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Phil Rosenthal
Biography
Philip Rosenthal (born 1960) is an American television writer and producer who is best known as the creator, writer and executive producer for the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005). The show was co-produced by Ray Romano, and based in part on Romano's comedy material. Rosenthal's wife, actress Monica Horan, played the role of Amy MacDougall-Barone, the off and on girlfriend (wife after season 7) of Robert Barone (Brad Garrett) in Raymond.
It was Rosenthal and Romano who decided to retire the series over the objections or reservations of the other cast members.
Rosenthal was born in Queens, New York, but spent most of his childhood living in New City, New York located in Rockland County. He attended Clarkstown North High School where he became very active in the school's drama club, Cue 'N Curtain. During his four years at Clarkstown, Rosenthal acted in many high school plays. Among his fellow schoolmates were future television producer Alan Kirschenbaum (Yes, Dear) and New York politician Richard Holbrook. Rosenthal graduated from Clarkstown North in 1977. From there, he attended Hofstra University, where he graduated in 1981. In the early 1980s, he was an actor based out of New York City before shifting his focus to production work, becoming the writer and producer of such shows as Coach with Craig T. Nelson and the short-lived Baby Talk. However, Rosenthal occasionally appears in acting roles as evidenced by a role in James L. Brooks' Spanglish as a business colleague of Adam Sandler's character. Rosenthal also had a minor role in 2007's The Simpsons Movie, a big screen adaption of the long running TV series which was also produced by Brooks and his company, Gracie Films. Rosenthal voiced the line "Here we are kids... the Grand Canyon," in the fake TV ad that Tom Hanks was filming for the United States Government in support of the "new" Grand Canyon in the film. Producers liked the line and Rosenthal asked if he could perform the part. He has also appeared in Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, and Jake Kasdan’s feature, The TV Set.
Phil is the author of the book You're Lucky You're Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom which was released on October 21, 2006. Phil recounts how his hilarious life led to one of the most successful shows in history.
Rosenthal has the distinction of having directed President Bill Clinton in the White House Correspondents' Dinner video, which was shown to wide acclaim at the April 2000 event.
He co-wrote the “America: A Tribute to Heroes”, the 9/11 telethon which aired on all four networks, won a Peabody Award and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing.
He has completed his first feature for Sony Pictures: Exporting Raymond, which he wrote and directed, the true story about the attempt to turn Everybody Loves Raymond into a successful Russian sitcom, where he served as a consultant. Much of the documentary centers on his struggle with the country's unusual cultural aspects and developing relationships with the show's cast and crew, despite little to no knowledge with the Russians' sense of humor.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Philip Rosenthal, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Lillian Hellman
Biography
Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, prose writer, memoirist and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway, as well as her communist views and political activism. She was blacklisted after her appearance before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) at the height of the anti-communist campaigns of 1947–1952. Although she continued to work on Broadway in the 1950s, her blacklisting by the American film industry caused a drop in her income. Many praised Hellman for refusing to answer questions by HUAC, but others believed, despite her denial, that she had belonged to the Communist Party.
As a playwright, Hellman had many successes on Broadway, including The Children's Hour, The Little Foxes and its sequel Another Part of the Forest, Watch on the Rhine, The Autumn Garden, and Toys in the Attic. She adapted her semi-autobiographical play The Little Foxes into a screenplay, which starred Bette Davis. Hellman was romantically involved with fellow writer and political activist Dashiell Hammett, who also was blacklisted for 10 years; the couple never married.
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Khaled El Sawy
Biography
Khaled El Sawy is an Egyptian actor. He was born in Alexandria in 1963. He studied law at Cairo University, and started acting while at college on the university's theater, and after graduating in 1985, he studied directing at the Academy of Arts till 1993. El Sawy then started working as an assistant director on the film “Samaka we Arbaa' Oroush” (A Fish and Four Sharks), then as a director for several of the Nile International network's satellite channels. El Sawy co-founded the Egyptian Foundation for Theater Enthusiasts. He wrote the plays “Haflet Maganin” (Crazy Party) and “Operette El Darfil” (The Dolphin Operette), for which he won the Taymour Award for Theatrical Ingenuity in 1991 and 1992 respectively. El Sawy's career includes a variety of distinct roles on film, including “Emaret Yacoubian” (Yacoubian Building), “Keda Reda”, “Cabaret”, “El Farah” (The Wedding) and “El Feel El Azraq” (The Blue Elephant). He also starred as a lead in television series like “Tofahet Adam” (Adam's Apple) and “Khatem Suleiman” (Suleiman's Ring).
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Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire
Biography
Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire (born 31 December 1968) is a French filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He is best known as the director of films Johnny Mad Dog, A Prayer Before Dawn and Asphalt City.
Sauvaire was born on 31 December 1968 in Paris, France. He currently lives in New York City.
In 1991, Sauvaire started his film career as a first assistant director of the film Les Nuits Fauves by Cyril Collard. Then he joined the crew for the films Les Demons de Jesus and Les Grandes Bouches, directed by Bernie Bonvoisin; I Stand Alone directed by Gaspar Noé; Sous Les Pieds Des Femmes, directed by Rachida Krim; Hors Jeu, directed by Karim Dridi; Louise (Take 2), directed by Siegfried; and Love Me, directed by Laetitia Masson. He continued to work as an assistant director until 2000. At the end of 2000, he directed his three short films, La Mule (co-directed with Rossy De Palma), A Dios, and Matalo. In all three, he used the theme of violence among adolescents.
In 2008, he made the film Johnny Mad Dog, co-produced with Mathieu Kassovitz. The film was later presented in the Official Selection, 'Un Certain Regard' section at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the Prix de l'Espoir. The film was an adaptation of the novel Johnny Chien Méchant by Congolese writer Emmanuel Dongala. It tells the story of a group of child soldiers fighting for the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebels in 2003, during the latter part of the Second Liberian Civil War.
After the success of the film, Sauvaire directed the telefilm Punk in 2012, which was co-produced by Arte, with Paul Bartel and Béatrice Dalle. In 2017, he made the film A Prayer Before Dawn, which was adapted from the story of Billy Moore. The film received an official selection at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in 2017.
In 2023, Sauvaire directed Black Flies, an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Shannon Burke, with Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan. The film was selected in competition at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in 2023.
Source: Article "Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
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Mireille Perrier
Biography
Mireille Perrier (born 14 November 1959) is a French actress and stage director.
She debut in theater with the Compagnie du Hasard in 1977, where she remained a member for two years.
Her first starring role was in Leos Carax's Boy Meets Girl in 1984. Since then, Perrier has had major roles in other films such as Un monde sans pitié, Netchaïev est de retour, Toto le Héros, À vendre, Le Comptoir, Un dérangement considérable and L'entraînement du champion avant la course.
In 1991, Perrier received a Joseph Plateau Award in the "Best Belgian Actress" category for her work in the Belgian film Toto le Héros.
Source: Article "Mireille Perrier" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Myung-Whun Chung
Biography
Myung-whun Chung (born 22 January 1953, Seoul) is a South Korean conductor and pianist.
Chung studied piano with Maria Curcio and won joint second-prize in the 1974 International Tchaikovsky Competition. He performed in the Chung Trio with his sisters, violinist Kyung-wha Chung and cellist Myung-wha Chung.
Chung studied conducting at the Mannes College of Music and the Juilliard School. He has conducted virtually all the prominent European and American orchestras including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Vienna Philharmonic, among others.
Chung was chief conductor of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken from 1984 to 1990, and principal guest conductor of the Teatro Comunale Florence from 1987 to 1992. At the end of the 1987-88 seasons, he received the Premio Abbiati award from Italian critics, and the following year awarded the Arturo Toscanini prize. Chung was the Paris Opera's music director from 1989 to 1994, during which time he opened the inaugural season at the new Opéra Bastille. He opened the inaugural season at the new Opéra Bastille with Berlioz's complete Les Troyens and received highly praised reviews from the music circle. In 1991, the Association of French Theatres and Music Critics named him "Artist of the year" and in 1992 he received the Legion d'Honneur for his contribution to the Paris Opéra. An exclusive recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon since 1990, many of his numerous recordings have won international prizes and awards. These include Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie and Éclairs sur l'au-delà…, Verdi's Otello, Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk with the Bastille Opera Orchestra; a series of Dvořák's symphonies and serenades with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, a series dedicated to the great sacred music with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, including the award-winning recording of Duruflé's and Fauré's Requiems with Cecilia Bartoli and Bryn Terfel. In 1995 he was honoured three times at the French Victoires de la Musiques Classiques, and was also named Meilleur Chef d'Orchestre de l'Année. He directed the world premiere of Messiaen's last work: the Concert à quatre for four soloists and orchestra, which the composer had dedicated to Myung-whun Chung and the Orchestre de la Bastille. He took the role of artistic director at the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra in 1997 and at the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France in 2000. The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra made Chung a Special Artistic Advisor in 2001, its Honorary Conductor Laureate from 2010, and its Honorary Music Director from 2016. Chung became the first principal guest conductor in the history of the Staatskapelle Dresden in 2012. He was the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's principal conductor between 2005 and 2015. During this period the Seoul Philharmonic became the first Asian orchestra to sign a major-label record deal and gave its first performance at The Proms. ...
Source: Article "Myung-whun Chung" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Lisa Stansfield
Biography
Lisa Jane Stansfield (born 11 April 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition Search for a Star. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first singles, Stansfield, along with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, formed Blue Zone in 1983. The band released several singles and one album, but after the success of Coldcut's "People Hold On" in 1989, on which Stansfield was featured, the focus was placed on her solo career.
Stansfield's first solo album Affection (1989) and its worldwide chart-topping lead single "All Around the World" were major breakthroughs in her career. She was nominated for two Grammy Awards, and Affection is her best-selling album to date. In the following years, Stansfield released Real Love (1991), So Natural (1993), and Lisa Stansfield (1997). In 1999 she appeared in her first film, Swing, and also recorded the soundtrack for it. Her next albums included Face Up (2001), Biography: The Greatest Hits (2003), and The Moment (2004). Thereafter, Stansfield took a break from music and focused on her film career. In 2008, she starred in The Edge of Love and in 2014 she appeared in Northern Soul.
Stansfield released her seventh album Seven on 31 January 2014. Its lead single "Can't Dance" was digitally released on 16 October 2013. She promoted the album with the European Seven Tour in 2013 and 2014. Her most recent album Deeper was released on 6 April 2018. In June 2018, following a string of sold-out tour dates in Europe, Stansfield announced her North American Tour, which began in October 2018.
Stansfield has won numerous awards, including three Brit Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, a Billboard Music Award, World Music Award, ASCAP Award, Women's World Award, Silver Clef Award and two DMC Awards. She has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, including five million of Affection. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 46th-most-successful dance artist of all time.
Stansfield was born at the Crumpsall Hospital in Manchester, England. Her parents are Marion (d. 27 September 2013) and Keith Stansfield, and she has two sisters, Karen and Suzanne. Her family moved to Heywood in 1976, then to Rochdale in 1977. Stansfield attended Siddal Moor School (Heywood), Redbrook Middle School where she won the annual talent contest, and Oulder Hill Community School (both in Rochdale). She grew up listening to soul music, and stated that her mother's affinity for records by Diana Ross and the Supremes was her first musical influence, Stansfield citing Marvin Gaye, Chic and Barry White as other primary musical influences.
In 1980, Stansfield won the Search for a Star singing competition, held at the Talk of the Town nightclub, and in 1981 her first single "Your Alibis" was released by Devil Records. In 1982, she appeared on the television show Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment on Granada Television. At the same time, Stansfield signed a recording contract with Polydor Records. ...
Source: Article "Lisa Stansfield" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Fernando Sancho
Biography
One of the most popular performers in Spanish cinema. Born in Zaragoza, Sancho began acting in the theatre. After fighting in the Spanish Civil War, he entered films in 1940 and amassed over 400 credits in a career that spanned 50 years. During the 1960s and 1970s he played villains in several spaghetti westerns. His films include "Mariona Rebull" (1947), "Agustina de Aragón" (1950), Terence Young's "That Lady" (1955), Juan Antonio Bardem's "Muerte de un Ciclista" (1955), "King of Kings" (1961), "Lawrence of Arabia"(1962), "55 Days at Peking" (1955), "Historias de la Televisión" (1965), "Tres Superhombres en el Oeste" (1973), "1919. Crónica del Alba" (1983) and Berlanga's "La Vaquilla" (1984).
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John Lurie
Biography
John Lurie (born December 14, 1952) is an American musician, painter, actor, director, and producer. He co-founded The Lounge Lizards jazz ensemble, has acted in 19 films, including Stranger than Paradise and Down by Law, has composed and performed music for 20 television and film works, and produced, directed, and starred in the Fishing with John television series. In 1996 his soundtrack for Get Shorty was nominated for a Grammy Award, and his album The Legendary Marvin Pontiac: Greatest Hits has been praised by critics and musicians alike. Since 2000 Lurie has suffered from chronic Lyme disease and has focused his attention on painting.
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Enzo G. Castellari
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Enzo G. Castellari (born July 29, 1938) is an Italian film director. He became famous during the 1960s by directing several spaghetti westerns with such titles as Go Kill and Come Back (Vado... l'ammazzo e torno, 1967) , One Dollar Too Many (1968), Seven Winchesters for a Massacre (Sette winchester per un massacro, 1967) and Go Kill Everybody and Come Back Alone (Ammazzali tutti e torna solo, 1968). His films exhibited a flair for violent action and gunfights, often using slow-motion to spectacular effect. His film Keoma (1976) is considered the last great film of the genre.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Enzo G. Castellari, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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