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Xing Yu

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Xing Yu a.k.a. Shi Xing Yu gained his fame after playing the role of Coolie in the movie Kung Fu Hustle. He was a 32nd generation martial monk at Shaolin Temple on Mount Song. He has practiced martial art under the direction of Master De Yang at the temple for 10 years since age 12. He currently takes part in multiple movie projects in Asia, including Flash Point and Ip Man with Donnie Yen and director Wilson Yip. Description above from the Wikipedia article Xing Yu, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Roselyne Bachelot

Biography

Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, generally known as Roselyne Bachelot (born 24 December 1946) is a French politician who served as Minister of Culture in the government of Prime Minister Jean Castex (2020–2022) and as Minister of Solidarity and Social Cohesion (2010–2012) in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon. She was a member of the Union for a Popular Movement, which was part of the European People's Party. Bachelot was born as Roselyne Narquin on 24 December 1946 in Nevers, France. Her father Jean Narquin, was a résistant and gaullist député, and her mother was Yvette Le Dû, a native from Gourin, both dentists. She has a brother, Jean-Yves Narquin, who ran for the European Parliament as a member of the National Front in 2015. Bachelot received a Doctorate in Pharmacy. From 1988 until 2002 and again in 2007, Bachelot was a member of the National Assembly, representing Maine-et-Loire's 1st constituency. During that time, she served on the Committee on Cultural Affairs. From 2004 until 2007, Bachelot served as a Member of the European Parliament for the west of France. She was a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. She also was a substitute on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, a member of the delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council, and a substitute for the delegation for relations with Israel. From 2007 until 2010, Bachelot served as French Minister for Health and Sports. Since French ministers cannot be members of Parliament, she was forced to give up her seat in the European Parliament. During her time in office, Bachelot implemented the planned prohibition on smoking in restaurants, bars, discos, casinos and other commercial pleasure enterprises in 2008. She notably issued a warning against excessive mobile phone use, especially by children. Also in 2008, she publicly endorsed legislation introduced by Valérie Boyer which would have made the promotion of extreme dieting a crime punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of some $45,000; it passed the French lower house, but later failed in the Senate. She also encouraged the National Assembly of France to change the legal age to purchase alcohol in France from 16 to 18; the new law took effect in July 2009. In 2009, Bachelot ordered 94 million vaccines from Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Baxter International for the French Government at a cost of 869 million euros (and an option on 34 million additional vaccines in 2010) to fight against the H1N1 influenza virus; however, less than 10% of French population (about 6 million people) had been vaccinated by the end of the winter. She later canceled over half the flu vaccines ordered to combat the virus, in an effort to head off criticism after reserving too many shots. ... Source: Article "Roselyne Bachelot" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Jacques Toubon

Biography

Jacques Toubon (born 21 June 1941) is a right-wing French politician who held several major national and Parisian offices. He has been serving as Defender of Rights (Ombudsman) between 2014 and 2020. Minister of Culture: 1993–1995; Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice: 1995–1997; Member of European Parliament: 2004–2009; Member of the National Assembly for Paris: 1981–1993 (Became minister in 1993), Elected in 1981, reelected in 1986, 1988, 1993; Deputy-mayor of Paris: 1983–2001, Reelected in 1989, 1995; Councillor of Paris: 1983–2008, Reelected in 1989, 1995, 2001; Mayor of the 13th arrondissement of Paris: 1983–2001, Reelected in 1989, 1995; Councillor of the 13th arrondissement of Paris: 1983–2001, Reelected in 1989, 1995. Jacques Toubon is known for the controversial so-called Toubon Law, enforcing the use of the French language in official French government publications, and advertisements published in France. Since the law can largely be described as being hostile to English, Jacques Toubon is sometimes referred to, jokingly, as "Mr Allgood" ("All Good" being a translation of "Tout bon"). Jacques Toubon is also remembered for the "helicopter affair". In 1996, an initial criminal enquiry had been opened by Laurent Davenas, then head prosecutor of Évry for alleged misuse of government funds, in which Xavière Tiberi, wife of then mayor of Paris Jean Tiberi (from Toubon's party) was involved. (See corruption scandals in the Paris region). However, this was not a full criminal investigation and no investigative magistrate had been named. Davenas then went on vacation in the Himalaya. His deputy then announced his decision to open a full investigation. The Rally for the Republic leaders were frightened by the possible implications of such an investigation, and Jacques Toubon, then minister of justice, famously hired a helicopter to fetch the mountaineering prosecutor and convince him to rein in his deputy (Davenas refused). Jacques Toubon has been the topic of much lampooning. In addition to "Mr Allgood", Les Guignols de l'info have referred to him as "M. Bouffon" ("Mr Buffoon"). He was married to art expert Lise Toubon. Source: Article "Jacques Toubon" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Manisha Koirala

Biography

Manisha Koirala is a Nepali actress who mainly appears in Bollywood, though she has worked in several South Indian and her native country's films. Noted for her acting prowess, Koirala is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards-and is one of India's most well-known actresses. She made her Bollywood debut with Saudagar (1991) and establish herself as one of the leading actresses in the 1990s with such films as 1942: A Love Story (1994), Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995), Agni Sakshi (1996) and Gupt (1997). Koirala gained particular recognition for her willingness to experiment with a variety of strong, dramatic roles, and she delivered several acclaimed performances in a range of films that did well with critics, including Bombay (1995), Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), Dil Se.. (1998), Mann (1999), Lajja (2001), Company (2002), and Escape from Taliban (2003). She was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund in 1999 and 2015, and was involved in the relief works after the Nepal earthquake 2015. She promotes various causes such as women's rights, prevention of violence against women, prevention of human trafficking and cancer awareness.
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Sean Connery

Biography

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 31 October 2020, it was announced that Connery had died at the age of 90. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sean Connery, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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Franz-Olivier Giesbert

Biography

Franz-Olivier Giesbert (born January 18, 1949, in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American-born French journalist, author, and television presenter. Giesbert worked for Le Figaro from 1988 to 2000 and for Le Point starting in 2000. In 2013, he wrote the scenario of a documentary about his relationship with the former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, secrets d’une présidence. ("Nicholas Sarkozy, secrets of a presidency"). Giesbert hosts the cable television, weekly, literary show Le Gai Savoir on Paris Première. In 1999, the show won the Richelieu price of the Association for the Defense of French Language. Since October 2011, he hosts Les Grandes Questions on France 5. And starting in 2012, he also hosts on France 3 the monthly show Le Monde d'après ("The world after"). In 2007, he wrote the biography of Marseille's mobster Jacky le Mat, l'Immortel, adapted by Richard Berry. In 2018, he is attacked by Asia Argento and Marlène Schiappa, for explaining actresses presented as crucified and raped by Harvey Weinstein had to know what happened than, analyzed as Gaslighting, Slut shaming and Victim blaming. In 2021, the pedophile writer Gabriel Matzneff, describes him as an unwavering support. He was criticized byt Laure Adler for regretting that people didn't speak french, at the train station of Marseille. Source: Article "Franz-Olivier Giesbert" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Jean-Claude Guillebaud

Biography

Jean-Claude Guillebaud (born 21 May 1944 in Algiers) is a French writer, essayist, lecturer and journalist. A journalist at the daily Sud Ouest, then at the newspaper Le Monde and the weekly Le Nouvel Observateur, Jean-Claude Guillebaud also directed the organisation Reporters Without Borders. In 1972 he was the recipient of the Prix Albert-Londres. He is a member of the sponsorship committee of the Coordination française pour la Décennie of the culture of peace and non-violence. In 2005, Guillebaud published La force de conviction. He kept a weekly column on the life of the media in the television supplement of Le Nouvel Observateur before replacing Jacques Julliard as columnist at Le Nouvel Observateur from November 2010. He also keeps a chronicle of observation of French society and politics in the Catholic weekly La Vie. Since June 2008, he has been a member of the supervisory board of the press group Bayard Presse. In 2016, he presided the 23rd Prix Bayeux-Calvados des correspondants de guerre. Source: Article "Jean-Claude Guillebaud" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Barbara

Biography

Monique Andrée Serf (9 June 1930 – 24 November 1997), known as Barbara, was a French singer. She took her stage name from her grandmother, Varvara Brodsky, a native of Odessa, Russian Empire (current-day Ukraine). Barbara became a famous cabaretière in the late 1950s in Paris, known as La Chanteuse de minuit ('the midnight singer'), before she started composing her own tracks, which brought her to fame. Her most famous songs include "Dis, quand reviendras-tu?" (1962), "Ma plus belle histoire d'amour" (1966) and "L'Aigle noir" (1970), the latter of which sold over 1 million copies in just twelve hours. She was buried at the Cimetière parisien de Bagneux, adjacent to the Paris Métro station named in her honour. The station Barbara opened 13 January 2022, on a southern extension of Line 4. Born on Rue Brochant in Paris to a Jewish family, Barbara lived in northwestern Paris as a child. She then lived in Roanne from 1938 and Tarbes from 1941. Barbara was 13 years old when she had to go into hiding during the German occupation of France in World War II. Her family was hidden by the family of conductor Jean-Paul Penin from 1943 to 1945, first in Préaux and then in Saint-Marcellin. After the war ended, Barbara's family came back to Paris in 1946, on Rue Vitruve in the 20th arrondissement. Her childhood dream was to become a pianist, but a problem with her hand made such a career impossible. To console her, her parents agreed to pay for singing lessons. A neighbourhood music professor, who heard her sing, took an interest in helping her develop her talents. She was given vocal lessons and taught to minimally play the piano; eventually she enrolled at the École Supérieure de Musique in 1947. Money was a problem and she gave up her musical studies in 1948. She was first recruited at the Théâtre Mogador, before a stint in Belgium, where she performed under the stage name Barbara Brodi. Late 1951, she returned to Paris to audition at La Fontaine des Quatre Saisons, a popular cabaret in the 7th arrondissement. However, as she failed to become a permanent cast member, she returned to Brussels. In 1955, she returned to Paris; with more luck, she began to sing at various cabarets throughout the capital, with a growing audience. She was deeply scarred by the war and her family's plight. The feelings of emptiness experienced during childhood showed in her songs, particularly "Mon Enfance". She said in her uncompleted autobiography, Il était un piano noir (assembled from notes found after her death), that her father sexually abused her when she was 10 and she hated him for that. He later abandoned the family. A tall person, Barbara dressed in black as she sang melancholy songs of lost love. From 1950 to 1951, after her father's desertion of her family, she lived in Brussels, where she became part of an active artistic community, before visiting Charleroi, where she befriended many artists. Her painter and writer friends took over an old house, converting it into workshops and a concert hall with a piano where she performed the songs of Édith Piaf, Juliette Gréco and Germaine Montero. However, her career evolved slowly and she struggled constantly to eke out a living. ... Source: Article "Barbara (singer)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Pascal Danel

Biography

Jean-Jacques Pascal known professionally as Pascal Danel (born 31 March 1944) is a French pop singer and composer. He absconded from his school to become a tightrope walker for a travelling circus. It was at this point that he assumed his stage name. An injury following a fall, finished his high-wire days and he turned to song writing as part of his recuperation. He started his career as a singer in 1962. After two minor hits, he scored a number 1 hit single in France and various European countries with "La Plage aux Romantiques", a gold disc in 1966, followed in 1967 by the international success of "Kilimandjaro", a platinum and number 1 single, recorded by Danel in six languages. The song was recorded more than 180 times by various international artists, and is one of the biggest French standards of the decade. He then recorded many of his songs not only in French, but also in Italian, Spanish or Japanese, and toured internationally. In 1972, he came in third place in the Rose d'Or d'Antibes song festival singing "Ton Ame". Many hits followed, including another number one with "Comme Une Enfant" and several Top 10 hits in the late 1960s and 1970s. Some other singles were only minor hits. In 1979, "La Plage aux Romantiques" hit the Top 5 again, Danel toured again, and released a live album, as well as new songs. He came back in the mid 1980s as a successful TV producer, and hit the charts again in 1989 with a compilation produced by his son, Jean-Pierre, a guitarist and producer, earning Danel another gold disc. His last album with new material was published in 2000. Between 2007 and 2009, Pascal was one of the few members of a major two years and a half long nostalgic tour, along with some icons of the 1960s, playing sold-out concerts in the biggest French concert halls. The tour sold 1,750,000 tickets. Source: Article "Pascal Danel" from Wikipedia in english, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Katarzyna Warnke

Biography

Katarzyna Warnke (born on November 30, 1977 in Grudziądz) - Polish theater and film actress, director, playwright. She is a graduate of II High School. Jan III Sobieski in Grudziądz. For four years she studied acting at the Theater of Vision and Movement in her hometown of Grudziądz. She studied art history in Warsaw, but did not complete this study. In 2002 she graduated from the Acting Department at the Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Teatralna im. Ludwika Solski in Krakow. During her studies, in exchange for Jan Peszek, she directed the spectacle Tree of the Tropics, staged at the Theater 38 in Krakow. In the years 2002-2007 she performed at the Stary Theater in Krakow, in the years 2007-2014 she was an actress at the Rozmaitości Theater in Warsaw, and in the years 2016-2017 she played at the Studio Theater in Warsaw. In 2013, she directed the author's monodrama Seducer, which premiered at the Nowy Theater in Warsaw. In 2015 she played the main role of Agnes in the film W spiral. In 2016, she created her own line of bags. On July 30, 2016, she married actor Piotr Stramowski. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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