Sunday, April 29, 2007

John Cusack



Profile
Name: John Cusack
Birth Name: John Paul Cusack
Height: 6'3"
Sex: M
Nationality: American
Birth Date: June 28, 1966
Birth Place: Evanston, Illinois, USA
Profession: actor, director, writer
Education: Evanston Township High School, Evanston, Illinois New York University
Piven Theater Workshop, Evanston, Illinois
Relationship: Neve Campbell (actress; reportedly dating as of fall 1998), Claire Forlani (actress; dated from 1997 to 1998), Alison Eastwood (actress; dated in 1997), Minnie Driver (actress; met during filming of Grosse Pointe Blank; broke up)
Father: Richard Cusack (actor; film-production-company owner)
Mother: Nancy Cusack (former math teacher)
Sister: Susie (actress; born in 1971), Joan (actress; born on October 11, 1962), Ann (actress; born on May 22, 1961)
Brother: Bill Cusack (actor; born in 1964)
Claim to fame: as Lloyd Dahbler in Say Anything (1989)

Biography
John Cusack was born in Evanston, Illinois on June 26th, 1966. He was the fourth of five children born to a math-teacher mother, and a filmmaker father. At the age of 8, he joined the Piven Theatre Workshop. By the time he was 12 he had a string of industry films, had acted radio spots and commercial voice overs a his belt. When he was 17 he got his first real acting break in the teen comedy ''Class''(1983).Cusack remained busy the remainder of the '80's in hit's like ''Sixteen Candles'' with Molly Ringwald, ''Better Off Dead'', ''The Sure Thing'', ''The Journey of Natty Gann,'' and Cameron Crowe's classic eighties movie, ''Say Anything.'' Cusack has said that of all the characters he had ever played, his character in ''Say Anything'' ,Lloyd Dobler , was the most like himself. His performance in the movie effectively confirmed that he was capable of carrying a film and better offers began to role in.

He won his first grown-up role in ''The Grifters''(1990), where he played a small-time hustler caught between the attention of two rival women. His costars in the film Angelica Houston and Annette Benning both received Oscar nominations for their performance in the film but John had to settle for the rave reviews he received instead of a nomination.Next, he appeared in ''True colors'' with James Spader and had a cameo role in ''The Player''. He has gone on to continue enjoying roles opposite box office champs. He has given wonderful performances in dramatic films such as 'True Colors'', ''Shadows and Fog'', and ''Map of the Human Heart'' as well as comedic roles in ''Money for Nothing'' and ''Bullets Over Broadway''. In 1996 he co-starred with Al Pacino in ''City Hall''.The next turning point in Cusack's career was when he starred in ''Grosse Point Blank'' with Minni Driver. The movie was critically acclaimed and darkly funny and Cusack not only starred in the flick he also co-wrote and co-produced it. Recently he has appeared in ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,'' ''Pushing Tin'' and ''Being John Malkovich.'' His latest film was in the lead role of Steven Frears' winning adaptation of Nick Hornby's cult-fave novel ''High Fidelity'' which Cusack also logged co-producing and writing credits for the flick.

Despite many fine performances, Cusack hasn't launched into the realms of super-stardom. Not that he cares. With his taste for the offbeat combined with his continued loathing for celebrity and for semi-literate, sensationalist film-making. It is unlikely his feeling swill be hurt if he doesn't command the lead in the type of conventional big budget flicks that keep the Tom Cruises of Hollywood in the $20 million club. You have to admit, the guys got heart.

Filmography
2008 Igor
2007 Martian Child
2007 1408
2007 Grace is Gone
2007 War, Inc.
2006 The Contract
2006 Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten
2005 The Ice Harvest
2005 Must Love Dogs
2003 Runaway Jury
2003 Identity
2003 Breakfast With Hunter
2002 Never Get Outta the Boat
2002 Max
2001 America's Sweethearts
2001 Serendipity
2001 The Concert For New York City
2000 High Fidelity
1999 Cradle Will Rock
1999 Being John Malkovich
1999 The Jack Bull
1999 Pushing Tin
1998 Hellcab Actor
1998 This is My Father
1998 The Thin Red Line
1997 Con Air Actor: Vince Larkin
1997 Grosse Pointe Blank
1997 Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
1997 Anastasia Actor: Dimitri
1996 City Hall Actor: Kevin Calhoun
1994 Bullets Over Broadway
1994 The Road to Wellville
1994 Floundering
1994 Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
1993 Money for Nothing
1993 Map of the Human Heart
1992 Roadside Prophets
1992 The Player
1992 Bob Roberts
1991 Shadows and Fog
1991 True Colors
1990 The Grifters
1989 Elvis Stories
1989 Say Anything...
1989 Fat Man & Little Boy
1988 Eight Men Out
1988 Tapeheads
1987 Hot Pursuit
1987 Broadcast News
1986 One Crazy Summer
1986 Stand by Me
1985 The Journey of Natty Gann
1985 The Sure Thing
1985 Better Off Dead
1984 Grandview, U.S.A.
1984 Sixteen Candles
1983 Class

Awards
  • Admits he's virtually computer illiterate.
  • Cusack has attacked filmmaker Michael Moore for failing to support the Democratic party in the last American presidential elections -- Cusack explains, He lost a lot of credibility when he went and campaigned for Ralph Nader because he was dead wrong when it counted. I'm not a huge fan of the Democratic party, but I knew there was a huge difference between them and the Bush crowd. Don't tell me Al Gore would have handed out the contract to rebuild Iraq before he'd given the order to bomb it. (June 10, 2003)
  • Officials at America's Jewish Defamation League have apologized to the makers of Cusack's new movie MAX after blasting the project for humanizing Adolf Hitler -- after attending a screening of the movie, the organization has apologized to director Menno Meyjes and his cast for being too quick to judge the new film. (December 21, 2002)
  • The Cusack family received an award in Chicago for their outstanding contribution to film-making.
  • He has a production company called New Crime Productions (that produced GROSSE POINTE BLANK, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, and the JACK BULL among various stage productions) which he founded with two of his high school buddies Steve Pink & D.V. DeVincentis.
  • Spent his time between takes for AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS on gambling.
  • Was considered for the role of John Bender in THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985).
  • Vintage Vinyl, another record store mentioned in HIGH FIDELITY (2000), is a real store in Evanston, his hometown.
  • His kickboxing scenes in the ring in SAY ANYTHING, including the one where his nose is broken, are done with don the dragon Wilson; who is a real life kickboxing champion.
  • In SAY ANYTHING, his character was given a pen by Diane Court (Ione Skye). Cusack uses a pen to kill Felix in GROSSE POINTE BLANK.
  • In SAY ANYTHING (1989), When Lloyd (John Cusack) drives along 45th street in Seattle, he passes the Guild 45th Theatre, which is showing Tapeheads (1988), in which Cusack also appeared.
  • SERENDIPITY is in which John Cusack's love interest is dating a spiritually enlightened character. In PUSHING TIN (1999)(qv), (Billy Bob Thornton), and in HIGH FIDELITY (2000), (Tim Robbins).
  • The goon stalking Martin Blank is Benny The Jet Urquidez, a world-champion kickboxer who was also John Cusack's kickboxing instructor. (GROSSE POINTE BLANK (1997))
  • Was nominated Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical in 2001 for HIGH FIDELITY.
  • Nominated for Best Screenplay - Adapted at BAFTA Awards for HIGH FIDELITY (2001)Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture at Screen Actors Guild Awards for BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (2000)
  • Saturday, April 28, 2007

    Michelle Williams


    Profile
    Name: Michelle Williams
    Birth Name: Michelle Ingrid Williams
    Height: 5' 4''
    Sex: F
    Nationality: American
    Birth Date: September 9, 1980
    Birth Place: Kalispell, Montana
    Profession: actress
    Education: Santa Fe Christian High School
    Relationship: Heath Ledger (actor; born on April 4, 1979; engaged in August 2005), Donal Lardner Ward (actor, writer, director; born on August 21, 1964), Andy Herod (singer/songwriter; dated two years)
    Father: Larry (stock market trader; born 1944; divorced)
    Mother: Carla (homemaker; born 1956; divorced)
    Sister: Paige Williams (younger)
    Half Sister: Kelley, Sara
    Half Brother: Jason
    Daughter: Matilda Rose Ledger (born on October 28, 2005 in Brooklyn, New York; father: Heath Ledger)
    Claim to fame: as Jennifer Lindley in Dawson's Creek

    Biography
    Best known to audiences as transplanted big city teen Jen Lindley on The WB's popular "Dawson's Creek" (1998-2003), actress Michelle Williams was born in Montana and moved to San Diego, California at age nine. In her new home, she began acting in community theater, and later made her feature debut in "Lassie" (1994), next appearing onscreen as the young incarnation of Natasha Henstridge's alien in "Species" (1995). After a career-driven legal emancipation from her parents, the home-schooled Williams was on her own, pursuing acting work in Burbank at the young age of 16, like a featured turn as Michelle Pfeiffer's daughter Pammy in the "King Lear" inspired drama "A Thousand Acres" (1997).

    After a fair amount of television guest work on series including "Home Improvement" and "Step By Step" (both ABC) and appearances in the TV movies "My Son Is Innocent" (ABC, 1996) and "Killing Mr. Griffin" (NBC, 1997), Williams made her TV series regular debut on Kevin Williamson's teen drama "Dawson's Creek" playing the troubled transplant Jen. While she was the youngest member of the ensemble, the alluring, pouty blonde had no problem playing Capeside's newly arrived seasoned but sensitive sophisticate. With looks and presence that seemed beyond her years, Williams also displayed a fragility very indicative of her age, the actress herself embodying the contradiction of contemporary youth. First as the outcast object of Dawson's desire with the shady past and later as a full-fledged member of the gang, Williams' role in the sometimes overwrought but always thoughtful program developed more interesting layers as the series progressed.

    Returning to film during the series' hiatus, the young performer did her horror duty as the teen female lead of the "Halloween: H20" (1998, executive produced by Williamson). Not in keeping with the conventions of the genre's early offerings, Williams remained fully dressed throughout her portrayal of Molly, the girlfriend of John (Josh Hartnett), son of original "Halloween" scream queen Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Next she tackled comedy in 1999's "Dick", a 1970s set story about two girls (Williams and Kirsten Dunst) who stumble upon President Nixon's Watergate dealings. She was additionally featured in the comedy "But I'm a Cheerleader"(1999), starring Natasha Lyonne as a teen girl sent to a "rehabilitation" facility after her parents suspect she is a lesbian.

    Williams soon tackled more challenging and adult roles, such as her performance as a 1970s lesbian college student who struggles with a romance with a butch suitor (Chloe Sevigny) in the HBO telepic "If These Walls Could Talk 2" (2000), followed by a turn as Christina Ricci's alienated roommate in the long-delayed adaptation of Elizabeth Wurtzel's bestseller "Prozac Nation," which was completed in 2001 but unreleased for nearly three years. Williams next delivered her finest performance to date in the drama "Me Without You" (2001) opposite Anna Friel as the long-suffering, co-dependent quotient in a pair of British friends whose relationship is a roller-coaster of emotional ups and downs, romantic betrayals and unhealthy competition, but ultimately buoyed by their unceasing bond. She followed up with an endearing supporting turn in "The Station Agent" (2003), playing Emily, the sweet, lonely girl who finds a bond with the independent dwarf Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage).

    In another long-shelved film, Williams was effective again as the sister of a murdered autistic boy in "The United States of Leland" (2004) before appearing as Penny, the daughter who flees her dysfunctional family, in "Imaginary Heroes" (2005). She next had a memorable, emotional turn as the broken-hearted young wife of closeted gay ranch hand Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) whose marriage slowly disintegrates after she discovers her husband carrying on a years-long secret affair with his closest friend (Jake Gyllenhaal) in director Ang Lee's sensitive, haunting "Brokeback Mountain" (2005). Williams and her co-star Ledger also began a romantic relationship while making the film, and their daughter was born shortly before its release. Her performance earned Williams nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. Meanwhile, she shared the Broadcast Film Critics’ award with Amy Adams (“Junebug”).

    Filmography
    2008 Where the Wild Things Are
    2008 Synecdoche, New York
    2007 The Tourist
    2007 I'm Not There: Suppositions on a Film Concerning Dylan
    2007 Bronte
    2006 The Hottest State
    2005 Brokeback Mountain
    2005 The Baxter
    2005 The Hawk is Dying
    2004 A Hole in One
    2004 Land of Plenty
    2004 Imaginary Heroes
    2003 The Station Agent
    2002 The United States of Leland
    2002 Dawson's Creek: Season 06
    2001 Dawson's Creek: Season 05
    2001 Prozac Nation
    2001 Perfume
    2001 Me Without You
    2000 If These Walls Could Talk 2
    2000 Dawson's Creek: Season 04
    1999 Dawson's Creek: Season 03
    1999 Dick
    1999 But I'm a Cheerleader
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Dance
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Discovery
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Baby
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Boyfriend
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Double Date
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Beauty Contest
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Season 02
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Season 01
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Pilot
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Kiss
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Hurricane
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Detention
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Roadtrip
    1998 Dawson's Creek: The Scare
    1998 Dawson's Creek: Decisions
    1998 Dawson's Creek [TV Series]
    1998 Halloween: H20
    1997 Killing Mr. Griffin
    1997 A Thousand Acres
    1995 Timemaster
    1995 Species
    1994 Lassie

    Awards
    Academy
    2005 Best Supporting Actress Brokeback Mountain

    British Academy Awards
    2005 Best Supporting Actress Brokeback Mountain

    Broadcast Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Supporting Actress Brokeback Mountain

    Chicago Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Supporting Actress Brokeback Mountain

    Golden Globe
    2005 Best Supporting Actress Brokeback Mountain

    Independent Spirit Award
    2006 Best Actress Land of Plenty
    2005 Best Supporting Actress Brokeback Mountain

    Online Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Supporting Actress Brokeback Mountain

    Phoenix Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Supporting Actress Brokeback Mountain

    Screen Actors Guild
    2005 Best Supporting Actress Brokeback Mountain

    Trivia
    * After applying for a marriage licence in November 2006, Michelle and Heath Ledger got married in secret in January 2007.
    * Michelle’s father, Larry, was arrested in Sydney for tax evasion in June 2006. He is currently set to be extradited to the US to face the charges. He has been accused of creating false documents and using multiple bank accounts to hid $AU3.7 million earned from book sales and lectures.
    * Michelle used to date Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes. Some of their songs are about her.
    * Michelle is in the movie Dick.
    * Michelle is currently filming the movie The Hawk Is Dying.
    * Michelle is in the movie Species.
    * Michelle is in the movie Timemaster.
    * Michelle is in the movie A Thousand Acres.
    * Michelle is in the movie Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.
    * Michelle is in the movie Perfume.
    * Michelle is in the movie Prozac Nation.
    * Michelle is in the movie Me Without You.
    * Michelle is in the movie The United States of Leland.
    * Michelle is in the movie The Station Agent.
    * Michelle is in the movie A Hole in One.
    * Michelle is in the movie Imaginary Heroes.
    * Michelle is in the movie Land of Plenty.
    * Michelle is in the movie The Baxter.
    * Michelle is in the movie Brokeback Mountain.
    * Michelle was Jane Magazine's "Girl of the Month" in December 2005.
    * Michelle gave birth to a baby girl, Matilda, on October 28th, 2005 in Brooklyn, New York.
    * Michelle is engaged to Heath Ledger. They plan to live in Brooklyn, NY.
    * Michelle is living with Heath Ledger in Sydney, Australia.
    * Michelle is the only member of the four original cast members of Dawson's Creek (James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, and Joshua Jackson) who has not hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live.
    * Michelle is 5' 4" tall (1.63 m).
    * Michelle once starred in a stage production joined by her whole family - father, mother, and sister.
    * Michelle was turned down for a part on Northern Exposure.
    * Michelle had vocal training for singing when she first began acting and has performed in several musical stage productions.
    * Michelle does not like her middle name, which is the same as her mother's.
    * Michelle wore braces when she was little.
    * Michelle's first pet was a terrier named Terry.
    * Michelle one younger sister Paige and three older half siblings from her father's first marriage - Jason, Kelley and Sara.
    * Michelle was roommates with Christina Ricci whilst filming Prozac Nation with her.
    * Michelle wrote a script called "Don't Blink" which was sold, but never made.
    * Michelle attended Santa Fe Christian High School.
    * Michelle legally emancipated from her parents at the age of 15.
    * Michelle loves reading in her spare time.
    * In 1999, Michelle was chosen as one of Teen People Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21."

    Friday, April 27, 2007

    Michael Caine


    Profile
    Name: Michael Caine
    Birth Name: Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr.
    Height: 6'2''
    Sex: M
    Nationality: British
    Birth Date: March 14, 1933
    Birth Place: St. Olave's Hospital, Rotherhithe, London, UK
    Profession: Actor, Producer
    Husband/Wife: Shakira Baksh Caine (Miss Guyana finalist; married January 8, 1973), Patricia Haines (actress; 1955-1958; divorced)
    Father: Maurice Micklewhite (former fish-market porter; died in 1957 of liver cancer)
    Mother: Ellen Maria Micklewhite (a charlady; died in 1989)
    Brother: Stanley Micklewhite (born in 1936)
    Half Brother: David Burchell (born in 1925; died in March 1992 of pneumonia)
    Daughter: Natasha (born in July 1973; mother: Shakira Baksh), Dominique Caine (born in 1956; mother: Patricia Haines)
    Claim to fame: As Harry Palmer in Billion Dollar Brain (1967)

    Biography
    Born in South London on 14th March 1933, Michael Caine was the son of a fish-market porter and a cleaning-woman. Intrigued by acting, after serving tea in a theatre, he began performing in amateur plays. He served in Korea during his national service and, on his return, started playing small parts in provincial theatres and on British TV.He was hired to advise on A Hill in Korea in 1956, and played a small role.He had been a working as an actor for ten years before he attracted attention playing an effete young officer in Zulu (1964). He became highly popular after finding the humanity in the self-centred lothario, Alfie (1966), for which he won an Academy Award nomination.

    In roles from the atypical, bespectacled spy hero Harry Palmer, to the ruthless avenger, Jack Carter, he has proved himself a popular screen personality. He has won Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and The Cider House Rules (1999). He continues to achieve international acclaim as a versatile actor and in the process has become a beloved British icon. In 2000 he accepted a knighthood under his real name, Maurice Micklewhite, in honour of his father.

    Filmography
    Actor
    2008 The Dark Knight
    2007 Sleuth
    2006 Children of Men
    2006 The Prestige
    2005 The Weather Man
    2005 Bewitched
    2005 Batman Begins
    2004 Around the Bend
    2004 The Golden Gong: The British Cinema Collection
    2003 The Actors
    2003 The Statement
    2003 Secondhand Lions
    2002 It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
    2002 Austin Powers in Goldmember
    2002 The Quiet American
    2001 Last Orders
    2001 Quicksand
    2000 Shiner
    2000 Shadow Run
    2000 Get Carter
    2000 Miss Congeniality
    2000 Quills
    1999 The Cider House Rules
    1998 Curtain Call
    1998 Little Voice
    1997 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
    1997 Mandela and de Klerk
    1997 Midnight in St. Petersburg
    1996 Blood and Wine
    1995 Bullet to Beijing
    1994 World War II: When Lions Roared
    1994 On Deadly Ground
    1993 Blue Ice
    1992 Noises Off
    1992 The Muppet Christmas Carol
    1991 The Hollywood Collection: Michael Caine - Breaking the Mold
    1991 Rabbit Ears: King Midas and the Golden Touch
    1990 Bullseye!
    1990 Jekyll and Hyde
    1990 Bullseye!
    1990 Mr. Destiny
    1990 A Shock to the System
    1989 John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick
    1989 Michael Caine: Acting in Film
    1988 Jack the Ripper
    1988 Without a Clue
    1988 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
    1987 Jaws: The Revenge
    1987 The Fourth Protocol
    1987 Surrender
    1986 Sweet Liberty
    1986 Half Moon Street
    1986 The Whistle Blower
    1986 Mona Lisa
    1986 Hannah and Her Sisters
    1985 Water
    1985 The Holcroft Covenant
    1984 The Jigsaw Man
    1984 Blame It On Rio
    1983 Educating Rita
    1983 Beyond the Limit
    1982 Deathtrap
    1981 Victory
    1981 The Hand
    1980 Dressed to Kill
    1980 The Island
    1979 Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
    1979 Ashanti
    1978 California Suite
    1978 The Swarm
    1977 A Bridge Too Far
    1977 Silver Bears
    1976 Harry and Walter Go to New York
    1976 The Eagle Has Landed
    1976 Don Rickles: Buy This Tape, You Hockey Puck
    1975 The Romantic Englishwoman
    1975 The Wilby Conspiracy
    1975 Peeper
    1975 The Man Who Would Be King
    1974 The Destructors
    1974 The Black Windmill
    1972 X, Y and Zee
    1972 Pulp
    1972 Sleuth
    1971 The Last Valley
    1971 Get Carter
    1971 Kidnapped
    1970 Too Late the Hero
    1970 Simon, Simon
    1969 Battle of Britain
    1969 Play Dirty
    1969 The Italian Job
    1968 Deadfall
    1968 The Magus
    1967 Billion Dollar Brain
    1967 Tonite Let's All Make Love In London
    1967 Hurry Sundown
    1967 Sette Volte Donna
    1966 Funeral in Berlin
    1966 The Wrong Box
    1966 Alfie
    1966 Gambit
    1965 The Ipcress File
    1965 Solo for Sparrow
    1964 Zulu
    1963 The Wrong Arm of the Law
    1961 The Day the Earth Caught Fire
    1960 Foxhole in Cairo
    1960 The Bulldog Breed
    1959 Breakout
    1958 The Two-Headed Spy
    1958 The Steel Bayonet
    1958 The Key
    1958 Blind Spot
    1958 Carve Her Name with Pride
    1958 Room 43
    1957 How to Murder a Rich Uncle
    1957 A Woman of Mystery
    1956 Panic in the Parlour
    1956 Hell in Korea
    Acting in Film
    Fighting for Freedom: Revolution & Civil War
    The Hollywood Collection: Roger Moore - A Matter of Class

    Executive Producer
    1987 The Fourth Protocol

    Producer
    1993 Blue Ice
    1993 Indecent Behavior
    1987 The Fourth Protocol

    Awards
    Academy
    2002 Best Actor The Quiet American
    1999 Best Supporting Actor Cider House Rules
    1986 Best Supporting Actor Hannah And Her Sisters
    1983 Best Actor Educating Rita
    1972 Best Actor Sleuth
    1966 Best Actor Alfie

    British Academy Awards
    1999 Academy Fellowship
    1999 Best Supporting Actor Cider House Rules
    1986 Best Actor Hannah and Her Sisters
    1983 Best Actor Educating Rita

    European Film Academy
    2001 Best European Actor Last Orders

    Golden Globe
    2002 Best Actor - Drama The Quiet American
    1999 Best Supporting Actor (Motion Picture) Cider House Rules
    1998 Best Actor in Musical or Comedy Little Voice
    1988 Best Actor - Musical or Comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
    1986 Best Supporting Actor Hannah and Her Sisters
    1983 Best Actor - Musical or Comedy Educating Rita
    1972 Best Actor - Drama Sleuth
    1966 Best Actor - Musical or Comedy Gambit
    1966 Best Actor - Drama Alfie

    London Film Critics Circle
    2006 Best Supporting British Actor Prestige

    National Board of Review
    1998 Career Achievement Award

    National Society of Film Critics
    2002 Best Actor - Runner-up Quiet American

    Screen Actors Guild
    1999 Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role Cider House Rules

    Trivia
    *Was nominated for two Worst Actor awards at the 1980 Razzie awards for his roles in the films Dressed to Kill (1980) and The Island (1980).
    *He has received an Oscar nomination at least once in five consecutive decades (1960s-2000s).
    *He co-owns the restaurant, Langan's Brasserie in London England.
    *Michael is a popular subject for impressionists and mimics.
    *Unlike some actors who adopt their stage name for everyday use, Michael still uses his real name when he is not working.
    *Michael's first Academy Award was for best supporting actor for the film Hannah and her Sisters (1986).
    *One of Michael's well known roles includes the spy "Harry Palmer", in The Ipcress File (1965).
    *Michael only learnt about his elder half brother, David when his mother died.
    *Michael has been married twice.
    *Michael was rumored to have been offered a million pounds to guest star in the show EastEnders.
    *Michael came into the public eye as an upper-class British army officer in the film, Zulu (1964). *When he first became an actor, Michael chose the stage name "Michael Scott".
    *Michael's parents are Maurice Micklewhite and Ellen Maria.
    *Michael will star in the Batman Begins sequel.
    *Michael took his name from the film The Caine Mutiny (1954).
    *Michael was voted fifth in the 2001 Orange Film Survey of the greatest British actors.
    *Michael shares his birthday with Quincy Jones, Taylor Hanson, Kylie and Keaton Tyndall, and Chris Klein.
    *Three of Michael's memorable films, Alfie (1966), The Italian Job (1969), and Get Carter (1971), have all been remade.
    *Michael is close friends with Sir Sean Connery, Sir Roger Moore, Sir Elton John and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.
    *Superstar Swedish rock band Kent refer to Michael in their song "Palace and Main".

    Thursday, April 26, 2007

    Jennifer Connelly

    Profile
    Name: Jennifer Connelly
    Birth Name: Jennifer Lynn Connelly
    Height: 5' 7½''
    Sex: F
    Nationality: American
    Birth Date: December 12, 1970
    Birth Place: Catskill Mountains, New York, USA
    Profession: Actress
    Education: St. Ann's, Brooklyn Heights, New York
    Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut (majored in Theater and English; left after second year) Stanford University in Stanford, California
    Husband/Wife: Paul Bettany (British; actor; born on May 27, 1971; married on January 1, 2003; met while filming A Beautiful Mind - 2001)
    Relationship: Josh Charles (actor; born on September 15, 1971; dating in 2000), David Dugan (photographer), Billy Campbell (actor; born on July 7, 1959; together 1990-1995; engaged in 1991)
    Father: Gerad Connelly (clothing manufacturer)
    Mother: Eileen Connelly (antique dealer)
    Son: Kai Dugan (born in July 1997; father: David Dugan)
    Claim to fame: As Jenny Blake in The Rocketeer (1991)

    Biography
    Born December 12, 1970, in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, Jennifer is an accomplished star actress. Jennifer grew up in Brooklyn Heights, except for the four years her family spent in Woodstock, New York. Her father, Gerard Connelly, is a clothing manufacturer, and her mother, Eileen Connelly, is a massage therapist and former antiques dealer. She attended Saint Ann's school in Brooklyn, enrolled at Yale, then transferred two years later to Stanford. Her academic studies included interests in Quantum Physics and philosophy. Jennifer is trained in classical theater and improvisation, having studied with the late drama coach Roy London and with Howard Fine and Harold Guskin. She speaks fluent Italian, French and is semi fluent in Japanese.

    When Jennifer was 10, a family friend who was an advertising executive suggested that her parents take her to a modeling audition. She began doing modeling work through the Ford Agency, appearing in magazine ads for Seventeen magazine and soon moved on to TV commercials. She also appeared in a Miller Beer commercial. A casting director saw Jennifer and introduced her to Sergio Leone, who was seeking a young girl to dance in his gangster epic "Once Upon a Time in America". Jennifer got the part, and this was her first movie appearance, and the big break that launched her career.

    Jennifer enjoys physical activities such as swimming, gymnastics, bike riding, and roller skating. She is very much the outdoors person, being into camping, hiking and walking. What attracts many people to Jennifer, is not so much the kind of characters or roles she plays but her alluring style and charm which connects her to the audience. Jennifer seems able to bring this talent into all her roles. Being one of the most attractive women ever to grace the screen also helps considerably! Jennifer has matured into one of the most versatile actresses on the screen.

    Filmography
    Actress
    2007 9
    2007 Reservation Road
    2007 Macbeth
    2006 Little Children
    2006 Blood Diamond
    2005 Dark Water
    2003 House of Sand and Fog
    2003 The Hulk
    2001 A Beautiful Mind
    2000 Waking the Dead
    2000 Pollock
    2000 Requiem for a Dream
    2000 The $treet [TV Series]
    1998 Dark City
    1997 Inventing the Abbotts
    1996 Far Harbor
    1996 Mulholland Falls
    1995 Higher Learning
    1994 Of Love and Shadows
    1993 The Heart of Justice
    1992 Roy Orbison: I Drove All Night
    1991 The Rocketeer
    1991 Career Opportunities
    1990 The Hot Spot
    1989 Etoile
    1988 Some Girls
    1986 Seven Minutes in Heaven
    1986 Inside the Labyrinth
    1986 Labyrinth
    1985 Dario Argento's World of Horror
    1984 Phenomena
    1984 Once Upon a Time in America

    Awards
    Academy
    2001 Best Supporting Actress Beautiful Mind

    American Film Institute
    2001 Best Supporting Actress Beautiful Mind

    British Academy Awards
    2001 Best Supporting Actress Beautiful Mind

    Broadcast Film Critics Association
    2001 Best Supporting Actress Beautiful Mind
    2001 Best Supporting Actress Beautiful Mind

    Golden Globe
    2001 Best Supporting Actress Beautiful Mind

    Independent Spirit Award
    2000 Best Supporting Actress Requiem for a Dream

    Screen Actors Guild
    2001 Best Actress Beautiful Mind

    Trivia
    * Is in negotiations to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Warner Bros. Pictures' dramatic thriller THE BLOOD DIAMOND. (October 13, 2005)* Is in talks to star alongside Kate Winslet in LITTLE CHILDREN, a film based on Tom Perrotta's novel. (April 27, 2005)
    * Connelly says winning an Academy Award for A BEAUTIFUL MIND hasn't improved her job offers very much, saying “There is still a hierarchy, a food chain, that I am not at the top of. I'm not necessarily the greatest box-office draw. (July 11, 2003)
    * Connelly is planning a water birth in London for her second child, but she's worried it might be a weirder experience than she's been led to believe -- She says, I think it would be a bit disconcerting because the baby comes out still attached to the umbilical chord and it must be weird to see your baby submerged in water.” (June 27, 2003)
    * Connelly admits she once seriously considered quitting acting because she couldn't find any decent roles – The actress explains, “These movies I'd been making in no way reflect my taste as a moviegoer. It got to a point where I didn't want to work in movies anymore because it became too embarrassing and humiliating.” (June 25, 2003)
    * Pregnant Connelly already knows she is expecting a baby boy but finding a name for the tot is proving difficult -- Connelly and hubby Paul Bettany are still pondering a suitable moniker for the baby that they admit they’ll call him 'It' for a little bit. (June 14, 2003)
    * Her character in WAKING THE DEAD (2000/II) (TV) is named Sarah Williams, the same as her character in LABYRINTH (1986).
    * Her character's father worked in the garment industry in REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. In reality, Connelly's father also is in the garment industry.
    * The role of Anne in RING (2001) was first offered to Jennifer Connelly. The script was then offered to Gwyneth Paltrow, and then to Kate Beckinsale, and finally Naomi Watts.
    * We repeatedly see Connelly's character standing at the end of a pier as Jared Leto's character walks toward her in REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000); this closely resembles a shot in the final scene of DARK CITY (1998) with Connelly and Rufus Sewell. According to director, Darren Aronofsky, this was a pure coincidence; when he came up with the image, based on a moment in his own life, he had yet not cast Connelly, nor even seen DARK CITY.
    * Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role at Screen Actors Guild Awards for A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2002)
    * Nominated for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture at Screen Actors Guild Awards for A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2002)
    * Was nominated Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female in 2001 for REQUIREM FOR A DREAM.
    * Connelly found filming the forthcoming THE HULK movie a humiliating experience - because she had to act to a cardboard head. (August 2002)

    Christian Bale


    Profile
    Name: Christian Bale
    Birth Name: Christian Charles Philip Bale
    Height: 6'
    Sex: M
    Nationality: Welsh
    Birth Date: January 30, 1974
    Birth Place: Haverford, West Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
    Profession: Actor, Producer
    Education: College in Southern California in the mid-1990s
    Husband/Wife: Sibi Blasic (aka Sandra Bale; married on January 29, 2000)
    Father: David Bale (former commercial pilot; divorced)
    Mother: (circus dancer)
    Sister: Louise Bale (actress; born on July 22, 1972); Erin Bale (musician; older), and Sharon Bale (computer professional; older)
    Step Mother: Gloria Steinem (feminist activist; married David Bale on September 3, 2000)
    Uncle: Rex Bale (actor)
    Daughter: His first daughter was born 27 March, 2005 in Santa Monica, California.
    Claim to fame: As James Graham in Empire of the Sun (1987)

    Biography
    The 10th Anniversary issue of Entertainment Weekly crowned Christian Bale as one of the "Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures" of the past decade, citing his incredible and legendary cult status on the Internet. EW also calls Bale one of the "Most Creative People in Entertainment" after his brilliant turn as the psychopathic yuppie serial killer in American Psycho (2000). And Premiere lauded him as one of the "Hottest Leading Men Under 30." Christian Bale has garnered a huge international audience ever since he wowed critics with his devastating performance in Steven Spielberg's WWII epic Empire of the Sun (1987).

    Bale made his professional debut opposite British comedian Rowan Atkinson on the London West End stage. He auditioned with 4000 other kids for the coveted role of James Graham in Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. Bale received a special citation for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor from the National Board of Review -- an award specially created for his performance in Empire. In the following decade, Welsh-born Bale has appeared in Shakespeare, dramas and comedies demonstrating a versatility, depth and range that has made him one of the best reviewed actors today and one of the most popular actors on the Internet. Bale is the youngest in a family of 3 older sisters (Erin, Sharon, and Louise).

    Filmography
    Actor
    2008 The Dark Knight
    2007 I'm Not There: Suppositions on a Film Concerning Dylan
    2007 3:10 to Yuma
    2006 Rescue Dawn
    2006 Harsh Times
    2006 The Prestige
    2005 The New World
    2005 Batman Begins
    2004 Howl's Moving Castle
    2003 The Machinist
    2002 Equilibrium
    2002 Reign of Fire
    2002 Laurel Canyon
    2001 Captain Corelli's Mandolin
    2000 American Psycho
    2000 Shaft
    1999 A Midsummer Night's Dream
    1999 Mary, Mother of Jesus
    1998 Velvet Goldmine
    1998 All The Little Animals
    1997 Metroland
    1996 The Portrait of a Lady
    1996 The Secret Agent
    1995 Pocahontas
    1994 Little Women
    1994 Royal Deceit
    1993 Swing Kids
    1992 Newsies
    1991 A Murder of Quality
    1989 Treasure Island
    1989 Henry V
    1987 Empire of the Sun
    1987 Mio in the Land of Faraway
    1986 Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna
    1986 Heart of the Country

    Executive Producer
    2006 Harsh Times

    Awards
    London Film Critics Association
    2005 Best British Actor Machinist

    London Film Critics Circle
    2006 Best British Actor Prestige

    National Board of Review
    1987 Outstanding Juvenile Performance Empire of the Sun

    Trivia
  • Is close to a deal to star opposite Russell Crowe in Western remake 3:10 TO YUMA. (August 5, 2006)
  • Says his tight bat suit helps him conjure up the beast from within to play a menacing superhero in BATMAN. (June 9, 2005)
  • Becomes a father after his wife gave birth to his first daughter on March 27, 2005.
  • Has signed on to star in the indie HARSH TIMES, written and directed by TRAINING DAY writer David Ayer. (December 4, 2004)
  • Lost 1/3 of his body weight for his role in THE MACHINIST. (2004)
  • Was so determined to beef up to play Batman in BATMAN BEGINS just six weeks after playing an emaciated machine operator in THE MACHINIST he made himself sick by gorging on pizza and ice-cream. (2004)
  • With BATMAN BEGINS, he will become the seventh actor to play Batman and the only one since Adam West to stand the same height as Batman, who is 6-feet-2-inches tall according to the comic books.
  • Doesn’t eat red meat.
  • A devoted animal lover, Christian has two dogs (Mojo and Ramone) and three cats (Miriam, Molly, and Lilly), which are all strays that he found.
  • Was handpicked by Winona Ryder for the coveted role of Laurie (Theodore Laurence) in LITTLE WOMEN.
  • Hand-picked by director/writer Mary Harron and author Bret Easton Ellis to star in AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000). Was noted by the media as the first star of AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000), only to lose the part to Leonardo DiCaprio, and then win it back again.
  • He has an uncanny ear for accents - he has used a different accent for each of his films to date.
  • He is an excellent horseman and an avid reader.
  • He trained for 10 weeks in dancing and martial arts for the dance sequences in Newsies and Swing Kids.
  • Since reading Charlotte's Web, Christian does not eat red meat.
  • On location in Prague in near freezing weather, he was visited by Steven Spielberg (director of his feature film debut EMPIRE OF THE SUN, 1987) to play in SWING KIDS (1993). Spielberg was also in Prague filming SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993).
  • Over his shoulder in one of the close-up shots during the last scene of AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000), when Patrick is having drinks with his friends, one can see a plaque above a door that reads: This is not an exit. That phrase appears as the last line of the book the movie is based on.
  • Filming THE MACHINIST in Spain. (August 2003)
  • Is active in many organizations, including Ark Trust, Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Foundation, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, the Redwings Sanctuary, and the Happy Child Mission, and a school for street kids in Rio de Janeiro.
  • His grandfather doubled for John Wayne in two movies in Africa.
  • His first on-screen role was in 1983 at age 9 in a British commercial for Pac-Man Cereal.
  • Was raised in England, Portugal and California.
  • He replaced Leonardo DiCaprio for the film AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000).
  • Stepson of author-feminist Gloria Steinem.
  • Met his wife through Winona Ryder; she was Ryder's personal assistant.
  • Wednesday, April 25, 2007

    Shannen Doherty

    Profile
    Name: Shannen Doherty
    Birth Name: Shannen Maria Doherty
    Height: 5' 3"
    Sex: F
    Nationality: American
    Birth Date: April 12, 1971
    Birth Place: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
    Profession: actress
    Husband/Wife: Rick Salomon (entrepreneur; married in January 2002; marriage annulled in 2003), Ashley Hamilton (actor; born on September 30, 1974; only son of actor George Hamilton; married on September 24, 1993; filed for divorce in April 1994)
    Relationship: Andrew Levitas (actor; born on September 4, 1977; dated in 2004), Rob Weiss (actor; met in 1994; announced engagement in December 1995; reportedly separated in April 1996), Judd Nelson (actor; born on November 28, 1959; engaged in 1994, never married)
    Father: Tom Doherty (work at a bank)
    Mother: Rosa Doherty (owner of a beauty parlor)
    Brother: Sean Doherty (born in 1967)
    Claim to fame: as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills 90210 (1990)

    Biography
    Known for portraying conniving TV vixens, dark-haired actress Shannen Doherty started her career at age ten after moving to Los Angeles with her family. When Michael Landon saw her guest-starring appearance on the TV drama Father Murphy, he cast her as Jenny Wilder for the 1982 season of Little House on the Prairie. In 1985, she played bratty little sister Maggie in the teen movie Girls Just Want to Have Fun with Sarah Jessica Parker. She continued playing a bratty kid in the TV drama Our House as Wilford Brimley's granddaughter Kris before graduating to bratty teenager in the supreme black comedy Heathers with Winona Ryder. But her most recognizable role came in 1990 with Aaron Spelling's FOX series Beverly Hills 90210. As the twin sister of Jason Priestley's Brandon Walsh, the character of Brenda Walsh became one of television's meanest teenagers. She left the show in 1994 in a much-publicized huff due to some disagreements, causing the producers to digitally remove her from episodes and promotional materials. For the rest of the '90s, she appeared in forgettable films and horrible made-for-TV movies, but somehow remained in public view due to her frequent arrests, cameo appearances, turbulent romantic life, and tendency to get into fights with celebrities. In 1998, she found a place for herself as the witch Prue Halliwell on the TV series Charmed, with fellow grown-up child stars Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs as her witch sisters. Several TV movies followed, including Satan's School for Girls and Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay. In 2003, she hosted the reality-based program Scare Tactics and starred in the made-for-TV thriller Nightlight. Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

    Filmography
    Actress
    2005 Category 7: The End of the World
    2003 Scare Tactics [TV Series]
    2003 Beverly Hills 90210: Ten Year High School Reunion
    2002 The Rendering
    2002 Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay
    2001 Another Day
    2001 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
    2000 Satan's School for Girls
    1998 Charmed [TV Series]
    1998 Striking Poses
    1998 Charmed: Season 01
    1995 Mallrats
    1994 A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story
    1994 The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult
    1994 Almost Dead
    1994 Blindfold: Acts of Obsession
    1994 Jailbreakers
    1993 Beverly Hills 90210: The Graduation
    1993 Saturday Night Live: Shannen Doherty
    1992 Obsessed
    1992 Freeze Frame
    1990 Beverly Hills 90210: Pilot
    1990 Beverly Hills 90210 [TV Series]
    1989 Heathers
    1986 Outlaws
    1985 Girls Just Want to Have Fun
    1985 The Other Lover
    1984 Little House on the Prairie: Bless All the Dear Children
    1982 The Secret of NIMH
    1982 Little House on the Prairie: Season 09
    1982 Night Shift

    Executive Producer
    2001 Another Day

    Trivia
  • Was reduced to tears after seeing Star magazine cover declaring she'd had drastic plastic surgery, and is planning to sue the magazine. (August 1, 2006)
  • Shed tears at the Television Critic Association's press event in Pasadena, Calif., as she talked about her past bad behavior. (July 14, 2006)
  • Filled-in as a co-host on talk show The View on July 31 and August1 2006
  • Was as furious when she found out her former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Tori Spelling made fun of her on her new TV show So NoTORIous. (June 5, 2006)
  • Was bruised and cut on her thigh during a Pacific Coast Highway crash that sent another motorist to the hospital. (February 15, 2006)
  • Was dropped from the cast of UPN`s new sitcom Love, Inc. after failing to impress preview audiences. (May 28, 2005)
  • Has reportedly reconciled with her estranged husband Rick Solomon after the pair separated following the revelation of his porn tape with Paris Hilton. However, a representative for Doherty denies they're dating again. (December 16, 2003)
  • Doherty has put her wild history behind her but says she regrets nothing. (April 23, 2003)
  • Was arrested after she was pulled over for allegedly weaving across a Southern California highway.
  • Is greatly amused by reports about her recent wedding - because journalists have got the wrong man. (2003)
  • Her former Charmed co-stars are amazed at their one- time pal's unfriendly behaviour. Shannen was famously booted off the show when her diva-like antics became too difficult to handle, and she has not been shy about slamming Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs, who played her magical sisters.
  • At the end of Season three of CHARMED (1998), Doherty quit. At the same time WB announced they will pick up Charmed for the next three years
  • When Rene (Shannen Doherty) runs to tell Jay and Silent Bob that Brodie and T.S. are being arrested, Ethan Suplee (Willam) ad-libs, Brenda? - a joke reference to Doherty's character on BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 (1990), (MALLRATS (1995))
  • Doherty is leaving her husband just nine months after their wedding, ending her union with internet gambling site owner Rick Solomon because she's less than impressed with his recent behavior – a friend of hers says Rick's been sober 18 months, but twice in the past month, he's just gone off - once to Vegas - and disappeared. (October 24, 2002(
  • Just completed her first season as host of SciFi's hidden camera show Scare Tatics. (October 2003)
  • Likes to tease the boys once in awhile with a partial Playboy spread. And she's fun to read about.
  • When Shannen was released from her role in the FOX series Beverly Hills: 90210, producers digitally removed her from the next-to-last episode. It was quite a smack in the face to Shannen since the show was a retrospective and included every actor in the show's history.
  • Attended court appointed anger-management counseling after she slammed a beer bottle through someone's car window during an argument.
  • Appeared nude in Playboy in 2003.
  • Was removed from the teen soap Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) at end of 4th season (March 1994). According to producer Aaron Spelling because of constant conflicts with other cast members and repeatedly late appearances on the set.
  • Infuriated William Friedkin when she failed to turn up for the first day of shooting JAILBREAKERS (1994) (TV) in Hollywood. Shannon, as it turned out, had just returned from Italy, where she'd raised hell by turning up late for an interview on a television talk-show. Friedkin's first reaction was to call auditions and look at 12 other actresses to take the 90210-brat's part. But then he decided to stick with Doherty.
  • In 1992, Shannen was a guest on The Dennis Miller Show (1992). She appeared on the fourth show which meant that host, Miller, was still in the process of getting used to the talk-show format. Early in the interview she rudely asked Miller if he was nervous and went on to point out his eyebrow which was twitching nervously. This made headlines the next day and before long, Miller was routinely making an effort to lampoon her on his talk show.
  • Tattoos: One on her right ankle of a Grecian cross
  • Nickname: Shando
  • Offered a role in SCREAM 3 (2000).
  • Beat future CHARMED co-star Alyssa Milano for the role of Rene in cult film MALLRATS. (1995)
  • Had her wages garnished by California United Bank when she was on 90210 because she wrote nearly $32,000 worth of bad checks.
  • Has four horses and three dogs.
  • Goddaughter is named Cooper Smith.
  • Still owns a percent of CHARMED even though she left
  • Eye color: Grey / Green
  • Hair color: Dark brown
  • Hobbies: Photography, horse-riding, playing her guitar, traveling
  • Has some sort of allergy to chocolates but she could not resist Twix
  • Was paid $17,500 per episode for Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990)
  • Tuesday, April 24, 2007

    Jake Gyllenhaal


    Profile
    Name: Jake Gyllenhaal
    Birth Name: Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal
    Height: 6'
    Sex: M
    Nationality: American
    Birth Date: December 19, 1980
    Birth Place: Los Angeles, California, USA
    Profession: actor
    Education: Harvard-Westlake, Sherman Oaks, California (graduated in 1998)
    Columbia University in New York, New York
    Relationship: Kirsten Dunst (actress; born on April 30, 1082; dated 2002- 2004)
    Father: Stephen Gyllenhaal (director; born on October 4, 1949)
    Mother: Naomi Foner (writer)
    Sister: Maggie Gyllenhaal (actress; born on November 16, 1977)
    Claim to fame: played the disturbed title character in Donnie Darko (2001)

    Biography
    As the offspring of producer/writer Naomi Foner and director Stephen Gyllenhaal, it is not surprising that Jake Gyllenhaal has been acting since childhood. Raised in Los Angeles, Jake Gyllenhaal acted in school plays and made his winsome screen debut when he was in the fifth grade, playing Billy Crystal's son in the blockbuster summer comedy City Slickers (1991). Keeping it in the family, while acting with some of the industry's most notable talents, Jake Gyllenhaal subsequently appeared in his parents' 1993 adaptation of the novel A Dangerous Woman with Debra Winger, and played Robin Williams' son in a 1994 episode of TV's Homicide that was directed by Jake Gyllenhaal's father.

    Poised to make the transition from child to adult actor, Jake Gyllenhaal earned rave reviews heralding him as a star-in-the-making for his emotionally sincere performance as real life rocket builder Homer Hickam in the warmly received drama October Sky (1999). Though he opted to stay in school and attend college at Columbia University, Jake Gyllenhaal continued his creative pursuits, playing in a rock band and starring as the oddball title character alongside Drew Barrymore in the Barrymore-produced Sundance Film Festival entrant Donnie Darko (2001). Jake Gyllenhaal could be seen later that same year in multiplexes everywhere as the titular character in the ill-fated Bubble Boy.

    After co-starring on the London stage in This Is Our Youth in spring 2002, Jake Gyllenhaal was declared one half of Entertainment Weekly’s "It Gene Pool" (with sister Maggie Gyllenhaal) for his aversion to taking the easy teen flick route. In keeping with his preference for off-center work, Jake Gyllenhaal coincidentally played the younger love object of choice in two consecutive indie comedies, appearing as Catherine Keener’s sensitive boss in Nicole Holofcener’s slyly witty Lovely & Amazing (2002) and Jennifer Aniston’s enticing yet disturbed co-worker in Miguel Arteta’s sardonic The Good Girl (2002). As further proof that he had the acting chops to go with his sad-eyed good looks, Jake Gyllenhaal subsequently co-starred with Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon as a young man enmeshed in his dead fiancée’s family in Moonlight Mile (2002).

    With his star on the rise and his status as a heartthrob cemented, it became impossible for Jake Gyllenhaal to avoid the draw of a big summer blockbuster. In 2004, he starred alongside Dennis Quaid in the mega-budgeted The Day After Tomorrow.

    Filmography
    Actor
    2007 Rendition
    2007 Zodiac
    2005 Proof
    2005 Jarhead
    2005 Brokeback Mountain
    2004 Jiminy Glick in La La Wood
    2004 The Day After Tomorrow
    2002 Moonlight Mile
    2002 The Good Girl
    2001 Lovely & Amazing
    2001 Bubble Boy
    2001 Highway
    2001 Donnie Darko
    1999 October Sky
    1994 Homicide: Life on the Street - Bop Gun
    1993 A Dangerous Woman
    1993 Josh and S.A.M.
    1991 City Slickers

    Awards
    Academy
    2005 Best Supporting Actor Brokeback Mountain

    British Academy Awards
    2005 Best Supporting Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Broadcast Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Supporting Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Chicago Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Supporting Actor Brokeback mountain

    Independent Spirit Award
    2001 Best Actor Donnie Darko

    National Board of Review
    2005 Best Supporting Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Online Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Supporting Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Phoenix Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Supporting Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Screen Actors Guild
    2005 Best Supporting Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Trivia
  • Shazam! screenwriter John August has debunked the rumor that Gyllenhaal will play Captain Marvel on his official website. (March 20, 2007)
  • Jake and his sister Maggie escaped without injury after being caught up in a fire at a California inn. The two were staying at Manka's Inverness Lodge in Marin County for Christmas when a tree fell on the structure, sparking the fire. (December 27, 2006)
  • Denies rumors claiming he will reunite with his BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN co-star Heath Ledger in the forthcoming BATMAN BEGINS sequel, THE DARK NIGHT. (October 11, 2006)
  • Is to play cycling legend Lance Armstrong in a movie about his life. (August 24, 2006)
  • Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley have been spotted on a series of dates in Los Angeles - sparking rumors they are an item. (March 8, 2006)
  • Urinated in a water tank while he was filming THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. He admits he was so desperate to relieve himself while he was on set he couldn't make it to a bathroom in time.
  • The shirt he wore portraying gay cowboy Jack Twist in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN sold for $101,100 on auction website eBay. (February 23, 2006)
  • Is being touted as Gotham City district attorney Harvey Dent in the next Batman sequel. (February 8, 2006)
  • Loves the gay fan-base his role as a camp cowboy has brought him. (January 10, 2006)
  • Says he is flattered by rumors that he is bisexual, especially in light of his role in the BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. (November 23, 2005)
  • Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst deny reports they are engaged to be married. (April 11, 2005)
  • Kirsten Dunst said he’s a great cook.
  • Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal have ended their romance. (July 21, 2004)
  • Said he loved starring in THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, but on several occasions refused to say some of the lines in the script and suggested new ones. (May 29, 2004)
  • Jake Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst purchased a pair of rings to show their undying love for each other. (September 12, 2003)
  • Gyllenhaal, THE GOOD GIRL actor, has nothing but respect for co-star Jennifer Aniston because she was so hardworking on set; the pair, who play forbidden lovers in the film, got on very well in real life and even shared their insecurities about acting. (October 8, 2002)
  • Sometimes credited as: Jacob Gyllenhaal
  • 'Gyllenhaal' is pronounced Jill-en-hall.
  • Is of Swedish descent.
  • Played brother to real life sister Maggie Gyllenhaal in their movie DONNIE DARKO (2001).
  • Received his first driving lesson from Paul Newman.
  • His fans refer to themselves as Gyllenhaalics
  • Kate Beckinsale

    Profile
    Name: Kate Beckinsale
    Birth Name: Kate Beckinsale
    Height: 5' 8''
    Sex: F
    Nationality: British
    Birth Date: July 26, 1973
    Birth Place: London, England, UK
    Profession: Actress
    Education: Godolphin and Latymer School in London, England
    New College, Oxford University in Oxford, England (majored in French and Russian Literature; dropped out after third year)
    Husband/Wife: Len Wiseman (director; met while filming Underworld; engaged on June 14, 2003; married on May 9, 2004)
    Relationship: Michael Sheen (actor; born on February 5, 1969; together 1995-2003), Edmund Moriarty (dated while at Oxford)
    Father: Richard Beckinsale (actor; born on July 6, 1947; married in 1977; died on March 19, 1979 of a heart attack)
    Mother: Judy Loe (actress; born on March 6, 1947)
    Half Sister: Samantha Beckinsale (actress; born on July 23, 1966; mother: Margaret Bradley)
    Step Mother: Margaret Bradley (married in 1965; divorced in 1971)
    Daughter: Lily Sheen (born on January 31, 1999; father: Michael Sheen)
    Claim to fame: Feature film debut as a heroin in Kenneth Branagh's film version of Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

    Biography
    Kate Beckinsale Loe was born on July 26th, 1973, in London to two seasoned British television actors, and has spent most of her life in her place of birth. She made her acting debut in a television WWII drama called One Against the Wind and was soon cast in a short corporate film about industrial accidents. In 1991, Kate attended Oxford University's New College, where she majored in French and Russian Literature. She already knew that she was going to pursue a career in drama, but in order to broaden her horizons she decided to attend a regular university rather than a school geared towards drama and other fine arts.

    In 1992, she landed the role of Hero in the film adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (co-starring Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, and Keanu Reeves). Upon receiving three more roles in European productions, Kate dropped out of her studies. Up next for Kate was a role in the 1994 BBC television satire, Cold Comfort Farm (with Ian McKellen), which opened to rave reviews in American art-house theaters and was a smash hit by indie standards. She continued performing in British theater for the next few years and added some more films to her resum, including Emma, Haunted, and Marie-Louise ou la permission.

    In 1998, Kate returned to American shores in the film Brokedown Palace, with Claire Danes and Bill Pullman, and starred in the indie films Shooting Fish and The Last Days of Disco, co-starring Chlo? Sevigny. After a role in The Golden Bowl, Kate had a stellar year, being cast in the $150-million Touchstone pic, Pearl Harbor and the romantic comedy Serendipity, co-starring John Cusack. Kate also starred in the thriller Underworld, in which she plays a vampire warrior playing an assistant vampire hunter to Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing. Also, she is currently shooting a film entitled The Aviator, co-starring Cate Blanchett and Leonardo DiCaprio.

    Filmography
    Actress
    2008 Winged Creatures
    2008 Whiteout
    2007 Snow Angels
    2007 Vacancy
    2006 Underworld: Evolution
    2006 Click
    2004 The Aviator
    2004 Van Helsing
    2003 Tiptoes
    2003 Underworld
    2002 Laurel Canyon
    2001 Pearl Harbor
    2001 Serendipity
    2000 The Golden Bowl
    1999 Alice Through the Looking Glass
    1999 Brokedown Palace
    1998 The Last Days of Disco
    1997 Shooting Fish
    1997 Emma
    1995 Haunted
    1995 Cold Comfort Farm
    1994 Marie-Louise Ou La Permission
    1994 Royal Deceit
    1994 Uncovered
    1993 Much Ado About Nothing
    1991 Devices and Desires
    1991 One Against the Wind

    Awards
    Year: 1999
    Result: Won
    Awards: ALFS Award
    Category: British Supporting Actress of the Year
    for: The Last Days of Disco (1998)

    Year: 1997
    Result: Won
    Awards: Gran Angular Award
    Category: Best Actress
    for: Shooting Fish (1997)

    Trivia
  • Is amused by her daughter's reaction to the Botoxed women in Hollywood, because she compares them to Lord Voldemort from HARRY POTTER series.
  • Is set to star in new comic book thriller WHITEOUT, which tells the story of a lone US marshal sent to investigate Antarctica's first murder. (February 9, 2007)
  • Is the third most searched movie star of 2006, according to IMDB.
  • Has reportedly moved out of her marital home with daughter Lily, leaving husband Len Wiseman home alone, sparking rumors their marriage is on the rocks. (June 13, 2006)
  • Spent nine hours getting the perfect haircut before going to the 2006 MTV Movie Awards.
  • Makes sure her mouth is minty fresh before she kisses her co-stars - because she is paranoid she has bad breath.
  • Wants to quit the US and return to Britain to raise six-year-old daughter Lily because she wants her to understand her culture. (January 16, 2006)
  • Denied rumors that she went to England for a secret tryst with a friend, insisting he’s friend's husband and they've just had a baby. (January 7, 2006)
  • Is glad movie bosses have dumped plans for a doll version of her UNDERWORLD: REVOLUTION character Selene - because the last ones made her look like a transsexual. (January 6, 2006)
  • Says she strips for her director husband Len Wiseman on a webcam when they are working apart. (December 13, 2005)
  • Almost quit THE AVIATOR (2004) after she began to doubt her acting career.
  • Says she would consider a return to university to finish studying. (December 20, 2004)
  • Is threatening to quit the movie industry, because she's fed up with reading so many false stories about herself. (2004)
  • Use internet cameras to communicate with her husband when he’s away.
  • Denied having plastic surgery to boost her bust size, pointing to pregnancy as the cause of her apparently unsightly scars. (2004)
  • Hated the PEARL HARBOR experience because director Michael Bay bluntly explained she was picked for the film because she wasn't beautiful.
  • Voted the most beautiful actress in Britain in a poll carried out by UCI Cinemas to mark the release of TROY. (2004)
  • Is featured in an advertising campaign for Diet Coke.
  • Is keen to avoid Hollywood's obsession with plastic surgery, rubbishing reports she's had breast implants. (April 13, 2004)
  • Is desperate to wed her new lover, Len Wiseman, but Sony Pictures bosses are insisting she can't take the time off from promoting UNDERWORLD, the Wiseman-directed film which brought them together. (September 24, 2003)
  • Was left stunned after demanding her breasts be enhanced on the posters for her new film UNDERWORLD, because artists made them too big. (September 17, 2003)
  • Hated the tight-fitting leather suit she wore for new movie UNDERWORLD because it was too hot, too cold and she couldn't go to the toilet. (September 16, 2003)
  • During PEARL HARBOR. (2001) filming, a gust of wind lifted Kate Beckinsale and Catherine Keller's skirts revealing more than the film crew expected to see. Both had been instructed to lose their underpants for a particular scene so that their panty lines were not visible on camera.
  • Got the lead female role in PEARL HARBOR. (2001) after Charlize Theron pulled out to do SWEET NOVEMBER. (2001)
  • Lost out to Juliette Binoche for a part in WUTHERING HEIGHTS. (1992)
  • Suffers from stomach ulcers.
  • According to an interview she gave on the UK show THE BIG BREAKFAST she hates wearing knickers. (December 2001)
  • Selected by Hello Magazine as England's Number #1 Beauty. (2002)
  • Her maternal grandfather was Burmese.
  • Hand-delivered a pleading letter to director John Schlesinger in Paris in the middle of the night, having failed the audition for the role of Flora Poste in COLD COMFORT FARM. She later won the part after all.
  • Was paid $200,000 for PEARL HARBOR. (2001)
  • Nominated for Best Female Performance at MTV Movie Awards for PEARL HARBOR. (2002)
  • Thursday, April 19, 2007

    Heath Ledger


    Profile
    Name: Heath Ledger
    Birth Name: Heathcliff Andrew Ledger
    Height: 6' 1"
    Sex: M
    Nationality: Australian
    Birth Date: April 4, 1979 in Subiaco Hospital
    Birth Place: Perth, Western Australia
    Profession: actor
    Education: Guilford Grammar School
    Relationship: Michelle Williams (actress; b. September 9, 1980), Naomi Watts (actress; b. September 18, 1968; split), Heather Graham (actress; b. January 29, 1970; together as of 2000), Lisa Zane (actress; b. April 5, 1964; met while they were filming ROAR - 1997)
    Father: Kim Ledger (mining engineer; divorced in 1989)
    Mother: Sally Bell
    Sister: Catherine Kate Ledger (older)
    Half Sister: Olivia Ledger (born in 1997; mother: Emma Brown) and Ashleigh Bell (born in 1989; father: Roger Bell)
    Step Father: Roger Bell
    Step Mother: Emma Brown
    Daughter: Matilda Rose Ledger (born on October 28, 2005 in Brooklyn, New York; mother: Michelle Williams)
    Claim to fame: as Gabriel Martin in The Patriot (2000)

    Biography
    Heath Ledger was captain of the drama team in high school - but Ledger also won several awards for hockey and he even coordinated a group of guys to compete in a dance competition - and won. This Aussie hottie decided to take up acting as his main profession. After graduating high school a year early (at age 16) Heath Ledger and his best bud, Tony DiCarlo, drove 2600 miles from Perth, Australia to Sydney. Ledger began his acting career in his hometown of Perth, enrolling in a local theater company at age ten. He soon began to appear on several Australian television series. He continued his stage work as a member of both the Globe Shakespeare Company and the Midnight Youth Acting Company. He subsequently completed co-starring roles in several independent films, including "Black Rock," "Paws" and "Two Hands," which screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

    Heath Ledger got his first break with the Australian teen flick Blackrock in 1997. The role gained him a lot of positive attention and Ledger soon snagged the part of an olympic hopeful on the Australian TV show Sweat. For the show, Heath Ledger had the option of playing either the straight swimmer or the gay bicyclist and he chose the gay role because it would require more "acting" and probably give him more recognition. It was a smart move that led to Heath Ledger's fist US gig, as a Celtic Prince in the Fox drama Roar. Still, Heath Ledger was a relative unknown until he finally landed the male lead inTen Things I Hate About You costarring Julia Stiles. More than a year later Heath Ledger landed the role of Gabriel, Mel Gibson's oldest son in The Patriot. Heath Ledger went on to star in movies like A Knight's Tale and Monster's Ball.

    Filmography
    Actor
    2008 The Dark Knight
    2007 I'm Not There: Suppositions on a Film Concerning Dylan
    2005 Candy
    2005 Brokeback Mountain
    2005 Lords of Dogtown
    2005 Casanova
    2005 The Brothers Grimm
    2003 Ned Kelly
    2003 The Order
    2002 The Four Feathers
    2001 A Knight's Tale
    2001 Monster's Ball
    2000 The Patriot
    1999 Two Hands
    1999 10 Things I Hate About You

    Awards
    Academy
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    British Academy Awards
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Broadcast Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Chicago Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Golden Globe
    2005 Best Actor - Drama Brokeback Mountain

    Independent Spirit Award
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    L.A. Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Actor - Runner-up Brokeback Mountain

    Las Vegas Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    London Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    National Society of Film Critics
    2005 Best Actor - Runner-up Brokeback Mountain

    New York Film Critics Circle
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Online Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Phoenix Film Critics Association
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    San Francisco Film Critics Circle
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Screen Actors Guild
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Associate
    2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

    Trivia
  • Refused to confirm or deny rumors that he’s married Michelle Williams because they prefer to keep their relationship private. (April 11, 2007)
  • Reportedly married his fiancee Michelle Williams in a secret wedding. (January 24, 2007)
  • Ledger and Michelle Williams are reportedly getting married, after they were was spotted picking up a marriage license in Brooklyn. (November 30, 2006)
  • Rumored to have been offered the role of the Joker in the upcoming sequel to BATMAN BEGINS. (July 25, 2006)
  • His father said Heath cried all night after being attacked with water pistols by paparazzi pests at the Sydney premiere of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. (June 8, 2006)
  • Ledger and Rachel Weisz are considering co-starring together in Phillip Noyce's drama DIRT MUSIC, based on the novel by Tim Winton. (June 3, 2006)
  • Is still steamed about the behavior of Australian paparazzi he may skip the Sydney premiere of his film CAND. He also intends to sale his Australia home and told friends he planned to move abroad permanently. (April 5, 2006)
  • Asked BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN co-star Jake Gyllenhaal to be Godfather to his daughter Matilda. (February 22, 2006)
  • Will be taking a year off from life in front of the camera to spend time at home looking after his baby daughter, Matilda. (February 21, 2006)
  • Is convinced he won't win the Best Actor Oscar in March, because the other nominees are too good. (February 18, 2006)
  • Found filming BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN so emotionally draining, he agreed to star in comic period drama CASANOVA to aid his recovery.
  • Spent hours seriously researching his role for new film CASANOVA - before realizing it was just a comic period drama.
  • Has hit back at two theaters in Utah and Washington that banned the film, warning opponents of the gay romance that the controversy would only aid its success. (January 12, 2006)
  • Reveals that his waking hours are now devoted to preparing food and washing up since the birth of his four-week-old baby Matilda – and he actually loves it. (November 30, 2005)
  • Has apologized to the presenters of Australian TV show Sunrise after he ignored reporters' questions and focused on peeling an orange during an interview. (September 3, 2005)
  • Throws eggs at the paparazzi when he catches them staking him out. (August 24, 2005)
  • Has escaped charges after allegedly tackling a photographer on the set of CANDY due to lack of witnesses. (May 10, 2005)
  • Is finding his role as a gay cowboy in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN to be his most challenging because he's been ordered to work out for the part. (March 24, 2004)
  • Heath Ledger and Naomi Watts have split, blaming their hectic work schedules. (October 1, 2003)
  • Ledger has sparked a debate in Australia about the controversial outlaw Ned Kelly, whom he portrays as a romantic, pistol- wielding hero in his latest film -- Kelly has been hailed in the movie as the champion of the Irish underdog, fighting an unjust British colonial system that favored the wealthy over the poor; to some historians, however, he was nothing more than a horse-thieving murderer. (April 8, 2003)
  • 20th Century Fox found its occult thriller SIN EATERS, starring Heath Ledger, so unpalatable the studio sent it back to the kitchen -- the movie was due in theaters January 17, but after test audiences screamed--with laughter--at what were supposed to be chilling special effects, the studio pulled the project for some serious retooling. (January 4, 2003)
  • Ledger and his fellow Hollywood star girlfriend Naomi Watts argued with Sean 'P Diddy' Combs's bodyguards - because they were warned for dancing too close to the rapper at a night club. (October 18, 2002)
  • Auditioned for the role of Max Evans in ROSSWELL (1999).
  • He was the contender to play Christan in MOULIN ROUGE!.
  • Knocked out one of director Brian Helgeland's front teeth with a broomstick when the two were demonstrating a jousting move. It was several months before Helgeland's mouth had healed enough to repair the damage. He says it was the only jousting injury during filming. (KNIGHT'S TALE, A (2001))
  • Performed his own stunts in THE PATRIOT.
  • The initial scene of the two knight's jousting in the first scene of A KNIGHT'S TALE is actually footage of his stunt double in an accident. During filming of a later scene in the movie, the lance of the stunt double's opponent moved off target and hit him in the head. The double fell to the ground unconscious. The entire footage was used for the introduction. Filmmaker's were hoping that no one would notice that the knight that hit the ground had the same shield crest as Sir Ulric (three phoenixes) used later in the movie.
  • WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN? (2001) oringally was a project for him.
  • Finished high school a year early at age 16.
  • First got his start in the Globe Shakespeare Company in Perth, Australia.
  • He made his movie debut in 1997 Australian teen drama
  • He actually wanted to be a teacher
  • His parents divorced when he was 10.
  • He got held back in his 2nd year
  • His step mother has diabetes
  • He suffered a major change when his aunt died of lung cancer on april 13, 1992
  • He is a self taught tap dancer
  • His main passion in life apart from acting is photography
  • He has a small strawberry birthmark on his inner left thigh
  • Nominated for Best Kiss at MTV Movie Awards for A KNIGHT'S TALE (2002) - shared with Shannyn Sossamon
  • Nominated for Best Musical Sequence at MTV Movie Awards for A KNIGHT'S TALE (2002) - shared with Shannyn Sossamon
  • Was nominated MTV Movie Award for Best Musical Performance in 2000 for 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU and AFI Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 1999 for TWO HANDS.
  • Tuesday, April 17, 2007

    Elisha Cuthbert

    Profile
    Name: Elisha Cuthbert
    Birth Name: Elisha Ann Cuthbert
    Nickname: Heesh
    Height: 5' 4"
    Weight: 110 lbs (49kg)
    Eye Color: Blue
    Sex: F
    Nationality: Canadian
    Birth Date: November 30, 1982
    Birth Place: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
    Profession: actress
    Hight School: Centennial Regional High School
    Relationship: Andrew Keegan (actor; born on January 29, 1979), Trace Ayala (an aspiring designe; born on September 11, 1980)
    Famous for: TV Series

    Biography
    SA former child star whose flame continued to burn bright into her teen years, blonde beauty Elisha Cuthbert has successfully carried the success from Popular Mechanics for Kids and Are You Afraid of the Dark? into a featured role on the hit FOX series 24 and a successful film career. A Calgary native who landed her first modeling job at the tender age of seven, it was a mere four years later that Cuthbert instinctively knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her days in front of the lens. Following an appearance in the 1997 feature Dancing on the Moon, Cuthbert landed a job as a field correspondent for the acclaimed Canadian television series Popular Mechanics for Kids, and her reporting proved so effective that she caught the attention of first lady Hillary Clinton, who invited Cuthbert to Washington for a meeting.

    Though she spent the majority of her youth in Montreal, Cuthbert moved to Los Angeles at age 17 in order to pursue an acting career. Featured roles as a reluctant pilot in Airspeed (1998) and a time traveling teen in Time at the Top (1999) were soon to follow, and by the time Cuthbert joined the cast of Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? in 1999, it was obvious that her talent was growing. Her role in the made-for-Canadian-television feature Lucky Girl only furthered her reputation as a dramatically capable rising starlet, and her distinct onscreen facial expressions and convincing performance soon caught the eyes of producers who were preparing a new thriller series for FOX. Cast as Jack Bauer's (Kiefer Sutherland) damsel-in-distress daughter, Kimberly, in the breakout hit 24, Cuthbert's character suffered through multiple kidnappings and a mountain lion attack over the course of the series' first two seasons. In the episode of 24 in which she shared a scene with the mountain lion, Cuthbert made news when the beast actually attacked her on the film set, sending the frightened actress on a trip to the hospital with an injured hand. On the heels of 24, Cuthbert took a supporting role in the comedy Old School before appearing in the subsequent romantic comedies Love Actually (2003) and The Girl Next Door (2004), the latter of which found her taking the lead as an ex-porn star who becomes the object of affection to a lonely suburban boy unaware of her past.

    Filmography
    Actress
    2007 My Sassy Girl
    2007 Captivity
    2006 He Was a Quiet Man
    2006 24: Season 05
    2005 The Quiet
    2005 House of Wax
    2004 The Girl Next Door
    2003 24: Season 03
    2003 Old School
    2003 Love Actually
    2002 24: Season 02
    2001 24: Season 01
    2000 Mail to the Chief
    1999 Time at the Top
    1998 Airspeed
    1998 Nico the Unicorn
    1997 Popular Mechanics for Kids: Spaceships
    1997 Popular Mechanics for Kids: Cool Cars
    1997 Popular Mechanics for Kids [TV Series]
    1997 Dancing on the Moon
    1997 Popular Mechanics for Kids: Boats
    1997 Popular Mechanics for Kids: Submarines

    Associate Producer
    2005 The Quiet

    Awards
    Screen Actors Guild Awards
    Year : 2003
    Category : Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
    For : 24
    Nominated

    Gemini Awards
    Year : 2001
    Category : Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series
    For : My Daughter'S Secret Life
    Won

    Trivia
    *
    Is engaged to her boyfriend Trace Ayala, a personal assistant to pop star Justin Timberlake. (June 4, 2004)
    * Was savagely attacked by a cougar and had to be rushed to the hospital while filming the hit American TV series 24. (April 16, 2004)
    * Sometimes credited as: Elisha Cuthbert Pompis
    * Nickname: Heesh
    * While trotting the globe as a correspondent for the award-winning series Popular Mechanics for Kids, she caught the eye of First Lady Hillary Clinton and was invited to Washington for a meeting with her.
    * Grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada until moving to L.A. at age 17.
    * Is a former foot model.
    * Nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at Screen Actors Guild Awards for 24 (2003)
    * favorite basketball team is the Los Angeles Lakers.
    * Loves seafood.
    * Doesn't like flying.
    * Favorite show is King of the Hill.
    * Enjoys listening to rock and hip-hop music.
    * Favorite drink is Strawberry Kiwi Gatorade.
    * Enjoys painting in her spare time.
    * Has two younger siblings, Jonathan and Lee-Ann.
    * Eye color is blue.
    * Natural hair color is dirty blonde.
    * Moved to Los Angeles when she was only 17 years old.
    * Began modeling when she was 11 years old.
    * Shares a birthday with Ben Stiller, Clay Aiken, Dick Clark, and Billy Idol.
    * Grew up in the Montreal area.
    * Speaks fluent French.
    * Used to be a foot model.
    * Features in 24:The Game, lending her voice and likeness to complete the whole 24 experience for players.
    * Resides in Los Angeles, California.
    * Got engaged to her boyfriend, Trace Ayala in 2002.
    * Wears a chi necklace everytime she's on a plane because she believes it stops sickness.
    * Graduated from Centennial Regional High School on the South Shore of Montreal in the year 2000.

    Elisha Cuthbert Quotes

    * (on wearing the same clothes on 24) At the time, Sex and the City was in its prime and I remember thinking, 'God, those girl are so lucky! They got to wear all these different outfits and I'm stuck in the same thing for ten months
    * I definitely believe in fate. And I believe what you put in is what you get in return. That's the way it's worked for me. As for the big picture - there's some sort of plan.
    * (on her opinion of nude scenes): I just don’t feel it’s necessary. First of all, I’m not comfortable with it. Two, I think you can be a leading lady and not be naked. I think you can still pull off an idea of a film and make the character believable without going there.
    * (on her love scene in The Girl Next Door): You mean making love to a box? Because that's exactly what it was. I don't know. You do the best you can, I guess. I think the love aspect of it all was the drawing point for me, I mean, just the chemistry and all that.
    * (on her role in The Girl Next Door): I'm trying to pick projects that I feel somewhat connected to, and I didn't feel like I was anything like this character, but I read the script going, I know what I want to do with this scene, I know what I want to do with that scene.
    * (on her movie The Girl Next Door): I had come off of doing Old School and Love Actually – small parts that didn't have the weight of the film riding on my shoulders. I wanted something to kind of showcase more of a range of emotions.
    * I am a big horror fan. I've always gone to see horror films. A lot of horror films scared me as a kid. In particular was Fire in the Sky. Anything that had to do with extra terrestrials scared the crap out of me. Some people, the religion thing freaks them out, or whatever it may be - ghost vampires - but aliens did it for me.
    * (on her fear of flying): I always get on the plane with my right foot first. I pray a lot. I always talk to my mom before I get on a flight. There's all kinds of things, but I try not to be a psycho about it. I realize with my job that I have to fly so I kind do bite my lip and go for it, but there's always that fear in the back of my mind.
    * (on her fear of flying): Flying. That's my most…I think I worry about it so much. I think fear comes from a lack of knowledge as far as…anyway for me, the fact that I don't understand how a 40 ton craft somehow maneuvers itself in the air and I'm 106lb and I can't lift off at any means. It just doesn't feel safe. So I think it's the unknown. Yeah, flying is definitely frightening.
    * (on her possibly doing theater work): Yeah, you know, I’m interested in it. It’s a different style. It’s a whole different form of acting. Right now, I’m just really focused on the film and stuff, but yeah I’d love to. It’s a long process though because it’s live and it’s obviously a grueling schedule and it takes up a lot of time, which I don’t have because of the show. Maybe eventually.
    * (on going to Hockey games): I try really hard after the games not to make too many comments about how I thought the guys performed. I mean I don't know how I'd feel if one them came up to me after a scene and said, 'I don't know if that was believable enough.'
    * It’s me who usually approaches a guy. Except this one guy who tried to pull my bikini string. It was quite embarrassing, but then I went on a date with him.
    * I’m actually more productive at night. The morning freaks me out for some reason... I have no problem going to bed at four in the morning and waking up at four in the afternoon.
    * I was a real freak when I was a kid. I thought aliens were going to come after me. If I saw something in the sky, I wouldn’t make direct eye contact, because I thought it would take me away.
    * I got a surprise birthday party, and I had a cake that was shaped as a driver’s license. It looked just like me. And then I partied until 2:30 in the morning. I got really drunk and finished off a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.
    * I usually get up around one o’clock. And the first thing I do is eat.
    * I’m very mellow. I think if I hadn’t become an actress, I would’ve lived the simple life. You know, get married and sit on my porch.
    * It was a little bit voyeuristic and also I'm one of the youngest on the show and I want to show things like that sometimes. I think that'll be the only moment on the show that will get that risque, so I hope everyone enjoyed it.
    * I don't ever want to be doing the same sort of thing, I never want to be typecast, because I have way too much to give to be sort of, to always be the hot chick in the movie.
    * I was lucky, I found what I wanted to do when I was 11.
    * (about having to wear the same clothes all season on 24): I feel like I'm one of the Simpsons.
    * Says that she really misses everything about Canada and she gets homesick a lot.
    * Hobbies: Skiing, Snow boarding, Drawing, Photography, Roller Blading and Painting (she has her garage set up as a paint studio)