A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission ("atomic") bomb test released the same amount of energy as approximately 20,000 tons of TNT. The first thermonuclear ("hydrogen") bomb test released the same amount of energy as approximately 10,000,000 tons of TNT.

A modern thermonuclear weapon weighing little more than can produce an explosive force comparable to the detonation of more than 1.2 million tons (1.1 million tonnes) of TNT. Thus, even a small nuclear device no larger than traditional bombs can devastate an entire city by blast, fire and radiation. Nuclear weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction, and their use and control have been a major focus of international relations policy since their debut.

Only two nuclear weapons have been used in the course of warfare, both by the United States near the end of World War II. On 6 August 1945, a uranium gun-type device code-named "Little Boy" was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, on 9 August, a plutonium implosion-type device code-named "Fat Man" was exploded over Nagasaki, Japan. These two bombings resulted in the deaths of approximately 200,000 Japanese people—mostly civilians—from acute injuries sustained from the explosions. The role of the bombings in Japan's surrender, and their ethical status, remain the subject of scholarly and popular debate.

Since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear weapons have been detonated on over two thousand occasions for testing purposes and demonstrations. Only a few nations possess such weapons or are suspected of seeking them. The only countries known to have detonated nuclear weapons—and that acknowledge possessing such weapons—are (chronologically by date of first test) the United States, the Soviet Union (succeeded as a nuclear power by Russia), the United Kingdom, France, the People's Republic of China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. In addition, Israel is also widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though it does not acknowledge having them. One state, South Africa, has admitted to having previously fabricated nuclear weapons in the past, but has since disassembled their arsenal and submitted to international safeguards.

The Federation of American Scientists estimates there are more than 20,500 nuclear warheads in the world as of 2011, with around 4,800 of them kept in "operational" status, ready for potential use.

Types [link]

There are two basic types of nuclear weapons: those which derive the majority of their energy from nuclear fission reactions alone, and those which use fission reactions to begin nuclear fusion reactions that produce a large amount of the total energy output.

Fission weapons[link]

All existing nuclear weapons derive some of their explosive energy from nuclear fission reactions. Weapons whose explosive output is exclusively from fission reactions are commonly referred to as atomic bombs or atom bombs (abbreviated as A-bombs). This has long been noted as something of a misnomer, however, as their energy comes specifically from the nucleus of the atom.

In fission weapons, a mass of fissile material (enriched uranium or plutonium) is assembled into a supercritical mass—the amount of material needed to start an exponentially growing nuclear chain reaction—either by shooting one piece of sub-critical material into another (the "gun" method) or by compressing a sub-critical sphere of material using chemical explosives to many times its original density (the "implosion" method). The latter approach is considered more sophisticated than the former and only the latter approach can be used if the fissile material is plutonium.

A major challenge in all nuclear weapon designs is to ensure that a significant fraction of the fuel is consumed before the weapon destroys itself. The amount of energy released by fission bombs can range from the equivalent of less than a ton of TNT upwards of 500,000 tons (500 kilotons) of TNT.

All fission reactions necessarily generate fission products, the radioactive remains of the atomic nuclei split by the fission reactions. Many fission products are either highly radioactive (but short-lived) or moderately radioactive (but long-lived), and as such are a serious form of radioactive contamination if not fully contained. Fission products are the principal radioactive component of nuclear fallout.

The most commonly used fissile materials for nuclear weapons applications have been uranium-235 and plutonium-239. Less commonly used has been uranium-233. Neptunium-237 and a number of isotopes of americium may be usable for nuclear explosives as well, but it is not clear that this has ever been actually implemented, and even their plausible use in nuclear weapons is a matter of scientific dispute.

Fusion weapons[link]

The other basic type of nuclear weapon produces a large amount of its energy through nuclear fusion reactions. Such fusion weapons are generally referred to as thermonuclear weapons or more colloquially as hydrogen bombs (abbreviated as H-bombs), as they rely on fusion reactions between isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium). However, all such weapons derive a significant portion, and sometimes a majority, of their energy from fission. This is because a fission weapon is required as a "trigger" for the fusion reactions, and the fusion reactions can themselves trigger additional fission reactions.

Only six countries—United States, Russia, United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, France and India—have conducted thermonuclear weapon tests. (Whether India has detonated a "true", multi-staged thermonuclear weapon is controversial.) All thermonuclear weapons are considered to be much more difficult to successfully design and execute than primitive fission weapons.

Thermonuclear bombs work by using the energy of a fission bomb to compress and heat fusion fuel. In the Teller-Ulam design, which accounts for all multi-megaton yield hydrogen bombs, this is accomplished by placing a fission bomb and fusion fuel (tritium, deuterium, or lithium deuteride) in proximity within a special, radiation-reflecting container. When the fission bomb is detonated, gamma and X-rays emitted first compress the fusion fuel, then heat it to thermonuclear temperatures. The ensuing fusion reaction creates enormous numbers of high-speed neutrons, which can then induce fission in materials not normally prone to it, such as depleted uranium. Each of these components is known as a "stage", with the fission bomb as the "primary" and the fusion capsule as the "secondary". In large, megaton-range hydrogen bombs, about half of the yield comes from the final fissioning of depleted uranium.

By chaining together numerous stages with increasing amounts of fusion fuel, thermonuclear weapons can be made to an almost arbitrary yield; the largest ever detonated (the Tsar Bomba of the USSR) released an energy equivalent of over 50 million tons (50 megatons) of TNT. Most thermonuclear weapons are considerably smaller than this, due to practical constraints arising from the space and weight requirements of missile warheads.

Fusion reactions do not create fission products, and thus contribute far less to the creation of nuclear fallout than fission reactions. However, because all thermonuclear weapons contain at least one fission stage, and many high-yield thermonuclear devices have a final fission stage from depleted uranium, thermonuclear weapons can generate at least as much nuclear fallout as fission-only weapons, if not substantially more.

Other types[link]

There are other types of nuclear weapons as well. For example, a boosted fission weapon is a fission bomb which increases its explosive yield through a small amount of fusion reactions, but it is not a fusion bomb. In the boosted bomb, the neutrons produced by the fusion reactions serve primarily to increase the efficiency of the fission bomb.

Some weapons are designed for special purposes; a neutron bomb is a thermonuclear weapon that yields a relatively small explosion but a relatively large amount of neutron radiation; such a device could theoretically be used to cause massive casualties while leaving infrastructure mostly intact and creating a minimal amount of fallout. The detonation of any nuclear weapon is accompanied by a blast of neutron radiation. Surrounding a nuclear weapon with suitable materials (such as cobalt or gold) creates a weapon known as a salted bomb. This device can produce exceptionally large quantities of radioactive contamination.

Research has been done into the possibility of pure fusion bombs: nuclear weapons that consisted of fusion reactions without requiring a fission bomb to initiate them. Such a weapon would potentially prove to be a simpler path to thermonuclear weapons than one requiring the development of fission weapons first, and pure fusion weapons would create significantly less nuclear fallout than other thermonuclear weapons, as they would not disperse fission products. In 1998, the United States Department of Energy divulged that the United States had "made a substantial investment" in the past to develop pure fusion weapons but that "the U.S. does not have and is not developing a pure fusion weapon" and that "no credible design for a pure fusion weapon resulted from the DOE investment."

Most variation in nuclear weapon design is for the purpose of achieving different yields for different situations, and in manipulating design elements to attempt to minimize weapon size.

Weapons delivery[link]

Nuclear weapons delivery—the technology and systems used to bring a nuclear weapon to its target—is an important aspect of nuclear weapons relating both to nuclear weapon design and nuclear strategy. Additionally, development and maintenance of delivery options is among the most resource-intensive aspects of a nuclear weapons program: according to one estimate, deployment costs accounted for 57% of the total financial resources spent by the United States in relation to nuclear weapons since 1940.

Historically the first method of delivery, and the method used in the two nuclear weapons actually used in warfare, was as a gravity bomb, dropped from bomber aircraft. This method is usually the first developed by countries as it does not place many restrictions on the size of the weapon and ''weapon miniaturization'' is something which requires considerable weapons design knowledge. It does, however, limit the range of attack, the response time to an impending attack, and the number of weapons which can be fielded at any given time.

With the advent of miniaturization, nuclear bombs can be delivered by both strategic bombers and tactical fighter-bombers, allowing an air force to use its current fleet with little or no modification. This method may still be considered the primary means of nuclear weapons delivery; the majority of U.S. nuclear warheads, for example, are free-fall gravity bombs, namely the B61.

More preferable from a strategic point of view is a nuclear weapon mounted onto a missile, which can use a ballistic trajectory to deliver the warhead over the horizon. While even short range missiles allow for a faster and less vulnerable attack, the development of long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) has given some nations the ability to plausibly deliver missiles anywhere on the globe with a high likelihood of success.

More advanced systems, such as multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), allow multiple warheads to be launched at different targets from one missile, reducing the chance of a successful missile defense. Today, missiles are most common among systems designed for delivery of nuclear weapons. Making a warhead small enough to fit onto a missile, though, can be a difficult task.

Tactical weapons have involved the most variety of delivery types, including not only gravity bombs and missiles but also artillery shells, land mines, and nuclear depth charges and torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare. An atomic mortar was also tested at one time by the United States. Small, two-man portable tactical weapons (somewhat misleadingly referred to as suitcase bombs), such as the Special Atomic Demolition Munition, have been developed, although the difficulty of combining sufficient yield with portability limits their military utility.

Nuclear strategy[link]

Nuclear warfare strategy is a set of policies that deal with preventing or fighting a nuclear war. The policy of trying to prevent an attack by a nuclear weapon from another country by threatening nuclear retaliation is known as the strategy of nuclear deterrence. The goal in deterrence is to always maintain a second strike capability (the ability of a country to respond to a nuclear attack with one of its own) and potentially to strive for first strike status (the ability to completely destroy an enemy's nuclear forces before they could retaliate). During the Cold War, policy and military theorists in nuclear-enabled countries worked out models of what sorts of policies could prevent one from ever being attacked by a nuclear weapon.

Different forms of nuclear weapons delivery (see above) allow for different types of nuclear strategies. The goals of any strategy are generally to make it difficult for an enemy to launch a pre-emptive strike against the weapon system and difficult to defend against the delivery of the weapon during a potential conflict. Sometimes this has meant keeping the weapon locations hidden, such as deploying them on submarines or rail cars whose locations are very hard for an enemy to track and other times this means protecting them by burying them in hardened bunkers.

Other components of nuclear strategies have included using missile defense (to destroy the missiles before they land) or implementation of civil defense measures (using early-warning systems to evacuate citizens to safe areas before an attack).

Note that weapons which are designed to threaten large populations or to generally deter attacks are known as strategic weapons. Weapons which are designed to actually be used on a battlefield in military situations are known as tactical weapons.

There are critics of the very idea of nuclear strategy for waging nuclear war who have suggested that a nuclear war between two nuclear powers would result in mutual annihilation. From this point of view, the significance of nuclear weapons is purely to deter war because any nuclear war would immediately escalate out of mutual distrust and fear, resulting in mutually assured destruction. This threat of national, if not global, destruction has been a strong motivation for anti-nuclear weapons activism.

Critics from the peace movement and within the military establishment have questioned the usefulness of such weapons in the current military climate. According to an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in 1996, the use of (or threat of use of) such weapons would generally be contrary to the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, but the court did not reach an opinion as to whether or not the threat or use would be lawful in specific extreme circumstances such as if the survival of the state were at stake.

Perhaps the most controversial idea in nuclear strategy is that nuclear proliferation would be desirable. This view argues that, unlike conventional weapons, nuclear weapons successfully deter all-out war between states, and they are said to have done this during the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Political scientist Kenneth Waltz is the most prominent advocate of this argument.

The threat of potentially suicidal terrorists possessing nuclear weapons (a form of nuclear terrorism) complicates the decision process. The prospect of mutually assured destruction may not deter an enemy who expects to die in the confrontation. Further, if the initial act is from a stateless terrorist instead of a sovereign nation, there is no fixed nation or fixed military targets to retaliate against. It has been argued, especially after the September 11, 2001 attacks, that this complication is the sign of the next age of nuclear strategy, distinct from the relative stability of the Cold War. In 1996, the United States adopted a policy of allowing the targeting of its nuclear weapons at terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction.

Governance, control, and law[link]

Because of the immense military power they can confer, the political control of nuclear weapons has been a key issue for as long as they have existed; in most countries the use of nuclear force can only be authorized by the head of government or head of state.

In the late 1940s, lack of mutual trust was preventing the United States and the Soviet Union from making ground towards international arms control agreements, but by the 1960s steps were being taken to limit both the proliferation of nuclear weapons to other countries and the environmental effects of nuclear testing. The Partial Test Ban Treaty (1963) restricted all nuclear testing to underground nuclear testing, to prevent contamination from nuclear fallout, while the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968) attempted to place restrictions on the types of activities which signatories could participate in, with the goal of allowing the transference of non-military nuclear technology to member countries without fear of proliferation.

In 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established under the mandate of the United Nations in order to encourage the development of the peaceful applications of nuclear technology, provide international safeguards against its misuse, and facilitate the application of safety measures in its use. In 1996, many nations signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty which prohibits all testing of nuclear weapons, which would impose a significant hindrance to their development by any complying country. Due to the strict entry-into-force criterion of the convention however, it had as of 2011 not entered into force.

Additional treaties and agreements have governed nuclear weapons stockpiles between the countries with the two largest stockpiles, the United States and the Soviet Union, and later between the United States and Russia. These include treaties such as SALT II (never ratified), START I (expired), INF, START II (never ratified), SORT, and New START, as well as non-binding agreements such as SALT I and the Presidential Nuclear Initiatives of 1991. Even when they did not enter into force, these agreements helped limit and later reduce the numbers and types of nuclear weapons between the United States and the Soviet Union/Russia.

Nuclear weapons have also been opposed by agreements between countries. Many nations have been declared Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones, areas where nuclear weapons production and deployment are prohibited, through the use of treaties. The Treaty of Tlatelolco (1967) prohibited any production or deployment of nuclear weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Treaty of Pelindaba (1964) prohibits nuclear weapons in many African countries. As recently as 2006 a Central Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone was established amongst the former Soviet republics of Central Asia prohibiting nuclear weapons.

In the middle of 1996, the International Court of Justice, the highest court of the United Nations, issued an Advisory Opinion concerned with the "Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons". The court ruled that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons would violate various articles of international law, including the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Conventions, the UN Charter, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In view of the unique, destructive characteristics of nuclear weapons, the International Committee of the Red Cross calls on States to ensure that these weapons are never used, irrespective of whether they consider them to be lawful or not.

Additionally, there have been other, specific actions meant to discourage countries from developing nuclear arms. In the wake of the tests by India and Pakistan in 1998, economic sanctions were (temporarily) levied against both countries, though neither were signatories with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. One of the stated ''casus belli'' for the initiation of the 2003 Iraq War was an accusation by the United States that Iraq was actively pursuing nuclear arms (though this was soon discovered not to be the case as the program had been discontinued). In 1981, Israel had bombed a nuclear reactor being constructed in Osirak, Iraq, in what it called an attempt to halt Iraq's previous nuclear arms ambitions; in 2007, Israel bombed another reactor being constructed in Syria.

Disarmament[link]

Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated.

Beginning with the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty and continuing through the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, there have been many treaties to limit or reduce nuclear weapons testing and stockpiles. The 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has as one of its explicit conditions that all signatories must "pursue negotiations in good faith" towards the long-term goal of "complete disarmament". However, no nuclear state has treated that aspect of the agreement as having binding force.

Only one country—South Africa—has ever fully renounced nuclear weapons they had independently developed. A number of former Soviet republics—Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine—returned Soviet nuclear arms stationed in their countries to Russia after the collapse of the USSR.

Proponents of nuclear disarmament say that it would lessen the probability of nuclear war occurring, especially accidentally. Critics of nuclear disarmament say that it would undermine deterrence and could lead to increased global instability. Various American government officials, who were in office during the Cold War period, have recently been advocating the elimination of nuclear weapons. These officials include Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Sam Nunn, and William Perry. In January 2010, Lawrence M. Krauss stated that "no issue carries more importance to the long-term health and security of humanity than the effort to reduce, and perhaps one day, rid the world of nuclear weapons".

In the years after the end of the Cold War, there have been numerous campaigns to urge the abolition of nuclear weapons, such as that organized by the Global Zero movement, and the goal of a "world without nuclear weapons" was advocated by United States President Barack Obama in an April 2009 speech in Prague. A CNN poll from April 2010 indicated that the American public was nearly evenly split on the issue.

Controversy[link]

Even before the first nuclear weapons had been developed, scientists involved with the Manhattan Project were divided over the use of the weapon. The role of the two atomic bombings of the country in Japan's surrender and the U.S.'s ethical justification for them has been the subject of scholarly and popular debate for decades. The question of whether nations should have nuclear weapons, or test them, has been continually and nearly universally controversial.

Radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing was first drawn to public attention in 1954 when the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test at the Pacific Proving Grounds contaminated the crew and catch of the Japanese fishing boat ''Lucky Dragon''. One of the fishermen died in Japan seven months later, and the fear of contaminated tuna led to a temporary boycotting of the popular staple in Japan. The incident caused widespread concern around the world, especially regarding the effects of nuclear fallout and atmospheric nuclear testing, and "provided a decisive impetus for the emergence of the anti-nuclear weapons movement in many countries".

Peace movements emerged in Japan and in 1954 they converged to form a unified "Japanese Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs". Japanese opposition to nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific Ocean was widespread, and "an estimated 35 million signatures were collected on petitions calling for bans on nuclear weapons".

In the United Kingdom, the first Aldermaston March organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament took place at Easter 1958, when several thousand people marched for four days from Trafalgar Square, London, to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment close to Aldermaston in Berkshire, England, to demonstrate their opposition to nuclear weapons. The Aldermaston marches continued into the late 1960s when tens of thousands of people took part in the four-day marches.

In 1959, a letter in the ''Bulletin of Atomic Scientists'' was the start of a successful campaign to stop the Atomic Energy Commission dumping radioactive waste in the sea 19 kilometres from Boston. In 1962, Linus Pauling won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to stop the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, and the "Ban the Bomb" movement spread.

In 1963, many countries ratified the Partial Test Ban Treaty prohibiting atmospheric nuclear testing. Radioactive fallout became less of an issue and the anti-nuclear weapons movement went into decline for some years. A resurgence of interest occurred amid European and American fears of nuclear war in the 1980s.

Between 1940 and 1996, the U.S. spent at least $}} in present day terms on nuclear weapons development. Over half was spent on building delivery mechanisms for the weapon. $}} in present day terms was spent on nuclear waste management and environmental remediation.

Non-weapons uses[link]

Apart from their use as weapons, nuclear explosives have been tested and used for various non-military uses, and proposed, but not used for large-scale earth moving. When long term health and clean-up costs were included, there was no economic advantage over conventional explosives.

Synthetic elements, such as einsteinium and fermium, created by neutron bombardment of uranium and plutonium during thermonuclear explosions, were discovered in the aftermath of the first thermonuclear bomb test. In 2008 the worldwide presence of new isotopes from atmospheric testing beginning in the 1950s was developed into a reliable way of detecting art forgeries, as all paintings created after that period may contain traces of cesium-137 and strontium-90, isotopes that did not exist in nature before 1945.

Nuclear explosives have also been seriously studied as potential propulsion mechanisms for space travel (see Project Orion) and for asteroid deflection.

See also[link]

Aftermath[link]

Nuclear summer

Nuclear winter

History[link]

History of nuclear weapons

*German nuclear energy project

*Japanese atomic program

*Manhattan Project

*Soviet atomic bomb project

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents

Nuclear and radiation accidents, including nuclear weapons accidents

Nuclear testing

*Nevada Test Site

*Project Gnome

Military strategy

*Civil Defense

*Fractional Orbital Bombardment System

*Mutual Assured Destruction

Weapon of mass destruction

*Nuclear strategy

*Nuclear warfare

More technical details[link]

Effects of nuclear explosions

Intercontinental ballistic missile

Neutron bomb

Nuclear bombs and health

Nuclear weapon design

Nuclear weapon yield

Popular culture[link]

Nuclear weapons in popular culture

The Butter Battle Book

Proliferation and politics[link]

Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

International Court of Justice advisory opinion on legality of nuclear weapons

List of states with nuclear weapons

List of nuclear weapons

Nth Country Experiment

Nuclear disarmament

Nuclear explosive

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Nuclear peace

Nuclear proliferation

Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom

The Letters of last resort (United Kingdom)

Nuclear weapons and Russia

Nuclear weapons and the United States

Paranuclear

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

Three Non-Nuclear Principles, of Japan

References[link]

Notes[link]

Bibliography[link]

Bethe, Hans Albrecht. ''The Road from Los Alamos''. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1991. ISBN 0-671-74012-1

DeVolpi, Alexander, Minkov, Vladimir E., Simonenko, Vadim A., and Stanford, George S. ''Nuclear Shadowboxing: Contemporary Threats from Cold War Weaponry''. Fidlar Doubleday, 2004 (Two volumes, both accessible on Google Book Search) (Content of both volumes is now available in the 2009 trilogy by Alexander DeVolpi: ''Nuclear Insights: The Cold War Legacy'' available on .

Glasstone, Samuel and Dolan, Philip J. ''The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (third edition).'' Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977. Available online (PDF).

''NATO Handbook on the Medical Aspects of NBC Defensive Operations (Part I – Nuclear)''. Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force: Washington, D.C., 1996

Hansen, Chuck. ''U.S. Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History.'' Arlington, TX: Aerofax, 1988

Hansen, Chuck. ''The Swords of Armageddon: U.S. nuclear weapons development since 1945.'' Sunnyvale, CA: Chukelea Publications, 1995.

Holloway, David. ''Stalin and the Bomb''. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-300-06056-4

The Manhattan Engineer District, "The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" (1946)

Smyth, Henry DeWolf. ''Atomic Energy for Military Purposes.'' Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1945. (Smyth Reportthe first declassified report by the US government on nuclear weapons)

''The Effects of Nuclear War''. Office of Technology Assessment, May 1979.

Rhodes, Richard. ''Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb''. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995. ISBN 0-684-82414-0

Rhodes, Richard. ''The Making of the Atomic Bomb''. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1986 ISBN 0-684-81378-5

Weart, Spencer R. ''Nuclear Fear: A History of Images''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1988.

External links[link]

Current World Nuclear Arsenals has estimates of nuclear arsenals in the respective countries.

General [link]

Nuclear Weapon Archive from Carey Sublette is a reliable source of information and has links to other sources and an informative FAQ.

The Federation of American Scientists provide solid information on weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons and their effects

Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues—contains many resources related to nuclear weapons, including a historical and technical overview and searchable bibliography of web and print resources.

Everything you wanted to know about nuclear technology—Provided by ''New Scientist''.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Nuclear weapons

Video archive of US, Soviet, UK, Chinese and French Nuclear Weapon Testing at sonicbomb.com

The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History (United States)—located in Albuquerque, New Mexico; a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum

Historical [link]

The Manhattan Project: Making the Atomic Bomb at AtomicArchive.com

Los Alamos National Laboratory: History (U.S. nuclear history)

''Race for the Superbomb'', PBS website on the history of the H-bomb

U.S. nuclear test photographs from the DOE Nevada Site Office

U.S. nuclear test film clips from the DOE Nevada Site Office

Recordings of recollections of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The Woodrow Wilson Center's Nuclear Proliferation International History Project or NPIHP is a global network of individuals and institutions engaged in the study of international nuclear history through archival documents, oral history interviews and other empirical sources.

Category:American inventions Category:Articles containing video clips

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name	The Gap Band
background	group_or_band
origin	Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
instrument	Guitar, Synthesizer, Drums, Horns
genre	Electro-funk, electro, funk, R&B;, soul, quiet storm
years active	1967–2010
label	Shelter RecordsTattoo/RCAMercuryTotal ExperienceCapitol
associated acts	Charlie WilsonDawn SilvaP-Funk
website	www.gapband.com
current members	Charlie WilsonRonnie Wilson
past members	Ronnie SmithRaymond CalhounRobert Wilson (deceased)
notable instruments	}}

The Gap Band was an American funk band, who rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. Comprising brothers Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson, the band first formed as the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band in 1967 in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group shortened its name to ''The Gap Band'' in 1973. After 43 years together, they retired in 2010.

History[link]

Early years[link]

Growing up with a Pentecostal minister father, Ronnie Wilson formed the Greenwood, Archer, and Pine Street Band in 1967, with Tuck Andress (later of Tuck and Patti), Roscoe "Toast" Smith and Chris Clayton. In 1972, Ronnie's younger brother Charlie joined the band, and their younger brother Robert became the band's bassist in 1973. Eventually the band would be condensed to comprise the trio of Ronnie, Robert and Charlie Wilson.

Early on, the group took on a funk sound more reminiscent of the early 70s. This style failed to catch on, and their first two LP's, 1974's ''Magician's Holiday'' and 1977's ''The Gap Band'' (not to be confused with their 1979 album) failed to chart or produce any charting singles. However, they were introduced to LA producer Lonnie Simmons, who signed them to his record label, Total Experience Records. Simmons had recently gotten a distribution deal with Mercury/PolyGram.

Success[link]

When Lonnie signed them, the group had twelve musicians. The group dropped most of their personnel. Raymond Calhoun (writer of "Outstanding"), Oliver Scott (co-writer of "Yearning For Your Love), and arranger/producer Malvin Dino Vice (co-writer of "Boys Are Back in Town") were retained as members of the backing band and major contributors to the Gap Band's later recordings. On their first Simmons-produced album, ''The Gap Band'', they found chart success with songs such as "I'm in Love" and "Shake", the latter becoming a Top 10 R&B; hit in 1979.

In 1980 Charlie and Ronnie provided background vocals on Stevie Wonder's 1980 hit "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" from Wonder's album ''Hotter Than July'' (1980).

Later that year, the group released "I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops!)" on their album ''The Gap Band II''. Although it did not hit the Hot 100, it soared to #4 R&B.; The song, and the band's musical output as a whole, became more P-Funk-esque, with expanded use of the synthesizers and spoken monologues within songs (see audio sample). The song "Steppin' (Out)" also reached the top 10 R&B.; The album went gold.

The band reached a whole new level of fame in 1980 with the release of the #1 R&B; and #16 Billboard 200 ''The Gap Band III''. The band adopted a formula of quiet-storm ballads (such as the #5 R&B; song "Yearning for Your Love" and "Are You Living") supported by anthemic funk songs (such as the R&B; chart-topper "Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" and "Humpin'"). They repeated this formula on the #1 R&B; album ''Gap Band IV'' in 1982, which resulted in three hit singles: "Early in the Morning" (#1 R&B;, #13 Dance, #24 Hot 100), "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" (#2 R&B;, #31 Hot 100, #39 Dance), and "Outstanding" (#1 R&B;, #24 Dance). It was during this time that former Brides of Funkenstein singer Dawn Silva joined them on tour.

Their 1983 effort, ''Gap Band V: Jammin''', went gold, but not quite as successful as the previous works, peaking at #2 R&B; and #28 on the Billboard 200. The single "Party Train" peaked at #3 R&B; and the song "Jam the Motha'" peaked at #16 R&B;, but neither made it onto the Hot 100. The album's closer "Someday" (a loose cover of Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free") featured Stevie Wonder as a guest vocalist.

Their next work, ''Gap Band VI'' brought them back to #1 R&B; in 1985, but the album sold fewer copies, and did not go gold. "Beep a Freak" hit #2 R&B; and "I Found My Baby" peaked at #8 on the R&B; charts, and "Disrespect" peaked at #18. That year, lead singer Charlie Wilson provided backing vocals on Zapp & Roger's #2 R&B; "Computer Love".

Later years[link]

While their 1986 cover of "Going in Circles" went to #2 on the R&B; charts, and the album it was released on, ''Gap Band VII'' hit #6 R&B;, the album almost became their first in years to miss the Billboard 100, peaking at a mere #159.

Although they were beginning to struggle stateside, the group found their greatest success in the UK when their 1987 single "Big Fun" from ''Gap Band 8'' reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart. 1988's ''Straight from the Heart'' was their last studio album with Total Experience.

The Gap Band caught a small break in 1988 with the Keenan Ivory Wayans film ''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka''. They contributed the non-charting "You're So Cute" and the #14 R&B; title track to the film (The first was not on the soundtrack, but was used in the film). Their first song on their new label, Capitol Records, 1989's "All of My Love" (from their album ''Round Trip''), is, to date, their last #1 R&B; hit. The album also produced the #8 R&B; "Addicted to Your Love" and the #18 R&B; ""We Can Make It Alright." They left Capitol records the next year and went on a five year hiatus from producing new material.

During the 1990s, the band released three non-charting studio albums and two live albums. The only album to chart was the live album ''Live & Well'', which peaked at #54 R&B; in 1996.

Legacy[link]

In 1992, Charlie ventured into a solo career and has had several moderate R&B; hits on his own. Wilson's vocals were credited in part for inspiring the vocal style of New Jack Swing artists Guy, Aaron Hall, Keith Sweat, and R. Kelly. The band reunited in 1996, and issued ''The Gap Band: Live and Well'', a live greatest hits album.

On August 26, 2005, The Gap Band was honored as a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI Urban Awards. The honor is given to a creator who has been "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers."Outstanding" alone remains one of the most sampled songs in history and has, astonishingly, been used by over 150 artists.

Robert Wilson died of a heart attack at his home in Palmdale, California on August 15, 2010.

Sampling[link]

Since the 1990s, many The Gap Band hits have been sampled and covered by R&B; and Hip-Hop artists such as Nas, 69 Boyz, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat, II D Extreme, Blackstreet, Shaquille O'Neal, Mia X, and Mary J. Blige. "Outstanding" was sampled for a 1990s commercial for malt liquor. Musicians inspired by The Gap Band include R. Kelly, Keith Sweat, Ruff Endz, Guy, Blackstreet, II D Extreme, Mint Condition, Jagged Edge, D'Extra Wiley, and Aaron Hall.

"You Dropped a Bomb on Me" was featured in the hit 2004 videogame ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', playing on the fictional funk radio station Bounce FM.

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Facebook Page

Myspace Page

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Gap Band

The Gap Band at WhoSampled

Charlie Wilson in-depth interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' August 2011

Charlie Wilson 2011 Interview at Soulinterviews.com

Category:African American musical groups Category:Family musical groups Category:American boogie musicians Category:American electro musicians Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups Category:American soul musical groups Category:American funk musical groups Category:Musical groups from Oklahoma Category:Musical groups established in 1967

az:The Gap Band de:GAP Band es:The Gap Band fr:The Gap Band nl:The Gap Band pt:The Gap Band

name	Graham Norton
birth name	Graham William Walker
birth date	April 04, 1963
birth place	Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland
medium	Television, radio, stand-up
nationality	Irish
active	1992–present
genre	Observational comedy
subject	Everyday life, pop culture, current events, celebrities, sex
awards
notable work	''So Graham Norton''''V Graham Norton''''The Graham Norton Effect''''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''''The Graham Norton Show'' }}

Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton, (born 4 April 1963) is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist. He is the host of comedy chat programme ''The Graham Norton Show'' on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US. ''Hot Press'' has described him as "the 21st century's answer to Terry Wogan", with both men sharing an Irish background and the common link of being a BBC Radio 2 presenter and the BBC television commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest. Norton has won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance on five occasions.

Early life and career[link]

Norton was born in Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, but grew up in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland to a Protestant family. He was educated at Bandon Grammar School, in County Cork and then University College Cork but did not complete his studies.

In 1992 his stand-up comedy drag act in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a tea-towel clad Mother Teresa of Calcutta made the press when Scottish Television's religious affairs department mistakenly thought he represented the real Mother Teresa.

His first appearances in broadcasting were in his spot as a regular comedian and panellist on the BBC Radio 4 show ''Loose Ends'', when the show ran on Saturday mornings, in the early 1990s. His rise to fame began as one of the early successes of Channel 5, when he won an award for his performance as the stand-in host of a late-night TV talk show usually presented by Jack Docherty. This was followed by a comic quiz show on Channel 5 called ''Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment'', which was not well received as a programme, but did further enhance Norton's individual reputation as a comic and TV host. In 1996, Norton co-hosted the late-night quiz show ''Carnal Knowledge'' on ITV with Maria McErlane.

In 1996, Norton played the part of Father Noel Furlong in three episodes ("Hell", "Flight Into Terror", "The Mainland") of the Channel 4 series ''Father Ted''. Father Noel Furlong was often seen taking charge of a small youth folk-group.

Channel 4[link]

After this early success, Norton moved to Channel 4 to host his own chat shows including ''So Graham Norton'' and ''V Graham Norton''. As a performer who is not only openly gay, but also camp and flamboyant, it was here that Norton's act was fully honed as a cheeky, innuendo-laden joker.

In 2003, he was the subject of controversy when, on his show on Channel 4, he made a comedic reference to the recent death of Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb. The Independent Television Commission investigated after complaints about this insensitivity were forwarded to it and eventually Channel 4 had to make two apologies: one in the form of a caption slide before the show, another from Norton in person.

Also in 2003, he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. (Though Norton is Irish, the bulk of his television career has been in the UK.)

In the summer of 2004, Norton moved across the Atlantic to start a new venture in American television. ''The Graham Norton Effect'' debuted on 24 June 2004 on Comedy Central, and was also broadcast in the UK on BBC Three. In the midst of controversy surrounding Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, Norton was wary of moving into the market.

BBC[link]

In 2005, Norton moved to the BBC and began hosting the Saturday evening reality TV series ''Strictly Dance Fever'' on BBC One, as well as a new comedy chat show, ''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''. He also read stories some nights on the BBC children's channel CBeebies as part of ''Bedtime Hour''.

In 2006, Norton hosted the BBC One series ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'' in which Andrew Lloyd Webber tried to find a lead actress for his West End version of ''The Sound of Music''. Norton has subsequently presented the 3 follow-up series: ''Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007, in which a group of males competed to win the role of Joseph in the West End production of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''; ''I'd Do Anything'' in 2008, in which Andrew Lloyd Webber seeks to find the part of Nancy and Oliver for Sir Cameron Mackintosh's production of Lionel Bart's ''Oliver!''; and ''Over the Rainbow'' in 2010, following a similar format to find a new Dorothy for a ''Wizard of Oz'' West end Production.

Norton hosted various other shows for the BBC during this time, including ''When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007), ''The One and Only'' (2008) and ''Totally Saturday'' (2009). Since 2007, Norton has also been a regular host of The British Academy Television Awards. On 7 July 2007, Norton presented at Live Earth and undertook a trip to Ethiopia with the Born Free Foundation to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian wolf – the rarest canid in the world. In the same year, he was the subject of an episode of the BBC1 genealogy documentary ''Who Do You Think You Are?''.

Norton's chat show, ''The Graham Norton Show'', began on 22 February 2007 on BBC Two. Although in a format that he had not been involved in for 4 years, it is very similar to his previous Channel 4 shows. On 6 October 2009, the show moved to BBC One, in a new one-hour format.

In May 2010, he stood in for Chris Evans' breakfast show on BBC Radio 2. Later that month, it was confirmed that he would be replacing Jonathan Ross's Saturday morning slot on the same station.

In December 2011, the panel show ''Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' premiered on BBC America in the time slot immediately following ''The Graham Norton Show''. Recorded in New York, it is one of BBC America's earliest efforts at producing original programming, and is also the first panel game the channel has shown, either of British or American origin.

In January 2012, he called on listeners to his Radio 2 show to help find his car hours after it was stolen. He called it "The Great Car Hunt" and told listeners to “Keep your eyes out for it. It was filthy by the way."

Eurovision[link]

Norton hosted the first annual ''Eurovision Dance Contest'' alongside Claudia Winkleman which was held on 1 September 2007 in London, England. The format was based on the BBC's ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and the EBU's ''Eurovision Song Contest''. Norton and Winkleman also hosted the 2008 Contest in Glasgow, Scotland.

In October 2008, it was confirmed by the BBC that Norton would replace Terry Wogan as the BBC's presenter for the UK heats of the ''Eurovision Song Contest'', in a show to be called ''Your Country Needs You''.

On 5 December 2008 it was announced that Norton would also take over from Wogan as the presenter of the main Eurovision Song Contest. The 54th Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Olimpiyskiy (Olympic) Stadium, Moscow on 16 May 2009.

Norton's jokes during his debut received some positive reviews from the British media. ''The Guardian'' noted his comments on Iceland's entry, which finished in second place, had "rooted around in a cupboard and found an old bridesmaid dress from 1987" and the Armenian singers, who finished in tenth place, were sporting traditional dress, "which would be true if you come from the village where Liberace is the mayor."

His comment “The bad news is you’re about to watch Albania. She’s only 17 so please bear that in mind. Where was her mother? Why didn’t she step in and say no?” which was made just before Albanian singer Kejsi Tola was set to take the stage dubbed an insult by many, sent ripples of outrage through not only Albania, but also the Albanian population in Britain. He then announced that Albania should get no points and that he didn't care what anybody else thought. There was a petition circling the net calling for a formal apology from Norton. The petition, which called his comment “very rude and insulting,” had drawn over 1,000 signatures. He never responded.

In 2011, he snarked that if Jedward's entry into the competition that year won, the twins would never sleep again. In the end, they were eighth. Earlier in that year's televote, he joked "Quick, someone take a picture", when The British entry that year went temporarily in the lead early on after high votes from Russia(4), Bulgaria(12) and Italy(10). In the end, the song dropped down the 11th, earning 100 points. Very annoyed, Norton claimed 'We were better than Jedward'.

In 2012, Norton joked about the Spanish singer Pastora Soler and the economic situation of Spain. This statements unleashed many bad reviews on the internet. Norton joked about Rona Nishliu (the singer of Albania) too. He said that Rona was a singer that "she shout a lot".

Other[link]

In July 2000 Graham was one of three judges of the Miss Lesbian Beauty Contest 2000 held at The Talk of London, Drury Lane. The contest was won by 42 year old Carol Hutchins who wowed the audience with her sit-down comedy routine from a wheelchair. Graham described Carol as a "very bright, funny lady."

Graham Norton played Mr. Puckov in the 2006 American comedy spoof film ''Another Gay Movie''. In 2007, Norton played Taylor in the romantic comedy film ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''.

Norton was involved in a high-publicity advertising campaign for the UK National Lottery as an animated unicorn, the stooge to a character based on Lady Luck (played by Fay Ripley). He has also advertised McVitie's biscuits.

In 2007, Norton featured in Girls Aloud and Sugababes' Comic Relief video for the single "Walk This Way."

In January 2009, Norton made his West End stage debut in a revival of ''La Cage Aux Folles'' at the Playhouse Theatre.

Since 2009, Norton has been the host of the comedy game-show ''Most Popular'' on US cable television channel WE tv.

Norton currently writes an advice column in ''The Daily Telegraph'' newspaper. In October 2010, these columns were made into a book entitled ''Ask Graham'', published by John Blake Publishing.

Personal life[link]

Norton has stated that he felt "out of place" growing up in Ireland; his family are Protestant yet the Republic of Ireland is overwhelmingly Catholic. Norton took part in the TV programme, ''Who Do You Think You Are?'', to trace his ancestry. It was discovered that his family were originally planters sent over from England to take over Irish land. Some members of his family had fought for the British Monarchy during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and taken part in a massacre of Catholics in Carnew Castle. Another member of his family was later killed in battle by the United Irishmen. Norton said he was comforted to find out that his family had resided in Ireland for generations.

In 1989 while living in London, Norton was mugged, beaten and stabbed by a group of attackers on the street. He says he lost half his blood and nearly died, and he was hospitalised for two and a half weeks.

Norton is openly gay.

Norton owns a holiday home in Ahakista, County Cork, which is near to where he grew up, in Bandon. The house has a private beach and overlooks Dunmanus Bay.

TV appearances[link]

Main presenting credits[link]

''Carnal Knowledge'' (TV series, co-presenter) (1996, 27 one hour shows)

''Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment''

''So Graham Norton'' (1998–2002)

''V Graham Norton'' (2002–2003)

''NY Graham Norton'' (2004)

''The Graham Norton Effect'' (2004–2005)

''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture'' (2005–2006)

''Strictly Dance Fever'' (2005–2006)

BBC/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical theater talent searches (2006–present)

* ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'' (2006)

* ''Any Dream Will Do'' (2007)

* ''I'd Do Anything'' (2008)

* ''Over the Rainbow'' (2010)

''The Big Finish'' (2006–)

''When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007)

''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present)

''The British Academy Television Awards'' (2007)

''Live Earth'' (2007)

''Eurovision Dance Contest'' (2007)

''The One and Only'' (2008)

''Eurovision Dance Contest'' (2008)

''Eurovision: Your Country Needs You'' (2009–present)

''Eurovision Song Contest'' (UK commentator, 2009–present)

''Totally Saturday'' (2009)

''Most Popular'' (2009–present)

''Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' (BBC America, 2011–present)

Other television credits[link]

''Rex the Runt'': A Crap Day Out ''Absolutely Fabulous'': Gay ''Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)

!Year!!Title!!Character!!Broadcaster
1996–98	''Father Ted'':	* Hell	* Flight into Terror	* The Mainland	Father Noel Furlong	Channel 4
rowspan=3	2001	|	The Plants voice	BBC
''Rex the Runt'': Patio	Osvalde Halitosis voice
''The Kumars at No. 42''	Himself
2002	|	Himself	BBC
rowspan=4	2007	Who Do You Think You Are?'' ||	Himself	BBC
''Saving Planet Earth''	*Saving Wolves	Himself	BBC
''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List''
''Robbie the Reindeer'' in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind	Computer voice

Radio[link]

''Just a Minute''

Sitting in for Steve Wright August 2009 BBC Radio 2

Sitting in for Chris Evans May /July 2010 BBC Radio 2

On 2 October 2010, he began his weekly BBC Radio 2 Saturday show taking over from Jonathan Ross. The show airs from 10.00am-1.00pm and combines a mixture of music, chat and celebrity guests.

2011/12 Radio 2 Saturday mornings

Filmography[link]

''Stargay'' ''Another Gay Movie'' ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''

!Year!!Title!!Character!!Production
1999	|	Graham Solex	Canal+
2006	|	Mr. Puckov	Luna Pictures
2007	|	Taylor	The Weinstein Company

Stand-Up videos[link]

''Live At The Roundhouse'' (19 November 2001)

Awards[link]

1999 : Gaytime Award for ''Gay Entertainer of the Year''

2000 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance – ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance - ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : RTS Television Award for Best Presenter – ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : TRIC Award TV Personality of the Year

2002 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Perfromance - ''So Graham Norton''

2011 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance – ''The Graham Norton Show''

2012 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance - ''The Graham Norton Show''

References[link]

External links[link]

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of University College Cork Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters Category:Gay actors Category:Irish columnists Category:Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:Irish male comedians Category:Irish people of English descent Category:Irish television talk show hosts Category:LGBT comedians Category:LGBT people from Ireland Category:People from County Cork Category:People from Dublin (city) Category:Survivors of stabbing Category:United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest Category:LGBT broadcasters

cy:Graham Norton da:Graham Norton de:Graham Norton es:Graham Norton fy:Graham Norton ga:Graham Norton nl:Graham Norton no:Graham Norton pl:Graham Norton ro:Graham Norton ru:Нортон, Грэм fi:Graham Norton sv:Graham Norton tr:Graham Norton

{{Infobox person | image = JohnnyDeppByArnoldWells2011.jpg | caption = Depp in October 2011 | imagesize = | birth_date = June 09, 1963 | birth_place = Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S. | birth_name = John Christopher Depp II | spouse = Lori Anne Allison (1983–1985) | partner = Sherilyn Fenn (1985–1988)Winona Ryder (1989–1993)Kate Moss (1994–1998)Vanessa Paradis (1998–present) | children = Lily-Rose Melody Depp (born 1999)John Christopher "Jack" Depp III (born 2002) He has been nominated for top awards many times, winning the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes for ''Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' and from the Screen Actors Guild for ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl''. He also has garnered a sex symbol status in American cinema, being twice named as the "Sexiest Man Alive" by ''People'' magazine in 2003 and 2009. He has been listed in the 2012 ''Guinness Book of World Records'' as the highest paid actor, with $75 million.

Early life[link]

Early Life[link]

Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, the son of John Christopher Depp, Sr., a civil engineer, and his wife, the former Betty Sue Wells, a waitress. He has one brother and two sisters. His brother Daniel is a novelist and his sister Christie works as his manager. The Depp family in the United States began with a French Huguenot immigrant, Pierre Deppe or Dieppe, who settled in Virginia around 1700, part of a refugee colony situated above the falls on the James River. Depp has surmised that he is part Native American, saying in 2011, "I guess I have some Native American [in me] somewhere down the line. My great-grandmother was quite a bit of Native American, she grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek."

The family moved frequently during Depp's childhood, and he and his siblings lived in more than 20 different locations, settling in Miramar, Florida, in 1970. In 1978, Depp's parents divorced. His mother married, as her second husband, Robert Palmer (died 2000), whom Depp called "an inspiration to me". Depp engaged in self-harm when he was young, due to the stress of dealing with family problems, which resulted in several self-inflicted scars. In a 1993 interview, he reflected on his self-injury by saying "My body is a journal in a way. It's like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist".

1980s[link]

With the gift of a guitar from his mother when he was twelve, Depp began playing in various garage bands. His first band was in honor of his girlfriend, Meredith. A year after his parents' divorce, Depp dropped out of high school to become a rock musician. He attempted to go back to school two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician. He played with The Kids, a band that enjoyed modest local success. The Kids set out together for Los Angeles in pursuit of a record deal, changing their name to Six Gun Method, but the group split up before signing a record deal. Depp subsequently collaborated with the band Rock City Angels and co-wrote their song "Mary", which appeared on Rock City Angels' debut for Geffen Records titled ''Young Man's Blues''.

On December 24, 1983, Depp married Lori Anne Allison, the sister of his band's bass player and singer. During Depp's marriage, his wife worked as a makeup artist, while he worked a variety of odd jobs, including a telemarketer for pens. His wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who advised Depp to pursue an acting career. Depp and his wife divorced in 1985. Depp later dated and was engaged to actress Sherilyn Fenn (whom he met on the set of the 1985 short film ''Dummies''). Both Fenn and Depp auditioned for the 1986 film ''Thrashin''' and they were both cast, with Depp being chosen by the film's director to star as the lead, which would have been Depp's second major role. Depp was later turned down by the film's producer, who rejected the director's decision.

Acting career[link]

Television[link]

Depp starred in a lead role on the Fox television series, ''21 Jump Street'', which premiered in 1987. Depp accepted this role to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who inspired him. Depp's long time friend Sal Jenco joined the cast as a semi-co-star as the janitor named Blowfish. The series' success turned Depp into a popular teen idol during the late 1980s. Despite this success, Depp felt "forced into the role of product." Depp subsequently decided to appear only in films that he felt were right for him. Depp and his co-stars, Peter DeLuise and Holly Robinson, briefly reprised their roles in cameo appearances in the series' 2012 feature film adaptation, which featured a much more comedic tone than the series.

Film roles[link]

Depp's first major role was in the 1984 classic horror film ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'', playing the boyfriend of the heroine, Nancy Thompson (played by Heather Langenkamp) and one of Freddy Krueger's victims. Depp was the first choice and was cast to star in the 1986 American skater drama film ''Thrashin''', chosen and cast by the director but ultimately rejected by the film's producer. In 1986, he appeared in a secondary role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone's ''Platoon''. In 1990, he undertook the quirky title role of the Tim Burton film, ''Edward Scissorhands''. The film's success began his long association with Burton.

Depp, a fan and long-time friend of writer Hunter S. Thompson, played a version of Thompson (named Raoul Duke) in 1998's ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'', based on the writer's pseudobiographical novel of the same name. Depp accompanied Thompson as his road manager on one of the author's last book tours. In 2006, Depp contributed a foreword to ''Gonzo: Photographs by Hunter S. Thompson'', a posthumous biography published by ammobooks.com. In 2008, he narrated the documentary film ''Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson''. Depp paid for most of Thompson's memorial event, complete with fireworks and the shooting of Thompson's ashes by a cannon, in Aspen, Colorado, where Thompson lived. He returned to Thompson's work with a film adaptation of the novel ''The Rum Diary'', released in 2011.

Critics have described Depp's roles as characters who are "iconic loners." Depp has noted this period of his career was full of "studio defined failures" and films that were "box office poison," but he thought the studios never understood the films and did not do a good job of marketing. Depp has chosen roles which he found interesting, rather than those he thought would succeed at the box office. The 2003 Walt Disney Pictures film ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' was a major success, in which Depp's performance as the suave but shambling pirate Captain Jack Sparrow was highly praised. Studio bosses were more ambivalent at first, but the character became popular with the movie-going public. According to a survey taken by Fandango, Depp was a major draw for audiences. The film's director, Gore Verbinski, has said that Depp's character closely resembles the actor's personality, but Depp said he modeled the character after The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Depp was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for the role.

In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, for playing Scottish author J. M. Barrie in the film ''Finding Neverland''. Depp next starred as Willy Wonka in the 2005 film ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'', a major success at the box office and earning him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

Depp returned to the role of Jack Sparrow for the sequel ''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'', which opened on July 7, 2006 and grossed $135.5 million in the first three days of its U.S. release, breaking a box office record of the highest weekend tally. The next sequel to ''Pirates of the Caribbean'', ''At World's End'', was released May 24, 2007. Depp has said that Sparrow is "definitely a big part of me", and he wants to play the role in further sequels. Depp voiced Sparrow in the video game, ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow''. Johnny Depp's swashbuckling sword talents as developed for the character of Jack Sparrow, were highlighted in the documentary film ''Reclaiming the Blade''. Within the film, Swordmaster Bob Anderson shared his experiences working with Depp on the choreography for ''The Curse of the Black Pearl''. Anderson described in the film Depp's ability as an actor to pick up the sword to be "about as good as you can get."

Depp and Gore Verbinski were executive producers of the album ''Rogues Gallery, Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys.'' Depp played the title role of Sweeney Todd in Tim Burton's film adaptation of the musical, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Depp thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and praised Tim Burton for his "unwavering trust and support."

Depp played the former Heath Ledger character in the 2009 film, ''The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'' along with Jude Law and Colin Farrell. All three actors gave their salaries from the film to Ledger's daughter, Matilda. He portrayed the Mad Hatter in Burton's ''Alice in Wonderland'', and the titular character in ''Rango''.

Future roles[link]

In 2007, Depp accepted Warner Bros.' proposal to make a film of the gothic soap opera ''Dark Shadows'', a series that aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. He had been a fan as a child. Depp and Graham King will produce the movie with David Kennedy, who ran Dan Curtis Productions inc. until Curtis died in 2006. Depp will film a documentary about Keith Richards. Depp will star in and produce an adaptation of the comic book ''Rex Mundi''. Depp will collaborate with ''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' director Rob Marshall again to create a remake of ''The Thin Man''. Depp also showed interest in starring in the next ''Sin City'' films, with Robert Rodriguez wanting him to star as Wallace. Depp was going to star as Tonto in an upcoming ''Lone Ranger'' film, but the project had been shelved due to budgetary concerns as well as a lacklustre response to a recently-released Western-genre film (''Cowboys & Aliens''). The project was revived and the film will be released on May 31, 2013. Depp plans to star as Carl Kolchak in the project ''Night Stalker'', and has bought rights to the comic book ''The Vault''.

Collaboration with Tim Burton[link]

Depp has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in seven films, beginning with ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), opposite Winona Ryder and Vincent Price. His next role with Burton was in the 1994 film, ''Ed Wood''. Depp later said that "within 10 minutes of hearing about the project, I was committed." At the time, the actor was depressed about films and filmmaking. This part gave him a "chance to stretch out and have some fun"; he said working with Landau "rejuvenated my love for acting".

Depp did not work with Burton again until 2005 in ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'', in which he played Willy Wonka. Depp modeled the character's hair on Anna Wintour. The film was a box office success and received positive critical reception. Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka in the 1971 film, initially criticized this version. ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' was released in July, followed by ''Corpse Bride'', for which Depp voiced the character Victor Van Dort, in September.

''Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' (2007) followed, bringing Depp his second major award win, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy as well as his third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Burton first gave him an original cast recording of the 1979 stage musical in 2000. Although not a fan of the musical genre, Depp grew to like the tale's treatment. He cited Peter Lorre in ''Mad Love'' (1935) as his main influence for the role, and practiced the songs his character would perform while filming ''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End''. Although he had performed in musical groups, Depp was initially unsure that he would be able to sustain Stephen Sondheim's lyrics. Depp recorded demos and worked with Bruce Witkin to shape his vocals without a qualified voice coach. In the ''DVD Reviews'' section, ''Entertainment Weekly'''s Chris Nashawaty gave the film an A minus, stating, "Depp's soaring voice makes you wonder what other tricks he's been hiding... Watching Depp's barber wield his razors... it's hard not to be reminded of ''Edward Scissorhands'' frantically shaping hedges into animal topiaries 18 years ago... and all of the twisted beauty we would've missed out on had [Burton and Depp] never met." In his introduction to ''Burton on Burton'', a book of interviews with the director, Depp called Burton "...a brother, a friend,...and [a] brave soul". The next Depp-Burton collaboration was ''Alice in Wonderland'' (2010). Depp played the Mad Hatter alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Alan Rickman. In 2012, he starred in the Burton directed Dark Shadows, a film based on the 1966-1971 gothic soap opera of the same name, alongside fellow Tim Burton regular Helena Bonham Carter as well as Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green.

Production company[link]

In 2004, Depp formed his production company Infinitum Nihil to develop projects where he will serve as actor and/or producer. Depp is the founder and CEO, while his sister, Christi Dembrowski, serves as president. The company's first production came in 2011 with ''The Rum Diary'', adapted from the novel of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson. The film is written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Also in 2011, ''Hugo'', directed by Martin Scorsese, was released. ''Dark Shadows'', directed by Tim Burton, was released in 2012.

Other interests[link]

Music[link]

As a guitar player, Depp has played slide guitar on the Oasis song "Fade In-Out" (from ''Be Here Now,'' 1997), as well as on "Fade Away (Warchild Version)" (b-side of the "Don't Go Away" single). He also played acoustic guitar in the movie ''Chocolat'' and on the soundtrack to ''Once Upon a Time in Mexico.'' He is a friend of The Pogues' Shane MacGowan, and performed on MacGowan's first solo album. He was also a member of P, a group featuring Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. He has appeared in Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' music video "Into the Great Wide Open" and The Lemonheads "It's a Shame About Ray" music video. He made a cameo as the Mad Hatter in the music video for Avril Lavigne's "Alice" in 2010. He performed lead guitar and drums for a cover of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain", which appeared as a bonus track on some editions of Marilyn Manson's 2012 album ''Born Villain''.

Winemaker and restaurateur[link]

Depp and Paradis grow grapes and have wine making facilities in their vineyard in Plan-de-la-Tour north of Saint-Tropez. He is known for a fondness of French wines: among Depp's favorites are the Bordeaux wines Château Calon-Ségur, Château Cheval Blanc and Château Pétrus, and the Burgundy wine Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Interviewed in ''Madame Figaro'', he stated, "With those wines, you reach nirvana". Along with Sean Penn, John Malkovich and Mick Hucknall, Depp co-owned the French restaurant-bar Man Ray, located near the Champs-Élysées.

Personal life[link]

Family and relationships[link]

Depp was married to Lori Anne Allison from 1983 to 1985. He became involved with Sherilyn Fenn in 1985; this relationship also lasted 3 years. Depp met Winona Ryder at the ''Great Balls of Fire!'' premier in July 1989, and became engaged to her for three years beginning in July 1990. The relationship was highly publicized and received much scrutiny by the media and tabloid press.

Since 1998, following a four year relationship with British supermodel Kate Moss, Depp has been in a relationship with Vanessa Paradis, a French actress and singer whom he met while filming ''The Ninth Gate''.

The couple have two children. Daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp was born May 27, 1999, and son John "Jack" Christopher Depp III was born April 9, 2002. In 2007, his daughter recovered from a serious illness, an E. coli infection that began to cause her kidneys to shut down and resulted in an extended hospital stay. To thank Great Ormond Street Hospital, Depp visited the hospital in November 2007 dressed in his Captain Jack Sparrow outfit and spent 4 hours reading stories to the children. In 2008 he donated £1 million (about $2 million) to the hospital.

Although Depp has not remarried, he has stated that having children has given him "real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything." "You can't plan the kind of deep love that results in children. Fatherhood was not a conscious decision. It was part of the wonderful ride I was on. It was destiny; kismet. All the math finally worked." The family divides its time between their home in Meudon, located in the suburbs of Paris, 2 homes in Los Angeles, an island he bought in The Bahamas, and their villa in Le Plan-de-la-Tour, a small town 20 km from Saint-Tropez, in the south of France. Depp also acquired a vineyard estate in the Plan-de-la-Tour area in 2007. Several reports that indicate Depp bought ''Burnham Westgate Hall'' in Norfolk, England, a 13-bedroom Georgian country house in June 2011.

Legal issues[link]

In 1994, Depp was arrested and questioned by police for allegedly causing serious damage to a New York City hotel suite.

He was arrested again in 1999 for brawling with paparazzi outside a restaurant while dining in London with Paradis.

Tattoos[link]

Depp has around 13 tattoos, many of them signifying important persons or events in his life. They include a Native American in profile and a ribbon reading "Wino Forever" (originally "Winona Forever", altered after his breakup with Winona Ryder) on his right biceps, "Lily-Rose" (his daughter's name) over his heart, "Betty Sue" (his mother's name) on his left biceps, and a sparrow flying over water with the word "Jack" (his son's name; the sparrow is flying towards him rather than away from him as it is in ''Pirates of the Caribbean'') on his right forearm.

Unannounced appearance on set[link]

On October 8, 2010, Depp made an unannounced appearance at a London primary school near where he was filming scenes for ''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides''. He turned up dressed as his character Jack Sparrow after receiving a letter from a pupil asking for his help with a class mutiny.

Controversy[link]

Comments on U.S.[link]

In 2003, Depp's comments about the United States appeared in Germany's ''Stern'' magazine: "America is dumb, is something like a dumb puppy that has big teeth — that can bite and hurt you, aggressive." Although he later asserted that the magazine misquoted him and the quotation was taken out of context, Stern stood by its story, as did CNN.com in its coverage of the interview. CNN added his remark that he would like his children "to see America as a toy, a broken toy. Investigate it a little, check it out, get this feeling and then get out." The July 17, 2006 edition of ''Newsweek'' reprinted the "dumb puppy" quotation, verbatim, in the context of a Letter to the Magazine. Depp has also disagreed with subsequent media reports that perceived him as a "European wannabe", saying that he likes the anonymity of living in France and his simpler life there.

In 2011, Depp became a U.S. resident again, because France wanted him to become a permanent resident, which he said would require him to pay income tax in both countries.

Awards and nominations[link]

Some of the awards that Depp has won include honors from the London Film Critics Circle (1996), Russian Guild of Film Critics (1998), Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004) and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. At the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, he won the award for "Best Villain" for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd and "Best Comedic Performance" for Jack Sparrow. Depp has been nominated for three Academy Awards, in 2004 for ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'', in 2005 for ''Finding Neverland'', and in 2008 for ''Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street''. Depp won his first Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in 2008.

Filmography[link]

+
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1984	''''
1985	''Private Resort''	Jack Marshall
1986		Donnie Fleischer
1986		Specialist Gator Lerner
1990	''Cry-Baby''	Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker
1990	''Edward Scissorhands''	Edward Scissorhands	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1991	''Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare''	Teen on TV	Cameo (as Oprah Noodlemantra)
1993	''What's Eating Gilbert Grape''	Gilbert Grape
1993	''Benny & Joon''	Sam	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1993	''Arizona Dream''	Axel Blackmar
1994		Edward D. Wood, Jr.	London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for ''Don Juan DeMarco''Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1995		Gene Watson
1995	''Dead Man''	William Blake
1995	''Don Juan DeMarco''	Don Juan/John R. DeMarco
1996		Himself
1997		Donnie Brasco/Joseph D. Pistone
1997	''''	Raphael	Nominated—Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival)
1998		Raoul Duke	playing Hunter S. Thompson
1998	''L.A. Without a Map''	Himself/William Blake	Cameo
1999	''''	Dean Corso
1999		Ichabod Crane	Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1999	''''	Spencer Armacost
2000		Roux	Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2000		Lt. Victor, Bon Bon
2001		Frederick Abberline	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
2000	''''	Cesar	(Limited release)
2001		George Jung
2003	''Once Upon a Time in Mexico''	Sheldon Sands	Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
2003	''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl''		Empire Award for Best ActorIrish Film Award for Best International ActorScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Academy Award for Best ActorNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorNominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated—Saturn Award for Best ActorNominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
2004		L'inconnu	Cameo
2004	''Finding Neverland''	J. M. Barrie
2004	''Secret Window''	Mort Rainey
2004	''''	John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
2005		Willy Wonka	Sony Ericsson Empire Awards
2005	''[[Corpse Bride''
2006	''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest''	Captain Jack Sparrow	Sony Ericsson Empire Awards
2007	''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End''	Captain Jack Sparrow	Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie StarMTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceRembrandt Award for Best International ActorNominated—National Movie Award for Best Performance by a MaleNominated—Teen Choice Award for Best Action Adventure Actor
2007		Sweeney Todd/Benjamin Barker
2009		John Dillinger	Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
2009	''''	Tony (1st transformation)	Shared role with Colin Farrell and Jude Law after the death of Heath Ledger
2010		Mad Hatter	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated—MTV Movie Award for Global SuperstarNominated—National Movie Award for Best PerformanceNominated—Teen Choice Award for Best Fantasy Actor
2010	''''	Frank Tupelo/Alexander Pearce
2011		Rango	Voice acting
2011	''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides''	Captain Jack Sparrow	People Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorNominated—Teen Choice Award for Best Fantasy ActorNominated—People's Choice Award for Favorite Ensemble Movie Cast
2011	''''	Paul Kemp
2011		Himself	Cameo
2012		Tom Hanson	Cameo
2012		Barnabas Collins	post-production
2013		Tonto	filming

+ Producer
! Year	! Title	Notes
2011
2011
2012		post-production

+ Director
! Year	! Title	Notes
1992		short film
1997	''The Brave''
2012	''Keith Richards Documentary''	filming

+ Writer
! Year	! Title
1997	''The Brave''

+ Documentary
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1999		Jack Kerouac
2002	''Lost in La Mancha''	Himself	Uncredited role
2006	''Deep Sea 3D''	Narrator
2007		Himself
2008	''Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson''	Narrator
2010	''When You're Strange''	Narrator

+ Music
! Year	! Title	Songs
2000		"Minor Swing","They're Red Hot","Caravan"
2003	''Once Upon a Time in Mexico''	"Sands' Theme"
2007		"No Place Like London","My Friends","Pirelli's Miracle Elixir","Pretty Women","Epiphany","A Little Priest","Johanna (Act II)","By The Sea","The Judge's Return","Final Scene (Part 1)","Final Scene (Part 2)"

+ Television
Year	! Production	! Role	Notes
1985		Lionel Viland	Episode: "Beasts of Prey"
1986		Donnie Fleischer	TV film
1987–1991	''21 Jump Street''	Officer Thomas "Tom" Hanson, Jr.	TV series (57 episodes)
1987		Rob Cameron	Episode: "Unfinished Business"
1999	''The Vicar of Dibley''	Himself	Episode: "Celebrity Party"
2000	''The Fast Show''	Himself	Episode: "The Last Ever Fast Show"
2004	''King of the Hill''	Yogi Victor (voice)
2009	''SpongeBob SquarePants''	Jack Kahuna Laguna (voice)	Episode: "SpongeBob vs. The Big One"
2011	''Life's Too Short''	Himself	Episode 2

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

External links[link]

Category:1963 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from Florida Category:Actors from Kentucky Category:American expatriates in France Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:American people of French descent Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Best Actor Empire Award winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Living people Category:People from Owensboro, Kentucky Category:People of Huguenot descent

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name	Carey Mulligan
birth name	Carey Hannah Mulligan
birth date	May 28, 1985
birth place	Westminster, London, England
occupation	Actress
years active	2004–present
spouse	Marcus Mumford (2012–present) }}

Carey Hannah Mulligan (born 28 May 1985) is an English actress. She made her film debut as Kitty Bennet in ''Pride & Prejudice'' (2005). She had roles in numerous British programmes and, in 2007, made her Broadway debut in ''The Seagull'' to critical acclaim.

In 2009, she gained widespread recognition for playing the lead role of Jenny in ''An Education'', winning a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and also being nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for her performance. She went on to star in dramatic films such as ''The Greatest'', ''Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'', ''Never Let Me Go'', ''Drive'' and ''Shame''.

Early life[link]

Mulligan was born in Westminster, London, England. Her father, Stephen, was originally from Liverpool, and her mother, Nano (née Booth), a college lecturer, came from Llandeilo in West Wales. Her paternal great-grandfather emigrated from Ireland. Mulligan has one sibling, an elder brother. At the age of 3, she moved with her family from England to Germany after her father accepted the job of managing the European arm of Intercontinental Hotels. Due to her father's job, her family lived in expensive hotels for 8 years. She was "quite shy" during her childhood and a tomboy until the age of 15. She was also "quite straight-laced" and very academic until age 14, having then become more interested in acting. She was educated at Woldingham School, a girls' boarding school.

Her interest in acting sparked from watching her brother perform in a school production of ''The King and I'' (she would later participate in plays at her school) and attending Broadway plays as a teen. Before acting professionally, she had once secretly applied to and been rejected by three drama schools specified on her UCAS application form. After failing an audition, the rejections made her question whether to pursue an acting career and go through what she called a "confusing time". Aside from rejection, she had also questioned being an actress due to her parents' disapproval of pursuing a job in entertainment. They insisted she attend university and believed Mulligan's desire would wear off. Around this time, she had a brief job as a barmaid at a local pub. She later said that those negative experiences made her know how much she wanted to act.

Career[link]

2005–2010 [link]

In 2004, Mulligan began her acting career by winning the role of Kitty Bennett in ''Pride & Prejudice'', the 2005 period piece film adaptation of the Jane Austen novel. She received the role with help from her school's headmistress, after Mulligan had written to her explaining that she did not want to go to university and asking for help in getting in touch with actor Julian Fellowes, who had spoken at Mulligan's school. After she met Fellowes, he introduced her to a casting agent who was looking to cast an unknown in the film. Later that year, she appeared in a recurring role in the BAFTA award-winning BBC adaption of Charles Dickens' ''Bleak House'', as orphan Ada Clare and onstage in ''The Hypochondriac''. Among her 2007 projects were ''My Boy Jack'', starring Daniel Radcliffe that features her in a supporting role. Mulligan identified with her role Elsie, who vociferously opposes her brother going to war. She earned a Constellation Award for playing the main character Sally Sparrow in an episode of ''Doctor Who''. She rounded out 2007 by appearing in an acclaimed revival of ''The Seagull'', in which she played Nina to Kristin Scott Thomas' Arkadina and Chiwetel Ejiofor's Trigorin. ''The Daily Telegraph'' said her performance was "quite extraordinarily radiating'" and ''The Observer'' called her "almost unbearably affecting." While in the middle of the production, she had to have an appendectomy, preventing her from being able to perform for a week. For her debut Broadway performance in the 2008 American transfer of ''The Seagull'', she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award, but lost to Angela Lansbury.

At 22, she was cast in her first leading role as 16 year old Jenny in the coming-of-age 2009 release drama ''An Education'', which got rave reviews and commissioned $26 million against a $7.5 million budget at the box office. She received critical acclaim for her performance, as the press began referring to her as an "It girl". Lisa Schwarzbaum of ''Entertainment Weekly'' and Todd McCarthy of ''Variety'' both compared her performance to that of Audrey Hepburn. ''Rolling Stone'''s Peter Travers described her as having given a "sensational, starmaking performance," while Claudia Puig of ''USA Today'' felt that Mulligan had one of the year's best performances, and Toby Young of ''The Times'' felt she anchored the film. Writing in ''The Guardian'', Peter Bradshaw concluded that she gave a "wonderful performance." For her work, she garnered Golden Globe, Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, as well as receiving a British Academy Film Award. Mulligan was a recipient of the Shooting Stars Award from the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival and received a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination, which is voted on by the British public.

She next starred in ''The Greatest'' (2010) as the pregnant girlfriend of a boy who dies; her involvement with the project helped it "tremendously", according to the director. It opened to mostly indifferent reviews, with Ty Burr of the ''Boston Globe'' criticising it for being "grueling and gently contrived", but was more positive in his assessment of Mulligan. After being selected to join The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, she won a British Independent Award for ''Never Let Me Go'', an adaption of the 2005 Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, which she starred in and narrated and was released in September 2010 - competing against her other project, the Oliver Stone-directed film ''Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps''. The latter, a sequel to the 1987 movie, is about a new story of greed and power. Screened out of competition at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, it was her first major studio project. Later that year she also provided vocals for the song "Write About Love" by Belle & Sebastian.

2011 onward [link]

Mulligan returned to the stage in the Atlantic Theater Company's off-Broadway play ''Through a Glass, Darkly'' from 13 May – 3 July 2011, acting as the central character, a mentally unstable woman, to glowing praise from reviewers. Ben Brantley, theater critic for ''The New York Times'', wrote that Mulligan's performance was "acting of the highest order"; he also described her as "extraordinary" and "one of the finest actresses of her generation." Script adjustments were made to accommodate Mulligan as Irene, who was originally written as a Latina woman in her late twenties, in the 2011 neo-noir thriller movie ''Drive'', which also starred Ryan Gosling. Mulligan began filming Steve McQueen's sex-addiction drama ''Shame'' alongside Michael Fassbender in New York in January 2011. Both films were shown at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, and received vast critical acclaim. Of her performance in ''Shame'', ''Rolling Stone'' film critic Peter Travers wrote, "Mulligan is in every way sensational." Away from acting, Mulligan will be a co-chairmen alongside Anna Wintour for the 2012 Met Ball Gala. She will also star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the film adaption of ''The Great Gatsby'', playing the role of the superficial Daisy Buchanan; its release date is set for Christmas 2012.

Additionally, the actress will reunite with ''Drive'' filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn for ''I Walk With the Dead'', play the female lead in the Coen Brothers' ''Inside Llewyn Davis'', and star in Spike Jonze's next film written by Charlie Kaufman. Other upcoming projects for her include the lead roles in an adaptation of ''My Fair Lady'' and ''On Chesil Beach'', as well as a part in the science fiction project titled, ''Outback'', developed by GK Films.

Personal life[link]

Mulligan dated American actor and ''Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'' co-star Shia LaBeouf from August 2009 to October 2010. In August 2011, she became engaged to Mumford & Sons lead singer Marcus Mumford. The couple married on 21 April 2012 in Somerset, England.

Mulligan took part in the Safe Project by being photographed in the safest places for a series to raise awareness of sex trafficking. She donated the Vionnet gown she wore at the 2010 BAFTAs to the Curiosity Shop, which sells its donations to raise money for Oxfam.

Filmography[link]

+ Film and television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2005		Kitty Bennet
2005		Ada Clare	TV, 15 episodes
2006	''''	Emily Pritchard	TV, 6 episodes
2006–2007		Emily Harrogate	2 episodes
2006	''Agatha Christie's Marple: The Sittaford Mystery''	Violet Willett
2007	''And When Did You Last See Your Father?''	Rachel
2007		Sister Bridgid	TV, 2 episodes
2007	''Doctor Who''	Sally Sparrow
2007		Elsie Kipling
2007		Isabella Thorpe
2009		Carole
2009	''An Education''	Jenny	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent FilmChicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressChicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising PerformerHollywood Breakthrough Award for Actress of the YearLondon Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the YearNational Board of Review Award for Best ActressToronto Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressVancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActressWashington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Academy Award for Best ActressNominated—BAFTA Award for Best NewcomerNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Empire Award for Best ActressNominated—Empire Award for Best NewcomerNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the YearNominated—Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture /Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
2009		Cassie Willis
2009	''''	Rose
2010		Kathy	BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent FilmPalm Springs International Film Festival
2010	''[[Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps''	Winnie Gekko
2011		Irene	[[Hollywood Film Festival
2011		Sissy	Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActressHollywood Film Festival Award for Supporting Actress of the Year Nominated—Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—BIFA Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—Evening Standard British Film Award for Best ActressNominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion PictureNominated—Village Voice Film Poll for Best Supporting ActressNominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
2012	''''	Daisy Buchanan	Post-production
2013	''Inside Llewyn Davis''	Jean Berkey	Filming

+ Stage
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2005–2006	''''	Daisy	Almeida Theatre
2007	''''	Nina	Royal Court Theatre
2008	''''	Nina
2011	''Through a Glass Darkly''	Karin	Atlantic Theater CompanyNominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a PlayNominated—Drama League Award for Distinguished PerformanceNominated—Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress

References[link]

External links[link]

Category:1985 births Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:British film actors Category:British people of Irish descent Category:British radio actors Category:British stage actors Category:British television actors Category:British voice actors Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English people of Welsh descent Category:Living people Category:Actors from London Category:British expatriates in the United States Category:People educated at Woldingham School

da:Carey Mulligan de:Carey Mulligan es:Carey Mulligan fa:کری مولیگان fr:Carey Mulligan id:Carey Mulligan it:Carey Mulligan he:קארי מאליגן jv:Carey Mulligan hu:Carey Mulligan nl:Carey Mulligan ja:キャリー・マリガン no:Carey Mulligan pl:Carey Mulligan pt:Carey Mulligan ru:Маллиган, Кэри fi:Carey Mulligan sv:Carey Mulligan tr:Carey Mulligan uk:Кері Малліган vi:Carey Mulligan zh-yue:Carey Mulligan zh:凱莉·穆里根