{{Infobox Referendum | name = Proposition 8 | title = Eliminates Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment | yes = 7001084 | no = 6401482 | total = 13743177 | electorate = 17304428 | map = File:CA2008Prop8.svg | mapdivision = | notes = Source: California Secretary of State

By restricting the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples, the proposition overturned the California Supreme Court's ruling of ''In re Marriage Cases'' that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. The wording of Proposition 8 was precisely the same as that which had been found in Proposition 22, which, as an ordinary statute, had been invalidated by the State Supreme Court. California's State Constitution put Proposition 8 into immediate effect the day after the election. The proposition did not affect domestic partnerships in California, nor same-sex marriages performed before November 5, 2008.

Proponents of the constitutional amendment argued that exclusively heterosexual marriage was "an essential institution of society," that leaving the constitution unchanged would "result in public schools teaching our kids that gay marriage is okay," and that "gays ... do not have the right to redefine marriage for everyone else." Opponents argued that "the freedom to marry is fundamental to our society," that the California constitution "should guarantee the same freedom and rights to everyone" and that the proposition "mandates one set of rules for gay and lesbian couples and another set for everyone else." They also argued that "equality under the law is a fundamental constitutional guarantee" (see Equal Protection Clause).

The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 raised $39.9 million and $43.3 million, respectively, becoming the highest-funded campaign on any state ballot and surpassing every campaign in the country in spending except the presidential contest. After the elections, demonstrations and protests occurred across the state and nation. Same-sex couples and government entities filed numerous lawsuits with the California Supreme Court challenging the proposition's validity and effect on previously administered same-sex marriages. In the ''Strauss v. Horton'' case, the court upheld Proposition 8, but allowed existing same-sex marriages to stand (under the Grandfather clause principle). United States district court Judge Vaughn R. Walker overturned Proposition 8 on August 4, 2010 in the case ''Perry v. Schwarzenegger'', ruling that it violated both the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the United States Constitution. Judge Walker issued an injunction against enforcing Proposition 8 and a stay to determine suspension of his ruling pending appeal. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals continued the stay, keeping Judge Walker's ruling on hold pending appeal.

History of the ballot initiative

Proposition 8 was a California ballot proposition that sought to change the California Constitution to add a new section (7.5) to Article I, that would read: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." This change would restrict the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples, and eliminate same-sex couples' right to marry, thereby overriding portions of the ruling of ''In re Marriage Cases'' by "carving out an exception to the preexisting scope of the privacy and due process clauses" of the state constitution.

To qualify for the ballot, Proposition 8 needed 694,354 valid petition signatures, equal to 8% of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2006 General Election. The initiative proponents submitted 1,120,801 signatures, and on June 2, 2008, the initiative qualified for the November 4, 2008 election ballot through the random sample signature check.

Pre-election legal challenges

Petition to remove proposition from ballot

On July 16, 2008, the California Supreme Court denied a petition calling for the removal of Proposition 8 from the November ballot. The petition asserted the proposition should not be on the ballot on the grounds it was a constitutional revision that only the Legislature or a constitutional convention could place before voters. Opponents also argued that the petitions circulated to qualify the measure for the ballot inaccurately summarized its effect. The court denied the petition without comment. As a general rule, it is improper for courts to adjudicate pre-election challenges to a measure's substantive validity. The question of whether Proposition 8 is a constitutional amendment or constitutional revision was ruled on by the California Supreme Court on May 26, 2009, and found that it was not a revision and therefore would be upheld. They also declared that the same-sex marriages performed prior to the passing of Prop 8 would remain valid.

Challenge to title and summary

The measure was titled: "Eliminates Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment." The ballot summary read that the measure "changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California."

Proponents of the measure objected to the wording of the ballot title and summary on the grounds that they were argumentative and prejudicial. The resulting legal petition ''Jansson v. Bowen'' was dismissed August 7, 2008, by California Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley, who ruled that "the title and summary includes an essentially verbatim recital of the text of the measure itself", and that the change was valid because the measure did, in fact, eliminate a right upheld by the California Supreme Court.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown explained that the changes were required to more "accurately reflect the measure" in light of the California Supreme Court's intervening ''In re Marriage Cases'' decision.

On July 22, 2008, Proposition 8 supporters mounted a legal challenge to the revised ballot title and summary, contending that Attorney General Brown inserted "language [...] so inflammatory that it will unduly prejudice voters against the measure". Supporters claimed that research showed that an attorney general had never used an active verb like “eliminates” in the title of a ballot measure in the past fifty years in which ballot measures have been used. Representatives of the Attorney General produced twelve examples of ballot measures using the word "eliminates" and vouched for the neutrality and accuracy of the ballot language.

On August 8, 2008, the California Superior Court turned down the legal challenge, affirming the new title and summary, stating, "[t]he title and summary is not false or misleading because it states that Proposition 8 would 'eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry' in California." The Superior Court based their decision on the previous ''Marriages Cases'' ruling in which the California Supreme Court held that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry under the California Constitution." That same day, proponents of Prop. 8 filed an emergency appeal with the state appeals court. The Court of Appeal denied their petition later that day and supporters did not seek a review by the Supreme Court of California. The deadline for court action on the wording of ballot summaries and arguments in the voter pamphlet was August 11, 2008.

While turning down the challenge to the title and summary, the California Superior Court also found that the Yes on 8 campaign had overstated its ballot argument on the measure's impact on public schools and ordered a minor change in wording. The original arguments included a claim that the Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage requires teachers to tell their students, as young as kindergarten age, that same-sex marriage is the same as opposite-sex marriage. The court said the Yes on 8 argument was false because instruction on marriage is not required and parents can withdraw their children. The court said the ballot argument could be preserved by rewording it to state that teachers "may" or "could" be required to tell children there is no difference between same-sex and opposite-sex marriage. The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 raised $39.9 million and $43.3 million, respectively. Contributions totaled over $83 million from over 64,000 people in all fifty states and more than twenty foreign countries, setting a new record nationally for a social policy initiative and trumping every other race in the country in spending except the presidential contest. Contributions were much greater than those of previous same-sex marriage initiatives. Between 2004 and 2006, 22 such measures were on ballots around the country, and donations to all of them combined totaled $31.4 million, according to the nonpartisan National Institute on Money in State Politics. A ProtectMarriage.com spokeswoman estimated that 36 companies which had previously contributed to Equality California were targeted to receive a letter requesting similar donations to ProtectMarriage.com.

In 2010, the California Fair Political Practices Commission fined the LDS church for failing to follow campaign disclosure policies during the last two weeks leading up to the election, which amounted to $37,000 in non-monetary contributions. They were fined $5,538.

Proponents

The ProtectMarriage.com organization sponsored the initiative that placed Proposition 8 on the ballot and continues to support the measure. The measure also attracted the support of a number of political figures and religious organizations.

Political figures

Republican presidential nominee and U.S. Senator John McCain released a statement of support for the proposed constitutional amendment. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich released a video in support. Both characterized the court ruling requiring recognition of same sex marriage as being against the will of the people. Other notable supporters include Republican State Senator Tom McClintock and 20 other Republican State Senators and Assemblymembers.

Religious organizations

The Roman Catholic Church, as well as a Roman Catholic lay fraternal organization, the Knights of Columbus, firmly supported the measure. The bishops of the California Catholic Conference released a statement supporting the proposition, a position met with mixed reactions among church members, including clergy.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are commonly known as Mormons, also publicly supported the proposition. The First Presidency of the church announced its support for Proposition 8 in a letter intended to be read in every congregation in California. In this letter, church members were encouraged to "do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time." Local church leaders set organizational and monetary goals for their membership—sometimes quite specific—to fulfill this call. The response of church members to their leadership's appeals to donate money and volunteer time was very supportive, such that Latter-day Saints provided a significant source for financial donations in support of the proposition, both inside and outside the State of California. About 45% of out-of-state contributions to ProtectMarriage.com came from Utah, over three times more than any other state. ProtectMarriage, the official proponents of Proposition 8, estimate that about half the donations they received came from Mormon sources, and that "eighty to ninety percent" of the early volunteers going door-to-door were LDS. The The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints produced and broadcast to its congregations a program describing the support of the Proposition, and describing the timeline it proposes for what it describes as grassroots efforts to support the Proposition.

Other religious organizations that supported Proposition 8 include the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Eastern Orthodox Church, a group of Evangelical Christians led by Jim Garlow and Miles McPherson, American Family Association, Focus on the Family and the National Organization for Marriage. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, also endorsed the measure.

Others

The Grossmont Union High School District in San Diego County, California, publicly voted on a resolution endorsing Proposition 8. The Governing Board voted 4–0 to endorse the amendment of the California State Constitution.

The Asian Heritage Coalition held a rally in support of Proposition 8 in downtown San Diego on October 19, 2008.

During the November 2008 election campaign, Porterville's City Council was the only City Council in California that passed a Resolution in favor of Proposition 8.

"Whether You Like It or Not" advertisement

In the months leading up to Election Day, Proposition 8 supporters released a commercial featuring San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom stating in a speech regarding same-sex marriage: "This door's wide open now. It's going to happen, whether you like it or not." Some observers noted that polls shifted in favor of Proposition 8 following the release of the commercial; this, in turn, led to much speculation about Newsom’s unwitting role in the passage of the amendment.

Opponents

Equality for All was the lead organization opposed to Proposition 8. They also ran the NoOnProp8.com campaign. As with the measure's proponents, opponents of the measure also included a number of political figures and religious organizations. Some non-partisan organizations and corporations, as well as the editorial boards of many of the state's major newspapers, also opposed the measure.

Political figures

While Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Senator, Barack Obama stated that while he personally considered marriage to be between a man and woman, and supported civil unions that confer comparable rights rather than gay marriage, he opposed "divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution... the U.S. Constitution or those of other states." Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joseph Biden also opposed the proposition. Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stated that although he opposed and twice vetoed legislative bills that would recognize same sex marriage in California, he respected and would uphold the court's ruling and oppose the initiative and other attempts to amend the state's constitution. The U.S. House Speaker, California Representative (8th District), Nancy Pelosi along with other members of the California congressional delegation and both of California's U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, voiced their opposition to Proposition 8. Also voicing their opposition were the Lieutenant Governor, State Controller John Chiang, former governor and Attorney General Jerry Brown, 42 of 80 members of the state assembly, half of the state senators, and the mayors of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego: Gavin Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Jerry Sanders, respectively.

Religious organizations

All six Episcopal diocesan bishops in California jointly issued a statement opposing Proposition 8 on September 10, 2008. Southern California's largest collection of rabbis, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, voted to oppose Proposition 8. Other Jewish groups who opposed Proposition 8 include Jewish Mosaic, the American Jewish Committee, Progressive Jewish Alliance, National Council of Jewish Women, and the Anti-Defamation League. Los Angeles Jews were more opposed to Prop 8 than any other religious group or ethnic group in the city. Jewish Angelenos voted 78% against the measure while only 8% supported the measure; the remainder declined to respond. The legislative ministry of the Unitarian Universalists opposed Proposition 8, and organized phone banks toward defeating the measure. They see opposition to the proposition as a civil rights and social justice issue and their actions against it as a continuation of their previous works in civil rights.

In addition, the California Council of Churches issued a statement urging the "immediate removal of Proposition 8" – saying that it infringes on the freedom of religion for churches who wish to bless same-sex unions.

Others

The League of Women Voters of California opposed Proposition 8 because "no person or group should suffer legal, economic or administrative discrimination." Additionally, all but two of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's local chapters in California and NAACP national chairman Julian Bond and President Benjamin Jealous opposed Proposition 8. Amnesty International also condemned Proposition 8, saying that "states should never withhold rights based on minority status".

A coalition of Silicon Valley executives urged a 'No' vote on Proposition 8. Google officially opposed Proposition 8 "as an issue of equality", donating $140,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple Inc. also opposed Proposition 8 as a "fundamental" civil rights issue, and donated $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Biotech leaders warned of potential damage to the state's $73 billion industry, citing Massachusetts as a top competitor for employees.

Many members of the entertainment industry were opposed to Proposition 8. Actor Tom Hanks, a strong supporter of same-sex marriage, was extremely outspoken about his opposition to the bill. Brad Pitt and Steven Spielberg each donated different amounts of money to the opposition campaign "No on 8." In 2010, the documentary film ''8: The Mormon Proposition'' premiered to sell-out audiences at the Sundance Film Festival.

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously for a resolution to oppose Proposition 8. The California Teachers Association donated one million dollars to fight Proposition 8. Chancellor Robert Birgeneau of UC Berkeley urged a vote against the measure, claiming a likely threat to California's academic competitiveness if Proposition 8 is passed.

Newspaper editorials and Proposition 8

All ten of the state's largest newspapers editorialized against Proposition 8, including the ''Los Angeles Times'', and the ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Other papers to have editorialized in opposition include ''The New York Times,'' ''La Opinión'' (Los Angeles), and ''The Bakersfield Californian''.

Crimes against supporters and opponents

A week before the vote, Fresno Mayor Alan Autry received an email containing death threats against both himself and Pastor Jim Franklin of Fresno's Cornerstone Church, both of whom had spoken in support of Proposition 8 during a rally at Fresno city hall the preceding weekend. According to Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer, the email stated that the threat "was stemming from Prop 8". Fresno "No on 8" organizer Jason Scott condemned the death threats, and Mayor Autry expressed concern that there might be a backlash against opponents of the measure. Fresno-area supporters of gay marriage were also harassed; "No On 8" signs at the Clovis Unitarian Universalist Church were torn up, with Reverend Bryan Jessup alleging that his church experienced vandalism "every night".

At an LDS church in Orangevale (in Sacramento County), vandals spray-painted in red letters on the front sign and sidewalk: "No on 8" and "No on Prop 8". An affiliate group of the Radical Trans/Queer organization Bash Back! claims to have poured glue into the locks of an LDS church and spray painted its walls.

Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney (DDA) Jay Boyarsky attributed a surge in anti-gay hate crimes, from 3 in 2007 to 14 in 2008, to controversy over Proposition 8. However, the DDA questioned the reliability of small statistical samples, asserting that the vast majority of hate incidents don't get referred to the DA's office.

Pre-decision opinion polls

Various opinion polls were conducted to estimate the outcome of the proposition. Those margins with differences less than their margins of error are marked as "n.s.", meaning not significant (see Statistical significance). Those margins considered statistically significant are indicated with the percentage points and the side favored in the poll, as either "pro" for in favor of the proposition's passage (e.g., 1% pro), or "con" for against its passage (e.g., 1% con).

According to the director of the Field Poll, the discrepancy between the pre-election polls and ballot results is because "regular church-goers ... were more prone than other voters to be influenced by last-minute appeals to conform to orthodox church positions when voting on a progressive social issue like same-sex marriage."

SurveyUSA The Field Poll Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaSurveyUSA SurveyUSA SurveyUSA Public Policy Institute of California The Field Poll Public Policy Institute of California The Field Poll The Field Poll ''Los Angeles Times''/KTLA

		!Conducted by	!Sample size(likely voters)	!In favor	!Against	!Undecided	!Margin	!Margin of Error
bgcolor="#F0F0F0">29–31 October 2008	|	637	47%	50%	3%	Statistical significance>n.s.	±4%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0"	18–28 October 2008<		|	966	44%	49%	7%	5% con	±3.3%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0">12–19 October 2008	|	1,186	44%	52%	4%	8% con	±3%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0"	15–16 October 2008<		|	615	48%	45%	7%	Statistical significance>n.s.	±4%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0">4–5 October 2008	|	670	47%	42%	10%	5% pro	±3.9%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0"	23–24 September 2008<		|	661	44%	49%	8%	5% pro	±3.9%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0">9–16 September 2008	|	1,157	41%	55%	4%	14% con	±3%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0"	5–14 September 2008<		|	830	38%	55%	7%	17% con	±3.5%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0">12–19 August 2008	|	1,047	40%	54%	6%	14% con	±3%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0"	8–14 July 2008<		|	672	42%	51%	7%	9% con	±3.9%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0">17–26 May 2008	|	1,052	42%	51%	7%	9% con	±3.2%
bgcolor="#F0F0F0"	22 May 2008	|	705	54%	35%	11%	19% pro	±4%

Results

{{Referendum | title = Proposition 8

Edison/Mitofsky conducted an exit poll on behalf of the National Election Pool which is the only source of data on voter demographics in California in the 2008 election. The statistical trends from the exit poll of 2,240 voters suggested that an array of voters came out both in opposition to and in support of Proposition 8, with no single demographic group making up most of either the Yes or No vote. Support for Proposition 8 was strong amongst African American voters, interviewed in the exit poll with 70% in favor, more than any other racial group. The high-profile candidacy of Barack Obama is credited with increasing black turnout on the bill which has been seen as the crucial difference in its passing. Subsequent analysis showed black support at only 58%, still above the 52% support received by all voters. Those who described themselves as religious were the strongest supporters of prop 8. Young voters were more likely to have voted against the ballot measure than older voters, while Republicans were more likely to have supported the measure than were Democrats.

County breakdown

{|width="70%" class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed" |+Breakdown of voting by county |- bgcolor=lightgrey ! width="21%" | County ! width="10%" | Yes ! width="10%" | Votes ! width="10%" | No ! width="10%" | Votes |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Kern |align="center"|75.3% |align="center"|''175,167'' |align="center"|24.7% |align="center"|''57,496'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Tulare |align="center"|75.1% |align="center"|''78,578'' |align="center"|24.9% |align="center"|''26,113'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Modoc |align="center"|74.2% |align="center"|''3,279'' |align="center"|25.8% |align="center"|''1,142'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Kings |align="center"|73.7% |align="center"|''25,821'' |align="center"|26.3% |align="center"|''9,244'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Madera |align="center"|73.5% |align="center"|''30,906'' |align="center"|26.5% |align="center"|''11,193'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Glenn |align="center"|73.3% |align="center"|''7,235'' |align="center"|26.7% |align="center"|''2,644'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Tehama |align="center"|72.8% |align="center"|''17,777'' |align="center"|27.2% |align="center"|''6,675'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Colusa |align="center"|71.6% |align="center"|''4,556'' |align="center"|28.4% |align="center"|''1,815'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Lassen |align="center"|71.3% |align="center"|''8,021'' |align="center"|28.7% |align="center"|''3,241'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Merced |align="center"|70.8% |align="center"|''44,800'' |align="center"|29.2% |align="center"|''18,520'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Sutter |align="center"|70.4% |align="center"|''23,032'' |align="center"|29.6% |align="center"|''9,707'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Shasta |align="center"|69.7% |align="center"|''55,698'' |align="center"|30.3% |align="center"|''24,224'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Imperial |align="center"|69.7% |align="center"|''27,048'' |align="center"|30.3% |align="center"|''11,783'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Fresno |align="center"|68.7% |align="center"|''185,993'' |align="center"|31.3% |align="center"|''83,122'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Stanislaus |align="center"|67.9% |align="center"|''108,988'' |align="center"|32.1% |align="center"|''51,598'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Yuba |align="center"|67.6% |align="center"|''14,323'' |align="center"|32.4% |align="center"|''6,868'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|San Bernardino |align="center"|66.8% |align="center"|''404,762'' |align="center"|33.2% |align="center"|''202,227'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|San Joaquin |align="center"|65.5% |align="center"|''135,728'' |align="center"|34.5% |align="center"|''71,747'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Riverside |align="center"|64.7% |align="center"|''417,133'' |align="center"|35.3% |align="center"|''228,449'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Sierra |align="center"|64.2% |align="center"|''1,273'' |align="center"|35.8% |align="center"|''711'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Amador |align="center"|64.0% |align="center"|''11,945'' |align="center"|36.0% |align="center"|''6,725'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Calaveras |align="center"|63.9% |align="center"|''14,624'' |align="center"|36.1% |align="center"|''8,588'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Tuolumne |align="center"|62.6% |align="center"|''16,964'' |align="center"|37.4% |align="center"|''10,163'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Mariposa |align="center"|62.1% |align="center"|''5,961'' |align="center"|37.9% |align="center"|''3,640'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Inyo |align="center"|60.6% |align="center"|''5,116'' |align="center"|39.4% |align="center"|''3,334'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Del Norte |align="center"|60.1% |align="center"|''5,658'' |align="center"|39.9% |align="center"|''3,770'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Siskiyou |align="center"|60.0% |align="center"|''12,668'' |align="center"|40.0% |align="center"|''8,475'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Plumas |align="center"|60.0% |align="center"|''6,576'' |align="center"|40.0% |align="center"|''4,401'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Placer |align="center"|59.8% |align="center"|''102,977'' |align="center"|40.2% |align="center"|''69,444'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|El Dorado |align="center"|58.3% |align="center"|''53,837'' |align="center"|41.7% |align="center"|''38,534'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Orange |align="center"|57.7% |align="center"|''659,037'' |align="center"|42.3% |align="center"|''484,015'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Trinity |align="center"|56.2% |align="center"|''3,563'' |align="center"|43.8% |align="center"|''2,785'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Butte |align="center"|56.1% |align="center"|''54,822'' |align="center"|43.9% |align="center"|''43,045'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Solano |align="center"|55.9% |align="center"|''89,292'' |align="center"|44.1% |align="center"|''70,680'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|San Benito |align="center"|54.8% |align="center"|''10,657'' |align="center"|45.2% |align="center"|''8,794'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Sacramento |align="center"|53.9% |align="center"|''289,378'' |align="center"|46.1% |align="center"|''248,444'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|San Diego |align="center"|53.8% |align="center"|''655,625'' |align="center"|46.2% |align="center"|''565,054'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Ventura |align="center"|52.9% |align="center"|''178,719'' |align="center"|47.1% |align="center"|''159,284'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Lake |align="center"|52.0% |align="center"|''13,036'' |align="center"|48.0% |align="center"|''12,080'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|San Luis Obispo |align="center"|51.1% |align="center"|''67,304'' |align="center"|48.9% |align="center"|''64,555'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Los Angeles |align="center"|50.1% |align="center"|''1,624,672'' |align="center"|49.9% |align="center"|''1,622,287'' |- |align="center" style="background:#C8FFC8"|Nevada |align="center"|50.1% |align="center"|''27,617'' |align="center"|49.9% |align="center"|''27,614'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Monterey |align="center"|48.4% |align="center"|''62,251'' |align="center"|51.6% |align="center"|''66,191'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Santa Barbara |align="center"|46.4% |align="center"|''80,117'' |align="center"|53.6% |align="center"|''92,305'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Contra Costa |align="center"|44.6% |align="center"|''198,713'' |align="center"|55.4% |align="center"|''246,753'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Napa |align="center"|44.4% |align="center"|''26,227'' |align="center"|55.6% |align="center"|''32,742'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Mono |align="center"|44.2% |align="center"|''2,425'' |align="center"|55.8% |align="center"|''3,050'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Santa Clara |align="center"|44.2% |align="center"|''291,347'' |align="center"|55.8% |align="center"|''367,053'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Alpine |align="center"|43.6% |align="center"|''293'' |align="center"|56.4% |align="center"|''379'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Yolo |align="center"|41.3% |align="center"|''32,816'' |align="center"|56.4% |align="center"|''46,537'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Humboldt |align="center"|39.9% |align="center"|''25,296'' |align="center"|60.1% |align="center"|''37,963'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|San Mateo |align="center"|38.2% |align="center"|''114,695'' |align="center"|61.8% |align="center"|''185,127'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Alameda |align="center"|38.0% |align="center"|''232,923'' |align="center"|62.0% |align="center"|''378,692'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Mendocino |align="center"|36.8% |align="center"|''14,649'' |align="center"|63.2% |align="center"|''25,072'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Sonoma |align="center"|33.5% |align="center"|''76,143'' |align="center"|66.5% |align="center"|''150,763'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Santa Cruz |align="center"|28.7% |align="center"|''36,163'' |align="center"|71.3% |align="center"|''89,793'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|Marin |align="center"|24.9% |align="center"|''34,324'' |align="center"|75.1% |align="center"|''103,341'' |- |align="center" style="background:#FFC8C8"|San Francisco |align="center"|24.8% |align="center"|''92,536'' |align="center"|75.2% |align="center"|''280,491'' |- |}

Post-election events

A constitutional amendment passed by the electorate takes effect the day after the election. On the evening of November 4 the "Yes on 8" campaign issued a statement by Ron Prentice, the chairman of ProtectMarriage.com, saying "The people of California stood up for traditional marriage and reclaimed this great institution." The organizers of the "No on Prop 8" campaign issued a statement on November 6 saying "Tuesday’s vote was deeply disappointing to all who believe in equal treatment under the law." The counties of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yolo, Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma, San Diego, San Bernardino, Sacramento, and Tuolumne stopped issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples the day after the election.

Following the passage of Proposition 8, mass protests took place across the state. These included protests outside a temple of the LDS Church in Westwood, Los Angeles; a march through Hollywood that blocked traffic and elicited police intervention; and a candlelight vigil in front of the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center. In San Francisco, thousands gathered in front of the City Hall to protest the proposition and to perform a candlelit vigil. Speakers who voiced their opinion in opposition of Proposition 8 included state senator Mark Leno and mayor Gavin Newsom.

These protests led to several lawsuits being filed in the State Supreme Court and the Federal District Court. On November 13, 2008, the California Supreme Court asked California Attorney General Jerry Brown for an opinion on whether the Court should accept these cases for review and whether the measure should be suspended while they decide the case. On November 19, the Court accepted three lawsuits challenging Proposition 8, which consolidated into ''Strauss v. Horton''.

Overturned in federal district court and stay

After the California Supreme Court upheld the voter initiative, a suit, ''Perry v. Schwarzenegger'' was filed in a Federal District Court in San Francisco. On August 4, 2010, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker overturned Proposition 8 but also stayed the ruling; the voter initiative was to remain in effect pending appeal. On August 12, Walker announced his decision to lift the stay (which would have allowed same-sex marriages to be performed) as of August 18, 2010. However, on August 16, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit indefinitely extended the District Court's stay, stopping new same-sex marriages in the state of California pending appeal. It also scheduled an accelerated time table for hearing an appeal of Walker's ruling.

On January 4, 2011, the appeals court ruled that Imperial County did not have standing to intervene in the suit. In the second, the court certified a question to the California Supreme Court as to whether non-governmental proponents of the amendment have standing to appeal. The California Supreme Court on February 16 unanimously agreed to address the Ninth Circuit's request. The state court set an expedited schedule and may hear oral arguments as early as September.

Full text

Proposition 8 consisted of only two short sections. Its full text was:

Section I. Title :This measure shall be known and may be cited as the "California Marriage Protection Act." Section 2. Article I. Section 7.5 is added to the California Constitution, to read: :Sec. 7.5. Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

See also

Same-sex marriage in California

Briggs Initiative

California Proposition 22 (2000)

California Marriage Equality Act

LGBT rights in California

Constitutional Law

List of U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions by type

References

External links

ProtectMarriage.com: Organizational sponsor of Proposition 8

No On Prop. 8: Organizational opponent to Proposition 8

California Official Voter Information Guide on Proposition 8, Title and summary, analysis, arguments and rebuttals, and the text of the proposition.

Scan of Initiative from California Attorney General website

The Money Behind the 2008 Same-Sex Partnership Ballot Measures - National Institute on Money in State Politics

The court's decision in ''Perry v Schwarzenegger''

Category:Article Feedback Pilot 8 2008 Category:LGBT law in the United States Category:LGBT rights in California Category:Same-sex marriage in the United States Category:2008 in LGBT history Category:Marriage, unions and partnerships in the United States Category:Discrimination in the United States Category:Protests in the United States

es:Proposición 8 (California) fr:Proposition 8 it:California Proposition 8 pl:Propozycja 8 w Kalifornii w 2008 roku simple:California Proposition 8 fi:Proposition 8 sv:Proposition 8 vi:Dự luật 8 California (2008) zh:加利福尼亚州8号提案 (2008年)

name	Lindsay Lohan
background	solo_singer
birth date	July 02, 1986
birth place	New York City
genre	Pop rock
occupation	Actress, singer, fashion designer, model
years active	1989–present
label	Casablanca, Universal Motown
website	}}

Lindsay Lohan (; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of ''The Parent Trap'' at the age of 11. Lohan gained further fame between 2003 and 2005 with leading roles in the films ''Freaky Friday'', ''Mean Girls'' and ''Herbie: Fully Loaded'', subsequently appearing in independent films including Robert Altman's ''A Prairie Home Companion'' and Emilio Estevez's ''Bobby''.

Her career was interrupted in 2007 as two driving under the influence (DUI) incidents and three visits to rehabilitation facilities led to the loss of several movie deals. Resuming her career, she guest starred in the TV series ''Ugly Betty'' in 2008, starred in the 2009 comedy ''Labor Pains'', and appeared in Robert Rodriguez's ''Machete'' in 2010. Lohan launched a second career in pop music in 2004 with the album ''Speak'' and followed up with ''A Little More Personal (Raw)'' in 2005. She has attracted significant publicity, particularly surrounding her personal life.

Life and career

Early life and education

Lohan was born on July 2, 1986, in New York City and grew up in Merrick and Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island, New York. She is the eldest child of Donata "Dina" (née Sullivan) and Michael Lohan. Lindsay has three younger siblings, all of whom have been models or actors: Michael Jr. (who appeared with Lindsay in ''The Parent Trap''), Aliana ("Ali"), and Dakota ("Cody"), the youngest Lohan child. Lohan is of Irish and Italian heritage and was raised as a Catholic. Her maternal family were "well known Irish Catholic stalwarts" and her great-grandfather, John L. Sullivan, was a co-founder of the Pro-life Party in Long Island. Lohan attended Cold Spring Harbor High School, where she did well in science and mathematics until grade 11 when she started homeschooling.

Lohan's parents have a turbulent history. They married in 1985, separated when she was three, and later reunited. They separated again in 2005 and finalized their divorce in 2007. Her father, Michael, is a former Wall Street trader who has been in trouble with the law on several occasions, while her mother, Dina, is a former singer and dancer.

1989–2002: Early career and ''The Parent Trap''

Lohan began her career as a child model with Ford Models at the age of three. She modeled for Calvin Klein Kids and Abercrombie kids, and appeared in over 100 television commercials, including those for Pizza Hut and Wendy's, as well as a Jell-O spot with Bill Cosby. By the age of 10, when Lohan played Alexandra "Alli" Fowler in the series ''Another World'', ''Soap Opera Magazine'' said she was already considered a show-business veteran.

Lohan remained in the role for a year, before leaving to star in Disney's 1998 family comedy ''The Parent Trap'', a remake of the 1961 movie. She played dual roles of estranged twins who try to reunite their long-divorced parents, played by Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson. The film earned $92 million worldwide, and critic Kenneth Turan called Lohan "the soul of this film as much as Hayley Mills was of the original", going on to say that "she is more adept than her predecessor at creating two distinct personalities". The film won Lohan a Young Artist Award for best performance in a feature film as well as a three-film contract with Disney.

At the age of 14, Lohan played Bette Midler's daughter in the pilot episode of the short-lived series, ''Bette'', but resigned her role when the production moved from New York to Los Angeles. She also starred in two Disney television movies: ''Life-Size'' opposite Tyra Banks in 2000, and ''Get a Clue'' in 2002.

2003–04: ''Freaky Friday'', ''Mean Girls'' and ''Speak''

Lohan starred as Anna Coleman alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in the 2003 family comedy ''Freaky Friday''. At Lohan's own initiative, her character was rewritten and changed from a Goth style to be more relatable. Critic Roger Ebert wrote that Lohan "has that Jodie Foster sort of seriousness and intent focus beneath her teenage persona". ''Freaky Friday'' earned Lohan the award for Breakthrough Performance at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards and, as of 2010, it remains her most commercially successful film, earning $160 million worldwide as well as an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Aiming to become a triple threat—actor, singer and dancer, similar to Ann-Margret and Marilyn Monroe—Lohan began showcasing her singing through her acting. For the ''Freaky Friday'' soundtrack, she sang the closing theme, "Ultimate", as well as recording four songs for the ''Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen'' soundtrack. Producer Emilio Estefan, Jr. signed Lohan to a five-album production deal in 2002. Two years later, Lohan signed a recording contract with Casablanca Records, headed by Tommy Mottola.

In 2004, Lohan starred in two lead roles. The first, ''Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen''—Lohan's first role in a film that was not a remake—earned a domestic box office total of $29 million, with Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo commenting that it was "well above expectations as it was strictly for young girls". The film overall, however, did not meet with critical acclaim. Robert K. Elder of Metromix wrote that, "though still a promising star, Lohan will have to do a little penance before she's forgiven for ''Confessions''".

The teen comedy ''Mean Girls'' was Lohan's first movie independent of Disney. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $129 million worldwide and, according to Brandon Gray, "cementing her status as the new teen movie queen", while Steve Rhodes wrote that "Lohan dazzles us once more. The smartly written script is a perfect match for her intelligent brand of comedy." Lohan received four awards at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards for ''Freaky Friday'' and ''Mean Girls'', including Breakout Movie Star. ''Mean Girls'' also earned her two awards at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, Best Female Performance and Best On-Screen Team along with several other cast members.

Lohan, then 17, became the youngest-ever host of the MTV Movie Awards in 2004. Following ''Mean Girls'', which was scripted by Tina Fey and featured several alumni of ''Saturday Night Live'', Lohan hosted the show three times between 2004 and 2006, as well as hosting the 2006 World Music Awards.

''Speak'', Lohan's debut album, was released in December 2004, peaking at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 and earning Platinum certification by early 2005. Lohan cowrote six of the twelve songs on the album. The album was praised by Linda McGee of RTÉ, who awarded it 4 out of 5 stars and commented that "''Speak'' opens with all the raw emotion and teenage angst that you'd expect from an artist of Lohan's age" and that, "while her vocals are not sensational, their gritty edge keeps Lohan more than afloat throughout this album" as well as comparing the album to the early music of Avril Lavigne. Allmusic, however, awarded it 2 out of 5 stars and claimed the album "feels more like a byproduct of an overdriven, overamplified celebrity culture than an actual album". Though primarily a pop album, ''Speak'' was introduced with the single "Rumors". Described by ''Rolling Stone'' as "a bass-heavy, angry club anthem", "Rumors" details Lohan's complaints with the paparazzi and eventually earned a Gold certification in the United States.

While shooting ''Herbie: Fully Loaded'' in 2004, Lohan was hospitalized with a kidney infection brought on by stress in her personal life and of recording her first album while the film was in production, prompting ''Vanity Fair'' to label it Lohan's "first disastrous shoot". The magazine also described how Lohan terminated the promotional tour and was de-emphasized on the movie poster due to "un-Disney-like behavior". Lohan began dating actor Wilmer Valderrama in 2004, guest-starring in an episode of ''That '70s Show'', of which Valderrama was a regular. According to ''Vanity Fair'', the breakup with Valderrama contributed to Lohan's issues during the shooting of ''Herbie: Fully Loaded''.

With ''Mean Girls'', Lohan's public profile was raised significantly and paparazzi began following her. She spent several years living out of hotels in Los Angeles, of which two years were spent at Chateau Marmont. In late 2007, after settling down in more permanent residence, she explained that she spent so much time in hotels because she "didn't want to be alone" but that "it wasn't a way of life ... not very consistent." Lohan has had a series of car accidents that have been widely reported, with minor crashes in August 2004, October 2005, and November 2006, when Lohan suffered minor injuries because a paparazzo who was following her for a photograph hit her car. Police called the crash intentional, but prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to file criminal charges.

2005: ''Herbie: Fully Loaded'' and ''A Little More Personal (Raw)''

Lohan returned to Disney in 2005 for ''Herbie: Fully Loaded,'' the fifth film in the series with the anthropomorphic car Herbie. ''Fully Loaded'' earned $144 million worldwide and received mixed reviews. Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' called Lohan "a genuine star who ... seems completely at home on the screen", while James Berardinelli wrote that, "as bright a starlet as she may be, Lohan ends up playing second fiddle to the car." In 2005, Lohan became the first person to have a My Scene celebrity doll released by Mattel. She also voiced herself in the animated direct-to-DVD film ''My Scene Goes Hollywood'', based on the series of dolls.

Lohan's second album, ''A Little More Personal (Raw)'', was released in December 2005, debuting at number 20 on the Billboard 200 chart, falling under the top 100 within six weeks. Lohan cowrote six of the twelve songs on the album. ''Slant Magazine'' called the album "contrived ... for all the so-called weighty subject matter, there's not much meat on these bones." The album was certified Gold in early 2006. The music video for the album's first single, "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)", was directed by Lohan and featured the acting debut of her sister, Ali Lohan. The video was a dramatization of the pain Lohan says her family has suffered at the hands of her father. It was Lohan's first song to chart on the ''Billboard Hot 100'', peaking at number 57.

Lohan's parents legally separated in December 2005 and finalized their divorce in 2007. Lohan spoke in 2007 about her childhood: "I feel like a second parent in the sense that I helped raise my family...I was put between my mother and father a lot. Well, I would put myself between them to try and keep the peace, and I felt good doing that." Despite the conflicts, Lohan calls herself "a family girl" and has spoken very fondly of her family, including her father. However, in 2007 and again in 2008 she stated that she was no longer in contact with him, describing his unpredictable behavior as hard to deal with. In November 2009, her father released recordings of private phone calls with and about Lohan to the media. She commented on Twitter: "I haven't had a real relationship w/Michael Sr. in years."

Lohan's next widely released film, the romantic comedy ''Just My Luck'', opened in May 2006 and, according to ''Variety'', earned Lohan over $7 million. The opening weekend box office takings of $5.7 million "broke lead actress Lindsay Lohan's winning streak" according to Brandon Gray. The film received poor reviews and earned Lohan her first Golden Raspberry nomination for worst actress.

2006–07: Independent movies and career interruptions

Following ''Just My Luck'', Lohan focused on smaller roles in more mature, independent movies. Robert Altman's ensemble comedy ''A Prairie Home Companion'', in which Lohan co-stars with Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin, had a limited release in June 2006. Peter Travers wrote for ''Rolling Stone'' that "Lohan rises to the occasion, delivering a rock-the-house version of 'Frankie and Johnny'". Co-star Streep said of Lohan's acting: "She's in command of the art form" and "completely, visibly living in front of the camera". The Emilio Estevez drama ''Bobby'' was released in theaters in November 2006. Lohan received favorable comments for her performance, particularly a scene opposite Sharon Stone. As part of the ''Bobby'' ensemble cast, Lohan was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and won an award for Ensemble Acting at the Hollywood Film Festival where she also won a Breakout Award for her work in 2006. Lohan's next appearance was in ''Chapter 27'' as a John Lennon fan who befriends Mark David Chapman (Jared Leto) on the day he murders Lennon. Filming finished in early 2006, but was not released until March 2008 due to difficulties in finding a distributor. In May 2007, the drama ''Georgia Rule'', in which Lohan stars alongside Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda, was released. Owen Gleiberman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote that "Lohan hits a true note of spiteful princess narcissism". During filming in 2006, Lohan was hospitalized, her representative saying "she was overheated and dehydrated". At the time Lohan was going through a breakup with restaurant owner Harry Morton. This contributed to her problems on the set according to ''Allure''. In a letter that was made public, studio executive James G. Robinson called Lohan "irresponsible and unprofessional". He mentioned "various late arrivals and absences from the set" and that "we are well aware that your ongoing all night heavy partying is the real reason for your so-called 'exhaustion'." Co-star Fonda later commented that "when she showed up on the set, she was always great."

In 2006, Lohan attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Lohan, who has suffered from asthma since the age of two, is also a smoker. In early January 2007, production on the film ''I Know Who Killed Me'' was put on hold when Lohan underwent appendix surgery. Later in the month, Lohan admitted herself to the Wonderland Center rehabilitation facility. Lohan checked out on February 16, 2007 after completing a 30-day stay. During the stay she continued shooting the film, returning to the facility at night. Shortly thereafter, Lohan withdrew from a film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's ''A Woman of No Importance'', her publicist stating that Lohan needed to "focus on getting better". Lohan was replaced in ''The Edge of Love'' in April 2007, shortly before filming was to begin, with the director citing "insurance reasons" and Lohan later explaining that she "was going through a really bad time then." In May 2007, Lohan first dated British TV personality Calum Best.

Lohan was then cast in the film ''Poor Things''. On May 26, four days before production was set to start, she was arrested for DUI and subsequently re-entered rehab. The film's producers initially voiced support and production was put on hold. Lohan had lost control of her car and run the vehicle up a curb. Beverly Hills police also found what they preliminarily identified as a "usable" amount of cocaine in her car. After receiving treatment for minor injuries, Lohan was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. She subsequently entered the Promises Treatment Center rehabilitation facility, where she stayed for 45 days. Upon her release to outpatient care, Lohan was voluntarily fitted with a SCRAM bracelet to monitor her sobriety.

On July 24, 2007, three weeks before filming was scheduled to resume on ''Poor Things'', Lohan was arrested for a second DUI and again returned to rehabilitation. Lohan refused a field sobriety test in Santa Monica and was taken to a police station where her blood alcohol level was found to be above the legal limit. While conducting a search, the police found a small amount of cocaine in her pocket. Lohan was booked on a felony charge of possession of cocaine and misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. In August 2007, Lohan entered Cirque Lodge Treatment Center in Sundance, Utah for a third stint at rehabilitation, staying until discharge on October 5, 2007. Ultimately, ''Hollywood Reporter'' said, she "fell out of" the ''Poor Things'' production. Later in 2007, Lohan dated then snowboarder Riley Giles, whom she met during rehab.

In the wake of her second DUI arrest, Lohan withdrew from a scheduled appearance on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' in which she had been due to promote ''I Know Who Killed Me'', a low-budget thriller-mystery in which she stars as a stripper with a dual personality. The film premiered to what ''Entertainment Weekly'' called "an abysmal $3.5 million". It earned Lohan a dual Razzie nomination for Worst Actress, with Lohan coming first and second, tying with herself.

Hollywood executives and industry insiders commented that it would be difficult for Lohan to find employment until she could prove that she was sober and reliable, citing possible issues with securing insurance. Robinson, the producer who previously criticized Lohan's work ethic on ''Georgia Rule'', said that he would work with her again if she got the proper medical care, and went on to describe her as "one of the most talented young women in the movie business today."

On August 23, 2007, Lohan pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine use and driving under the influence and was sentenced to one day imprisonment and 10 days' community service. She was also ordered to pay fines and complete an alcohol education program, and was given three years probation. Lohan released a statement in which she said "it is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs". On November 15, 2007, Lohan served 84 minutes in jail. A sheriff spokesman cited overcrowding and the nonviolent nature of the crime as reasons for the reduced sentence. The probation was extended by an additional year in October 2009, following several instances in which Lohan failed to attend the court-ordered substance abuse treatment classes.

Following a switch to Universal Motown, Lohan began working on a third album, tentatively titled ''Spirit in the Dark'', in late 2007 and released "Bossy" in May 2008. In November 2008, Lohan stated that work on the new album had stalled and that she wanted to avoid the stress of working on movies and music at the same time. In February 2010, Ne-Yo, with whom Lohan had been collaborating, stated in an interview, "We were doing some stuff and then it just fell off and hasn't got back on. I'm not gonna hold my breath."

2008–09: Television appearances and fashion

In May 2008, Lohan made her first screen appearance since ''I Know Who Killed Me'', on ABC's television series ''Ugly Betty''. She guest starred in four episodes, spanning seasons two and three in 2008, as Kimmie Keegan, an old schoolmate of the protagonist Betty Suarez. Lohan made a cameo appearance in the drug themed music video for the May 2008 N*E*R*D song "Everyone Nose". Lohan has featured in various men's magazines. She was voted No.10 on the list of "100 Sexiest Women" by readers of ''FHM'' in 2005, No.13 in 2006, No.30 in 2007, and No.41 in 2008, while ''Maxim'' placed her third on its "Hot 100" list in 2006 and first in 2007. In a poll by ''The Daily Mirror'' in February 2010, Lohan was voted tenth on a list of "sexiest redheads ever". Lohan has been the face of Jill Stuart, Miu Miu, and Dooney & Bourke, as well as the 2008 Visa Swap British fashion campaign as well as being the face of Italian clothing company Fornarina for its Spring/Summer 2009 campaign. thumb|Lohan named her clothing collection ''[[6126 Collection|6126'' after the birthdate of Marilyn Monroe (pictured) whom Lohan greatly admires]] Lohan has a long-lasting fascination with Marilyn Monroe going back to when she saw ''Niagara'' during ''The Parent Trap'' shoot. In the 2008 ''Spring Fashion'' edition of ''New York'' magazine, Lohan re-created Monroe's final photo shoot, known as ''The Last Sitting'', including nudity, saying that the photo shoot was "an honor". The ''New York Times'' critic Ginia Bellafante found it disturbing, saying "the pictures ask viewers to engage in a kind of mock necrophilia. ... At 21 [Lohan] seems even older than Monroe, who was 36 in the originals ... [and] the photographs bear none of Monroe's fragility". In 2008, Lohan launched a clothes line, whose name ''6126'' was designed to represent Monroe's birth date (June 1, 1926). The line started with leggings, before expanding to a full collection, covering 280 pieces as of April 2010. In April 2009, Lohan released a self-tanning spray under the brand name ''Sevin Nyne'' in collaboration with Sephora. In September 2009, Lohan became an artistic adviser for the French fashion house Emanuel Ungaro; a collection by designer Estrella Archs with Lohan as adviser was presented in October, receiving a "disastrous" reception, according to ''Entertainment Weekly'' and ''New York''. Lohan left the company in March 2010.

During the 2008 US presidential campaign, Lohan offered her services to Barack Obama's election effort, including hosting events aimed at young voters; but her offer was declined. An unnamed source within the Obama campaign told the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' that Lohan was "not exactly the kind of high-profile star who would be a positive for us." She nonetheless posted MySpace blogs with her opinions on the election, urging voters to support Obama, criticizing media coverage of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and describing Palin as homophobic, anti-abortion and anti-environmentalist. Lohan had previously expressed an interest in going to Iraq, during the Iraq War in 2006, on a USO tour with Hillary Clinton. Back in 2004, Lohan stated that she did not like to talk about politics in order to avoid alienating any part of her fanbase.

Lohan dated DJ Samantha Ronson in 2008 and 2009. Lohan co-hosted club events with Ronson and accompanied her when she was DJ-ing. Speaking about her sexual orientation, Lohan has said she is not a lesbian. When asked if she is bisexual, she responded "Maybe. Yeah", adding "I don't want to classify myself." In April 2009, following her breakup with Ronson, Lohan appeared in a skit on the comedy website Funny or Die. The self-deprecating video is a spoof of the personal ads on dating website eHarmony. It was viewed 2.7 million times in the first week and received favorable comments from the media.

In the 2009 comedy ''Labor Pains'', Lohan plays a woman who pretends to be pregnant. During the shoot, Lohan's manager worked with the paparazzi to encourage the media to show her working, as opposed to partying. It was originally planned for a theatrical release, but instead appeared as a TV movie on the ABC Family cable channel in July 2009, "a setback for the star" according to ''Variety''. The premiere received 2.1 million viewers, "better-than-average" for the channel according to E! Online. Joanna Weiss of ''The Boston Globe'' commented that Lohan "looks to be coasting through a part that requires little effort, anyway". Alessandra Stanley of the ''New York Times'' said "this is not a triumphant return of a prodigal child star. ... [''Labor Pains''] never shakes free of the heavy baggage Ms. Lohan brings to the role".

Lohan was a guest judge on US TV style contest ''Project Runway'' sixth season premiere episode, which aired in August 2009.

Also in August 2009, Lohan's home was burglarized by The Bling Ring, a group of fashion-motivated burglars whose ringleader considered Lohan to be their ultimate conquest. Video surveillance of the burglary recorded at Lohan's home played a large role in breaking the case, which ultimately led to the arrests of the group's members.

2010–present

In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, Lohan gave fund-raising assistance to the British Red Cross in March 2010 to provide aid for the country. The same month, Lohan commenced legal proceedings in which she sought $100 million from financial services company E-Trade for a television advertisement that Lohan claimed invoked her likeness without her permission. On September 21, 2010, the parties announced they had reached a settlement in the case, the terms of which are confidential. She appeared on British comedy chat show ''Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' on March 11, 2010, during which she spoke about her fashion work and her fascination with Marilyn Monroe, and refused to answer questions from host Alan Carr about her sexuality.

Lohan narrated and presented the BBC Three documentary ''Lindsay Lohan's Indian Journey'' about human trafficking in India. The program was filmed during a week in India in December 2009 and aired in April 2010. An Indian charity group critiziced Lohan for a Twitter post where she appeared to take credit for one of their raids, but the BBC said it was a misinterpretation. A reviewer for ''The Times'' said that rather than highlight trafficking "the spotlight was effectively turned on Lohan and under it she wilted." A review in ''The Independent'' found it "very compelling" and said that the inclusion of Lohan was "definitely not a terrible choice. Just a very, very odd one." Lohan said the experience was "truly humbling" and "I hope my presence in India will bring awareness to the really important issues raised in making this film."

In April 2010 Lohan was cast as adult-film performer Linda Lovelace, star of ''Deep Throat'', in the film ''Inferno''. In November, while Lohan was in court mandated rehab, the offer was withdrawn with one producer saying it was impossible to insure her. The co-owner of Dina Lohan's production company said that Lohan had made the decision to leave the movie: "She was definitely not fired." He also said that she is "100 percent insurable." Lohan appears in one sketch in the movie ''Underground Comedy 2010 ''. She is dressed up as Marilyn Monroe, while still visibly wearing a SCRAM bracelet, and shoots at paparazzi photographers. As of September 2010, the movie was still seeking a distributor.

In May 2010, Lohan did not appear for a scheduled DUI progress report hearing. The judge issued a bench warrant for Lohan's arrest, but rescinded the warrant after Lohan's representatives posted bail. Lohan's lawyer said her passport was stolen while she attended the Cannes Film Festival in France. At a rescheduled hearing on May 24, 2010 Lohan was ordered to attend weekly alcohol education classes, wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet, refrain from drinking alcohol, and undergo random weekly drug tests to remain free on bail.

In June 2010, Lohan made an appearance on the Bravo television series ''Double Exposure''. She also gave an interview to ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' that month, telling the paper "I'm still young and I'm still learning but that doesn't mean that what they say is true, that I'm getting messed up and all this crazy stuff and that I'm constantly partying or whatever."

At a July 6 probation revocation hearing, the judge determined that Lohan had violated the terms of her probation and sentenced her to 90 days in jail, starting July 20; in addition, the judge ordered Lohan to check into an inpatient rehab program for three months after her release from jail. On July 20, Lohan appeared in court and was taken into custody to begin her jail term. She was released on August 2 after serving 14 days of the sentence. The short term served was due to a policy of early release of non-violent offenders to reduce jail overcrowding. She was immediately taken to an inpatient rehabilitation facility where she was expected to stay another 90 days. However, on August 24 Lohan was released after only 23 days. Her lawyer stated that "the treating doctors at UCLA felt she had done everything required of her there." Lohan continued with mandatory outpatient therapy but was able to resume work. She was ordered to submit to random drug and alcohol screenings and attend psychotherapy and behavior therapy twice a week, as well as five 12-step sessions a week. The judge said that any failure to attend the sessions or to pass the drug tests could result in a 30-day jail sentence. A new hearing was scheduled for November 1, until which time Lohan was required to remain in Los Angeles.

Robert Rodriguez's action exploitation film ''Machete'' opened on September 3, 2010. Lohan filmed her scenes for the movie in August and September 2009. She plays April, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy businessman. Her character takes drugs, is naked in much of her appearance and later dons a nuns habit while toting a machine gun. ''The Washington Post'' described Lohan's character as "a campier, trampier version of herself – or at least her tabloid image". Premiere.com said she was "terrible" while ''Variety'' called it "her best work in some time." Eric D. Snider from Film.com said all three main actresses in the film did "laughably flat performances" but also questioned if it was due to Rodriguez's direction. Because of her rehabilitation and legal engagements Lohan did not participate in promotion of the movie or appear at the L.A. premiere.

On September 24 Lohan's probation was revoked following a failed drug test. She spent part of the day in jail before being released on bail. A few days later she entered the Betty Ford Center, a drug and alcohol treatment center, where she remained on court order for three months until early January 2011.

On February 9, 2011, Lohan was charged with the theft of a necklace reported stolen from a jewelry store in January. She was sentenced to 120 days in prison and 480 hours of community service for misdemeanor theft and probation violation, to which she pled no contest. Due to jail overcrowding, Lohan served the sentence under house arrest, wearing a tracking ankle monitor, for 35 days between May 26 and June 29. While under house arrest, Lohan failed a random alcohol test. A judge decided it did not constitute a probation violation and Lohan would receive no additional punishment.

In April 2011, it was announced that Lohan has signed on to appear opposite John Travolta in the upcoming movie ''Gotti: Three Generations''. She was cast to play Kim Gotti, wife of New York City mobster John Gotti Jr.. Production is planned to start in fall 2011. Lohan is also set to appear in ''Mob Street'' from the same production team, based on a screenplay by Chazz Palminteri.

Filmography

+ Film roles
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998		Hallie Parker / Annie James	Remake of the 1961 film of The Parent Trap (1961 film)
2000	''[[Life-Size''	Casey Stuart	Television film
2002	''Get a Clue''	Alexandra "Lexy" Gold	Disney Channel Original Movie
2003		Anna Coleman	Remake MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance Teen Choice Award for Choice Hissy Fit Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Star Nominated—Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress
2004	''Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen''	Mary Elizabeth "Lola" Cep
2004	''Mean Girls''	Cady Heron	MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress – Comedy Teen Choice Award for Choice Blush Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Star Nominated—Best Young ActressNominated—Kids Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Chemistry Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Liar
2005	''Herbie: Fully Loaded''	Maggie Peyton	Kids Choice Awards
2006		Ashley Albright	Nominated—[[Teen Choice Awards
2006		Lola Johnson
2006	''[[The Holiday''	Herself	Cameo appearance
2006		Diane Howser
2007	''Georgia Rule''	Rachel Wilcox
2007	''I Know Who Killed Me''	Aubrey Flemming / Dakota Moss
2008	''Chapter 27''	Jude Hanson
2009	''Labor Pains''	Thea Clayhill	ABC Family Original Movie
2010		April Booth
2011	''Underground Comedy''	Marilyn

+ Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1996		Alli Fowler	Soap Opera
2000		Rose Midler	"Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1)
2004	''King of the Hill''	Jenny Medina	"Talking Shop" (Season 8, Episode 22)
2005	''That '70s Show''	Danielle
2008	''Ugly Betty''	Kimmie Keegan	"[[Jump (Ugly Betty)

Discography

''Speak'' (2004)

''A Little More Personal (Raw)'' (2005)

Awards

References

; General

; Specific

External links

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New York Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American documentary filmmakers Category:American female models Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American pop singers Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:Motown artists Category:Musicians from New York City Category:People from Hempstead (town), New York Category:People from Suffolk County, New York Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:Universal Records artists

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Name	Brad Pitt
Alt	A Caucasian with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a mustache and short brown beard, in front of a turquoise background. He is wearing a white shirt and white hat.
Birth name	William Bradley Pitt
Birth date	December 18, 1963
Birth place	Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Missouri
Occupation	Actor, producer
Spouse
Partner	Angelina Jolie (2005–present)
Children	6 }}

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received four Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one Golden Globe. He has been described as one of the world's most attractive men, a label for which he has received substantial media attention.

Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the road movie ''Thelma & Louise'' (1991). His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with ''A River Runs Through It'' (1992), ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1994), and ''Legends of the Fall'' (1994). In 1995, he gave critically acclaimed performances in the crime thriller ''Seven'' and the science fiction film ''12 Monkeys'', the latter earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. Four years later, Pitt starred in the cult hit ''Fight Club''. He then starred in the major international hit ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001) and its sequels, ''Ocean's Twelve'' (2004) and ''Ocean's Thirteen'' (2007). His greatest commercial successes have been ''Troy'' (2004) and ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005). Pitt received his second and third Academy Award nominations for his leading performances in ''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'' (2008) and ''Moneyball'' (2011). In addition, Pitt owns a production company, Plan B Entertainment, whose productions include ''The Departed'' (2006), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Following a high-profile relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Pitt was married to actress Jennifer Aniston for five years. Pitt lives with actress Angelina Jolie in a relationship that has attracted wide publicity. He and Jolie have six children—Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. Since beginning his relationship with Jolie, he has become increasingly involved in social issues both in the United States and internationally.

Early life

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is the son of Jane Etta (née Hillhouse), a high school counselor, and William Alvin Pitt, a truck company owner, and was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The family soon moved to Springfield, Missouri, where he lived together with his younger siblings, Doug (born 1966) and Julie Neal (born 1969). Born into a conservative household, he was raised as Southern Baptist, although he has since described himself as oscillating between atheism and agnosticism.

Pitt attended Kickapoo High School, where he was a member of the golf, tennis, wrestling and swimming teams. He participated in the school's Key and Forensics clubs, in school debates, and in musicals. Following his graduation from high school, Pitt enrolled in the University of Missouri in 1982, majoring in journalism, with a focus on advertising. As a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, he acted in several fraternity shows. As graduation approached, Pitt did not feel ready to settle down. He loved films—"a portal into different worlds for me"—and, since films were not made in Missouri, he decided to go to where they were made. Two weeks before earning his degree, Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons and worked odd jobs.

Career

Early work

While struggling to establish himself in Los Angeles, Pitt took lessons from acting coach Roy London. Pitt's onscreen career began in 1987, with uncredited parts in the films ''No Way Out'', ''No Man's Land'' and ''Less Than Zero''. His television debut came in May 1987 with a two-episode role on the NBC soap opera ''Another World''. In November of the same year Pitt had a guest appearance on the ABC sitcom ''Growing Pains''. He appeared in four episodes of the CBS primetime series ''Dallas'' between December 1987 and February 1988 as Randy, the boyfriend of Charlie Wade (played by Shalane McCall). Pitt described his character as "an idiot boyfriend who gets caught in the hay." Speaking of his scenes with McCall, Pitt later said, "It was kind of wild, because I'd never even met her before." Later in 1988, Pitt made a guest appearance on the Fox police drama ''21 Jump Street''.

In the same year, the Yugoslavian–U.S. co-production ''The Dark Side of the Sun'' (1988) gave Pitt his first leading film role, as a young American taken by his family to the Adriatic to find a remedy for a skin condition. The film was shelved at the outbreak of the Croatian War of Independence, and was not released until 1997. Pitt made two motion picture appearances in 1989: the first in a supporting role in the comedy ''Happy Together''; the second a featured role in the horror film ''Cutting Class'', the first of Pitt's films to reach theaters. He made guest appearances on television series ''Head of the Class'', ''Freddy's Nightmares'', ''Thirtysomething'', and (for a second time) ''Growing Pains''.

Pitt was cast as Billy Canton, a drug addict who takes advantage of a young runaway (played by Juliette Lewis) in the 1990 NBC television movie ''Too Young to Die?'', the story of an abused teenager sentenced to death for a murder. Ken Tucker, television reviewer for ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote: "Pitt is a magnificent slimeball as her hoody boyfriend; looking and sounding like a malevolent John Cougar Mellencamp, he's really scary." The same year, Pitt co-starred in six episodes of the short-lived Fox drama ''Glory Days'', and took a supporting role in the HBO television movie ''The Image''. His next appearance came in the 1991 film ''Across the Tracks''; Pitt portrayed Joe Maloney, a high school runner with a criminal brother, played by Ricky Schroder.

After years of supporting roles in movies and frequent television guest appearances, Pitt attracted wider recognition in his supporting role in the 1991 road film ''Thelma & Louise''. He played J.D., a small-time criminal who befriends Thelma (Geena Davis). His love scene with Davis has been cited as the event that defined Pitt as a sex symbol. After ''Thelma & Louise'', Pitt starred in the 1991 film ''Johnny Suede'', a low-budget picture about an aspiring rock star, and the 1992 film ''Cool World'', although neither furthered his career, having poor reviews and box office performance.

Pitt took the role of Paul Maclean in the 1992 biographical film ''A River Runs Through It'', directed by Robert Redford. His portrayal of the character has been described as a career-making performance, proving that Pitt could be more than a "cowboy-hatted hunk." He has admitted to feeling under pressure when making the film and thought it one of his "weakest performances ... It's so weird that it ended up being the one that I got the most attention for." Pitt believed that he benefited from working with such a talented cast and crew. He compared working with Redford to playing tennis with a superior player, saying "when you play with somebody better than you, your game gets better."

In 1993, Pitt reunited with Juliette Lewis for the road film ''Kalifornia''. He played Early Grayce, a serial killer and the boyfriend of Lewis's character in a performance described by Peter Travers of ''Rolling Stone'' as "outstanding, all boyish charm and then a snort that exudes pure menace." Pitt also garnered attention for a brief appearance in the cult hit ''True Romance'' as a stoner named Floyd, providing much needed comic relief to the action film. He capped the year by winning a ShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow.

Critical success

1994 marked a significant turning point in Pitt's career. Starring as the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in the feature film ''Interview with the Vampire'', based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name, he was part of an ensemble cast that included Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, and Antonio Banderas. Despite his winning two MTV Movie Awards at the 1995 ceremony, his performance was poorly received. According to the ''Dallas Observer'', "Brad Pitt ... is a large part of the problem [in the film]. When directors play up his cocky, hunkish, folksy side ... he's a joy to watch. But there's nothing about him that suggests inner torment or even self-awareness, which makes him a boring Louis."

Following the release of ''Interview with the Vampire'', Pitt starred in ''Legends of the Fall'' (1994), based on a novel by the same name by Jim Harrison, set in the American West during the first four decades of the twentieth century. Portraying Tristan Ludlow, son of Colonel William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) a Cornish immigrant, Pitt received his first Golden Globe Award nomination, in the Best Actor category. Aidan Quinn and Henry Thomas co-starred as Pitt's brothers. Although the film's reception was mixed, many film critics praised Pitt's performance. Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' said, "Pitt's diffident mix of acting and attitude works to such heartthrob perfection it's a shame the film's superficiality gets in his way." The ''Deseret News'' predicted that ''Legends of the Fall'' would solidify Pitt's reputation as a lead actor.

In 1995, Pitt starred alongside Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow in the crime thriller ''Seven,'' playing a detective on the trail of a serial killer (played by Kevin Spacey). Pitt called it a great movie and declared the part would expand his acting horizons. He expressed his intent to move on from "this 'pretty boy' thing [...] and play someone with flaws." His performance was critically well received, with ''Variety'' saying that it was screen acting at its best, further remarking on Pitt's ability to turn in a "determined, energetic, creditable job" as the detective. ''Seven'' earned $327 million at the international box office.

Following the success of ''Seven'', Pitt took a supporting role as Jeffrey Goines in Terry Gilliam's 1995 science-fiction film ''12 Monkeys''. The movie received predominantly positive reviews, with Pitt praised in particular. Janet Maslin of the ''New York Times'' called ''Twelve Monkeys'' "fierce and disturbing" and remarked on Pitt's "startlingly frenzied performance", concluding that he "electrifies Jeffrey with a weird magnetism that becomes important later in the film." He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film and received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

The following year he had a role in the legal drama ''Sleepers'' (1996), based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's novel of the same name. The film received mixed reviews. In the 1997 movie ''The Devil's Own'' Pitt starred, opposite Harrison Ford, as the Irish Republican Army terrorist Rory Devany, a role for which he was required to learn an Irish accent. Critical opinion was divided on his accent; "Pitt finds the right tone of moral ambiguity, but at times his Irish brogue is too convincing – it's hard to understand what he's saying", wrote the ''San Francisco Chronicle.'' ''The Charleston Gazette'' opined that it had favored Pitt's accent over the movie. ''The Devil's Own'' grossed $140 million worldwide, but was a critical failure. Later that year he led as Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer in the Jean-Jacques Annaud film ''Seven Years in Tibet''. Pitt trained for months for the role, which demanded significant mountain climbing and trekking practice, including rock climbing in California and the European Alps with his co-star David Thewlis. The film received mostly negative reviews, and was generally considered a disappointment.

Pitt had the lead role in 1998's ''Meet Joe Black''. He portrayed a personification of death inhabiting the body of a young man to learn what it is like to be human. The film received mixed reviews, and many were critical of Pitt's performance. According to Mick LaSalle of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', Pitt was unable to "to make an audience believe that he knows all the mysteries of death and eternity." Roger Ebert stated "Pitt is a fine actor, but this performance is a miscalculation."

From 1999 to 2003

In 1999, Pitt portrayed Tyler Durden, an uncompromising and charismatic individual, in ''Fight Club'', a film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name, directed by David Fincher. Pitt prepared for the part with lessons in boxing, taekwondo, and grappling. To look the part, Pitt consented to the removal of pieces of his front teeth which were restored when filming ended. While promoting ''Fight Club'', Pitt said that the film explored not taking one's aggressions out on someone else but to "have an experience, take a punch more and see how you come out on the other end." ''Fight Club'' premiered at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival. Despite divided critical opinion on the film as a whole, Pitt's performance was widely praised. Paul Clinton of CNN noted the risky yet successful nature of the film, while ''Variety'' remarked upon Pitt's ability to be "cool, charismatic and more dynamically physical, perhaps than [...] his breakthrough role in ''Thelma and Louise''". In spite of a worse-than-expected box office performance, ''Fight Club'' became a cult classic after its DVD release in 2000.

Following ''Fight Club'', Pitt was cast as an Irish Gypsy boxer with a barely intelligible accent in Guy Ritchie's 2000 gangster film ''Snatch''. Several reviewers were critical of ''Snatch''; however, most praised Pitt. Mick LaSalle of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' said Pitt was "ideally cast as an Irishman whose accent is so thick even Brits can't understand him", going on to say that, before ''Snatch'', Pitt had been "shackled by roles that called for brooding introspection, but recently he has found his calling in black comic outrageousness and flashy extroversion;" while Amy Taubin of ''The Village Voice'' claimed that "Pitt gets maximum comic mileage out of a one-joke role".

The following year Pitt starred opposite Julia Roberts in the romantic comedy ''The Mexican'', a film that garnered a range of reviews but enjoyed box office success. Pitt's next role, in 2001's $143 million-grossing Cold War thriller ''Spy Game'', was as Tom Bishop, an operative of the CIA's Special Activities Division, mentored by Robert Redford's character. Mark Holcomb of Salon.com enjoyed the film, although he noted that neither Pitt nor Redford provided "much of an emotional connection for the audience". On November 22, 2001, Pitt made a guest appearance in the eighth season of the television series ''Friends'', playing a man with a grudge against Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston, to whom Pitt was married at the time. For this performance he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. In December 2001, Pitt had the role of Rusty Ryan in the heist film ''Ocean's Eleven'', a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack original. He joined an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. Well-received by critics, ''Ocean's Eleven'' was successful at the box office, earning $450 million worldwide.

Pitt appeared in two episodes of MTV's reality series ''Jackass'' in February 2002, first running through the streets of Los Angeles with several cast members in gorilla suits, and participating in his own staged abduction in another episode. In the same year, Pitt had a cameo role in George Clooney's directorial debut ''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''. He took on his first voice-acting roles in 2003, speaking as the titular character of the DreamWorks animated film ''Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas'' and playing Boomhauer's brother, Patch, in an episode of the animated television series ''King of the Hill''.

After 2003

Pitt had two major film roles in 2004, starring as Achilles in ''Troy'', and making a second appearance as Rusty Ryan, in the sequel ''Ocean's Twelve''. He spent six months sword training before the filming of ''Troy'', based on the ''Iliad''. An on-set injury to his Achilles tendon delayed production on the picture for several weeks. With a total worldwide gross of $497 million, ''Troy'' remains Pitt's most commercially successful picture to date. The film earned $364 million outside the U.S. and $133 million domestically. Stephen Hunter of ''The Washington Times'' stated that Pitt excelled at such a demanding role. ''Troy'' was the first film produced by Plan B Entertainment, a film production company he had founded two years earlier with Jennifer Aniston and Brad Grey, CEO of Paramount Pictures. ''Ocean's Twelve'' earned $362 million worldwide, and Pitt and Clooney's dynamic was described (by CNN's Paul Clinton) as "the best male chemistry since Paul Newman and Robert Redford."

In 2005, Pitt starred in the Doug Liman-directed action comedy ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'', in which a bored married couple discover that each is an assassin sent to kill the other. The feature received reasonable reviews but was generally lauded for the chemistry between Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who played his character's wife Jane Smith. The ''Star Tribune'' noted that "while the story feels haphazard, the movie gets by on gregarious charm, galloping energy and the stars' thermonuclear screen chemistry." ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' earned $478 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of 2005.

For his next feature film, Pitt starred opposite Cate Blanchett in Alejandro González Iñárritu's multi-narrative drama ''Babel'' (2006). Pitt's performance was critically well-received, and the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' said that he was credible and gave the film visibility. Pitt later said he regarded taking the part as one of the best decisions of his career. The film was screened at a special presentation at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was later featured at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. ''Babel'' received seven Academy and Golden Globe award nominations, winning the Best Drama Golden Globe, and earned Pitt a nomination for the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe. That same year, Pitt's company Plan B Entertainment produced ''The Departed'', which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Pitt was credited on-screen as a producer; however, only Graham King was ruled eligible for the Oscar win.

Reprising his role as Rusty Ryan in a third picture, Pitt starred in 2007's ''Ocean's Thirteen''. While less lucrative than the first two films, this sequel earned $311 million at the international box office. Pitt's next film role was as American outlaw Jesse James in the 2007 Western drama ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'', adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name. Directed by Andrew Dominik and produced by Pitt's company Plan B Entertainment, the film premiered at the 2007 Venice Film Festival, with Pitt playing a "scary and charismatic" role, according to Lewis Beale of ''Film Journal International'', and earning Pitt the Volpi Cup award for Best Actor at the 64th Venice International Film Festival. Although Pitt attended the festival to promote the film, he left early after being attacked by a fan who pushed through his bodyguards. He eventually collected the award one year later at the 2008 festival.

Pitt's next appearance was in the 2008 black comedy ''Burn After Reading'', his first collaboration with the Coen brothers. The film received a positive reception from critics, with ''The Guardian'' calling it "a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy", noting that Pitt's performance was one of the funniest. He was later cast as Benjamin Button, the lead in David Fincher's 2008 film ''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'', a loosely adapted version of a 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story follows a man who is born an octogenarian and ages in reverse, with Pitt's "sensitive" performance making ''Benjamin Button'' a "timeless masterpiece," according to Michael Sragow of ''The Baltimore Sun''. The performance earned Pitt his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, as well as a fourth Golden Globe and second Academy Award nomination, all in the category for Best Actor. The film received thirteen Academy Award nominations in total, and grossed $329 million at the box office worldwide.

Since 2008, Pitt's work has included a leading role in Quentin Tarantino's ''Inglourious Basterds'', released in August 2009 at a special presentation at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Pitt played Lieutenant Aldo Raine, an American resistance fighter battling Nazis in German-occupied France. The film was a box office hit, taking $311 million worldwide, and garnered generally favorable reviews. The film received multiple awards and nominations, including eight Academy Award nominations and seven MTV Movie Award nominations, including Best Male Performance for Pitt. He voiced the superhero character Metro Man in the 2010 animated feature ''Megamind''. Pitt appeared in Terrence Malick's drama ''The Tree of Life'', co-starring Sean Penn, which won the Palme d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. He has signed on to appear as a British explorer searching for a mysterious Amazonian civilization in ''The Lost City of Z'', based on David Grann's 2009 book of the same name. In a performance that attracted strong praise, he portrayed the Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane in the drama ''Moneyball'', which is based on the 2003 book of the same name written by Michael Lewis. ''Moneyball'' received six Academy Award nominations including Best Actor for Pitt.

Humanitarian and political causes

Pitt visited the University of Missouri campus in October 2004 to encourage students to vote in the 2004 U.S. presidential election, in which he supported John Kerry. Later in October he publicly supported the principle of public funding for embryonic stem-cell research. "We have to make sure that we open up these avenues so that our best and our brightest can go find these cures that they believe they will find," he said. In support of this he endorsed Proposition 71, a California ballot initiative intended to provide federal government funding for stem-cell research.

Pitt supports the ONE Campaign, an organization aimed at combating AIDS and poverty in the developing world. He narrated the 2005 PBS public television series ''Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge'', which discusses current global health issues and traveled to Pakistan in November 2005 with Angelina Jolie to see the impact of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. The following year Pitt and Jolie flew to Haiti, where they visited a school supported by Yéle Haïti, a charity founded by Haitian-born hip hop musician Wyclef Jean. In May 2007, Pitt and Jolie donated $1 million to three organizations in Chad and Sudan dedicated to those affected by the crisis in the Darfur region. Along with Clooney, Damon, Don Cheadle, and Jerry Weintraub, Pitt is one of the founders of "Not On Our Watch", an organization that tries to focus global attention and resources to stop and prevent genocides such as that in Darfur.

Pitt has a sustained interest in architecture and has narrated ''Design e2'', a PBS television series focused on worldwide efforts to build environmentally friendly structures through sustainable architecture and design. He founded the Make It Right Foundation in 2006, organizing housing professionals in New Orleans to finance and construct 150 sustainable, affordable new houses in New Orleans's Ninth Ward following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The project involves 13 architectural firms and the environmental organization Global Green USA, with several of the firms donating their services. Pitt and philanthropist Steve Bing have each committed $5 million in donations. The first six homes were completed in October 2008, and in September 2009 Pitt received an award in recognition of the project from the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated. Pitt met with U.S. President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in March 2009 to promote his concept of ''green housing'' as a national model and to discuss federal funding possibilities.

In September 2006, Pitt and Jolie established a charitable organization, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, to aid humanitarian causes around the world. The foundation made initial donations of $1 million each to Global Action for Children and Doctors Without Borders, followed by an October 2006 donation of $100,000 to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, an organization created in memory of the late American journalist Daniel Pearl. According to federal filings, Pitt and Jolie invested $8.5 million into the foundation in 2006; it gave away $2.4 million in 2006 and $3.4 million in 2007. In June 2009 the Jolie-Pitt Foundation donated $1 million to a U.N. refugee agency to help Pakistanis displaced by fighting between troops and Taliban militants. In January 2010 the foundation donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders for emergency medical assistance to help victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Pitt is a supporter of same-sex marriage. In an October 2006 interview with ''Esquire'', Pitt said that he would marry Jolie when everyone in America is legally able to marry. He reaffirmed his stance to ''Parade'' in August 2009, and again to ''People'' in July 2011. In September 2008, he donated $100,000 to the campaign against California's 2008 ballot proposition Proposition 8, an initiative to overturn the state Supreme Court decision that had legalized same-sex marriage. Pitt stated his reasons for the stance: "Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8." In March 2012, Pitt was featured in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play, '''8''' — a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage — as Judge Vaughn Walker. The production was held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre and broadcast on YouTube to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, a non-profit organization funding the plaintiffs' legal team and sponsoring the play.

In the media

Pitt's sex appeal has been picked up by many sources including ''Empire'', who named him one of the 25 sexiest stars in film history in 1995. The same year, Pitt won ''People'''s Sexiest Man Alive, an accolade he won again in 2000. Pitt appeared on ''Forbes'''s annual Celebrity 100 list of the 100 most powerful celebrities in 2006, 2007, and 2008, at No. 20, No. 5, and No. 10 respectively. In 2007 he was listed among the Time 100, a compilation of the 100 most influential people in the world, as selected annually by ''TIME''. The magazine credited Pitt with using "his star power to get people to look [to where] cameras don't usually catch". Pitt was again included in the Time 100 in 2009, this time in the Builders and Titans list.

Starting in 2005, Pitt's relationship with Angelina Jolie became one of the most reported celebrity stories worldwide. After confirming that Jolie was pregnant in early 2006, the unprecedented media hype surrounding the couple reached what Reuters, in a story titled "The Brangelina fever," called "the point of insanity". To avoid media attention the couple flew to Namibia for the birth of their daughter Shiloh, "the most anticipated baby since Jesus Christ." Similarly intense media interest greeted the announcement two years later of Jolie's second pregnancy; for the two weeks Jolie spent in a seaside hospital in Nice, reporters and photographers camped outside on the promenade to report on the birth.

In a 2006 global industry survey by ACNielsen in 42 international markets, Pitt, together with Jolie, was found to be the favorite celebrity endorser for brands and products worldwide. Pitt has appeared in several television commercials. For the U.S. market, he starred in a Heineken commercial aired during the 2005 Super Bowl; it was directed by David Fincher, who had directed Pitt in ''Seven'', ''Fight Club'' and ''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button''. Other commercial appearances came in television spots designed for Asian markets, advertising such products as the Acura Integra, in which he was featured opposite Russian model Tatiana Sorokko, as well as SoftBank and Edwin Jeans.

Personal life

Relationships

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Pitt was involved in successive relationships with several of his co-stars, including Robin Givens (''Head of the Class''), Jill Schoelen (''Cutting Class''), and Juliette Lewis (''Too Young to Die?'' and ''Kalifornia''), who, at the age of 16, was ten years his junior when they started dating. In addition, Pitt had a much-publicized romance and engagement to his ''Seven'' co-star Gwyneth Paltrow, whom he dated from 1994 to 1997.

Pitt met ''Friends'' actress Jennifer Aniston in 1998 and married her in a private wedding ceremony in Malibu on July 29, 2000. For years their marriage was considered a rare Hollywood success; however, in January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced that they had decided formally to separate after seven years together. Two months later Aniston filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Pitt and Aniston's divorce was finalized by the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 2, 2005, legally ending their marriage. Despite media reports that Pitt and Aniston have an acrimonious relationship, Pitt said in a February 2009 interview that he and Aniston "check in with each other", adding that they were both big parts of each others' lives.

During Pitt's divorce from Aniston, his involvement with his ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' co-star Angelina Jolie attracted vigorous media attention. While Pitt denied claims of adultery, he admitted that he "fell in love" with Jolie on the set. In April 2005, one month after Aniston filed for divorce, a set of paparazzi photographs emerged showing Pitt, Jolie and her son Maddox at a beach in Kenya; the pictures were construed in the press as evidence of a relationship between Pitt and Jolie. During the summer of 2005, the two were seen together with increasing frequency, and the entertainment media dubbed the couple "Brangelina". On January 11, 2006, Jolie confirmed to ''People'' that she was pregnant with Pitt's child, thereby publicly acknowledging their relationship for the first time.

Children

In July 2005, Pitt accompanied Jolie to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she adopted her second child, six-month-old Zahara Marley, a decision which Jolie later stated she and Pitt had made together. Pitt's publicist announced in December 2005 that Pitt was seeking to legally adopt Jolie's two children, Zahara and Cambodia-born Maddox Chivan. On January 19, 2006, a California judge granted Jolie's request to change the children's surnames from "Jolie" to "Jolie-Pitt". The adoptions were finalized soon after.

Jolie gave birth to daughter Shiloh Nouvel in Swakopmund, Namibia, on May 27, 2006. Pitt confirmed that their newborn daughter would have a Namibian passport. The couple sold the first pictures of Shiloh through the distributor Getty Images; the North American rights were purchased by ''People'' for over $4.1 million, while ''Hello!'' obtained the British rights for approximately $3.5 million. The proceeds from the sale were donated to charities serving African children. Madame Tussauds in New York unveiled a wax figure of two-month-old Shiloh; it marked the first time an infant was recreated in wax by Madame Tussauds.

On March 15, 2007, Jolie adopted three-year-old Pax Thien from an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Since Vietnam does not allow unmarried couples to adopt, Jolie adopted Pax as a single parent. In April 2007, Jolie filed a request to legally change her son's surname from "Jolie" to "Jolie-Pitt", which was approved on May 31, 2007. The rights for the first post-adoption images of Pax were sold to ''People'' for a reported $2 million, as well as to ''Hello!'' for an undisclosed amount. Pitt adopted Pax in the United States on February 21, 2008.

At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008, Jolie confirmed that she was expecting twins. She gave birth to son Knox Léon and daughter Vivienne Marcheline on July 12, 2008 in Nice, France. The rights for the first images of Knox and Vivienne were jointly sold to ''People'' and ''Hello!'' for $14 million—the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken. The couple donated the proceeds to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

Filmography

Actor

! Year	! Film	! Role	Notes
1987		Officer at party
1987		Waiter
1987		Partygoer
1987		Chris	Appeared on the May 14 and 15, 1987 episodes
1987	''Growing Pains''	Jeff	Episodes: "List of Growing Pains episodes#Season 3: 1987-1988
1987–88		Randy	4 episodes
1988	''[[21 Jump Street''	Peter	Episode: "Best Years of Your Life"
1987		Brian
1987	''Cutting Class''	Dwight Ingalls
1987	''Head of the Class''	Chuck	Episode: "Partners"
1987	''Freddy's Nightmares''	Rick Austin	Episode: "Black Tickets"
1990	''''	Cameraman	TV movie
1990	''Too Young to Die?''	Billy Canton	TV movie
1990	''Glory Days''	Walker Lovejoy	6 episodes
1991	''Across the Tracks''	Joe Maloney
1991	''Thelma & Louise''	J.D.
1991	''Johnny Suede''	Johnny Suede
1992	''Contact''	Cox
1992	''Cool World''	Detective Frank Harris
1992	''''	Paul Maclean
1993	''Kalifornia''	Early Grayce
1993	''True Romance''	Floyd
1994	''''	Elliott Fowler
1994		Louis de Pointe du Lac	MTV Movie Award for Best Performance - MaleMTV Movie Award for Most Desirable MaleNominated–MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo shared with Tom CruiseNominated–Saturn Award for Best Actor
1994	''Legends of the Fall''	Tristan Ludlow	Nominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1995		David Mills	MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable MaleNominated–MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo shared with Morgan FreemanNominated–MTV Movie Award for Best Performance - Male
1995	''12 Monkeys''	Jeffrey Goines
1996		Michael Sullivan
1997	''''	Francis "Frankie" Austin McQuire/Rory Devaney
1997		Heinrich Harrer
1997	''''	Rick
1998	''Meet Joe Black''	Joe Black/Man in the Coffee Shop
1999	''Fight Club''
1999	''Being John Malkovich''	Himself	Cameo
2000		Mickey O'Neil	Nominated–Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
2001	''''	Jerry Welbach
2001	''Spy Game''	Tom Bishop
2001	''''	Rusty Ryan
2001	''Friends''	Will Colbert
2002		Himself
2002	''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''	Brad, Bachelor No.1
2003	''Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas''		Voice
2003		Himself	Cameo
2004		Achilles
2004	''''	Rusty Ryan	Nominated–Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
2005		John Smith
2006		Richard
2007	''''	Rusty Ryan
2007	''''	Jesse James
2008	''Burn After Reading''	Chad Feldheimer
2008	''''	Benjamin Button
2009	''Inglourious Basterds''	Lt. Aldo Raine
2010	''Megamind''	Metro Man	Voice
2011	''''	Mr. O'Brien
2011		Billy Beane
2011	''Happy Feet Two''	Will the Krill	Nominated – Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Actor of the Year
2012	''Cogan's Trade''	Jack Cogan	Post-production
2012		Gerry Lane	Post-production

Producer

! Year	! Film	Notes
2006	''God Grew Tired of Us''	Executive producer
2006	''''	Nominated–BAFTA Award for Best Film
2006
2007	''''	Executive producer
2007		Executive producer
2007	''''	Nominated–Independent Spirit Award for Best Film
2007	''''
2008	''Pretty/Handsome''	Executive producer (TV)
2009	''''	Executive producer
2009	''''	Executive producer
2010
2010	''Eat Pray Love''
2011	''''	Palme d'Or
2011		Nominated – Academy Award for Best Picture
2012	''Cogan's Trade''
2012

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Not On Our Watch – Founded by: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Jerry Weintraub

Category:1963 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from Oklahoma Category:American agnostics Category:American film actors Category:American film producers Category:American television actors Category:American vegans Category:American voice actors Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Former Baptists Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Category:University of Missouri alumni Category:Volpi Cup winners

af:Brad Pitt ar:براد بيت an:Brad Pitt ast:Brad Pitt az:Bred Pitt bn:ব্র্যাড পিট zh-min-nan:Brad Pitt be:Брэд Піт bg:Брад Пит bo:པ་རའི་པི་ཏ། bs:Brad Pitt br:Brad Pitt ca:Brad Pitt cs:Brad Pitt cy:Brad Pitt da:Brad Pitt de:Brad Pitt et:Brad Pitt el:Μπραντ Πιτ es:Brad Pitt eo:Brad Pitt eu:Brad Pitt fa:برد پیت fr:Brad Pitt ga:Brad Pitt gv:Brad Pitt gd:Brad Pitt gl:Brad Pitt ko:브래드 피트 hy:Բրեդ Փիթ hi:ब्रैड पिट hr:Brad Pitt id:Brad Pitt is:Brad Pitt it:Brad Pitt he:בראד פיט jv:Brad Pitt kn:ಬ್ರ್ಯಾಡ್‌ ಪಿಟ್‌ ka:ბრედ პიტი kk:Брэд Питт la:Brad Pitt lv:Breds Pits lb:Brad Pitt lt:Brad Pitt li:Brad Pitt hu:Brad Pitt mk:Бред Пит ml:ബ്രാഡ് പിറ്റ് mr:ब्रॅड पिट ms:Brad Pitt mn:Брэд Питт nah:Brad Pitt nl:Brad Pitt ja:ブラッド・ピット pih:Brad Pitt no:Brad Pitt nn:Brad Pitt uz:Brad Pitt ps:براډ پېت pl:Brad Pitt pt:Brad Pitt ro:Brad Pitt ru:Питт, Брэд sq:Brad Pitt simple:Brad Pitt sk:Brad Pitt sl:Brad Pitt sr:Бред Пит sh:Brad Pitt su:Brad Pitt fi:Brad Pitt sv:Brad Pitt tl:Brad Pitt ta:பிராட் பிட் tt:Брэд Питт te:బ్రాడ్ పిట్ th:แบรด พิตต์ tr:Brad Pitt uk:Бред Пітт vi:Brad Pitt wuu:孛拉特 皮此 yi:ברעד פיט zh:畢·彼特

name	Dustin Lance Black
birth date	June 10, 1974
birth place	Sacramento, California
occupation	Screenwriter, film director, film producer
nationality	American
alma mater	UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television '96
notableworks	''Big Love'' (2006 – present)''Milk'' (2008)
awards	Academy AwardsBest Original Screenplay2008 ''Milk'' }}

Dustin Lance Black (born June 10, 1974) is an American screenwriter, director, film and television producer, and LGBT rights activist. He has won two Writers Guild of America Awards for his work on the television series ''Big Love'' and an Academy Award for the 2008 film ''Milk''.

Early life

Black was born in Sacramento, California and grew up in a Mormon household, in San Antonio, Texas and later moved to Salinas, California when his mother remarried. His father had been the Mormon missionary who had baptized Black's mother earlier.

Growing up surrounded by Mormon culture and military bases, Black worried about his sexuality. He told himself, "I'm going to hell. And if I ever admit it, I'll be hurt, and I'll be brought down" when he found himself attracted to a boy in his neighborhood at the age of six or seven. He says that his "acute awareness" of his sexuality made him dark, shy and at times suicidal, and he came out in his senior year of college.

While attending North Salinas High School, Black began to work in theater at The Western Stage in Salinas-Monterey, California, and later worked on productions including ''Bare'' at Hollywood's Hudson Main Stage Theater. Black attended the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Theater, Film, and Television (UCLA) while apprenticing with stage directors, taking acting jobs and working on theater lighting crews. He graduated with honors from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television in 1996.

Career

In 2000, he wrote and directed ''The Journey of Jared Price'', a gay romance film, and ''Something Close to Heaven'', a gay coming-of-age short film. In 2001, he directed and was a subject in the documentary ''On the Bus'' about a Nevada road trip and adventure at Burning Man taken by six gay men. Raised as Mormon, he was hired as the only such writer on the HBO drama series ''Big Love'' about a polygamistic family. He has written for all seasons, serving on season one as a staff writer, executive story editor in season two, and was promoted again, to co-producer, for season three.

Black had first visited San Francisco in the early 1990s, while AIDS was devastating the city's gay community. Black said that, "Hearing about Harvey was about the only hopeful story there was at the time." He had first viewed Rob Epstein's documentary ''The Times of Harvey Milk'' when he was in college, and thought, "I just want to do something with this, why hasn't someone done something with this?" Researching Milk's life for three years, Black met with Milk's former aides Cleve Jones and Anne Kronenberg, as well as former San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos, and began to write a feature film screenplay encompassing the events of Milk's life. The screenplay was written on spec, but Black showed the script to Jones, who passed it on to his friend Gus Van Sant, who signed on to direct the feature. Black is an old friend of ''Milk'' producer Dan Jinks, who signed on to the biopic after he called Black to congratulate him and discovered that the project did not have a confirmed producer.

Black's film ''Pedro'', profiling the life of AIDS activist and reality television personality Pedro Zamora, premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. Coming up, Paris Barclay is slated to direct his screenplay ''A Life Like Mine'' and Gus van Sant is set to direct his film adaptation of Tom Wolfe's book ''The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test''. Black is set to direct his own script ''What's Wrong with Virginia'', to star Jennifer Connelly. He has also written the screenplay for the biopic Hoover to be released in 2012 directed by Clint Eastwood.

On February 22, 2009, Black won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for ''Milk'' at the 81st Academy Awards. He wore a White Knot to the ceremony as a symbol of solidarity with the marriage equality movement. In his acceptance speech at the Oscar ceremony, he said:

Black marched in the National Equality March and delivered a speech in front of the Congress Building to an estimated crowd of 200,000 LGBT rights activists on October 11, 2009.

In 2010, Black narrated ''8: The Mormon Proposition'', a documentary about the involvement of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California's Proposition 8. Black accepted the award for best documentary for 8:The Mormon Proposition at the GLAAD Media awards in San Francisco and spoke out very poignantly on discrimination in the Mormon church and meeting with the church to make it more LGBT-inclusive.

Personal life

Black told the ''Daily Bruin'' that "You hear people say, 'This is my reason for being here. This is my compass.' For me, that's 'Milk.' I wanted to maybe inspire the younger generation to start becoming activists in a grassroots way. There's a lot of stuff that still needs changing — not just gay rights." Black was the top entry on a list of openly gay influential people in ''The Advocate'''''s'' "Forty under 40" issue of June/July 2009. He was featured on the cover of the magazine. He was one of the Official Grand Marshals in the 2009 NYC LGBT Pride March, produced by Heritage of Pride joining Anne Kronenberg and Cleve Jones.

In June 2009, photographs of Black engaging in unprotected sex were published by Internet gossip columnist Perez Hilton. Black released a statement saying: "It is unfortunate that individuals and other outside parties are trying to profit from material which is clearly private." His statement also emphasized the importance of responsible sexual practices. On 23 July 2009, Black filed a lawsuit against photo agency Starzlife, alleging the organization illegally obtained the pictures and distributed them without his permission. He is claiming invasion of privacy and copyright infringement and asking for $3 million in damages, as well as any profit the company made from the photos.

Awards

Academy Awards, Best Original Screenplay, 2009, ''Milk''

Writers Guild of America, Best Original Screenplay, 2009, ''Milk''

Writers Guild of America, Paul Selwin Civil Rights Award, 2009, "to the member whose script best embodies the spirit of constitutional and civil rights and liberties"

American Film Institute (AFI) Awards 2008, ''Milk''

Film Independent's Spirit Awards, best first screenplay, 2009, ''Milk''

UCLA's Distinguished Achievement in Screenwriting award, "UCLA Festival 2009: New Creative Work," School of Theater, Film and Television, June 10, 2009, Freud Playhouse "Distinguished Service to the LGBT Community by a UCLA Alumnus" Award, 2009 UCLA LGBT Graduation Ceremony, June 13, 2009

References

External links

Category:American film directors Category:American film editors Category:American film producers Category:American screenwriters Category:American television producers Category:American television writers Category:Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Category:Former Latter Day Saints Category:Independent Spirit Award winners Category:LGBT directors Category:LGBT screenwriters Category:LGBT writers from the United States Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:People from San Antonio, Texas Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners Category:Gay writers Category:1974 births Category:Living people

de:Dustin Lance Black fr:Dustin Lance Black it:Dustin Lance Black ja:ダスティン・ランス・ブラック pl:Dustin Lance Black pt:Dustin Lance Black ru:Блэк, Дастин Лэнс sv:Dustin Lance Black zh:達斯汀·蘭斯·布雷克

{{infobox television | show name

The Fast Show | format Sketch comedy | image | caption Front cover of the ''Ultimate Fast Show Collection'' DVD. | creator Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson | starring Paul Whitehouse Charlie Higson Arabella Weir John Thomson Caroline Aherne (1994–97) Simon Day Mark Williams Paul Shearer | runtime 30 minutes | num_episodes 25 | channel BBC |country United Kingdom | first_aired 1994 | last_aired 1997reunion special in 2000 }}

''The Fast Show'', known as ''Brilliant'' in the US, was a BBC comedy sketch show programme that ran for three series from 1994 to 1997 with a special ''Last Fast Show Ever'' in 2000. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and Caroline Aherne. Other significant cast members included Paul Shearer, Felix Dexter, Rhys Thomas, Jeff Harding, Maria McErlane, Eryl Maynard, Colin McFarlane and Donna Ewin.

The show produced two national tours, the first in 1998 with the cast of the BBC surrealist comedy quiz show ''Shooting Stars'' and the second being their 'Farewell Tour' in 2002. ''The Fast Show'' was loosely structured and relied on character comedy, recurring running gags, and many catchphrases. Its fast-paced "blackout" style set it apart from traditional sketch series because of the number and relative brevity of its sketches; a typical half-hour TV sketch comedy of the period might have consisted of nine or ten major items, with contrived situations and extended setups, whereas the premiere episode of ''The Fast Show'' featured twenty-seven sketches in thirty minutes, with some items lasting less than ten seconds and none running longer than three minutes. Its innovative style and presentation influenced many later series such as ''The Catherine Tate Show'' and ''Little Britain''.

It was one of the most popular sketch shows of the 1990s. The show has been released on VHS, DVD and audio CD. Some of its characters, Ron Manager, Ted and Ralph, Swiss Toni and Billy Bleach have had their own spin-off programmes.

Style and content

''The Fast Show'' was the brainchild of Paul Whitehouse and his writing partner and friend, Charlie Higson (who had previously enjoyed some success in the UK as a musician with the band The Higsons). After meeting through a mutual friend (Whitehouse's longtime flatmate, guitarist and writer David Cummings) comedian Harry Enfield invited Whitehouse to write for him and Whitehouse in turn asked Higson to help him out; soon after, Enfield got his break into TV with the series ''Harry Enfield and Chums'' and became nationally famous in the UK.

In the early 1990s Higson and Whitehouse worked extensively with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, writing for and performing in the series ''The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer'' and ''Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer'' (both of which Higson produced). These series also featured occasional appearances by future ''Fast Show'' cast members Caroline Aherne, Simon Day and Mark Williams. Higson made many appearances in minor roles, while Williams and Whitehouse had recurring roles (with Vic and Bob) in ''The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer'', parodying the members of rock group Slade in the popular "Slade in Residence" and "Slade on Holiday" sketches.

Inspired by a press preview tape of Enfield's show, compiled by producer friend Geoffrey Perkins and consisting of fast-cut highlights of Enfield's sketches, the pair began stockpiling material and developing the idea of a rapid-fire 'MTV generation' format based wholly on quick cuts and soundbites/catchphrases. After unsuccessfully trying to sell the series to ITV through an independent production company, Higson and Whitehouse approached the new controller of BBC2, Michael Jackson; fortunately, he was then looking for new shows to replace several high-profile series that had been recently lost to BBC1, and their show was picked up by BBC2.

Whitehouse and Higson, the co-producers and main writers, then assembled the original team of writers and performers, which included David Cummings, Mark Williams, Caroline Aherne, Paul Shearer, Simon Day, Arabella Weir, John Thomson, Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (of ''Father Ted'' fame), Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and Craig Cash (who went on to write and perform with Aherne in ''The Royle Family''). Musical director Philip Pope was also an established comedy actor with extensive experience in TV and radio comedy, and had previously appeared in series such as ''Who Dares Wins'' and ''KYTV''; he also enjoyed success as a comedy recording artist as part of the Bee Gees parody group The HeeBeeGeebees.

''The Fast Show'' was a working title disliked by both Whitehouse and Higson but it went unchanged through production and eventually remained as the final title.

The first series introduced many signature characters and sketches including Ted and Ralph, Unlucky Alf, The Fat Sweaty Coppers, Ron Manager, Roy and Renée, Ken and Kenneth (The Suit You Tailors), Arthur Atkinson, Bob Fleming, Brilliant Kid, Insecure Woman, Janine Carr, Denzil Dexter, Carl Hooper, Ed Winchester, the Patagonian buskers, "Jazz Club" and the popular parody "Chanel 9".

Many characters were never given any 'official' name, with their sketches being written to give their catchphrase as the punchline of each sketch. Examples include "Anyone fancy a pint?" (played by Whitehouse), "You ain't seen me, right!" (a mysterious gangster-like character played by Mark Williams), "I'll get me coat" (Williams) and "Ha!", a sarcastic elderly woman played by Weir.

Other long-standing running jokes in the programme included the fictitious snack food "Cheesy Peas" in various different forms, shapes and flavours, in satirical adverts presented by a twangy, Northern lad (Paul Whitehouse) who claims, "They're good for your teas!"and has since become a reality thanks to UK TV chef Jamie Oliver . The dire earnestness of the born-again Christian was parodied in another popular group of sketches where various characters responded to any comment or question by extolling the virtues of "Our Lord Jesus" and ended the sketch with the exclamation "He died for all our sins, didn't he?" or something similar; and most controversially, "We're from the Isle of Man", featuring a stereotype of weird, surreal, townsfolk in a setting portrayed as an abjectly impoverished and desolate cultural wasteland.

Some of the characters resembled parodies of well-known personalities: for example, Louis Balfour, host of "Jazz Club" was reminiscent of Bob Harris of ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' and Ron Manager of football pundits Trevor Brooking and Graham Taylor. However, the parodic intent of this character is broader, and portrays how often football pundits have little to say of any real substance and sometimes waffle. Paul Whitehouse said that Ron Manager was based on ex-Luton Town & Fulham manager Alec Stock . Arthur Atkinson is a composite of Arthur Askey and Max Miller and Lord Ralph Mayhew is said to be based on film director John Boorman.

The show ended in 2000, with a three-part "Last Ever" show, in the first episode of which ''Fast Show'' fan Johnny Depp had a guest-starring role as a customer of The Suit You Tailors, after three series and a Christmas special.

The theme tune was "Release Me", a song which had been a hit for pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck. In the first series it was performed over the opening credits by Whitehouse in the guise of abnormally transfiguring singer Kenny Valentine. In subsequent series, the tune only appeared in the closing credits, played on the saxophone.

Major characters

The show featured many characters and sketches. Some of the more prominent recurring characters/sketches are:

'Unlucky' Alf, the lonely old pensioner living somewhere in northern England for whom nothing ever goes right. His hook is his resigned "Oh bugger!" as something terrible happens. He often predicts a bad event that is quite obvious, only to find something else occurs as he tries to avoid the first problem. (Paul Whitehouse, all series)

Anyone fancy a pint? A man (Whitehouse) who find himself in boring or bizarre situations, such as a dinner party where a woman is talking about how she was abandoned as a child and crying about everyone letting her down. Whitehouse then interrupts at the most insensitive moment asking "anyone fancy a pint?", before he and most of the men in the room leave. One early sketch featured Higson portraying an earnest claymation animator (a parody of Nick Park) who describes the animation process in excruciatingly tedious detail until Whitehouse's character sneaks away, whispering the punchline. According to the commentary in ''The Ultimate Fast Show'', Nick Park loved the sketch and sent copies of it to friends and family that year as a video Xmas card.

Archie the pub bore. Talks to people in the pub, and when they mention their profession, no matter what it is and however unlikely, he always claims to have had the same profession ("I used to be a single mother myself"), saying that it is the 'hardest game in the world. Thirty years, man and boy!' He has an obsession with Frank Sinatra, almost invariably steering the conversation towards the singer and weakly singing the title line of "High Hopes", after mentioning how he and his friend Stan fared on a recent fishing trip. (Whitehouse, series 3)

Arthur Atkinson, parody of 1940s music hall entertainers such as Max Miller and Arthur Askey, played by Paul Whitehouse, introduced by Tommy Cockles (Simon Day), himself a parody of presenters of TV history, especially Denis Norden (Whitehouse, all series)

Billy Bleach, tousle-mopped, interfering pub know-it-all who gets it all wrong, usually ending up with others losing money. This character starred in his own series, ''Grass'' which was shown on BBC Three, later shown on BBC Two. (Day, all series)

Bob Fleming, the ageing, incompetent West Country host of ''Country Matters'', who has an extremely bad cough. The character's surname is a pun on 'phlegm-ing.' (Higson, all series)

Brilliant Kid (possibly either a parody of British children's TV presenters or a 'take' on Alexei Sayle's commentary style in his one man TV show of the 1980s). In the first draft of the script for the pilot, the character was called Eric and was described as "a young Yorkshire man" but in the series he is never named. He delivers an edited monologue listing everyday things, all of which he declares to be 'brilliant!' or 'fantastic!' as he walks through a series of random backgrounds (filmed in widely varied locations ranging from the Tees Valley to Iceland) during which the quality and format of the images also randomly changes (e.g. from colour to b/w). In one episode it is shown that he isn't sure about whether everything really is 'brilliant' or not, and as he's walking through one solid background, an abandoned funfair, he debates with himself half heartedly ("Everything ''is'' brilliant...right? I mean...it might not be...nah, it is!") (Whitehouse, all series)

Carl Hooper, Australian presenter of ''That's Amazing'', a spoof of pop-science shows. Normally the person on his show was trying to pass off an everyday animal or object as something magical. The one occasion where a guest had a truly amazing story to tell was unbroadcastable due to the guest's inability to refrain from swearing excitedly while relating the tale (Day, all series)

Chanel 9, a low-budget television channel from a country known only as "Republicca", ruled by "El Presidente" who resembled a stereotypical Latin American dictator. Chanel 9 parodied the sort of programmes that British people end up watching on holiday around the Mediterranean. The stars, usually Paul Whitehouse, Paul Shearer and Caroline Aherne, speak a concocted language loosely based on Italian, Greek, Spanish and Portuguese, mashed together with nonsensical phrases (e.g. "sminky pinky") and incongruous English names and words (e.g. footballer Chris Waddle). Early segments featured the Chanel 9 news, read by anchormen Poutremos Poutra-Poutremos (Whitehouse) and Kolothos Apollonia (Shearer), followed by the weather forecast with meteorologist Poula Fisch (Aherne), invariably reporting a temperature for all locations of 45 °C (113 °F) while exclaiming "scorchio!" with apparent surprise. Sporting news was presented by Antonios Gubba - whose name is based on the commentator Tony Gubba - (Simon Day), seated at a much lower desk and talking with a low voice. Later Chanel 9 sketches consisted of several short segments, usually interspersed with parodic advertisements for the ubiquitous "Gizmo" a bizarre mechanical product which could be used with equal efficacy in the kitchen, garden or bedroom. Other Chanel 9 programmes, including a cartoon, a current affairs discussion, a quiz show, a soap opera ("El Amora Y El Passionna") and a variety series, were added in later sketches. Key catchphrases included the Republiccan greeting and farewell, "Bono estente" and "Boutros Boutros-Ghali" (the name of the then UN Secretary-General).

Chip Cobb, the deaf stuntman, a TV and film stuntman who, because of his hearing problems, always mishears his instructions and proceeds to carry them out wrongly before anyone can stop him, much to the despair of the film crew. (Thomson, series 3)

Chris the Crafty Cockney, claims to be an incurable kleptomaniac ("I'll nick anything, me"). He is left alone with something valuable and invariably steals it. Because of how up-front he is of his thieving nature, other people tend to believe he's joking. In one sketch, he even alludes to being an actual clinical kleptomaniac and involuntarily steals from his friend Dan after he trusts Chris to watch his newspaper stall, after extensively warning him of the risks involved in doing so. (Whitehouse, series 2–3)

Colin Hunt, unfunny and irritating office joker whose name gives an indication of his personality (Higson, series 2–3)

Competitive Dad, who is overcritical and demanding of his kids, and always has to get one up on them. (Day, series 2–3). Day explained in an interview that he had based the idea for the character from a man he noticed in a public swimming pool that challenged his two young children to a race. Day thought he'd let them win, but instead he took off and stood on the other end of the pool waiting for his toddler sons to struggle their way across the pool. He (Day) thought of it as "sick".

Dave Angel, Eco-Warrior, a classic Essex geezer who, despite his get-up and rather lavish lifestyle, is improbably concerned about saving the planet (though this is often undermined by his wife's behaviour), Mike Oldfield records, and swinging. A parody of a late-night magazine programme presented by Mike Reid. "Moonlight Shadow" by Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly is used as the theme tune to sketches featuring the character (Day, series 3)

Professor Denzil Dexter of the University of Southern California and his various bizarre scientific experiments, long-haired and highly laid-back. (Thomson, series 1–2)

The 13th Duke of Wymbourne, posh, rumpled dinner-jacketed, lecherous cigar smoker, reminisces about finding himself in wholly unsuitable places considering his 'reputation'. Based on the characters of Terry-Thomas. (Whitehouse, series 3)

Ed Winchester, an American reporter. He beams at the camera and says "Hi! I'm Ed Winchester!" in a very upbeat voice, before the camera cuts to another scene. In his last appearance in Series 2 he appears to have been cut off as he then mentions Jesus straight after introducing himself. (Jeff Harding).

Even Better Than That!, a slack-jawed, not too bright man who comes back from the shops with something ridiculously unnecessary instead of what his wife sent him for (Williams, series 3)

The Fat, Sweaty Coppers A squad of police officers who cannot do their job properly as they are extremely overweight due to their constant eating and drinking.(Thomson and Weir included, series 1-2)

Gideon Soames, white-haired, posh-talking architecture and history professor, possibly a cross between Simon Schama & Brian Sewell, with some elements of Bamber Gascoigne. Despite the serious tone of his speeches, the "history" of them becomes increasingly ridiculous. (Day series 2–3)

Giggly Woman, a woman who seems very confident until a man she likes enters the room, and then goes all childish, as if she fancies him. The character debuted in series 1 during a small segment in the credits, but only became a recurring character later on. (Weir, series 3)

The Historian, a jubilant, but emotionally imbalanced man who patrols the corridors of an historic boys academy alone whilst telling tall tales about former traditions both cruel and unreasonable. (Williams, series 3)

I'll Get Me Coat, a socially inept Brummie, who is unable to make any appropriate contribution to a conversation, and therefore disgraces himself with a faux pas before using the punchline and leaving (Williams, all series)

I'm not Pissed, a family - mother (Maria McErlane), father (Williams) and son (Day) - who are regularly pointing out that they are not drunk despite the fact they are taking regular swigs from gin bottles, beer cans etc. (series 2)

Insecure Woman, who appears in a variety of different locations, usually exclaiming, "Does my bum look big in this?" (Weir, all series)

Invisible Woman, who tries to converse with a group of men but is completely ignored, only for a man to repeat what she said and receive congratulations from the others for such a good idea. (Weir)

Jesse, a taciturn country bumpkin who exclaims his strange diets, fashion tastes and experiments, in a single sentence "This week, I 'ave been mostly..." - except for one sketch, where he said "This week, I 'aven't been 'ungry." (Williams, series 2–3)

John Actor, who plays Inspector Monkfish, the tough uncompromising cop who often exclaims to the nearest woman, "Put your knickers on and make me a cup of tea!" (Day, series 2–3). Loosely based on the BBC series ''Dangerfield''. There were variations on the show's format, two examples being Monkfish as a tough, uncompromising doctor in Monkfish M.D. and Monkfish as a tough, uncompromising vet in All Monkfish Great and Small. One Monkfish sketch even crossed over onto Chanel 9. Sometime between the end of series 3 and the last episode, John Actor died yet the series is apparently continuing in the manner of ''Taggart'' after the death of the lead actor.

Johnny Nice Painter, who is painting a scene and describing all the colours. Whenever he mentions the colour "black", however, he becomes more and more depressed, eventually going somewhat insane and shouting wildly about the despair of mankind, despite the best efforts of his wife Katie (Weir) to prevent him from doing so. His appearance is based on TV painter Alwyn Crawshaw (Higson, series 3)

Ken and Kenneth, two tailors in a men's formal wear shop, who bombard potential customers with sexually explicit innuendo about their private life, frequently interjecting the catchphrase "Ooh! Suit you sir!", much to the discomfort of the customer. They become confused and even frightened in two episodes; one when they get a customer who is gay, and another with a customer (played by Day) who is as willing to talk about sexual deviance as they are. (Whitehouse and Williams, all series)

Louis Balfour, pretentious and ultra laid-back presenter of ''Jazz Club'' (a parody of ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''), based on a blend of Bob Harris and Roger Moore. He also has a remarkable similarity to Geoffrey Smith, presenter of Jazz Record Requests on Radio 3. Seemingly having done his 'research', he introduces his guests by comparing them to avant-garde jazz musicians or describing their style/technique by using complex musical phraseology. These guests usually turn out to be utterly talentless 'experimentalists', much to his bemusement. His catchphrase "Nice!" was delivered by turning to a different camera for that word only. Later he delivered other words in a similar manner. (Thomson, series 2–3.) In the final series, a polar opposite, called Indie Club, presented by an obnoxious in-your-face Liam Gallagher type (Day) introducing what he describes as an equally obnoxious and rebellious group who are rewriting the musical rulebook, only for them to sing a wishy-washy cliché pop-song.

Luvvie an over-the-top thespian describes his character and mentions that he needs to spend hours being made up when he is actually done in a few seconds (Thomson, series 3)

Monster Monster, a vampire who creeps up to a sleeping woman and gives her betting advice (Whitehouse, series 3). The set-up is a parody of a scene from the 1922 German classic horror film Nosferatu, while the vampire's voice and catchphrase of "Monster, monster" are based on Eric Hall.

No Offence, a rude, orange-faced South African department store cosmetics saleswoman who has no qualms about informing women of their physical imperfections, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she looks like a dried-out old orange herself. (Weir, series 3)

"Our" Janine Carr, teenage mum with a unique world outlook. She refuses to reveal who the father of her baby is because "it's not fair to grass on your headmaster" (Aherne, series 1–2)

The Offroaders, Simon and Lindsey, despite their unusually high confidence and esteem, are useless at their hobby ("sorted!", "gripped!"). (Higson and Whitehouse, all series)

Patrick Nice, a man who tells far-fetched, sometimes odd stories followed by him calmingly saying his catchphrase, "Which was nice." (Williams, series 2–3)

Prawn Sandwich Man, a man who seems to talk a lot about football as if a true Arsenal supporter, but makes it glaringly obvious he knows nothing about the game (Thomson, series 3)

Ron Manager, a football commentator who speaks in incoherent sentence fragments on randomly divergent trains of thought. He usually appears with interviewer (Day) and fellow commentator Tommy (Williams), and whenever a question is posed to Tommy, Ron Manager often begins one of his nonsensical train-of-thoughts based on one of the words or names in the question. Based on former football manager from the 60s and 70s, Alec Stock. (Whitehouse, all series)

Rowley Birkin QC, a retired barrister, tells mostly unintelligible stories at the fireside. Occasionally, his speech becomes coherent for a short while, containing strange phrases such as "The whole thing was made completely out of matchsticks" or "Snake! Snake!". Almost always ends his stories with a sly "I'm afraid I was very, very drunk!" In the final episode of series 2, his rambling anecdote appeared to involve a woman for whom he had great affection and ended with a close-up of faint tears on his cheeks, while the usual "very drunk" line was delivered in an unexpectedly moving, sorrowful voice. (Whitehouse, series 2–3). The character is reprised as a working barrister in the spin-off feature ''Ted and Ralph''. Whitehouse revealed on the UK chatshow ''Parkinson'' that the character was based on Andrew Rollo whom he met on a fishing trip to Iceland; Rollo appeared in the Fast Show documentary, which revealed how closely Rowley's speech resembled that of his real-life inspiration. At the end of a Christmas episode the caption revealed that he died. "Rowley Birkin QC 1918 - 2000".

Roy & Renée, endless chattering from Renée and her quiet, submissive husband Roy, whom she expects to meekly agree with everything she says. Roy always embarrasses her at the end of every sketch, after which he gets a stinging reprimand from his wife. She makes her last appearance in the show during the 1996 Christmas Special, when Roy's mother finally gives in to holding back the resentment towards Renée's smug attitude. (Thomson and Aherne, series 1–2)

The Shags, a child-less couple who are seen in the midst of very graphic sexual intercourse, much to the discomfort of their neighbours. Among other things they were seen at it in a tent in a sports shop, in a tree in the park and even on a bed being carried by removal men as they moved into the neighbourhood.

Swiss Toni, a car salesman who compares everything to seducing and making love to a beautiful woman, usually in the presence of his bemused trainee Paul (Rhys Thomas). This was also the title of a short-lived spin-off sitcom, featuring Toni in the car dealership which he worked. Swiss is the only non-original character in the show. He had previously appeared in the second series of The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer in 1995, which was produced by Higson and featured cameos from many members of The Fast Show. (Higson, series 3)

Ted & Ralph – country squire Lord Ralph Mayhew attempts to strike-up an intimate relationship with his introverted Irish estate worker Ted, by way of subtle romantic/erotic subtexts in his conversations with him (Whitehouse and Higson, all series). This was also the title of a one-off, hour-long spin-off feature, reprising the characters, with cameos from a few other characters as well.

"You ain't seen me: right?" - An unknown traveller who is probably a criminal who says "You ain't seen me: right?" to some minor characters in the show and sometimes the viewer of the show. He comes up in the show in various locations and is at one point on Chanel 9 Neus sitting in the sports reporter's seat. He is also seen in the background when the "Brilliant" Kid walks past talking about the usual things.

Inept Zookeeper - a zookeeper who is frightened and/or disgusted by virtually every aspect of his job (cleaning up elephant dung, feeding the penguins, etc.) and is thus rendered unable to perform his tasks properly. (Williams, series 3)

In popular culture

When the programme was shown on BBC America it was renamed 'Brilliant' to avoid confusion with an American programme of the same name.

Arabella Weir later turned Insecure Woman into Jackie Payne, heroine of her novel ''Does My Bum Look Big in This''?

An American journalist called Ed Winchester was part of NBC's team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. BBC reporter John Inverdale got him to say, 'Hi, I'm Ed Winchester' during rowing coverage on 11 August.

In ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'', when Jack Sparrow is talking to the two soldiers and comments "And then they made me their chief", he is quoting Rowley Birkin. In the scene where Jack Sparrow is first captured by the pirates, he attempts to leave, saying "I'll get me coat", but this was later cut and can be found in the deleted scenes. He also repeatedly quotes Unlucky Alf by saying "Bugger". Johnny Depp is a fan of the show and had a cameo role as a customer browsing the Suit You tailors shop in the farewell special .

In 2009, the Scottish rock band Carnivores released the single 'John Actor Is Monkfish' in reference to the many faces of John Actor.

In 2010, chef Jamie Oliver advertised his forthcoming cookery series (examining the cuisine of several European/Mediterranean countries) speaking in the made-up language used by Chanel 9 news.

Filming locations

Unusually for a sketch show, a significant proportion of ''The Fast Show'' was shot externally. During the early series much of this filming was done around the Tees Valley, Yorkshire Dales and Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. Locations include:

Ashington, Northumberland – at least two scenes involving Unlucky Alf and one involving Brilliant Kid were filmed on Station Road.

Aske Hall – Background in early Ted & Ralph scenes

Darlington – 'The Running Family' were shown around various locations in the town centre, including The Cornmill Centre. Darlington was the childhood home of Jim Moir (Vic Reeves) whose longterm comedy partner Bob Mortimer was one of the writers. The Cornmill and The High Street with scenes involving Brilliant Kid.

Durham – The market place with scenes involving Brilliant Kid

Hartlepool – One Unlucky Alf scene saw him sat in the empty Rink End Stand of Hartlepool United's ground, Victoria Park. Also, one Ed Winchester scene is in front of the Mill House Stand. Some of the Brilliant Kid scenes were also fimed at nearby Seal Sands.

Keld, North Yorkshire – The campsite used in a Dave Angel scene

Langley Park – Railway Street is used in Unlucky Alf scenes

Middlesbrough – docks used in 'hard of hearing stuntman' scenes, scene on Transporter Bridge as well as the Riverside Stadium

Newcastle upon Tyne – including the 'Shore Leave' sketch, the scene where Chris the Crafty Cockney steals the woman's suitcases (shot in Newcastle Central station), and some of the Sir Geoffrey Norman MP sketches, such as the one where he is pulled over by a policeman for speeding and the one where he refuses to pay the taxi driver after getting out of the car (shot outside the main entrance to Newcastle Central station), one Ed Winchester scene is near Monument station. One scene from the Brilliant Kid showed him in Exhibition Park in Newcastle upon Tyne. Many scenes involving Janine Carr, filmed in greyscale, used the backdrop of the concrete flyover and underpasses of the junction of the A167(M) and the B1318 of the Great North Road in Jesmond. A few scenes were filmed inside the Newcastle City Library (which has now been demolished and a new Library building has replaced it).

Richmond – The market place in Ted & Ralph's trip to the shops

Scotch Corner – Garage used in Swiss Toni's early scenes

Seaton Carew - One "You ain't seen me right?" scene sees the main character sat on a child's ride in one of the seafront amusement arcades.

The Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear – a number of scenes involving Brilliant Kid

Stockton On Tees, Swiss Toni scenes, filmed at a car showroom on Norton Road.

Also for the third series the production extended abroad:

Iceland – Scenes with Brilliant Kid and Billy Bleach were shot with volcanic landscapes, waterfalls and hot springs in the background.

Where are the cast now?

Paul Whitehouse has appeared in two successful sitcoms since the end of the show, performed in the third Harry Potter film (although his role was cut), and voiced characters in the Tim Burton films ''Corpse Bride'' and ''Alice in Wonderland''. He also appeared in the BBC sketch show ''Harry and Paul'', starring alongside Harry Enfield once again.

Charlie Higson has continued to work as an award-winning author (having written a series of "Young Bond" spy novels), starred in the ''Fast Show'' spin-off sitcom ''Swiss Toni'', and remains enthusiastic about the show's success.

Caroline Aherne quit The ''Fast Show'' after the third series. With her then partner Craig Cash she co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in the BAFTA-award winning BBC comedy series ''The Royle Family'', which premiered in 1998. Her struggles with clinical depression and alcoholism have been widely covered in the UK tabloid press, and after the end of her relationship with Cash she briefly moved to Australia and announced that she would no longer appear on television. She has largely shunned the limelight and has made few TV appearances since 2000 but she returned to television comedy in October 2006, co-writing and starring in a one-off special episode of ''The Royle Family'', followed by three others annually from 2008 to 2010.

Arabella Weir co-starred in the 2003 comedy mini-series ''Posh Nosh'' with Richard E. Grant, continues to appear on the show ''Grumpy Old Women'' and has written two novels.

Simon Day appears in Powergen adverts as a decidedly Dave Angel, Eco-Warrior-like character. He has also appeared in ''Fast Show'' spin-offs ''Grass'' (featuring Billy Bleach) and ''Swiss Toni'', and also made an appearance in ''Run Fatboy Run''. He has recently appeared with Paul Whitehouse in the comedy show ''Harry and Paul''.

John Thomson continues to appear on British television, including major roles in ''Blackpool'' and ''Cold Feet''. He stated in October 2005 that he longed for a ''Fast Show'' movie. He is currently appearing in popular soap opera ''Coronation Street'' as a love interest for Eileen Grimshaw. In 2009, he appeared in 'Big Top' which was screened on BBC One, playing a clown.

Mark Williams has become internationally known thanks to his recurring role as Arthur Weasley in the ''Harry Potter'' films. He continues to act and write his own material and has presented a documentary series titled ''Mark Williams' Big Bangs'' on the history of explosives, a follow-on to previous series ''Mark Williams on the Rails'', and ''Industrial Revelations''.

in 2000 Charlie Higson, Arabella Weir, Simon Day and Fast Show supporting cast members Rhys Thomas (Paul in the Swiss Toni sketches) and Tony Way were reunited in the "Paranoia" episode of ''Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)'', starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer

''Down the Line''

In 2006, Higson and Whitehouse produced and starred in ''Down the Line'', a spoof phone-in show for BBC Radio 4. The show also featured many of the regular ''Fast Show'' cast, including Simon Day, Arabella Weir, Rhys Thomas and Felix Dexter. Further series were broadcast in 2007, 2008 and 2011. A follow-on TV series, Bellamy's People, was broadcast in 2010.

The future

Speaking on the BBC Two show ''Something for the Weekend'' on 9 September 2007, Higson mentioned the upcoming DVD boxed set release and that a reunion of some sort to help promote it was being considered. This took place at The Dominion Theatre in London on Sunday 4 November, and was a collection of some new sketches, videos of cast favourites and performances of classic sketches (including the return of Ed Winchester). An announcement was made on stage by Charlie Higson that the cast had signed with the BBC for a new series of 'The Fast Show', but this was an elaborate set-up for a sketch featuring Unlucky Alf; the claim was withdrawn at the end of the evening by Higson. In addition he and Whitehouse were working on a film script which would feature the Fast Show team, but wouldn't have any of the characters from the show.

DVDs

Numerous ''Fast Show'' DVDs are available including :

''The Fast Show : Series 1'' (includes cast interviews with Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Arabella Weir and Mark Williams)

''The Fast Show : Series 2''

''The Fast Show : Series 3 and 1996 Christmas Special''

''The Fast Show : The Last Fast Show Ever, Part One''

''The Fast Show Live''

''The Fast Show Farewell Tour''

A 7 DVD box set, ''The Ultimate Fast Show Collection'', was released in the UK on 5 November 2007, which compiled nearly all their material, except the two live DVD releases and their spin-off series/specials.

''You Ain't Seen These, Right!''

''You Ain't Seen These, Right!'' was a one-off programme, shown during BBC Two's ''Fast Show Night'', featuring various sketches which were filmed but did not make it onto the final show. Some of these were:

An ensemble series of sketches made by the whole male team, as members of a golf club, in which Charlie Higson's character was dating a beautiful young woman. The rest of the team are initially dismissive of him as a sad old man, but cannot help gawking over her, until Paul Whitehouse's character blurts out to her similarly young and attractive friend "Can I come over your tits?"

A chain-smoking car driver played by Mark Williams who rants about anything and everything through his wound-down window. A study of road rage. "Shoe shop?! Shoe Shop?!". He drives around in Harlesden, London.

A medieval king played by Simon Day, who 'loves being king' because he gets to boss everyone about.

A middle aged man, played by John Thomson, who always finds an excuse to leave the room as soon as the conversation gets round to "women's things."

A Paul Whitehouse character who responds to almost every question, accusation and situation with the phrase "Sorry, but I was up all night, shagging."

These sketches are included in the UK edition of the boxed VHS videotape set of Series 3, and also on the 7 disc Ultimate Fast Show DVD box set.

References

External links

Category:1994 in British television Category:1994 British television programme debuts Category:2000 British television programme endings Category:1990s British television series Category:2000s British television series Category:BBC television comedy Category:British television sketch shows Category:The Fast Show

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