Trending
Popular people
Jorge Amado
Biography
Jorge Leal Amado de Faria (10 August 1912 – 6 August 2001) was a Brazilian writer of the modernist school. He remains the best known of modern Brazilian writers, with his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in film, notably Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands in 1976. His work reflects the image of a Mestiço Brazil and is marked by religious syncretism. He depicted a cheerful and optimistic country that was beset, at the same time, with deep social and economic differences.
He occupied the 23rd chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters from 1961 until his death in 2001. He won the 1984 International Nonino Prize in Italy. He also was Federal Deputy for São Paulo as a member of the Brazilian Communist Party between 1947 and 1951.
Amado was born on Saturday, 10 August 1912, on a farm near the inland city of Itabuna, in the south of the Brazilian state of Bahia. He was the eldest of four sons of João Amado de Faria and D. Eulália Leal. The farm was located in the village of Ferradas, which, though today is a district of Itabuna, was at the time administered by the coastal city of Ilhéus. For this reason he considered himself a citizen of Ilhéus. From his exposure to the large cocoa plantations of the area, Amado knew the misery and the struggles of the people working the land and living in almost enslaved conditions. This was to be a theme present in several of his works (for example, The Violent Land of 1944).
As a result of a smallpox epidemic, his family moved to Ilhéus when he was one year old, and he spent his childhood there. He attended high school in Salvador, the capital of the state. By the age of 14 Amado had begun to collaborate with several magazines and took part in literary life, as one of the founders of the Modernist "Rebels' Academy".
He was the cousin of Brazilian lawyer, writer, journalist and politician Gilberto Amado, and of Brazilian actress and screenwriter Véra Clouzot.
Amado published his first novel, The Country of Carnival, in 1931, at age 18. He married Matilde Garcia Rosa and had a daughter, Lila, in 1933. The same year he published his second novel, Cacau, which increased his popularity.
He studied law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Faculty of Law but never became a practising lawyer. His leftist activities made his life difficult under the dictatorial regime of Getúlio Vargas. In 1935 he was arrested for the first time, and two years later his books were publicly burned. His works were banned from Portugal, but in the rest of Europe he gained great popularity with the publication of Jubiabá in France. The book received enthusiastic reviews, including that of Nobel prize Award winner Albert Camus.
In the early 1940s, Amado edited a literary supplement for the Nazi-funded political newspaper "Meio-Dia". Being a communist militant, from 1941 to 1942 Amado was compelled to go into exile to Argentina and Uruguay. When he returned to Brazil he separated from Matilde Garcia Rosa. In 1945 he was elected to the National Constituent Assembly, as a representative of the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) (he received more votes than any other candidate in the state of São Paulo). He signed a law granting freedom of religious faith. ...
Source: Article "Jorge Amado" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Read more
Brooke Adams
Biography
Brooke Adams (born February 8, 1949) is an American actress known for her compelling performances in film, television, and theatre. She gained recognition for her roles in movies like "Days of Heaven" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," showcasing her acting depth and versatility. Adams' talent and dedication to her craft have earned her acclaim in the entertainment industry. On television, she has appeared in Thirtysomething (1987), Moonlighting (1985), Family (1976), The Lion of Africa (1987), Special People (1984), the miniseries Lace (1984) and Lace II (1985), 5 episodes of Monk (2002), BrainDead (2016) on CBS and she was writing, producing, directing, and starring in a web-series called "All Downhill from Here." (2015).
Read more
Dylan O'Brien
Biography
Dylan Rhodes O'Brien (born August 26, 1991) is an American actor. His first major role was as Stiles Stilinski in the MTV supernatural series Teen Wolf (2011–2017). He achieved further prominence for his lead role in the science fiction Maze Runner trilogy (2014–2018), which led to more film appearances.
O'Brien played Deepwater Horizon explosion survivor Caleb Holloway in the disaster film Deepwater Horizon (2016), fictional counterterrorist Mitch Rapp in the action thriller American Assassin (2017), and voiced the title character in the Transformers instalment Bumblebee (2018). He also played the lead role in the adventure film Love and Monsters (2020) and the horror film Caddo Lake (2024).
Description above from the Wikipedia article Dylan O'Brien, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Read more
Anaïs Croze
Biography
Anaïs, full name Anaïs Croze (born August 20, 1976), is a French singer. Her first album, called The Cheap Show, was recorded live in January 2004 and released in 2005. The Cheap Show, a pun on "peep-show", is titled such as she is the only musician on stage and makes extensive use of her JamMan pedal.
Anaïs was born in Grenoble and grew up in Marseille; she studied English in Aix-en-Provence. She was the lead singer, composer and lyricist in Opossum from 1999 to late 2002 when the renowned band split after about 200 gigs in France, Switzerland and even Germany, and a seven-track CD called Excuse-moi, j'voulais te d'mander (Sorry, I Wanted To Ask You). Anaïs then went on a successful solo tour in March 2003 with personal songs and characters full of wit and energy. Her show, the Cheap Show, was based on raw rock energy, minimalism and stand-up, a guitar and a loop pedal she used for voice only.
She is also famous for her elastic voice, imitating or simply paying live tributes to well-known and established Francophone singers like Francis Cabrel, Eddy Mitchell, Latin (Shakira), American (N.E.R.D, Kelis), Italian-born Carla Bruni or French Canadian Lynda Lemay, and poking fun, among others, at teenage flirts (Mon cœur, mon amour), Scottish or New Orleans folklore, and various accents ranging from typical Scots to Québécois. Anaïs, who started singing as a child in a choir and has always wanted to be an actress and more recently a film director, could be described as a modern trobairitz inasmuch as she not only sings about herself and the world around her but also acts and plays the parts of caricatured stereotypes of our times. Although her main concerns seem to be love (Christina), she also tackles more serious problems, but on a light and funny note as ever, like racism (Elle sort qu'avec des blacks), depression and solitude (La vie est dure). Her musical style is a happy mixture of folk, pop blues, chanson, rap and even raggamuffin and heavy metal.
Her self-acknowledged influences are quite eclectic: Judy Garland and Bette Midler for their music hall artistry; Jerry Lee Lewis for his rough or/and country music side; Brenda Kahn for derision; Canadian Peaches for minimalism; Chris Isaak and others like Etta James; the Beach Boys; Marie Dubas, a French interwar cabaret entertainer whom she quite resembles and describes as "a true hurricane of a woman"; and the White Stripes because "they understood everything about blues and rock". Although Anaïs did learn musical theory and the violin as a little girl, and later the clarinet, she now confesses she can only play the guitar for her own songs and does not even know the names of chords and tunings! This relative innocence is undeniably part of her charm and talent, and only adds to the magic of her songs. Her irresistible sense of humour and interactive stage performances make Anaïs a promising and original chanteuse, whose self-produced album and refreshing TV appearances have been praised by the public and professionals alike. ...
Source: Article "Anaïs Croze" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Read more
Maximiliano Contenti
Biography
Maximiliano "Maxi" Contenti (1984) Film director from Montevideo, Uruguay. He made numerous short films from an early age. In 2008 he made his first feature film, the indie horror-comedy Muñeco Viviente V (Puppet Pal V) In 2013 he releases the documentary Hélices (Blades) (Best documentary AtlanticDoc Festival - Uruguay). In 2017 he co-directed the horror-comedy feature Neptunia (available at FILMIN streaming service)
In 2020 he premiered his horror film The Last Matinee (Al Morir la Matinee). Official selection at Sitges, PanicFest, Milwaukee and numerous international film festivals like Mar del Plata (Argentina). (Winner Best Film at Curtas Festival do Imaxinario, Spain)
He's currently releasing the music documentary feature Hot Club of Montevideo(2023).
Read more
Johnny Tri Nguyen
Biography
Johnny Tri Nguyen (born February 16, 1974 in Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam) is a Vietnamese American film and television actor, stunt double, and martial artist. He left Vietnam at the age of 8 with his family, mother, father, older brother, and older sister and moved to Los Angeles, CA. He is half Vietnamese and half Chinese, with his mother being Chinese.
Johnny Nguyen comes from a family involved in the Vietnamese entertainment industry. His uncle is Nguyen Chanh Tin, a Vietnamese actor, and his older brother is Charlie Nguyen, who directed The Rebel.
His acting roles include the martial arts films Tom-Yum-Goong and Cradle 2 the Grave and he well known for his portrayal as the antagonist, Dong Lee in 7 Aum Arivu (7th Sense) in India. His work as a stunt double includes the role of Spider-Man in Spider-Man 2 and as the Green Goblin in the first feature film. He practices lien feng kwon (which was founded by his grandfather), wushu, tae kwon do, tai chi, aikido, and vovinam.
Johnny has been working in the Vietnamese film industry to produce The Rebel, a period action drama set in 1920s French-colonial Vietnam, which he also co-directed, co-wrote and stars in.
Read more
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.
Read more
Abril Binara
Biography
Abril Binara Bhagawanta (born April 29, 2011) is an Indonesian filmmaker. He began exploring filmmaking during his middle school years and is currently studying at the major of Television Production and Broadcasting at Vocational Performing Art High School 10 Bandung.
Abril's work and creative interests center on psychological thrillers, psychological horror, surrealism, and dark comedy. Characterized by unsettling atmospheres and narrative ambiguity, his approach prioritizes subtle, atmospheric storytelling over direct exposition, often focusing on high-concept visual ideas executable within modest production scales. His early experience includes editing an award-winning national short film project and writing and directing school-based productions.
He produces audiovisual projects under the creative label junkloves. Citing directors such as Stanley Kubrick, Ari Aster, David Lynch, and Satoshi Kon as primary artistic influences, he aims to develop a distinct visual identity within psychological and arthouse cinema.
Read more
David Prachař
Biography
David Prachař (born January 15, 1959 in Prague) is a Czech actor, son of Czech actor Ilja Prachař and father of actor, singer, and presenter Jakub Prachař and actress and singer Mariana Prachařová. After graduating from Budějovická High School in 1978, he studied acting at DAMU in Prague in 1982 and then got a job at the S.K. Neumann Theater. He gradually performed at the E. F. Burian Theater, the Drama Club, at the Komedie Theater from 1994 to 2002, and in 2002 he became a member of the National Theater Drama Company.
Read more
Shun Sugata
Biography
Character actor Shun Sugata (菅田 俊 Sugata Shun) was born on February 17, 1955 in Yamanashi, Japan as Masamichi Shibuya. Often cast in violent, villainous roles he can be instantly recognized by his deep, gruff voice and imposing stature. His most notable roles include the intimidating mob enforcer Takayama in Takeshi Miike's Ichi the Killer and the corrupt police commissioner in Tokyo Gore Police.
He has also had minor roles outside Japanese cinema in Quention Tarantino's Kill Bill and The Last Samurai as well as playing the main villain opposing Scott Adkins in Ninja 2.
Read more










