Denis Dutton
Born	(1944-02-09)9 February 1944 Los Angeles, United States of America
Died	28 December 2010(2010-12-28) (aged 66) Christchurch, New Zealand
Occupation	Academic, Web Entrepreneur, Media Commentator
Nationality	American and New Zealander
Subjects	Art, evolution, media

Denis Laurence Dutton (9 February 1944 – 28 December 2010)^[1] was a philosopher of art, web entrepreneur and media activist. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. He was also a co-founder and co-editor of the websites Arts & Letters Daily, ClimateDebateDaily.com and cybereditions.com.^[2]

Life and career[link]

Denis Dutton was born in Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 1944, as the second of four children of William and Thelma Dutton,^[3] who were booksellers and founded what became Dutton's Books, a chain of independent bookstores.^[1] He grew up in North Hollywood, graduated from North Hollywood High School,^[3] and was educated at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1966 and his PhD in philosophy in 1975.^[1] Between taking these degrees, he went to India with the Peace Corps and learned to play sitar.^[1] Dutton taught at several American universities, including the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Michigan–Dearborn, before emigrating to New Zealand.

Dutton started teaching at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, in 1984.^[1] From 2008 to 2010 he was the Head of the Philosophy school in an unofficial capacity and acted briefly as Head of Humanities. At its December 2010 graduation ceremony, the University of Canterbury awarded Dutton a research medal for his work.^[4]

On 28 December 2010, Dutton died from cancer.^[5][6]

Arts & Letter Daily[link]

Dutton was best known for the web aggregation site Arts & Letters Daily, which he founded in 1998 and which secured him a place among "the most influential media personalities in the world."^[7] The site, described as "the first and foremost aggregator of well-written and well-argued book reviews, essays, and other articles in the realm of ideas,"^[8] features links to articles across the web about literature, art, science, and politics, for which Dutton wrote pithy teasers.^[1] In recognition of Arts & Letters Daily, Steven Pinker called Dutton a visionary for recognizing that a website "could be a forum for cutting-edge ideas, not just a way to sell things or entertain the bored."^[3]

Cybereditions[link]

Dutton served as executive director of Cybereditions, a print on demand publishing company he founded in 2000^[9] which specializes in new and out-of-print copyright works, mostly of a scholarly nature. The editorial board of the company has included other academics such as Frederic Crews, Anthony Grafton and Marjorie Perloff.^[10]

Aesthetics[link]

Dutton wrote on authenticity in art and distinguished between nominal authenticity, in which a work of art is correctly attributed to its author rather than being a forgery, and expressive authenticity, where a work is a true expression of an individual’s or a society’s values and beliefs.^[11]

In his book The Art Instinct (2010)^[12] Dutton opposes the view that art appreciation is culturally learned, claiming instead that art appreciation stems from evolutionary adaptions made during the Pleistocene.^[13] He set out abbreviated versions of his theory in a 2009 Google Talk lecture^[14] and a 2010 TED talk.^[15]

Dutton also argued that progress in the arts and sciences had declined, especially since around 1800.^[16]

Criticism of academic prose[link]

As editor of the journal Philosophy and Literature, Dutton ran the Bad Writing Contest, which aimed to "expose 'pretentious, swaggering gibberish' passed off as scholarship at leading universities."^[3] In 1995, the contest was won by Homi K. Bhabha and Fredric Jameson.^[17] In 1998, the contest awarded first place to University of California-Berkeley Professor Judith Butler, for a sentence which appeared in the journal diacritics.^[18] Butler defended her work against the charges of academic pedantry and obscurantism in the pages of the New York Times.^[19] Dutton then ended the contest.

The Bad Writing Contest emerged in an intellectual climate dominated by fallout from the Sokal affair,^{[20] [21]} in which the alleged opaqueness and obscurity of postmodern writing came in for criticism: Edward Said, for instance, deplored "diminishment and incoherence" in the writings of some of his colleagues and Martha Nussbaum condemned academic writing that was "ponderous and obscure."^[22]

Politics and activism[link]

Dutton supported "conservative ideas"^[23] and was a member of the Libertarian Party for some years.^[3]

Dutton was one of the founding members and first chair of the New Zealand Skeptics. His skepticism led him to believe that "climate change is still an open question."^[24]

He was also a passionate supporter of public radio. In the early 1990s he founded the lobby group The New Zealand Friends of Public Broadcasting in response to proposals to devolve New Zealand's two non-commercial public radio stations.^[25]

In 1995 he was appointed to the board of directors of Radio New Zealand, where he served for seven years.^[26] After concluding his term as a director, Dr Dutton and Dr John Isles issued a report criticising Radio New Zealand for loss of neutrality in news and current affairs, failure to adhere to charter and opposed to contestable funding of broadcasting.^[27]

Bibliography[link]

Dutton's publications include:

• Denis Laurence Dutton (1974). Art and anthropology: aspects of criticism and the social studies. University of California, Santa Barbara. 
• Denis Dutton (1983). The Forger's art: forgery and the philosophy of art. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-04341-3. 
• Denis Dutton, Michael Krausz (1985). The Concept of creativity in science and art. M. Nijhoff. ISBN 90-247-3127-5. 
• Denis Dutton (2003). Jerrold Levinson. ed. "Authenticity in Art". The Oxford Handbook of Aesthetics (Oxford University Press). http://www.denisdutton.com/authenticity.htm. 
• Charles A. Murray, Denis Dutton, Claire Fox (2008). In Praise of Elitism. Centre for Independent Studies, The. ISBN 1-86432-166-0. 
• Denis Dutton (2009). The art instinct: beauty, pleasure, & human evolution. Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0-19-953942-1. 
• Michael Krausz, Denis Dutton, Karen Bardsley (2009). The idea of creativity. BRILL. ISBN 90-04-17444-3. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Denis Dutton

• Denis Dutton's personal website
• Arts & Letters Daily
• Video (and audio) of interview/conversation with Dutton and John Horgan on Bloggingheads.tv
• Current Biography cover story on Dutton
• An interview about Arts & Letters Daily on The Marketplace of Ideas
• An interview about The Art Instinct on The Marketplace of Ideas

Saint Denis of Paris
Saint Denis, holding his head. statue at the left portal of Notre Dame.
Bishop and Martyr
Born	3rd century AD Italy
Died	c. 250, 258,[1] or 270 Montmartre, Paris, France
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church
Major shrine	Saint Denis Basilica
Feast	October 9
Attributes	carrying his severed head in his hands; a bishop's mitre; city; furnace[2]
Patronage	France; Paris; against frenzy, strife, headaches, hydrophobia, possessed people, rabies

Saint Denis (also called Dionysius, Dennis, or Denys) is a Christian martyr and saint. In the third century, he was Bishop of Paris. He was martyred in connection with the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after A.D. 250. After his head was chopped off, Denis is said to have picked it up and walked ten kilometres (six miles), preaching a sermon the entire way, making him one of many cephalophores in hagiology. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as patron of Paris, France and as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The medieval and modern French name "Denis" derives from the ancient name Dionysius.

Life[link]

Beheading of Denis and of his companions, tympanum of the north portal of the Basilica of St Denis.

Gregory of Tours^[3] states that Denis was bishop of the Parisii and was martyred by being beheaded by a sword. The earliest document giving an account of his life and martyrdom, the "Passio SS. Dionysii Rustici et Eleutherii" dates from c. 600, is mistakenly attributed to the poet Venantius Fortunatus, and is legendary. Nevertheless, it appears from the Passio that Denis was sent from Italy to convert Gaul in the third century, forging a link with the "apostles to the Gauls" reputed to have been sent out under the direction of Pope Fabian. This was after the persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian community at Lutetia.^[4] Denis, with his inseparable companions Rusticus and Eleutherius, who were martyred with him, settled on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine. Roman Paris lay on the higher ground of the Left Bank, away from the river.

Martyrdom[link]

Denis, having alarmed the pagan priests by his many conversions, was executed by beheading on the highest hill in Paris (now Montmartre), which was likely to have been a druidic holy place. The martyrdom of Denis and his companions is popularly believed to have given it its current name, derived from the Latin mons martyrium "The Martyrs' Mountain",^[1] although in fact the name is more likely to derive from mons mercurei et mons martis, Hill of Mercury and Mars.^[5] After his head was chopped off, Denis is said to have picked it up and walked ten kilometres (six miles) from the summit of Mont Mars (now Montmartre), preaching a sermon the entire way, making him one of many cephalophores in hagiology. Of the many accounts of this martyrdom, this is noted in detail in the Golden Legend and in Butler's Lives Of The Saints.^[6] The site where he stopped preaching and actually died was marked by a small shrine that developed into the Saint Denis Basilica, which became the burial place for the kings of France. Another account has his corpse being thrown into the Seine, but recovered and buried later that night by his converts.^[2]

Veneration[link]

Late Gothic statue of Saint Denis, limestone, formerly polychromed (Musée de Cluny)

Veneration of Saint Denis began soon after his death. The bodies of Saints Denis, Eleutherius, and Rusticus were buried on the spot of their martyrdom, where the construction of the saint's eponymous basilica was begun by Saint Geneviève, assisted by the people of Paris.^[7] Her Vita Sanctae Genovefae attests the presence of a shrine near the present basilica by the close of the fifth century, though the names of Rusticus and Eleutherius are non-historical. The successor church was erected by Fulrad, who became abbot in 749/50 and was closely linked with the accession of the Carolingians to the Merovingian throne.

In time, the "Saint Denis", often combined as "Montjoie! Saint Denis!" became the war-cry of the French armies. The oriflamme, which became the standard of France, was the banner consecrated upon his tomb. His veneration spread beyond France when, in 754, Pope Stephen II, who was French, brought veneration of Saint Denis to Rome. Soon his cultus was prevalent throughout Europe.^[7] Abbot Suger removed the relics of Denis, and those associated with Rustique and Eleuthére, from the crypt to reside under the high altar of the Saint-Denis he rebuilt, 1140-44.^[8]

The feast of Saint Denis was added to the Roman Calendar in the year 1568 by Pope Pius V, though it had been celebrated since at least the year 800. St Denis' feast day is celebrated on October 9.^[2]

In traditional Catholic practice, Saint Denis is honored as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Specifically, Denis is invoked against diabolical possession and headaches^[9] and with Sainte Geneviève is one of the patron saints of Paris.

Companions[link]

Last Communion and Martyrdom of Saint Denis, by Henri Bellechose, 1416, which shows the martyrdom of both Denis and his companions

9 October is celebrated as the feast of Saint Denis and also of his companions, a priest named Rusticus and a deacon, Eleutherius, who were martyred alongside him and buried with him.

Confusion with Dionysus the Areopagite[link]

Since at least the ninth century, the legends of Dionysus the Areopagite and Denis of Paris have been often confused. Around 814, Louis the Pious brought certain writings attributed to Dionysus the Areopagite to France, and since then it became common among the French legendary writers to argue that Denis of Paris was the same Dionysus who was a famous convert and disciple of Saint Paul.^[7] The confusion of the personalities of Saint Denis, Dionysus the Areopagite, and pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, the author of the writings ascribed to Dionysius brought to France by Louis, was initiated through an Areopagitica written in 836 by Hilduin, Abbot of Saint-Denis, at the request of Louis the Pious. "Hilduin was anxious to promote the dignity of his church, and it is to him that the quite unfounded identification of the patron saint with Dionysius the Areopagite and his consequent connexion with the apostolic age are due."^[10] Hilduin's attribution had been supported for centuries by the monastic community at Abbey of Saint-Denis and one of origins of their pride. In Historia calamitatum, Pierre Abelard gives a short account of the strength of this belief and the monastery's harsh opposition to challenges to their claim. Abelard jokingly pointed out a possibility that the founder of the Abbey could have been another Dionysius, who is mentioned as Dionysius of Corinth by Eusebius. This irritated the community so much that eventually Abelard left in bitterness. As late as the sixteenth century, scholars might still argue for an Eastern origin of the Basilica of Saint-Denis: one was Godefroi Tillman, in a long preface to a paraphrase of the Letters of the Areopagite, printed in Paris in 1538 by Charlotte Guillard.^[11] Historians today^[12] do not dispute this point.^[4]

Depiction in art[link]

Denis' headless walk has led to his being depicted in art decapitated and dressed as a Bishop, holding his own mitred head in his hands.^[7] Handling the halo in this circumstance poses a unique challenge for the artist. Some put the halo where the head used to be; others have Saint Denis carrying the halo along with the head. Even more problematic than the halo was the issue of how much of his head Denis should be shown carrying. Throughout much of the Middle Ages, the Abbey of St Denis and the canons of Notre-Dame Cathedral were in dispute over ownership of the saint's head. The Abbey claimed that they had the entire body, whilst the Cathedral claimed to possess the top of his head which, they claimed, had been severed by the executioner's first blow.^[13] Thus while most depictions of St Denis show him holding his entire head, in others, the patrons have shown their support for the Cathedral's claim by depicting him carrying just the crown of his skull, as, for example in the mid 13th century window showing the story at Le Mans Cathedral (Bay 111).^[14]

Notes[link]

Further Reading[link]

• Drinkwater, J.F. (1987). The Gallic Empire : separatism and continuity in the north-western provinces of the Roman Empire, A.D. 260-274. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden. ISBN 3-515-04806-5. 
• Gregory of Tours (1988). Glory of the martyrs. Raymond Van Dam, trans. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. ISBN 0-85323-236-9. 
• Lacaze, Charlotte (1979). The "Vie de Saint Denis" Manuscript. New York: Garland. 
• Van Dam, Raymond (1985). Leadership and community in late antique Gaul. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-05162-9. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Denis de Paris

• The Life, Miracles and Martyrdom of St. Denis (Dionysius, Dennis, Denys) Bishop & Martyr of the Church
• Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Denis
• St. Denis and Companions provides information about their feast on October 9

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (October 2011)

Jimmy Akingbola
Born	1978 (age 33–34) London, England
Years active	1999 - present

Jimmy Akingbola is a British television, theatre and film actor. Born in 1978 in Plaistow, London to Nigerian parents, he was the youngest of four children (two brothers and one sister). His eldest brother Sola Akingbola is head percussionist to British jazz funk band Jamiroquai and also lead vocalist to African funky roots band Critical Mass.

Early life[link]

During his early years Akingbola’s parents’ divorced. At the age of two Akingbola’s mother became extremely ill and he was eventually sent to a children’s home. Aged three, he was fostered by the white Crowe family, as the youngest of four children in Silvertown, East London. The family later moved back to Plaistow, where he eventually grew up.

In 1996 he started at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) in Wandsworth, London and completed their 3 year full time acting diploma. He was a popular student and well known for his jokes and good humour.

Theatre[link]

Akingbola started his career on stage at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in “The Nativity” for Bill Alexander. He continued to develop his art in theatre in a production of “Baby Doll” at the Royal National Theatre, then appearing in “Naked Justice” by playwright John Mortimer at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, opposite Leslie Phillips.

Akingbola played Elvis in the poignant play “Behzti” at the Birmingham Rep in December 2004. He then went on to work the talented rapper and actor Riz Ahmed in the hit play “Prayer Room” which secured Akingbola four star reviews for his performance as Bunce.

Akingbola continued to secure his place as a prominent stage actor in London in the production of Roxanne Silbert’s play “People Next Door” where he gave a memorable performance alongside actor Fraser Ayres’s character in the role as his best friend Marco.

Akingbola won his first award (TMA Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor) for the role of Christopher in “Blue/Orange” initially at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre which then went on a national tour. His character saw him play opposite Roger Lloyd-Pack and Shaun Evans in Joe Penhalls award winning play which was directed by Kathy Burke.

Akingbola later went onto to star in “The Cut” at the Donmar Warehouse opposite Ian McKellen directed by Michael Grandage. Further roles include Akingbola playing anti-hero Jimmy Porter in the John Osbourne play of “Look Back in Anger” at the Jermyn Street Theatre in July 2008 which made him the first black actor to play the role. The same year he played the title role of “Othello” for award winning theatre company Frantic Assembly which received a TMA Award.

TV[link]

Akingbola’s television roles started with the black BBC sitcom “The Crouches” playing the witty character of Dennis Dutton where he received favourable reviews which was rumoured to lead him being listed for a possible Bafta nomination. He has since played roles in “Stupid! The Bill, The Royal, The South Bank Show, Roger Roger, Holby City, Doctors, New Tricks, Comedy Lab and Longford.

Akingbola secured his first permanent major television role appearing in BBC’s police drama series Holby Blue, starring alongside Kacey Ainsworth and Tim Pigott Smith, as PC Neil Parker alongside his on screen colleague PC Kelly Cooper, played by Chloe Howman.

Jimmy returned to show his comedy talent in 2010 starring in the BBC2 hit series “REV” where he played the popular character “Mick”, alongside Tom Hollander and Olivia Coleman.

Jimmy also plays the roles of Malick in Holby City and PC Johnson in Silk, both on BBC One in 2011

Film[link]

Akingbola featured in the film “The Car” in addition to appearing in the international film “Anansi” as starring alongside Naomie Harris, Danny Sapani and Maynard Eziashi. He played the main lead in the film “The Dimples Cry” and in 2010 starred alongside Ray Fearon in the BBC film “Hominid” and featured in Nour Wazzi’s short film “Habibti” alongside Hiam Abbas.

Audio/Radio[link]

Akingbola is the voice in several popular computer games for electronics game brands including EA, Disney, PlayStation and Funcom. Games titles include; Dead Space 2, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gangs of London, Age of Conan, Dirt 2, James Bond: Golden Eye and Brink.

Akingbola works with BBC Radio as a regular voice over contributor to several shows including BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and 7.

Interests[link]

For many years Akingbola has been known by many to bring like minded people together within the London acting community and it is from this the nickname “Mr Nice” was born. The love of connecting individuals within the London acting scene turned into a business venture in 2008 when he co founded the company Triforce Promotions with business partners Fraser Ayres and Jason Angol. Triforce Promotions is an organisation which hosts monthly events for acting professionals to meet, creating opportunities between actors, casting directors, producers and directors across film and TV. In 2010, Triforce Promotions and the BBC developed an initiative, calling budding writers to submit scripts in the bid for winning scripts to be commissioned by the BBC. The relationship between the two organisations continues to grow with future projects in development.

Akingbola maintains his passion for connecting individuals from the entertainment industry by lending his time to host the monthly London show of “Monologue Slam”, an event developed by Goldrush Entertainment, known as the ultimate actor’s showcase which has seen attendance by household personalities including Lenny Henry and James Alexandrou.

Awards[link]

• Best Supporting Actor, Theatrical Management Association Annual Awards (“Blue/Orange”)^[1]

• Best Male TV Actor, BEFFTA Awards (BBC’s “REV”)
• Best Male Film Actor, BEFFTA Awards (“Habibti”)

Nominations[link]

• Best Male TV Actor, Screen Nation (BBC's "Holby Blue")

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jimmy Akingbola at the Internet Movie Database
• Five questions for Jimmy Akingbola
• Interview with TheatreVoices
• Spotlight Entry
• [1]
• Holby Blue character guide
• [2]
• Jimmy Akingbola
• Blue / Orange - preview
• [3]
• Frantic Assembly's Othello - YouTube
• [4]
• [5]
• [6]
• [7]

- Best Supporting Performance in a Play]

• TriForce Promotions Present: "Maynard" Fraser Ayres aka Mr.E's BBC Script - YouTube

Triforce Promotions website

• [8]
• "Jimmy's Hollywood dreams" - Metro article

Danny Glover
Danny Glover, January 2008
Born	Danny Lebern Glover (1946-07-22) July 22, 1946 (age 65) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director, activist
Years active	1979–present
Height	6'3" now (Peak Height: 6'4")
Spouse	Asake Bomani (1975–99?; divorced; 1 child)

Danny Lebern Glover (born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist.^[1] Glover is well known for his roles as Mr. Albert Johnson in The Color Purple, as Michael Harrigan in Predator 2, as corrupt cop James McFee in Witness, as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise, as Detective David Tapp in Saw as George Knox in Angels in the Outfield, and for his catch phrase "I'm too old for this shit." He has also appeared in many other movies, television shows, and theatrical productions. He is an active supporter of various humanitarian and political causes. He currently stars as Professor Arthur Teller in the Fox television series Touch.

Early life[link]

Glover was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Carrie (née Hunley) and James Glover. His parents, postal workers, were active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), working to advance equal rights.^[2] Glover's mother, daughter of a midwife, was born in Louisville, Georgia and graduated from Paine College in Augusta, Georgia.^[3] Glover grew up with a love for sports, like his father. Glover suffered from epilepsy in his teens and as a young adult. According to his own account, he "developed a way of concentrating so that seizures wouldn't happen." Using this technique, which he describes as "a type of self-hypnosis", Glover says he has not suffered a seizure since age 34.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

Glover at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Glover originally worked in city administration working on community development^{[citation needed]} before transitioning to theater. On the transition, he said:

"I didn't think it was a difficult transition. Acting is a platform that can become a conveyer for ideas. Art is a way of understanding, of confronting issues and confronting your own feelings—all within that realm of the capacity it represents. It may have been a leap of faith for me, given not only my learning disability (dyslexia) but also the fact that I felt awkward. I felt all the things that someone that's 6'3" or 6'4" feels and with my own diminished expectations of who I could be [and] would feel. Whether it's art, acting or theater that I've devoted myself to I put more passion and more energy into it."^[4]

His first theater involvement was with Conservatory Theater, a regional training program in San Francisco^{[citation needed]}. Glover also trained with Jean Shelton at the Shelton Actors Lab in San Francisco. In an interview on Inside the Actor's Studio, Glover credited Jean Shelton for much of his development as an actor. Deciding that he wanted to be an actor, Glover resigned from his city administration job and soon began his career as a stage actor. Glover then moved to Los Angeles for more opportunities in acting, where he would later go on to co-found the Robey Theatre Company with actor Ben Guillory in honor of the actor, radical activist, and concert singer Paul Robeson in Los Angeles in 1994^{[citation needed]}.

Glover has had a variety of film, stage, and television roles, and is best known for playing Los Angeles police Sergeant Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon series of action films. During his career, he has made many cameo appearances. For example, he appeared in the Michael Jackson video Liberian Girl of 1987. He has also appeared as the husband to Whoopi Goldberg's character Celie in The Color Purple, and as Lieutenant James McFee in the film Witness. In 1994 he made his directorial debut with the Showtime channel short film Override. Also in 1994, Glover and actor Ben Guillory formed the Robey Theatre Company in Los Angeles, focusing on theatre by and about Black people.

Glover earned top billing for the first time in Predator 2, the sequel to the sci-fi action film Predator. That same year he starred in Charles Burnett's To Sleep with Anger, for which he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.

In common with Humphrey Bogart, Elliott Gould and Robert Mitchum, who have played Raymond Chandler's private eye detective Philip Marlowe, Glover played the role in the episode "Red Wind" of the Showtime network's 1995 series Fallen Angels.

In 1997, under his former production company banner Carrie Films, Glover executive produced numerous films of first time directors including Pamm Malveaux’s neo-noir short film Final Act starring Joe Morton which aired on the Independent Film Channel.

In addition, Glover has been a voice actor in many children's movies. Glover was featured in the popular 2001 film Royal Tenenbaums, also starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

In 2004, he appeared in the low-budget horror film Saw as Detective David Tapp. In 2005, Glover and Joslyn Barnes announced plans to make No FEAR, a movie about Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo's experience. Coleman-Adebayo won a 2000 jury trial against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The jury found the EPA guilty of violating the civil rights of Coleman-Adebayo on the basis of race, sex, color and a hostile work environment, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Coleman-Adebayo was terminated shortly after she revealed the environmental and human disaster taking place in the Brits, South Africa, vanadium mines. Her experience inspired passage of the Notification and Federal Employee Anti-discrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No FEAR Act).

In 2009, Glover performed in The People Speak a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States”.^[5]

Glover played President Wilson, the President of the United States in 2012, a disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich and released in theaters November 13, 2009.

In 2010, Glover participated in a Spanish film called "I Want to Be a Soldier".^[6][7]

Planned directorial debut[link]

Glover sought to make a film biography of Toussaint Louverture for his directorial debut. In May 2006, the film had included cast members Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Roger Guenveur Smith, Mos Def, Isaach De Bankolé, and Richard Bohringer. Production, estimated to cost $30 million, was planned to begin in South Africa, filming from late 2006 into early 2007.^[8] In May 2007, President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez contributed $18 million to fund the production of Toussaint for Glover, who is a prominent U.S. supporter of Chávez. The contribution annoyed some Venezuelan filmmakers, who said the money could have funded other homegrown films and that Glover's film was not even about Venezuela.^[9][10] The following June, some Venezuelan filmmakers petitioned for Glover to reconsider using the funds provided by their president while the actor was scouting locations outside the Venezuelan capital Caracas.^[11] The petition resulted in the local film guilds Anac and Caveprol being outlawed by Venezuela; the country's state-backed film institute Cnac was also instructed to sever ties with the guild.^[12] In April 2008, the Venezuelan National Assembly authorized an additional $9,840,505 for Glover's film, which is still in planning.^[13]

Personal life[link]

On September 2, 2009, Glover signed an open letter of objection to the inclusion of a series of films intended to showcase Tel Aviv at the Toronto International Film Festival.^[14]

On April 16, 2010, Glover was arrested in Maryland during a protest by SEIU workers for Sodexo's unfair and illegal treatment of workers.^[15] He was given a citation and later released. The Associated Press reports "Glover and others stepped past yellow police tape and were asked to step back three times at Sodexo headquarters. When they refused, Starks says officers arrested them."^[16]

Activism[link]

Glover speaks at a March for Immigrants Rights in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2007.

While attending San Francisco State University, Glover was a member of the Black Students Union which,^[17] along with the Third World Liberation Front and the American Federation of Teachers, collaborated in a five-month student-led strike to establish a Department of Black Studies. The strike was the longest student walkout in U.S. history.^[18] It helped create not only the first Department of Black Studies but also the first School of Ethnic Studies in the U.S.

Hari Dillon, current president of the Vanguard Public Foundation, was a fellow striker at SFSU. Glover now sits on Vanguard's advisory board. Glover is also a board member of The Algebra Project, The Black AIDS Institute, Walden House, and Cheryl Byron's Something Positive Dance Group. He was charged with disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly after being arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington during a protest over Sudan's humanitarian crisis in Darfur.^[19]

Glover's long history of union activism includes support for the United Farm Workers, UNITE HERE, and numerous service unions.^[20] In March 2010, Danny Glover supported 375 Union workers in Ohio by calling upon all actors at the 2010 Academy Awards to boycott Hugo Boss suits due to Hugo Boss announcement to close a manufacturing plant in Ohio after a proposed pay decrease from $13 to $8.30 an hour was rejected by the Workers United Union.^[21]

In January 2006, Harry Belafonte led a delegation of activists, including Glover and activist/professor Cornel West, in a meeting with President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez.

Glover was an early supporter of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries until Edwards' withdrawal,^[22] although some news reports indicated that he had endorsed Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich,^[23] whom he had endorsed in 2004.^[24] After Edwards dropped out, Glover then endorsed Barack Obama.^[25]

Glover was an outspoken critic of George W. Bush, calling him a known racist. "Yes, he's racist. We all knew that. As Texas's governor, Bush led a penitentiary system that executed more people than all the other U.S. states together. And most of the people who died were Afro-Americans or Hispanics."^[26]

Glover's support of California Proposition 7 (2008) led him to use his voice in an automated phone call to generate support for the measure before the election.^[27]

On April 6, 2009, Glover was given a chieftancy title in Imo State, Nigeria.^[28] Glover was given the title Enyioma of Nkwerre, which means A Good Friend in the language of the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria.

Glover has become an active member of Board of Directors of The Jazz Foundation of America.^[29] Danny became involved with The Jazz Foundation in 2005, and has been a featured host for their annual benefit A Great Night in Harlem^[30] for several years, as well appearing as a celebrity MC at other events for the foundation. In 2006, Britain’s leading African theatre company Tiata Fahodzi appointed Danny Glover as one of its three Patrons, joining Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jocelyn Jee Esien opening the organization’s tenth anniversary celebrations (Sunday 2 February 2008) at Theatre Royal Stratford East, London.

Glover is also an active board member of the TransAfrica Forum.^[31]

On January 13, 2010, Glover compared the scale and devastation of the 2010 Haiti earthquake to the predicament other island nations may face as a result of the failed Copenhagen summit the previous year. Glover said "...the threat of what happens to Haiti is a threat that can happen anywhere in the Caribbean to these island nations... they're all in peril because of global warming... because of climate change... when we did what we did at the climate summit in Copenhagen, this is the response, this is what happens..."^[32] In the same statement, he called for a new form of international partnership with Haiti and other Caribbean nations and praised Venezuela, Brazil, and Cuba, for already accepting this partnership.

On November 1, 2011 Glover spoke to the crowd at Occupy Oakland on the day before the Oakland General Strike where thousands of protestors shut down the Port of Oakland.^[33]

Glover is a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a think tank led by economist Dean Baker.

Activism against Iraq war and invasion[link]

Danny Glover has been an outspoken critic of the Iraq war before the war began in March 2003. In February 2003, he was one of the featured speakers at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco where other notable speakers included names such as author Alice Walker, singer Joan Baez, United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland. Glover was a signatory to the April 2003 anti-war letter "To the Conscience of the World" that criticized the unilateral American invasion of Iraq that led to "massive loss of civilian life" and "devastation of one of the cultural patrimonies of humanity".^[34] During an anti-war demonstration in Downtown Oakland in March 2003, Danny Glover praised the community leaders for their anti-war efforts saying that "They're on the front lines because they are trying to make a better America... The world has come together and said 'no' to this war – and we must stand with them."

On Obama administration[link]

On the foreign policy of Obama administration, Glover said, "I think the Obama administration has followed the same playbook, to a large extent, almost verbatim, as the Bush administration. I don’t see anything different... On the domestic side, look here: What’s so clear is that this country from the outset is projecting the interests of wealth and property. Look at the bailout of Wall Street. Why not the bailout of Main Street? He may be just a different face, and that face may happen to be black, and if it were Hillary Clinton, it would happen to be a woman... But what choices do they have within the structure?".^[35]

Honors and awards[link]

In 2010, Glover delivered the Commencement Address and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Utah State University.^[36] He was also the recipient of a tribute paid by the Deauville American Film Festival in France on September 7, 2011. May 15th is officially National Danny Glover & Mel Gibson Day.

Credits in film, television and theatre[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Danny Glover

• Danny Glover at the Internet Movie Database
• Danny Glover at the Internet Broadway Database
• Danny Glover at the TCM Movie Database
• Al Jazeera English's Riz Khan interview with Danny Glover on YouTube
• Screening Identities - Danny Glover in conversation with Manthia Diawara Walls and Bridges
• A free video excerpt of a lecture by Glover^{[dead link]}
• InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse: Danny Glover (TV Interview)
• The TransAfrica Forum
• Interview on Democracy Now! (audio)
• Danny Glover at Emmys.com
• "Danny Glover: The Fire Within". AARP Magazine. May & June 2004. http://www.aarpmagazine.org/people/Articles/a2004-03-17-mag-dglover.html. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
• Interview in The Progressive^{[dead link]}
• mariannef (2007-04-04). "Africa On Fire! Interview with Danny Glover". KBOO. http://www.kboo.fm/node/3064. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
• Danny Glover in the news supporting Mumia Abu-Jamal
• Danny Glover on Democracy Now! February 26 2007 discussing the Oscars and the Panafrican Film and Television Festival in Burkina Faso
• Danny Glover talks about Bamako on YouTube
• The ongoing effort to draft Danny Glover into the San Francisco Mayoral race
• Cheryl Byron and Something Positive
• Danny Glover Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
• At The End of Slavery, a film created by International Justice Mission and narrated by Danny Glover
• The People Speak at the Internet Movie Database
• http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/12/entertainment/la-et-people-speak12-2009dec12