name	Ancona
official name	Città di Ancona
image shield	Ancona-Stemma.png
coordinates type	region:IT-AN_type:city(101210)
coordinates display	title
region
province	(AN)
frazioni	Aspio, Gallignano, Montacuto, Massignano, Montesicuro, Candia, Ghettarello, Paterno, Casine di Paterno, Poggio di Ancona, Sappanico, Varano
mayor party	Democratic Party
mayor	Fiorello Gramillano
area total km2	123.71
population total	101210
population as of	31 August 2007
population demonym	Anconetani, Anconitani (English: anconitans)
elevation m	16
saint	Judas Cyriacus
day	4 May
postal code	60100, from 60121 to 60129, 60131
area code	071
website
footnotes	}}

Ancona (, from ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 102,997 (2010). Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region.

The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic Sea, between the slopes of the two extremities of the promontory of Monte Conero, Monte Astagno and Monte Guasco.

Ancona is one of the main ports on the Adriatic Sea, especially for passenger traffic, and is the main economic and demographic centre of the region.

Climate

The climate of Ancona is both Mediterranean and continental. Winters are quite cold (Jan. mean temp. +5°C), with frequent rain and fog. Low temperatures can reach -10°C outside the city centre. Snow is not unusual when the air masses come from the north or from the east, and can be heavy at times. Summers are warm (July mean temp. +22.5°C) and humid, especially by the sea. High temperatures sometimes reach +35°C / +40°C, especially when the wind blows from the south or the west (föhn effect). Thunderstorms are quite common, particularly in August and September. Spring and autumn are really changeable seasons, but generally mild.

History

Ancona was founded by Greek settlers from Syracuse about 387 BC, who gave it its name: ''Ancona'' is a very slightly modified transliteration of the Greek Αγκων, meaning "elbow"; the harbour to the east of the town was originally protected only by the promontory on the north, shaped like an elbow. Greek merchants established a Tyrian purple dye factory here. In Roman times it kept its own coinage with the punning device of the bent arm holding a palm branch, and the head of Aphrodite on the reverse, and continued the use of the Greek language.

When it became a Roman colony is doubtful. It was occupied as a naval station in the Illyrian War of 178 BC. Julius Caesar took possession of it immediately after crossing the Rubicon. Its harbour was of considerable importance in imperial times, as the nearest to Dalmatia, and was enlarged by Trajan, who constructed the north quay with his Syrian architect Apollodorus of Damascus. At the beginning of it stands the marble triumphal arch with a single archway, and without bas-reliefs, erected in his honour in 115 by the Senate and Roman people.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Ancona was successively attacked by the Goths, Lombards and Saracens, but recovered its strength and importance. It was one of the cities of the Pentapolis under the Exarchate of Ravenna, an administrative unit of the Byzantine Empire. With the Carolingian conquest of northern Italy, it became the capital of the Marca di Ancona, whence the name of the modern region. After 1000, Ancona became increasingly independent, eventually turning into an important maritime republic (together with Gaeta, Trani and Ragusa, it is one of those not appearing on the Italian naval flag), often clashing against the nearby power of Venice. An oligarchic republic, Ancona was ruled by six Elders, elected by the three ''terzieri'' into which the city was divided: S. Pietro, Porto and Capodimonte. It had a coin of its own, the agontano, and a series of laws known as ''Statuti del mare e del Terzenale'' and ''Statuti della Dogana''. Ancona was usually allied with Ragusa and the Byzantine Empire. In 1137, 1167 and 1174 it was strong enough to push back imperial forces. Anconitan ships took part in the Crusades, and their navigators included Cyriac of Ancona. In the struggle between the Popes and the Emperors that troubled Italy from the 12th century onwards, Ancona sided with the Guelphs. Differently from other cities of northern Italy, Ancona never became a seignory. The sole exception was the rule of the Malatesta, who took the city in 1348 taking advantage of the black death and of a fire that had destroyed many of its important buildings. The Malatesta were ousted in 1383. In 1532 it definitively lost its freedom and became part of the Papal States, under Pope Clement VII. Symbol of the papal authority was the massive Citadel. Together with Rome, and Avignon in southern France, Ancona was the sole city in the Papal States in which the Jews were allowed to stay after 1569, living in the ghetto built after 1555.

In 1733 Pope Clement XII extended the quay, and an inferior imitation of Trajan's arch was set up; he also erected a Lazaretto at the south end of the harbour, Luigi Vanvitelli being the architect-in-chief. The southern quay was built in 1880, and the harbour was protected by forts on the heights. From 1797 onwards, when the French took it, it frequently appears in history as an important fortress. Ancona entered in the Kingdom of Italy when Christophe Léon Louis Juchault de Lamoricière surrendered here on 29 September 1860, eleven days after his defeat at Castelfidardo.

During World War II, in July 1944, the city was taken by the Polish II Corps as part of an Allied operation to gain access to a seaport closer to the Gothic Line in order to shorten their lines of communication for the advance into northern Italy.

The Greek community of Ancona in the 16th century

Ancona, as well as Venice, became a very important destination for merchants from the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. The Greeks formed the largest of the communities of foreign merchants. They were refugees from former Byzantine or Venetian territories that were occupied by the Ottomans in the late 15th and 16th c. The first Greek community was established in Ancona early in the 16th c. Natalucci, the 17th c. historian of the city, notes the existence of 200 Greek families in Ancona at the opening of the 16th c. Most of them came from northwestern Greece, i.e. the Ionian islands and Epirus. In 1514, Dimitri Caloiri of Ioannina obtained reduced custom duties for Greek merchants coming from the towns of Ioannina, Arta and Avlona in Epirus. In 1518 a Jewish merchant of Avlona succeeded in lowering the duties paid in Ancona for all “''the Levantine merchants, subjects to the Turk''”.

In 1531 the Confraternity of the Greeks (''Confraternita dei Greci'') was established which included Orthodox and Catholic Greeks. They secured the use of the Church of St. Anna dei Greci and were granted permission to hold services according to the Greek and the Latin rite. The church of St. Anna had existed since the 13th c., initially as “''Santa Maria in Porta Cipriana''”, on ruins of the ancient Greek walls of Ancona.

In 1534 a decision by Pope Paul III favoured the activity of merchants of all nationalities and religions from the Levant and allowed them to settle in Ancona with their families. A Venetian travelling through Ancona in 1535 recorded that the city was “''full of merchants from every nation and mostly Greeks and Turks''”. In the second half of the 16th c., the presence of Greek and other merchants from the Ottoman Empire declined after a series of restrictive measures taken by the Italian authorities and the pope.

Disputes between the Orthodox and Catholic Greeks of the community were frequent and persisted until 1797 when the city was occupied by France who closed all the religious confraternities and confiscated the archive of the Greek community. The church of St. Anna dei Greci was re-opened to services in 1822. In 1835, in the absence of a Greek community in Ancona, it passed to the Latin Church.

Demographics

In 2007, there were 101,480 people residing in Ancona (the greater area has a population more than four times its size), located in the province of Ancona, Marche, of whom 47.6% were male and 52.4% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 15.54 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 24.06 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of Ancona resident is 48 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Ancona grew by 1.48 percent, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.56 percent. The current birth rate of Ancona is 8.14 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births.

As of 2006, 92.77% of the population was Italian. The largest immigrant group came from other European nations (particularly those from Albania, Romania, Bangladesh and Ukraine): 3.14%, followed by the Americas: 0.93%, East Asia: 0.83%, and North Africa: 0.80%.

Main sights

Cathedral church of S. Ciriaco

The Cathedral of Ancona, dedicated to Judas Cyriacus, was consecrated at the beginning of the 11th century and completed in 1189. Some writers suppose that the original church was in the form of a basilica and belonged to the 7th century. An early restoration was completed in 1234. It is a fine Romanesque building in grey stone, built in the form of a Greek cross, and other elements of Byzantine art. It has a dodecagonal dome over the centre slightly altered by Margaritone d'Arezzo in 1270. The façade has a Gothic portal, ascribed to Giorgio da Como (1228), which was intended to have a lateral arch on each side. The interior, which has a crypt under each transept, in the main preserves its original character. It has ten columns which are attributed to the temple of Venus. The church was restored in the 1980s.

Other sights

The marble Arch of Trajan, 18 m high, erected in 114/115 as an entrance to the causeway atop the harbour wall in honour of the emperor who had made the harbour, is one of the finest Roman monuments in the Marche. Most of its original bronze enrichments have disappeared. It stands on a high podium approached by a wide flight of steps. The archway, only 3 m wide, is flanked by pairs of fluted Corinthian columns on pedestals. An attic bears inscriptions. The format is that of the Arch of Titus in Rome, but made taller, so that the bronze figures surmounting it, of Trajan, his wife Plotina and sister Marciana, would figure as a landmark for ships approaching Rome's greatest Adriatic port.

The ''Lazzaretto'' (''Laemocomium'' or "Mole Vanvitelliana"), planned by architect Luigi Vanvitelli in 1732 is a pentagonal building covering more than 20,000 m², built to protect the military defensive authorities from the risk of contagious diseases eventually reaching the town with the ships. Later it was used also as a military hospital or as barracks; it is currently used for cultural exhibits.

The Episcopal Palace was the place where Pope Pius II died in 1464.

The church of ''Santa Maria della Piazza'', with an elaborate arcaded façade (1210).

The ''Palazzo del Comune'' (or ''Palazzo degli Anziani'' - Elders palace), built in 1250, with lofty arched substructures at the back, was the work of Margaritone d'Arezzo, and has been restored twice.

Church of ''San Francesco alle Scale''

Church of ''Sant'Agostino'', built by the Augustinians in 1341 as ''Santa Maria del Popolo'', and enlarged by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century and turned into a palace after 1860. It has maintained the Gothic portal by Giorgio da Sebenico, with statues portraying St. Monica, St. Nicola da Tolentino, St. Simplicianus and Blessed Agostino Trionfi.

Church of the ''Santi Pellegrino e Teresa'' (18th century)

Church of the ''Santissimo Sacramento'' (16th and 18th century)

There are also several fine late Gothic buildings, including the ''Palazzo Benincasa'', the ''Palazzo del Senato'' and the ''Loggia dei Mercanti'', all by Giorgio da Sebenico, and the prefecture, which has Renaissance additions.

The National Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale) is housed in the Palazzo Ferretti, built in the late Renaissance by Pellegrino Tibaldi; it preserves frescoes by Federico Zuccari. The Museum is divided into several sections:

prehistoric section, with palaeolithic and neolithic artefacts, objects of the Copper Age and of the Bronze Age

protohistoric section, with the richest existing collection of the Picenian civilization; the section includes a remarkable collection of Greek ceramics

Greek-Hellenistic section, with coins, inscriptions, glassware and other objects from the necropolis of Ancona

Roman section, with a statue of Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, carved sarcophagi and two Roman beds with fine decorations in ivory

rich collection of ancient coins (not yet exposed)

The Municipal Art Gallery (Pinacoteca Civica) "Francesco Podesti" is housed in the Palazzo Bosdari, reconstructed in 1558 - 1561 by Pellegrino Tibaldi. Works in the gallery include:

''Circumcision'', ''Dormitio Virginis'' and ''Crowned Virgin'', by Olivuccio di Ciccarello

''Madonna with Child'', panel by Carlo Crivelli

''Gozzi Altarpiece'' by Titian

''Sacra Conversazione'' by Lorenzo Lotto

''Portrait of Francesco Arsilli'' by Sebastiano Del Piombo

''Circumcision'' by Orazio Gentileschi

''Immaculate Conception'' and ''St. Palazia'' by Guercino

''Four Saints in Ecstasis'', ''Panorama of Ancona in the sixteenth century'' and ''Musician Angels'' by Andrea Lillio

Other artists present include Ciro Ferri and Arcangelo di Cola (fl. 1416-1429). Modern artists featured are Bartolini, Bucci, Campigli, Cassinari, Cucchi, Levi, Sassu, Tamburi, Trubbiani, Francesco Podesti and others.

Angelo Messi, ancestor of famous football star Lionel Messi, emigrated from Ancona to Rosario, Argentina in the 1880s.

Transportation

Shipping

The Port has regular ferry links to the following cities with the following operators:

Adria Ferries (Durrës)

Blue Line International (Split, Stari Grad, Vis)

Jadrolinija (Split, Zadar)

SNAV (Split) (seasonal)

Superfast Ferries (Igoumenitsa, Patras)

ANEK Lines (Igoumenitsa, Patras)

Minoan Lines (Igoumenitsa, Patras)

Marmara Lines (Cesme)

Airport

Ancona is served by Ancona Airport (IATA: AOI, ICAO: LIPY), an airport located in Falconara Marittima and named after Raffaello Sanzio.

Railways

The Ancona railway station is the main railway station of the city and is served by regional and long distance trains. The other stations are Ancona Marittima, Ancona Torrette, Palombina and Varano.

Roads

The A14 motorway serves the city with the exits "Ancona Nord" (''An. North'') and "Ancona Sud" (''An. South'').

Urban public transportation

The Ancona trolleybus system has been in operation since 1949. Ancona is also served by an urban bus network.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Ancona is twinned with:

	* Izmir, Turkey	* Galaţi, Romania	Split (city)>Split, Croatia		Ribnica, Slovenia>Ribnica, Slovenia	* Svolvær, Norway	* Castlebar, Ireland

See also

Maritime republics

Biblioteca comunale Luciano Benincasa

U.S. Ancona 1905

History of A.C. Ancona

Stadio del Conero

Notes

References

Notes

External links

Official Site

Marche Tourism site

Photos: sauromarini.it, antoniomucherino.it

Ancona, a breed of chicken named after the Italian city

Site with photo, guides and forum

Wine and Fish in the city of Ancona

The Jewish Community of Ancona

A little English Guide website made by the people of Ancona, to show another point of view

Category:Cities and towns in the Marche Category:Coastal cities and towns in Italy Category:Populated places established in the 4th century BC Category:Maritime republics Category:Port cities and towns of the Adriatic Sea Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy Category:Ancient Greek cities

als:Ancona ar:أنكونا roa-rup:Ancona be:Горад Анкона bg:Анкона bs:Ancona br:Ancona ca:Ancona cs:Ancona cy:Ancona da:Ancona de:Ancona et:Ancona el:Ανκόνα es:Ancona eo:Ankono eu:Ancona fa:آنکونا fr:Ancône (Italie) gl:Ancona ko:안코나 hr:Ancona io:Ancona id:Ancona ia:Ancona os:Анконæ it:Ancona he:אנקונה jv:Ancona ka:ანკონა la:Ancona lv:Ankona lt:Ankona lij:Anconn-a lmo:Ancona hu:Ancona mk:Анкона mr:आन्कोना nl:Ancona (stad) ja:アンコーナ nap:Ancona no:Ancona nn:Ancona oc:Ancona pnb:انکونا pms:Ancon-a pl:Ankona pt:Ancona ro:Ancona ru:Анкона sq:Ancona scn:Ancona simple:Ancona sk:Ancona sr:Анкона fi:Ancona (kaupunki) sv:Ancona roa-tara:Angone tr:Ancona uk:Анкона ur:انکونا vec:Ancona vi:Ancona vo:Ancona war:Ancona zh:安科纳

birth date	July 04, 1968
birth place	Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland
occupation	Actress, impressionist, author
children	2 daughters
website	}}

Ronni Ancona (born 4 July 1968, Troon, Ayrshire) is a Scottish actress, impressionist and author. Ancona won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in ''Big Impression''.

Career

Ancona made a one-off appearance on ''Blue Peter'' in 1986 while she was still at school, but only became a household name as a result of appearing in the BBC's ''Big Impression'' alongside Alistair McGowan.

Her comedy career started on the comedy circuit and she won the ''Time Out Hackney Empire New Act of the Year'' in 1993. She worked extensively in radio and television before becoming a household name in the BAFTA award winning ''The Big Impression'' for which she won a ''British Comedy Award'' and ''Variety Club Award''.

As part of BBC's ''Big Read'' she promoted ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''.

Before ''Big Impression'', Ancona had featured in films and TV shows, such as Fist of Fun, for many years, as well as performing stand-up comedy. She also appeared in the first series of ''The Sketch Show''.

In 2005 she played Barbara, opposite Bill Nighy, Miranda Richardson and Emily Blunt in Stephen Poliakoff's ''Gideon's Daughter'' on BBC One.

She was Beline in Molière's ''The Hypochondriac'' at the Almeida Theatre.

She has appeared five times on the BBC celebrity panel show ''QI''. She won episode four of series four ('Dictionaries') in October 2006, won again in the first episode of series six in November 2008 ('Family'), won on the women's team with Sandi Toksvig in January 2010, and came last in November 2011 ('Infantile'). In November 2006 she was a guest presenter of ''Have I Got News For You''. She has also appeared on the Channel 4 comedy show ''TV Heaven, Telly Hell'' discussing her preferences in television shows.

In December 2006 she revealed herself as a fan of ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and appeared on ''Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two''.

In 2007, following a successfully received pilot, the BBC commissioned a new comedy sketch series titled ''Ronni Ancona & Co'' consisting of her own material and co-starring Phil Cornwell, Jan Ravens and John Sessions. The show initially aired on 25 May 2007 and had three episodes.

In 2008 Ancona appeared in the film ''Penelope'' as Wanda.

Ancona appeared as the mother of Katie and Emily Fitch in the third and fourth series of ''Skins''.

In 2009 Ancona appeared in Hope Springs on BBC 1. She was one of eight main cast members.

On 24 July 2009, Ancona appeared on ''The One Show'', and she appeared on it again, with Alistair McGowan, on 16 October 2009.

In April 2010, Ancona appeared on ''A Comedy Roast'', celebrating Sharon Osbourne's life.

In 2009 her first book ''A Matter Of Life And Death: How To Wean A Man Off Football'' was published by Faber & Faber.

Appearances

Television

! Title	! Channel	! Year
''QI'' (Series I, Episode 11)	BBC	2011
''Shooting Stars (Series 8)	BBC 2	2011
''Loose Women (Series 16)	ITV 1	2011
''Midsomer Murders'' (Series 13, Episode 8)	ITV 1	2011
''QI'' (Series H, Episode 15)	BBC	2011
	Channel 4 / E4	2009/2010
''Bremner, Bird & Fortune''	Channel 4	2009
	BBC	2009
''QI'' (Series F, Episode 1)	BBC	2008
''Ronni Ancona & Co.''	BBC	2007
''Agatha Christie's Marple''	ITV	2007
''Hotel Babylon''	BBC	2007
''QI'' (Series D, Episode 4)	BBCFour	2006
	BBC	2006
''Gideon's Daughter''	BBC Stephen Poliakoff	2005
''Sven and Nancy's Big Impression''	BBC
''Posh and Becks' Big Impression'' (Christmas Special)	BBC
''The Big Impression'' (4 series, 3 specials)	BBC	1999–2005 (BAFTA, ''British Comedy Award'', ''Royal Variety Club Award'')
''The Key''	Key Films Ltd / BBC	2003
''The Big Impression Christmas Special''	BBC
''The Sketch Show''	Baby Cow / Avalon	2001 (BAFTA)
''Dr Terrible's House of Horrible''	BBC / Baby Cow Productions	2001
''Holby City''	BBC	2000
''Mark Lamarr Leaving 20th Century''	BBC	1999
''Comedy Nation''	BBC	1998
''Space Cadets''	Channel 4	1997
''Pulp Video''	BBC Scotland	1995
''Rory Bremner, Who Else?''	Vera / Channel 4	1993
''Fist of Fun''	BBC	1995–1996
''Scratchy and Co.''	Carlton	1995
''The Geeks''	ITV
''The Imaginatively Titled Punt and Dennis Show''	BBC	1994
''Ben Elton: The Man from Auntie''	BBC	1994
''The Full Monty''	Granada
''Standing Room Only''	BBC	1991
''The Comedy Store''	BBC
''Live at Jongleurs''	ITV
''The Staggering Stories of Ferdinand de Bargos''	BBC2	1989

Film

! Title	! Year	! Notes
	2008	Dir: Mark Polansky
''A Cock and Bull Story''	2005	Dir: Michael Winterbottom
''Stella Street- The Movie''	2004	Absolutely Productions
''The Calcium Kid''	2004	Calcium Films Ltd
''The Debt Collector''	1999	Channel 4 Films

Radio

! Title	! Channel
''LIFE, DEATH & SEX WITH MIKE & SUE''	Radio 4
''The Alan Davies Show''	Radio 4
''Weekending''	Radio 4
''The Museum of Curiosity''	Radio 4

Theatre

! Title	! Venue
''The Hypocondriac''	Almeida Theatre
''Singin In The Rain''	Sadlers Wells, London
''Miss Conceptions''	Edinburgh Festival
''Mixed Doubles''	Rowntree Theatre, York

Personal life

Ancona was born in Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland and is of Italian and Jewish descent. In the programme "Comedy Map of Britain", she returned to her old school in Troon and talked about her earliest comedy performing experience as part of an improvisation group called "Pots People". She had a seven-year relationship with Alistair McGowan which ended shortly before they started working together professionally. Ancona is married with two daughters and lives in west London.

References

External links

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Category:British impressionists (entertainers) Category:People from Troon Category:Scottish Jews Category:Scottish people of Italian descent Category:Sephardi Jews Category:Alumni of the University of the Arts Category:People educated at Marr College

birth name	Rosalie Anderson MacDowell
birth date	April 21, 1958
birth place	Gaffney, South Carolina, U.S.
years active	1984–present
occupation	Actress, model
spouse	}}

Rosalie Anderson "Andie" MacDowell (born April 21, 1958) is an American model and actress. She has received the Goldene Kamera and an Honorary César.

Early life

Andie MacDowell was born in Gaffney, South Carolina, the daughter of Pauline "Paula" Johnston (née Oswald), a music teacher, and Marion St. Pierre MacDowell, a lumber executive. She is of part Scottish descent. Her family owned an Antebellum period summer house in Arden, North Carolina, which has since been made into a bed-and-breakfast named the Blake House Inn. Graffiti from her childhood visits is preserved in an upstairs bedroom closet. She attended Winthrop College for two years before moving briefly to Columbia, South Carolina. There she worked two jobs; one in a clothing boutique and the other in a restaurant/bar called "Stage Door". "Rosie," as she was known locally, lived with her sister, Beverly, and saved all her money so she could move to New York City and start her career. She was initially spotted by a rep from Wilhelmina Models while on a trip to Los Angeles before she would later sign with Elite Model Management in New York City.

Career

In the early 1980s, MacDowell modeled for ''Vogue'' magazine and appeared in ad campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent, Vassarette, Armani perfume, Sabeth-Row, Mink International, Anne Klein and Bill Blass. She worked with such esteemed photographers as Bruce Weber, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn and Herb Ritts among others. A series of billboards in Times Square and national television commercials for Calvin Klein drew attention to her and led to her 1984 film debut in ''Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes'', a role in which her lines were dubbed by Glenn Close because her southern accent was too pronounced for her to play the role of an Englishwoman. In 1985, she had a small part in ''St. Elmo's Fire''.

MacDowell studied method acting with teachers from the Actors Studio, in addition to working privately with the renowned coach Harold Guskin. Four years later, director Steven Soderbergh cast her in the independent film ''Sex, Lies, and Videotape'' (1989). Her performance earned her an Independent Spirit Award, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, several other award nominations and led to a series of starring roles in films such as ''Green Card'', ''The Object of Beauty'', and ''Short Cuts''. In the 1990s, MacDowell achieved stardom due to the box office success of the 1993 comedy by Harold Ramis, ''Groundhog Day'', and ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994), opposite Hugh Grant. ''Groundhog Day'' and ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' remain MacDowell's biggest box office hits.

Since 1986, MacDowell has appeared in print and television advertisements for the cosmetic and haircare company L'Oréal.

In September 2010, MacDowell joined the cast of Fox's drama series ''Lone Star'', which was canceled after two aired episodes due to low ratings.

In 2012 she is playing in the TV series ''Jane by Design''.

Personal life

MacDowell was married from 1986 to 1999 to fellow former model and rancher Paul Qualley, whom she met while both were posing for Gap ads. The couple have a son, Justin, and two daughters, Rainey (Miss Golden Globe 2012) and Sarah Margaret. She was married to businessman Rhett Hartzog from 2001 to 2004.

Filmography

+ Film roles
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	''Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes''
1985		Dale Biberman
1988	''''	Anthea	TV mini-series
1989	''Sex, Lies, and Videotape''	Ann Bishop Mullany
1990		Brontë	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1991	''Hudson Hawk''	Anna Baragli
1991	''''	Tina
1991		Emily	TV movie
1992	''''	Herself	Cameo appearance
1993	''Short Cuts''	Ann Finnigan
1993		Rita	Saturn Award for Best Actress
1993	''Ruby Cairo''	Elizabeth 'Bessie' Faro, also known as Ruby Cairo
1994	''Four Weddings and a Funeral''	Carrie	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1994		Eileen Spenser
1994	''Unstrung Heroes''	Selma Lidz
1996		Dorothy Winters
1996		Laura Kinney
1997	''''	Page
1997	''Muppets Tonight''	Herself	Guest star on Season 2 Episode 11
1998		Trixie
1999		Linda Palinski	Also producer
1999	''Muppets from Space''	Shelley Snipes
1999	''''	Laura Phillips
2000	''Harrison's Flowers''	Sarah Lloyd
2001		Eugenie Claybourne	Also uncredited producer
2001	''On the Edge''	Lisa	TV movie segment: "Reaching Normal"
2001		Kate Scales
2001		Karen	TV movie
2002	''Jo''	Jo	TV movie
2002	''Ginostra''	Jessie
2005	''''	Kathy MacFarlane
2005	''Beauty Shop''	Terri
2005	''Riding the Bus with My Sister''	Rachel Simon	TV movie
2005		Marilyn
2006		Etta the Hen	Voice
2007	''Intervention''	Kelly
2008		Lottie Louise Du Bose
2009	''''	Kate
2009	''''	Maryanne Abbate
2010	''As Good as Dead''	Helen Kalahan
2010		Alex	TV series, recurring guest star
2010		Enid Goldberg
2011		Grace's mother
2011		Vi Moore
2012	''Jane by Design''	Gray Chandler Murray	TV series

References

External links

E!Online 1999 article and interview

Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from South Carolina Category:American female models Category:American film actors Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American television actors Category:People from Gaffney, South Carolina Category:Saturn Award winners

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Mario Ancona (February 28, 1860 – February 23, 1931), was a leading Italian baritone and master of bel canto singing. He appeared at some of the most important opera houses in Europe and America during what is commonly referred to as the "Golden Age of Opera".

Career

Ancona was born into a middle-class Jewish family at Livorno, Tuscany, on February 28, 1860. After embarking on a business career he decided to study voice with a local singing teacher named Matteini in his native city of Livorno. Later, he took lessons from Giuseppe Cima in Milan.

Ancona is reputed to have made his debut as an amateur singer as far back as 1880; but according to ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera''—from which many of the ensuing appearance dates, venues and career highlights are taken—his earliest known professional appearance in an opera did not occur until 1889, when he sang the role of Scindia in Massenet's ''Le roi de Lahore'' in Trieste. Not long afterwards, he appeared in another Massenet opera, ''Le Cid'', at Italy's principal theatre—La Scala, Milan. His arrival at La Scala so soon after his debut reflects the excellence of the technical grounding that he must have received as an amateur performer.

On May 21, 1892, Ancona was asked to create the part of Silvio in the first performance of Leoncavallo's ''Pagliacci'', which took place at Milan's Teatro Dal Verme with Arturo Toscanini conducting. The next year, he appeared in the first London performance of ''Pagliacci'' at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. On this occasion, however, he sang the role of Tonio. (Soprano Nellie Melba and tenor Fernando De Lucia were also in the high-quality cast.)

Ancona would appear regularly at Covent Garden until 1901, being held in high esteem by London audiences. He also sang as a guest artist in Cairo, Lisbon, Madrid, Warsaw, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chicago, Boston and Buenos Aires.

The New York Metropolitan Opera first engaged him in 1893. He sang successfully at the Met until 1897, when he went back to Europe. In 1906-1908, he returned to New York—this time to join the Manhattan Opera Company, where he was paid a generous fee. He became a special favourite of this company, which had been established by Oscar Hammerstein I in direct rivalry to the Met. His suave interpretation of Mozart's Don Giovanni was singled out for particular praise by newspaper reviewers and the Manhattan's audiences.

Ancona sang in Paris in 1908, and again in 1914, at the Sarah Bernhardt theatre, where he was complimented by Bernhardt in person for his impressive singing. The illustrious French actress was not alone in her admiration for Ancona's vocal artistry. Music critics on both sides of the Atlantic commended Ancona on his elegant singing style and beautiful voice, with its easy top register and open-throated emission of homogenous tone. Indeed, the great tenor Jean de Reszke called him the best-schooled Italian baritone of his era. His histrionic skills were less developed however, and he was not considered to be an especially imaginative or exciting interpretive artist. Physically, he was said to resemble King Edward VII of England because of his pointed beard and ample waistline.

The fact that Ancona was able to establish himself as a major singer in the face of intense competition from a host of other first-class baritones is a testament to his sheer quality as a vocalist. His main Italian rivals in the period between his debut in 1889 and the outbreak of World War I were: Mattia Battistini, Antonio Scotti, Giuseppe Pacini, Antonio Magini-Coletti, Giuseppe Campanari and Giuseppe Kaschmann (born Josip Kasman)—and, from a younger generation of verismo opera-influenced baritones, Titta Ruffo, Riccardo Stracciari, Pasquale Amato, Giuseppe De Luca, Eugenio Giraldoni, Mario Sammarco, Domenico Viglione-Borghesi and the promising newcomer Carlo Galeffi.

Repertoire

According to the critic Michael Scott, author of ''The Record of Singing'', Ancona's smooth, fluent and refined method of singing pre-dated the verismo movement. His style and technique were particularly well suited to the operas of Verdi, and to the bel canto works composed by Bellini and Donizetti (such as ''I Puritani'', ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' and ''La favorite''). Ancona's repertoire of Verdi parts included Germont, Di Luna, Rigoletto, Amonasro and Iago, as well as Don Carlos in ''Ernani''.

Ancona also undertook roles composed by Leoncavallo (Silvio and Tonio), Puccini (Lescaut and Marcello), Mascagni (Alfio and David in ''L'amico Fritz''), Giordano (Gerard in ''Andrea Chénier''), Mozart (Don Giovanni and Figaro) and Wagner (Wolfram, Telramund and even, on occasion, Hans Sachs). He appeared, too, in French operas written by Meyerbeer, Gounod, Bizet and, as we have seen, Massenet, performing such parts as Nevers, Hoël, Scindia, Escamillo, Zurga and Valentin.

Retirement, death and recorded legacy

Ancona was still in good vocal shape when he elected to retire from the stage in 1916. World War One was then reaching its height in Europe, and Ancona was singing with the Chicago opera company at the time. In retirement, he devoted himself to teaching. He died of lung cancer in Florence, Italy, on February 23, 1931. An extensive collection of documents, photographs and other items relating to Ancona's career is preserved at Stanford University's Archive of Recorded Sound in California.

Fortunately, however, Ancona's thoroughbred voice lives on in a series of gramophone recordings which he made during the first decade of the 20th century for Pathé in 1905-06 and, more rewardingly, for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1907-08. Twenty of his Victor recordings are now available on CD transfers (see below). They consist of several songs as well as operatic arias and duets by Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Bizet, Leoncavallo and Giordano.

References

Scott, Michael, ''The Record of Singing'', volume one, (Duckworth, London, 1977)

Steane, John, ''The Grand Tradition: 70 Years of Singing on Record'', (Duckworth, London, 1974)

Rosenthal, Harold and Warrack, John, ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 2nd edition, (Oxford University Press, London, 1980)

Miller, Jeffery, liner notes for ''Mario Ancona: the complete Victor recordings (1907-08)'', Romophone CD 82013-2, produced by Ward Marston (England, 1999)

Category:Italian opera singers Category:Operatic baritones Category:Italian baritones Category:People from Livorno Category:1860 births Category:1931 deaths Category:Deaths from lung cancer

it:Mario Ancona

name	Jon Culshaw
birth date	June 02, 1968
birth place	Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
nationality	British
active	1980s-present
genre	Impressions, sketch comedy
notable work	''Dead Ringers'' (2000–2007)''2DTV'' (2001–2004)''The Impressionable Jon Culshaw'' (2004)''Headcases'' (2008–present)''The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson'' (2009-present) }}

Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born 2 June 1968 in Ormskirk, Lancashire) is an English impressionist and comedian. He was educated at St Bede's RC High School, Ormskirk and St John Rigby College, in Orrell, Wigan.

He is famous for his work on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Two's ''Dead Ringers'', ITV's ''2DTV'', BBC One's ''The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson'' and his contributions to BBC Radio 1, particularly on ''The Chris Moyles Show''. He also appeared in ITV's ''Heartbeat'' on 26 November 2006.

Early career

His radio career began in hospital radio in Ormskirk. His first job was at Red Rose Radio (now Rock FM) in Preston in 1987, where even then he used to occasionally read the weather in the voice of Frank Bruno. He did voice-over work then was catapulted to prominence with ''Spitting Image'', where he voiced around forty characters, including John Major, the then Prime Minister.

For around four years in the late 1980s, he was a DJ on the commercial radio station Viking FM, based in Hull, and also had a breakfast show on Pennine Radio (now The Pulse of West Yorkshire) and Radio Wave in Blackpool. It was a receptionist at Viking FM who persuaded Culshaw he should go onstage with his impressions and make it his living. He later appeared on BBC Radio 2's ''It's Been a Bad Week'', appeared as a guest on the BBC2 ''Star Trek Night'' Quiz in August 1996, and was also a regular guest on the Chris Moyles afternoon show on BBC Radio 1 from 1998–2002, where he would phone up commercial organisations such as a Kwik-Fit garage in the voice of Patrick Moore or Obi-Wan Kenobi, politely requesting whether they could service his X-wing fighter, and how much time it would take.

Later career

He rose to fame in January 1998 by impersonating William Hague while working for Capital Radio, and succeeding in contacting Number 10 Downing Street. He was put through to Tony Blair who, despite instantly discovering the ruse, had a lengthy conversation with him until a member of Blair's staff ended the call.

Culshaw was one of the stars of the BBC Radio 4 comedy impression series ''Dead Ringers'', which ran from 2000 to 2007, and the BBC Two television series of the same name, from 2002 to 2007.

Between 2001 and 2002 he had a programme on ITV called ''Alter Ego'' where he interviewed male celebrities in their own style of speaking, a form of simultaneous translation. On ITV he also appeared on 2DTV, a cartoon version of what ''Dead Ringers'' would do when transposed to TV. Using the same production team, in early 2004, he had his own programme, ''The Impressionable Jon Culshaw'' which was commissioned for ITV1.

His most famous impressions are ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Obi-Wan Kenobi (in the Alec Guinness persona), Russell Crowe, President George W. Bush, Ozzy Osbourne, Dale Winton, the newsreader Brian Perkins, Sir Patrick Moore and Tom Baker (who played the fourth incarnation of The Doctor in ''Doctor Who'').

He also appeared in the ''Doctor Who'' webcast "Death Comes to Time" and audio drama ''The Kingmaker''. In the latter, he got to perform his Tom Baker impression "for real" (voicing tape recordings of the fourth Doctor), although his nominal part was that of Earl Rivers.

In 2005, Culshaw was a celebrity contestant on ''Comic Relief does Fame Academy''.

In January 2006, he began presenting the BBC show ''Jon Culshaw's Commercial Breakdown'' shown on Friday Nights. In 2006, he received an honorary fellowship from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston.

Culshaw was one of the final judges in Let's Dance for Comic Relief.

In August 2007, he appeared on a celebrity edition of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' with John Thomson.

In January 2008, he appeared on ''Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack'', as part of a pub-quiz team, with Chris Moyles. In May 2008 he appeared in the BBC documentary series ''Comedy Map of Britain''.

He is also voicing Piston Pete in the upcoming film Agent Crush.

On 29 December 2008, Culshaw appeared on Celebrity Mastermind. His specialist subject was British Pop of the 80s. He came third with 23 points.

In November 2007, and again in December 2008, Culshaw appeared on ''The Sky at Night'', where he impersonated a younger version of Sir Patrick Moore. Culshaw is a keen amateur astronomer.

On 31 October 2009, Culshaw started a new comedy sketch show with Debra Stephenson, ''The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson''. Its third series began on 26 October 2011.

In 2010, Culshaw appeared in the television series, ''Missing'', as Des Martin.

In March 2011 he appeared on the 700th episode of The Sky at Night reading viewers questions to the panel of experts. He appeared again on the May edition of the show reporting on the Northern Lights.

In January 2012 he appeared on the BBC2 astronomy programme, "Stargazing Live", with Professor Brian Cox and comedian Dara Ó Briain. He also was invited as a guest speaker at the Cambridge Union Society, answering questions and responding to requests for impersonations.

Filmography

''2DTV'' ''Room 101 (TV series) ''Dead Ringers (comedy) ''The Impressionable Jon Culshaw'' ''Little Britain'' ''Churchill: The Hollywood Years'' (Film) ''The Slammer'' ''The Secret Policeman's Ball 2006'' ''The Sky at Night'' ''Red Nose Day 2007'' ''Kombat Opera Presents'' ''Headcases'' ''Hotel Babylon'' ''Agent Crush'' (Film) ''Horrible Histories ''The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson'' ''Heston's Eighties Feast'' ''The Sky At Night'' ''Stargazing Live''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Channel
2001	''Alter Ego''	Starring
2001	|	Voice	ITV
2002	Room 101'' ||	Patrick Moore impression	BBC Two
2002–2009	Dead Ringers'' ||	Starring	BBC Two
2004	|	Starring	ITV
2004	|	Guest	BBC One
2004	|	Actor (as Tony Blair)	–
2006	|	Guest	BBC One
2006	|	Guest	Channel 4
2007	|	'Young' Patrick Moore	BBC One
2007	|	Various	BBC One
2007	|	Guest	BBC Two
2008	|	Voice	ITV
2008	|	Guest	BBC One
2008	|	Voice	–
2008–present	|	Voice (Guest)	CBBC / BBC One
2009	|	Starring	BBC One
2010	|	Guest	Channel 4
2011	|	Guest	BBC One
2012	|	Guest	BBC Two

References

External links

Alter Ego.

Article in ''The Stage''

BBC Dead Ringers.

Honorary fellowship

Viking FM photo

Audio clips

Prank call.

The Time Lord contacts terrestrial organisations by telephone.

Voice over work.

Viking FM jingle

Talking about his work on ''Dead Ringers''.

Interviewed on Radio Lancashire in July 2006

Helping out with Budget 2005 on Radio Five Live

''Would You'' featuring celebrity vocals

Talking on Danny Baker's programme.

This is the Radio Four News with Brian Perkins.

Are you sitting comfortably? It's time for Dead Ringers to begin.

Video clips

Receiving his honorary degree in Preston (YouTube)

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:British impressionists (entertainers) Category:English comedians Category:Fame Academy participants Category:People from Ormskirk