show name	Malcolm in the Middle
genre	Sitcom
camera	Single camera, Film
runtime	23 minutes
creator	Linwood Boomer
starring	Jane KaczmarekBryan CranstonChristopher Kennedy MastersonJustin BerfieldErik Per SullivanCatherine Lloyd Burns (season 1)Frankie Muniz
company	Satin City, Regency Television and Fox Television Studios (in syndication, Fox Television Studios Is replaced with 20th Television)
opentheme	"Boss of Me" byThey Might Be Giants
country	United States
language	English
runtime	21-23 minutes
network	Fox
camera	Panavision; Multi-camera
picture format	1080i 16:9 (HDTV)
audio format	Dolby Digital 5.1
first aired
last aired
num seasons	7
num episodes	151
list episodes	List of Malcolm in the Middle episodes }}

''Malcolm in the Middle'' was an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. The series received critical acclaim and won a Peabody Award, seven Emmy Awards, one Grammy Award and was nominated for seven Golden Globes.

The series follows a family of six (later seven), and stars Frankie Muniz in the lead role of Malcolm, a more-or-less normal boy who tests at genius level; he enjoys being smart but despises having to take classes for gifted children, who are mocked by the other students who call them "Krelboynes". Jane Kaczmarek is Malcolm's overbearing, authoritarian mother, Lois, and Bryan Cranston plays his disengaged but loving father Hal. Christopher Masterson plays eldest brother Francis, a former rebel who, in earlier episodes, was in military school, but eventually marries and settles into a steady job. Justin Berfield is Malcolm's dimwitted older brother Reese, a schoolyard bully who tortures Malcolm at home even while he defends him at school. Younger brother Dewey is portrayed by Erik Per Sullivan. For the first couple of seasons, the show's focus was on Malcolm. As the series progressed, however, it began to explore all six members of the family rather equally.

It was produced by Satin City and Regency Television in association with Fox Television Studios (syndicated by Fox corporate sibling 20th Television).

The series has proven popular worldwide and has been syndicated in 57 countries. In the United States, it has been syndicated in the daytime on FX and at nighttime on Nick at Nite, as well as local stations. In the United Kingdom, it airs on Sky1 and its HD counterpart Sky1 HD, as well as Sky2 and Sky3, and also 5*. It has also been syndicated on Network Ten in Australia (originally airing on the Nine Network).

Premise

The show is about a boy named Malcolm and his dysfunctional family. The show stars Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, the third of four (later five) boys, his brothers and their parents, Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and Hal (Bryan Cranston). The oldest, Francis (Christopher Masterson), was sent away to military school, leaving at home his three younger brothers, Reese (Justin Berfield), Malcolm and Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), Malcolm being the middle child still at home (hence the show's title). In season four, the character Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez) was added to the show as the fifth son. The show's early seasons centered on Malcolm dealing with the rigors of being an adolescent and enduring the eccentricities of his life. Later seasons gradually explored the other members of the family and their friends in more depth, including others such as Craig Feldspar, Stevie Kenarban, and Stevie's dad Abe.

The series was different from many others in that Malcolm broke the fourth wall by talking directly to the viewer, all scenes were shot using a single camera and the show employed neither a laugh track nor a live studio audience. Emulating the style of hour-long dramas, this half-hour show was shot on film instead of video. Another unique aspect of the show is that the cold open of every episode is unrelated to the main story. Exceptions were episodes which were the conclusions of "two-parters"; each part two episode opened with a recap of its part one episode.

Characters

The family

Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) is the title character of the series. Malcolm is a genius, and because of this, is placed in a class for gifted students (or Krelboynes as they are known at the school). His intelligence, as well as feelings of not fitting, and his ego are the primary causes of most problems he faces throughout the series. As the title suggests, Malcolm is the middle child of the family, third-born of four at the start of the series, later of five after the birth of Jamie and apparently six after the last episode. His best friend is Stevie, a wheelchair-bound fellow Krelboyne with a severe breathing problem. Malcolm is shown to be going to classes in Harvard in the last episode, earning his way by mopping the halls.

Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) is the hot-headed and stubborn mother of Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie, and wife of Hal. She struggles throughout the series to keep her badly behaved boys in check while maintaining a job at the supermarket, Lucky Aide. She is seen by her sons as a somewhat tyrannical figure, a crazed control freak, and indeed she is, but her behavior was caused by Francis's bad behavior as a toddler.

Hal (Bryan Cranston) is the somewhat childish but caring father of Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie and husband to Lois. He is a lighter touch with the boys than Lois, but can still hand out discipline when necessary. Hal seems constantly on the edge of some kind of breakdown; when things get to be too much, he often goes into a howling, wailing state of panic and frustration.

Reese (Justin Berfield) is the most impulsive member of the family and has remarkably little common sense. He is the older brother of Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie and younger brother to Francis. Throughout the series, he is shown to be a bully, getting much enjoyment from the misfortune of others and handing out beatings to students at school and to his younger brothers at home. Despite being remarkably unwilling to think, he enjoys cooking and baking—which he is shown to be very talented at on many occasions—and a natural born soldier.

Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) is the younger brother of Malcolm, Reese, and Francis. His role is usually that of the victim to his brothers. Dewey is very intelligent, even being able to fool and manipulate Malcolm in later episodes. However, his real talent lies in music. Among other accomplishments, he has composed his own opera for his classmates to perform. Despite his intelligence, he is placed in a remedial class for slower students (or Buseys) due to a misunderstanding. This does little to affect his performance, though, and he actually makes the best of the situation by acting as their self-appointed teacher. By the seventh and final season of the show, it seemed to be implied that he was no longer in the Busey class. He was the youngest for several seasons, until Jamie was born.

Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson) is the oldest brother. Due to his extremely bad behavior, he is sent to a military school in the U.S state of Alabama, run by the strict Commandant Spangler (Daniel von Bargen). He is there when the series begins. Francis remains at the school until the beginning of the third season, when he has himself legally emancipated and travels to Alaska to work at a logging camp. Here he meets and marries Piama (Emy Coligado), a woman of Inuit heritage. When the camp closes, he later moves to a Wild West-themed hotel and ranch in the western U.S. called the Grotto, run by kindly but eccentric German Otto Mannkusser and his wife Gretchen. According to Hal, Francis' first words were directed at Lois: "You shut up."

Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez) is the youngest brother until the very last episode. Despite his infancy, he is already shown to have some of his brothers' habits such as stealing and rudeness to his mother.

Recurring characters

Craig Lamar Traylor as Stevie Kenarbin, Malcolm's best friend who's in the krelboyne class and is in a wheelchair.

David Anthony Higgins as Craig Feldspar, Lois' coworker who is fat, has a cat, and has a crush on Lois.

Emy Coligado as Piama Tananahaakna, Francis' wife. She is an Inuit Native American and does not get along well with Lois.

Eric Nenninger as Eric Hanson, Francis' friend from military school who, along with Francis, went to Alaska.

Kenneth Mars as Otto Mannkusser, Francis' boss who owns the ranch he works at after he leaves Alaska.

Evan Matthew Cohen, Kyle Sullivan, Kristin Quick, Will Jennings and Victor Z. Isaac all play krelboynes from Malcolm's class.

Gary Anthony Williams as Abe Kenarbin, Steve's overprotective father and Hal's best friend.

Daniel von Bargen as Commandant Edwin Spangler, the head of Marlin Academy.

Cloris Leachman as Grandma Ida, Lois' mother and Malcolm's grandmother. She despises Francis and Lois. The whole family hates her. She lost her leg saving Dewey.

Meagen Fay as Gretchen Mannkusser, Otto's wife who helps out at the ranch.

Kasan Butcher, Drew Powell, Arjay Smith and Karim Prince all play Francis' friends at Marlin Academy.

Sandy Ward, John Ennis, Richard Gross and Christopher Michael Moore all play Francis' friends at the Alaskan logging camp.

Dan Martin, Jonathan Craig Williams, Edward James Gage and Alex Morris all play Hal's poker friends.

Chris Eigeman as Lionel Herkabe, the second teacher of the krelboyne class. He is a former krelboyne himself and shares many of Malcolm's personality traits.

Brenda Wehle as Lavernia, Francis' first boss, a malevolent woman.

Merrin Dungey as Kitty Kenarbin, Stevie's mother who left him and Abe, but then returned.

Todd Giebenhain as Richie, Francis' friend.

Cameron Monaghan, Danny McCarthy and Amy Bruckner as Dewey's special ed class friends.

Tania Raymonde as Cynthia, a Krelboyne girl who had a crush on Malcolm and left for Europe but later returned. Her dad is played by Fred Sanders.

Hayden Panettiere as Jessica, a girl hired to babysit Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey who later ends up living on their couch after her dad is arrested.

Landry Allbright as Julie Houlerman, a girl who Malcolm had a crush on.

Julie Hagerty as Polly, Jamie's babysitter.

Steve Vinovich as Mr. Hodges, a teacher (season 6) and later the school principal (season 7).

Episodes

!Season!!Ep #!!First Airdate!!Last Airdate
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Production

Opening titles

The opening titles feature short clips from cult films or television shows, edited together with clips from the early seasons of the TV series. The original opening includes, in order of appearance:

Three men fighting a giant turtle: From ''One Million Years BC'' (1966) Grinning anime man in rain: Shiogami from the anime ''Nazca'' The monster rising out of the ocean is the Kraken: From ''Clash of the Titans'' (1981) Woman being held above a nest of hungry pterodactyls: From ''One Million Years BC'' (1966) '' Dimetrodon ''-like lizard crawling on rocks: From ''A Journey to the Center of the Earth'' Anime boy skateboarding: From the anime ''Nazca'' Mud-monster grabbing a woman as she kisses a man: From ''Creature from the Haunted Sea'' (1961) Man ski-jumping while ignited in flames: ''Thrill Seekers''

Wrestling match: Bret Hart locking Chris Benoit in the Sharpshooter during the WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match at ''WCW Mayhem 1999'' PPV in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Robot head being assembled: From the BBC series ''Out of the Unknown'' episode ''Liar!'' (1969) Man attacking giant brain with an axe: From ''The Brain from Planet Arous'' (1957) Boxer knocking out referee: Cuban Pedro Cardenas fighting Canadian Willie DeWitt but accidentally KOing referee Bert Lowes instead, during the 1982 North American Championships in Las Vegas.

Filming

The house that was used for external shots is privately owned, and is situated in the Studio City district of Los Angeles, California, at 12334 Cantura Street; it can be seen in Google Street View. Although the show always depicted the house as being in a quiet suburban neighborhood, in reality it is only one block away from a busy, pedestrian-friendly stretch of the famous Ventura Boulevard.

Filming also took place at 20^th Century Fox Studios - 10201-Pico Boulevard in the Century City district of Los Angeles; at Walter Reed Middle School in Los Angeles and in Santa Clarita, California. There are several instances where California license plates are visible, including the family vehicle in "(Traffic Jam)". In "Stock Car Races," when Hal and the boys are entering a race track, the billboard behind the entrance displays the place as Irwindale Speedway, a real race track in Southern California. In seasons six and seven, however, the license plates on the cars are from Oklahoma ("Hal's Christmas Gift" and "Malcolm Defends Reese"). The last episode in the first season ("Waterpark") was filmed at a waterpark called "Wild Rivers" located in Irvine, California, but in the episode the waterpark was called "Wavetown USA". Many of the "Lucky Aide" store scenes were done at a Drug Emporium that used to be at 6020 Lankershim in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles.

Music

The show's theme song, "Boss of Me", was written and recorded by the alternative rock group They Might Be Giants. The song won the "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media" award at the 2002 Grammy Awards. The band also performed nearly all of the incidental music for the show in its first two seasons.

Mood setting music is sprinkled throughout the series, in replacement of the laugh track, in a way that resembles feature film more than other TV sitcoms. Some examples of this highly varied music include ABBA, Basement Jaxx, Sum 41, Kenny Rogers, Lords Of Acid, The Getaway People, En Vogue, Phil Collins, Quiet Riot, Queen, Titán and Citizen King whose song "Better Days" is played at the end of both the pilot episode and the series finale. The Southern California pop-punk band Lit have many of their songs featured in several episodes. Lit songs that were never released as singles were also used.

A soundtrack, ''Music from Malcolm in the Middle'', was released on November 21, 2000.

DVD release

Only the first season of ''Malcolm in the Middle'' has been released on DVD. Season 2 was going to be released in autumn 2003, but was cancelled due to high costs of music clearances.

October 29, 2002

!DVD name!!Release date!!Ep #!!# of Discs!!Additional information
The Complete First Season	|	16	3	Extended pilot episode, ''A Stroke of Genius'' featurette, commentary on select episodes, gag reel, deleted scenes, alternate show openings, bloopers, ''Dewey's Day Job'' featurette.

Reception

Ratings

The show quickly gained a large viewer base, starting off with ratings of 23 million for the debut episode and 26 million for the second episode.

Fox shuffled the show's air time repeatedly to make room for other shows, eventually giving it a free pass in its seventh and last season. On January 13, 2006, Fox announced that the show would be moving to 7:00 p.m. on Sundays effective January 29, 2006. On January 17, 2006, Fox announced the cancellation of the series, with the 151st and final episode airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT (the show's original timeslot) on May 14, 2006. The finale was watched by 7.4 million.

! Season	! Season Premiere	! Season Finale	! TV Season	! Ranking	! Viewers(in millions)
1st	January 9, 2000	May 21, 2000	2000	! #18	! 15.2
2nd	November 5, 2000	May 20, 2001	2000–2001	! #22	! 14.5
3rd	November 11, 2001	May 12, 2002	2001–2002	! #25	! 13.0
4th	November 11, 2002	May 12, 2003	2002–2003	! #43	! 10.7
5th	November 3, 2003	May 18, 2004	2003–2004	! #71	! 8.4
6th	November 2, 2004	May 23, 2005	2004–2005	! #99	! 5.6
7th	September 30, 2005	May 14, 2006	2005–2006	! #127	! 3.8

In Australia, in 2001 ''Malcolm in the Middle'' premiered on Channel Nine, Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. It rated strongly, with the help from its lead in ''Friends'', which at the time rated 2,279,000, 2,031,000 and 2,410,000 as the night's most watched show, and year's 2nd most watched TV program. ''Malcolm in the Middle'''s ratings included 1,952,000, 1,925,000, 1,712,000, 1,644,000, and sometimes rating over the 2 million mark: 2,002,000, 2,008,000.

In France, the show first aired daily at 8 p.m. in December 2001, on M6, but didn't find its public and was quickly off schedule. Then, when the show made its comeback in the summer of 2003 at noon, it had a big success. The last seasons had over 1.5 million viewers and a share sometimes over 30%. Due to the show's popularity, the network is currently still broadcasting reruns.

In the UK, in April 2001, 6 months after it was shown on Sky1 it premiered on terristrial television on BBC2 at 6:45pm on Fridays, where the first episode gained 3.3 million. With the success of the first season, season 2 was moved to prime-time the following year at 8:30pm. It is now shown weekdays on 5* which began January 3, 2011.

In Mexico, the channel Canal 5 still playing reruns of the series daily at 6.00pm. The show first aired back on 2001 at 3.00pm and have had many changes since then, crossing over the channel 4 of the same network, and gained high ratings ever since and still.

Awards and nominations

Jane Kaczmarek and Cloris Leachman gained the highest honors in the cast for being nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award every year they appeared on ''Malcolm in the Middle''. Cloris Leachman succeeded in winning 2002 and 2006. The show won a total of 7 Emmys during its seven year run.

Syndication

The show entered syndication one month before the 6th season premiered on Fox. When the show entered syndication all of the TV-14 episodes had to be changed to TV-PG since they did not meet the standards for TV-14. It is also aired in local syndication. The show was launched on Nick at Nite on July 5, 2009 at 8:00pm with an all night marathon. However, Nick at Nite used the changed ratings to keep the show family friendly and remove adult content from the episodes. When Nick at Nite pulled ''Malcolm'' it began airing on TeenNick from November 26, 2010 and continued until December, 2010. On July 18, 2011, the show returned to TeenNick's line-up. In the UK, the show was originally aired on BBC2. It was later moved to Sky1 and is currently shown on Fiver (at 6:00pm and again at about 7:30pm).

References

Malcolm move to TeenNick

External links

Malcolm in the Middle Voting Community Malcolm France

Category:2000s American television series Category:2000 American television series debuts Category:2006 American television series endings Category:American television sitcoms Category:Emmy Award winning programs Category:English-language television series Category:Fox network shows Category:Peabody Award winning television programs Category:Super Bowl lead-out programs Category:Teen sitcoms Category:Television series about dysfunctional families Category:Television series by Fox Television Studios Category:Television shows set in the United States

ar:مالكوم في الوسط bg:Малкълм da:Malcolm i midten de:Malcolm mittendrin el:Η τρελή οικογένεια του Μάλκολμ es:Malcolm in the middle fa:مالکوم در میانه fo:Miðlingurin Malcolm fr:Malcolm (série télévisée) gl:Malcolm in the Middle hr:Malcolm u sredini id:Malcolm in the Middle it:Malcolm (serie televisiva) he:מלקולם באמצע hu:Már megint Malcolm ms:Malcolm in the Middle nl:Malcolm in the Middle ja:マルコム in the Middle no:Malcolm i midten pl:Zwariowany świat Malcolma pt:Malcolm in the Middle ru:Малкольм в центре внимания simple:Malcolm in the Middle fi:Veljemme on nero sv:Malcolm - Ett geni i familjen tr:Malcolm in the Middle uk:Малкольм у центрі уваги zh:左右做人难

name	In the Middle
cover	InTheMiddleCD2Cover.jpg
artist	Sugababes
border	yes
from album	Three
b-side	"Disturbed" "Colder In The Rain"
released	March 22, 2004
format	CD single, vinyl single, digital download
genre	Pop, dance-pop, electronic
length	3:55
label	Island
writer	Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Niara Scarlett, Shawn Lee, Lisa Cowling, Andre Tegler, Phil Fuldner, Michael Bellina, Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, Heidi Range
producer	Brian Higgins, Xenomania, Jeremy Wheatley
last single	"Too Lost in You"(2003)
this single	"In the Middle"(2004)
next single	"Caught in a Moment"(2004)
misc	}}

"In the Middle" is a pop song written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Niara Scarlett, Shawn Lee, Lisa Cowling, Andre Tegler, Phil Fuldner, Michael Bellina, Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, and Heidi Range for the Sugababes' third studio album ''Three'' (2003). Produced by Higgins, Xenomania, and Jeremy Wheatley, the song is incorporating a sample of the dance track "U Know Y" by German DJ Moguai.

The song was released as the album's third single in mid-2004 and while it entered the top thirty on the majority of the charts it appeared on, it peaked at #8 in both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Matthew Rolston who had previously worked with the band on the "Hole in the Head" video.

The video for "In the Middle" sees Keisha in a glittery diamond-like two-piece, Mutya in a black corset and Heidi in a pink and black complementing suit. In their own verse, they each have their personalised, matching rooms. Mutya's is dark green and almost black, Keisha's is light blue with her name spelt on the walls, and Heidi's is checked in pink and black. By the end of each verse, their name is spelled out on screen. Mutya's is misty, Keisha's is in diamonds and Heidi's in boxed letters. Throughout the video they are all in one shot singing in a circle.

Track listings and formats

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "In the Middle".

;UK CD Single 1 # "In the Middle" [Radio Edit] - 3:38 # "Disturbed" - 3:52

; UK CD Single 2 / International CD Single # "In the Middle" - 3:54 # "Colder in the Rain" - 4:34 # "In the Middle" [Ruff & Jam METALTRoNIK Mix Edit] - 5:43 # "In the Middle" [Hyper Remix Edit] - 5:46 # "In the Middle" [Video] - 3:54

Charts

The Song has sold 52,308 copies in the UK.

Chart (2004) !! PeakPosition
align="left"

Official versions and appearances

These are the official versions and remixes and the release they appear on, of:

"In the Middle" {|class="wikitable" ! width="200"| Version ! width="250"| Release appearance |- | Radio Edit | "In the Middle" single, |- | Album Version | ''Three'', ''Overloaded: The Singles Collection'', ''Change'' [French Version] |- | Ruff & Jam Metal Tronik Mix |rowspan="2"| "In the Middle" single |- | Hyper Remix Edit |- | Gravitas 3am Vocal Mix | ''Overloaded: The Remix Collection'' |- | Video | "In the Middle" single, ''Overloaded: The Videos Collection'' |- | Sessions at AOL | ''Overloaded: The Live Collection'' |}

References

Category:2004 singles Category:Sugababes songs Category:Songs produced by Xenomania Category:Songs written by Brian Higgins Category:Songs written by Miranda Cooper Category:Songs written by Keisha Buchanan Category:Songs written by Mutya Buena Category:Songs written by Heidi Range Category:Songs written by Niara Scarlett

bg:In the Middle es:In the Middle it:In the Middle pl:In the Middle pt:In the Middle tr:In the Middle

bodyclass	geography
above	Middle East
label1	Countries
data1	18–38 ''(varying definitions)''
label2	Languages
data2	Middle East: Arabic, Aramaic, Azerbaijani, French, Greek, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, TurkishGreater Middle East: Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Balochi, Dari, French, Greek, Georgian, Hebrew, Kurdish, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Sindhi, Somali, Tamazight, Tigrinya, Turkish, Urdu
label3	Time Zones
data3	UTC +3:30 (Iran) to UTC +2:00 (Egypt) ''(traditional definition)''
label4	Largest Cities
data4	In rank order: Cairo, Tehran, Baghdad, Riyadh, Jeddah }}

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East. The corresponding adjective is ''Middle-Eastern'' and the derived noun is ''Middle-Easterner''.

The history of the Middle East dates back to ancient times, and throughout its history, the Middle East has been a major centre of world affairs. When discussing ancient history, however, the term Near East is more commonly used. The Middle East is also the historical origin of major religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Middle East generally has an arid and hot climate, with several major rivers providing for irrigation to support agriculture in limited areas. Many countries located around the Persian Gulf have large quantities of crude oil. In modern times the Middle East remains a strategically, economically, politically, culturally and religiously sensitive region. The Middle East expected economic growth rate is at about 4.1% for 2010 and 5.1% in 2011.

Etymology

The term "Middle East" may have originated in the 1850s in the British India Office. However, it became more widely known when American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan used the term in 1902 to 'designate the area between Arabia and India'. During this time the British and Russian Empires were vying for influence in Central Asia, a rivalry which would become known as The Great Game. Mahan realized not only the strategic importance of the region, but also of its center, the Persian Gulf. He labeled the area surrounding the Persian Gulf as the Middle East, and said that after the Suez Canal, it was the most important passage for Britain to control in order to keep the Russians from advancing towards British India. Mahan first used the term in his article "The Persian Gulf and International Relations," published in September 1902 in the ''National Review'', a British journal.

The Middle East, if I may adopt a term which I have not seen, will some day need its Malta, as well as its Gibraltar; it does not follow that either will be in the Persian Gulf. Naval force has the quality of mobility which carries with it the privilege of temporary absences; but it needs to find on every scene of operation established bases of refit, of supply, and in case of disaster, of security. The British Navy should have the facility to concentrate in force if occasion arise, about Aden, India, and the Persian Gulf.

Mahan's article was reprinted in ''The Times'' and followed in October by a 20 article series entitled "The Middle Eastern Question," written by Sir Ignatius Valentine Chirol. During this series, Sir Ignatius expanded the definition of ''Middle East'' to include "those regions of Asia which extend to the borders of India or command the approaches to India." After the series ended in 1903, ''The Times'' removed quotation marks from subsequent uses of the term.

Until World War II, it was customary to refer to areas centered around Turkey and the eastern shore of the Mediterranean as the "Near East", while the "Far East" centered on China, and the Middle East then meant the area from Mesopotamia to Burma, namely the area between the Near East and the Far East. In the late 1930s, the British established the Middle East Command, which was based in Cairo, for its military forces in the region. After that time, the term "Middle East" gained broader usage in Europe and the United States, with the Middle East Institute founded in Washington, D.C. in 1946, among other usage.

Criticism and usage

[[File:Greater Middle East (orthographic projection).svg|300px|thumb| ]] Many have criticized the term ''Middle East'' because of its implicit Eurocentrism. In contemporary English-language academic & media venues, the term is used by both Europeans and non-Europeans.

The description ''Middle'' has also led to some confusion over changing definitions. Before the First World War, "Near East" was used in English to refer to the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire, while "Middle East" referred to Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, and the Caucasus. In contrast, "Far East" referred to the countries of East Asia (e.g. China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, etc.). Some critics usually advise using an alternative term, such as "Western Asia", which is the official designation used by the UN.

With the disappearance of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, "Near East" largely fell out of common use in English, while "Middle East" came to be applied to the re-emerging countries of the Islamic world. However, the usage of "Near East" was retained by a variety of academic disciplines, including archaeology and ancient history, where it describes an area identical to the term ''Middle East'', which is not used by these disciplines (see Ancient Near East).

The first official use of the term "Middle East" by the United States government was in the 1957 Eisenhower Doctrine, which pertained to the Suez Crisis. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles defined the Middle East as "the area lying between and including Libya on the west and Pakistan on the east, Syria and Iraq on the North and the Arabian peninsula to the south, plus the Sudan and Ethiopia." In 1958, the State Department explained that the terms "Near East" and "Middle East" were interchangeable, and defined the region as including only Egypt, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.

The Associated Press Stylebook says that Near East formerly referred to the farther west countries while Middle East referred to the eastern ones, but that now they are synonymous. It instructs:

Use ''Middle East'' unless ''Near East'' is used by a source in a story. ''Mideast'' is also acceptable, but ''Middle East'' is preferred.

At the United Nations, the numerous documents and resolutions about the Middle East are in fact concerned with the Arab–Israeli conflict, in particular the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and, therefore, with the four states of the Levant. The term Near East is occasionally heard at the UN when referring to this region.

Translations

There are terms similar to ''Near East'' and ''Middle East'' in other European languages, but since it is a relative description, the meanings depend on the country and are different from the English terms generally. In German the term ''Naher Osten'' (Near East) is still in common use (nowadays the term ''Mittlerer Osten'' is more and more common in press texts translated from English sources, albeit having a distinct meaning) and in Russian Ближний Восток or ''Blizhniy Vostok'', Bulgarian Близкия Изток, Polish ''Bliski Wschód'' or Croatian ''Bliski istok'' (meaning ''Near East'' in all the four Slavic languages) remains as the only appropriate term for the region. However, some languages do have "Middle East" equivalents, such as the French Moyen-Orient, Swedish Mellanöstern, Spanish Oriente Medio or Medio Oriente, and the Italian Medio Oriente.

Perhaps because of the influence of the Western press, the Arabic equivalent of ''Middle East'' (Arabic: الشرق الأوسط ''ash-sharq-l-awsat''), has become standard usage in the mainstream Arabic press, comprehending the same meaning as the term “Middle East” in North American and Western European usage. The designation, ''Mashriq'', also from the Arabic root for ''east'', also denotes a variously defined region around the Levant, the eastern part of the Arabic-speaking world (as opposed to the ''Maghreb'', the western part). The Persian equivalent for Middle East is خاورمیانه (''Khāvarmiyāneh'').

Territories and regions

Traditional definition of the Middle East

Country, with flag

!colspan="2"

!rowspan="2"

!colspan="2"

!rowspan="2"

!rowspan="2"

Per capita

Currency

Government

Official languages

!km2 !!sq mi !!/km2!!/sq mi

Manama

$26.970 billion (2008)

$34,605 (2008)

Bahraini Dinar

Constitutional monarchy

Arabic

Nicosia

$22.703 billion (2008)

$29,830 (2008)

Euro (currency)

[[Presidential republic

Greek language

[[Cairo

$442.640 billion (2008)

$5,898 (2008)

Egyptian pound

Semi-presidential republic

Arabic

Tehran

$819.799 billion (2008)

$11,250 (2008)

Iranian rial

Islamic republic

Baghdad

$202.3 billion (2008)

$6,500 (2008)

Iraqi dinar

Parliamentary republic

Arabic, Syriac language

[[Jerusalem2

$200.630 billion (2008)

$28,206 (2008)

Israeli new sheqel

Parliamentary democracy

Hebrew, Arabic

Amman

$32.112 billion (2008)

$5,314 (2008)

Jordanian dinar

Constitutional monarchy

Arabic

Kuwait City

$137.190 billion (2008)

$39,849 (2008)

Kuwaiti dinar

Constitutional monarchy

Arabic

Beirut

$58.576 billion (2010)

$14,988 (2010)

Lebanese pound

Republic

$66.889 billion (2008)

$24,153 (2008)

Absolute monarchy

Arabic

'''' (not fully sovereign)

Gaza

$770 million (2008)

$2,900 (2008)

Israeli new sheqel

Autonomous republic Palestinian National Authority Hamas

Arabic

'''' (not fully sovereign)

3

3,4

Ramallah

Israeli new sheqel

Autonomous republic Palestinian National Authority Fatah

Arabic

Doha

$94.249 billion (2008)

$85,867 (2008)

Constitutional monarchy

Arabic

Riyadh

$593.385 billion (2008)

$23,834 (2008)

Absolute monarchy

Arabic

Damascus

$105.238 billion (2010)

$5,043 (2010)

Syrian pound

Presidential republic

Arabic

1

Ankara

$1.028 trillion (2008)

$13,920 (2008)

Parliamentary democracy

Abu Dhabi

$184.984 billion (2008)

$38,830 (2008)

UAE dirham

Arabic

Sanaá

$55.433 billion (2008)

$2,412 (2008)

Yemeni rial

Semi-presidential republic

Arabic

Source:

*International Monetary Fund, April 24, 2009, PPP GDP 2008

*World Bank, July 1, 2009, PPP GDP 2008

Notes:

1 The figures for Turkey includes Eastern Thrace, which is not a part of Anatolia.

2 Under Israeli law. The UN doesn't recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

3 Includes the whole of the West Bank, according to the pre-1967 boundaries.

4 In addition, there are around 400,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, of which half are in East-Jerusalem.

Greater Middle East

Country, with flag	!colspan="2"	!rowspan="2"	!colspan="2"	!rowspan="2"	!rowspan="2"	Per capita	Currency	Government	Official languages
!km2 !!sq mi !!/km2!!/sq mi
1				Kabul	$21.340 billion (2008)	$758 (2008)	Afghan afghani	Islamic republic
				Algiers	$233.098 billion (2008)	$6,698 (2008)	Algerian dinar	Semi-presidential republic
				Yerevan	$18.715 billion (2008)	$5,272 (2008)	Armenian dram	Semi-presidential republic
				Baku	$74.734 billion (2008)	$8,620 (2008)	Azerbaijani manat	Semi-presidential republic
					$772 million (2009)	$1,159 (2009)	Comorian franc	Federal republic	Comorian, Arabic, French
					$1.877 billion (2008)	$2,392 (2008)	Djiboutian franc	Parliamentary republic	Arabic, French, Somali, Afar
				Asmara	$3.739 billion (2008)	$747 (2008)		Provisional government
				Tbilisi	$21.812 billion (2008)	$4,957 (2008)	Georgian lari	Semi-presidential republic
				Astana	$177.545 billion (2008)	$11,416 (2008)	Kazakhstani tenge	Semi-presidential republic	Kazakh language
				[[Bishkek	$11.580 billion (2008)	$2,180 (2008)	Kyrgyzstani som	Semi-presidential republic	Kyrgyz language
				[[Tripoli	$90.251 billion (2008)	$14,533 (2008)	Libyan dinar	Jamahiriya
				Nouakchott	$6.221 billion (2008)	$2,052 (2008)		Military junta
				Rabat	$136.728 billion (2008)	$4,349 (2008)	Moroccan dirham	Constitutional monarchy
				Islamabad	$439.558 billion (2008)	$2,738 (2008)	Pakistani rupee	Islamic republic	Urdu language
				[[Mogadishu	$7.890 billion	$795	Somali shilling	Semi-presidential republic	Somali language
				[[Khartoum	$87.885 billion (2008)	$2,305 (2008)	Sudanese pound	Presidential republic	Arabic language
				[[Dushanbe	$13.041 billion (2008)	$2,019 (2008)	Somoni	Semi-presidential republic
				Tunis	$82.226 billion (2008)	$7,962 (2008)	Tunisian dinar	Semi-presidential republic
				Ashgabat	$30.091 billion (2008)	$5,710 (2008)	Turkmenistani manat
				Tashkent	$71.501 billion (2008)	$2,629 (2008)	Uzbekistani som	Semi-presidential republic
				El Aaiun			Moroccan dirham
	Source:			*International Monetary Fund, April 24, 2009, PPP GDP 2008	*World Bank, July 1, 2009, PPP GDP 2008				Notes:	1 Afghanistan is often considered Central Asian

History

The Middle East lies at the juncture of Eurasia and Africa and of the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. It is the birthplace and spiritual center of religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Manichaeism Yezidi, Druze, Yarsan and Mandeanism, and in Iran, Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, Manicheanism, and the Bahá'í Faith. Throughout its history the Middle East has been a major center of world affairs; a strategically, economically, politically, culturally, and religiously sensitive area.

The worlds earliest civilizations, Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia) and ancient Egypt, originated in the Fertile Crescent and Nile Valley regions of the ancient Near East. These were followed by the Hittite, Greek and Urartian civilisations of Asia Minor, Elam in pre Iranian Persia, as well as the civilizations of the Levant (such as Ebla, Ugarit Canaan, Aramea, Phoenicia and Israel), Persian and Median civilizations in Iran, North Africa(Carthage/Phonecia) and the Arabian Peninsula (Magan, Sheba, Ubar). The Near East was first largely unified under the Neo Assyrian Empire, then the Achaemenid Empire followed later by the Macedonian Empire and after this to some degree by the Iranian empires, (namely the Parthian and Sassanid Empires), the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire. However, it would be the later Arab Arab Caliphates of the Middle Ages, or Islamic Golden Age which began with the Arab conquest of the region in the 7th century AD, that would first unify the entire Middle East as a distinct region and create the dominant Islamic ethnic identity that largely (but not exclusively) persists today. The Mongols, the Turkish Seljuk and Ottoman empires, the Safavids and British empire would also later dominate the region.

The modern Middle East began after World War I, when the Ottoman Empire, which was allied with the Central Powers, was defeated by the British Empire and their allies and partitioned into a number of separate nations, initially under British and French Mandates. Other defining events in this transformation included the establishment of Israel in 1948 and the eventual departure of European powers, notably Britain and France by the end of the 1960s. They were supplanted in some part by the rising influence of the United States from the 1970's onwards.

In the 20th century, the region's significant stocks of crude oil gave it new strategic and economic importance. Mass production of oil began around 1945, with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates having large quantities of oil. Estimated oil reserves, especially in Saudi Arabia and Iran, are some of the highest in the world, and the international oil cartel OPEC is dominated by Middle Eastern countries.

During the Cold War, the Middle East was a theater of ideological struggle between the two superpowers and their allies: NATO and the United States on one side, and the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact on the other, as they competed to influence regional allies. Of course, besides the political reasons there was also the "ideological conflict" between the two systems. Moreover, as Louise Fawcett argues, among many important areas of contention, or perhaps more accurately of anxiety, were, first, the desires of the superpowers to gain strategic advantage in the region, second, the fact that the region contained some two thirds of the world's oil reserves in a context where oil was becoming increasingly vital to the economy of the Western world [...] Within this contextual framework, the United States sought to divert the Arab world from Soviet influence. Throughout the 20th and into the 21st century, the region has experienced both periods of relative peace and tolerance and periods of conflict and war.

Demographics

Ethnic groups

The Middle East is home to numerous ethnic groups, including; Arabs, Turks, Persians, Somalis, Jews, Kurds, Assyrians/Syriacs (Chaldo-Assyrians), Egyptian Copts, Maronites (Phoenicians), Armenians, Arameans, Azeris, Maltese, Circassians, Greeks, Turcomans, Shabaks, Yazidis, Mandeans, Georgians, Roma, Gagauz, Berbers, Mhallami and Samaritans.

Migration

According to the International Organization for Migration, there are 13 million first-generation migrants from Arab nations in the world, of which 5.8 reside in other Arab countries. Expatriates from Arab countries contribute to the circulation of financial and human capital in the region and thus significantly promote regional development. In 2009 Arab countries received a total of 35.1 billion USD in remittance in-flows and remittances sent to Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon from other Arab countries are 40 to 190 per cent higher than trade revenues between these and other Arab countries.

Non-Arab Middle Eastern countries such as Turkey, Israel and Iran are also subject to important migration dynamics.

A fair proportion of those migrating from Arab nations are from ethnic and religious minorities facing racial and or religious persecution and are not necessarily ethnic Arabs, Iranians or Turks. Large numbers of Kurds, Jews, Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians as well as many Mandeans have left nations such as Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey for these reasons during the last century. In Iran, many religious minorities such as Christians, Baha'i and Zoroastrians have left since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Religions

The Middle East is very diverse when it comes to religions, many of which originated there. Islam in its many forms is by far the largest religion in the Middle East, but other faiths, such as Judaism and Christianity, are also well represented. There are also important minority religions like Bahá'í, Yazdânism, Zoroastrianism, Mandeanism, Druze, Yarsan, Yazidism and Shabakism.

Languages

The three top languages, in terms of numbers of speakers, are Arabic, Persian and Turkish, representing the Afro-Asiatic, Indo-European, and Turkic language families, respectively. Various other languages are also spoken in the Middle East.

Arabic is the most widely spoken language in the Middle East, being official in all the Arab countries. It is also spoken in some adjacent areas in neighbouring Middle Eastern non-Arab countries. It is a member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic languages.

Persian is the second most popular. While it is confined to Iran and some border areas in neghbouring countries, the country is one of the region's largest and most populous. It belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of the family of Indo-European languages.

The third-most widely spoken language, Turkish, it is largely confined to Turkey, which is also one of the region's largest and most populous countries, but it is present in areas in neighboring countries. It is a member or the Turkic languages, which have their origins in Central Asia.

Other languages spoken in the region include Semitic languages such as Hebrew and Mesopotamian Aramaic dialects spoken mainly by Assyrians and Mandeans. Also to be found are Armenian, Azerbaijani, Berber, Circassian, smaller Iranian languages, Kurdish, smaller Turkic languages (such as Gagauz), Shabaki, Yazidi, Roma, Georgian, Greek, and several Modern South Arabian languages such as Geez. Maltese is also linguistically and geographically a middle eastern language.

English is commonly spoken as a second language, especially among the middle and upper classes, in countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. It is also a main language in some of the Emirates of the United Arab Emirates. French is spoken in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia. Urdu is widely spoken in many Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia (where 20-25% of the population is South Asian), the United Arab Emirates (where 50-55% of the population is South Asian), Israel, and Qatar, which have large numbers of Pakistani immigrants. The largest Romanian-speaking community in the Middle East is found in Israel, where Romanian is spoken by 5% of the population. Russian is also spoken by a large portion of the Israeli population, because of emigration in the late 1990s.

Economy

Middle Eastern economies range from being very poor (such as Gaza and Yemen) to extremely wealthy nations (such as Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia). Overall, , according to the CIA World Factbook, all nations in the Middle East are maintaining a positive rate of growth.

According to the World Bank's ''World Development Indicators'' database published on July 1, 2009, the three largest Middle Eastern economies in 2008 were Turkey ($ 794,228,000,000), Saudi Arabia ($ 467,601,000,000) and Iran ($ 385,143,000,000) in terms of Nominal GDP. In regards to nominal GDP per capita, the highest ranking countries are Qatar ($93,204), the UAE ($55,028), Kuwait ($45,920) and Cyprus ($32,745). Turkey ($ 1,028,897,000,000), Iran ($ 839,438,000,000) and Saudi Arabia ($ 589,531,000,000) had the largest economies in terms of GDP-PPP. When it comes to per capita (PPP)-based income, the highest-ranking countries are Qatar ($86,008), Kuwait ($39,915), the UAE ($38,894), Bahrain ($34,662) and Cyprus ($29,853). The lowest-ranking country in the Middle East, in terms of per capita income (PPP), is the autonomous Palestinian Authority of Gaza and the West Bank ($1,100).

The economic structure of Middle Eastern nations are different in the sense that while some nations are heavily dependent on export of only oil and oil-related products (such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait), others have a highly diverse economic base (such as Cyprus, Israel, Turkey and Egypt). Industries of the Middle Eastern region include oil and oil-related products, agriculture, cotton, cattle, dairy, textiles, leather products, surgical instruments, defence equipment (guns, ammunition, tanks, submarines, fighter jets, UAVs, and missiles). Banking is also an important sector of the economies, especially in the case of UAE and Bahrain.

With the exception of Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Israel, tourism has been a relatively undeveloped area of the economy, in part because of the socially conservative nature of the region as well as political turmoil in certain regions of the Middle East. In recent years, however, countries such as the UAE, Bahrain, and Jordan have begun attracting greater number of tourists because of improving tourist facilities and the relaxing of tourism-related restrictive policies.

Unemployment is notably high in the Middle East and North Africa region, particularly among young people aged 15–29, a demographic representing 30% of the region’s total population. The total regional unemployment rate in 2005, according to the International Labor Organization, was 13.2%, and among youth is as high as 25%, up to 37% in Morocco and 73% in Syria.

See also

History

List of conflicts in the Middle East

History of the Middle East

Timeline of Middle Eastern History

Regions

Greater Middle East

Near East

Fertile Crescent

Central Asia

Issues

Waithood

Orientalism

State feminism (section: Middle East)

Organizations, programs, and media

Middle East Institute

Middle East Studies Association of North America

Middle East Youth Initiative

Maayan Middle East poetry magazine

Strategic Foresight Group

Notes

References

External links

"Middle East - Articles by Region" - Council on Foreign Relations: "A Resource for Nonpartisan Research and Analysis"

"Middle East - Interactive Crisis Guide" - Council on Foreign Relations: "A Resource for Nonpartisan Research and Analysis"

Middle East Department University of Chicago Library

''Middle East Business Intelligence since 1957'': "The leading information source on business in the Middle East" - MEED.com

Middle East News from Yahoo! News

Middle East Business, Financial & Industry News — ''ArabianBusiness.com''

Category:Western Asia Category:North Africa Category:Geography of Western Asia

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Name	Sammy Davis, Jr.
Alt	Black-and-white photograph of an elderly African-American man wearing a striped shirt, grey trousers, a watch and various jewelry, sitting hunched on a sofa with a sombre expression.
Birth name	Samuel George Davis, Jr.
Birth date	December 08, 1925
Birth place	Harlem, New York, U.S.
Death date	May 16, 1990
Death place	Beverly Hills, California, U.S. Interred: Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
Death cause	Throat cancer
Other names
Occupation	Singer, tap dancer, actor, musician
Years active	1928–1990
Spouse	Loray White (1958-1959)May Britt (1960-1968)Altovise Davis (1970-1990)
Religion	Judaism
Children	Tracey (b. 1961) Mark (b. 1960) Jeff (b. 1964) Manny (b. 1988)
Parents	Sammy Davis, Sr. (father) Elvera Sanchez (mother)
Website	sammydavis-jr.com
Footnotes	}}

Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American entertainer.

Primarily a dancer and singer, Davis started as a child vaudevillian who became known for his performances on Broadway and Las Vegas. He went on to become a world famous recording artist, television and film star. Davis was also a member of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack".

At the age of three Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father and "uncle" as the Will Mastin Trio, toured nationally, and after military service, returned to the trio. Davis became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's after the 1951 Academy Awards. With the trio, he became a recording artist. In 1954, he lost his left eye in an automobile accident.

Though his film career had begun as a child in 1933, in 1960, he appeared in the first Rat Pack movie, ''Ocean's 11''. After a starring role on Broadway in 1956's ''Mr Wonderful'', Davis returned to the stage in 1964's ''Golden Boy'', and in 1966 had his own TV variety show, ''The Sammy Davis Jr. Show''. Davis's career slowed in the late sixties, but he had a hit record with "The Candy Man", in 1972, and became a star in Las Vegas.

As an African American, Davis was the victim of racism throughout his life, and was a large financial supporter of civil rights causes. Davis had a complex relationship with the African-American community, and attracted criticism after physically embracing Richard Nixon in 1970. One day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was. "Handicap?" he asked. "Talk about handicap — I'm a one-eyed Negro Jew." This was to become a signature comment, recounted in his autobiography, and in countless articles.

After reuniting with Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1987, Davis toured with them and Liza Minnelli internationally, before dying of throat cancer in 1990. He died in debt to the Internal Revenue Service, and his estate was the subject of legal battles.

Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Early life

Samuel George Davis, Jr. was born in New York City, New York, to Sammy Davis, Sr. (1900–1988), an African-American entertainer, and Elvera Sanchez (1905–2000), a tap dancer. During his lifetime, Davis, Jr. stated that his mother was Puerto Rican and born in San Juan; however, in the 2003 biography ''In Black and White'', author Wil Haygood writes that Davis, Jr.'s mother was born in New York City to Cuban American parents, and that Davis, Jr. claimed he was Puerto Rican because he feared anti-Cuban backlash would hurt his record sales.

Davis's parents were vaudeville dancers. As an infant, he was raised by his paternal grandmother. When he was three years old, his parents separated. His father, not wanting to lose custody of his son, took him on tour. Davis learned to dance from his father and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a child and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing. Mastin and his father shielded him from racism. Snubs were explained as jealousy, for instance. When Davis served in the United States Army during World War II, however, he was confronted by strong racial prejudice. He later said, "Overnight the world looked different. It wasn't one color any more. I could see the protection I'd gotten all my life from my father and Will. I appreciated their loving hope that I'd never need to know about prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was as if I'd walked through a swinging door for eighteen years, a door which they had always secretly held open."

Career

Davis, Jr. was hired to sing the title track for the Universal Pictures film ''Six Bridges to Cross'', recording it on December 2, 1954.

During service in WWII, the Army assigned Davis to an integrated entertainment Special Services unit and he found that the spotlight lessened the prejudice. Even prejudiced white men admired and respected his performances. "My talent was the weapon, the power, the way for me to fight. It was the one way I might hope to affect a man's thinking," he said.

After his discharge, Davis rejoined the family dance act, which played at clubs around Portland, Oregon. He began to achieve success on his own and was singled out for praise by critics, releasing several albums. This led to his appearance in the Broadway play ''Mr. Wonderful'' in 1956.

In 1959, Davis became a member of the famous "Rat Pack", led by his friend Frank Sinatra, which included fellow performers such as Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. Initially, Sinatra called the gathering "the Clan", but Sammy voiced his opposition, saying that it reminded people of the racist Ku Klux Klan. Sinatra renamed the group "the Summit", but the media referred to them as the Rat Pack.

Davis was a headliner at The Frontier Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, but he was required (as were all black performers in the 1950s) to lodge in a rooming house on the west side of the city, instead of in the hotels as his white colleagues did. No dressing rooms were provided for black performers, and they had to wait outside by the swimming pool between acts. Davis and other black artists could entertain, but could not stay at the hotels where they performed, gamble in the casinos, nor dine or drink in the hotel restaurants and bars. Davis later refused to work at places which practiced racial segregation.

In 1964, Davis was starring in ''Golden Boy'' at night and shooting his own New York-based afternoon talk show during the day. When he could get a day off from the theater, he would be recording new songs in the studio, or performing live, often at charity benefits as far away as Miami, Chicago, and Las Vegas, or doing television variety specials in Los Angeles. Davis knew he was cheating his family of his company, but he could not help himself; as he later said, he was incapable of standing still.

Although he was still a draw in Las Vegas, Davis's musical career had sputtered by the latter 1960s, although he had a #11 hit (#1 on the Easy Listening singles chart) with "I've Gotta Be Me" in 1969. His effort to update his sound and reconnect with younger people resulted in some embarrassing "hip" musical efforts with the Motown record label. But then, even as his career seemed at its nadir, Sammy had an unexpected hit with "Candy Man". Although he did not particularly care for the song and was chagrined that he was now best known for it, Davis made the most of his opportunity and revitalized his career. Although he enjoyed no more Top 40 hits, he did enjoy popularity with his performance of the theme song from the T.V. series Baretta (1975–1978) which was not released as a single but was given radio play and he remained a live act beyond Vegas for his career. He occasionally landed television and film parts, including cameo visits to the ''All in the Family'' (during which he kisses Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) on the cheek) and, with wife Altovise Davis, on ''Charlie's Angels''. In the 1970s, he appeared in commercials in Japan for Suntory whiskey.

On December 11, 1967, NBC broadcast a musical-variety special entitled ''Movin' With Nancy''. In addition to the Emmy Award-winning musical performances, the show is notable for Nancy Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. greeting each other with a kiss, one of the first black-white kisses in U.S. television history.

It's been said Davis had a friendship with Elvis Presley. Davis sang a cover-version of Presley's song "In The Ghetto" and made a cameo-appearance in Presley's concert-movie ''Elvis: That's the Way It Is''. One year later, he made a cameo appearance in a James Bond movie, but the scene he appeared in was deleted.

In Japan, Davis appeared in television commercials for coffee, and in the U.S. he joined Sinatra and Martin in a radio commercial for a Chicago car dealership.

Davis was a fan of the daytime soap operas, particularly the shows produced by the American Broadcasting Company. This led to a cameo appearance on ''General Hospital'' and a recurring role as character Chip Warren on ''One Life to Live'', for which he received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1980. He was featured on the ''CBS News with Walter Cronkite'' in a profile filed by current CBS News political correspondent Jeff Greenfield about the final episode of ''Love of Life'' in 1980. He was also a game show fan, appearing on the ABC version of ''Family Feud'' in 1979, and hosting a question with Richard Dawson watching from the sidelines. He appeared on ''Tattletales'' with third wife Altovise Davis in the 1970s. He made a cameo during an episode of the NBC version of ''Card Sharks'' in 1981.

In addition to American soaps, he was also a huge fan of the Australian show Prisoner: Cell Block H. Whilst in Melbourne during the mid-eighties he visited the set of the programme, at Grundy's studio in Nunawading, to see production for himself. Arriving in the grounds by helicopter, he toured the studio and met several of the cast, including his favourite actress in the show, Maggie Kirkpatrick. Davis wanted to make an appearance in Prisoner, but the show had ended (in 1986) before this could be arranged.

Davis was an avid photographer who enjoyed shooting family and acquaintances. His body of work was detailed in a 2007 book by Burt Boyar. "Jerry [Lewis] gave me my first important camera, my first 35 millimeter, during the Ciro's period, early '50s", Boyar quotes Davis. "And he hooked me." Davis used a medium format camera later on to capture images. Again quoting Davis, "Nobody interrupts a man taking a picture to ask ... 'What's that nigger doin' here?'". His catalog includes rare photos of his father dancing onstage as part of the Will Mastin Trio and intimate snapshots of close friends Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, James Dean, Nat "King" Cole, and Marilyn Monroe. His political affiliations also were represented, in his images of Robert Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. His most revealing work comes in photographs of wife May Britt and their three children, Tracey, Jeff and Mark.

Davis was an enthusiastic shooter and gun owner. He participated in fast-draw competitions -- Johnny Cash recalled that Sammy was said to be capable of drawing and firing a Colt Single Action revolver in less than a quarter of a second. Davis was skilled at fast and fancy gunspinning, and appeared on TV variety shows showing off this skill. He appeared in Western films and as a guest star on several "Golden Age" T.V. Westerns.

Personal life

Car accident and conversion to Judaism

Davis nearly died in an automobile accident on November 19, 1954 in San Bernardino, California, as he was making a return trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. The accident occurred at a fork in U.S. Highway 66 at Cajon Boulevard and Kendall Drive. Davis lost his left eye as a result; he wore an eye patch for at least six months following the accident. He appeared on ''What's My Line'' wearing the patch. Later, he was fitted for a glass eye, which he wore for the rest of his life.

While in the hospital, Davis' friend, performer Eddie Cantor, told him about the similarities between the Jewish and black cultures. Prompted by this conversation, Davis — who was born to a Catholic mother and Protestant father — began studying the history of Jews. He converted to Judaism several years later. One passage from his readings (from the book ''A History of The Jews'' by Abram L. Sachar), describing the endurance of the Jewish people, intrigued him in particular: "The Jews would not die. Three millennia of prophetic teaching had given them an unwavering spirit of resignation and had created in them a will to live which no disaster could crush". In many ways, the accident marked a turning point in Davis' career, taking him from a well-known entertainer to a national celebrity and icon.

Marriages

In the mid-1950s, Sammy was involved with Kim Novak, a movie star under contract to Columbia Studios. The head of the studio, Harry Cohn, was worried about the negative effect this would have on the studio because of the prevailing taboo against miscegenation. He called his friend, the mobster Johnny Roselli, who was asked to tell Davis that he had to stop the affair with Novak. Roselli arranged for Davis to be kidnapped for a few hours to throw a scare into him. His hastily arranged and soon-dissolved marriage to black dancer Loray White in 1958 was an attempt to quiet the controversy.

In 1960, Davis caused controversy again when he married white Swedish-born actress May Britt. Davis received hate mail while starring in the Broadway musical adaptation of ''Golden Boy'' from 1964-1966 (for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor). At the time Davis appeared in the play, interracial marriages were forbidden by law in 31 US states, and only in 1967 were those laws ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court. Davis and Britt had one daughter and adopted two sons. Davis performed almost continuously and spent little time with his wife. They divorced in 1968, after Davis admitted to having had an affair with singer Lola Falana. That year, Davis started dating Altovise Gore, a dancer in ''Golden Boy''. They were married on May 11, 1970 by the Reverend Jesse Jackson. They adopted a child and remained married until Davis's death in 1990.

Political beliefs

Although Davis had been voting Democratic, he felt a lack of respect from the John F. Kennedy presidency. He had been removed from the list of performers for Kennedy's inaugural party (hosted by Davis' close friend Frank Sinatra) because of Davis's recent interracial marriage to May Britt on November 13, 1960, in order to quell any controversy.

In the early 1970s, Davis supported Republican President Richard M. Nixon (and gave the startled President a hug during a live television broadcast). The incident was controversial, and Davis was given a hostile reception by his peers. Previously Davis had won their respect with his performance as Joe Wellington Jr. in ''Golden Boy'' and his participation in the Civil Rights Movement. Nixon invited Davis to sleep in the White House in 1973, which is believed to be the first time an African-American was invited to do so. Davis spent the night in the Queens' Bedroom. Unlike Sinatra, Davis voted Democratic for President again after the Nixon administration, supporting the campaigns of Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988.

Death

Davis died in Beverly Hills, California on May 16, 1990, of complications from throat cancer. Earlier, when he was told that surgery (laryngectomy) offered him the best chance of survival, Davis replied he would rather keep his voice than have a part of his throat removed; he subsequently was treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. However, a few weeks prior to his death his entire larynx was removed during surgery. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California next to his father and Will Mastin.

On May 18, 1990, two days after Davis' death, the neon lights of the Las Vegas strip were darkened for ten minutes, as a tribute to him.

Portrayals

Davis was portrayed by Don Cheadle in the HBO movie ''The Rat Pack'', a made-for-TV movie about the pack of entertainers. Cheadle won a Golden Globe award for his performance.

Davis impersonation has been a regular act in Eddie Griffin's career, be it at stage or TV.

On ''Saturday Night Live'', Davis has been portrayed by Garrett Morris, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal and Tim Meadows.

Davis was portrayed on the popular sketch comedy show ''In Living Color'' by Tommy Davidson, notably a parody of the movie ''Ghost'', in which the ghost of Davis enlists the help of Whoopi Goldberg to communicate with his wife.

David Raynr also portrayed Davis in the miniseries ''Sinatra'', a TV movie about the life of Frank Sinatra.

Davis was portrayed by Keith Powell in an episode of ''30 Rock'' entitled "Subway Hero".

In the 1993 film ''Wayne's World 2'', Tim Meadows portrays Davis in the dream sequence with Michael A. Nickles as Jim Morrison.

He was portrayed by Paul Sharma in the 2003 West End production ''Rat Pack Confidential''.

In September 2009, the musical ''Sammy: Once in a Lifetime'' premiered at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego with book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, and additional songs by Bricusse and Anthony Newley. The title role was played by Broadway Tony Award nominee Obba Babatundé.

Davis was mentioned in British singer Amy Winehouse's Back to Black album on the song Me and Mr. Jones. The lyrics are as follows "Side from Sammy you're my best black Jew."

A black and white portrait of Davis, drawn by Jim Blanchard, adorns the cover of Avant-garde rock band Oxbow's second album "King Of The Jews".

Midwest radio personality Kevin Matthews impersonated Sammy Davis, Jr. many times on his radio show.

Comedian Jim Carrey has portrayed Davis on stage in a stand up routine

He was also recognized in the film Everything is Illuminated (Liev Schreiber, 2005) as the tour guide's pet dog, or "Seeing Eye Bitch", named Samuel Davis, Jr., Jr.

Discography

Honors and awards

Grammy Awards

{|class=wikitable |- ! Year ! Category ! Song ! Result ! Notes |- align=center |2002 |Grammy Hall of Fame Award |"What Kind of Fool Am I?" |Inducted |Recorded in 1962 |- align=center |2001 |Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | |Winner | |- align=center |1972 |Pop Male Vocalist |"Candy Man" |Nominee | |- align=center |1962 |Record of the Year |"What Kind of Fool Am I" |Nominee | |- align=center |1962 |Male Solo Vocal Performance |"What Kind of Fool Am I" |Nominee | |}

Emmy Awards

{|class=wikitable ! Year ! Category ! Program ! Result |- align=center | |Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy |''Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th Anniversary Celebration'' |Winner |- align=center |1989 |Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series |''The Cosby Show'' |Nominee |- align=center |1980 |Outstanding Cameo Appearance in a Daytime Drama Series |''One Life to Live'' |Nominee |- align=center |1966 |Outstanding Variety Special |''The Swinging World of Sammy Davis Jr.'' |Nominee |- align=center |1956 |Best Specialty Act — Single or Group |Sammy Davis Jr. |Nominee |}

Other honors

{|class=wikitable |- ! Year ! Category ! Organization ! Program ! Result |- align=center |2008 |International Civil RightsWalk of Fame |Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site | |Inducted |- align=center |2006 |Las Vegas Walk of Stars |front of Riviera Hotel | |Inducted |- align=center |1989 |NAACP Image Award |NAACP | |Winner |- align=center |1987 |Kennedy Center Honors |John F. Kennedy Center forthe Performing Arts | |Honoree |- align=center |1977 |Best TV Actor — Musical/Comedy |Golden Globe |''Sammy and Company'' (1975) |Nominee |- align=center |1974 |Special Citation Award |National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences | |Winner |- align=center |1968 |NAACP Spingarn Medal Award |NAACP | |Winner |- align=center |1965 |Best Actor — Musical |Tony Award |''Golden Boy'' |Nominee |- align=center |1960 |Hollywood Walk of Fame | | |Star at 6254 Hollywood Blvd. |}

Filmography

''Rufus Jones for President'' (1933)

''Seasoned Greetings'' (1933)

''Sweet and Low'' (1947)

''Meet Me in Las Vegas'' (1956)

''Anna Lucasta'' (1959)

''Porgy and Bess'' (1959)

''Ocean's Eleven'' (1960)

''Pepe'' (1960)

''Sergeants 3'' (1962)

''The Threepenny Opera'' (1962)

''Convicts 4'' (1962)

''Johnny Cool'' (1963)

''Robin and the 7 Hoods'' (1964)

''Nightmare in the Sun'' (1965)

''The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World'' (1965)(title song)

''A Man Called Adam'' (1966)

''Alice in Wonderland (or What’s a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?)'' (1966)

''Salt and Pepper'' (1968)

''The Fall'' (1969)

''Sweet Charity'' (1969)

''One More Time'' (1970)

''Elvis: That's the Way It Is'' (1970)

''Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971; deleted scene)

''Save the Children'' (1973)

''Gone with the West'' (1975)

''Sammy Stops the World'' (1978)

''The Cannonball Run'' (1981)

''Heidi's Song'' (1982)

''Cracking Up'' (1983)

''Broadway Danny Rose'' (1984)

''Cannonball Run II'' (1984)

''Alice in Wonderland'' (1985)

''That's Dancing!'' (1985)

''Knights of the City'' (1986)

''The Perils of P.K.'' (1986)

''Moon Over Parador'' (1988)

''Tap'' (1989)

''The Kid Who Loved Christmas'' (1990, last role)

Stage

''Mr. Wonderful'' (1957), musical

''Golden Boy'' (1964), musical - Tony Nomination for Best Actor in a Musical

''Sammy'' (1974), special performance featuring Davis with the Nicholas Brothers

''Stop the World - I Want to Get Off'' (1978) musical revival

TV

''The Rifleman'' - In the episode "Two Ounces of Tin (#4.21)" (19 February 1962),Davis portrays Tip Corey and he has a reputation as a ruthless killer. Micah tells him to ride out of town and Corey refuses and delivers Micah an ultimatum...take his badge off and throw it into the dirt by sundown or he'll kill him. Lucas convinces Micah that Corey won't be back by sundown so Micah leaves on business and Lucas pins on the badge. The threat still holds and Corey delivers his ultimatum to Lucas.

''Ben Casey'' - In the episode "Allie" (1963), Davis portrays Allie Burns, a professional baseball player who loses his eye in an accident.

''The Patty Duke Show'' In "Will the Real Sammy Davis Please Hang Up?" (1965), Davis plays himself. Patty needs to arrange for a Hollywood star to perform at her high school prom. Davis notices Patty wearing a sandwich sign asking for help from any Hollywood star. Sammy wants to help Patty out but Davis' agent does not like the idea and does not contact Patty. Davis contacts Patty by phone but she does not believe it is him. He then arrives at the prom and performs.

''I Dream of Jeannie'' - In the episode "The Greatest Entertainer in the World" (1967), Tony needs Davis to entertain for General Peterson's 10th anniversary at NASA, but he is previously booked. Jeannie comes to the rescue by creating a duplicate of Davis.

''All in the Family'' - In "Sammy's Visit" (1972), Davis plays himself. He leaves his briefcase in Archie Bunker's cab and goes to Archie's house to retrieve it. He meets Archie, Edith, Mike, Gloria, and Lionel Jefferson. When Davis and Archie talk, Davis quickly discovers that Archie is prejudiced, even though Archie believes that he is not. During a family conversation Archie has before Sammy arrives, Archie tells the others to avoid mentioning Sammy's glass eye. Archie then asks Sammy, "Would you like cream and sugar in your eye?" meaning to say coffee. At the end of the show, Munson, the owner of the cab who brings back the briefcase, takes a photo of Archie and Sammy. Right before the camera flashes, Davis kisses Archie on the cheek, to Archie's surprise. Davis returns in the 1980 episode "The Return of Sammy" in ''Archie Bunker's Place''.

''The Jeffersons'' In "What Makes Sammy Run?" (1984), Davis plays himself, where he is staying at an apartment directly next door to the Jeffersons'. Only Louise knows he is there, and Sammy asks her to hide his presence until he leaves.

''Gimme a Break'' - in "The Lookalike" (1985)

''The Cosby Show'' - In "No Way, Baby" (1989), Davis plays Ray Palomino, the grandfather of one of Dr. Huxtable's patients; Ray turns out to be hiding the fact that he is illiterate.

See also

Rat Pack

Jews and Judaism in the African diaspora

List of notable Hispanics from the United States

References

Further reading

Autobiographies

''Yes, I Can'' (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (1965) ISBN 0-374-52268-5

''Why Me?'' (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (1980) ISBN 0-446-36025-2

''Sammy'' (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (2000) ISBN 0-374-29355-4; consolidates the two previous books and includes additional material

''Hollywood in a Suitcase'' (1980) ISBN 0-425-05091-2

Biographies

Haygood, Wil. (2003) ''In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr''. Billboard Books. ISBN 9780823083954

Birkbeck, Matt. (2008) ''Deconstructing Sammy''. Amistad. ISBN 9780061450662

Silber, Jr., Arthur (2003) "Sammy Davis, Jr: Me and My Shadow, Samart Enterprises, ISBN 0965567559

Other

''Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr.'' (Burt Boyar) (2007) ISBN 0-061-14605-6

External links

Discography of Sammy Davis, Jr.'s Recording Career

Obituary, NY Times, May 17, 1990 ''Sammy Davis Jr. Dies at 64; Top Showman Broke Barriers''

Sammy Davis Jr. talks to draft dodgers in Canada, CBC Archives

Category:African American actors Category:African American dancers Category:African American musicians Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American jazz singers Category:American male singers Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:American soap opera actors Category:American tap dancers Category:American people with disabilities Category:African-American Jews Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Category:Cancer deaths in California Category:Charly Records artists Category:Converts to Judaism Category:Deaths from esophageal cancer Category:Decca Records artists Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:People from Harlem Category:Traditional pop music singers Category:Vaudeville performers Category:1925 births Category:1990 deaths Category:Spingarn Medal winners

bg:Сами Дейвис cs:Sammy Davis, Jr. da:Sammy Davis Jr. de:Sammy Davis junior es:Sammy Davis, Jr. fr:Sammy Davis Jr. hr:Sammy Davis Jr. id:Sammy Davis, Jr. it:Sammy Davis Jr. he:סמי דייוויס ג'וניור hu:Sammy Davis Jr. nl:Sammy Davis jr. ja:サミー・デイヴィスJr. no:Sammy Davis jr. pl:Sammy Davis Jr. pt:Sammy Davis, Jr. ro:Sammy Davis Jr. ru:Дэвис, Сэмми simple:Sammy Davis, Jr. sh:Sammy Davis Junior fi:Sammy Davis Jr. sv:Sammy Davis, Jr. tr:Sammy Davis, Jr.

name	Jane Kaczmarek
birth date	December 21, 1955
birth name	Jane Frances Kaczmarek
birth place	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Madison, Yale School of Drama
occupation	Actress
years active	1982–present
spouse	Bradley Whitford (1992-2009 - divorced) }}

Jane Frances Kaczmarek (born December 21, 1955) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character of Lois on the television series'' Malcolm in the Middle''. Kaczmarek is a three-time Golden Globe and seven-time Emmy Award nominee. She lives in San Marino, California.

Early life

Kaczmarek was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of Evelyn, a teacher, and Edward Kaczmarek, a defense department worker. She grew up in Greendale and is of Polish ancestry. Kaczmarek was raised as a strict Roman Catholic. She majored in theater at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and later studied at the Yale School of Drama for her graduate degree and was a part of its theater company.

Career

She has had several Broadway hits, including ''Lost In Yonkers'' and ''Raised In Captivity,'' where she won an LA Drama Critics’ Award. Her first television role was that of Margie Spoletto on ''For Lovers Only'' (1982). Her first major role was that of Linda Bauer on ''Equal Justice'' from 1990-1991.

Kaczmarek has also appeared in over forty television roles, the most notable including:

Nurse Sandy Burns on ''St. Elsewhere'' (1982).

Connie Lehman in ''The Paper Chase: The Second Year'' (1983–1984)

Maureen Culter, girlfriend of Martin Crane (John Mahoney) on ''Frasier'' in "Police Story" (052 - 1996) and "Dad Loves Sherry, the Boys Just Whine" (082 - 1997)

Janet Rudman on ''Law & Order'' in "Censure" (414 - 1994)

Carol Anderson, biological mother of Julie Emrick on ''Felicity'' in 5 episodes (1999–2000)

Holly in five episodes of ''Cybill'' (1996–1997)

Helene Thompson in three episodes of ''Party of Five'' (1995–1999)

Lois, mother of Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), Reese (Justin Berfield), Francis (Christopher Masterson), Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), and baby Jamie, and wife of Hal (Bryan Cranston) in 151 episodes of ''Malcolm in the Middle'' from 2000 to 2006

Trudy Kessler, Courtroom Judge in 25 episodes of ''Raising the Bar'' from 2008 to 2009

The voice of Judge Constance Harm in eight episodes of ''The Simpsons'' between 2001 and 2010, namely "The Parent Rap", "Brawl in the Family", "Barting Over", "Brake My Wife, Please", "The Wandering Juvie", "On A Clear Day I Can't See My Sister", "Rome-old and Juli-eh", and recently "Chief of Hearts".

''Malcolm in the Middle''

In 2000, Kaczmarek was cast to play Lois Wilkerson in the FOX mid-season replacement ''Malcolm in the Middle''. ''TV Guide'' dubbed her role in the series as a "true breakout; a female Homer Simpson", and critics hailed her for her comic talents. Later, Kaczmarek would credit the show for bringing out her comedic side, claiming, "[Before ''Malcolm''] I couldn’t even get auditions for comedies. I played very unfunny people."

Kaczmarek was nominated seven times for an Emmy for her performance on the show, one for every year. She also earned three Golden Globe nominations and two Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, was honored with a Television Critics Association Award in 2000 and 2001, plus an American Comedy Award and a Family Television Award in 2001.

Post-''Malcolm''

Following the end of ''Malcolm in the Middle,'' Kaczmarek went on to star in the short-lived series ''Help Me Help You'' co-starring Ted Danson.

In Fall of 2008, she starred in the hour long TNT series ''Raising the Bar'' as Judge Trudy Kessler. She also continues to voice Judge Constance Harm on several ''Simpsons'' episodes as mentioned above.

On November 19, 2009, Kaczmarek played against Julie Bowen and Robin Quivers in the ''Jeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational'', on which she won $50,000 for a charity.

In 2010, she starred in the Lifetime Original Movie ''Reviving Ophelia'' which aired October 11, 2010, she starred as the mother of a 16-year-old girl who was in an abusive relationship.

On July 22, 2011, it was confirmed that Kaczmarek will make a vocal appearance as Red Jessica in the television series ''Jake and the Never Land Pirates'' during it's second season early 2012.

She has been cast to star in Whitney as Whitney's mother.

Personal life

Kaczmarek married fellow Wisconsin native and actor Bradley Whitford (The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) on August 15, 1992. They lived in Los Angeles with their three children: Frances Genevieve (b. January 1997), George Edward (b. December 23, 1999) and Mary Louisa (b. November 25, 2002). Both were very active with charity, and were seen attending many major award shows together. She is the founder of “Clothes Off Our Back” which auctions celebrity clothing for children’s charities. In June 2009, the couple filed for divorce after almost 17 years of marriage. One of the last times they were seen together publicly was in September 2008, at the opening of a Los Angeles production of ''The House of Blue Leaves'', in which Kaczmarek was starring. According to a June 2009 magazine interview with More.com conducted prior to announcement of the divorce, she replied "That's a big no comment" when asked to sum up her love life. She also added that she used to believe that she could "“go it alone and as long as I had some fabulous boy on my arm, or man, and my career was sailing, that’s all I needed" whereas she now had grown to appreciate the support of her girlfriends "to talk about kids, to talk about marriages, to talk about just life".

Kaczmarek underwent a hip replacement in April 2004, due to chronic arthritis She recovered quickly, and used an X-ray of her new hip for her Emmy campaign the following summer, advertising herself as "the only Emmy nominee with an artificial hip (except for Anthony LaPaglia)".

In 2006, Kaczmarek and ''Malcolm in the Middle'' co-star Erik Per Sullivan contributed the afterword for the children’s book, ''Together'', that shows the importance of domestic animals to impoverished people in the world, and was inspired by the mission of the nonprofit charitable organization, Heifer International.

Awards and nominations

Golden Globe Awards:

*2001 - Best Actress TV Series Comedy - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

*2002 - Best Actress TV Series Comedy - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

*2003 - Best Actress TV Series Comedy - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

Emmy Awards:

*2000 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

*2001 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

*2002 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

*2003 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

*2004 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

*2005 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

*2006 - Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

Screen Actors Guild Awards:

*2001 - Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Comedy Series - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

*2003 - Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Comedy Series - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

Satellite Awards:

*2002 - Best Performance By An Actress In A Series Comedy Or Musical - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

*2004 - Best Performance By An Actress In A Series Comedy Or Musical - ''Malcolm In The Middle'' (nominated)

References

External links

Kaczmarek supports Milwaukee parks

Category:1955 births Category:Actors from Wisconsin Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Milwaukee, Wisconsin Category:American people of Polish descent Category:California Democrats Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Category:Yale University alumni

de:Jane Kaczmarek es:Jane Kaczmarek fr:Jane Kaczmarek it:Jane Kaczmarek hu:Jane Kaczmarek nl:Jane Kaczmarek pl:Jane Kaczmarek pt:Jane Kaczmarek ru:Качмарек, Джейн fi:Jane Kaczmarek sv:Jane Kaczmarek tl:Jane Kaczmarek