Died Today (September 14th): Jack Hawkins (1910–1973)

September 14, 2016 festreviews Died Today actor, Died Today, Jack Hawkins (1910–1973)

Jack Hawkins (1910–1973)

Born: September 14, 1910 in Wood Green, London, England, UK
Died: July 18, 1973 (age 62) in London, England, UK

Married to: Doreen Lawrence (31 October 1947 – 18 July 1973) (his death) (3 children)

I think that no actor should take Hollywood too seriously; but at the same time it would be wrong to underestimate its professionalism. Really, Hollywood is a caricature of itself, and in particular this is true of the front-office types at the studios. Their enthusiasm towards you is measured precisely to match the success of your last film.

Died Today (September 14th): Jane Austen (1775–1817)

September 14, 2016 festreviews Died Today, Uncategorized Died Today, jane austen, jane austin, september 14th

Jane Austen (1775–1817)

Born: December 16, 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, England, UK

Died: July 18, 1817 (age 41) in Winchester, Hampshire, England, UK

QUOTES:

If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory. The memory is sometimes so retentive, so serviceable, so obedient–at others, so bewildered and so weak–and at others again, so tyrannic, so beyond control! We are to be sure a miracle every way–but our powers of recollecting and of forgetting, do seem peculiarly past finding out.

[her last words, when asked by her sister Cassandra if there was anything she wanted] Nothing, but death.

[when asked why her heroines always flawed] Pictures of perfection make me sick and wicked.

One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

Happy Birthday: Howard Deutch

September 14, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday director, Happy Birthday, Howard Deutch

Howard Deutch

Born: September 14, 1950 in New York City, New York, USA

Married to: Lea Thompson (23 July 1989 – present) (2 children)

[In a 1987 magazine interview] I have a theory that peer pressure doesn’t end with high school. It may be more glaring there because the groups are so distinct socially; but it doesn’t let up as you get older. There’s pressure in any business to choose a safe project, to go with the group. In corporations, there’s pressure to be seen with the right people; to eat in the right restaurants; at all costs to avoid the smell of failure. A case in point was the pressure on me to choose a ‘safer’ title than “Pretty in Pink.” You constantly have to fight to keep everything from being reduced to the lowest common denominator. Standing on your own is not a thing that ends in high school.

Pretty in Pink
1986
dir. Deutch
Starring
Molly Ringwald
Harry Dean Stanton

The Replacements
2000
dir. Deutch
Starring
Keanu Reeves
Gene Hackman

My Best Friend’s Girl
2008
dir. Deutch
Starring
Dane Cook
Kate Hudson

Happy Birthday: Michelle Stafford

September 14, 2016 festreviews Uncategorized actor, Happy Birthday, Michelle Stafford

Michelle Stafford

Born: September 14, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois, USA

Two-time Emmy (R) Award-winning actress Michelle Stafford starred in the #1-rated The Young and the Restless (1973), viewed by more than 20 million people every day in some 20 countries worldwide. Michelle joined the cast of “The Young and the Restless” in 1994 and has since developed her role of “Phyllis” into one of the most popular and vivacious characters on daytime to date.

(on turning to surrogacy) After a three-year journey through hell, I’m elated, ecstatic and feel ultimately lucky to be able to announce I’m expecting my own child via surrogate in December.

Happy Birthday: Amy Winehouse (1983–2011)

September 14, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday, Uncategorized actor, Amy Winehouse (1983–2011), Happy Birthday

Amy Winehouse (1983–2011)

Born: September 14, 1983 in Southgate, London, England, UK
Died: July 23, 2011 (age 27) in Camden, London, England, UK

Musically, Amy Winehouse created a cross-cultural and cross-genre style. She experimented with an eclectic mix of jazz, soul, pop, reggae, world beat and R&B. She had a special ability to channel hurt and despair into her performances. Her voice, phrasing and delivery sometimes sounded like a mix between Billy Holliday, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan, and coupled with similarities in personal problems, she at times resembled another incarnation of legendary “Lady Blues”.

Amy Winehouse died at the age of 27, on 23 July 2011, in her London home following a long-running battle with alcohol addiction. She was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium and her ashes were laid to rest in Edgwarebury Jewish Cemetery in London, United Kingdom. Her death caused considerable mourning worldwide.

Happy Birthday: Callum Rennie

September 14, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday actors, Callum Rennie, Happy Birthday

Callum Rennie

Born: September 14, 1960 in Sunderland, Tyne-and-Wear, England, UK

Callum Rennie was born in England, raised in Alberta, Canada and came late to acting – he discovered theatre in Edmonton at the age of 25. Starting out in university radio and working his way to the renowned Shaw Festival, Callum moved to Vancouver and quickly caught the eye of producers and directors. Currently he lives in Vancouver.

Happy Birthday: Walter Koenig

September 14, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday actor, Happy Birthday, Walter Koenig

Walter Koenig

Born: September 14, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, USA

Married to:
Judy Levitt (11 July 1965 – present) (2 children)

Star Trek (1966) has given me a considerable amount of satisfaction and a certain amount of respect in the industry community and among people who watch television and movies. I enjoy that. I enjoy feeling good about myself. God knows it’s easy enough for me to feel bad about myself — I need all the support I can get. Star Trek deserves the respect it has received. If I’m going to be aligned with something, it might as well be something that makes a worthwhile statement most of the time. No, I don’t have any regrets about my involvement with Star Trek.

Happy Birthday: Kristen Renton

September 14, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday actor, Happy Birthday, Kristen Renton

Kristen Renton

Born: September 14, 1982 in Denver, Colorado, USA

After being asked to participate in the documentary “Give Me Shelter” which was written by her friend Katie Cleary, these two animal advocates began “World Animal News”, which airs weekly on TRadioV, and discusses a variety of animal issues and causes. With powerful weekly in-studio guests, and very strong opinions, “World Animal News” has become wildly popular in the animal rescue and advocacy community.

Happy Birthday: Melissa Leo

September 14, 2016 festreviews Uncategorized actor, Happy Birthday, Melissa Leo

Melissa Leo

Born: September 14, 1960 in New York City, New York, USA

[Excerpt from her 2011 Academy Award acceptance speech] When I watched Kate Winslet two years ago, it looked so fucking easy – Oops!

[on interpreting the title role in Francine (2012)] To play someone when the character masks their own emotions, doesn’t understand their own emotions, has no release for their own emotions, and yet is full of emotion – that is a much harder character to play than someone who has somewhere to put it.

The Fighter
dir. David O. Russell
Stars:
Mark Wahlberg
Christian Bale

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
2005
dir. Tommy Lee Jones

Mr. Woodcock
Directed by Craig Gillespie
Starring
Thornton
Susan Sarandon
Sean William Scott

RED STATE
dir. Kevin Smith
Stars:
Michael Parks
Melissa Leo

Everybody’s Fine
dir. Kirk Jones
Stars:
Robert De Niro
Kate Beckinsale
Sam Rockwell

CONVICTION
dir. Tony Goldwyn
Stars:
Hilary Swank
Sam Rockwell

OBLIVION
2013
dir. Joseph Kosinski
Stars:
Tom Cruise
Morgan Freeman

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN
2013
dir. Antoine Fuqua
Stars:
Gerard Butler
Angela Bassett

FLIGHT
2012
dir. Robert Zemeckis
Stars:
Denzel Washington
Melissa Leo

PRISONERS
2013
dir. Denis Villeneuve
Stars:
Hugh Jackman
Jake Gyllenhaal

Happy Birthday: Tyler Perry

September 14, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday actors, Happy Birthday, Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry

Born: September 14, 1969 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

[on Spike Lee’s criticism of him] I’m so sick of hearing about damn Spike Lee. Spike can go straight to hell! You can print that. I am sick of him talking about me, I am sick of him saying, ‘this is a coon, this is a buffoon.’ I am sick of him talking about black people going to see movies. This is what he said: ‘you vote by what you see,’ as if black people don’t know what they want to see.

Meet the Browns
dir. Perry
Starring
Angela Bassett
Perry