Capricorns
Celebs born between Dec. 22 - Jan. 19
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Jordin Brianna Sparks was born on December 22, 1989 in Phoenix, Arizona and raised in Glendale, Arizona & Ridgewood, New Jersey. She was born to Jodi Beth Wiedmann & Phillippi Sparks. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of American Idol at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debut studio album, released later that year, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold over two million copies worldwide. The album spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles "Tattoo" and "No Air"; the latter, a collaboration with Chris Brown, is currently the third highest-selling single by any American Idol contestant, selling over three million digital copies in the United States. The song earned Sparks her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Sparks' second studio album, Battlefield (2009), debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. Its title single reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Sparks the only American Idol contestant to have her first five singles reach the top 20 in the United States. The second single, "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)", became Sparks's first number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. Throughout her career, Sparks has received numerous accolades, including an NAACP Image Award, a BET Award, an American Music Award, a People's Choice Award and two Teen Choice Awards. In 2009, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 91st Artist of the 2000s Decade. In 2012, Sparks was ranked at number 92 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Women in Music". As of February 2012, she has sold 1.3 million albums and 10.2 million singles in the United States alone, making her one of the most successful American Idol contestants of all time.
Following the release of Battlefield, Sparks ventured into acting, pursuing television and Broadway. She made her stage debut as Nina Rosario in the musical In The Heights (2010), and her feature film debut as the titular character in Sparkle (2012). Sparks has also released several perfumes, including Because of You... in 2010 as well as Fascinate and Ambition in 2012. After a five-year absence from music, she released a mixtape, #ByeFelicia (2014), under a new record deal with Louder Than Life/Red Associated Labels, a joint deal with Sony Music Entertainment. Sparks' R&B-focused third studio album and most recent to date, Right Here Right Now (2015), saw smaller commercial success but received positive reviews from music critics.Jordin Brianna Sparks
December 22, 1989 in Phoenix, Arizona- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Brooke Nevin was born on 22 December 1982 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress and director, known for The Comebacks (2007), My Suicide (2009) and Call Me Fitz (2010).Brooke Candice Nevin
December 22, 1982 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada- Actor
- Soundtrack
Chris Carmack was born on 22 December 1980 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is an actor, known for The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations (2009), Lovewrecked (2005) and Shark Night (2011). He has been married to Erin Carmack since 19 October 2018. They have two children.James Christopher Carmack
December 22, 1980 in Washington, District of Columbia- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Heather Donahue was born on 22 December 1974 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for The Blair Witch Project (1999), Taken (2002) and Seven and a Match (2001).December 22, 1974 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania- Actress
- Composer
- Music Department
Vanessa Paradis is a renowned French actress, model and singer born in 1972. She started her career as a model and singer before becoming a movie star. Her song "Joe Le Taxi" brought her success in 15 countries at the age of 14. Later, in 1990, she was awarded a 'César' (French equivalent of Oscar) for her debut movie White Wedding (1989). For the next 5 years, she concentrated on her musical career, she rejected Pedro Almodóvar and John Boorman. In 1995, she appeared in Élisa (1995), but decided to concentrate on her private life with Johnny Depp and their children. After several years, Vanessa continued her singing and acting career.Vanessa Chantal Paradis
December 22, 1972 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val-de-Marne, France- Actress
- Producer
Dina Meyer is an American film and television actress best known for her roles as Barbara Gordon in Birds of Prey (2002), Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers (1997) and Detective Allison Kerry in the Saw installments. Meyer started acting in 1993, with her first major role playing Lucinda Nicholson in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). In the same year she made her film debut in the TV movie Strapped (1993). She broke out two years later, playing the cybernetically enhanced bodyguard Jane in the cyberpunk thriller Johnny Mnemonic (1995). In addition to Johnny Mnemonic, Meyer has played roles in other science fiction productions including Starship Troopers, Birds of Prey and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). She also starred as Detective Allison Kerry in the horror/thriller film Saw (2004) and its sequels as well. She has made many guest appearances and played one of the series regular roles in FOX's Point Pleasant (2005). Her additional guest star roles include Criminal Minds (2005), Castle (2009), The Mentalist (2008), Burn Notice (2007), and Nip/Tuck (2003), and she has recurred on ABC's Scoundrels (2010), CW's 90210 (2008), CBS's CSI: Miami (2002), and NCIS (2003).
Meyer resides in Los Angeles.December 22, 1968 in Queens, New York City- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Actor Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was born on December 22, 1962 in Suffolk, England, to Jennifer Anne Mary Alleyne (Lash), a novelist, and Mark Fiennes, a photographer. He is the eldest of six children. Four of his siblings are also in the arts: Martha Fiennes, a director; Magnus Fiennes, a musician; Sophie Fiennes, a producer; and Joseph Fiennes, an actor. He is of English, Irish, and Scottish origin.
A noted Shakespeare interpreter, he first achieved success onstage at the Royal National Theatre. Fiennes first worked on screen in 1990 and then made his film debut in 1992 as Heathcliff in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (1992), opposite Juliette Binoche. 1993 was his "breakout year". He had a major role in the controversial Peter Greenaway film The Baby of Mâcon (1993), with Julia Ormond, which was poorly received. Later that year he became known internationally for portraying the amoral Nazi concentration camp commandant Amon Goeth in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List (1993). For this he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He did not win, but did win the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award for the role, as well as Best Supporting Actor honors from numerous critics groups, including the National Society of Film Critics, and the New York, Chicago, Boston, and London Film Critics associations. His portrayal as Göth also earned him a spot on the American Film Institute's list of Top 50 Film Villains. To look suitable to represent Goeth, Fiennes gained weight, but he managed to shed it afterwards. In 1994, he portrayed American academic Charles Van Doren in Quiz Show (1994). In 1996, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Count Almásy the World War II epic romance, and another Best Picture winner, Anthony Minghella's The English Patient (1996), in which he starred with Kristin Scott Thomas. He also received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations, as well as two Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations, one for Best Actor and another shared with the film's ensemble cast.
Since then, Fiennes has been in a number of notable films, including Strange Days (1995), Oscar and Lucinda (1997), the animated The Prince of Egypt (1998), István Szabó's Sunshine (1999), Neil Jordan-directed films The End of the Affair (1999) and The Good Thief (2002), Red Dragon (2002), Maid in Manhattan (2002), The Constant Gardener (2005), In Bruges (2008), The Reader (2008), co-starring Kate Winslet, Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar®-winning The Hurt Locker (2008), Clash of the Titans (2010), Mike Newell's screen adaptation of Charles Dickens'Great Expectations (2012), with Helena Bonham Carter and Jeremy Irvine, and Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).
He is also known for his roles in major film franchises such as the Harry Potter film series (2005-2011), in which he played the evil Lord Voldemort. His nephew, Hero Fiennes Tiffin played Tom Riddle, the young Lord Voldemort, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). Ralph also appears in the James Bond series, in which he has played M, starting with the 2012 film Skyfall (2012).
In 2011, Fiennes made his directorial debut with his film adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy political thriller Coriolanus (2011), in which he also played the title character, opposite Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave. Fiennes has won a Tony Award for playing Prince Hamlet on Broadway.
In 2015, Fiennes played a music producer in Luca Guadagnino's A Bigger Splash (2015), starring opposite Tilda Swinton and Matthias Schoenaerts, and in 2016, Fiennes starred in Joel and Ethan Coen's Hail, Caesar! (2016).
Since 1999, Fiennes has served as an ambassador for UNICEF UK.Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes
December 22, 1962 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jean Michel Basquiat began painting graffiti in New York in 1977. He always signed his works with SAMO, which means "Same Old Shit". His works came to the attention of the American painter Keith Haring, who drew inspiration for his own work from New York graffiti paintings. Basquiat also made drawings on paper, sheet metal, T-shirts and other materials. And assemblages were created from scrap. In 1980 he took part in an exhibition together with Jenny Holzer, John Ahearn and several other artists. The following year, the medium "Artforum" reported on Basquiat in a major article.
Further exhibitions followed, which contributed to his popularity. He presented his work in 1981 at the exhibition "New York, New Wave" at P.S.1. His contacts with the director Julian Schnabel, who made a film about Basquiat in 1996, as well as other acquaintances with artists such as the American painter Willem de Kooning also advanced his career - also in the international art scene. In 1982 an exhibition of his works opened in Italy. In the same year, at the age of 21, he was invited to take part in the documenta in Kassel.
In 1983 he met Andy Warhol, which not only developed into a friendship. Warhol became his mentor and supporter. The relationship developed into a working group and joint exhibitions followed. Warhol called Basquiat the first black superstar artist. His works quickly became sought after by critics, collectors and artists. He made his breakthrough with mixed media, using colored pencils, oil pastels, pastels, watercolors, pencils, charcoal and acrylics. He used it to design canvases and paper, adding columns of words and grimaces or the copyright symbol.
In the 1980s, Jean Michel Basquiat became one of the most important figures in the New York art scene alongside artists such as Keith Haring, Julian Schnabel, David Salle and Francesco Clemente. In his second phase, Basquiat emphasized the figurative nature of his subjects. Nevertheless, his roots in graffiti art cannot be denied, they are always present. He created paintings with large formats and fast movements. He used Jackson Pollock's drip painting technique by letting the paint fall onto the surface. Basquiat's themes in his art included protesting against racial discrimination.
With his works, the artist also wanted to draw attention to the difficult conditions of the weaker people in society. Basquiat was very productive in his short artistic career. His complete works number several hundred Work.
Jean Michel Basquiat died of a heroin overdose on August 12, 1988.December 22, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York - August 12, 1988 (age 27) in Brooklyn, New York (drug overdose)- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Hector Elizondo was born in New York City, New York, where he was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He is the son of Carmen Medina Reyes and Martín Echevarría Elizondo. Hector is of Basque and Puerto Rican descent, and "Elizondo" means "at the foot of the church" in Basque. His lifestyle in his days before acting was as diverse as the roles he plays today. He was a conga player with a Latin band, a classical guitarist and singer, a weightlifting coach, a ballet dancer and a manager of a bodybuilding gym. In his teens, he played basketball and baseball, and was scouted by the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates farm teams. After a knee injury ended his dance career, he switched to drama. Since then, he has frequently appeared on Broadway, most notably with George C. Scott in Arthur Penn's production of "Sly Fox" for which he received a Drama Desk nomination and for his role as "God" in "Steambath", which won him an Obie Award. Other theatre credits include; "The Prisoner of Second Avenue"; "The Great White Hope"; "Dance of Death" with Robert Shaw and "The Rose Tattoo" opposite Cicely Tyson. Countless starring roles in television include: Foley Square (1985); Medal of Honor Rag (1982); Casablanca (1983) (in which he recreated the Claude Rains role of police chief "Capt. Renault"); Freebie and the Bean (1974); Popi (1975) and as Sophia Loren's husband in the CBS special Courage (1986). Guest appearances include: Kojak (1973); Kojak: Ariana (1989); A Case of Immunity (1975); Baretta (1975); All in the Family (1971); The Rockford Files (1974) and Bret Maverick (1981). In addition, he also directed a.k.a. Pablo (1984), the first show to utilize seven cameras instead of the usual four. On the big screen, he has been seen in, among others, American Gigolo (1980); The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974); Cuba (1979); Valdez Is Coming (1971) and in four films directed by Garry Marshall: Young Doctors in Love (1982); The Flamingo Kid (1984); Nothing in Common (1986) and Overboard (1987). Elizondo starred with Dan Aykroyd and Michelle Pfeiffer in PBS' Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson (1987) (based on a collection of John O'Hara stories) and made his debut as a stage director with a production of "Villa!" starring Julio Medina. In addition, he performed in the 50th anniversary production of "War of the Worlds" co-starring Jason Robards and the TV-movie Addicted to His Love (1988) with Barry Bostwick.December 22, 1936 in New York City- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Deborah went to New York City to study acting when she was 17 and quickly got involved in also writing and producing indie films. Her first feature, A Gun For Jennifer (1997), went to over 27 film festivals and is a European cult hit. She then produced and starred in the indie Molotov Samba. Shortly after, with her eighteen month old son in a stroller and her baby girl on her chest in a Bjorn, Deborah wrote, starred in and directed In-Between, a supernatural 9/11 thriller
She also wrote, starred in and directed A Cry From Within starring Eric Roberts, Cathy Moriarty and James McCaffrey to be followed by Confidence Game featuring Sean Young, James McCaffrey and Robert Clohessy.
In the last couple years, Deborah has begun the dive into the exciting world of episodics and wrote, produced and starred in the supernatural thriller pilot A Beautiful Distraction (starring Sean Young, Adrian Paul and Vivica Fox), set to go into full production of the entire first season in spring of 2024. . In fall of 2023, her first season of Crazytown (a dark comedy about the strip club world), premieres on streaming platforms globally.
Deborah most recently enjoyed the release of the Dogma95 style thriller, Sapsiosexual, distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures in May of 2023 and currently available on several platforms including Amazon and Tubi.
Her Director's Cut of Sebastien (A Cry From Within), with 20 minutes of additional footage featuring Tom Pelphrey, premiered on TubiTV December 1, 2021 and is a top performer for distributor Breaking Glass Pictures.
In December of 2023 Twiss and her team will be filming the thriller Broken, starring Michael Paré and several other fun name actors.December 22, 1971 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania- Actress
- Soundtrack
BernNadette Stanis is best known as Thelma from Good Times (1974), but there's much more to her than that. In the 1970s she was the personification of black beauty. As sophisticated and graceful as she was, she still became TV's first black sex symbol or "It" girl. Thelma/BernNadette and the Evans family also proved many stereotypes wrong about the ghetto and the young black girl, such as that all black girls and black families in the ghetto had no hopes, dreams, or class. Thelma showed that a "ghetto girl" had hopes and dreams, intelligence, respect, dignity, and grace, and it wasn't just acting--BernNadette was that naturally. She introduced a new definitive image of the young black girl and woman.
BernNadette was a wonderful, graceful dancer, which she displayed several times on the series. Everything she did was marked with delicacy, diminutive beauty, form, or grace, all very welcome in TV in the 1970s. Her dramatic, comedic charm, witty one-liners, daintiness, winsomeness, and sexy but innocent image were versatile qualities that made her a great talent and great favorite who will never be forgotten.Bernadette Stanislaus
December 22, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York- Actress
- Soundtrack
Born Barbara Lillian Combes, she attended Los Angeles Junior College in the mid-1930s and then moved to New York City, where she worked as a model. In 1945, she received a contract from MGM, and she appeared in several films during the late 1940s and 1950s, sometimes without screen credit. In the 1950s, she turned to television and appeared in shows including the sitcoms Professional Father (1955) and The Box Brothers (1956), as well as guest-starring on "The Abbott and Costello Show", the David Niven anthology series, Four Star Playhouse (1952), and the sitcom, Mr. Adams and Eve (1957). In 1957, Billingsley began starring in the sitcom, Leave It to Beaver (1957), as "June Cleaver", mother to "Wally" and "Theodore", nicknamed "Beaver". She appeared in her most famous role for 234 episodes, remaining with the show until it ended after six seasons. After 17 years of semi-retirement, Billingsley returned to movies in 1980's Airplane! (1980), creating another iconic role by spoofing her wholesome image with a brief appearance in this send-up of 1970s disaster movies, as a middle-aged white passenger who could translate between a white stewardess and two African-American passengers, because "I speak jive". She also appeared in The New Leave It to Beaver (1983), which ran from 1983 to 1989, and voiced the character of "Nanny" in the Muppet Babies (1984) cartoon series, from 1984 to 1991. Billingsley continued to act occasionally, including appearances on the sitcoms, Roseanne (1988) and Empty Nest (1988), and died at her home, after having dealt for several years with the effects of a rheumatoid disease.Barbara Lillian Combes
December 22, 1915 in Los Angeles, California - October 16, 2010 (age 94) in Santa Monica, California (polymyalgia)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Multi-talented actress Lynne Thigpen was born Cherlynne Thigpen in Joliet, Illinois, on December 22, 1948. She performed in community theater and university theater productions while attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Following graduation, she taught high-school English for a short time, but her interest in acting eventually prevailed over teaching. Her desire to act professionally was further fueled by a strong set of vocal chops.
Moving to New York, Lynne subsequently won a singing role as part of the ragtag disciple ensemble in the hip, flower-powered musical "Godspell" in 1971. Two years later she transferred her role to film along with several other members of the original stage cast. Godspell (1973) opened a major door for the actress as a performer of boundless energy and vocal power, as exemplified by her rousing version of "O Bless the Lord My Soul."
Lynne continued on the 1970s musical stage with roles in "The Magic Show" and the blue-collar piece "Working," and in 1981 earned a Tony nomination for her powerhouse performance in "Tintypes." She eventually reasoned, however, that if she was to be taken seriously as a dramatic actress, she would need to refocus her energies. She then abandoned her tuneful ways and ventured assertively into films and TV.
During her 30-year career, Lynne went on to appear in nearly 40 movies and numerous television series, usually secondary in nature but alternately fiery and dignified in character. Lynne became a strong, set-jawed figure in social and urban drama as she managed to avoid the easy pitfalls of typecasting. Though most of her early film parts seemed small and insignificant, she continued to grow and gain a more assured footing while appearing in such popular features as Tootsie (1982), Sweet Liberty (1986), Hello Again (1987), and Running on Empty (1988).
Every now and then she was given a chance to shine, as with her volatile school parent in Lean on Me (1989). TV was a more palpable and productive medium for her with a stand-out recurring role as a judge on L.A. Law (1986) and a long-running part on the daytime soap All My Children (1970). She also committed herself to wholesome viewing for children, portraying the unnamed Chief on the PBS children's series Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1991) and Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? (1996), earning four Emmy nominations in the process.
Throughout the years, Lynne remained a vital force on the stage. She won a Los Angeles Drama Critics award for her performance in August Wilson's "Fences," two off-Broadway Obies for Athol Fugard's "Boesman and Lena" (1992) and "Jar the Floor" (2000), and a Tony for "Best Supporting Actress" for her portrayal of a half-Black, half-Jewish feminist in "An American Daughter" (1997).
Other strong theater roles came with "A Month of Sundays" (1987) and as a spunky 101-year-old maiden woman in "Having Our Say." Lynne's dusky-voiced command was also utilized to narrate more than 20 socially relevant books on tape. Her last regular TV series role was as police clerk and computer expert Ella Farmer on The District (2000), a role she played until her sudden death.
Lynne was found unconscious at her home in Marina del Rey, California, by a friend. She died on March 12, 2003, age 54, of a cerebral hemorrhage. Her final film Anger Management (2003), which starred Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, was released posthumously.Cherlynne Thigpen
December 22, 1948 in Joliet, Illinois - March 12, 2003 (age 54) in Los Angeles, California (cerebral hemorrhage)- Lenny von Dohlen was born in Augusta, Georgia. As a child, he wished to become a jockey, but grew too tall for his dream. He graduated from the University of Texas/Austin and majored in drama at Loretto Heights College.
His film debut was in the Academy Award-winning Tender Mercies (1983), starring Robert Duvall, written by Horton Foote and directed by Bruce Beresford. From that performance, he was given the leading role in MGM/UA's Electric Dreams (1984). Other starring roles quickly followed: Under the Biltmore Clock (1984), Blind Vision (1992), Jennifer 8 (1992), Edward Zwick's Leaving Normal (1992), David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), and the title role in Billy Galvin (1986), opposite Karl Malden.
In a career known for depth, diversity and mostly dramatic roles, Lenny Von Dohlen shook things up hilariously when he played one of the bumbling bad guys in Twentieth Century Fox's Home Alone 3 (1997). This came on the heels of a string of amazingly complex roles in highly regarded independent films such as Tollbooth (1994), Bird of Prey (1995), One Good Turn (1996), Entertaining Angels (1998), Cadillac (1997) and Breaking News (1994).
Von Dohlen made an auspicious television debut in the Emmy Award-winning Kent State: The Day the War Came Home (2000), and has appeared in some of television's most highly regarded shows, such as Thirtysomething (1987), Picket Fences (1992), Chicago Hope (1994), The Lazarus Man (1996), The Pretender (1996), CSI: Miami (2002) and "ABC Afternoon Specials" (1972) {Don't Touch}_ , directed by Beau Bridges. However, he is probably best known for having created the agoraphobic orchid-growing "Harold Smith" in David Lynch's cutting-edge series Twin Peaks (1990). Most recently, he appeared in Masterpiece Theatre's presentation of Eudora Welty's "The Ponder Heart" on PBS. Above all, the theater is his first love. In New York, he created roles in "Asian Shade", "The Team", "Twister" and "Vanishing Act" and "The Maderati", both by Richard Greenberg. For nine months, he starred in Carol Churchill's hit play "Cloud 9", directed by Tommy Tune, followed by The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of "Desire Under The Elms", opposite Kathy Baker. He has starred in "Hamlet", "Romeo and Juliet", Joe Orton's "Loot", Wedekind's and Lanford Wilson's one-man play "A Poster of the Cosmos". On the West Coast, Mr. Von Dohlen has been see in Wedekind's "Lulu" at the La Jolla Playhouse, "The Blue Room" at the Pasadena Playhouse, in "Theater Distric" at the Black Dahlia Theater, and at the Theater & Boston Court played "Voltaire" in the much acclaimed World Premier of Jean Claude van Italie's "Light" garnering the Los Angeles Critics Circle and Ovation Best Actor Award nominations. Von Dohlen resided in New York and Los Angeles.
On 2022, von Dohlen died after struggling against an undisclosed long illness. He was 63.December 22, 1958 in Augusta, Georgia - Actress
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Tall, sultry, green-eyed blonde Peggie Castle was actually spotted by a talent scout while she was lunching in a Beverly Hills restaurant. In her films she was usually somebody's "woman" rather than a girlfriend, and her career was confined to mostly "B"-grade action pictures, dramas or westerns: Harem Girl (1952), Wagons West (1952), The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951), Jesse James' Women (1954), among others. She did, however, have good roles in such films as Payment on Demand (1951) with Bette Davis, 99 River Street (1953) with John Payne, I, the Jury (1953), The White Orchid (1954), Miracle in the Rain (1956) with Jane Wyman and in Seven Hills of Rome (1957) with Mario Lanza. After three seasons playing sexy femme lead Lily Merrill, the dance-hall hostess and romantic interest for steely-eyed Marshal Dan Troop in the TV western series Lawman (1958), she left show business in 1962. She later developed an alcohol problem and died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1973 at age 45.December 22, 1927 in Appalachia, Virginia - August 11, 1973 (age 45) in Hollywood, California (cirrhosis of the liver)- Actress
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Ruth Roman was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the youngest of three daughters of Lithuanian-Jewish parents Mary Pauline (Gold) and Abraham Roman. Her father, a carnival barker, died when she was a small child, forcing her mother to support the family by working as a waitress and cleaning woman. Ruth grew up in the poor tenement district of Boston, Massachusetts, where she went to school. However, she left school after just two years to pursue an acting career. Her chosen path proved to be strewn with obstacles: in New York, she obtained a job posing for stills for a crime magazine, but theatrical work eluded her. She then worked as a hat check girl at a night club before calling it quits and returning to Boston. There, she made ends meet as an usherette during the day while at night performing with the New England Repertory Company, her first steady acting job. She also studied drama and eventually graduated from the Bishop-Lee Theatre School.
Trying to get into films, Ruth unsuccessfully made the rounds of agents and producers for two years (1940-42), until a bit part as a WAVE came her way in the film Stage Door Canteen (1943). With $200 to her name, she purchased a one-way ticket to Hollywood, where she found shared accommodation with other aspiring starlets, naming it, optimistically, 'the House of the Seven Garbos'. After a screen test with Warner Brothers failed to result in a contract, Ruth had another run of six hard years playing bit parts, many of them uncredited, some ending up on the cutting room floor. A sole speaking part of consequence was in the titular role of Jungle Queen (1945), a Universal serial (after subsequent acting lessons, Ruth was aghast when the serial was rereleased in 1951).
Ruth finally got her big break when producer Dore Schary cast her (against character, as a murderess) in the RKO thriller The Window (1949). That same year, she successfully auditioned for Stanley Kramer's boxing drama Champion (1949) as the dependable wife of the fighter (Kirk Douglas). After this turning point in her life, the shapely, smoky-voiced brunette secured a contract with Warner Brothers. During the next phase of her career, she moved effortlessly from glamorous and seductive to demure and wholesome in films opposite stars like James Stewart, Errol Flynn, and Gary Cooper. Look Magazine billed her as the 'Big Time Movie Personality of 1950', and by the following year she was receiving some 500 fan letters per week.
While many of her leads were in westerns (albeit mostly A-grade ones), Ruth was somewhat more memorable in support of Farley Granger (as his upper-crust lover and the raison d'etre for the planned murder of his wife) in Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train (1951). Another offbeat role was as a gangster's moll in the British-made updated adaptation of Shakespeare's Joe MacBeth (1955). As Lily, she is the power behind angst-ridden Paul Douglas ('Joe'), whom she easily manipulates to do her bidding. In The Bottom of the Bottle (1956), she was at her dependable best as the supportive wife of lawyer Joseph Cotten. Arguably, her last noteworthy performance on the big screen was in Alexander Singer's romance/drama Love Has Many Faces (1965).
By the 1960s, Ruth had made the transition to middle-aged character parts and began to appear mostly on television in shows like The Outer Limits (1963), Mannix (1967), Gunsmoke (1955), and (in a recurring role) in The Long, Hot Summer (1965). She also toured nationally with theatrical productions of "Plaza Suite", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", and "Two for the Seesaw". For the actress, who was said to disdain the trimmings of Hollywood stardom, real-life drama came when she and her son counted among the 760 survivors of the sinking of the luxury cruise liner 'Andrea Doria' in 1956. In September 1967, she jumped from her burning car but still managed to make her scheduled performance in "Beekman Place" at the Ivanhoe Theatre. Ruth died in September 1999 at her home in Laguna Beach, aged 76.Norma Roman
December 22, 1922 in Lynn, Massachusetts - September 9, 1999 (age 76) in Laguna Beach, California- Actor
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Graham Beckel was born on 22 December 1949 in Old Lyme, Connecticut, USA. He is an actor and director, known for L.A. Confidential (1997), Leaving Las Vegas (1995) and Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018). He has been married to Elizabeth Briggs Bailey since 1 December 1984.December 22, 1949 in Old Lyme, Connecticut- Actor
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Sergi López is a Spanish actor, whose specialty is villains of all types but whose range also includes dramatizing romantic and comedic roles with equal mastery. He was born outside of Barcelona in the seaside town of Villanova i la Geltrú on December 22nd, 1965. As a youth he was inclined towards the performance arts and headed to France for further studies in the field. In 1991 he auditioned for French director Manuel Poirier who was so impressed with Sergi that he gave him the lead role in "Western." Poirier and López continued to collaborate on "La Petite-Amie d'Antonio," "La Campagne," "Attention Fragile," and "Marion" in subsequent years. Sergi often played the charming Spanish immigrant lost in France in Poirier's films.
Sergi's career was actually cemented in France that catapulted him to public recognition, while Spain was still relatively oblivious to her talented son until 1997. In 1997 Sergi appeared in Catalan auteur Ventura Pons' "Caricies" that also showcased Spain's finest actors. He spoke Catalan in the role. After "Caricies" Sergi appeared in Spanish cinema more frequently such as in "Entre las piernas" with Spanish mega-stars Javier Bardem and Victoria Abril and in "Lisboa" with Spanish legend Carmen Maura. Sergi was then offered plum roles both in France and Spain and split time traveling back and forth between his adopted nation and native motherland.
In 2001 he won the César for his role in Dominick Moll's "Harry, Un Ami Qui Vous Veut du Bien." This role came to define his mastery on villainous roles which continued in "Solo Mia" with Paz Vega as his battered wife, Stephen Frears' "Dirty Pretty Things" with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou as his scared pawns, and Guillermo del Toro's "El Laberinto del Fauno" with post-Civil Spain as playground for his Vidal's sadism.
However, not all is dark villainy in Sergi's most recognized and praised thespian filmography. Sergi also displayed his comedic talents in "Hombre Felices" and "Janis et John."
With such range, talent, and skill, it is no wonder horror master and aficionado Guillermo del Toro said he is "in love" with Sergi's work and insisted on casting him as the stone-cold killer Captain Vidal despite Spanish producers' misgivings. Let us hope that, despite wider international exposure, Sergi continues to retain his unique avant-gardeness and participate only in projects that do his talent justice.December 22, 1965 in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Logan Huffman was born on 22 December 1989 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Final Girl (2015), V (2009) and Lymelife (2008). He has been married to Lisa Origliasso since 4 November 2018.December 22, 1989 in Indianapolis, Indiana- Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Jay Brazeau was born on 22 December 1953 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is an actor and writer, known for Watchmen (2009), Horns (2013) and Insomnia (2002).December 22, 1953 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Robin Gibb was born in 1949 on the Isle of Man, about half an hour before his twin brother Maurice. His parents, Barbara and Hugh, were both musical. Barbara sang and Hugh was a drummer and bandleader. Robin had four siblings - an older sister and brother, Lesley and Barry, twin Maurice and younger brother Andy. The family moved for some time to Manchester, England before emigrating to Australia in 1958.
During their childhood, Robin, Maurice and Barry began performing together. They played under various band names, but finally settled on The Bee Gees. It was in Australia that the band first tasted success, topping the charts there in 1965 with 'Spicks and Specks'. In 1966 they relocated back to the UK and landed a recording contract with Polydor. Chart success followed in the UK and USA.
In the late 60s, tensions arose in the band, and Robin briefly left to pursue a solo career, but the group reunited and continued having success, including switching to a more disco sound. In 1977, The Bee Gees wrote and produced five songs for the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever (1977). The film was a smash and the soundtrack album went on to become one of the biggest selling of all time, elevating The Bee Gees to superstar group status.
Robin and the group also became known for penning hit records for other artists including Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. The band continued writing and performing into the 1990s, but disbanded officially in 2003 when Maurice Gibb died suddenly at 53. Robin continued to write and perform solo material, and became involved in charity work in support of British troops. In 2011 it was announced that he was suffering with cancer. After a brave battle with the disease and other health problems, Robin Gibb passed away on May 20th 2012.Robin Hugh Gibb
December 22, 1949 in Douglas, Isle of Man - May 20, 2012 (age 62) in Chelsea, London, England (colorectal cancer)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
She became an actress because her mother had been stage struck so attended RADA and won a gold medal but despite that she was out of work for a year. An early success was as Ruby in Getting Married at St Martins Theatre in 1938, Probably best remembered for her role as Edna the Inebriated Woman for which she won the Television Actress of the ~Year Award in 1972. As a small child she was sent to an acting teacher who taught her to recite The Murder of Nancy Drew by Charles Dickens and used to recite it in childrens competitions and win prizesPatricia Lawlor Hayes
December 22, 1909 in Camberwell, London, England - September 19, 1998 (age 88) in London, England- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Actress
Diane Sawyer was born on 22 December 1945 in Glasgow, Kentucky, USA. She is a writer and actress, known for ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (1953), 20/20 (1978) and Primetime (1989). She was previously married to Mike Nichols.Lila Diana Sawyer
December 22, 1945 in Glasgow, Kentucky- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Maurice Gibb was born on 22 December 1949 in Douglas, Isle of Man, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Saturday Night Fever (1977), Ready Player One (2018) and Virtuosity (1995). He was married to Yvonne Gibb and Lulu. He died on 12 January 2003 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA.Maurice Ernest Gibb
December 22, 1949 in Douglas, Isle of Man - January 12, 2003 (age 53) in Miami Beach, Florida (complications resulting from a twisted intestine)- Academy Award-winning, legendary English actress - who maintained her status in the British acting elite for decades. Made a Dame of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956. Almost always on stage, she appeared rarely in film, her first being The Wandering Jew (1933). On stage she was cast in many a Shakespearean role, but in film she usually played sympathetic characters. She won an Oscar for A Passage to India (1984), and her last TV film was She's Been Away (1989). She died from a stroke.Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft
December 22, 1907 in Croydon, Surrey, England - June 14, 1991 (age 83) in London, England (stroke) - Actor
- Soundtrack
Gene Rayburn was born on December 22, 1917, in Christopher, Illinois. After his father died at a very young age, his mother moved to Chicago and married Milan Rubessa, and Gene adopted his stepfather's name. As Gene Rubessa, he acted in high school plays and hoped to follow an acting career. He moved to New York City in the 1930s where he was a page for NBC, later working as an usher for the NBC symphony orchestra. Before World War Two, he went to announcers school and worked with various radio personalities around New York City. He married Helen Tricknor, in 1940, with whom he had one child, Lynn, in 1942. Soon afterwards, he was called to Military Service and joined the U.S. Air Corps. After the war, Gene worked on the "Rayburn and Finch Show" and, later, the "Gene Rayburn Show" in the early fifties. During the 50s, Rayburn was instrumental in highlighting corruption on radio, by playing an older song so many times that it became a hit. This was alleged to have proved that record promoters could pay DJs to play records on stations for bribes, making the songs very popular, albeit for a price. His breakthrough came in the mid-50s as the announcer on The Tonight Show (1953), with Steve Allen. Rayburn and Allen were associated on The Tonight Show (1953) Show for three years and Rayburn became a household name for many years after that. In 1955, he hosted his first game show called The Sky's the Limit (1954). Subsequent game shows included The Match Game (1962), Make the Connection (1955), Musical Chairs (1954), Play Your Hunch (1958), Tic Tac Dough (1956) and Dough Re Mi (1960). He always flew by jet from his home in Massachusetts to host his various shows. Rayburn was also a Broadway performer, and appeared in plays such as "Bye, Bye Birdie"- Charles Nelson Reilly was his understudy. He also had a small part in the movie, It Happened to Jane (1959).Eugene Rubessa
December 22, 1917 in Christopher, Illinois - November 29, 1999 (age 81) in Gloucester, Massachusetts (congestive heart failure)- Director
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
During his last years at school he spent most of his time writing a thesis on 'the future of film' On leaving school he joined Gaumont British Studios at Lime Grove as an apprentice to a stills photographer for a year. He claimed this taught him more about the art of photography than any other form of training could. He then became a clapper boy at B.I.P. Studios at Elstree then moved to British Dominion where he became a a camera assistant. Next was a move to Pinewood and his call up for war duty much of which was spent as a one man film unit based at Aldershot where he learnt more about his craft than about soldering.. After the war he returned to Shepperton Studios to work for Alexander Korda and Powell and Pressburger. He also worked for John Huston on 'Moby Dick' for which he was responsible for all the second unit photography and special effects.Frederick William Francis
December 22, 1917 in Islington, London, England - March 17, 2007 (age 89) in Isleworth, Middlesex, England (complications from a stroke)- Franc Luz was born on 22 December 1950 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor, known for When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Don Juan DeMarco (1994) and Ghost Town (1988). He was previously married to Barbara Marineau.December 22, 1950 in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Minor Watson was a jovial, grandfatherly actor specializing in playing warm-hearted doctors, affable small-town businessmen, concerned army officers and other such characters. Watson wasn't as prolific as many other actors of his type; while he made slightly more than 100 films, his colleagues such as Russell Hicks and Pierre Watkin had over 300 to their credit, although Watson usually brought a warmth and a good humor to his roles that the others often didn't. While Hicks' and Watkin's characters commanded respect, Watson's soft Southern drawl (he was from Arkansas), engaging manner and soothing demeanor made his characters both liked and respected. He was especially effective as Col. Grayson, the commander of the Marines hitting the beach, in Guadalcanal Diary (1943).December 22, 1889 in Marianna, Arkansas - July 28, 1965 (age 75) in Alton, Illinois
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Bert Michaels was born on 22 December 1943 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for West Side Story (1961), Saturday Night Fever (1977) and West Side Story (2021).December 22, 1943 in New York City- Lanna Saunders was born on 22 December 1941 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Body Heat (1981), Days of Our Lives (1965) and The Six Million Dollar Man (1974). She was married to Lawrence Pressman and André David Yedigaroff. She died on 10 March 2007 in Los Angeles, California, USA.December 22, 1941 in New York City - March 10, 2007 (age 65) in Los Angeles, California (complications from multiple sclerosis)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Aliana Lohan was born on 22 December 1993 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Falling for Christmas (2022), Mostly Ghostly (2007) and Lindsay Lohan: Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father) (2005).Aliana Taylor Lohan
December 22, 1993 in New York City- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Corey Haim was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Judy Haim, an Israeli-born data processor, and Bernie Haim, a clothing sales representative. He has a sister, Carol, and a half-brother, Daniel. His family is Jewish. He was raised mostly in Willowdale.
Corey appeared in 26 episodes of the early 1980s Canadian series The Edison Twins (1982). He broke into the film industry in 1984, playing a young child caught up in a family war in the movie Firstborn (1984). The following year, he starred in the TV movie A Time to Live (1985), for which he received a Young Artist Award, appeared in the comedies Secret Admirer (1985) and Murphy's Romance (1985), and had the leading role, Marty Coslaw , in the Stephen King werewolf film Silver Bullet (1985). Lucas (1986), in which he starred alongside Kerri Green and Winona Ryder, showed his acting abilities, with praise coming particularly from Roger Ebert.
In 1987, he had a breakthrough when he played one of the major roles, Sam Emerson, in Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys (1987). He later starred in the comedy films License to Drive (1988) and Dream a Little Dream (1989), the horror movie Watchers (1988), and the science fiction action drama Prayer of the Rollerboys (1990). Many of his 1990s and 2000s roles were in direct-to-video releases, and he also had a cameo in the action film Crank: High Voltage (2009). His last two films were The Hostage Game (2010) and Decisions (2011).
He died suddenly on March 10, 2010 in Burbank, California, of pneumonia.Corey Ian Haim
December 23, 1971 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada - March 10, 2010 (age 38) in Burbank, California (pulmonary edema)- Estella Warren was a synchronized swimmer from the age of 7 until 17 in her native Canada. She moved away from home at 12 to train for the Canadian National Team. She was the Canadian National Champion for three years and represented her country at the World Aquatic Championship, where she placed second. A talent scout who came to a charity high school fashion show in which she appeared was impressed enough with her to take a Polaroid of her and send it to a New York City modeling agency. She was almost immediately signed to a modeling contract, and eventually appeared in "Sports Illustrated", "Vogue", "Vanity Fair" and two TV commercials for Chanel #5 perfume, both directed by Luc Besson. She decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, and has appeared in films with such stars as Sylvester Stallone.Estella Dawn Warren
December 23, 1978 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada - Actor
- Soundtrack
Frederic Forrest, the Oscar-nominated character actor, was born two days before Christmas Day in 1936 in Waxahachie, Texas, the same home town as director Robert Benton. Forrest had long wanted to be an actor, but he was so nervous that he ran out of auditions for school plays. Later, at Texas Christian University, he took a minor in theater arts while majoring in radio and television studies. His parents opposed his aspirations as a thespian as it was a precarious existence, but he moved on to New York and studied with renowned acting teacher Sanford Meisner. He eventually became an observer at the Actors Studio, where he was tutored by Lee Strasberg. During this time, he supported himself as a page at the NBC Studios in Rockefeller Plaza.
His theatrical debut was in the Off-Broadway production of "Viet-Rock", an anti-war play featuring music. He became part of avant-garde director Tom O'Horgan's stock company at La Mama, appearing in the infamous "Futz", among other productions. After starring in the off-Broadway play "Silhouettes", Forrest moved with the production to Los Angeles, intent on breaking into movies. While the production ran for three months and was visited by agents bird-dogging new talent, Forrest got no offers and had to support himself as a pizza-baker after the show closed. Eventually, he began auditing classes at Actors Studio West, and director Stuart Millar saw him in a student showcase production of Clifford Odets' "Watiting for Lefty" and cast him in When the Legends Die (1972). He copped a 1973 Golden Globe nomination as "Most Promising Newcomer - Male" for the role.
Forrest landed a small but very important part in "Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974). He and Cindy Williams are the two people having that titular conversation (recorded by Gene Hackman: so Forrest's voice is heard throughout the film). And Coppola wasn't done with him! Playing "Chef" in Apocalypse Now (1979) garnered Forrest the best notices of his career, and he parlayed that into Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations as Best Supporting Actor for The Rose (1979), his second hit that year. He was named Best Supporting Actor by the National Society of Film Critics for both films. Then he was cast as the star in Coppola's "One From The Heart". In Apocalypse Now (1979), his character ("Chef") is yelling for the Playboy Playmates from the crowd, one of whom is played by Colleen Camp, who, four years later, would play his hippie wife in the film Valley Girl (1983).Frederic Fenimore Forrest Jr.
December 23, 1936 in Waxahachie, Texas- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Joan Severance was born and raised in Houston, Texas. At the age of 18 and at the sole urging of John Casablancas of Elite models, she went to Paris, France to begin a modeling career that would turn out to be well worth the price of the ticket Casablancas sent her. Within months she graced the covers of all the international magazines and was doing shows for all the top designers. She landed campaigns for Chanel and Versace. After eight months she moved to NYC to pursue the US market and was quick to land several national commercials for Windsong perfume, Breck shampoo, Clairol, English Leather, L'oreal, Revlon and Maybeline.
After several dozen commercials and a very high profile editorial career, she quit the modeling industry to head to Hollywood. Within weeks, she had a manager, an agent and was studying with several different acting coaches. It was six months later that she landed her first role on a major television series for CBS called Wiseguy (1987), starring Ken Wahl and Kevin Spacey. It was only a matter of time that director Arthur Hiller cast her in See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor and her costar from Wiseguy, Kevin Spacey. That same year, she did Bird on a Wire (1990) with Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn, and No Holds Barred (1989) with Hulk Hogan. Later starring in several films, including Zalman King's Lake Consequence (1993) with Billy Zane.
She has appeared in over fifteen films. She has worked with Robert Urich on Aaron Spelling's Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998) and with Ann-Margret on Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story (1998) for Lifetime. Ms. Severance has been in many popular TV shows, like Masters of Sex (2013), One Tree Hill (2003), and CSI: Miami (2002).
Her hobbies include interior, landscape and fashion design, cooking, reading, entertaining, writing and anything to do with horses. Severance has finished her first book, "Manifest Your Mate: a Journal for Attraction". Science, health and the unknown spark her interests. She has a gourmet cooking degree from Roger Verge from The Moulin du Mougin in the South of France, owned and was the chef of a restaurant in upstate New York, owned a catering company in New York, and has taught commercial acting classes.
Ms. Severance has a Bachelors Degree in Natural Health. She desires to develop a television talk show aimed at a younger audience about alternative and holistic lifestyles choices. Ms. Severance created, txTylz®, a communication game, and is developing it for a mobile app.Joan Marie Severance
December 23, 1958 in Houston, Texas- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Harry Shearer was born in 1943 in Los Angeles, California. His film debut was with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953), followed by The Robe (1953). Probably best known for his Saturday Night Live (1975) gigs, his NPR satire program "Le Show" and The Simpsons (1989), where he plays 21 characters. His best film may be This Is Spinal Tap (1984), where he played bass player Derek Smalls. There was also an episode on The Simpsons (1989) where he reprised this role. His film work includes Godzilla (1998), in which "Simpsons" cast members Hank Azaria and Nancy Cartwright also appeared. Shearer has also directed a film, Teddy Bears' Picnic (2001), in which he also stars.Harry Julius Shearer
December 23, 1943 in Los Angeles, California- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Nick Moran was born on 23 December 1969 in East End, London, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and The Musketeer (2001). He was previously married to Sienna Guillory.Nick James Moran
December 23, 1969 in East End, London, England- Actress
- Soundtrack
Susan Lucci was born on December 23, 1946, in Scarsdale, New York, to Jeanette (Granquist) and Victor Lucci, a building contractor. She is of Italian (father) and Swedish, German, and French (mother) descent. Susan grew up in Garden City. Since she can remember, she wanted to be a performer, and through her teenage years, took voice lessons, dance lessons, and participated in community theater. In high school she was the ideal student: took many honors classes, was a cheerleader, staff writer for the school newspaper, was a foreign exchange student to Norway, and performed in the school musicals, including lead roles in "Oklahoma" and "The King and I". After graduating with Honors from Garden City High School, she was accepted and attended Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, which was noted for its theater program. After graduating with a BFA in theater arts, she moved to New York City, and began going to auditions. One of her first jobs was that of a color girl for CBS. Every day she would report to the studio, and sit on a stool, as technicians developed the new color cameras. Most of her acting work consisted of Off-Broadway understudy roles, day-player roles on soap operas, and extra and stand-in work for movies. In 1969 at the age of twenty-three, she auditioned for a brand new soap opera that was to be called All My Children (1970). She landed the role of Erica Kane, which is still considered by many critics to be one of the best roles on television written for women. Around this time, she met an married restaurant owner Helmut Huber. In 1978, Susan received her first Daytime Emmy nomination. She was nominated again in 1981, and nominated almost every year since then. In the early 1980s, she became the first soap opera actress to appear on the cover of major magazines, as well as the first to star in Movies of the Week. But what made her a household name by the late 1980s was her string of Emmy losses. It became a running joke that the 'Queen of Daytime Television' had no crown. It seems that every time that she would have a real knockout year, another daytime diva would have a more unique story line, or a more challenging acting role, including multiple personalities, or an actress playing more than one character. But in 1999, on her 19th Emmy nomination, she won. She received a four minute standing ovation. Now, after twenty one nominations, she is considered to be one of the most honored performers in the history of television, daytime or primetime.Susan Victoria Lucci
December 23, 1946 in Scarsdale, New York- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Born and raised in Elmira, Ontario, Lucas Bryant has made a name for himself in both Canada and the U.S. Bryant has numerous television credits to his name, including Queer as Folk (2000) for Showtime, M.V.P. (2008) for SOAPnet and CBC, Sex, Love & Secrets (2005) for UPN, and CTV's Bury the Lead (2002).
He also starred in the Lifetime TV movies More Sex & the Single Mom (2005) and A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride (2008), and played the lead role of "Ken Read" in the Canadian TV movie Crazy Canucks (2004), inspired by the true story of the World Cup Downhill Circuit during the 1974-1976 seasons.
He flexed his funny bone and joined forces with some pals to form the "Skarsgard Players" theatre company named in honor of veteran Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård and launched an all-male production of "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret" based on the Judy Blume novel.
He is married to Australian actress Kirsty Hinchcliffe and has one daughter.December 23, 1978 in Elmira, Ontario, Canada- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Eddie Vedder was known in San Diego for being a surfer and a singer in the progressive rock band Bad Radio, where he sang in the 80's until he departed to join Pearl Jam in 1990. Right before Eddie left Bad Radio, they opened for Andy Summers at the Bucchanal in San Diego. After the show, Eddie jumped off stage to talk to a pal of his, who had predicted Bad Radio winning at a competition in the late 80's. Eddie was poor and desperate, and found strong encouragement in the words of his friend Boris, who predicted once again his huge success. Boris Acosta is now a film producer and director.Edward Louis Severson III
December 23, 1964 in Evanston, Illinois- Producer
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Holly Madison is most widely recognized for starring in the E! hit reality television series, The Girls Next Door (2005), and her own spin off series Holly's World (2009).
Her experiences over the years prompted her to write her two New York Times Best-Selling memoirs, "Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny" and "The Vegas Diaries: Romance, Rolling the Dice and the Road to Reinvention." In addition to her two starring television roles, Holly Madison has made guest appearances on several iconic television series including; CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000), Entourage (2004), General Hospital (1963) and in movies such as Scary Movie 4 (2006) and The House Bunny (2008).
In 2009, Not long after competing on the eighth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars (2005), Holly was cast as the lead performer in the Broadway-meets-burlesque Las Vegas spectacular, "Peepshow", conceived by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell. While starring in the show, Madison became the face of the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, first appearing in their summer ad campaign of 2009. Throughout her nearly four-year run in "Peepshow" (2009-2012), Holly not only played the title character "Bo Peep" but eventually took on the singing role of "Goldie Locks" in the storybook-themed production.
In 2010, following a few guest correspondent assignments on E!'s "Live from the Red Carpet" Pre-Shows, Holly became the Las Vegas correspondent for the entertainment news program, Extra (1994).
Holly Madison welcomed her first child, Rainbow Aurora Rotella, with fiancé Pasquale Rotella, on March 5, 2013 during which they filmed a one-hour Mother's Day special, titled Holly Has a Baby (2013), allowing viewers to follow Holly to the hospital for the big event, which aired on Mother's Day 2013.
Holly and her fiance Pasquale were married at Disneyland in September of 2013 and welcomed their second child, Forest Leonardo Antonio Rotella on August 7, 2016.
Holly splits her time between Los Angeles and Las Vegas with her family.Holly Sue Cullen
December 23, 1978 in Astoria, Oregon- Actor
- Editor
- Producer
New York-born James Gregory gave up a career as a stockbroker for one as an actor, and began on the Broadway stage. He made his film debut in 1948. Gregory specialized in playing loud, brash, tough cops or businessmen. One of his better roles was as the detective out to get Capone in Al Capone (1959). He also played Dean Martin's boss in three of the four cheesy "Matt Helm" spy films. Memorable as the opinionated, loudmouthed Inspector Luger in the television series Barney Miller (1975).December 23, 1911 in Bronx, New York - September 16, 2002 (age 90) in Sedona, Arizona- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Tony Darrow was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Tony is an actor and writer, known for Goodfellas (1990), Mighty Aphrodite (1995) and Small Time Crooks (2000). Tony has been married to Mary Ann Augeri since 7 May 2015. Tony was previously married to Christine Marie Russ.Anthony Borgese
December 23, 1938 in Brooklyn, New York- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Born in Richmond, California on December 23, 1931, and raised there, light comedian Ronnie Schell's first choice of careers was to play professional baseball. He got as far as the semis before enlisting in the United States Air Force, where he performed as an emcee and comic in variety shows.
Ronnie studied at San Francisco State University and formed a nightclub comedy duo. He then turned solo and perfected his routine at the popular nightclub The Purple Onion. During his college senior year in 1958, he received a major boost when he toured as an opening act for the highly popular The Kingston Trio. This break led to the gradual rise of a family-oriented comedy career that earned him the eventual title of "America's Slowest-Rising Comedian." Down the road Ronnie would serve to open for several stars, including Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, on the Las Vegas strip, at Lake Tahoe casinos and other notable niteries.
TV finally opened its doors to him in 1964 and an acting career was born when Ronnie won the regular role of Jim Nabors' Marine bunk mate "Duke Slater" on the highly popular comedy series Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964). Betwixt and between was a recurring role on That Girl (1966) playing Marlo Thomas' acting agent. He left the Gomer Pyle show after a few years when he was handed a series lead of his own as a disc jockey on the sitcom Good Morning World (1967) which co-starred pre-Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967) ditz Goldie Hawn. Unfortunately, the show was canceled before it could make any kind of enduring star impact.
Short, compact, extremely easy-going and quite likable in nature, Ronnie moved easily into featured roles for Disney including The Strongest Man in the World (1975), The Shaggy D.A. (1976), Gus (1976), The Cat from Outer Space (1978) and The Devil and Max Devlin (1981).
Ronnie reunited with Nabors when he appeared as a regular on the singer's short-lived variety show, The Jim Nabors Hour (1968). He also moved into several decades worth of comedy guest spots on such shows as "The Patty Duke Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Love, American Style," "The New Dick Van Dyke Show," "Adam-12," "Happy Days," "Emergency!," "Sanford and Son," "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Charlie's Angels," "One Day at a Time," "Mork & Mindy," "Alice," "The Love Boat," "Madame's Place," "She's the Sheriff," "Mr. Belvedere," "Empty Nest," "Saved by the Bell," "227," "The Golden Girls," "Coach," "The Wayans Bros." and the daytime soaper "Santa Barbara."
Ronnie's well-crafted skill as a voice artist has been extensively utilized on TV, radio, films and commercials. Working notably for Hanna-Barbera, his many TV animated programs have included Goober and the Ghost Chasers (1973), Yogi's Space Race (1978), Battle of the Planets (1978), Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (1977), Shirt Tales (1982), Snorks (1984), The Flintstone Kids (1986), The Smurfs (1981), Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone (1990), Yo Yogi! (1991), Recess (1997) and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2003).
As for stage work in later years, Schell was one of the stars of a 2007 touring cabaret show entitled, "5 Star Revue" and starred off-Broadway in the 2009 musical comedy revue "Don't Leave it All to Your Children!" He also continued to perform in comedy clubs throughout his career. As an octogenarian he was, at one point, the oldest regularly appearing comedian in Las Vegas and would hold another record as having worked the strip every year for over 50 plus straight years.
Into the millennium, Ronnie found sporadic film work with featured roles in both comedies and dramas -- Family Jewels (2000), The Biggest Fan (2005), Soupernatural (2010) -- as well as TV episodes of "Yes, Dear," "Easy to Assemble," "Jessie," "You'll Be Fine," "See Ya" and "Kaplan's Korner."
Long married with two children, Ronnie continues to live in the Los Angeles area where, for years, he served as the honorary mayor of Encino.Ronald Ralph Schell
December 23, 1931 in Richmond, California- Actor
- Writer
Stefan is also a very accomplished musician. He had a band called "The Knights of The Living Dead", in Los Angeles from 1986-1993. The band was offered several deals, and signed with Capitol Records. Unfortunately, the president of Capitol was fired the same week and the new president dropped all the new bands that were signed, but had not gone into the recording studio yet. The band did get money to make a demo with Dave Jerden (Jane's Addiction, The Rolling Stones, etc.) as producer. But, by the time everything was done, the band was slowly breaking up. Stefan & his partner Roland Devoile continued to make music until the '94 Northridge earthquake, when his girlfriend, now wife, Dawn, decided it was time to leave Los Angeles. They moved to Vancouver, Canada in the summer/fall of '94. And still do. Stefan also helped his sister Alison Arngrim get one of her first roles on Room 222 (1969).Stefan Thor Arngrim
December 23, 1955 in Canada- John Callahan was born on 23 December 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for All My Children (1970), eCupid (2011) and Dinocroc vs. Supergator (2010). He was married to Eva LaRue and Linda Freeman. He died on 28 March 2020 in Rancho Mirage, California, USA.John Kevin Callahan
December 23, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York - Director
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Medak is a Hungarian-born British film director. Born in Budapest, Hungary, then part of the Warsaw Bloc, Medak fled to England at the age of 18 during the bloody uprising against the Soviet regime. He began his career with associated British Picture Corporation in Borehamwood. He studied and worked his way through by being an assistant editor, assistant cameraman and eventually a 3rd, 2nd and 1st assistant director on many British films of the late 1950s and early 196Os.
Medak worked with some of the most legendary British film directors, including, among others, Sir Carol Reed, David Lean, Anthony Asquith, and Fred Zimmerman. He was signed in 1963 by Universal Studios in Hollywood where for the first six months he the chance to observe Alfred Hitchcock and many others. He began directing television in Hollywood and in London. In 1967, he signed with Paramount Studios where he finally achieved his dream and directed his first feature film called Negatives (1968), featuring Glenda Jackson in her film appearance.
He then proceeded making two highly acclaimed black comedies: The Ruling Class (1972), and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972) (for which he received an Academy Award nomination). Since then he has directed many feature films on both sides of the Atlantic. In recent years, he made The Krays, which won him The Evening Standard Award for Best Director in England. Later films which he directed include: Let Him Have It, Romeo is Bleeding, The Men's Club, etc.December 23, 1937 in Budapest, Hungary- After wartime naval service, Alan North began his show business career as a stage manager in New York. He first worked on Broadway in "Plain and Fancy", doubling up as understudy for the small part of Isaac Miller. The play had a successful run between 1955 and 1956 (461 performances) and this led to further acting work in diverse productions, ranging from musical comedy to straight dramatic parts, both on and off Broadway. Alan last appeared as a quaint curmudgeonly character in "Lake Hollywood" at the Signature Theater in 1999.
Early in his career, Alan, an avid baseball fan, hosted a television program for the Baltimore Orioles as well as doing a regular sports broadcast at WRC-TV in Washington. However, he did not become a regular feature on the screen until the early 1970's, when he appeared in two big budget films, Plaza Suite (1971) and Serpico (1973). After that, Alan became a more familiar presence on the small screen, invariably portraying cops, priests and academics. He is most fondly remembered as the perpetually vague Chief Ed Hocken in the hilarious, sadly short-lived, spoof Police Squad! (1982), starring Leslie Nielsen. Alan was given some very funny lines to deliver and he did so in a perfect dead-pan manner. He was not afforded the chance to repeat his role for the 'Naked Gun' series (the studio insisted on a higher marquee value actor, casting Academy Award-winner George Kennedy instead).
Alan North died of cancer at the age of 79 in January 2000.December 23, 1920 in Bronx, New York - January 19, 2000 (age 79) in Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York (kidney and lung cancer) - Actor
- Director
Short, dark, rough-looking and-tough-talking Irish-American character actor Gerald Stewart O'Loughlin was born on December 23, 1921, in New York City. Graduating from college with a degree in mechanical engineering, he turned to the stage, however, after contemplating a possible law career. After a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, he used the GI bill instead to train in New York at the Neighborhood Playhouse.
Throughout the early 1950s O'Loughlin regularly performed in stock and repertory plays. He highlighted his stage career playing Stanley in a national tour of "A Streetcar Named Desire" opposite the incomparable legend Tallulah Bankhead as Blanche. He later impressed once again as mental patient Cheswick opposite Kirk Douglas's Randle McMurphy in 1963's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" on Broadway.
Gerald made a very little dent in films at the beginning, what with an offbeat romantic lead role in the low-budget Lovers and Lollipops (1956) and a small role in the more impressive A Hatful of Rain (1957). He later toughened things up with sturdy parts in In Cold Blood (1967), Ice Station Zebra (1968) and, especially, Desperate Characters (1971).
Appearing in dramatic anthology programs from the early 1950's and on such 60's programs as "Ben Casey," "Naked City," "Dr. Kildare," "Run for Your Life" and "The Green Hornet," things finally clicked for him on 1970s TV when he nabbed the role of Lt. Ryker in the TV cop series The Rookies (1972) replacing Darren McGavin, who played the same role in the pilot. He went on to play his usual stern self in other less successful TV series -- Automan (1983) and Our House (1986)
O'Loughlin was highly affecting in TV movies as well, especially as the patriarch in the tearjerker Something for Joey (1977) with Geraldine Page. He continued to impress with strong, authoritarian roles in A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978), Women in White (1979), Child's Cry (1986), Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun (1986) and Crime of the Century (1996). He also had sturdy roles in several acclaimed mini-series (Wheels (1978), Roots: The Next Generations (1979), Blind Ambition (1979) and A Matter of Life and Death (1981)), and was spotted over the years in a slew of guest parts on such established programming as "M*A*S*H," "Fame," "Matt Houston," "Riptide," "Murder, She Wrote," "Too Close for Comfort," "Highway to Heaven," "ER, "The Division," "Titans" and "Judging Amy."
86-year-old Gerald made his last appearance in the short film Destinesia (2008) portraying an elderly man desperate to escape the confines of his nursing home. He died of natural causes in Los Angeles on July 31, 2015. His long-time wife, Meryl Abeles O'Loughlin (1933-2007), a casting agent, predeceased him. They had two children. One son, Chris, was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic épée fencing team.Gerald Stuart O'Loughlin Jr.
December 23, 1921 in New York City- Born in Beckenham, Kent, English character actor Maurice Denham first came to public notice in the 1940s on radio, appearing on many of the most popular comedy series of the day in a variety of characters. His debut in films came in 1947 with The Smugglers (1947). His talents came to the forefront in the animated feature Animal Farm (1954), in which he voiced all of the animal characters. A prolific actor, his familiar sharp features and bald head appeared in dozens of films over the following years, often as charming but slightly 'barmy' characters and well-bred cads, although he was more than capable of playing straight drama, as he did in the war picture Sink the Bismarck! (1960) as a naval officer helping to hunt down and sink the German battleship. He began appearing regularly in television in the 1970s and also worked steadily on the stage.
He died of natural causes at age 92 in London, England.William Maurice Denham
December 23, 1909 in Beckenham, Kent, England - July 24, 2002 (age 92) in Northwood, London, England - Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Chet Baker started his career in the late forties. He became famous with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet in 1952. His solo in "My funny valentine" is a classic of the west coast jazz in the fifties. When Mulligan was arrested in 1953, Chet led the group until 1955, when he went to Europe. He also sang on many records. In Europe he recorded with many musicians in different countries. His career was interrupted many times for personal problems with drugs and he was arrested many times for his addiction. In 1974 he come back to music after three years in obscurity, playing in a concert in Carnegie Hall with his old friend, Gerry Mulligan. After this he started a "new career", but his problems with drugs were continuous. His death today is a mystery, one possibility is suicide but another says he was killed by trafficants in Amsterdam, Holland.Chesney Henry Baker Jr.
December 23, 1929 in Yale, Oklahoma - May 13, 1988 (age 58) in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (fall from window)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Noel Purcell was born on 23 December 1900 in Dublin, Ireland. He was an actor, known for Lust for Life (1956), The Crimson Pirate (1952) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1962). He was married to Eileen Marmion. He died on 3 March 1985 in Dublin, Ireland.December 23, 1900 in Dublin, Ireland - March 3, 1985 (age 84) in Dublin, Ireland (heart failure)- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Leonard Stern was born on 23 December 1922 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Get Smart (1965), He & She (1967) and I'm Dickens, He's Fenster (1962). He was married to Gloria Stroock and Julie Adams. He died on 7 June 2011 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Leonard Bernard Stern
December 23, 1923 in New York City - June 7, 2011 (age 87) in Los Angeles, California (heart failure)- The fourth and youngest child of Horace and Robina Kelly, Jean Brooks spent her early years in her native Texas before relocating to Costa Rica with her mother after her father's death. Her time in Costa Rica enabled her to become fluent in Spanish, and she began her professional career as a singer with Enric Madriguera and Orchestra in New York City. She had a small role in the New York City-filmed The Crime of Doctor Crespi (1935) and the second lead in a state play, "Name Your Poison" (1938), with Lenore Ulric. She was signed by an independent film production company that had gone under by the time she got to Hollywood. She spent several years at Universal as a leading lady in "B" pictures, including several Johnny Mack Brown westerns, but her option was dropped in late 1941. By this time she had married writer (later director) Richard Brooks and, with a certain Broadway hoofer having just signed at MGM, dropped the Kelly and became Jean Brooks. She signed with RKO, where film buffs know her for her three appearances for cult producer Val Lewton, particularly her stunning performance as a haunted devil worshiper in The Seventh Victim (1943).
Her clipped delivery and intense, forceful acting style made her a promising bet for stardom, but RKO lost interest in her by mid-'44 and her roles got gradually smaller until she was dropped in 1946. She and Brooks divorced (his later studio biographies omitted her name as one of his ex-wives). For many years she was listed as a "Lost Player" championed in several magazine articles by writer Doug McClelland. She was eventually located in San Francisco, where she had moved after her film career petered out, and was employed as a classified ad solicitor on the "San Francisco Examiner" newspaper. She had married a printer named Thomas Leddy. Her death at the Kaiser Hospital in Richmond, California, in 1963 of complications resulting from cirrhosis marked a sad ending for a stylish and talented performer who didn't get the breaks she deserved, both personally and professionally.Ruby M. Kelly
December 23, 1915 in Houston, Texas - November 25, 1963 (age 47) in Richmond, California (extreme malnutrition & alcoholism) - Johnny Contardo was born on 23 December 1951 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor, known for Scarface (1983), Sha Na Na (1977) and Recorded Live (2010).December 23, 1951 in Boston, Massachusetts
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Diedrich Bader was born in Alexandria, Virginia, but moved to Paris, France, with his family at age two. While in the "City of Light" he developed an appreciation for movie legends like Fred Astaire and Charles Chaplin. So, when a fragile "Chaplin" movie reel burned in the theater's projector, four-year-old Bader hopped on stage and entertained the crowd with an imitation of the "Little Tramp." The standing ovation he received set the course for the rest of his life--he knew he wanted to perform.
He returned to the United States for high school and attended North Carolina School of the Arts. During spring break he was discovered by a casting director in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That meeting led to an audition for a small role in a TV pilot. Bader landed a starring role instead. Although the pilot wasn't picked up, Bader moved to Los Angeles and began auditioning for other roles. He landed guest spots on several series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), Cheers (1982) and Quantum Leap (1989). Filmmaker Penelope Spheeris liked his tongue-in-cheek delivery when he read for her action-adventure spoof series, Danger Theatre (1993). She hired him in that role and for the feature film The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), which she directed. Bader played the dual roles of twins Jethro and Jethrine Beaudine. He also filmed the political thriller The Assassination File (1996) for the Encore Entertainment Group. Bader was excited to work on the project, as it allowed him to be shot in the head -- a first for the actor. Bader's father, William, was Chief of Staff for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is president of the Eurasia Foundation on Capitol Hill. His mother, Gretta, is a sculptor whose portrait of the late Sen. J. William Fulbright sits in the National Gallery in Washington, DC. Bader's wife is actress Dulcy Rogers; they reside in Los Angeles, CA.Karl Diedrich Bader
December 24, 1966 in Alexandria, Virginia- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Mark Valley was born in Ogdensburg, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Stolen (2012), Boston Legal (2004) and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013). He was previously married to Anna Torv.Mark Thomas Valley
December 24, 1964 in Ogdensburg, New York- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
Living in a Chawl in Tilak Nagar, Punjabi-speaking Anil was born in 1959 to Surinder and Nirmal aka Suchitra Kapoor. He has an elder brother, Boney, a sister, Reena, and a younger brother, Sanjay. His dad used to be Shammi Kapoor's Secretary.
A loner, without many friends, he studied in the nearby O.L.P.S. (Our Lady of Perpetual Succor) School, and was an ardent fan of Bollywood flicks that were telecast during the Ganesh Maha Utsav every year. He was a fan of Raj Kapoor, and it was this that influenced his acting, and people saw him as a mimic of the legendary showman. He landed a role as a child artiste with Shashi Kapoor in the lead, but the movie (Tu Payal Main Geet) was never released.
After school, he went to study in St. Xaviers College. He commuted by bus and train from Chembur to Bombay V.T., and the walked the rest of the way. It was here that he met Mazhar Khan. A distracted Anil was kicked out of College in the second year due to his lack of presence. His attempts to join the Pune Film Institute were in vain, as he failed in the written examination. He then decided to join Roshan Taneja's Acting school.
He first appeared on the silver screen in Hamhare Tumhare in a character role. His first lead role was in 'Woh 7 Din' and from thence on there has been no looking back. He has acted in close to a 100 movies, and has 5 in production. He has produced two movies (Gandhi My Father & Badhaai Ho Badhaai), as well as been a Casting Director/Outdoor In charge for 'Hum Paanch'.
Kapoor's first role in an international film was in Danny Boyle's 2008 Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he shared the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. His performance in the eighth season of the action series 24 generated rave reviews from the American press Globally, Anil Kapoor is one of the most recognized Indian actors.
Anil met wealthy and chic model, Sindhi-speaking Sunita Bhambhani, and married her in 1984. Since then they have given birth to 3 children, kapoor has two daughters and a son Harshwardhan Kapoor.Kapoor's elder daughter is actress Sonam Kapoor. Rhea Kapoor attended school in New York and is now a producer in Mumbai.December 24, 1959 in Chembur, Maharashtra, India- Actress
- Stunts
- Soundtrack
Ava Lavina Gardner was born on December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, North Carolina, to Mary Elizabeth (née Baker) and Jonas Bailey Gardner. Born on a tobacco farm, where she got her lifelong love of earthy language and going barefoot, Ava grew up in the rural South. At age 18, her picture in the window of her brother-in- law's New York photo studio brought her to the attention of MGM, leading quickly to Hollywood and a film contract based strictly on her beauty. With zero acting experience, her first 17 film roles, 1942-1945, were one-line bits or little better. After her first starring role in B-grade Whistle Stop (1946), MGM loaned her to Universal for her first outstanding film The Killers (1946). Few of her best films were made at MGM which, keeping her under contract for 17 years, used her popularity to sell many mediocre films. Perhaps as a result, she never believed in her own acting ability, but her latent talent shone brightly when brought out by a superior director, as with John Ford in Mogambo (1953) and George Cukor in Bhowani Junction (1956).
After three failed marriages, dissatisfaction with Hollywood life prompted Ava to move to Spain in 1955; most of her subsequent films were made abroad. By this time, stardom had made the country girl a cosmopolitan, but she never overcame a deep insecurity about acting and life in the spotlight. Her last quality starring film role was in The Night of the Iguana (1964), her later work being (as she said) strictly "for the loot". In 1968, tax trouble in Spain prompted a move to London, where she spent her last 22 years in reasonable comfort. Her film career did not bring her great fulfillment, but her looks may have made it inevitable; many fans still consider her the most beautiful actress in Hollywood history. Ava Gardner died at age 67 of bronchial pneumonia on January 25, 1990 in Westminister, London, England.Ava Lavinia Gardner
December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, North Carolina - January 25, 1990 (age 67) in Westminster, London, England (bronchial pneumonia)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Wade Williams was born on 24 December 1961 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He is an actor, known for Ken Park (2002), Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012) and Gangster Squad (2013). He is married to Emma. They have one child.Wade Andrew Williams
December 24, 1961 in Tulsa, Oklahoma- Actor
- Producer
Amaury Nolasco was born in Puerto Rico. He is an actor and producer, known for Prison Break (2005), A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) and Transformers (2007).Amaury Nolasco Garrido
December 24, 1970 in Puerto Rico- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Born and raised in Atlanta, Seacrest has been the heart and soul of television and in radio for many years, beginning as the host of such kids shows as, Gladiators 2000 (1994), Fox Family Channel's Wild Animal Games (1995), and Click (1997), which ultimately led him to his afternoon gig at Los Angeles's Radio Station, 98.7 FM, on which he hosts and produces the #1 daily afternoon talk show, "Ryan Seacrest for The Ride Home." In the summer of 2002, he began to find fame as the host of American Idol (2002), a Star Search (1983) clone in which contestants try their best at auditioning a song before going on stage and to find out, who's really, the American Idol. He hosted the first two seasons of the show and after finishing the popular series, Ryan serves in the same capacity for American Juniors (2003). As in Idol, he will interact with the talent and judges, in order to keep track of viewers through the weekly show that will make it a successful hit.Ryan John Seacrest
December 24, 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jeremy Davidson was born on 24 December 1971 in Vestal, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Salt (2010), Windtalkers (2002) and Tickling Leo (2009). He has been married to Mary Stuart Masterson since 17 February 2007. They have four children. He was previously married to Shari Berkowitz.Jeremy Michael Greenberg
December 24, 1971 in Vestal, New York- Moose was the youngest of a litter of four, yet was also the biggest, hence his name. Hyper and destructive as a pup, he eventually found his way to Birds & Animals Unlimited, where he got his job playing Eddie on 'Frasier', before going on to act in the film My Dog Skip (2000), along with his son, Enzo.December 24, 1990 in Florida - June 22, 2006 (age 15) in Los Angeles, California
- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actor
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Ricky initiated his singing career in the Latin all boy-band group Menudo. After leaving the group, he moved to New York to study acting. After finishing his studies, he relocated to Mexico where he performed as actor in "Mama ama el Rock", "Alcanzar una Estrella II". In 1991, he began to focus his career as a soloist singer, eventually becoming an international superstar with the release of his self-titled English language album in 1996.Enrique Martín Morales
December 24, 1971 in San Juan, Puerto Rico- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Curtiz began acting in and then directing films in his native Hungary in 1912. After WWI, he continued his filmmaking career in Austria and Germany and into the early 1920s when he directed films in other countries in Europe. Moving to the US in 1926, he started making films in Hollywood for Warner Bros. and became thoroughly entrenched in the studio system. His films during the 1930s and '40s encompassed nearly every genre imaginable and some, including Casablanca (1942) and Mildred Pierce (1945), are considered to be film classics. His brilliance waned in the 1950s when he made a number of mediocre films for studios other than Warner. He directed his last film in 1961, a year before his death at 74.Manó Kertész Kaminer
December 24, 1886 in Budapest, Hungary - April 10, 1962 (age 75) in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California (cancer)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sharon Farrell was born on 24 December 1940 in Sioux City, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for Can't Buy Me Love (1987), Night of the Comet (1984) and Lone Wolf McQuade (1983). She was married to Dale Trevillion, Steve Salkin, John Boyer, Ron De Blasio and Andrew Prine. She died on 15 May 2023 in Orange County, California, USA.Sharon Forsmoe
December 24, 1940 in Sioux City, Iowa- Blond, blue-eyed character actor who has worked on stage, film, and TV for the past 30 years. Born in Washington D.C., Carhart had a globetrotting childhood in Turkey and France before returning to the U.S. and studying theater. Carhart had some success on and off-Broadway and then moved on to small roles in such major films as Ghostbusters (1984), Witness (1985) and Working Girl (1988). He played Harlen who attempted to rape Geena Davis's character in Thelma & Louise (1991), and also had roles in the The Hunt for Red October (1990), Red Rock West (1993) and Air Force One (1997). Carhart has had many guest spots on television shows including a memorable guest turn as a police officer whose testimony against a murderer may reveal the sexuality he has tried to keep secret on The Practice (1997), and as a fat-sucking vampire on The X-Files (1993). He played Eddie Willows in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), the ex-husband of star Marg Helgenberger. He is, (...as of 2017) a recurring character on The Paramount Network series, Yellowstone, playing the Attorney General Stewart and starring Kevin CostnerDecember 24, 1953 in Washington, District of Columbia
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Stephanie Hodge was born on 24 December 1956 in Wilmington, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Evolution (2001), Unhappily Ever After (1995) and Nurses (1991). She has been married to Lance Lyon since 1992. They have one child. She was previously married to Scott Novotne.December 24, 1956 in Wilmington, Ohio- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Lemmy was born on 24 December 1945 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Airheads (1994) and Smokin' Aces (2006). He died on 28 December 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Ian Fraser Kilmister
December 24, 1945 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England- Christiane Schmidtmer was born in Mannheim, Germany. She took acting lessons in Munich and worked in the stage in Germany from 1961-1963, then turned to photographic modeling for German nude magazines and later, Playboy. She also modeled for advertising companies, namely Max Factor cosmetics, before she started her movie career.
She was the beautiful mistress of José Ferrer in Ship of Fools (1965), but most people will remember her as the evil wardress in the exploitation women-in-prison film, The Big Doll House (1971), as well as one of the three airline stewardesses in Boeing, Boeing (1965).Christel Schmidtmer
December 24, 1939 in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany - March 13, 2003 (age 63) in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany - Actress
- Writer
Jill Bennett was born on 24 December 1931 in Penang, Malaysia. She was an actress and writer, known for The Nanny (1965), For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Moulin Rouge (1952). She was married to John Osborne and Willis Hall. She died on 4 October 1990 in Kensington, London, England, UK.Nora Noel Jill Bennett
December 24, 1931 in Penang, Malaysia - October 4, 1990 (age 58) in London, England (suicide)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Janet began her stage career, right out of high school, at the legendary Kansas City Starlight Theatre, appearing in many many musicals including: "Hello Dolly", "Guys and Dolls"," Mame", "Gypsy", "South Pacific", "Pajama Game", "Carousel" and many others. Janet continued her stage work in California for many years, starring opposite Cloris Leachman in "A Couple of White Chicks", starred with Lynn Redgrave and John Lithgow in "Lady Windemere's Fan", among other productions. Janet made her Broadway debut in "Little Women", alongside Sutton Foster and Maureen McGovern.
Her big break in films came when she was cast as Tom Cruise's mother in Risky Business (1983). From there, she went on to star in numerous films, working almost non-stop till last year. Her films include: Family Business (1989), Memories of Me (1988), Forces of Nature (1999), The Killing Time (1987), Enough (2002), Talent for the Game (1991), "My Guaranteed Student Loan", among many others. Her television career was just as busy, with recurring roles or lead roles in: The Bronx Zoo (1987), Murphy Brown (1988), Melrose Place (1992), Married... with Children (1987), Bonnie (1995), and guest appearances on: Brothers & Sisters (2006), Scrubs (2001), Designing Women (1986), 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996), Mary (1985), etc. Her co- stars includes such luminaries as: Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Celeste Holm, Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Bullock, Billy Crystal, Alan King, Ben Affleck, Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Brad Pitt, Matthew Broderick, Billy Campbell, Lorraine Bracco and Edward James Olmos, to name a few.
Janet won the coveted Los Angeles Drama Logue Critics Award for outstanding achievement in theatre for Ezra Pound's "Electra". For eight years, she was the Artistic Director of The Jazz Series at The Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, Janet was the co-founder of "The Victory Ball" in Westport CT, annually benefiting ALS Foundation(Lou Gehrig's Disease). She served on the Executive Board of Directors of Ginny Mancini's "Society of Singers" as VP of Development.
Her ashes will be spread in the Edgebrook Lutheran Church Memorial Garden in Chicago, Illinois, in a ceremony to be determined at a later date.December 24, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois - May 22, 2012 (age 71) in New York City (brain cancer)- British character actor Norman Rossington was born in Merseyside, Liverpool, so it shouldn't be considered THAT ironic that he would end up appearing in The Beatles' debut film smash, A Hard Day's Night (1964), as "Norm", the Fab Four's chagrined road manager.
The son of a publican, he never finished high school, leaving at age 14 and living a rather wanderlust adolescent life as messenger, office boy, carpenter apprentice, etc. Later, he went to night school and studied industrial design in order to become a draftsman. Interest in acting happened by accident and, eventually, Rossington joined a local theatre group.
He trained seriously at the Bristol Old Vic and began appearing in both straight plays ("A Midsummer Night's Dream") and musicals ("Salad Days") by the mid-50s. Within a few years, he had extended his visibility to films and TV, setting up his rather bumbling persona as "Private Cupcake" on the TV comedy series, The Army Game (1957). Along with roles in a few of the zany "Carry On..." slapstick films. Rossington established himself firmly as a comedy performer with I Only Arsked! (1958), Crooks Anonymous (1962) and Nurse on Wheels (1963), representing a few of his farcical credits. Yet his finest creation was arguably in the "kitchen sink" drama, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), as Albert Finney's sensible, down-to-earth, blue-collar pal.
Though he never attained outright stardom, Rossington became a reliable, familiar face with minor roles in such epic British and U.S. films as Saint Joan (1957), The Longest Day (1962), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) and Young Winston (1972), not to mention the equally epic TV miniseries, I, Claudius (1976) and Masada (1981).
Rossington's greatest impression would lie in musical theatre, especially in his later career. Such spirited roles in "Peter Pan" (as "Starkey"), "My Fair Lady" (as "Alfred Doolittle"), "Annie Get Your Gun" (as "Charlie Davenport"), "Pickwick: The Musical" (as "Tony Weller"), "Guys and Dolls" (as "Nathan Detroit") and, lastly, as Beauty's father in "Beauty and the Beast", made him an endearing favorite in the West End. He died of cancer at the age of 70 in 1999.December 24, 1928 in Liverpool, England - May 21, 1999 (age 70) in Manchester, England (cancer) - Additional Crew
- Actress
- Soundtrack
She was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts and went to New Bedford High School. Even before graduating in 1942, she had opened a dance studio where she taught dancing. Dancing was in her blood from an early age, and she performed often at high school festivities, the Mexican Hat Dance being one of her favorites. During the WWII years, she came to Hollywood and became the protégé of Gene Kelly, whom she admired a great deal. She had fine timing and was indefatigable. Unfortunately, she was a diabetic, and this may have been the cause of her demise. She married Larry Blyden in Hollywood (purportedly on the stage of a theatre), and had two children. After her death, her husband took the children to Texas, where they had relatives, and was soon, thereafter, killed in an auto accident.Carolyn Haney
December 24, 1924 in New Bedford, Massachusetts - May 10, 1964 (age 39) in Saddle Brook, New Jersey (bronchial pneumonia)- Writer
- Actress
- Producer
In 2002 Mary Higgins Clark published her memoir "Kitchen Privileges". The book describes her upbringing, first marriage and how she became such a famous author. Meanwhile 36 movies have been made that are based on Mary Higgins Clark's thrillers. For a while Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter published their own magazine.Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins
December 24, 1927 in Bronx, New York- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was born in New York City, New York, to Maud Humphrey, a famed magazine illustrator and suffragette, and Belmont DeForest Bogart, a moderately wealthy surgeon (who was secretly addicted to opium). Bogart was educated at Trinity School, NYC, and was sent to Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, in preparation for medical studies at Yale. He was expelled from Phillips and joined the U.S. Naval Reserve. From 1920 to 1922, he managed a stage company owned by family friend William A. Brady (the father of actress Alice Brady), performing a variety of tasks at Brady's film studio in New York. He then began regular stage performances. Alexander Woollcott described his acting in a 1922 play as inadequate. In 1930, he gained a contract with Fox, his feature film debut in a ten-minute short, Broadway's Like That (1930), co-starring Ruth Etting and Joan Blondell. Fox released him after two years. After five years of stage and minor film roles, he had his breakthrough role in The Petrified Forest (1936) from Warner Bros. He won the part over Edward G. Robinson only after the star, Leslie Howard, threatened Warner Bros. that he would quit unless Bogart was given the key role of Duke Mantee, which he had played in the Broadway production with Howard. The film was a major success and led to a long-term contract with Warner Bros. From 1936 to 1940, Bogart appeared in 28 films, usually as a gangster, twice in Westerns and even a horror film. His landmark year was 1941 (often capitalizing on parts George Raft had stupidly rejected) with roles in classics such as High Sierra (1940) and as Sam Spade in one of his most fondly remembered films, The Maltese Falcon (1941). These were followed by Casablanca (1942), The Big Sleep (1946), and Key Largo (1948). Bogart, despite his erratic education, was incredibly well-read and he favored writers and intellectuals within his small circle of friends. In 1947, he joined wife Lauren Bacall and other actors protesting the House Un-American Activities Committee witch hunts. He also formed his own production company, and the next year made The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). Bogie won the best actor Academy Award for The African Queen (1951) and was nominated for Casablanca (1942) and as Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny (1954), a film made when he was already seriously ill. He died in his sleep at his Hollywood home following surgeries and a battle with throat cancer.Humphrey DeForest Bogart
December 25, 1899 in New York City - January 14, 1957 (age 57) in Los Angeles, California (cancer of the esophagus)- Actress
- Art Department
- Director
As a kid, Sissy Spacek climbed trees, rode horses, swam, and played in the woods. She was born Mary Elizabeth Spacek on December 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, to Virginia Frances (Spilman) and Edwin Arnold Spacek, Sr., a county agricultural agent. Her father's family was of Czech and German origin.
Sissy attended Quitman High School and was homecoming queen. After graduating, she embarked on an acting career, gaining interest in the profession through her cousin, actor Rip Torn. Sissy relocated to New York, and through him, enrolled in the New York branch of the Actors Studio. She studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute while also pursuing work as a model and singer, appearing in West Village showcases such as the Bitter End for $10 a night. Sissy eventually broke into film and one of her first roles was as Holly in the classic Badlands (1973). The art director on that film was Jack Fisk, with whom she would marry in 1974 and ultimately collaborate on eight films. Sissy followed this landmark film with a star-making and Oscar nominated performance in Carrie (1976), in which she played a humiliated prom queen who goes postal with her telekinesis. Sissy has had an enduring and award winning career in movies and television, which includes an Oscar as Best Actress for Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). The parents of two grown daughters, Sissy and Jack live on a large horse ranch in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Even though she continued to appear in film and television during the late 1980s and 1990s, Sissy devoted most of those years to her family. Then, in 2001, Sissy returned to the big screen in a major way with a powerful performance in In the Bedroom (2001), which not only earned her a sixth Best Actress Oscar nomination, but a win for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards, and numerous critics association awards. Sissy continues to work steadily as an actress, but in 2012, her credits expanded even further to include a memoir, My Extraordinary Ordinary Life.Mary Elizabeth Spacek
December 25, 1949 in Quitman, Texas- Actress
- Producer
The CCH stands for Carol Christine Hilaria, her birth name. Most of her characters are enriched with positive attributes -- strength, confidence, integrity, strong-mindedness -- and it is a testament to the abilities of this four-time Emmy nominated actress that she continues on such a high plane in a five-decade career.
Born on Christmas Day 1952 in Guyana, she was raised on a sugar cane plantation. Her parents, Betsy Enid Arnella (James) and Ronald Urlington Pounder, moved the family to the States while she was still a young girl, but she and her sister were subsequently sent to a convent boarding school in Britain where they were introduced to art and the classics. Following high school graduation, she arrived in New York and studied at Ithaca College, where her acting talents were strongly tapped into. Regional and classical repertory theater followed, earning roles in such productions as "The Mighty Gents" (1979) with Morgan Freeman at the New York Shakespeare Festival and "Open Admissions" (1984), her Broadway debut. Other stage work includes "Coriolanus," "Antony and Cleopatra," "The Frog," "The Lodger" and "Mumbo Jumbo."
After bit/featured roles in All That Jazz (1979), I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982) and Prizzi's Honor (1985), CCH earned cult status in the art-house film Bagdad Cafe (1987) (aka "Bagdad Café" in the US) as the offbeat owner of a roadside café. She continued to impress with support roles in Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Importance of Being Earnest (1992), an all-black version: as Miss Prism), Benny & Joon (1993), RoboCop 3 (1993), Sliver (1993), Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995),Face/Off (1997), Funny Valentines (1999), The Devil in Miss Jones 6 (1999), Baby of the Family (2002), Rain (2008), Orphan (2009), Avatar (2009) (as the voice of Mo'at, and its sequels), My Girlfriend's Back (2010). Home Again (2012) (as a Jamaican) and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013).
Pounder's prominence came, however, with television. Often cast as succinct, professional types (doctors, policewoman, judges) or characters with a variety of accents, she is known for her understated intensity and earned an Emmy nomination for her stint on the hospital drama ER (1994). She has also performed in a number of highly acclaimed topical mini-movie dramas, including Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985), Common Ground (1990), Murder in Mississippi (1990), Little Girl Fly Away (1998), A Touch of Hope (1999), Boycott (2001), Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (2004) (as Winnie Mandela) for which a number of kudos have come her way.
Millennium TV output includes regular/recurring roles on the series The Shield (2002) in which she earned an NAACP Award and Emmy nomination as Detective Claudette Wym; the social drama Ciencias del espacio (2008) as matriarch Mrs. Trainor, and NCIS: New Orleans (2014) as medical examiner Loretta Wade. She later found voice work in animated projects and video games.Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder
December 25, 1952 in Guyana- Actress
- Producer
Twink Caplan was born on 25 December 1947 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Clueless (1995), Feud (2017) and Look Who's Talking (1989).December 25, 1947 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania- Actor
- Additional Crew
With an intimidating face like craggy granite and a towering 6'5" solid frame, Mike Mazurki (born Mikhail Mazuruski or Mikhail Mazurkiewicz) was one of cinema's first serial thugs and specialized in playing strongarm men, gangsters and bullies for over 50 years on screen. Nearly always portrayed as a lowbrow muscle, in real life Mazurski was highly intelligent, very well read and a witty conversationalist. He was also an accomplished sportsman, having been a football player and a professional wrestler. He first appeared onscreen in uncredited roles in films such as Gentleman Jim (1942) and About Face (1942); however, his daunting bruiser looks were soon noticed and he became phenomenally busy in the 1940s, appearing in nearly 50 movies during the decade, including his well remembered performance as ex-con "Moose Malloy" in the film noir thriller Murder, My Sweet (1944) and as the gruesome "Splitface" in Dick Tracy (1945).
He continued his menacing onscreen presence throughout the 1950s and 1960s, often showing he could be quite adept at deadpan comedy in films including Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood (1945), It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), Donovan's Reef (1963) and The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967). Demand for his talents slowed down in the late 1970s and most of the 1980s, as younger villains came to the fore; however, he still turned up in support roles and was still acting at the age of 83 when he passed away in December, 1990.Michail Mazuruski
December 25, 1907 in Tarnopol, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Ternopil, Ukraine] December 9, 1990 (age 82) in Glendale, California- Actress
- Additional Crew
As a child Helena Christensen was more interested in becoming a musician, but as fate would have it began modeling at the age of 9. After leaving school, she moved to Paris, France to model for the french magazine 'Elle', and in 1986 she competed in the Miss Universe contest as Miss Denmark, but unfortunately did not receive a placing. Her big break came in June of 1989 when she was discovered by photographer Friedemann Hauss, who instinctively knew that Helena was a 'natural' in terms of modeling ability. Since then her career has taken off, and she is now one of the top international catwalk queens. Helena has since taken on the movie industry, starring in a British TV movie Inferno (1980) and following it up with a cameo role in Robert Altman's Ready to Wear (1994).December 25, 1968 in Copenhagen, Denmark- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
A former boxer, paratrooper and general all-around angry young man, Rod Serling was one of the radical new voices that made the "Golden Age" of television. Long before The Twilight Zone (1959), he was known for writing such high-quality scripts as "Patterns" and "Requiem for a Heavyweight," both later turned into films (Patterns (1956) and Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)). The Twilight Zone (1959) featured forays into controversial grounds like racism, Cold War paranoia and the horrors of war. His maverick attitude eventually drove him from regular network television.Rodman Edward Serling
December 25, 1924 in Syracuse, New York - June 28, 1975 (age 50) in Rochester, New York (complications arising from a coronary bypass operation)- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Fair, light-haired 1970s and 1980s TV actor Gary Sandy was born in 1945 and raised in Ohio. He attended Ohio's Wilmington College and later improved on his chances of an acting career by moving to New York City, studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. While there he made his professional debut in 1970 with a soap opera part written especially for him. Following his short stint on "As The World Turns," he visited a number of soap sets during a seven-year period as assorted, often menacing -- "Another World," "Somerset" and "The Secret Storm."
In between his soap trysts Gary made his Broadway bow in "Saturday, Sunday, Monday" (1974), which was directed by Franco Zeffirelli of "Romeo and Juliet" film fame. A couple of small movie parts eventually led to noticeable turns on TV, especially with Norman Lear's short-lived All That Glitters (1977). This, in turn, segued into his best known character on TV, that of hunky radio program director Andy Travis in the four-season sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978). While Gary was a firm anchor and enjoyed top billing as the good-looking, All-American 'nice guy' lead, he was frequently overshadowed by his flashy supporting cast, which included 'hip' DJ Howard Hesseman and blonde bombshell Loni Anderson. The show would return in syndication in 1991 but without Gary and most of the others.
Gary is the perfect example of a committed and talented actor willing to persevere through good times and bad, despite a lack of offers after his big TV series success, Gary maintained for a time as a TV guest star on such shows as "L.A. Law," "Murder, She Wrote," "Diagnosis: Murder," "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" and had a brief regular role in 2001 on the daytime soap The Young and the Restless (1973). He then reverted back to his first love -- the theatre.
Musical roles have since ranged from the slick and preening (The Pirate King in Broadway's "The Pirates of Penzance" and Billy Flynn in "Chicago") to playing the down-home charmer (Harold Hill in "The Music Man" and Will Rogers in "Will Rogers Follies"). During this time Gary also appeared in a few musical misfires based on critically successful plays. "Sheba", the musical adaptation of Come Back, Little Sheba, and "Windy City" based on "The Front Page," went nowhere. In 2004, he even opened in a Texas-styled musical version of Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor. One of his finest hours on stage was in the challenging one-man 1985 production "Billy Bishop Goes to War" in which he enacted 17 roles.
Seen here and there on camera, including the horror film Mommy's Day (1997) with grown-up demonic "Bad Seed" Patty McCormack, the crime drama Against the Law (1997), and the intense thriller The Insider (1999), Gary last appeared in the TV movies Lightning: Fire from the Sky (2001) starring John Schneider and A Place Called Home (2004), a family drama starring Ann-Margret.December 25, 1945 in Dayton, Ohio- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Born in the Bronx, New York to Russian Jewish immigrant parents (Isidor "Ira" and Rita Blucher Miller), Richard Miller served in the U.S. Navy for a few years and earned a prize title as a middleweight boxer. He settled in Los Angeles in the mid-1950s, where he was noticed by producer/director Roger Corman, who cast him in most of his low-budget films, often as dislikeable sorts, such as a vacuum-cleaner salesman in Not of This Earth (1957). His most memorable role would have to be that of the mentally unstable, busboy/beatnik artist Walter Paisley, whose clay sculptures are suspiciously lifelike in A Bucket of Blood (1959) (a rare starring role for him), and he is also fondly remembered for his supporting role as the flower-eating Vurson Fouch in Corman's legendary The Little Shop of Horrors (1960).
Miller spent the next 20 years working in Corman productions, and starting in the late 1970s was often cast in films by director Joe Dante, appearing in credited and uncredited walk-on bits as quirky chatterboxes, and stole every scene he appeared in. He has played many variations on his famous Walter Paisley role, such as a diner owner (Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)) or a janitor (Chopping Mall (1986)). One of his best bits is the funny occult-bookshop owner in The Howling (1981). Being short (so he never played a romantic lead or a threatening villain) with wavy hair, long sideburns, a pointed nose and a face as trustworthy as a used-car dealer's, he was, and is to this day, an immediately recognizable character actor whose one-scene appearances in countless movies and TV shows guarantee audience applause.Richard Miller
December 25, 1928 in Bronx, New York- Actress
- Soundtrack
Moneca got her feature film break in MGM's "Agent Cody Banks" where she seductively flirted with Frankie Muniz, giving him a holographic lesson on how to act with girls. This turned out to be a springboard, launching her into various roles on projects such as "Battlestar Galactica", "Supernatural", as well as a recurring role on "Smallville". In 2006, Moneca was cast in "Kill Kill Faster Faster", an indie based on the acclaimed novel by Joel Rose. She stars opposite fellow Canadians Gil Bellows and Lisa Ray. When filming wrapped on location in Rotterdam, Holland, she returned to her hometown of Vancouver, B.C. to join the cast of "4: Rise of the Silver Surfer", the sequel to 20th Century Fox's "Fantastic Four". By the end of the year, Moneca began production on the Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures/Bryan Singer produced horror anthology "Trick 'r Treat". The film takes place on Halloween night, intertwining four story-lines with an ensemble cast that includes Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker & Leslie Bibb. Early 2011 found Moneca working opposite Cory Monteith & Dustin Milligan in the improvised Carl Bessai comedy, "Sisters & Brothers", the follow-up to "Mothers & Daughters" and "Fathers & Sons". She completed filming the thriller, "Three Days in Havana" on location in Havana, Cuba & has re-teamed with Gil Bellows for this picture. The cast also includes Kathleen Robertson, Tygh Runyan, Greg Wise & Don McKellar.Moneca Michale Delain
December 25, 1981 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada- Director
- Actress
- Writer
Joanna Angel was born on 25 December 1980 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She is a director and actress.Joanna Mostov
December 25, 1980 in Brooklyn, New York- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Barton MacLane graduated from Wesleyan University, where he displayed a notable aptitude for sports, in particular football and basketball. Not surprisingly, his physical prowess led to an early role in The Quarterback (1926) with Richard Dix. MacLane once commented that, as an actor, he needed to have the physical strength to tear the bad guys "from limb to limb", if necessary. Ironically, it was usually Barton himself who was destined to be at the end of a hiding (when not getting shot, instead), typically as snarling henchmen, outlaws and other assorted dubious or abrasive types throughout most of his 40-year acting career. In fact, Barton became so typecast, that his name was for a time used proverbially, to generally describe a shouting, hard-nosed ruffian.
After training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, MacLane joined a stock company in Brooklyn. In 1927 he had his first part on Broadway, a brief moment as an assistant district attorney, in the melodrama "The Trial of Mary Dugan". He then played a small featured role as a police officer in "Subway Express" (1929-30), a drama enacted in the interior of a subway car. In mid-1932 MacLane tried his hand at writing his own starring vehicle for the stage, entitled "Rendezvous". While the play closed after just 21 performances, it led to a contract with Warner Brothers.
Barton had already appeared in bit roles for Paramount at their Astoria Studios, including The Marx Brothers' debut film The Cocoanuts (1929). He portrayed mobster Brad Collins in 'G' Men (1935) (with James Cagney), which set the tone for most of his future assignments. Brawny, with squinty eyes and a rasping voice, MacLane was the ideal surly tough guy, particularly suitable for westerns and the type of films noir Warner Brothers excelled at. He was often cast as cops, be they bent or honest. Some of his most representative performances include gangster Al Kruger in Bullets or Ballots (1936), which won him some of the best critical notices of his career; outlaw Jack Slade in Western Union (1941); crooked construction boss Pat McCormick, who gets beaten up by Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt over past-due wages in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); hard-nosed cops Detective Dundy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Lt. Reece in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950). MacLane, on loan to Universal, also had a starring role in Prison Break (1938) as an innocent tuna fisherman who is framed for murder. He was prominent as a tough but sympathetic cop, foil to sleuthing girl reporter Glenda Farrell in the "Torchy Blaine" series of the mid- to late 1930s. In the 1960s Barton began to cultivate a good-guy image as Marshal Frank Caine in the NBC western series Outlaws (1960) as well as showing up in a small recurring role as Air Force Gen. Martin Peterson in I Dream of Jeannie (1965).
Barton was married to the actress Charlotte Wynters, who appeared with him in six of his films. When not on the set, the couple spent time on their 2000-acre cattle ranch in Madera County, California. For his work in television, Barton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Ernest Barton MacLane
December 25, 1902 in Columbia, South Carolina - January 1, 1969 (age 66) in Santa Monica, California (cancer)- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Dean Cameron was born on 25 December 1962 in Morrison, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Summer School (1987), Straight Outta Compton (2015) and Sleep with Me (1994). He has been married to Jessie S. Marion since 9 April 2004. They have one child.Dean Eikleberry
December 25, 1962 in Morrison, Illinois- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mabel King is best-known for the role of Mama on the 1970's sitcom What's Happening!, but she also appeared in the films The Jerk with Steve Martin and The Wiz with Michael Jackson. Before What's Happening!, she portrayed the Wicked Witch of the West in the Broadway version of The Wiz.Donnie Mabel Elizabeth Washington
December 25, 1932 in Charleston, South Carolina - November 9, 1999 (age 66) in Los Angeles, California (complications of diabetes)- Klea Scott was born on 25 December 1968 in Canal Zone, Panama. She is an actress, known for Minority Report (2002), Collateral (2004) and Millennium (1996). She was previously married to John Langs.December 25, 1968 in Canal Zone, Panama
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Paul Willson was born on 25 December 1945 in Fairmont, Minnesota, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Office Space (1999), The Goodbye Girl (1977) and Barstow 2008 (2001).December 25, 1945 in Fairmont, Minnesota- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Annie Lennox was born on 25 December 1954 in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK. She is a music artist and actress, known for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Scrooged (1988) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). She has been married to Mitch Besser since 15 September 2012. She was previously married to Uri Fruchtmann and Radha Raman.Ann Griselda Lennox
December 25, 1954 in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland- Actor
- Music Department
- Director
Bandleader, songwriter ("Minnie the Moocher", "Are You Hep to That Jive?"), composer, singer, actor and author, educated at Crane College. While studying law, he sang with the band The Alabamians, and took over the group in 1928. He led The Missourians orchestra, then organized and led his own orchestra, playing at hotels, theaters and nightclubs throughout the US, and making many records. He joined the cast of the touring company of "Porgy and Bess", which performed across the USA and Europe between 1952 and 1954. When that ended, he founded a quartet. Joining ASCAP in 1942, he collaborated musically with Jack Palmer, Buck Ram, Andy Gibson, Clarence Gaskill, Irving Mills and Paul Mills . His other popular song compositions include "Lady With the Fan", "Zaz Zuh Zaz", "Chinese Rhythm", "Are You In Love With Me Again?", "That Man's Here Again", "Peck-A-Doodle-Doo", "I Like Music", "Rustle of Swing", "Three Swings and Out", "The Jumpin' Jive", "Boog It", "Come on with the Come-on", "Silly Old Moon", "Sunset", "Rhapsody in Rhumba", "Are You All Reet?", "Hi-De-Ho Man", "Levee Lullaby", "Let's Go, Joe", "Geechy Joe", and "Hot Air".Cabell Calloway III
December 25, 1907 in Rochester, New York - November 18, 1994 (age 86) in Hockessin, Delaware (stroke)- Actor
- Soundtrack
American character actor Frank Ferguson appeared in scores of films and television shows, often as self-important types. Prior to his film debut, he was a prominent performer and director with the acclaimed Pasadena Community Playhouse, where he coached numerous up-and-coming young actors such as Dana Andrews, George Reeves, Robert Preston and Victor Mature. He broke into films, himself, in the early 1940s, usually playing minor supporting roles, though he was seen to advantage in larger roles, notably in two of the best-known (and oddest) westerns of the '50s, Rancho Notorious (1952) and Johnny Guitar (1954). He played hundreds of ranchers, bankers and police detectives in films and television throughout the '50s and '60s. He became most familiar as "Gus" on the children's program My Friend Flicka (1955) and later as "Eli Carson" on the two TV series based on the novel Peyton Place (1964). He semi-retired in 1972 and died of cancer six years later.December 25, 1899 in Ferndale, California - September 12, 1978 (age 78) in Los Angeles, California (cancer)- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
Jimmy Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi and grew up living beside the the Gulf of Mexico. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi he worked his way to success in the music industry. His hits in the 1970s including "Margaritaville" and "Come Monday". He struck a chord and helped to build a huge fan-base of all ages over the decades. Now married with three kids, Buffett loves fishing, flying and world travel. Buffett is also the author of numerous books including the bestselling "A Pirate Looks At Fifty" and has added movies to his repertoire as co-producer and co-star of an adaptation of Carl Hiaasen's novel Hoot (2006).James William Buffett
December 25, 1946 in Pascagoula, Mississippi- Actor
- Producer
Italian-American character actor John Capodice was born on December 25, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois. Capodice began acting on stage in mostly Off-Broadway plays in New York City in the late 1970s. John acted on his first TV show in 1978 and appeared in his first movie in 1982. Often cast as menacing mobsters, gruff cops, or scruffy working-class types, Capodice continues to act with pleasing regularity both in films and on television.December 25, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois- Michael D. Roberts was born on December 25, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York. A wealthy Manhattan furniture designer gave the generous gift of cribs, blankets, toys and a year supply of milk to the first ten babies of post war veterans born on Christmas Day; and Michael was one of them.
At twelve years old Michael had his first major stage appearance in a theatre production at his local church. It was then that his passion for acting was born. In high school Michael enrolled in the drama program, and after graduating attended Los Angeles City College where he continued his study in the dramatic arts. Later, Michael attended USIU School of Performing Arts in San Diego and in his final year of study attended the prestigious California Institute of the Arts.
One of Michael's first television appearances was on The Flip Wilson Show (1971). Through the 1970s he appeared on such popular television shows as, Good Times (1974) and The Incredible Hulk (1979).
One of Michael's most memorable roles was the jive-talking street-hustler, "Rooster", on the hit TV series Baretta, (1975). A role that garnered high accolades for Michael in Hollywood and the adoration of many fans. Into the1980s Michael's career showed no signs of slowing; with guest starring roles on B.J. and the Bear (1980), Bosom Buddies (1981), The Fall Guy (1982) and the season premiere of Knight Rider (1982).
It was in 1984 that Michael starred in the science fiction adventure The Ice Pirates along side actors Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy), Anjelica Huston (The Adams Family) and Robert Urich (Vega$). In 1988 Michael landed the roll of Vern in the Oscar winning film Rain Man directed by Barry Levinson and starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.
Through the 1990s and into the 2000s Michael's prolific acting career continued with guest star appearances on Seinfeld (1996) and Friends (2000). In 2005 Michael co-starred in the high-octane drama, Hostage, starring Bruce Willis.
In 2012, Michael was cast as "Bernard" in the television show, The First Family, from producer Byron Allen; also starring, Jackee Harry (Sister Sister, 227), Gladys Knight and John Witherspoon (Friday, The Wayans Bros).
Michael lives in Los Angeles, with his wife, actress Pamela Roberts and their 2 children.December 25, 1947 - Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Barbara Mandrell was born on 25 December 1948 in Houston, Texas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Touched by an Angel (1994), Baywatch (1989) and The Rockford Files (1974). She has been married to Ken Dudney since 28 May 1967. They have three children.Barbara Ann Mandrell
December 25, 1948 in Houston, Texas