birth date	November 05, 1968
birth place	Daly City, California
occupation	Actor
yearsactive	1989–present
spouse	}}

Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor known for his leading roles in ''Lawn Dogs'', ''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'', ''Choke'' and ''Moon'', as well as for his supporting roles in ''The Green Mile'', ''Iron Man 2'', ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', ''Frost/Nixon'', ''Galaxy Quest'', ''Matchstick Men'', ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'', ''Conviction'' and ''Cowboys & Aliens''.

Early life[link]

He was born in Daly City, California, the son of actors who divorced when he was five years old. He was raised by his father, Pete Rockwell, in San Francisco, while his mother, Penny Hess, stayed behind in New York (he spent his summer vacations with her). Rockwell had what ''The New York Times'' described in 1998 as a "footloose upbringing" and, at age 10, made his brief stage debut playing Humphrey Bogart in an East Village improv comedy sketch starring his mother. His mother had an unconventional lifestyle – she was involved with hippies, sex, and drugs.

He attended San Francisco School of the Arts with Margaret Cho and dropped out before graduation. He later received his high school diploma after his parents enrolled him in an Outward Bound-style alternative high school called ''Urban Pioneers'' because, as Rockwell explained, "I just wanted to get stoned, flirt with girls, go to parties." The school, the actor said, "had a reputation as a place stoners went because it was easy to graduate," but the program ended up helping him regain an interest in performing. After appearing in an independent film during his senior year, he graduated and moved to New York to pursue an acting career.

Acting career[link]

Early films[link]

After his first film role in the 1989 horror film ''Clownhouse'' (produced by Francis Ford Coppola's production company) which he filmed when based in San Francisco, he moved to New York and trained at the William Esper Studios. His career slowly gathered momentum in the early 1990s, when he alternated between small-screen guest spots in TV shows like ''The Equalizer'', ''NYPD Blue'' and ''Law & Order'' and small roles in films such as ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' and ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''. He also appeared as the title character in ''The Search for One-eye Jimmy''. During this time Rockwell worked in restaurants as a busboy and delivered burritos by bicycle. At one point, Rockwell even worked as a private detective's assistant. "I tailed a chick who was having an affair and took pictures of her at this motel", he told ''Rolling Stone'' in 2002. "It was pretty sleazy." A well-paying Miller commercial in 1994 finally allowed him to pursue acting full-time.

The turning point in Rockwell's career was Tom DiCillo's 1996 film ''Box of Moon Light'', in which he played an eccentric man-child who dresses like Davy Crockett and lives in an isolated mobile home. The ensuing acclaim put him front and center with casting agents and new-found fans alike, with Rockwell himself acknowledging that "That film was definitely a turning point....I was sort of put on some independent film map after 10 years in New York."

He also won strong reviews for the 1997 film ''Lawn Dogs'', where he played a working-class lawn mower who befriends a wealthy 10-year-old girl (Mischa Barton) in an upper-class gated community in Kentucky; Rockwell's performance won him Best Actor honors at both the Montreal World Film Festival and the Catalonian International Film Festival. In 1999, Rockwell played prisoner William "Wild Bill" Wharton in the Stephen King prison drama ''The Green Mile''. At the time of the film's shooting, Rockwell explained why he was attracted to playing such unlikeable characters. He said, "I like that dark stuff. I think heroes should be flawed. There's a bit of self-loathing in there, and a bit of anger... But after this, I've really got to play some lawyers, or a British aristocrat, or they'll put a label on me."

Hollywood recognition[link]

After appearances as a bumbling actor in 1999's science fiction satire ''Galaxy Quest'', in the 1999 Shakespeare adaptation ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' as Flute, and as gregarious villain Eric Knox in ''Charlie's Angels'' (2000), Rockwell won the biggest leading role of his career as ''The Gong Show'' host Chuck Barris in George Clooney's 2002 directorial debut, ''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''. Rockwell's performance was well received, and the film received generally positive reviews.

Rockwell has also received positive notices for his role opposite Nicolas Cage in Ridley Scott's ''Matchstick Men'' (2003), with ''Entertainment Weekly'' calling him "destined by a kind of excessive interestingness to forever be a colorful sidekick." He received somewhat more mixed reviews as Zaphod Beeblebrox in the 2005 film version of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. He then had a notable supporting role as Charley Ford, brother of Casey Affleck's character Robert Ford, in the well-received 2007 drama ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'', in which Brad Pitt played the lead role of Jesse James. According to an interview on ''The Howard Stern Show'', director Jon Favreau considered casting him as the titular character in ''Iron Man'' as the studio was initially hesitant to work with Robert Downey, Jr., who had been considered for his role in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy''. Rockwell appeared in the Iron Man sequel, released in 2010, as Tony Stark's rival weapons' developer, Justin Hammer. He is said to have accepted the role without reading the script. He had never heard of the character before he was contacted about the part, and was unaware that Hammer is an old man in the comic books.

In addition to big-budget feature films, Rockwell also keeps his feet firmly planted in the indie film world with projects such as ''The F Word'' and he recently played a very randy, Halloween-costume-clad Batman in a short, ''Robin's Big Date'', opposite Justin Long as Robin. He also starred in the 2008 film ''Snow Angels'' opposite Kate Beckinsale and directed by David Gordon Green. He had worked on several occasions with the comedy troupe Stella (Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain), making cameo appearances in their short films and eponymous TV series.

Rockwell played Victor Mancini in the film ''Choke'', based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk. Critic Roger Ebert said of his performance that he "seems to have become the latter-day version of Christopher Walken – not all the time, but when you need him, he's your go-to guy for weirdness."

In 2007, Rockwell guest-starred in a comedy mini-series via the web called "Casted: The Continuing Chronicles of Derek Riffchyn, Greatest Casting Director in the World. Ever." He appears opposite Jonathan Togo (of ''CSI: Miami'' fame) as Derek and Justin Long (''Dodgeball'', ''Accepted'') as Scott. Rockwell plays an aspiring young actor named Pete Sampras, no relation to the tennis player. The video can be viewed on YouTube, episode number two of a four-part series.

In 2009, he starred in the critically acclaimed science fiction film ''Moon'', directed by Duncan Jones, for which his performance was widely praised, with some critics calling for an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination.

On May 3, 2010, it was announced that Rockwell would team up again with ''Iron Man 2'' director Jon Favreau, for Favreau's adaptation of the graphic novel ''Cowboys & Aliens''. He played a bar owner named Doc who joins in the pursuit of the aliens.

Rockwell will appear in Martin McDonagh's ''Seven Psychopaths'' alongside Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, and Colin Farrell.

Theatre[link]

Since 1992, Rockwell has been a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company, where Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz are Co-Artistic Directors. In 2005, Hoffman directed him in Stephen Adly Guirgis' hit play, ''The Last Days of Judas Iscariot''. This past August, Rockwell work-shopped an upcoming LAByrinth production, ''North of Mason-Dixon'', scheduled to debut in London in 2007 and then premiere in New York City later the same year. Other plays in which Rockwell performed are: ''Dumb Waiter'' (2001), ''Zoo Story'' (2001), ''Hot L Baltimore'' (2000), ''Goosepimples'' (1998), ''Love and Human Remains'', ''Face Divided'', ''Orphans'', ''Den of Thieves'', ''Dessert at Waffle House'', ''The Largest Elizabeth'', and ''A Behanding in Spokane''.

Personal life[link]

Rockwell has never been married, and stated in a 2007 interview, "I definitely don't want to become a parent. It's not my bag."

Filmography[link]

''Last Exit to Brooklyn (film) ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film) ''Strictly Business (film) ''Jack and His Friends'' ''In the Soup'' ''Light Sleeper'' ''Happy Hell Night'' ''Law & Order'' ''Somebody to Love'' '''' ''Drunks'' ''Glory Daze'' ''Mercy (1995 film) ''Bad Liver and a Broken Heart'' ''Basquiat (film) ''Box of Moon Light'' ''Prince Street'' ''Arresting Gina'' ''Subway Stories ''Lawn Dogs'' '''' ''Jerry and Tom'' ''Louis & Frank'' ''Safe Men'' ''Celebrity (film) '''' '''' ''Galaxy Quest'' ''Charlie's Angels (film) ''D.C. Smalls'' ''Pretzel'' ''BigLove'' ''Made (2001 film) ''Heist (film) ''13 Moons'' ''Running Time'' ''Welcome to Collinwood'' ''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'' ''Stella Shorts 1998–2002'' ''Matchstick Men (film) ''Piccadilly Jim'' '''' '''' ''Robin's Big Date'' ''Joshua (film) ''Snow Angels (film) '''' ''Woman in Burka'' ''Choke (film) ''Frost/Nixon (film) ''The Winning Season'' ''Moon (film) ''[[G-Force (film) ''G-Force (video game) ''Gentlemen Broncos'' ''Everybody's Fine (2009 film) ''Iron Man 2'' ''F—K'' ''Conviction (film) ''[[Gettysburg (2011 film) ''Cowboys & Aliens'' '''' ''Killing Them Softly'' ''Seven Psychopaths''

width="50px"	Year	Title	Role	! Notes
1989	''Clownhouse''	Randy
1989	Last Exit to Brooklyn'' ||	Al
1990	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' ||	Head Thug
1991	Strictly Business'' ||	Gary
1992	|	Louie
1992	|	Pauli
1992	|	Jealous
1992	|	Young Henry Collins
1993	|	Officer Weddeker	Manhood (Law & Order)>Manhood"
1994	|	Polish Guy
1994	|	One-eye Jimmy
1995	|	Tony
1995	|	Rob
1995	Mercy'' ||	Matty
1996	|	Broken Heart
1996	Basquiat'' ||	Thug
1996	|	The Kid, aka Bucky
1997	|	Donny Hanson	Series regular
1997	|	Sonny
1997	SUBWAYStories: Tales from the Underground'' ||	Man Eating	Television filmSegment: ''Sax Cantor Riff''
1997	|	Trent	Best Actor Award at the Sitges Film FestivalBest Actor Award at the Montreal World Film Festival
1998	|	Alan/Christopher Walken
1998	|	Jerry
1998	|	Sam
1998	|	Sam
1998	Celebrity'' ||	Darrow Entourage
1999	|	Francis Flute
1999	|	'Wild Bill' Wharton	Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1999	|	Guy Fleegman
2000	Charlie's Angels'' ||	Eric Knox
2001	|	Karaoke Singer
2001	|	Sam
2001	|	Nate	Short film
2001	Made'' ||	Hotel clerk	Uncredited
2001	Heist'' ||	Jimmy Silk
2002	|	Rick
2002	|	The Hunted	Short film
2002	|	Pero
2002	|	Chuck Barris	Berlin International Film Festival Award for Best ActorPhoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorSilver Bear for Best ActorNominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2002	|	Pizza Guy	Direct-to-videoShort: ''Bored''
2003	Matchstick Men'' ||	Frank Mercer	Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
2004	|	Piccdilly Jim/Jim Crocker
2005	|	Zaphod Beeblebrox
2005	|	Jeremy
2005	|	The Bat-man	Short film
2007	Joshua'' ||	Brad Cairn	Best Actor Award at the Sitges Film Festival
2007	Snow Angels'' ||	Glenn Marchand
2007	|	Charles Ford (outlaw)>Charley Ford
2008	|	Sam
2008	Choke'' ||	Victor Mancini	Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble CastNominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2008	Frost/Nixon'' ||	James Reston Jr.	Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2009	|	Bill	Also producer
2009	Moon'' ||	Sam Bell	Sitges Film FestivalSeattle International Film Festival>Golden Space Needle Award for Best ActorNominated — British Independent Film Awards
2009	G-Force'' (film) ||	Darwin	Voice acting>Voice only
2009	G-Force'' (video game) ||	Darwin	Video game
2009	|	Bronco/Brutus
2009	Everybody's Fine'' ||	Robert
2010	|	Justin Hammer
2010	|		Short film
2010	Conviction'' ||	Kenneth Waters	Boston Film Festival Award for Best ActorHollywood Film Festival>Hollywood Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated — Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated — Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated — St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards 2010
2011	Gettysburg'' ||	Narrator
2011	|	Doc
2011	|	Karl
2012	|		Filming
2012	|	Billy	post-production

Awards and nominations [link]

! Year !! Group !! Award !! Film/Show !! Result !! Win/Nom
1997	Montreal World Film Festival	Best Actor	''Lawn Dogs''		1–0
1997		Best Actor	''Lawn Dogs''		2–0
2000	Screen Actors Guild	Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Theatrical Motion Picture	''The Green Mile'' (w/ Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, James Cromwell, Patricia Clarkson, Jeffrey DeMunn, Graham Greene, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Jeter, Doug Hutchison, Barry Pepper, Harry Dean Stanton)		2–1
2003	Berlin International Film Festival	Best Actor	''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''		3–1
2003	Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actor In A Leading Role	''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''		4–1
2003	Satellite Awards	Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role, Musical Or Comedy	''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''		4–2
2004	Satellite Awards	Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role, Musical Or Comedy	''Matchstick Men''		4–3
2007	CIFF	Best Actor	''Joshua''		5–3
2008	Satellite Awards	Best Actor In A Motion Picture, Musical Or Comedy			5–4
2008	Sundance Film Festival	Special Jury Prize			6–4
2009	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture			6–5
2009	Seattle International Film Festival	Best Actor			7–5
2009	CIFF	Best Actor			8–5
2009	Scream Awards	Best Sci-Fi Actor			8–6
2009	British Independent Film Awards	Best Actor			8–7
2009		Best Actor			8–8
2009		Best Actor			9–8
2009	Saturn Award	Best Actor			9–9

References[link]

External links[link]

Sam Rockwell Interview

Category:1968 births Category:Actors from California Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:Living people Category:People from San Mateo County, California

ar:سام روكويل da:Sam Rockwell de:Sam Rockwell es:Sam Rockwell fr:Sam Rockwell it:Sam Rockwell he:סאם רוקוול la:Samuel Rockwell lt:Sam Rockwell hu:Sam Rockwell nl:Sam Rockwell ja:サム・ロックウェル no:Sam Rockwell pl:Sam Rockwell pt:Sam Rockwell ru:Рокуэлл, Сэм sq:Sam Rockwell fi:Sam Rockwell sv:Sam Rockwell

Esau Mwamwaya is a singer from Lilongwe, Malawi. He is best known for his collaboration, The Very Best with London based DJ/production duo Radioclit. His music has been described as an Afro-Western mix of dance, hiphop, pop and the traditional music of Malawi.

Esau Mwamwaya was born in Mzuzu, Malawi, but grew up in the capital, Lilongwe, where he played drums in various bands. He played with numerous artists including Masaka Band and Evison Matafale.

In 1999 he moved to London and while running a second-hand furniture shop in Clapton, East London, Esau sold a bicycle to the producer from the band Radioclit, Etienne Tron. Radioclit's studio was on the same street as Esau's shop, and eventually, Esau became friends with both Tron and Johan Karlberg aka Radioclit.

On the heels of the mixtape, The Very Best produced their first full-length album, Warm Heart of Africa, released digitally in August 2009 and released physically in October 2009 by GREEN OWL and Moshi Moshi. The album features collaborations with Ezra Koenig and M.I.A.

The Very Best is also featured on a track on Crookers debut album, Tons of Friends.

Winner of 9th Annual Independent Music Awards: World Beat song for "Warm Heart of Africa" featuring Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig

Discography[link]

The Very Best[link]

''Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are the Very Best'' (2008)

''Warm Heart of Africa'' (2009)

''Super Mom'' (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

Warm Heart of Africa Review

Warm Heart of Africa Review/Recensione on QuelloCheSento(Italian Language)

The Very Best Interview

Category:Malawian musicians Category:Living people

fr:Esau Mwamwaya

name	Ant & Dec
birth date	Anthony David McPartlinNovember 18, 1975Newcastle upon Tyne, England Declan Joseph Oliver DonnellySeptember 25, 1975Newcastle upon Tyne, England
nationality	English
occupation	TV presenters, actors
years active	1988–present
website	www.officialantanddec.com}}

Anthony McPartlin (born 18 November 1975) and Declan Donnelly (born 25 September 1975), known collectively as Ant & Dec, are an English comedy and TV presenting duo from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The duo first rose to fame as actors on the children's television show ''Byker Grove'', during which and in their subsequent pop career they were respectively known as PJ & Duncan - the names of the characters they played on the show. Since then, Ant & Dec have had a very successful career as TV presenters, presenting shows such as ''SMTV Live'', ''Friends Like These'', ''Pop Idol'', ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'', ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', ''PokerFace'', ''Push the Button'', ''Britain's Got Talent'', ''Red or Black?'' and ''Text Santa''. They have also returned to acting, starring in a 2002 ''Tribute to The Likely Lads'' and the 2006 film ''Alien Autopsy''.

Ant is the taller of the two at 5'8" (1.73 m) and Dec is two inches shorter at 5'6" (1.68 m). It is a running joke that many people do not know who is Ant and who is Dec, even though their appearances differ significantly. To assist with identification, they follow the 180 degree rule; all their TV appearances and publicity photos have Ant on the left and Dec on the right, but even this does not help everyone.

Background [link]

Anthony McPartlin was born on 18 November 1975 and Declan Donnelly was born on 25 September 1975. They met each other while working on the BBC children's drama ''Byker Grove'' in 1989. After a shaky start, they soon became best friends. They have achieved such popularity as a duo that they are hardly ever seen apart on screen. Indeed, it is reported that they are each insured against the other's death, although the amount is unknown. Their inseparability has led to them receiving joint nominations for many awards.

Career[link]

Acting[link]

Although Ant had built some television experience with a brief stint on the children's television series ''Why Don't You?'', which was broadcast on the BBC, Dec was the first of the two to acquire his place on the BBC children's drama ''Byker Grove''. He joined in 1989, playing Duncan. A year later, Ant joined the cast playing PJ. Their friendship began when their storylines collided, creating a friendship off screen as well as on. Dec also played a stable boy in the adaptation of the novel ''The Cinder Path'' in his teenage years.

Music[link]

After leaving television, the duo turned their hand to pop music. Their first single was a song they performed while part of Byker Grove, entitled "Tonight I'm Free". The single had some success, and the duo went on to record two albums under their character names of PJ & Duncan. Later songs included "Why Me?", "If I Give You My Number", "Eternal Love" "Our Radio Rocks", "U Krazy Katz" and a cover of the The Monkees classic "Stepping Stone". Their most famous hit during this period was the BRIT Award nominated "Let's Get Ready To Rhumble", for which the video was choreographed by Mark Short, who had previously worked with Tina Turner and Peter Andre. For their third album, the duo reinvented themselves under their real names of Ant & Dec. The album featured their signature single "Shout". Their final single release was "Falling", which was the track that subsequently ended their musical career. The track was pulled from the British charts under the instruction of their record label, Telstar Records, after claims of copyright infringement were made, brought about by a pop duo, 'And all because...', who were also managed by Ant and Dec's management team. The duo claimed that Ant & Dec had stolen the song from them and released it without their consent. Subsequently, Telstar Records decided not to renew their existing contract, and they were dropped from the label. During their time, the pair released sixteen singles and three studio albums, however, none of their releases managed to reach number one, with their highest UK chart position being #3. The duo did, however, reach the top ten in Germany and Japan, and even had a number-one single in Germany, with their cover of the Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream". Success also struck in other European countries. The duo had a short lived revival in the music industry, releasing a song for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, entitled "We're On The Ball". The track peaked at #3, being beaten by Will Young and Gareth Gates.

Presenting[link]

Children's television[link]

Ant & Dec got their first presenting job in 1994, while they were still releasing music under the alias of PJ & Duncan. They co-presented a Saturday-morning children's show entitled ''Gimme 5'', which was broadcast on CITV. The show only lasted two series before being dropped from the airwaves. In 1995, the duo were once again offered a job on CBBC, this time presenting their own series, entitled ''The Ant & Dec Show''. The series was broadcast from 1995 to 1997, and in 1996, Ant & Dec won two BAFTA Awards, one for 'Best Children's Show' and one for 'Best Sketch Comedy Show'. In 1997, a VHS release, entitled ''The Ant & Dec Show - Confidential'', was made available in shops, and featured an hour of the best bits from three years of the programme, as well as specially recorded sketches and music videos. In 1998, the duo switched to Channel 4, presenting a early-evening children's show entitled ''Ant & Dec Unzipped''. This show also won a BAFTA, but was dropped from the airwaves after just one series. ITV soon signed the duo in August 1998, and within weeks, were assigned to present ITV1's Saturday morning programmes ''SMTV Live'' and ''CD:UK'', alongside old friend Cat Deeley. The duo presented the shows alongside Deeley for three years, before making their permanent departure from children's television in 2001. Two VHS releases, compiling the best bits from both shows, were released in 2000 and 2001 respectively. The pair also starred in the children's TV series Engie Benjy during their time on ''SMTV''.

Primetime[link]

Ant & Dec's first primetime presenting job came in the form of BBC Saturday-night game show ''Friends Like These'', which was first broadcast in 1999. The duo presented four series of the programme between 1999 and 2001. In 2001, the duo's contract with ITV was renewed for a further three years, following their appearances on ''SMTV Live'' and ''CD:UK'', and received their first primetime presenting job on the station, presenting brand new Saturday night reality series ''Pop Idol''. The series was broadcast for two series only, and was replaced in 2004 by ''The X Factor'', to which Kate Thornton was assigned presenting duties.

In August of the same year, Ant & Dec were also assigned to their own game show, entitled ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway''. The show has so far ran for nine series, broadcast between 2002 and 2009. itv.com confirmed that the show is set to return in 2012 after being off air for three years. During the fourth series, Dec broke his arm, thumb and suffered a concussion whilst completing a challenge for the 'Ant vs. Dec' segment of the show. The incident involved learning how to ride a motorbike and jumping through a ring of fire. During the challenge, Dec failed to pull hard enough on the throttle of the bike, causing it to topple over and sending him flying through the air. The accident caused the pair to miss the ''Comic Relief'' charity telethon of 2005. In 2006, the first episode of series five saw the duo abseil down the side of the 22-storey high London Studios, where the show was filmed. Two DVDs, a best-bits book and a board game of the series were released during 2004.

In May 2002, Ant & Dec took the helm of a further reality series, entitled ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. The series has been broadcasting on ITV1 since 2002, and ten series have been broadcast. The duo drew their highest viewing figures to date while presenting the series in February 2004, with nearly 15 million tuning in to watch the climax of the third series. In May 2006, the duo were assigned to present coverage of the charity football match ''Soccer Aid''. The duo were then invited back to present coverage of the second match in September 2007, and have since presented coverage of each yearly match. In June 2006, the duo announced they had created a new game-show format for ITV1, entitled ''PokerFace''. The show featured members of the public gambling high stakes of money in an attempt to win the ultimate prize. The first series began airing on 10 July 2006, and was aired for seven consecutive nights. The second series was broadcast in early 2007, and saw a move to a prime-time Saturday slot. Ratings for the series fell to below 3.5 million, and the series was subsequently axed in March 2007. A board game of the format was released in 2008.

In April 2007, the duo signed a two-year golden handcuffs deal with ITV, reportedly worth £40 million, securing the duo's career at the station until the end of 2009. In June 2007, the duo were offered the job of presenters on new ITV reality platform ''Britain's Got Talent'' by Simon Cowell. The series features contestants aiming to win £100,000 and spot on the bill at the Royal Variety Performance, while performing and being judged by Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. The series was highly successful, drawing in nearly 12 million viewers. A second series was broadcast in May 2008, and drew in nearly 14.5 million viewers. The duo have since returned to present three further series of the show, and have also had a regular feature on the ITV2 spin-off show ''Britain's Got More Talent''.

The pair filmed a series of six episodes for a new American game show, ''Wanna Bet?'', in November 2007. The episodes was broadcast in 2008, but failed to attract enough interest for a second series to be commissioned. ''What You Wrote'', another format created by the duo, was due to air in Autumn 2008 but was reportedly axed by ITV. In 2010, the duo debuted a replacement for their previous Saturday-night game show format, ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'', entitled ''Ant & Dec's Push the Button''. The series was a success, and a second run of the programme was broadcast in 2011.

Ant & Dec have also presented the new game show ''Red or Black?'', a creation of Cowell's, airing live on ITV1. On 24 December 2011, they presented ITV's charity initiative ''Text Santa'' with Holly Willoughby.

Other activities[link]

In April 2008, it was reported that Ant & Dec's production company, Gallowgate Productions, had purchased the rights to ''Byker Grove'' and ''SMTV Live'', after the production companies that made them, Zenith Entertainment and Blaze Television, had both gone bankrupt in 2007. According to reports, the duo decided to purchase the rights to stop digital channels showing repeats of the programmes. On 28 September 2008, it was reported that the pair were attacked by the Taliban whilst in Afghanistan to present a Pride Of Britain Award. In December 2008, the duo starred in a seasonal advert, their first in seven years, for the supermarket chain Sainsbury's. The duo appeared alongside chef Jamie Oliver. In March 2009, the duo filmed a short film for inclusion on Comic Relief, which highlighted their story upon visiting a community centre for young carers in the North East. In September 2009, the duo released their official autobiography, entitled "Ooh! What a Lovely Pair. Our Story". In October 2010, the duo appeared in several Nintendo adverts playing both the Wii and Nintendo DS. In 2011, they both appeared on ''Celebrity Juice'' on ITV2.

Controversies [link]

In 1997, Welsh pop duo 'And all because...' successfully obtained legal aid and filed legal papers against Ant & Dec, along with their management team, record company and producers for copyright infringement over the song "Falling", and this was subsequently Ant & Dec's last single.

Law firm Olswang were commissioned to investigate the 2005 British Comedy Awards when the producers overturned the voting public's first choice, ''The Catherine Tate Show'' in favour of ''Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' for the People's Choice Award. The incident is also the subject of an investigation by media regulator Ofcom.

Following allegations of fraud in 2007, an investigation by auditors Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu discovered that two shows, ''Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon'' and ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'', had defrauded viewers participating in phone-ins. The programmes were subject to a further investigation by Ofcom which found that between January 2003 and October 2006 ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' had:

selected competition finalists before the telephone lines were announced as closed

staggered the selection of competition finalists which meant that viewers entering the competition did not have a fair and equal chance of winning

selected finalists on the basis of their suitability to be on television and where they lived

selected an individual already known to the production team to be placed on the shortlist of potential winners and who went on to win the competition

and between September and October 2005, ''Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon'' had:

on six occasions in the Prize Mountain competition, selected winners based on their suitability to be on screen

failed to account for almost half of the competition entries

One episode of ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' was also found to be in breach of Ofcom rules.

The pair were ridiculed for their alleged participation in the fraud on the front cover of the satirical magazine ''Private Eye''.

On 10 September 2008, Ant & Dec announced that the frauds "will never happen again", insisting that a high-tech system and strict rules will ensure viewers cannot lose out with poorly monitored premium rate phone lines. On 30 September 2008, it was reported that Ant & Dec were being sued for $30 million by Greek American stand-up comedian and actor ANT for using "his" name in the United States. The lawsuit, among other things, alleges trademark infringement and fraud. The suit was dismissed in May of 2010. In October 2009, Kelly Brook claimed that Ant & Dec had been the cause of her removal as the fourth judge on ''Britain's Got Talent''. She claimed that she was asked to leave the show after she upset the pair.

Acting [link]

They have, albeit infrequently, returned to acting. They played themselves in the film ''Love Actually'' (in which Bill Nighy's character referred to Dec as "Ant or Dec"). They have returned to their Geordie roots in a one-off tribute to ''The Likely Lads'' and also by returning to ''Byker Grove'' for Geoff's funeral.

In 1998, the pair starred in the pantomime ''Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs'' at Sunderland's Empire Theatre alongside Donnelly's partner at the time Clare Buckfield. The show was financially unsuccessful, making £20,000 less than it cost to stage, with the duo footing a large share of the shortfall.

Al Burton, creator of the American gameshow ''Win Ben Stein's Money'', had approached Ant & Dec's talent agency with a proposal for a new reality television show entitled ''Ant & Dec Get Killed'' (after the film ''Penn & Teller Get Killed''), in which the two scheme to murder one another, framed with a lighthearted soundtrack and canned laughter. Burton received negative public reaction and narrowly escaped being charged with several accounts of premeditated murder in British courts, and Ant & Dec refused the offer from the talent agency.

Ant & Dec's most recent acting appearance was in the film ''Alien Autopsy'' released in April 2006. The film gained mixed reviews about the storyline but the pair received generally good reviews for their acting abilities.

Awards [link]

In 2005, as part of the ITV Network's 50th birthday celebrations, they were back on television fronting ''Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon'', a celebration of some of ITV's most enduring gameshows from the past 50 years.

In 2006, a celebration to the show ''Spitting Image'' saw Ant and Dec having their own puppets made. They have also been made into cartoon characters on the comedy show ''2DTV'', and face masks in ''Avid Merrion'''s ''Bo Selecta''. Wax works of the duo can also be seen in London's ''Madame Tussauds''.

In September 2006, they were voted by the general public as number 7 in a poll of ''TV's 50 Greatest Stars''.

1994 Brit Award Nomination - Best Song: "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble"

2001

Most Popular Entertainment Presenter (SMTV Live)

2002

Most Popular Entertainment Presenter (Pop Idol)

National Television Awards: Special Recognition Award

2003 Most Popular Entertainment presenter (''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'')

Most Popular Entertainment program (''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'')

Most Popular Reality Programme (''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'')

2004

Most Popular Entertainment presenter (''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'')

Most Popular Entertainment programme (''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'')

2005

Most Popular Entertainment presenter (''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'')

2006 Most Popular Quiz Programme (''Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon'')

Most Popular Entertainment presenter (''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'')

British Comedy Awards: Best Comedy Entertainment Personality British Comedy Awards: Best Comedy Entertainment Programme

2007

Most Popular Entertainment presenter (''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'')

Most Popular Entertainment program (''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'')

Most Popular Reality Programme (''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'')

2008 TV Quick & TV Choice Awards: Best Entertainment Show (''Saturday Night Takeaway'') Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards 2008: Favourite Funny Person, Best TV presenters and Best Family TV show (''Britain's Got Talent'') National Television Awards: Most Popular Entertainment Presenter

2009

TV Quick & TV Choice Awards: Best Entertainment Show (''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'')

TV Quick & TV Choice Awards:Outstanding Contribution Award

2010

National Television Awards: Most Popular Entertainment Presenter

National Television Awards: Most Popular Entertainment Programme (''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'')

British Academy Television Awards: Entertainment Performance (''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'')

2011

National Television Awards: Most Popular Entertainment Presenter

National Television Awards: Most Popular Entertainment Programme (''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'')

2012

National Television Awards: Most Popular Entertainment Presenter

National Television Awards[link]

Ant and Dec has won the National Television awards award Best Entertainment presenter 11 years running 2001 to 2012

List of television appearances [link]

''Why Don't You?'' (1980s)

''Byker Grove'' (1989)

''Engie Benjy'' (2002)

As presenters[link]

''The Ant & Dec Show'' (1995–1997)

''Ant & Dec Unzipped'' (1998)

''SMTV Live'' (1998–2001)

''CD:UK'' (1998–2001)

''Friends Like These'' (1999–2001)

''Slap Bang with Ant & Dec'' (2001)

''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003)

''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' (2002–2009, 2012/13)

''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' (2002–present)

''Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon'' (2005)

''Soccer Aid'' (2006, 2008)

''PokerFace'' (2006–2007)

''Britain's Got Talent'' (2007–present)

''Ant & Dec's Christmas Show'' (26 December 2009)

''Ant & Dec's Push the Button'' (2010–2011)

''Red or Black?'' (2011–present)

''Text Santa'' (24 December 2011)

Television advertisements[link]

Woolworths (Christmas 2001)

McDonald's (voiceover only, 2002)

Sainsbury's (Christmas 2008)

Wii / Nintendo DS (2010/2011)

Television idents[link]

ITV1 "Celebrities" idents (3 idents, 2002)

ITV1 "Abstract celebrities" idents (5 idents, 2003)

References [link]

External links [link]

Speaker's Corner article

Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Articles about multiple people Category:British comedy duos Category:British hip hop groups Category:Musical duos Category:English game show hosts Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English pop music groups Category:Musicians from Newcastle upon Tyne Category:Pop Idol Category:Sony/ATV Music Publishing artists Category:Ant & Dec

ga:Ant and dec ru:Ant&Dec;

Name	Rob Corddry
birth name	Robert William Corddry
birth date	February 04, 1971
birth place	Weymouth, Massachusetts
relations	Nate Corddry, brother
occupation	Actor/Comedian }}

Robert William "Rob" Corddry (born February 4, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a former correspondent on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' and for his starring role in the comedy film ''Hot Tub Time Machine''. He is also the creator and star of ''Childrens Hospital'', which is currently airing new episodes on the Adult Swim network.

Early life[link]

Corddry was born and raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts. He is the son of Robin (née Sullivan) and Steven Corddry, who was a Massachusetts Port Authority official. He is the older brother of actor Nate Corddry. Corddry and his brother are both Eagle Scouts from Troop 19, located in Weymouth. After graduating from Weymouth North High School in 1989, Corddry went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. According to an interview in the UMass Amherst alumni magazine, Corddry planned to study journalism when he arrived in fall 1989. He stuck with the major for just two days. English became his official major instead, but by his sophomore year, he focused much of his attention on drama classes and plays including ''Torch Song Trilogy'', ''Ten Little Indians'', ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'', ''Romeo and Juliet'', and ''Reckless''. While at UMass, Corddry pledged the Theta Chapter of Theta Chi fraternity. He graduated in 1993.

Corddry moved to New York City in January 1994. His early paying jobs included working as a security guard at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and handing out menus for a Mexican restaurant. He eventually landed acting jobs, including a year-long tour with the National Shakespeare Company. He trained in improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City, performing regularly as a member of the sketch comedy group "The Naked Babies" (with John Ross Bowie, Brian Huskey and Seth Morris) and spent two years with the sketch comedy group Third Rail Comedy. Corddry's first notable television appearances were on ''Upright Citizens Brigade'' on Comedy Central from 1998–2000.

''The Daily Show''[link]

In spring of 2002, he was asked to audition for ''The Daily Show'' and was accepted. His pieces for ''The Daily Show'' frequently included references to Boston, Massachusetts, which he considers to be his hometown.

He had since become one of ''The Daily Show'''s popular correspondents, where he was well known for his cocky attitude during interviews. Since the departure of Stephen Colbert, who left to host his own show, ''The Colbert Report'', and Corddry taking over the hosting duties of "This Week in God", Corddry had the most correspondent screen time, becoming a featured part of the show.

On October 4, 2005, his younger brother Nate Corddry made his first appearance as a ''Daily Show'' correspondent. On January 12, 2006, Corddry's wife Sandra appeared with him on a ''Daily Show'' segment; they welcomed their first child, daughter Sloane Sullivan Corddry, on July 3, 2006.

On February 9, 2006 Corddry hosted an episode of ''The Daily Show'' due to the absence of Jon Stewart (jokingly because the show's regular host was "in the shop", but in fact because of the birth of Stewart's second child).

On August 15, 2006, Corddry said "I've got like a week and a half left, all bets are off", and then on August 21, 2006, Stewart remarked that Corddry's last day on ''The Daily Show'' would be August 24, 2006. Corddry appeared throughout the week, once filing a report from inside a toilet bowl supposedly on board an aircraft transporting John Mark Karr, and another dressed up in a 1970s fashion; Stewart remarked, "It's his last week, and really, we're trying to come up with terrible things for him to have to do."

During that last show on August 24, Corddry aired a self-produced tribute to his four years on the show, going out, as Stewart said, with a "poop joke".

:Stewart: ''That was a very fitting tribute, Rob. We're gonna miss you on the show.'' :Corddry: ''Why thank you, Jon. But wherever I go and whatever I do, there'll always be a part of me here.'' :Stewart: ''Wow...that's a really sweet thing to say.'' :Corddry: ''No no no, I'm not kidding. It's in the second floor men's room, actually. That's what you get for not giving me a proper send off.'' :Stewart: ''You're really gonna go out on a poop joke?'' :Corddry: ''I have to stay true to myself, Jon.''

Corddry left ''The Daily Show'' to work on other projects, including ''The Winner'', a 2007 TV series.

On September 10, 2007, Corddry made a guest return to ''The Daily Show'' as the senior public restroom correspondent, in regard to the Senator Larry Craig scandal.

On October 17, 2007, Corddry made a cameo appearance as himself at a rehab center that Samantha Bee was filming a report in.

On June 12, 2008, Corddry appeared again as the "Senior Lipizzaner Correspondent," reporting on Bush's trip to Slovenia. The skit ended by him asking "You think you gonna do more Lipizzaner stories soon, or..? Because if not, I'd love to come home, you know? See my family--hear my wife is pregnant, so..." He added that he'd "been gone two years, give or take." Jon made him stay.

On March 5, 2009, Corddry appeared again, discussing his own career since ''The Daily Show'' in parody of Mark Cooper's descent from an executive to a janitor. It was revealed that he had distracted Jason Jones and stolen his piece, as he had come back to beg for his old job back. He repeatedly referred to himself as "millions of Americans" when making self-deprecating jokes and begging for his job back.

Film roles[link]

Corddry's played the title character in ''Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story'' (2004) and Mac, Ben Stiller's best friend in ''The Heartbreak Kid''. He has also made guest appearances in ''Old School'' (2003, credited as Robert Corddry), ''Blades of Glory'', ''Semi-Pro'', ''I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry'', ''Failure to Launch'' and ''The Ten''.

He also appeared in ''Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay'' as Ron Fox, a neurotic and racist agent with the United States Department of Homeland Security, in ''W.'' as Ari Fleischer, and also in ''What Happens in Vegas...''. In 2010, he co-starred in the John Cusack film ''Hot Tub Time Machine''. Upcoming projects include a leading role in the Ben Karlin- and Jon Stewart-produced film, ''The Donor''.

Other work[link]

Corddry hosted the 10th annual Webby Awards ceremony on June 12, 2006. He starred as the main character in the Fox mid-season comedy ''The Winner'' from March 4, 2007 until the series' cancellation. He described the show to Stuff Magazine as "sort of like a fucked-up ''Wonder Years''."

Corddry has appeared in a ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' episode entitled "The Seder" as a sex offender who moves into Larry David's neighborhood. He also appeared in two episodes of Fox's ''Arrested Development'' as Moses Taylor, an actor who plays "Frank Wrench", an obsessively by-the-books detective on a fictional television series ''Wrench''. Corddry has also done some voice work as the animated Devil on Cartoon Network's ''Weighty Decisions'' (alongside fellow ''Daily Show'' correspondent Ed Helms). He also appeared in a commercial for Cartoon Network's ''Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy'' series. He also appeared in a Cartoon Network promotional ad in 2001 as an anger management therapist to the Townsville Villains of the cartoon series Powerpuff Girls.

Corddry's voice appears in the History Channel production World War II in HD. He is the voice of WWII soldier & jazz musician Roscoe "Rockie" Blunt.

Corddry wrote, directed, and starred in the web series ''Childrens' Hospital'' for The WB on its online network at TheWB.com. After talks fell through with Comedy Central, Turner's Adult Swim picked up the series and will begin airing new episodes beginning August 22, 2010.

On March 29, 2010, he was a co-guest host of WWE Raw with fellow cast member Clark Duke from ''Hot Tub Time Machine''.

Corddry played an important role in proliferating Justin Halpern's Twitter account ''Shit My Dad Says''. An early enthusiast of the quotes made by Halpern's father, Rob tweeted a link to Shit My Dad Says which "jump-started" the phenomenon, helping expose Halpern's Twitter feed to a larger audience.

Corddry also has starred in several commercials for the Holiday Inn in both 2010 and 2011. The hotel chain and the actor made a total of three commercials.

Corddry appeared in an episode of ''Community'' playing a lawyer, Alan Connor, an old friend of Jeff Winger who is also a lawyer.

Filmography [link]

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="3" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role |- | 2003 | ''Old School'' | Warren |- |rowspan="1"| 2004 | ''Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story'' | Bobby Dukes |- |rowspan="4"| 2006 | ''Wedding Daze'' | Kyle |- | ''Unaccompanied Minors'' | Sam Davenport |- | ''Failure to Launch'' | Gun Salesman |- | ''Arthur and the Invisibles'' | Voice of Seides |- |rowspan="4"| 2007 | ''The Ten'' | Duane Rosenblum |- | ''The Heartbreak Kid'' | Mac |- | ''I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry'' | Jim the Protestor |- | ''Blades of Glory'' | Bryce |- |rowspan="5"| 2008 | ''What Happens in Vegas'' | Steve "Hater" Hader |- | ''W.'' | Ari Fleischer |- | ''Semi-Pro'' | Kyle |- | ''Lower Learning'' | Billings |- | ''Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay'' | Ron Fox |- |rowspan="2"| 2009 | ''The Winning Season'' | Terry |- | ''Taking Chances'' | Mayor Cleveland Fishback |- |rowspan="2"| 2010 | ''Hot Tub Time Machine'' | Lou |- | ''Operation: Endgame'' | Chariot |- |rowspan="1"| 2011 | ''Cedar Rapids'' | Gary |}

Awards and honors[link]

In 2009, Corddry was nominated for a Streamy Award Best Writing for a Comedy Web Series for Childrens Hospital. and in 2011, Corddry's show, ''Children's Hospital'', won Best Sketch/Alternative Comedy in the first annual Comedy Awards.

References[link]

External links[link]

Plum TV Telluride video of Ed Helms, Rob Corddry and Aziz Ansari at Comedy Fest 2008

''The Winner'' at TV.com

Video of Rob Corddry conducting an interview at the 2004 RNC in New York

Cordrry and Seth MacFarlane on ''The Winner''

''Childrens' Hospital'' streaming episodes on theWB

Category:1971 births Category:Actors from Massachusetts Category:American actors Category:American comedians Category:American Episcopalians Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American television writers Category:Eagle Scouts Category:Living people Category:People from Norfolk County, Massachusetts Category:University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni Category:The Daily Show correspondents and contributors

de:Rob Corddry fr:Rob Corddry it:Rob Corddry nl:Rob Corddry pt:Rob Corddry ru:Кордри, Роб

Justin Hammer is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. As a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man, Justin Hammer exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. He first appeared in ''Iron Man'' (1st series) #120 (March 1979).

As he explains in his first major appearance, Hammer is the reason why many of Iron Man's supervillain enemies have access to extremely advanced technology, and why these foes use their equipment for violent crimes instead of profiting by bringing the designs to market. Justin Hammer reveals that the villains are his underworld mercenaries, secretly armed and contractually obligated to fulfill missions against Hammer's competitors and enemies, such as Tony Stark.

Fictional character biography [link]

Justin Hammer was born in Surrey, England and later became a citizen of Monaco. A rival of industrialist Tony Stark (Iron Man), multi-billionaire businessman Justin Hammer later became a criminal financier using unethical methods. In exchange for fifty percent of the crime profits, he would pay bail for costumed criminals and finance the development and replacement of both their weaponry and equipment. In the event that a mercenary under his employ violated his contract, Hammer would send an enforcement unit, usually led by his most reliable supervillain employee, Blacklash, to attack the rogue and confiscate his assigned equipment.

At the start of the ''Demon in a Bottle'' storyline, Justin Hammer invented a device called the Hypersonic Scan Transmitter which allowed him to take control of Iron Man's armor. He tested this remote control affecting Iron Man's unibeam, sealing plates, and boot jets. Angered that he had lost a lucrative bid to Stark International, Justin Hammer took control of Iron Man's armor and forced him to kill the Carnelian ambassador, and set an army of superhuman criminals (consisting of Beetle I, Constrictor, Discus, Leap-Frog, Man-Killer, Porcupine I, Stiletto, and Water Wizard) against Iron Man. Ultimately, Tony Stark not only cleared his name and destroyed the control device, but finally learned that he has had a major enemy behind multiple attacks on his interests for years.

With help from the supervillain Force, Justin Hammer next hijacked yachts to smuggle opium into the United States. They battled Iron Man and were defeated. When Stark lost his company to Obadiah Stane, Justin Hammer left the destitute Stark to his own devices while continuing with his own enterprises. When Stark recovered and re-entered the business world with Stark Enterprises, Justin Hammer sent the Adap-Tor (a robotic attack drone disguised as a helicopter) to attack the new company as a way of "welcoming" Stark back.

For a time, Justin Hammer frequently hired the villain group known as the Death Squad in an attempt to kill both Tony Stark and Iron Man, but fired the group after they constantly failed.

When Force later attempted to go straight, Justin Hammer sent Beetle, Blacklash, and Blizzard II to retrieve Force, but they were defeated by Force with help from Iron Man and Jim Rhodes.

During the "Armor Wars" storyline, Justin Hammer had Tony Stark's Iron Man technology stolen by Spymaster and sold it to a number of superhumans who wore powered armor (including Stilt-Man, the Raiders, the Mauler, Beetle, Crimson Dynamo and the Titanium Man). Iron Man set about to disable the Stark-based technology in the suits in question, going so far as to also disable ''sanctioned'' technology in the armor of S.H.I.E.L.D.'S Mandroids and the Vault's Guardsmen, leading him into conflict with The Captain and his fellow Avengers.

Justin Hammer later sent the Rhino to break Blizzard out of prison. He sent his "B-Team" (Blacklash, Blizzard, and Boomerang) to battle Ghost and Iron Man.

Justin Hammer redesigned Scorpion's tail, and sent him to abduct General Musgrave. Justin Hammer sent Blacklash and the Rhino to retrieve the tail when the Scorpion refused to complete his mission. Justin Hammer later learned that Tony Stark had been shot, and ordered a batch of orchids to be sent to him with a card expressing condolences should he live. Justin Hammer sent Boomerang to raid a Stark Enterprises security office. Justin Hammer hired Taskmaster to train the second Spymaster.

Later, Justin Hammer agreed to design a new costume for Rhino. Justin Hammer sent Rhino and Boomerang to battle Cardiac. With the Life Foundation, Roxxon Oil, Stane International, and the Brand Corporation, Justin Hammer abducted a number of superhuman beings to analyze their abilities. Justin Hammer also helped the first Sphinx to reclaim the Ka-Stone.

Years later, it was revealed that that Justin Hammer had obtained Stane International after the death of its chairman Obadiah Stane, causing problems for Tony Stark through his old company. With operatives of HYDRA, Roxxon Oil, Moroboshi International, and the Trinational Commission, Justin Hammer tricked the Masters of Silence into attacking Stark Enterprises. Even when Justin Hammer was forced to sell his stock in Stane International to Stark for the sum of one dollar, Justin Hammer had the last laugh when all the shady dealings and irresponsible, or even criminal actions of Stane International came back to bite Tony later.

Justin Hammer later sent Barrier, Blacklash, and Ringer to recruit Luis Barrett to become the new Thunderbolt. The three villains were foiled by the Pantheon.

Justin Hammer later discovered that had been diagnosed with an incurable illness. He resolved to destroy Tony Stark before he died. Justin Hammer infected Stark's bloodstream with mood-altering nanites that made Stark irrational and temperamental. In a final confrontation between Iron Man and Justin Hammer on Hammer's own space station, Justin Hammer was accidentally frozen in a block of ice (when the water he fell in leaked out into space and instantly froze) and is currently lost in space. While observing Justin Hammer's frozen body drifting in space, Iron Man reflected that his foe would now "live forever."

Justin is the father of Justine Hammer (a.k.a. Crimson Cowl) and the grandfather of Sasha Hammer.

Powers and abilities[link]

Justin Hammer is a normal, middle-aged man. He has a degree in commerce and business, and is an extremely efficient administrator with a genius-level intellect. He has access to various forms of advanced technology designed by his technicians.

Other versions[link]

Ultimate Marvel[link]

135px|left|thumb|Ultimate Justin Hammer.In the Ultimate Universe, Justin Hammer first appeared in Ultimate Spider-Man #16 (''2002''). His late father, Justin Hammer, Sr. was a head industrialist for his time, and now he, Justin Jr. is CEO of Hammer Industries and is from the south of the US rather than from Britain. He was rivals with Norman Osborn and was Osborn Industries' main competitor. In an effort to surpass Osborn Industries, Hammer hired Osborn's top scientist Otto Octavius and paid him for inside information. When Otto Octavius was caught in a lab accident, he was grafted with four metal arms. He blamed Hammer for this, and sought him out for revenge. He attacked Hammer in his limo, and Hammer subsequently died from a heart attack.

Justin Hammer has also been secretly funding superhuman testing directly violating the Superhuman Test Ban Treaty. Two of his more significant subjects were Electro and Sandman, both petty criminals who were given superhuman powers.

His daughter, Justine Hammer, appears in the Ultimate Armor Wars series. She is found in a facility under Stark Industries that is being shut down by Stark after the Ultimatum attack on New York. The changes made to her by her father are degrading and killing her, until she is saved by Stark. She subsequently joins him on an international mission to recover stolen information regarding Iron Man tech.

In other media[link]

Television[link]

Justin Hammer appeared as a villain on the 1990s animated ''Iron Man'' TV series voiced by Tony Steedman and later by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.. Justin Hammer is not only shown to be a rival of Tony Stark like in the comics, he was also an ally of the Mandarin here alongside Blizzard, Blacklash, Dreadknight, Hypnotia, Living Laser, MODOK, and Whirlwind. Justin Hammer was also the one who orchestrated the death of Tony's father (which was later revealed to be a cover-up by S.H.I.E.L.D. in the episode "Not Far From the Tree"). In the episode "The Armor Wars" two-part episode, he had Ghost steal the Stark Armor designs and sold them to each of the armored criminals. He also created the Firepower robot to eliminate his competition. After Firepower was defeated, Iron Man appeared in Justin Hammer's office to confront him. Iron Man then placed a virus-containing disc in Justin's computer that completely wiped out any records of his designs and uploaded it to the internet and Hammer’s computers. The same virus completely deleted all of Hammer’s files and presumably left his company bankrupt. It is also implied that he isn't aware that Stark and Iron Man are one and the same. He was one of the few first season villains who appeared in Season 2 episodes besides the season premiere and the season finale.

A younger version of Justin Hammer appears in ''Iron Man: Armored Adventures'', voiced by Michael Adamthwaite. 21 years old and heir to a vast fortune left by his mother, he becomes the most powerful weapons dealer, surpassing Stark Enterprises, after Howard Stark's disappearance, but with his natural scheming talent, he tries to beat the competition out of the field for good. For this purpose, Hammer, with the assistant of his aide-de-camp Sasha, manipulates Tony Stark and Obadiah Stane into procuring (often unknowingly) the technologies he craves for his own profit, and recruits criminal cohorts either with money or (as in the case of Mr. Fix) by force. He also constructs and uses his own powered suit, the Titanium Man, passing himself off as his own bodyguard (much like Tony Stark does with himself in the mainstream comics).

Film[link]

Sam Rockwell portrays Justin Hammer in ''Iron Man 2'', as the secondary antagonist of the film. This version of Hammer is a younger man, closer to Tony Stark in age, and an American, and he is quite incompetent and bumbling both as villain and businessman. In this incarnation, Hammer is a defense contractor and rival of Stark who attempts to replicate Stark's Iron Man technology. When it came to Stark being subpoenaed to Congress (with Hammer being present), Stark used his PDA to hack into the television monitors, showing attempts at duplicating the Iron Man armor (with one of them being from Hammer Industries) which went horribly awry. After Ivan Vanko is arrested after publicly attacking Stark with his homemade, arc reactor-powered "Whiplash" suit, Hammer arranges the Russian villain's escape from jail and hires him in order to "make Iron Man look like an antique". Vanko manufactures a line of military drones for Hammer, who unveils them at the Stark Expo alongside the War Machine armor. However, Vanko rigs the drones and the War Machine armor to attack Iron Man, double-crossing Hammer and exposing their alliance. In retribution, Hammer aids Pepper and Black Widow in attempting to break Ivan Vanko's control over the drones, although Hammer is still arrested by the police for aiding a criminal. He swears revenge on both Stark and Pepper as he is taken away by the police.

Novels[link]

The novelization of ''Iron Man 2'' mentioned that Hammer has been taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.

References[link]

External links[link]

Justin Hammer at Marvel.com

Category:Comics characters introduced in 1979 Category:Characters created by David Michelinie Category:Characters created by John Romita, Jr. Category:Fictional businesspeople Category:Fictional cryonically preserved characters Category:Fictional English people Category:Film characters Category:Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Category:Marvel Comics supervillains

fr:Justin Hammer ja:ジャスティン・ハマー pt:Justin Hammer ru:Джастин Хаммер (Marvel Comics) tl:Justin Hammer it:Justin Hammer