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Todor Stoyanov

Biography

Todor Stoyanov was a Bulgarian film director and cinematographer, recognized for his impactful contributions to Bulgarian cinema. He graduated in cinematography from the State College School of Cinematography and Cameras in Sofia in 1952. Stoyanov began his career at Boyana Film Studios, working as an assistant camera operator, cinematographer, and director from 1952 to 1990. His directorial debut, Detour (1967), received international acclaim, winning the Special Golden Prize and the Prix FIPRESCI at the 5th Moscow International Film Festival. Stoyanov's films often explored complex social and psychological themes, contributing to the depth and diversity of Bulgarian cinema.
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Maggie Smith

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Dame Margaret Natalie Smith CH DBE (December 28, 1934 − September 27, 2024) was a British actress. Known for her wit in comedic roles, she had an extensive career on stage and screen over seven decades and was one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actresses. She received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award as well as nominations for six Laurence Olivier Awards. Smith was one of the few performers to earn the Triple Crown of Acting. Smith began her stage career as a student, performing at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952, and made her professional debut on Broadway in New Faces of '56. Over the following decades Smith established herself alongside Judi Dench as one of the most significant British theatre performers, working for the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. On Broadway, she received Tony Award nominations for Noël Coward's Private Lives (1975) and Tom Stoppard's Night and Day (1979), and won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Lettice and Lovage (1990). She won Academy Awards for Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite (1978). She was Oscar-nominated for Othello (1965), Travels with My Aunt (1972), A Room with a View (1985) and Gosford Park (2001). She portrayed Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011). She also acted in Death on the Nile (1978), Hook (1991), Sister Act (1992), The Secret Garden (1993), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), Quartet (2012) and The Lady in the Van (2015). Smith received newfound attention and international fame for her role as Violet Crawley in the British period drama Downton Abbey (2010–2015). The role earned her three Primetime Emmy Awards; she had previously won one for the HBO film My House in Umbria (2003). Over the course of her career she was the recipient of numerous honorary awards including the British Film Institute Fellowship in 1993, the BAFTA Fellowship in 1996 and the Society of London Theatre Special Award in 2010. Smith was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990. Description above from the Wikipedia article Maggie Smith, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Alan Bates

Biography

Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor, who came to prominence in the 1960s, a time of high creativity in British cinema, when he demonstrated his versatility in films ranging from the popular children’s story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving. He is also known for his tour-de-force with Anthony Quinn, Zorba the Greek, as well as his roles in King of Hearts, Georgy Girl, Far From the Madding Crowd, and The Fixer, which gave him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1969, he starred in the Ken Russell film Women in Love with Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson. Bates went on to star in The Go-Between, An Unmarried Woman, Nijinsky, and The Rose with Bette Midler, as well as playing varied roles in television drama, including The Mayor of Casterbridge, Harold Pinter's The Collection, A Voyage Round My Father, An Englishman Abroad (as Guy Burgess), and Pack of Lies. He also continued to appear on the stage, notably in the plays of Simon Gray, such as Butley and Otherwise Engaged.
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Hussein Fahmy

Biography

An Egyptian actor of Circassian descent. He was born in Cairo to an aristocratic family, as his grandfather, Muhammad Pasha Fahmy, was the head of the Shura Council, his father, Mahmoud Pasha Fahmy, was the secretariat of the Shura Council, and his grandmother was Amina El Manasterly, the owner of the Manasterly Palace. He graduated from the High Cinema Institute in 1963, and studied directing in the USA at the University of California. Among his films: My Blood, My Tears and My Smile, The Estranged Brothers and The Shame.
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Sean Connery

Biography

Sir Thomas Sean Connery (August 25, 1930 - October 31, 2020) was a Scottish actor and producer who 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, it was announced that Connery had died at the age of 90.
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Riteish Deshmukh

Biography

Riteish Deshmukh is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He is the son of Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India, and the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Deshmukh debuted with K. Vijaya Bhaskar's Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003), but it was not until 2004 that he achieved success, when he appeared in the commercially successful comedy Masti and the critically acclaimed Bardaasht. His work in Masti was nominated for several awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category. He later starred in films such as Heyy Babyy, Dhamaal, Rann, and House Full.
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Jacob Derwig

Biography

Jacob Derwig is a Dutch film and television actor. In 2003 he married actress Kim van Kooten; they have a son Roman and a daughter Kee Molly. Derwig has been part of the ensemble of Dutch theatre company Toneelgroep Amsterdam since 2005. For his part in their production Naar Damascus in 2008 he was nominated for a Louis d'Or, and in 2006 he was nominated for an Arlecchino for Opening Night. In 2008 he received the Paul Steenbergen-penning from Pierre Bokma. Before signing with Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Derwig played with 't Barre Land and De Trust. There he played, amongst others, the title role in the acclaimed production of Hamlet, which earned him a nomination for a Louis d'Or.
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Jenna Ortega

Biography

Jenna Marie Ortega (born September 27, 2002) is an American actress. She began her career as a child and received recognition for her role as a younger version of Jane in The CW comedy-drama series Jane the Virgin (2014–2019). She then won an Imagen Award for her leading role as Harley Diaz in the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle (2016–2018). She played Ellie Alves in the thriller series You (2019) and starred in the family film Yes Day (2021), both for Netflix. In the drama film The Fallout, Ortega received praise for her performance as a traumatised high school student (2021). She gained wide recognition for portraying Wednesday Addams in the Netflix horror-comedy series Wednesday (2022–present), for which she received nominations at the Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She also starred in the slasher films Scream (2022), X (2022), Scream VI (2023), and the fantasy film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024). Media publications have dubbed Ortega "Gen Z's scream queen." She was featured on The Hollywood Reporter's Power 100 list in 2023 and Forbes's 30 Under 30 list in 2024. Ortega has also been noted for her fashion and for supporting various charitable causes. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jenna Ortega, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Nigel Lambert

Biography

Nigel Lambert (11 May 1944 – 11 September 2024) was an English voice actor. He is best known for his role as the narrator of the first series of the BBC comedy series Look Around You, as well as Merle Ambrose in the MMORPG Wizard101. Lambert was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex on 11 May 1944. Acting from the age of 12, Lambert began his stage education at Arts Educational Trust School, Piccadilly. After a brief spell at the Italia Conti Stage School, he joined a repertory company in Cork before completing his training at RADA. This was following by working in repertory theatre in Ireland and Northampton, as well as the Royal National Theatre. He then worked in radio and television, as well as being a member of Hatch End Players. He appeared in the 1967 The Avengers episode entitled "The 50,000 pound Breakfast" as the second doctor. Lambert played the role of athlete Ken Sparten in the 1969 SF/horror film Scream and Scream Again, and in more recent years provides the voice of Mr Curry in The Adventures of Paddington Bear television series and also Papa in the Dolmio pasta sauce puppet commercials. He also appeared as Operative Chris Granger in the UFO episode "Computer Affair" and contributed extensively to the magazine partwork Story Teller published by Marshall Cavendish, consisting of a fortnightly magazine and a cassette tape featuring children's stories. Lambert recorded over 50 BBC audiobooks. In 1980, he played the character of Hardin in the Doctor Who story The Leisure Hive, in addition to providing the voice of the Priest Triangle in the 2021 episodes War of the Sontarans and Once, Upon Time. He played the computer operative in the first episode of Blake's 7, The Way Back (1978). On 11 September 2024, it was announced that Lambert had died at the age of 80
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Lee Sung-jae

Biography

Lee Sung-jae (이성재) is a South Korean actor. He was born on August 23, 1970 in Seoul, South Korea. In a short period of time, he rose to become one of the more versatile and popular actors in Korean cinema. After working for a time on TV (his debut was the MBC drama The Love of Two Women), he launched his film career with the romantic comedy Art Museum by the Zoo opposite superstar Shim Eun-ha. The success of this movie gave him considerable attention and led to him being offered many more roles.
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