years, but left the church after four years because she felt she was being judged for her appearance, explaining: "Older men would hit on me, and my youth pastor said it was because I was wearing provocative clothing, when I wasn't. It just made me feel like if I was in any way desirable to the opposite sex that it was my fault, and it made me ashamed of my body and being a woman".

Alba also had objections to the church's condemnations of premarital sex and homosexuality, and the lack of strong female role models in the Bible, explaining "I thought it was a nice guide, but it certainly wasn't how I was going to live my life." Her "religious devotion [began] to wane" at the age of 15 when she guest-starred as a teenager with gonorrhea in the throat in a 1996 episode of the television series Chicago Hope. Her friends at church reacted negatively to her role, making her lose faith in the church. However, she has stated that she still holds her belief in God despite leaving the church.

Relationships

While filming Dark Angel in January 2000, Alba began a three year relationship with her co-star Michael Weatherly, which caused controversy due to their twelve year age gap. Weatherly proposed to Alba on her twentieth birthday, which she accepted. In August 2003, Alba and Weatherly announced that they'd ended their relationship. Alba had at one time said she envisioned a much older man as her ideal partner, making references to Morgan Freeman, Sean Connery, Robert Redford, and Michael Caine. She said, "I have this thing for older men. They've been around and know so much."

Alba met Cash Warren, son of actor Michael Warren, while making Fantastic Four in 2004. On December 27, 2007, Alba and Warren announced that they were engaged. Alba married Warren in Los Angeles on Monday, May 19, 2008. On June 7, 2008, Alba gave birth to a baby girl, Honor Marie Warren, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. The first pictures of Honor Marie appeared in OK! magazine, which paid a reported $1.5 million for them. Alba has said that she would like to have more children.

Charity and politics

In 2005, Alba offered her acting talents for free, to raise money for AIDS charity Amfar at the Cannes Film Festival. The Industry had held a benefit for the US research foundation. Alba had caused "the greatest stir" by promising to star as an unpaid actress in one of The Lord of the Rings producer Bob Weinstein's movies, if Weinstein agreed to bid $100,000 for tennis lessons with sports stars Monica Seles and Boris Becker.

Alba's charity work includes participation with Clothes Off Our Back, Habitat for Humanity, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Project HOME, RADD, Revlon Run/Walk for Women, SOS Children Villages, Soles4Souls, and Step up. Alba openly endorsed and supported Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama during the 2008 primary season. Together with Bono, Alba is an ambassador for the 1Goal movement to provide education to children in Africa.

Alba posed for a bondage-themed print advertising campaign by Declare Yourself, a campaign encouraging voter registration among youth for the 2008 United States presidential election. The ads photographed by Mark Liddell, which feature Alba wrapped in and gagged with black tape, drew national media attention. The ads were described by some as being "Shocking".

In June 2009, while filming The Killer Inside Me in Oklahoma City, Alba was involved in a controversy with residents when she pasted posters of sharks around town. Alba said that she was trying to bring attention to the diminishing population of great white sharks. Media outlets speculated that Alba would be pursued and charged with vandalism. On June 16, 2009, Oklahoma City police said that they would not pursue criminal charges against Alba, because none of the property owners wanted to pursue it. Alba apologized in a statement to People magazine and said that she regretted her actions. to the United Way, whose billboard she had obscured with one of the shark posters.

Filmography

Film

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1994 | Camp Nowhere | Gail | Film debut |- | 1995 | Venus Rising | Young Eve | |- | rowspan="3"| 1999 | P.U.N.K.S. | Samantha Swoboda | |- | Never Been Kissed | Kirsten Liosis | |- | Idle Hands | Molly | |- | 2000 | Paranoid | Chloe | |- | rowspan="2"| 2003 | The Sleeping Dictionary | Selima | DVD Exclusive Award for Best Actress in a DVD Premiere Movie |- | Honey | Honey Daniels | Teen Choice Award for Breakout Movie Star, Actress - Drama/Action Adventure, Chemistry and LiplockNominated |- | rowspan="3"| 2005 | | Nancy Callahan | MTV Movie Award for Sexiest PerformanceNominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated — Alma Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion PictureNominated — Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards for Best EnsembleNominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast |- | | Sue Storm / Invisible Woman | Nominated — Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Hero |- | Into the Blue | Sam |- | rowspan="5"| 2007 | Knocked Up | Herself | Uncredited Cameo |- | | Sue Storm / Invisible Woman | Blimp Award for Favorite Female Movie Star |- | The Ten | Liz Anne Blazer | |- | Good Luck Chuck | Cam Wexler |- | | Sam Lockwood |- | rowspan="3"| 2008 | The Eye | Sydney Wells | Teen Choice Award for Actress: Horror/Thriller |- | Meet Bill | Lucy | |- | The Love Guru | Jane Bullard |- | rowspan="5"| 2010 | Valentine's Day | Morely Clarkson | |- | The Killer Inside Me | Joyce Lakeland |- | Machete | Special Agent Sartana Rivera | |- | An Invisible Sign | Mona Gray | |- | Little Fockers | Andi Garcia |- | 2011 | | Marissa Cortez Wilson |- |}

Television

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1994 | The Secret World of Alex Mack | Jessica | "School Dance" (Season 1, Episode 5)"Hoop War" (Season 1, Episode 2)"The Accident" (Season 1, Episode 1) |- | 1995–1997 | Flipper | Maya Graham | Recurring characterNominated — Young Star Award-Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Daytime TV Program (1998) |- | 1996 | ABC Afterschool Special | Christy | "Too Soon for Jeff" (Season 25, Episode 1) |- | 1996 | Chicago Hope | Florie Hernandez | "Sexual Perversity in Chicago Hope" (Season 2, Episode 18) |- | 1998 | Brooklyn South | Melissa Hauer | "Exposing Johnson" (Season 1, Episode 12) |- | 1998 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Leanne | "Making Amends" (Season 8, Episode 23)"The Nature of Nurture" (Season 8, Episode 25) |- | 1998 | | Layla | "Remember?" (Season 1, Episode 2) |- | 2000–2002 | Dark Angel | Max Guevara / X5-452 | Lead RoleNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (2000)Won — Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television (2001)Nominated — Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Leading Young Actress (2001)Won — Teen Choice Award for TV – Choice Actress (2001)Won — TV Guide Award TV Guide Award for Breakout Star of the Year (2001)Nominated TV Guide Award TV Guide Award for Actress of the Year in a New Series (2001)Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Series (2002)Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actress in a Television Series (2002)Nominated — Kid's Choice Award for Favorite Female Action Hero (2002)Nominated — Teen Choice Award for TV – Choice Actress-Drama (2002) |- | 2003 | MADtv | Jessica Simpson | "Episode #9.5" (Season 9, Episode 5) |- | 2004 | Entourage | Herself | "The Review" (Season 1, Episode 2) |- | 2005 | ''Trippin' | Herself | "Costa Rica" (Season 1, Episode 6)"Honduras" (Season 1, Episode 5) |- | 2009 | ''The Office | Sophie | "Stress Relief" (Season 5, Episode 15) |}

Awards

References

External links

Category:1981 births Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Mississippi Category:Actors from Texas Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American people of Danish descent Category:American people of French-Canadian descent Category:American people of Mexican descent Category:American television actors Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors Category:Living people Category:Military brats Category:People from Biloxi, Mississippi Category:People from Pomona, California Category:People from Val Verde County, Texas

Caption	Elba at an American Music Awards after-party, November 2007
Birthname	Idrissa Akuna Elba
Birth date	September 06, 1972
Birth place	Hackney, London, England
Othername	DJ Big Driis Big Driis the Londoner
Occupation	Actor
Yearsactive	1995–present
Homepage	http://www.driis.com/

Idris Akuna Elba (born 6 September 1972) television, theatre, and film actor who has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including Ultraviolet and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Elba is also a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis / Big Driis the Londoner, and a hip-hop soul recording artist.

Early life

Elba, an only child, was born Idrissa Akuna Elba, and shortened his first name at school in Canning Town, where he first became involved in acting. He began helping an uncle with his wedding-DJ business at age 14, and within a year had started his own DJ company with some friends. He left school at 16 and won a place in the National Youth Music Theatre—thanks to a £1,500 Prince’s Trust grant – but then ended up having to do everything from tire-fitting to cold-call advertising sales to pay the rent between roles in Crimewatch murder reconstructions. He was working in nightclubs under the DJ nickname Big Driis by the age of 19, but began auditioning for television parts in his early twenties. Many supporting roles on British television followed, including such series as The Bill, Degrees of Error, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, and The Governor. Elba also appeared in the role of Charlie Kgotso in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency opposite Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose, that was filmed in Botswana. The series premiered on 23 March 2008, Easter Sunday, on BBC One, receiving a high 6.3 million viewers and 27% of the audience share.

In January 2009, it was reported per Variety that Elba will portray Charles Miner, a new rival to Dunder Mifflin regional manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) for NBC's The Office. Elba will portray Laura Linney's lover in Showtime's The Big C for an unknown number of episodes in 2010.

Film

Early work

In 2006, Elba also signed on as the lead of the 2007 comedy Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls, playing Monty, a blue-collar mechanic who falls in love with a six-figure attorney (Gabrielle Union) helping him gain custody of his kids, and finds the relationship and his custody hopes threatened by the re-arrival of his ex-wife.

2008–present

In 2008, Elba starred in the horror film Prom Night and Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla. Obsessed was a box office success after it took in $29 million in its opening weekend. Obsessed was released on DVD on 4 August 2009.

Elba next film was 2010's Legacy in which he portrayed a black ops soldier, Malcolm, who returned to Brooklyn after a failed mission in Eastern Europe, where he undertook a journey looking for retribution. Filming took place in Puerto Rico and the movie was released in April 2010. Elba will next be seen in the 2010 thriller Takers also starring Hayden Christensen, Chris Brown, T.I., and Paul Walker. Elba has joined the cast of Kenneth Branagh's upcoming Thor film (based upon the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name), in which he will play Heimdall. In August 2010, it was announced that Elba will portray the title role in James Patterson's Alex Cross franchise.

Music career

In 2001, Elba appeared in music videos for Fat Joe, Angie Stone In 2006, Elba recorded the four-song EP Big Man for Hevlar Records. He also DJ'd at the 2007 NBA All Star parties at the Venetian Hotel and Ice House Lounge in Las Vegas. music video for Busta Rhymes's 2009 Back on My BS album. In July 2009, Elba was the DJ for BET's new series "Rising Icons". Elba also announced the release of his first single "Please Be True." Elba is currently working on his second EP, and plans to tour Europe in late 2009. In the August 2009 issue of Essence magazine, Elba announced the name of his six-song EP as Kings Among Kings. He released his EP High Class Problems Vol. 1 in the United Kingdom in February 2010.

Personal life

Elba is currently divorced. He and his ex-wife have a daughter named Isan, born in 2002. Though the two split four years after the birth of their child, it is rumored that they are still very good friends. They have been photographed out together on many occasions since the divorce, but neither cares to comment on speculations. Elba is a friend of rappers such as Diddy and Ludacris, and spends much of his time in Atlanta, where he owns a house and lives close to his daughter. In April 2009, it was announced that Elba has become an Anti-Crime Ambassador and in July 2010, Elba announced his support for Oona King in her campaign to become the Labour Party candidate for Mayor of London in 2012.

Elba is a fan of London football team Arsenal FC, despite his father being a Manchester United fan. Idris has been spotted with many different female celebrities, but no relationships have been confirmed.

In the media

He was featured as one of the "Ten Hottest Men on the Planet" in the April 2004 issue of Essence magazine and again in the November 2005 issue. Elba appeared on the August 2009 cover of Essence magazine.

Filmography

Awards/nominations

BET Awards

*2010, Best Actor (Won)

*2009, Best Actor (Nominated)

*2008, Best Actor (Nominated)

*2007, Best Actor (Nominated)

Black Reel Awards

*2006, Best Actor: The Gospel (Nominated)

*2006, Best Actor Network/Cable: Sometimes in April (Nominated)

Golden Globe Awards

*2010, Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film: Luther (Nominated)

*2010, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Obsessed (Nominated)

*2006, Outstanding Actor in a Mini-Series/Television Movie: Sometimes in April (Nominated)

Screen Actors Guild Awards

*2008, Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture: American Gangster (Nominated)

References

External links

Official Site/Blog

Official Music Site

Official MySpace profile

Official MySpace Music Profile

Official Twitter page

Official Facebook fan page

Official Facebook music fan page

Sometimes in April Interview

Category:1972 births Category:English film actors Category:English television actors Category:Black British actors Category:British expatriates in the United States Category:British people of Ghanaian descent Category:British people of Sierra Leonean descent Category:Club DJs Category:Living people Category:Actors from London Category:People from Hackney

Alt	Head and shoulders shot of a smiling Berry with dark hair pulled back, wearing a lace shirt and turquoise necklace.
Caption	Berry visiting with sailors and Marines during the opening day of Fleet Week New York 2006
Birth date	August 14, 1966
Birth place	Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Birth name	Maria Halle Berry
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1990–present
Spouse
Partner	Gabriel Aubry (2005- 2010) Olivier Martinez- present

Halle Berry (; born August 14, 1966) is an American actress, former fashion model, and beauty queen. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge She has also been involved in the production side of several of her films.

Before becoming an actress, Berry entered several beauty contests, finishing as the 1st runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant (1986), and coming in 6th place in the Miss World Pageant in 1986. was born on March 16, 2008.

Early life

Berry was born Maria Halle Berry, though her name was legally changed to Halle Maria Berry in 1971. Berry's parents selected her middle name from Halle's Department Store, which was then a local landmark in her birthplace of Cleveland, Ohio. Her mother, Judith Ann (née Hawkins), who is Caucasian, was a psychiatric nurse. Her father, Jerome Jesse Berry, was an African American hospital attendant in the same psychiatric ward where her mother worked; he later became a bus driver. Berry's maternal grandmother, Nellie Dicken, was born in Sawley, Derbyshire, England, while her maternal grandfather, Earl Ellsworth Hawkins, was born in Ohio. Berry's parents divorced when she was four years old; she and her older sister Heidi were raised exclusively by her mother. noting in 1992, "I haven't heard from him since [he left]. Maybe he's not alive." She was the 1986 Miss USA first runner-up to Christy Fichtner of Texas. In the Miss USA 1986 pageant interview competition, she said she hoped to become an entertainer or to have something to do with the media. Her interview was awarded the highest score by the judges. She was the first African-American Miss World entrant in 1986, where she finished sixth and Trinidad and Tobago's Giselle Laronde was crowned Miss World.

Acting career: 1989–2002

In the late 1980s, Berry went to Illinois to pursue a modeling career as well as acting. One of her first acting projects was a television series for local cable by Gordon Lake Productions called Chicago Force. In 1989, Berry landed the role of Emily Franklin in the short-lived ABC television series Living Dolls (a spin-off of Who's the Boss?), during the taping of which she lapsed into a coma and was diagnosed with diabetes. She went on to have a recurring role on the long-running primetime serial Knots Landing. In 1992, Berry was cast as the love interest in the video for R. Kelly's seminal single, "Honey Love".

Her breakthrough feature film role was in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, in which she played a drug addict named Vivian.

Playing a former drug addict struggling to regain custody of her son in Losing Isaiah (1995), Berry tackled a more serious role, starring opposite Jessica Lange. She portrayed Sandra Beecher in Race the Sun (1996), which was based on a true story, and co-starred alongside Kurt Russell in Executive Decision. Beginning in 1996, she was a Revlon spokeswoman for seven years and renewed her contract in 2004.

In 1998, Berry received praise for her role in Bulworth as an intelligent woman raised by activists who gives a politician (Warren Beatty) a new lease on life. The same year, she played the singer Zola Taylor, one of the three wives of pop singer Frankie Lymon, in the biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love. In the 1999 HBO biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, she portrayed the first black woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award.

Berry portrayed the mutant superhero Storm in the film adaptation of the comic book series X-Men (2000) and its sequels, X2: X-Men United (2003) and (2006). In 2001, Berry appeared in the film Swordfish, which featured her first nude scene. At first, she refused to be filmed topless in a sunbathing scene, but she changed her mind when Warner Brothers raised her fee substantially. The brief flash of her breasts added $500,000 to her fee. Berry considered these stories to be rumors and was quick to deny them.

In 2001, Berry appeared as Leticia Musgrove, the wife of an executed murderer, in the film Monster's Ball. Her performance was awarded the National Board of Review and the Screen Actors Guild best-actress prizes; in an interesting coincidence she became the first African-American to receive a Best Leading Actress Academy Award (earlier in her career she portrayed Dorothy Dandridge, the first African-American to be nominated for Best Actress). The NAACP issued the statement: "Congratulations to Halle Berry and Denzel Washington for giving us hope and making us proud. If this is a sign that Hollywood is finally ready to give opportunity and judge performance based on skill and not on skin color then it is a good thing." Her role also generated controversy. Berry's graphic nude love scene with a racist character played by co-star Billy Bob Thornton was the subject of much media chatter and discussion among African-Americans. Many in the African-American community were critical of Berry for taking the part. Her win at the Academy Awards led to two famous "Oscar moments." In accepting her award, she gave an acceptance speech honoring previous black actresses who had never had the opportunity. She said, "This moment is so much bigger than me. This is for every nameless, faceless woman of colour who now has a chance tonight because this door has been opened." One year later, as she presented the Best Actor award, winner Adrien Brody ran on stage and, instead of giving her the standard peck on the cheek, planted a long kiss on Berry.

International success

As Bond girl Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson in the 2002 blockbuster Die Another Day, Berry recreated a scene from Dr. No, emerging from the surf to be greeted by James Bond as Ursula Andress had 40 years earlier. Lindy Hemming, costume designer on "Die Another Day", had insisted that Berry wear a bikini and knife as an homage. Berry has said of the scene: "It's splashy", "exciting", "sexy", "provocative" and "it will keep me still out there after winning an Oscar." According to a ITV news poll, Jinx was voted the fourth toughest girl on screen of all time. Berry was hurt during filming when debris from a smoke grenade flew into her eye. It was removed in a 30-minute operation.

After Berry won the Academy Award, rewrites were commissioned to give her more screentime for X2. Berry stated during interviews for X2 that she would not return as Storm unless the character had a significant presence comparable to the comic-book version.

In November 2003, she starred in the psychological thriller Gothika opposite Robert Downey Jr., during which she broke her arm. Downey was supposed to grab her arm and twist but twisted too hard. Production was halted for eight weeks. It was a moderate hit at the United States box office, taking in $60 million; it earned another $80 million abroad. In 2004, Berry was voted fourth of Empire magazine's 100 sexiest film stars of all time poll.

Berry received $12.5 million for the title role in the film Catwoman, a $100 million movie; it grossed $17 million on its first weekend. She was awarded a "worst actress" Razzie award in 2005 for this role. She appeared at the ceremony to accept the award in person (making her the third person, and second actor, to ever do so) with a sense of humor, considering it an experience of the "rock bottom" in order to be "at the top". Holding the Academy Award in one hand and the Razzie in the other she said, "I never in my life thought that I would be here, winning a Razzie. It's not like I ever aspired to be here, but thank you. When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner."

Berry next appeared in the Oprah Winfrey-produced ABC TV movie Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005), an adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's novel, in which Berry portrayed Janie Crawford, a free-spirited woman whose unconventional sexual mores upset her 1920s contemporaries in a small community. She was nominated for an Emmy for this TV film. Meanwhile, she voiced the character of Cappy, one of the many mechanical beings in the animated feature Robots (2005).

]]

In 2006, Berry, Pierce Brosnan, Cindy Crawford, Jane Seymour, Dick Van Dyke, Tea Leoni, and Daryl Hannah successfully fought the Cabrillo Port Liquefied Natural Gas facility that was proposed off the coast of Malibu. Berry said "I care about the air we breathe, I care about the marine life and the ecosystem of the ocean." In May 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the facility. Hasty Pudding Theatricals gave her its 2006 Woman of The Year award.

Berry is involved in production of films and television. She served as executive producer on Introducing Dorothy Dandridge in 1999, and Lackawanna Blues in 2005. Berry both produced and starred in the thriller Perfect Stranger with Bruce Willis and in Things We Lost in the Fire with Benicio del Toro. Berry then starred in the film Frankie and Alice in which she plays Frankie Murdoch who is a young multiracial American women with dissociative identity disorder struggling to retain her true self and not give into her racial alter personality. She was awarded the African-American Film Critics Association for best actress and also was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama.

Berry is one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, earning $10 million per film.

Berry has served for many years as the face of Revlon cosmetics and also as the face of Versace. The Coty Inc. fragrance company signed Berry to market her debut fragrance in March 2008. Berry was delighted, saying that she had created her own fragrances at home by mixing scents.

Personal life

in San Diego, CA]]

Berry has been married twice. Her first marriage was to former baseball player David Justice, shortly after midnight on January 1, 1993. The couple separated in 1996 and their divorce was finalized in 1997. Justice played with the Atlanta Braves and experienced a measure of fame as the team rose to prominence in the early 1990s. The couple found it difficult to maintain their relationship while he was playing baseball and she was filming elsewhere. Berry has stated publicly that she was so depressed after her breakup with Justice that she considered taking her own life, but she could not bear the thought of her mother finding her body.

Berry's second marriage was to musician Eric Benét. They met in 1997 and married in early 2001 on a beach in Santa Barbara. Berry credited Benét with support after she was involved in a February 2000 traffic collision, in which she suffered a concussion and left the scene of the accident before the police arrived. Some in the media complained that her misdemeanor hit and run charge was preferential treatment; she had also been the driver in an alleged hit and run incident three years earlier in which no charges were filed. The incident became fodder for comedians. A civil lawsuit was settled out of court.

The couple separated in 2003. While married to Benét, Berry adopted his daughter, India.

Berry has been a victim of domestic violence, and now works to help other victims. In 2005, she said, "Domestic violence is something I've known about since I was a child. My mother was a victim of it. Early on in my life I made choices, and I chose men that were abusive because that was what I knew growing up...First time it happened, I knew enough to keep moving."

In November 2005, Berry began dating French-Canadian supermodel Gabriel Aubry, nine years her junior. The couple met at a Versace photoshoot. After six months with Aubry, she stated in an interview, "I'm really happy in my personal life, which is a novelty to me. You know, I'm not the girl that has the best relationships."

At one point, Berry had indicated that she planned to adopt children, After initially denying rumors, she confirmed in September 2007 that she was three months pregnant. Berry gave birth to a girl named Nahla Ariela Aubry on March 16, 2008, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Berry hired security guards after receiving racist threats to her unborn baby from a stalker, who said her child will be "cut into hundreds of pieces".

At one time, Berry indicated that she did not intend to marry again, insisting the couple's life was already complete without the need for a marriage. She stated that she hoped to have a second child right away. Aubry told In Touch magazine, "I'd like Nahla to have a sibling in 2009."

On April 30, 2010, it was reported that Berry and Aubry had separated. Berry's representative confirmed their relationship had ended a few days later by saying, "They have been split for some time, but remain friends and committed parents to their daughter." They worked out a financial and 50/50 custody deal with a family lawyer, but TMZ reported that it is not final. The source said, "As much as it can be it's been an amicable split. They both traveled a lot for work anyway, so they were used to spending time apart for long periods, but I think Halle has taken it pretty badly; she truly loved Gabriel and thought she had found the one."

In the media

Parade, Cambridge, MA in February 2006]]

Berry has stated that the manner in which people have reacted to her because of her ethnicity is often the result of ignorance. Her own self-identification has been influenced by her mother. She is quoted as saying

After having many talks with my mother about the issue, she reinforced what she had always taught me. She said that even though you are half black and half white, you will be discriminated against in this country as a black person. People will not know when they see you that you have a white mother unless you wear a sign on your forehead. And, even if they did, so many people believe that if you have an ounce of black blood in you then you are black. So, therefore, I decided to let folks categorize me however they needed to.

While taping the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on October 19, 2007, Berry displayed a distorted image of her face, remarking: "Here's where I look like my Jewish cousin!" During the editing of the program, the comment was obscured by a laugh track. Berry later stated "What happened was I was backstage before the show and I have three girls who are Jewish who work for me. We were going through pictures to see which ones looked silly, and one of my Jewish friends said [of the big-nose picture], 'That could be your Jewish cousin!' And I guess it was fresh in my mind, and it just came out of my mouth. But I didn't mean to offend anybody. I didn't. I didn't mean any harm. – and after the show I realized it could be seen as offensive, so I asked Jay to take it out, and he did.'"

Berry took part in a nearly 2000-house party cell-phone bank campaign for Barack Obama in February 2008, and said that she will "collect paper cups off the ground to make his pathway clear."

In October 2008, Berry was named Esquire Magazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive", about which she stated "I don't know exactly what it means, but being 42 and having just had a baby, I think I'll take it."

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1989 | Living Dolls | Emily Franklin | TV (canceled after 13 episodes) |- | 1991 | Amen | Claire | TV series, episode: "Unforgettable" |- | 1991 | | Jaclyn | TV series, episode: "Love, Hillman-Style" |- | 1991 | They Came from Outer Space | Rene | TV series, episode: "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" |- | 1991 | Knots Landing | Debbie Porter | TV (cast member in 1991) |- | 1991 | Jungle Fever | Vivian | Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress |- | 1991 | Strictly Business | Natalie | |- | 1991 | | Cory | |- | 1992 | Boomerang | Angela Lewis | |- | 1993 | Alex Haley's Queen | Queen | NAACP Image Award |- | 1993 | CB4 | Herself | Cameo |- | 1993 | Father Hood | Kathleen Mercer | |- | 1993 | | Autumn Haley | |- | 1994 | | Sharon Stone |- | 2005 | Their Eyes Were Watching God | Janie Starks | Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie |- | 2005 | Robots | Cappy | (Voice) |- | 2006 | | Ororo Munroe/Storm | |- | 2007 | Perfect Stranger | Rowena Price | |- | 2007 | Things We Lost in the Fire | Audrey Burke | |- | 2010 | Frankie and Alice | Frankie/Alice | African-American Film Critics AssociationNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama |- | 2011 | Dark Tide | Kate Mathieson | Post-Production |}

Awards

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Film ! Result |- | 1995 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Alex Haley's Queen | |- | 2000 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or Movie | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | |- | 2000 | Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Miniseries or TV Movie | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | |- | 2000 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or TV Movie | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | |- | 2000 | Black Reel Awards | Best Actress in a TV Movie/Mini-Series | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | |- | 2000 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | |- | 2001 | Academy Award | Best Actress | Monster's Ball | |- | 2001 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Best Actress – Motion Picture | Monster's Ball | |- | 2001 | British Academy of Film and Television Arts | Best Lead Actress | Monster's Ball | |- | 2001 | Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama | Monster's Ball | |- | 2001 | NBR | Best Actress | Monster's Ball | |- | 2002 | Black Reel Awards | Best Actress | Monster's Ball | |- | 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress | Swordfish | |- | 2002 | BET Awards | Best Actress | | |- | 2003 | BET Awards | Best Actress | | |- | 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress | Die Another Day | |- | 2003 | FHM 100 Sexiest Women | Sexiest Woman of the World | | |- | 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress | Gothika | |- | 2004 | BET Awards | Best Actress | | |- | 2004 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Actress | Catwoman | |- | 2005 | BET Awards | Best Actress | | |- | 2005 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie | Their Eyes Were Watching God | |- | 2006 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress – TV series | Their Eyes Were Watching God | |- | 2007 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Female Action Hero | | |- | 2008 | BET Awards | Best Actress | | |- | 2009 | Spike Guys' Choice Awards | Decade of Hotness Award | | |}

References

Further reading

Banting, Erinn. Halle Berry, Weigl Publishers, 2005 – ISBN 1-59036-333-7

Gogerly, Liz. Halle Berry, Raintree, 2005 – ISBN 1-4109-1085-7

Naden, Corinne J. Halle Berry, Sagebrush Education Resources, 2001 – ISBN 0-613-86157-4

O'Brien, Daniel. Halle Berry, Reynolds & Hearn, 2003 – ISBN 1-903111-38-2

Sanello, Frank. Halle Berry: A Stormy Life, Virgin Books, 2003 – ISBN 1-85227-092-6

Schuman, Michael A. Halle Berry: Beauty Is Not Just Physical, Enslow, 2006 – ISBN 0-7660-2467-9

External links

Halle Berry Fragrances

Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Ohio Category:African American film actors Category:African American television actors Category:American female models Category:American film actors Category:American people of English descent Category:American television actors Category:Best Actress Academy Award winners Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actress Golden Globe winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Miss World 1986 delegates Category:Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Cleveland, Ohio

Category:Miss USA 1986 delegates

Caption	Radcliffe at December Boys premiere in 2007
Birth name	Daniel Jacob Radcliffe
Birth date	July 23, 1989
Birth place	Hammersmith, London,United Kingdom
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1999 – present
Networth	$60 million (2010)

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry Potter film series adapted from the book series of the same name. Radcliffe has also made appearances in stage productions and a number of TV shows and films, including the ITV film My Boy Jack and the stage show Equus, for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.

Early life

Radcliffe was born in Queen Charlotte's Hospital, Hammersmith, West London, England, Radcliffe's mother is Jewish and a native of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex (her family's surname was anglicised from "Gershon"); his father, originally from Northern Ireland, is Protestant.

Radcliffe first expressed a desire to act at the age of five. In December 1999, aged ten, he realised his ambition and made his acting debut in the BBC's televised two-part adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield, portraying the title character as a young boy.

Radcliffe was educated at two independent schools for boys: Sussex House School, a day school in Cadogan Square in Chelsea in London, and the City of London School, a day school in the City of London, where he studied for AS levels.

Career

Radcliffe was asked to audition for the role of Harry Potter in 2000 by producer David Heyman, while in attendance at a London production of Stones in His Pockets. In August of that year, after several auditions, he was selected to play the role in the big-budget adaptation of the award-winning book series by J.K. Rowling. Rowling herself also approved of this selection: "Having seen Dan Radcliffe's screen test I don't think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry". Radcliffe made his film debut in 2001 with a supporting role alongside Pierce Brosnan in The Tailor of Panama, and the first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was released later that year.

Radcliffe starred in the seven subsequent Harry Potter film adaptations: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and II (in 2010 and 2011). Radcliffe has said that he was "very happy" with the decision to split the last film into two parts as he does not believe anything should be cut from the book. Part I was released 19 November 2010.

At the age of 16, Radcliffe became the youngest non-royal ever to have an individual portrait in Britain's National Portrait Gallery. On 13 April 2006, his portrait, drawn by Stuart Pearson Wright, was unveiled as part of a new exhibition opening at London's Royal National Theatre, then moved to the National Portrait Gallery where it resides. Radcliffe was 14 at the time of the portrait's creation.

In 2006, he began to make the transition from child to adult actor, appearing in the television series Extras as a parody of himself, as well as filming the independent Australian drama December Boys. The film, which was filmed in six weeks was released in North America by Warner Bros. on 14 September 2007. Radcliffe worked with a language coach for six months to perfect an Australian accent. Next, During the summer of 2007, he filmed the ITV drama My Boy Jack, based upon the true story of Rudyard Kipling's son's death in battle during the First World War, which aired in the United Kingdom on Remembrance Day 2007 and premiered in the United States on 20 April 2008. In the film, Radcliffe played Jack Kipling, a World War I-era soldier and the son of author Rudyard Kipling. About the role, he stated: "For many people my age, the First World War is just a topic in a history book. But I've always been fascinated by the subject and think it's as relevant today as it ever was."

On 9 July 2007, Radcliffe and fellow Harry Potter cast members Rupert Grint and Emma Watson left imprints of their hands, feet, and wands in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

It was announced in the New York Times on 28 December 2007 that Radcliffe will portray deceased photojournalist Dan Eldon in an upcoming biopic entitled The Journey is the Destination. Eldon's mother, Kathy, personally chose Radcliffe over other actors such as Heath Ledger, Ryan Phillippe and Joaquin Phoenix, noting Radcliffe's "puckishness, sense of humour and energy" as similar to her son's. Radcliffe will also star in the 2011 adaptation of The Woman in Black, a 1983 ghost story by Susan Hill, which has previously been filmed as a made-for-television movie and adapted for the stage.

Stage career

In 2002, Radcliffe appeared as a guest in the West End production The Play What I Wrote directed by Kenneth Branagh (who appeared with Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as Professor Lockhart). Radcliffe's performance received positive reviews, as critics were impressed by the nuance and depth of his against-type role. Radcliffe's last performance in Equus took place on 9 June 2007. The production then transferred to Broadway in New York City opening on 25 September 2008, where Radcliffe reprised the role of Alan Strang along with Richard Griffiths, who was also in the Equus production in London and played Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter series. Prior to the play's opening he stated that he was nervous about repeating the role on Broadway because he considered American audiences more discerning than those in London.

It was reported that Radcliffe will play J. Pierrepont Finch in a 2011 Broadway revival of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Personal life

Radcliffe has stated that he is an atheist and also "very proud of being Jewish." He is a fan of punk rock music and admires a diverse lineup of bands, from Sex Pistols and The Libertines to Arctic Monkeys and more recently Hard-Fi, Jack Peñate and Kate Nash. His favourite band is The Hold Steady. In November 2007, Radcliffe published several poems under the pen name Jacob Gershon.

Radcliffe appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List in 2006, which estimated his personal fortune to be GB£14 million, making him one of the richest young people in the United Kingdom. He made another appearance on the British young people's rich list in 2007, which placed him as the 33rd richest young person in Britain with an estimated wealth of £17 million. He is reported to have earned £1 million for the first Potter film, around £5.6 million for the fourth film, and more than £8 million for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In 2010, Radcliffe was reported to have personal assets of £28.5 million, making him richer than Princes William and Harry. Despite his wealth, Radcliffe has said he does not have expensive tastes. His main expense is buying books: "I read a lot."

Radcliffe has been a supporter of various charities, including Demelza House Children's Hospice in Sittingbourne, Kent, to which he has requested fans make donations in lieu of birthday presents. In February 2005, Radcliffe put a "Hogwarts Crew" T-shirt which he autographed up for auction to help raise money for the Tsunami victims in 2005. His T-shirt was part of the Tsunami Clothes Auction that raised money for the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Organization. He wore the T-shirt during the making of the film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. These T-shirts were only issued to members of the cast and crew. His shirt raised £520.

In a 2009 issue of Attitude, Radcliffe announced his support for the Liberal Democrats. Radcliffe also positions himself as a gay rights activist by speaking out against homophobia and filmed a public service announcement for The Trevor Project promoting awareness of gay teen suicide prevention. He has also contributed financially to The Trevor Project.

He has become a keen follower of cricket and attended the first England v India test match on his 18th birthday. He queued up for the autographs of Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and English opening batsman Andrew Strauss at the end of the final day's play. Regarding this, he stated:

I was telling people in a recent interview that I had a dream that Andrew Strauss was chasing me with a cricket bat. It was during the West Indies series when Andrew wasn’t doing too well and an Australian who was listening in piped up and said, "I wouldn’t worry about Strauss, if he had a swing at you at the moment he’d probably miss."

Radcliffe has stated that he suffers from a mild form of the neurological disorder dyspraxia.

Stage and screen credits

Films

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |2001 |The Tailor of Panama |Mark Pendel |Supporting role |- |2001 |Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |rowspan="5"|Harry Potter |Released as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the US and India |- |2002 |Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | |- |2004 |Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | |- |2005 |Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | |- |2007 |Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | |- |2007 |December Boys |Maps | |- |2009 |Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |rowspan="3"| Harry Potter | |- |2010 |Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 | |- |2011 |Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 |Post-production |- |2011 |The Journey is the Destination |Dan Eldon |In production |- |2011 |The Woman in Black |Arthur Kipps |Filming |}

Television

1999: David Copperfield as young David Copperfield

2005: Foley and McColl: This Way Up as Traffic Warden/Himself

2006: Extras as Boy Scout/Himself

2007: My Boy Jack as Jack Kipling

2010: The Simpsons as Edmund, in Treehouse of Horror XXI

2010: QI as himself, in the episode "Christmas Special: Hocus Pocus"

Stage

2002: The Play What I Wrote as Guest (Wyndham's Theatre)

2007: Equus as Alan Strang (Gielgud Theatre)

2008: Equus as Alan Strang (Broadhurst Theatre)

2011: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Al Hirschfeld Theatre)

Awards

Nominations

2010

Best Male Performance (MTV Movie Awards)

Global Superstar (MTV Movie Awards)

Iconic Movie Actor (J-14's Teen Icon Awards)

2009

Outstanding Actor in a Play (Drama Desk Awards)

Distinguished Performance Award (Drama League Award)

2008

Best Kiss (with Katie Leung; MTV Movie Awards)

Best Performance by a Young Actor (Saturn Awards)

Best Actor (Empire Award)

2006

Best Young Actor (Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards)

Actor of the Year (AOL Moviefone Moviegoer Awards)

Best Performance by a Young Actor (Saturn Awards)

Best Hero (MTV Movie Awards)

Best On-Screen Team (with Emma Watson and Rupert Grint; MTV Movie Awards)

2005

Best Performance by a Young Actor (Saturn Awards)

Best Young Actor (Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards)

2003

Best Performance by a Young Actor (Saturn Awards)

Best Acting Ensemble (Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards)

Most Unforgettable Scene (for the scene "Harry battles the Basilisk" in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; American Moviegoer Awards)

2001

Best Performance by a Young Actor (Saturn Awards)

Best Young Performer (Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards)

Breakthrough Male Performance (MTV Movie Awards)

Best Newcomer (Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards)

Best Debut (with Emma Watson and Rupert Grint; Sony Ericsson Empire Awards)

Outstanding Actor (American Moviegoer Awards)

Best Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young Actor (Young Artist Awards)

Best Ensemble in a Feature Film (with Emma Watson and Rupert Grint; Young Artist Awards)

Wins

2009

Favorite Leading Actor in a Broadway Play (Broadway.com Audience Award)

Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Broadway.com Audience Award)

2008

Dewynters London Newcomer of the Year (Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards, UK)

2007

Best Male Performance (National Movie Awards, UK)

2006

Best Actor (Cine Awards, Belgium)

Best Male Film Star (Gold): Otto Awards, 2006

Best Actor/Movie (SyFy Portal's SyFy Genre Awards)

2005

Best Young Actor (SyFy Portal's SyFy Genre Awards)

2004

Top 10 Child Stars (RTL Television, Germany)

Best Breakthrough Male Actor (Star Channel Star Awards, Japan)

Best Junior Achiever (for viewers' favorite under-16 guest on the show Relly Awards)

Young Talent of the Year (ITV Celebrity Awards)

Best Movie Actor (K-Zone Kids Awards, Philippines)

Best Film Star/Actor (Dutch Kids Choice Awards)

2003

Best Young Actor (SyFy Portal's SyFy Genre Awards)

Best Actor (Roadshow Cinema Grand Prix Awards, Japan)

2002

Person of the Year (Time For Kids)

Targa d'Oro ("Gold Plate", David di Donatello Awards)

Outstanding New Talent (Sir James Carreras Award for the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards)

2001

Male Youth Discovery of the Year (Hollywood Women's Press Club)

See also

List of Harry Potter films cast members

References

Further reading

Daniel Radcliffe (2004, ISBN 1-58415-250-8)

Daniel Radcliffe: No Ordinary Wizard (2005, ISBN 1-4169-1390-4)

External links

DanRadcliffe.co.uk Unofficial site; works directly with Warner Bros., Radcliffe's publicist, and Radcliffe's family

DanRadcliffe.com Unofficial site; works directly with Warner Bros., Radcliffe's publicist, and Radcliffe's family

Category:1989 births Category:English atheists Category:English child actors Category:English film actors Category:English Jews Category:English people of Northern Ireland descent Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish atheists Category:Living people Category:Actors from London Category:Old Citizens (City of London School) Category:People from Hammersmith Category:LGBT rights activists from the United Kingdom

Name	Daniel Kaluuya
Birthname	Daniel Kaluuya
Birth date	1989
Birth place	London, England
Occupation	Actor & Writer
Yearsactive	2006 — present

Daniel Kaluuya is an English actor, comedian and writer, who is best known for playing Kenneth (also known as "Posh Kenneth") in the E4 teen-drama Skins. He has most recently been seen in the BBC dark comedy series Psychoville playing Michael "Tealeaf" Fry.

Biography

Kaluuya is one of the young contributors on both series one and two of Skins, as well as being a staff writer, and the head writer of the second series episode "Jal" and third series episode "Thomas". He also presents the Skins Podcast (also called Skinscast).

His previous roles include that of Reece in the BBC's controversial drama Shoot the Messenger.

In 2008 he appeared as a guest star in the second series of "That Mitchell And Webb Look" in the "Dancing Speedo" sketch.

Daniel Kaluuya was featured in Silent Witness Series 12 Episode 1, where he played Errol Harris, whilst over the Easter Weekend 2009, he appeared as Barclay in the Doctor Who special Planet of the Dead, and as Declan in the Lewis episode "Counter Culture Blues".

During 2009 he was a regular cast member in two shows, as amateur DJ–Radio Runner "Ades" in ITV comedy FM, and as Michael "Tea Leaf" Fry in Psychoville.

In 2009, Daniel appeared in Screen International Magazine annual report 'UK Stars of Tomorrow', and voiced a character in BBC Radio 4 sitcom, Sneakiepeeks.

He had a starring role in the Royal Court Theatre's Sucker Punch by Roy Williams in 2010.

He appeared in the sketch show Harry and Paul as Traffic Warden 'Parking Pataweyo'.

He will also appear in a film called Chatroom that will be released 2010 or early 2011.

He attended St Aloysius Secondary School, and the National Youth Theatre.

Other work

Internet Parody Songs

On 14 July 2009, Daniel and close friend Jason Lewis (who is also an actor/writer), released a video of themselves performing their parody of Boy Better Know's "Too Many Man". The song is titled "Too Many Weave" and is based upon the fact that they think there are too many women with fake hair (hair extensions) these days. The video was in youtube's Most Viewed for the 14th, 15th and 16 July that year.

They are currently working on more parody songs, including "Can I Plant the Trees" and "Put the Tip In".

Filmography

As Actor

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 100%" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 2006 || Shoot the Messenger || Reece || |- | rowspan="3" | 2007 || The Whistleblowers || School Bully || Episode: "No Child Left Behind" |- | Much Ado About a Minor Ting || Shocker || |- | Comedy: Shuffle || Dean || Episode: "Brendon Burns" |- | 2007–2009 || Skins || Posh Kenneth/DJ || Supporting Character |- | rowspan="4" | 2008 || That Mitchell and Webb Look || Dancing Speedo Kid || Episode: "Series 2 Episode 2" |- | Delta Forever || Roger || Episode: "Pilot" |- | Cass || Young Cass || |- | Silent Witness || Errol Harris || Episode: "Safe: Part 1" |- | rowspan="6" | 2009 || FM || Ades || Regular Cast Member |- | Doctor Who || Barclay || Episode: "Planet of the Dead" |- | Lewis || Declan || Episode: "Counter Culture Blues" |- | That Mitchell and Webb Look || School pupil || Episode: "Series 3 Episode 5" |- | The Philanthropist || || Episode: "Nigeria (Part 2)" |- | Down The Line || TBA || |- | 2009-Present|| Psychoville || Michael Fry (AKA Tea leaf) || Main Cast Member |- | rowspan="4" | 2010 || Chatroom || Mo || |- | Harry and Paul || Parking Pataweyo || |- | Baby || Damon || Pre-Production |- | Happy Finish (Comedy Lab) || Various Characters || Pilot |- | 2011 (Exact release date TBA)|| Johnny English Reborn || Agent alongside Rowan Atkinson |}

As Writer

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 100%" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! Year !! Title !! Episode(s) !! Notes |- | 2007 || Skins || || Staff Writer |- | 2008 || Skins || "Jal" || Staff Writer |- | 2009 || Skins || "Thomas" || Staff Writer |}

References

External links

Category:Living people Category:English television actors Category:Black British actors Category:1989 births

Caption	Rickman at the Tribeca Film Festival, April 28, 2007
Birth date	February 21, 1946
Birth place	Hammersmith, London, England, UK
Birth name	Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978 – present
Partner	Rima Horton (1965 – present)

Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (born 21 February 1946) is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Rickman is known for his film performances as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series, Eamon de Valera in Michael Collins, and Metatron in Dogma.

He is also known for his prominent roles as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1991 film, , and as Colonel Brandon in Ang Lee's 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. More recently he played Judge Turpin in Tim Burton's and voiced the Caterpillar in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The Guardian named Rickman as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.

Early life

Rickman was born in Hammersmith, London, to a working class family, the son of Margaret Doreen Rose (née Bartlett), a housewife, and Bernard Rickman, a factory worker. Rickman's mother was from Wales and a Methodist, and his father was of Irish Catholic background. He has one elder brother, David (b. 1944), a graphic designer, a younger brother, Michael (b. 1947), a tennis coach, and a younger sister, Sheila (b. 1949). Rickman attended Derwentwater Primary School, in Acton, a school that followed the Montessori method of education.

When he was eight, his father died, leaving his mother to bring up four children mostly alone. She married again, but divorced his stepfather after three years. "There was one love in her life," Rickman later said. which he considered a more stable occupation than acting. "Drama school wasn't considered the sensible thing to do at 18," he said.

After graduation, Rickman and several friends opened a graphic design studio called Graphiti, but after three years of successful business Rickman decided that if he were to ever explore acting professionally it was now or never. This led him to write a letter to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) requesting an audition and was awarded a place in RADA which he attended from 1972–74. While there, he studied Shakespeare's works and supported himself by working as a dresser for Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Sir Ralph Richardson, and left after winning several prizes such as the Emile Littler Prize, the Forbes Robertson Prize, and the Bancroft Gold Medal.

Career

After graduating from the RADA, Rickman worked extensively with various British repertory and experimental theatre groups on productions including The Seagull and Snoo Wilson's The Grass Widow at the Royal Court Theatre, and has appeared three times at the Edinburgh International Festival. In 1978, he played with the Court Drama Group, performing in several plays, most notably Romeo And Juliet and A View from the Bridge. While working with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) he starred in, among other things, As You Like It.

In 1982, British television audiences came to know Alan Rickman as the Reverend Obadiah Slope in the BBC's adaptation of Barchester Towers known as The Barchester Chronicles. In 1985, Rickman was given the male lead, Le Vicomte de Valmont, in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, directed by Christopher Hampton, which was a sellout. When the show went to Broadway in 1987, Rickman earned both a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance.

While Rickman's career has been filled with a wide variety of roles, for example, Éamon de Valera, (future Irish Taoiseach and president, in the film Michael Collins), he has also played romantic leads, for example Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, and Jamie in Truly, Madly, Deeply. Yet, he has not been able to escape the over-the-top villains he has played in the Hollywood big budget films - German terrorist Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988), the Sheriff of Nottingham in (1991) and most recently Severus Snape, the seemingly sinister potions master in the Harry Potter saga (2001–2011). In 1995, Rickman had turned down the role of Alec Trevelyan in the James Bond film GoldenEye. He has taken issue with being labelled as a "villain actor", citing the fact that he has not portrayed a stock villain character since the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991. He has further said that he has continued to portray characters of complex and varying emotions, and does not think it is fair to assign characters a label of good or evil, hero or villain.

Nevertheless, his role in Die Hard earned him a spot on the AFI's 100 years...100 Heroes & Villains as the 46th best villain in film history. His performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham in also made him known as one of the best actors to portray a villain in films. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly named him one of their favourite people in pop culture, saying that in the Harry Potter films, "he may not be on screen long - but he owns every minute," and that he is capable of "turning a simple retort into a mini-symphony of contempt.".

During his long career Rickman has also played a number of comedic roles. Sending up classically trained British actors who take on "lesser roles" as the character Sir Alexander Dane / Dr. Lazarus in the Science Fiction spoof Galaxy Quest, portraying the angel Metatron, the voice of God in Dogma, appearing as Emma Thompson's foolish husband Harry in Love Actually, providing the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film, and the egotistical, narcissistic, Nobel prize winning father in Nobel Son. Perhaps one of his best comedic roles is as the title role in the independent film The Search for John Gissing.

Rickman has also received acclaim for two biographical pieces he did for HBO, he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his performance as in 1996, and was also nominated for an Emmy for his work as Dr. Alfred Blalock in 2004's Something the Lord Made. He also starred in the independent film Snow Cake (with Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss) which had its debut at the Berlinale, and also (with Dustin Hoffman), directed by Tom Tykwer.

In 2007, Rickman appeared in the critically-acclaimed directed by Tim Burton, alongside Harry Potter co-stars Helena Bonham Carter and Timothy Spall; he played antagonist Judge Turpin. According to Miami Herald, Rickman's performance "makes the judge's villainy something to simultaneously savor and despise", with his "oozing moral rot and arrogance". Rickman also appeared as Absolem the Caterpillar in the 2010 Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland. Rickman has performed on stage in Noël Coward's romantic comedy Private Lives, which transferred to Broadway after its successful run in London at the Albery Theatre and ended in September 2002. Rickman had reunited with his Les Liaisons Dangereuses co-star Lindsay Duncan, and director Howard Davies for this Tony Award-winning production.

His previous stage performance was as Mark Antony, opposite Helen Mirren as Cleopatra, in the Royal National Theatre's production of Antony and Cleopatra at the Olivier Theatre in London, which ran from 20 October to 3 December 1998. Before that, he performed in Yukio Ninagawa's Tango at the End of Winter in London's West End and the Riverside Studio production of Hamlet in 1991, directed by Robert Sturua.

Rickman had also directed The Winter Guest at London's Almeida Theatre in 1995 and the film version of the same play in 1996 starring Emma Thompson and her real life mother Phyllida Law. He also directed the play My Name Is Rachel Corrie in April 2005 at the Royal Court Theatre, London, and won the Theatre Goers' Choice Awards for best director. In May 2010, he finished directing Strindberg's play Creditors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Harvey Theatre after its previous run at London's Donmar Warehouse in 2008.

In October and November 2010, Rickman starred in the eponymous role in Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin alongside Lindsay Duncan and Fiona Shaw. The Irish Independent called Rickman's performance breathtaking.

In 2009 Rickman was given the James Joyce Award by University College Dublin’s Literary and Historical Society.

In the media

Rickman was chosen by Empire as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (No 34) in 1995 and ranked No 59 in Empire's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in October 1997. In 2009 and 2010 Rickman ranked once again as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars by Empire, both times Rickman was placed 8th out of the 50 actors chosen. Rickman became Vice-Chairman of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2003. He was voted No 19 in Empire magazine's Greatest Living Movie Stars over the age of 50 and was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Play): in 1987 for Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and in 2002 for a revival of Noel Coward's Private Lives.

Two researchers, a linguist and a sound engineer, found "the perfect [male] voice" to be a combination of Rickman's and Jeremy Irons's voices based on a sample of 50 voices. Coincidentally, the two actors played brothers in the Die Hard series of films.

Personal life

In 1965, Rickman met Rima Horton, an economics professor and London Labour party politician. Rickman is also a supporter of Labour party and has made many appearances for charity.

Filmography and awards

References

External links

Category:1946 births Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners Category:Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:English theatre directors Category:Living people Category:Old Latymerians Category:People from Hammersmith Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English people of Welsh descent Category:Royal National Theatre Company members Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:Alumni of the University of the Arts Category:Alumni of Chelsea College of Art & Design