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Brian Bennett
Biography
Brian Laurence Bennett, OBE (born 9 February 1940) is an English drummer, pianist, composer and producer of popular music. He is best known as the drummer of the UK rock and roll group the Shadows. He is the father of musician and Shadows band member Warren Bennett.
Bennett was born in Palmers Green, North London, England. Educated at Hazlewood Lane School, Palmers Green, London and Winchmore Council School, he finished school at the age of sixteen to play drums in a Ramsgate skiffle group performing for holiday makers. After returning to London he became the in-house drummer at The 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho and was a regular performer on Jack Good's TV show Oh Boy!
He then became a member of Marty Wilde's Wildcats in 1959. After a successful period with the Wildcats, during which he appeared on their instrumental record without Wilde (recorded as the Krew Kats), "Trambone", he backed Tommy Steele for some of his London stage performances.
In October 1961 he joined Cliff Richard and the Shadows as the replacement for Tony Meehan. The Shadows were known for their instrumental songs, mainly; Apache (1960), F.B.I. (1961), Wonderful Land (1962), and Foot Tapper (1963), among many others. The band split up briefly between 1968 and 1973, but was reformed by Marvin, Welch and Bennett.
He stayed with the group throughout all of their subsequent line-ups, and in May 2005 took part in the Shadows' European tour. During a show in Reykjavík, Iceland he sustained what was thought to be a minor injury to a finger. A splinter from a drumstick pierced under his fingernail on his right hand, he removed it with a pair of old pliers and applied a plaster. A few days later after arriving in Paris, France he was in so much pain he called a doctor. The doctor diagnosed a bad infection and recommended Bennett go to hospital immediately. Thinking it would be a short visit he attended only to find out that it would involve a minor, but very painful, operation to remove the poison. He was due to be playing on stage that evening and had already missed the soundcheck. He arrived at the theatre 15 minutes before the show with his right-hand bandaged and still numb from the anesthetic. He managed to play for the whole show using an altered playing style.
In addition to his work with the Shadows he has also appeared in Cliff Richard's backing band and plays piano and occasionally vibraphone.
In 1967, Bennett released a solo album of jazz music, entitled Change of Direction, in mono and stereo (neither charted). This was the first solo album by a member of the Shadows. In the 1970s, music by Bennett was selected for several Radley Metzger films, including Barbara Broadcast and The Opening of Misty Beethoven. ...
Source: Article "Brian Bennett" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Sean Connery
Biography
Sir Thomas Sean Connery (August 25, 1930 – October 31, 2020) was a Scottish actor and producer. He won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards (one being a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award), and three Golden Globes, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and a Henrietta Award. Connery was the first actor to portray the character James Bond in film, starring in seven Bond films (every film from Dr. No to You Only Live Twice, plus Diamonds Are Forever and Never Say Never Again), between 1962 and 1983. In 1988, Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Untouchables. His films also include Marnie (1964), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Highlander (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Dragonheart (1996), The Rock (1996), and Finding Forrester (2000).
Connery was polled in a 2004 The Sunday Herald as "The Greatest Living Scot" and in a 2011 EuroMillions survey as "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure". He was voted by People magazine as both the “Sexiest Man Alive" in 1989 and the "Sexiest Man of the Century” in 1999. He received a lifetime achievement award in the United States with a Kennedy Center Honor in 1999. Connery was knighted in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to film drama.
On October 31, 2020, Connery died at the age of 90.
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Ophélie Meunier
Biography
Ophélie Meunier (born 17 December 1987) is a French television presenter and former model.
Ophélie Meunier was born in Versailles in the department of Yvelines. She grew up in a Mormon household in this town and then in Nice. Her father was a seller of alarm systems.
On 14 June 1992, she participated at the age of four-and-a-half in the television show L'École des fans hosted by Jacques Martin on Antenne 2, and with Julio Iglesias as a guest.
She later appeared in the magazines La Redoute and 3 Suisses. At the age of 12, she participated in the TV show C'est mon choix hosted by Évelyne Thomas.
After graduating with a scientific baccalauréat with distinction, she began a modelling career and travelled for five years around France, Europe, and the United States with the modelling agency Metropolitan.
In 2011, she started reading journalism at the École supérieure de journalisme de Paris. The following year, she began her career as an assistant presenter, obtaining an internship on the channel I-Télé. In November 2012, she auditioned unsuccessfully for the role of Miss Météo on the channel Canal+.
In 2013, Ophélie Meunier presented the section "La Minute Pop" in Le Petit Journal hosted by Yann Barthès on Canal+. In September 2014, she left Le Petit Journal to join La Nouvelle Édition broadcast on the same channel in which the presented a new TV segment.
During summer 2015, she presented the day and evening news on Canal+. From September 2015 to June 2016, she hosted a media show called Le Tube on the same channel. She then joined M6 and hosts the newsmagazine Zone Interdite since September 2016 succeeding to Wendy Bouchard. She is also understudy to the evening news Le 19:45 usual presenter on the same channel since July 2016.
Source: Article "Ophélie Meunier" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Jerome Epstein
Biography
Jerome Leonard Epstein (January 17, 1922 – November 16, 1991) was an American director, screenwriter and producer known for his nearly 30-year professional collaboration and friendship with Charlie Chaplin and his son Sydney Chaplin.
Epstein was born on January 17, 1922, in Cleveland, Ohio. Epstein's father had come to America in 1905 to escape anti-Jewish pogroms in Vilkomir, Lithuania. Epstein's childhood was spent in Brooklyn, New York. During World War II, Epstein served in the Army Air Corps.
After his military service, Epstein used the GI Bill to study drama at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he met Sydney Chaplin, the second son of English actor Charlie Chaplin. After UCLA, his first job was as road manager for close harmony singing group The Andrews Sisters.
In 1946, Epstein, Sydney Chaplin, actress Kathleen Freeman, and several UCLA students founded the Circle Theatre, now known as El Centro Theatre, in Hollywood. The troupe's first performances were held in a living room, but later moved to a converted corner store.
The theater became a meeting place for Hollywood's avant-garde. Contemporary comedic actors such as Charlie Chaplin, Groucho Marx, and Fanny Brice attended shows at the theater. Katharine Hepburn, George Cukor, and Edward G. Robinson were also frequent visitors. Chaplin was an enthusiastic supporter of the theater. He attended Sydney's performances in Elmer Rice's play The Adding Machine and also directed his son in three productions at the theater. Chaplin also helped Epstein obtain the rights to and direct Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright William Saroyan's 1949 play Sam Ego's House at the Circle Theater. According to Epstein, all that Chaplin asked in return for his assistance to the theater was "35 cents and a cup of black coffee."
Epstein began working as Charlie Chaplin's assistant in 1951, working on Chaplin's Limelight. A movie executive counselled Epstein not to take a credit on Limelight, made during the period in which Chaplin had become a target of McCarthyism. Chaplin was thereafter banned from reentry into the United States, and asked Epstein in 1952 to join him in Switzerland. Epstein would live in Europe for the rest of his life.
In Europe, Epstein teamed up with Chaplin as an associate producer on A King in New York, shot in London. During production, Epstein and Chaplin visited the places where Chaplin grew up. Epstein was listed as Chaplin's assistant in the crew listing for The Chaplin Revue in 1959.
Chaplin promoted Epstein to producer on A Countess from Hong Kong, the last film Chaplin directed. In 1968 and 1969, Epstein worked with Chaplin to produce the screenplay for The Freak, intended as a vehicle for Chaplin' daughter, Victoria. Epstein and Chaplin funded the prototype for the wings of Victoria's character, and Epstein worked with studios about casting and location scouting. The project was never made due to Chaplin's declining health.
Sydney Chaplin appeared in three Epstein projects, including films Follow That Man, A Countess From Hong Kong, and The Adding Machine, and Broadway plays Bells are Ringing.
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Joan Marie Laurer
Biography
Joan Marie Laurer (stage name Chyna) was a former American professional wrestler, actress, bodybuilder and pornographic film actress who was under contract to Vivid Entertainment. Chyna first rose to prominence upon debuting in the professional wrestling promotion WWE in 1997, where she performed under the ring name Chyna and was billed as the "Ninth Wonder of the World" (André the Giant was already billed as the eighth). A member of the stable D-Generation X, she held the WWE Intercontinental Championship (the first female wrestler to do so) and WWE Women's Championship, and was the first female wrestler to participate in the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring events. Since leaving the WWE in 2001, Chyna had wrestled sporadically, most notably with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2002 and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2011. Laurer had a strained relationship with her family. She last saw her mother at the age of sixteen, and she claimed that her father never got over her decision not to join the FBI. She also alleged that her father took out several student loans in her name and without her knowledge, leaving her with $40,000 in debt. On an episode of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2008, Laurer claimed to have a bad relationship with all of her family members, including her siblings. In September 2010, Laurer was hospitalized after overdosing on sleeping medication. As of February 2015, Laurer had reestablished a good relationship with her mother; her father died in May 2014.
Laurer taught English in Japan.
On February 9, 2015, during a WWE Network podcast with Steve Austin, Triple H mentioned that Chyna deserved to be in the WWE Hall of Fame but that problems with children Googling her prohibited it. After being in contact with Vince Russo she claimed in an interview that Triple H had hit her, which he later called a false statement.
Death
On April 20, 2016, Laurer was found dead at her home in Redondo Beach, California. She had been taking medication for anxiety and sleep deprivation. An official statement was posted to her Twitter account, saying "It is with deep sadness to inform you today that we lost a true icon, a real life superhero ... She will live forever in the memories of her millions of fans and all of us that loved her."
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Joo Jong-hyuk
Biography
Joo Jong-hyuk (born July 27, 1991) is a South Korean actor who gained significant international recognition for his captivating performance as an ambitious and complex lawyer in the hit legal drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Known for his stable acting and ability to portray nuanced characters, he has quickly established himself as a prominent figure in the new generation of Korean actors.
Joo Jong-hyuk began his acting career primarily in independent cinema and short films, building a solid foundation in dramatic performance. This early work allowed him to develop a versatile acting style that quickly transitioned to the small screen.
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Michael Bates
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Hammond Bates was an Indian-born English actor. He was educated at Uppingham School in Rutland and St Catharine's College, Cambridge.
Bates served as a Major serving with the Brigade of Gurkhas in Burma before his discharge at the end of World War II. In 1953, while an ensemble member with the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, he appeared in Richard III and All's Well That End's Well. In 1956 he appeared in Hotel Paradiso which starred Alec Guinness, at the Winter Garden Theatre in London.
He appeared in many UK television series including Last of the Summer Wine from 1973 to 1975 as Cyril Blamire and It Ain't Half Hot Mum from 1974 to 1977 as Rangi Ram, as well as many others. His role as Rangi Ram caused some controversy as it required Bates to be made-up with fake tan to look like an Indian, which he took to naturally as he was born in India and spoke the Hindi language fluently. On radio he played a variety of characters in the BBC's long-running comedy series The Navy Lark. These were: Able Seaman Ginger, Lt. Bates, Rear Admiral Ironbridge, the Padre and Captain Ignatius Aloysius Atchison.
Bates' film roles include Battle of Britain (1969) as Warrant Officer Warwick, Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) as a Lance-corporal, Patton (1970) as Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery (to whom he bore a striking resemblance), Frenzy (1972) by Alfred Hitchcock, and the Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange (1971). On stage, he did Shakespeare at Stratford and the Old Vic and made a big impression as Inspector Truscott in the West End production of Loot by Joe Orton in 1966. He died of cancer in Cambridge, aged 57.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Bates (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Colin Quinn
Biography
Colin Edward Quinn (born June 6, 1959) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. On television, he is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, where he anchored Weekend Update, on MTV's 1980s game show Remote Control, where he served as the announcer/sidekick, and as host of Comedy Central's late-night panel show Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. Notable film work includes his role as Dooey in A Night at the Roxbury, Dickey Bailey in the Grown Ups films and playing Amy Schumer's father in the film Trainwreck. Comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld and Dave Attell cite him as the quintessential New York comedian.
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Stephen Swain
Biography
Stephen Swain studied production design at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield between 1998 and 2000. Following this, Swain began his film career working with Stuart Craig over a ten-year period on the Harry Potter series of films. Years later, as an art director, he continued his professional development, learning from many prominent designers with the same strong focus on drawing, model making, and architecture. This accumulated knowledge has allowed Swan to recognise and appreciate how good design supports and enhances the telling of a story.
In the early stages of his career, Swain spent a number of years working as a standby art director. In this role, he gained vital first-hand practical experience, collaborating closely with other departments during the filmmaking process.
Stephen Swain is a member of the Art Directors Guild (local 800), BAFTA, and a fellow of the RSA.
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Aura T-09
Biography
Though originally known best in LA as an event organizer and graphic designer, Aura T-09 (Marci Pinna) has really picked up speed DJ’ing the past few years, running a consistently excellent radio show on Dublab and playing various style sets throughout the city and abroad. Her LA parties are well known for bringing together a wide array of experimental and dance music sounds from techno, electro and regional club music variants, through to more experimental styles like breakcore, speedcore and IDM. This variety can be often heard in her DJ sets, which run the gamut between those styles and often weave several seemingly disparate styles together in a fluid and dancefloor-focused manner. - Resident Advisor
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