1.
Public Enemies (2009 film)
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Public Enemies is a 2009 American biographical mob drama film directed by Michael Mann and written by Mann, Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman. It is an adaptation of Bryan Burroughs non-fiction book Public Enemies, Americas Greatest Crime Wave, Burrough originally intended to make a television miniseries about the Depression-era crime wave in the United States, but decided to write a book on the subject instead. Mann developed the project, and some scenes were filmed on location where certain events depicted in the film occurred, after killing Charles Floyd, FBI agent Melvin Purvis is promoted by J. Edgar Hoover to lead the hunt for bank robber John Dillinger. Purvis shares Hoovers belief in using scientific methods to battle crime, in between a series of bank robberies, Dillinger meets Billie Frechette at a restaurant and woos her by buying her a fur coat. Frechette falls for Dillinger even after he reveals his identity, Purvis leads a failed ambush at a hotel where he believes Dillinger is staying, and an agent is killed by Baby Face Nelson, who escapes with Tommy Caroll. Purvis requests that Hoover bring in professional lawmen who know how to catch criminals dead or alive, police arrest Dillinger and his gang in Tucson, Arizona, after a fire breaks out at the Hotel Congress, where they are staying. Dillinger is extradited to Indiana, where Sheriff Lillian Holley has him locked up in the Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Dillinger and other inmates use a fake gun to escape. Dillinger is unable to see Frechette, who is under tight surveillance, Carroll goads Dillinger into robbing a bank in Sioux Falls with Baby Face Nelson. During their escape, both Dillinger and Carroll are shot, and they have to leave Carroll behind, the group retreats to the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin and realize their haul is significantly less than Nelson said it would be. Dillinger hopes he can free the rest of his gang from prison, including Pierpont and Makley, Purvis and his men apprehend Carroll and torture him to learn the gangs location. Purvis organizes an ambush at Little Bohemia, Dillinger and Hamilton escape separately from the rest of the gang. Agents Winstead and Hurt pursue Dillinger and Hamilton through the woods, trying to escape, Nelson, Shouse, and Van Meter hijack a Bureau car, killing Purvis partner Carter Baum in the process. After a car chase, Purvis and his men kill Nelson, Dillinger meets Frechette, telling her he plans to commit one more robbery that will pay enough for them to escape together. When Dillinger drops her off at a tavern he thinks is safe, Frechette is beaten during interrogation to learn Dillingers whereabouts, which she does not reveal, Purvis and Winstead eventually arrive and intervene. Dillinger agrees to participate in a robbery with Alvin Karpis. He receives a note from Billie through her lawyer, Louis Piquett, through Zarkovich, Purvis enlists the help of madam and Dillinger acquaintance Anna Sage, threatening her with deportation if she does not cooperate. She agrees to set up Dillinger, who she believes will come to hide out with her, Dillinger and Sage see Manhattan Melodrama at the Biograph Theater. After the film, Purvis signals other agents upon seeing them leave, Dillinger spots the police but is shot before he can draw his gun
2.
The Replacement Killers
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The Replacement Killers is a 1998 American action film directed by Antoine Fuqua in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Chow Yun-fat, Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker and Kenneth Tsang. The film was released in the United States on February 6,1998, the storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Ken Sanzel. Veteran action director John Woo co-produced and choreographed the action sequences, the film is set in modern-day Los Angeles and follows an emotionally disillusioned assassin who is forced to settle a violent vendetta against a ruthless crime boss. The film marks the American acting debut for Chow, as his previous credits included Hong Kong action cinema only. The film was a co-production between the motion picture studios of Columbia Pictures, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, and WCG Entertainment Productions, theatrically, it was commercially distributed by Columbia Pictures, while the Sony Pictures Entertainment division released the film in the video rental market. The Replacement Killers explores assassination, violence and the influence of triads in modern society, the film score was orchestrated by Harry Gregson-Williams, the soundtrack was released by the Varèse Sarabande music label on March 10,1998. The Replacement Killers premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on February 6,1998 grossing $19,204,929 in domestic ticket receipts, the film was screened at 1,936 theaters during its widest release in cinemas. Taking into account its $30 million budget costs, the film was considered a box office flop. The films critical response did not fare better either, preceding its initial screening to the public, it was generally met with mixed to negative reviews. The widescreen DVD edition of the featured scene selections, a featurette, and interviews among other highlights. During an orchestrated drug bust at a loading dock, Detective Stan Zedkov kills Triad lieutenant Peter Wei. Looking to exact revenge for his sons death, crime boss Terence Wei sends for professional assassin John Lee, paying off an old debt, Lee has already killed two targets for Wei, and the crime boss tells him that this third and final job will settle the obligation. However, Lees conscience prevents him from completing his final assignment, infuriated by Lees disobedience, Wei orders his head lieutenant, Michael Kogan, to lead the hunt for Lee, and has his people in China begin the search for Lees family. No longer able to use the Triad network to get out of the country, Lee searches for alternative means outside Weis sphere of influence, before she can finish the job, Weis men storm her office, destroying the computerized tools of her trade in the ensuing shootout. Lee escapes, Coburn is picked up by the police, unsuccessfully interrogated by Zedkov, meanwhile, Wei hires skilled out-of-town replacement killers to take over the hunt for Lee and the Zedkov contract. Lee finds Coburn when she returns to her destroyed office, having been made aware that the Triads are involved, Coburn wants out, but Lee forces her to finish her original task of creating a forged passport. Traveling with Coburn, with the two replacement killers, Ryker and Collins, in pursuit, Lee gets pictures from a booth and phones Alan. When Lee arrives at the temple, he discovers that Alan has been tortured to the point of death, Alan tells Lee that his family was moved to Canton—but he told his torturers they were in Shanghai
3.
Robert De Niro
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Robert Anthony De Niro is an American actor, producer and director who has both Italian and American citizenship. He was cast as the young Vito Corleone in the 1974 film The Godfather Part II and his longtime collaboration with director Martin Scorsese earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake La Motta in the 1980 film Raging Bull. He received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2003, the Golden Globe Cecil B, deMille Award in 2010, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016. De Niros first major roles were in the sports drama, Bang the Drum Slowly. He earned Academy Award nominations for the psychological thrillers Taxi Driver and Cape Fear, De Niro received additional nominations for Michael Ciminos Vietnam war drama, The Deer Hunter, Penny Marshalls drama Awakenings, and David O. Russells romantic comedy-drama, Silver Linings Playbook. His portrayal of gangster Jimmy Conway in Scorseses crime film, Goodfellas, other notable performances include roles in Once Upon a Time in America, Brazil, The Untouchables, Heat, and Casino. He has directed and starred in such as the crime drama A Bronx Tale. Robert Anthony De Niro was born in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan, New York, the son of Virginia Admiral and Robert De Niro Sr. Both of his parents were painters, his father was of half Italian and half Irish descent, while his mother was of half German ancestry, with her other roots being French, English and Dutch. De Niros parents, who had met at the classes of Hans Hofmann in Provincetown, Massachusetts. De Niro was raised by his mother in the Greenwich Village and his father lived within walking distance and De Niro spent much time with him as he grew up. His mother was raised Presbyterian but became an atheist as an adult, against his parents wishes, his grandparents had him secretly baptized into the Catholic Church while he was staying with them during his parents divorce. De Niro attended PS41, an elementary school in Manhattan. He then went to Elisabeth Irwin High School, the upper school of the Little Red School House. He was accepted into the High School of Music and Art for the ninth grade, De Niro began high school at the private McBurney School and later attended the private Rhodes Preparatory School, although he never graduated from either. Nicknamed Bobby Milk for his pallor, De Niro hung out with a group of kids as a youth in Little Italy. The direction of his future had already been foreshadowed by his debut at age 10. Along with finding relief from shyness through performing, he was also fixated by cinema and he studied acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory, as well as Lee Strasbergs Actors Studio
4.
Johnny Depp
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John Christopher Johnny Depp II is an American actor, producer, and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor and he rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol. He has collaborated on nine films with director, producer, Depp is regarded as one of the worlds biggest film stars. Films featuring Depp have grossed over $3.2 billion at the United States box office, Depp has been nominated for major acting awards, including three nominations for Academy Award for Best Actor. He has been listed in the 2012 Guinness World Records as the highest paid actor, Depp was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2015. Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, the youngest of four children of Betty Sue Palmer, a waitress, and John Christopher Depp, Depp is of mostly English ancestry, with some ancestors from elsewhere in Europe. He is descended from a French Huguenot immigrant, Pierre Deppe or Dieppe, Depp is a 20th cousin of Elizabeth II. Depp moved frequently during his childhood and he and his siblings lived in more than 20 different places, eventually settling in Miramar, Florida in 1970. Depps parents divorced in 1978 when he was 15 and his mother married Robert Palmer, whom Depp has called an inspiration to me. With the gift of a guitar from his mother when he was 12, a year after his parents divorce, he dropped out of high school to become a rock musician. He attempted to go back to two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician. He played with The Kids, a band that enjoyed modest local success, the Kids set out together for Los Angeles in pursuit of a record deal, changing their name to Six Gun Method, but the group split up before signing a record deal. Depp subsequently collaborated with the band Rock City Angels and co-wrote their song Mary, on December 20,1983, Depp married Lori Anne Allison, the sister of his bands bass player and singer. During their marriage she worked as a makeup artist while he worked a variety of odd jobs and his wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who advised him to pursue an acting career. Depp and his wife divorced in 1985, Depps first film role was in the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, in which he played the boyfriend of heroine Nancy Thompson and one of Freddy Kruegers victims. After a starring role in the comedy Private Resort, Depp was cast in the role of the skating drama Thrashin by the films director. Instead, Depp appeared in a supporting role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stones Vietnam War drama Platoon. He accepted this role to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who inspired him, despite his success, Depp felt that the series forced into the role of product
5.
Christian Bale
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Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. He has starred both in films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. Bale first caught the eye at the age of 13. Based on the story by J. G. Ballard, Bale played an English boy who is separated from his parents. In 2000, he garnered acclaim for his portrayal of serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. He is known for going to lengths to portray characters in films, notably for the psychological thriller The Machinist. Bale went on to greater commercial recognition for his starring role as Batman in Christopher Nolans Batman Begins, The Dark Knight. His portrayal of Dicky Eklund in the David O. Russell-directed biographical film The Fighter, earned him critical acclaim, Bale was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, the son of Jenny, a circus performer, and David Bale, an entrepreneur, commercial pilot and talent manager. His mother is English and his father was born in South Africa, to English parents, Bale has remarked, I was born in Wales and he spent his childhood in Wales, Surrey and Dorset in England, and Portugal. Bale acknowledged that the frequent relocation had a influence on his career choice. He attended Bournemouth School, but left at age 16 and his first acting role was a commercial for the fabric softener Lenor in 1982. A year later, he appeared in a Pac-Man cereal commercial playing a rock star. In 1984, he made his debut in The Nerd on Londons West End with Rowan Atkinson. Bales parents divorced in 1991, and while his mother and sister Sharon stayed in Bournemouth, in 1990, he played the role of Jim Hawkins opposite Charlton Heston in Treasure Island, an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevensons classic book. Bale starred in the musical films Newsies and Swing Kids, the latter about teenagers who secretly listened to jazz during the rise of Nazi Germany. Bale was recommended by actress Winona Ryder to star in Gillian Armstrongs 1994 film Little Women, Bale also voiced Thomas, a young compatriot of Captain John Smith, in Disneys Pocahontas and in 1997 played Arthur Stuart in Velvet Goldmine, Todd Haynes tribute to glam rock. In 1999, Bale played serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, Bale was briefly dropped from the project in favour of Leonardo DiCaprio, but DiCaprio eventually dropped out to star in The Beach, and Bale was cast once again. He went so far as to himself from the cast
6.
Tom Cruise
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Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards and he started his career at age 19 in the film Endless Love. After portraying supporting roles in Taps and The Outsiders, his first leading role was in the romantic comedy Risky Business, Cruise became a full-fledged movie star after starring as Pete Maverick Mitchell in the action drama Top Gun. One of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood, Cruise starred in more successful films in the 1980s, including the dramas The Color of Money, Cocktail, Rain Man. In 2012, Cruise was Hollywoods highest-paid actor,16 of his films grossed over $100 million domestically,22 have grossed in excess of $200 million worldwide. In 2002, Cruise won the Saturn Award for Best Actor for Vanilla Sky, in 2003, he won an AFI Movie of the Year Award for The Last Samurai and an Empire Award for Best Actor for Minority Report. Cruise is an advocate for the Church of Scientology and its associated social programs. Cruise was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Mary Lee, a special teacher, and Thomas Cruise Mapother III. He has three sisters, Lee Anne, Marian, and Cass and they are of English, German, and Irish ancestry. One of Cruises paternal great-great-great-grandfathers, Patrick Russell Cruise, was born in north County Dublin in 1799, he married Teresa Johnson in County Meath and they left Ireland for the United States that same year and settled in New York. They had a daughter, Mary Paulina Russell Cruise, whose son Thomas Cruise Mapother was Cruises great-grandfather, a cousin, William Mapother, is also an actor, he and Cruise have appeared in five films together. Cruise grew up in poverty, and had a Catholic upbringing. The family was dominated by his father, whom Cruise has described as a merchant of chaos. Cruise has said that he was beaten by his father, whom he has called a bully and he stated, He was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a lesson in my life—how hed lull you in, make you feel safe and then. For me, it was like, Theres something wrong with this guy, Cruise spent part of his childhood in Canada. His family moved to Beacon Hill, Ottawa, in late 1971 so that Cruises father could take a position as a consultant with the Canadian Armed Forces. There, Cruise attended the newly opened Robert Hopkins Public School for much of grade four, in grade four, Cruise first became involved in drama, under the tutelage of George Steinburg
7.
Al Pacino
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Alfredo James Al Pacino is an American actor of stage and screen, filmmaker, and screenwriter. DeMille Award, and the National Medal of Arts and he is also one of few performers to have won a competitive Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony Award for acting, dubbed the Triple Crown of Acting. He achieved international acclaim and recognition for his role as Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppolas The Godfather. He received his first Oscar nomination and would reprise the role in the successful sequels The Godfather Part II. Pacinos performance as Corleone is now regarded as one of the greatest screen performances in film history, for his performances in The Godfather, Dick Tracy and Glengarry Glen Ross, Pacino was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. A lifelong fan of Shakespeare, Pacino directed and starred in Looking for Richard, a film about the play Richard III. He has also acted as Shylock in a 2004 feature film adaptation, since 1994, Pacino has been the joint president of the Actors Studio with Ellen Burstyn and Harvey Keitel. Pacino was born in New York City, to Sicilian-American parents Salvatore Pacino and Rose and his mother moved to The Bronx to live with her parents, Kate and James Gerardi, who, coincidentally, had come from a town in Sicily named Corleone. His father, who was from San Fratello in the Province of Messina, moved to Covina, California, in his teen years Sonny, as he was known to his friends, aimed to become a baseball player, and was also nicknamed The Actor. Pacino went through Herman Ridder Junior High School, but in secondary school dropped out of many classes and he attended the High School of Performing Arts, but dropped out of school at age 17. His mother disagreed with his decision, they argued and he left home and he worked at low-paying jobs, messenger, busboy, janitor, and postal clerk, to finance his acting studies. He once worked in the room for Commentary magazine. He began smoking and drinking at age nine, and took up casual cannabis use at age 13 and his two closest friends died from drug abuse at the ages of 19 and 30. Growing up in The Bronx, he got into fights and was considered something of a troublemaker at school. He acted in basement plays in New Yorks theatrical underground but was rejected for the Actors Studio while a teenager, Pacino then joined the Herbert Berghof Studio, where he met acting teacher Charlie Laughton, who became his mentor and best friend. In this period, he was unemployed and homeless, and sometimes slept on the street, in theaters. In 1962, his mother died at the age of 43, the following year, Pacinos grandfather James Gerardi, one of the most influential people in his life, also died. After four years at HB Studio, Pacino successfully auditioned for the Actors Studio, the Actors Studio is a membership organization of professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights in the Hells Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City
8.
Marlon Brando
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Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American actor, film director and activist. He is credited with bringing realism to film acting and he helped to popularize the Stanislavski system of acting, studying with Stella Adler in the 1940s. Julius Caesar, The Wild One, Reflections in a Golden Eye, Last Tango in Paris, Brando was also an activist for many causes, notably the Civil Rights Movement and various Native American movements. Brando received Academy Award nominations for playing Emiliano Zapata in Viva Zapata, Mark Antony in Joseph L. Mankiewiczs 1953 film adaptation of Shakespeares Julius Caesar, and Air Force Major Lloyd Gruver in Sayonara, an adaption of James Micheners 1954 novel. Brando was included in a list of Top Ten Money Making Stars three times in the 1950s, coming in at number 10 in 1954, number 6 in 1955, the 1960s proved to be a fallow decade for Brando. The Godfather was then one of the most commercially successful films of all time, Brando took a four-year hiatus before appearing in The Missouri Breaks. After this, he was content with being a highly paid actor in cameo roles, such as in Superman and The Formula. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Brando was paid a record $3.7 million and 11. 75% of the profits for 13 days work on Superman. Brando was ranked by the American Film Institute as the fourth-greatest movie star among male movie stars whose screen debuts occurred in or before 1950. He was one of three professional actors, along with Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe, named in 1999 by Time magazine as one of its 100 Most Important People of the Century. He died of respiratory failure on July 1,2004, at age 80, Brando was born on April 3,1924, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Marlon Brando, Sr. a pesticide and chemical feed manufacturer, and Dorothy Julia. Brando had two sisters, Jocelyn Brando and Frances. His ancestry included German, Dutch, English, and Irish and his patrilineal immigrant ancestor, Johann Wilhelm Brandau, arrived in New York in the early 1700s from the Palatinate in Germany. Brando was raised a Christian Scientist, however, she was an alcoholic and often had to be brought home from Chicago bars by her husband. In his autobiography, Songs My Mother Taught Me, Brando expressed sadness when writing about his mother, dodie and Brandos father eventually joined Alcoholics Anonymous. Brando harbored far more enmity for his father, stating, I was his namesake and he enjoyed telling me I couldnt do anything right. He had a habit of telling me I would never amount to anything, Brandos parents moved to Evanston, Illinois, when his fathers work took him to Chicago, but separated when Brando was 11 years old. His mother took the three children to Santa Ana, California, where they lived with her mother, in 1937, Brandos parents reconciled and moved together to Libertyville, Illinois, a small town north of Chicago
9.
Colin Farrell
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Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor. During that time, he appeared in Steven Spielbergs science fiction thriller Minority Report. After starring in the independent films Intermission and A Home at the End of the World, Farrell headed Oliver Stones biopic Alexander and Terrence Malicks The New World. Farrell starred in the comedy-horror film Fright Night and the action film Total Recall. He also starred in the Niels Arden Oplev action film Dead Man Down, in 2014, Farrell starred as Peter Lake in the supernatural fable Winters Tale, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Mark Helprin. In 2016, he portrayed Percival Graves in the Harry Potter spin-off film Fantastic Beasts, Farrell was born in Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland, the son of Rita and Eamon Farrell. His father played football for Shamrock Rovers FC and ran a food shop. When he was 9 years old, he moved to Dublin and his uncle, Tommy Farrell, also played for Shamrock Rovers. Farrell has a brother, Eamon, Jr. and two sisters, Claudine and Catherine. Claudine works as his personal assistant, when Farrell was 10, his family moved to the Dublin suburb of Castleknock. Farrell was educated at St. Brigids National School, followed by secondary school at Castleknock College and he unsuccessfully auditioned for the Irish musical group Boyzone around this time. Farrell was inspired to try acting when Henry Thomas performance in E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial moved him to tears, as an 18-year-old travelling in Sydney, he was at one time suspected for attempted murder. The police sketch looked remarkably like him and he had even described blacking out during the night in question, Farrell also appeared in Ordinary Decent Criminal with Kevin Spacey and Linda Fiorentino, a film loosely based on the life of Martin Cahill. In 2000, Farrell was cast in the role of Private Roland Bozz in Tigerland. He reportedly got the part on the basis of his charm, emanuel Levy of Variety said that Farrell shines as the subversive yet basically decent lad whose cynicism may be the only sane reaction to a situation. Michael Holden of The Guardian wrote that Farrell was too much the hero to fit the classic rebel archetype properly, Farrells next American films, American Outlaws and Harts War, were not commercially successful. His 2002–2003 films, including Phone Booth, The Recruit and S. W. A. T, were well received by critics and successful at the box office. Of Phone Booth, Ebert wrote that it is Farrells to win or lose, since hes onscreen most of the time, philip French of The Observer praised Farrells performance
10.
Liam Neeson
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Liam John Neeson, OBE, is an actor from Northern Ireland. In 1976, he joined the Lyric Players Theatre in Belfast for two years and he then acted in the Arthurian film, Excalibur. Between 1982 and 1987, Neeson starred in five films, most notably alongside Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins in The Bounty and Robert De Niro and he landed a leading role alongside Patrick Swayze in Next of Kin. He rose to prominence when he starred in the role in Steven Spielbergs 1993 Oscar winner Schindlers List. Empire magazine ranked Neeson among both the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History and The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time. Neeson was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, the son of Katherine Kitty Neeson, a cook, and Bernard Barney Neeson and he was raised as a Roman Catholic and was named Liam after the local priest. He said growing up as a Catholic in a predominately Protestant town made him cautious, the third of four siblings, he has three sisters, Elizabeth, Bernadette and Rosaleen. At age nine, Neeson began boxing lessons at the All Saints Youth Club, Neeson first stepped on stage at age 11 after his English teacher offered him the lead role in a school play, which he accepted because the girl he was attracted to was starring in it. He continued to act in school productions over the following years, Neesons interest in acting and decision to become an actor was also influenced by minister Ian Paisley, into whose Free Presbyterian church Neeson would sneak. Neeson has said of Paisley, He had a magnificent presence and it was acting, but it was also great acting and stirring too. In 1971, Neeson was enrolled as a physics and computer science student at Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland, at Queens, he discovered a talent for football and was spotted by Seán Thomas at Bohemian F. C. There was a trial in Dublin and Neeson played one game as a substitute against Shamrock Rovers F. C. After leaving the university, Neeson returned to Ballymena where he worked in a variety of casual jobs and he also attended teacher training college for two years in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, before again returning to his hometown. In 1976, Neeson joined the Lyric Players Theatre in Belfast where he performed for two years and he got his first film experience in 1977, playing Jesus Christ and Evangelist in the religious film Pilgrims Progress. Neeson moved to Dublin in 1978 after he was offered a part in Ron Hutchinsons Says I, Says He and he acted in several other Project productions and joined the Abbey Theatre. In 1980, filmmaker John Boorman saw him on stage as Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men and offered him the role of Sir Gawain in the Arthurian film, Excalibur. After Excalibur, Neeson moved to London, where he continued working on stage, in small budget films and he lived with the actress Helen Mirren at this time, whom he met working on Excalibur. Between 1982 and 1987, Neeson starred in five films, most notably alongside Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins in 1984s The Bounty and Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons in 1986s The Mission
11.
Russell Crowe
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Russell Ira Crowe is an actor, film producer and musician. Although a New Zealand citizen, he has lived most of his life in Australia, Crowe appeared as the tobacco firm whistle blower Jeffrey Wigand in the 1999 film The Insider, for which he received five awards as best actor and seven nominations in the same category. Crowe is also the co-owner of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, an Australian National Rugby League team. Crowe was born on 7 April 1964 in the Wellington suburb of Strathmore Park, Crowes maternal grandfather, Stan Wemyss, was a cinematographer who was named an MBE for filming footage of World War II. Crowes paternal grandfather, John Doubleday Crowe, was from Wrexham, Wales, Crowe also has English, German, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Scottish, Swedish, and Welsh ancestry. He is a cousin of former New Zealand cricket captains Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe, Russell has built a cricket field named for his uncle. When Crowe was four years old, his family moved to Sydney, Australia, the producer of the Australian TV series Spyforce was his mothers godfather, and Crowe was hired for a line of dialogue in one episode, opposite series star Jack Thompson. Crowe also appeared briefly in the serial The Young Doctors, Crowe was educated at Vaucluse Public School but later moved to Sydney Boys High School. When he was 14, his family moved back to New Zealand where, along with his brother Terry, he attended Auckland Grammar School with cousins Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe. He then continued his education at Mount Roskill Grammar School. Crowe began his career as a musician in the early 1980s, under guidance from his good friend Tom Sharplin. He released several New Zealand singles including I Just Want To Be Like Marlon Brando, Pier 13, Shattered Glass and he managed an Auckland music venue called The Venue in 1984. When he was 18, he was featured in A Very Special Person, a promotional video for the theology/ministry course at Avondale College, a Seventh-day Adventist tertiary education provider in New South Wales. Crowe returned to Australia at age 21, intending to apply to the National Institute of Dramatic Art, I was working in a theatre show, and talked to a guy who was then the head of technical support at NIDA, Crowe has recalled. I asked him what he thought about me spending three years at NIDA and he told me itd be a waste of time. He said, You already do the things, you go there to learn and youve been doing it for most of life, so theres nothing to teach you. From 1986 to 1988, he was given his first professional role by director Daniel Abineri and he played the role of Eddie/Dr Scott. He repeated this performance in a further Australian production of the show, in 1987, Crowe spent six months busking when he could not find other work
12.
Jamie Foxx
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Eric Marlon Bishop, known professionally by his stage name Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer, songwriter, record producer and comedian. The same year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the crime film Collateral, eric Marlon Bishop was born in Terrell, Texas on December 13,1967. He is the son of Darrell Bishop, who worked as a stockbroker. Shortly after his birth, Foxx was adopted and raised by his mothers parents, Esther Marie, a domestic worker and nursery operator, and Mark Talley. He has had contact with his birth parents, who were not part of his upbringing. Foxx was raised in the quarter of Terrell, which at the time was a racially segregated community. He has often acknowledged his grandmothers influence in his life as one of the greatest reasons for his success, Foxx began playing the piano when he was five years old. He had a strict Baptist upbringing, and as a teenager he was a part-time pianist and choir leader in Terrells New Hope Baptist Church. His natural talent for telling jokes was already in evidence as a third grader, Foxx attended Terrell High School, where he received top grades and played basketball and football. His ambition was to play for the Dallas Cowboys, and he was the first player in the history to pass for more than 1,000 yards. He also sang in a band called Leather and Lace, after completing high school, Foxx received a scholarship to United States International University, where he studied classical music and composition. Foxx first told jokes at a comedy clubs open mic night in 1989, when he found that female comedians were often called first to perform, he changed his name to Jamie Foxx, feeling that it was a name ambiguous enough to disallow any biases. He chose his surname as a tribute to the black comedian Redd Foxx, Foxx joined the cast of In Living Color in 1991, where his recurrent character Wanda also shared a name with Redds friend and co-worker, LaWanda Page. Following a recurring role in the comedy-drama sitcom Roc, Foxx went on to star in his own sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, Foxx made his film debut in the 1992 comedy Toys. His first dramatic role came in Oliver Stones 1999 film Any Given Sunday, in 1994, Foxx released an album entitled Peep This, which was not successful due to low album sales. In 2003, Foxx made a cameo in Benzinos music video for Would You, which features LisaRaye McCoy and Mario Winans. In 2003, Foxx featured on the rapper Twistas song, Slow Jamz, together with Kanye West, in 2005, Foxx featured on the single Georgia by Atlanta rappers Ludacris and Field Mob, which sampled Ray Charles hit Georgia on My Mind. Foxx would also portray Ray Charles in the biographical film Ray, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, Foxx is the second male in history to receive two acting Oscar nominations in the same year for two different movies, Collateral and Ray
