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Jane Freeman

Biography

Freeman was born in Brentford, London, in 1935 but raised in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, as a child, following the death of her father in an accident when she was 9 years old and her mother's subsequent remarriage. She graduated from the City Cardiff College of Music and Drama in 1955, and after a stay in London joined the Osiris Repertory Theatre touring company, based in Gloucestershire. She joined the Arena Theatre, Sutton Coldfield, in 1958, followed by Birmingham Rep from 1968 and 1973. Her stage appearances include Margaret More in the Welsh Theatre Company's first production, A Man for All Seasons, at Cardiff's New Theatre in 1962. She was best known for her role as café owner Ivy, one of the main characters in the long-running British TV comedy Last of the Summer Wine. Freeman died in March 2017 at the age of 81 from lung cancer. Her age was often incorrectly reported as being 96 at the time of her death, but official birth records prove that she was born in 1935
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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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Peter Morgan

Biography

Peter Morgan is an English film writer and playwright best known for writing the films and plays The Deal, The Queen, Frost/Nixon, and The Special Relationship. Morgan wrote television scripts throughout the 1990s, including an episode of Rik Mayall Presents... and the Comedy Premiere The Chest. He wrote the screenplay to the romantic comedy Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence (1998) and had some success with the TV series The Jury (2002). He broke through with The Deal, a 2003 television drama about the power-sharing deal between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown that was struck in the Granita restaurant in London. He received his Academy Award-nomination for The Deal's follow-up, The Queen (2006) that showed how the death of Princess Diana impacted British Prime Minister Tony Blair and senior members of the Royal Family. His work on the film awarded him a Golden Globe from the Hollywood Foreign Press, and Helen Mirren won an Academy Award for Best Actress. In May 2007, the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival honored Morgan with the year's Kanbar Award for Excellence in Screenwriting. He lived in Battersea, south London, with his Austrian wife Lila Schwarzenberg (HSH Princess Anna Carolina of Schwarzenberg, daughter of Czech politician Karel Schwarzenberg) and their daughters and three sons. Peter Morgan and his family relocated to Vienna in the winter of 2006.
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Dana Plato

Biography

Dana Michelle Plato was born in Maywood, California, on Saturday, November 7, 1964. Dana made an impact on the TV screen when she landed the role of Kimberly Drummond in the TV hit sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978) from 1978-1986. After the series ended, Dana had difficulty finding more acting work. Sometimes she would act in a made-for-TV movie or a low- budget silver-screen film. She was married for Lanny Lambert for seven years and they had a son. Plato was arrested in 1991 for robbing a Las Vegas video store and placed on probation; the next year she was arrested again, this time for forging a Valium prescription. She had just finished an interview with Howard Stern in the spring of 1999 when she and her fiancé, Robert Menchaca, were headed back to California. She hoped the interview would revive her stalled career. They stopped at his parents' house in Moore, Oklahoma for a Mother's-Day-weekend visit; on Saturday, May 8, 1999, Dana died of what appeared to be an accidental overdose of the painkiller "Loritab". On May 21, a coroner's inquest ruled her death a suicide because of the large amount of drugs in her body and her history of past suicide attempts. She was 34 years old.
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Daniel Lavoie

Biography

Daniel Lavoie (born Joseph-Hubert-Gérald Lavoie on March 17, 1949) is a Canadian musician, actor, and singer best known for his song "Ils s'aiment" and the role of Frollo in musical Notre-Dame de Paris. He releases albums and performs on stage in Canada and France and tours in Canada and Europe. Daniel Lavoie was born in Dunrea, Manitoba on March 17, 1949. He is bilingual in English and French, since his family was part of a small French-speaking community in the predominantly anglophone province. He is the eldest of six children. His father was a shopkeeper and his mother a housewife. Daniel took piano lessons with nuns as a little boy and continued his musical education in a French-language Jesuit boarding school, Collège de St-Boniface (now Université de Saint-Boniface), in St. Boniface neighborhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1967, Daniel Lavoie won the CBC's competition for singer-songwriters, in the television program, "Jeunesse Oblige". Soon after that he began touring Quebec's music clubs with groups (Spectre, then Dieu de l'amour vous aime). At that time he changed his name from Gérald to Daniel. In 1973 Daniel Lavoie recorded his first single, "Marie connue", and in 1974, his second, "S'endormir pour une rose". His first album A court terme (1975) had moderate success. One of the songs from this albums, "J'ai quitté mon île" became especially popular in France and also in Portugal and Brazil. In 2009 "J'ai quitté mon île" was selected by CBC Radio listeners among the top 49 Canadian songs in all genres that best defined the country's image for Barack Obama, to be presented to him on an iPod for his inauguration. The second album, Berceuse pour un Lion (1977) was well received in Quebec and contained several hits ("Dans le temps des animaux", "La Vérité sur la vérité", "Berceuse pour un lion"), but it was the third album, Nirvana bleu (1979) that brought Daniel Lavoie true recognition in Quebec. He toured all over Quebec and also performed in France (Théâtre Montparnasse in Paris in 1980). His popularity as a live performer was growing. In 1980 he received his first Félix Award for the best male singer of the year. Many more were to follow. In 1981, Daniel Lavoie released his first English-language album Cravings as well as his fourth French-language album Aigre doux. The year 1984 was a turning point in Daniel Lavoie's career with the release of his album Tension Attention (European title Ils s'aiment). One of the songs from this album, "Ils s'aiment" became especially popular and its single sold 2 million copies. It has been translated into several languages and covered by dozens of performers, among them Ana Belén ("Ellos se aman", in Spanish), Richard Cocciante (in Italian and Spanish), Diane Dufresne (in French), Paulo Gonzo ("Ridiculous Love", in English), Ramses Shaffy ("Regenboog", in Dutch). "Ils s'aiment" and "Tension Attention" brought Daniel Lavoie multiple awards both in Quebec and in France. The same year Daniel created his solo concert show Hôtel des rêves which he presented both in Quebec and in Europe. ... Source: Article "Daniel Lavoie" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Adel Emam

Biography

Adel Imam is an Egyptian comedic actor, and one of the most iconic figures in Arab cinema. He's starred in over 100 movies and 10 plays, earning the adoration of audiences and critics alike. He was born in Mansoura on May 17, 1940, but at an early aged moved with his family to Sayyed Zeinab where he grew up. The actor got his bachelor's degree in agriculture from the University of Cairo, where he became passionately involved in college theatre productions. He joined a television troupe in 1962 while still a student, and began starring in TV plays like "Ana wa Howa wa Heya" (He, She and I) and "Al Nassabin" (The Swindlers) which was performed at the Al Hakim Theater. In the following years he acted in several well received plays like "Al Bijamma Al Hamra" (The Red Pajamas), "Fardet Shamal" (Left Shoe) and "Gharammiyat A'feefy" (A'feefy's Love Affairs). In the 1970s, he starred in the hit play "Madrassat Al Mashaghbeen" (Mischief at School), which screened from 1971 to 1975. He then did "Shahid Mashafsh Hagga" (The Witness Didn't See Anything) which was screened over a period of seven years. Afterwards, he did "Al Wadd Sayyid Al Shaghal," which screened from 1985 to 1993. Imam has had one of the longest acting careers. More recently, he starred in "The Yacoubian Building," adapted from Alaa Al-Aswany's celebrated novel. The film, a poignant piece of social commentary, is known to be the highest-budgeted film in Egyptian cinema history. In 2012, an Egyptian court convicted Imam for defamation of Islam (not the first time this has happened). The films targeted in this particular case were "Al Irhabi" (The Terrorist) and "Al Zaeem" (The Leader) in which he satirizes Arab autocratic rulers. Imam, however, won his appeal against the conviction. In 2000, the United Nations named him a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR.
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Danielle Panabaker

Biography

Danielle Nicole Panabaker (born September 19, 1987) is an American actress. She began acting as a teenager and came to prominence for her roles in the Disney films Stuck in the Suburbs (2004), Sky High (2005) and Read It and Weep (2006), and in the HBO miniseries Empire Falls (2005). She won three Young Artist Awards: for guest-starring in an episode of the legal drama television series The Guardian (2004), for her lead role in the TV film Searching for David's Heart (2005) and for her ensemble performance in the family comedy film Yours, Mine & Ours (2005). Panabaker came to wider attention as a cast member in the CBS legal drama series Shark (2006–2008) and is also noted as a scream queen, having starred in the psychological thriller Mr. Brooks (2007) and the horror films Friday the 13th (2009), The Crazies (2010), John Carpenter's The Ward (2010) and Piranha 3DD (2012). After starring in recurring roles on Necessary Roughness (2011–2013), Bones (2012–2013) and Justified (2014), Panabaker guest-starred as Caitlin Snow on The CW television series Arrow in April 2014. The character was then spun off into the main cast of The Flash which premiered that October. Starting with the series' second season, Panabaker began playing the character's alter ego Killer Frost in different capacities, in conjunction with her role as Snow, leading to subsequent guest appearances on Arrow, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow. For her role on The Flash as Frost, Panabaker has been nominated for five Teen Choice Awards and won the 2021 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television.
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Jacob Derwig

Biography

Jacob Derwig is a Dutch film and television actor. In 2003 he married actress Kim van Kooten; they have a son Roman and a daughter Kee Molly. Derwig has been part of the ensemble of Dutch theatre company Toneelgroep Amsterdam since 2005. For his part in their production Naar Damascus in 2008 he was nominated for a Louis d'Or, and in 2006 he was nominated for an Arlecchino for Opening Night. In 2008 he received the Paul Steenbergen-penning from Pierre Bokma. Before signing with Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Derwig played with 't Barre Land and De Trust. There he played, amongst others, the title role in the acclaimed production of Hamlet, which earned him a nomination for a Louis d'Or.
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Sahaphap Wongratch

Biography

Mix Sahaphap Wongratch is an actor born and raised in Lampang Province. He is currently a fifth-year student at Chulalongkorn University in the Faculty of Veterinary Science. Sahaphap entered the entertainment industry when he participated in the parade of the Chula-Thammasat Traditional Football Match, summoning the university flag during the parade. He is also a former member of the boy band Cute Chef, however, they disbanded at the end of 2018. Mix signed with GMMTV in 2019 before starring in their series "1000 Stars" which was released in 2021 after some delays.
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Maggie Smith

Biography

Dame Margaret Natalie Smith CH DBE (born 28 December 1934) is an English actress. She has had an extensive career on stage, film, and television which began in the mid-1950s. Smith has appeared in more than 60 films and over 70 plays, and is one of Britain's most recognisable actresses. She was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for contributions to the performing arts, and a Companion of Honour in 2014 for services to drama. Smith began her career on stage as a student, performing at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952, and made her professional debut on Broadway in New Faces of '56. For her work on the London stage, she has won a record six Best Actress Evening Standard Awards: for The Private Ear, and The Public Eye (both 1962), Hedda Gabler (1970), Virginia (1981), The Way of the World (1984), Three Tall Women (1994) and A German Life (2019). She received Tony Award nominations for Private Lives (1975) and Night and Day (1979), before winning the 1990 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Lettice and Lovage. She appeared in Stratford Shakespeare Festival productions of Antony and Cleopatra (1976) and Macbeth (1978), and West End productions of A Delicate Balance (1997) and The Breath of Life (2002). She received the Society of London Theatre Special Award in 2010. On screen, Smith first drew praise for the crime film Nowhere to Go (1958), for which she received her first nomination for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award. She has won two Academy Awards, winning Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite (1978). She is one of only seven actresses to have won in both categories. She has won a record four BAFTA Awards for Best Actress, including for A Private Function (1984) and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1988), a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for Tea with Mussolini (1999), and three Golden Globe Awards. She received four other Oscar nominations that were for Othello (1965), Travels with My Aunt (1972), A Room with a View (1986), and Gosford Park (2001). Smith played Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011). Her other films include Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973), Death on the Nile (1978), Clash of the Titans (1981), Evil Under the Sun (1982), Hook (1991), Sister Act (1992), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), The Secret Garden (1993), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), and The Lady in the Van (2015). She won an Emmy Award in 2003 for My House in Umbria, to become one of the few actresses to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, and starred as Lady Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, on Downton Abbey (2010–2015), for which she won three Emmys, her first non-ensemble Screen Actors Guild Award, and her third Golden Globe. Her honorary film awards include the BAFTA Special Award in 1993 and the BAFTA Fellowship in 1996. She received the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Legacy Award in 2012, and the Bodley Medal by the University of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries in 2016. Description above from the Wikipedia article Maggie Smith, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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