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Roy Williams

Biography

From D23: In 1930, Roy Williams started his career at The Walt Disney Studios as an artist. He later became a storyman, until, after the advent of television, Walt Disney personally cast the “300 pounds of walking pixie” in a new role. As Roy later recalled, “Walt was in my office when suddenly, he looked up at me and said, ‘Say, you’re fat and funny looking. I’m going to put you on the Mickey Mouse Cluband call you the Big Mooseketeer!’” Roy, with his impish grin, became an instant favorite with children around the world. Born on July 30, 1907, in Colville, Washington, Roy grew up in Los Angeles. While attending Fremont High School, he learned to make people laugh with the outrageous cartoons he sketched. After high school he was offered a sports scholarship to the University of Southern California, but instead applied for a job at the up-and-coming Walt Disney Studios—and was personally hired by Walt. During those early years, Roy worked on nearly all of the animated shorts produced by the Studio; at the same time, he attended evening classes at Chouinard Art Institute. He moved to the story department after presenting a Donald Duck gag to Walt. In the gag, Donald swallowed a magnet and attracted every metal object imaginable. Walt was so impressed with Roy’s unbridled imagination that he tripled his salary. Roy E. Disney, former vice chairman of The Walt Disney Company, once recalled, “Roy was amazing. You’d ask him for gags for a situation and he’d give you literally hundreds of them.” As a story man, Roy contributed to such animated films as Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, and Make Mine Music, while, as an artist, he contributed to the Silly Symphonies The Night Before Christmas, The China Shop, and many others. During World War II, he designed more than 100 insignias for the armed forces, including the award-winning Flying Tigers insignia. Roy is best known, however, for the four seasons he played “Big Roy” on the Mickey Mouse Club. He is also credited with designing the trademark ears worn by the show’s cast. His fun-loving nature and immense talent made him a perfect publicity representative for the company. On numerous occasions, Roy traveled across the country to promote the re-release of such films as Cinderella; in 1959, he served as goodwill ambassador for The Walt Disney Studios. Later, he worked as a Disney comic strip artist, cartoonist at Disneyland, and consultant on the traveling arena show “Disney on Parade.” Roy Williams passed away on November 7, 1976, in Burbank, California.
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George Clooney

Biography

George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for his leading man roles on screen in both blockbuster and independent films, Clooney has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award and four Golden Globe Awards, as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. His honours include the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2015, the Honorary César in 2017, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2018, and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2022. Clooney's breakthrough role came as Dr. Doug Ross on the NBC medical drama ER (1994–1999), for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He established himself as a film star with roles in From Dusk till Dawn (1996), Out of Sight (1998), Three Kings (1999), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), and the Ocean's film series (2001–2007). He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a CIA officer in Syriana (2005). He was Oscar-nominated for his roles in Michael Clayton (2007), Up in the Air(2009) and The Descendants (2011). He has also starred in Burn After Reading (2008), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Gravity (2013), Hail, Caesar! (2016), and Jay Kelly (2025). Clooney has directed nine feature films, including the spy film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind(2002), the historical drama Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), the political drama The Ides of March(2011), the war film The Monuments Men (2014), and the coming-of-age film The Tender Bar (2021) starring BenAffleck. He received the Academy Award for Best Picture for co-producing the political thriller Argo (2012). He made his Broadway debut portraying Edward R. Murrow in the play adaptation of his 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck (2025), for which he earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.\n\nClooney was included on Time's annual Time 100 list, which identifies the most influential people in the world, every year from 2006 to 2009. He is also noted for his political and economic activism. He has served as one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace since 2008. Clooney is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Divorced from actress Talia Balsam, he has been married to human rights lawyer Amal Clooney since 2014, with whom he has two children. Description above from the Wikipedia article George Clooney, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Rodrigo Pimentel

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Rodrigo Pimentel (born 1972) is a former member of BOPE, the elite group of the Brazilian Military Police. He co-wrote both films of director José Padilha, The Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite) (based on a book he co-wrote with sociologist Luiz Eduardo Soares) and Bus 174 (Onibus 174). Rodrigo Pimentel is also noted to have participated in the Brazilian documentary by João Moreira Salles, News From a Personal War (Noticias de uma Guerra Particular). In an interview regarding Tropa de Elite, he stated that the main character, Capitão Nascimento was a person with problems and claimed to be surprised at the public's strong positive reaction towards the character. Description above from the Wikipedia article Rodrigo Pimentel, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Jackie Raynal

Biography

Jacky Raynal is French directress, actress and film editor. She's born in 1940 near Montpellier. The film maker has a diploma in Linguistics. In the early 60's, already a photographer, young Jacky Raynal starts working in the field of cinema. She's assistent film editor for the documentarys of G. Patriss and F. Vienne. After that, she edits the first films of E. Rohmer. In 1965 J. Raynal gets the license of senior film editor for feature films in CNC (National Cinema Center). Now she's working with the film directors of the New Wave. She edits all of the skecthes of Six in Paris, directed by Jean Douchet, Jean Rouch, Jean-Daniel Pollet, Eric Rohmer, Jean-Luc Godard and Claude Chabrol. Jacky Raynal continues to work in editing till the end of 70's. In 1968, with S. Boissonas and O. Mosset, she's the founder of the Zanzibar group. She works with Philippe Garrel, Serge Bard, Daniel Pommereulle, Alain Jouffroy and Patrick Deval. J. Raynal shoots her first feature film Two Times in Barcelona. In 1972, the movie wins the Grand Prix in the Festival of Hyères/Toulon. At that time she's already living in New York. There, between 1975 and 1992, she's responsible for the programs of Carnegie Hall Cinema and Bleeker Street Cinema. She shows there numerous independent international films. Her job in New York is appreciated by F. Truffaut (he compares it with the French Cinematheque) and awarded twice by the Village Voice in 1981 and 1991. J. Raynal directs New York Story (Grand Prix in Melbourne) and Hotel New York. In the same time, she plays in several movies, organises numerous international cinema festivals, like Colombian Film Festival, Israel Film Festival or Avignon Film Festival. From 1973 to 1986, with Sid Geffen, they're publishing the independent international cinema review 1000 Eyes Magazine. From 2000, Jacky Raynal directs numerous documentarys, like Notes on Jonas Mekas (2000) or Eric Rohmer, the Film Maker (2010). In 2010, Jacky Raynal is rewarded for her work in arts the Légion d'Honneur (Knight in the Order Arts and Letters).
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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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Agustín Almodóvar

Biography

Agustín Almodóvar Caballero is a film producer and younger brother of filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar. He was born in Calzada de Calatrava and obtained a degree in chemistry from the Complutense University of Madrid. He began his career in film production as a messenger in Fernando Trueba's film Sé infiel y no mires con quién. In 1986, he and Pedro founded their own production company, El Deseo S.A. Through this company he has produced all of Pedro's films since 1986, and several French co-productions. He is a member of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain.
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Jacques Rivette

Biography

Jacques Rivette (March 1, 1928 - January 29, 2016) was a French film director. With Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette was one of the more experimental of the French New Wave (nouvelle vague) directors. In common with many of his peers, he had a background in film criticism, where he expressed his admiration for popular American cinema, especially genre directors such as Robert Aldrich, Howard Hawks and Frank Tashlin. Rivette's films progress in unconventional ways—often following multiple plots that can be romantic, mysterious, and comic all at once and employing extensive improvisation—and are often extremely long.
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Declan Donnelly

Biography

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Declan Joseph Oliver "Dec" Donnelly (born 25 September 1975) is one half of the English acting and TV presenting duo Ant & Dec, with the other being Anthony McPartlin. He came to prominence in the children's drama series Byker Grove and as one half of the pop music duo PJ & Duncan. Since then, Ant & Dec have had a very successful career as TV presenters, presenting programmes such as SMTV Live, Friends Like These, Pop Idol, Britain's Got Talent, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, PokerFace and Push the Button. They have also returned to acting, starring in a 2002 Tribute to The Likely Lads and the 2006 film Alien Autopsy. Description above from the Wikipedia article Declan Donnelly, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Jinko Gotoh

Biography

Jinko Gotoh is a BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated producer and consultant in the animation industry. She is renowned for her dedication to championing diverse creative talent and embracing emerging technologies and storytelling techniques. Born in Japan, Jinko's passion for animation began early, inspired by a viewing of Lady and the Tramp and a life-changing encounter with Astroboy creator Osamu Tezuka. That spark led to a career marked by innovation and global influence. Her impressive producing credits include the Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning Klaus, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, The Little Prince, Oscar-nominated The Illusionist, 9, and the Oscar-winning Finding Nemo. Jinko launched her feature animation career as a CGI producer on Space Jam and later served as Director of Digital Production at Walt Disney Feature Animation, where she helped guide the studio's transition to CGI. Her work there included films like Dinosaur and projects under Disney's Secret Lab division. After leaving Pixar in 2003, she continued to work globally on studio and independent productions. A passionate advocate for equity and representation, Jinko is the Vice President of Women in Animation and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where she contributes to diversity and inclusion efforts across several committees. She also co-chairs the Producers Guild of America's Animation and VFX Committee. She is a founding board member of the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, which brings music education to underserved K–4 classrooms. Academically, Jinko holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and an MFA in Film from Columbia University. In 2021, she returned to her alma mater with Julie Ann Crommett to co-create and teach Ethics: Inclusive Storytelling, a required MFA course.
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Joe Pesci

Biography

Joseph Frank “Joe” Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an American retired actor, comedian, singer and musician. He is known for his roles as violent mobsters, funnymen, comic foils and quirky sidekicks. Pesci has starred in a number of high profile films such as Goodfellas, Casino, Raging Bull, Once Upon a Time in America, My Cousin Vinny, Easy Money, JFK, Moonwalker, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Lethal Weapon films. In 1990, Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the psychopathic mobster Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas, ten years after receiving a nomination in the same category for Raging Bull.
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