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Daniel Rondeau

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Daniel Rondeau (born 7 May 1948) is a French writer, editor, and diplomat. Born in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, he studied law at Panthéon-Assas where the spirit of May 68 saw him embrace Maoism and join the proletariat by working from 1970 to 1974 in a factory in Nancy making insulation. He worked for France Inter's Nord-Est radio station from 1977, before moving to Paris, where he worked for the newspapers Libération (1982–1985) Le Nouvel Observateur (1985–1998) and L'Express (1998–2007). He was French ambassador to Malta (2008–2011) and to UNESCO (2011–2013). He has written fiction, reportage, literary criticism and political commentary, and for his oeuvre won the Grand prix de littérature Paul-Morand in 1998. After unsuccessfully standing for election to the Académie Française in 2011 and 2016, he was elected to seat 8 in 2019. Source: Article "Daniel Rondeau" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Sean Connery

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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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Miyatani

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Miyatani (born May 14, 1965) is a Japanese actor, film director, and artist. His real name is Takashi Miyatani, and he has also worked under the name Miyatani Takashi. In addition to his work in the arts, he is a licensed attorney in Japan. Miyatani was born in Tokyo and raised in Chiba Prefecture. He graduated from Chiba Prefectural Chiba High School and later entered the University of Tokyo, where he studied law and was a member of the university’s varsity tennis team. While enrolled in the Faculty of Law, he passed the Japanese Bar Examination. He was registered as an attorney in 1991 and joined Mori Sogo Law Office, becoming a partner in 1998. Following a firm merger in 2002, he became a partner at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto. In 2009, he was ranked seventh in Nikkei Business’s Popular Lawyer Ranking. Beginning in 2012, Miyatani started artistic activities including painting, sculpture, ceramics, and video scenario writing, referring to himself as an artist. In 2018, he joined a comedy theater troupe as an apprentice and made his stage debut in September of the same year at The Shimokitazawa Geki Theater. He appeared in Rikiya Imaizumi’s film His (2019), after which he began acting more actively. In 2023, his short film Revenge Take 2, which he wrote and directed, was released and received recognition at domestic and international film festivals. He continues to work as an actor, director, and producer.
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Dan Ar Braz

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Dan Ar Braz (born Daniel Le Bras on 15 January 1949 in Quimper) is a Breton guitarist-singer-composer and the founder of L'Héritage des Celtes, a 50-piece Pan-Celt band. Leading guitarist in Celtic music, he recorded as a soloist and with Celtic harp player Alan Stivell. He represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996. At the age of 13, Daniel Le Bras obtained his first guitar after teaching himself how to play, inspired by guitarists like Hank Marvin, Bert Jansch, and Pretty Things. Daniel's father insisted that he study catering instead of music. At the age of 17, he performed locally in Bal-musette, interpreting folk-rock songs by Donovan, Van Morrison, and Rory Gallagher. In 1967, Bras met Breton harpist and singer Alan Stivell who invited him to join his group. Alan Stivell and his musicians embraced Breton, Scottish, and Irish music, and were also later joined by Gabriel Yacoub to form Malicorne. Alan's father had made a reconstruction of the ancient Breton harp in 1953, and Alan learned to play the harp, bagpipes, and Irish flute. Stivell opened Bras's eyes to the possibilities of Celtic music and its proximity with rock. Stivell rebranded Daniel Le Bras as "Dan Ar Bras" to show that he belonged to Breton culture rather than French culture. In 1971, with "Pop Plinn", "for the first time rock music was put in service for a traditional Breton dance song." His electric guitar made the "essential element of Stivell's sound for more than a decade" and made contributions to nine of Stivell's albums, including the influential "Renaissance of the Celtic Harp" and "Olympia Concert" in 1972. After a successful tour in France in 1972–73, Breton Music was undergoing a revival and they traveled around Europe, North America, and Australia. At the same time in 1972, Dan Ar Bras formed his own group called Mor. Compared to Stivell's group, this was the middle-of-the-road and it broke up shortly after recording one album, Stations, released in 1973. In 1976, Braz relocated to Oxfordshire and joined the band Fairport Convention. He changed his name to Dan Ar Braz (with a "z"), and for about a year he toured with Fairport but did not record any studio albums with them. This experience allowed him to cot for long-term Anglophone musicians (Dave Pegg, Rory Gallagher, etc.) and to make the cover of Melody Maker (February 1976). Homesick for Brittany, Braz released the instrumental progressive folk album, "Douar Nevez" in 1977. In three years, he recorded three Celtic music solo-albums. By this time, he was making sales in the United States. ... Source: Article "Dan Ar Braz" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Aaron Himelstein

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Aaron Himelstein (born October 10, 1985) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for playing a younger version of Austin Powers in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) and Friedman in Joan of Arcadia (2003 - 2005). Other film appearances include High Fidelity (2000), Fast Food Nation (2006), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and Blink Twice (2024). Himelstein has made guest appearances in numerous television series such as Cupid, Boston Public, North Shore, House, and Community. He also had a recurring voice role on The Legend of Korra (2013 - 2014) as Desna, the androgynous waterbending twin of Aubrey Plaza's character.
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Bai Jingting

Biography

Bai Jing Ting is a Chinese actor born in Beijing, China. He studied at Capital Normal University's Music College, majoring in recording. He can play the piano and achieved a grade of ten in the non-professional players' level assessment. Jing Ting began his acting career during the academic year of 2014. He made his debut in the web series "Back in Time". He is known for the series Ordinary Glory, You Are My Hero, Reset, New Life Begins, Destined, Always On The Move and The First Frost. He is the founder of 'GoodBai' merchandise and café, and artist management 'Bai Jingting Studio'.
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Maged El Kedwany

Biography

Maged El Kedwany is an Egyptian film and television actor. In 1967, he was born in Shubra in Cairo, but lived in Kuwait up until age 18. He began his professional career while studying design at the Faculty of Fine Arts. He began acting in a number of amateur plays, which led to him being cast in various TV shows like "Qanfad" (Hedgehog) and "Nahnu al Nazre el-Shook." He's worked on dozens of films, among them are some of the most well-known films of the 1990s, like "Afareet el-Asphalt" (Asphalt Ghosts) in 1996 and "Saidi fe Gaea al-Amrikeya" (Saidi at the American University in Cairo) in 1998. His other films include "Harameya Ki-Gi-To" (Ki-Gi-To Thieves), "Harameya fe Thailand" (Thieves in Thailand), "Al-Ragel al-Abyad al-Motawast" (Average White Guy), and "Khaly min Kolesterol" (Cholesterol-Free). In 2012, he appeared in two high-profile movies, "Hafla Montasif al-Leil" (Midnight Party) and "Saaa we Nos" (Hour and a Half). studied in the (design) division of the faculty of fine arts. Thereafter he enrolled in the Institute of Theatrical Arts and graduated in 1995. Amongst the theatrical productions that he has performed in are “Pallo” and “Diwan Al Baqar”. Maged has also made several television appearances, which include roles in “Nahnu la Nazra Al Shawk”, “Al Farar Men Al Hob”, “Al Shara’a Al Jadeed”, “Zayzenia” and “Arabesque”.
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Yaser Galal

Biography

An Egyptian actor, is the brother of actor Ramez Galal, belongs to cinema and TV rising generation that shined at the end of 1990s. Yasser studied in the High Institute of Dramatic Arts in 1990. After graduation, he played a role in “Rahma wa ameer al-ghaaba i.e. Rahma and Prince of the forest”. Upon finishing his military service, Galaal worked in TV and Theatre. He excelled in TV series like “Lan a’eesh fe gelbaab aby i.e. I will not put myself in my father’s robe”, “Al-waa’d al-hakk i.e. The right promise”, “Nahnu la nazraa’al-shawk i.e. We do not sow thorns”, “Awlaad hadret al-naazer i.e. Principal’s children” and “Al-batal i.e. The hero”.
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Anne Fontaine

Biography

Anne Fontaine (born in Luxembourg, 1959) is a filmmaker and screenwriter who used to be an actor. She lives and works in France. Born Fontaine Sibertin-Blanc, sister of actor Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc, she went as a young child to live in Lisbon, where her father, Antoine Sibertin-Blanc, is a music professor and cathedral organist. In adolescence she moved to Paris and trained in dance with Joseph Russillo while continuing her academic education, including philosophy. Her husband is Philippe Carcassonne, the film producer, and they have an adopted son who was born in Vietnam. While still dancing, she was picked by Robert Hossein to play Esmeralda in a 1980 theatrical production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and around this time started to use the name Anne Fontaine. She continued with acting and became known for her roles in comedies like Si ma gueule vous plaît... (1981) and P.R.O.F.S.(1985). An opportunity to be assistant director came with a 1986 stage version of Céline's Voyage au bout de la nuit (Journey to the End of the Night) at the Renaud-Barrault theatre. Fontaine's first project as solo director, Les histoires d'amour finissent mal... en général (Love Affairs Usually End Badly), won the 1993 Prix Jean Vigo (prize). In 1995, she worked with her brother on the comic Augustin. Two years later, she wrote and directed the successful Nettoyage à Sec (Dry Cleaning). This won the Best Screenplay award at the Venice Film Festival 1997 and is generally considered a milestone on Fontaine's way to becoming "an important figure in contemporary French cinema". In 1999 the character Augustin (Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc) re-appeared in Fontaine's film Augustin, Roi Du Kung-Fu (Augustin, King of Kung-Fu). Comment j'ai tué mon père (How I Killed My Father) was released in 2001, and Nathalie... followed in 2003. The 2005 film, Entre Ses Mains (In His Hands) has been widely described as a thriller: an "intimate thriller" according to Fontaine herself. A third Augustin film, Nouvelle chance (also known as Oh La La) was released in 2006. Then came La fille de Monaco (The Girl From Monaco) in 2008 and Coco avant Chanel (Coco Before Chanel), her biopic of Coco Chanel, in 2009. Fontaine's work is not easily categorised, though the phrase "psychological drama" is often used. She told a UK newspaper, "I try to work on my characters' blind side, in a kind of Freudian way: to ask, 'What are the things about themselves that they're unaware of?' I'm fascinated by the irony of fate, when something goes into a skid. All my stories have an element of cruelty in them." Description above from the Wikipedia article Anne Fontaine (filmmaker), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Quentin Kenihan

Biography

Quentin Kenihan (February 27, 1975 – October 6, 2018) was an Australian disability advocate, writer and actor. He was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare bone disease. Kenihan was born in Box Hill, Victoria, in 1975 and first came to the attention of the public aged seven when he was the feature of a documentary by Australian journalist Mike Willesee. He later was the host of a Ten Network television show Quentin Crashes. In 2016, Kenihan participated in a lengthy television interview with Ray Martin.
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