Trending

Popular people

Christopher Gunning

Biography

Christopher Gunning (born 5 August 1944) is an English composer of concert works and music for films and television. Gunning was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where his tutors included Edmund Rubbra and Richard Rodney Bennett. Gunning's film and TV compositions have received many awards, including the 2007 BAFTA Award for Best Film Music for La Vie en Rose, as well as three additional awards for Agatha Christie's Poirot, Middlemarch, and Porterhouse Blue. He has also won three Ivor Novello Awards, for the TV miniseries Rebecca, and the film scores for Under Suspicion (1991), and Firelight (1997). His other film scores include Goodbye Gemini (1970), Hands of the Ripper (1971), Ooh... You Are Awful (1972), the film version of Man About the House (1974), In Celebration (1975), Rogue Male (1976), Charlie Muffin (1979), Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981), Knights of God (1987), When the Whales Came (1989), Lighthouse Hill (2004) and Grace of Monaco (2014). In the 1970s and 1980s, Gunning collaborated with rock musician Colin Blunstone and was responsible for the distinctive string arrangement on Blunstone's 1972 hit "Say You Don't Mind". He also provided the haunting string arrangements on "Won't Somebody Dance With Me", the Ivor Novello award-winning song written and performed by Lynsey De Paul as well as another of de Paul's hit singles "My Man and Me" and her 1974 album "Taste Me... Don't Waste Me". Gunning's scores for The Big Battalions, Wild Africa, Cold Lazarus and When the Whales Came also received nominations for BAFTA and Ivor Novello Awards, and his music for the Martini advertising campaign, heard around the world for thirty years, won three Clio Awards. Gunning composed the music for nearly all of the Poirot TV films starring David Suchet, and worked on all three series of Rosemary and Thyme featuring Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris. In addition to performances of his television and film scores, Gunning's Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra and The Lobster have been performed at various venues including London's Southbank Centre. The Saxophone Concerto, played by John Harle with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, has been released by Sanctuary Classics, The Lobster is available on the Meridian label, and the Piano Concerto, Symphony No. 1 and Storm have been released by Albany Records. Recent works include concertos for the oboe and clarinet and the CD Skylines. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed the premiere of Symphonies No.3 and No.4, coupled with Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra. This has been released by Chandos Records. Gunning has now completed twelve symphonies, several of which have been recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer and released on Signum Classics. In recognition of Gunning's unique contribution to music, he received a BASCA Gold Badge Award 19 October 2011. Gunning has four daughters and lives in Hertfordshire. One of his daughters is a professional oboist. Another runs the travel blog wanderlustchloe.com. Source: Article "Christopher Gunning" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Read more

Darren Aronofsky

Biography

Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, melodramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological fiction. Aronofsky studied film and social anthropology at Harvard University before studying directing at the AFI Conservatory. He won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, Supermarket Sweep, which became a National Student Academy Award finalist. In 1997, he founded the film and TV production company Protozoa Pictures. His feature film debut, the surrealist psychological thriller Pi (1998), was produced for $60,000 and grossed over $3 million; it won Aronofsky the Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. Aronofsky's follow-up, the psychological drama Requiem for a Dream (2000), received favorable reviews and an Academy Award nomination for Ellen Burstyn's performance. After writing the World War II horror film Below (2002), Aronofsky released his third film, the romantic fantasy sci-fi drama The Fountain (2006). It received mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box office, but has since garnered a cult following. His fourth film, the sports drama The Wrestler (2008), was released to critical acclaim. Aronofsky won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and the film's lead actors, Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei, received Academy Award nominations. His next film, the psychological horror Black Swan (2010), received further acclaim and many accolades, with five Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director, and a Best Actress win for Natalie Portman. His sixth feature film, the biblically inspired epic Noah (2014), became his first film to open at No. 1 at the box office despite its mixed reception from critics and audiences. His seventh and eighth films, Mother! (2017) and The Whale (2022), sparked controversy and received both widespread praise and criticism. Aronofsky's film titled Postcard from Earth (2023), was produced and filmed exclusively for the Sphere in the Las Vegas Valley on its 16K resolution screen.
Read more

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
Read more

Matthew McConaughey

Biography

Matthew David McConaughey (born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He first gained notice for his supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused (1993), which was considered by many to be his breakout role. After a number of supporting roles in films including Angels in the Outfield (1994) and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994), his breakthrough performance as a leading man came in the legal drama A Time to Kill (1996). He followed this with leading performances in the science fiction film Contact (1997), the historical drama Amistad (1997), the comedy-drama The Newton Boys (1998), the satire EDtv (1999), the war film U-571 (2000), and the psychological thriller Frailty (2001). In the 2000s, McConaughey became best known for starring in romantic comedies, including The Wedding Planner (2001), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Failure to Launch (2006), Fool's Gold (2008), and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), establishing him as a sex symbol. After a two-year hiatus from film acting, McConaughey began to appear in more dramatic roles beginning with the legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer (2011). He was acclaimed for his supporting performances in Bernie (2011), Magic Mike (2012) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and for his leading roles in Killer Joe (2011) and Mud (2012). McConaughey's portrayal of Ron Woodroof, a cowboy diagnosed with AIDS, in the biopic Dallas Buyers Club (2013) earned him widespread praise and numerous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2014, he starred as Rust Cohle in the first season of HBO's crime anthology series True Detective, for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. His film roles since have included Interstellar (2014), The Sea of Trees (2015), Free State of Jones (2016), Gold (2016), The Dark Tower (2017), and The Gentlemen (2019), earning varying degrees of commercial and critical success, as well as voice work in Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), Sing (2016), and Sing 2 (2021).
Read more

Andrey Slabakov

Biography

Andrey Slabakov was born in 1960 in Sofia. He graduated in Film and TV Directing from National Academy for Theatre and Film Art, Sofia in 1984. In the period 1991-1995 he worked for RAI. Filmography: Train to the Sea (documentary) - 1990, The Jews in Bulgaria (documentary) - 1995, Wagner - 1998, The Wolves (TV) - 1999, Ali Mehmet - the Lonely Poet and the Meaning of Life (documentary) - 2000, Improvisation (documentary) - co-direction with Rumiana Petkova - 2001, Perlovetz - the River of Life (documentary) - 2001, My Father (documentary) - 2003, Hindemith - 2007. Mini Biography by: Georgi Djulgerov
Read more

Hunter Payton

Biography

Hunter is recognized for his recurring role on the NBC TV Series A to Z (2014), and as Young RJ Mitte in a challenging role as Young Doug, a child with muscular dystrophy, starring in Who's Driving Doug (2016). For his lead in the movie Father's Day Breakfast (2017) he uses his knowledge of sign language in a meaningful role with a deaf father. Hunter showed his zeal for acting at the tender age of 4 and at age 6 you could already see him in the HBO series Funny or Die Presents... (2010), and TV Commercials for Sears and Mazda. Soon he was doing national commercials for Hyundai, McDonalds and Samsung. A Distinguished Honor Roll student with Straight A's, he loves to sing and freestyle dance . When he is not studying, dancing or acting, you will find him active in Parkour, Tennis, horse back riding, Tae Kwon Do and playing video games. His creativity is always at work through his writing and directing with friends. Hunter still finds time to give back to many charities. He loves animals and is a big animal activist. He has 8 dogs, 2 horses, 3 ponies, 10 chickens and a bunny. He even donates blankets and many items to the local animal shelters in his County. He frequently helps with LA Childrens Hospital, ASPCA and is an Ambassador to Boo2Bullying. He really admires The Avengers (2012) and is kind of a real life Avenger now in his stand against bullying and helping others.
Read more

Beth Grant

Biography

Beth Grant (born September 18, 1949) is an American actress. She is known for often playing characters who are conservatives, religious zealots or sticklers for rules. She has appeared in dozens of films, including Rain Man, Speed; To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar; Love Field; Donnie Darko; A Time to Kill; Little Miss Sunshine; Child's Play 2; Daltry Calhoun; City Slickers 2; Don't Tell Her It's Me; Matchstick Men; Factory Girl; The Wizard; Sordid Lives; The Rookie; All About Steve; No Country for Old Men, Crazy Heart, and Rango. Grant has also appeared in many TV shows, including Everwood; Delta; The Golden Girls; Malcolm in the Middle; The X-Files; Friends; CSI; Six Feet Under; Wonderfalls; My Name Is Earl; Yes, Dear; King of the Hill; The Office; Angel; Judging Amy; Jericho; Sordid Lives: The Series; Criminal Minds, Sabrina The Teenage Witch; True Blood; How I Met Your Mother; and The Mentalist. Grant was born in Gadsden, Alabama, and is an alumna of East Carolina University. She is married to actor Michael Chieffo with whom she has one child. Grant played the same character, Marianne Marie Beetle, in the short-lived show Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies, both created by Bryan Fuller. Description above from the Wikipedia article Beth Grant, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Read more

Kymberly Herrin

Biography

Kym Herrin is of mixed French-Swedish-Filipino descent. Herrin graduated from Santa Barbara Senior High School in 1975. She went on to become the Playmate of the Month in the March 1981 issue of "Playboy," posing for the covers of both the September 1982 and September 1983 issues. In addition to her work in Playboy, Herrin also did modeling for Ralph Lauren, FIT magazine, fitness advertisements, and swimwear advertisements, and acting. [1] Herrin portrayed the Dream Ghost in Ghostbusters.
Read more

Brandon Spink

Biography

Brandon Spink is quickly making a name for himself with buzz-worthy roles in television and film. At the age of seven, he found his passion of performing while starring in local theater productions. At 10 years old Brandon booked the lead role of Young Johnny Knoxville for the pilot of the same name for ABC. Brandon took 2016 by storm with the feature Miracles from Heaven the role of Billy, co-starring Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah; the incredible true story based on author, Christy Beam's memoir. Next was the role of young Bruce Wayne in Warner Bros. star studded film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, directed by Zach Snyder. Followed by Open Road Film's Mother's Day, playing Jennifer Aniston and Timothy Olyphant's son, Peter. The romantic comedy is by acclaimed director Garry Marshall. In addition to the big screen in 2016, Brandon recurred as Petey in NBC's one-hour drama Game of Silence. 2017 is gearing up to be another busy year for Brandon who guest starred on ABC's Once Upon A Time as Baelfire. Brandon will next be seen in a recurring role on Epix series Berlin Station.
Read more

Raquel Pacheco

Biography

Bruna Surfistinha (Portuguese for "Little Surfer Bruna") is the pen name of Raquel Pacheco[2] (born 28 October 1984), a Brazilian former sex worker who attracted the attention of Brazilian media by publishing, in a blog, her sexual experiences with clients. Bruna explained in television programs that she was a normal girl, who had been adopted by a high/middle-class family but that at around the age of 17 she left her home and her family because of the traditional family oriented views of her father and to start to live on her own. Bruna appeared in various television programs in Brazil and several periodicals and magazines. Her blog attracted more than 50,000 readers per day. She appeared in some pornographic films in Brazil. In 2005, she released a book entitled O Doce Veneno do Escorpião (The Scorpion's Sweet Venom).[3] In just over a month it sold over 30,000 copies in its third edition,[4] and became the best selling book in Brazil.[5] The book was translated into English and published by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2006.[6] Bruna's book also inspired the 2011 Brazilian film[7] Confessions of a Brazilian Call Girl, starring Deborah Secco in the main role, and the 2016 TV series Me Chama de Bruna, starring Maria Bopp in the main role. In 2011, Bruna also appeared in a Brazilian reality show called A Fazenda (local version of The Farm) finishing as the second runner-up (third place).[8] Confessions of a Brazilian Call Girl grossed $12,356,515 in Brazil, first national film after international films in the Brazil 2011 Box Office,[9] thanks to Bruna's popularity with the Brazilian public. Raquel Pacheco was born in Sorocaba, the result of a sexual assault her biological mother had suffered. Her mother decided to abandon her,[10] and within a few days the baby was in an orphanage. After a few months, she was adopted by an upper middle class Paulistana family. In interviews, she pointed out that the discovery of her adoption was one of the deciding factors for leaving home at 17, leaving a farewell letter. She also revealed in interviews that she was a very depressed child and adolescent, always socially isolated, and bullied for being withdrawn. She claims that, although she never lacked material goods, and was well educated in private schools, she did not receive much affection and attention from her parents, always being in the company of the nanny and maids. She was always the subject of humiliation by her brother, who never accepted the fact that her parents had adopted her and taken him from the position of only child, and therefore sole heir.
Read more