birth name	Alfred Reginald Jones
birth date	January 03, 1907
birth place	Neath, Wales, U.K.
death date	March 10, 1986
death place	Torrance, California, U.S.
occupation	Actor, director
years active	1929–1985
spouse	Muriel Weber (1932–1986) (his death) 2 children }}

Ray Milland (3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in ''The Lost Weekend'' (1945), the murder-plotting husband in ''Dial M for Murder'' (1954), and as Oliver Barrett III in the 1970 film, ''Love Story''.

Early life

Milland was born Alfred Reginald Jones (not Reginald Alfred John Truscott-Jones as has often been stated). His birth was registered in the March Quarter of 1907 in Neath, Wales, and he was the son of Elizabeth Annie (née Truscott) and Alfred Jones. In the 1911 census the family were living at 66 Coronation Road, Mount Pleasant, Neath, Wales. Of his parents, Milland wrote in his 1974 autobiography ''Wide-Eyed in Babylon'', "My father was not a cruel or harsh man. Just a very quiet one. I think he was an incurable romantic and consequently a little afraid of his emotions and perhaps ashamed of them... he had been a young hussar in the Boer War and had been present at the relief of Mafeking. He never held long conversations with anyone, except perhaps with me, possibly because I was the only other male in our family. The household consisted of my mother, a rather flighty and coquettish woman much concerned with propriety and what the neighbours thought.."

Before becoming an actor, Milland served in the Household Cavalry. An expert shot, he became a member of his company's rifle team, winning many prestigious competitions, including the Bisley Match in England. It was his reputed prowess as a marksman that earned him work as an extra at the British International Pictures studio on Arthur Robison's 1929 production of ''The Informer''. He was discovered by a Hollywood talent scout while performing on the stage in London, went to America, and signed with Paramount Pictures.

He took his stage name from the ''Millands'' area of his Welsh home town of Neath.

When the Second World War began, Milland tried to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Forces, but was rejected because of an impaired left hand. He worked as a civilian flight instructor for the Army, and toured with a United Service Organisation (USO) South Pacific troupe in 1944. He married Muriel Weber on 30 September 1932, and they remained together until his death. The couple had a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Victoria (adopted).

Career

When working on ''I Wanted Wings'' (1941), with Brian Donlevy and William Holden, he went up with a pilot to test a plane for filming. While up in the air, Ray decided to do a parachute jump (being an avid amateur parachutist) but, just before he could disembark, the plane began to sputter, and the pilot told Milland not to jump as they were running low on gas and needed to land. Once on the ground and in the hangar, Ray began to tell his story of how he had wanted to jump. As he did so, the color ran out of the costume man's face. When asked why, he told Ray that the parachute he had worn up in the plane was "just a prop", and that there had been no parachute.

During the filming of ''Reap the Wild Wind'' (1942), Milland's character was to have curly hair. Milland's hair was naturally straight, so the studio used hot curling irons on his hair to achieve the effect. Milland felt that it was this procedure that caused him to go prematurely bald, forcing him to go from leading man to supporting player earlier than he would have wished.

The pinnacle of Milland's career and acknowledgment of his serious dramatic abilities came in 1946 when he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of an alcoholic in Billy Wilder's film ''The Lost Weekend'' (1945). He was the first Welsh actor to ever win an Oscar. Milland gave the shortest acceptance speech of any Oscar winner. He was also given an award at the first Cannes Film Festival for his performance.

In 1951, he gave a strong performance in ''Close to My Heart'', starring with Gene Tierney as a couple trying to adopt a child. The next year he appeared in ''The Thief'' in a role with no dialogue, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe. In 1954, he starred opposite Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Dial M for Murder''.

He concentrated on directing for TV and film from the 1955 film ''A Man Alone'' and ''Lisbon'' for Republic Pictures that he also produced. From directing film he achieved much success directing for television. He returned as a film character actor in the late 60s and the 70s, notably in the cult classic ''Daughter of the Mind'' (1969), in which he was reunited with Gene Tierney, and in ''Love Story'' (1970). He also made many television appearances. He starred from 1953–1955 with Phyllis Avery and Lloyd Corrigan in the CBS sitcom ''Meet Mr. McNutley'' in the role of a college English and later drama professor at fictitious Lynnhaven College. The program was renamed in its second season as ''The Ray Milland Show''. From 1959–1960, Milland starred in the CBS detective series ''Markham'', but the program failed to capture an audience even though it followed the hit western ''Gunsmoke'', starring James Arness.

In the late 1960s, Milland hosted rebroadcasts of certain episodes of the syndicated western anthology series, ''Death Valley Days'' under the title ''Trails West''. He also turned in an appearance as a hand surgeon in the ''Night Gallery'' episode "The Hand of Borgus Weems." Toward the end of his life, Milland appeared twice as Jennifer Hart's father in ABC's ''Hart to Hart'', with Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers. He also guest starred as Sire Uri in the pilot episode of the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series.

Personal life

Milland had a tattoo on his upper right arm of a skull with a snake curled up on top of it with the tail of the snake sticking out through one of the eyes. The tattoo can be seen for a brief moment in the movie ''Her Jungle Love'' (1938).

Milland had a near-fatal accident on the set of ''Hotel Imperial'' (1939). One scene called for him to lead a cavalry charge through a small village. An accomplished horseman, Milland insisted upon doing this scene himself. As he was making a scripted jump on the horse, his saddle came loose, sending him flying straight into a pile of broken masonry. Laid up in the hospital for weeks with multiple fractures and lacerations, he was lucky to be alive.

During the 1954 shooting of their film ''Dial M for Murder'' Milland and his co-star, Grace Kelly, were reported to have had an affair which almost destroyed both their careers. The scandal was kept secret with the aid of the movie's studio, Warner Bros.

Milland's son, Daniel Milland appeared in several minor acting roles in the 1960s; he died in 1981 in an apparent suicide.

Milland died of lung cancer in Torrance, California, in 1986, aged 79. He was survived by his wife, the former Muriel Weber, and daughter.

Filmography

References

Bibliography

Milland, Ray. (1974). ''Wide-Eyed in Babylon''. New York: Morrow. ISBN 0-688-00257-9

External links

Category:1907 births Category:1986 deaths Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Cancer deaths in California Category:Deaths from lung cancer Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Neath Port Talbot Category:Welsh emigrants to the United States Category:Welsh film actors Category:Welsh film directors Category:Welsh television actors

an:Ray Milland cy:Ray Milland da:Ray Milland de:Ray Milland es:Ray Milland eu:Ray Milland fr:Ray Milland id:Ray Milland it:Ray Milland he:ריי מילאנד nl:Ray Milland ja:レイ・ミランド no:Ray Milland pl:Ray Milland pt:Ray Milland ro:Ray Milland ru:Рэй Милланд simple:Ray Milland sr:Реј Миланд sh:Ray Milland fi:Ray Milland sv:Ray Milland yo:Ray Milland

{{infobox uk place | official name	Milland | countryEngland | civil_parishMilland | regionSouth East England | static_image | static_image_captionMilland Crossroads | area_footnotes | area_total_km2 20.34
population	829
population ref	2001 Census | population_density | os_grid_referenceSU838269 | latitude51.03601 | longitude-0.80607 | post_townLIPHOOK | postcode_areaGU | postcode_districtGU30 | dial_code01428 | constituency_westminsterChichester | london_distance NE | shire_districtChichester | shire_countyWest Sussex | websitehttp://www.milland-pc.gov.uk/ }}

Milland is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It is situated north of the A272 road on the border with Hampshire.

In the 2001 census the parish covered and had 332 households with a total population of 829 of whom 394 residents were economically active.

The village lies along a section of the Chichester to Silchester Way Roman road, almost the only part to have survived in modern use. At the southern end of the village the boundary banks of a ''mansio'', a Roman posting station on the road, are visible.

The parish has an Anglican church, St. Luke's, the independent Milland Evangelical Church (MEC) and the disused Tuxlith Chapel which is in the care of a national charity the Friends of Friendless Churches.

References

External links

St Luke's Church, Milland

History of Tuxlith Chapel

Milland Evangelical Church

Category:Villages in West Sussex Category:Chichester (district)

nl:Milland pl:Milland

name	Russell Rouse
birth date	November 20, 1913
birth place	New York, New York
death date	October 02, 1987
death place	Los Angeles, California
yearsactive	1942-1969
occupation	Screenwriter, director, producer
spouse	Beverly Michaels }}

Russell Rouse (20 November 1913 – 2 October 1987) was an American screenwriter, director, and producer who is noted for the "offbeat creativity and originality" of his screenplays and for film noir movies and television episodes produced in the 1950s.

Rouse was the son of film pioneer Edwin Russell. His first employment in films was in the prop department at Paramount Studios, where he began writing screenplays. His play, ''Yokel Boy'', was filmed in 1942 and became his first film writing credit.

Rouse has 18 credits as a screenwriter between 1942 and 1988.. Commencing with his third writing credit, ''The Town Went Wild'' (1944), Rouse co-wrote many stories and scripts with Clarence Greene. The partners are noted for their work on a series of six film noir movies commencing with ''D.O.A'' (directed by Rudolph Maté-1950). With the second film in the series, ''The Well'' (1951), they also took on directing and producing: Rouse as director, and Greene as producer. This collaboration continued through the noir series (''The Thief'' (1952), ''Wicked Woman'' (1953), ''New York Confidential'' (1955), and ''House of Numbers'' (1957)) and beyond. In the late 1950s Greene and Rouse formed a production company, Greene-Rouse Productions, which created the ''film noir'' television series ''Tightrope'' that ran for one season (1959-60) as well as two films in the 1960s.

In addition to their noir work, Rouse and Greene produced two westerns (''The Fastest Gun Alive'' (1956) and ''Thunder in the Sun'' (1959). The 1959 film, ''Pillow Talk'', was based on their story. Their careers drew to a close shortly after the unsuccessful film, ''The Oscar'' (1966).

Rouse and Greene were nominated for the Academy Award for writing ''The Well'' (1951). They received the Academy Award for ''Pillow Talk'' (1959) (with Maurice Richlin and Stanley Shapiro). ''D.O.A.'' has been preserved in the National Film Registry; the film has been remade several times, and Rouse was credited as a writer on two: ''Color Me Dead'' (1969) and ''D.O.A'' (1988).

Rouse's son Christopher Rouse is a noted film editor.

Filmography

''Yokel Boy'' (story; 1942)

''Nothing But Trouble'' (writer; 1944)

''The Town Went Wild'' (story and screenplay; 1944)

''The Great Plane Robbery'' (story; 1950)

''D.O.A'' (writing; 1950)

''The Well'' (writing and direction; 1951)

''The Thief'' (writing and direction; 1952)

''Wicked Woman'' (writing and direction1953)

''New York Confidential'' (writing and direction; 1955)

''The Fastest Gun Alive'' (screenplay and direction; 1956)

''House of Numbers'' (screenplay and direction; 1957)

''Thunder in the Sun'' (screenplay and direction; 1959)

''Pillow Talk'' (story; 1959)

''A House is Not a Home'' (screenplay and direction; 1964)

''The Oscar'' (screenplay and direction; 1966)

''The Caper of the Golden Bulls'' (directed; 1967)

''Color Me Dead'' (writer; 1969)

''D.O.A'' (story; 1988)

References

Category:1913 births Category:1987 deaths Category:American screenwriters Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Category:People from New York City

de:Russell Rouse fr:Russell Rouse

name	Joan Collins
honorific suffix	OBE
birth name	Joan Henrietta Collins
birth date	May 23, 1933
birth place	London, England, UK
nationality	British
occupation	Actress, author, columnist
years active	1951–present
spouse	Maxwell Reed(m. 1952–56, divorced)Anthony Newley(m. 1963–71, divorced)Ronald S. Kass(m. 1972–83, divorced)Peter Holm(m. 1985–87, divorced)Percy Gibson(m. 2002–present)
children	Tara Cynara NewleyAlexander Anthony NewleyKatyana Kennedy Kass
relatives	Jackie Collins (sister)
website	}}

Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE (born 23 May 1933), is a British actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in ''A Doll's House'' and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. After eighteen months at the drama school, she was signed to an exclusive contract by the Rank Organisation and appeared in a number of British films.

At the age of 22, Collins headed to Hollywood and landed sultry roles in several popular films, including ''The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing'' (1955) and ''Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!'' (1958). While she continued to make films in the United States and the United Kingdom throughout the 1960s, her career languished in the 1970s, when she was reduced to roles in horror flicks. Near the end of the decade, however, she starred in two films based on bestselling novels by her younger sister Jackie Collins: ''The Stud'' (1978) and its sequel ''The Bitch'' (1979). Returning to her theatrical roots, she played the title role in the 1980 British revival of ''The Last of Mrs. Cheyney'' and later had a lead role in the 1990 revival of Noël Coward's ''Private Lives''.

In 1981, Collins landed Alexis Carrington (later Colby), the role for which she is perhaps best known, in the long running 1980s prime time television soap opera ''Dynasty''. By the time the soap opera had been cancelled, Collins followed in her sister's footsteps and published her first novel ''Prime Time'' (1988) which became a bestseller despite critical pans. Although retrieving publication issues with Random House in 1996, she has since published many books: both fictional, non-fictional and autobiographical.

Flamboyant in her personal life and equally flamboyant in roles she pursues, Collins continues to act in theatre, film and television in a career that has spanned 60 years. She has had varying guest arcs on a variety of television shows in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Early life

Collins was born in Paddington, London, the daughter of Elsa Collins (née Bessant), a dance teacher and nightclub hostess, and Joseph William Collins (died 1988), an agent whose clients would later include Shirley Bassey, the Beatles, and Tom Jones. Collins' South African-born father was Jewish and her British mother was Anglican. She has one sister, author Jackie Collins, and one brother, Bill Collins. Collins was educated at the Francis Holland School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Collins' childhood was spent in and around Maida Vale and was, according to Collins, an idyllic one with plenty of love, comfort and security. Her father, however, was also a strict disciplinarian and exerted a strong hold over her gentle mother, an attitude which came to annoy her daughters, who sought to rebel against it. Collins has said of her father that "he was detached, cold, hard, critical, difficult, acerbic, and everyone had to please him". He said himself in his 1986 autobiography ''A Touch of Collins'': "I love my daughters but I am not the kind of parent who deludes himself that his children are superior to everyone else's. I did not think of them as particularly outstanding in any way".

At the age of 17 Collins was signed to the J. Arthur Rank Film Company, a highly profitable British/American studio.

Early career

In 1951, she made her feature debut as a beauty contest entrant in ''Lady Godiva Rides Again'', TCM.com and in 1952 she made her film debut in ''I Believe in You'' which was based on the book ''Court Circular'' by Sewell Stokes. She was next signed by 20th Century Fox in 1954 as their answer to MGM's Elizabeth Taylor. She actually screen tested for the title role in Cleopatra which eventually went to Taylor. According to a 11 September 1954 article in ''Picture Post'', Collins was frustrated by her time at Rank. Collins told the popular ''Hulton Press Weekly'' 'they're always carrying on about there being no women of star material in England. They don't bother to build us up. They concentrate on building the men'. She made her Hollywood debut in Howard Hawks's Land of the Pharaohs (1955) and appeared in ''Island in the Sun'' (1957).

Collins was popular as a magazine pin-up in the UK throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, with cover appearances on titles such as ''Span'' and ''66''.

Her notable guest appearances on American television during the 1960s and 1970s included ''Batman'', ''The Virginian'', ''Mission: Impossible'', ''Police Woman'', and the notable ''Star Trek'' episode, "The City on the Edge of Forever".

In the 1970s Collins made several movies and then starred in the softcore film versions of her sister Jackie Collins's racy novels ''The Stud'' and ''The Bitch''. The films were smash hits in England, becoming the most profitable films since the James Bond series. Collins has worked with some of the biggest names and movie legends in Hollywood, including Richard Burton, Bette Davis, Kirk Douglas, Gene Kelly, Laurence Harvey, Bob Hope, Dwayne Hickman, James Mason, Robert Mitchum, Eddie Albert, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, Sir Laurence Olivier, Edward G. Robinson, Sir Ralph Richardson, Rod Steiger, James Stewart, Joanne Woodward, Jayne Mansfield, Sir John Gielgud, and Sir Nigel Hawthorne.

''Dynasty''

In 1981, Collins was offered a role in the second season of the then struggling new soap opera ''Dynasty'' (1981–1989) playing Alexis, the beautiful but vengeful ex-wife of tycoon Blake Carrington (John Forsythe). Her performance is generally credited as one factor in the fledgling show's subsequent rise in the Nielsen ratings to a hit rivaling ''Dallas''.

In 1985, ''Dynasty'' was the #1 show in the US. For her portrayal of Alexis, Collins was nominated six times for a Golden Globe Award (every year from 1982 to 1987), winning once in 1983. Upon accepting the award, Collins thanked Sophia Loren for turning down the part of Alexis. Also around this time, aged 49, she also appeared in a twelve page photo layout for ''Playboy'' magazine shot by George Hurrell.

In 1983 Collins starred in ''Making of a Male Model'' with young model-actor Jon-Erik Hexum, and in 1984 played a soap star in ''The Cartier Affair'' with David Hasselhoff. With ''Dynasty'' at the height of its success, Collins began producing and starred in the 1986 CBS miniseries ''Sins'' and ''Monte Carlo''.

In the 2001 ''E! True Hollywood Story'' episode featuring ''Dynasty'', former ABC executive Ted Harbert stated, "The truth is we didn't really believe that we had this thing done as a hit until Joan Collins walked down that courtroom aisle." Co-star Al Corley noted that Collins "just flew" in the role that was "tailor made...just spot on." In ''Dynasty'' producer Aaron Spelling's final press interview he said of Collins: "We didn't write Joan Collins. She played Joan Collins. Am I right? We wrote a character, but the character could have been played by 50 people and 49 of them would have failed. She made it work."

Later career

After the end of ''Dynasty'' in 1989, Collins took time off to be with her family. She rejoined her costars for ''Dynasty: The Reunion'', a 1991 miniseries that concluded the series which had been left with a cliffhanger ending after its abrupt cancellation. In the 1990s Collins made several guest star appearances on series such as ''Roseanne'', ''The Nanny'' and ''Will & Grace'' while dabbling in films like ''Decadence'' and ''A Midwinter's Tale''. She also appeared as the main characters of films such as ''Mama's Back'' and ''Annie: A Royal Adventure!'' during this period. In 1994, at the age of 60, she launched her only exercise video, titled ''Joan Collins Personal Workout''.

In 1990, Collins played Amanda in a revival of Noël Coward's ''Private Lives'' in the West End. She would later make her Broadway debut in the same play in 1992. In 1991 Collins also appeared in Noël Coward's ''Tonight at 8:30'' and played eight different women in a series of one act plays written by Coward, including an elderly Victorian spinster. She also guest starred in six episodes of Aaron Spelling's short lived prime time soap opera ''Pacific Palisades'' in 1997. During the early 1990s Joan Collins twice appeared as a celebrity guest star on the hit South African soap opera "Egoli" (City of Gold), playing the role of Catherine Sinclair. Collins was chosen as the cover model for the relaunch of the popular celebrity magazine ''OK!'' when it changed from being a monthly to a weekly. In the spring of 2000 she completed an American tour of ''Love Letters'' with the likes of George Hamilton and Stacy Keach Jr. Additionally, she appeared in a West End production of ''Over the Moon'' with Frank Langella in 2000.

In 1999, Collins was cast in the video version of musical theatre show ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''. She played two roles in this video: a pianist and Mrs. Potiphar, the wife of Egyptian millionaire Potiphar.

In 2000, Collins joined the cast of ''The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'', a prequel to the 1994 Universal Studios live action film ''The Flintstones''. She played the supporting role Pearl Slaghoople (Wilma Flintstone's mother) but the film was not a box office success.

In 2001, she costarred in the TV movie ''These Old Broads'' with Debbie Reynolds, Shirley MacLaine, and Elizabeth Taylor. The movie was written by Reynolds' daughter Carrie Fisher.

In 2002, Collins returned to soap operas in a limited run on the American daytime soap ''Guiding Light''. She also appeared on South African television, depicting the role of South African journalist Jani Allan in a comedic spoof. In 2004 she appeared on a Dutch comedy film ''Alice in Glamourland'' (Dutch: ''Ellis in Glamourland'') as a successful writer. Several months later she toured the United Kingdom with a revival of the play ''Full Circle''. In 2005 she served as guest host of the popular British quiz show ''Have I Got News For You''. In 2005, actress Alice Krige portrayed Collins in ''Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure'', a fictionalised television movie based on the creation and behind the scenes production of ''Dynasty''.

In early 2006, Collins toured the United Kingdom in ''A Evening With Joan Collins'', a one-woman show in which she detailed the highs and lows of her roller coaster career and life, directed by her husband Percy Gibson. In 2006, she reunited with her ''Dynasty'' co-stars for the non-fiction special ''Dynasty Reunion: Catfights and Caviar''. Later that year, she began a tour of North America in the play ''Legends!'' with former ''Dynasty'' co-star Linda Evans, which concluded in May 2007 after a 30-week run.

In 2005, Collins joined the cast of the hit British television series ''Footballer's Wives'' for a limited run as a glamorous magazine mogul, named Eva de Wolffe. She also guest-starred in the BBC series ''Hotel Babylon'' in 2006 as a lonely aristocrat desperate for romance.

Collins appeared in an two hour-long episode of the murder-mystery drama ''Marple'' in 2009 ("They Do It with Mirrors"). She played Ruth Van Rydock, an old friend of detective Miss Marple.

On 24 January 2010, it was announced that Collins is joining the German soap opera ''Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love)'' for a short run. She will play an aristocratic British woman, Lady Joan, who takes a young Prince in tow. Collins started shooting on 22 February 2010 and appeared on-screen in April 2010.

She made her pantomime debut in ''Dick Whittington'' as Queen Rat at the Birmingham Hippodrome during the 2010 Christmas season, starring alongside Nigel Havers, Keith Harris and Julian Clary.

Gay fans

Collins has acknowledged a massive following of gay fans. In an August 2007 interview with gay journalist Matthew Hays which appeared in the Canadian gay magazine ''Xtra!'', Collins was asked why so many gay men have such a strong connection with her and her ''Dynasty'' character: "I think that gay guys--and I have many, many gay friends--like the clothes, the attitude, the ballsiness. Alexis had a man's attitude. She took no prisoners in terms of sex. If she had to use her sexual wiles to get a business deal she did that, too. She was tough in business, but looked good in a negligee."

Personal life

Collins married Irish actor Maxwell Reed on 24 May 1952, and the couple divorced in 1956.

In 1959, Collins' beauty caught the eye of American actor Warren Beatty, four years her junior, after he saw her while dining at La Scala in Beverly Hills. Their affair, which would last a year and a half, led to a brief engagement and an abortion. She said of her younger paramour, "I don't think I can last much longer. He never stops; it must be all those vitamins he takes." When someone later inquired if they really had sex seven times a day, she answered, "Maybe he did, but I just lay there."

Collins married award-winning singer, actor and film composer Anthony Newley on 27 May 1963. She and Newley had two children, a daughter Tara Cynara Newley and a son, Alexander Anthony "Sacha" Newley. Collins and Newley divorced in 1970.

In March 1972, Collins married her third husband Ron Kass, who had been the president of Apple Records during the reign of the Beatles. During their marriage Collins had her third and final child, a daughter, Katyana Kennedy "Katie" Kass. Collins's marriage to Kass ended in divorce in 1983, although they remained very close until his death from cancer in 1986.

At the height of ''Dynasty'''s popularity on 3 November 1985, Collins married Swedish singer Peter Holm in a ceremony in Las Vegas. They were divorced on 25 August 1987, with the lengthy divorce proceedings garnering significant media attention, which prompted her to quip, "I don't need a husband, I need a wife." Collins left Los Angeles and returned to London.

In 2001 Collins met theatrical company manager Percy Gibson, 32 years her junior. They married on 17 February 2002 at Claridge's Hotel in London and later renewed their vows in 2009. The pair also appeared as contestants on the Christmas Day edition of the ITV game show ''All Star Mr. & Mrs.'' in 2009.

On 24 October 2003 Collins and her husband were among the passengers on the last transatlantic flight of British Airways Concorde which she described as the very tragic end of a beautiful bird.

Despite having once been a patron of the UK Independence Party, Collins has become a supporter of the Conservative Party.

Personal politics

After decades of flirting with British politics, on 24 May 2004 Collins joined the United Kingdom Independence Party. In October 2004 Collins stated she was not a supporter, but rather a patron, of the party.

In early 2005 Collins commented that she had rejoined the Conservative Party stating, "The Labour Party doesn't care about the British people."

She also continues to contribute as ''The Spectator'' Magazine Guest Diarist, something she has done since the late 1990s. Collins also writes occasionally for the ''Daily Mail'', ''The Times, The Daily Telegraph'', ''The Lady'', and in the USA, ''Harper's Bazaar''. In September 2008 Collins signed on to the ''Sunday Telegraph'' as a weekly opinions columnist through the final quarter of the year before leaving to pursue other projects.

She has commented that she was a huge supporter of former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. Collins is also a staunch monarchist, remaining loyal to the British Royal Family.

Charitable work

Collins has publicly supported several charities for several decades. In 1982 Collins spoke before the U.S. Congress about increasing funding for neurological research. In 1983 she was named a patron of the International Foundation for Children with Learning Disabilities, earning the foundation's highest honour in 1988 for her continuing support. Additionally, 1988 also saw the opening of the Joan Collins Wing of the Children's Hospital of Michigan. In 1990, she was made an honorary founding member of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In 1994 Collins was awarded the lifetime achievement award from the Association of Breast Cancer Studies in Great Britain for her contribution to breast cancer awareness in the UK. In 2003 she became a patron of the Shooting Star Children's Hospice in Great Britain while continuing to support several foster children in India; something she has done for the past 25 years. Collins serves her former school, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, as the Honorary President of the Associates of RADA. She is also patron of Fight for Sight (U.K.).

Books

Collins has also established herself as an author. In addition to her bestselling novels (''Prime Time'', ''Love & Desire & Hate'', ''Infamous'', ''Star Quality'', and ''Misfortune's Daughters'') she has written six lifestyle books (''The Joan Collins Beauty Book'', ''My Secrets'', ''My Friends' Secrets'', ''Joan's Way: The Art of Living Well'' and "The Joan Collins Cook Book") and memoirs (''Past Imperfect'', ''Katy: A Fight for Life'' and ''Second Act''). To date she has sold over 50 million copies of her books which have been translated into 30 languages.

In the 1990s Collins was embroiled in a high-profile legal battle with the publisher Random House, which was televised daily on Court TV. Collins had signed a two-book deal with the company for $4 million and they had given her a $1.2 million advance. In September 1991 Collins delivered a 690-page manuscript of a novel entitled ''The Ruling Passion'' to Random House. However, the publishing firm deemed the manuscript to be of such poor quality that they demanded the return of the $1.2 million advance they had paid to Collins, claiming she had failed to deliver completed books as per her contract. Collins countersued, arguing that her contract required her only to submit a "complete manuscript" not an "acceptable" one. Since she had turned in two novels to the publishing company, ''A Ruling Passion'' in 1991 and a second novel, ''Hell Hath No Fury'', in 1992, as her contract stipulated, she felt Random House owed her the rest of the $4 million. She also contended that Random House had not provided the editorial assistance she had expected.

Her Random House contract, negotiated by agent Irving Lazar, required that she was to be paid even if her completed manuscripts were not published. When the case was finally heard in February 1996, a court determined that Collins could keep the advance given to her plus a further $1 million for the first completed manuscript, but that the publisher did not have to pay for the second manuscript since it was essentially a reworking of the first. ''The Guinness Book of World Records'' cites Collins as holding the record for retaining the world's largest unreturned payment for an unpublished manuscript.

;Memoir

''Past Imperfect: An Autobiography'' (1978)

''Katy: A Fight for Life'', A Memoir (1982)

''Second Act: An Autobiography'' (1996)

''The World According to Joan'' (2011)

;Non-fiction

''The Joan Collins Beauty Book'' (1980)

''Portraits of a Star'' (1987)

''My Secrets'' (1994)

''Health, Youth and Happiness: My Secrets'' (1995)

''My Friends' Secrets'' (1999)

''Joan's Way: Looking Good, Feeling Great'' (2002)

''The Art of Living Well: Looking Good, Feeling Great'' (2007)

;Fiction

''Prime Time'', a novel (1988)

''Love and Desire and Hate'', a novel (1990)

''Too Damn Famous'', a novel (1995)

''Infamous, a novel'' (1996)

''Star Quality'', a novel (2002)

''Misfortune's Daughters'', a novel (2004)

;By other authors

''Joan Collins'' by John Kercher, Gallery Books (1984)

''Joan Collins, Superstar: A Biography'' by Robert Levine, Dell Publishing (1985)

''A Touch of Collins'' by Joe Collins, Columbus Books (1986)

''Inside Joan Collins: A Biography'' by Jay David, Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc. (1988)

''Hollywood Sisters: Jackie and Joan Collins'' by Susan Crimp and Patricia Burstein, St. Martin's Press (1989)

''Joan Collins: The Biography of an Icon'' by Graham Lord, Orion (2007)

TV adverts

Beginning in the early 1950s, Collins appeared as a teenager in a Gas Board Commercial; in the early '70s, Collins appeared in television and magazine advertisements for British Airways, in which she was referred to as their "Most Frequent Flyer of First Class", a title she has maintained, having promoted the airline for more than three decades. In 1978, she appeared alongside Leonard Rossiter in a series of Cinzano TV commercials in which the drink was spilled down her character's dress. This was named as one of the Top 100 British Adverts in a Channel 4 poll. In the mid-1980s, Collins appeared in print advertisements for Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Sanyo and was the face of Revlon's ''Scoundrel'' perfume. In 1988 she appeared in three TV commercials for the Bristol & West Building Society written and directed by Stephen Ward, who went on to write the movie Backbeat. In 1992 she appeared in internationally broadcast television commercials for Marca Bravaria beer while also acting as the face of the perfume ''Spectacular''. Also around this time, she starred in an advert for the Rover Metro. Since 2000 she has appeared in TV ads for UK retailer Marks & Spencer, Olympus cameras, Old Navy and Marriott hotels. In 2007 Collins fronted two high-profile advertising campaigns. The first was as the face of skincare company Cellex-C's Ageless 15 Skin Serum. The second was as the face of the British Royal Mail's Christmas campaign. In 2008, Collins took part in an online and print advertising campaign for the Dorchester Hotel in London and a Christmas television commercial, once again, for Marks & Spencer. In 2010, Collins was named the face of Alexis Bittar Jewelry for Spring Fashion Week.

Music

In 1959, she performed "It's Great Not To Be Nominated" at the Academy Awards with actresses Angela Lansbury and Dana Wynter. In 1962 she sang "Let's Not Be" in the film ''The Road to Hong Kong'' with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Collins teamed up with Peter Sellers and her then-husband Anthony Newley in 1963 to record the album ''Fool Britannia'', which made the UK Top 10. In 1968 she sang a zodiac-themed duet with Newley, titled "Chalk & Cheese," in ''Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?''

In a 1983 episode of ''Dynasty'', she performed "The Boys in the Back Room", a Marlene Dietrich song from the 1930s film ''Destry Rides Again''. She next sang "The Last Time I Saw Paris" in the TV miniseries ''Monte Carlo'' in 1986. In 2001, Collins performed several musical numbers in ''These Old Broads'' with Debbie Reynolds and Shirley MacLaine, and that same year appeared in Badly Drawn Boy's music video for "Pissing in the Wind."

In the 1980s, Joan Collins released a solo 7" single with a live recording of her citing John Lennons "Imagine" supported by the London Symphony Orchestra, in the Netherlands.

Titles

In 1997, Collins was granted the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in honour of her contribution to the arts and ongoing charity work.

Awards

1956: Most Promising Young Actress.

1957: Star of Tomorrow.

1957: Motion Picture Magazine Award, Most Promising New Star.

1978: Saturn Award nomination, Best Actress in a Science Fiction film, ''Empire of the Ants''.

1982: Golden Globe nomination, Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama), ''Dynasty''.

1982: Hollywood Women's Press Club, Female Star of 1982.

1982: Golden Apple Award, Female Star of the Year.

1983: Emmy Award nomination, Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama), ''Dynasty''.

1983: Golden Globe, Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama), ''Dynasty''.

1983: Cable ACE Award nomination, Best Actress in a Drama Series, ''Faerie Tale Theatre's Hansel and Gretel''.

1983: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Career Achievement.

1984: People's Choice Award, Favorite female television performer, ''Dynasty''.

1984: Soap Opera Digest Award, Outstanding Villainess in a Primetime Drama Series, ''Dynasty''.

1984: Golden Globe nomination, Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama), ''Dynasty''.

1985: Madam Tussaud's waxwork unveiled in London (second model in Las Vegas)

1985: People's Choice Award, nomination Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, ''Dynasty''.

1985: Soap Opera Digest Award, Outstanding Villainess in a Primetime Drama Series, ''Dynasty''.

1985: Golden Globe nomination, Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama), ''Dynasty''.

1986: Soap Opera Digest Award nomination, Outstanding Villainess in a Primetime Drama Series and Outstanding Actress in a Comic Relief Role in a Primetime Drama Series, ''Dynasty''.

1986: Telegatto award to joan Collins. American TV shows and personalities.

1986: People's Choice Award, nomination Favorite female television performer, ''Dynasty''.

1986: Golden Globe nomination, Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama), ''Dynasty''.

1987: Golden Globe nomination, Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama), ''Dynasty''.

1988: Soap Opera Digest Award nomination, Outstanding Villainess in a Primetime Drama Series, ''Dynasty''.

1996: OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II for her contribution to the arts and ongoing charity work.

1999: Millennium Award of Achievement, Golden Camera Film Council.

2001: Golden Nymph, Outstanding Female Actor, Monte Carlo Television Festival.

2002: Icon Award, Maxim Magazine UK.

2003: TV Land Awards, nomination, Hippest Fashion Plate - Female.

2005: Lifetime Achievement Award, San Diego International Film Festival.

2008: Legend Award, Los Angeles Italia-Film, Fashion and Arts Festival.

2010: New York City International Film Festival, Best Actress, ''Fetish''

2010: Beverly Hills Film, TV and New Media Festival, Best Actress, ''Fetish''

Filmography

''Lady Godiva Rides Again'' (1951)

''Judgment Deferred'' (1952)

''Cosh Boy'' (1952)

''The Woman's Angle'' (1952)

''I Believe in You'' (1952)

''Decameron Nights'' (1953)

''Turn the Key Softly'' (1953)

''The Square Ring'' (1953)

''Our Girl Friday'' (1953)

''The Good Die Young'' (1954)

''Land of the Pharaohs'' (1955)

''The Virgin Queen'' (1955)

''The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing'' (1955)

''The Opposite Sex'' (1956)

''The Wayward Bus'' (1957)

''Island in the Sun'' (1957)

''Sea Wife'' (1957)

''Stopover Tokyo'' (1957)

''The Bravados'' (1958)

''Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!'' (1958)

''Seven Thieves'' (1960)

''Esther and the King'' (1960)

''The Road to Hong Kong'' (1962)

''Hard Time for Princes'' (1965)

''Warning Shot'' (1967)

''Wedding of the Doll'' (1968) [documentary]

''Subterfuge'' (1968)

''Besieged'' (1969)

''Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?'' (1969)

''If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' (1969)

''The Executioner'' (1970)

''Up in the Cellar'' (1970)

''Revenge'' (1971)

''Quest for Love'' (1971)

''Tales from the Crypt'' (1972)

''Fear in the Night'' (1972)

''Dark Places'' (1973)

''Tales That Witness Madness'' (1973)

''Football Crazy'' (1974)

''I Don't Want to Be Born'' (1975)

''Alfie Darling'' (1975)

''The Cry of the Wolf'' (1975)

''Il Pomicione'' (1976)

''The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones'' (1976)

''Magnum Cop'' (1977)

''Empire of the Ants'' (1977)

''Fearless'' (1977)

''Fatal Charm'' (1977)

''The Stud'' (1978)

''The Big Sleep'' (1978)

''Zero to Sixty'' (1978)

''The Bitch'' (1979)

''Sunburn'' (1979)

''A Game for Vultures'' (1979)

''Nutcracker'' (1982)

''Homework'' (1982)

''Decadence'' (1994)

''In the Bleak Midwinter'' (1995)

''The Clandestine Marriage'' (1999) (also associate producer)

''The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' (2000)

''Ozzie'' (2001)

''Alice in Glamourland'' (2004)

''Banksy's Coming For Dinner'' (2009)

''Fetish'' (2010) [short]

''Unforgettable'' (2011)

''Dogs in Pocketbooks'' (2011)

Videos released

''The Making of Joan Collins'' (1981)

''The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Joan Collins'' (1984)

''In Conversation With Joan Collins'' (1987)

''Joan Collins Personal Workout: Secrets of Fitness & Beauty'' (1994)

''Joan Collins-THE PERFECT TEN-HEALTHY DIET'' (1995)

''Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas!'' (1997)

''Court TV: Random House Vs Joan Collins'' (1997)

''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (1999)

''Biography - Joan Collins'' (A & E Home Video) (2000)

Theatrical credits

1946, ''A Doll's House'' at the Arts Theatre, London.

1952, ''The Seventh Veil'' at the Queen's Theatre, London.

1952, ''Jassey'' at the Queens's Theatre, London.

1953, ''The Praying Mantis'' UK Tour.

1953, ''Claudia and David'' at the Queen's Theatre, London.

1954, ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' at the Queen's Theatre, London.

1979, ''The Last of Mrs. Cheney'' at the Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester.

1979, ''Murder In Mind'' at the Chichester and Brighton Theatres, Chichester & Brighton.

1981, ''The Last of Mrs. Cheney'' at the Cambridge Theatre, London.

1990–1991, ''Private Lives'' at the Aldwych Theatre, London.

1991–1992, ''Private Lives'' at the Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway, New York.

2000, ''Love Letters'' USA Tour.

2001, ''Over The Moon'' at the Old Vic Theatre, London.

2004, ''Full Circle'' UK Tour.

2006, ''An Evening with Joan Collins'' UK Tour.

2006–2007, ''Legends'' North American Tour.

2010, ''One Night with Joan'' at Feinsteins at the Regency, New York.

2010-2011, ''Dick Whittington'' at the Birmingham Hippodrome, UK

2011, ''One Night with Joan'' at the Leicester Square Theatre, London.

2011, ''One Night with Joan'' Australian Tour.

Television credits

''The Human Jungle'' (1963)

''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1966) (Guest Appearance)

''Run for Your Life'' (1966) (Guest Appearance)

''Batman'' (1967) (Guest Appearance)

''Star Trek'' (1967) (Guest Appearance)

''The Virginian'' (1967) (Guest Appearance)

''The Danny Thomas Hour'' (1967) (Guest Appearance)

''Mission: Impossible'' (1969) (Guest Appearance)

''The Persuaders!'' (1972) (Guest Appearance)

''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' (1972)

''Drive Hard, Drive Fast'' (1973)

''Great Mysteries''(1973) (Guest Appearance)

''Ellery Queen'' (1975)

''Space: 1999'' (1975) (Guest Appearance)

''Switch'' (1975) (Guest Appearance)

''Arthur Hailey's the Moneychangers'' (1976) (miniseries)

''Baretta'' (1976) (Guest Appearance)

''Police Woman'' (1976) (Guest Appearance)

''Gibbsville'' (1976) (Guest Appearance)

''The Fantastic Journey'' (1977) (Guest Appearance)

''Future Cop'' (1977) (Guest Appearance)

''Starsky and Hutch'' (1977) (Guest Appearance)

''Police Woman'' (1977) (Guest Appearance)

''Tales of the Unexpected'' (1979–1980)

''Fantasy Island'' (1980) (Guest Appearance)

''Bernie'' (1980) (Guest Appearance)

''Dynasty'' (1981–1989)

''Paper Dolls'' (1982)

''The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch'' (1982)

''Faerie Tale Theatre'' (1983) (Guest Appearance)

''Making of a Male Model'' (1983)

''The Love Boat'' (1983) (Guest Appearance)

''Her Life as a Man'' (1984)

''The Cartier Affair'' (1984)

''Sins'' (1986) (also executive producer)

''TV-am Good Morning Britain'' (1986)

''Monte Carlo'' (1986) (also executive producer)

''Collins Meets Coward, Tonight at 8:30'' (1991) (also co producer)

''Dynasty: The Reunion'' (1991) (miniseries)

''Mama's Back'' (1993)

''Roseanne'' (1993) (Guest Appearance)

''Egoli: Place of Gold'' (1994)

''Annie: A Royal Adventure!'' (1995)

''Hart to Hart: Two Harts in Three-Quarters Time'' (1995)

''The Nanny'' (1996) (Guest Appearance)

''Pacific Palisades'' (1997)

''Sweet Deception'' (1998)

''Will and Grace'' (2000) (Guest Appearance)

''These Old Broads'' (2001)

''The Guiding Light'' (2002)

''Slavery and the Making of America'' (2005) (Guest Appearance)

''Who Wants to be a Millionaire?'' (2005) (Celebrity Special with husband, Percy Gibson)

''Have I Got News For You'' (2005) (as Guest Presenter)

''The F-Word'' (2005) (Guest Appearance)

''Footballers' Wives'' (2006) (Episodes 5 & 6)

''Hotel Babylon'' (2006) (Guest Appearance)

''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' (2006) (Guest Appearance)

''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007) (Guest Appearance)

''The Paul O'Grady Show'' (2007) (Guest Appearance)

''The Kylie Show'' (2007) (Guest Appearance)

''Loose Women'' (5 September 2008) (Guest Appearance)

''Agatha Christie's Marple: They Do It With Mirrors'' (2009)

''Joan Does Glamour'' (2009)

''All Star Mr and Mrs'' (2009) (Christmas Special)

''Piers Morgan's Life Stories'' (2010) (Guest Appearance)

''Verbotene Liebe'' (2010)

''''Rules of Engagement'' (TV series)'' (2010) (Guest Appearance)

''Elizabeth Taylor: A Tribute'' (2011) (BBC Special)

References

External links

Category:English film actors Category:English novelists Category:English socialites Category:English soap opera actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English writers Category:English people of South African descent Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Category:1933 births Category:Living people Category:People educated at Francis Holland School

de:Joan Collins es:Joan Collins fr:Joan Collins hr:Joan Collins id:Joan Collins it:Joan Collins he:ג'ואן קולינס la:Ioanna Collins lb:Joan Collins hu:Joan Collins nl:Joan Collins no:Joan Collins pl:Joan Collins pt:Joan Collins ksh:Joan Collins ru:Коллинз, Джоан simple:Joan Collins sh:Joan Collins fi:Joan Collins sv:Joan Collins

Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1923. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu. Chan is a detective of the Honolulu police, though many stories feature Chan traveling the world as he investigates mysteries and solves crimes.

Chan first appeared in Biggers' novels, but went on to be featured in a number of media. Over four dozen films featuring Charlie Chan have been made, beginning in 1926. The character was at first portrayed by Asian actors, and the films met with little success. In 1931, the Fox Film Corporation cast Swedish actor Warner Oland as Chan in ''Charlie Chan Carries On''; the film was a success, and Fox went on to produce 15 more Chan films with Oland in the title role. After Oland's death, American actor Sidney Toler was cast as Chan; Toler made 22 Chan films, first for Fox and then for Monogram Studios. After Toler's death, six more films were made, starring Roland Winters.

In addition, a number of Spanish- and Chinese-language Chan films were made during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. American-made Chan films were shown in China to much success, where the character was popular and respected. More recent film adaptations in the 1990s have been unsuccessful. The character has also been featured in several radio programs, two television shows, and a number of comics.

Interpretations of Chan by critics are split, especially as relates to his ethnicity. Positive assessors of Chan argue that he is portrayed as intelligent, benevolent and honorable — in contrast to the adverse depictions of evil or conniving Chinese then current on page and screen. Others state that Chan, despite his good qualities, reinforces certain Asian stereotypes, such as an alleged incapacity to speak fluent English and the possession of an overly tradition-bound and subservient nature.

Books

The character of Charlie Chan was created by Earl Derr Biggers. In 1919, while on vacation in Hawaii, Biggers planned a detective novel to be called ''The House Without a Key''. He did not begin to write the novel until four years later, however, when he was inspired to add a Chinese American police officer to the plot after reading in a newspaper of Chang Apana (鄭阿平) and Lee Fook, two Chinese-American detectives on the Honolulu police force. Biggers, who disliked the Yellow Peril stereotypes he found when he came to California, explicitly conceived of the character as an alternative to them: "Sinister and wicked Chinese are old stuff, but an amiable Chinese on the side of law and order has never been used."

The "amiable Chinese" made his first appearance in ''The House Without a Key'' (1925). The character was not central to the novel and was not mentioned by name on the dustjacket of the first edition. In the novel, Chan is described as walking with "the light dainty step of a woman" and as being "very fat indeed ... an undistinguished figure in his Western clothes." According to critic Sandra Hawley, this description of Chan allows Biggers to portray the character as non-threatening, the opposite of such evil Chinese characters as Fu Manchu, while simultaneously emphasizing supposedly Chinese characteristics such as impassivity and stoicism.

Film, radio, and television adaptations

Films

The first Charlie Chan film was ''The House without a Key'' (1926), a 10-chapter serial produced by Pathé Studios, starring George Kuwa, a Japanese actor, as Chan. A year later Universal Pictures followed the film with ''The Chinese Parrot'', starring another Japanese actor, Kamiyama Sojin, in the starring role. In both productions, Charlie Chan's role was minimized. Contemporary reviews were unfavorable; in the words of one reviewer, speaking of ''The Chinese Parrot'', Sojin plays "the Chink sleuth as a Lon Chaney cook-waiter ... because Chaney can't stoop that low."

In 1929, the Fox Film Corporation acquired the rights to Charlie Chan and produced ''Behind That Curtain'', starring Korean actor E.L. Park. Again, Chan's role was minimized, with Chan appearing only in the last 10 minutes of the film. Not until a white actor was cast in the title role did a Chan film meet with success, beginning with 1931's ''Charlie Chan Carries On'', starring Swedish actor Warner Oland as Chan. Oland, who claimed some Mongolian ancestry, played the character as much more gentle and self-effacing than he had been in the books, perhaps in "a deliberate attempt by the studio to downplay such an uppity attitude in a Chinese detective." Oland starred in 15 more Chan films for Fox, often with Keye Luke, who played Chan's "Number One Son", Lee Chan. Oland's "warmth and gentle humor" helped make the character and films quite popular; the Oland Chan films were among Fox's most successful of the period, attracting "major audiences and box-office grosses on a par with A's" and "[keeping] Fox afloat" during the Great Depression.

Oland died in 1938, and the Chan film he had been working on, ''Charlie Chan at the Ringside'', was transformed at the last minute into ''Mr. Moto's Gamble'', an entry in the Mr. Moto series, another contemporary series featuring an Asian protagonist; Luke still appeared as Lee Chan, not only in already shot footage but also in scenes with Moto actor Peter Lorre. Fox hired another white actor, Sidney Toler, to play Charlie Chan, and produced 11 more Chan films through 1942. Toler's Chan was less mild-mannered than Oland's, a "switch in attitude that did much to add some of the vigor of the original books to the films." He is frequently accompanied, and irritated, by his Number Two Son, Jimmy Chan, played by Sen Yung.

When Fox decided not to produce any further Chan films, Sidney Toler purchased the film rights. Producers Philip N. Krasne and James S. Burkett of Monogram Pictures decided to release further Chan films, starring Toler. The budget for each film was reduced from Fox's average of $200,000 to $75,000. For the first time, Chan was portrayed on occasion as "openly contemptuous of his suspects and superiors." African-American actor Mantan Moreland was hired as regular character Birmingham Brown, a fact which led to criticism of the Monogram films in the forties and since; some call these performances "brilliant comic turns", while others describe Moreland's roles as an offensive and embarrassing stereotype. Toler died in 1947 and was succeeded by Roland Winters for a final six films. Keye Luke, missing from the series after 1938's Mr.Moto rework, returned as Charlie's son in the last two entries.

Spanish-language adaptations

Three Spanish-language Charlie Chan films were made in the 1930s and 1950s. The first of these, ''Eran Trece (There Were Thirteen)'' (1931), is a Spanish-language version of ''Charlie Chan Carries On'' (1931). The two films were made concurrently and followed the same production schedule, with each scene being filmed twice the same day, once in English and once in Spanish. The film followed essentially the same script as the English-language version, with minor additions such as short songs and skits and some changes to characters' names (for example, the character Elmer Benbow was re-named Frank Benbow). A Cuban production, ''La Serpiente Roja'', followed in 1937. In 1955, Producciones Cub-Mex produced a Mexican version of Charlie Chan called ''El Monstruo en la Sombra'' (Monster in the Shadow), starring Orlando Rodriguez as "Chan Li Po" (Charlie Chan in the original script). The film was inspired by ''La Serpiente Roja'' (The red serpent) as well as the American Warner Oland films.

Chinese-language adaptations

During the 1930s and 1940s, at least five Chan films were produced in Shanghai and Hong Kong. In these films, Chan owns his own detective agency and is aided, not by a son, but by a daughter, Manna, played first by Gu Meijun (顾梅君) in the Shanghai productions and then by Bai Yan (白燕) in post-war Hong Kong.

Chinese audiences also watched the original American Charlie Chan films. They were by far the most popular American films in 1930s China and among overseas Chinese; "one of the reasons for this acceptance was this was the first time Chinese audiences saw a positive Chinese character in an American film, a sharp departure from the sinister Oriental stereotypes in earlier movies like ''Thief of Baghdad'' and ''Welcome Danger'', which incited riots that shut down the Shanghai theater showing it." Oland's visit to China was reported extensively in Chinese newspapers, and the actor was respectfully called "Mr. Chan".

Modern adaptations

In 1980, Jerry Shylock proposed a multi-million dollar comedy film, to be called ''Charlie Chan and the Dragon Lady''. A group calling itself C.A.N. (Coalition of Asians to Nix) was formed, protesting the fact that non-Chinese actors, Peter Ustinov and Angie Dickinson, had been cast in the primary roles. Others protested that the film itself contained a number of stereotypes; Shylock responded that the film was not a documentary. The film was released the following year as ''Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen'' and was an "abysmal failure." An updated film version of the character was planned in the 1990s by Miramax; this new Charlie Chan was to be "hip, slim, cerebral, sexy and ... a martial-arts master", but the film did not come to fruition. Actress Lucy Liu is slated to star in and executive-produce a new Charlie Chan film for Fox. The film has been in pre-production since 2000; as of 2009 it is still slated to be produced.

===Radio=== On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in different series on four networks (Blue, NBC, ABC, MBS) between 1932 and 1948. Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan as part of Esso Oil's ''Five Star Theater'', which serialized adaptations of Biggers novels. Ed Begley, Sr. had the title role in NBC's ''The Adventures of Charlie Chan'' (1944–45), followed by Santos Ortega (1947–48). Leon Janney and Rodney Jacobs were heard as Lee Chan, Number One Son, and Dorian St. George was the program's announcer. ''Radio Life'' magazine described Begley's Chan as "a good radio match for Sidney Toler's beloved film enactment."

Television adaptations

From 1956-57, ''The New Adventures of Charlie Chan'', starring J. Carrol Naish in the title role, were made independently for TV syndication in a series of 39 episodes, by Television Programs of America. The series was filmed in England. In this series, Chan is based in London rather than the United States. Ratings were poor, and the series was quickly canceled.

In the 1960s, Joey Forman played an obvious parody of Chan named "Harry Hoo" in two episodes of ''Get Smart''.

In the 1970s, Hanna-Barbera produced an animated series called ''The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan''. Keye Luke, who had played Chan's son in many Chan films of the 1930s and 40s, lent his voice to Charlie...who had a much-expanded vocabulary this time around. The series focused, however, on Chan's children...played mostly by Asian-American child actors. Jodie Foster alternated with Leslie Kumamota in voicing Chan's daughter Anne.

''The Return of Charlie Chan'', a television film starring Ross Martin as Chan, was made in 1971 but was not aired until 1979.

Comics and games

A ''Charlie Chan'' comic strip, drawn by Alfred Andriola, was distributed by the McNaught Syndicate beginning October 24, 1938. Andriola was chosen by Biggers to draw the character. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the strip was dropped at the end of May 1942.

Over decades, several other Charlie Chan comic books have been published: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created Prize Comics' ''Charlie Chan'' (1948) which ran for five issues. It was followed by a Charlton Comics title (four issues, 1955). DC Comics published ''The New Adventures of Charlie Chan'', a 1958 tie-in with the TV series; the DC series lasted for six issues. Dell Comics did the title for two issues in 1965. In the 1970s, Gold Key Comics published a short-lived series of Chan comics based directly on the Hanna-Barbera animated series.

In addition, a board game, ''The Great Charlie Chan Detective Mystery Game'' (1937), and a ''Charlie Chan Card Game'' (1939), have been released.

Modern interpretations and criticism

The character of Charlie Chan has been the subject of much controversy. Some find the character to be a positive role model, while others argue that Chan is an offensive stereotype. Critic John Soister argues that Charlie Chan is both; when Biggers created the character, he offered a unique alternative to stereotypical evil Chinamen who was at the same time "sufficiently accommodating in personality... unthreatening in demeanor... and removed from his Asian homeland... to quell any underlying xenophobia."

Critic Michael Brodhead argues that "Biggers's sympathetic treatment of the Charlie Chan novels convinces the reader that their author consciously and forthrightly spoke out for the Chinese - a people to be not only accepted but admired. Biggers's sympathetic treatment of the Chinese both reflected and contributed to the greater acceptance of the Chinese in America in the first third of [the twentieth] century." S. T. Karnick writes in the ''National Review'' that Chan is "a brilliant detective with understandably limited facility in the English language [whose] powers of observation, logic, and personal rectitude and humility made him an exemplary, entirely honorable character." Ellery Queen called Biggers's characterization of Charlie Chan "a service to humanity and to inter-racial relations." Luke agreed; when asked if he thought that the character was demeaning to the race, he responded, "Demeaning to the race? My God! You've got a ''Chinese hero!''" and "[W]e were making the best damn murder mysteries in Hollywood."

Other critics, such as Yen Le Espiratu and Huang Guiyou, argue that Chan, while portrayed positively in some ways, is not on a par with white characters, but a "benevolent Other" who is "one-dimensional." The films' extensive use of white actors to portray Asian characters indicates the character's "absolute Oriental Otherness;" the films were only successful when they were "the domain of white actors who impersonated slant-eyed, heavily-accented masters of murder mysteries as well as purveyors of cryptic proverbs in what Eugene Wong calls a 'racist cosmetology.'" Chan's character "embodies the stereotypes and stigmas of Chinese Americans, particularly of males: smart, subservient, effeminate." Chan is representative of a model minority, the good stereotype that counters a bad stereotype: "Each stereotypical image is filled with contradictions: the bloodthirsty Indian is tempered with the image of the noble savage; the ''bandido'' exists along with the loyal sidekick; and Fu Manchu is offset by Charlie Chan." However, Fu Manchu's evil qualities are presented as inherently Chinese, while Charlie Chan's good qualities are exceptional; "Fu represents his race; his counterpart stands away from the other Asian Hawaiians."

Recent opinion has been largely against the character. In 2003, the Fox Movie Channel discontinued a planned Charlie Chan Festival, soon after beginning restoration for special cablecasting, after a special interest group protested. Fox began releasing these restored versions on DVD in 2006; as of mid-2008, Fox has released all of the extant Warner Oland titles and has begun issuing the Sidney Toler series. The first six Monogram productions, all starring Sidney Toler, were released by MGM in 2004. The films, when broadcast on the Fox Movie Channel, were followed by round table discussions by prominent Asian-Americans in the entertainment industry, led by George Takei, most of whom were against the films. Collections such as Frank Chin's ''Aiiieeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers'' and Jessica Hagedorn's ''Charlie Chan is Dead'' are put forth as alternatives to the Charlie Chan stereotype and "[articulate] cultural anger and exclusion as their animating force."

Some modern critics, particularly Asian-Americans, dismiss the Charlie Chan character as "bovine" and "asexual", allowing "white America ... [to be] securely indifferent about us as men." Charlie Chan's good qualities are the product of what Frank Chin and Jeffery Chan call "racist love", arguing that Chan is a model minority and "kissass". Fletcher Chan, however, argues that the Chan of Biggers's novels is not subservient to whites, citing ''The Chinese Parrot'' as an example; in this novel, Chan's eyes blaze with anger at racist remarks and in the end, after exposing the murderer, Chan remarks "Perhaps listening to a 'Chinaman' is no disgrace." In the films, both ''Charlie Chan in London'' (1934) and ''Charlie Chan in Paris'' (1935) "contain scenes in which Chan coolly and wittily dispatches other characters' racist remarks."

Bibliography

Biggers, Earl Derr. ''The House Without a Key''. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1925.

—. ''The Chinese Parrot''. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1926.

—. ''Behind That Curtain''. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1928.

—. ''The Black Camel''. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1929.

—. ''Charlie Chan Carries On''. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1930.

—. ''Keeper of the Keys''. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1932.

Davis, Robert Hart. ''Charlie Chan in The Temple of the Golden Horde''. 1974. ''Charlie Chan's Mystery Magazine''. Reprinted by Wildside Press, 2003. ISBN 1592240143.

Lynds, Dennis. ''Charlie Chan Returns''. New York: Bantam Books, 1974. ASIN B000CD3I22.

Pronzini, Bill, and Jeffrey M. Wallman. ''Charlie Chan in the Pawns of Death''. 1974. ''Charlie Chan's Mystery Magazine''. Reprinted by Borgo Press, 2003. ISBN 9781592240104.

Avallone, Michael. ''Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen''. New York: Pinnacle, 1981. ISBN 0523415052.

Filmography

Unless otherwise noted, information is taken from Charles P. Mitchell's ''A Guide to Charlie Chan Films'' (1999).

{|class="sortable wikitable" |- !Film title !Starring !Directed by !Released !class="unsortable"|Notes |- |''The House Without a Key'' |George Kuwa |Spencer G. Bennet |1926 |Lost film |- |''The Chinese Parrot'' |Kamayama Sojin |Paul Leni |1927 |Lost film |- |''Behind That Curtain'' |E.L. Park |Irving Cummings |1929 | |- |''Charlie Chan Carries On'' |Warner Oland |Hamilton MacFadden |1931 |Lost film |- |''Eran Trece'' (in Spanish) |Manuel Arbó |David Howard (uncredited) |1931 | |- |''The Black Camel'' |Warner Oland |Hamilton MacFadden |1931 | |- |''Charlie Chan's Chance'' |Warner Oland |John Blystone |1932 |Lost film |- |''Charlie Chan's Greatest Case'' |Warner Oland |Hamilton MacFadden |1933 |Lost film |- |''Charlie Chan's Courage'' |Warner Oland |George Hadden and Eugene Forde |1934 |Lost film |- |''Charlie Chan in London'' |Warner Oland |Eugene Forde |1934 | |- |''Charlie Chan in Paris'' |Warner Oland |Lewis Seiler |1935 | |- |''Charlie Chan in Egypt'' |Warner Oland |Louis King |1935 | |- |''Charlie Chan in Shanghai'' |Warner Oland |James Tinling |1935 | |- |''Charlie Chan's Secret'' |Warner Oland |Gordon Wiles |1936 |Public domain due to the omission of a valid copyright notice on original prints. |- |''Charlie Chan at the Circus'' |Warner Oland |Harry Lachman |1936 | |- |''Charlie Chan at the Race Track'' |Warner Oland |H. Bruce Humberstone |1936 | |- |''Charlie Chan at the Opera'' |Warner Oland |H. Bruce Humberstone |1936 | |- |''Charlie Chan at the Olympics'' |Warner Oland |H. Bruce Humberstone |1937 | |- |''Charlie Chan on Broadway'' |Warner Oland |Eugene Forde |1937 | |- |''The Disappearing Corpse'' (in Chinese) |? |? |1937 | |- |''La Serpiente Roja'' (in Spanish) |Aníbal de Mar |Ernesto Caparrós |1937 | |- |''Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo'' |Warner Oland |Eugene Forde |1937 | |- |''Charlie Chan in Honolulu'' |Sidney Toler |H. Bruce Humberstone |1938 | |- |''Charlie Chan in Reno'' |Sidney Toler |Norman Foster |1938 | |- |''The Pearl Tunic'' (in Chinese) |? |? |1938 | |- |''Charlie Chan at Treasure Island'' |Sidney Toler |Norman Foster |1939 | |- |''City in Darkness'' |Sidney Toler |Herbert I. Leeds |1939 | |- |''The Radio Station Murder'' (in Chinese) |? |? |1939 | |- |''Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise'' |Sidney Toler |Eugene Forde |1940 | |- |''Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum'' |Sidney Toler |Lynn Shores |1940 | |- |''Charlie Chan in Panama'' |Sidney Toler |Norman Foster |1940 | |- |''Murder Over New York'' |Sidney Toler |Harry Lachman |1940 | |- |''Dead Men Tell'' |Sidney Toler |Harry Lachman |1941 | |- |''Charlie Chan in Rio'' |Sidney Toler |Harry Lachman |1941 | |- |''Charlie Chan Smashes an Evil Plot'' (in Chinese) |徐莘园 (Xu Xinyuan) |徐莘夫 (Xu Xinfu) |1941 | |- |''Castle in the Desert'' |Sidney Toler |Harry Lachman |1942 | |- |''Charlie Chan in the Secret Service'' |Sidney Toler |Phil Rosen |1944 | |- |''The Chinese Cat'' |Sidney Toler |Phil Rosen |1944 | |- |''Black Magic'' |Sidney Toler |Phil Rosen |1944 | |- |''The Shanghai Cobra'' |Sidney Toler |Phil Karlson |1945 | |- |''The Red Dragon'' |Sidney Toler |Phil Rosen |1945 | |- |''The Scarlet Clue'' |Sidney Toler |Phil Rosen |1945 |Public domain due to the omission of a valid copyright notice on original prints. |- |''The Jade Mask'' |Sidney Toler |Phil Rosen |1945 | |- |''Dangerous Money'' |Sidney Toler |Terry O. Morse |1946 |Public domain due to the omission of a valid copyright notice on original prints. |- |''Dark Alibi'' |Sidney Toler |Phil Karlson |1946 |Public domain due to the omission of a valid copyright notice on original prints. |- |''Shadows Over Chinatown'' |Sidney Toler |Terry O. Morse |1946 | |- |''The Trap'' |Sidney Toler |Howard Bretherton |1946 |Public domain due to the omission of a valid copyright notice on original prints. |- |''The Chinese Ring'' |Roland Winters |William Beaudine |1947 |Public domain due to the omission of a valid copyright notice on original prints. |- |''Docks of New Orleans'' |Roland Winters |Derwin Abrahams |1948 | |- |''Shanghai Chest'' |Roland Winters |William Beaudine |1948 | |- |''The Golden Eye'' |Roland Winters |William Beaudine |1948 |Public domain due to the omission of a valid copyright notice on original prints. |- |''The Feathered Serpent'' |Roland Winters |William Beaudine |1955 | |- |''The Return of Charlie Chan'' (aka ''Happiness is a Warm Clue'') |Ross Martin |Daryl Duke |1973 | |- |''Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen'' (This film is a satire and not really part of any Chan series) |Peter Ustinov |Clive Donner |1981 | |}

Notes

See also

Portrayal of East Asians in Hollywood

References

"Creating Charlie Chan" (22 March 1931). In ''Popular Culture'' (1975). Ed. by David Manning White. Ayer Publishing. ISBN 040506649X.

Hawley, Sandra M. (1991). "The Importance of Being Charlie Chan." In ''America views China: American images of China then and now''. Ed. by Jonathan Goldstein, Jerry Israel, and Hilary Conroy. Lehigh University Press. ISBN 0934223130.

Further reading

Huang, Yunte. ''Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History''. New York : Norton, 2010. ISBN 978-0-393-06962-4

External links

The "Charlie Chan" Novels

:The House Without A Key

:The Chinese Parrot

:Behind That Curtain

:The Black Camel

:Charlie Chan Carries On

:Keeper Of The Keys

Charlie Chan fansite

The Charlie Chan Family Home

Charlie Chan Biography

About Charlie Chan

Public-domain Charlie Chan radio programs

Adventures of Charlie Chan, The Adventures of Charlie Chan, The Category:American comic strips Adventures of Charlie Chan, The Category:Charlton Comics titles Category:Comic strips started in the 1930s Category:Crestwood Publications titles Category:DC Comics titles Category:Dell Comics titles Chan, Charlie Chan, Charlie Chan, Charlie Category:Series of books * Category:Asian American issues Category:Ethnic and racial stereotypes

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