Alberta Watson Biography

Name
Alberta Watson

Birth Date
March 6, 1955

Birth Place
Toronto, Ontario

Birth Name
Faith Susan Alberta Watson

Height
5' 8

Profession
Actor

Best Known as
Madeline on the cult cable-TV series Nikita

Alberta Watson Trivia

Her name was the basis for the character Alberta Green, played by Tamara Tunie, on "24" (2001). Ironically, Watson joined the "24" cast for the show's fourth season.

Alberta Watson Detailed Biography

Alberta Watson was born on March 6, 1955 in Toronto, Ontario. She began performing with a local theater group as a teenager. Watson then headed to the United States, living in New York and then moving to Los Angeles, where she made several films including the cult horror classic The Keep (1983) with Scott Glenn and the TV movie Women of Valor (1986)(TV) with Susan Sarandon and Kristy McNichol. After returning to the East Coast, Watson took a chance on a low-budget independent film with then-novice director David O. Russell. Spanking the Monkey (1994) won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, multiple Independent Spirit Awards, and dozens of rave reviews for Watson's performance as a depressed, addicted mother who has an affair with her own son, played by "Saving Private Ryan" star Jeremy Davies. The next year, Watson went on to play the far more stable mother to a teenage computer genius in the box office smash Hackers (1995), and then the wife of mobster John Gotti in the Emmy nominated television movie of the same name. Watson returned to Toronto and continued to seek out interesting roles in independent film, a quest which led her to work with fledgling director 'Colleen Murphy' on 1996's Shoemaker (1996). While the film was not widely released in North America, Watson's performance did not go unnoticed - she received a second Genie nomination, this time in the Lead Actress category. The following year, she won critical praise for another independent film, Atom Egoyan's haunting _Sweet Hereafter (1997), in which she played the mother of a child killed in a tragic accident. The film boasted an exceptional cast including Ian Holm and Sarah Polley, received the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to earn both Academy Award and Genie nominations. More recently, she made The Life Before This (1999), with Stephen Rea, Sarah Polley and Catherine O'Hara which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival in September 1999. Tart (2001), a movie made with Melanie Griffith and Dominique Swain, was released in 2001. In the same year she also completed Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) and Guilt by Association (2001)(TV), in which she plays Oscar-winner Mercedes Ruehl's sister. Other films due to be released this year include The Wild Dogs (2002), set in Romania, in which she plays a wealthy ambassador's wife who is drawn to helping handicapped children and Irish Eyes (2002), a tale of two brothers from a poor Irish family. When she is not on location, Watson lives in Toronto with her two cats and two dogs.

Source: netglimse.com

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Albert Hall Biography

Name
Albert Hall

Profession
Actor

Albert Hall Detailed Biography

“Albert Hall” redirects here. For other uses, see Albert Hall (disambiguation).

The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences is an arts venue dedicated to Queen Victoria's husband and consort, Prince Albert. It is situated in the Knightsbridge area of London, England.

The hall was originally to have been called The Central Hall of Arts and Sciences, but the name was changed by Queen Victoria when laying the foundation stone. It forms the practical part of a national memorial to the Prince Consort - the decorative part is the Albert Memorial directly to the north in Kensington Gardens, now separated from the Hall by the heavy traffic along Kensington Gore. The hall also accommodates the largest pipe organ in the UK, and is the home of The Proms. As well as hosting concerts, the Royal Albert also hosts The Masters Senior tennis final.

As the best known building within the cultural complex known as Albertopolis, the hall is commonly and erroneously thought to lie within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The hall is actually within the area of the City of Westminster. The site was part of the former Kensington Gore estate which was historically part of Knightsbridge.

Since its opening by Queen Victoria on March 29, 1871 the Royal Albert Hall has played host to a multitude of different events and legendary figures and has been affectionately titled 'The Nation's Village Hall'. On May 1, 1871, Arthur Sullivan's cantata, On Shore and Sea played at the hall.

As well as hosting the Proms every summer since they were bombed out of the Queen's Hall in 1941, the Hall has been used for classical and rock concerts, conferences, ballroom dancing, poetry recitals, education, ballet, opera and even a circus (Cirque du Soleil). It has hosted many sporting events, including boxing, wrestling (including the first Sumo wrestling tournament ever to be held outside Japan) and tennis. It also hosts the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, held the day before Remembrance Sunday.

The hall, a Grade I listed building, is oval in shape, measuring 83 m (272 feet) by 72 m (238 feet) around the outside, and has a capacity of 8,000 people and has accommodated as many as 9,000 (although modern safety restrictions mean that the maximum permitted capacity is now 5,544 including standing in the Gallery). The great glass and wrought-iron dome roofing the hall is 41 m (135 feet) high.

Around the outside of the hall is a great mosaic frieze, depicting "The Triumph of Arts and Sciences", in reference to the hall's dedication. Proceeding anti-clockwise from the north side the sixteen subjects of the frieze are: (1) Various Countries of the World bringing in their Offerings to the Exhibition of 1851; (2) Music; (3) Sculpture; (4) Painting; (5) Princes, Art Patrons and Artists; (6) Workers in Stone; (7) Workers in Wood and Brick; (8) Architecture; (9) The Infancy of the Arts and Sciences; (10) Agriculture; (11) Horticulture and Land Surveying; (12) Astronomy and Navigation; (13) A Group of Philosophers, Sages and Students; (14) Engineering; (15) The Mechanical Powers; and (16) Pottery and Glassmaking.

Above the frieze is an inscription in one-foot high terracotta letters. This combines historical fact and Biblical quotations: "This hall was erected for the advancement of the arts and sciences and works of industry of all nations in fulfilment of the intention of Albert Prince Consort. The site was purchased with the proceeds of the Great Exhibition of the year MDCCCLI. The first stone of the Hall was laid by Her Majesty Queen Victoria on the twentieth day of May MDCCCLXVII and it was opened by Her Majesty the Twenty Ninth of March in the year MDCCCLXXI. Thine O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. For all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine. The wise and their works are in the hand of God. Glory be to God on high and on earth peace."

In 1851 the Great Exhibition was held in Hyde Park, London, for which the so-called Crystal Palace was built. The exhibition was a great success and led Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, to propose that a permanent series of facilities be built in the area for the enlightenment of the public. Progress on the scheme was slow and in 1861 Prince Albert died, without having seen his ideas come to fruition. However, a memorial was proposed for Hyde Park, with a Great Hall opposite. The proposal was approved and the site was purchased with some of the profits from the Exhibition. Once the remaining funds had been raised, in April 1867 Queen Victoria signed the Royal Charter of the The Corporation of the Hall of Arts and Sciences which was to operate the Hall and on 20 May, laid the foundation stone.

The Hall was designed by Captain Francis Fowke and Colonel H.Y. Darracott Scott of the Royal Engineers. They were heavily influenced by ancient amphitheatres, but had also been exposed to the ideas of Gottfried Semper while he was working at the South Kensington Museum. The recently-opened Cirque d'Hiver in Paris was seen in the contemporary press as the design to outdo. The Hall was constructed mainly of Fareham Red brick, with terra cotta block decoration made by Gibbs and Canning Ltd. of Tamworth. The dome (designed by Rowland Mason Ordish) on top was made of steel and glazed. There was a trial assembly made of the steel framework of the dome in Manchester, then it was taken apart again and transported down to London via horse and cart. When the time came for the supporting structure to be removed from the dome after re-assembly in situ, only volunteers remained on site in case the structure dropped. It did drop - but only by five-eighths of an inch! The Hall was scheduled to be completed by Christmas Day 1870 and the Queen visited a few days beforehand to inspect. She was reported as saying "It looks like the British Constitution".

The official opening ceremony of the Royal Albert Hall was on 29 March 1871. After a welcoming speech by Edward, the Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria was too overcome to speak, so the Prince had to announce that "The Queen declares this Hall is now open". A concert followed, when the Hall's acoustic problems became immediately apparent. These were not properly tackled until 1969 when a series of large fibreglass acoustic diffusing discs (commonly referred to as "mushrooms" or "flying saucers") were installed in the roof to cut down the notorious echo. It used to be said that the hall was the only place where a British composer could be sure of hearing his work twice.

Initially lit by gas (when thousands of gas jets were lit by a special system within 10 seconds), full electric lighting was installed in 1897. During an earlier trial when a partial installation was made, one disgruntled patron wrote to The Times newspaper declaring it to be " a very ghastly and unpleasant innovation".

In 1936, the hall was the scene of a giant rally celebrating the British Empire, the occasion being the centenary of Joseph Chamberlain's birth.

The Hall has more recently undergone a rolling programme (1996 - 2004) of renovation and development to enable it to meet the demands of the next century of events and performances. Thirty "discrete projects" were undertaken by BDP without disrupting events . Although the exterior of the building is largely unchanged, the south steps leading down to Prince Consort Road were demolished to allow reconstruction of the original underground vehicle access to take modern vehicles. The steps were then reconstructed around a new south porch on the same scale and in the same style as the three pre-existing porches.

The works included a major rebuilding of the great organ, originally built by "Father" Henry Willis, subsequently rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison and most recently rebuilt by Mander Organs; The rebuilding of the organ now again makes it the largest pipe organ in the British Isles with 9,997 pipes.

Now the hall is used as a live music venue--it has featured bands such as Led Zeppelin and the Beatles. Graduation ceremonies for students for Imperial College are also held in the hall.

The BBC Promenade Concerts - founded by Sir Henry Wood- now the world's largest festival of Western classical music - have been held in the hall every summer since 1941(after the original venue, The Queen's Hall in Langham Place was destroyed by a bomb). The Last Night of the Proms is broadcast in several countries.

The hall has also been used for concerts by a wide range of popular artistes:

Listed in chronological order with name of artist and date of concert…

A famous and widely bootlegged concert by Bob Dylan at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester on 17 May 1966 was mistakenly labeled the "Royal Albert Hall Concert." In 1998 Columbia Records released an official recording, The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert, that maintains the erroneous title, but does include details of the actual concert location. Dylan actually did close his European tour on 26 and 27 May and of that year; these were his last concerts before Dylan got into a motorcycle accident and became a recluse for a brief period of time.

Another concert that was mislabeled as being at the Royal Albert Hall was by Creedence Clearwater Revival. An album by CCR titled The Royal Albert Hall Concert was released in 1980. When it was discovered that the show on the album actually took place at the Oakland Coliseum, Fantasy Records retitled the album The Concert.

Source: netglimse.com

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Albert Finney Biography

Date of Birth
9 May 1936, Salford, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Nickname
Albie

Height
5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini Biography

Albert Finney came from the theatre, where he was especially successful in plays of William Shakespeare, to the movies. There he became a leading figure of the young Free Cinema. His debut in cinema was in 1960 with The Entertainer (1960) of Tony Richardson who had directed him also in theatre plays various times before. His typical role were young prolets like, e.g. Arthur Seaton in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960).
IMDb Mini Biography By: Volker Boehm

Spouse
Pene Delmage (2006 - present)
Katherine Attson (1989 - 1991) (divorced) 1 child
Anouk Aimée (7 August 1970 - 1978) (divorced)
Jane Wenham (1957 - 1961) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

He has one child from his first marriage to actress Jane Wenham. Finney's son, Simon, works in the film business as a technician.

Only person in history to ever call Audrey Hepburn "bitch" (in Two for the Road (1967)), even if it was just his line.

He allegedly declined a C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1980 and Knighthood in 2000 for his services to drama.

He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1987 (1986 season) for Best Actor in a New Play for "Orphans".

He was awarded the 1986 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in Orphans.

Graduated from RADA.

An Associate Member of RADA.

A member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England, where he performed for three seasons in the early eighties. In the late 1950s, he appeared at the RSC's earlier incarnation, the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, where he was mentored by 'Charles Laughton".

Doesn't have an agent nor a manager.

Felt the lead role in Tom Jones (1963) wasn't serious enough, and agreed to star only if he got a producing credit; he later traded the credit for profit participation. He later earned an Oscar nomination for this role.

As an aspiring actor in the mid-1950s, he made the rounds with Michael Polley, the father of Sarah Polley. Michael Polley says that Finney compared actors to bricklayers, in terms of craft.

Was the first choice of Laurence Olivier to take over his post as the head of Britain's National Theatre. Finney had played a season shortly after the National Theatre's inaugural season in 1963-64. Finney declined the offer.

Was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Dramatic): in 1964 for playing the title character of Martin Luther in John Osborne's "Luther," and in 1968 for Peter Nichols' "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg."

Played Michael Medwin's uncle in Scrooge (1970) even though he is actually more than twelve years younger than him.

Originally chosen for the title role in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) after a screen test shot over four days at a cost of £100,000. He later baulked at the film's monumental shooting schedule, and did not want to commit to such a long term contract and opted to play the title role in Tom Jones (1963), which gave him his first Oscar nomination.

Was initially asked to reprise his role as Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile (1978). However, he had found the make-up he had to wear for the first movie Murder on the Orient Express (1974) very uncomfortable in the hot interior of the train, and on realizing that he would have to undergo the same experience, this time in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, he declined the role.

The third choice for Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (1974). Before him were Alec Guinness & Paul Scofield. Ironically, Agatha Christie felt Finney's performance came closest to her idea of Poirot.

In 1965, he formed Memorial Films in association with Michael Medwin to produce theatrical features, which included Charlie Bubble, If.... (1968), Gumshoe, Bleak Moments, O Lucky Man! (1973) and Disorder.

Appears, uncredited, in drag as The Matron in the ladies' bathroom scene in Miller's Crossing (1990).

Although he was born working class (and indeed, along with Tom Courtenay, was one of the leading avatars of the wave of working class/provincial actors that revolutionized British theater and film in the 1950s and '60s, his was a relatively privileged upbringing as his father was a successful bookie.

Rather than attend the Oscar ceremony in 1964, he went on vacation sailing in the South Seas. When informed that he had been beaten as Best Actor by Sidney Poitier, he offered Poitier his heartfelt congratulations. Though nominated another four times in the 1970s, '80s and 21st Century, he has yet to appear in person at an Oscar ceremony.

Originated the lead roles in the plays "Billy Liar," "Luther," and "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg," all of which were played by other actors when transferred to film.

Father of the film technician Simon Finney and the actor Declan Finney.

Personal Quotes

"Call me Sir if you like! Maybe people in America think being a Sir is a big deal. But I think we should all be misters together. I think the Sir thing slightly perpetuates one of our diseases in England, which is snobbery. And it also helps keep us 'quaint,' which I'm not a great fan of. You don't get much with the title anymore. That was all carved up by the robber barons in the Middle Ages."

[speaking in 1961] "My job is acting, and that is why I hate interviews or lectures, explaining myself to an audience."

"I'm not the romantic type ... I'm a bit like the late, great Peter Sellers, only happy in character roles."

"After I played a homosexual character in 'A Man of No Importance,' an American journalist asked if I'd have a rainbow flag on my car's bumper. I said I don't 'do' bumper stickers, but if I did, I'd be pleased to use that one. After all, everyone's included in the rainbow, aren't they?"

[on Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)] "I was the first man to be seen sleeping with another man's wife in an English film."

"On The Waterfront came out and there were 150 guys [at RADA] all doing Brando impressions."

I just felt I was being used. I wasn't involved ... I felt bored most of the time. - On Tom Jones (1963)

[on Charles Laughton] He was the first kind of legend I actually had contact with professionally, which was very exciting. I admired him in his movies; I'd never seen him on the stage. I thought he was terrific.

[1987 comment on John Huston] I kinda loved John. He was like a second father to me in many ways, which I know may sound odd considering I was 45 when I first worked with him, but when you had to say goodbye there was always this feeling of loss, that terrible sadness that you'd be deprived of his company. I've seen more films by him than anybody else on the planet.

[1967 comment on director Karel Reisz] I think Karel is very good with actors; he's very interested in the actors creating a character and not just relying on personality, he's good at encouraging actors to explore the characterization, and I think that's the kind of acting I'm interested in.

Salary
Annie (1982) $1 million
The Duellists (1977) A case of champagne

Source: imdb.com

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Alanis Morissette Biography

Date of Birth
1 June 1974, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Birth Name
Alanis Nadine Morissette

Height
5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Biography
Alanis Nadine Morissette was born in Ottawa, Canada, on June 1st 1974. Alanis' Greek name is a feminine version of her father's name, Alan. Her mother's name's Georgia and she has two brothers: Chad and Wade (Alanis' Twin). She learned to play the piano at age 6 and the guitar at age 21. In 1986 Alanis made a single called Fate Stay With Me (b-side: Find The Right Man). She recorded two albums as a dance-pop singer in Canada: Alanis (1991) and Now Is The Time (1992). At age 18, she moved to Toronto and worked with several musicians and songwriters, but the collaborations didn't work. In 1994, she finally found the right partner: producer and songwriter Glen Ballard, who had already worked with many artists, including Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson and Barbra Streisand. Then she moved to LA at age 19. On June 13th 1995 "Jagged Little Pill" was released by Madonna's Maverick Records. Alanis had found an autobiographical, extremely personal way to write songs. JLP has sold about 30 million copies around the world, turning into the highest selling female album and the 3rd highest selling album of all times. After going through emotional conflicts (when she even contemplated not recording another album) and a trip to India (where she had the opportunity to recharge ) Alanis returned with the song Uninvited, for City of Angels (1998) soundtrack on March 31st 1998. In the same year the album "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" was released. Alanis directed the videos Joining You, Unsent and So Pure from SFIJ. In 1999 she played the role of God in the movie Dogma (1999) and collaborated with the song Still for the soundtrack. In 1999 she also recorded the album MTV Unplugged. In 2000 Alanis performed on Broadway show The Vagina Monologues. She lives in Brentwood, California.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Carol Marini

Trivia

Born to a French Canadian father Alan Richard Morissette and a Hungarian mother Georgia Mary Ann Feuerstein. Twin brother named Wade. Released two albums in Canada prior to first release in U.S.

Has an older brother, Chad, and a twin brother, Wade.

When her first debut single "Fate Stay With Me" and the "Alanis", and "Now Is The Time" albums were released in Canada she was known only as "Alanis". She was advised to go just by her first name to not cause any name confusion with Alannah Myles, another Canadian singer who was popular at the time.

Attended Glebe Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, Ontario.

Has met Maverick Records boss Madonna only a few times. When Jagged Little Pill hit the 1 million sales mark, Madonna gave Alanis platinum nail polish to celebrate. In March 1999, Madonna gave her a $49,000 Tiffany's bracelet for her success.

Phoned Mother Teresa the night before she died wanting to volunteer, but she was sleeping. Not wanting to wake her, Alanis said she would call back at a later time.

8 March 1996 was named "Alanis Morissette Day" in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada by the then mayor.

Financial backer of Broadway musical 'Jane Eyre,' spring 2001.

Madonna had to meet with Alanis and exert pressure on her not to quit Maverick Records over her disappointing sales -and Maverick marketing- of latest album (May 2001).

Began playing the piano at the age of 6.

After playing God in the movie Dogma (1999), she was asked if she had ever read the Bible. She said she had, but found it to be "patriarchal and sexist."

Her album "Under Rug Swept", released on 26 February 2002, included 13 new songs and topped the Billboard 200 chart.

When MP3 sponsored one of her concert tours, she was offered $50,000 in cash. Instead, she chose to take it in the form of company stock. When MP3 went public, the value of her shares went into the millions of dollars.

Alanis admitted to US Weekly that "Hands Clean" from her 'Under Rug Swept' album is about an affair that she had with a man 29 years old when she was just 14 years old. Their relationship lasted 5 years.

Twin brother Wade is a yoga instructor.

Is 12 minutes younger than her twin brother.

Is the youngest artist (at the age of 21) to ever win an "Album of the Year" Grammy (1996).

Has sold over 60 million albums worldwide, making her one of the most successful female artists of all time.

Attended the 2003 Canadian Juno Music Awards with actor Ryan Reynolds.

Has won 16 Juno Awards (five in the years 1996 and 2000), eight Grammy Awards including "Album of the Year" and "Song of the Year" for "You Oughta Know" in 1999, and four American Music Awards.

Replaced Emma Thompson as God in the film Dogma (1999)

Was born at the Riverside Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario.

To celebrate their one year anniversary, Alanis and boyfriend Ryan Reynolds wear matching rings on their fourth fingers of their right hands (May 2003).

Ranked #53 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll

Spoke German when she was a child, but eventually forgot it later in her life.

Will host the 2004 Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent to the Grammy Awards, which will take place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on 4 April.

Will be performing at an event featuring the Dalai Lama to build support for his Tibet China Negotiation Campaign. The event will take place in her hometown of Ottawa, Canada (24 April 2004).

While hosting the 2004 Juno Music Awards in Edmonton, Canada, she wore a nude-colored body suit with lifelike nipples and pubic hair to make a statement about censorship and Janet Jackson's breast-baring Superbowl incident. The audience roared with laughter upon realizing that her nudity was fake.

Dating Van Wilder (2002) actor Ryan Reynolds since 2002. They have homes together in Los Angeles and Vancouver, B.C.

Attended "Glebe Collegiate Institute" located in Ottawa, Ontario.

Became engaged to her boyfriend of two years, Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, in June 2004.

Shares a birthday with model Heidi Klum and actress Teri Polo.

Plans on becoming an American citizen but will still keep her Canadian citizenship.

Wrote and recorded her album "Jagged Little Pill," basing it on her relationship with then-beau Dave Coulier and her entire upbringing.

Has publicly stated her opposition to George W. Bush invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Became a U.S. citizen on 11 February 2005. She now considers herself a Canadian-American.

Will be inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame on 5 June 2005 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

"Jagged Little Pill" sold over 43 million copies, making it the biggest selling debut album of any artist in history.

Is fluent in French.

Was engaged to Ryan Reynolds from 2004 to 2006.

She was first considered for the character of "Becky" in the original incarnation of Clerks II (2006), and would have involved Randal falling in love with her as opposed to Dante, like in the present version.

On "You Can't Do That on Television" (1979) in 1986, Alanis was green slimed on her first episode and cream pied on the "Enemies and Paranoia" episode.

Performed the US and the Canadian national anthem at Game 4 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals between the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the Ottawa Senators (4 June 2007).

Became an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church (2004).

During her live performance at The 38th Annual Grammy Awards (1996) (TV), CBS infamously censored some of the lyrics of "You Oughta Know" (28 February 1996).

When making her first album, she suffered from anorexia and bulimia nervosa due to professional pressure and managerial demands, so she subsequently had to began therapy.

Two music videos that made it on VH1's 100 Greatest Videos: "Ironic" was #18 and "Thank U" was #66.

Personal Quotes

We're taught to be ashamed of confusion, anger, fear and sadness, and to me they're of equal value to happiness, excitement and inspiration.

Peace of mind for five minutes, that's what I crave.

The whole celebrity thing is not something I'm overly interested in. I don't pop up at parties. It's just not my thing.

Music will always be a part of my life. I love music and I don't care how many units I sell.

That what we judge in someone else, we are really judging in ourselves.

So many times I've been just gripping the steering wheel and driving, and just have a piece of paper on where my horn is, and just writing sort of looking up and down. I've done that so much! It'll be worth the crash.

I have not an ounce of regret. Every link is so valuable in forming the chain that is my life. Who I am today is because of those links, and I wouldn't change any of them.

Every time I go through something difficult, I think, 'This is the mother-load. I'm not going to get through this one.' And then, six months later, I'm like, 'What's his name again?'

Where Are They Now

(July 2003) Embarking on a European tour

(January 2004) Finishing up work on her sixth full-length album. It will be called "So-Called Chaos" and it will be released on May 18, 2004.

(June 2005) Just released the 10th year acoustic version of her world wide famous album "Jagged Little Pill"

(October 2006) Guests as Poppy, the anesthesiologist lesbian lover of Roma Maffia's Liz in the TV show "Nip/Tuck" (2003). She will be on the show for three episodes.

Source: imdb.com

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Alanna Ubach Biography

Date of Birth
3 October 1975, Downey, California, USA
Birth Name
Alanna Noel Ubach

Nickname
Little Chu

Height
5' 2" (1.57 m)

Trivia

Half Mexican and half Puerto Rican.

Has a tattoo on her back that is half of a heart.

Speaks Spanish and also knows French.

Sister Athena Ubach had a small part in Clockwatchers (1997).

Younger sister of Athena Ubach.

Read for Meg Cabot's "Haunted" CD.

Sister-in-law of Sean Kanan.

Writing partner is Jessica Cauffiel, who plays best friend Margot in Legally Blonde (2001). Jessica had already been cast as Margot and was to read with several actresses vying for the part of Serena. When Alanna walked into the audition, she pulled Jessica aside and said dryly, "Kid, help me out here. I've gotta make rent." Jessica laughed and said, "Okay. I'll stand up and do the scene with you. Just mirror all of my movements." She did: and Margot and Serena were born.

The producers of Meet the Fockers (2004) actually had Alanna, 28, put a fat cushions on and "grey" her hair so she could play a 40-year-old Cuban maid. They saw plenty of actual Cuban women for the role, but director Jay Roach found the young, spunky actress to be the best. She plays much younger, but really played it down for this role.

Has a bulldog named "Ready" and another dog, "Biggy Smallz".

She and Michelle Matthews both attended the private academy, Lycée Français, in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Personal Quotes

If a woman is comfortable with herself, I think that's what radiates. I think the moment you start questioning your body and looks is when you get into trouble. Inevitably you don't work and you're unhappy with yourself and never satisfied with your performance. Classic stars like Marilyn Monroe, Lana Turner, and Ava Gardner were curvy and comfortable in their skin. They were absolutely gorgeous.

When I get a role, I try to delve as deeply as possible into the character. I act with my gut instincts.

Source: imdb.com

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Alana Stewart Biography

Date of Birth
18 May 1945, San Diego, California, USA

Birth Name
Alana Kaye Collins

Nickname
Alana the Piranha

Height
5' 9" (1.75 m)

Spouse
Rod Stewart (6 April 1979 - 1984) (divorced) 2 children
George Hamilton (29 October 1972 - 1975) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Mother of Ashley Hamilton with George Hamilton.

Daughter, Kimberly Stewart (b. 1979), with Rod Stewart.

Son, Sean Stewart (b. 1980), with Rod Stewart.

Measurements: 34B-22-35 (after 1983 implants), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

Ex-mother-in-law of Shannen Doherty and Angie Everhart.

Graduate of Stephen F. Austin High School in Houston, Texas.

Best friend of Farrah Fawcett.

Source: imdb.com

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Alana Curry Biography

Date of Birth
5 May 1980, Redwood City, California, USA
Height
5' 7" (1.70 m)

Mini Biography

Alana Curry was born in Redwood City, California, but she was raised in Hawaii and then Arizona. She started out her career by doing ballet and tap dance. After studying ballet for 12 years, she decided to pursue acting. During high school, she appeared in several commercials and films.

After graduation from high school, Alana moved to Los Angeles and acted in various roles in films, television, commercials, and voice-overs. She has guest-starred in small parts on such TV shows as "Robbery Homicide Division", "The Bold & the Beautiful", "Beverly Hills 90210", and "Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher". Her film credits include a small role in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), as well as a string of independent films including Is This Seat Taken (2003) and Changing Fates.

She also currently participates in many charity events as well as appearing at numerous film conventions. She is also a part of The Hollywood Hoopsters, a celebrity basketball team that raises money for different schools.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Matt Patay

Spouse
Robert Lyon Rasner (2 August 2003 - 28 April 2006) (divorced)

Source: imdb.com

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Alan Tudyk Biography

Name
Alan Tudyk

Date of birth
16 March 1971

Place of birth
El Paso, Texas, USA

Birth name
Alan Wray Tudyk

Height
6' (1.83 m)

Alan Tudyk Trivia

* Alan's most prized possession was a 1964 Mustang, which he named "Old Sock."
* Favorite movie is Smokey and the Bandit.
* Threw a "We Don't Work for FOX Anymore" party for the cast and crew of the short lived TV series "Firefly" upon hearing of its being cancelled.

Alan Tudyk Detailed Biography
Alan Tudyk has had leading stage roles in off-beat productions as well as scene-stealing supporting turns in film. In 2002, he starred as Wash in Fox's Firefly, a science fiction-western fantasy set in space. He reprises the role in a new feature film, Serenity, based on the series.

On the big screen, Tudyk starred as the soft-spoken and kind voice of Sonny in I, Robot in addition to providing several of the voices in the animated feature film Ice Age. He recently completed the independent feature film Ralph's Club. Tudyk's other film roles include Sir William's squire, Wat, in A Knight's Tale opposite Heath Ledger; the cocaine-addicted German stripper Gerhardt in 28 Days, opposite Sandra Bullock; and Monte Man in Hearts in Atlantis, opposite Anthony Hopkins. His

additional feature credits include Wonder Boys with Michael Douglas, Patch Adams starring Robin Williams, and 35 Miles to Normal.

After attending the Juilliard School, Tudyk appeared in several regional and off�Broadway productions before making his Broadway debut in Jerry Zak's play Epic Proportions with Kristin Chenoweth. Other stage work includes The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Oedipus Rex, Misalliance, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Bunny Bunny, for which he received both the Clarence Derwent and Drama League Awards for Best New York Debut of 1997.

Source: netglimse.com

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Alan Thicke Biography

Date of Birth
1 March 1947, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada

Birth Name
Alan Willis Jeffrey

Height
6' 0¾" (1.85 m)

Spouse
Tanya Callau (7 May 2005 - present)
Gina Tolleson (13 August 1994 - 29 September 1999) (divorced) 1 child
Gloria Loring (1970 - 1983) (divorced) 2 children

Trivia

Played Billy Flynn in the traveling company of the musical "Chicago".

Son, with Gloria Loring, Brennan Thicke was born. [1974]

Born at 2:00pm-EST

He appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "Voices That Care."

Was the manager for Canadian teen-singer René Simard'.

Member of Delta Upsilon fraternity.

Graduated in 1965 from Elliot Lake High School, and was elected Homecoming King

Attended the University of Western Ontario

Worked as a disc jockey while in college.

Father is a certified Transport Canada physician (performs medicals for pilots).

Father runs a family practice in Brampton Ontario (suburb of Toronto).

Father, Dr. Brian Thicke, is the medical director for Canada3000, a charter airline.

His second wife, Gina Tolleson, is a freelance TV reporter and hostess, as well as having been Miss World 1991.

Son, with Gina Tolleson, Carter William Thicke, was born July 10, 1997.

Was named "Father of the Year" by The Father's Day Council of Los Angeles, The Muscular Dystrophy Association, and The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

Composed the original score to "Wheel of Fortune" (1975), titled "Big Wheels". The original theme was used until 1983. Among the other game show themes Thicke has composed are "Celebrity Sweepstakes" (1974) (the second theme used in this series), "The Diamond Head Game" (1975) and "Whew!" (1979).

He sang and composed the theme to the cult-classic TV game show "The Wizard of Odds" (1973), hosted by Alex Trebek.

Once had his nose broken by Gordie Howe in a celebrity hockey game.

His son Robin Thicke is a singer/songwriter and has written songs for artists such as Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera, Mya, Brian McKnight & Pink, among others.

Hosted Wayne Gretzky's wedding in Edmonton, Canada.

May 2003 - Lost five teeth and required 30 stitches after getting hit in the face by a flying puck while playing hockey with actor Michael Vartan. Thicke was not wearing sufficient headgear.

Hosted the 2004 Miss Universe Canada Pageant in Rama, Ontario from January 23-25, 2004.

Jason Seaver, Thicke's character on "Growing Pains" (1985), was ranked #37 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].

Was 40 years old when he dated 17-year old actress Kristy Swanson. Was later engaged to her at 42.

Composed and sang both theme songs to "Diff'rent Strokes" (1978).

Produced a CBC television series hosted by Canadian teen-singer René Simard.

Father-in-law of Paula Patton.

Source: imdb.com

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Alan Smith Biography

Name
Alan Smith

Date of birth
October 28, 1980

Place of birth
Rothwell, Leeds, England

Alan Smith Trivia

Alan Smith's nickname is "chilli pepper", reportedly because of his temper.

Alan Smith Detailed Biography

Alan Smith (born October 28, 1980 in Rothwell, Leeds, England) is an English football player. He has played centre-forward for most of his career, but as of 2005 he is undergoing a conversion into a midfield role. He formerly played for Leeds and now plies his trade for Manchester United.

Alan Smith is perceived as a hard-working footballer who got his start with his hometown and future club at age 10, when he entered the Leeds United Centre of Excellence. Alan eventually joined up with Leeds United proper in March 1998.

His senior Premiership debut was as a substitute for Leeds v. Liverpool at Anfield, where he displayed his natural scoring ability to the Merseysiders and the world by scoring with his first touch of the ball. That goal helped propel him into the 1998/1999 season, as he was one-half of the first-choice striker pairing of manager David O'Leary, along with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

The 5'10”, 152 pound bulldog continued his run through his beloved Leeds side as the club began to grow in stature. Smith showed his class in 2001 while helping to lead the Leeds side thorough the much vaunted Champions League, though his experience ended on a sour note as he was sent off in the semifinal. The following season saw Alan relegated to the midfield, his versatility working against him, as O'Leary tried to accommodate new signings. 2001 was also the year for Smith's break into the England squad. An England youth international at multiple levels, Smith made his senior England debut in May 2001. Unfortunately, Alan did not make the final cut for the 2002 World Cup, and accepted a starring role with the England Under-21 side.

A hometown hero and a teen idol for supporters of hometown club Leeds, Smith was the poster boy for the club for the 2002-2004 seasons, winning his supporter's Player of the Year award two years running, a first in Leeds' history. Though his goal tally was not excellent by any means, his willingness to play any role on the pitch and his tireless efforts to save the Whites from relegation for two seasons was met with love from his adoring public. Smith also caused controversy that season, when in a league cup game against, ironically, Manchester United he threw a bottle in the crowd after it was thrown on the field. Even more ironically, the bottle hit his best friend's sister. This incident got Smith in hot water with his club and the FA. Smith announced his desire to leave Leeds due to relegation in May of 2004, ending his Leeds career by kissing the badge and crying at his last match. His transfer to bitter rivals Manchester United, however, led to controversy and his exit was marred by accusations of treachery.

Smith started the second chapter of his career on August 8th, 2004 at the Community Shield clash against Arsenal F.C., netting for the Red Devils with a swerving volley in the 55th minute.

Smith has impressed the Old Trafford fans since his arrival, with several prominent former players hailing him as something akin to the next Mark Hughes. Despite only being at the club for a few months, he developed a fearsome reputation for both long-ranged strikes such as his strikes against Arsenal and Norwich City, and more intelligent, 'poacher'-type goals, akin to those crafted by Ruud van Nistelrooy, such as the double against Dinamo Bucharest in the UEFA Champions League.

An injury hampered his first season, causing him to miss out on several matches including the Carling Cup semi-final against Chelsea. He missed out in the FA cup final against Arsenal at Millenium Stadium as Manchester United lost out to penalties in the game.

As the 2004/2005 season ended rumours were rife about Alan Smith's future, despite Smith saying he wanted to continue at United for his entire career. The forward managed a good return of 10 goals for his first season at Old Trafford. However, with Wayne Rooney in sparkling form and Ruud van Nistelrooy back in the team after injury, Smith was relegated to the bench. However, he remained a fans' favourite.

In the summer of 2005 it emerged that Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is grooming Alan Smith as a successor to Roy Keane in the Manchester United midfield. Ferguson stated, "Roy sees characteristics in Alan that he saw in himself as a young player, which could help Alan develop into a very good player in that position." Smith got his chance to prove his credentials as a replacement for Keane when the United skipper was injured early on in the 2005/2006 season. Smith began a prolonged run in the midfield 'anchor' role, with moderate effectiveness. However, as United began to stutter in the absence of several senior players, the midfield came under heavy flak from fans and pundits alike. People began to question whether Smith was cut out for the vital midfield role he was being asked to play. These criticism aimed at Smith and his team-mates reached its nadir with United's embarrassing 4-1 capitulation away to Middlesbrough and the subsequent 1-0 defeat to Lille in the Champions League. Smith was believed to be one of several United stars who were heavily criticised by Keane in an MUTV interview that was thought too explosive to be aired and consigned to the cutting room floor by club officials. It seemed that Smith's performance in the crucial home match against league leaders Chelsea would be meticuluosly scrutinised in the light of Keane's damning words. Smith responded in spectacular fashion, giving a man-of-the-match performance as his side won a thrilling game, 1-0.

Due to Roy Keane's contract termination at United, it is expected that he will continue as first-choice central midfielder alongside Paul Scholes until at least the January transfer window.

As of November 14, 2005 Smith has played for England 16 times, and has scored 1 international goal.

Source: netglimse.com

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Alan Shearer Biography

Date of Birth
13 August 1970, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, UK

Height
6' (1.83 m)

Mini Biography

Alan Shearer is one of the all-time legends of British football. He started his career playing for Southampton FC in 1987, but five years later was snapped up by Blackburn Rovers. Whilst there he scored an astounding 30 goals three seasons running. In 1992 he joined the international squad as captain of England, with a 2-0 victory over France. Shearer was soon attracting great interest from the other clubs and in 1996 he quit Blackburn to become captain of the team he had always supported as a boy, Newcastle United. He joined the 'Geordies' in a deal worth £15 million - a world record! He married his wife Lainya at the age of just 20 on June 8th 1991. He has two daughters, Chloe and Hollie. Quietly spoken Alan has rejected much of the 'showbusiness' side of footballing fame, prefering to spend time with his family. As a consequence the British tabloids have branded him 'boring'. With good humour he has capitalised on this image with an amusing advert for'McDonalds' and a cameo in the British comedy 'The Match'(1999). Because of his good looks and muscular physique, modest Alan is regularly voted 'Britain's Hunkist Footballer', much to his embarrassment.
IMDb Mini Biography By: tigon

Spouse
Lainya (8 June 1991 - present) 3 children

Trivia

His five goals from five games for England at UEFA Euro '96 made him the tournament's top goalscorer.

He was an expert penalty taker.

He made his England debut in 1992, became national captain in 1996, and retired from international playing in 2000.

He scored 30 goals in 63 internationals.

At Euro '96 he scored against Switzerland in England's 1-1 draw, he scored a strong header in the 2-0 victory against Scotland, he scored two goals against Holland (of which one was a penalty) and a header against Germany in the semi-final that ended 1-1.

He scored two goals from four games at the 1998 World Cup - a header against Tunisia and a penalty against Argentina.

At Euro 2000, he scored the header against Germany that won the match for England 1-0 and he scored a penalty against Romania.

He wore the number 9 shirt for England, in the tradition of greats Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker.

He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honors List for his services to sports. He has two daughters, Chloe and Hollie, and one son. He has captained the England football team. He was the world's most expensive footballer at the time of his £15m move from Blackburn to Newcastle in the summer of 1996. He scored a hat-trick on his debut for Southampton against Arsenal at age 17 in 1988, went on to become the first man to score 30 Premier League goals in three consecutive seasons. He joined Blackburn from Southampton for a then British record £3.6m fee in 1992. He was captain of school football team at age 12. He met his wife on a blind date in a Southampton public house.

Clubs that overlooked the potential of the teenage Alan Shearer included West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland and Manchester City, all of which had the chance to sign him. Manchester United, on the other hand, would twice attempt to secure his services - before his eventual transfers to Blackburn in 1992, and Newcastle in 1996.

Before signing for Southampton, he was offered a trial by Newcastle United - but they didn't identify his talent as a forward and played him in goal.

In April 2005, he was appointed player/coach at Newcastle United for the 2005-2006 season.

He was regularly voted Britain's hunkiest footballer much to his embarrassment.

He is a triple-time premier league golden boot winner (highest goal scorer).

Personal Quotes

"There are not many times when I get nervous, but I do a little bit with penalties. I don't fear taking them - it's a great opportunity for a forward to score a goal."

Source: imdb.com

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Alan Rudolph Biography

Name
Alan Rudolph

Profession
Actor

Alan Rudolph Detailed Biography

Alan Rudolph (born 18 December 1943 in Los Angeles) is an American film director and screenwriter.

Rudolph is the son of Oscar Rudolph (1911–1991), a television director and actor. He is a protégé of Robert Altman, and worked as an assistant director on Altman's film of Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye.

Rudolph's own films tend to focus on isolated or eccentric characters and their relationships, and are frequently ensemble pieces including prominent elements of romanticism and fantasy. He has written almost all the films he has directed, and he has worked repeatedly with actors Keith Carradine and Geneviève Bujold, and composer Mark Isham (see List of noted film director and composer collaborations).

Rudolph first came to prominence with Choose Me (1984), the story of the sexual relationships between a handful of lonely but charming characters, including an ex-prostitute bar owner (Lesley Ann Warren), an emotionally repressed radio talk show host (Bujold) and a disarmingly honest madman (Carradine). Trouble in Mind (1985) featured Kris Kristofferson as well as Bujold, Carradine and John Waters icon Divine. The Moderns (1988) was a love story, set in 1920s Paris, about an expatriate American artist (Carradine) re-igniting his love for his wife (Linda Fiorentino), despite her marriage with a sinister, philistine art collector played by John Lone.

After the relatively conventional thriller Mortal Thoughts (1991) starring Demi Moore, Equinox (1992) starred Matthew Modine as a pair of separated twins, and Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) was a loving recreation of the Algonquin Round Table and a sympathetic biopic of Dorothy Parker, with Jennifer Jason Leigh in the title role. Breakfast of Champions (1999) was an adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's metafictional novel, with Albert Finney as the wildly prolific but terminally underappreciated science fiction writer Kilgore Trout.

Source: netglimse.com

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Alan Rosenberg Biography

Date of Birth
4 October 1950, Passaic, New Jersey, USA
Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)

Spouse
Marg Helgenberger (9 September 1989 - present) 1 son
Robin Bartlett (? - ?) (divorced)

Trivia

He was the New York State backgammon champ in 1982.

Has a son named Hugh.

His character, divorce lawyer Eli Levinson in the 1991-1993 courtroom series "Civil Wars" (1991), was so popular that it was repeated on "L.A. Law" (1986) for the 1993-94 season. Rosenberg had already appeared in two episodes as lawyer William Willis in 1989/90.

Played both saints and sinners: from gangster Frank Nitti in a TV biopic of Al Capone to the Apostle Thomas in the controversial film The Last Temptation of Christ (1988).

Made his Broadway debut in "Lost in Yonkers."

Father was a swing-era musician.

During the 'radical' 60s, Alan became a member of the Black Panthers and was an active protestor of the Vietnam War.

Met second wife actress Marg Helgenberger while both were appearing in the daytime soap "Ryan's Hope" (1975) in 1984. Alan was married at the time to actress Robin Bartlett. They hooked up again by accident at a Los Angeles bank two years later (Alan was now divorced) and married in 1989. They have one son and have appeared in several projects together, including the Lifetime TV-movie Giving Up the Ghost (1998) (TV).

Younger brother of producer Mark Rosenberg, who died of a heart attack in 1992 at the age of 44.

23 September 2005 - Alan beat out "Morgan Fairchild" and "Robert Conrad" to become the new President of the Screen Actors Guild.

Cousin of Donald Fagen

Appeared with wife Marg Helgenberger in the "CSI" episode "Weeping Willows." According to Helgenberger, on the DVD commentary, he was uncomfortable treating her the way he does, even though it was just a fictional encounter.

Personal Quotes

Fair play doesn't pertain in bargaining. What matters there is leverage. Here (pointing to the crowd) is the leverage. Our leverage is that we're the product. We took a bad deal for cable 25 years ago. We took a horrible deal for VHS 20 years ago. We won't be fooled again. (At WGA Rally in front of FOX Plaza)

Source: imdb.com

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Alan Rickman Biography

Date of Birth
21 February 1946, Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Birth Name
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman

Height
6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

He was born to Irish and Welsh parents in 1946. He attended the Royal College of Art; he wanted to be a graphic artist. At age 26 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he spent 3 years. Started out in the theatrical version of "Dangerous Liaisons" His first major film was Die Hard (1988) where he was cast as Hans Gruber.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Kornel Osvart

Mini Biography

Alan Rickman was born on a council estate in Acton, West London to Margaret (Welsh) and Bernard (Irish) Rickman. Alan has an older brother David, a younger brother Michael and a younger sister Sheila. When Alan was 8 years old his father died. He attended Latymer Upper School on a scholarship. He studied Graphic Design at Chelsea College Of Art and Design, where he met Rima Horton who would later become his life partner. After three years at Chelsea College, he did graduate studies at the Royal College Of Art. He opened a successful graphics design business, Graphiti, with friends and ran it for several years before his love of theatre led him to seek an audition with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). At the relatively late age of 26, he received a scholarship to RADA, which started a professional acting career that has lasted over 35 years, with no signs of stopping, a career which has spanned stage, screen and television and has lapped over into directing as well.

Rickman first came to the attention of American audiences as Vicomte de Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Broadway in 1987 (he was nominated for a Tony for his performance in the role). Denied the role in the film version of the show, Rickman instead made his first movie appearance opposite Bruce Willis in _Die Hard(1988)_ as the villain, Hans Gruber. Rickman's take on the urbane villain set the standard for screen villains for decades to come. Though often cited as being a master of playing villains, Rickman has actually played a wide variety of characters, such as the romantic cello playing ghost Jamie in Anthony Minghella's Truly Madly Deeply (1990) and the noble Colonel Brandon of Sense and Sensibility (1995). He's treated audiences to his comedic abilities with films like _Dogma(1999)_, Galaxy Quest (1999) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), and roles like Dr Blalock in_ Something the Lord Made(2004)_ and Alex Hughes in _Snowcake(2006)_ showcase his ability to play ordinary men in extraordinary situations.

In 2001, Rickman introduced himself to a whole new, and younger, generation of fans by taking on the role of Severus Snape in the movie versions of J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). He has continued to play the role though the sixth movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). Most recently Rickman took on the daunting task of singing a part in a Stephen Sondheim Musical as he took on the part of Judge Turpin in the movie adaptation of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).
IMDb Mini Biography By: Rosie Walker (walkerr@champmail.com)

Trade Mark

Silky voice

Trivia

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#34). [1995]

Ranked #59 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]

Has been in a relationship with Rima Horton since the 1965. The pair share a home in London. Rima Horton has retired from her lecturing position, and lost her seat on the council she worked for in the local elections of May 2006

Although a highly successful film actor, he has frequently passed up film offers to return to the theater. (A place and activity which he calls "magical" and his "first love".)

Nominated for Tony award as Best Actor for Broadway revival of "Private Lives", May 2002.

Was given the role of Professor Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) only after Tim Roth backed out.

He became well-known to the American public with his performance as Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988).

Before becoming an actor, he studied graphic design at Chelsea College Of Art And Design and at the Royal College Of Art, forming a successful graphic design company, Graphiti, with several friends.

Named Best Stage Actor for his part in the acclaimed revival of the Noel Coward play Private Lives at The Variety Club Show business Awards 2002.

Father died when he was 8 years-old.

Is the second of four children in his family. He has an older brother, a younger brother and a younger sister.

While filming Die Hard (1988), was found proficient at mimicking American accents; a scene in which Hans Gruber and John McClane finally meet was then added to the script.

Made Vice-Chairman of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2003.

When he was a child, he had a speech disability: his lower jaw was very tight, causing his words to be indistinctive and muffled. He still has a slight speech impediment, it is the tight lower jaw which gives him his distinctive drawl.

Was offered the role of Leonardo Leonardo in the 2000 cartoon based on Kevin Smith's film Clerks. (1994). Originally, the character was modeled after Hans Gruber, but the design was changed upon Rickman's request. The studio decided not to go with Rickman, and the role went to Alec Baldwin.

He was nominated for a 2002 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actor of 2001 for his performance in "Private Lives" at the Albery Theatre, London.

He was nominated for a 2001 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in Private Lives at the Albery Theatre.

For the shot where Hans Gruber falls from the top of the building in Die Hard (1988), was actually dropped by a stuntman from a 20-foot high model onto an air bag. To get a genuine surprised look, the stunt man dropped him on the count of two instead of three.

In Die Hard (1988), he is seen firing a gun only once (in the atrium when Gruber realizes Holly is John's wife), due to his uncontrollable habit of flinching when the gun recoiled. In that scene he blinks just before the camera cuts.

Was voted #19 in Empire Magazine's Greatest Living Movie Stars over the age of 50.

Was active in raising funds for the Labour Party.

Was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Play): in 1987 for "Les Liaisons Dangereuses", and in 2002 for a revival of Noel Coward's "Private Lives".

Two of the Harry Potter films (so far) also feature Warwick Davis as Professor Flitwick. In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Rickman and Warwick Davis play the same part. Warwick Davis wore the robotic suit for Marvin, while Rickman provides the voice.

His portrayal of Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988) earned him a spot on the American Film Institute's list of the "100 Best Heroes/Villains" as the 46th best villain in film history.

Is good friends with Adrienne Clarkson, Canada's former Governor General. Rickman visited Adrienne Clarkson's Ottawa, Ontario home in May 2005.

Says Canada is like a second home.

Failed his California driving test at one point for "driving too cautiously through a green light"

Was twice nominated for an Laurence Olivier Award as Best Actor (Play): in 1987 for "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," and in 2002 for a revival of Noel Coward's "Private Lives".

Good friend of 'Sharman MacDonald'.

He is 11 years older than Timothy Spall, 12 years older than Adrian Rawlins and Gary Oldman, 17 years older than David Thewlis, and 21 years older than Geraldine Somerville. Nevertheless, the character that the six of them play in the Harry Potter films are meant to be contemporaries and former classmates.

Was J.K. Rowling's personal favorite to play Severus Snape.

Auditioned for Chris Barrie's character Rimmer in "Red Dwarf" (1988)_.

Godfather of Tom Burke.

Was Richard Curtis's choice to play Charles in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). Curtis was very hesitant in casting Hugh Grant as he had so wanted Rickman.

Read the script of Snow Cake (2006) and suggested Sigourney Weaver for the role of Linda, having worked with her on Galaxy Quest (1999). He even telephoned Weaver, and told her she had to read the script, as there was a role he felt she could play perfectly in it.

Angela Pell stated at the Berlinale Press Conference, that she wrote the role of Snow Cake (2006)'s Alex Hughes with him in mind. The character's name in the script was "Alan", and it was Rickman who suggested the change to Alex.

The script of Galaxy Quest (1999) originally contained a mention of Alexander Dane having been knighted by Queen Elizabeth. He asked that this be changed because he believed it was inconsistent with the character, and all mentions of the knighting were removed. However, the character is still listed in the credits as "Sir Alexander Dane".

For Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), he turned down the role of the Sheriff twice before he was told he could more or less have carte-blanche with his interpretation of the character.

Had cello lessons for his part in Truly Madly Deeply (1990), and while he handles the right (bowing) hand, the left hand is provided by a real cellist standing behind him with his arm through Alan Rickman's armpit.

For his death plunge down the side of the skyscraper in Die Hard (1988), he actually dropped 20 feet onto an airbag against a green screen. Director John McTiernan had to jump first to convince Rickman to do it.

Chosen by Empire Magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#83). [2007].

Was best man at the wedding of Dexter Fletcher and Dalia Ibelhauptaite.

Personal Quotes

"I do take my work seriously and the way to do that is not to take yourself too seriously."

On longtime partner Rima Horton: "I think every relationship should be allowed to have its own rules. She's tolerant. She's incredibly tolerant. Unbelievably tolerant. Possibly a candidate for sainthood."

"I have a love-hate relationship with white silk."

I do feel more myself in America. I can regress there, and they have roller-coaster parks.

On not being a father: "I love to travel and I don't have children, so there is a certain freedom."

If you spend any time in Los Angeles, there's only one topic of conversation.

Los Angeles is not a town full of airheads. There's a great deal of wonderful energy there.

I love America because whenever I go home -- there's something about England and coming from England-- but as soon as you walk down the steps of the plane you shrink. And you have to start saying "sorry" and being polite and curtsying and things like that... America just lets me be the klutz I really am.

Where Are They Now

(December 2003) Filming for HP 3 The Prisoner of Azkaban, due to release on June 4, 2004

(April 2004) Filming Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).

(July 2005) Filming the movie Snow Cake (2005)

(March 2006) March 16th, in Portland, Oregon reading lines from the play "My Name Is Rachel Corrie" a play he wrote with Katherine Viner about Rachel Corrie who died in 2003 when she was killed by a bulldozer during a protest at the Gaza strip.

(January 2008) Filming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

(February 2008) Filming Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in Gloucester, England

Source: imdb.com

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Alan Ladd Biography

Date of Birth
3 September 1913, Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA

Date of Death
29 January 1964, Palm Springs, California, USA (acute overdose of alcohol and sedatives)

Birth Name
Alan Walbridge Ladd

Nickname
Laddie
Height
5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Biography

Alan Ladd's mother immigrated from England age 19. His accountant father died when he was four. At age five he burned his apartment playing with matches, and his mother moved them to Oklahoma City. He was malnourished, undersized, and nicknamed Tiny. His mother married a house painter who moved them to California a la "Grapes of Wrath" when he was eight. He picked fruit, delivered papers, and swept stores. In high school he discovered track and swimming. By 1931 he was training for the 1932 Olympics, but an injury put an end to those plans. He opened a hamburger stand called Tiny's Patio, and later worked as a grip at Warner Brothers Pictures. He married friend Midge in 1936 but couldn't afford her, so they lived apart. In 1937 they shared a friend's apartment. They had a son,Alan Ladd Jr., and his destitute alcoholic mother moved in with them, her agonizing suicide from ant poison witnessed a few months later by her son.

His size and coloring were regarded as not right for movies, so he worked hard at radio where talent scout and former actress Sue Carol discovered him early in 1939. After shopping him through bit parts he tested for This Gun for Hire (1942) late in 1941. His fourth-billed role as the psychotic killer Raven made him a star. He was drafted in January 1943 and discharged in November with an ulcer and double hernia.

Throughout the 1940s his tough-guy roles filled theaters and he was one of the very few males whose cover photos sold movie magazines. In the 1950s he was performing in lucrative but unrewarding films (an exception being what many regard as his greatest role, "Shane". By the end of the 1950s,liquor and a string of so-so films had taken their toll. In November 1962 he was found unconscious lying in a pool of blood with a bullet wound near his heart. In January 1964 he was found dead, apparently due to an accidental combination of alcohol and sedatives.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan

Spouse
Sue Carol (15 March 1942 - 29 January 1964) (his death) 2 children
Marjorie Jane Harrold (October 1936 - 1941) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Father of Alan Ladd Jr. with first wife, Marjorie 'Midge' Harrold. Father of Alana Ladd and David Ladd with second wife, Sue Carol. Grandfather of Jordan Ladd.

Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California, USA, in the Freedom Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Heritage.

Owing to a clerical error, Ladd was inaccurately included in the cast credits for Born to the West (1937) in studio publicity material. In fact, he was never in the film, despite the fact that it often shows up in his credits and even on the video box!.

In his movies, suffers two cat-o-nine-tails floggings aboard sailing ships: (1) in Two Years Before the Mast (1946), he receives 10 lashes for striking an officer; (2) in Botany Bay (1953), he receives 50 lashes for attempting to escape from a prison transport ship.

He so badly wanted the title role in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) that he personally pressed his case with director David Lean, but Lean cast Peter O'Toole in the part.

The prisoner he plays in 1953's Botany Bay (1953) is keelhauled, marking what may be the only time a Hollywood leading man suffers this particular form of punishment.

In a 1961 interview Ladd was asked, "What would you change about yourself if you could?" He replied tersely: "Everything."

Father of Alana Ladd and Alan Ladd Jr.

Son with Sue Carol: David Ladd.

Ladd portrayed Dan Holiday on Mutual Radio's "Box 13" (1948-1949). This show was also syndicated.

A photograph of his flogging in Two Years Before the Mast (1946) appears on the cover of the 2004 book: "Lash! The Hundred Great Scenes of Men Being Whipped in the Movies".

Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1601 Vine Street.

He and Veronica Lake made seven movies together: The Blue Dahlia (1946), Duffy's Tavern (1945), The Glass Key (1942), Saigon (1948), Star Spangled Rhythm (1942), This Gun for Hire (1942) and Variety Girl (1947). In Variety Girl (1947), Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) and Duffy's Tavern (1945), they appear as themselves.

In 1956, Ladd proposed a television series based on his radio series "Box 13". The idea didn't sell. Ladd himself had played his "Box 13" character Dan Holiday in the "Committed" episode of "General Electric Theater" (1953) on television. In 1963, Ladd said he hoped to reunite several of his 1940s era co-stars, including William Bendix and Veronica Lake, for a big screen version of "Box 13".

His former home in Palm Springs, California, is still on the bus tour of movie stars' homes. An office building also bears his name.

According to his biography, the end of his love affair with June Allyson, his co-star in The McConnell Story (1955), led to his late-life depression.

Discovered Rory Calhoun while riding in Griffith Park, a notorious cruising area.

Turned down James Dean's role in Giant (1956) and Spencer Tracy's role in Bad Day at Black Rock (1955).

Father of Alan Ladd Jr. with first wife; father of David Ladd with second wife.

At the time of his death he had expressed an interest in playing Steve McQueen's role in Nevada Smith (1966).

While he never enjoyed popularity among film critics, Ladd himself and his films were popular with the public. He was mobbed at guest appearances on network radio programs such as "The Lux Radio Theater" and in the 1940s his films grossed almost $55 million.

In 1954, he and Barbara Stanwyck won the top spots in "Modern Screen" magazine's Star of Stars Award competition as the most popular actors among fans in the previous ten years.

He ranked tenth in popularity in a poll of movie fans conducted by the "Motion Picture Herald" in 1947. From 1948-1950, he ranked number one in that poll.

In 1945, he ranked fourth in a "Modern Screen" magazine popularity poll among readers.

In 1943, "Modern Screen" magazine ran sixteen stories on him in its twelve issues that year.

Personal Quotes

"Once Ladd had acquired an unsmiling hardness, he was transformed from an extra to a phenomenon. Ladd's calm slender ferocity make it clear that he was the first American actor to show the killer as a cold angel." - David Thomson ("A Biographical Dictionary of Film, " 1975)

"That the old fashioned motion picture gangster with his ugly face, gaudy cars, and flashy clothes was replaced by a smoother, better looking, and better dressed bad man was largely the work of Mr. Ladd." - "New York Times" obituary (January 30, 1964)

"Alan is a big star to everyone in the world except Alan. He thinks he's in the business on a raincheck." -- Sue Carol, his wife/manager

"I have the face of an ageing choirboy and the build of an undernourished featherweight. If you can figure out my success on the screen you're a better man than I."

Salary
Boy on a Dolphin (1957) $290,000
O.S.S. (1946) $75,000
Rulers of the Sea (1939) $250

Source: imdb.com

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Alan Jackson Biography

Name
Alan Jackson

Profession
Singer

Birth Details
born October 17, 1958

Alan Jackson Detailed Biography

Alan Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter, who became one of the best-selling country musicians of the 1990s.

Jackson is originally from Newnan, Georgia. He previously worked in The Nashville Network's mailroom. Jackson's wife Denise got him connected to Glen Campbell, who helped him jumpstart his career. His first album, 1990's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second (1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. His 1992 release, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) was a smash success, spawning five major singles with "Chattahoochee" being the most enduring and successful. After a few more hit albums, Jackson again rocketed to fame with "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," a song about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which became a hit single and briefly propelled him into the mainstream spotlight; the song was even the subject of parody on the popular animated series South Park, in the episode A Ladder To Heaven. Alan Jackson Although Jackson has been characterized as a "hat act", his influences go deep into the roots of country music and his songs have been recorded by some of the greats like Charley Pride, who recorded "Here In The Real World". He has sung with George Jones on the award-winning "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair". His sense of humor comes through in "Gone Country" with the satirical description of the wannabes who cynically jumped on the country music bandwagon in the 1990s: "Everybody's gone country/Yeah we've gone country/The whole world's gone country." He has been credited for popularizing a Neotraditional Country sound.

Albums Here in the Real World (1989): #4 (Country), #57 (Billboard 200) Don't Rock the Jukebox (1991) #2 (Country), #17 (Billboard 200) A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) (1992) #1 (Country), #13 (Billboard 200) Honky Tonk Christmas (1993) #7 (Country), #42 (Billboard 200) Who I Am (1994) #1 (Country), #5 (Billboard 200) The Greatest Hits Collection (1995) #1 (Country), #5 (Billboard 200) Everything I Love (1996) #1 (Country), #12 (Billboard 200) High Mileage (1998) #1 (Country), #4 (Billboard 200) Under the Influence (1999) #2 (Country), #9 (Billboard 200) Super Hits (1999) #44 (Country) When Somebody Loves You (2000) #1 (Country), #15 (Billboard 200) Drive (2002) #1 (Country), #1 (Billboard 200) Let It Be Christmas (2002) #6 (Country), #27 (Billboard 200) Greatest Hits Volume II And Some Other Stuff (2003) #1 (Country), #1 (Billboard 200) What I Do (2004) #1 (Country), #1 (Billboard 200) Singles Year Title Chart Positions Album US Hot 100 US Country 1989 "Blue Blooded Woman" - #45 Here in the Real World Album Lyrics 1990 "Here in the Real World" - #3 Here in the Real World 1990 "Wanted" - #3 Here in the Real World 1990 "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow" - #2 Here in the Real World 1991 "I'd Love You All Over Again" - #1 Here in the Real World 1991 "Don't Rock the Jukebox" - #1 Don't Rock the Jukebox Album Lyrics 1991 "Someday" - #1 Don't Rock the Jukebox 1991 "Love's Got a Hold on You" - #1 Don't Rock the Jukebox 1992 "Dallas" - #1 Don't Rock the Jukebox 1992 "Midnight in Montgomery" - #3 Don't Rock the Jukebox 1992 "She's Got the Rhythm (And I've Got the Blues)" - #1 A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) Album Lyrics 1993 "Tonight I Climbed the Wall" - #4 A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) 1993 "Chattahoochee" #46 #1 A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) 1993 "Mercury Blues" - #2 A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) 1993 "Who Says You Can't Have It All" - #4 A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) 1993 "Tropical Depression" - #75 A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) 1993 "Honky Tonk Christmas" - #53 Honky Tonk Christmas Album Lyrics 1993 "I Only Want You for Christmas" - #41 Honky Tonk Christmas 1993 "The Angels Cried" - - Honky Tonk Christmas 1993 "A Holly Jolly Christmas" - #51 Honky Tonk Christmas 1994 "Summertime Blues" - #1 (2 weeks) Who I Am 1994 "Livin' on Love" - #1 (2 weeks) Who I Am 1994 "Gone Country" - #1 Who I Am Album Lyrics 1995 "Song for the Life" - #6 Who I Am 1995 "I Don't Even Know Your Name" - #1 Who I Am 1995 "Tall, Tall Trees" - #1 The Greatest Hits Collection 1996 "I'll Try" - #1 The Greatest Hits Collection 1996 "Home" - #3 The Greatest Hits Collection 1996 "Little Bitty" #58 #1 Everything I Love Album Lyrics 1996 "Everything I Love" - #9 Everything I Love 1997 "Who's Cheating Who" - #2 Everything I Love 1997 "There Goes" - #1 Everything I Love 1997 "Between the Devil and Me" - #2 Everything I Love 1997 "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" - #56 1998 "A House With No Curtains" - #18 Everything I Love 1998 "I'll Go on Loving You" - #3 High Mileage Album Lyrics 1998 "Right on the Money" #43 #1 High Mileage 1999 "Gone Crazy" #43 #4 High Mileage 1999 "Little Man" #39 #3 High Mileage 1999 "She Just Started Liking Cheatin' Songs" - #72 Under the Influence Album Lyrics 1999 "My Own Kind Of Hat" - #71 Under the Influence 1999 "Margaritaville" - #63 Under the Influence 1999 "Pop a Top" #43 #6 Under the Influence 2000 "The Blues Man" - #37 Under the Influence 2000 "Murder on Music Row" (with George Strait) Lyrics - #38 Latest Greatest Straitest Hits 2000 "It Must Be Love" #37 #1 Under the Influence 2000 "Three Minute Positive Not Too Country Up-Tempo Love Song" - #72 When Somebody Loves You Album Lyrics 2000 "www.memory" #45 #6 When Somebody Loves You 2001 "When Somebody Loves You" #52 #5 When Somebody Loves You 2001 "Where I Come From" #34 #1 (3 weeks) When Somebody Loves You 2001 "It's Alright to Be a Redneck" - #53 When Somebody Loves You 2001 "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" Lyrics #28 #1 (5 weeks) Drive Album Lyrics 2002 "Designated Drinker" (with George Strait) - #44 Drive 2002 "Drive (For Daddy Gene)" #28 #1 (4 weeks) Drive 2002 "Work in Progress" #35 #3 Drive 2002 "Let It Be Christmas" - #37 Let It Be Christmas 2002 "Jingle Bells" - #58 Let It Be Christmas 2003 "That'd Be Alright" #29 #2 Drive 2003 "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" (with Jimmy Buffett) #17 #1 (7 weeks) Greatest Hits Volume II And Some Other Stuff 2003 "Remember When" #29 #1 (2 weeks) Greatest Hits Volume II And Some Other Stuff 2003 "Just Put A Ribbon In Your Hair" - #51 A Very Special Acoustic Christmas 2004 "Hey, Good Looking" (with Jimmy Buffett, &c) #63 #8 License to Chill 2004 "Too Much of a Good Thing" #46 #5 What I Do Album Lyrics 2004 "Monday Morning Church" #54 #5 What I Do 2005 "The Talkin' Song Repair Blues" #99 #18 What I Do 2005 "USA Today" - #18 What I Do

Source: netglimse.com

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Alan Faneca Biography

Name
Alan Faneca
Date of birth
December 7, 1976

Place of birth
New Orleans, Louisiana

Alan Faneca Detailed Biography

Alan Joseph Faneca, Jr. (born December 7, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American Football guard who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Faneca attended Louisiana State, where he was a First-Team All-American selection in 1997 and a finalist for the Outland Trophy. He was picked by Pittsburgh in the first round (26th overall) in the 1998 NFL Draft. He has been a starter at left guard since almost halfway through his rookie year, and was selected to represent the AFC in the Pro Bowl every season since 2001. He has started the last two seasons.

Source: netglimse.com

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Alan Cumming Biography

Date of Birth
27 January 1965, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland, UK

Nickname
Uppin Cumming

Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

Alan Cumming was born on January 27, 1965, in Aberfeldy, Scotland. His family lived nearby in Dunkeld, where his father, Alex, was a forester for Atholl Estate. The family (Alex, mother Mary, big brother Tom and Alan) moved to Fassfern near Fort William soon after, before moving to the east coast of Scotland in 1969 where Alan's dad took up the position of Head Forester of Panmure Estate, and it was here Alan grew up. He went to Monikie Primary School and Carnoustie High School, where he began appearing in plays, and soon after that began working with with the Carnoustie Theatre Club and Carnoustie Musical Society. In 1981 he left high school with 8 'O' Grades and 4 Highers, but because he was too young to enter any university or drama school he worked for just over a year as a sub-editor at D.C. Thompson publishers in Dundee. There he worked on the launch of a new magazine "Tops" and was also the "Young Alan" who answered readers' letters. In September 1982 he began a three-year course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. He graduated in 1985 with a B.A. (Dramatic Studies) and awards for verse speaking and direction. He also had formed a cabaret double act with fellow student Forbes Masson called Victor and Barry, which went on to become hugely successful with tours (including two Perrier Pick of the Fringe seasons in London and a month-long engagement at the Sydney Opera House as part of an Australian tour), records ("Hear Victor and Barry and Faint", "Are We Too Loud?") and many TV appearances throughout the UK. Before graduating Alan made his professional theater and film debuts in "Macbeth" at the Tron theater in Glasgow and in Gillies MacKinnon's "Passing Glory". After graduating Alan worked extensively in Scottish theater and television, including a stint on the soap opera "Take the High Road" (1980) before moving to London when "Conquest of the South Pole", a play by German playwright Manfred Karge, transferred from the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh to the the Royal Court in London, earning him his first Olivier award nomination for Most Promising Newcomer of 1988.

Alan performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and then the Royal National Theatre where he starred in "Accidental Death of an Anarchist", which he also adapted with director Tim Supple. The production was nominated for Best revival at the 1991 Olivier awards and Alan won for Comedy Performance of the Year. Then his film career began with Ian Sellar's Prague (1992), in which he starred with Sandrine Bonnaire and Bruno Ganz. The film premiered at the 1992 Cannes film festival and went on to win him Best Actor award at the Atlantic Film Festival and a Scottish BAFTA Best Actor nomination. In the same year he made two films for the BBC - The Last Romantics (1991) (TV) and Bernard and the Genie (1991) (TV), the latter winning him the Top Television Newcomer award at 1992 British Comedy Awards. In the 1992 Olivier awards he was also nominated for Comedy Performance of the Year for "La Bete". In 1993 he played Hamlet for the English Touring Theare to great critical acclaim ("An actor knocking on the door of greatness" - Daily Mail; ranked first and second--with his performance in "Cabaret"--in the Daily Telegraph's performances of the year) and then immediately went on to play the Emcee in Sam Mendes' revival of "Cabaret" at the same venue (London's Donmar Warehouse). He received a 1994 Olivier award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical for "Cabaret", and for Hamlet he received the 1994 TMA Best Actor award and a Shakespeare Globe award nomination.

In 1994 he made his first Hollywood film, Circle of Friends (1995), and his performance as the oleaginous Sean Walsh along with those in two films released in quick succession (Emma (1996) and GoldenEye (1995)) brought him to the attention of American producers, and he appeared in several Hollywood films, such as Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) and Buddy (1997). He returned to the UK in 1997 to work with Stanley Kubrick and The Spice Girls before returning stateside in 1998 to reprise his role in "Cabaret" on Broadway. The show and his portrayal were a sensation, and he received the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics' Circle, Theatre World, FANY, New York Press and New York Public Advocate's awards for his performance. Since then he has alternated between theater and films, and also between smaller independent films and more mainstream fare. His theater work includes 2001's "Design for Living" on Broadway and the hugely successful off-Broadway "Elle" by Jean Genet, which he adapted and played the lead in 2002. Films have included Julie Taymor's Titus (1999), Urbania (2000), the "Spy Kids" trilogy, Josie and the Pussycats (2001), X2 (2003), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), Son of the Mask (2005) and the Showtime movie musical _Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005) (TV)_. He wrote, directed, produced and acted in The Anniversary Party (2001) with Jennifer Jason Leigh, which premiered at the Cannes Film festival in 2002 and went on to win a National Board of Review award and two Independent Spirit award nominations. More recently he has produced the documentary "Show People" (2004) and the films Sweet Land (2005) and Full Grown Men (2006) (and appears in both) and acted in the movies Grey Matters (2005) opposite Heather Graham and Bam Bam and Celeste (2005) opposite Margaret Cho. in 2006 he will return to Broadway as Macheath in "The Threepenny Opera". He has also found the time to write a novel, "Tommy's Tale", in 2002 and a fragrance "Cumming" (cummingthefragrance.com) in 2005.
IMDb Mini Biography By: www.alancumming.com

Spouse
Hilary Lyon (1985 - 1993) (divorced)

Trivia

Dated Circle of Friends (1995) co-star Saffron Burrows after divorcing his wife Hilary Lyon.

Hosted "Saturday Night Live" (1975) in February 2000 when the expected host, Jon Stewart, had to back out at the last minute.

Published his first novel called "Tommy's Tale". [2002 in USA and 2003 in Europe]

Graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with a B.A. and also won the Gordon Bottomley Award for direction, and an award for the speaking of Scots verse in 1985.

Was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award as Most Promising Newcomer for his performance in the production of "The Conquest of the South Pole" in 1988.

Won a Laurence Olivier Award for Comedy Performance of the Year for "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" in 1991.

Was nominated for an Lawrence Olivier award as the Best Film Actor and was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA award as Best Film Actor for his role in Prague (1992) in 1992.

He was nominated for the Richard Burton Award at the Shakespeare Globe Awards for his role as Hamlet in 1993.

Was nominated for an Olivier award in the category of Comedy Perfomance of the Year for "La Bete" in 1993.

Was nominated for an Lawrence Olivier award as Best Actor in a Musical category for "Cabaret" in 1994.

Won Best Actor at the Martini Rossi/TMA awards for "Hamlet" in 1994.

Won the Tony Drama desk award for his performance of the Emcee in "Cabaret" along with New York Free Press, Outer Critics Circle, Theater World and New York Public Advocate's awards.

Was inducted into the Vanity Fair Hall of Fame for his work in "Cabaret".

Named one of the 100 most creative people in the world in Entertainment Weekly in 1998.

Came at number 18 in one of the 50 most eligible bachelors of Scotland in 2000.

Was nominated for a GQ magazine Man of the Year award in 2001.

In 2001 Alan was honored with the NY Immigrant Achievement Award.

He was also honored by the Drama League for "Design For Living".

For The Anniversary Party (2001), he received the National Board of Review Excellence in Filmmaking Award and was nominated for The Indie Spirit Award for Best First Feature and Screenplay.

For Halloween 2002 in Vancouver, Cumming and his "X2" costar, Ian McKellen, dressed as their characters Fegan Floop (from "Spy Kids") and Gandalf (from the Lord of the Rings trilogy) respectively. "He carved me this great Nightcrawler pumpkin and helped answer the door so there were Gandalf and Floop handing out candies," says Cumming.

He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1991 (1990 season) for Best Comedy Performance for Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

On Sunday 7 January 2007, he registered his civil partnership with Grant Shaffer at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London.

Has his own cologne called "Cumming."

Won Broadway's 1998 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for a revival of "Cabaret."

Mentioned on The Rosie O' Donnell show that Reese's Peanut Butter Cups was one of his favorite things about the United States, after which he was so bombarded by the candy sent to him from fans that he had to stop eating them for a while.

Personal Quotes

Sometimes people get really sniffy about the films you choose if you've done more dramatic projects or you're classically trained.

I love a film where I get squished by two Dumpsters or I fly through the air.

Kids are more genuine. When they come up and want to talk to you, they don't have an agenda. It's more endearing and less piercing to your aura.

[on therapy] "It's like a workout for the mind."

I think directing in a team is a really good idea because it stops the cult of the director as God straight away, and also you're discussing things on set so it opens it out to everyone and it becomes a totally collaborative thing. And you have someone who supports you when you're feeling a bit insecure.

Where Are They Now

(May 2005) Attending Collectormania 7 at Milton Keynes

(May 2006) Performing as Macheath in the Broadway Revival of The Threepenny Opera at Studio 54.

(January 2008) Currently starring in the off-Broadway production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull at the Classic Stage Company opposite Dianne Wiest.

Source: imdb.com

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