non-profit name	Conservation International
non-profit logo
founded date	1987
founder	Spencer Beebe, Peter Seligmann
location
key people	Peter A. Seligmann, Chairman of the board and chief executive officer; Rob Walton, chairman of the executive committee; Russell A. Mittermeier, president; Niels Crone, chief operating officer
product	Global Conservation Fund
focus	Save species, Conserve landscapes and seascapes, Empower local communities, Promote sustainability
revenue	2009: $ 116,078,000; 2008: $ 232,933,000
num employees	900
homepage	http://www.conservation.org
footnotes	}}

Conservation International (CI) is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, which seeks to ensure the health of humanity by protecting Earth's ecosystems and biodiversity. CI’s work focuses on six key initiatives that affect human well-being: climate, food security, freshwater security, health, cultural services and species contribution. The group is also known for its partnerships with local non-governmental organizations and indigenous peoples.

CI was founded in 1987 by Spencer Beebe and Peter Seligmann and now has a staff of more than 900 employees. Its work occurs in more than 45 countries, primarily in developing countries in Africa and Madagascar, Asia-Pacific, and the Central and South American rainforests.

Mission statement

''Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership, and field demonstration, Conservation International empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature for the well-being of humanity.''

Administration

Renowned primatologist, herpetologist and wildlife conservationist Russell A. Mittermeier has served as Conservation International's president since 1989. Peter Seligmann is chairman and CEO.

Its board of directors includes prominent names such as Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, actor Harrison Ford, Queen Noor of Jordan, former Starbucks CEO Orin Smith, author Dr. Jared Diamond, President of Botswana Ian Khama, Rob Walton of Wal-Mart, and HRH Prince Charles.

Board of Directors

Directors

Peter A. Seligmann, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer - Conservation International

Rob Walton, Chairman of the Board, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Bentonville, Arkansas

Vice-chairs

Mark L. Feldman, President and Chief Executive Officer, L&L; Manufacturing Company, Los Angeles, California

Harrison Ford, Actor, Los Angeles, California

Nicholas J. Pritzker, Chairman Global Development Network Hyatt Hotels, Chicago, Illinois

Board members

Roger Altman, Founder and Chairman, Evercore Partners, New York, New York

Henry H. Arnhold, Chairman of the Board, Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder, New York, New York

Skip Brittenham, Senior Partner, Ziffren Brittenham LLP, Los Angeles, California

Wes Bush, President and CEO, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Los Angeles, California

Paula Hannaway Crown, Principal, Henry Crown and Company, Chicago, Illinois

Jared Diamond, Ph.D., Professor, Geography and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles California

David Ellison, President, Skydance Productions, Santa Monica, California

André Esteves, CEO, Banco BTG Pactual S/A, São Paulo, Brazil

Robert J. Fisher, Director, Gap, Inc., San Francisco, California

Ann Friedman, Teacher, Bethesda, Maryland

Jeff Gale, Gale Force Studios, Las Vegas, Nevada

Judson Green, Vice Chairman, NAVTEQ Corporation, Chicago, Illinois

Richard Haass, Ph.D., President, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, New York

Laurene Powell Jobs, Founder and Board Chair, College Track, Palo Alto, California

H. Fisk Johnson, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, S.C. Johnson & Sons, Inc.

Racine, Wisconsin, The Honorable Alexander Karsner, CEO and Founder, Manifest Energy, LLC, Washington, District of Columbia

President S.K. Ian Khama, Republic of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

Heidi Miller, President of International JPMorgan Chase, New York, New York

Kris Moore, Conservationist, Los Altos Hills, California

Gordon Moore, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Intel Corporation, Woodside, California

Claire Perry, Ph.D., Guest Curator, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, District of Columbia

Stewart A. Resnick, Chairman of the Board, Roll International Corporation, Los Angeles, California

Story Clark Resor, Consultant, Wilson, Wyoming

Jean-Michel Severino, Chair, French Partnership for Water, Paris, France

Kenneth F. Siebel, Chairman of the Board, Private Wealth Partners, LLC, Larkspur, California

Orin Smith, Chief Executive Officer (retired), Starbucks Coffee Company, Seattle, Washington

John F. Swift, Conservationist, Cayucos, California

Dr. Enki Tan, Executive Director, GITI Group, Singapore, Singapore

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Executive Director Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for Policy and Research Education), Baguio, Philippines

Ray R. Thurston, Retired CEO, UPS Logistics Group, Jackson, Wyoming

Byron Trott, Managing Partner, BDT Capital Partners, Chicago, Illinois

Megaron Txucarramae, Kayapó Grand Chief and Director, Colider Regional FUNAI Administration, Colider, Brazil

William Wrigley, Jr., Wrigley Management Inc., Chicago, Illinois, Tamsen Ann Ziff, Ziff Brothers Investments, New York, New York

Initiatives

Climate

Within global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, CI’s niche focuses on the role that intact natural ecosystems can play in lessening climate change impacts and helping communities and species adapt to its effects that are already set in motion. The organization’s current focus is slowing the destruction of the world’s tropical forests, which is a key contributor to climate change. CI is currently working with governments and communities in tropical countries like Madagascar, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo to establish field demonstration sites for REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, “plus” conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks), which give people financial incentives to keep their forests standing. Representatives from CI’s climate team attend major climate change conferences (such as the UNFCCC meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009) to advise national governments and advocate for adequate funding for ecosystem protection in international climate change legislation.

Food

CI’s food security work aims to restore and maintain natural ecosystems that underpin food systems, from fisheries to subsistence farms to coffee plantations. CI’s Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network is expanding its role in the agricultural sector, documenting biodiversity and ecosystem trends in more than 10 tropical sites around the world and making recommendations for sustainable agriculture and other kinds of development.

Fresh Water

In order to sustain freshwater ecosystems and the benefits they provide for humans and species worldwide, CI is working with partners to set global, science-based priorities for freshwater conservation, implement management and protection of key resources to benefit both human communities and freshwater biodiversity, and promote innovative policies for governments and markets.

Health Recognizing the benefits that intact ecosystems have for human health– from the role of biodiversity in the search for disease cures to the provision of healthy resources like food and fresh water – CI is working to communicate this knowledge to the policy makers, industries and people who can work in partnership with CI to maintain wild landscapes essential to human health.

Cultural services

CI’s Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Program helps groups like the Wai Wai people of Guyana, Kayapó in Brazil gain tenure of their land and representation in local development decisions. The 2009 establishment of the Indigenous Advisory Group (IAG) created a forum where indigenous representatives from six countries can exchange ideas, particularly around the issue of climate change.

Biodiversity

Species conservation is a key element of CI’s work – not only for their value as the building blocks of healthy natural ecosystems, but also for the as-yet-unknown benefits that these species may have for humanity, such as aiding in the development of medicines to fight life-threatening diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer. CI is a founding member of the Alliance for Global Conservation, a multi-organizational partnership dedicated to supporting the involvement of the United States in international actions to curb the extinction crisis.

By conducting Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) surveys in remote and vulnerable ecosystems around the world, over the years CI and its partners have discovered and documented hundreds of species new to science. Many of these discoveries have led to the establishment of new protected areas and other enhanced conservation efforts for local species.

In a 2005 RAP survey, scientists reported they had discovered 52 new species (including 24 new types of fish). Among these, they found (and photographed) a bottom-dweller shark that walks on its fins as well as a praying mantis-like shrimp, while exploring a region of water near Indonesia's Papua province (known as the Bird's Head Seascape or Asia's Coral Triangle).

In December 2005, as part of the organization's Rapid Assessment Program (RAP), scientists from Conservation International surveyed a previously unexplored area of the Foja Mountains in Papua, Indonesia. They found 20 previously unknown frog species, four new butterflies, five new palms and a new species of honeyeater bird. The researchers also found the golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo—a species not previously known to live in Indonesia, and hunted nearly to extinction elsewhere—and took the first photographs of Berlepsch's six-wired bird of paradise. The area was so isolated that many of the animals they found had no fear of humans. Conservation International's findings were widely reported throughout the world in February 2006 including Nightline, The NBC Nightly News, and the New York Times.

Partnerships

Governments CI works closely with state and national governments around the world to develop new green economic development models which emphasize economic growth through conservation and sustainable management rather than destruction.

Businesses CI’s Center for Environmental Leadership in Business (CELB) works with corporations – including Starbucks, Walmart, Dell and Office Depot – to help them green their supply chains and reduce their environmental footprint.

Non-governmental Organizations CI regularly partners with other conservation and development-centered organizations like the Earth Economics, World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, IUCN and thousands of others around the world. CI also serves as a lead member of multiple funds designed to expand protected areas and protect species, including the Global Conservation Fund (GCF) and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).

See also

Tropical rainforest

Temperate rainforest

Old Growth Forest

Natural environment

Environmentalism

Christopher Margules

Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance

References

External links

Conservation International - Official site

Global Symposium 2006 Madagascar

Defying Ocean's End, A Conservation International led Agenda for Action in ocean conservation

Charity Navigator Evaluation by America's premier independent charity evaluator

Youtube video Al Gore explaining the need for more action on climate change

Deep Sea Conservation Coalition - A union of 60+ international organizations working towards biodiversity conservation on the high seas.

Reserva Ecologica Pachijal - A Conservation effort in the Cloudforest of Mindo-Ecuador

Category:Conservation organizations based in the United States Category:Scientific societies Category:Environmental organizations based in the United States Category:Educational organizations based in the United States Category:Organizations established in 1987

de:Conservation International eo:Naturprotekto Internacie fr:Conservation International id:Conservation International nl:Conservation International pl:Conservation International pt:Conservação Internacional ru:Международное общество сохранения природы vi:Tổ chức Bảo tồn Quốc tế zh:保護國際

Name	Sir Richard Branson
Title	Sir
Birth name	Richard Charles Nicholas Branson
Birth date	July 18, 1950
Birth place	Blackheath, London, England, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Residence	London, England
Occupation	Chairman of Virgin Group
Years active	1966–present
Networth	US$4.2 billion (2011)
Spouse	(divorced)
Children	2 daughters (1 deceased), 1 son }}

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of over 400 companies.

His first successful business venture was a magazine called ''Student'' at age 16. In 1970, he set up an audio record mail-order business. In 1972, he opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records, later known as Virgin Megastores. Branson's Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s—as he set up Virgin Atlantic Airways and expanded the Virgin Records music label.

Richard Branson is the 5th richest person in the United Kingdom and 254th in the world according to Forbes' 2011 list of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of approximately £2.58 billion (US$4.2 billion).

Early life

Branson was born in Blackheath, London, the son and eldest child of barrister Edward James Branson (10 March 1918 - 19 March 2011) His grandfather, the Right Honourable Sir George Arthur Harwin Branson, was a judge of the High Court of Justice and a Privy Councillor. Branson was educated at Scaitcliffe School (now Bishopsgate School) until the age of thirteen. He then attended Stowe School until the age of sixteen. Branson has dyslexia and had poor academic performance as a student, but later discovered his ability to connect with others.

Career

Record business

Branson started his record business from the crypt of a church where he ran The Student. Branson advertised popular records in The Student Magazine and it was an over night success. Trading under the name "Virgin", he sold records for considerably less than the "High Street" outlets, especially the chain W. H. Smith. The name "Virgin" was suggested by one of Branson's early employees because they were all new at business. At the time, many products were sold under restrictive marketing agreements that limited discounting, despite efforts in the 1950s and 1960s to limit so-called resale price maintenance. In effect, Branson began the series of changes that led to large-scale discounting of recorded music.

Branson eventually started a record shop in Oxford Street in London. In 1971, Branson was questioned in connection with the selling of records in Virgin stores that had been declared export stock. The matter was never brought before a court and Branson agreed to repay any unpaid tax and a fine. Branson's mother Eve re-mortgaged the family home to help pay the settlement.

Earning enough money from his record store, Branson in 1972 launched the record label Virgin Records with Nik Powell and bought a country estate, in which he installed a recording studio. He leased out studio time to fledgling artists, including multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield, whose debut album ''Tubular Bells'' (1973) was Virgin Records' first release and a chart-topping best-seller.

Virgin signed such controversial bands as the Sex Pistols, which other companies were reluctant to sign. It also won praise for exposing the public to such obscure avant-garde music as Faust and Can. Virgin Records also introduced Culture Club to the music world. In the early 1980s, Virgin purchased the gay nightclub Heaven. In 1991, in a consortium with David Frost, Richard Branson had made the unsuccessful bid for three ITV franchisees under the CPV-TV name. The early 1980s also saw his only attempt as a producer—on the novelty record "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", by Singing Sheep in association with Doug McLean and Grace McDonald. The recording was a series of sheep baaing along to a drum machine produced track and even made the charts at number 42 in 1982.

In 1992, to keep his airline company afloat, Branson sold the Virgin label to EMI for £500 million. Branson says that he wept when the sale was completed since the record business had been the birth of the Virgin Empire. He later formed V2 Records to re-enter the music business.

Business ventures

Branson formed Virgin Atlantic Airways in 1984, launched Virgin Mobile in 1999, Virgin Blue in Australia (now named Virgin Australia) in 2000. He was 9th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2006, worth just over £3 billion. Branson wrote in his autobiography of the decision to start an airline:

Another quote from him: "For me business is not about wearing suits, or keeping stockholders pleased. It's about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials"

In 1993, Branson took what many saw as being one of his riskier business exploits by entering into the railway business. Virgin Trains won the franchises for the former Intercity West Coast and Cross-Country sectors of British Rail.

Virgin acquired European short-haul airline Euro Belgian Airlines in 1996 and renamed it Virgin Express. In 2006, the airline was merged with SN Brussels Airlines forming Brussels Airlines. It also started a national airline based in Nigeria, called Virgin Nigeria. Another airline, Virgin America, began flying out of San Francisco International Airport in August 2007. Branson has also developed a Virgin Cola brand and even a Virgin Vodka brand, which has not been a very successful enterprise. As a consequence of these lacklustre performers, the satirical British fortnightly magazine ''Private Eye'' has been critical of Branson and his companies (see ''Private Eye'' image caption).

After the so-called campaign of "dirty tricks", British Airways settled the case, giving £500,000 to Branson and a further £110,000 to his airline and had to pay legal fees of up to £3 million. Branson divided his compensation (the so-called "BA bonus") among his staff.

On 25 September 2004, Branson announced the signing of a deal under which a new space tourism company, Virgin Galactic, will license the technology behind Spaceship One—funded by Microsoft co-Founder Paul Allen and designed by legendary American aeronautical engineer and visionary Burt Rutan—to take paying passengers into suborbital space. Virgin Galactic (wholly owned by Virgin Group) plans to make flights available to the public with tickets priced at US$200,000 using Scaled Composites White Knight Two.

Branson's next venture with the Virgin group is Virgin Fuels, which is set to respond to global warming and exploit the recent spike in fuel costs by offering a revolutionary, cheaper fuel for automobiles and, in the near future, aircraft. Branson has stated that he was formerly a global warming sceptic and was influenced in his decision by a breakfast meeting with Al Gore.

Branson has been tagged as a "transformational leader" in the management lexicon, with his maverick strategies and his stress on the Virgin Group as an organisation driven on informality and information, one that is bottom-heavy rather than strangled by top-level management.

On 21 September 2006, Branson pledged to invest the profits of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains in research for environmentally friendly fuels. The investment is estimated to be worth $3 billion.

On 4 July 2006, Branson sold his Virgin Mobile company to UK cable TV, broadband, and telephone company NTL/NTL:Telewest for almost £1 billion. As part of the sale, the company pays a minimum of £8.5 million per year to use the Virgin name and Branson became the company's largest shareholder. The new company was launched with much fanfare and publicity on 8 February 2007, under the name Virgin Media. The decision to merge his Virgin Media Company with NTL was in order to integrate both of the companies' compatible parts of commerce. Branson used to own three quarters of Virgin Mobile, whereas now he owns 15 percent of the new Virgin Media company.

In 2006, Branson formed Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation, an entertainment company focussed on creating new stories and characters for a global audience. The company was founded with author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and entrepreneurs Sharad Devarajan and Gotham Chopra.

Branson also launched the Virgin Health Bank on 1 February 2007, offering parents-to-be the opportunity to store their baby's umbilical cord blood stem cells in private and public stem cell banks.

In June 2006, a tip-off from Virgin Atlantic led US and UK competition authorities to investigate price-fixing attempts between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. In August 2007, British Airways was fined £271 million over the allegations. Virgin Atlantic was given immunity for tipping off the authorities and received no fine—a controversial decision the Office of Fair Trading defended as being in the public interest.

On 9 February 2007, Branson announced the setting up of a new Global science and technology prize—The Virgin Earth Challenge—in the belief that history has shown that prizes of this nature encourage technological advancements for the good of mankind. The Virgin Earth Challenge will award $25 million to the individual or group who are able to demonstrate a commercially viable design which will result in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least ten years without countervailing harmful effects. This removal must have long-term effects and contribute materially to the stability of the Earth's climate.

Branson also announced that he would be joined in the adjudication of the Prize by a panel of five judges, all world authorities in their respective fields: Al Gore, Sir Crispin Tickell, Tim Flannery, James E. Hansen, and James Lovelock. The panel of judges will be assisted in their deliberations by The Climate Group and Special Advisor to The Virgin Earth Prize Judges, Steve Howard.

Richard Branson got involved with football when he sponsored Nuneaton Borough for their January 2006 FA Cup 3rd round game against Middlesbrough. The game ended 1–1, and the Virgin brand was also on Nuneaton Borough's shirts for the replay which they eventually lost 2–5.

In August 2007, Branson announced that he bought a 20 percent stake in Malaysia's AirAsia X.

On 13 October 2007, Branson's Virgin Group sought to add Northern Rock to its empire after submitting an offer that would result in Branson personally owning 30% of the company, changing the company's name from Northern Rock to Virgin Money. The Daily Mail ran a campaign against his bid and Liberal Democrats' financial spokesperson Vince Cable suggested in the House of Commons that Branson's criminal conviction for tax evasion might be felt by some as a good enough reason not to trust him with public money .

On 10 January 2008, Branson's Virgin Healthcare announced that it would open a chain of health care clinics that would offer conventional medical care alongside homoeopathic and complementary therapies. The ''Financial Times'' reported that Ben Bradshaw, UK's health minister, welcomed the launch. "I am pleased that Virgin Healthcare is proposing to work with GPs to help develop more integrated services for patients."

Plans where GPs could be paid for referring National Health Service (NHS) patients to private Virgin services were abandoned in June 2008. The BMA warned the plan would "damage clinical objectivity", there would be a financial incentive for GPs to push patients towards the Virgin services at the centre. Plans to take over an NHS Practice in Swindon were subsequently abandoned in late September 2008.

In February 2009, Branson's Virgin organisation were reported as bidding to buy the former Honda Formula One team. Branson later stated an interest in Formula One but claimed that, before the Virgin brand became involved with Honda or any other team, Formula One would have to develop a more economically efficient and environmentally responsible image. At the start of the 2009 formula one season on 28 March, it was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the new Brawn GP team., with discussions also under way about introducing a less "dirty" fuel in the medium term. After the end of the season and the subsequent purchase of Brawn GP by Mercedes, Branson invested in an 80% buyout of Manor Grand Prix with the team being renamed to Virgin Racing.

Branson and Tony Fernandes, owner of Air Asia and Lotus F1 Racing, had a bet for the 2010 F1 season where the team's boss should work on the winner's airline for a day dressed as a stewardess. Fernandes escaped as the winner of the bet, as Lotus Racing ended 10th in the championship, while Virgin Racing ended 12th and last.

Branson's Ninety Acres Culinary Center in New Jersey will open in December 2009 with a restaurant run by chef David Felton, cooking school, wine school and working farm. The culinary center is the first phase to turn Natirar, the King of Morocco’s former estate, into a luxury resort, spa and culinary center.

In 2010 Richard Branson became patron of the UK's Gordon Bennett 2010 gas balloon race, which has 16 hydrogen balloons flying across Europe.

In April 2010 Branson described the closure of large parts of European airspace owing to volcanic ash as "beyond a joke". Scientists later concluded that serious structural damage to aircraft could have occurred if passenger planes had continued to fly.

World record attempts

Richard Branson made several world record-breaking attempts after 1985, when in the spirit of the Blue Riband he attempted the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing. His first attempt in the "Virgin Atlantic Challenger" led to the boat capsizing in British waters and a rescue by RAF helicopter, which received wide media coverage. Some newspapers called for Branson to reimburse the government for the rescue cost. In 1986, in his "Virgin Atlantic Challenger II", with sailing expert Daniel McCarthy, he beat the record by two hours. A year later his hot air balloon "Virgin Atlantic Flyer" crossed the Atlantic. With its , this was the largest hot-air balloon, and the first to cross the Atlantic.

In January 1991, Branson crossed the Pacific from Japan to Arctic Canada, , in a balloon of . This broke the record, with a speed of .

Between 1995 and 1998 Branson, Per Lindstrand and Steve Fossett made attempts to circumnavigate the globe by balloon. In late 1998 they made a record-breaking flight from Morocco to Hawaii but were unable to complete a global flight before Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones in ''Breitling Orbiter 3'' in March 1999.

In March 2004, Branson set a record by travelling from Dover to Calais in a Gibbs Aquada in 1 hour, 40 minutes and 6 seconds, the fastest crossing of the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle. The previous record of six hours was set by two Frenchmen. The cast of ''Top Gear'', Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, attempted to break this record in an amphibious vehicle which they had constructed and, while successfully crossing the channel, did not break Branson's record.

In September 2008 Branson and his children made an unsuccessful attempt at an Eastbound record crossing of the Atlantic ocean under sail in the sloop ''Virgin Money''. The boat, also known as ''Speedboat'', is owned by NYYC member Alex Jackson, who was a co-skipper on this passage, with Branson and Mike Sanderson. After 2 days, 4 hours, winds of force 7 to 9 (strong gale), and seas of , a 'monster wave' destroyed the spinnaker, washed a ten-man life raft overboard and severely ripped the mainsail. She eventually continued to St. George's, Bermuda. In March 2010 Richard tried for the world record of putting a round of golf in the dark at the Black Light Mini Golf in The Docklands, Melbourne, Australia. He succeeded in getting 41 on the par 45 course.

Television, film, and print

Branson has guest starred, usually playing himself, on several television shows, including ''Friends'', ''Baywatch'', ''Birds of a Feather'', ''Only Fools and Horses'', ''The Day Today'', a special episode of the comedy ''Goodness Gracious Me'' and ''Tripping Over''. Branson made several appearances during the nineties on the BBC Saturday morning show ''Live & Kicking'', where he was referred to as 'the pickle man' by comedy act Trev and Simon (in reference to Branston Pickle). Branson also appears in a cameo early in XTC's "Generals and Majors" video.

He was also the star of a reality television show on Fox called ''The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best'' (2004), in which sixteen contestants were tested for their entrepreneurship and sense of adventure. It did not succeed as a rival show to Donald Trump's ''The Apprentice'' and only lasted one season.

His high public profile often leaves him open as a figure of satire—the 2000 AD series ''Zenith'' features a parody of Branson as a super villain, as the comic's publisher and favoured distributor and the Virgin group were in competition at the time. He is also caricatured in ''The Simpsons'' episode "Monty Can't Buy Me Love" as the tycoon Arthur Fortune, and as the ballooning megalomaniac Richard Chutney (a pun on Branson, as in Branston Pickle) in ''Believe Nothing''. The character Grandson Richard 39 in Terry Pratchett's Wings is modelled on Branson.

He has a cameo appearance in several films: ''Around the World in 80 Days (2004)'', where he played a hot-air balloon operator; ''Superman Returns'', where he was credited as a 'Shuttle Engineer' and appeared alongside his son, Sam, with a Virgin Galactic-style commercial suborbital shuttle at the centre of his storyline. He also has a cameo in the James Bond film ''Casino Royale''. Here, he is seen as a passenger going through Miami Airport security check-in and being frisked – several Virgin Atlantic planes appear soon after. British Airways edited out Branson's cameo in their in-flight screening of the movie.

He makes a number of brief and disjointed appearances in the cult classic documentary ''Derek and Clive Get the Horn'' which follows the exploits of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore recording their last comedy album. Branson and his mother were also featured in the documentary film, ''Lemonade Stories.'' In early 2006 on ''Rove Live'', Rove McManus and Sir Richard pushed each other into a swimming pool fully clothed live on TV during a "Live at your house" episode.

Branson is a ''Star Trek'' fan and named his new spaceship VSS ''Enterprise'' in honour of the famous ''Star Trek'' ships, and in 2006, offered actor William Shatner a free ride on the inaugural space launch of Virgin Galactic. In an interview in Time magazine, 10 August 2009, Shatner claims that Branson approached him asking how much he would pay for a ride on the spaceship. In response, Shatner asked "how much would you pay ''me'' to do it?"

In August 2007, Branson announced on ''The Colbert Report'' that he had named a new aircraft Air Colbert. He later doused political satirist and talk show host Stephen Colbert with water from his mug. Branson subsequently took a retaliatory splash from Colbert. The interview quickly ended, with both laughing as shown on the episode aired on Comedy Central on 22 August 2007. The interview was promoted on ''The Report'' as the ''Colbert-Branson Interview Trainwreck''. Branson then made a cameo appearance on The Soup playing an intern working under Joel McHale who had been warned against getting into water fights with Stephen Colbert, and being subsequently fired.

In March 2008 he launched Virgin Mobile in India and during that period, he even played a cameo performance in Bollywood film, London Dreams.

In July 2010, Branson narrated Australian sailor Jessica Watson's documentary about her solo sailing trip around the world. It premiered on ONEHD on 16 August 2010.

In April 2011 Branson appeared on CNN's Mainsail with Kate Winslet. Together they reenacted a famous scene from the 1997 film Titanic for the cameras.

Activism

Humanitarian initiatives

In the late 1990s, Branson and musician Peter Gabriel discussed with Nelson Mandela their idea of a small, dedicated group of leaders, working objectively and without any vested personal interest to solve difficult global conflicts.

On 18 July 2007, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nelson Mandela announced the formation of a new group, The Elders, in a speech he delivered on the occasion of his 89th birthday. The founding members of this group are Desmond Tutu, Graça Machel, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Li Zhaoxing, Mary Robinson, and Muhammad Yunus. The Elders is independently funded by a group of "Founders", including Branson and Gabriel.

Desmond Tutu serves as the chair of The Elders—who will use their collective skills to catalyse peaceful resolutions to long-standing conflicts, articulate new approaches to global issues that are causing or may cause immense human suffering, and share wisdom by helping to connect voices all over the world. They will work together over the next several months to carefully consider which specific issues they will approach.

Branson's other work in South Africa includes the Branson School of Entrepreneurship, set up in 2005 as a partnership between Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of Virgin, and entrepreneur Taddy Bletcher, the founder of CIDA City Campus, a university in Johannesburg. The school aims to improve economic growth in South Africa by supporting start-ups and micro-enterprises with skills, mentors, services, networks and finance arrangements. Fundraising activity to support the school is notably achieved by the Sunday Times Fast Track 100, sponsored by Virgin Group, at its yearly event, where places to join Richard Branson on trips to South Africa to provide coaching and mentoring to students are auctioned to attendees. In 2009, Jason Luckhurst and Boyd Kershaw of Practicus, Martin Ainscough of the Ainscough Group and Matthew Riley of Daisy Communications helped raise £150,000 through the auction.

In September 2007, Richard Branson chaired the jury of the first Picnic Green Challenge, a €500,000 award for best new green initiative, set up by the Dutch "Postcode Loterij" (postcode lottery) and the PICNIC Network of creative professionals. The first Green Challenge was won by Qurrent with the Qbox.

Branson was the first celebrity guest for the popular charity fund raisers, Reserve Dinners, raising over $75,000 in one evening towards his Virgin Unite charity.

In March 2008, Richard Branson hosted an environmental gathering at his private island, Necker Island, in the Caribbean with several prominent entrepreneurs, celebrities, and world leaders. They discussed global warming-related problems facing the world, hoping that this meeting will be a precursor to many more future discussions regarding similar problems. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, and Larry Page of Google were in attendance.

Branson has been very supportive of Kenya during its troubles, and in May 2008 had gone to Masai Mara to open a new school (Sekenani Primary School) which has also been partly funded by Virgin Atlantic frequent flyers who volunteered their time to help with the construction. A documentary of the experience was directed by Carolyn Scott-Hamilton and filmed by David Collupy.

On 8 May 2009, Branson took over Mia Farrow's hunger strike in protest of the Sudanese government expulsion of aid groups from the Darfur region. He concluded his scheduled 3-day fast on 11 May. Later that year, he joined the project ''Soldiers of Peace'', a movie against all wars and for a global peace.

Richard Branson is a signatory of Global Zero (campaign), a non-profit international initiative for the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide. Since its launch in Paris in December 2008, Global Zero (campaign) has grown to 300 leaders, including current and former heads of state, national security officials and military commanders, and 400,000 citizens worldwide; developed a practical step-by-step plan to eliminate nuclear weapons; launched an international student campaign with 75 campus chapters in eight countries; and produced an acclaimed documentary film, Countdown to Zero, in partnership with Lawrence Bender and Participant Media.

Since 2010, Branson has served as a Commissioner on the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, a UN initiative which promotes universal access to broadband services.

In 2011, Branson served on the Global Commission on Drug Policy with former political and cultural leaders of Latin America and elsewhere, "in a bid to boost the effort to achieve more humane and rational drug laws."

Politics

In the 1980s, he was briefly given the post of "litter Tsar" by Margaret Thatcher—charged with "keeping Britain tidy". He was again seen as close to the government when the Labour Party came to power in 1997. In 2005 he declared that there were only negligible differences between the two main parties on economic matters. He has frequently been mentioned as a candidate for Mayor of London, and polls have suggested he would be a viable candidate, though he has yet to express interest.

Business practices

Branson's business empire is owned by a complicated series of offshore trusts and companies. ''The Sunday Times'' stated that his wealth is calculated at £3.065 billion; if he were to retire to his Caribbean island and liquidate all of this he would pay relatively little in tax.

Honours and awards

In 1993, Branson was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Technology from Loughborough University.

In the New Years Honours list dated 30 December 1999, HM The Queen signified her intention to confer the honour of Knight Bachelor on him for his "services to entrepreneurship". He was knighted by HRH The Prince of Wales on 30 March 2000 at an investiture in Buckingham Palace.

Also, in 2000, Branson received the 'Tony Jannus Award' for his accomplishments in commercial air transportation.

Branson is the patron of several charities, including the International Rescue Corps and Prisoners Abroad, a registered charity which supports Britons who are detained outside of the UK.

Branson appears at No. 85 on the 2002 list of "100 Greatest Britons" (sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public). Sir Richard also ranks No. 86 on Channel 4's 2003 list of "100 Worst Britons". Sir Richard was also ranked in 2007's ''Time Magazine'' "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World". In 2009, Branson was voted the UK's "Celebrity Dream Boss" in an opinion poll by Cancer Research UK.

On 7 December 2007, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon presented Branson with the United Nations Correspondents Association Citizen of the World Award for his support for environmental and humanitarian causes.

On 24 January 2011 Branson has been awarded the German Media Prize (organised by "Media Control Charts" ), previously handed to former U.S. president Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama.

Personal life

Branson is the eldest of four siblings. He has two sisters, Andrea and Vanessa Branson. His brother, Tom, followed in their father's footsteps and became a barrister. Branson's poor academic records contrasted with excellent performance in sports, especially swimming.

With his wife Joan Templeman he has a daughter Holly (b. 1981) and son Sam (b. 1985). He stated in an interview with Piers Morgan that he and wife Joan had a daughter named Clare Sarah who died when she was just four days old in 1979. The couple wed—at their daughter Holly's suggestion when she was eight years old—in 1989 at Necker Island, a island in the British Virgin Islands that Branson owns. He also owns land on the Caribbean Islands of Antigua and Barbuda. Holly Branson is now a doctor and is a keen supporter of the football team Oxford United.

In 1998, Branson released his autobiography, titled ''Losing My Virginity'', an international bestseller.

Branson was deeply saddened by the disappearance of fellow adventurer Steve Fossett in September 2007; and, the following month, he wrote an article for ''Time'' magazine, titled "My Friend, Steve Fossett".

Influences

Branson has stated in a number of interviews that he derives much influence from non-fiction books. He most commonly names Nelson Mandela's autobiography, ''Long Walk to Freedom'', explaining that Mandela is "one of the most inspiring men I have ever met and had the honour to call my friend." Owing to his interest in humanitarian and ecological issues, Branson also lists Al Gore's best-selling book, ''An Inconvenient Truth'' and ''The Revenge of Gaia'' by James Lovelock amongst his favourites. According to Branson's own book, ''Screw It, Let's do It. Lessons in Life'', he is also a huge fan of works by Jung Chang.

See also

Virgin Group

Virgin Earth Challenge

List of Richard Branson's business ventures

Notes

References

Branson, Richard. ''Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, And Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way'', 1999, Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-8129-3229-3

Branson, Richard. ''Losing My Virginity'', Revised Edition First Published in Great Britain by Virgin Books Limited, London, 2002

Branson, Sir Richard and Prescott, Colin. ''To the Edge of Space: The Adventures of a Balloonist'', 2000, Box tree. ISBN 0-7522-1865-4

Branson, Sir Richard. ''Sir Richard Branson, the Autobiography'', 2002, Longman. ISBN 0-582-51224-7

Branson, Sir Richard. ''Losing my virginity: The autobiography'', 2005, ISBN 0-7535-1020-0

Bower, Tom. ''Branson'', 2001, ISBN 1-84115-400-8

Branson, Sir Richard. ''Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons in Life'', 2006, ISBN 0-7535-1099-5

Branson, Sir Richard. ''Screw It, Let's Do It Expanded: Lessons in Life and Business'', 2007, ISBN 0-7535-1149-7

Specter, Michael. Branson's Luck". ''The New Yorker'', 14 May 2007, pp. 114–25.

Bibliography

External links

Virgin Group Website

"Richard Branson's Page" on virgin.com

"Richard Branson's Blog" on virgin.com

"Richard Branson's autobiography" on virgin.com

PICNIC Green Challenge

Richard Branson and Kate Winslet do classic Titanic scene.

Richard Branson's Interview on India Infoline

Richard Branson's Virgin Success

Gonzo Way of Branding Fast Company magazine article on Sir Richard Branson

Lemonade Stories, a documentary film featuring Richard Branson and his mother, Eve Branson.

Profile on BBC News dated 27 September 2004

Interview on BBC World Service 24 November 2006

Video of Richard Branson speaking at the ''2007 Aspen Ideas Festival'', 5 July 2007

Branson Interview on ''The Hour'' with George Stroumboulopoulos, 27 June 2008

Richard Branson at Random House Australia

One of 2010 most influential tycoons

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Richard Branson

Global Zero

Richard Branson at Global Zero

Category:1950 births Category:British billionaires Category:British music industry executives Category:Britannia Trophy winners Category:English aviators Category:English balloonists Category:English businesspeople Category:Formula One people Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Living people Category:Old Stoics Category:People from Blackheath, London Category:Segrave Trophy recipients Category:Virgin Group

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name	Jack Black
background	solo_singer
birth name	Thomas Jacob Black
alias	Jables, JB
birth date	August 28, 1969
birth place	Santa Monica, California, US
instrument	Vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboard
genre	Rock, comedy rock, hard rock, heavy metal, acoustic rock
occupation	Musician, songwriter, actor, comedian
years active	1991–present
label	Epic, Sony BMG
associated acts	Tenacious D, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Probot, Foo Fighters, Meat Loaf
website	www.tenaciousd.com
notable instruments	}}

Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American comedian, actor and musician. He makes up one half of the comedy and satirical rock duo Tenacious D. The group has two albums as well as a television series and a film. His acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but internally self-conscious outsiders in comedy films. He was a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedians who have appeared together in several Hollywood films, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe award. He has also won an MTV Movie Award, and a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award. He also hosted the 2011 Kids Choice Awards.

Early life

Black was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of two satellite engineers, Judith (née Cohen), who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, and Thomas William Black. Black's mother is Jewish and his father converted to Judaism. On ''The Tonight Show'', he said his surname may have come from the occupational name Blacksmith. Black's parents divorced when he was 10; Black moved to Culver City with his father and frequently visited his mother’s home. As a child, Black appeared in a commercial for the Activision game ''Pitfall!'' in 1982, which was later shown during an appearance on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live'' and again on ''The Tonight Show with Conan O' Brien''. When Black entered high school, his parents enrolled him at the Poseidon School, a private secondary school engineered specifically for students struggling in the traditional school system. Black also attended the Crossroads School, where he excelled in drama. He later attended UCLA but dropped out during his sophomore year to pursue a career in entertainment, at which point his father discontinued his financial support. Fellow UCLA alumnus Tim Robbins later cast Black in ''Bob Roberts''. He also had recurring roles on the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show''.

Career

Acting career

Black's acting career began with prime time television. He played roles on shows including ''Life Goes On'', ''Northern Exposure'', ''Mr. Show'', ''Picket Fences'', and ''The X-Files''. Black appeared in the unaired TV pilot ''Heat Vision and Jack'', directed by Ben Stiller, in which he played an ex-astronaut pursued by actor Ron Silver. He was accompanied by his friend who had merged with a motorcycle, voiced by Owen Wilson.

Black later took on small roles in ''Airborne'', ''Demolition Man'', ''Waterworld'', ''The Fan'', ''Mars Attacks!'', Tim Robbins' ''Dead Man Walking'', and others. He had a small role in ''True Romance'' as a security guard, but the scene was deleted. In 2000, he appeared in ''High Fidelity'' as a wild employee in John Cusack's record store, a role Black considers his breakout.

His career soon led to leading roles in films such as ''Shallow Hal'', ''The School of Rock'', ''Nacho Libre'', ''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny'', ''King Kong'', ''Year One'' and ''Gulliver's Travels''. His next film, ''The Big Year'', a competitive birdwatching comedy co-starring Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and JoBeth Williams is set for release in October 2011. He is referred to in the media as a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedy actors who frequently work together, which also includes Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell.

He guest-starred on ''The Office'' along with Cloris Leachman, Jessica Alba, and Steve Carell in a movie within the show. He also guest-starred in iCarly, in the episode ''iStart a Fan War''.

Black has appeared numerous times on the "untelevised TV network" short film festival Channel101, starring in the shows ''Computerman'', ''Timebelt'', and ''Laserfart''. He also provided an introduction for the unaired sketch comedy ''Awesometown'', donning a Colonial-era military uniform. In the introduction, he claims to be George Washington (and takes credit for the accomplishments of other American Presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln). Black also guest starred in the Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" show ''Tom Goes to the Mayor'', as a bear-trap store owner.

Black hosted the 2006 ''Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards'' on April 1, 2006 and hosted it again March 29, 2008, and April 2, 2011. He also appeared on the MTV video music awards on August 31, 2006. Black has made five appearances on ''Saturday Night Live'': three times as a host, once as a musical guest (with Kyle Gass as Tenacious D), and another appearance with Tenacious D, not as a host or musical guest. He produced and appeared on VH1's Internet video show ''Acceptable.TV''.

Black voice acted for ''The Simpsons'' episode "Husbands and Knives", which aired November 18, 2007, voicing the friendly owner of the rival comic book store, Milo. Black took part in the ''Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'' celebrity edition along with Denis Leary, Jimmy Kimmel and others and was handed the prize of US$125,000 in October 2001. On December 14, Jack Black hosted the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards. He provided the voice of the main character, roadie Eddie Riggs, in the heavy metal-themed action-adventure video game, ''Brütal Legend''. In 2009, at the Spike Video Game Awards, he earned the Best Voice award for the voice of Eddie Riggs in ''Brütal Legend''. In April 2009, Black also starred in an episode of the children's show "Yo Gabba Gabba!" on Nick Jr. vocalized funny kid songs such as "It's Not Fun to Get Lost", "Friends" and "Goodbye Song".

Music career

Black, also known as JB or Jables, is the lead singer for the rock comedy band Tenacious D. Along with Kyle Gass, they have released two albums, a self-titled debut, and the follow-up, ''The Pick of Destiny'', from which one of their songs "The Metal" was used in the music video games "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" and "Brütal Legend". "Rock Your Socks" from the album "Tenacious D" was played in the music videogame "Rock Band Unplugged", and "Master Exploder" from "The Pick Of Destiny" went on to be used in music video games "Guitar Hero Van Halen" and "''Rock Band 2''", along with their song "Tribute" from "Tenacious D". "Master Exploder" and "The Metal" featured in the film ''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny''. The film, directed by Tenacious D veteran Liam Lynch, features recurring characters such as Lee the superfan and Sasquatch. Tim Robbins cameos as does Dave Grohl as Satan. Ben Stiller also makes an appearance as a worker at Guitar Center, and also another appearance in the music video for "Tribute".

Tenacious D helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation to raise awareness and funds in San Diego on June 16, 2007. Tenacious D can be seen performing in the Pauly Shore film ''Bio-Dome'' where the duo is performing its song "The Five Needs" at a "Save the Environment" party. Black was also a guest star on an episode of ''The Ellen Degeneres Show'' entitled "Ellen the Musical", alongside Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and teenage singer-actress Olivia Olson. On the show, besides singing, he discussed his then-upcoming film ''Nacho Libre'' with the host.

Black has also appeared on Dave Grohl's ''Probot'' album, providing vocals for the hidden song "I Am The Warlock", and Lynch's ''Fake Songs'' album, providing vocals for the song "Rock and Roll Whore". Black performed a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in the last sequence of ''High Fidelity''. He lent his musical abilities to the Queens of the Stone Age song "Burn the Witch" with rhythmic stomps and claps, some performed with his eyes closed. He also provided vocals for The Lonely Island's track "Sax Man" from the album ''Incredibad''.

Black has also recorded a duet on Meat Loaf's new CD Hang Cool Teddy Bear. The song is called Like a Rose. Meat Loaf has also played Black's father in the Pick of Destiny movie. Hang Cool Teddy Bear also features Hugh Laurie, Kara Dioguardi, Brian May, Steve Vai & Patti Russo, produced by Rob Cavallo.

Black has appeared in music videos of Beck "Sexx Laws"; Foo Fighters "Learn To Fly", "Low", and "The One"; The Eagles of Death Metal's "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"; Sum 41's "Things I Want"; Dio's "Push"; and Weezer's "Photograph."

In October 2010, Tenacious D appeared at BlizzCon 2010, a convention hosted by the game designers, Blizzard Entertainment.

Personal life

In January 2006, Black became engaged to Tanya Haden. She is the daughter of the jazz double bassist Charlie Haden, and sister of violinist and singer Petra Haden. Haden herself is an accomplished cellist. Both attended Crossroads school and met again 15 years after graduating, at a friend's birthday party. Black proposed marriage around Christmas 2005. They married on March 14, 2006, in Big Sur, California. Their son, Samuel Jason "Sammy" Black, was born on June 10, 2006, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. On May 23, 2008, Black and his wife had their second son, Thomas David Black.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1992	''Bob Roberts''	Roger Davis
1993		Augie
1993		Wasteland Scrap
1994	''The NeverEnding Story III''	Slip, Leader of the Nasties
1995		DJ at Party
1995		Craig Poncelet
1995	''Waterworld''	Pilot
1996	''Bio-Dome''	Tenacious D
1996	''The Cable Guy''	Rick
1996		Broadcast Technician
1996	''Mars Attacks!''	Billy Glenn Norris
1997		Devlin
1997	''Crossworlds''	Steve
1997		Ian Lamont
1998		Fiedler
1998	''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer''	Titus Telesco
1998	''Johnny Skidmarks''	Jerry
1999	''Cradle Will Rock''	Sid
1999	''Jesus' Son''	Georgie
1999		Fisherman	uncredited
2000		Barry	Blockbuster Entertainment Award	Nominated – American Comedy Award>American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureNominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Music MomentNominated – MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male PerformanceNominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2001	''Frank's Book''	Performance Hipster	Short Film
2001	''Saving Silverman''	J.D. McNugent
2001	''Shallow Hal''	Hal Larson	Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Film- Choice Actor, Comedy
2002		Zeke	Voice only
2002		Lance Brumder
2002	''Run Ronnie Run''	Lead Chimney Sweep	DVD Exclusive Award for Best Original Song in a DVD Premiere
2003	''Melvin Goes to Dinner''	Mental Patient	uncreditedPhoenix Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble ActingNominated – DVD Exclusive Award for Best Supporting Actor in a DVD Premiere
2003	''School of Rock''	Dewey Finn
2004	''Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy''	Motorcyclist	uncredited (cameo)
2004		Nick Vanderpark	Nominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male Star
2004	''Laser Fart''	The Elegant Hunter	Video
2004	''Shark Tale''	Lenny	Voice only
2005		Carl Denham	Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice Sleazebag
2005	''Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie''	Carl Denham	voiceVideo gameSpike Video Game Award – Best Leading Male Performance
2006	''Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties''	Orson, Booker and Wolf
2006	''The Holiday''	Miles
2006	''Nacho Libre''	Nacho	Nominated – Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie StarNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best FightNominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice Actor: ComedyNominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice ChemistryNominated – Teen Choice Award for Movie – Choice Rumble
2006	''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny''	Jack "Jables" Black (JB)
2007	''Margot at the Wedding''	Malcolm	Nominated – Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2007	''Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story''	Paul McCartney	Uncredited
2008	''Be Kind Rewind''	Jerry Gerber
2008	''Kung Fu Panda''	rowspan="2"	Voice onlyKids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated MovieNominated – Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Animated Character in a Motion Picture
2008	''The Secrets of the Furious Five''	VoiceShort film
2008		Jesus Christ	Viral videoshort
2008	''Tropic Thunder''	Jeff "Fats" Portnoy	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast
2008	''Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness''	Jeff "Fats" Portnoy	Video
2009	''Brütal Legend''	Eddie Riggs	VoiceVideo gameSpike Video Game Award – Best Voice
2009		Zed
2010		Gulliver
2011	''Kung Fu Panda 2''		Voice onlyNominated - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Animated Voice
2011		Bernie Tiede	Premiered on June 16, 2011 at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
2011	''The Big Year''	Brad Harris	post-production
2011		Cameo Appearance	post-production
2012	''Frank or Francis''		pre-production

Television work

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1991	''Our Shining Moments''	Teenage Boy	TV Movie
1993	''The Golden Palace''	Taxi Driver	episode "Seems Like Old Times: Part 2"
1993		Skinhead	episode "Incident on Main"
1993	''Marked for Murder''	Car Thief	television film
1993	''Northern Exposure''	Kevin Wilkins	episode "A River Doesn't Run Through It"
1994		Private	television film
1994	''The Innocent''	Marty Prago	television film
1995		Tommy	episode "A Night at the Oprah"
1995		Man	episode "Brenda's Secret"
1995	''The Single Guy''	Randy	episode "Sister"
1995	''Touched By An Angel''	Monte	episode "Angels on the Air"
1995	''The X-Files''	Bart 'Zero' Liqouri	episode "D.P.O."
1995–1996	''Mr. Show with Bob and David''	Various	4 episodes
1995–1996	''Picket Fences''	Curtis Williams	2 episodes
1997–2000		JB	6
1999	''Heat Vision and Jack''	Jack	television pilot
2001	''Space Ghost Coast to Coast''	Himself	episode "Sweet for Brak"
2002	''2002 MTV Movie Awards''	Host
2002	''The Andy Dick Show''	J.D.	episode "Flipped"
2002	''Clone High''	Pusher/Larry Hardcore	episode "Raisin The Stakes"
2002	''Crank Yankers''	Tenacious D	episode "#1.3"
2002	''Jack Black: Spider-Man''	Spider-Man	MTV Movie Awards segment
2002	''Lord of the Piercing''	Jack the Elf	MTV Movie Awards segment''Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition'' easter egg
2002	''MADtv''	Tenacious D	episode "#7.22"
2002	''Panic Room with Will Ferrell''	Himself	MTV Movie Awards segment
2003	''Player$''	Tenacious D	episode "Tenacious D a la Mode"
2003	''Will & Grace''	Dr. Isaac Hershberg	episode "Nice in White Satin"
2003–2004		Computerman	6 episodes
2003–2004	''Time Belt''	Computerman	2 episodes
2004	''Cracking Up''	Brian	episode "Scared Straight"
2004	''Tom Goes to the Mayor''	Trapper JB	episode "Bear Traps"
2005	''Awesometown''	George Washington	television film
2006	''2006 Kids' Choice Awards''	Himself	Host
2007	''The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show''	Jables	episode "Break-Up"
2007	''The Simpsons''	Milo	episode "Husbands and Knives"
2008	''Sesame Street''	Himself	episode "The Golden Triangle Of Destiny"
2008	''2008 Kids' Choice Awards''	Himself	Host
2009		Sam	episode "Stress Relief"
2009	''Yo Gabba Gabba''	Himself	episode "New Friends"
2010		Buddy	episode "Investigative Journalism"
2010	''iCarly''	Aspartamay	episode ''iStart a Fanwar''
2010–2011	''Take Two with Phineas and Ferb''	Himself	2 episodes, "Jack Black" and "Neil Patrick Harris"
2010	"Space Ghost Coast to Coast special gag ad episode"	Himself (cameo)
2011	''Fish Hooks''	Chief	episode "Labor Day"
2011	''Big Time Rush''	Cupid	episode "Big Time Crush"
2011	''2011 Kids' Choice Awards''	Himself	Host, This will be the third time Jack Black has hosted the Kids Choice Awards, the last times being in 2008 and 2006.
2011	''American Idol''	Himself	Performed 'Fat Bottomed Girls' with American Idol contestant Casey Abrams.

References

External links

Margot at the Wedding

Suicide Girls interview

Jack Black in King Kong

The Tao of Jack Black, Steve Ramos, ''Cincinnati CityBeat'', October 8, 2003

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:American comedians Category:American comedy musicians Category:American film actors Category:Jewish American writers Category:American male singers Category:American voice actors Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American television writers Category:Actors from California Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Jewish comedians Category:Musicians from California Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area Category:Tenacious D Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni

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