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František Velecký
Biography
Velecký was a very particular figure of Slovak acting, being antipode to venerated mainstream showbiz celebrities. Although he had never received any formal training in acting, he managed to earn great respect of both filmmakers and audience members.
He performed in some 50 Slovak, Czech, German, Hungarian and UK/US movies, but he will be most remembered for portraying the lead character of Mikoláš in the Czech movie Marketa Lazarová.
Velecký was born 8 March 1934 in Zvolen. He originally studied civil engineering and worked as a designer for few years. However, since his early age he was attracted by the world of cinema and finally in his 30s managed to get his first major roles.
Practically at the beginning of his acting career, after a few minor films including Každý týždeň sedem dní (1964) and Nylonový mesiac (1965), he received the role of his lifetime in Marketa Lazarová (1966). This experience deeply influenced the rest of his life.
In interviews, he described with gratitude how the director František Vláčil completely changed his way of seeing the world during the long production of this movie.
Despite the impact the role had on the film (widely considered the best Czech cinema) and on his life, Velecký would probably be more recognized by Western audiences for his appearances in The Brothers Grimm (released 2005) and the Academy Award-nominated Želary (2003).
For most of his career, Velecký was free of any theatre company ties except being briefly associated with the Theatre of Spišká Nová Ves in the 1980s.
During his professional career, Velecký was not limited to acting. He was assistant director to Juraj Jakubisko on the film Zbehovia a pútnici (1968) and he applied his talent in fine arts during the 1990s.
Velecký died of cancer 5 October 2003 in Bratislava.
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Anna Sawai
Biography
Anna Sawai (born June 11, 1992) is a Japanese–New Zealand actress, dancer and singer. She began her film career in 2009 in a supporting role in the martial arts film Ninja Assassin, and debuted as a professional singer in 2013 as one of the lead vocalists in the J-pop girl group FAKY (2013-2018), singing in both Japanese and English. She co-stars in Justin Lin's Fast & Furious sequel, F9.
In 2004, shortly after moving to Japan, Sawai was chosen out of 10,000 applicants to play the title role in the stage musical Annie.
Sawai made her professional film debut in the 2009 Warner Bros. film Ninja Assassin, directed by James McTeigue, playing the rebellious teenage female ninja Kiriko who is executed for attempting to escape the Ozunu ninja clan.
In 2013, Sawai's work as a professional singer began with the dance/R&B group FAKY. She performed as one of the group's lead vocalists until her final show with the group on December 20, 2018. Her departure from the group was announced via FAKY's social media, citing her dream of pursuing her acting career.
In 2019, Sawai co-starred in the BBC crime drama Giri/Haji. In 2021, she co-starred in the action film F9, directed by Justin Lin. Sawai chose the role of Elle in F9 because she grew up watching the Fast & Furious films and appreciated the diversity of the film's cast.
In November 2019, it was announced that Sawai was signed by major U.S. talent agency WME. In October 2020, Sawai was announced to play savvy career woman Naomi in Apple's adaptation of Pachinko, based on the novel by Min Jin Lee, in a role created for the series.
Sawai grew up in New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, before moving to Japan at the age of 10 due to her father's electronics job. During her childhood, she was influenced by her father to listen to The Beatles and The Carpenters. Her mother, who studied opera, gave her singing lessons.
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Roland Joffé
Biography
Roland Joffé (born 17 November 1945) is an English film director who is known for his Oscar nominated movies, The Killing Fields and The Mission. He began his career in television. His early television credits included episodes of Coronation Street and an adaptation of The Stars Look Down for Granada. He gained a reputation for hard-hitting political stories with the series Bill Brand and factual dramas for Play for Today.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Roland Joffé, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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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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Jonas Ball
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jonas Franklin Ball (born 3 May 1975 in Carmichael, California) is an American actor who played John Lennon's murderer Mark David Chapman in The Killing of John Lennon.
Ball had a few television appearances prior to his role as Chapman. He starred as CIA Officer Benjamin Keynes in The Objective, the new film from The Blair Witch Project director Daniel Myrick, about a CIA operative who commands a Special Forces Operational Detachment into Afghanistan. In this film, his character may or may not have been a part of the Special Activities Division of the CIA.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Jonas Ball, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Anthony White
Biography
Anthony White better known by his ring name Tony Atlas is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding title, "Mr. USA" (a distinction he earned three times), the nom de guerre the "Black Superman", as well as an alter ego named Saba Simba. He returned as an on screen manager for WWE, appearing on its now-defunct ECW brand. He re-signed with WWE in a legends deal in mid-2012.
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Issey Ogata
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Issey Ogata (born 22 February 1952 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka), is a Japanese actor and comedian. He was interested in plays since childhood. After he graduated from Toyotama High School in Japan, he joined a theatrical company and appeared on the stage. Later, he jumped at the opportunity to be an entertainer when he took the gold medal at the audition called "Birth of Comedians". Then, he started garnering roles on Japanese TV. Shows he appeared on include "Evil Grandmother" of Fuji TV and "RinRinto" of NHK drama.
He now performs plays by himself "Life Never Stops" at GyanGyan Theater in Shibuya, which has gained immense popularity. Furthermore, he has had starring roles in major art-house films, including Ota in the great Edward Yang's highly regarded Yi Yi: A One and a Two, the title character in Jun Ichikawa's Tony Takitani (an adaptation of the Haruki Murakami short story), and has played the role of Japanese Emperor Hirohito in Aleksandr Sokurov's 2005 film, The Sun.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Issey Ogata, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Michael Caine
Biography
Sir Michael Caine CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr.; March 14, 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinctive South London accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film icon. As of February 2017, the films in which Caine has appeared have grossed over $7.8 billion worldwide.
Often playing a Cockney, Caine made his breakthrough in the 1960s with starring roles in British films such as Zulu (1964), The Ipcress File (1965), Alfie (1966), The Italian Job (1969), and Battle of Britain (1969). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Alfie. His roles in the 1970s included Get Carter (1971), The Last Valley (1971), Sleuth (1972), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), The Eagle Has Landed (1976) and A Bridge Too Far (1977). He earned his second Academy Award nomination for Sleuth and achieved some of his greatest critical success in the 1980s, with Educating Rita (1983) earning him the BAFTA and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) earning him his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Caine is also known for his performance as Ebenezer Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), and for his comedic roles in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), Miss Congeniality (2000), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), and Secondhand Lions (2003). He received his second Golden Globe Award for Little Voice (1998). In 1999, he received his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a sympathetic doctor in The Cider House Rules. He portrayed a British journalist in Vietnam in The Quiet American (2002), earning his sixth Oscar nomination, and appeared in Alfonso Cuaron's dystopian drama film Children of Men (2006). Caine portrayed Alfred Pennyworth in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012). He appeared in several other of Nolan's films including The Prestige (2006), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014) and Tenet (2020). He also appeared in the heist thriller film Now You See Me (2013), the action comedy film Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), the Italian drama Youth (2015) and the crime film King of Thieves (2018).
Caine officially confirmed his retirement from acting on 13 October 2023.
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Jeremy Kewley
Biography
Jeremy Kewley (born 16 August 1960) is an Australian actor, writer, producer and convicted child sex offender. He made his professional acting debut as an adolescent in the feature film The Devil's Playground.
He made his professional debut in the AFI award-winning motion picture The Devil's Playground (1975) followed by Mad Dog Morgan (1976) opposite Dennis Hopper and Jack Thompson, through to his lead roles in television series including Arcade (1979-1980), Janus (1994-1995) and Stingers (2000-2004), and his popular semi-regular role in Blue Heelers (1997-2005), multi-award-winning actor Jeremy Kewley has enjoyed a solid and diverse career in the entertainment industry.
In December 2014, Kewley was charged with, and on 26 November 2015 he pleaded guilty to, multiple child sex offences.
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Kate Williams
Biography
British actress best known for the 1970s sitcom, Love Thy Neighbour, the Lynda La Plante serials Widows, Widows 2 and She's Out (alongside the lead Ann MItchell, Williams was the only other cast member to appear in all three instalments), and the 90s sitcom May to December, as well as the films Poor Cow, Melody and Quadrophenia. Guest roles on TV include Dixon of Dock Green, On the Buses, Please Sir!, Minder, The Gentle Touch, Just Good Friends, C.A.T.S. Eyes, Only Fools and Horses, May to December, Murder Most Horrid, Lovejoy,Doctor At Large, Born and Bred, and The Bill. She also starred as a regular in two soaps; Family Affairs and EastEnders. Williams is currently a teacher and director on the Acting degree course at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in Clapham.
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