Look up Craig or craig in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Craig may refer to:

Places[link]

In the United Kingdom:

• Craig, Angus
• Craigs, County Antrim, a parish and a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

In the United States:

• Craig, Alaska, a city
• Craig, California, an unincorporated place
• Craig (ghost town), Butte County, California, a former settlement
• Craig, Modoc County, California, a former settlement
• Craig, Colorado, a city
• Craig, Indiana, an unincorporated place
• Craig, Iowa, a city
• Craig, Missouri, a city
• Craig, Montana, an unincorporated place
• Craig, Nebraska, a village
• Craig County, Virginia
• Craig County, Oklahoma
• Craig Township (disambiguation) (two places)

Geology[link]

• Craig (landform), a rocky hill or mountain

People[link]

• Craig (surname)
• Craig (given name)

Fictional characters[link]

• Craig Tucker, a recurring South Park character
• Craig Dixon (EastEnders), short-lived Eastenders character
• Craig Feldspar, a recurring character in the U.S. Television show Malcolm in the Middle portrayed by David Anthony Higgins
• Harriet Craig, movie with Joan Crawford
• Craig Dean character in Hollyoaks
• Craig Manning, a character in Degrassi: The Next Generation
• Craig Marduk, a character in Tekken 4

Other uses[link]

• Clan Craig, a Scottish clan
• Craig v. Boren, a US Supreme Court case
• Craig Electronics, a Chinese electronics company.

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Chelsea Handler
Handler at the 2012 Time 100
Birth name	Chelsea Joy Handler
Born	(1975-02-25) February 25, 1975 (age 37) Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
Medium	Television, stand-up, film, books, modeling
Nationality	American
Years active	1996–present
Genres	Observational comedy, news satire, blue comedy
Subject(s)	Pop culture, celebrities, gossip
Notable works and roles	Host of Chelsea Lately
Website	ChelseaHandler.com

Chelsea Joy Handler^[1] (born February 25, 1975)^[2] is an American stand-up comedian, actress, best-selling author, and producer. She has hosted the late-night talk show Chelsea Lately on E! Entertainment Television since 2007.

Early life[link]

Handler grew up in the suburban town of Livingston, New Jersey.^[3] The youngest of six children, she was raised in Reform Judaism by her Jewish father, Seymour, and her Mormon mother, Rita. Her mother was German and came to the United States in 1958.^{[3][4][5][5][6][7]} Handler has said that while growing up, she felt like an outsider, and told a reporter, "We lived in this nice Jewish neighborhood...Everyone had Mercedes and Jaguars, and I was going to school in a Pinto."^[8] Despite this, her family had a summer house on Martha's Vineyard.^[3] In a June 2011 episode of her show, she and author James Van Praagh discussed the death of her brother, Chet, when she was nine years old.^[9] Handler had an abortion at age 16, which she discussed during an interview in 2011.^[10] At age 19, she moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles, CA to pursue an acting career, and two years later, decided to become a stand-up comic after telling her story about a DUI to a class of other offenders, who found it funny.^[2]

Career[link]

[edit] Chelsea Lately

In July 2007, Handler began starring on her own half-hour, late-night comedy series on E! Entertainment Television titled Chelsea Lately. On the show's 100th episode, she revealed to viewers that the network had picked up Chelsea Lately for another 150 episodes.^[11] The show has proved to be a hit by averaging more than a half-million viewers since its premiere (much more than the average for a late night cable program) and having clips on YouTube with more than one million views. All this success is despite the fact that Handler's guests often are not A-list celebrities. In a 2008 interview, Handler said, "The worse the guests are, the more pathetic they are, the funnier the show is."^[8] The New York Times reported that Chelsea Lately had been renewed by E! Entertainment Television to run until December 2009;^[12] Handler's most recent contract extension will keep Chelsea Lately on the air through 2014.^[13]

[edit] After Lately

After Lately is a mockumentary in which the various cast members, writers, crew, and even "hangers-on" of Chelsea Lately are shown bickering over trivial matters and competing for air time on the show. They also seek personal approval from Handler, who usually appears in very few scenes of the program, and is always portrayed as having open and utter disdain for everyone beneath her. After Lately began airing on E! Entertainment Television on March 6, 2011. Guest stars include: Reese Witherspoon (in seasons one and two), Jennifer Aniston, Jay Leno, Tori Spelling, Jenny McCarthy, Sharon Osbourne, Dave Grohl, and Jane Fonda.^[14][15]

Books[link]

Handler has authored four books on the New York Times Best Seller List, three of which have been number one. Her first book, My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands (2005), describes the variety of sexual encounters she went through throughout her life. Handler also wrote Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea (2008), a collection of humorous essays that hit the New York Times Nonfiction Best Seller List on May 11, 2008,^[16] with a print run of over 350,000.^[17] She went on a nationwide tour to promote her third book, titled Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, which was released on March 9, 2010.^[12]

On November 15, 2010, it was announced that Handler's publishers gave her her own publishing imprint (Borderline Amazing/A Chelsea Handler Book). She also signed a three-book deal with the imprint, the first of which is called Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me, where her coworkers and family members discuss what Handler has done, which was released in May 2011 and also hit number one.

Performances[link]

Handler at LA Direct Magazine's "Remember to Give" Holiday Party 2008

Handler has performed nationwide as a comedian and appeared as a regular on the Oxygen Network series Girls Behaving Badly, as well as on other shows like Weekends at the D.L., The Bernie Mac Show, My Wife and Kids, and The Practice. She is a regular commentator on E! and Scarborough Country, as well as a correspondent on The Tonight Show. She hosted the first episode of the reality TV show On the Lot, but quit before the second one was aired, saying later, "Because I smelled the disaster happening before it did." ^[18] The show, produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett, is a competition for aspiring filmmakers who are vying for a chance at stardom. Handler was replaced by former Robin & Company entertainment anchor, Adrianna Costa. Handler also began hosting The Chelsea Handler Show in April 2006, which lasted two seasons. She was a guest on Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld and The View, and she co-hosted The View on August 2, 2007, and again on September 5, 2008. On January 25, 2009, Handler was on the CBS gameshow Million Dollar Password as one of the celebrity players. On April 15, 2009, she won the 2009 Bravo A-List Award for "A-List Funny." ^[19]

On August 18, 2010, it was announced that Handler would be the host of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. The announcement was surprising to many, including MTV representatives, who claimed that the final decision was unexpected.^[20] This makes Handler only the second woman in the history of the VMAs to be the sole host of the ceremony, behind Roseanne Barr, who hosted in 1994.^[21] The event took place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12, 2010.

In 2007, Handler performed with Comedy Central's Hour Stand-Up Comedy Tour across the United States. Her stand-up comedy has also been televised on VH1's Love Lounge, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, and HBO's broadcast of the Aspen Comedy Festival.

[edit] In the Motherhood

In 2007, Handler appeared in the Internet-based program In the Motherhood with Leah Remini and Jenny McCarthy (since January 2008). On September 8, 2008, it was announced that ABC would be turning In The Motherhood into a series starring Jessica St. Clair, Megan Mullally, and Cheryl Hines.^[22] Handler decided to drop out of the project due to scheduling commitments to her show Chelsea Lately.

[edit] Are You There, Chelsea?

Are You There, Chelsea? was an NBC sitcom, based on Handler's 2008 best-selling book Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, which aired from January 11 to March 28, 2012. On May 11, 2012, the network canceled it.^[23] Laura Prepon played the main character, "Chelsea Newman," a cocktail waitress while Handler portrayed "Chelsea's" born-again Christian sister, "Sloane," a married, conservative, new mom who had little in common with her carefree sister. Dottie Zicklin (of Dharma & Greg) and Julie Larson (of The Drew Carey Show) were creators and executive producers. Handler served as executive producer, along with Tom Werner (of That 70's Show), Mike Clements (of The Life & Times of Tim), and Tom Brunelle (of Chelsea Lately). ^[24]

In popular culture[link]

From her work on Chelsea Lately, Handler is ranked on the Forbes Celebrity 100 at number 98. In 2012 Time magazine placed her on the list of its 100 Most Influential People.^[25][26] She has her own columns in Cosmopolitan and NOW, a UK celebrity magazine. In July 2010, during a tour stop in Salt Lake City, Chelsea took part in the 'I AM EQUAL' Photo Documentary project in memory of her mother, Rita, who died from complications of cancer. Along with her photo being added to the documentary and accompanying photo mosaic, she also shared a "Photo Story" with a message that inspires people to take chances in life.^[27]

Personal life[link]

Chelsea Handler lives with her older brother, Roy Handler, a friend and her dogs in California.

Published Works[link]

• My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands (2005)
• Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea (2008)
• Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang (2010)
• Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me (2011)

Filmography[link]

Television and film[link]

• Are You There, Chelsea? (2012) - Sloane
• This Means War (2012) – Trish
• Whitney (2011) - Dr. Price
• After Lately (March 6, 2011– present) - Herself
• Hop (2011) – Mrs. Beck
• The Good Wife (2009) – Herself
• Chelsea Lately (July 16, 2007– present) - Herself
• In the Motherhood (10 episodes, 2007–2008) – Heather
• Steam (2007) - Jacky
• Comedy Central Presents (2007) - Herself (standup)
• The Chelsea Handler Show (April 21– September 9, 2006) – Herself
• Reno 911! (2006) - Pinky
• National Lampoon Presents Cattle Call (2006) – Nikita
• Dirty Famous (1 episode, 2005, unsold pilot) - Missy Klein
• Weekends at the D.L. (2005) - Herself
• Totally High (2005)
• Girls Behaving Badly (2004) - Herself
• The Bernie Mac Show (2004) - Doris Flynt
• My Wife and Kids (2002) - Nurse Amy
• The Practice (2002) - Callie Fairbanks
• The Plotters (2001) - Ann
• Spy TV (2001)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Chelsea Handler

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chelsea Handler

• Official website
• Chelsea Handler at the Internet Movie Database
• In the Motherhood official website
• Q&A Interview, New York Times Magazine, December 16, 2007
• Chelsea Handler interviewed by Antonella Gambotto-Burke
• Review of "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea"
• Chelsea Handler on Twitter

Nina Conti (born 1974) is a British actress, comedian and ventriloquist. Her on-stage puppet sidekick is a depressed monkey named Monk.

Early life[link]

Conti was born and raised in Hampstead, London, the daughter of actors Tom Conti and Kara Wilson.^[1] She studied at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Acting[link]

Conti has worked as an actress since 1996. She appeared in several roles in Daisy and Ken Campbell's 1999 and 2000 productions of The Warp, Neil Oram's 24 hour play cycle, and was a member of the RSC's 2000/2001 company in Stratford and London. Ken Campbell subsequently devised the ventriloquist play Let Me Out!!! for her, which she took to the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She appeared as half-Afghan camera operator Azadine in Henry Naylor's play Finding Bin Laden at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Conti has appeared in several television shows, including Black Books, Holby City, Single, and, recently, the Australian panel show Spicks and Specks. Her radio performances include characters in Radio 4 comedy Clare in the Community.

Conti and Monk portrayed a morning weather team on the fictional "Wake Up L.A." in Christopher Guest's 2006 film, For Your Consideration.^[2]

Stand-up comedy[link]

In 2002, Conti won the BBC New Comedy Awards, came second in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year and came third in Laughing Horse New Act of The Year competitions.

Conti regularly headlines at London comedy venues and has appeared at The Comedy Store.

She took her first solo full length show, Complete and Utter Conti, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007, she introduced some new characters as well as performing familiar routines. In 2008 she won the Barry Award for this show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, tying with Kristen Schaal.^[3]

At the Melbourne Comedy Festival 2010 she debuted a new puppet, an elderly woman who is her "Granny".

Nina and Granny appeared in episode six of the I series of the BBC comedy quiz show QI in 2011. On that episode, Conti noted that she inherited the Granny puppet from Ken Campbell on Campbell's death.

Characters[link]

Monk[link]

Monk is a depressed monkey who is constantly insulting Nina and swearing when it does not have its demands fulfilled. It often deliberately shows irritation towards performing on stage, as when Nina responds saying she doesn't know if she has repeated her act on stage, Monk quickly vanishes into the bag and says: You're on your own, bitch!. Monk also often disagrees with Nina and makes Nina laugh at his words.

Granny[link]

Granny is an elderly Scotswoman to whom Nina refers as someone who is a lot like her own grandmother. Granny often chides Nina for the simplest things Nina has done; for instance, when Nina reveals she has two legs, Granny responds by saying "Oh, two legs? You're spoiling me!" Her main act is to telepathically guess numbers or words, which she always guesses correctly. She also talks about her dead husband, Frank. Granny refers to people with words like "dear", "child" or "my daughter".

Radio[link]

Conti's radio work includes Clare in the Community, Sneakiepeeks and guesting on Parsons and Naylor’s Pull-Out Sections.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Nina Conti at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website

Craig Ferguson
Performing stand-up in New York City, 2007
Born	(1962-05-17) May 17, 1962 (age 50) Glasgow, Scotland
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, music, books
Nationality	Scotland; United States
Years active	1980–present
Genres	Observational comedy, satire/political satire/news satire
Subject(s)	Everyday life, popular culture, self-deprecation, politics
Spouse	Anne Hogarth (1983–86) (divorced) Sascha Corwin (1998–2004) (divorced) 1 child Megan Wallace-Cunningham (2008–present) 1 child
Notable works and roles	Host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson Nigel Wick on The Drew Carey Show Glaswegian in One Foot in the Grave Gobber in How to Train Your Dragon
Website	The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962^[1]) is a Scottish-American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS. In addition to hosting that program and performing stand-up comedy, Ferguson has written two books: Between the Bridge and the River, a novel, and American on Purpose, a memoir. He became a citizen of the United States in 2008.^[2]

Before his career as a late-night television host, Ferguson was best known in the United States for his role as the office boss, Nigel Wick, on The Drew Carey Show from 1996 to 2003. He also wrote and starred in three films, directing one of them.

Early life[link]

Ferguson was born in the Stobhill Hospital in the Springburn district of Glasgow, Scotland to Robert and Janet Ferguson, and raised in nearby Cumbernauld, growing up "chubby and bullied".^[3][4] When he was six months old, he and his family moved from their Springburn apartment to a council house in Cumbernauld. They lived there as Glasgow was re-housing many people following damage to the city from World War II.^[4] Ferguson attended Muirfield Primary School and Cumbernauld High School.^[5] At age sixteen, Ferguson dropped out of Cumbernauld High School and began an apprenticeship to be an electronics technician at a local factory of American company Burroughs Corporation.^[6]

His first visit to the United States was as a teenager to visit an uncle who lived on Long Island, near New York City.^[7] When he moved to New York City in 1983, he worked in construction in Harlem.^[8][9] Ferguson later became a bouncer at a nightclub, Save the Robots.^[10]

Career[link]

British career[link]

Ferguson's experience in entertainment began as a drummer in a rock band called Exposure. He then joined a punk band called The Bastards from Hell.^[11] The band, later renamed "Dreamboys", and fronted by vocalist Peter Capaldi, performed regularly in Glasgow from 1980 to 1982.^[12] Ferguson credits Capaldi for inspiring him to try comedy.^[3]

After a nerve-wrecking, knee-knocking first appearance, he decided to create a character that was a "parody of all the über-patriotic native folk singers who seemed to infect every public performance in Scotland."^[3] The character, "Bing Hitler" (actually coined by Capaldi as Ferguson started with the monogram of "Nico Fulton" but admittedly later stole the name for his "own nefarious ends"),^[12] premiered in Glasgow, and subsequently became a hit at the 1986 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A recording of his stage act as Bing Hitler was made at Glasgow's Tron Theatre and released in the 1980s;^[13] a Bing Hitler monologue ("A Lecture for Burns Night") appears on the compilation cassette Honey at the Core.

Ferguson's first television appearance was as Confidence on BBC sitcom Red Dwarf during the episode "Confidence and Paranoia".

Ferguson made his starring television debut in The Craig Ferguson Show, a one-off comedy pilot for Granada Television, which co-starred Paul Whitehouse and Helen Atkinson-Wood.^[14] This was broadcast throughout the UK on 4 March 1990, but was not made into a full series.

He has also found success in musical theatre. Beginning in 1991, he appeared on stage as Brad Majors in the London production of The Rocky Horror Show, alongside Anthony Head, who was playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter at the time.^{[citation needed]} In 1994, Ferguson played Father MacLean in the highly controversial production of Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom at the Union Chapel in London. The same year, he appeared again at the Edinburgh Fringe, as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple, opposite Gerard Kelly as Felix and Kate Anthony as Gwendolin Pidgeon, who is now much better known as Aunty Pam in Coronation Street; the play, which was relocated to 1990s Glasgow, later toured Scotland.^[15]

After enjoying success at the Edinburgh Festival, Ferguson appeared on Red Dwarf, STV's Hogmanay Show,^[16] his own show 2000 Not Out, and the 1993 One Foot in the Grave Christmas special One Foot in the Algarve.

In 1993, Ferguson presented his own series on Scottish archaeology for Scottish Television entitled Dirt Detective.^[17] He travelled throughout the country examining archaeological history, including Skara Brae and Paisley Abbey.

U.S. career[link]

After cancellation of his show The Ferguson Theory, Ferguson moved to Los Angeles in 1994. His first U.S. role was as baker Logan McDonough on the short-lived 1995 ABC comedy Maybe This Time, which starred Betty White and Marie Osmond.

His breakthrough in the U.S. came when he was cast on The Drew Carey Show as the title character's boss, Mr. Wick, a role that he played from 1996 to 2003. He played the role with an over-the-top posh English accent "to make up for generations of English actors doing crap Scottish accents." In his comedy special "A Wee Bit O' Revolution", he specifically called out James Doohan's portrayal of Montgomery Scott on Star Trek as the foundation of his "revenge". (At the end of one episode, though, Ferguson broke the fourth wall and began talking to the audience at home in his regular Scottish accent.) His character was memorable for his unique methods of laying employees off, almost always "firing Johnson", the most common last name of the to-be-fired workers.^[18] Even after leaving the show in 2003, he remained a recurring character on the series for the last two seasons, and was part of the 2-part series finale in 2004.

During production of The Drew Carey Show, Ferguson devoted his off-time as a cast member to writing, working in his trailer on set in-between shooting his scenes. He wrote and starred in three films: The Big Tease, Saving Grace, and I'll Be There, which he also directed and for which he won the Audience Award for Best Film at the Aspen, Dallas and Valencia film festivals. He was named Best New Director at the Napa Valley Film Festival. These were among other scripts that, "... in the great tradition of the movie business, about half a dozen that I got paid a fortune for but never got made."^[19] His other acting credits in films include Niagara Motel, Lenny the Wonder Dog, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Chain of Fools, Born Romantic, The Ugly Truth, How to Train Your Dragon, Kick-Ass and Winnie the Pooh.

Ferguson has been touring the United States and Canada with a stand-up comedy show, and performed at Carnegie Hall on 23 October 2010.

[edit] The Late Late Show

In December 2004, it was announced that Ferguson would be the successor to Craig Kilborn on CBS's The Late Late Show. His first show as the regular host aired on 3 January 2005. By May 2008, Ben Alba, an American television historian and an authority on U.S. talk shows, said Ferguson "has already made his mark, taking the TV monologue to new levels with an underlying story. But he is only just starting ... He is making up his own rules: It's the immigrant experience."^[18]

The Late Late Show averaged 2.0 million viewers in its 2007 season, compared with 2.5 million for Late Night with Conan O'Brien.^[20] In April 2008, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson beat Late Night with Conan O'Brien for weekly ratings (1.88 million to 1.77 million) for the first time since the two shows went head-to-head with their respective hosts.^[21]

By the end of 2009, Craig Ferguson topped Jimmy Fallon in the ratings with Ferguson getting a 1.8 rating/6 share and Fallon receiving a 1.6 rating/6 share.^[22]

Ferguson's success on the show has led at least one "television insider" to say he is the heir apparent to take over David Letterman's role as host of The Late Show.^[18]

Television and appearances[link]

Craig Ferguson has made guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Rachael Ray, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, The Howard Stern Show, The Daily Show, The View, Loveline, Real Time with Bill Maher, The Soup, The Talk and The Dennis Miller Show. He also co-hosted Live with Regis & Kelly with Kelly Ripa.

On 4 January 2009 Ferguson was a celebrity player on Million Dollar Password.

Ferguson in April 2008

In 2009, Ferguson made a cameo live-action appearance in the episode "We Love You, Conrad" on Family Guy. Ferguson hosted the 32nd annual People's Choice Awards on 10 January 2006.^[23] TV Guide magazine printed a "Cheers" (Cheers and Jeers section) for appearing on his own show that same evening.^{[citation needed]} From 2007 to 2010, Ferguson hosted the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on 4 July, broadcast nationally by CBS. Ferguson was the featured entertainer at the 26 April 2008 White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, DC.^[24]

Ferguson co-presented the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama with Brooke Shields in 2008. He has done voice work in cartoons, including being the voice of Barry's evil alter-ego in the "With Friends Like Steve's" episode of American Dad; in Freakazoid! as Roddy MacStew, Freakazoid's mentor; and on Buzz Lightyear of Star Command as the robot vampire NOS-4-A2. Most recently, he was the voice of Susan the boil on Futurama, which was a parody of Scottish singer Susan Boyle. He makes stand-up appearances in Las Vegas and New York City. He headlined in the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and in October 2008 Ferguson taped his stand up show in Boston for a Comedy Central special entitled A Wee Bit o' Revolution, which aired on 22 March 2009.

British television comedy drama Doc Martin was based on a character from Ferguson's film Saving Grace – with Ferguson getting writing credits for 12 episodes.^[25] On 6 November 2009 Ferguson appeared as himself in a SpongeBob SquarePants special titled SpongeBob's Truth or Square.^[26] He hosted Discovery Channel's 23rd season of Shark Week in 2010. Ferguson briefly appeared in Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup" music video released on 10 October 2011. ^[27]

Literature[link]

Ferguson's novel Between the Bridge and the River was published on 10 April 2006. Ferguson appeared at the Los Angeles Festival of Books, as well as other author literary events. "This book could scare them", Ferguson said. "The sex, the violence, the dream sequences and the iconoclasm. I think a lot of people are uncomfortable with that. I understand that. It was very uncomfortable to write some of it."^[28] Publishers Weekly called it "a tour de force of cynical humor and poignant reverie, a caustic yet ebullient picaresque that approaches the sacred by way of the profane."^{[citation needed]} His novel Between the Bridge and the River is dedicated to his son and to his grandfather, Adam. Ferguson revealed in an interview that he is writing a sequel to the book, to be titled "The Sphynx of the Mississippi".^[29] He also stated in a 2006 interview with David Letterman that he intends for the book to be the first in a trilogy.^[30]

Ferguson signed a deal with HarperCollins to publish his memoirs.^[31] The book, entitled American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot, focuses on "how and why [he] became an American" and covers his years as a punk rocker, dancer, bouncer and construction worker as well as the rise of his career in Hollywood as an actor and comic. It went on sale 22 September 2009 in the United States.^[32][33] On 1 December 2010 the audiobook version was nominated for a Best Spoken Word Album Grammy.^[34]

In July 2009, Jackie Collins was a guest on The Late Late Show to promote her new book Married Lovers. Collins said that a character in her book, Don Verona, was based on Ferguson because she was such a fan of him and his show.^[35]

Personal life[link]

As mentioned on The Late Late Show on 3 August 2009, Ferguson holds an FAA Private Pilot's License issued 31 July 2009.^[36] Ferguson announced on the 8 April 2011 broadcast that he is pursuing an instrument rating.

Ferguson is a fan of Scottish football team Partick Thistle F.C.^[12] as well as the British television show Doctor Who. He has three tattoos: his latest, the Join, or Die political cartoon on his right forearm;^[37][38] a Ferguson family crest with the Latin motto Dulcius ex asperis ("Sweeter out of [or from] difficulty") on his upper right arm in honour of his father;^[39] and the Ingram family crest on his upper left arm in honour of his mother. He has often stated that his Join, or Die tattoo is to signal his patriotism.^[37]

Family[link]

In an episode of The Late Late Show that aired 8 December 2008, a somber Ferguson talked about his mother, Janet (3 August 1933 – 1 December 2008). He ended the program by playing her favourite song, "Rivers of Babylon" by Boney M.^[40]

Ferguson has two sisters (one older and one younger) and one older brother.^[41] His elder sister's name is Janice and his brother's name is Scott. His younger sister, Lynn Ferguson Tweddle, is also a successful comedienne, presenter, and actress, perhaps most widely known as the voice of Mac in the 2000 stop-motion animation film Chicken Run. She is currently a writer on The Late Late Show.

Ferguson has married three times and divorced twice as a result of what he describes as "relationship issues". His first marriage was to Anne Hogarth from 1983 to 1986, during which time they lived in New York. From his second marriage (to Sascha Corwin, founder and proprietor of Los Angeles' SpySchool), he has one son, Milo Hamish Ferguson, born in 2001. He and Corwin share custody of Milo, and live near each other in Los Angeles. On 21 December 2008, Ferguson married art dealer Megan Wallace-Cunningham in a private ceremony on her family's farm in Chester, Vermont.^[42] Ferguson announced 14 July 2010 on Twitter that they were expecting a child. He wrote: "Holy crackers! Mrs F is pregnant. How did that happen? ... oh yeah I know how. Another Ferguson arrives in 2011. The world trembles."^[43] The child, a boy named Liam James, was born 31 January 2011.^[44]

Alcoholism[link]

A recovering alcoholic, Ferguson has been sober since 18 February 1992.^[45] Because of this, he declared he wouldn't mock Britney Spears' much-publicized alcohol problems in 2007.^[46] He said he had considered committing suicide on Christmas Day 1991, but when offered a drink by a friend for celebrating the holiday, he was distracted from jumping off Tower Bridge in London as he had planned.^[3]

Citizenship[link]

Holding dual citizenship, Ferguson is both a naturalized citizen of the United States and a British citizen.

During 2007, Ferguson, who at the time held only British citizenship, used The Late Late Show as a forum for seeking honorary citizenship from every state in the U.S. He has received honorary citizenship from Nebraska, Arkansas, Virginia, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, Tennessee, South Carolina, South Dakota, Nevada, Alaska, Texas, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and Indiana, and was "commissioned" as an admiral in the tongue-in-cheek Nebraska Navy.^[47] Governors Jon Corzine (New Jersey), John Hoeven (North Dakota), Mark Sanford (South Carolina), Mike Rounds (South Dakota), Rick Perry (Texas), Sarah Palin (Alaska) and Jim Gibbons (Nevada) sent letters to him that made him an honorary citizen of their respective states. He received similar honors from various towns and cities, including Ozark, Arkansas; Hazard, Kentucky; and Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Ferguson became an American citizen on 1 February 2008^[2] and broadcast the taking of his citizenship test as well as his swearing in on The Late Late Show.

Filmography[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Between the Bridge and the River. Chronicle Books. 2006. ISBN 978-0-8118-5375-0. 
• American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot. HarperCollins. 2009. ISBN 978-0-06-171954-7. 

Comedy specials[link]

• A Wee Bit o' Revolution. Comedy Central. 2009.
• Does This Need to Be Said? EPIX, Comedy Central. 2011.

Discography[link]

• Live At The Tron (as Bing Hitler). Jammy Records. 1986. Catalogue number JRLP 861.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Craig Ferguson

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Craig Ferguson

• Craig Ferguson at the Internet Movie Database
• Craig Ferguson on Twitter
• Craig Ferguson Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
• Craig Ferguson and Megan Wallace Cunningham
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Daniel Craig
Craig at Quantum of Solace premiere in New York, on 11 November 2008
Born	Daniel Wroughton Craig (1968-03-02) 2 March 1968 (age 44)[1] Chester, Cheshire, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Fiona Loudon (m. 1992–94, divorced) Rachel Weisz (m. 2011)
Children	Ella Craig

Daniel Wroughton Craig^[2] (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor best known for playing British secret agent James Bond in a 2006 reboot of the film series and its sequels.

Craig is an alumnus of the National Youth Theatre and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began his career on stage. His early on screen appearances were in the films Elizabeth, The Power of One and A Kid in King Arthur's Court, and on Sharpe's Eagle and Zorro in television. His appearances in the British films Love Is the Devil, The Trench and Some Voices attracted the industry's attention, leading to roles in bigger productions such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Road to Perdition, Layer Cake and Munich.

Craig achieved international fame when chosen as the sixth actor to play the role of Bond, replacing Pierce Brosnan. His debut in Casino Royale was highly acclaimed and earnt him a BAFTA award nomination, with the film becoming the highest grossing in the series to date. Quantum of Solace followed two years later, with the third film Skyfall set for release in 2012, having been delayed due to MGM's financial troubles.^[3]

Craig is married to actress Rachel Weisz, his second wife. He has a daughter Ella by his first wife, Fiona Loudon. In 2006 he joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Since taking the role of Bond, Craig has continued to appear in other films, most recently starring in the English language adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Early life[link]

Craig was born in Chester, Cheshire, England.^[4] His mother, Carol Olivia (née Williams), was an art teacher, and his father, Timothy John Wroughton Craig, was the landlord of the pubs "Ring o' Bells" (in Frodsham) and the "Boot Inn" (Willington, Tarporley), and also served as a midshipman in the Merchant Navy.^[5][6][7] Both of Craig's parents were of half-Welsh descent.^[8] He was brought up on the Wirral Peninsula,^[9] and attended a primary school in Frodsham and Hoylake called Holy Trinity Primary School. He attended Hilbre High School in later years.^[10] He began acting in school plays at age six.

Craig moved to London when he was sixteen to join the National Youth Theatre after a stay at Calday.^[7] He and his older sister, Lea, attended Hilbre High School and Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby. He played for Hoylake RFC Rugby Union Club.^[11] He attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican and graduated in 1991 after three years of study under Colin McCormack.

Career[link]

Overview[link]

Craig appeared as Joe in the Royal National Theatre's production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America in November 1993. Also in 1993, Craig appeared in an episode of Yorkshire Television's Heartbeat, which aired on 31 October 1993.^[12] An early starring role was as 'Geordie' in the BBC's 1996 drama Our Friends in the North, with early film roles being as Angelina Jolie's rival and love interest in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), before appearing in Sam Mendes's movie Road to Perdition (2002), with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. Other leading film roles include Sword of Honour (2001), The Mother (2003) with Anne Reid, Sylvia (2003) with Gwyneth Paltrow, Layer Cake (2004) with Sienna Miller, Enduring Love (2004) with Rhys Ifans, Steven Spielberg's Munich (2005) with Eric Bana, Infamous and Casino Royale (2006), The Golden Compass (2007), Quantum of Solace, Defiance (2008), and Cowboys & Aliens (2011).

James Bond: 2005–present[link]

In 2005, Craig was contracted by EON Productions to portray James Bond. He stated that he "was aware of the challenges" of the James Bond franchise which he considers "a big machine" that "makes a lot of money". He aimed at bringing more "emotional depth" to the character.^[13] Being born in 1968, Craig is the first actor to portray James Bond to have been born after the Bond series already started, and Ian Fleming, the novels' writer, had died.

Significant controversy followed the decision, as it was doubted if the producers had made the right choice. Throughout the entire production period Internet campaigns expressed their dissatisfaction and threatened to boycott the film in protest.^[14] Craig, unlike previous actors, was not considered by the protesters to fit the tall, dark, handsome image of Bond to which viewers had been accustomed.^[15] The Daily Mirror ran a front page news story critical of Craig, with the headline, "The Name's Bland – James Bland."^[16] Although the choice of Craig was controversial, numerous actors publicly voiced their support, most notably, four of the five actors who had previously portrayed Bond – Pierce Brosnan,^[17] Timothy Dalton, Sean Connery and Roger Moore – called his casting a good decision. Clive Owen, who had been linked to the role, also spoke in defence of Craig.^[18]

Craig at the Orange British Academy Film Awards in London's Royal Opera House, 11 February 2007.

The first film, Casino Royale, premièred on 14 November 2006 and grossed a total of US$594,239,066 worldwide, which makes the film the highest grossing Bond film to date.^[19] After the film was released, Craig's performance was highly acclaimed.^[20] As production of Casino Royale reached its conclusion, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced that pre-production work had already begun on the 22nd Bond film. After several months of speculation as to the release date, Wilson and Broccoli officially announced on 20 July 2006 that the follow-up film, Quantum of Solace,^[21] was to be released on 7 November 2008 and that Craig plays Bond with an option for a third film.^[22] On 25 October 2007, MGM CEO Harry Sloan revealed at the Forbes Meet II Conference that Craig had signed on for four more Bond films, through to Bond 25.^[23]

In 2006, Craig was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[24] On 12 June 2008, Craig sliced the top of one of his fingers off while filming Quantum of Solace.^[25] The accident was the latest in a string of incidents surrounding the shoot, including a fire at one of the sets in Pinewood Studios, a car crash that left the stunt driver in a serious condition, and an Aston Martin skidding off the roads while being transported to the set in Italy and plunging into Lake Garda.^[26]

Craig at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009.

Craig describes his portrayal of Bond as an anti-hero: "The question I keep asking myself while playing the role is, 'Am I the good guy or just a bad guy who works for the good side?' Bond's role, after all, is that of an assassin when you come down to it. I have never played a role in which someone's dark side shouldn't be explored. I don't think it should be confusing by the end of the film, but during the film you should be questioning who he is."^[27] Craig also states that his favourite previous Bond actor was Sean Connery, but says, "I'd never copy somebody else. I would never do an impression of anybody else or try and improve on what they did. That would be a pointless exercise for me".^[28] His favourite Bond film is From Russia with Love.^[29] On a James Bond-centric episode of The South Bank Show, Connery divulged his thoughts on Craig's casting as Bond, whom he described as "fantastic, marvelous in the part." When he was told that Craig had taken particular note of his performances, Connery said that he was "flattered" and that Craig really gets the "danger element" to Bond's character.^[30]

On 19 April 2010, Craig's expected third Bond film (the 23rd overall in the series) was announced to have been suspended indefinitely due to the crippling debt and uncertain future of MGM.^[31] However, both Craig and Sam Mendes hoped to resume work on the film soon. The film has since resumed and Craig will return as Bond once again,^[32] with the film (now called Skyfall) due for release on 9 November 2012. Skyfall is expected to be part of year-long celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Dr. No.^[33] On 19 December 2011, it was announced that Daniel Craig has signed on for five future Bond films, bringing his total to eight films which would break by one film Roger Moore's record of the longest running actor to portray the character.^[34]

Other projects[link]

In 1999, Craig starred as Richard in a TV drama called Shockers: The Visitor. In 2007, he portrayed Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass, the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel.^[35] Eva Green, who played Bond girl Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, also starred in the film, although she did not appear in any scenes with Craig. In a stage version of the book, Asriel had previously been played by Timothy Dalton, one of Craig's predecessors in the role of James Bond.

In early 2001, Craig expressed an interest in being a part of the Star Trek franchise, professing his love of the series to the World Entertainment News Network and a desire to have a "stint in the TV show or a film. It's been a secret ambition of mine for years."^[36] On 16 March 2007, Craig made a cameo appearance as himself in a sketch with Catherine Tate who appeared in the guise of her character Elaine Figgis from The Catherine Tate Show. The sketch was made for the BBC Red Nose Day 2007 fundraising programme.^[37]

In 2008's Defiance, he played Tuvia Bielski, a Jewish resistance fighter in the forests of Belarus during World War II who saved 1,200 people^[38] The shot in Casino Royale of Craig sporting swimming trunks has often topped many sexiest male celebrity polls,^[39] and in 2009 Del Monte Foods launched an ice pop moulded to resemble Craig emerging from the sea.^[40] He co-starred with Hugh Jackman, in a limited engagement of the play A Steady Rain, on Broadway at the Schoenfeld Theatre, which opened on 10 September 2009 and closed on 6 December 2009.^[41]

Craig lent his voice and likeness as James Bond for both the Wii game GoldenEye 007, an enhanced remake of the 1997 game for the Nintendo 64, and James Bond 007: Blood Stone, an original game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and Microsoft Windows.^[42] In August 2010, Craig was cast as crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist in David Fincher's 2011 adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.^[43] Craig co-starred with Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde in Cowboys & Aliens, an American science fiction Western film, based on Scott Mitchell Rosenberg's 2006 graphic novel of the same name.^[44][45]

Personal life[link]

Craig with producer Michael G. Wilson in June 2006.

In 1992, Craig married Scottish actress Fiona Loudon, with whom he has a daughter, Ella. The marriage ended in divorce in 1994.^[46]

After his divorce, he was in a seven-year relationship with German actress Heike Makatsch, ending in 2001.^[47] He subsequently dated film producer Satsuki Mitchell from 2004 until 2010.^[48]

Craig and actress Rachel Weisz began dating in December 2010.^[49] Craig and Weisz married on 22 June 2011^[48][50] in a private New York City ceremony, with only four guests in attendance, including Craig's 18-year-old daughter Ella, and Weisz's four-year-old son Henry.^[51] Craig and Weisz had been friends for many years and had worked together on the movie Dream House shortly before they began dating in late 2010.

In October 2008, Craig paid £4 million for a flat near Regent's Park, London.^[52] He is a Liverpool F.C. supporter.^[53]

Craig is rumoured to have bought a property in the Hertfordshire community of Barkway.^[54]

Filmography[link]

Video games[link]