Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday: Michelle Stafford

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michellestafford.jpgMichelle 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)

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amywinehouse.jpgAmy 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

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callumrennie.jpgCallum 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

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walterkoenigWalter 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

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kristenrenton.jpgKristen 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

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melissaleo.jpgMelissa 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 ESTRADAThe Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
2005
dir. Tommy Lee Jones
Mr WoodcockMr. Woodcock
Directed by Craig Gillespie
Starring
Thornton
Susan Sarandon
Sean William Scott		 MOVIE POSTERRED STATE
dir. Kevin Smith
Stars:
Michael Parks
Melissa Leo
Everybody’s Fine
dir. Kirk Jones
Stars:
Robert De Niro
Kate Beckinsale
Sam Rockwell
CONVICTIONCONVICTION
dir. Tony Goldwyn
Stars:
Hilary Swank
Sam Rockwell		 MOVIE POSTEROBLIVION
2013
dir. Joseph Kosinski
Stars:
Tom Cruise
Morgan Freeman
MOVIE POSTEROLYMPUS HAS FALLEN
2013
dir. Antoine Fuqua
Stars:
Gerard Butler
Angela Bassett		 MOVIE POSTERFLIGHT
2012
dir. Robert Zemeckis
Stars:
Denzel Washington
Melissa Leo

MOVIE POSTERPRISONERS
2013
dir. Denis Villeneuve
Stars:
Hugh Jackman
Jake Gyllenhaal

Happy Birthday: Tyler Perry

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tylerperryTyler 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		 PaulMADEA’S BIG HAPPY FAMILY
dir. Tyler Perry
Stars:
Tyler Perry
Loretta Devine
MADEA GOES TO JAILMadea Goes to Jail
2009
dir. Perry
Starring
Perry
Derek Luke		 I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF Movie PosterI Can Do Bad All By Myself
dir. Perry
Starring
Perry
Taraji P. Henson
Adam Rodriguez
MOVIE POSTERMADEA’S FAMILY REUNION
2006
dir. Tyler Perry
Stars:
Blair Underwood
Lyn Whitfield		 MOVIE POSTERGOOD DEEDS
dir. Tyler Perry
Stars:
Tyler Perry
Gabrielle Union
Daddy’s Little Girl’s
2007
dir. Perry
Starring
Gabrielle Union
Louis Gossett Jr.		 SydneyWhiteWhy Did I Get Married
dir. Perry
Starring Perry
Sharon Leal		 MOVIE POSTERALEX CROSS
dir. Rob Cohen
Stars:
Tyler Perry
Matthew Fox		 MOVIE POSTERTYLER PERRY’S TEMPTATION: CONFESSIONS OF A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR
2013
dir. Tyler Perry
MOVIE POSTERTYLER PERRY’S A MADEA CHRISTMAS
2013
dir. Tyler Perry
Stars:
Chad Michael Murray

 

Happy Birthday: Sam Neill

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samneill.jpgSam Neill

Born: September 14, 1947 in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, UK

Married to:
Noriko Watanabe (2 September 1989 – present) (1 child)

(2012, on My Brilliant Career) A most important role for me, I must say, because that’s the film that took me out of New Zealand, the film that allowed me to live and work in Australia, which I love. Yeah, that was probably more transformative than anything else I’ve done, in a way. Without that film, I never would’ve-prior to that, I’d done Sleeping Dogs, and I thought, “That was a one-off, I’ll never do another film.” And if you look at Sleeping Dogs, you think, “Well, I wouldn’t use that bugger again.” But I did get cast in Brilliant Career, I kind of understood a little bit more about what was necessary, and it was a great opportunity for me. That film changed me into an actor rather than just a part-time thespian.

LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE
dir. Zack Snyder		 WIMBLETONWimbleton
2004
dir. Richard Loncraine
Cast
Kirsten Dunst
Paul Bettany
JURASSIC PARKJurassic Park
1993
dir. Spielberg
Starring
Jeff Goldblum
Sam Neill
Laura Dern		 MOVIE POSTERTHE VOW
dir. Michael Sucsy
Stars:
Rachel McAdams
Channing Tatum
Dead Calm
1989
dir. by Phillip Noyce
starring
Nicole Kidman
Neill		 sopranosTOP 100 ALCATRAZ
WATCH best of the show and prison history!!
THE PIANOThe Piano
1993
dir. Jane Campion
Starring
Hunter
Harvey Keitel
Anna Paquin		 MOVIE POSTERESCAPE PLAN
2013
dir. Mikael Hafstrom
Stars:
Sylvester Stallone
Arnold Schwarzenegger
MOVIE POSTERJURASSIC PARK 3D
2013
dir. Steven Spielberg
Stars:
Sam Neill
Laura Dern		 MOVIE POSTERTHE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
1990
dir. John McTiernan
Stars:
Sean Connery
Alec Baldwin
A LONG WAY DOWN
2014
dir. Pascal Chaumeil
Stars:
Pierce Brosnan
Toni Collette

 

Happy Birthday: Michael Bollner

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michaelbollner.jpgMichael Bollner

Born: September 14, 1958 in Munich, Germany

While filming Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), he didn’t have a dressing room at the studio. Instead he would change at his house, which was conveniently nearby, and walk to the studio for filming.

During the filming of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) he didn’t speak English very well, as German was his native and only language. Some of the crew members would have to coach him on his lines.