''For other uses, see Theseus (disambiguation)''

Theseus (, , , ) was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were identified with an archaic religious and social order. As Heracles was the Dorian hero, Theseus was the Athenian founding hero, considered by them as their own great reformer: his name comes from the same root as '''' ("thesmos"), Greek for ''institution''. He was responsible for the ''synoikismos'' ("dwelling together")—the political unification of Attica under Athens, represented emblematically in his journey of labours, subduing highly localized ogres and monstrous beasts. Because he was the unifying king, Theseus built and occupied a palace on the fortress of the Acropolis that may have been similar to the palace that was excavated in Mycenae. Pausanias reports that after the ''synoikismos'', Theseus established a cult of Aphrodite Pandemos ("Aphrodite of all the People") and Peitho on the southern slope of the Acropolis.

In ''The Frogs'', Aristophanes credited him with inventing many everyday Athenian traditions. If the theory of a Minoan hegemony is correct, he may have been based on Athens' liberation from this political order rather than on an historical individual.

Plutarch's ''vita'' of Theseus makes use of varying accounts of the death of the Minotaur, Theseus' escape and the love of Ariadne for Theseus, in order to construct a literalistic biography, a ''vita''. Plutarch's sources, not all of whose texts have survived independently, included Pherecydes (mid-sixth century BC), Demon (ca 300 BC), Philochorus and Cleidemus (both fourth century BC).

Early Years

Aegeus, one of the primordial kings of Athens, found a bride, Aethra who was the daughter of king Pittheus at Troezen, a small city southwest of Athens. On their wedding night, Aethra waded through the sea to the island Sphairia that rests close to the coast and lay there with Poseidon (god of the sea and earthquakes). The mix gave Theseus a combination of divine as well as mortal characteristics in his nature; such double fathers one father immortal, one mortal, was a familiar feature of Greek heroes. When Aethra became pregnant, Aegeus decided to return to Athens. But before leaving, he buried his sandals and sword under a huge rock and told her that when their son grew up, he should move the rock, if he were hero enough, and take the tokens for himself as evidence of his royal parentage. At Athens, Aegeus was joined by Medea, who had fled Corinth after slaughtering the children she had borne Jason, and had taken up a new consort in Aegeus. Priestess and consort together represented the old order at Athens.

Thus Theseus was raised in the land of his mother. When Theseus grew up and became a brave young man, he moved the rock and recovered his father's arms. His mother then told him the truth about his father's identity and that he must take the weapons back to the king and claim his birthright. To get to Athens, Theseus could choose to go by sea (which was the safe way) or by land, following a dangerous path around the Saronic Gulf, where he would encounter a string of six entrances to the Underworld, each guarded by a chthonic enemy. Young, brave and ambitious, Theseus decided to go alone by the land route, and defeated a great many bandits along the way.

The Six Entrances of the Underworld

At the first site, which was Epidaurus, sacred to Apollo and the healer Aesculapius, Theseus turned the tables on the chthonic bandit, the "clubber" Periphetes, who beat his opponents into the Earth, and took from him the stout staff that often identifies Theseus in vase-paintings. At the time, Theseus was called the Mother Dog for many reasons.

At the Isthmian entrance to the Underworld was a robber named Sinis often called "Pityokamptes" (Greek: Πιτυοκάμπτης, "he who bends Pinetrees"). He would capture travellers, tie them between two pine trees which were bent down to the ground, and then let the trees go, tearing his victims apart. Theseus killed him by his own method. He then raped Sinis's daughter, Perigune, fathering the child Melanippus.

In another deed north of the Isthmus, at a place called Crommyon, he killed an enormous pig, the Crommyonian Sow, bred by an old crone named Phaea. Some versions name the sow herself as Phaea. Apollodorus described the Crommyonian sow as an offspring of Typhon and Echidna.

Near Megara an elderly robber named Sciron forced travellers along the narrow cliff-face pathway to wash his feet. While they knelt, he kicked them off the cliff behind them, where they were eaten by a sea monster (or, in some versions, a giant turtle). Theseus pushed him off the cliff.

Another of these enemies was Cercyon, king at the holy site of Eleusis, who challenged passers-by to a wrestling match and, when he had beaten them, killed them. Theseus beat Cercyon at wrestling and then killed him instead. In interpretations of the story that follow the formulas of Frazer's ''The Golden Bough'', Cercyon was a "year-King", who was required to do an annual battle for his life, for the good of his kingdom, and was succeeded by the victor. Theseus overturned this archaic religious rite by refusing to be sacrificed.

The last bandit was Procrustes the Stretcher, who had two beds, one of which he offered to passers-by in the plain of Eleusis. He then ''made'' them fit into it, either by stretching them or by cutting off their feet. Since he had two beds of different lengths, no one would fit. Theseus turned the tables on Procrustes, cutting off his legs and decapitating him with his own axe.

Each of these sites was a very sacred place already of great antiquity when the deeds of Theseus were first attested in painted ceramics, which predate the literary texts.

Medea and the Marathonian Bull, Androgeus and the Pallantides

When Theseus arrived at Athens, he did not reveal his true identity immediately. Aegeus gave him hospitality but was suspicious of the young, powerful stranger's intentions. Aegeus's wife Medea recognized Theseus immediately as Aegeus' son and worried that Theseus would be chosen as heir to Aegeus' kingdom instead of her son Medus. She tried to arrange to have Theseus killed by asking him to capture the Marathonian Bull, an emblem of Cretan power.

On the way to Marathon, Theseus took shelter from a storm in the hut of an ancient woman named Hecale. She swore to make a sacrifice to Zeus if Theseus were successful in capturing the bull. Theseus did capture the bull, but when he returned to Hecale's hut, she was dead. In her honor Theseus gave her name to one of the demes of Attica, making its inhabitants in a sense her adopted children.

When Theseus returned victorious to Athens, where he sacrificed the Bull, Medea tried to poison him. At the last second, Aegeus recognized the sandals, shield, and sword, and knocked the poisoned wine cup from Theseus's hand. Thus father and son were reunited, and Medea, it was said, fled to Asia.

When Theseus had appeared in the town, his reputation had preceded him, having travelled along the notorious coastal road from Troezen and slain some of the most feared bandits there. It was not long before the Pallantides' hopes of succeeding the apparently childless Aegeus would be lost if they did not get rid of Theseus (the Pallantides were the sons of Pallas and nephews of King Aegeus, who were then living at the royal court in the sanctuary of Delphic Apollo). So they set a trap for him. One band of them would march on the town from one side while another lay in wait near a place called Gargettus in ambush. The plan was that once Theseus, Aegeus and the palace guards had been forced out the front, the other half would surprise them from behind. However, Theseus was not fooled. Informed of the plan by a herald named Leos, he crept out of the city at midnight and surprised the Pallantides. "Theseus then fell suddenly upon the party lying in ambush, and slew them all. Thereupon the party with Pallas dispersed," Plutarch reported.

Theseus and the Minotaur

Pasiphae, wife of King Minos of Crete, had several children before the Minotaur. The eldest of these, Androgeus, set sail for Athens to take part in the Pan-Athenian games which were held there every five years. Being strong and skillful, he did very well, winning some events outright. He soon became a crowd favorite, much to the resentment of the Pallantides and they assassinated him, incurring the wrath of Minos.

When King Minos had heard of what befell his son, he ordered the Cretan fleet to set sail for Athens. Minos asked Aegeus for his son's assassins, and if they were to be handed to him, the town would be spared. However, not knowing who they were, King Aegeus surrendered the whole town to Minos' mercy. His retribution was that, at the end of every Great Year (seven solar years), the seven most courageous youths and the seven most beautiful maidens were to board a boat and be sent as tribute to Crete, never to be seen again.

In another version, King Minos of Crete had waged war with the Athenians and was successful. He then demanded that, at nine-year intervals, seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls were to be sent to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster that lived in the Labyrinth created by Daedalus.

On the third occasion, Theseus volunteered to slay the monster. He took the place of one of the youths and set off with a black sail, promising to his father, Aegeus, that if successful he would return with a white sail. Like the others, Theseus was stripped of his weapons when they sailed. On his arrival in Crete, Ariadne, King Minos' daughter, fell in love with Theseus and, on the advice of Daedalus, gave him a ball of thread. This was so he could find his way out of the Labyrinth. That night, Ariadne escorted Theseus to the Labyrinth, and Theseus promised that if he returned from the Labyrinth he would take Ariadne with him. As soon as Theseus entered the Labyrinth, he tied one end of the ball of string to the door post and brandished his sword which he had kept hidden from the guards inside his tunic. Theseus followed Daedalus' instructions given to Ariadne; go forwards, always down and never left or right. Theseus came to the heart of the Labyrinth and also upon the sleeping Minotaur. The beast awoke and a tremendous fight then occurred. Theseus overpowered the Minotaur with his strength and stabbed the beast in the throat with his sword (according to one ''scholium'', Theseus strangled it on Pindar's Fifth Nemean Ode).

After decapitating the beast, Theseus used the string to escape the Labyrinth and managed to escape with all of the young Athenians and Ariadne as well as her younger sister Phaedra. On the return journey Theseus abandoned Ariadne on the island of Naxos. In other versions of the story, the god Dionysus appeared to Theseus and told him that he had already chosen Ariadne for his bride, and to abandon her on Naxos, a favorite island. Ariadne then cursed Theseus to forget to change the black sail to white. Seeing a black sail, Theseus' father Aegeus committed suicide by throwing himself into the sea (hence named Aegean). Theseus and the other Athenian youths returned safely. Theseus returned safely back as a king of heroes.

Ship of Theseus

According to Plutarch's ''Life of Theseus'', the ship Theseus used on his return from Crete to Athens was kept in the Athenian harbor as a memorial for several centuries.

''The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their place...''

The ship had to be maintained in a seaworthy state, for, in return for Theseus's successful mission, the Athenians had pledged to honour Apollo every year henceforth. Thus, the Athenians sent a religious mission to the island of Delos (one of Apollo's most sacred sanctuaries) on the Athenian state galley — the ship itself — to pay their fealty to the god. To preserve the purity of the occasion, no executions were permitted between the time when the religious ceremony began to when the ship returned from Delos, which took several weeks.

To preserve the ship, any wood that wore out or rotted was replaced; it was, thus, unclear to philosophers how much of the original ship actually remained, giving rise to the philosophical question whether it should be considered "the same" ship or not. Such philosophical questions about the nature of identity are sometimes referred to as the Ship of Theseus Paradox.

Regardless of these issues of the originality of the ship's structure, for Athenians the preserved ship kept fresh their understanding that Theseus had been an actual, historic figure — which none then doubted — and gave them a tangible connection to their divine providence.

Theseus and Pirithous

Theseus's best friend was Pirithous, prince of the Lapiths. Pirithous had heard stories of Theseus's courage and strength in battle but wanted proof, so he rustled Theseus's herd of cattle and drove it from Marathon, and Theseus set out in pursuit. Pirithous took up his arms and the pair met to do battle, but were so impressed with each other they took an oath of friendship and joined the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. In ''Iliad'' I, Nestor numbers Pirithous and Theseus "of heroic fame" among an earlier generation of heroes of his youth, "the strongest men that Earth has bred, the strongest men against the strongest enemies, a savage mountain-dwelling tribe whom they utterly destroyed." No trace of such an oral tradition, which Homer's listeners would have recognized in Nestor's allusion, survived in literary epic. Later, Pirithous was preparing to marry Hippodamia. The centaurs were guests at the wedding feast, but got drunk and tried to abduct the women, including Hippodamia. The Lapiths won the ensuing battle.

In Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' Theseus fights against and kills Eurytus, the "fiercest of all the fierce centaurs" at the wedding of Pirithous and Hippodamia.

The abduction of Helen and encounter with Hades

Theseus, a great abductor of women, and his bosom companion, Pirithous, since they were sons of Zeus and Poseidon, pledged themselves to marry daughters of Zeus. Theseus, in an old tradition, chose Helen, and together they kidnapped her, intending to keep her until she was old enough to marry. Pirithous chose Persephone. They left Helen with Theseus's mother, Aethra at Aphidna, whence she was rescued by the Dioscuri.

On Pirithous' behalf they travelled to the underworld, domain of Persephone and her husband, Hades. As they wandered through the outskirts of Tartarus, Theseus sat down to rest on a rock. As he did so he felt his limbs change and grow stiff. He tried to rise but could not. He was fixed to the rock on which he sat. Then, as he turned to cry out to his friend Pirithous, he saw that he himself was crying out too. Around him was standing the terrible band of Furies with snakes in their hair, torches and long whips in their hands. Before these monsters the hero's courage failed and by them was led away to eternal punishment.

For many months in half darkness, Theseus sat immovably fixed to the rock, mourning both for his friend and for himself. In the end he was rescued by Heracles. He had come down to the underworld for his 12th task. There he persuaded Persephone to forgive him for the part he had taken in the rash venture of Pirithous. So Theseus was restored to the upper air but Pirithous never left the kingdom of the dead for when he tried to free Pirithous, the Underworld shook. When Theseus returned to Athens, he found that the Dioscuri had taken Helen and Aethra to Sparta.

Hippolyta

Theseus, believed either to be in the company of Heracles, or of his own accord, had been on a quest in the land of the Amazons, a race of all-female warriors who had sex with men for reproduction but killed or banished any male children born. Sensing no trouble or malice from Theseus, the Amazons decided to welcome him by having the queen Hippolyta go aboard his ship bearing gifts. After boarding the ship, Theseus left for Athens, claiming Hippolyta as his bride. This sparked a war between the Amazons and the Athenians. Hippolyta eventually bore a son for Theseus, whom they named Hippolytus (Ἱππόλυτος). Theseus lost his love for Hippolyta, however, once he had seen Phaedra.

Plutarch's ''Life'' places Hyppolyta's Amazonian sister, Antiope, as the Amazonian kidnapped by Theseus. In this account, Antiope is the mother of Hyppolytus (named after her sister).

Phaedra and Hippolytus

Phaedra, Theseus's second wife, bore Theseus two sons, Demophon and Acamas. While these two were still in their infancy, Phaedra fell in love with Hippolytus, Theseus's son by Hippolyta. According to some versions of the story, Hippolytus had scorned Aphrodite to become a devotee of Artemis, so Aphrodite made Phaedra fall in love with him as punishment. He rejected her out of chastity.

Alternatively, in Euripides' version, ''Hippolytus'', Phaedra's nurse told Hippolytus of her mistress's love and he swore he would not reveal the nurse as his source of information. To ensure that she would die with dignity, Phaedra wrote to Theseus on a tablet claiming that Hippolytus had raped her before hanging herself. Theseus believed her and used one of the three wishes he had received from Poseidon against his son. The curse caused Hippolytus' horses to be frightened by a sea monster, usually a bull, and drag their rider to his death. Artemis would later tell Theseus the truth, promising to avenge her loyal follower on another follower of Aphrodite.

In a third version, after Phaedra told Theseus that Hippolytus had raped her, Theseus killed his son himself, and Phaedra committed suicide out of guilt, for she had not intended for Hippolytus to die.

In yet another version, Phaedra simply told Theseus Hippolytus had raped her and did not kill herself, and Dionysus sent a wild bull which terrified Hippolytus's horses.

A cult grew up around Hippolytus, associated with the cult of Aphrodite. Girls who were about to be married offered locks of their hair to him. The cult believed that Asclepius had resurrected Hippolytus and that he lived in a sacred forest near Aricia in Latium.

Other stories and his death

According to sources, Theseus also was one of the Argonauts, although Apollonius of Rhodes states in the ''Argonautica'' that Theseus was still in the underworld at this time. With Phaedra, Theseus fathered Acamas, who was one of those who hid in the Trojan Horse during the Trojan War. Theseus welcomed the wandering Oedipus and helped Adrastus to bury the Seven Against Thebes.

Lycomedes of the island of Skyros threw Theseus off a cliff after he had lost popularity in Athens. In 475 BC, in response to an oracle, Cimon of Athens, having conquered Skyros for the Athenians, identified as the remains of Theseus "a coffin of a great corpse with a bronze spear-head by its side and a sword." (Plutarch, ''Life of Cimon'', quoted Burkert 1985, p. 206). The remains found by Cimon were reburied in Athens. The early modern name ''Theseion'' (Temple of Theseus) was mistakenly applied to the Temple of Hephaestus which was thought to be the actual site of the hero's tomb.

Adaptations of the myth

Racine's Phèdre (1677) features Theseus as well as Hippolytus and the title character.

Mary Renault's ''The King Must Die'' (1958) is a dramatic retelling of the Theseus legend through the return from Crete to Athens. While fictional, it is generally faithful to the spirit and flavor of the best-known variations of the original story. The sequel is ''The Bull from the Sea'' (1962), about the hero's later career.

Theseus is also a prominent character as the Duke of Athens in William Shakespeare's plays, ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' and ''The Two Noble Kinsmen''. Hippolyta also appears in both plays.

John Dempsey's "Ariadne's Brother: A Novel on the Fall of Bronze Age Crete" (Athens, Greece: Kalendis 1996, 679pp., ISBN 960-219-062-0) tells the Minoan Cretan version of these events based on both archaeology and myth.

Steven Pressfield's ''Last of the Amazons'' is a fictional account of Theseus meeting and subsequent marriage to Antiope and the ensuing war. Theseus also appears as a major character in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Knight's Tale.

Jorge Luis Borges also presents an interesting variation of the myth in a short story, "La Casa de Asterion" ("The House of Asterion"), which depends for its full effect on the reader's not realizing until the end that Asterion, the narrator, is the Minotaur.

Theseus is played by Bob Mathias in the 1960 film ''Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete''.

Tom Hardy played Theseus in the 2006 film ''Minotaur''.

Theseus appears as a boss character in the game ''God of War II'' voiced by Paul Eiding. In the game, Theseus is charged with protecting the Sisters of Fate by acting as the keeper of the enormous Steeds of Time. Kratos battles and kills him to retrieve the Horsekeeper's Key in his possession. Ironically, Theseus employs Minotaurs to attack Kratos.

A Soviet cartoon called "The Labyrinth" was made in 1971. In addition to the titular adventure, it also features Theseus encountering the Crommyonian sow and Procrustes.

Kir Bulychev wrote a book in 1993 called ''An Attempt on Theseus' Life'' (Покушение на Тезея) about a plot to assassinate a man during a virtual reality tour in which he lives through Theseus' life.

In the 2011 Tarsem Singh film, ''Immortals'', Theseus (played by Henry Cavill) leads a war against the Titans.

Notes

References

Primary sources

Apollodorus, ''Bibliotheca''

Ovid, Metamorphoses

Plutarch, ''Theseus''

Secondary sources

Burkert, Walter, ''Greek Religion'' (1985)

Kerenyi, Karl, ''The Heroes of the Greeks'' (1959)

Price, Anne, ''The Quest for Theseus'' (London, 1970) examines the Theseus-Minotaur-Ariadne myth and its historical basis, and later treatments and adaptations of it in Western culture.

Ruck, Carl A.P. and Danny Staples, ''The World of Classical Myth'': ch. IX "Theseus: making the new Athens" (1994), pp. 203–222.

Walker, Henry J., ''Theseus and Athens'', Oxford University Press (US 1995). The most thorough scholarly examination of Theseus's archaic origins and classical myth and cult, and his place in classical literature and the beek and stuff like that.

External links

(Theoi Project) Plutarch: Life of Theseus

Category:Argonauts Category:Characters in Book VI of the Aeneid Category:Demigods of Classical mythology Category:Founding monarchs Category:Greek mythology Category:Greek mythological hero cult Category:Attic culture heroes Category:Kings of Athens Category:Mythological kings Category:Offspring of Poseidon Category:Male Shakespearean characters Category:Characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream Category:Heroes who ventured to Hades Category:Monomyths

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birth date	May 05, 1983
birth place	Jersey, Channel Islands
birthname	Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill
nickname	Henners, Hank Henners
occupation	Actor
yearsactive	2001 – present }}

Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill (born 5 May 1983) is a British actor. He has appeared in the films ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' and ''Stardust'', and played the role of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, on the Showtime series ''The Tudors'', from 2007 until 2010. He has been cast as Superman in the 2013 film ''Man of Steel''.

Early life

Cavill was born on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, the fourth of five boys. His mother, Marianne, worked in a bank, and his father, Colin Cavill, was a stockbroker. He was educated at St. Michael's Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey before attending Stowe School, a boarding school in Buckinghamshire, England. He began acting in school plays during prep school, and has said that if he hadn't become an actor, he would have joined the army or gone to university to study ancient history, specifically Egyptology.

Career

Cavill had his first film role in Kevin Reynolds' 2002 adaptation ''The Count of Monte Cristo''. He went on to star in ''Laguna'' (2001), and afterwards appeared in BBC’s ''The Inspector Lynley Mysteries'' (2002), the TV film ''Goodbye Mr. Chips'' (2002), and the TV series ''Midsomer Murders'' (2003). In 2003 he had a supporting role in ''I Capture the Castle'', followed by ''Red Riding Hood'' (2004), ''Hellraiser: Hellworld'' (2005), and ''Tristan & Isolde'' (2006). He had a minor role alongside Sienna Miller and Ben Barnes in Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of ''Stardust'' (2007).

From 2007 to 2010, Cavill had a leading role in Showtime's television series ''The Tudors'' as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. The series was well-received: it was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2007 and won an Emmy in 2008. Cavill credits the show with bolstering his career: "It’s done the most for me to date. [ . . . ] Now that there's an audience somewhere in America that’s aware of who I am, I have more sell-ability, because of The Tudors." Entertainment Weekly named him the "Most Dashing Duke" and praised his work on ''The Tudors'' for displaying "charm, depth and a killer bod".

Cavill had been set to star as Superman in director McG’s 2004 film ''Superman: Flyby''. However, McG pulled out of the project and direction was taken over by director Bryan Singer, who recast Brandon Routh as the lead. Cavill was also the cause of a write-in effort from fans to see him cast as Cedric Diggory in ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' (2005). The role eventually went to Robert Pattinson. Stephenie Meyer, author of the ''Twilight'' series, was outspokenly in favor of Cavill playing the character of Edward Cullen in the ''Twilight'' film, calling him her "perfect Edward". By the time production of the film began, however, Cavill was too old to play the character, and again the role went to Robert Pattinson. In 2005, Cavill was a final contender for the role of James Bond in ''Casino Royale''. The producers and director Martin Campbell were torn between him and Daniel Craig; reportedly Campbell supported Cavill but the producers preferred an older Bond. Ultimately Craig landed the role. In their December 2005 issue, Empire magazine dubbed Cavill the "Unluckiest Man in Hollywood" for this series of near-misses. Despite reports that he was a contender for Batman in ''Batman Begins'', Cavill confirmed that he never auditioned for nor was offered the role.

In early 2008, Cavill became a model/spokesperson for Dunhill fragrances. The television ad featured a suited-up Cavill walking through the Union Jack flag, before mounting a helicopter. A second television ad featured Cavill driving a car through a deserted London at night, and meeting with a young woman. He starred in director Joel Schumacher's horror film ''Blood Creek'' (2008) and in 2009 he had a minor role in Woody Allen’s comedy film ''Whatever Works''.

Director Tarsem Singh cast Cavill in the lead role of Theseus in his mythological, big-budget special effects film ''Immortals'', to be released November 11, 2011. In 2011 Cavill will star alongside Bruce Willis in ''The Cold Light of Day''. On January 30, 2011, it was announced that Cavill had been cast in the role of Clark Kent/Superman in director Zack Snyder's ''Man of Steel''. Snyder called Cavill "the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield." Entertainment media applauded Henry Cavill on his road to success.

Personal life

On 3 May 2011, Cavill got engaged to his girlfriend, showjumper Ellen Whitaker.

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" width="100%" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Film |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- || 2001 || ''Laguna'' || Thomas Aprea || Main Role |- | 2002 || ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' || Albert Mondego || Main Role |- | 2003 || ''I Capture the Castle'' || Stephen Colley || Main Role |- || 2005 || ''Hellraiser: Hellworld'' || Mike || Main Role |- || 2006 || ''Tristan + Isolde'' || Melot || Main Role |- | rowspan="2"| 2007 || ''Red Riding Hood'' || The Hunter || Main Role |- || ''Stardust'' || Humphrey || Minor Role |- | rowspan="2"| 2009 || ''Blood Creek'' || Evan Marshall || Main Role |- || ''Whatever Works'' || Randy James || Minor Role |- | 2011 || ''Immortals'' || Theseus || Main Role (post-production) |- | 2012 || ''The Cold Light of Day'' || Will Shaw || Main Role (post-production) |- || 2013 || ''Man of Steel'' || Clark Kent/Superman || Main Role (filming) |- |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Television |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | rowspan="2" | 2002 || ''The Inspector Lynley Mysteries'' ||Chas Quilter || (2001 TV series) Episode: ''Well Schooled Murder'' |- | ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' || Soldier Colley || TV Movie (made for television) (STV) |- || 2003 || ''Midsomer Murders'' ||Simon Mayfield || (1997 TV series) Episode: ''The Green Man'' |- || 2007–2010 || ''The Tudors'' || Charles Brandon || Main Role (2007 TV series) |- |}

References

External links

Category:1983 births Category:English film actors Category:English male models Category:English television actors Category:Jersey actors Category:Living people Category:Old Stoics

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Name	Freida Pinto
Birth date	October 18, 1984
Occupation	Actress, Model
Birth place	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Yearsactive	2006–present
Homepage	}}

Freida Pinto (born 18 October 1984) is an Indian actress and model best known for her portrayal of Latika in the 2008 Academy Award winning film ''Slumdog Millionaire'', for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In 2010, she starred in the films ''You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger'' and as the title character in ''Miral'', and in 2011, she starred in the box-office hit ''Rise of the Planet of the Apes''.

Early life

Freida Pinto was born on 18 October 1984 to a Mangalorean Catholic family in Mumbai. Her mother, Sylvia, is a principal of St John's Universal High School (Goregaon), and her father, Frederick, is a senior branch manager at the Bank of Baroda. Her older sister Sharon is an associate producer for the NDTV news channel. Pinto dreamed of becoming an actress since she was five years old. When Freida was ten, Sushmita Sen won Miss Universe 1994, which turned out to be a defining point in Freida's life. She studied at Carmel of St. Joseph School in Malad, Mumbai and completed her Bachelor of Arts (BA) with a major in English Literature, and minors in Psychology and Economics, from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. She also acted in plays and amateur theater while attending St. Xavier's. She later joined Elite Model Management and modeled for two and a half years.

Acting career

Before starring in ''Slumdog Millionaire'', Pinto anchored the international travel show, ''Full Circle'', on Zee International Asia Pacific in English between 2006-08. Pinto was also featured in several television and print advertisements for products such as Wrigley's Chewing Gum, Škoda, Vodafone India, Airtel, and DeBeers. Pinto modeled for four years and appeared in runway shows and magazine covers. She learned acting from The Barry John's Acting Studio in Andheri and was trained by theatre director Barry John. After six months of auditions, she received a call to audition for ''Slumdog Millionaire''. Pinto auditioned for Danny Boyle and was short-listed and finally selected to star in ''Slumdog Millionaire''.

Pinto made her feature film debut in 2008 in ''Slumdog Millionaire'' playing the role of Latika, the girl with whom Jamal (Dev Patel) is in love. At the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, the movie won the Cadillac People's Choice Award. At the 2009 Golden Globe Awards, the movie won four awards. Pinto herself was nominated for "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" at the 2009 BAFTA Awards, She won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture alongside other cast members from ''Slumdog Millionaire''.

Pinto co-starred in Woody Allen's comedy-drama film ''You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger'', with Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Anupam Kher and Naomi Watts, which premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Pinto appeared in the 2011 science fiction film ''Rise of the Planet of the Apes'', a reboot of the ''Planet of the Apes'' series, opposite James Franco. She played Caroline, a primatologist, in the film. She will also appear in the 2011 fantasy-action-drama film, ''Immortals'', in which she will play the role of the oracle priestess Phaedra. Also in 2011, she will play Princess Lallah in the 1930s set ''Black Gold'' and star in ''Trishna'', Michael Winterbottom’s contemporary revisioning of Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

Other work

Pinto has joined Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf to support their philanthropic organisation "Agassi Foundation". She is the only Indian actress to have participated in their annual fund raiser titled, "The 15th Grand Slam for Children", that aims at raising funds for education of underprivileged children.

Popular reception

Pinto is featured in ''People'' magazine's "Most Beautiful People List", and "List of World's Best Dressed Women". She was also featured in the "Top 99 Most Desirable Women" poll conducted by Askmen.com in 2010. According to ''The Daily Telegraph'', she is currently the highest paid Indian actress (she does not count as a Bollywood star as she never appeared in a Bollywood film). She has also been listed in the top ten list of the fashion magazine ''Vogue'''s 2009 annual list of the most stylish women. On 13 May 2009, Pinto became a new spokesmodel for ''L'Oréal''. Near the end of 2010, Pinto was ranked #6 in TC Candler's list of "Most Beautiful Faces".

Filmography

+ Movies
! Year	! Film	! Role	Notes and Awards
2008	''Slumdog Millionaire''	Latika	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PicturePalm Springs International Film Festival – Breakthrough Performance Award Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting RoleNominated – Black Reel Awards of 2008 – Black Reel Awards of 2008#Best Ensemble
2010	''[[You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger''	Dia
2010	''Miral''	Miral
2011	''Rise of the Planet of the Apes''	Caroline
2011		Phaedra	post-production
2011		Princess Lallah	post-production

References

External links

Category:1984 births Category:Indian female models Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian Roman Catholics Category:Living people Category:Mangaloreans Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Mumbai

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name	The Penny Dreadfuls
medium	Theatre, Radio, Television
active	2006–
genre	Sketch Comedy
subject	Victoriana
influences	The Goons, Monty Python, Pete and Dud, Reeves and Mortimer, The League of Gentlemen.
notable work	''Aeneas Faversham Forever'' (2008)''The Brothers Faversham'' (Radio series, 2008-present)''Guy Fawkes'' (Radio play, 2009)
current members	Humphrey KerDavid ReedThom Tuck
website	The Penny Dreadfuls
footnotes	}}

The Penny Dreadfuls are a British sketch-comedy troupe consisting of comedians Humphrey Ker, David Reed and Thom Tuck. The sketch team perform regularly on the London comedy circuit.

History

''The Dreadfuls'' met performing in Edinburgh based improv comedy show The Improverts in 2001. They performed together for the next four years before forming, along with founding member Jamie Anderson, The Penny Dreadfuls. In 2006, they made their debut appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with their Victorian-themed sketch show ''Aeneas Faversham'' and an improv show entitled ''Shamwagon'', also featuring Edinburgh comics Peter Cameron and Idil Sukan.

Their first appearance on television soon followed with a sketch in BBC Three's ''Comedy Shuffle'' before returning to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2007 with another sketch show, ''Aeneas Faversham Returns''. From here they made the transfer onto radio with their own show, The Brothers Faversham, broadcast in January 2008 on BBC 7 and guest starred Miles Jupp and Ingrid Oliver. Each episode of the four-part series followed the life and demise of one of the Faversham brothers; Horatius, Theseus, Leonidas and Augustus. A second series, More Brothers Faversham, was broadcast in October 2008 and later transferred onto BBC Radio 4 over Christmas and New Year. Their 2008 Edinburgh Fringe show, entitled ''Aeneas Faversham Forever'', was a departure from their live sketch roots to a full narrative in the vein of their radio shows. The story followed a mild mannered children's author as he tried to foil a mysterious plot surrounding the newly constructed Tower Bridge. Following on from this shift to writing narrative comedy, in 2009 they wrote a comic retelling of the story of Guy Fawkes for the afternoon play slot on Radio 4. They returned to the sketch format for their 2010 Edinburgh Fringe show.

Notable appearances

In June 2008 they appeared in The Supersizers Go... Victorian alongside Sue Perkins and Giles Coren.

In 2009 they appeared in the UK tour of hit improv show, ''Totally Looped'', alongside Phill Jupitus, Marcus Brigstocke, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Hattie Hayridge.

In 2009 they provided additional voices for ''Joan of Arc, and How She Became a Saint'', a radio play written by Patrick Barlow for BBC Radio 4, starring Dawn French, Jim Broadbent and Kevin Eldon.

In 2009 they presented a broadcast for BBC Radio 4's ''Afternoon Play'' slot, ''Guy Fawkes''. This covered the life of Guy Fawkes, his failed attempt to blow up Parliament and his subsequent interrogation in the Tower of London. Guest starring Kevin Eldon as Guy Fawkes, and also featuring Miles Jupp and Andrew Pugsley. In 2011 they presented a broadcast for BBC Radio 4's ''Saturday Play'' slot, ''Revolution''. This takes place during the French Revolution and covered an imagined meeting in prison between Maximilien Robespierre and the imprisoned Marie-Therese, the 16-year-old daughter of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Guest starring Richard E. Grant as Robespierre and Sally Hawkins as Marie-Therese, and also featuring Margaret Cabourn-Smith.

Awards

! Year	! Award	Category	! Nominee	! Result
2007		Three Weeks Editors Award	''Aeneas Faversham Returns''
2008	Brighton Festival Fringe	Latest 7 Best Comedy Award	''Aeneas Faversham Forever''
2008		Total Theatre Award	''Aeneas Faversham Forever''

External links

Official Penny Dreadfuls website

MySpace page for The Penny Dreadfuls

References

Category:Edinburgh Festival performers Category:British comedy troupes