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Pierre Mondy

Biography

Pierre Mondy (born Pierre Cuq; 10 February 1925 – 15 September 2012) was a French film and theatre actor and director. He was married four times: to Claude Gensac, Pascale Roberts, Annie Fournier, and Catherine Allary, all actresses. He died on 15 September 2012, aged 87, from lymphoma. Mondy's first on-screen appearance was in 1949 in Jacques Becker's Rendez-vous de juillet and he appeared in over 140 films over the course of his career. In 1960, he received international recognition for the role of Napoléon Bonaparte in the film Austerlitz directed by Abel Gance. In the 1970s, his most successful film was the comedy Mais où est donc passée la septième compagnie?. From 1992 until 2005, he appeared in the French television series Les Cordier, juge et flic. As a voice actor, he voiced Caius Obtus in Asterix et la Surprise de Cesar (Asterix vs. Caesar; 1985) and Cetinlapsus in Asterix Chez Le Bretons (Asterix in Britain; 1986). Mondy directed four films and thirteen television episodes, and wrote two television screenplay adaptions. He also directed over 60 theatre productions, many of them at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris. In 1973 he directed the first production of La Cage aux folles starring Jean Poiret and Michel Serrault. Source: Article "Pierre Mondy" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Mircea Diaconu

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Born in Vlădești, Argeș County, he graduated high school in Câmpulung in 1967 and Bucharest's Caragiale Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1971. He made his theatrical debut a year before graduating, at the Bulandra Theater, in Truman Capote's The Grass Harp. His screen debut came in Dan Pița's Nunta de piatră (1972); he would later appear in the same director's Filip cel Bun (1975). Other directors with whom he has worked include Alexandru Tatos (Mere roșii, 1975; Secvențe, 1982; and Secretul armei secrete, 1988), Virgil Calotescu (Buletin de București, 1982; and Căsătorie cu repetiție, 1985), Nae Caranfil (Asfalt Tango, 1996; and Filantropica, 2002) and Cătălin Mitulescu (The Way I Spent the End of the World, 2006). In all, he has appeared in more than sixty films. Diaconu worked with Lucian Pintilie both in film (the 1981 De ce trag clopotele, Mitică?) and in theater: Gogol's The Government Inspector at Bulandra, and Shakespeare's As You Like It at the Nottara Theater. Liviu Ciulei hired him at Bulandra in 1972, and he remained there for a decade, before moving on to Nottara. At Bulandra, he appeared in Twelfth Night and The Tempest, both under Ciulei's direction; and in Marin Sorescu's Răceala, directed by Dan Micu. At Nottara, he appeared in Alexander Ostrovsky's The Forest; Ultimul bal, after Liviu Rebreanu's Forest of the Hanged; and Mihai Ispirescu's Într-o dimineață. He became the director of Nottara Theater in 2004, working as such until his resignation in 2011.
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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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Nina Menkes

Biography

The filmmaker graduated with an MFA in film production from UCLA in 1989, has received Fulbright Research Awards to the Middle East and is a member of the film faculty at the California Institute of the Arts. Her films have screened at international festivals including Sundance, Cannes (ACID), Rotterdam, Locarno and Toronto. Her documentary Massaker, for which she was also cinematographer, premiered at the Berlinale and won the FIPRESCI Award. Her 1996 feature film The Bloody Child was selected as one of the best films of the past fifty years by the Vienna International Film Festival in Austria.
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Billy Chow Bei-Lei

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Billy Chow (born Chow Bei-lei August 24, 1958 in Canada), (also credited as Billy Chau and Billy Chow Bei-lei) is an Chinese Canadian actor, martial artist and the former world kickboxing champion. Chow is perhaps best known for his role as General Fujita in 1994 film Fist of Legend and Wong, Great Kick of the North in 1996 film Tai Chi Boxer. Description above from the Wikipedia article Billy Chow, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Blayne Weaver

Biography

Blayne Weaver (born April 9, 1976) is an American actor, writer and director. Weaver began to perform in the children's theater group The Peter Pan Players in Shreveport, Louisiana. His first major film performance was in the independent film Where the Red Fern Grows (Part Two). In the late 1990s, he appeared in several TV movies and was also a guest star on several shows including ER, JAG and Chicago Hope. In 2001, he became the new voice of Disney's Peter Pan, and has performed that voice in various children's films as well as in recordings for the Disney theme parks. In 2001, he co-wrote the film Manic, which starred actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He continues to play the voice of Peter Pan and pursue acting in Los Angeles, California. In late 2004, he directed, wrote and starred in the short film Losing Lois Lane, which made a big impact online. He then wrote, directed and starred in Secret Identity's first feature film Outside Sales, which won awards on the film festival circuit and was released nationwide through Echo Bridge Entertainment. Weaver wrote, directed and played a small role in SIP’s next feature Weather Girl with an ensemble cast that boasted Tricia O’Kelley, Mark Harmon, Jon Cryer and Jane Lynch. He wrote, directed and stars in his next feature film 6 Month Rule with a cast featuring Martin Starr, Jaime Pressly, John Michael Higgins and Dave Foley.
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Jit Murad

Biography

Aziz Mirzan Murad (17 January 1960 – 12 February 2022) was a Malaysian actor, writer, playwright and theatre activist, who was mostly active in film, television and theatre. Known universally by the nickname 'Jit', he was the eldest son of former Director-General of Education of Malaysia, Murad bin Mohamed Noor (10 April 1930 – 22 Januari 2008). Educated at Victoria Institution in the 1970s, he went on to study sociology and urban planning in Chicago, before obtaining a master's degree in 20th Century Art History in San Francisco.He returned to Malaysia and in December 1989, he co-founded the Instant Cafe Theatre Company which gained a following for its biting social and political satire.[3]His first play Gold Rain and Hailstones (1992) was staged in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Singapore.In 1993 Murad helped start Dramalab, an arm of ICT specifically dedicated to encouraging new writing.He made his first acting debut in Mat Gelap(1990) directed by Zarul Albakri. His first Hollywood feature debut is in Beyond Rangoon(1995), a drama film directed by John Boorman. His notable works included Storyteller (1996), based on South-East Asian spoken traditions, Visits (2002), a reworked version of a 1990s comedy, and Spilt Gravy On Rice (2002), which won four awards at the inaugural Cameronian Arts Award 2003.He was also a well noted standup comedian and scriptwriter. He died in his home in Kuala Lumpur on 12 February 2022, at the age of 62 due to cardiac arrest. He was buried at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur.
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Kaori Momoi

Biography

Kaori Momoi  (桃井 かおり, Momoi Kaori, born April 8, 1952 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress. Momoi was born in Tokyo, and at the young age of 12 traveled to London to study dance at the Royal Ballet Academy. After 3 years she returned to Tokyo, later graduating from Japan's Bungakuza School of Dramatic Arts. In 1971, Momoi debuted in director Kon Ichikawa's Ai Futatabi (To Love Again) beginning a career that has already spanned 35 years and over 60 films. As an actress, she has worked with some of the most notable films directors in Japan, including Akira Kurosawa (Kagemusha, 1980), Tatsumi Kumashiro (Seishun no Satetsu, 1974), Yoji Yamada (The Yellow Handkerchief, 1977 and Otoko wa Tsuraiyo, 1979), Shohei Imamura (Why Not?, 1981), Shunji Iwai (Swallowtail Butterfly, 1996), Jun Ichikawa (Tokyo Yakyoku, 1997), Mitani Koki (Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald, 1997), Yoshimitsu Morita (Like Asura, 2003) and, most recently, Takashi Miike (IZO, Sukiyaki Western Django). She has also performed in The Sun (2005) directed by Alexander Sokurov and appeared in director Rob Marshall's film Memoirs of a Geisha. For her film performances in Japan, Momoi has won many awards. She has won the Japanese Academy Awards for Best Actress twice and Best Supporting Actress once and was selected Best Actress at the 1983 New York International Film Festival for her role in Giwaku (Suspicion). Popular among Japanese of all ages and a recognized trend setter, Momoi is never idle, pursuing various projects in producing, directing, screenwriting, and design in addition to her acting. She has also released some 15 record albums as a singer and is a much sought after essayist. She won the award for best actress at the 7th Hochi Film Award for Giwaku. Her latest movie is Maris Martinson's movie "Amaya", which was released on September 17, 2010. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kaori Momoi, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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Ilja Rukober

Biography

Ilja Rukober is a Russian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ilja Dragunov. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he performs on the NXT UK brand. Prior to signing with WWE, Dragunov competed on the European independent circuit and is also known for his time with Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), where he is a former one-time wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion, three-time wXw World Tag Team Champion and two-time wXw Shotgun Champion. Rukober is also the first Russian-born male wrestler to have ever competed in the WWE.
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Taylor Lautner

Biography

Taylor Daniel Lautner (born February 11, 1992) is an American actor and model. He is best known for playing shapeshifter Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga film series. Lautner began his acting career playing bit parts in comedy series such as The Bernie Mac Show (2003) and My Wife and Kids (2004), before having voice roles in television series like What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2005) and Danny Phantom (2005). In 2005, he appeared in the film Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and starred in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D. He also starred in the 2011 action film Abduction. From 2014 to 2018, Lautner starred in the BBC sitcom Cuckoo as the son of the titular character. In 2016, he played a leading role, Dr. Cassidy Cascade, in the second season of FOX black comedy series Scream Queens. The late 2000s saw Lautner become a teen idol and sex symbol, after extensively changing his physique to keep the role of Jacob Black in further Twilight installments, and generating media attention for his looks. In 2010, he was ranked second on Glamour's "The 50 Sexiest Men of 2010" list, and fourth on People's "Most Amazing Bodies" list. Also in the same year, Lautner was named the highest-paid teenage actor in Hollywood.
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