Alex Winter
Winter at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival
Born	(1965-07-17) 17 July 1965 (age 46) London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978–present

Alexander Ross "Alex" Winter (born 17 July 1965) is an English-born American actor, film director, and film writer, best known for his role as Bill S. Preston Esq. in the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its 1991 sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. He is also well known for his role as Marko in the 1987 cult classic The Lost Boys, and for co-writing, co-directing and starring in the 1993 film Freaked.

Personal life[link]

Winter was born in London, England. He is Jewish.^[1] His mother, Julie Winter (née Mayer), was a New York-born American who was a former Martha Graham dancer and founded a modern-dance company in London in the mid-1960s. His father, Ross Albert Winter, was Australian and danced with Winter's mother's troupe.^[2][3] Winter received training in dance as a child. When he was five, his family moved to Missouri, where his father ran the Mid-American Dance Company, while his mother taught dance at Washington University.^[4][5] The two divorced in 1973.

According to People^[6] Alex is married to Sonya Dawson with whom he has a son, Leroy Winter, born in 1998.

Career[link]

Winter moved to New York City in 1978 and began performing as an actor on and off Broadway. In 1983, he was accepted into the Film School at New York University (NYU). While at college, he met fellow aspiring filmmaker Tom Stern. The two collaborated on a number of 16mm short films and both graduated with honours. These 16mm short films inspired Andy Samberg of SNL fame to create his digital shorts.

As an actor, Winter spent many years on Broadway with supporting roles in productions of The King & I, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, and the American premiere of Simon Gray's Close of Play at the Manhattan Theater Club. After completing NYU film school, he and Tom Stern moved out to Hollywood, where the two wrote and directed a number of short films and music videos. Winter continued to find work as an actor, landing notable roles in such big productions as The Lost Boys and Rosalie Goes Shopping. In 1989, Winter found international success when he co-starred with Keanu Reeves as Bill S. Preston in the smash-hit comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.

Following the success of Bill & Ted, Winter and creative collaborators Tom Stern and Tim Burns were hired to develop a sketch comedy show for MTV. The result, 1991's The Idiot Box, was a success for the network,^{[citation needed]} but the channel's budgetary problems prevented them from filming additional seasons,^{[citation needed]} and it was canceled after six episodes. Winter, Stern and Burns accepted a $12 million deal from 20th Century Fox to film their own feature film, which would end up becoming 1993's Freaked. While the film was never widely released, despite positive reviews from The New York Times, and Entertainment Weekly,^[7] Freaked went on to become a cult favourite, through festivals, TV and DVD, and was cited by Entertainment Weekly, on their list of Top Ten Comedies of the Nineties.

Winter did not return to the director's chair until 1999, when he filmed Fever. The film was shown at film festivals worldwide, including Official Selection in the Director's Fortnight at Cannes. The New York Daily News praised the film, calling it "a claustrophobic mind bender. Winter sustains an aura of creepiness worthy of Roman Polanski".

Winter works between his American home base and London, where he directs music videos and commercials. Highlights of his work include directing several installments of the popular Peugeot Thelma & Louise campaign, as well as campaigns for Ford, the global launch of the all CGI Tony the Tiger for Frosties, and award-winning spots for Supercuts and Google in the US.

In 2007, Winter returned to acting after a nearly 14-year absence to do a guest spot on the crime series Bones. Currently, he has a recurring role as the voice of 'King Mole Man' on the Adult Swim show, Saul of the Molemen, which was created by long-time friend Tom Stern, and has directed the live-action adaptation of the hit Cartoon Network series Ben 10, which aired in November 2007 and garnered the highest ratings in Cartoon Network history. He directed its sequel, Ben 10: Alien Swarm which aired on Cartoon Network in November 2009 and captured over 16 million viewers in its premiere weekend. He has reportedly been chosen to write the screenplay for the Howard Stern-produced remake of Rock 'n' Roll High School.^[8] His latest project is a 3D-remake of the 1987 horror film The Gate which is scheduled for release in 2011.^[9]

In April 2011, Winter's Bill & Ted co-star Keanu Reeves confirmed that a third installment of the film series was underway.^[10]

In October 2011, he made an appearance on the eight-season finale That Metal Show, attempting to stump Eddie Trunk.

Filmography[link]

As director[link]

Theatrical feature films[link]

• Freaked (1993) (also co-writer, co-producer and actor [Ricky Coogin]) ^[A]
• Fever (1999) (also writer and actor [subway passenger])
• The Gate (2011)
• Downloaded (2012)^[11]

TV and home video[link]

• NYU Sight & Sound Project (mid-1980s) (student short film, released on DVD, also actor) ^[A]
• Squeal of Death (1985) (short film, aired on Night Flight and West Coast Cable, released on VHS and DVD, also co-writer and actor) ^[A]
• Aisles of Doom (1989) (short film, aired on Night Flight and West Coast Cable, released on VHS, also co-writer and actor [Grendel T.W. Ulcerous]) ^[A]
• Stuart S. Shapiro's Impact Video Magazine (1989), includes, among others, Entering Texas a.k.a. Bar-B-Que Movie (VHS, also actor) ^[A]
• Howie Meets the Ghost of Environmental Disasters Yet to Come (1990) (short film for the Nigel Dick-directed Save the Planet: A CBS/Hard Rock Cafe Special, aired on CBS April 20, 1990, also actor) ^[A]
• The Idiot Box (1991) (MTV show, also co-writer and actor) ^[A]
• Meals on Wheels (1991 or 1992) (short film for The Playboy Channel's Inside Out late night anthology series, also co-writer and actor) ^[A]
• Tabla Beat Science: Talamanam Sound Clash (2003) (concert DVD, co-directed by Zane Vella)
• Dirty Famous (2005) (VH1 pilot)
• Ben 10: Race Against Time (2007) (Cartoon Network film, also executive producer and actor [Constantine Jacobs])
• Ben 10: Alien Swarm (2009) (Cartoon Network film, also executive producer and voice actor [Nanomech])
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! segments
• The Andy Milonakis Show

Music videos[link]

• Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Taste the Pain" (1989) ^[A]
• Ice Cube – "Who's the Mack?" (1990) ^[A]
• Human Radio – "Me & Elvis" (1990) ^[A]
• Extreme – "Decadence Dance" (1990) ^[A]
• Ronny Jordan – "The Jackal" (1993)
• Helmet – "Milquetoast" (1994)
• Helmet – "Wilma's Rainbow" (1994)
• Bomb the Bass feat. Carlton – "1 to 1 Religion" (1995)
• Foetus – "Verklemmt" (1995)
• Axiom Funk^[B] – "If 6 Was 9" (1996)
• Bomb the Bass feat. Justin Warfield – "Bug Powder Dust" (1997)
• Helmet – "Exactly What You Wanted" (1997)

As actor in works by other directors[link]

Theatrical feature films[link]

• Death Wish 3 (1985) .... Hermosa (Director Michael Winner)
• Medium Rare (1987) (Director Paul Madden)
• The Lost Boys (1987) .... Marko (Director Joel Schumacher)
• Haunted Summer (1988) ... Dr. John Polidori (Director Ivan Passer)
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) .... Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Director Stephen Herek)
• Rosalie Goes Shopping (1989) .... Schatzi Greenspace (Director Percy Adlon)
• Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) .... Bill S. Preston, Esq./Granny Preston/Evil Robot Bill (Director Peter Hewitt)
• The Borrowers (1997) ... TV Gangster (Director Peter Hewitt)
• Bill & Ted 3 (2013) .... Bill S. Preston, Esq./ announced

TV[link]

• The Equalizer episode "Mama's Boy" (1985) .... Jeffrey (director James Sheldon)
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990) .... Bill S. Preston, Esq. (voice) (directors Robert Alvarez, Don Lusk, Paul Sommer & Carl Urbano)
• Sex, Shock and Censorship in the 90's (1993) .... Stinx on Ice (director David Jablin, aired on Showtime 10 September 1993)
• Bones episode "The Girl in the Gator" (2007) ... Monte Gold (director Allan Kroeker)
• Saul of the Mole Men 5 episodes (2007) ... King Mole Man (voice) (director Tom Stern)

Music videos[link]

• Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Higher Ground" (1989) (directors Drew Carolan & Bill Stobaugh)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Knock Me Down" (1989) (director Drew Carolan)
• Brother Cane – "Hard Act to Follow" (1994) (director David Hogan)

Notes

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official Facebook Page
• Alex Winter at the Internet Movie Database
• Alex Winter at the Internet Broadway Database

Keanu Reeves
Reeves at The Lake House London premiere, September 2006
Born	Keanu Charles Reeves (1964-09-02) September 2, 1964 (age 47) Beirut, Lebanon
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1985–present
Parents	Patricia Bond Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr.

Keanu Charles Reeves ( /keɪˈɑːnuː/ kay-AH-noo; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian film actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his role in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure as well as Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix. He has worked under major directors, such as Stephen Frears (in the 1988 period drama Dangerous Liaisons); Gus Van Sant (in the 1991 independent film My Own Private Idaho); and Bernardo Bertolucci (in the 1993 film Little Buddha). Referring to his 1991 film releases, The New York Times’ critic, Janet Maslin, praised Reeves’ versatility, saying that he “displays considerable discipline and range. He moves easily between the buttoned-down demeanor that suits a police procedural story and the loose-jointed manner of his comic roles.”^[1] A repeated theme in roles he has portrayed is that of saving the world, including the characters of Ted Logan, Buddha, Neo, Johnny Mnemonic, John Constantine and Klaatu.

In addition to his film roles, Reeves has also performed in theatre. His performance in the title role in a Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet was praised by Roger Lewis, the Sunday Times, who declared Reeves " … one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he is Hamlet."^{[citation needed]} On January 31, 2005, Reeves received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early life[link]

Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, the son of Patricia Bond (née Taylor), a costume designer/performer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr., a geologist. His mother was English and his father was a Hawaiian-born American of English, Irish, Portuguese, Hawaiian, and Chinese descent.^[2][3][4] Reeves's mother was working in Beirut when she met his father. Reeves' father worked as an unskilled laborer and earned his GED while imprisoned in Hawaii for selling heroin at Hilo International Airport.^[5] He abandoned his wife and family when Reeves was three years old, and Reeves does not currently have any relationship with him.^[5]

Reeves moved around the world frequently as a child and he lived with various stepfathers. After his parents divorced in 1966, his mother became a costume designer and moved the family to Sydney, Australia^[6] and then to New York City. There she met and married Paul Aaron, a Broadway and Hollywood director. The couple moved to Toronto; they divorced in 1971. Reeves' mother married Robert Miller, a rock promoter, in 1976; the couple divorced in 1980. She subsequently married her fourth husband, Jack Bond, a hairdresser, a marriage that broke up in 1994. Grandparents and nannies babysat Reeves and his sisters, and Reeves grew up primarily in Toronto. Within a span of five years, he attended four different high schools, including the Etobicoke School of the Arts, from which he was later expelled. Reeves stated he was expelled "I was just a little too rambunctious and shot my mouth off once too often. I was not generally the most well-oiled machine in the school." ^[7]

Reeves excelled more in hockey than in academics, as his educational development was challenged by dyslexia. He was a successful goalie at one of his high schools (De La Salle College "Oaklands"). While Reeves dreamed of becoming an Olympic hockey player for Canada, an injury ended his hopes for a hockey career. After leaving De La Salle College, he attended an anarchistic free school (Avondale Alternative), which allowed him to obtain an education while working as an actor; he later dropped out, never obtaining his high school diploma.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2011, on the BBC program The One Show, he spoke of his English ancestry, via his mother, mentioning his happy watching of The Two Ronnies comedy show amongst others when younger, and how his mother imparted English manners that he still has today.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

1980s[link]

Reeves began his acting career at the age of nine, appearing in a theatre production of Damn Yankees. At 15, he played Mercutio in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre. Reeves made his screen acting debut in a CBC Television comedy series entitled Hangin' In. Throughout the early 1980s, he appeared in commercials (including one for Coca-Cola), short films including the NFB drama One Step Away^[8] and stage work such as Brad Fraser's cult hit Wolfboy in Toronto. In 1984, he was a correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation TV youth program Going Great.^[9]

Reeves' first studio movie appearance was in the Rob Lowe ice hockey film Youngblood, in which he played a Québécois goalie. Shortly after the movie's release, Reeves drove to Los Angeles in his 1969 Volvo. His ex-stepfather Paul Aaron, a stage and television director, had convinced Erwin Stoff to be Reeves' manager and agent before he even arrived in Los Angeles. Stoff has remained Reeves' manager, and has co-produced many of his films. After a few minor roles, Reeves received a more sizable role in the 1986 drama film River's Edge, which depicted how a murder affected a group of teens. Following this film's critical success, he spent the late 1980s appearing in a number of movies aimed at teenage audiences, including Permanent Record, and the unexpectedly successful 1989 comedy, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, which, along with its 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, typecast Reeves as a spaced-out teen. Much of his portrayal in the press and much of the response to his acting in the early 1990s still mentioned his portrayal of the airheaded Ted.

1990s[link]

Reeves' interacting with the press at the Berlin Film Festival

During the early 1990s, Reeves started to break out of his teen-film period. He appeared in high-budget action films like Point Break, for which he won MTV's "Most Desirable Male" award in 1992. He was also involved in various lower-budget independent films, including the well-received 1991 film, My Own Private Idaho with his close friend, the late River Phoenix. In 1994, Reeves' career reached a new high as a result of his starring role in the action film Speed. His casting in the film was controversial since, except for Point Break, he was primarily known for comedies and indie dramas. He had never been the sole headliner on a film. The summer action film had a fairly large budget and was helmed by novice cinematographer-turned-director Jan de Bont. The unexpected international success of the film made Reeves and co-star Sandra Bullock into A-List stars.

Reeves' career choices after Speed were eclectic: despite his successes, Reeves continued to accept supporting roles and appear in experimental films. He scored a hit with a romantic lead role in A Walk in the Clouds. He made news by refusing to take part in Speed 2: Cruise Control and choosing to play the title role in a 1995 Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet in Winnipeg, Manitoba.^[10] Roger Lewis, the Sunday Times critic, wrote, "He quite embodied the innocence, the splendid fury, the animal grace of the leaps and bounds, the emotional violence, that form the Prince of Denmark... He is one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he is Hamlet."^[11]

Reeves promoting The Day the Earth Stood Still in Mexico in 2008.

Reeves' other choices after A Walk in the Clouds, however, failed with critics and audiences. Big-budget films such as the sci-fi action film Johnny Mnemonic and the action-thriller Chain Reaction were critically panned and failed at the box office, while indie films like Feeling Minnesota were also critical failures. Reeves started to climb out of his career low after starring in the horror/drama The Devil's Advocate alongside Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. Reeves deferred his salary for The Devil's Advocate so that Pacino would be cast, as he would do later for the less successful The Replacements, guaranteeing the casting of Gene Hackman. The Devil's Advocate did well at the box office, received good reviews, and proved that Reeves could play a grown-up with a career, although many critics felt that his poor performance detracted from an otherwise enjoyable movie. The 1999 science fiction-action hit The Matrix, a film in which Reeves had a starring role, was a box office success and attracted positive reviews.^{[citation needed]}

2000s[link]

In between the first Matrix film and its sequels, Reeves received positive reviews for his portrayal of an abusive husband in The Gift. Aside from The Gift, Reeves appeared in several films that received mostly negative reviews and unimpressive box office grosses, including The Watcher, Sweet November and The Replacements. However, the two Matrix sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Something's Gotta Give, and the 2005 horror-action film, Constantine, proved to be box office successes and brought Reeves back into the public spotlight.

His appearance in the 2006 film, A Scanner Darkly, based on the dystopian science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick, received favorable reviews, but The Lake House, his romantic outing with Sandra Bullock, did not do well at the box office. He went on to play the lead character in two 2008 films, Street Kings and The Day the Earth Stood Still. In February 2009 The Private Life of Pippa Lee was presented at Berlinale.^{[citation needed]}

2010s[link]

Reeves started filming the surrealist romantic comedy Henry's Crime in December 2009, with filming wrapped up in early 2010. After this he started working as producer and star on the science-fiction space drama Passengers, written by Jon Spaihts.^[12]

In January 2009, it was revealed that Reeves will star in the live-action film adaptation of the anime series Cowboy Bebop,^[13][14] slated for release in 2011. Other upcoming projects include the samurai film 47 Ronin, Chef – story by Reeves and written by Steven Knight, and a modern retelling of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, scripted by Justin Haythe and titled Jekyll. Nicolas Winding Refn was in negotiations to direct but was eventually replaced by Dennis Iliadis and produced by Universal Pictures.^[15]

In April 2011, Reeves confirmed that a third installment of the Bill & Ted movie series was underway.^[16]

Personal life and other interests[link]

Reeves' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

For nearly a decade following his initial rise to stardom, Reeves preferred to live in rental houses and hotels. He was a long-term resident of the Chateau Marmont. Reeves bought his first house in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles around 2003. He also has an apartment on Central Park West in New York City.^{[citation needed]}

He is a U.S. citizen through his American father, and also holds Canadian citizenship by naturalization; he grew up as a Canadian and identifies as such.^{[citation needed]} Due to April 2003 changes in the law, he is entitled to British citizenship through his English mother.

Reeves has never married.^[17] In December 1999, his girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth to a stillborn daughter, Ava Archer Syme-Reeves. Syme died in 2001, a sole driver involved in an automobile wreck, while partying in Los Angeles.^[18]

Reeves was sued unsuccessfully in 2008 in Los Angeles Superior Court for $711,974^[19] by paparazzo Alison Silva for allegedly hitting and injuring him with his Porsche after visiting a relative at a Los Angeles medical facility.^[20][21] The paparazzo's lawsuit took a year and a half to make it to trial, during which time Silva continued to attack Reeves and demand payment. At the trial, all 12 jurors rejected the suit needing only an hour of deliberation to reach their verdict. With the lawsuit rejected, Reeves was cleared of all the charges.^[22]

Reeves is an atheist. ^[23][24]

In 2010, photos of a sad-looking Keanu Reeves eating a sandwich while alone led to the spread of the "Keanu is Sad/Sad Keanu" Internet meme and the declaration of June 15 as "Unofficial Cheer-up Keanu Day" by a Facebook fanpage.^[25]

Music[link]

Reeves played bass guitar in the grunge band Dogstar during the 1990s. In the 2000s, he performed with the band Becky.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• "Keanu Reeves Articles & Interviews Archive, 1987 – 2010". http://www.whoaisnotme.net/articles/articles.htm. Retrieved January 9, 2010. 
• Papp, Adrienne (April 18, 2008). "Tempest in Tibet". LA2DAY. http://la2day.com/talk/tempest_in_tibet. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
• "Pondering the mysterious Keanu Reeves". CNN. November 5, 2003. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080430121543/http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/05/sprj.caf03.film.keanureeves.ap/. Retrieved May 10, 2008. 
• "Seven magazine interview with Keanu Reeves". Seven magazine. http://www.se7enmagazine.org/film/film_27.htm. Retrieved May 10, 2008. 
• Bystedt, Karen Hardy (September 1988). The New Breed: Actors Coming of Age. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-0-8050-0774-9. 
• Chin, Ong Song (May 15, 2003). "A Man of Many Faces". Straits Times (Singapore). 
• Fleming, Michael (April 2006). "Playboy Interview: Keanu Reeves". Playboy: 49–52, 140–141. 
• Howell, Peter (May 4, 2003). "Reeves Reloaded". Toronto Star. 
• Makela, Bob (August 5, 2000). "Keanu Reeves: All the right moves". USA Weekend. http://www.usaweekend.com/00_issues/000806/000806keanu.html. Retrieved May 10, 2008. ^{[dead link]}
• Roman, Shari (February 1, 1988). "Keanu Reeves – Hawaiian Punk". Details. 
• Shnayerson, Michael (August 1995). "The Wild One". Vanity Fair. 

External links[link]

• Keanu Reeves at the Internet Movie Database
• Keanu Reeves at People.com

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Keanu Reeves

Holly Throsby
Background information
Birth name	Holly Sarah Throsby
Born	(1978-12-28) 28 December 1978 (age 33)
Origin	Sydney, Australia
Genres	Folk, indie folk, indie pop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	guitar, piano.
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Spunk Records
Website	hollythrosby.com

Holly Throsby (born 28 December 1978) is a songwriter, vocalist, guitarist and pianist from Sydney, Australia. Throsby was nominated for an Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) 'Best Female Artist' Award in 2006 for Under the Town^[1][2] and in the same category in 2008 for A Loud Call.^[3]

Career[link]

Holly Throsby was raised in Sydney, Australia and began studying guitar at the age of 8. She is the daughter of the renowned ABC Classic FM radio presenter Margaret Throsby. Her uncle is the noted cultural economist, David Throsby, and her grandmother was a cellist in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. As a child, Throsby was encouraged in her musical pursuits. She studied classical guitar techniques and began composing from the age of 11. After earning a B.A. degree (majoring in English) from the University of Sydney, Throsby worked in an art house video store and travelled extensively before recording her debut LP, On Night.

Recorded with experimental producer Tony Dupe at his cottage on Saddleback Mountain on the NSW south coast in 2003, On Night was noted for its lyrical sophistication, emotional resonance and bare, unadorned production (native bird calls, frogs and barking dogs can be heard throughout). It was released by the influential indie label Spunk Records in 2004 and received critical praise in Australia and abroad. Throsby soon found herself touring with the likes of Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Joanna Newsom, Smog, M. Ward and Devendra Banhart.

In 2006, Throsby released her second LP, Under the Town, again produced by Dupe and featuring a larger group of accompanying musicians. Retaining the literate warmth of the debut, Under the Town was again lauded by critics and Throsby was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Female Artist.

Throsby's third album, "A Loud Call", was recorded in Nashville by Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Andrew Bird) with string and horn arrangements recorded in the Kangaroo Valley, NSW, by Dupe. Featuring guest vocals by Will Oldham a.k.a. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and guest musicians from Lambchop and Silver Jews, "A Loud Call" was hailed by the Australian and the British press as Throsby's strongest work. On 10 September she was nominated for the second time for ARIA Award's "Best Female Artist".

In October 2010 Throsby released an album of original children's songs called "See!". Billed as an alternative "black sheep" children's album, "See!" features special guest cameos by Darren Hanlon, J. Walker, Jack Ladder & Margaret Throsby. It was released through ABC Music.

In 2011, Throsby released her fifth album, "Team". Recorded in a 19th Century church with Dupe, "Team" received a slew of four star reviews in the Australian & British press (The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Mirror, The Sunday Times) and was lauded as Throsby's most experimental album, eschewing traditional song structure for layered, intersecting vocals expressing varying points of view around the subject of a relationship breakdown.

In June 2011, the debut album by Seeker Lover Keeper was released - a band comprising Throsby, Sarah Blasko and Sally Seltmann. The album, which was recorded in New York with engineer Victor Van Vugt (PJ Harvey, Nick Cave) and Dirty Three drummer Jim White, debuted at #3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Seeker Lover Keeper completed a national sold-out tour in July, 2011.

Other projects[link]

In addition to recording, Throsby has written and illustrated two comic books which act as companion pieces to her albums.

Throsby, along with Sarah Blasko and Sally Seltmann is a member of the band Seeker Lover Keeper.

Trivia[link]

Throsby's song "A Heart Divided" is featured on an international TV and cinema campaign for Tourism Victoria, filmed in Australia and Finland. The ad was directed by Mike Daly and aired during the 2011 Australian Open and the 2012 Australian Open coverage in the US.

Throsby contributed a t-shirt design for The Yellow Bird Project to raise money for Amnesty International.

Throsby is a member of the Voiceless Council. Voiceless: The Animal Protection Institute is an independent non-profit think tank dedicated to alleviating the suffering of animals in Australia.

On her official website, Throsby lists her interests outside of songwriting as contemporary literature, political intrigue, cryptic crosswords, small towns and dogs.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• On Night (2004)
• Under the Town (2006)
• A Loud Call (2008)
• See! (2010)
• Team (2011)
• Seeker Lover Keeper (2011) - with Sarah Blasko and Sally Seltmann

Singles/EPs[link]

• Things Between People (2004)
• Everything Sings Out [UK tour EP] (2006)
• One of You For Me (2007)

Compilations[link]

• She Will Have Her Way - cover of "Not the Girl You Think You Are" by Crowded House (2005)
• Like a Version: Volume 2 - cover of "Mistress" by Red House Painters (2006)
• Like a Version: Volume 5 - cover of "Berlin Chair" by You Am I (2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Holly Throsby

• Official site

Joan Rivers
Rivers in 2010
Birth name	Joan Alexandra Molinsky
Born	(1933-06-08) June 8, 1933 (age 79) Brooklyn, New York City New York, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Nationality	American
Years active	1950–present
Spouse	James Sanger (1955) Edgar Rosenberg (1965–1987; his death)
Website	"joan.co". http://www.joan.co/.

Joan Alexandra Molinsky (born June 8, 1933), better known by her stage name Joan Rivers, is an American television personality, comedian, and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries. Rivers' comic style relies heavily on her ability to poke fun at herself and other Hollywood celebrities.

Early life[link]

Joan Rivers was born Joan Alexandra Molinsky in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants Beatrice (née Grushman; January 6, 1906 – October 1975) and Meyer C. Molinsky (December 7, 1900 – January 1985).^[1][2] She was raised in Brooklyn, New York, and her family later moved to Larchmont, in Westchester County, New York. She attended Connecticut College between 1950 and 1952 and graduated from Barnard College in 1954 with a bachelor-of-arts degree in English literature^[3] and anthropology. Before entering show business, Rivers worked at various jobs such as a tour guide at Rockefeller Center,^[4] a writer/proofreader at an advertising agency^[4] and as a fashion consultant at Bond Clothing Stores.^[5] During this period, the agent Tony Rivers advised her to change her name, so she chose Joan Rivers as her stage name.^[6]

Career[link]

Early career[link]

During the late 1950s, Rivers appeared in a short-run play, Driftwood, playing a lesbian with a crush on a character played by a then-unknown Barbra Streisand. The play ran for six weeks.^[7] In 1961, Rivers briefly performed on stage in Chicago at The Second City comedy club. Rivers performed in numerous comedy clubs in the Greenwich Village area of New York City in the early 1960s, including The Bitter End and The Gaslight Cafe,^[8] before making her first appearances as a guest on the TV program The Tonight Show originating from New York, hosted at the time by Jack Paar.^[9]

By 1965, Rivers had a stint on Candid Camera as a gag writer and participant; she was "the bait" to lure people into ridiculous situations for the show. She also made her first appearance on The Tonight Show with new host Johnny Carson, on February 17, 1965.^[10] During the same decade, Rivers made other appearances on The Tonight Show as well as The Ed Sullivan Show, while hosting the first of several talk shows. She had a brief role in The Swimmer (1968), starring Burt Lancaster. A year later, she had a short-lived syndicated daytime talk show; Johnny Carson was her first guest.^[11] In the middle of the 1960s, she released at least two comedy albums, The Next to Last Joan Rivers Album^[12] and Joan Rivers Presents Mr. Phyllis & Other Funny Stories.^[13]

By the 1970s, Rivers was appearing on various television comedy and variety shows, including The Carol Burnett Show and a semi-regular stint on Hollywood Squares. From 1972 to 1976, she narrated The Adventures of Letterman, an animated segment for The Electric Company. In 1973, Rivers wrote the TV movie The Girl Most Likely to..., a black comedy starring Stockard Channing. In 1978, Rivers wrote and directed the film Rabbit Test, starring her friend Billy Crystal. During the same decade, she was the opening act for singer Helen Reddy on the Las Vegas Strip. In July 1970, Joan performed as the opening act for Sergio Franchi during an acclaimed appearance at the Mill Run Theater in Chicago.^[14] Joan also was the opening act for Sergio Franchi (three year contract) at the MGM Grand Hotel from 1974-1976.^[15][16] Joan became a Las Vegas Strip headliner herself in the 1980s.

1980s–1990s[link]

Rivers has spoken of her primary Tonight Show life as having been Johnny Carson's daughter, a reference to his longtime mentoring of her and, during the 1980s, establishing her as his regular guest host by August 1983. It was not her only work, however. On April 9, 1983, she hosted Saturday Night Live.^[17] In the same period, she released a best-selling comedy album on Geffen Records, What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most? The album reached No. 22 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.^[18]

Autograph with famous catchphrase, about 1983

Also in 1984, Rivers published a best-selling humor book, The Life and Hard Times of Heidi Abramowitz, a mock memoir of her brassy, loose comedy character. A television special based on the character, a mock tribute called Joan Rivers and Friends Salute Heidi Abramowitz, was not successful with the public.

The decade was controversial for Rivers. She sued female impersonator Frank Marino for $5,000,000 in 1986, after discovering he was using her real stand-up material in the impersonation of her that he included in his popular Las Vegas act. The two comics reconciled, even appearing together on television in later years.^[19]

Also in 1986 came the move that cost Rivers her longtime friendship with Carson, who had first hired her as a Tonight Show writer. The soon-to-launch Fox Television Network announced that it was giving her a late night talk show, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers.^[20] The new network planned to broadcast the show 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time, making her a Carson competitor. Carson claimed he learned of the show from Fox and not from Rivers herself. In 2008, during an interview with Dr. Pamela Connolly on television's Shrink Rap, Rivers claimed she did call Carson, but he hung up on her at once and repeated the gesture when she called again.

The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers turned out to be flecked by tragedy. When Rivers challenged Fox executives, who wanted to fire her husband Edgar Rosenberg as the show's producer, the network fired them both. On May 15, 1987, three months later, Rosenberg committed suicide in Philadelphia; Rivers blamed the tragedy on his "humiliation" by Fox.^[21] Fox attempted to continue the show with a new name (The Late Show) and rotating guest hosts.

A year after the Late Show debacle, Rivers was a guest on TV's Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special. By 1989, she tried another daytime TV talk show, The Joan Rivers Show,^[22] which ran for five years and won her an Emmy in 1990 for outstanding talk show host.^[23]

In 1994, Rivers and daughter Melissa first hosted the E! Entertainment Television pre-awards show for the Golden Globe Awards.^[24] Beginning in 1995, they hosted the annual E! Entertainment Television pre-awards show for the Academy Awards.^[24] Beginning in 1997, Rivers hosted her own radio show on WOR in New York City.

Rivers also appeared as one of the center square occupants on the 1986-89 version of The Hollywood Squares, hosted by John Davidson.

2000–present[link]

By 2003, Rivers had left her E! red-carpet show for a three-year contract (valued between $6–8 million) to cover award-show red-carpet shows for the TV Guide Channel.^[25]

Joan Rivers poses for a photograph at the Pierre Hotel, May 24, 2001

Rivers appeared in three episodes of the TV show Nip/Tuck during its second, third and seventh season playing herself.^[26][27][28] Rivers appears regularly on television's The Shopping Channel (in Canada) and QVC (in both the United States and the UK), promoting her own line of jewelry under brand name "The Joan Rivers Collection". She was also a guest speaker at the opening of the American Operating Room Nurses' 2000 San Francisco Conference. Both Joan and Melissa Rivers are frequent guests on Howard Stern's radio show, and Joan Rivers often appears as a guest on UK panel show 8 out of 10 Cats.

Rivers was one of only four Americans invited to the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles on April 9, 2005.^[29]

In 2006, Rivers was featured on the adult animated show, Drawn Together as Princess Clara's vagina that had received too much plastic surgery. Clara's 'vajoana' often repeated the phrase "who are you wearing, who are you wearing?".

On August 16, 2007, Rivers began a two-week workshop of her new play, with the working title "The Joan Rivers Theatre Project," at The Magic Theatre in San Francisco.^[30] On December 3, 2007, Rivers performed in the Royal Variety Show 2007 at the Liverpool Empire Theatre, England, with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip present.

In January 2008, Rivers became one of 20 hijackers to take control of the Big Brother house in the UK for one day in spin-off TV show Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack. On June 24, 2008, Rivers appeared on NBC-TV’s show Celebrity Family Feud and competed with her daughter, Melissa against Ice-T and Coco.

Joan Rivers performing in her show at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Rivers and daughter Melissa were contestants in 2009 on the second Celebrity Apprentice. Throughout the season, each celebrity raised money for a charity of his or her choice; Rivers selected God's Love We Deliver.^[31] After a falling out with poker player Annie Duke, following Melissa's on-air firing (elimination) by Donald Trump, Rivers left the green room telling Clint Black and Jesse G. James that she would not be in the next morning. Rivers later returned to the show and on May 3, 2009, she became a finalist in the series. The other finalist was Duke.^[32][33] On the season finale, which aired live on May 10, Joan was announced the winner and hired to be the 2009 Celebrity Apprentice.

Rivers was featured on the show Z Rock as herself and was also a special so-called pink-carpet presenter for the 2009 broadcast of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. She was also roasted in a Comedy Central special, taped on July 26, 2009, and aired on August 9, 2009. From August 2009, Joan began starring in the new reality TV series How'd You Get So Rich? on TV Land.

Joan performing at a London Udderbelly event in 2009

A documentary film about Rivers, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival at the Castro Theatre on May 6, 2010.

In 2011, Rivers appeared in a commercial for Go Daddy, which debuted during the broadcast of Super Bowl XLV.^[34]

Joan and her daughter Melissa Rivers premiered the new show Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best on WE tv. The series follows Joan moving to California to be closer to her family. She moves in with daughter Melissa while searching for a home of her own. It was recently revealed that WE TV has ordered a new season consisting of 10 episodes premiering in January 2012.

In 2011, Rivers was featured as herself in Season 2 of Louis C.K.'s self-entitled show Louie, where she performed on-stage.

Personal life[link]

Rivers' first marriage was in 1955 to James Sanger,^[35] the son of a Bond Clothing Stores merchandise manager. The marriage lasted six months^[36] and was annulled on the basis that Sanger did not want children and had not informed Rivers before the wedding.^[37] Her second marriage was on July 15, 1965^[38] to Edgar Rosenberg, who committed suicide in 1987. Their only child, Melissa Warburg Rosenberg (now known as Melissa Rivers), was born on January 20, 1968. She has one grandson, Melissa's son Cooper (born Edgar Cooper Endicott on December 1, 2000)^[39] who is featured with his mother and grandmother in the WE tv series Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?^[40]

In her book, Bouncing Back (1997), she described how she developed bulimia and contemplated suicide. Eventually, she recovered with counseling and the support of her family.

In 2002, Rivers told the Montreal Mirror that she was a Republican.^[41]

Rivers is open about her multiple cosmetic surgeries and has been a patient of plastic surgeon Steven Hoefflin since 1983. Her first procedure, an eye lift, was performed in 1965 as an attempt to further her career.^[42]

Awards[link]

• In 1990, Rivers won the Daytime Emmy Award (a TV citation) for Outstanding Talk Show Host. The same year, a star in her name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[43]

Books[link]

• Having a Baby Can Be a Scream (1974, Self-Help/Humour)
• The Life and Hard Times of Heidi Abromowitz (1984, Humour)
• Enter Talking (1986, Autobiography)
• Still Talking (1991, Autobiography)
• Jewelry by Joan Rivers (1995, Non-Fiction)
• Bouncing Back: I've Survived Everything ... and I Mean Everything ... and You Can Too! (1997, Autobiography/Self-Help)
• From Mother to Daughter: Thoughts and Advice on Life, Love and Marriage (1998, Self-Help)
• Don’t Count the Candles: Just keep the Fire Lit! (1999, Self-Help)
• Men Are Stupid...And They Like Big Boobs: A Woman's Guide to Beauty Through Plastic Surgery (2008, Non-Fiction)
• Murder at the Academy Awards (R): A Red Carpet Murder Mystery (2009, Fiction)
• I Hate Everyone...Starting With Me (2012, Humour)

Filmography[link]

• Once Upon a Coffee House (1965)
• The Swimmer (1968)
• Rabbit Test (1978) (also director and writer)
• Uncle Scam (1981)
• The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
• Les Patterson Saves the World (1987)
• Spaceballs (1987) (voice)
• Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (1988)
• Look Who's Talking (1989) (voice)
• Public Enemy # 2 (1993)
• Serial Mom (1994)
• Napoleon (1995) (voice)
• Goosed (1999)
• The Intern (2000)
• Whispers: An Elephant's Tale (2000) (voice)
• The Making and Meaning of 'We Are Family' (2002) (documentary)
• Hip! Edgy! Quirky! (2002)
• Shrek 2 (2004) (voice)
• First Daughter (2004)
• The Last Guy on Earth (2007)
• Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) (documentary)
• Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010) (uncredited)
• The Smurfs (2011) (uncredited)
• Tower Heist (2011) (uncredited)

Television work[link]

• That Show starring Joan Rivers (1968–69) (syndicated daytime talk show)^[11]
• The Electric Company (cast member from 1972–1977) (voice)
• Here's Lucy (1973)
• An Audience with Joan Rivers (1984)
• Joan Rivers: Can We Talk? (1986)
• The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers (host from 1986–1987)
• The New Hollywood Squares hosted by John Davidson (center square from 1988–1989)
• The Joan Rivers Show (1989–1993)
• How to Murder a Millionaire (1990)
• Lady Boss (1992)
• Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story (1994)^[44]
• Can We Shop? (1995–present)
• Another World (cast member in 1997)
• E! True Hollywood Story: Joan Rivers (parody episode of show aired April 1, 2001)^[45]
• Jack Dee Live at the Apollo (cast member in 2004, guest host in 2007)
• Nip/Tuck (2004–2005–2010)^[46]
• The Joan Rivers Position (2004–2006)
• An Audience with Joan Rivers (2006)
• 8 out of 10 Cats (2006–2007)
• Joan Rivers: Before Melissa Pulls the Plug (2006)
• Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy (in-depth interview BBC 2006)
• The Graham Norton Show (2007)
• Straight Talk (2007)
• Shrink Rap (2008) – With Dr. Pamela Connolly – More4
• Celebrity Family Feud (2008)
• Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack (Celebrity Hijacker) (2008)
• Loose Women (2008)
• The Graham Norton Show (2008)
• Z Rock (2008) – Aunt Joan
• Spaceballs: The Animated Series (2008) (voice)
• Arthur (2008, 2010) (voice) – Bubby (Francine's Grandmother)
• Celebrity Apprentice (2009) – Herself
• How'd You Get So Rich? (2009) – Herself
• The Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers (2009) – Herself
• Celebrity Ghost Stories (2009) – Herself
• The Graham Norton Show (December 31, 2009)
• Celebrity Apprentice 3 (March 14, 2010)
• Fashion Police (September 10, 2010 – present)
• The Graham Norton Show (November 5, 2010)
• Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best (January 25, 2011 – present)
• Louie S02E04 – Joan (July 14, 2011) – Herself
• The Simpsons S23E08 – "The Ten-Per-Cent Solution" (December 4, 2011) (voice) – Annie Dubinsky

Theater work[link]

The following is a selected list of theater work performed by Rivers.

• Broadway Bound by Neil Simon (replacement for Kate, 1988, Broadhurst Theatre)^[47]
• Sally Marr and Her Escorts, a play suggested by the life of Lenny Bruce's mother (co-written with Erin Ladd Sanders and Lonny Price), May 1994, Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway.
• Joan Rivers: A Work In Progress By A Life In Progress (February 2008, Geffen Playhouse)
• Joan Rivers: A Work In Progress By A Life In Progress (August 2008, Edinburgh Festival Fringe)
• Joan Rivers: A Work In Progress By A Life In Progress (September 2008, Leicester Square Theatre, London)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joan Rivers

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Joan Rivers

• Official website
• Joan Rivers at the Internet Movie Database
• Joan Rivers at the Internet Broadway Database
• Joan Rivers at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• E! Entertainment Bio
• BroadwayWorld.com interview with Joan Rivers, February 19, 2009