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Paul Humphreys

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Paul David Humphreys (born 27 February 1960) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the keyboardist and secondary vocalist of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he founded alongside lead vocalist and bassist Andy McCluskey in 1978. The Quietus remarked, "If, roughly speaking, McCluskey is the intellect and inquisitive nature in the group, then Humphreys is the heart." The pair have been recognised as pioneers of electronic music. Humphreys played with OMD until 1989, seven years before the band's dissolution, and returned for their 2006 reformation. His songwriting contribution features on all of the group's studio albums, save for 1991's Sugar Tax. Humphreys sang lead vocals on several OMD tracks, including the singles "Electricity", "Souvenir", "Never Turn Away", "Secret", "(Forever) Live and Die" and "What Have We Done". Aside from his work with OMD, Humphreys fronted spin-off band the Listening Pool from 1989 to 1996, and recorded with former Propaganda singer Claudia Brücken as the duo Onetwo from 2000 to 2013. Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Humphreys, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Yasmin Ponnappa

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Yasmin Ponnappa is an Indian model from Bangalore. After appearing in print media and television commercials, Yasmin first worked as an actress in Thiagarajan Kumararaja's gangster film Aaranya Kaandam (2011). Yasmin Ponnappa began her career as a model in Bangalore, before shifting to Mumbai to seek better opportunities. She landed a contract with the Elite Model Management agency, and initially appeared in commercials for Nivea Deodorant and Tropicana juice. She later garnered attention for her work with Opulex diamond bracelets, under the direction of Vishesh Verma. During her time as a model, Yasmin was shortlisted by Loveleen Tandan for the role of Latika in Danny Boyle's English film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), as she was previously known to Tandan from another shelved film project. Yasmin took part in initial script reading sessions with Boyle, before she was replaced by Freida Pinto in the role.
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Heaven Peralejo

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Heaven Lyan Salvador Peralejo (born November 25, 1999) is a Filipino actress, model and television personality. She came to prominence in 2016 through the reality show Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7 and has since starred in various guest and supporting roles in Pamilya Ko (2019) and Starla (2019). She landed her first lead role in the series Bagong Umaga (2020), earning her a nomination as "Best Drama Actress" at the 35th PMPC Star Awards for Television. She gained widespread acclaim for her performance in Nanahimik ang Gabi (2022), winning "Best Actress" at the 39th Luna Awards and nominations from FAMAS Awards and Metro Manila Film Festival.
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Wendy Partridge

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Wendy Partridge (born September 20, 1954) is a British–Canadian costume designer in film and television. Partridge was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special for her work on the 2006 two-part AMC series Broken Trail. She won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Costume Design for the 2014 film Pompeii and Genie Awards for Best Costume Design for Passchendaele (2008) and Loyalties (1986). She was nominated three times in one year at the 2013 Canadian Screen Awards for Resident Evil: Retribution, Silent Hill: Revelation, and Hannah's Law. Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: The Dark World and Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy have earned her Saturn Award nominations. Partridge got her first dressmaking job at 14 years old whilst still in England. She moved to Edmonton in the 1970s and to Calgary in 1986. She designed the costumes for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics. She also designed the World War I-style uniforms that were worn at the first inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009 as well as the costume of Abraham Lincoln. Description above from the Wikipedia article Wendy Partridge, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Kamatari Fujiwara

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Kamatari Fujiwara (藤原 釜足 Fujiwara Kamatari, January 15, 1905 - December 21, 1985) was a Japanese actor. Fujiwara was born in Tokyo, on January 15, 1905, in Tokyo, Japan. Fujiwara's parents ran a printing business. The business did not go well, so at the age of 10, Fujiwara started working at a local confectionery store. By the age of 14 he had started selling timber for building and manufacturing in Shizuoka prefecture. A year later he returned to Tokyo to study as a pharmacist. Fukiwara worked regularly and extensively with Akira Kurosawa, and was known for both being adept at comic acting, as well as being able to do serious roles.
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Gregory Hoblit

Biography

Gregory King Hoblit is an American Hollywood film director and TV producer. Hoblit was born in Abilene, Texas, the son of Elizabeth Hubbard King and Harold Foster Hoblit, an FBI agent. Much of Hoblit's work is oriented towards police, attorneys, and legal cases. Hoblit has directed and produced episodes of several popular television shows such as NYPD Blue, L.A. Law, and Hill Street Blues, as well as a made-for-TV-movie based on Roe v. Wade. He also wrote an episode of Hill Street Blues. Hoblit received Emmy Awards for his directing of the pilot episodes of Hooperman and L.A. Law. He is married to actress Debrah Farentino and has one child with her.
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Martin Wright

Biography

American movie actor turned professional wrestler. He tried out for "WWE Tough Enough 4" in 2004 and made it to the finals of the auditions but was cut for lying about his age. Despite this, he received a developmental deal and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling. He was first called "Liar" Marty Wright before being repackaged as the Boogeyman. In Summer 2005, "WWE SmackDown!" started airing vignettes promoting the debut of the Boogeyman. On the October 14th episode, storyline UPN executive Palmer Cannon told "SmackDown!" General Manager Theodore Long about how "The Boogeyman" was going to be a new show on the network until "something happened on the set," but, that they had a "multi-year holding deal" with the intended star and that in Cannon's opinion "he'd be a great addition for 'SmackDown!," leading to the Boogeyman making his first appearance on WWE TV. He made his TV in-ring debut on the December 2nd episode, defeating Simon Dean (Mike Bucci) in 25 seconds. He went on a streak of defeating his opponents very quickly, usually through scaring them before he even entered the ring. He made his PPV debut at "WWE Royal Rumble 2006," defeating former WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Bradshaw Layfield (John Layfield) in 1:45. Lasted with WWE until March 2009 and went on to the independents. On March 14, 2015, he won his first title when he and Bobby Lashley won the AWF (Alabama Wrestling Federation) Tag Team Titles. Continues to compete in the independents.
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Guillermo Navarro

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Guillermo Jorge Navarro Solares, AMC, ASC (born July 29, 1955) is a Mexican cinematographer and television director. He had been a frequent collaborator of Robert Rodriguez and Guillermo del Toro, with his work on Pan's Labyrinth earning him the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. After making their directing debut with a music video for Mia Maestro titled "Blue Eyed Sailor", Navarro then shifted to a career as a TV director of series like Hannibal and Luke Cage and was an executive producer on the National Geographic documentary series Hostile Planet, for which he earned his first Primetime Emmy nomination. Description above from the Wikipedia article Guillermo Navarro, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Jinko Gotoh

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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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Frank McCourt

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Francis McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and writer. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his book Angela's Ashes, a tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood. In October 1949, at the age of 19, McCourt left Ireland. He had saved money from various jobs including as a telegram delivery boy and stolen from one of his employers, a moneylender, after her death. He took a boat from Cork to New York City. A priest he had met on the ship got him a room to stay in and his job at New York City's Biltmore Hotel. He earned about $26 a week and sent $10 of it to his mother in Limerick. Brothers Malachy and Michael followed him to New York and so, later, did their mother Angela. In 1951, McCourt was drafted during the Korean War and sent to Bavaria for two years initially training dogs, then as a clerk. Upon his discharge from the US Army, he returned to New York City, where he held a series of jobs on docks, in warehouses, and in banks. Using his GI Bill education benefits, McCourt talked his way into New York University by claiming he was intelligent and read a great deal; they admitted him on one year's probation provided he maintained a B average. He graduated in 1957 from New York University with a bachelor's degree in English. He taught at six New York schools, including McKee Vocational and Technical High School, Ralph R. McKee CTE High School in Staten Island, New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn, Stuyvesant High School, Seward Park High School, Washington Irving High School, and the High School of Fashion Industries, all in Manhattan. In 1967, he earned a master's degree at Brooklyn College, and in the late 1960s he spent 18 months at Trinity College in Dublin, failing to earn his PhD before returning to New York City. In a 1997 New York Times essay, McCourt wrote about his experiences teaching immigrant mothers at New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn. McCourt won the annual Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography and one of the annual National Book Critics Circle Awards for his bestselling 1996 memoir, Angela's Ashes, which details his impoverished childhood from Brooklyn to Limerick. Three years later, a movie version of Angela's Ashes opened to mixed reviews. Northern Irish actor Michael Legge played McCourt as a teenager. McCourt also authored 'Tis , which continues the narrative of his life, picking up from the end of Angela's Ashes and focusing on his life after he returned to New York. He subsequently wrote Teacher Man which detailed his teaching experiences and the challenges of being a teacher. McCourt was accused of greatly exaggerating his family's impoverished upbringing by many Limerick natives, including Richard Harris. McCourt's own mother had denied the accuracy of his stories shortly before her death in 1981, shouting from the audience during a stage performance of his recollections that it was "all a pack of lies." However, at the very least, many of his Stuyvesant High School students remembered quite clearly the mordant childhood anecdotes that he continually told during sessions of his senior-level Creative Writing elective. McCourt wrote the book for a 1997 musical entitled The Irish… and How They Got That Way, which featured an eclectic mix of Irish music; everything from the traditional "Danny Boy" to U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."
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