Name	Sir Sean Connery
Birth name	Thomas Sean Connery
Birth date	August 25, 1930
Birth place	Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1954–2006, 2010
Spouse	Diane Cilento(m. 1962–1973, divorced)Micheline Roquebrune(m. 1975–present)
Children	Jason Connery
Relatives	Neil Connery (brother)
Website	http://www.seanconnery.com }}

Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards (one of them being a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award) and three Golden Globes (including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and a Henrietta Award).

Connery is best known for portraying the character James Bond, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983 (six "official" Eon productions films and the non-official ''Thunderball'' remake, ''Never Say Never Again''). In 1988, Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''The Untouchables''. His film career also includes such films as ''Marnie'', ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'', ''The Hunt for Red October'', ''Highlander'', ''Murder on the Orient Express'', ''Dragonheart'', and ''The Rock''. He was knighted in July 2000. Connery has been polled as "The Greatest Living Scot" and "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure" . In 1989, he was proclaimed "Sexiest Man Alive" by ''People'' magazine, and in 1999, at age 69, he was voted "Sexiest Man of the Century".

Early life [link]

Connery's great-grandparents emigrated to Scotland from Ireland in the mid 19th century. Thomas Sean Connery, named Thomas after his grandfather, was born in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, to Euphemia "Effie" (née Maclean), a cleaning woman, and Joseph Connery, a factory worker and lorry driver. Both his mother's parents were native Scottish Gaelic speakers from Fife and Uig on the Isle of Skye. His father was a Roman Catholic, while his mother was a Protestant. He has a younger brother, Neil (b. 1938). Connery claims he was called Sean, his middle name, long before becoming an actor, explaining that when he was young he had an Irish friend named Séamus and that those who knew them both had decided to call Connery by his middle name whenever both were present. He was, however, generally referred to in his youth as "Tommy". Although he was small in primary school, he grew rapidly around the age of 12, reaching his full adult height of 6 ft 2 inches (188 cm) at 18. He was known during his teen years as "Big Tam", and claims to have lost his virginity to an adult woman in an ATS uniform at the age of 14.

Connery's first job was as a milkman in Edinburgh with St. Cuthbert's Co-operative Society. He then joined the Royal Navy during which time he got two tattoos, of which his official website says "unlike many tattoos, his were not frivolous—his tattoos reflect two of his lifelong commitments: his family and Scotland. After six decades, his tattoos still reflect those two ideas: One tattoo is a tribute to his parents and reads "Mum and Dad," and the other is self explanatory, "Scotland Forever."

Connery was later discharged from the navy on medical grounds because of a duodenal ulcer, a condition that affected most of the males in previous generations of his family. Afterward, he returned to the co-op, then worked as, among other things, a lorry driver, a lifeguard at Portobello swimming baths, a labourer, an artist's model for the Edinburgh College of Art, after a suggestion by former Mr. Scotland, Archie Brennan. and a coffin polisher. The modelling earned him 15 shillings an hour,

Connery began bodybuilding at the age of 18 and from 1951 time trained heavily with Ellington, a former gym instructor in the British army. While his official website claims he was third in the 1950 Mr. Universe contest, most sources place him in the 1953 competition, either third in the Junior class or failing to place in the Tall Man classification. One of the other competitors mentioned that auditions were being held for a production of ''South Pacific''; and Connery landed a small part. While in Edinburgh, Connery was targeted by the notorious Valdor gang, one of the most ruthless gangs in the city. He was first approached by them in a billiard hall on Lothian Street where he prevented them from stealing from his jacket and was later followed by six gang members to a 15 ft high balcony at the Palais. There Connery launched an attack single-handedly against the gang members, grabbing one by the throat and another by a biceps and cracked their heads together. From then on he was treated with great respect by the gang and gained a reputation as a "hard man".

Connery was a keen footballer, having played for Bonnyrigg Rose in his younger days. He was offered a trial with East Fife. While on tour with ''South Pacific'', Connery played in a football match against a local team that Matt Busby, manager of Manchester United, happened to be scouting. According to reports, Busby was impressed with his physical prowess and offered Connery a contract worth £25 a week immediately after the game. Connery admits that he was tempted to accept, but he recalls, "I realised that a top-class footballer could be over the hill by the age of 30, and I was already 23. I decided to become an actor and it turned out to be one of my more intelligent moves."

Career[link]

1950s[link]

Looking to pick up some extra money, Connery helped out backstage at the King's Theatre in late 1951. He became interested in the proceedings, and a career was launched.

In 1957, Connery played Spike, a minor gangster with a speech impediment in Montgomery Tully's ''No Road Back'' alongside Skip Homeier, Paul Carpenter, Patricia Dainton and Norman Wooland. He then played a rogue lorry driver Johnny Yates in Cy Endfield's ''Hell Drivers'' (1957) alongside Stanley Baker, Herbert Lom, Peggy Cummins and Patrick McGoohan. Later in 1957 Connery appeared in Terence Young's poorly received MGM action picture ''Action of the Tiger'' opposite Van Johnson, Martine Carol, Herbert Lom and Gustavo Rojo; the film was shot on location in southern Spain. He also had a minor role in Gerald Thomas's thriller ''Time Lock'' (1957) as a welder, appearing alongside Robert Beatty, Lee Patterson, Betty McDowall and Vincent Winter, which commenced filming on 1 December 1956 at Beaconsfield Studios.

In 1958 he had a major role in the melodrama ''Another Time, Another Place'' (1958) as a British reporter named Mark Trevor, caught in a love affair opposite Lana Turner and Barry Sullivan. During filming, star Lana Turner's possessive gangster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, who was visiting from Los Angeles, believed she was having an affair with Connery. He stormed onto the set and pointed a gun at Connery, only to have Connery disarm him and knock him flat on his back. Stompanato was banned from the set. Connery later recounted that he had to lie low for a while after receiving threats from men linked to Stompanato's boss, Mickey Cohen.

In 1959, Connery landed a leading role in Robert Stevenson's Walt Disney Productions film ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' (1959) alongside Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, and Jimmy O'Dea. The film is a tale about a wily Irishman and his battle of wits with leprechauns. Upon the film's initial release, A. H. Weiler of the ''New York Times'' praised the cast (save Connery whom he described as "merely tall, dark, and handsome") and thought the film an "overpoweringly charming concoction of standard Gaelic tall stories, fantasy and romance.". In his book ''The Disney Films'', film critic and historian Leonard Maltin stated that, "''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' is not only one of Disney's best films, but is certainly one of the best fantasies ever put on film."

He also had a prominent television role in Rudolph Cartier's 1961 production of ''Anna Karenina'' for BBC Television, in which he co-starred with Claire Bloom.

James Bond: 1962–71, 1983[link]

Connery's breakthrough came in the role of secret agent James Bond. He was reluctant to commit to a film series, but understood that if the films succeeded his career would greatly benefit. He played the character in the first five Bond films: ''Dr. No'' (1962), ''From Russia with Love'' (1963), ''Goldfinger'' (1964), ''Thunderball'' (1965), and ''You Only Live Twice'' (1967) – then appeared again as Bond in ''Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971) and ''Never Say Never Again'' (1983). All seven films were commercially successful.

Sean Connery's selection as James Bond owed a lot to Dana Broccoli, wife of Cubby Broccoli, who is reputed to have been instrumental in persuading Cubby that Sean Connery was the right man. James Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, originally doubted Connery's casting, saying, "He's not what I envisioned of James Bond looks" and "I’m looking for Commander Bond and not an overgrown stunt-man," adding that Connery (muscular, 6' 2", and a Scot) was unrefined. However, Fleming's girlfriend told him Connery had the requisite sexual charisma. Fleming changed his mind after the successful ''Dr. No'' premiere; he was so impressed, he created a half-Scottish, half-Swiss heritage for the literary James Bond in the later novels.

Connery's portrayal of Bond owes much to stylistic tutelage from director Terence Young, polishing the actor while using his physical grace and presence for the action. Robert Cotton wrote in one Connery biography that Lois Maxwell (the first Miss Moneypenny) noticed, "Terence took Sean under his wing. He took him to dinner, showed him how to walk, how to talk, even how to eat." Cotton wrote, "Some cast members remarked that Connery was simply doing a Terence Young impression, but Young and Connery knew they were on the right track." The tutoring was successful; Connery received thousands of fan letters a week, and the actor became one of the great male sex symbols of film.

In 2005, ''From Russia with Love'' was adapted by Electronic Arts into a video game, titled ''James Bond 007: From Russia with Love'', which featured all-new voice work by Connery as well as his likeness, and those of several of the film's supporting cast.

Beyond Bond [link]

Although Bond had made him a star, Connery did not like the role, saying that he was "fed up to here with the whole Bond bit". While making the Bond films, Connery also starred in other acclaimed films such as Alfred Hitchcock's ''Marnie'' (1964) and ''Murder on the Orient Express'' (1974). Apart from ''The Man Who Would Be King'' and ''The Wind and the Lion'', both released in 1975, most of Connery's successes in the next decade were as part of ensemble casts in films such as ''Murder on the Orient Express'' (1974) with Vanessa Redgrave and John Gielgud and ''A Bridge Too Far'' (1977) co-starring Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Olivier.

In 1981, Connery appeared in the film ''Time Bandits'' as Agamemnon. The casting choice derives from a joke Michael Palin included in the script, in which he describes the character removing his mask as being "Sean Connery — or someone of equal but cheaper stature". When shown the script, Connery was happy to play the supporting role.

After his experience with ''Never Say Never Again'' in 1983 and the following court case, Connery became unhappy with the major studios and for two years did not make any films. Following the successful European production ''The Name of the Rose'' (1986), for which he won a BAFTA award, Connery's interest in more commercial material was revived. That same year, a supporting role in ''Highlander'' showcased his ability to play older mentors to younger leads, which would become a recurring role in many of his later films. The following year, his acclaimed performance as a hard-nosed Irish-American cop in ''The Untouchables'' (1987) earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, his sole nomination throughout his career. His subsequent box-office hits included ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' (1989), in which he played Henry Jones Sr., the title character's father, ''The Hunt for Red October'' (1990) (where he was reportedly called in at two weeks' notice), ''The Russia House'' (1990), ''The Rock'' (1996), and ''Entrapment'' (1999). In 1996, he voiced the role of Draco the dragon in the film ''Dragonheart''. Both ''Last Crusade'' and ''The Rock'' alluded to his James Bond days. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas wanted "the father of Indiana Jones" (although Connery is only 12 years older than Ford) to be Connery since Bond directly inspired the ''Indiana Jones'' series, while his character in ''The Rock'', John Patrick Mason, was a British secret service agent imprisoned since the 1960s. In 1998, Sean Connery received a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award.

In recent years, Connery's films have included several box office and critical disappointments such as ''First Knight'' (1995), ''The Avengers'' (1998), and ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (2003), but he also received positive reviews, including his performance in ''Finding Forrester'' (2000). He also later received a Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema.

Retirement [link]

Connery stated in interviews for the film (included on the DVD release) that he was offered a role in ''The Lord of the Rings'' series, declining it due to "not understanding the script." CNN reported that the actor was offered up to 15% of the worldwide box office receipts to play Gandalf, which had he accepted, could have earned him as much as $400 million for the trilogy. After the series went on to become a huge hit, Connery decided to accept the lead role in ''League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', despite not "understanding" it either. In July 2005, it was reported that he had decided to retire from film-making, following disillusionment with the "idiots now making films in Hollywood" and the turmoil making the 2003 film.

In September 2004, media reports indicated that Connery intended to retire after pulling out of ''Josiah's Canon'', which was set for a 2005 release. However, in a December 2004 interview with ''The Scotsman'' newspaper from his home in the Bahamas, Connery explained he had taken a break from acting to concentrate on writing his autobiography. At the Tartan Day celebrations in New York in March 2006, Connery again confirmed his retirement from acting, and stated that he is now writing a history book. On 25 August 2008, his 78th birthday, Connery unveiled his autobiography, ''Being a Scot'', co-written with Murray Grigor.

He was planning to star in an $80 million movie about Saladin and the Crusades that would be filmed in Jordan before the producer Moustapha Akkad was killed in the 2005 Amman bombings. When Connery received the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award on 8 June 2006, he again confirmed his retirement from acting. On 7 June 2007, he denied rumours that he would appear in the fourth ''Indiana Jones'' film, stating that "retirement is just too much damned fun".

Connery returned to voice acting, playing the title character in the animated short ''Sir Billi the Vet'', and in 2005 he recorded voiceovers for a new video game version of his Bond film ''From Russia with Love''. In an interview on the game disc, Connery stated that he was very happy that the producers of the game (EA Games) had approached him to voice Bond and that he hoped to do another one in the near future. In 2010, he reprised his role as the title character in the animated film ''Sir Billi'', serving also as executive producer.

In April 2011, his spokesman confirmed that Connery has retired from making public appearances.

In the film ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'', the character Sentinel Prime's features were mostly based on Connery. When Leonard Nimoy was to voice the role, however, the effects were altered to incorporate Nimoy's acting as well.

Sean Connery has a villa in Karindi, Greece. His neigbor is the Dutch crown-prince with whom he shares a helicopter platform.

Personal life [link]

Connery dated a woman named Julie Hamilton in the 1950s; given his rugged appearance and rough charm she initially thought he was a most appalling person and was not attracted to him until she saw him in a kilt. He also shared a mutual attraction with black jazz singer Maxine Daniels, whom he met at the Empire Theatre. He made a pass at her, but she informed him that she was already happily married with a baby daughter. Connery was married to actress Diane Cilento from 1962 to 1973. They had a son, actor Jason Connery. Connery has been married to Moroccan-French painter Micheline Roquebrune (born 1929) since 1975.

Connery, a keen golfer, owned the Domaine de Terre Blanche in the South of France for twenty years (from 1979) where he planned to build his dream golf course on the of land but the dream was not realised until he sold it to German billionaire Dietmar Hopp in 1999. Connery has also always had an interest in football. Connery supported Celtic in the 1960s, but began supporting their Old Firm rivals Rangers in the 1990s. Commenting on his change of allegiance, Connery stated "I've always supported the team I thought played the best soccer...religious affiliations in sport mean nothing to me." He has been awarded the rank of ''Shodan'' (1st dan) in Kyokushin karate.

Connery was knighted in July 2000. He had been nominated for a knighthood in 1997 and 1998, but these nominations were vetoed by Donald Dewar due to Connery's political views.

Scottish National Party [link]

Connery is a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), a centre-left political party campaigning for Scottish independence, and has supported the party financially and through personal appearances. His funding of the SNP ceased in 2001, when the UK Parliament passed legislation that prohibited overseas funding of political activities in the UK. In 2008, Connery said in the ''Scottish Sunday Express'' he believed that Scotland will become an independent country within his lifetime and praised the work of the SNP in a minority government after their victory in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election. Connery has been criticised for commenting on UK politics while living as a tax exile in the Bahamas, although he released documents in 2003 showing that he had paid £3.7 million in UK taxes between 1997/98 and 2002/03. Connery has sworn not to return to Scotland until it becomes an independent state.

Health [link]

In 1993, news that Connery was undergoing radiation treatment for an undisclosed throat ailment sparked media reports that the actor was suffering from throat cancer following years of heavy smoking, and he was falsely declared dead by the Japanese and South African news agencies. Connery immediately appeared on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' to deny all of this. In a February 1995 interview with ''Entertainment Weekly'', he said that the radiation treatment was to remove nodules from his vocal cords. (His father, a heavy smoker, died from throat cancer in 1972.) In 2003, he had surgery to remove cataracts from both eyes. On 12 March 2006, he announced he was recovering from surgery in January to remove a kidney tumour. In 2008, he chipped a bone in his shoulder after falling while playing golf. In October 2009, he told ''Wine Spectator'' magazine that he has been diagnosed with a heart condition.

Tribute[link]

Connery has been polled as "The Greatest Living Scot". A bronze bust sculpture of Connery was placed in the capital city of Estonia.

Connery shared a Henrietta Award with Charles Bronson for "World Film Favorite – Male" in 1972.

Filmography [link]

''No Road Back'' ''Hell Drivers (film) ''Action of the Tiger'' ''Time Lock'' ''Another Time, Another Place (1958 film) '''' ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' ''Tarzan's Greatest Adventure'' ''On the Fiddle'' '''' '''' ''Dr. No (film) ''From Russia with Love (film) ''Marnie (film) ''Woman of Straw'' ''Goldfinger (film) '''' ''Thunderball (film) '''' '''' ''You Only Live Twice (film) '''' ''Shalako (film) '''' '''' '''' ''Diamonds Are Forever (film) ''España campo de golf'' '''' ''Zardoz'' ''Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film) ''Ransom (1975 film) '''' '''' '''' ''Robin and Marian'' '''' '''' '''' ''Meteor (film) ''Cuba (film) ''Outland (film) ''Time Bandits'' ''G'olé!'' ''Five Days One Summer'' ''Wrong Is Right'' ''Sean Connery's Edinburgh'' ''Never Say Never Again'' ''Sword of the Valiant'' ''Highlander (film) '''' '''' '''' ''Memories of Me'' ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' ''Family Business (film) '''' '''' ''Highlander II: The Quickening'' ''Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' ''Medicine Man (film) ''Rising Sun (film) '''' ''Just Cause (film) ''First Knight'' ''Dragonheart'' '''' '''' ''Playing by Heart'' ''Entrapment (film) ''Finding Forrester'' '''' ''007: From Russia with Love (video game) ''Sir Billi''

Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1954	''Lilacs in the Spring''	Undetermined role
1957	|	Spike
1957	Hell Drivers'' ||	Johnny Kates
1957	|	Mike
1957	|	Welder #2
1958	Another Time, Another Place'' ||	Mark Trevor
1958	|	RMS Titanic deck hand	uncredited
1959	|	Michael McBride
1959	|	O'Bannion
1961	|	Pedlar Pascoe
1961	|	Paddy Damion
1962	|	Pte. Flanagan
1962	Dr. No'' ||	James Bond (character)>James Bond
1963	From Russia with Love'' ||	James Bond
1964	Marnie'' ||	Mark Rutland
1964	|	Anthony Richmond
1964	Goldfinger'' ||	James Bond
1965	|	Trooper Joe Roberts
1965	Thunderball'' ||	James Bond
1966	|	Himself	(cameo)
1966	|	Samson Shillitoe
1967	You Only Live Twice'' ||	James Bond
1967	|	Himself	(Director; documentary)
1968	Shalako'' ||	Moses Zebulon 'Shalako' Carlin
1970	|	Jack Kehoe
1971	|	Roald Amundsen
1971	|	John Anderson
1971	Diamonds Are Forever'' ||	James Bond
1972	|	Himself	(short subject)
1973	|	Detective Sergeant Johnson
1974	|	Zed
1974	Murder on the Orient Express'' ||	Colonel Arbuthnot
1975	Ransom'' ||	Nils Tahlvik
1975	|	Himself	(documentary)
1975	|	Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni>Mulay Achmed Mohammed el-Raisuli the Magnificent
1975	|	Daniel Dravot
1976	|	Robin Hood
1976	|	Khalil Abdul-Muhsen
1977	|	Maj. Gen. Roy Urquhart
1979	|	Edward Pierce/John Simms/Geoffrey
1979	Meteor'' ||	Dr. Paul Bradley
1979	Cuba'' ||	Maj. Robert Dapes
1981	Outland'' ||	Marshal William T. O'Niel	Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor
1981	|	Agamemnon>King Agamemnon/Fireman
1982	|	Narrator	(documentary)
1982	|	Douglas Meredith
1982	|	Patrick Hale
1983	|	Himself	(short subject)
1983	|	James Bond	(Unofficial James Bond film)
1984	|	Green Knight>The Green Knight
1986	Highlander'' ||	Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez
1986	|	William of Baskerville	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1987	|	Jim Malone
1988	|	Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell
1988	|	Cameo (as himself)
1989	|	Henry Jones, Sr.>Professor Henry Jones Senior
1989	Family Business'' ||	Jessie McMullen
1990	|	Captain Marko Ramius	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1990	|	Bartholomew 'Barley' Scott Blair
1991	|	Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez
1991	|	King Richard I	(uncredited cameo)
1992	Medicine Man'' ||	Dr. Robert Campbell
1993	Rising Sun'' ||	Capt. John Connor	(also executive producer)
1994	|	Dr. Alex Murray
1995	Just Cause'' ||	Paul Armstrong	(also executive producer)
1995	|	King Arthur
1996	|	Draco	(voice)
1996	|	Capt. John Patrick Mason (Ret.)	(also executive producer)
1998	|	Sir August de Wynter
1998	|	Paul
1999	Entrapment'' ||	Robert MacDougal	(also producer)
2000	|	William Forrester
2003	|	Allan Quatermain	(also executive producer)
2005	007: From Russia with Love'' ||	James Bond	(voice and likeness) video game
2012	|	Sir Billi	(voice, executive producer) animated film

References [link]

Bibliography[link]

External links [link]

BBC: Sean Connery Biography (1999)

Profile @ Turner Classic Movies

Photographs and literature

Category:1930 births Category:Actors awarded British knighthoods Category:European Film Awards winners (people) Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:British karateka Category:Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe winners Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Légion d'honneur recipients Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:People from Edinburgh Category:Royal Navy sailors Category:Scottish people of Irish descent Category:Scottish bodybuilders Category:Scottish film actors Category:Scottish film producers Category:Scottish nationalists Category:Scottish stage actors Category:Scottish television actors Category:Scottish voice actors Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic F.C. players Category:Kyokushin kaikan practitioners

af:Sean Connery ar:شون كونري an:Sean Connery az:Şon Konneri bn:শন কনারি zh-min-nan:Sean Connery be:Шон Конэры bg:Шон Конъри br:Sean Connery ca:Sean Connery cv:Шон Коннери cs:Sean Connery cy:Sean Connery da:Sean Connery de:Sean Connery et:Sean Connery el:Σον Κόνερι es:Sean Connery eo:Sean Connery eu:Sean Connery fa:شان کانری fr:Sean Connery ga:Sean Connery gd:Sean Connery gl:Sean Connery ko:숀 코네리 hy:Շոն Քոնների hi:शॉन कॉनरी hr:Sean Connery io:Sean Connery id:Sean Connery is:Sean Connery it:Sean Connery he:שון קונרי jv:Sean Connery kn:ಸೀನ್ ಕಾನರಿ ka:შონ კონერი sw:Sean Connery la:Ioannes Connery lv:Šons Konerijs lb:Sean Connery lt:Sean Connery hu:Sean Connery mk:Шон Конери ms:Sean Connery nl:Sean Connery ja:ショーン・コネリー no:Sean Connery nn:Sean Connery oc:Sean Connery ps:توماس شېن کانېري nds:Sean Connery pl:Sean Connery pt:Sean Connery ro:Sean Connery qu:Sean Connery ru:Коннери, Шон sq:Sean Connery simple:Sean Connery sl:Sean Connery sr:Шон Конери sh:Sean Connery su:Sean Connery fi:Sean Connery sv:Sean Connery tl:Sean Connery ta:சான் கானரி th:ฌอน คอนเนอรี tr:Sean Connery uk:Шон Коннері yo:Sean Connery zh:肖恩·康纳利

name	Mike Myers
birth name	Michael John Myers
birth date	May 25, 1963
birth place	Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
medium	Film, television, stand up
nationality	Canadian
active	1975–present
spouse	Robin Ruzan (1993–2007)Kelly Tisdale (2010–present)
notable work	''Saturday Night Live'' ''Wayne's World'' ''Wayne's World 2'' ''So I Married an Axe Murderer'' ''Austin Powers'' ''Shrek'' | occupation actor, comedian, writer, producer
influences	Peter Sellers, Dan Aykroyd, John Cleese, Chevy Chase

}} Michael John "Mike" Myers (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage. He was a long-time cast member on the NBC sketch show ''Saturday Night Live'' in the late 1980s and the early 1990s and starred as the title characters in the films ''Wayne's World'', ''Austin Powers'', and the ''Shrek'' film series.

Early life[link]

Myers was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario, the son of British-born parents Eric Myers (1922–1991), an insurance man and World War II veteran of the Royal Engineers, and his wife Alice E. Hind (born 1926), an office supervisor and veteran of the Royal Air Force. Both of his parents are from Liverpool, England. He has two older brothers, Peter Myers and Paul Myers, an indie rock singer-songwriter, broadcaster and author. Myers is of English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry, and was raised Protestant. He holds three citizenships, American, British and Canadian.

Myers began school at Bishopbriggs Academy then changed to the Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario. He began performing in commercials at age eight, and at ten he made a commercial for British Columbia Hydro Electric, with Gilda Radner playing his mother. In high school he would become the ''Wayne’s World'' character later known as Wayne Campbell. When he graduated from high school, he joined the Second City Theatre. He left to tour Britain with comedian Neil Mullarkey.

Career[link]

Early career[link]

One of Myers's first acting jobs was in a TV commercial when he was ten years old. Gilda Radner played his mother. A few months later, according to Myers, his brother was teasing him about his "girlfriend (Radner) being on some stupid show on Saturday". Myers swore that, one day, he too would be on that show, the then-fledgling ''Saturday Night Live''.

Myers graduated from high school in 1982 and was immediately accepted into the ''Second City'' Canadian Touring Company, after which he moved to the UK where in 1985 he was one of the founding members of The Comedy Store Players, an improvisational group based at The Comedy Store in London. The next year, he starred in the British children's TV program ''Wide Awake Club'', parodying the show's normal exuberance with his own "Sound Asleep Club", in partnership with Neil Mullarkey. He returned to Toronto and Second City in 1986 as a cast member in the Second City's Toronto main stage show. In 1988 he moved from Second City in Toronto to Chicago. In Chicago, he trained and performed at the Improv Olympic. He made numerous appearances, including as Wayne Campbell, on Toronto's Citytv in the early 1980s, on the alternative video show ''City Limits'' hosted by Christopher Ward. Myers also appeared as his Wayne Campbell character in the music video for Ward's Canadian hit "Boys and Girls". Later, Ward appeared as one of Austin Powers' band members in Ming Tea in Myers's popular movie series. The Wayne Campbell character was featured extensively in the 1986 summer series ''It's Only Rock & Roll'', produced by Toronto's Insight Production Company for CBC Television. Wayne appeared both in studio and in a series of location sketches directed and edited by Allan Novak. Myers wrote another sketch, Kurt and Dieter co-starring with Second City's Dana Andersen and also directed by Novak, which would later turn into the popular "Sprockets" sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''.

On 3 July 2011 Myers returned to The Comedy Store in London to reprise his role 'for one night only' with the improvisational troupe (The Comedy Store Players). The UK comedy website Chortle were full of glowing praise for Myers, claiming "Myers himself excelled, (and was) strikingly adept and quick-witted, when his laughs came they were the biggest squeals of the night...this was no chore for Myers- being funny comes naturally to him- he could’ve spent the whole two hours farting the Canadian national anthem and the audience would’ve still lapped it up."

Film[link]

In 1992, Myers and Dana Carvey adapted ''Wayne's World'' into a full-length motion picture based on the ''SNL'' sketch. It was among the most successful movies of the year and the following year a sequel was released - ''Wayne's World 2''. That year Myers also starred in ''So I Married an Axe Murderer'' which garnered a cult following. The characters in the movie were based on people Myers knew growing up in the Bridlewood section of Scarborough. After ''Wayne's World 2'', Myers took a hiatus from television.

After a four year hiatus from television, Myers returned to acting in 1997 with the film ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'', then a sequel in 1999, ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', finally topping it off with ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' in 2002. Myers played both the title role (Austin Powers) and the villain (Dr. Evil), as well as other characters, in all three Austin Powers films. In 1998, he played one of his rare non-comedic roles in the film ''54'': Steve Rubell, proprietor of New York City's famous Studio 54, a 1970s discotheque. The film was moderately successful, and Myers's performance was widely praised. Myers later parodied the club as "Studio 69" in ''Goldmember''.

In June 2000, Myers was sued by Universal Pictures for $3.8 million for backing out of a contract to play Dieter, the SNL character, in a feature film. Myers said he refused to honor the $20 million contract because he did not want to cheat moviegoers with an unacceptable script - one that he himself had written. Myers countersued, and a settlement was reached after several months where Myers agreed to make another film with Universal. That film would be ''The Cat in the Hat'', released in November 2003 and starring Myers as the title character. In 2001, Myers played the title character in the DreamWorks animated film ''Shrek'' (2001). He reprised this role in ''Shrek 4-D'' in 2003, ''Shrek 2'' (2004), ''Shrek the Third'', and the Christmas special ''Shrek The Halls'', both in 2007. In 2009 he did another non-comedic role, as British General Ed Fenech, in Quentin Tarantino's ''Inglourious Basterds''. In 2010 Myers returned for what is apparently the last in the ''Shrek'' series, ''Shrek Forever After''. Myers made a cameo appearance in Britney Spears' music video 'Boys' as his film character Austin Powers. Myers is a member of the band Ming Tea along with The Bangles' guitarist and vocalist Susanna Hoffs and musician Matthew Sweet. They performed the songs "BBC" and "Daddy Wasn't There" for the ''Austin Powers'' movies. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted among the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

During a CBS interview in 2007, Myers noted that he normally takes three years between films. He spends one year "living his life" and then writes various screenplays, develops characters, practices them in front of live audiences, and then selects one of the screenplays to film. Myers noted that this was the Marx Brothers' procedure for developing their film material.

Myers received the MTV Generation award in June 2007, making him the second Canadian to win the award (Jim Carrey was the first in 2006), for bringing his unique style of comedy to small and big screens alike.

Personal life[link]

Myers began dating actress and comedy writer Robin Ruzan in the late 1980s after meeting at a hockey game in Chicago, during which Myers caught a puck and used the incident as an icebreaker to strike up a conversation with Ruzan. The couple married in 1993, and Myers later referred to Ruzan as "his muse". The couple filed for divorce in December 2005.

In 2006, cafe owner Kelly Tisdale confirmed reports that she and Myers were dating, telling the ''National Enquirer'', "we're actually surprised you didn't find out about us sooner." Myers and Tisdale wed in New York in the fall of 2010. The couple have a son, Spike, born in September 2011.

Myers is a Dungeons & Dragons player and was one of several celebrities to have participated in the Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day in 2006.

Myers has played for Hollywood United F.C., a celebrity football team. He played in the 2010 Soccer Aid for UNICEF UK football match, England vs. R.O.W (Rest of the World) and scored his penalty during a sudden death shootout after the game ended 2-2 (June 6, 2010). The Rest of the World team beat England for the first time since the tournament started.

Filmography[link]

! Year	! Film	! Role	Notes
1992		Wayne Campbell	Also WriterMTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo shared with Dana CarveyNominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
	''So I Married an Axe Murderer	Charlie McKenzie/ Stuart McKenzie
	Wayne Campbell	Also WriterNominated — MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo shared with Dana Carvey
1997	''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery''
		Steve Rubell	Nominated — Csapnivalo Award for Best Male Performance
''''	Tim Broderick
	Pete
	''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me''		Also Writer/ ProducerAmerican Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role)Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite VillainCanadian Comedy Award for Film - Performance - MaleCanadian Comedy Award for Film - Writing - OriginalMTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo shared with Verne TroyerMTV Movie Award for Best VillainTeen Choice Award for Film - Choice Sleazebag as Fat Bastard.Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - ComedyNominated — Blimp Award for Favorite Movie ActorNominated — Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Couple shared with Heather GrahamNominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Fight shared with Verne TroyerNominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Musical Performance shared with Verne TroyerNominated — Teen Choice Award for Film - Choice Chemistry shared with Mindy Sterling
''Mystery, Alaska''	Donnie Shulzhoffer
2001	''Shrek''		VoiceNominated — Blimp Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated MovieNominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated — MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team shared with Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz
2002	''Austin Powers in Goldmember''	Austin Powers / Dr. EvilFat Bastard / Goldmember	Also Writer/ ProducerCanadian Comedy Award for Film - Pretty Funny Male PerformanceCanadian Comedy Award for Film - Pretty Funny WritingMTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated — Blimp Award for Favorite Movie ActorNominated — Empire Award for Best ActorNominated — MTV Movie Award for Best VillainNominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor - Comedy
	''Nobody Knows Anything!''	'Eye' Witness
''''	The Cat
''Shrek 4-D''	Shrek	Voice
''View from the Top''	John Witney
2004	''Shrek 2''	Shrek
2006		Himself
2007	''Shrek the Third''	Shrek	Voice
2008	''''	Guru Maurice Pitka
2009	''Inglourious Basterds''	Gen. Ed Fenech	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best CastCentral Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best EnsemblePhoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best CastSan Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an EnsembleScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2010	''Shrek Forever After''	Shrek	Voice

Awards[link]

Myers has won the following awards:

Four American Comedy Awards (Best Film Performance (Male) and Best Writing in 2003 and 2000, for ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' and ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', respectively)

The 2000 American Comedy Award for Best Lead Actor for ''The Spy Who Shagged Me''.

An Emmy Award in 1989 for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program, for ''Saturday Night Live''. He has also been nominated for two other Emmy Awards.

He has won seven MTV Movie Awards.

Nominated for the Worst Actor and Worst Screen Couple Razzie Awards in 2004, for ''The Cat in the Hat''.

For contributions to the motion picture industry, Mike Myers was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7042 Hollywood Boulevard.

He was awarded the Lucille Ball Legacy of Laughter Award at the 2008 TV Land Awards. His award was presented to him by Justin Timberlake, his co-star in ''The Love Guru''.

Two Razzie Awards in 2008, for Worst Actor and along with co-writer Graham Gordy Worst Screenplay for ''The Love Guru''. The film also won Worst Film and secured 4 other nominations.

In 2003 he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

Notable SNL characters[link]

The following characters were created and played by Myers on SNL:

Dieter - host of ''Sprockets''

Linda Richman - hostess of ''Coffee Talk''

Simon - a little boy who does drawings in the bath and complains about having "prune hands" (the theme song for this segment was a slightly modified version of the theme song from "Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings" by Edward MacLachlan)

Wayne Campbell (SNL, the ''Wayne's World'' films)

Pat Arnold (SNL, Bill Swerski's Superfans)

Stuart Rankin - proprietor of "All Things Scottish"

Lothar (Of the Hill People)

Middle-Aged Man - An older man who helps young people with their problems

Phillip - A child of the age of six (though in the sketch when arguing with another girl he claims he's six and a half, six and four fifths, and six and infinity plus one.) who is hypoglycemic and hyperactive (quote: "I'm a hyper hypo"). Phillip appears in at least two sketches, one with Nicole Kidman and the other with Kim Basinger.

References[link]

External links[link]

in 2008

Category:1963 births Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian child actors Category:Canadian people of British descent Category:Canadian people of English descent Category:Canadian people of Scottish descent Category:Canadian people of Irish descent Category:Canadian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Canadian television actors Category:Canadian voice actors Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Hollywood United players Category:IO Theater Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Scarborough, Ontario Category:Second City alumni Category:Canadian television comedians Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Canadian impressionists (entertainers)

an:Mike Myers bn:মাইক মায়ার্স্‌ ca:Mike Myers cs:Mike Myers cy:Mike Myers (actor) da:Mike Myers de:Mike Myers es:Mike Myers fa:مایک مایرز fr:Mike Myers gl:Mike Myers ko:마이크 마이어스 io:Mike Myers id:Mike Myers it:Mike Myers he:מייק מאיירס kk:Майк Майерс nl:Mike Myers ja:マイク・マイヤーズ no:Mike Myers oc:Mike Myers pl:Mike Myers pt:Mike Myers ru:Майерс, Майк sq:Mike Myers simple:Mike Myers sr:Мајк Мајерс sh:Mike Myers (glumac) fi:Mike Myers sv:Mike Myers tr:Mike Myers uk:Майк Майєрс wuu:Mike Myers zh:麥克·邁爾斯

name	Dame Edna
first	December 1956, Victoria, Australia
last	Present
duration	1955-Present
nickname	"Dame Edna" and "Mrs Norm Everage"
title	Dame
spouse	Norm Everage
Children	KennyBruceValmaiLois
religion	Protestant
portrayer	Barry Humphries
creator	Barry Humphries }}

Dame Edna is a character created and played by Australian dadaist performer and comedian, Barry Humphries, famous for her lilac-coloured or "wisteria hue" hair and cat eye glasses or "face furniture," her favourite flower, the gladiola ("gladdies") and her boisterous greeting: "Hello Possums!" As Dame Edna, Humphries has written several books including an autobiography, ''My Gorgeous Life'', appeared in several films and hosted several television shows (on which Humphries has also appeared as himself and other alter-egos).

Humphries has regularly updated Edna, originally a drab Melbourne, Australia housewife satirising the conservatism of Australian suburbia. The character adopted an increasingly outlandish wardrobe after being performed in London in the 1960s, and grew in stature and popularity. Following film appearances and an elevation to damehood in the 1970s, the character evolved to "Housewife and Superstar", then "Megastar" and finally "Gigastar". She came into her own during the 1980s when the often brutal policies of Thatcherism--the "vindictive style of the times"--allowed Dame Edna to sharpen her observations accordingly. Taking the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's seemingly hypocritical motto of "caring and compassion" for others and turning it on its head, Edna became the voice of Humphries' outrage. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Dame Edna became increasingly known and popular in the U.S. after multiple stage and television appearances.

Edna describes her chat-shows as "an intimate conversation between two friends, one of whom is a lot more interesting than the other" (by which she means herself). The character has been used to satirise the cult of celebrity, class snobbery, and prudishness. Her larger-than-life persona and scathing but dead-on commentary on society and celebrity, as well as her habit of treating celebrities like ordinary people (on her TV shows) and ordinary people like celebrities (in her stage shows) have become signatures.

Although Humphries freely states that Edna is a character he plays, Edna refers to Humphries as her "entrepreneur" or manager. Humphries and his staff of assistants and writers only refer to Edna as "she," and "her," never mixing the character with Humphries himself. It is this precision and richness of identity which gives Dame Edna her unique force as a character.

In March 2012, Humphries announced that the character would be retired at the end of the current stage tour.

Character Story[link]

While Dame Edna is a fictitious character whose life story has been entirely created by Barry Humphries, so complete is her identity as an individual that Macmillan published ''My Gorgeous Life'', Edna's "autobiography" (written by Humphries but credited to Edna herself) on its non-fiction list. Humphries has also written an "Unauthorised Biography" of his life as Edna's manager: ''Handling Edna'', published in 2010.

According to ''My Gorgeous Life'', and statements Edna has made over the years, she was born Edna May Beazley in the city of Wagga Wagga, with a sibling who would give birth to Barry McKenzie. Everage started her stage career on 19 December 1955 as Mrs. Norm Everage, an "average Australian housewife" from Moonee Ponds, a Melbourne suburb. She spends her time visiting world leaders and jet-setting between her homes in Los Angeles, London, Sydney, Switzerland and Martha's Vineyard. She is a friend and confidante of the Queen, and has advised prime ministers and presidents. Edna once took an on-air phone call from President Ronald Reagan to assure him that he was, indeed, still the president and at recent stageshows the character has claimed to be giving Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, elocution lessons.

The character has three adult children, Bruce, Kenny, and Valmai. Her first daughter, Lois, when still an infant, went missing and was believed to have been abducted by a "rogue koala" during a family camp-out in the outback, à la Azaria Chamberlain. In ''Handling Edna, the Unauthorised Biography'', Humphries absolves the koala of any role in the affair and reveals the true fate of Lois, who in fact survived abduction to become a Catholic nun. Edna's surviving daughter, Valmai, has assisted Dame Edna on her recent programme for ITV1, including ''The Dame Edna Treatment'' and has assisted on her live tour shows. Edna takes great pride in her two sons: Bruce, who is married to Joylene, and her youngest, Kenneth (or Kenny), who designs all of her frocks. Dame Edna refers often to him and his partner, Clifford Smale, both of whom Edna believes are searching for "Miss Right," although she admits they are looking "in some very strange places". Kenny appeared in Sir Les Patterson's documentary ''Les Patterson and the Great Chinese Takeaway'' as a boutique owner in Hong Kong. Dame Edna's mother is incarcerated in a "maximum-security twilight home for the bewildered". Valmai and Kenny are the only family members (so far) who have appeared on stage or screen with their mother. Her husband, Sir Norman Everage, died in 1988 after many years in hospital suffering from prostate problems and a "testicular murmur"; Edna founded the non-profit "Friends of the Prostate" in his honour. Dame Edna was not with Norm when he died and due to his insistence that all his organs be donated, by the time she reached his bedside Norm had been "globally recycled" and all that remained was "a dent in the pillow". As a result, Dame Edna almost believed that Norm's cremation was a "waste of money".

In recent years, Edna has demonstrated her social conscience and sensitivity, telling audiences of her intention to adopt an African child from "that country where Madonna does her shopping" for loved ones.

Dame Edna spent many years accompanied by her bridesmaid and constant companion Madge Allsop (played by Emily Perry), a New Zealander from Palmerston North who assisted Dame Edna with her appearances and television shows. (Perry died at the age of 100 in 2008 and now Dame Edna's daughter Valmai has replaced her on stage). Madge never spoke a public word (although she sang on Comic Relief), and while she was often the butt of Dame Edna's jokes, the two were devoted. In ''Handling Edna, the Unauthorised Biography'', Humphries gives Madge a voice and explains the sad loss of her own husband in New Zealand's boiling mud, whilst the couple were on their honeymoon.

Dame Edna is praised for her insights into her homeland. When asked why Australians are so good at sport she commented ''"Good food and diet; open air life; juicy steaks; sunshine — and the total absence of any kind of intellectual distraction."''

Dame Edna launched a campaign to be appointed as a BBC newscaster in 2009 after the corporation announced it wished to seek a female newsreader over 50 years old.

Honours[link]

On 7 March 2007 her home town, Melbourne, renamed a city street in her honour: Dame Edna Place, formerly Brown Alley off Little Collins Street, was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, John So. Dame Edna Place is opposite Royal Arcade and The Causeway, between the major roads, Elizabeth Street and Swanston Street; it was, until its renaming, a service alley for adjoining buildings. Dame Edna was not at the renaming ceremony but was represented by ten look-alike Dames. Everage Street in suburban Moonee Ponds has also been named in her honour.

In 1982, Dame Edna's alter-ego Barry Humphries was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for "services to the theatre" and on 16 June 2007 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to entertainment.

In MAC Cosmetics 2008 Winter Line-Up, a Dame Edna collection of cosmetics were released including eye shadow, lipstick, powder, and nail polish.

A bronze statue was unveiled at Melbourne Docklands in January 2009.

Invention of the character[link]

Barry Humphries was invited to join the fledgling Union Theatre Repertory Company early in 1955 and toured Victorian country towns performing ''Twelfth Night'', directed by Ray Lawler. On tour, Humphries invented Edna gradually as part of the entertainment for the actors during commutes between country towns. Humphries gradually developed a falsetto impersonation of a Melbourne housewife, imitating the Country Women's Association representatives who welcomed the troup in each town. At Lawler's suggestion, Mrs Everage (later named Edna after Humphries' nanny) made her first appearance in a Melbourne University's UTRC revue at the end of 1955, as the city prepared for the 1956 Olympic Games. The sketch involved a houseproud "average housewife" offering her Moonee Ponds home as an Olympic billet, spruiking her home as possessing "burgundy wall-to-wall carpets, lamington cakes and reindeers frosted on glass dining-room doors".

At this time the character was billed as "Mrs Norm Everage" (Humphries describing this name as "Everage as in 'average', husband Norm as in 'normal'") and had none of the characteristic flamboyant wardrobe of later years.

Stage and screen performances[link]

1950s–1999 [link]

Humphries played the character at comedy clubs, satirising the atmosphere of 1950s Melbourne suburbia. An interview with "Mrs Everage" was one of the programmes screened on HSV-7's first day of programming in 1956. Another revue called Rock'n'Reel followed in 1958 at the New Theatre in Melbourne.

The character's overseas debut, now as Edna Everage, was in the early 1960s at comedian Peter Cook's nightclub, The Establishment, in London's West End, where she received a poor review from Bamber Gascoigne, then the drama critic for ''The Spectator''. Barry Humphries cites Peter Cook as being instrumental in launching Edna's UK career.

In 1972, the character appeared as Barry McKenzie's "Aunt Edna" in the film, ''The Adventures of Barry McKenzie''. In the sequel ''Barry McKenzie Holds His Own'', the Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam cameos at the close of the film to confer upon Edna the title of Dame, henceforth to be known as "Dame Edna".

Following the lukewarm reception to Edna's early appearances in Humphries' 1969 stageshow "Just a Show" and the BBC television series "The Barry Humphries Scandals", a growing awareness and appreciation among British audiences for Edna emerged and Humphries devised a stage show titled ''Edna Everage Housewife Superstar'' which was successfully presented in London's West End in the mid 1970s. The show featured monologues, songs and what was becoming an Edna trademark – interaction with the theatre audience.

In April 1976, Edna made an appearance in ''A Poke in the Eye (with a Sharp Stick)'' – the first of what became Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball series of benefit shows. Edna performed a song for the show and was featured in the film of the show. She also appeared in the 1981 Amnesty show ''The Secret Policeman's Other Ball''. Edna made a cameo appearance in the 1978 film ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. In 1979 she was the subject of a BBC ''Arena'' mockumentary: ''La Dame aux Gladiolas''.

Humphries debuted the character off-Broadway in New York in the late 1970s, but the show received such a poor review from the New York Times that Humphries later joked that he thought "Well, I'll go back to Broadway but I'll wait till the critic's dead – and I had to wait 25 years. I had to wait a quarter of a century for that critic to die."

Edna's success grew in the UK throughout the 1980s and early 1990s however with semi-regular television shows. Her first specials were in 1978/1979 on the BBC. Although she became popular with broadcaster ITV after her performance on ''An Audience With Dame Edna'' in 1980. She would go on to perform two more "An Audience With..." specials (in 1984 and 1988).

In 1987, Edna starred alongside Humphries's vulgar alter-ego Les Patterson in the comedy feature ''Les Patterson Saves the World''. In the same year ''The Dame Edna Experience'', ostensibly a talk show which she described as "really a monologue interrupted by total strangers" aired, featuring high-profile "celebrity guests" such as Sean Connery, Mel Gibson, Joan Rivers, and Germaine Greer (an old friend of Humphries'), as well as Madge, her silent, sour-faced "bridesmaid and travelling companion." In 1989, the show was back for a second season, this time taking place in her "luxury penthouse suite" where her guests stayed and, in the case of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr, did her grocery shopping. Subsequently these shows were aired in the U.S. on PBS, broadening her audience and enlarging her fame. ''Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch'' a reality/game show hybrid, aired in 1992, and saw her and Madge having a look at her "by invitation only, ladies audience" member's houses, and evaluating their housekeeping skills. U.S. television specials followed, as did an unsuccessful series which aired only one episode. She appeared as a guest of Phil Donahue on his talk show on 17 February 1993.

In 1997, she appeared in another television talk show ''Dr Dame Edna Kisses It Better''. Edna continued her Australian stage and television appearances including a record five appearances as guest presenter at the TV Week Logie Awards and a notable role as a co-narrator (along with Humphries and Les Patterson) of the ABC's Australian social history series: ''Barry Humphries Flashbacks'' in 1999.

2000–2009 [link]

In 2000 and 2004, Dame Edna appeared on Broadway, and toured America with both shows. These were ostensibly not "performances", but rather "appearances", with Dame Edna giving monologues and interacting with audience members. Her 2000 show, ''The Royal Tour,'' won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show, and a Tony Award.

During 2001 and 2002, Dame Edna appeared in the fifth season of the television show ''Ally McBeal'' playing the guest role of Claire Otoms, a client of the show's law firm who later became a secretary at the same firm. The character shared Dame Edna's voice and style and was explicitly listed in the opening credits as being played by Dame Edna Everage (although Barry Humphries received a credit in the closing credits). Claire Otoms is an anagram of "A Sitcom Role".

In the 2002 motion picture ''Nicholas Nickleby'' Dame Edna plays the role of Mrs. Crummles, an actress and wife of the manager of a provincial theatre company. Barry Humphries also appears in the film as Mr. Leadville.

Dame Edna appeared at the Queen's Golden Jubilee Concert, the "Party at the Palace" in London in 2002, where she referred to the Queen as the "jubilee girl".

The nostalgic "Barry Humphries Back to my Roots" tour featured, Humphries, Edna, Sir Les and Sandy Stone around Australia in 2003.

In 2003, she had an interview punctuated with NPR Weekend Edition's host Scott Simon's table-pounding laughter. The character celebrated her 50th "birthday" in 2005. To mark the occasion, in 2006, Australia Post featured Edna on a stamp and the Lord Mayor of Melbourne presented Edna with the key to the city. She toured Australia with the stageshow "Barry Humphries Back With a Vengeance" and appeared on camera "together" with Humphries for the first time in an interview by Ray Martin for Australia's 60 Minutes. She also appeared on screen at the Closing Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2006 in Melbourne while 1000 "Commonwealth Dames" danced around the arena, in purple wigs, garish costumes and gladioli, singing along to her song, "We've Made The Most Of Melbourne" : "It's not as small as Adelaide, Compared to Canberra, it's bliss, And if you've been to Melbourne, You can give Sydney a miss."

On 20 May 2006 she appeared on ITV's coverage of The Prince's Trust annual fundraiser. She took part in a ''Blind Date'' themed skit, picking Chico Slimani over Roger Moore and Richard E Grant.

In the summer of 2006, Dame Edna appeared on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' alongside Billy Crystal. On 23 September 2006, during an interview on ''Parkinson'', she revealed that she would be returning to ITV in 2007 with a new chat show, ''The Dame Edna Treatment''. The show began on Saturday 17 March 2007, with the set-up being that Edna runs a health spa where various famous guests come for treatment.

On Wednesday 17 December 2006, Dame Edna appeared as a guest panellist on the ABC TV Show ''Spicks and Specks'' where she sang with presenter Adam Hills. On 16 December 2007 she appeared as the final guest on the final episode of the ''Parkinson'' UK talk show. On 29 May 2008 she appeared on ''The Graham Norton Show'' alongside Ray Mears and Alanis Morissette. On 8 August 2008 she appeared on ''Loose Women'' on their final show of the series. On 12 September 2008, Monday 15 December 2008, and Wednesday 27 May 2009, she appeared as a guest on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''.

Accompanied by her daughter Valmai in America and Sir Les Patterson in the UK, Dame Edna again toured with what was declared ''My First Last Tour''. On television in early 2009, she appeared in adverts to publicise the insurance company Norwich Union's change of name to Aviva, quoting her change of name from Mrs Everage. On 9 June 2009, she appeared as a guest on ''The Late Late Show'' with Craig Ferguson. On 17 July 2009, she appeared as a guest on ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross''. On an episode of ''The One Show'' in September 2009 a piece of graffiti on Sunderland's Penshaw Monument read "Edna Woz Ere 09" and a pair of Everage's signature glasses were drawn next to it. Edna performed the "Last Night of the Poms" at the Royal Albert Hall accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra on 15 September and on 21 September 2009 she appeared on the C4, Paul O'Grady Show, where she complained of a burst appendix in Australia, but said of course she was happy to be back in the UK.

2010–present [link]

In early 2010, Dame Edna collaborated with cabaret pianist and singer, Michael Feinstein for a two-person revue entitled "All About Me", based on the concept that the pair were rivals who were forced to work together for the show's sake. The show opened as the second production for the newly refurbished Henry Miller's Theatre and was planned to run from 18 March through 18 July 2010 (with previews beginning on 22 February). However, lukewarm reviews and low ticket sales led to the limited engagement being cut short and closing on 4 April 2010, after 27 previews and 20 regular performances. On 25 March 2010, she appeared on the television talk show ''The View'' as a guest host to promote the production.

On 29 April 2011, she appeared on the BBC broadcast "William and Kate: The Royal Wedding," with Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson, covering the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton at Buckingham Palace, along with Tracey Grimshaw and Kathy Lette at Westminster Abbey.

On 18 March 2012, Humphries announced he would "retire" the Dame Edna character because he was "beginning to feel a bit senior".

Discography[link]

''The Dame Edna Party Experience'' (Epic Records, 1988) # Bad / When Will I Be Famous / Layla (Alias Edna) / I Should Be So Lucky / The Locomotion / Bad 'Nice' (Reprise) # Waltzing Matilda (Instrumental Intro) / The Twist # Venus / Like A Virgin / Girls Just Want To Have Fun / Venus (Reprise) # Shout (Part 1) # Shout (Part II) # I Got You Babe (Who Needs You Babe) [with Sir Les Patterson] # I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) / Stop! In The Name Of Love / Dancing In The Street / I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (Reprise) # Neighbours # Leader Of The Pack / It's My Party

''Theme From Neighbours'' (Epic Records, 1988) [Produced by David Mackay]

# Theme From Neighbours (Caring And Sharing Mix) / Spooky Christmas # Shout (Parts One And Two)

In 1997 Naxos released a CD in the Children's Classics series, catalogue number 8.554170. # S. Prokofiev: "Peter and the Wolf", Op. 67, narrated by Dame Edna Everage # F. Poulenc: "The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant", narrated by Barry Humphries # B. Britten: "The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra", Op. 34, narrated by Dame Edna Everage

Controversy[link]

In 2003 ''Vanity Fair'' magazine invited Dame Edna to write a satirical advice column. She created a storm of controversy with a piece published in the February 2003 issue. Replying to a reader who asked if she should learn Spanish, she wrote: :"Forget Spanish. There's nothing in that language worth reading except Don Quixote, and a quick listen to the CD of ''Man of La Mancha'' will take care of that ... Who speaks it that you are really desperate to talk to? The help? Your leaf blower?"

Some members of the Hispanic community read this reply as a racist remark and complaints flooded in to the magazine. Actress Salma Hayek responded angrily, penning a furious letter in which she denounced Dame Edna. After ''Vanity Fair'' received death threats, the magazine published a full-page apology to the Hispanic community.

Humphries commented later: "If you have to explain satire to someone, you might as well give up." When Dame Edna was questioned about the controversy on the eve of her 2003 Australian tour, she retorted that Hayek's denunciation was due to "professional jealousy", and that Hayek was envious because the role of painter Frida Kahlo (for which Hayek received an Oscar nomination) had originally been offered to Edna:

When I was offered the part of Frida I turned it down, and she was the second choice. I said 'I'm not playing the role of a woman with a moustache and a monobrow, and I'm not having same-sex relations on the screen' ... I'm not racist. I love all races, particularly white people. You know, I even like Roman Catholics.

References in other media[link]

Dame Edna has been mentioned on ''The Simpsons'': in "The Regina Monologues", "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", and "HOMR."

She was also mentioned in a song, "This One's Just For You", by Australian songwriter and comedian, Kevin Bloody Wilson and impersonated by Simon Amstell on ''Good Morning with Anne and Nick''. In an episode of ''The Goodies'', Bill remarks upon Tim's unwise choice of love interest with "Tell you something, I'd rather have Edna Everage. At least she's a real woman!".

TV credits [link]

Parkinson Various

An Audience with... (1980–88)

The Dame Edna Experience (1987–1989)

Dame Edna's Hollywood (1991–1993)

Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch (1992)

WITHOUT WALLS: J'Accuse: Dame Edna Everage (1993)

Dr Dame Edna Kisses It Better (1997)

Ally McBeal (2001–2002)

Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

Dame Edna Live at the Palace (2003)

The Dame Edna Treatment (2007)

See also[link]

Theatre of Australia

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

External links[link]

Dame Edna Official Website

''The Dame Edna Treatment'' at itv.com

Virtually Edna (Online Documentary & More)

Dame Edna Street

Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1956 Category:Comedy characters Category:Comedians from Melbourne Category:Alter egos Category:Fictional interviewers Category:Fictional reporters Category:Australian culture Category:Performing arts in Australia Category:Fictional Australian people

da:Dame Edna de:Dame Edna Everage fr:Dame Edna Everage he:דיים עדנה nl:Dame Edna Everage ja:デイム・エドナ・エバレッジ pl:Dame Edna Everage sv:Dame Edna Everage

name	Zoe Caldwell
birth name	Ada Caldwell
birth date	September 14, 1933
birth place	Melbourne, Australia
spouse
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	1960–present }}

Zoe Caldwell, OBE (born 14 September 1933) is an Australian-born actress.

Early life[link]

She was born as Ada Caldwell in Melbourne, Australia and was raised in the suburb of Balwyn in Yongala Street. Her father, Edgar, was a plumber and her mother, Zoe, was a taxi dancer. Caldwell's mother, Zoe, had a Peugeot of 1950 vintage. She would often load some of the neighbourhood kids into it to take them to the Elizabethan Theatre in Richmond where they would go backstage and watch rehearsals and performances.

Career[link]

Caldwell has won four Tony Awards for her performances on Broadway in Tennessee Williams' ''Slapstick Tragedy'', ''The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'', ''Medea'' and ''Master Class''. In the last she portrayed opera diva Maria Callas. In Stratford, Ontario she has worked often, including her role as Cleopatra in Shakespeare's ''Antony and Cleopatra'' opposite Christopher Plummer's Mark Antony in 1967.   She emigrated to England upon being invited to join the RSC at a time when Charles Laughton was attempting Lear, and Vanessa Redgrave, Eileen Atkins, Albert Finney were among the other newcomers in the company. She played Bianca in the 1959 production of Othello, starring Paul Robeson. Later she played the indomitable Helena opposite Dame Edith Evans in a production of "All's Well that Ends Well". It was in this last that Caldwell worked under the direction of Tyrone Guthrie whom she calls a  "...pathfinder. He cut a path through the forest and all you had to do was follow it." Her career later brought her to America, where she was one of the original company of actors under Guthrie's direction at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. At the Guthrie, she played parts such as Ophelia in ''Hamlet'' and Natasha in ''Three Sisters''.

Other credits on Broadway include Arthur Miller's ''The Creation of the World and Other Business'' in which she played Eve, a one-woman play by William Luce based on the life of Lillian Hellman and a production of ''Macbeth'' with Christopher Plummer as Macbeth and Glenda Jackson as Lady Macbeth under Caldwell's direction. Caldwell directed, off-Broadway, a two-woman play, created by Eileen Atkins, ''Vita and Virginia'', based on the letters between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. Atkins played Virginia and Vanessa Redgrave played Vita. Caldwell's directed the Broadway production of ''Othello'' in the late 1970s with James Earl Jones, Christopher Plummer and Dianne Weist. She helmed the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut for two limited-run seasons as its Artistic Director in the mid-1980s. She has also appeared on film, most notably as an imperious dowager in Woody Allen's ''The Purple Rose of Cairo''. In 2002 she starred in the film ''Just a Kiss''. She appeared in ''Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close'' in 2011.

She voiced the character of the Grand Councilwoman in Disney's ''Lilo & Stitch''. She originated the role in the 2002 theatrical feature and has continued it through the subsequent TV series and direct-to-video releases, as well as in ''Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep''.

Personal life[link]

Zoe Caldwell was married in 1968 to Canadian-born Broadway producer Robert Whitehead, a cousin of actor Hume Cronyn. They had two sons and were married until Whitehead's death in 2002. She has not remarried. The novelist Patrick White dedicated his short story, ''Clay'' to her and Barry Humphries.

Bibliography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Category:1933 births Category:Actors from Melbourne Category:Australian film actors Category:Australian stage actors Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:Living people Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Tony Award winners

it:Zoe Caldwell he:זואי קלדוול fi:Zoe Caldwell

name	James Earl Jones
birth date	January 17, 1931
birth place	Arkabutla, Mississippi, United States
occupation	Actor
spouse	Julienne Marie (divorced)Cecilia Hart (1982–present)
yearsactive	1953–present
website	}}

James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He is well known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership. Since his Broadway debut in 1957, Jones has spent more than five decades as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile actors" and has been termed "one of the greatest actors in American history." On November 12, 2011, Jones received an Honorary Academy Award.

Early life[link]

Childhood[link]

James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, son of Robert Earl Jones (1910–2006), an actor, boxer, butler, and chauffeur who left the family shortly after James Earl's birth, and his wife Ruth (Connolly) Jones, a teacher and maid. Jones and his father reconciled many years later. Jones was raised by his maternal grandparents, farmers John Henry and Maggie Connolly. He is multiracial, with African, Irish, and Native American ancestry.

Jones describes his grandmother, Maggie, as "the most racist person I have ever known", thus forcing him to develop his own independent thinking. His grandmother was of Cherokee, Choctaw, and black ancestry.

He moved to his grandparents' farm in Jackson, Michigan when he was five, but the transition was traumatic and he developed a stutter so severe he refused to speak. When he moved to Brethren, Michigan in later years, a teacher at the Brethren schools helped him over his stutter. He remained functionally mute for eight years, until he entered high school. He credits his English teacher, Donald Crouch, who discovered he had a gift for writing poetry, with helping him end his silence. Crouch believed forced public speaking would help Jones gain confidence and insisted he recite a poem in class every day. "I was a stutterer. I couldn't talk. So my first year of school was my first mute year, and then those mute years continued until I got to high school."''

Education[link]

After being educated at the Browning School for boys in his high school years and graduating from Brethren High School in Brethren, Michigan, Jones attended the University of Michigan where he was a pre-med major. He joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and excelled. He felt comfortable within the structure of the military environment, and enjoyed the camaraderie of his fellow cadets in the Pershing Rifles Drill Team and Scabbard and Blade Honor Society. During the course of his studies, Jones discovered he was not cut out to be a doctor. Instead he focused himself on drama, with the thought of doing something he enjoyed, before, he assumed, he would have to go off to fight in the Korean War. After four years of college, Jones graduated from the University in 1955.

Military[link]

With the war intensifying in Korea, Jones expected to be sent to the war as soon as he received his commission as a second lieutenant. As he waited for his orders, he worked as a part-time stage crew hand at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee, Michigan, where he had earlier performed. Jones was commissioned in mid 1953 and reported to Fort Benning to attend Basic Infantry Officers School. He then attended through Ranger School and received his Ranger Tab (although he stated during an interview on the BBC's ''The One Show'' screened on November 11, 2009 that he "washed out" of Ranger training). He was initially to report to Fort Leonard Wood, but his unit was instead sent to establish a cold weather training command at the Camp Hale near Leadville, Colorado. His battalion became a training unit in the bitter cold weather and the rugged terrain of the Rocky Mountains. Jones was promoted to first lieutenant prior to his discharge. He then moved to New York, where he studied at the American Theatre Wing, working as a janitor to support himself.

Film and stage career[link]

Early career[link]

Jones began his acting career at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee, Michigan. In 1953 he was a stage carpenter. During the 1955–1957 seasons he was an actor and stage manager. He performed his first portrayal of Shakespeare’s ''Othello'' in this theater in 1955.

Stage roles[link]

Jones is an accomplished stage actor; he has won Tony awards in 1969 for ''The Great White Hope'' and in 1987 for ''Fences''. He has acted in many Shakespearean roles: ''Othello'', ''King Lear'', Oberon in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', Abhorson in ''Measure for Measure'', and Claudius in ''Hamlet''. He received Kennedy Center Honors in 2002.

On April 7, 2005, James Earl Jones and Leslie Uggams headed the cast in an African-American Broadway revival version of ''On Golden Pond'', directed by Leonard Foglia and produced by Jeffrey Finn.

In February 2008, he starred on Broadway as Big Daddy in a limited-run, all-African-American production of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'', directed by Debbie Allen and mounted at the Broadhurst Theatre.

In November 2009, James reprised the role of Big Daddy in ''Cat On A Hot Tin Roof'' at the Novello Theatre in London's West End. This production also stars Sanaa Lathan as Maggie, Phylicia Rashad as Big Mamma, and Adrian Lester as Brick.

In October 2010, Jones returned to the Broadway stage in Alfred Uhry's ''Driving Miss Daisy'' along with Vanessa Redgrave at the Golden Theatre.

In November 2011, Jones starred in ''Driving Miss Daisy'' in London's West End, and on November 12 Jones received his honorary Oscar in front of the audience at the Wyndham's Theatre, which was presented to him by Ben Kingsley.

Film roles[link]

His first film role was as a young and trim Lt. Lothar Zogg, the B-52 bombardier in ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'' in 1964. His first big role came with his portrayal of boxer Jack Jefferson in the ''The Great White Hope'' a reprise of the role he had performed on Broadway play, which was based on the life of boxer Jack Johnson. For his role, Jones was nominated Best Actor by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, making him the second African-American male performer (following Sidney Poitier) to receive a nomination.

In the early 1970s, James appeared with Diahann Carroll in a film called ''Claudine'', the story of a woman who raises her six children alone after two failed marriages and one "almost" marriage. Ruppert, played by Jones, is a garbage man who has deep problems of his own. The couple somehow overcomes each other's pride and stubbornness and get married.

Jones also played the villain Thulsa Doom in ''Conan the Barbarian'', "Few Clothes" Johnson in John Sayles ''Matewan'', the author Terence Mann in ''Field of Dreams'', the feared neighbor Mr. Mertle in ''The Sandlot'', King Jaffe Joffer in ''Coming to America'', Reverend Stephen Kumalo in ''Cry, the Beloved Country'', Raymond Lee Murdock in ''A Family Thing'', and Vice Admiral James Greer in ''The Hunt for Red October'', ''Patriot Games'', and ''Clear and Present Danger'', among many others.

Jones is also well known as the voice of Darth Vader in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. Darth Vader was portrayed in costume by David Prowse in the original trilogy, with Jones dubbing Vader's dialogue in postproduction due to Prowse's strong West Country accent being unsuitable for the role. At his own request, he was originally uncredited for the release of the first two films (he would later be credited for the two in the 1997 re-release):

}}

Although uncredited, Jones' voice is briefly heard as Darth Vader at the conclusion of ''Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith''. When specifically asked whether he had supplied the voice, possibly from a previous recording, Jones told ''New York Newsday'': "You'd have to ask Lucas about that. I don't know." However, on the issue of the voice, the commentary on the DVD release states that, while it will always be uncredited, any true ''Star Wars'' fan "should know the answer".

Jones reprised his role as the voice of Vader several times: he is credited in the movie ''Robots'' with the voice of Darth Vader from a voice module. Playing the king of Zamunda in the comedy ''Coming to America'', he echoed four Darth Vader phrases. He also vocally appeared as Vader in the comedy film ''The Benchwarmers'' and the video games ''Star Wars: Monopoly'' and ''Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game''. Jones' voice is also used for the Jedi Training Academy attraction at Disneyland and at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Jones returned as Vader for the video game: ''Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars''. Jones also reprised his role as Vader in the new Disney attraction; ''Star Tours: The Adventures Continue''.

Other voiceover work[link]

His other voice roles include Mufasa in the 1994 animated Disney film ''The Lion King'' and its direct-to-video sequel, ''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride''. Archive recordings from the film would later be used for the English version of the 2005 video game ''Kingdom Hearts II'', since Jones himself was unable to reprise the role. He also voiced the Emperor of the Night in ''Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night''.

In 1990, Jones performed voice work for the Simpsons Halloween episode "Treehouse of Horror", in which he was the narrator for the Simpsons' version of Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven". In 1992, Jones was often seen as the host on the video tele-monitor for the Sea World resort in Orlando, Florida.

In 1996, he recited the classic baseball poem Casey at the Bat, with the accompaniment of arranger/composer Steven Reineke and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

He also has done the CNN tagline, "This is CNN", as well as "This is CNN International", and the Bell Atlantic tagline, "Bell Atlantic: The heart of communication". When Bell Atlantic became Verizon, Jones used the tagline greeting of "Welcome to Verizon" or "Verizon 411" right before a phone call would go through. The opening for NBC's coverage of the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics; "the Big PI in the Sky" (God) in the computer game ''Under a Killing Moon''; a Claymation film about The Creation; and several other guest spots on ''The Simpsons''.

Television roles[link]

Jones has the unusual distinction of being the only actor to win two Emmys in the same year, in 1991 as Best Actor for his role in ''Gabriel's Fire'' and as Best Supporting Actor for his work in ''Heat Wave''.

Jones portrayed the older version of author Alex Haley, in the television mini-series ''Roots: The Next Generations''; the GDI's commanding general James Solomon in the live-action sequences of the video game ''Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun''; and widowed police officer Neb Langston in the television program ''Under One Roof'', for which he received an Emmy nomination. He also appeared in television and radio advertising for Verizon Business DSL and Verizon Online DSL from Verizon Communications.

Jones appeared in the 1963–1964 television season in an episode of ABC's drama series about college life, ''Channing'', starring Jason Evers and Henry Jones. He appeared on the soap opera ''Guiding Light''. He portrayed Thad Green on ''Mathnet'', a parody of ''Dragnet''.

In 1969, Jones participated in making test films for a proposed children's television series called ''Sesame Street''; these shorts, combined with animated segments, were shown to groups of children to gauge the effectiveness of the then-groundbreaking ''Sesame Street'' format. As cited by production notes included in the DVD release ''Sesame Street: Old School 1969–1974'', the short that had the greatest impact with test audiences was one showing bald-headed Jones counting slowly to ten. This and other segments featuring Jones were eventually aired as part of the ''Sesame Street'' series itself when it debuted later in 1969 and Jones is often cited as the first celebrity guest on that series, although a segment with Carol Burnett was the first to actually be broadcast.

He has played lead characters on television in three series. First, he appeared on the short-lived CBS police drama ''Paris,'' which aired during autumn 1979. That show was notable as the first program on which Steven Bochco served as executive producer. The second show aired on ABC between 1990 and 1992, the first season being titled ''Gabriel's Fire'' and the second (after a format revision), ''Pros and Cons''.

In both formats of that show, Jones played a former policeman wrongly convicted of murder who, upon his release from prison, became a private eye. In 1995, Jones starred in ''Under One Roof'' as Neb Langston, a widowed African-American police officer sharing his home in Seattle with his daughter, his married son with his children, and Neb's newly adopted son. The show was a mid-season replacement and lasted only six weeks.

From 1989 to 1993, Jones served as the host of the children's TV series ''Long Ago and Far Away''.

In 1996, James guest starred in the CBS drama ''Touched by an Angel'' as the Angels of Angels in the episode "Clipped Wings". In 1998, Jones starred in the widely acclaimed syndicated program ''An American Moment'' (created by James R. Kirk and Ninth Wave Productions). Jones took over the role left by Charles Kuralt, upon Kuralt's death. He also made a cameo appearance in a penultimate episodes of ''Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' and has guest-starred on such sitcoms as NBC's ''Frasier'' and ''Will & Grace'', CBS's ''Two and a Half Men'', and the WB drama ''Everwood''. Jones also lent his voice for a narrative part in the Adam Sandler comedy, ''Click'', released in June 2006. His voice is also used to create an audio version of the King James New Testament.

Personal life[link]

Jones has been married to actress Cecilia Hart since 1982. They have one child, Flynn Earl Jones. He was previously married to American actress/singer Julienne Marie (born March 21, 1937, Toledo, Ohio); they had no children.

Awards[link]

Academy Awards

1971 Best Actor in a Leading Role – ''The Great White Hope'' (Nominated)

2011 Academy Honorary Award

Emmy Awards

1964 Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie/''East Side/West Side'' (Nominated)

1990 Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie/''By Dawn's Early Light'' (Nominated)

1991 Outstanding Lead Actor – Drama Series/''Gabriel's Fire''

1991 Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie/''Heat Wave''

1994 Outstanding Guest Actor – Drama Series/''Picket Fences'' (Nominated)

1995 Outstanding Supporting Actor – Drama Series/''Under One Roof'' (Nominated)

1997 Outstanding Guest Actor – Comedy Series/''Frasier'' (Nominated)

1999 Outstanding Performer – Children's Special

2004 Outstanding Guest Actor – Drama Series/''Everwood'' (Nominated)

Golden Globe Awards

1971 New Star of the Year – Actor/''The Great White Hope''

1971 Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama/''The Great White Hope'' (Nominated)

1975 Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy/''Claudine'' (Nominated)

1991 Best Actor in a Drama Series/''Gabriel's Fire'' (Nominated)

1992 Best Actor in a Drama Series/''Pros and Cons'' (Nominated)

Independent Spirit Awards

1987 Best Supporting Male/''Matewan'' (Nominated)

Screen Actors Guild Awards

1996 Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role/''Cry, the Beloved Country'' (Nominated)

2009 Life Achievement Award

Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play

1969 Best Leading Actor in a Play/''The Great White Hope''

1987 Best Leading Actor in a Play/''Fences''

2005 Best Leading Actor in a Play/''On Golden Pond'' (Nominated)

Other awards

1991 Common Wealth Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Dramatic Arts

1992 National Medal of Arts

2011 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Monte Cristo Award Recipient

Filmography[link]

''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'' (1964)

''The Comedians in Africa'' (1967)

''The Comedians'' (1967)

''End of the Road'' (1970)

''King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis'' (1970)

''The Great White Hope'' (1970)

''Malcolm X'' (1972)

''The Man'' (1972)

''Claudine'' (1974)

''The Cay'' (1974 one-hour TV drama)

''The UFO Incident'' (1975 TV-movie)

''The River Niger'' (1976)

''The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings'' (1976)

''Swashbuckler'' (1976)

''Deadly Hero'' (1976)

''The Greatest'' (1977)

''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'' (1977) (voice of Darth Vader)

''Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977)

''The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened'' (1977)

''The Last Remake of Beau Geste'' (1977)

''A Piece of the Action'' (1977)

''Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977)

''Black Theater: The Making of a Movement'' (1978)

''Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978 TV special) (voice of Darth Vader)

''Roots: The Next Generations'' (1979 TV miniseries)

''Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) (voice of Darth Vader)

''Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones'' (1980 TV miniseries)

''The Creation'' (1981)

''The Bushido Blade'' (1981)

''The Flight of Dragons'' (1982) (voice of Ommadon)

''Conan the Barbarian'' (1982)

''Blood Tide'' (1982)

''Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi'' (1983) (voice of Darth Vader)

''Allen Boesak: Choosing for Justice'' (1984)

''Faerie Tale Theatre'' "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" (1984)

''City Limits'' (1985)

''Soul Man'' (1986)

''Gardens of Stone'' (1987)

''Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold'' (1987)

''My Little Girl'' (1987)

''Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night'' (1987) (voice of the Emperor of the Night)

''Matewan'' (1987)

''Terrorgram'' (1988) (voice)

''Coming to America'' (1988)

''Three Fugitives'' (1989)

''Field of Dreams'' (1989)

''Best of the Best'' (1989)

''By Dawn's Early Light'' (1990)

''Convicts'' (1990)

''The Hunt for Red October'' (1990)

''A World Alive'' (1990)

''The Ambulance'' (1990)

''Grim Prairie Tales'' (1990)

''Heatwave'' (1990)

''True Identity'' (1991)

''Scorchers'' (1991)

''The Second Coming'' (1992)

''Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama'' (1992)

''Patriot Games'' (1992)

''Freddie the Frog'' (1992)

''Sneakers'' (1992)

''Dreamrider'' (1993)

''Sommersby'' (1993)

''The Sandlot'' (1993)

''Excessive Force'' (1993)

''The Meteor Man'' (1993)

''Law & Order'' (1993) (Horace McCoy)

''Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult'' (1994)

''Africa: The Serengeti'' (1994)

''Clean Slate'' (1994)

''The Vernon Johns Story'' (1994)

''The Lion King'' (1994) (voice of Mufasa)

''Clear and Present Danger'' (1994)

''Countdown to Freedom: 10 Days That Changed South Africa'' (1994)

''Jefferson in Paris'' (1995)

''Judge Dredd'' (1995)

''Cry, The Beloved Country'' (1995)

''A Family Thing'' (1996)

''Looking for Richard'' (1996)

''Good Luck'' (1996)

''Gang Related'' (1997)

''What the Deaf Man Heard'' (1997)

''Stargate SG-1'' (1997) ''

''New York... Come Visit the World'' (1998)

''Primary Colors'' (1998)

''Merlin'' (1998)

''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride'' (1998 Direct-to-video) (voice of Mufasa)

''Summer's End'' (1999)

''Our Friend, Martin'' (1999) (voice of Daddy King)

''On the Q.T.'' (1999)

''Undercover Angel'' (1999)

''The Annihilation of Fish'' (1999)

''Fantasia 2000'' (1999)

''Ennis' Gift'' (2000)

''Antietam: A Documentary Drama'' (2000)

''The Papp Project'' (2001)

''Feast of All Saints'' (2001)

''Black Indians: An American Story'' (2001)

''Finder's Fee'' (2001)

''Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street'' (2001)

''Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World'' (2001)

''Disney's American Legends'' (2002)

''Will and Grace'' (2003) (As Himself Season 6 episode 4)

''The Great Year'' (2004)

''Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson'' (2004)

''Robots'' (2005) (voice)

''Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) (voice)

''The Reading Room'' (2005)

''The Sandlot 2'' (2005)

''Malcolm X: Prince of Islam'' documentary (2006) (narration only)

''The Benchwarmers'' (2006)

''Scary Movie 4'' (2006)

''Click'' (2006) (voice) (As Himself)

''The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy'' (2006)

''Earth'' (2007) (voice)

''Two and a Half Men'' (2008) (As Himself)

''Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins'' (2008)

''House'' "The Tyrant" (2009) Dibala

''Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey'' (2009) (voice)

''Jack and the Beanstalk'' (2010) (voice)

''Gimme Shelter'' (2012)

Other voice acting [link]

''Kingdom Hearts II'' (2006) (archived audio, voice)

''Disneyland Hollywood Studios'' (2008) (voice)

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

Jones, James Earl, and Penelope Niven. ''James Earl Jones: Voices and Silences'' (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1993) ISBN 0-684-19513-5

Lifetime Honors – National Medal of Arts

External links[link]

James Earl Jones at Internet Off-Broadway Database

TonyAwards.com Interview with James Earl Jones

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof All African-American production website

James Earl Jones at Emmys.com

Category:1931 births Category:African American film actors Category:African American stage actors Category:African American television actors Category:African American voice actors Category:Actors from Michigan Category:Actors from Mississippi Category:American soap opera actors Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Living people Category:People from Manistee County, Michigan Category:People from Tate County, Mississippi Category:Obie Award recipients Category:Recipients of the Ranger tab Category:Shakespearean actors Category:Tony Award winners Category:United States Army officers Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:University of Michigan alumni Category:American people of African descent Category:American people of Cherokee descent Category:American people of Choctaw descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Audio book narrators

an:James Earl Jones cs:James Earl Jones cy:James Earl Jones da:James Earl Jones de:James Earl Jones el:Τζέιμς Ερλ Τζόουνς es:James Earl Jones eu:James Earl Jones fa:جیمز ارل جونز fr:James Earl Jones gl:James Earl Jones ko:제임스 얼 존스 id:James Earl Jones it:James Earl Jones he:ג'יימס ארל ג'ונס la:Iacobus Earl Jones hu:James Earl Jones nl:James Earl Jones ja:ジェームズ・アール・ジョーンズ no:James Earl Jones pl:James Earl Jones pt:James Earl Jones ro:James Earl Jones ru:Джонс, Джеймс Эрл simple:James Earl Jones sr:Џејмс Ерл Џоунс sh:James Earl Jones fi:James Earl Jones sv:James Earl Jones tl:James Earl Jones th:เจมส์ เอิร์ล โจนส์ tr:James Earl Jones yo:James Earl Jones