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Kim Kardashian

2013-10-15T23:43:00.002-07:00

Kim Kardashian

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Kim Kardashian
Kardashian attending her fragrance launch in Glendale, California, February 2011.
Born	Kimberly Noel Kardashian October 21, 1980 (age 32) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	Marymount High School
Occupation	Television personality, fashion designer, model, actress
Years active	2005–present
Net worth	$40 million^[1]
Television	Keeping Up with the Kardashians Kourtney and Kim Take New York Kourtney and Kim Take Miami
Spouse(s)	Damon Thomas (m. 2000–2004) Kris Humphries (m. 2011–2013)
Partner(s)	Kanye West (2012–present)
Children	1
Parents	Robert Kardashian Kris Jenner
Relatives	Kourtney Kardashian (sister) Khloé Kardashian (sister) Rob Kardashian (brother) Kendall Jenner (half-sister) Kylie Jenner (half-sister) Brody Jenner (step-brother) Brandon Jenner (step-brother) Bruce Jenner (step-father)
Website
kimkardashian.celebuzz.com

Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American television personality, fashion designer, model, and actress. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she first garnered media attention through her then-friend Paris Hilton. In 2007, Kardashian came to prominence after a sex tape with her then-boyfriend Ray J was leaked. Later that year, she and her family were commissioned to star in the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Its success has led to the creation of spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York and Kourtney and Kim Take Miami. In 2010, Kardashian was named the highest-paid reality television personality, with estimated earnings of $6 million.
In August 2011, Kardashian married basketball player Kris Humphries in a widely-publicized ceremony. However, following 72 days of marriage, she garnered significant criticism after filing for divorce that October, labeling their nuptials a publicity stunt. In June 2013, their divorce was finalized with an undisclosed settlement. Kardashian began a relationship with rapper Kanye West in 2012, and gave birth to their daughter North West the following year.
With sisters Kourtney and Khloé, Kardashian is involved in the retail and fashion industries. They have launched several clothing collections and fragrances, and additionally released the book Kardashian Konfidential in 2010.

Life and career

1980–2007: Early life and sex tape

Kimberly Noel Kardashian was born in Los Angeles, California on October 21, 1980, to parents Robert and Kris (née Houghton).^[2] She has an older sister Kourtney, a younger sister Khloé, and a younger brother Rob.^[3] Their mother is of Dutch, English, and Scottish ancestry,^[4] while their father was a third-generation Armenian American.^[5] After their parents divorced in 1991,^[6] Houghton remarried to the 1976 Summer Olympics decathlon winner Bruce Jenner in 1991.^[7] Through their marriage, Kardashian gained step-brothers Burton "Burt", Brandon, and Brody; step-sister Casey; and half-sisters Kendall and Kylie.^[8]^[9]
As a teenager, she attended Marymount High School, a Roman Catholic all-girls school in Los Angeles.^[10] In 1994, her father garnered public attention as the primary defense lawyer for football player O.J. Simpson during his murder trial. In 2003, Robert Kardashian was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and died that September.^[11]
In 2000, a 19-year-old Kardashian eloped to music producer Damon Thomas. Thomas filed for divorce in 2003, though Kardashian later credited their separation to physical and emotional abuse on his part.^[12] During this time, Kardashian was also close friends with socialite Paris Hilton, through whom she first garnered media attention.^[13] Prior to the finalization of her divorce, Kardashian began dating singer Ray J, the younger brother of Brandy Norwood.^[14] In February 2007, a sex tape made by Kardashian and Ray J in 2003 was leaked.^[15]^[16] Kardashian filed a lawsuit against Vivid Entertainment, who distributed the film as Kim K Superstar, and dropped the suit and settled for $5 million.^[17]^[18]

2007–09: Career beginnings

Kardashian attending the Tribeca Film Festival, April 2009.

In October 2007, Kardashian, in addition to her mother Kris; her step-father Bruce; her siblings Kourtney, Khloé, and Rob; and half-sisters Kendall and Kylie were commissioned to star in the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians.^[19] The series proved successful for E!, the network in which it is broadcast, and has led to the creations of spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York and Kourtney and Kim Take Miami.^[20] That December, Kardashian posed for a nude pictorial for Playboy.^[21]
In 2008, Kardashian made her feature film debut in the disaster film spoof Disaster Movie, in which she appeared as a character named Lisa.^[22]^[23] That year, she was announced as one of thirteen participants on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars, where she was partnered with Mark Ballas. Kardashian was the third contestant to be eliminated.^[24]
In January 2009, Kardashian guest starred as herself during an episode of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother in the episode "Benefits".^[25] That March, she launched an endorsement with ShoeDazzle shopping,^[26] of which she is the co-founder and chief fashion stylist.^[27] She then endorsed multiple other projects including a vanilla cupcake mix flavor called 'Va-Va-Va-Nilla' for the Los Angeles bakery, Famous Cupcakes.^[27] In April, she released a workout DVD series, Fit in Your Jeans by Friday, with trainers Jennifer Galardi and Patrick Goudeau.^[28]^[29] In June, it was announced that Kardashian was to star as Elle in the television series Beyond the Break.^[30] August saw Kardashian become a guest host of WrestleMania XXIV and guest judge on America's Next Top Model.^[31] In September, Fusion Beauty and Seven Bar Foundation launched "Kiss Away Poverty", with Kardashian as the face of the campaign. For every LipFusion lipgloss sold, $1 went to the Foundation to fund women entrepreneurs in the US.^[32] The following month, she released her first fragrance titled "Kim Kardashian".^[33]^[34] On December 16, 2009, Kardashian made a guest star appearance on CBS's CSI: NY with Vanessa Minnillo.^[35]^[36]

2010–11: International success

Kardashian backstage, February 2010

2010 saw Kardashian venture into several new endorsement deals, including endorsing various food products for Carl's Jr.^[27]^[37] Beginning in early 2010, Kardashian and her sisters designed and developed clothing lines for Bebe stores and 'Virgins, Saints, and Angels'.^[38]^[39]^[40] In January 2010, she starred as Summa Eve in the film Deep in the Valley^[35] In April, Kardashian sparked controversy over the way she held a kitten for a photograph, holding it by the scruff of its neck.^[41] Animal rights organization PETA criticized Kardashian for repeatedly wearing fur coats, and named her as one of the five worst people or organizations of 2010 when it came to animal welfare.^[42] June saw Kardashian guest star with Khloé and Kourtney as herself on the season three premiere episode of the series 90210.^[43] That same month, Kardashian was involved in a lawsuit against one of her endorsments. Sanford Siegal, the creator of the Cookie Diet, sued Kardashian, claiming she defamed him on Twitter. According to Siegal, Kardashian tweeted in October 2009 that he was "falsely promoting" that she was on the cookie diet. Siegal filed a claim in a Florida state court charging that her statements were false and defamatory. He also alleged that Kardashian was on QuickTrim's payroll when she posted the tweet. Kardashian's tweet appears to stem from an article on CookieDiet.com, that named Kardashian as one of many celebrities who saw positive results on the diet. Kardashian sent a cease-and-desist order to Siegal, demanding the link be removed.^[44] Additionally, Kardashian and her sisters released a sunless tanner "Kardashian Glamour Tan", that month.^[45]
On July 1, 2010, the New York City branch of Madame Tussauds revealed a wax figure of Kardashian.^[46]

Kardashian at London launch of new perfume Glam

In November, Kardashian served as producer for The Spin Crowd, a reality television show about Command PR, a New York City public relations firm, run by Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck. The show followed them as they settle into their new offices in Los Angeles. Kardashian is friends with both, specifically Cheban, who frequently appears on her reality shows.^[47] That month, she also appeared on the tenth season of The Apprentice.^[48]^[49] Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé wrote an autobiography titled Kardashian Konfidential, which was released in stores on November 23, and appeared on New York Times's Best Seller List.^[50]^[51]
In December 2010, Kardashian filmed a music video for a song titled "Jam (Turn It Up)". The video was directed by Hype Williams; Kanye West makes a cameo in the video.^[52] Kardashian premiered the song during a New Year's Eve party at TAO Las Vegas on December 31, 2010.^[53] The song was produced by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. When asked if an album was in the works, Kardashian replied, "There's no album in the works or anything—just one song we did for Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and a video Hype Williams directed, half of the proceeds we're giving away to a cancer foundation, because The-Dream's and one of my parents passed away from cancer. It's just all having fun—with a good cause".^[54] Jim Farber, writing for the Daily News, called the song a "dead-brained piece of generic dance music, without a single distinguishing feature," and suggested that the single made Kardashian the "worst singer in the reality TV universe."^[55] That month, it was announced by the International Business Times that Kardashian's 2010 earnings were the highest among Hollywood-based reality stars, being estimated at $6 million.^[56]^[57]

2011: Marriage to Kris Humphries

Kardashian in Sydney, Australia in November 2011

Kardashian, who has supported recognition of the Armenian Genocide on numerous occasions, encouraged American President Barack Obama and the United States government to consider its acknowledgement. On April 21, 2011, days before the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Kardashian wrote about the issue on her blog and sent a tweet to her fans, urging its recognition.^[58] That April, she also released her third fragrance "Gold".^[33] In May, she became engaged to NBA player Kris Humphries, then of the New Jersey Nets, whom she had been dating since October 2010.^[59] They were married during an extravagant wedding ceremony on August 20 in Montecito, California.^[60] Earlier that month, she had released her "wedding fragrance" called "Kim Kardashian Love" which coincided with her own wedding.^[33]^[61] A two-part TV special showing the preparations and the wedding itself aired on E! in early October 2011, amidst what The Washington Post called a "media blitz" related to the wedding.^[62] Also in October, Kardashian and her sisters opened their Kardashian Khaos store in Las Vegas.^[63] After 72 days of marriage, Kardashian filed for divorce from Humphries on October 31, citing irreconcilable differences.^[64] After filing for the divorce, Kardashian asked the court to order Humphries to pay his own legal expenses.^[65] On December 1, Humphries filed his response to Kardashian's petition, requesting an annulment on the grounds of fraud or if the court would not grant an annulment, a decree of legal separation rather than Kardashian's requested divorce.^[66] Several news outlets surmised that Kardashian's marriage to Humphries was merely a publicity stunt, to promote the Kardashian family's brand and their subsequent television ventures.^[67] Her former publicist also claimed that her short-lived wedding was indeed staged and a ploy to generate money. Kardashian filed suit against him, saying his claims were untrue.^[68] A widely circulated petition asking to remove all Kardashian-related programming from the air followed the split.^[69]

2012–present: Pregnancy and motherhood

In March 2012, Kardashian debuted her fourth fragrance titled "True Reflection", which she worked with the company Dress for Success to promote.^[70] That month, Kardashian and her sisters were named in a $5 million class action lawsuit against QuickTrim, the weight loss supplement they endorse.^[71] The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses the Kardashians (along with QuickTrim’s manufacturer, Windmill Health Products; the retailer GNC; and others in the sales and marketing chain) of false and deceptive marketing of the diet aid. The plaintiffs, hailing from several states, brought claims under their respective states’ consumer protection laws.^[72] In April, E! renewed Keeping Up with the Kardashians for two additional seasons, in a deal reported to be worth $50 million.^[73]^[74] Kardashian also began dating American rapper and longtime friend^[75] Kanye West that month,^[76] though she remained legally married to Humphries. In October 2012, Kardashian released her fifth fragrance, "Glam", which "draws on the glamour of her Hollywood lifestyle", and was made available through Debenhams.^[77] In November, Kardashian and her sisters internationally launched the 'Kardashian Collection' in England,^[78]^[79] as well as launching a line of cosmetics, 'Khroma Beauty'.^[80] On December 31, 2012, Kardashian and West announced that she was pregnant with the couple's first child,^[81]^[82] a girl.^[83]^[84]
In February 2013, a judge ruled that Kardashian's divorce case with Humphries would go to trial, and set a trial date for May.^[85] However, on April 19, 536 days after Kardashian's initial divorce filing, she and Humphries reached an undisclosed divorce settlement, avoiding a trial.^[86]^[87] The divorce was legally finalized on June 3.^[88] Kardashian gave birth to her daughter with West, named North West, on June 15 at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, five weeks prior to her due date.^[84]^[89]^[90]

Filmography

Acting credits

Acting credits
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Disaster Movie	Lisa Taylor^[91]
2009	CSI: NY	Debbie Fallon^[92]	TV series (1 episode: "Second Chances")
2009	Beyond the Break	Elle^[93]	TV series (4 episodes)
2009	Deep in the Valley	Summa Eve^[94]
2012	Drop Dead Diva	Nikki LePree^[95]	TV series (4 episodes)
2013	Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor	Ava^[96]
2013	American Dad!	Alien character (voice)	season 10^[97]^[98]

As herself

As herself
Year	Title	Notes
2003–2006	The Simple Life	TV series (3 episodes)
2007–present	Keeping Up with the Kardashians	TV series
2008	Dancing with the Stars	TV series (6 episodes)^[99]
2009–present	Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami	TV series^[100]
2009	America's Next Top Model	TV series (1 episode: "Interview 101")^[101]
2009	How I Met Your Mother	TV series (1 episode: "Benefits")^[102]
2010	90210	TV series (1 episode: "Senior Year, Baby")^[103]
2011	Khloé & Lamar	TV series (3 episodes)^[104]
2011–2012	Kourtney and Kim Take New York	TV series (18 episodes)^[105]
2011	America's Next Top Model	TV series (1 episode: "LaToya Jackson")^[106]^[107]
2012	Last Man Standing	TV series (1 episode: "Tree of Strife")^[108]
2012	30 Rock	TV series (1 episode: "Live From Studio 6H") West Coast Version^[109]
2012	Punk'd	TV series (1 episode)^[110]

Discography

Singles

Chart (2011)	Title	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles^[111]	"Jam (Turn It Up)"	17

Awards and nominations

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
2008	Keeping Up with the Kardashians	Teen Choice Award Choice TV Female Reality/Variety Star	Nominated^[112]
2009	Disaster Movie	Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress Worst Supporting Actress	Nominated^[113]
2009	Keeping Up with the Kardashians	Teen Choice Award Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star	Nominated^[114]
2010	N/A	Teen Choice Award Choice Female Hottie	Nominated^[115]
2010	N/A	Teen Choice Award Choice Twit	Nominated
2010	Keeping Up with the Kardashians	Teen Choice Award Choice Female Reality/Variety Star (shared with Kourtney, Khloe, Rob, and Kris)	Won^[115]
2011	N/A	Teen Choice Award Choice Female Hottie	Nominated^[116]
2011	Keeping Up with the Kardashians	Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star (shared with Kourtney, Khloe, Rob, and Kris)	Won^[117]
2012	N/A	Favorite TV Celeb Reality Star	Won^[118]
2012	Keeping Up with the Kardashians	Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star (shared with Kourtney, Khloe, Rob, and Kris)	Won^[119]
2013	Keeping Up with the Kardashians	Teen Choice Award Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star (shared with Kourtney, Khloe, Rob, Kris, Kendall, Kylie, and Bruce)	Won^[120]

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Jump up ^ Shira, Dahvi (June 15, 2013). "Kim Kardashian Is a Mom!". People. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
Jump up ^ Johnson, Zach (June 26, 2013). "Kris Jenner Defends Granddaughter North West's Name on The View". Us Weekly. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Rotten Tomatoes page on Disaster Movie". IGN Entertainment. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Femme fatale Kim Kardashian guest stars in CSI: NY". Daily Mail. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
Jump up ^ "Kim Kardashian Gets Slimed on Beyond the Break". People. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
Jump up ^ "Kim Kardashian has only just begun to appear in films and television shows.". Ugo. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
Jump up ^ "Kim Kardashian Wears Prison Orange For 'Drop Dead Diva' (PHOTOS)". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
Jump up ^ Fleming, Mike (October 21, 2011). "Kim Kardashian to Co-Star in Tyler Perry's 'The Marriage Counselor'". Deadline.com. PMC. Archived from the original on October 22, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Kim Kardashian ‘American Dad’: Reality Star to Play Alien on Comedy". Variety. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
Jump up ^ Hibberd, James. "Kim Kardashian to play alien on 'American Dad' | Inside TV | EW.com". Insidetv.ew.com. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
Jump up ^ "'I was SO skinny!': Kim Kardashian reminisces about her days on Dancing With The Stars with old flashback snaps". Daily Mail. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Kourtney & Kim Take Miami Finale: Kim Kardashian Suffered Burst Ovarian Cyst After First Month Of Pregnancy". Radar Online. Retrieved 2013.
Jump up ^ "'America's Next Top Model' Judge Kim Kardashian: "I Totally Look Up To Tyra"". Buddy TV. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
Jump up ^ "Kim Kardashian Appears on How I Met Your Mother". Hollywood Gossip. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
Jump up ^ "Kim And Khloe Kardashian Guest Star On '90210,' Get Called 'Ho'". Star Pulse. Retrieved 2010.
Jump up ^ "Lamar Odom Surprises Khloe (and Kim Kardashian) with Dinner and a Dozen Roses". Sandra Rose. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
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Jump up ^ "'Last Man Standing': Kim Kardashian Cameo Causes Mandy To Freak Out". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
Jump up ^ "'30 Rock' Live Recap: Kim Kardashian, Paul McCartney And More Guest Stars". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Kim Kardashian Punk'd By Ashton Kutcher and Scott Disick". Celeb Buzz. Retrieved 2012.
Jump up ^ "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles - Issue Date: 2011-03-26". Billboard.biz. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
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Jump up ^ "Box Office Hits, Remakes and Sequels Dominate This Year’s RAZZIE® Nominations". Razzie. Retrieved 2009.
Jump up ^ "Announcing the Winners of the 2009 Teen Choice Awards!". Buzz Sugar. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "2010 Teen Choice Awards Winners List 'Twilight Saga,' Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus are the night's big winners". MTV. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
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Jump up ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2011 Nominees Announced: Harry Potter vs Twilight". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
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Jump up ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2012: Complete Winners List Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and 'Hunger Games' clean up Sunday night.". MTV. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
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2013-10-11T01:29:00.003-07:00

Pooja Umashankar

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Pooja Umashankar
Pooja G Umashankar
Born	Pooja Gauthami Umashankar June 25, 1981 (age 32) Colombo, Sri Lanka
Occupation	Model, Actress
Years active	2003–present
Religion	Hindu

Pooja Gauthami Umashankar (born 25 June 1981), mononymously known as Pooja is an Indian-Sri Lankan actress, who has primarily appeared in Tamil films as well as Sinhala, Malayalam and amateur films. Following a series of successful commercial ventures, Bala's Naan Kadavul saw Pooja's performance as a blind beggar praised by the critics, securing major awards, including the South Filmfare and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards establishing herself as a leading contemporary actress in Tamil Cinema. She simultaneously appeared in several commercial successes in Sinhala Cinema like Anjalika (2006), Asai Man Piyabanna (2007), Suwanda Denuna Jeewithe (2010) and Kusa Pabha (2012), thus establishing herself as one of the leading actresses of Sinhala cinema.

Early life

Pooja's mother Sandhya is a Sri Lankan Sinhalese and her father H.R.Umashankar is an Indian Kannadiga Brahmin from Sringeri in Chikmagalur district, Karnataka.^[1] Uma Shankar was at Valparai working with Hindustan Unilever Limited as a manager. He was not at all interested in film industry but she was attached to it. Pooja can speak Kannada, Sinhalese, Tamil and English. She did her early schooling in Poornapragnya in Aldur,Chikmagalur and Nirmala Convent in Mysore. Later she continued her education at Baldwin's Girls High school in Bangalore and did graduation (B.Com) and Post Graduation (MBA) at the prestigious Mount Carmel College in Bangalore.

Career

Pooja was introduced by a friend of her to cinematographer-turned-director Jeeva, who signed her for the role of Anglo-Indian girl in his Tamil venture Ullam Ketkumae.^[2] ^[2] She was soon offered a role opposite R. Madhavan, which she could not decline and made her rethink her decision.^[2] Ullam Ketkumae's massive delay meant that her second film, the romantic comedy Jay Jay (2004), directed by Saran, became her first official release.^[3] Pooja received favorable reviews for her performance in Jay Jay;^[4] G. Ulaganathan from Deccan Herald wrote: "Spirited, lively, Pooja's sparkling eyes and smile do leave an impression". Similarly a critic from nowrunning.com noted: "[A]mong the two new heroines, it is Pooja who scores with her good performance and dances..."^[5] She next played the romantic interest of Ajith Kumar in another Saran film, Attahasam, which, in spite of mixed critical response, went on to become a financial success.^[6] Pooja, too, met with criticism, with critics citing that she had "only limited role" and was "wasted [...] in an insignificant and half-baked role".^[7]^[8] Pooja's subsequent release happened to be Ullam Ketkumae that featured her in one of the five leading roles alongside Shaam, Laila, Arya and Asin. The film fetched positive remarks and emerged as a sleeper hit.^[9] She went to appear in several hits like Thambi and Pori which finally established her as a star heroine in Tamil cinema. In 2007, Pooja also appeared in her only Malayalam film till date, Panthaya Kozhi. She bagged the lead female role in Bala's Naan Kadavul. Her portrayal of Hamshavalli, a blind beggar, was critically appreciated and earned her several accolades, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil and Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female Character Artiste. Following Naan Kadavul, Pooja went on a sabbatical, appeared just in cameo roles in TN-07 AL 4777, Drohi and the Telugu film Orange.
She became a sensation in Sri Lankan film industry and a household name after the success of Anjalika (2005) and Asai Man Piyambanna (2007). She then on went to appear in several blockbusters in Sinhala cinema and rose to high popularity. Her big-budget film Kusa Pabha released in early 2012 and became the highest grosser ever in the history of Sri Lankan film industry. Critics praised Pooja for her role of Pabawathi.
Pooja has been a part of a short film titled Mirage that was shot in September 2011. She says, her good friend Abhishek Venkteshwar requested for her participation in this short film. The film was eventually screened in various short film festivals in India and The West Midlands International film festival in United Kingdom, fetching accolades for the film and Pooja's performance. When she was shooting for Mirage, she also starred in Smoking kills a short film made by University students as a student welfare initiative.

Television

She was one of the judges in the popular reality dance show Aatam Paatam Kondatam opposite dance master Prasanna on Kalaignar TV, Sun TV.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Language	Notes
2003	Jay Jay	Seema	Tamil	"Amudha Surabhi" Best Actress New Comer Award
2004	Attahasam	Sapna	Tamil
2005	Ullam Ketkumae	Irene	Tamil
2005	Githan	Priya	Tamil
2006	Anjalika	Anjalika, Uththara	Sinhala	Nominated - Sarasaviya Film Awards For Best Actress Nominated -Sarasaviya Film Awards For Most Popular Actress
2006	Pattiyal	Sandhya	Tamil
2006	Thambi	Archana	Tamil	Sree Gold Dhall and Kodai FM Film Star Award
2006	Thagapansamy	Marikozhundhu Shanmugam	Tamil
2007	Pori	Pooja	Tamil
2007	Panthaya Kozhi	Shenbagam	Malayalam
2007	Asai Man Piyabanna	Ranmalee / Maleesha	Sinhala	Nominated - Sarasaviya Film Awards For Best Actress Nominated -Sarasaviya Film Awards For Most Popular Actress
2007	Oram Po	Rani	Tamil
2007	Yahaluvo	Manorani	Sinhala
2009	Naan Kadavul	Hamshavalli	Tamil	Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female Character Artiste Vijay Award for Best Actress World Malayalee Council Film Awards for Best Actress - Tamil Nominated - National Film Awards For Best Actress Nominated - Edison Award For Best Actress Nominated - Vikatan Award For Best Actress
2009	TN-07 AL 4777		Tamil	Guest appearance
2010	Suwanda Denuna Jeewithe	Rashmi	Sinhala
2010	Drohi	Roja	Tamil	Guest appearance
2010	Orange	Meenakshi Teacher	Telugu	Guest appearance
2011	Smoking Kills	Pooja	English	Short film
2012	Kusa Pabha	Pabawathi	Sinhala	Derena LUX Film Awards For Most Popular Actress
2012	Mirage	Priya	English	Short film
2013	Vidiyum Munn	Rekha	Tamil	A Thriller film Releasing in September

References

Jump up ^ "Pooja Umashanker: About Me". Pooja Umashanker. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Screen presence". The Hindu (Chennai, India). April 27, 2007.
Jump up ^ "Oram Po… here she comes". The Hindu (Chennai, India). November 30, 2007.
Jump up ^ http://www.thiraipadam.com/cgi-bin/movie_review.pl?id=434&user_name=bbalaji&review_lang=english&lang=english
Jump up ^ "J ! J ! (Jay Jay) Review - Tamil Movie Review". Nowrunning.com. 2003-11-12. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
Jump up ^ "Ajith tastes success!". Ia.rediff.com. 2004-11-23. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
Jump up ^ "Attahasam Review - Tamil Movie Review". Nowrunning.com. 2004-09-09. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
Jump up ^ "Movie Review:Attakasam". Sify.com. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
Jump up ^ "`Ullam Ketkume` - A sleeper hit!". Sify.com. 2005-06-07. Retrieved 2012-07-12.

External links

Pooja Umashankar at the Internet Movie Database

[hide] v t e Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actress

1972–1979	Jayalalithaa (1972) Jayalalithaa (1973) Lakshmi (1974) Sujatha (1975) Sujatha (1976) Sujatha (1977) Latha (1978) Shoba (1979)

1980–1989	Saritha (1980) Sridevi (1981) Poornima Jayaram (1982) Lakshmi (1983) Saritha (1984) Radha (1985) Radhika (1986) Unknown (1987) Unknown (1988) Unknown (1989)

1990–1999	Radhika (1990) Gouthami (1991) Revathi (1992) Revathi (1993) Revathi and Nagma (1994) Manisha Koirala (1995) Shruti (1996) Meena (1997) Kausalya (1998) Ramya Krishnan (1999)

2000–2009	Jyothika (2000) Laila (2001) Simran (2002) Laila (2003) Sandhya (2004) Asin (2005) Bhavana (2006) Priyamani (2007) Parvathy (2008) Pooja (2009)

2010–2019	Anjali (2010) Anjali (2011) Samantha (2012)

HUSBAND = AYUBKHAN

 NAME              = POOJA AYUB

Categories:

2013-10-11T01:27:00.001-07:00

Brad Pitt

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This article is about the actor. For the boxer, see Brad Pitt (boxer).

Brad Pitt
Pitt at Sydney's red carpet for World War Z premiere in 2013
Born	William Bradley Pitt December 18, 1963 (age 49) Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States
Alma mater	University of Missouri
Occupation	Actor, film producer
Spouse(s)	Jennifer Aniston (m. 2000–2005)
Partner(s)	Angelina Jolie (2005–present)
Children	6

	This article is part of a series on Brad Pitt
Biography Filmography Awards

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received four Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one Golden Globe. He has been described as one of the world's most attractive men, a label for which he has received substantial media attention.^[1]^[2]
Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the road movie Thelma & Louise (1991). His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with A River Runs Through It (1992), Interview with the Vampire (1994), and Legends of the Fall (1994). In 1995, he gave critically acclaimed performances in the crime thriller Seven and the science fiction film 12 Monkeys, the latter earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. Four years later, Pitt starred in the cult hit Fight Club. He then starred in the major international hit Ocean's Eleven (2001) and its sequels, Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). His greatest commercial successes have been Troy (2004), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), and World War Z (2013). Pitt received his second and third Academy Award nominations for his leading performances in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Moneyball (2011). Pitt owns a production company, Plan B Entertainment, whose productions include The Departed (2006), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Moneyball, which garnered a Best Picture nomination.
Following a high-profile relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Pitt was married to actress Jennifer Aniston for five years. Pitt lives with actress Angelina Jolie in a relationship that has attracted wide publicity.^[3] He and Jolie have six children—Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. Since beginning his relationship with Jolie, he has become increasingly involved in social issues both in the United States and internationally.

Early life

William Bradley Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to of Jane Etta (née Hillhouse), a school counsellor, and William Alvin Pitt, who ran a trucking company.^[4]^[5] The family soon moved to Springfield, Missouri, where he lived together with his younger siblings, Doug (born 1966) and Julie Neal (born 1969).^[6] Born into a conservative household,^[7] he was raised as Southern Baptist,^[8] Pitt has stated that his family's ancestry consists of "probably... Irish-Scots-Germans who settled in the area... I know we have some Seminole, and some Cherokee Indian, in us".^[9] Pitt has described Springfield as "Mark Twain country, Jesse James country", having grown up with "a lot of hills, a lot of lakes".^[9]
Pitt attended Kickapoo High School, where he was a member of the golf, swimming and tennis teams.^[10]^[11] He participated in the school's Key and Forensics clubs, in school debates, and in musicals.^[12] Following his graduation from high school, Pitt enrolled in the University of Missouri in 1982, majoring in journalism with a focus on advertising.^[12] As graduation approached, Pitt did not feel ready to settle down. He loved films—"a portal into different worlds for me"—and, since films were not made in Missouri, he decided to go to where they were made.^[8] Two weeks before earning his degree, Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons and worked odd jobs.^[8]

Career

Early work

While struggling to establish himself in Los Angeles, Pitt took lessons from acting coach Roy London.^[12]^[13] Pitt's onscreen career began in 1987, with uncredited parts in the films No Way Out, No Man's Land and Less Than Zero.^[12]^[14] His television debut came in May 1987 with a two-episode role on the NBC soap opera Another World.^[15] In November of the same year Pitt had a guest appearance on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains.^[16] He appeared in four episodes of the CBS primetime series Dallas between December 1987 and February 1988 as Randy, the boyfriend of Charlie Wade (played by Shalane McCall).^[17] Later in 1988, Pitt made a guest appearance on the Fox police drama 21 Jump Street.^[18]
In the same year, the Yugoslavian–U.S. co-production The Dark Side of the Sun (1988) gave Pitt his first leading film role, as a young American taken by his family to the Adriatic to find a remedy for a skin condition. The film was shelved at the outbreak of the Croatian War of Independence, and was not released until 1997.^[12] Pitt made two motion picture appearances in 1989: the first in a supporting role in the comedy Happy Together; the second a featured role in the horror film Cutting Class, the first of Pitt's films to reach theaters.^[16] He made guest appearances on television series Head of the Class, Freddy's Nightmares, Thirtysomething, and (for a second time) Growing Pains.^[19]
Pitt was cast as Billy Canton, a drug addict who takes advantage of a young runaway (played by Juliette Lewis) in the 1990 NBC television movie Too Young to Die?, the story of an abused teenager sentenced to death for a murder.^[20] Ken Tucker, television reviewer for Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Pitt is a magnificent slimeball as her hoody boyfriend; looking and sounding like a malevolent John Cougar Mellencamp, he's really scary."^[20] The same year, Pitt co-starred in six episodes of the short-lived Fox drama Glory Days and took a supporting role in the HBO television movie The Image.^[21] His next appearance came in the 1991 film Across the Tracks; Pitt portrayed Joe Maloney, a high school runner with a criminal brother, played by Ricky Schroder.^[22]
After years of supporting roles in movies and frequent television guest appearances, Pitt attracted wider recognition in his supporting role in the 1991 road film Thelma & Louise.^[21] He played J.D., a small-time criminal who befriends Thelma (Geena Davis). His love scene with Davis has been cited as the event that defined Pitt as a sex symbol.^[16]^[23] After Thelma & Louise, Pitt starred in the 1991 film Johnny Suede, a low-budget picture about an aspiring rock star,^[24] and the 1992 film Cool World,^[16] although neither furthered his career, having poor reviews and box office performance.^[25]^[26]
Pitt took the role of Paul Maclean in the 1992 biographical film A River Runs Through It, directed by Robert Redford.^[27] His portrayal of the character was described by People's Janet Mock as a career-making performance,^[28] proving that Pitt could be more than a "cowboy-hatted hunk."^[29] He has admitted to feeling under pressure when making the film^[6] and thought it one of his "weakest performances ... It's so weird that it ended up being the one that I got the most attention for."^[6] Pitt believed that he benefited from working with such a talented cast and crew. He compared working with Redford to playing tennis with a superior player, saying "when you play with somebody better than you, your game gets better."^[28]^[29]
In 1993, Pitt reunited with Juliette Lewis for the road film Kalifornia. He played Early Grayce, a serial killer and the boyfriend of Lewis's character in a performance described by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone as "outstanding, all boyish charm and then a snort that exudes pure menace."^[30] Pitt also garnered attention for a brief appearance in the cult hit True Romance as a stoner named Floyd, providing much needed comic relief to the action film.^[31] He capped the year by winning a ShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow.^[32]

Critical success

1994 marked a significant turning point in Pitt's career. Starring as the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in the feature film Interview with the Vampire, based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name,^[33] he was part of an ensemble cast that included Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, and Antonio Banderas.^[33] Despite his winning two MTV Movie Awards at the 1995 ceremony,^[34] his performance was poorly received. According to the Dallas Observer, "Brad Pitt ... is a large part of the problem [in the film]. When directors play up his cocky, hunkish, folksy side ... he's a joy to watch. But there's nothing about him that suggests inner torment or even self-awareness, which makes him a boring Louis."^[35]

Pitt at the Palm Film Festival

Following the release of Interview with the Vampire, Pitt starred in Legends of the Fall (1994),^[36] based on a novel by the same name by Jim Harrison, set in the American West during the first four decades of the twentieth century. Portraying Tristan Ludlow, son of Colonel William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) a Cornish immigrant,^[37] Pitt received his first Golden Globe Award nomination, in the Best Actor category.^[38] Aidan Quinn and Henry Thomas co-starred as Pitt's brothers. Although the film's reception was mixed,^[39] many film critics praised Pitt's performance. Janet Maslin of The New York Times said, "Pitt's diffident mix of acting and attitude works to such heartthrob perfection it's a shame the film's superficiality gets in his way."^[40] The Deseret News predicted that Legends of the Fall would solidify Pitt's reputation as a lead actor.^[41]
In 1995, Pitt starred alongside Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow in the crime thriller Seven, playing a detective on the trail of a serial killer.^[42] Pitt called it a great movie and declared the part would expand his acting horizons.^[43] He expressed his intent to move on from "this 'pretty boy' thing [...] and play someone with flaws."^[44] His performance was critically well received, with Variety saying that it was screen acting at its best, further remarking on Pitt's ability to turn in a "determined, energetic, creditable job" as the detective.^[45] Seven earned $327 million at the international box office.^[25]
Following the success of Seven, Pitt took a supporting role as Jeffrey Goines in Terry Gilliam's 1995 science-fiction film 12 Monkeys. The movie received predominantly positive reviews, with Pitt praised in particular. Janet Maslin of the New York Times called Twelve Monkeys "fierce and disturbing" and remarked on Pitt's "startlingly frenzied performance", concluding that he "electrifies Jeffrey with a weird magnetism that becomes important later in the film."^[46] He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film^[38] and received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.^[47]
The following year he had a role in the legal drama Sleepers (1996), based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's novel of the same name.^[48] The film received mixed reviews.^[49] In the 1997 movie The Devil's Own Pitt starred, opposite Harrison Ford, as the Irish Republican Army terrorist Rory Devany,^[50] a role for which he was required to learn an Irish accent.^[51] Critical opinion was divided on his accent; "Pitt finds the right tone of moral ambiguity, but at times his Irish brogue is too convincing – it's hard to understand what he's saying", wrote the San Francisco Chronicle.^[52] The Charleston Gazette opined that it had favored Pitt's accent over the movie.^[53] The Devil's Own grossed $140 million worldwide,^[25] but was a critical failure. Later that year he led as Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer in the Jean-Jacques Annaud film Seven Years in Tibet.^[54] Pitt trained for months for the role, which demanded significant mountain climbing and trekking practice, including rock climbing in California and the European Alps with his co-star David Thewlis.^[55] The film received mostly negative reviews, and was generally considered a disappointment.^[56]
Pitt had the lead role in 1998's Meet Joe Black. He portrayed a personification of death inhabiting the body of a young man to learn what it is like to be human.^[57] The film received mixed reviews, and many were critical of Pitt's performance. According to Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, Pitt was unable to "make an audience believe that he knows all the mysteries of death and eternity."^[58] Roger Ebert stated "Pitt is a fine actor, but this performance is a miscalculation."^[59]

From 1999 to 2003

In 1999, Pitt portrayed Tyler Durden in Fight Club,^[60]^[61] a film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name, directed by David Fincher.^[62] Pitt prepared for the part with lessons in boxing, taekwondo, and grappling.^[63] To look the part, Pitt consented to the removal of pieces of his front teeth which were restored when filming ended.^[64] While promoting Fight Club, Pitt said that the film explored not taking one's aggressions out on someone else but to "have an experience, take a punch more and see how you come out on the other end."^[65] Fight Club premiered at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival.^[66] Despite divided critical opinion on the film as a whole,^[67]^[68] Pitt's performance was widely praised. Paul Clinton of CNN noted the risky yet successful nature of the film,^[69] while Variety remarked upon Pitt's ability to be "cool, charismatic and more dynamically physical, perhaps than [...] his breakthrough role in Thelma and Louise".^[70] In spite of a worse-than-expected box office performance, Fight Club became a cult classic after its DVD release in 2000.^[71]

Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, Julia Roberts, cast of Ocean's Eleven and director Steven Soderbergh in December 2001

Following Fight Club, Pitt was cast as an Irish Gypsy boxer with a barely intelligible accent in Guy Ritchie's 2000 gangster film Snatch.^[72] Several reviewers were critical of Snatch; however, most praised Pitt.^[73] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said Pitt was "ideally cast as an Irishman whose accent is so thick even Brits can't understand him", going on to say that, before Snatch, Pitt had been "shackled by roles that called for brooding introspection, but recently he has found his calling in black comic outrageousness and flashy extroversion;"^[74] while Amy Taubin of The Village Voice claimed that "Pitt gets maximum comic mileage out of a one-joke role".^[75]
The following year Pitt starred opposite Julia Roberts in the romantic comedy The Mexican,^[76] a film that garnered a range of reviews^[77] but enjoyed box office success.^[25] Pitt's next role, in 2001's $143 million-grossing Cold War thriller Spy Game,^[25] was as Tom Bishop, an operative of the CIA's Special Activities Division, mentored by Robert Redford's character.^[78] Mark Holcomb of Salon.com enjoyed the film, although he noted that neither Pitt nor Redford provided "much of an emotional connection for the audience".^[79] On November 22, 2001, Pitt made a guest appearance in the eighth season of the television series Friends, playing a man with a grudge against Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston, to whom Pitt was married at the time.^[80] For this performance he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.^[81] In December 2001, Pitt had the role of Rusty Ryan in the heist film Ocean's Eleven, a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack original. He joined an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, and Julia Roberts.^[82] Well received by critics, Ocean's Eleven was highly successful at the box office, earning $450 million worldwide.^[25]
Pitt appeared in two episodes of MTV's reality series Jackass in February 2002, first running through the streets of Los Angeles with several cast members in gorilla suits,^[83] and participating in his own staged abduction in another episode.^[84] In the same year, Pitt had a cameo role in George Clooney's directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.^[85] He took on his first voice-acting roles in 2003, speaking as the titular character of the DreamWorks animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas^[86] and playing Boomhauer's brother, Patch, in an episode of the animated television series King of the Hill.^[87]

2004–present

Pitt had two major film roles in 2004, starring as Achilles in Troy, and making a second appearance as Rusty Ryan, in the sequel Ocean's Twelve. He spent six months sword training before the filming of Troy, based on the Iliad.^[88] An on-set injury to his Achilles tendon delayed production on the picture for several weeks.^[89] Stephen Hunter of The Washington Times stated that Pitt excelled at such a demanding role.^[90] Troy was the first film produced by Plan B Entertainment, a film production company he had founded two years earlier with Jennifer Aniston and Brad Grey, CEO of Paramount Pictures.^[91] Ocean's Twelve earned $362 million worldwide,^[25] and Pitt and Clooney's dynamic was described by CNN's Paul Clinton as "the best male chemistry since Paul Newman and Robert Redford."^[92]
In 2005, Pitt starred in the Doug Liman-directed action comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith, in which a bored married couple discover that each is an assassin sent to kill the other. The feature received reasonable reviews but was generally lauded for the chemistry between Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who played his character's wife Jane Smith. The Star Tribune noted that "while the story feels haphazard, the movie gets by on gregarious charm, galloping energy and the stars' thermonuclear screen chemistry."^[93] Mr. & Mrs. Smith earned $478 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of 2005.^[94]

Pitt at the German premiere of Inglourious Basterds in July 2009

For his next feature film, Pitt starred opposite Cate Blanchett in Alejandro González Iñárritu's multi-narrative drama Babel (2006).^[95] Pitt's performance was critically well-received, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said that he was credible and gave the film visibility.^[96] Pitt later said he regarded taking the part as one of the best decisions of his career.^[97] The film was screened at a special presentation at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival^[98] and was later featured at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.^[99] Babel received seven Academy and Golden Globe award nominations, winning the Best Drama Golden Globe, and earned Pitt a nomination for the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe.^[38] That same year, Pitt's company Plan B Entertainment produced The Departed, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Pitt was credited on-screen as a producer; however, only Graham King was ruled eligible for the Oscar win.^[100]
Reprising his role as Rusty Ryan in a third picture, Pitt starred in 2007's Ocean's Thirteen.^[101] While less lucrative than the first two films, this sequel earned $311 million at the international box office.^[25] Pitt's next film role was as American outlaw Jesse James in the 2007 Western drama The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name.^[102] Directed by Andrew Dominik and produced by Pitt's company Plan B Entertainment, the film premiered at the 2007 Venice Film Festival,^[103] with Pitt playing a "scary and charismatic" role, according to Lewis Beale of Film Journal International,^[104] and earning Pitt the Volpi Cup award for Best Actor at the 64th Venice International Film Festival.^[105] He eventually collected the award one year later at the 2008 festival.^[106]

Pitt at the 65th British Academy Film Awards in 2012

Pitt's next appearance was in the 2008 black comedy Burn After Reading, his first collaboration with the Coen brothers. The film received a positive reception from critics, with The Guardian calling it "a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy",^[107] noting that Pitt's performance was one of the funniest.^[107] He was later cast as Benjamin Button, the lead in David Fincher's 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a loosely adapted version of a 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story follows a man who is born an octogenarian and ages in reverse,^[108] with Pitt's "sensitive" performance making Benjamin Button a "timeless masterpiece," according to Michael Sragow of The Baltimore Sun.^[109] The performance earned Pitt his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination,^[110] as well as a fourth Golden Globe and second Academy Award nomination,^[38]^[111] all in the category for Best Actor. The film received thirteen Academy Award nominations in total, and grossed $329 million at the box office worldwide.^[25]
Since 2008, Pitt's work has included a leading role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, released in August 2009 at a special presentation at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. ^[112] Pitt played Lieutenant Aldo Raine, an American resistance fighter battling Nazis in German-occupied France.^[113] The film was a box office hit, taking $311 million worldwide,^[25] and garnered generally favorable reviews.^[114] The film received multiple awards and nominations, including eight Academy Award nominations and seven MTV Movie Award nominations, including Best Male Performance for Pitt.^[115]^[116] He voiced the superhero character Metro Man in the 2010 animated feature Megamind.^[117] Pitt appeared in Terrence Malick's drama The Tree of Life, co-starring Sean Penn, which won the Palme d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.^[118] In a performance that attracted strong praise, he portrayed the Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane in the drama Moneyball, which is based on the 2003 book of the same name written by Michael Lewis.^[119] Moneyball received six Academy Award nominations including Best Actor for Pitt.^[120]
His next role was as mob hitman Jackie Cogan in Andrew Dominik's 2012 Killing Them Softly, based on the novel Cogan's Trade by George V. Higgins.^[121] In 2013, Pitt starred in World War Z, a thriller about a zombie apocalypse, based on Max Brooks' novel of the same name. Pitt also produced the film.^[122] World War Z grossed over $539 million at the box office worldwide,^[25] becoming Pitt's most commercially successful picture.^[123] His next projects will be producing and playing a small role in 12 Years a Slave, a historical drama based on the autobiography of Solomon Northup,^[124] and playing a supporting role in Ridley Scott's The Counselor.^[125]
Plan B productions landed its first television series on the 2013-2014 schedule, as their joint venture with ABC Studios, the sci-fi/fantasy drama Resurrection, was picked up by ABC.^[126] Pitt serve as the one of the executive producers on the program.

Humanitarian and political causes

Pitt signing autographs for troops during his 2001 visit to Incirlik Air Base

Pitt visited the University of Missouri campus in October 2004 to encourage students to vote in the 2004 U.S. presidential election,^[127] in which he supported John Kerry.^[127]^[128] Later in October he publicly supported the principle of public funding for embryonic stem-cell research. "We have to make sure that we open up these avenues so that our best and our brightest can go find these cures that they believe they will find," he said.^[129] In support of this he endorsed Proposition 71, a California ballot initiative intended to provide state government funding for stem-cell research.^[130]
Pitt supports the ONE Campaign, an organization aimed at combating AIDS and poverty in the developing world.^[131]^[132] He narrated the 2005 PBS public television series Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge, which discusses current global health issues.^[133] The following year Pitt and Jolie flew to Haiti, where they visited a school supported by Yéle Haïti, a charity founded by Haitian-born hip hop musician Wyclef Jean.^[134] In May 2007, Pitt and Jolie donated $1 million to three organizations in Chad and Sudan dedicated to those affected by the crisis in the Darfur region.^[135] Along with Clooney, Damon, Don Cheadle, David Pressman, and Jerry Weintraub, Pitt is one of the founders of Not On Our Watch, an organization that focuses global attention on stopping "mass atrocities".^[136]
Pitt has a sustained interest in architecture^[137] and has narrated Design e2, a PBS television series focused on worldwide efforts to build environmentally friendly structures through sustainable architecture and design.^[138] He founded the Make It Right Foundation in 2006, organizing housing professionals in New Orleans to finance and construct 150 sustainable, affordable new houses in New Orleans's Ninth Ward following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.^[139]^[140] The project involves 13 architectural firms and the environmental organization Global Green USA, with several of the firms donating their services.^[141]^[142] Pitt and philanthropist Steve Bing have each committed $5 million in donations.^[143] The first six homes were completed in October 2008,^[144] and in September 2009 Pitt received an award in recognition of the project from the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated.^[145]^[146] Pitt met with U.S. President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in March 2009 to promote his concept of green housing as a national model and to discuss federal funding possibilities.^[147]
In September 2006, Pitt and Jolie established a charitable organization, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, to aid humanitarian causes around the world.^[148] The foundation made initial donations of $1 million each to Global Action for Children and Doctors Without Borders,^[149] followed by an October 2006 donation of $100,000 to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, an organization created in memory of the late American journalist Daniel Pearl.^[150] According to federal filings, Pitt and Jolie invested $8.5 million into the foundation in 2006; it gave away $2.4 million in 2006^[151] and $3.4 million in 2007.^[152] In June 2009 the Jolie-Pitt Foundation donated $1 million to a U.N. refugee agency to help Pakistanis displaced by fighting between troops and Taliban militants.^[153] In January 2010 the foundation donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders for emergency medical assistance to help victims of the Haiti earthquake.^[154]^[155]
Pitt is a supporter of same-sex marriage.^[156] In an October 2006 interview with Esquire, Pitt said that he would marry Jolie when everyone in America is legally able to marry.^[157] In September 2008, he donated $100,000 to the campaign against California's 2008 ballot proposition Proposition 8, an initiative to overturn the state Supreme Court decision that had legalized same-sex marriage.^[158] In March 2012, Pitt was featured in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play, '8' — a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage — as Judge Vaughn Walker.^[159]

In the media

Pitt interviewed by the news media at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 2007

Pitt's sex appeal has been picked up by many sources including Empire, who named him one of the 25 sexiest stars in film history in 1995.^[12] The same year, Pitt won People's Sexiest Man Alive, an accolade he won again in 2000.^[1]^[160] Pitt appeared on Forbes's annual Celebrity 100 list of the 100 most powerful celebrities in 2006, 2007, and 2008, at No. 20, No. 5, and No. 10 respectively.^[161]^[162]^[163] In 2007 he was listed among the Time 100, a compilation of the 100 most influential people in the world, as selected annually by TIME.^[164] The magazine credited Pitt with using "his star power to get people to look [to where] cameras don't usually catch".^[164] Pitt was again included in the Time 100 in 2009, this time in the Builders and Titans list.^[165]
Starting in 2005, Pitt's relationship with Angelina Jolie became one of the most reported celebrity stories worldwide. After confirming that Jolie was pregnant in early 2006, the unprecedented media hype surrounding the couple reached what Reuters, in a story titled "The Brangelina fever," called "the point of insanity".^[3] To avoid media attention, the couple flew to Namibia for the birth of their daughter Shiloh, "the most anticipated baby since Jesus Christ."^[166] Similarly, intense media interest greeted the announcement two years later of Jolie's second pregnancy; for the two weeks Jolie spent in a seaside hospital in Nice, reporters and photographers camped outside on the promenade to report on the birth.^[167]
In a 2006 global industry survey by ACNielsen in 42 international markets, Pitt, together with Jolie, was found to be the favorite celebrity endorser for brands and products worldwide.^[168] Pitt has appeared in several television commercials. For the U.S. market, he starred in a Heineken commercial aired during the 2005 Super Bowl; it was directed by David Fincher, who had directed Pitt in Seven, Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.^[169] Other commercial appearances came in television spots including SoftBank and Edwin Jeans.^[170]

Personal life

Relationships

Angelina Jolie and Pitt at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival

Pitt met Friends actress Jennifer Aniston in 1998 and married her in a private wedding ceremony in Malibu on July 29, 2000. For years their marriage was considered a rare Hollywood success;^[171] however, in January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced they had decided to separate. Two months later Aniston filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.^[172] Pitt and Aniston's divorce was finalized by the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 2, 2005.^[172] Despite media reports that Pitt and Aniston had an acrimonious relationship, Pitt said in a February 2009 interview that he and Aniston "check in with each other", adding that they were both big parts of each other's lives.^[173]
During Pitt's divorce proceedings, his involvement with his Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie attracted media attention. While Pitt denied claims of adultery, he admitted that he "fell in love" with Jolie on the set.^[174] In April 2005, one month after Aniston filed for divorce, a set of paparazzi photographs emerged showing Pitt, Jolie and her son Maddox at a beach in Kenya; the press interpreted the pictures as evidence of a relationship between Pitt and Jolie. During 2005, the two were seen together with increasing frequency, and the entertainment media dubbed the couple "Brangelina".^[175] On January 11, 2006, Jolie confirmed to People that she was pregnant with Pitt's child, thereby publicly acknowledging their relationship for the first time. Pitt and Jolie announced their engagement in April 2012 after seven years together.^[176]

Children

Children[show]

In July 2005, Pitt accompanied Jolie to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she adopted her second child, six-month-old Zahara Marley.^[177] On January 19, 2006, a California judge granted Jolie's request to change the children's surnames from "Jolie" to "Jolie-Pitt".^[178] The adoptions were finalized soon after.^[179]
Jolie gave birth to daughter Shiloh Nouvel in Swakopmund, Namibia, on May 27, 2006. Pitt confirmed that their newborn daughter would have a Namibian passport.^[180] The couple sold the first pictures of Shiloh through the distributor Getty Images; the North American rights were purchased by People for over $4.1 million, while Hello! obtained the British rights for approximately $3.5 million. The proceeds from the sale were donated to charities serving African children.^[181] Madame Tussauds in New York unveiled a wax figure of two-month-old Shiloh; it marked the first time an infant was recreated in wax by Madame Tussauds.^[182]
On March 15, 2007, Jolie adopted three-year-old Pax Thien from an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.^[183] Pitt adopted Pax in the United States on February 21, 2008.^[184]
At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008, Jolie confirmed that she was expecting twins.^[185] She gave birth to son Knox Léon and daughter Vivienne Marcheline on July 12, 2008 in Nice, France.^[186]^{[better source needed]} The rights for the first images of Knox and Vivienne were jointly sold to People and Hello! for $14 million—the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken.^[187]^[188] The couple donated the proceeds to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.^[187]^[189]

Filmography

Main article: Brad Pitt filmography

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt

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Jump up ^ Justin Kroll (May 22, 2013). "Jeremy Kleiner Tapped as Co-President of Plan B Entertainment". Variety. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Pitt gets serious for John Kerry. San Francisco Chronicle. October 22, 2004 [Retrieved November 25, 2008].
Jump up ^ Marc Lavine. Star power fails Kerry. The Age (Australia). November 4, 2004 [Retrieved November 25, 2008].
Jump up ^ Tatiana Morales. Stars Clash In Stem Cell Debate. October 29, 2004 [Retrieved November 17, 2008]. Associated Press. CBS News.
Jump up ^ Bradley J. Fikes. Supporters, foes of Prop. 71 clash as election draws near. North County Times. October 28, 2004 [archived January 8, 2010; Retrieved January 8, 2010].
Jump up ^ Shari Scorca. Bono, Brad Pitt Launch Campaign For Third-World Relief. April 6, 2005 [Retrieved December 30, 2008]. MTV News.
Jump up ^ Christopher Lagan. Americans wear White Bands in Support of the Fight against Global Aids and Poverty. One Campaign Official Website. March 1, 2005 [Retrieved December 30, 2008].
Jump up ^ Rx for Survival — The Television Broadcasts — The Complete Series. [Retrieved May 15, 2008]. Public Broadcasting Service.
Jump up ^ Scott Lamb. The Fix. January 17, 2006 [Retrieved January 28, 2009]. Salon.com.
Jump up ^ Big Lenders. RedEye. May 11, 2007:72. "Refugee camps in Darfur and neighboring Chad are receiving a big dose of help from Bradgelina. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are donating $1 million to humanitarian efforts there through their Jolie-Pitt Foundation [...] The money ... will go to three organizations that help millions of displaced refugees in and around Darfur."
Jump up ^ Not On Our Watch [Retrieved June 23, 2012].
Jump up ^ John Hiscock. Brad Pitt interview: why I had to face my own mortality. The Daily Telegraph (UK). January 29, 2009 [archived March 1, 2010; Retrieved February 24, 2009].
Jump up ^ e². [Retrieved October 25, 2009]. Public Broadcasting Service.
Jump up ^ Katy Reckdahl. Brad Pitt's foundation races clock in New Orleans. The Seattle Times. August 23, 2008 [Retrieved November 7, 2009].
Jump up ^ Rick Jervis. Brad Pitt plays action hero in New Orleans' recovery. USA Today. December 3, 2007 [Retrieved November 7, 2009].
Jump up ^ Stacey Plaisance. Pitt Shocked by Post-Katrina Devastation. The Washington Post. July 15, 2006 [Retrieved November 14, 2008]. Associated Press.
Jump up ^ Does Jolie lead Hollywood by example? Access Hollywood. July 17, 2006 [Retrieved November 14, 2008]. MSNBC. "Brad Pitt—whose most recent cause has been close to home and heart—working with Global Green USA ... on a competition to choose ecologically sound designs for rebuilding neighborhoods in post-Katrina New Orleans."
Jump up ^ Robin Pogrebin. Brad Pitt Commissions Designs for New Orleans. The New York Times. December 3, 2007 [Retrieved November 14, 2008]. "Mr. Pitt pledged to match $5 million in contributions to the project, as did Steve Bing, the philanthropist."
Jump up ^ Sheila Marikar. Philanthropist, Photog, Politician, Actor: Who Is Brad Pitt? October 15, 2008 [archived March 2, 2010; Retrieved March 2, 2010]:1. ABC News.
Jump up ^ Pitt awarded for Orleans project. September 25, 2009 [Retrieved September 25, 2009]. BBC News.
Jump up ^ David Ng. Monster Mash: Demoted NEA communications chief resigns; MOCA raises $60 million; Brad Pitt honored for New Orleans work. Los Angeles Times. September 25, 2009 [Retrieved September 25, 2009].
Jump up ^ Toby Harnden. Barack Obama welcomes Brad Pitt to White House. The Daily Telegraph (UK). March 6, 2009 [archived March 1, 2010; Retrieved March 26, 2009].
Jump up ^ Hellenbeck-Huber, Marjorie (2010). Celebrities' Most Wanted™: The Top 10 Book of Lavish Lifestyles, Tabloid Tidbits, and Other Superstar Oddities. Potomac Books. p. 264. ISBN 9781597975100.
Jump up ^ Mary Green. Brad & Angelina Start Charitable Group. People. September 20, 2006 [Retrieved March 26, 2009].
Jump up ^ Amy Bonawitz. Pitt, Jolie Donate To Pearl Foundation. October 10, 2006 [Retrieved March 26, 2009]. CBS News.
Jump up ^ Roger Friedman. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Charity: Bravo. March 21, 2008 [Retrieved March 31, 2009]. Fox News.
Jump up ^ Roger Friedman. Brad and Angie Get $$ from E! March 11, 2009 [Retrieved March 31, 2009]. Fox News.
Jump up ^ Jolie and Pitt donate to Pakistan. June 19, 2009 [Retrieved June 19, 2009]. BBC News.
Jump up ^ Dave Itzkoff. Haitian Earthquake Spurs Stars to Action. The New York Times. January 14, 2010 [Retrieved January 14, 2010].
Jump up ^ Lyneka Little. Morning Report: "Dexter" Star Recovers From Cancer, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Help Haiti, Obama Gets the Musical Treatment. The Wall Street Journal. January 14, 2010 [Retrieved January 14, 2010].
Jump up ^ DeNinno, Nadine (14 July 2011). "Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie To Get Married?". International Business Times. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
Jump up ^ Brad Pitt. My List. Esquire. October 1, 2006 [archived March 15, 2010; Retrieved March 15, 2010]:2.
Jump up ^ Ted Johnson. Pitt takes a stand against Prop 8. Variety. September 17, 2008 [Retrieved November 17, 2008].
Jump up ^ Brad Pitt joins cast of '8' play reading in L.A.. [Retrieved March 17, 2012]. The Los Angeles Times.
Jump up ^ Judy Faber. George Clooney Sizes Up Brad Pitt's Feet. June 6, 2007 [Retrieved November 15, 2008]. CBS News.
Jump up ^ Lea Goldman; Kiri Blakeley. The Celebrity 100. Forbes. June 12, 2006 [Retrieved November 17, 2008].
Jump up ^ The Celebrity 100. Forbes. June 14, 2007 [Retrieved November 17, 2008].
Jump up ^ Oprah, Tiger Woods, Angelina Jolie Top Forbes' Celebrity 100 List. June 12, 2008 [Retrieved May 19, 2009]. Fox News.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Rebecca Winters Keegan. Brad Pitt. TIME. [Retrieved July 11, 2007].
Jump up ^ James Carville; Mary Matalin. Brad Pitt. TIME. [Retrieved May 19, 2009].
Jump up ^ Terry Leonard. Namibia Shielding Pitt and Jolie. The Washington Post. May 25, 2006 [Retrieved December 30, 2008]. Associated Press.
Jump up ^ Ben Gruber. Jolie twins doctor admits to pre-birth pressure. July 15, 2008 [Retrieved December 30, 2008]. Reuters.
Jump up ^ "Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt top the charts, as favourite celebrity endorsers". ACNielsen. July 24, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
Jump up ^ Lucy Kaylin. American Idol. GQ. June 2005 [archived March 23, 2010; Retrieved March 22, 2010]:5.
Jump up ^ Cate Doty. For Celebrities, Ads Made Abroad Shed Some Stigma. The New York Times. February 4, 2008 [Retrieved March 26, 2009].
Jump up ^ Pitt and Aniston announce split. January 8, 2005 [Retrieved March 19, 2009]. BBC News.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Judge signs Aniston-Pitt divorce papers. USA Today. August 22, 2005 [Retrieved November 14, 2008]. Associated Press.
Jump up ^ Kevin West. Brad Pitt. W. February 2009 [archived June 28, 2010; Retrieved February 24, 2009]:1.
Jump up ^ Brad Pitt admits Angelina Jolie affair while with Jennifer Aniston. Herald Sun (Australia). December 11, 2008 [Retrieved December 22, 2008].
Jump up ^ Robin Stummer. To Brad and Angelina: a C-section (and the keys to a hysterical nation). The Independent (UK). May 28, 2006 [Retrieved February 21, 2010].
Jump up ^ Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt engaged: official. Reuters. 13 April 2012 [Retrieved 13 April 2012].
Jump up ^ Angelina Jolie: Her Mission and Motherhood. June 20, 2006 [Retrieved October 14, 2008]. CNN Transcripts.
Jump up ^ Judge says Jolie's children can take Pitt's name. January 19, 2006 [Retrieved May 15, 2008]. Associated Press. MSNBC.
Jump up ^ Daren Briscoe. The Giving Back Awards: 15 People Who Make America Great. Newsweek. July 3, 2006 [Retrieved March 14, 2008].
Jump up ^ CNN Transcripts. June 7, 2006 [Retrieved November 14, 2008]. CNN.
Jump up ^ Rose, Lacey. "The Most Expensive Celebrity Photos". Forbes. July 18, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
Jump up ^ Jolie-Pitt baby model on display. July 27, 2006 [Retrieved November 15, 2008]. BBC News.
Jump up ^ Angelina Jolie Happy To Focus On New Son. March 16, 2007 [Retrieved March 1, 2010]. Associated Press. CBS News.
Jump up ^ Barron-Hauwaert, Suzanne (2010). Bilingual Siblings: Language Use in Families. Multilingual Matters. p. 150. ISBN 9781847694928.
Jump up ^ Simon Crerar. Jack Black confirms Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt twin rumours. The Times (UK). May 15, 2008 [Retrieved March 1, 2009].
Jump up ^ Dana Kennedy and Kristin Boehm. The Jolie-Pitts Welcome a Son & Daughter. People. July 13, 2008 [Retrieved July 18, 2008].
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Anita Singh. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: Twins have brought 'wonderful chaos' to our lives. The Daily Telegraph (UK). August 4, 2008 [archived March 1, 2010; Retrieved October 30, 2008].
Jump up ^ Source: Jolie-Pitt baby pics fetch $14 million. August 1, 2008 [archived July 12, 2010; Retrieved October 30, 2008]. Associated Press. MSNBC.
Jump up ^ Stephen Brook. The world's costliest baby snaps: £7m for the Brangelina twins. The Guardian (UK). August 5, 2008 [Retrieved October 26, 2009].

External links

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Sharon Stone

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Sharon Stone
Stone at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005
Born	Sharon Vonne Stone March 10, 1958 (age 55) Meadville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, model, producer
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Michael Greenburg (1984–1990; divorced) Phil Bronstein (1998–2004; divorced)
Children	3

Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct by Paul Verhoeven. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in Casino.

Early life

Stone was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The second of four children, including older brother Mike Stone, she is the daughter of Dorothy (née Lawson), an accountant and homemaker, and Joseph William Stone II, a tool and die manufacturer and factory worker.^[1]^[2]^[3] Stone graduated in 1975 from Saegertown High School in Saegertown, Pennsylvania.^[3]

Career

Modeling

Stone won the title of Miss Crawford County in Meadville, and was a candidate for Miss Pennsylvania.^[3] One of the pageant judges said she should quit school and move to New York City to become a fashion model.^[3] In 1977, Stone left Meadville, moving in with an aunt in New Jersey. Within four days of her arrival in New Jersey, she was signed by Ford Modeling Agency in New York.

1980–1989

While living in Europe, she decided to quit modeling and become an actress. "So I packed my bags, moved back to New York, and stood in line to be an extra in a Woody Allen movie," she later recalled.^{[citation needed]} Stone was cast for a brief role in Allen's Stardust Memories (1980),^[3] and then had a speaking part a year later in the horror film Deadly Blessing (1981). French director Claude Lelouch cast her in Les Uns et les Autres (1982), starring James Caan.^{[citation needed]} She was on screen for two minutes and did not appear in the credits. Her next film role was in Irreconcilable Differences (1984), starring Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, and a young Drew Barrymore. Stone played a starlet who breaks up the marriage of a successful director and his screenwriter wife. In 1984, she appeared in a two-part episode of Magnum, P.I., titled "Echoes of the Mind", where she played identical twins, one a love interest of Tom Selleck's character. Through the rest of the 1980s, she had roles in such B-films as King Solomon's Mines (1985) and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987), and played Steven Seagal's wife in Above the Law (1988). Also in 1988, Stone took over the role of Janice Henry for the filming of the miniseries War and Remembrance.

1990–2002

Stone in France, 1991

Her appearance in Dutch film director Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger gave Stone's career a boost.^[3] To coincide with the film's release, she posed nude for Playboy, showing off the muscles she developed in preparation for the film (she lifted weights and learned taekwondo). In 1999, she was rated among the 25 sexiest stars of the century by Playboy.^[4] In another Verhoeven film was the role that made her a star, playing Catherine Tramell, a brilliant, bisexual, alleged serial killer, in Basic Instinct (1992).^[3] Several better known actresses of the time turned down the part, mostly because of the nudity required.^{[citation needed]} In the film's most notorious scene, Tramell is being questioned by the police, and she crosses and uncrosses her legs, exposing her genitalia, which are not covered by underwear.^[5] According to Stone, she agreed to film the flashing scene with no panties, and although she and Verhoeven had discussed the scene from the beginning of production, she was unaware just how explicit the infamous shot would be:^[6]

"I knew that we were going to do this leg-crossing thing and I knew that we were going to allude to the concept that I was nude, but I did not think that you would see my vagina in the scene. Later, when I saw it in the screening I was shocked. I think seeing it in a room full of strangers was so disrespectful and so shocking, so I went into the booth and slapped him and left."^[7]^[8]

Stone claimed in an earlier interview, however, that "it was so fun" watching the film for the first time with strangers.^[6] Verhoeven has denied all claims of trickery and said, "As much as I love her, I hate her, too, especially after the lies she told the press about the shot between her legs, which was a straight lie".^[9] Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, who later befriended the actress, also claimed in his memoir, Hollywood Animal, that the actress was fully aware of the level of nudity involved.

Stone at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival

Following Basic Instinct, she was listed by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.^[10] In 1992, photographer George Hurrell took a series of photographs of Stone, Sherilyn Fenn, Julian Sands, Raquel Welch, Eric Roberts, and Sean Penn. In November 1995, Stone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. That same year, Empire chose her as one of the 100 sexiest stars in film history. In October 1997, she was ranked among the top 100 film stars of all time by Empire. In 1995, she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture, for her role as "Ginger" in Martin Scorsese's Casino, opposite Robert De Niro.^[3] She also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the role.^[3] The same year, she starred opposite Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio in the Sam Raimi western The Quick And The Dead. Also in 1995, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award.^[11] Stone starred opposite Ellen DeGeneres in the 2000 HBO film If These Walls Could Talk 2, in which she played a lesbian trying to start a family. For her work on 'Walls', she was again recognized by Women in Film, this time with the Lucy Award.^[11] In 2001, Stone was linked to a biopic of the German film director Leni Riefenstahl. The prospective director, Paul Verhoeven, and Riefenstahl herself, favoured Stone to portray Riefenstahl in the film. According to Verhoeven, he discussed the project with Stone and she was very interested. Subsequently, Verhoeven pulled out of the project as he wanted to hire a more expensive screenwriter than the producers did.^[12]^[13] Stone was hospitalized on September 29, 2001 for a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which was diagnosed as a vertebral artery dissection rather than the more common ruptured aneurysm, and treated with an endovascular coil embolization.^[14]

2003–present

Stone in 2005

In 2003, she appeared in three episodes from the eighth season of The Practice. For her performances, she received an Emmy Award^[15] for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Also in 2003, she appeared in a James Woods-directed American Stroke Association television commercial to raise awareness of the symptoms of a stroke. This commercial was also shown in Canada courtesy of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.^[16] Stone attempted a return to the mainstream with roles in the films Cold Creek Manor (2003) with Dennis Quaid and Catwoman (2004) with Halle Berry; however, both films were critical and commercial flops.
After years of litigation, Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction was released on March 31, 2006. A reason for a long delay in releasing the film was reportedly Stone's dispute with the filmmakers over the nudity in the film; she wanted more, while they wanted less. A group sex scene was cut in order to achieve an R rating from the MPAA for the U.S. release; the controversial scene remained in the U.K. version of the London-based film. Stone told an interviewer, "We are in a time of odd repression and if a popcorn movie allows us to create a platform for discussion, wouldn't that be great?"^[17] Despite an estimated budget of $70 million, it placed only 10th in gross on its debut weekend with a meager $3,200,000, and was subsequently declared a bomb.^[18] It ultimately ran in theaters for only 17 days and finished with a total domestic gross of under $6 million. Despite the failure of Basic Instinct 2, Stone has said that she would love to direct and act in a third Basic Instinct film.

Stone at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011

She appeared in the 2006 drama Alpha Dog opposite Bruce Willis, playing Olivia Mazursky, the mother of a real-life murder victim. Stone wore a fatsuit for the role.^[19] In February 2007, Stone found her role as a clinically depressed woman in her latest film, When a Man Falls in the Forest, uplifting, as it challenged what she called "Prozac society." "It was a watershed experience," she said. "I think that we live in a... Prozac society where we're always told we're supposed to have this kind of equilibrium of emotion. We have all these assignments about how we're supposed to feel about something."^[20]
In December 2006, she co hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway together with Anjelica Huston. The concert was in honor of the Nobel Peace Prize winners Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank.^[21] Also in that year, she appeared in the last episode of the Turkish TV series Kurtlar Vadisi (Valley of the Wolves) along with Andy Garcia.^{[citation needed]} On January 5, 2010, Entertainment Weekly reported Stone's impending appearance in four episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in April,^[22] and then included in a review on the 29th of that April such descriptions of Stone's performance as a "great presence," and having "had to revive her best ... tone to sell hokey lines" in a series it described as "mawkish and overwrought."^[23] Stone portrayed Jo Marlowe, a former cop turned prosecutor.

Criticism

Tanzania

On January 28, 2005, Stone helped solicit pledges for $1 million in five minutes for mosquito nets in Tanzania,^[24] turning a panel on African poverty into an impromptu fund-raiser at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Many observers, including UNICEF, criticized her actions by claiming that Stone had reacted instinctively to the words of Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, because she had not done her research on the causes, consequences and methods of preventing malaria.^[25]
Of the $1 million pledged, only $250,000 was actually raised. In order to fulfill the promise to send $1 million worth of bed nets to Tanzania, UNICEF contributed $750,000.^[26] This diverted funds from other UNICEF projects.^[26] According to prominent economist Xavier Sala-i-Martín, officials are largely unaware of what happened with the bed nets. Some were delivered to the local airport.^[26] These reportedly were stolen and later resurfaced as wedding dresses on the local black market.^[25]^[26]

Chinese earthquake

Stone sparked a storm of criticism with her comments in an exchange on the red carpet with Hong Kong's Cable Entertainment News during the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008. When asked about the 2008 Sichuan earthquake she remarked:

Well you know it was very interesting because at first, you know, I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And so I have been very concerned about how to think and what to do about that because I don't like that. And I had been this, you know, concerned about, oh how should we deal with the Olympics because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine. And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that Karma? When you're not nice then the bad things happen to you? ^[27]

Observers have noted that Wenchuan County, the epicenter of the earthquake, is located in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, where ethnic Tibetans compose over half the population. According to the Hollywood Reporter, one of China's biggest cinema chains reacted to Stone's comments by declaring it would not show her films in its theaters.^[28] The founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, Ng See-Yuen, called Stone's comments "inappropriate," and said the UME Cineplex chain would be presenting her films no further.^[28] Christian Dior advertisements featuring Stone's image were dropped from all ads in China amid the public uproar.^[29] Stone was struck from the 2008 Shanghai International Film Festival guest list, and the event's organizers considered banning the actress permanently.^[30]
Dior China had originally posted an apology in Stone's name, but Stone later denied making the apology during an interview with the New York Times, saying "I'm not going to apologize. I'm certainly not going to apologize for something that isn't real and true – not for face creams," although she does admit she had "sounded like an idiot."^[31] However, after the interview, Stone released a statement entitled "In my own words by Sharon Stone" in which she said "I could not be more regretful of that mistake. It was unintentional. I apologize. Those words were never meant to be hurtful to anyone."^[32] While Stone cited the Dalai Lama as her "good friend" when she made the remark at the Cannes film festival, the Dalai Lama has reportedly distanced himself by saying of her only, "yes, I've met that lady".^[33]^[34]

Mensa

For many years, Stone maintained that she had an IQ of 148^[35] and was a member of Mensa,^[36]^[37] but in April 2002, she admitted she was not, and had never been, a member of that society.^[36]^[38] Jim Blackmore of Mensa said, "It's delightful to finally see Ms. Stone admit that she's not and never has been a member of our society." Blackmore admits Stone may be as clever as many like to think. He says, "My gut feeling is that she would definitely qualify. But that's just based on what we've been told by other individuals."^[38]

Peace promotion

In March 2006, Stone traveled to Israel to promote peace in the Middle East through a press conference with Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres.^[39] In 2013, she referred to Peres as her "mentor."^[40]

Personal life

Stone currently lives in Beverly Hills, California and owns a ranch in New Zealand.^[41] She married television producer Michael Greenburg in 1984 on the set of The Vegas Strip War, a television film he produced and she starred in. The couple separated three years later, and their divorce was finalized in 1990.^[42] In 1993, Stone met William J. MacDonald (aka Bill MacDonald) on the set of the film Sliver, which he co-produced. MacDonald left his wife Naomi Baca for Stone and became engaged to her. They separated one year later in 1994.^[43] While working on the film The Quick and the Dead in 1995, Stone met Bob Wagner (a second assistant director) and they became engaged. After they separated, Stone returned the engagement ring via FedEx.^[44]
On February 14, 1998, Stone married Phil Bronstein, executive editor of the San Francisco Examiner and later San Francisco Chronicle.^[45] They adopted a baby son, Roan Joseph Bronstein, in 2000.^[46] Bronstein filed for divorce in 2003, citing irreconcilable differences.^[47] The divorce became final in 2004,^[48] with a judge ruling that Roan should remain primarily with Bronstein, with Stone receiving visitation.^[47]^[49] Stone adopted her second son, Laird Vonne Stone, in 2005,^[50] and her third son, Quinn Kelly Stone, in 2006.^[42]^[51]
In 2005, when asked during a television interview for her film Basic Instinct 2 about "life imitating art" (referring to her character's bisexuality), Stone said, "Why not? Middle age is an open-minded period".^[52] In 2011, Stone stated on Piers Morgan Tonight that she was never married to George Howe Englund, Jr., despite contrary internet rumors.^[53] It was announced on January 30, 2013, Stone, concerned about their huge age difference, had split with her boyfriend Martin Mica after dating for eight months.^[54]

Religion

Stone is a convert to Tibetan Buddhism.^[55] She believes in God and is religious by self-description.^[56] She is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church.^[57]

Filmography

Main article: Sharon Stone filmography

References

^ Mott, Gordon (August 1, 2004). "Sharon Stone Reinvented". Cigar Aficionado. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Sharon Stone Biography (1958-)". film reference. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Stated on Inside the Actors Studio, 1999
^ Playboy (23 November 1998). "Playboy Ranks 100 Sexiest Stars of the Century in January Issue". PR Newswire. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Screencapture taken from the classic interview scene where Stone's genitalia are displayed". Retrieved August 18, 2011. Caution: image includes nudity.
^ ^a ^b "Paul Verhoeven – Stone Tricked Into Controversial Basic Instinct Scene". contactmusic.com. 15 September 2003. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Stone Attacked Basic Instinct Director Over Vagina Shot". contactmusic.com. March 8, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ FilmStew staff (March 13, 2007). "Stone Ready to Bare All...Again". FilmStew.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Verhoeven Calls Sharon Stone A Liar And A Nightmare". Movie & TV News (IMDb). WENN. August 21, 2011.
^ "Beautiful Through the Years". People magazine. May 12, 1997. ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Past Recipients". Women In Film. Archived from the original on August 19, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ Wallace, Amy (April 2, 2001). "Will Jodie Whitewash Leni?". The Nation.(subscription required)
^ Harris, Paul (April 29, 2007). "Hollywood tackles Hitler's Leni". guardian.co.uk: The Observer (London). Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ Mike Falcon (October 23, 2003). "Basic instinct may have saved Sharon Stone". USA Today. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
^ Sharon Stone Emmy Award Winner
^ "I am a stroke.". Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada/Google Videos. 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
^ "Sharon Stone sought 'brazen' nude scenes". Inside Entertainment. March 2006. Archived from the original on April 28, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ Siegel, Tatiana (April 3, 2006). "Erotic thrillers lose steam at box office". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 17, 2006.
^ "Stone struggles to look bad in a fat suit". contactmusic.com. December 11, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Sharon Stone Film Challenges 'Prozac Society'". newsmax.com. Reuters,. February 12, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Previous concerts: 2006". Nobel Peace Prize Concert. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ Ausiello, Michael (January 5, 2010). "Scoop: 'Law & Order: SVU' collars Sharon Stone". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ Tucker, Ken (April 29, 2010). "Sharon Stone on 'Law & Order: SVU' review: Fire, but no sparks". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Sharon Stone raises $1 mil. for Tanzania in 5 minutes", Daily Yomiuri, January 30, 2005.
^ ^a ^b "The $25 billion question". The Economist. June 30, 2005. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Daar, Evan (2009). "Aid Wars". The Current (New York: Columbia University) (Spring 2009). Retrieved August 19, 2011. A review of Moyo, Dambisa (2009). Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-13956-8.
^ "Sharon Stone suggests China quake was ‘karma’". The Associated Press. MSNBC. 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
^ ^a ^b "Sharon Stone: Was China quake 'bad karma?'". Yahoo!. May 28, 2008. Archived from the original on May 31, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2008.
^ AFP (May 29, 2008). "Sharon Stone apologises for China quake 'karma' remark". Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ AFP (June 3, 2008). "Sharon Stone not welcome at Shanghai film fest". Retrieved January 24, 2010.
^ Horyn, Cathy (June 1, 2008). "Actress Stone and Dior Differ Over Apology". NYT. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
^ "Actress says she misspoke on China". CNN. May 31, 2008.
^ Thomson, Katherine (June 20, 2008). "Dalai Lama Distances Himself From 'Good Friend' Sharon Stone". Huffington Post Entertainment. AFP. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ AFP (June 11, 2008). "Dalai Lama baulks at Sharon Stone's 'karma' quake remark". Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Sharon Stone". NNDB. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Reiter, Amy (April 2, 2002). "Just brilliant". Salon.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ Dargis, Manohla. "Sharon Stone". Movies & TV (New York Times). Retrieved May 23, 2010.
^ ^a ^b "Sharon Stone's Mensa Madness". Movie/TV News (IMDb). WENN. April 4, 2002. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Sharon Stone talks about peace, her naked body, and Jews in her employ". Gawker: Defamer. March 14, 2006. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
^ Dvir, Noam (Davul). "Sharon Stone call Peres her 'mentor.'" Ynetnews. 19 June 2013. 19 June 2013.
^ "Sharon Stone ordered to pay out". The Edge New Zealand. July 18, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
^ ^a ^b Hellard, Peta (October 5, 2008). "Court humiliation for Stone". Herald Sun. Melbourne. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ Fink, Mitchell (February 21, 1994). "The Insider: Stone's Throw". People magazine 41 (7): 33. ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Rolling Stone". People magazine 41 (10): 74. March 21, 1994. ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ Schindehette, Susan (March 2, 1998). "Some Enchanted Evening". People magazine 49 (8): 80. ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
^ Bear, Liza; Oldenburg, Ann (May 24, 2002). "No fashion stone left unturned". USA Today. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "The War Over Roan". People. October 20, 2008. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
^ "People: Liv Ullmann, Sharon Stone, Seal". New York Times. Friday, May 13, 2005. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
^ "Sharon Stone's Custody Derailed by Botox". E Online. September 30, 2008. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
^ Perry, Simon; Arcieri, Kate; Silverman, Stephen M. (May 12, 2005). "Maternal Instinct: Sharon Stone Adopts Boy". People magazine. ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
^ WENN.com (August 29, 2006). "Sharon Stone Confirms Adoption". Hollywood.com. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
^ "Sharon Stone promises 'lesbian love' in Basic Instinct 2". Advocate.com. AP. February 25, 2005. Archived from the original on November 17, 2005. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
^ "Sharon Stone: 'I Haven't Been Married Three Times!'". Comedy Central. February 25, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
^ "Sharon Stone splits from 27-year-old boyfriend: report". New York Post. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
^ "What is karma?". BBC News (London: BBC). 2008-05-29. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
^ Hata, Peter. "Sharon Stone –Balancing Religion and Acting, Buddha and God". Livingdharma.org. Retrieved January 24, 2010. Reports an interview with Stone by Luaine Lee of the Deseret News Service.
^ "Hollywood's Hall of Famous ULC Ministers". universallifechurchministers.org. 2011 [last update]. Retrie

Tom Cruise

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For those of a similar name, see Tom Kruse (disambiguation).

Tom Cruise
Cruise on MTV Live in December 2008
Born	Thomas Cruise Mapother IV July 3, 1962 (age 50) Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, producer, writer, director
Years active	1981–present
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Religion	Scientology
Spouse(s)	Mimi Rogers (1987–90) Nicole Kidman (1990–2001) Katie Holmes (2006–2012)^[1]
Children	Isabella Cruise (adopted) (b. 1992) Connor Cruise (adopted) (b. 1995) Suri Cruise (b. 2006)
Website
TomCruise.com

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (pron.: /ˈtɒməs ˈkruːz ˈmeɪpɒθər/; born July 3, 1962), widely known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards. He started his career at age 19 in the 1981 film Taps. His first leading role was in Risky Business, released in August 1983. Cruise became a full-fledged movie star after starring in Top Gun (1986). He is well known for his role as secret agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible film series between 1996 and 2011.
Cruise has starred in many Hollywood blockbusters, including Rain Man (1988), A Few Good Men (1992), Jerry Maguire (1996), Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Collateral (2004), War of the Worlds (2005) and Jack Reacher (2012). As of 2012, Cruise is Hollywood's highest-paid actor.^[2]^[3]
Cruise is known for his Scientology faith, and for his support of the Church of Scientology.^[4]

Early life

Cruise was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Mary Lee (née Pfeiffer), a special education teacher, and Thomas Cruise Mapother III (died 1984),^[5] an electrical engineer.^[6] Cruise has three sisters, Lee Anne, Marian, and Cass. Cruise's surname originates from his great-grandfather, born Thomas Cruise O'Mara, who was adopted by a Welsh immigrant and renamed "Thomas Cruise Mapother."^[7]^[8]^[9] Cruise is of German, Irish, and English ancestry.^[10] He grew up in near poverty, and had a Catholic upbringing. The family was dominated by his abusive father, whom Cruise has described as "a merchant of chaos."^[11] He was beaten by his father, whom Cruise has said was a bully and coward.

He was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life—how he’d lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang! For me, it was like, 'There's something wrong with this guy. Don't trust him. Be careful around him.'^[11]

Cruise's family spent part of his childhood in Canada. They moved to the Ottawa suburb of Beacon Hill in late 1971 so that Cruise's father could take a position as a defense consultant with the Canadian Armed Forces.^[12] There, Cruise attended the just opened Robert Hopkins Public School for much of grade four as well as grade five.^[12]^[13] It was while in grade four that Cruise first became involved in drama, under the tutelage of George Steinburg. Cruise and six other boys put on an improvised play to music called IT at the Carlton Elementary School drama festival.^[12] Drama organizer Val Wright, who was in the audience that night, reflected that "the movement and improvisation were excellent. It was a classic ensemble piece."^[12] Cruise also enjoyed sports at the school including playing floor hockey, though he was known more for his aggression than his talent. For grade six Cruise went to Henry Munro Middle School. However, in the spring of that year Cruise's mother left his father, taking Cruise and his sisters back to the US.^[12] His father died of cancer.^[14]
He briefly attended a Franciscan seminary in Cincinnati on a church scholarship and aspired to become a Catholic priest.^[15] In his senior year, he played football for the varsity team as a linebacker, but he was cut from the squad after getting caught drinking beer before a game.^[16]^[17]

Career

Acting

Cruise first appeared in a very small bit part in the 1981 film Endless Love, followed by a major supporting role as a crazed military school student in Taps later that year. In 1983, Cruise was part of the ensemble cast of The Outsiders. That same year he appeared in All the Right Moves and Risky Business, which has been described as "A Generation-X classic, and a career-maker for Tom Cruise",^[18] and which, along with 1986's Top Gun, cemented his status as a Superstar. Cruise also played the male lead (Jack O' the Green) in Legend (released 1986).
Cruise followed up Top Gun with The Color of Money, which came out the same year, and which paired him with Paul Newman. 1988 saw him star in Cocktail, which earned him a nomination for the Razzie Award for Worst Actor. Later that year he starred with Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, which won the Academy Award for Best Film and Cruise the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor. Cruise portrayed real-life paralyzed Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic in 1989's Born on the Fourth of July, which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Actor, a nomination for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Cruise's first Best Actor Academy Award nomination.
Cruise's next films were Days of Thunder (1990) and Far and Away (1992), both of which co-starred then-wife Nicole Kidman as his love interest. In 1994, Cruise starred along with Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas and Christian Slater in Neil Jordan's Interview with the Vampire, a gothic drama/horror film that was based on Anne Rice's best-selling novel. The film was well received, although Rice was initially quite outspoken in her criticism of Cruise having been cast in the film, as Julian Sands was her first choice. Upon seeing the film however, she paid $7,740 for a two-page ad in Daily Variety praising his performance and apologizing for her previous doubts about him.^[19]
In 1996, Cruise appeared as superspy Ethan Hunt in the reboot of Mission: Impossible, which he produced. In 1996, he took on the title role in Jerry Maguire, for which he earned a Golden Globe and his second nomination for an Academy Award. In 1999, Cruise costarred with Kidman in the erotic Stanley Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut, and took a rare supporting role as a motivational speaker Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia, for which he received another Golden Globe and nomination for an Academy Award.
In 2000, Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in the second installment of the Mission Impossible films, releasing Mission: Impossible II. The film was directed by Hong Kong director John Woo and branded with his gun fu style, and it continued the series' blockbuster success at the box office, taking in almost $547M in worldwide figures, like its predecessor, being the third highest grossing film of the year. Cruise received an MTV Movie Award as Best Male Performance for this film. His next five films were major critical and commercial successes.^[20]^[21] The following year Cruise starred in the romantic thriller Vanilla Sky (2001) with Cameron Diaz and Penélope Cruz. In 2002, Cruise starred in the dystopian science fiction thriller, Minority Report which was directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick.
In 2003, he starred in the Edward Zwick's historical drama The Last Samurai, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination as best actor. In 2005, Cruise worked again with Steven Spielberg in War of the Worlds, a loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel of the same name, which became the fourth highest grossing film of the year with US$591.4 million worldwide. Also in 2005, he won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie Star, and the MTV Generation Award. Cruise was nominated for seven Saturn Awards between 2002 and 2009, winning once. Nine of the ten films he starred in during the decade made over $100 million at the box office.^[20]

Cruise in 2006

In 2006, he reprised his role as Ethan Hunt in the third installment of the Mission Impossible film series, Mission: Impossible III. The film was more positively received by critics than its predecessor, and grossed nearly $400 million at the box office.^[22] In 2007, Cruise took a rare supporting role for the second time in Lions for Lambs, which was a commercial disappointment. This was followed by an unrecognizable appearance as "Less Grossman" in the 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder with Ben Stiller and Jack Black. This performance earned Cruise a Golden Globe nomination. Cruise played the central role in the historical thriller Valkyrie released on December 25, 2008 to box office success.^[23] As of 2009, Cruise's films have grossed over $6.5 billion worldwide.^[24]
In March 2010, Cruise completed filming the action-comedy Knight and Day, in which he re-teamed with former costar Cameron Diaz; the film was released on June 23, 2010.^[25] On February 9, 2010, Cruise confirmed that he would star in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the fourth installment in the Mission:Impossible series. The film was released in December 2011^[26] to high critical acclaim^[27] and box office success.^[28] It is also Cruise's biggest commercial success to date.^[29]
On May 6, 2011, Cruise was awarded a humanitarian award from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and Museum of Tolerance for his work as a dedicated philanthropist.^[30]
In mid-2011, Cruise started shooting the movie Rock of Ages, in which he played the character Stacee Jaxx. The film was released in June 2012.^[31]

Producing

Cruise partnered with his former talent agent Paula Wagner to form Cruise/Wagner Productions in 1993,^[32] and the company has since co-produced several of Cruise's films, the first being Mission: Impossible in 1996 which was also Cruise's first project as a producer.
Cruise is noted as having negotiated some of the most lucrative film deals in Hollywood, and was described in 2005 by Hollywood economist Edward Jay Epstein as "one of the most powerful – and richest – forces in Hollywood." Epstein argues that Cruise is one of the few producers (the others being George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer) who are regarded as able to guarantee the success of a billion-dollar film franchise. Epstein also contends that the public obsession with Cruise's tabloid controversies obscures full appreciation of Cruise's exceptional commercial prowess.^[33]
Cruise/Wagner Productions, Cruise's film production company, is said to be developing a screenplay based on Erik Larson's New York Times bestseller, The Devil in the White City about a real life serial killer, H. H. Holmes, at Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition. Kathryn Bigelow is attached to the project to produce and helm. Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, is also developing a film about Holmes and the World's Fair, in which DiCaprio will star.^[34]

Breakup with Paramount

On August 22, 2006, Paramount Pictures announced it was ending its 14-year relationship with Cruise. In the Wall Street Journal, chairman of Viacom (Paramount's parent company) Sumner Redstone cited the economic damage to Cruise's value as an actor and producer from his controversial public behavior and views.^[35]^[36] Cruise/Wagner Productions responded that Paramount's announcement was a face-saving move after the production company had successfully sought alternative financing from private equity firms.^[37] Industry analysts such as Edward Jay Epstein commented that the real reason for the split was most likely Paramount's discontent over Cruise/Wagner's exceptionally large share of DVD sales from the Mission: Impossible franchise.^[38]^[39]

Management of United Artists

In November 2006, Cruise and Paula Wagner announced that they had taken over United Artists film studio.^[32] Cruise acts as a producer and star in films for United Artists, while Wagner serves as UA's chief executive. Production began in 2007 of Valkyrie, a thriller based on the July 20, 1944 assassination attempt against Adolf Hitler. The film was acquired in March 2007 by United Artists. On March 21, 2007 Cruise signed on to play Claus von Stauffenberg, the protagonist. This project marks the second production to be greenlighted since Cruise and Wagner took control of United Artists. The first was its inaugural film, Lions for Lambs, directed by Robert Redford and starring Redford, Meryl Streep and Cruise. Lambs was released on November 9, 2007,^[40] opening to unimpressive box office revenue and critical reception. In August 2008, Wagner stepped down from her position at United Artists; she retains her stake in UA, which combined with Cruise's share amounts to 30 percent of the studio.^[41]

Relationships and personal life

Cruise had a relationship with Risky Business co-star Rebecca De Mornay from 1983 to 1985.^[42]^[43] Singer/actress Cher says that she dated Cruise in 1985.^[44]

With Katie Holmes in May 2009

Cruise married actress Mimi Rogers on May 9, 1987; he was 24 and she was 31. The marriage lasted two years, and their divorce was finalized on February 4, 1990. Rogers introduced Cruise to Scientology.^[45]
Cruise met his second wife, actress Nicole Kidman, on the set of their film Days of Thunder in 1989. The couple married on December 24, 1990. Cruise and Kidman adopted two children, Isabella Jane (born December 1992) and Connor Antony (born January 1995). In February 2001 Cruise filed for divorce from Kidman while she was unknowingly pregnant. The pregnancy ended with a miscarriage. In 2007 Kidman clarified rumours of a miscarriage early in her marriage to Cruise, saying in an interview, "It was wrongly reported," and explaining that she had actually had an ectopic pregnancy.^[46] Kidman has spoken after the divorce of how much she still loves him, "He was huge; still is. To me, he was just Tom, but to everybody else, he is huge. But he was lovely to me. And I loved him. I still love him."^[47]

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, June 2009

Cruise was next romantically linked with Penélope Cruz, his co-star in Vanilla Sky. The relationship ended in 2004.^[48] An article in the October 2012 issue of Vanity Fair states that several sources have said that after the breakup with Cruz, the Church of Scientology launched a secret project to find Cruise a new girlfriend. According to those sources, a series of "auditions" of Scientologist actresses resulted in a short-lived relationship with British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi, who subsequently left Scientology.^[49] The Church and Cruise's lawyers issued strongly worded denials and threatened to sue, accusing Vanity Fair of "shoddy journalism" and "religious bigotry."^[50] Journalist Roger Friedman later reported that he received an email from director and ex-Scientologist Paul Haggis confirming the story.^[51]^[52]
In April 2005, Cruise began dating actress Katie Holmes. On April 27 that year, Cruise and Holmes – dubbed "TomKat" by the media – made their first public appearance together in Rome.^[53] A month later, Cruise declared his love for Holmes on The Oprah Winfrey Show, famously jumping up and down on Winfrey's couch during the show.^[54] On October 6, 2005, Cruise and Holmes announced they were expecting a child,^[55] and their daughter, Suri, was born in April 2006. On November 18, 2006, Holmes and Cruise were married at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, Italy, in a Scientology ceremony attended by many Hollywood stars.^[56]^[57] The actors' publicist said the couple had "officialized" their marriage in Los Angeles the day before the Italian ceremony.^[58] There has been widespread speculation that the marriage was arranged by the Church of Scientology.^[59]^[60] David Miscavige, the head of the Church of Scientology, served as Cruise's best man.^[61] On June 29, 2012, it was announced that Holmes had filed for divorce from Cruise after five and a half years of marriage.^[62]^[63] On July 9, 2012, it was announced that the couple had signed a divorce settlement worked out by their lawyers.^[64] This was Cruise's third divorce.^[65] Because New York law requires that all divorce documents remain sealed, the exact terms of the settlement are not publicly available.^[66]

Popularity

Cruise and Katie Holmes interacting with fans in 2006

In 1990, 1991 and 1997, People magazine rated him among the 50 most beautiful people in the world. In 1995, Empire magazine ranked him among the 100 sexiest stars in film history. Two years later, it ranked him among the top 5 film stars of all time. In 2002 and 2003, he was rated by Premiere among the top 20 in its annual Power 100 list.
In 2006, Premiere ranked Cruise as Hollywood's most powerful actor,^[67] as Cruise came in at number 13 on the magazine's 2006 Power List, being the highest ranked actor.^[68] The same year, Forbes magazine ranked him as the world's most powerful celebrity.^[69]
In August 2006, Paramount cited Cruise's "recent conduct" as the reason they did not renew their production contract with him.^[70] In addition, Marketing Evaluations reported that Cruise's Q score (a measure of the popularity of celebrities), had fallen 40 percent.^{[citation needed]}
October 10, 2006 was declared "Tom Cruise Day" in Japan; the Japan Memorial Day Association said that he was awarded with a special day because he has made more trips to Japan than any other Hollywood star.^[71]

Controversy

Litigation

During Cruise's marriage to Nicole Kidman, the couple endured public speculation about their sex life and rumors that Cruise was gay. In 1998, he successfully sued the Daily Express, a British tabloid which alleged that his marriage to Kidman was a sham designed to cover up his homosexuality.^[72] In May 2001 he filed a lawsuit against gay porn actor Chad Slater. Slater had allegedly told the celebrity magazine Actustar that he had had an affair with Cruise. Both Slater and Cruise denied this,^{[clarification needed]} and in August 2001, Slater was ordered to pay $10 million to Cruise in damages after Slater declared he could not afford to defend himself against the suit and would therefore default.^[73] Cruise also sued Bold Magazine publisher Michael Davis, who alleged but never confirmed that he had video that would prove Cruise was gay. The suit was dropped in exchange for a public statement by Davis that the video was not of Cruise, and that Cruise was heterosexual.^[74]
After The Beast's publication of their 50 Most Loathsome People of 2004, which included Cruise, Cruise's lawyer Bertram Fields threatened to sue. Seeing the opportunity for nationwide exposure, The Beast actively encouraged the lawsuit. No lawsuit was ever filed and Cruise was included more prominently in the 2005 list.^[75] In 2006, Cruise sued cybersquatter Jeff Burgar to obtain control of the TomCruise.com domain name. When owned by Burgar, the domain redirected to information about Cruise on Celebrity1000.com. The decision to turn TomCruise.com over to Cruise was handed down by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on July 5, 2006.^[76]
In October 2012, Cruise filed a lawsuit against In Touch and Life & Style for defamation.^[77]

Oprah Winfrey Show

Cruise jumps on the couch during the taping of an interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

During his relationship with Katie Holmes, Cruise made several public pronouncements of his love for her, most notably during the "couch incident" on The Oprah Winfrey Show of May 23, 2005. Cruise "jumped around the set, hopped onto a couch, fell to one knee and repeatedly professed his love for his new girlfriend."^[78] The phrase "jumping the couch", fashioned after "jumping the shark", is used to describe someone "going off the deep end" in public in a manner extreme enough to tarnish his or her reputation.^[79] It enjoyed a short-lived popularity, being chosen by the editors of the Historical Dictionary of American Slang as the "slang term of the year" in 2005^[80] and by the nonprofit group Global Language Monitor as one of its top phrases for the year.^[81]
The "couch incident" was voted No.1 of 2005's "Most Surprising Television Moments" on a countdown on E!^{[citation needed]} and No.5 at BoxOfficeProphets.com.^[82] It was the subject of numerous parodies, including the epilogue of Scary Movie 4, an episode of South Park, a short on Sesame Street,^[83] and an episode of Family Guy. Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Lesson learned: Tell, don't show."^[84]
In early May 2008, Cruise reappeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to celebrate 25 years in the film business. The feature was a two hour special: the first hour showed Oprah spending the day with Cruise at his home in Telluride, Colorado on May 2.

Scientology

Cruise is an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology. He became involved with Scientology in 1990 through his first wife, Mimi Rogers.^[85] He has said that Scientology, specifically the L. Ron Hubbard Study Tech, helped him overcome dyslexia.^[86] In addition to promoting various programs that introduce people to Scientology, Cruise has campaigned for Scientology to be recognized as a religion in Europe. In 2005, the Paris city council revealed that Cruise had lobbied officials Nicolas Sarkozy and Jean-Claude Gaudin, described him as a spokesman and militant for Scientology, and barred any further dealings with him.^[87]^[88] Cruise co-founded and raised donations for Downtown Medical to offer New York City 9/11 rescue workers detoxification therapy based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard. This drew criticism from the medical profession,^[89] as well as firefighters.^[90] For these activities and others, David Miscavige, the leader of Scientology, created the Scientology's Freedom Medal of Valor and awarded it to Cruise in late 2004.^[91]
In January 2004, Tom Cruise said: "I think psychiatry should be outlawed."^[92] A controversy erupted in 2005 after he openly criticized actress Brooke Shields for using the drug Paxil (paroxetine), an anti-depressant to which Shields attributes her recovery from postpartum depression after the birth of her first daughter in 2003. Cruise asserted that there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance, and that psychiatry is a form of pseudoscience. Shields responded that Cruise "should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them."^[93] This led to a heated argument between Matt Lauer and Cruise on NBC's Today on June 24, 2005.^[94] Medical authorities view Cruise's comments as furthering the social stigma of mental illness.^[95]^[96] Shields herself called Cruise's comments "a disservice to mothers everywhere."^[97] In late August 2006, Cruise apologized in person to Shields for his comments.^[98] Scientology is well known for its opposition to mainstream psychiatry and the drugs it uses.^[91]
On January 15, 2008, a video produced by the Church of Scientology featuring an interview with Cruise was posted on YouTube, showing Cruise discussing what being a Scientologist means to him.^[99]^[100] The Church of Scientology said the video had been "pirated and edited", and was taken from a three-hour video produced for members of Scientology.^[100]^[101] YouTube removed the Cruise video from their site under threat of litigation.^[102]
In March 2004 his publicist of 14 years, Pat Kingsley, resigned. Cruise replaced her with his sister, fellow Scientologist Lee Anne DeVette, who served in that role until November 2005.^[103] DeVette was replaced with Paul Bloch from the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan.^[104] Such restructuring is seen as a move to curtail publicity of his views on Scientology, as well as the controversy surrounding his relationship with Katie Holmes.^[105]^[106]

Filmography

Main article: Tom Cruise filmography

Discography

Soundtracks

Rock of Ages (2012)

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise

References

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^ Pomerantz, Dorothy (2012-04-18). "Tom Cruise Tops Our List Of Hollywood's Highest-Paid Actors". Forbes. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
^ "Newsbeat - Tom Cruise highest paid actor in Hollywood, says Forbes". BBC. 2012-07-04. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
^ Scientology News: Tom Cruise Tops List of Scientology Celebrities at Celebrity Centre International 34th Anniversary
^ "Being Tom Cruise". Time. Retrieved June 5, 2011.^{[dead link]}
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^ Smith, Ryan E. (October 6, 2005). "Baby frenzy begins: Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are expecting their first child together". The Blade
^ Soriano, César G (November 20, 2006). "Mr. and Mrs. TomKat: Inside their fairy-tale wedding". USA Today. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
^ "Cruise, Holmes exchange vows in castle". Toledo Blade. November 19, 2006. Archived from the original on February 3. 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
^ Sanminiatelli, Maria (November 19, 2006). "Now they are one: The TomKat is officially united at long last". Orlando Sentinel.
^ "Holmes, Sweet Holmes". W. August 2005. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
^ "An Inquiry Into the Very Public Private Marriage of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise". Vulture (New York Media LLC). July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
^ "Cruise and Holmes go on honeymoon". BBC News. November 19, 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2007.
^ "Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes to divorce". CNN Entertainment. June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
^ Heyman, J.D. (June 29, 2012). "Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes Are Divorcing". People. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
^ Duke, Alan (July 10, 2012). "Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes settle divorce". CNN. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
^ "Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes to divorce". The Guardian (London). June 29, 2012.
^ Sternberg, Louis. "Did Katie Holmes File for Divorce from Tom Cruise in New York to Protect Her Privacy?". Retrieved July 14, 2012.
^ "The Power List 2006". Premiere. June 2006. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
^ "The Power List 2006". Premiere. Archived from the original on 2007-01-20. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
^ "Tom Cruise ranked 1 among The Top 100 Celebrities In 2006". Forbes. May 1, 2007. Archived from the original on June 17, 2006. Retrieved May 1, 2007.
^ "Paramount Drops Cruise". San Diego Union-Tribune. August 23, 2006. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
^ "Tom Cruise Day". Hollywood.com. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
^ "Cruise and Kidman win libel case". BBC News. 1998-10-29. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
^ Ricardo Cestero Tom Cruise's lawyer (2003-01-16). "Cruise wins 'gay' claims legal battle". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
^ "Cruise gay claims dropped". BBC News. 2001-12-01. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
^ "Hollywood Egomaniac Threatens Beast Over Alleged 'Need for Speed'". The Beast, Issue #73, April 20 – May 4, 2005. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
^ Arbitration and Mediation Center (July 5, 2006). "WIPO Domain Name Decision: D2006-0560". Arbiter.wipo.int. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
^ "Tom Cruise Files $50 Mil Lawsuit Over Mag Claiming He Abandoned Suri". TMZ. October 24, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
^ Waxman, Sharon (June 2, 2005). "How Personal Is Too Personal for a Star Like Tom Cruise?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2006.
^ Susie Dent (October 4, 2007). The language report. Oxford University Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-19-923388-5. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
^ "‘Jump the couch’ is top gun of slang in '05 - Entertainment - The Arts - TODAY.com". MSNBC. 2006-01-06. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
^ "The Global Language Monitor » Top Words". Languagemonitor.com. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
^ "Top 10 Film Industry News Stories of 2005: #5: Tom Cruise's Crazy Year". Boxofficeprophets.com. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
^ "The 'O' Show". Sesame Street. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
^ Geier, Thom; Jensen, Jeff; Jordan, Tina; Lyons, Margaret; Markovitz, Adam; Nashawaty, Chris; Pastorek, Whitney; Rice, Lynette; Rottenberg, Josh; Schwartz, Missy; Slezak, Michael; Snierson, Dan; Stack, Tim; Stroup, Kate; Tucker, Ken; Vary, Adam B.; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Ward, Kate (December 11, 2009), "The 100 Greatest Movies, TV Shows, Albums, Books, Characters, Scenes, Episodes, Songs, Dresses, Music Videos, and Trends That Entertained Us over the Past 10 Years". Entertainment Weekly. (1079/1080):74–84
^ "Cruise lobbies over Scientology". BBC News. 2002-01-30. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
^ "Cruise credits Scientology for his success". msnbc.com. May 24, 2005. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
^ "Paris snubs Scientology 'militant' Cruise". Irish Examiner. 2005-07-13. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
^ "Tom Cruise ne sera pas citoyen d'honneur de Paris" (in French). July 12, 2005.
^ O'Donnell, Michelle (October 4, 2003). "Scientologist's Treatments Lure Firefighters". The New York Times.
^ Friedman, Roger (December 22, 2006). "Tom Cruise Can't Put Out These Fires". Fox News. Retrieved December 30, 2006.
^ ^a ^b Maureen Orth (October 2012), "What Katie Didn’t Know", Vanity Fair
^ Desai, Nimesh (Oct-Dec 2005). "Antipsychiatry: Meeting the challenge". Indian Journal of Psychiatry 47 (4): 185–187. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.43048. PMC 2921130. PMID 20711302. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
^ "Brooke Shields Lashes Out at Tom Cruise". People. June 2, 2005.
^ "In tense moment, Cruise calls Lauer 'glib'" msnbc.com. (June 28, 2005)
^ Pemberton, Max (April 17, 2006). "Alien soul theory is no cure for depression". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved January 20, 2009.
^ "Psychotropic drugs: unhelpful and helpful comments". The Lancet 366 (9480): 96. July 9, 2005. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)66841-9. PMID 16010708.
^ Shields, Brooke (July 1, 2005). "War of Words". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
^ "Shields: Cruise apology was 'heartfelt'", USA Today, Associated Press, September 2, 2006, retrieved June 20, 2011
^ Warne, Dan (January 24, 2008). "'Anonymous' threatens to 'dismantle' Church of Scientology via internet". APC Magazine (National Nine News). Retrieved January 25, 2008.
^ ^a ^b "Hacker Group Declares War On Scientology: Group Upset Over Church's Handling Of Tom Cruise Video". Los Angeles: KNBC. January 24, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
^ "Report: Church of Scientology Slams German Tabloid for Publishing Comments Comparing Tom Cruise to Nazi Minister". Fox News. January 23, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
^ Vamosi, Robert (January 24, 2008). "Anonymous hackers take on the Church of Scientology". CNET News (CNET Networks, Inc.). Retrieved January 25, 2008.
^ Gardner, Chris (November 6, 2005). "Cruise will go with pro". Variety. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
^ "Cruise Control Shifts Gears". Yahoo! Entertainment. November 8, 2005. Archived from the original on May 21, 2006.
^ Helmore, Edward (June 4, 2005). "What's eating Tom Cruise?". The Observer (London). Retrieved October 31, 2008.
^ Oringer, Heidi (May 31, 2005). "Is Tom's Love Life Cruisin' for a Bruisin'?". ABC News. Retrieved October 31, 2008.

External links

Find more about Tom Cruise at Wikipedia's sister projects
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	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote

Official website
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Tom Cruise at the Open Directory Project

Julia Roberts

2013-01-25T01:02:00.001-08:00

Julia Roberts

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Not to be confused with Julie Roberts or Juliet Roberts. For the British Home Shopping host, see Julia Roberts (QVC presenter).

Julia Roberts
Roberts at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Jesus Henry Christ
Born	Julia Fiona Roberts October 28, 1967 (age 45) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Lyle Lovett (1993–1995) Daniel Moder (2002–present)
Children	3
Family	Eric Roberts (brother) Lisa Roberts Gillan (sister) Emma Roberts (niece)

Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990), which grossed $464 million worldwide. After receiving Golden Globe Awards and Academy Award nominations for Steel Magnolias (1989) and Pretty Woman, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Erin Brockovich (2000). Her films The Pelican Brief (1993), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Mystic Pizza (1988), Notting Hill (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004), Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Valentine's Day (2010) and Mirror Mirror (2012) have collectively brought box office receipts of over $2.6 billion, making her one of the most successful actresses in terms of box office receipts.^[1]
Roberts had become one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, topping The Hollywood Reporter's annual "power list" of top-earning female stars from 2005 to 2006. Her fee for 1990's Pretty Woman was $300,000;^[2] in 2003, she was paid an unprecedented $25 million for her role in Mona Lisa Smile (2003). As of 2010, Roberts's net worth was estimated to be $140 million.^[3]
Roberts has been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" eleven times, tied with Halle Berry. In 2011, she was named one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" by Men's Health.^[4] In 2001, Ladies Home Journal ranked her as the 11th most powerful woman in the United States.^[5] Roberts has a production company called Red Om Films.

Early life and family

Roberts was born in Atlanta, Georgia, at Crawford Long Hospital (now Emory University Hospital Midtown), to Betty Lou (née Bredemus) and Walter Grady Roberts.^[6]^[7] She is of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent.^[8]^[9] Her father was a Baptist and her mother a Roman Catholic,^[10] and she was raised Catholic.^[11]^[12] Her older brother, Eric Roberts (from whom she was estranged until 2004), sister, Lisa Roberts Gillan, and niece, Emma Roberts, are also actors. Julia's parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing theatrical productions for the armed forces. They later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, off Juniper Street in Midtown. While her mother was pregnant with Julia, she and her husband ran an acting school for children in Decatur, Georgia. The children of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King attended the school. As a thank-you for their service, Mrs. King paid the hospital bill when Julia's mother gave birth to Julia.^[13] Julia's mother filed for divorce in 1971 with the divorce being finalized early in 1972.^[14] Roberts lived in Smyrna, in 1972, where she attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School, and Campbell High School.^[15] Her mother married Michael Motes and had a daughter, Nancy Motes, in 1976. Julia's father died of cancer when she was ten.^[16]
Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child.^[17] She played clarinet in the band in school.^[18]^[19] After graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School, she headed to New York to pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Click Modeling Agency and enrolled in acting classes.^[20]^[21]

Career

1987–1989

Roberts made her first big screen appearance in the film Satisfaction (1988), released on February 12, 1988, alongside Liam Neeson and Justine Bateman, as a band member looking for a summer gig. She had previously performed a small role opposite her brother, Eric, in Blood Red (she has two words of dialogue), filmed in 1987 and released in 1989. Her first television appearance was as a juvenile rape victim in the initial season of the series Crime Story with Dennis Farina, in the episode titled "The Survivor", broadcast on February 13, 1987. Her first critical success with moviegoers was her performance in the independent film Mystic Pizza in 1988;^[22] that same year, she had a role in the fourth season finale of Miami Vice. In 1989, she was featured in Steel Magnolias, as a young bride with diabetes, and received both her first Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actress) and first Golden Globe Award win (Motion Picture Best Supporting Actress) for her performance.^[22]

Roberts in 1990

1990–2000

Roberts became known to worldwide audiences when she co-starred with Richard Gere in the Cinderella/Pygmalionesque story, Pretty Woman, in 1990.^[22] Roberts won the role after Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Karen Allen, and Daryl Hannah (her co-star in Steel Magnolias) all turned it down.^[23] The role also earned her a second Oscar nomination, this time as Best Actress, and second Golden Globe Award win, as Motion Picture Best Actress (Musical or Comedy).^[22] Her next box office success was the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy, playing a battered wife who escapes her abusive husband, played by Patrick Bergin, and begins a new life in Iowa. She played Tinkerbell in Steven Spielberg's Hook in 1991, and also played a nurse in the 1991 film, Dying Young. This work was followed by a two-year hiatus, during which she made no films other than a cameo appearance in Robert Altman's The Player (1992). In early 1993, she was the subject of a People magazine cover story asking, "What Happened to Julia Roberts?"^[24] She was offered the role of Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle (1993), but turned it down.^[25]
Roberts co-starred with Denzel Washington in The Pelican Brief (1993), based on John Grisham's 1992 novel of the same name.^[22] In 1996, she appeared in season 2 of Friends (episode 13 "The One After the Superbowl"). Roberts recorded her scenes from January 6–8, 1996.^[26] She had a relationship with cast member Matthew Perry at the time,^[27]^[28]^[29]^[30] and an audience member said about their on-screen kiss, "Julia looked at Matt and said 'I'm glad we rehearsed this over the weekend'."^[31] She was offered the role of Lucy Eleanor Moderatz in While You Were Sleeping (1995), but also turned it down.^[25]
Roberts co-starred with Liam Neeson in Michael Collins (1996).^[22] Over the next few years, she starred in Stephen Frears' Mary Reilly (1996), followed by My Best Friend's Wedding in 1997. In 1998, she appeared on Sesame Street opposite the character Elmo, demonstrating her ability to change emotions. She was offered the role of Viola de Lesseps in Shakespeare in Love (1998), but turned it down.^[25] She starred with Hugh Grant in Notting Hill (1999). That same year she also starred in Runaway Bride, her second film with Richard Gere. Roberts was a guest star on the Law & Order television series episode "Empire" with series regular Benjamin Bratt (at that time her boyfriend). She earned an nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.^[32] Also in 1999 she starred in the critically panned film Stepmom (1998) alongside Susan Sarandon.^[33]

Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, and Roberts with Ocean's Eleven director, Steven Soderbergh in December 2001

2001–2005

In 2001 Roberts received the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich, who helped wage a successful lawsuit against energy giant Pacific Gas & Electric. While presenting the Best Actor Award to Denzel Washington the following year she made a gaffe, saying she was glad that Tom Conti wasn't there. She meant the conductor, Bill Conti, who had tried to hasten the conclusion of her Oscar speech the previous year, but instead named the Scottish actor.^[34] Roberts teamed with Erin Brockovich director Steven Soderbergh for three more films: Ocean's Eleven (2001), Full Frontal (2002), and Ocean's Twelve (2004). Later in 2001 she starred in the road gangster comedy, The Mexican, giving her a chance to work with long-time friend, Brad Pitt. In 2005 she was featured in the music video for the hit single "Dreamgirl" by the Dave Matthews Band; it was her first music video appearance.^[35]

2006–present

Roberts had two films released in 2006, The Ant Bully and Charlotte's Web. Both films were animated features for which she provided voice acting. Her next film was Charlie Wilson's War (2007), with Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman, directed by Mike Nichols and based on the book by former CBS journalist George Crile; it was released on December 21, 2007. Fireflies in the Garden (2008), also starring Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe, was released at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2008 and was subsequently shown in European cinemas; it did not get a North American release until 2011.

Deployed troops show Julia Roberts the controls of an F-15.

Roberts made her Broadway debut on April 19, 2006 as Nan in a revival of Richard Greenberg's 1997 play Three Days of Rain opposite Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. Although the play grossed nearly US$1 million dollars in ticket sales during its first week^[36] and was a commercial success throughout its limited run, her performance drew criticism. Ben Brantley of The New York Times described Roberts as being fraught with "self-consciousness (especially in the first act) [and] only glancingly acquainted with the two characters she plays."^[37] Brantley also criticized the production of "Greenberg's slender, elegant play," writing that “it's almost impossible to discern its artistic virtues from this wooden and splintered interpretation, directed by Joe Mantello."^[37] Writing in The New York Post, Clive Barnes declared, "Hated the play. To be sadly honest, even hated her. At least I liked the rain—even if three days of it can seem an eternity." ^[38] Three Days of Rain received two Tony Award nominations in stagecraft categories. In 2009, Lancôme announced that Roberts would become their global ambassador for their company.^[39] Julia starred with Clive Owen in the comedy-thriller Duplicity for which she received her seventh Golden Globe nomination. In 2010, she appeared in the ensemble romantic comedy Valentine's Day, with Cooper, and starred in the film adaptation of Eat Pray Love. Eat Pray Love^[40] had the highest debut at the box office for Roberts in a top-billed role since America's Sweethearts.^[41] Later in the year, she signed a five-year extension with Lancôme for GB£32 million (US$50 million).^[42] In 2011, she co-starred as Mercedes Tainot opposite Tom Hanks who directed and played the title role in the romantic comedy Larry Crowne.^[43] The movie has received generally bad reviews with only 35% of the 175 Rotten Tomatoes reviews giving it high ratings,^[44] although Roberts's comedic performance was praised.^[45] Roberts appeared in the 2012 Tarsem Singh adaptation of Snow White, called Mirror Mirror, playing the Evil Queen.^[46]

American Girl films

Roberts has brought to life some of the books from American Girl as films, serving as executive producer alongside her sister Lisa. The company's product lines and services are focused on pre-teen-girl characters from various periods of American history, embodied as dolls and featured in narratives including books and movies. Roberts has produced four movies.^[47]

Personal life

Relationships and marriages

Julia Roberts in Paris, September 2010

Roberts has reportedly had romantic relationships with actors Jason Patric, Liam Neeson, Dylan McDermott, and Matthew Perry.^[48]^[49] She was briefly engaged to actor Kiefer Sutherland; they broke up three days before their scheduled wedding on 11 June 1991. On June 25, 1993, she married country singer Lyle Lovett; the wedding took place at St. James Lutheran Church in Marion, Indiana.^[50] They separated in March 1995 and subsequently divorced.^[51] From 1998 to 2001, Roberts dated actor Benjamin Bratt.^[52]
Roberts and her present husband, cameraman Daniel Moder, met on the set of her film The Mexican in 2000, while she was still dating Bratt. At the time, Moder was married to Vera Steimberg. He filed for divorce a little over a year later, and after it was finalized, he and Roberts wed on July 4, 2002, at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico.^[53] Together, they have three children: twins Hazel Patricia Moder and Phinnaeus "Finn" Walter Moder (b. 2004) and Henry Daniel Moder (b. 2007).^[54]

Beliefs

Roberts disclosed in a 2010 interview for Elle magazine that she believes in and practices Hinduism.^[55]^[56]^[57] Roberts is a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji). A picture of Neem Karoli Baba drew Roberts to Hinduism.^[58]

Charities

Roberts has given her time and resources to UNICEF as well as to other charitable organizations. On May 10, 1995, Roberts arrived in Port-au-Prince, as she said, "to educate myself".^[59]^[60] The poverty she found was overwhelming. "My heart is just bursting", she said.^[59] UNICEF officials hoped that her six-day visit would trigger an outburst of giving: $10 million in aid was sought at the time.^[59]^[60]
In 2000, Roberts narrated Silent Angels, a documentary about Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, which was shot in Los Angeles, Baltimore and New York. The documentary was designed to help raise public awareness about the disease. In July 2006, Earth Biofuels announced Roberts as a spokeswoman for the company and as chair of the company's newly formed Advisory Board promoting the use of renewable fuels.

Filmography

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Firehouse	Babs	Uncredited
1988	Blood Red	Maria Collogero
1988	Mystic Pizza	Daisy Arujo
1988	Satisfaction	Daryle	Also known as Girls of Summer
1989	Steel Magnolias	Shelby Eatenton Latcherie
1990	Pretty Woman	Vivian Ward
1990	Flatliners	Rachel Mannus
1991	Hook	Tinkerbell
1991	Dying Young	Hilary O'Neil
1991	Sleeping with the Enemy	Sara Waters/Laura Burney
1992	The Player		Cameo
1993	The Pelican Brief	Darby Shaw
1994	Prêt-à-Porter	Anne Eisenhower	Also known as Ready to Wear
1994	I Love Trouble	Sabrina Peterson
1995	Something to Talk About	Grace King Bichon
1996	Everyone Says I Love You	Von Sidell
1996	Michael Collins	Kitty Kiernan
1996	Mary Reilly	Mary Reilly
1997	Conspiracy Theory	Alice Sutton
1997	My Best Friend's Wedding	Julianne Potter
1998	Stepmom	Isabel Kelly
1999	Runaway Bride	Maggie Carpenter
1999	Notting Hill	Anna Scott
2000	Erin Brockovich	Erin Brockovich
2001	Ocean's Eleven	Tess Ocean
2001	America's Sweethearts	Kathleen "Kiki" Harrison
2001	The Mexican	Samantha Barzel
2002	Confessions of a Dangerous Mind	Patricia Watson
2002	Grand Champion	Jolene
2002	Full Frontal	Catherine/Francesca
2003	Mona Lisa Smile	Katherine Ann Watson
2004	Ocean's Twelve	Tess Ocean
2004	Closer	Anna Cameron
2006	Charlotte's Web	Charlotte the Spider (voice)
2006	Beslan: Three Days In September	Narrator
2006	The Ant Bully	Hova (voice)
2007	Charlie Wilson's War	Joanne Herring
2008	Fireflies in the Garden	Lisa Waechter
2009	Duplicity	Claire Stenwick
2010	Valentine's Day	Kate
2010	Eat Pray Love	Elizabeth Gilbert
2011	Love, Wedding, Marriage	Ava's Therapist (voice)
2011	Larry Crowne	Mercedes Tainot
2012	Mirror, Mirror	Queen Clementianna
2013	August: Osage County	Barbara Fordham
2014	The Normal Heart	Emma Brookner	HBO film

Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Crime Story	Tracy	1 episode: "The Survivor"
1988	Miami Vice	Polly Wheeler	1 episode: "Mirror Image"
1988	Baja Oklahoma	Candy Hutchins	TV movie
1996	Friends	Susie Moss	1 episode: "The One After the Superbowl: Part 2"
1999	Law & Order	Katrina Ludlow	1 episode: "Empire"
2003	Freedom: A History of Us	Virginia Eyewitness	2 episodes
2010	Hope For Haiti Now	Herself	Telethon for Haiti earthquake relief

Awards and nominations

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
1988	Mystic Pizza	Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female	Nominated
1988	Mystic Pizza	Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama	Nominated
1989	Steel Magnolias	Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture	Won
1989	Steel Magnolias	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress	Nominated
1990	Pretty Woman	Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actress	Won
1990	Pretty Woman	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Won
1990	Pretty Woman	Academy Award for Best Actress	Nominated
1990	Pretty Woman	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role	Nominated
1990	Flatliners	Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress	Nominated
1991	Hook	Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress	Nominated
1991	Dying Young	MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance	Nominated
1991	Dying Young	MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female	Nominated
1991	Sleeping with the Enemy	Saturn Award for Best Actress	Nominated
1993	The Pelican Brief	MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance	Nominated
1994	Prêt-à-Porter	National Board of Review Award for Best Cast	Won
1996	Mary Reilly	Razzie Award for Worst Actress	Nominated
1997	Conspiracy Theory	Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Suspense	Won
1997	My Best Friend's Wedding	Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Comedy	Won
1997	My Best Friend's Wedding	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Nominated
1997	My Best Friend's Wedding	Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Nominated
1997	My Best Friend's Wedding	MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance	Nominated
1998	Stepmom	Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actress	Nominated
1998	Stepmom	Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Drama	Won
1999	Runaway Bride	Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Comedy/Romance	Nominated
1999	Runaway Bride	MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance	Nominated
1999	Runaway Bride & Notting Hill	Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actress	Nominated
1999	Notting Hill	Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Couple (shared with Hugh Grant)	Nominated
1999	Notting Hill	Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Comedy/Romance	Nominated
1999	Notting Hill	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Nominated
1999	Notting Hill	Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Nominated
1999	Law & Order	Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress – Drama Series	Nominated
2000	Erin Brockovich	Academy Award for Best Actress	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Drama	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	Empire Award for Best Actress	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	London Film Critics Circle Film Award for Actress of the Year	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	National Board of Review Award for Best Actress	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	Teen Choice Award for Film – Choice Actress	Won
2000	Erin Brockovich	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress	Nominated
2000	Erin Brockovich	Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress	Nominated
2000	Erin Brockovich	MTV Movie Award for Best Line from a Movie (For "Bite my ass, Krispy Kreme!")	Nominated
2000	Erin Brockovich	MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female	Nominated
2000	Erin Brockovich	Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress	Nominated
2000	Erin Brockovich	Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama	Nominated
2001	Ocean's Eleven	Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast	Nominated
2001	The Mexican	Teen Choice Award for Film – Choice Chemistry (shared with Brad Pitt)	Nominated
2004	Ocean's Twelve	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast	Nominated
2004	Closer	National Board of Review Award for Best Cast	Won
2004	Closer	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast	Nominated
2006	The Ant Bully	Blimp Award for Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie	Nominated
2007	Charlie Wilson's War	Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture	Nominated
2009	Duplicity	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Nominated
2010	Valentine's Day & Eat Pray Love	People's Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress	Nominated

References

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^ Goldman, Lea; Blakeley, Kiri (January 17, 2007). "The 20 Richest Women In Entertainment". Forbes. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
^ "The 100 Hottest Women of All-Time". Men's Health. 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
^ Patel, Milan (August 10, 2010). "Julia Roberts Converts to Hinduism - Now Julia is Hindu". Yahoo voices. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
^ Taylor, Clarke (November 24, 1983). "ERIC ROBERTS: HIS 'STAR 80' SHINES". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
^ "genealogy". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
^ "Julia Robert's Swedish ancestors" in Swedish, Genealogi.se
^ "Julia Roberts Isn't a Roberts" February 27, 2011, Huffington Post
^ Oh, Eunice (August 4, 2010). "Why Julia Roberts Refuses to Get Botox". people.com. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
^ Talmadge, Eric (August 18, 2010). "'Eat Pray Love' star Julia Roberts happy as is". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved September 12, 2010. "Julia, who was raised a Catholic..."
^ Thomson, Katherine (August 18, 2010). "Hindu Julia Roberts: I'm Done Talking About Religion". Huffington Post (USA). Retrieved September 16, 2010.
^ "JULIA ROBERTS – CORETTA SCOTT KING WAS JULIA ROBERTS' FAIRY GODMOTHER". Contact Music. February 10, 2006. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
^ Julia: Her Life, James Spada. St Martin's Press, New York. Page 32
^ "Julia Roberts." The New Georgia Encyclopedia
^ Profile Info 2 India
^ "About Julia Roberts". Yahoo movies. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
^ "About Julia Roberts". www.movieactors.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
^ "Julia Roberts: I Was A Late Bloomer". accesshollywood.com. October 10, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
^ "Julia Roberts". filmmakers.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
^ "Julia Roberts Profile". IGN.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Stated on Inside the Actors Studio, 1997
^ "Pretty Woman: 20th anniversary re-release". Total Film (Future Publishing Limited). January 25, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
^ Julia Roberts. "People Magazine – Celebrity Central/Top 25 Celebs, Julia Roberts, Biography". People.com. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Great roles actors have turned down". Yahoo Movies.
^ Dubin, Murray (1996-01-09). "CBS Will Revisit 'Knots Landing' In A Miniseries". The Philadelphia Inquirer: p. D02.
^ Webster, Dan (1996-01-10). "It Ain't A Cure For Cancer, But You'll Read It Anyway". The Spokesman-Review: p. F2.
^ Fee, Gayle; Raposa, Laura (1996-01-16). "Inside Track". Boston Herald: p. 3.
^ "Front". The Miami Herald: p. 2A. 1996-01-18.
^ Steffan, Janine Dallas (1996-02-22). "Seen, Heard, Said". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
^ White, Stuart; Morgan, Gary (1996-01-14). "Julia's faxed up with new fella (And Hollywood's Pretty Woman can't keep her hands off him)". News of the World: p. 25.
^ "Julia Roberts". Emmys.com. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
^ "Stepmom (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
^ "Julia Roberts' Oscar bias obvious to Hollywood peers". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. 2002-04-05. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
^ "Julia becomes Dave Matthews' ‘Dreamgirl’: Band gets Roberts to appear in her first-ever music video". Access Hollywood. MSNBC. 2005-08-17. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
^ Gardner, Elysa (April 13, 2006). "Julia rains money on Broadway". USA Today. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
^ ^a ^b Brantley, Ben (April 20, 2006). "Enough Said About 'Three Days of Rain.' Let's Talk Julia Roberts!". The New York Times. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
^ Clive Barnes (2006-04-20). "JULIA'S 3 DULL DAYS OF RAIN A SOGGY ETERNITY". NYPOST.com. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
^ "Julia Roberts’s Newest Role: Lancôme Spokesperson." People. December 4, 2009.
^ "Julia Roberts: Eat Pray Love in ELLE Magazine September 2010". Valse-boston.livejournal.com. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
^ "'Expendables' Explode, 'Eat Pray Love' Carbo-Loads, 'Scott Pilgrim' Powers Down". Boxofficemojo.com. 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
^ Nichol, Katie (2010-09-18). "Julia Roberts is sitting pretty – on a £32million make-up deal". Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 2011-07-24.
^ Holden, Stephen (2011-06-30). "Stymied in Middle Age, Reaching for a New Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
^ "Larry Crowne (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
^ LaSalle, Mick (2011-07-21). "How good is 'Larry Crowne'?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
^ "'Mirror, Mirror': Snow White Film Starring Lily Collins, Julia Roberts Out March 26th, 2012". The Huffington Post. 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
^ Julia Roberts at the Internet Movie Database
^ Lague, Louise (July 1, 1991). "Miss Roberts Regrets". People.com. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
^ Dargis, Manohla. "Movies: AboutJason Patric". The New York Times.
^ Levitt, Shelley (August 8, 1994). "State of Their Union". People.com. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
^ Schneider, Karen (April 10, 1995). "One Last Sad Song". People.com. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
^ Silverman, Stephen M. (July 11, 2001). "Julia Roberts Lays It on the Line". People.
^ Schneider, Karen (July 11, 2002). "Hideaway Bride". People. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
^ "Julia Roberts Welcomes a Baby Boy". People.com. June 18, 2007.
^ Blake, Heidi (August 5, 2010). "Julia Roberts: I'm a Hindu". The Daily Telegraph (London).
^ "Julia Roberts takes up Hinduism". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. August 6, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
^ Oh, Eunice (August 4, 2010). "Why Julia Roberts Refuses to Get Botox". People. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
^ "Julia Roberts' Journey in 'Eat Pray Love'". ABC News. August 9, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Educating Julia Roberts Brings a Touch of Useful Glamour to Haiti". People. May 29, 1995.
^ ^a ^b "UNICEF's Newest Goodwill Ambassador". Jet 88 (3): 12. May 29, 1995.

External links

Find more about Julia Roberts at Wikipedia's sister projects
	Media from Commons
	Quotations from Wikiquote

Julia Roberts at the Internet Movie Database
Julia Roberts at the Internet Broadway Database

Bruce Willis

2013-01-25T00:51:00.001-08:00

Bruce Willis
Willis at the San Diego Comic-Con International
Born	Walter Bruce Willis March 19, 1955 (age 57) Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany
Other names	W.B. Willis, Walter Willis
Occupation	Actor, producer, musician
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Demi Moore (1987–2000) Emma Heming (2009–present)
Children	4

Bruce Willis

2013-01-25T00:50:00.001-08:00

Bruce Willis

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Jump to: navigation, search

Bruce Willis
Willis at the San Diego Comic-Con International
Born	Walter Bruce Willis March 19, 1955 (age 57) Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany
Other names	W.B. Willis, Walter Willis
Occupation	Actor, producer, musician
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Demi Moore (1987–2000) Emma Heming (2009–present)
Children	4

Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955), known professionally as Bruce Willis, is a German-born American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles. He is well known for the role of John McClane in the Die Hard series, which were mostly critical and uniformly financial successes. He has also appeared in over sixty films, including box office successes like Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), Armageddon (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Sin City (2005), Looper (2012) and Moonrise Kingdom (2012).
Motion pictures featuring Willis have grossed US$2.64 billion to 3.05 billion at North American box offices, making him the ninth highest-grossing actor in a leading role and twelfth highest including supporting roles.^[1]^[2] He is a two-time Emmy Award–winning, Golden Globe Award–winning and four-time Saturn Award–nominated actor. Willis was married to actress Demi Moore and they had three daughters before their divorce in 2000, following thirteen years of marriage. He is currently married to model Emma Heming, with whom he has one daughter.

Early life

Willis was born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany. His father, David Willis, was an American soldier. His mother, Marlene K., was German, and had been born in Kaufungen, near Kassel.^[3]^[4]^[5] Willis is the oldest of four children: he has a sister, Florence, and a brother, David. His brother Robert died of pancreatic cancer in 2001, aged 42.^[6] After being discharged from the military in 1957, Willis's father took his family back to Carneys Point, New Jersey.^[7] Willis has described himself as having come from a "long line of blue collar people";^[7] his mother worked in a bank and his father was a welder, master mechanic, and factory worker.^[8] Willis attended Penns Grove High School in his hometown, where he encountered issues with a stutter.^[7] He was nicknamed Buck-Buck by his schoolmates.^[8]^[9]^[10] Finding it easy to express himself on stage and losing his stutter in the process, Willis began performing on stage and his high school activities were marked by such things as the drama club and student council president.^[8]
After high school, Willis took a job as a security guard at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant^[11]^[12] and also transported work crews at the DuPont Chambers Works factory in Deepwater, New Jersey.^[12]
After working as a private investigator (a role he would play in the television series Moonlighting as well as in the 1991 film, The Last Boy Scout), Willis returned to acting. He enrolled in the drama program at Montclair State University, where he was cast in the class production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Willis left school in his junior year and moved to New York City,^[4] where in the early 1980s he supported himself as a bartender at the West 19th Street art bar Kamikaze.^[13]
After multiple auditions, Willis made his theater debut in the off-Broadway production of Heaven and Earth. He gained more experience and exposure in Fool for Love, and in a Levi's commercial. Willis also played a lead role in the off-Broadway production Bullpen for four years which was written and directed by Dennis Watlington that was also presented at Joseph Papp's Public Theater.

Career

Early career

Willis at the 61st Academy Awards, 1989

Willis left New York City and headed to California to audition for several television shows.^[4] In 1984, he appeared in an episode of the TV series Miami Vice, titled "No Exit". In 1985 he was the guest actor in the first episode of The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series), "Shatterday".^[14] He auditioned for the role of David Addison Jr. of the television series Moonlighting (1985–89), competing against 3,000 other actors for the position.^[15] The starring role, opposite Cybill Shepherd, helped to establish him as a comedic actor, with the show lasting five seasons.^[7] During the height of the show's success, beverage maker Seagram hired Willis as the pitchman for their Golden Wine Cooler products.^[16] The advertising campaign paid the rising star between $5–7 million over two years. In spite of that, Willis chose not to renew his contract with the company when he decided to stop drinking alcohol in 1988.^[17]
Willis made his film debut in the 1987 Blake Edwards film Blind Date, with Kim Basinger and John Larroquette.^[7] Edwards cast him again to play the real-life cowboy actor Tom Mix in Sunset (1988). However, it was his then-unexpected turn in the film Die Hard (1988) that catapulted him to movie star status.^[7] He performed most of his own stunts in the film,^[18] and the film grossed $138,708,852 worldwide.^[19] Following his success with Die Hard, he had a supporting role in the drama In Country as Vietnam veteran Emmett Smith and also provided the voice for a talking baby in Look Who's Talking, as well as its sequel Look Who's Talking Too.
In the late 1980s, Willis enjoyed moderate success as a recording artist, recording an album of pop-blues titled The Return of Bruno, which included the hit single "Respect Yourself",^[20] promoted by a Spinal Tap–like rockumentary parody featuring scenes of him performing at famous events including Woodstock. He released a version of the Drifters song "Under The Boardwalk" as a follow-up, which got to number 2 in the UK Top 40, though was less successful in the USA. Willis returned to the recording studio several times afterwards. (See Discography below.)

1990s

Willis acquired major personal success and pop culture influence playing John McClane in 1988's Die Hard. This film was followed up by Die Hard 2: Die Harder in 1990 and Die Hard with a Vengeance in 1995.^[7] These first three installments in the Die Hard series grossed over US$700 million internationally and propelled Willis to the first rank of Hollywood action stars.
In the early 1990s, Willis's career suffered a moderate slump starring in flops such as The Bonfire of the Vanities, Striking Distance, and a film he co-wrote titled Hudson Hawk, among others. He starred in a leading role in the highly sexualized erotic thriller Color of Night (1994): another box office failure, it was savaged by critics but did well in the home video market and became one of the Top 20 most-rented films in the United States in 1995.^[21]
In 1994, he had a supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's acclaimed Pulp Fiction,^[7] which gave a new boost to his career. In 1996, he was the executive producer of the cartoon Bruno the Kid which featured a CGI representation of himself.^[22] He went on to play the lead roles in Twelve Monkeys (1995) and The Fifth Element (1997). However, by the end of the 1990s, his career had fallen into another slump with critically panned films like The Jackal, Mercury Rising, and Breakfast of Champions, saved only by the success of the Michael Bay-directed Armageddon which was the highest grossing film of 1998 worldwide.^[23] The same year his voice and likeness were featured in the PlayStation video game Apocalypse.^[24] In 1999, Willis then went on to the starring role in M. Night Shyamalan's film, The Sixth Sense. The film was both a commercial and critical success^[7] and helped to increase interest in his acting career.

2000s–2010s

Willis after a ceremony where he was named Hasty Pudding Theatrical's Man of the Year in 2002

In 2000, Willis won an Emmy^[25] for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on Friends (in which he played the father of Ross Geller's much-younger girlfriend).^[26] He was also nominated for a 2001 American Comedy Award (in the Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series category) for his work on Friends. Also in 2000, Willis played Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski in The Whole Nine Yards alongside Matthew Perry. Willis was originally cast as Terry Benedict in Ocean's Eleven (2001) but dropped out to work on recording an album.^[27] In Ocean's Twelve (2004), he makes a cameo appearance as himself. In 2007, he appeared in the Planet Terror half of the double feature Grindhouse as the villain, a mutant soldier. This marks Willis's second collaboration with director Robert Rodriguez, following Sin City.
Willis has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman several times throughout his career. He filled in for an ill David Letterman on his show February 26, 2003, when he was supposed to be a guest.^[28] On many of his appearances on the show, Willis stages elaborate jokes, such as wearing a day-glo orange suit in honor of the Central Park gates, having one side of his face made up with simulated buckshot wounds after the Harry Whittington shooting, or trying to break a record (parody of David Blaine) of staying underwater for only twenty seconds.

Willis at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

On April 12, 2007, he appeared again, this time wearing a Sanjaya Malakar wig.^[29] His most recent appearance was on June 25, 2007 when he appeared wearing a mini-turban strapped to his head to accompany a joke about his own fictional documentary titled An Unappealing Hunch (a wordplay of An Inconvenient Truth).^[30] Willis also appeared on Japanese Subaru Legacy television commercials.^[31] Tying in with this, Subaru did a limited run of Legacys, badged "Subaru Legacy Touring Bruce", in honor of Willis.
Willis has appeared in four films with Samuel L. Jackson (National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, Pulp Fiction, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and Unbreakable) and both actors were slated to work together in Black Water Transit, before dropping out. Willis also worked with his eldest daughter, Rumer, in the 2005 film Hostage. In 2007, he appeared in the thriller Perfect Stranger, opposite Halle Berry, the crime/drama film Alpha Dog, opposite Sharon Stone, and marked his return to the role of John McClane in Live Free or Die Hard. Recently he appeared in the films What Just Happened and Surrogates, based on the comic book of the same name.^[32]
Willis was slated to play U.S. Army general William R. Peers in director Oliver Stone's Pinkville, a drama about the investigation of the 1968 My Lai Massacre.^[33] However, due to the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike, the film was cancelled. Willis appeared on the 2008 Blues Traveler album North Hollywood Shootout, giving a spoken word performance over an instrumental blues-rock jam on the track "Free Willis (Ruminations from Behind Uncle Bob's Machine Shop)". In early 2009, he appeared in an advertising campaign to publicize the insurance company Norwich Union's change of name to Aviva.^[34]

Willis at a Live Free or Die Hard premiere in June 2007

Willis starred with Tracy Morgan in the comedy Cop Out, directed by Kevin Smith and about two police detectives investigating the theft of a baseball card.^[35] The film was released in February 2010. Willis appeared in the music video for the song "Stylo" by Gorillaz.^[36] Also in 2010, he appeared in a cameo with former Planet Hollywood co-owners and '80s action stars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film The Expendables. Willis played the role of "Mr. Church". This was the first time these three legendary action stars appeared on screen together. Although the scene featuring the three was short, it was one of the most highly anticipated scenes in the film. The trio filmed their scene in an empty church on October 24, 2009.^[37] Willis next starred in Red, an adaptation of the comic book mini-series of the same name, in which he portrays Frank Moses. The film was released on October 15, 2010.^[38]
Willis starred alongside Bill Murray, Edward Norton, and Frances McDormand in Moonrise Kingdom (2012). Filming took place in Rhode Island under the direction of Wes Anderson, in 2011.^[39] Willis returned, in an expanded role, in The Expendables 2 (2012).^[40] He appeared alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the sci-fi action film, Looper (2012), as the older version of Gordon-Levitt's character, Joe.
Willis teamed up with 50 Cent in a film directed by David Barrett called Fire with Fire, starring opposite Josh Duhamel and Rosario Dawson, about a fireman who must save the love of his life.^[41] Willis also joined Vince Vaughn and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Lay the Favorite, directed by Stephen Frears, about a Las Vegas cocktail waitress who becomes an elite professional gambler.^[42] The two films were distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment.

Upcoming films

On October 12, 2011, it was announced that A Good Day to Die Hard would see a February 14, 2013 (Valentine's Day) release, with Willis reprising his most famous role of John McClane for a fifth time.^[43]
Willis will star in the movie adaptation of the video game Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, named Kane & Lynch.^[44]

Business activities

Willis owns property in Los Angeles, rents an apartment in the Trump Tower in New York City,^[45] and Trump Place,^[46] as well as a home in Malibu, California, a ranch in Montana, a beach home on Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos, and multiple properties in Sun Valley, Idaho.^[4]
In 2000 Willis, with his business partner Arnold Rifkin, started a motion picture production company called Cheyenne Enterprises. He left the company to be run solely by Rifkin in 2007 after Live Free or Die Hard.^[47] He also owns several small businesses in Hailey, Idaho, including The Mint Bar and The Liberty Theater and is a co-founder of Planet Hollywood, with actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.^[48] In 2009 Willis signed a contract to become the international face of Belvedere SA's Sobieski Vodka in exchange for 3.3% ownership in the company.^[49]

Personal life

Willis' acting role models are Gary Cooper, Robert De Niro, Steve McQueen, and John Wayne.^[50]

Marriages and family

At the premiere for the film Stakeout, Willis met actress Demi Moore. Willis married Moore on November 21, 1987 and had three daughters: Rumer Willis (b. 1988), Scout LaRue Willis (b. 1991) and Tallulah Belle Willis (b. 1994) before the couple divorced on October 18, 2000. The couple gave no public reason for their breakup. Regarding the divorce, Willis stated, "I felt I had failed as a father and a husband by not being able to make it work." He credited actor Will Smith for helping him cope with the situation.^[4]^[16] After their breakup, rumors persisted that the couple planned to re-marry, until Demi Moore married Ashton Kutcher. Willis has maintained a close relationship with both Moore and Kutcher, even attending their wedding.
Willis was engaged to actress Brooke Burns until they broke up in 2004 after ten months together.^[15] He married model Emma Heming in Turks and Caicos on March 21, 2009;^[51] guests included his three daughters, Demi Moore, and Ashton Kutcher. The ceremony was not legally binding, so the couple wed again in a civil ceremony in Beverly Hills six days later.^[52] The couple have one daughter, Mabel Ray Willis, born in 2012.^[53]

Religious views

Willis at the German premiere of Over the Hedge on June 28, 2006

Bruce Willis was, at one point, Lutheran (specifically Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod),^[54] but no longer practices. In a July 1998 interview with George magazine, he stated:

“

'Organized religions in general, in my opinion, are dying forms', he says. 'They were all very important when we didn't know why the sun moved, why weather changed, why hurricanes occurred, or volcanoes happened', he continues. 'Modern religion is the end trail of modern mythology. But there are people who interpret the Bible literally. Literally! I choose not to believe that's the way. And that's what makes America cool, you know?'^[55]

”

Political views

In 1988, he and then-wife Demi Moore openly campaigned for Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis's Presidential bid. Four years later, he supported President George H. W. Bush for reelection and he was an outspoken critic of Bill Clinton. However, in 1996, he declined to endorse Clinton's Republican opponent Bob Dole, because Dole had criticized Demi Moore for her role in the film Striptease.^[56] Willis was an invited speaker at the 2000 Republican National Convention,^[57] and openly supported George W. Bush that year. He did not make any contributions or public endorsements in the 2008 presidential campaign. In several June 2007 interviews, he declared that he maintains some Republican ideologies.^[4]^[16]
In 2006, he said that the United States should invade Colombia, in order to end the drug trafficking.^[58] In several interviews Willis has said that he supports large salaries for teachers and police officers, and says that he is disappointed in the United States' foster care and treatment of Native Americans.^[56]^[59] Willis also stated that he is a big supporter of gun rights:

“

"Everyone has a right to bear arms. If you take guns away from legal gun owners, then the only people who have guns are the bad guys." Even a pacifist, he insists, would get violent if someone were trying to kill him. "You would fight for your life."^[60]

”

In February 2006, Willis appeared in Manhattan to talk about 16 Blocks with reporters. One reporter attempted to ask Willis about his opinion on the current government, but was interrupted by Willis in mid-sentence: "I'm sick of answering this fucking question. I'm a Republican only as far as I want a smaller government, I want less government intrusion. I want them to stop shitting on my money and your money and tax dollars that we give 50 percent of... every year. I want them to be fiscally responsible and I want these goddamn lobbyists out of Washington. Do that and I'll say I'm a Republican... I hate the government, OK? I'm apolitical. Write that down. I'm not a Republican."^[61]
Willis's name was in an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times on August 17, 2006, that condemned Hamas and Hezbollah and supported Israel in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.^[62]

Military interests

Willis meets with Brigadier General Albert Bryant, Jr and deployed soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division, in Tikrit, Iraq, during his 2003 USO tour.

Throughout his film career, Willis has depicted several military characters in films such as The Siege, Hart's War, Tears of the Sun, and Grindhouse. Growing up in a military family, Willis has publicly sold Girl Scout cookies for the United States armed forces. In 2002, Willis's youngest daughter, Tallulah, suggested that he purchase Girl Scout cookies to send to troops. Willis purchased 12,000 boxes of cookies, and they were distributed to sailors aboard USS John F. Kennedy and other troops stationed throughout the Middle East at the time.^[63] In 2003, Willis visited Iraq as part of the USO tour, singing to the troops with his band, The Accelerators.^[64] Willis considered joining the military to help fight the second Iraq war, but was deterred by his age.^[65] It was believed he offered $1 million to any noncombatant who turns in terrorist leaders Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, or Abu Musab al-Zarqawi; in the June 2007 issue of Vanity Fair, however, he clarified that the statement was made hypothetically and not meant to be taken literally. In any case, members of the armed forces are not allowed to accept financial rewards from civilians.
Willis has also criticized the media for its coverage of the war, complaining that the press were more likely to focus on the negative aspects of the war:

“

I went to Iraq because what I saw when I was over there was soldiers—young kids for the most part—helping people in Iraq; helping getting the power turned back on, helping get hospitals open, helping get the water turned back on and you don't hear any of that on the news. You hear, 'X number of people were killed today,' which I think does a huge disservice. It's like spitting on these young men and women who are over there fighting to help this country.^[66]

”

Willis stated in 2005 that he wanted to "make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom and democracy."^[67] The film would follow members of Deuce Four, the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, who spent considerable time in Mosul and were decorated heavily for it. The film is to be based on the writings of blogger Michael Yon, a former United States Army Special Forces soldier who was embedded with Deuce Four and sent regular dispatches about their activities. Willis described the plot of the film as "these guys who do what they are asked for very little money to defend and fight for what they consider to be freedom."^[68]

Controversy

Comments at playoffs

Willis, an avid New Jersey Nets fan, made controversial comments on April 29, 2007 during a live broadcast of a Nets home playoff game on TSN by saying a catch phrase from his Die Hard films, "Yippee-Ki-Yay, Motherfucker", at the end of the interview. Reacting to the backlash, he later blamed his actions on jet lag, stating: "Sometimes I overestimate my ability to function under duress with less than enough sleep".^[16]

"Walter_B"

On May 5, 2007, someone using the screen name "Walter_B" started posting detailed responses onto Ain't it Cool News, where people were discussing the fact that Live Free or Die Hard received a PG-13 rating, instead of an R rating like the earlier three Die Hard films.^[69] The responses included detailed information on Live Free or Die Hard, which was yet to be released; the theme of the Die Hard film series, direct criticisms of other film crews and casts, and many film trivia answers. Many people were skeptical that "Walter_B" was indeed Willis, but on May 9, Willis revealed his identity on a video chat session.^[70]^[71]

Cultural references

In 1996, Roger Director, a writer and producer from Moonlighting wrote a roman à clef on Willis titled A Place to Fall.^[72] Cybill Shepherd wrote in her 2000 autobiography, Cybill Disobedience, that Willis was angry at Director, because the character was written as a "neurotic, petulant actor."
In 1998, Willis participated in Apocalypse, a PlayStation video game. The game was originally announced to feature Willis as a sidekick, not as the main character. The company reworked the game using Willis's likeness and voice and changed the game to use him as the main character.^[24]

Filmography

Main article: Bruce Willis filmography

Discography

Solo albums

The Return of Bruno, 1987, Motown, OCLC 15508727
If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger, 1989, Motown / Pgd, OCLC 21322754.
Classic Bruce Willis: The Universal Masters Collection, 2001, Polygram Int'l, OCLC 71124889.

Compilations/Guest appearances

Moonlighting soundtrack, 1986; track "Good Lovin'"
Hudson Hawk soundtrack, 1991; tracks "Swinging on a Star" and "Side by Side", both duets with Danny Aiello
Rugrats Go Wild soundtrack, 2003; "Big Bad Cat" with Chrissie Hynde and "Lust for Life"
Blues Traveler, North Hollywood Shootout, 2008; track "Free Willis (Ruminations from Behind Uncle Bob's Machine Shop)"

Singles

"Respect Yourself", reached number 5 in the US and number 7 in the UK
"Under the Boardwalk", reached number 59 in the US and number 2 in the UK
"Young Blood", reached number 62 in the US
"Secret Agent Man – James Bond is Back", number 43 in the UK (September 1987)
"Comin' Right Up", number 73 in the UK (January 1988)

Awards and honors

Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

Willis has won a variety of awards and has received various honors throughout his career in television and film.

For his work on the television show Moonlighting he won an Emmy ("Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series") and a Golden Globe ("Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical") plus received additional nominations for the show.^[73]
He was nominated for a Golden Globe for "Best Supporting Actor" for his role in the film In Country
Maxim magazine had named his sex scenes in Color of Night (1994) as the best sex scenes ever in film history.^[74]
In the 1999 drama/thriller film, The Sixth Sense, Willis won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award ("Favorite Actor — Suspense") and the People's Choice Award ("Favorite Motion Picture Star in a Drama"). He was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actor and received two nominations for the MTV Movie Awards for "Best Male Performance" and "Best On-Screen Duo".^[73]
In 2000, Willis won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on Friends.
In February 2002, Willis was awarded the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year award from Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals. According to the organization, the award is given to performers who give a lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment.^[75]
Also in 2002, Willis was appointed as national spokesman for Children in Foster Care by President George W. Bush.^[76] Willis wrote online: "I saw Foster Care as a way for me to serve my country in a system by which shining a little bit of light could benefit a great deal by helping kids who were literally wards of the government."
In April 2006, he was honored by French government for his contributions to the film industry. Willis was named "Officier Dans L'ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres" (Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters) in a ceremony in Paris. The French Prime Minister stated "This is France's way of paying tribute to an actor who epitomizes the strength of American cinema, the power of the emotions that he invites us to share on the world's screens and the sturdy personalities of his legendary characters."^[77]
On October 16, 2006, Willis was honored with a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard and it was the 2,321st star awarded in its history. Willis, reacting to his reception of the star, stated "I used to come down here and look at these stars and I could never quite figure out what you were supposed to do to get one...time has passed and now here I am doing this, and I'm still excited. I'm still excited to be an actor."^[78]
In 2011, Willis was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.^[79]

References

^ "People Index". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
^ "All Time Top 100 Stars at the Box Office". The Numbers. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
^ "Surprise German visit from Willis". BBC News. August 8, 2005. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Lipworth, Elaine (June 16, 2007). "Die Another Day: Bruce Willis". Daily Mail (UK). Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ Archerd, Army. (2003-12-11) Inside Move: Flu KOs Smart Set yule bash – Entertainment News, Other News, Media. Variety. Retrieved on November 14, 2011.
^ "Robert Willis Obituary". Variety. July 1, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Stated on Inside the Actors Studio, 2001
^ ^a ^b ^c Barnard, Sarah. "Bruce Willis". The Biography Channel. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ Petersen, Melody (May 9, 1997). "Bruce Willis Drops Project, Leaving Town More Troubled". The New York Times. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ "Bruce Willis: The Uncut Interview" (PDF). Reader's Digest. 2002. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ "Bruce Willis". The Daily Show. June 26, 2007. Comedy Central.
^ ^a ^b Segal, David (March 10, 2005). "Bruce Willis's Tragic Mask". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ Curley, Mallory. A Cookie Mueller Encyclopedia, p. 260.
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^ ^a ^b "Yahoo! Movies". Bruce Willis Biography. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
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^ "Top 100 Songs of 1987". The Eighties Club. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ Billboard vol 108 No. 1 (1/6/1996) p.54.
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^ "1998 Worldwide Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ ^a ^b Walk, Gary Eng (December 4, 1998). ""Apocalypse" Now". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ Bruce Willis Emmy Award Winner. Emmys.com. Retrieved on 2012-06-08.
^ "The 52nd Annual Emmy Awards". The Los Angeles Times. September 11, 2000. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ Rohan, Virginia (June 28, 2004). "Let's Make a Deal" (Registration required). The Record. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ Susman, Gary (February 28, 2003). "The Eyes Have It". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ "The Week's Best Celeb Quotes". People. August 17, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ "Bruce Willis Wears Mini-Wind Turbine On His Head". Star Pulse. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ "1991 Subaru Legacy Ad". YouTube. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ Fleming, Michael; Tatiana Siegel (November 18, 2007). "Films halted due to strike". Variety. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ Mayberry, Carly (November 13, 2007). "The Vine: Pitt targeted for 'Pinkville'" (Registration required). The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ Dunkley, Jamie (April 29, 2009). "Aviva lambasted for rebranding costs". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ "Bruce Willis Circling Several New Movies". Empire. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
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^ Stallone Shot a Scene with Arnold and Bruce News in Film
^ "Red Begins Principal Photography". /Film. January 18, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
^ "Film starring Bruce Willis to be shot in RI". Boston Globe. Associated Press (Providence, R.I.). March 24, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2011. "Steven Feinberg, executive director for the Rhode Island Film and Television Office, says on-site work on the film, 'Moonrise Kingdom,' is scheduled to begin this spring. Feinberg says the film will be shot in several locations in Rhode Island."
^ Jason Barr (August 29, 2010). "Sylvester Stallone Wants Bruce Willis to Play a "Super Villain" in THE EXPENDABLES Sequel".
^ Anderton, Ethan (May 5, 2011). "Bruce Willis and 50 Cent Teaming Up Again to Fight 'Fire with Fire'". Firstshowing.net. Variety. Retrieved May 6, 2011. "Now Variety reports that for some reason, the two will team-up again for an indie drama called Fire with Fire."
^ Bettinger, Brendan (May 5, 2011). "Vince Vaughn Joins Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in LAY THE FAVORITE". Collider.com. Retrieved May 6, 2011. "Vince Vaughn will join Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the gambling drama Lay the Favorite."
^ "Die Hard 5 Given a Name and a 2013 Release Date". Yahoo! News. October 12, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
^ "Bruce Willis To Star in 'Kane and Lynch'". MTV. October 21, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
^ "Bruce Willis Moves Into Trump Towers". SoFeminine.ca. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ Abelson, Max (November 5, 2007). "Bruce Willis Pays $4.26 M. for Trump Enemy's Condo". The New York Observer. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ Fleming, Michael (November 12, 2002). "Willis held 'Hostage'" (Registration required). Variety. Retrieved May 10, 2009.^{[dead link]}
^ Martinson, Jane; Vikram Dodd (August 18, 1999). "Planet Hollywood crashes to earth". The Guardian (London). Retrieved May 10, 2009.
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^ "Bruce and Emma make marriage legal". MSNBC. March 27, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
^ "It's a Girl for Bruce Willis and Emma Heming!". People. April 2, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
^ "Famous Lutherans". Hope-elca.com. Retrieved August 22, 2010.^{[dead link]}
^ Tom, Dunkel (July 1998). "Bruce Willis Kicks Asteroid in Armageddon". George. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
^ ^a ^b Vincent, Mal (March 3, 2006). "Playing the bad boy is a natural for Bruce Willis". HamptonRoads.com. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
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^ Roach, Mary (February 13, 2000). "Being Bruce Willis". USA Weekend. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ "Willis Is Mad As Hell...". MSN Movies. February 24, 2006. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
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^ Neal, Rome (September 26, 2003). "Bruce Willis Sings For The Troops". CBS News. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ "Hollywood's right reluctant to join Iraq debate". CNN. March 7, 2003. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ "Willis Fights for Iraqi Troops". Hollywood.com. March 9, 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ Baxter, Sarah (November 27, 2005). "Bruce Willis comes out fighting for Iraq's forgotten GI heroes". The Times (London). Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ "Willis to Make Movie Honoring U.S. Troops in Iraq". Hollywood.com. November 28, 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ "Bruce Willis". Ain't it Cool News. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ "Is Bruce Willis a Talkbacker?". Freeze Dried Movies. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ Shamoon, Evan (May 11, 2007). "Bruce Willis Knows How to Use the Internet(s)". Switched.com. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ Gates, Anita (March 24, 1996). "Moonlighting". The New York Times. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Awards for Bruce Willis". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ "Top Sex Scenes of All-Time". Telepixtvcgi.warnerbros.com/. December 6, 2000. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
^ Silverman, Stephen M. (February 12, 2002). "For Bruce Willis, Award Is a Drag". People. Retrieved June 20, 2007.
^ "President, Mrs. Bush & Bruce Willis Announce Adoption Initiative". whitehouse.gov. July 23, 2002. Archived from the original on July 25, 2002. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ "Internet Movie Database". Willis Receives French Honor. January 12, 2006. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ Associated Press (October 17, 2006). "Willis Gets Hollywood Walk of Fame Star". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
^ The Newark Star Ledger.

External links

Find more about Bruce Willis at Wikipedia's sister projects
	Media from Commons
	Quotations from Wikiquote

BruceWillis.com (Way Back Machine) Official website – shutdown since Thanksgiving 2005. Link refers to the cached homepages of the site at Archive.org.
Bruce Willis at the Internet Movie Database
Bruce Willis at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
Bruce Willis at People.com
Bruce Willis at TV Tropes
DeLucia, Matt (July 2007). "The West Bank Café". Restaurant Insider. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
Bruce Willis at Emmys.com

Jean-Claude Van Damme

2013-01-25T00:46:00.001-08:00

Jean-Claude Van Damme
Van Damme on 2 June 2007
Born	Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg 18 October 1960 (age 52) Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium
Nationality	Belgian
Division	Middleweight
Style	Karate, Kickboxing
Fighting out of	Brussels, Belgium
Team	Team Goetz
Trainer	Claude Goetz Dominique Valera
Rank	black belt in Shotokan
Years active	1976–1982 (martial arts) 1984–present (acting)

Kickboxing record
Total	19
Wins	18
By knockout	18
Losses	1

Amateur career
Total	48
Wins	44
Losses	4
Other information
Occupation	Actor, martial artist, director
Spouse	Maria Rodriguez (m. 1980 – 1984) ‹See Tfd› Cynthia Derderian (m. 1985 – 1986) ‹See Tfd› Darcy LaPier (m. 1994 – 1997) ‹See Tfd› Gladys Portugues (m. 1987 – 1992) ‹See Tfd›; (1999–present)
Children	Kristopher Van Varenberg Bianca Bree Nicholas Van Varenberg

Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg,

2013-01-25T00:44:00.001-08:00

Early life

Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg, on 18 October 1960, in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, the son of Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, who was an accountant.^[6]^[7]^[8]
At the age of 16, he took up ballet, which he studied for five years. According to Van Damme, ballet "is an art, but it's also one of the most difficult sports. If you can survive a ballet workout, you can survive a workout in any other sport."^[9] He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a Shotokan karate school.^[10] His styles consist of Shotokan Karate and Kickboxing.^[11] He eventually earned his black belt in karate.^[12] He started lifting weights to improve his physique, which eventually led to a Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title.^[5]

Martial arts career

Semi-contact karate career

At the age of 11,^[13] Van Damme joined the Centre National De Karaté (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Claude Goetz in Belgium. Van Damme trained for four years and he earned a spot on the Belgian Karate Team; later training in full-contact karate and kickboxing by Dominique Valera.^[14]
In 1976, Jean-Claude is reported to have started his competitive career in Ingelmunster, Belgium, in a semi-contact match which was sanctioned by the European Karate Union. He defeated fellow Belgian Roland Vedani. The following year, Van Damme remained undefeated with victories over Maurice Devos, Andre LeMaire and fellow team-mate Patrick Teugels in non-tournament matches sanctioned by the World All-Styles Karate Organization. In his first tournament competition, Van Damme placed second at the Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials). Jean-Claude defeated 25 opponents in the three day tournament before losing in the finals to fellow team-mate Angelo Spataro.^[14]
Jean-Claude was a member of the Belgium Team that won the European Championship on 26 December 1979 at La Coupe Francois Persoons Karate Tournament in Brussels, Belgium.^[14]^[15]

1980 Forest National match

On 8 March 1980, in Brussels, Belgium, Van Damme competed against his one-time stablemate Patrick Teugels at the Forest National arena on the amateur undercard of the Dan Macaruso-Dominique Valera PKA Light-Heavyweight World Championship bout.^[14] Prior to this match, Teugels had defeated Van Damme at least twice by decision, including a match for the Belgium Lightweight Championship. Van Damme had a 1977 win over Teugels. Teugels was coming off this latter impressive showing at the WAKO World Championships four months earlier, and was favored by some to win this match. According to reports, and Patrick Teugels' own interview (with photos), Teugels lost by TKO in the 1st round. Teugels was kicked in the nose and was unable to continue because of that injury.^[14]

Kickboxing and full-contact karate career

Van Damme's martial arts record consists mostly of light and semi-contact matches. However, from 1976 to 1982, Van Damme fought in 19 full-contact matches, and compiled a record of 18 wins, 18 knockouts and 1 defeat.^[16]
Van Damme had his first full-contact match against Toon Van Oostrum in Brussels, Belgium in 1976. The 16 year old Van Damme knocked out Oostrum in 46 seconds of the first round.
Jean-Claude's biggest victories were over the United Kingdom's Michael J. Heming-British and European Middleweight Karate Champion, the United States of America's Sherman Bergman, Turkey's Ajom Mahmud Uddin, and Belgium's Lenny Leikman.^{[citation needed]}
Van Damme's only defeat was early in his career, when he lost to France's Etienne "Tuf" Aubry by 1st round disqualification. Van Damme accidentally kicked and knocked out Aubry when he was down. Aubry was unable to continue and was awarded a victory.
Jean-Claude was only knocked down once in his entire 8-year career.^{[citation needed]} Facing Sherman Bergman, Van Damme was knocked to the canvas after absorbing a powerful left hook,^[17]^[18] and it was the only knock-down suffered by Van Damme in his fighting career. However, Van Damme got up, and with an axe-kick, knocked Bergman out in 56 seconds of the first round.^{[citation needed]} This match was fought in Tampa, Florida.^[17]^[18]
Following a knockout victory over France's Georges Verlugels on a Professional Karate Association promotion in 1980(source:FightingArts.com), Van Damme caught the attention of Professional Karate Magazine publisher and editor Mike Anderson, and multiple European champion Geet Lemmens. Both men tabbed Van Damme as an upcoming prospect.^[19]
Van Damme ended his full-contact career in 1982 following a knockout victory over India's Nedjad Gharbi. Van Damme was scheduled to fight former boxing Olympic gold-medalist Somluck Kamsing in November 2011.^[20] Early reports have named Las Vegas, USA, Moscow, Russia and Macau, China, Thailand as locations for the bout but it now fight will take place in Dubai, Moscow^[21] or Grozny.^[22] At the prospect of being the first man over the age of 50 to kickbox professionally, Van Damme stated that "it's kind of dangerous, but life is short."^[23]

Film career

Jean-Claude Van Damme at the Cannes Festival

In 1982, Van Damme and childhood friend, Michel Qissi, moved to America in the hope of becoming action stars. They both were cast as extras in the film, Breakin'. Van Damme also had a non-speaking part as a Secret Service agent who carries a polio-crippled President Franklin Roosevelt (Ralph Bellamy) out of a pool in the 1988 TV miniseries War and Remembrance. After a small part in Missing In Action, Van Damme was next cast in the film No Retreat, No Surrender, as the role of the villain, Ivan the Russian. Van Damme worked for director John McTiernan for the 1987 film Predator as an early (eventually abandoned) version of the titular alien, before being removed and replaced by Kevin Peter Hall.^[24] His breakout film was Bloodsport, based on the alleged true story of Frank Dux. Shot on a 1.5 million dollar budget, it became a U.S. box-office hit in the spring of 1988. He then starred in the smaller budgeted film Cyborg. His last role for 1989 was Kurt Sloane in the successful Kickboxer. In this film, his character fights to avenge his brother who has been paralyzed by a Thai kickboxing champion (Qissi).^[25]
Double Impact featured Van Damme in the dual role of Alex and Chad Wagner, estranged twin brothers fighting to avenge the deaths of their parents. This film reunited him with his former Bloodsport co-star, Bolo Yeung. He then starred opposite Dolph Lundgren in the action film Universal Soldier. While it grossed $36,299,898 in the U.S., it was an even bigger success overseas, making over $65 million, well over its modest $23 million budget, making it Van Damme's highest grossing film at the time. Van Damme followed Nowhere To Run and Hard Target with Timecop in 1994. The film was a huge success, grossing over $100 million worldwide. In the film, Van Damme played a time traveling cop, who tries to prevent the death of his wife. It remains his highest grossing film in a lead role to date.
After his role in the poorly received Street Fighter, his projects started to fail at the box office. Sudden Death (1995); The Quest (1996), which he directed; Maximum Risk (1996), Double Team (1997) and Knock Off (1998) were box-office flops. The 1999 film Universal Soldier: The Return, also a box-office flop, was Van Damme's last theatrically released film until 2008. In 2003, Van Damme employed his dancing training in the music video for Bob Sinclar's "Kiss My Eyes."
Van Damme returned to the mainstream with the limited theatrical release of the 2008 film JCVD, which received positive reviews. Time Magazine named Van Damme's performance in the film the second best of the year (after Heath Ledger's The Joker in The Dark Knight),^[26] having previously stated that Van Damme "deserves not a black belt, but an Oscar."^[27] Van Damme indicated while promoting the film, he experienced a period of homelessness "sleeping on the street and starving in L.A."^[28]
Van Damme reprised his role as Luc Deveraux in the 2009 film Universal Soldier: Regeneration. Subsequently he voiced "Master Croc" in the 2011 animated film Kung Fu Panda 2. Also in 2011, Van Damme participated in various commercials for Coors Light beer, in which he is located on a snow-covered mountain wearing a sleeveless denim jacket, and for washing powder "Dash".
He was offered a lead role in Sylvester Stallone's film The Expendables (2010). Stallone called Van Damme personally to offer him the role, but Van Damme turned it down. He scheduled a series of film projects for 2011, including another Universal Soldier movie. On 30 June 2011, Van Damme confirmed his participation in The Expendables 2, which was released on 17 August 2012.^[29]
One of Van Damme's latest projects is an upcoming (2013) comedy Welcome To The Jungle directed by Rob Meltzer, in a role as a workplace team building trainer opposite Adam Brody, Rob Huebel, Kristen Schaal, Megan Boone, and Dennis Haysbert.^[30] He is also preparing to star in the thriller Enemies Closer which would re-unite him with Timecop and Sudden Death director Peter Hyams.
In August 2012 Van Damme confirmed that Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning would be released on 30 November 2012 to theaters. The film would also again co-star Dolph Lundgren. Van Damme also said that he would love to make a sequel to what he considers his best film, Double Impact, and that a script, which he co-wrote for the sequel, has been written, and that he is hoping to find a producer that will get behind the project.^[31]
Van Damme indicated that Stallone might include him in The Expendables 3, in which Van Damme would play Claude Villain, the brother to his Expendables 2 character Jean Villain.^[32]

Controversies

Fight record

In an interview on his website, Van Damme rival, Patrick Teugels states that Van Damme never fought at the 1979 WAKO World Championships in Tampa, Florida, and posts a Dutch-language Samurai magazine report on the tournament in which Van Damme (Van Varenberg) is not mentioned.^[33] On Van Damme's imdb page, as well as his official webpage, Van Damme makes no claims of having fought at the 1979 or 1980 WAKO World Championships. Van Damme's fight with Bergman in Tampa, Florida was always billed as a non-tournament match, and was not under the sanction of the WAKO World Championships and was not recorded as a championship bout.^{[citation needed]}
At the same time, while Teugels takes credit for two victories over Van Damme (one for the Belgium light-contact Championship), records show that Van Damme defeated Teugels in at least two matches, including one at the Forest National arena in which Van Damme broke Teugels's nose.^[34] At the STAR System World Kickboxing Ratings^[14] website, event coverages and results are posted from France's Karate Magazine and from the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) that show Van Damme was an active semi-contact fighter in Europe between 1978–1980, but that he never placed at the 1979 WAKO World Championships. Newspaper clippings do provide information that Van Damme fought in various tournaments from 1978–1980, but internet photos show that Van Damme competed from 1976-1982.
When Van Damme became an action film star a controversy arose because leading martial arts magazines could not find any fights listed for Jean-Claude Van Damme. Jean-Claude had competed under his birth name of Jean-Claude Van Varenberg. Van Damme's office supplied a list of four European karate trophies that he earned under his real name, Van Varenberg, between 1978 and 1981: the Hope Cup; the Cup of Antwerp; World Championship, WAKO; and the Gala International. Van Damme's lawyer, Martin Singer, made a public statement defending his client: "There are records to document his martial-arts acclaim. He's the one who does those splits on chairs. He doesn't have a stunt man do that."^[35]
Paul Maslak of the STAR System World Kickboxing Ratings, who was also the casting director who helped cast Van Damme in his first theatrical role, No Retreat No Surrender, and who was therefore always aware of Van Damme's legal name, researched Van Damme's competitive history and came up with documentation that showed most fights were in tournament karate and that there was no verifiable evidence Van Damme had ever competed as a professional kickboxer.^[14] The term "professional" fighter is open to debate, because many WAKO fighters in Europe were paid money to train.^[36]

Kadyrov event

In October 2011, Van Damme, along with other celebrities including Hilary Swank, Vanessa-Mae and Seal attracted criticism from human rights groups for attending an event in Russian federal subject Chechnya's capital Grozny on the 35th birthday of Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov on 5 October.^[37] Human rights groups, who had urged the celebrities to cancel their appearances because of abuses carried out under Kadyrov, criticised the celebrities for attending the event.^[38] Human Rights Watch released a statement which said, "Ramzan Kadyrov is linked to a litany of horrific human rights abuses. It's inappropriate for stars to get paid to party with him. It bolsters his image and legitimizes a brutal leader and his regime. And getting paid to be part of such a lavish show in Chechnya trivializes the suffering of countless victims of human rights abuses there."^[39]^[40]^[41]

Public image and influence

In the French-speaking world, Van Damme is well known for the picturesque aphorisms that he delivers on a wide range of topics (personal well-being, the environment, etc.) in a sort of Zen franglais.^[42]
The original video game Mortal Kombat was conceived as a fighting game based on Van Damme.^[43] Creators Ed Boon and John Tobias originally had desired to author the game starring Van Damme himself. That fell through as Van Damme had a prior deal for another game under the auspices of the Sega Genesis platform. Ed Boon and John Tobias eventually decided to create a different character for the game named Johnny Cage, who is modeled after Jean-Claude Van Damme, primarily from Van Damme's appearance and outfit in the martial arts film Bloodsport.^[44]^[45]
On 21 October 2012, Van Damme was honored with a life-size statue of himself in his hometown of Brussels. He told reporters during the unveiling, "Belgium is paying me back something, but really it's to pay back to the dream. So when people come by here, it is Jean-Claude Van Damme but it's a guy from the street who believed in something. I want the statue to represent that".^[46]

Personal life

Van Damme suffered from substance abuse beginning in 1995.^[47] He entered a month-long rehabilitation program in 1996 but left it after only one week.^[47]^[48] In 1996, he spent up to $10,000 a week on cocaine.^[49] After the filming of the 1998 film Knock Off, Van Damme was diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar disorder after becoming suicidal and started treatment on the mood stabilizer, sodium valproate. A turning point toward improvement of his health came from late 1997 onwards, after having finished divorce procedures.^[47]

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	Monaco Forever	Gay Karate Man
1984	Breakin'	Spectator in First Dance Sequence	Uncredited
1986	No Retreat, No Surrender	Ivan Krushensky	Also known as Karate Tiger (European)
1987	Bloodsport	Frank Dux	Fight choreographer Writer Editor First work with Bolo Yeung.
1988	Black Eagle	Andrei	Also known as Red Eagle or Red Hunter (European)
1989	Cyborg	Gibson Rickenbacker	Editor
1989	Kickboxer	Kurt Sloane	Writer Also known as Karate Tiger 3 (European)
1990	Death Warrant	Louis Burke
1990	Lionheart	Lyon Gaultier	Fight choreographer Writer Also known as Leon or A.W.O.L. - Absent Without Leave (European)
1991	Double Impact	Alex Wagner/Chad Wagner	Dual role Producer Writer Second work with Bolo Yeung. MTV Movie Awards nomination for Most Desirable Male
1992	Universal Soldier	Luc Deveraux/GR44	First work with Dolph Lundgren.
1993	Last Action Hero	Himself
1993	Nowhere to Run	Sam Gillen	MTV Movie Awards nomination for Most Desirable Male
1993	Hard Target	Chance Boudreaux	MTV Movie Awards nomination for Most Desirable Male
1994	Timecop	Max Walker	Dual role
1994	Street Fighter	Colonel William F. Guile
1995	Sudden Death	Darren McCord
1996	Maximum Risk	Alain Moreau/Mikhail Suverov	Dual role
1996	The Quest	Christopher Dubois	Director Writer
1997	Double Team	Jack Quinn	Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with Dennis Rodman)
1998	Knock Off	Marcus Ray
1998	Legionnaire	Alain Lefevre	Writer Producer
1999	Universal Soldier: The Return	Luc Devereaux	Producer
1999	Inferno	Eddie Lomax	Also known as Desert Heat Producer
2001	The Order	Rudy Cafmeyer/Charles Le Vaillant	Dual role role Writer
2001	Replicant	Edward "The Torch" Garrotte/Replicant	Dual role
2002	Derailed	Jacques Kristoff
2003	In Hell	Kyle LeBlanc
2004	Wake of Death	Ben Archer
2004	Narco	Jean's ghost by Lenny
2006	The Hard Corps	Phillip Sauvage
2006	Second in Command	Sam Keenan
2006	The Exam	Charles
2007	Until Death	Anthony Stowe
2008	The Shepherd: Border Patrol	Jack Robideaux	First work with Scott Adkins.
2008	JCVD	JCVD	Executive producer 2008: Toronto Film Critics Association Awards nomination for Best Actor 2009: Chlotrudis Awards nomination for Best Actor
2009	Universal Soldier: Regeneration	Luc Deveraux	Second work with Dolph Lundgren. First work with Andrei Arlovski. Limited theatrical release in Israel, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Italy, Japan, and Pakistan.
2011	Kung Fu Panda 2	Master Croc	Voice only
2011	Assassination Games	Vincent Brazil	Limited theatrical release in US, Russia, and Ukraine. Second work with Scott Adkins. Executive producer. Also known as Weapon (European)
2011	Beur sur la ville	Colonel Merot
2012	Rzhevskiy vs. Napoleon	Himself
2012	Dragon Eyes	Jean-Luis Tiano	First work with Cung Le and Peter Weller.
2012	The Expendables 2	Jean Vilain	Fourth work with Scott Adkins and Dolph Lundgren.
2012	Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning	Luc Deveraux	Third work with Scott Adkins and Dolph Lundgren. Second work with Andrei Arlovski.
2012	Six Bullets	Samson Gaul
2012	U.F.O.	George
2013	Welcome to the Jungle	Storm Rotchild	Completed
2013	Enemies Closer	Xander	Post-production
2014	The Expendables 3	Claude Vilain

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Friends	Himself	"The One After the Superbowl" (Season 2, Episode 12-13)
2004	Las Vegas	Himself	"Die Fast, Die Furious" (Season 1, Episode 15)
2009	Robot Chicken	Himself Count Dracula Rhett Butler	Voice only "Maurice Was Caught" (Season 4, Episode 12)
2011	Jean Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors	Himself	1 season (8 episodes)
2011	Les Anges Gardiens	Himself	1 season (20 episodes)

Video clips

Song	Artist
"Body Count's In The House"	Body Count
"Time Won't Let Me"	The Smithereens
"Straight To My Feet"	MC Hammer feat. Deion Sanders
"Something There"	Chage and Aska
"Crush 'Em"	Megadeth
"Kiss My Eyes"	Bob Sinclar
"Ya Lyublyu Ego"	Iryna Bilyk and Olga Gorbacheva

Semi-contact/light-contact record

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2012)

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Date	Round	Event	Location	Notes
Win	44-4-0	Jonny Wellum	Decision	7 May 1980	3	W.A.K.O.	Brussels, Belgium	Light-Contact(Van Damme avenges early career defeat)
Win	43-4-0	Jordy Claes	Decision	1980	3	Gala International W.A.K.O.	Brussels, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	42-4-0	Patrick Teugels^[14]	l'abandon (TKO)	8 March 1980	1	Forest Nationals	Brussels, Belgium	Light-Contact:Teugels suffers a broken nose and is unable to continue.)
Win	41-4-0	Andres Kovac	Decision	1980	3	W.A.K.O.	Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	40-4-0	Bekim-Moussa Muhammad	Decision	1980	3	W.A.K.O.	Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	39-4-0	Mustapha-Ahmad Benamou	Decision	1980	3	WAKO	Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	38-4-0	Reinhard Krass	Disq.	26 December 1979	2	Karate Tournament: Belgium Team vs. German Team	Woluwe, Brussels, Belgium	Light-Contact^[14]
Win	37-4-0	Gilberto Dias	l'abandon	November 1979	1	World-All Styles Karate Organization	Brussels, Belgium	Light-Contact (Dias suffers ankle injury and is unable to continue.)
Win	36-4-0	Hans Kohler	Decision	1979	3	World-All Styles Karate Organization	Ingelmunster, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Loss	35-4-0	Patrick Teugels	Decision	1979	3	Cup of Antwerp World-All Styles Karate Organization	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact(Both men fight in karate gi uniforms, no pads or gloves)
Win	35-3-0	Matthias Evrard	Decision	1979	3	Cup of Antwerp World-All Styles Karate Organization	Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	34-3-0	Paul Sperati	Decision	1979	3	World-All Styles Karate Organization	Opprebais, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	33-3-0	Lucus Reinfeld	Decision	1979	3	World-All Styles Karate Organization, Europe Interland Cup	Mulhouse, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	32-3-0	Robbe Bogaerts	Decision	1978	3	Hope Cup World-All Styles Karate Organization	Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact^[50]
Win	31-3-0	Leonard Baptiste	Decision	1978	3	World-All Styles Karate Organization	Izegem, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	30-3-0	Fernando Cabanela	Decision	1978	3	World-All Styles Karate Organization	Izegem, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Loss	29-3-0	Angelo Spataro^[14]	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	29-2-0	Gabriel Van Der Driessche	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	28-2-0	Farid Muhammad Mousseau	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	27-2-0	Jacques van Laere	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	26-2-0	Christian Hedin	Decsion	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	25-2-0	Gerard Charon	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	24-2-0	David Arranz	Decsion	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	23-2-0	Bernard Redden	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	22-2-0	Antoine Redi	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	21-2-0	Ben Salah Ellah	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	20-2-0	Gaston Airey	Foul	1978	1	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	19-2-0	Abdembi Hassan Ali	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	18-2-0	Jonas "Marcel" Cohen	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	17-2-0	Christian Van Tieghem	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	16-2-0	Max Roelandt	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	15-2-0	Andre Verbon	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	14-2-0	Michel Juvillier	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	13-2-0	Joel Maoreau	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	12-2-0	Ronald Duivenbode	Decision	1978	3	Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials)	Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Loss	11-2-0	Patrick Teugels	Decision	1978	3	Belgium Lightweight Championship	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact
Win	11-1-0	Gris Lubbers	Decision	1976	3	European Karate Union	Ingelmunster, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	10-1-0	Andre Lemaire	Decision	1977	3	World Association of Kickboxing Organizations Open International	Izegem, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	9-1-0	Patrick Teugels	Decision	1977	3	Antwerp Open International Competition W.A.K.O.	Antwerp, Belgium	Light-Contact^{[citation needed]}
Win	8-1-0	Maurice Devos	Decision	1977	3	World Allstyles Kickboxing Organization	Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	7-1-0	Jacques Berri	Decision	1976	3	Antwerp Open WAKO	Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	6-1-0	Johannes Binding	Decision	1976	3	Antwerp Open WAKO	Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	5-1-0	Jean-Morin Devigne	Decision	1976	3	Antwerp Open WAKO	Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	4-1-0	Roland Vedani	Decision	1976	3	European Karate Union	Ingelmunster, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Win	3-1-0	Jean-Paul Gaston	Decision	1976	3	European Karate Union	Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact
Loss	2-1-0	Jonny Wellum	Decision	22 January 1976	3	La Federation Europeene de Karate (European Karate Federation)	Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact(J.Vandenberg credit with Defaite (loss)
Win	2-0-0	Bernard Briers	Decision	22 January 1976	3	La Federation Europeene de Karate(European Karate Federation)	Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact(J.Vandenberg credit with victoire (win)
Win	1-0-0	Robin Lomard	Decision	22 January 1976	3	La Federation Europeene de Karate (European Karate Federation)	Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact(J.Vandenberg credit with victoire (win))-Magazine "boxe francise" (Karate)

Kickboxing record

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Date	Round	Time	Event	Location	Notes
		Somluck Kamsing^[51]		December 2012^[21]				Las Vegas^[21]	Kickboxing
Win	18-1-0	Nedjad Gharbi	KKO	1982	1			Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	17-1-0	Daniel Le Jaouen	KKO	1982	1	1:05		Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	16-1-0	Lenny Leikman^[14]	KKO	1982	3		1st Journée Des Arts Martiaux	Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	15-1-0	Ajom Mahmud Uddin	KO	1981	1	0:19		Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	14-1-0	Mustapha-Ahmad Benamou	KKO	1981	1			Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	13-1-0	Henk Besselman	KO	1981	1			Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	12-1-0	Michael J. Heming	KKO	1980	1	0:46		Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing^[52]
Win	11-1-0	Georges Verlugels	KO	1980	2		P.K.A.	Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing^[19]
Win	10-1-0	Sherman Bergman	KKO	1979 Nov 4	1	0:56		Tampa, Florida, USA	Full-Contact (Van Damme climbs off floor to win.)^[18]
Win	9-1-0	Rolf Risberg	KKO	1979	1			Ingelmunster, Belgium	Kickboxing^[16]
Win	8-1-0	Emile Leibman	KKO	1979	1			Iseghem, Belgium	Kickboxing^[16]
Win	7-1-0	Cyrille Nollet	KKO	1978	1			Iseghem, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	6-1-0	Orlando Lang	KO	1978	1	0:26		Antwerp, Belgium	Kickboxing
Win	5-1-0	Jacques Piniarski	KKO	1978	1			Belgium	Kickboxing^[16]
Win	4-1-0	Eric "Basel" Strauss	KKO	1978	1	0:18		Antwerp, Belgium	Kickboxing^[16]
Win	3-1-0	Andre "Robar" Robaeys	KKO	1978	1			Mulhouse, Belgium	Kickboxing^[16]
Win	2-1-0	Michel Juvillier	KO	1978	1	0:39		Antwerp, Belgium	Full-Contact^[16]
Loss	1-1-0	Etienne "Tuf" Aubry	Disq	7 March 1977	1	1:02		Marseilles, France	Full-Contact(Magazine "boxe francise"(Karate))
Win	1-0-0	Toon Van Oostrum	KKO	1976	1	0:46		Brussels, Belgium	Full-Contact

Notes

^ French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ klod vɑ̃ dam].
^ Cagle, Jess (22 January 1993). "The Career Makeover of Jean-Claude Van Damme". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
^ Wallace, David (20 August 1991). "Will Van Damme Have Schwarzenegger's Kick?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
^ Richards, David (4 September 1994). "FILM; Jean-Claude Van Damme, the, uh, Actor?". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
^ ^a ^b Grobel, Lawrence (1 January 1995). "Playboy interview". Playboy.
^ Hendrix, Grady (19 October 2007). "Happy Belated Birthday, Jean-Claude Van Damme!". Slate.
^ "Jean-Claude Van Damme Biography (1960–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
^ "Jean-Claude van Damme- Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
^ Kim, Jae-Ha (14 April 1989). "Van Damme gets his kicks from acting now, not karate". Chicago Sun-Times.
^ "Why is he famous?". AskMen.com. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
^ Stanley, John (2 April 1989). "Belgian Bruiser Muscles Into B-Movie Scene". San Francisco Chronicle.
^ Karate black belt^{[dead link]}
^ Katherine Drobot Lawrence. Jean-Claude Van Damme (The Rosen Publishing Group, 2002), p. 11.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "Standardized Tournaments And Ratings System Historic Kickboxing Ring Records". The Star System. 8 March 1980. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
^ "CNK – Centre National de Karaté". Jcvandamme.net. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Jean-Claude Van Damme Profile". Best Eye Candy. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Jean-Claude Van Damme fan site". 123allcelebs.com. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c Varsallone, Jim (14 July 2009). "KICKBOXING: 'BIG TRAIN' IS DONE". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
^ ^a ^b Warrener, Don (15 August 2011). "Jean Claude van Damme: Behind The Public Image". FightingArts.com. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
^ Natalia Baage (8 September 2009). "Jean-Claude Van Damme to fight Somluck Kamsing in K-1". Five Knuckles.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Jean-Claude Van Damme Talks about Kamsing Fight in May or June 2012". YouTube. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
^ "Жан-Клод Ван Дамм решил провести бой в Грозном". KM.RU Новости. 11 November 2011.
^ "The List: Not ready for ‘The Expendables’". The Washington Times. 18 August 2010.
^ Haufrect, Ian T (2001). "If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It". 20th Century Fox.
^ Bates, James (23 September 1994). "Van Damme Gains 'Franchise' Status". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
^ Corliss, Richard (3 November 2008). "The Top 10 Everything of 2008: Top 10 Movie Performances". Time (Time Warner). Retrieved 1 October 2009.
^ Corliss, Richard; Grossman, Lev; Ponewozik, James; Zoglin, Richard (13 November 2008). "Short List". Time (Time Warner). Retrieved 1 October 2009.
^ Rollings, Grant (6 February 2009). "Jean-Claude Van Damme interview". The Sun (London, England). Van Damme: "My eldest son doesn't know how to deal with society because I over-protect him because of my last life of being on the street and sleeping on the street and starving in L.A. I didn't want him to have that."
^ Temur, T. (30 June 2011). "Exclusive: Jean-Claude Van Damme Talks To Today.Az, Remembers Baku". Today.az.
^ "Sales Poster For Van Damme Starring Comedy WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE". TwitchFilm. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
^ Whale, Chase (8 August 2012). "JCVD: 'Double Impact 2' Script Is Written". NextMovie.
^ Thistlethwaite, Felicity (13 August 2012). "Jean-Claude Van Damme: I like to be next to Stallone". MSN Movies.
^ Patrick Teugels and Patrick C. "Interview with Patrick Teugels." patrickteugels.be. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
^ Maslak, Paul (30 May 2011). "Setting the Ring Records Straight". Star System.
^ "People in the News". Las Vegas Sun. 1997. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
^ Corcoran, John; Farkas, Emil (1988). Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. New York City: Gallery Books. pp. 60, 265. ISBN 978-0-8317-5805-9.(WAKO)).
^ Hilary Swank, Van Damme criticised over Kadyrov party, Press Trust of India, dated 12 October 2011.
^ Elder, Miriam (13 October 2011). "Hilary Swank 'regrets' partying with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 14 October 2011.
^ Masters, Kim (12 October 2011). "Seal's Chechen Leader Birthday Bash Performance Questioned By Human Rights Group". hollywoodreporter.com.
^ Larkin, Mike (14 October 2011). "'I deeply regret attending': Hilary Swank goes into damage control after turning up at birthday party for Chechen president". Daily Mail (London).
^ Elder, Miriam (13 October 2011). "Hilary Swank 'regrets' partying with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov". The Guardian (London).
^ "Abstract Thinker". Blog.eurnet.fr. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
^ Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition. London: Guinness World Records. 2008. ISBN 978-1-904994-21-3.
^ "Mortal Kombat Episode #313". gamemakers. G4TV. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
^ "A New Battle For Mankind Begins in ‘Mortal Kombat’ Tourney, Redo in the Works". Retrieved 4 May 2012.
^ "Jean-Claude Van Damme statue unveiled". India Glitz. 26 October 2012
^ ^a ^b ^c Purse, Marcia (20 July 2009). "Jean-Claude Van Damme – Actor / Bipolar disorder, Cocaine and Abuse Charges". About.com. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
^ Bloch, Jon P.; Naser, Jeffrey A. (2006). The everything health guide to adult bipolar disorder. Everything Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-59337-585-0. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
^ Herald Sun (Melbourne Australia): p. 24. 8 April 1997.
^ Katherine Drobot Lawrence. Jean-Claude Van Damme. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2002.
^ "Van Damme vs. Khamsing – Fight Documentary". YouTube. 12 May 2011. Retrieved on 22 September 2011.
^ "Jean-Claude Van Damme". Listal. Retrieved 3 April 2012.

Biography for Hrithik Roshan

2010-03-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

Biography forHrithik Roshan More at IMDbPro »

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Date of Birth10 January 1974, Mumbai, India
Birth NameHrithik Rakesh Nagrath
NicknameDuggu Bolunath
Height5' 10" (1.78 m)
Spouse
Sussanne Khan
(26 October 1978 - present) 2 children
Trivia
Son of Rakesh Roshan.
Was catapulted overnight to instant superstardom with debut hit film Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000).
Has two thumbs on his right hand that are grown together.
Has a sister called Sunaina.
Has been called the Indian Sylvester Stallone, Brad Pitt and Michael Jackson rolled into one person.
Made stubbles fashionable in India.
Excellent dancer.
The country wide hysteria following the release of his first film Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) is known as hrithikmania and is unprecedented.
The look of his muscular, chiselled body started a fitness boom in India.
Eye color: Green
Often supports charities of various kinds.
Known as a perfectionist and control freak. Believes in extensive rehearsals and preparations.
Friend of Salman Khan who showed him how to work out and eat properly to put on muscle.
Hindi megastar.
Often visits terminally ill children in hospitals that desperately wish to meet him.
Role models as actor: Raj Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar.
Wanted to quit the film business altogether after his father Rakesh Roshan was shot at and wounded by hitmen sent by the Bollywood mafia, but changed his mind.
Prepared himself extensively for his screen debut, taking acting, singing, dancing, fencing, riding etc. lessons for years. He also worked hard on his diction and physical appearance (strenuous workout routines).
Fought hard to overcome a stammering problem.
Worked for many years on the sets of his father Rakesh Roshan in various functions, including sweeping the floor and serving tea to the stars, to learn the business from scratch.
Believes in the good in every person, a character trait often misinterpreted by others as gullibility and/or naïvety.
Got 30000 (!) marriage proposals on Valentine's day 2000.
Was the victim of a defamation campaign in late december 2000. Rumors were spread that he stated in an interview that he hates Nepal and its people. This immediately led to riots in Nepal, cinemas showing his films were attacked, posters burnt, Hindi movies banned in general for some days and several people shot dead by the police. The events made headlines all over the world and the governments of Indian and Nepal got involved as well. Anti Indian/Hrithik sentiment died down quickly when it became clear that the alleged statements were a fabrication and the rumors were spread by a malicious third party, possibly the Bollywood mafia, still pissed about not getting the foreign rights to Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000). Nepal born actress Manisha Koirala played an important role in getting the news to the people in Nepal that the accusations were false.
In January 2001 Hrithik Roshan was again involved in a controversy. This time about a poster created and used by the Democratic Alliance in South Africa in November 2000 to woo Indian voters. The poster used his face without permission. The ANC reacted angrily and threatened to ban his films.
Gets 20-30 million rupees per year for endorsing a brand for one year, including commercials [2001]

Shah Rukh: If Akon can sing for me, why should I?

2010-03-09T00:42:00.000-08:00

By Subhash K JhaShah Rukh reveals Akon's plans of not only singing for the ambitious super-hero film Ra.1 in the English language but also in Hindi.Says Shah Rukh, “On Tuesday and Wednesday he'll record our song with Vishal-Shekhar for Ra.1.” That's where the real excitement begins.Says the excited superstar, “ There're two versions of the song in English and Hindi and Akon wants to sing in Hindi. Though he's a Senegalese by birth he can sing in many different languages. I don't see why he can't manage Hindi. Akon is very charged about coming to Mumbai to sing. He will be adding his own bits to Vishal-Shekhar's composition. Akon is very participative.I love his songs, just like you love Latabai's numbers.” Shah Rukh hums one of Akon's recent chartbusters. And you wonder why Shah Rukh doesn't sing for himself . SRK laughs, “No yaar I can't sing. I did some lines for myself in Josh. But that was not real singing. If Akon can sing for me why should I?”Shah Rukh says he is a big fan of Akon's music. And now he's friends with the super-rapper. “When I met him recently in New York for the first time I was floored by his niceness. Such a big international star and so down-to- earth.Such a humble man. I asked him if he's sing for me and he said, anytime.”The minute Shah Rukh mooted the idea that Akon sing for Ra.1, the super-rapper was game. “ Everyone including Kareena who has heard the song has loved it. I think Akon's song is a very good way to get the Ra.1 project on its feet.”Akon has a jam-packed 3-day schedule ahead.Says Shah Rukh, “He'll be performing at the XXX launch, recording the song. I'll also have him home for dinner and also arrange a quick press meet for him.I don't want to put too much pressure on his time. After all the man's got to sleep also. But it is just a three-day visit and I guess he'll have a lot to do during his time in Mumbai.” Shah Rukh also wants to show My Name Is Khan to Akon. “Akon was in Cairo when My Name Is Khan released there. He saw all the hoardings and has heard a lot about the film. He has shown interest in watching it. Insha Allah, I'll screen my film for Akon when he's here.”Shah Rukh a certifiable workaholic says he has been preparing to perform all the daring action scenes in Ra.1.“I tried to see how much of it my shoulder can take. And you know what? My hand still hurts when I put pressure on my shoulder. But we'll really get to know in April how much of the action I can shoulder when I get down to it..” Shah Rukh says actors doing their own stunts is becoming boring. “It's become passe for actors to claim they are doing all their stunts themselves. Of course they have to! What's the big deal in that? We've to take screen-action to another level. And that's what we plan to do in Ra.1.”

Sylvester Stallone

2010-02-23T02:43:00.000-08:00

Date of Birth6 July 1946, New York City, New York, USA
Birth NameSylvester Gardenzio Stallone
NicknameSly Michael (as a teenager)The Italian Stallion
Height5' 9½" (1.77 m)
Mini Biography
Sylvester Stallone became one of Hollywood's highest paid actors, usually playing monosyllablic, antisociety, underdog heroes. While Stallone has attempted to extend his range into film comedies and drama, his real box office success continues in action films.IMDb Mini Biography By: Ray Hamel
Mini Biography
This athletically built, dark-haired U.S. actor/screenwriter/director of European parentage may never be mentioned by old-school film critics in the same breath as, say, Richard Burton or Alec Guinness; however, movie fans worldwide have been flocking to see Stallone's films for over 30 years, making "Sly" one of Hollywood's biggest-ever box office draws.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

2010-02-23T02:30:00.000-08:00

Biography forArnold Schwarzenegger More at IMDbPro »

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Date of Birth30 July 1947, Thal, Styria, Austria
Birth NameArnold Alois Schwarzenegger
NicknameArnie Austrian Oak Conan the Republican Styrian Oak The Governator The Running Man Conan the Governor
Height6' 2" (1.88 m)
Mini Biography
Growing up in a small, isolated village in Austria, he turned to bodybuilding as his ticket to a better life. Prior to that he served a mandatory one year in the Austrian military (beginning in 1965). After conquering the world as arguably the greatest bodybuilder who ever lived, he went to America to make his name in motion pictures. Hampered by his impossible name and thick accent, success eluded him for many years. It wasn't until he found the tailor-made role of Conan that he truly came into his own as a performer. A succession of over-the-top action films made him an international box office star. By alternating violent action films with lighter, comedic fare, he has solidified his position as one of the most popular - if not the most popular - movie stars in the world. After his long, and successful movie career, he ran in the California recall. He is now the Governor of California, yet another celebrity to be elected to the position.IMDb Mini Biography By: David Montgomery <>

Abhishek stars in Aamir's Delhi Belly with Imran

2010-02-23T02:22:00.000-08:00

Abhishek Bachchan has had an interesting year with a slew of interesting films. He himself has been saying this, "My first release this year was 'Sarkar Raj'. I went on to 'Drona'. Now I end the year with 'Dostana'. Then comes 'Dilli 6'. I'm happy with the work I've done regardless of whether the film has been successful or not. The important thing is to enjoy the journey. I look back on the year with fond memories." Now he's starring in 'Delhi Belly' director Abhinay Deo's next film.He's confirmed it, "I've always been impressed by his ads. When I heard he was making feature films I was keen to work with him."Now he has Rajiv Menon's film who has earlier directed his wife Aishwarya in the Tamil film 'Kandukondain Kandukondain'.It is a subject which is just similar and isn't exactly a remake of 'Abhimaan' and both have said yes to the project. Then there's Rohan Sippy's next which will be as different as Bluff Master. Then there's Rakeysh Mehra's 'Paanch Kaurav' with Pa.So it's obvious that there'll be a lot of Abhishek on screen in 2009

Ranjan Ramanayake’s ‘The Leader’ Soon in Theaters

2010-02-22T22:14:00.000-08:00

Bollywood star "Amir khans" personal profile,and his family Background

2010-02-19T04:26:00.000-08:00

Bollywood star "Amir khans" personal profile,and his family Background

http://worldentertainment15.blogspot.com/2009/03/bollywood-star-amir-khans-personal.html
ProfileDate of Birth: 14th March, 1965, Mumbai, IndiaNickname: A KAddress: 11, Bela Vista Apartments, Palli Hills, Bandra, Bombay 400050Height: 5' 5" (1.65 m)

Amir was awarded "Padma Bhushan" in 2003 for his contribution to cinema.
He has two children named Jnaid and Aira from his first wife Reena Dutta.
Amir Khan is re-married to Kiran Rao, who was the assistant to Ashutosh Gowrikar during the filming of "Lagaan".

Salman Khan Veer

2010-02-19T04:17:00.000-08:00

Mallika Sherawat & Boxer Vijender On 10 Ka Dum

2010-02-19T03:54:00.000-08:00

Mallika Sherawat & Boxer Vijender On 10 Ka Dum
Its celebrities galore on 10 Ka Dum Season 2.This week it is hot chick Mallika Sherawat and her Haryanvi counterpart, the Olympian boxing champ Vijender Singh. It turned out to be a brain teaser for both of them to get the answers right. Between beauty and brawn, the brain seemed to take the back seat but who cares. When Mallika revealed that she is taking cooking classes and offered to cook a meal for both the men, Salman Khan quickly rolled up his sleeves and got into action. He asked for some dough and rolling pin and rolled out a neat chapatti while Mallika struggled to get hers right. Not wanting to be left out of the fun Vijender joined in but only ended up making Salman's roti look like a boxing shorts!The two Haryanvis who live an hour away from each other back home, were very comfortable in each other's company. The good looking Vijender is not just a boxing champ but is also a DSP with Haryana Police. One hell of a cop he is, for he can sing, and serenade - like he did to Mallika. Before girls get any ideas he revealed that he is no longer an eligible bachelor. He is booked.... Mallika revealed that she is strictly single and told the audience so is Salman she heard! "No" was Salman's spontaneous reaction! That is a truthful confession one must say. This episode with Mallika Sherawat & Vijendra Singh is fun, laughter and masti and Salman Khan like never before!Mallika Sherawat & Boxer Vijender On 10 Ka Dum Saturday, June 27, at 9.00pm Only on Sony Entertainment Television

Katrina Kaif

2010-02-18T22:44:00.000-08:00

Katrina Kaif

2010-02-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

Overview
Date of Birth:
16 July 1984, London, England, UK more
Mini Biography:
Born in Hong Kong on July 16, 1984 Katrina Kaif is one of eight siblings... more
Trivia:
Is active in various charities and often visits orphanages and hospitals. more
STARmeter:
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
NewsDesk:

Aishwarya Decent Look

2010-02-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

Name
Aishwarya Decent Look
Published
2010-01-17
Description
N/A
Size
314.43 KBs
Resolution
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Author
Hits
48208
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Indian Celebrities

2010-02-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

Aishwarya Rai
Katrina Kaif
Riya Sen
Kareena Kapoor
Amisha Patel
Priyanka Chopra
Ayesha Takia
Celina Jaitley
Mallika Sherawat
Preity Zinta

Hot Categories

2010-02-18T22:18:00.001-08:00

Tulips
Motivational
Suzuki Bikes
Amisha Patel
Poonam Jhawar
Udita Goswami
Anjana Sukhani
Kareena Kapoor
Priyanka Chopra
Deepika Padukone

Genre

2010-02-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

Genre
Action
Adventure
Animation
Biography
Comedy
Crime
Documentary
Drama
Family
Fantasy
History
Horror
Music
Musical
Mystery
National Geographic
Romance
Sci-Fi
Sport
Thriller
TV Series
War
Western

SINEMA

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian

Contents

Life and career

1980–2007: Early life and sex tape

2007–09: Career beginnings

2010–11: International success

2011: Marriage to Kris Humphries

2012–present: Pregnancy and motherhood

Filmography

Acting credits

As herself

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

Pooja Umashankar

Contents

Early life

Career

Television

Filmography

References

External links

Brad Pitt

Contents

Early life

Career

Early work

Critical success

From 1999 to 2003

2004–present

Humanitarian and political causes

In the media

Personal life

Relationships

Children

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Help improve this page

Sharon Stone

Contents

Early life

Career

Modeling

1980–1989

1990–2002

2003–present

Criticism

Tanzania

Chinese earthquake

Mensa

Peace promotion

Personal life

Religion

Filmography

References

Tom Cruise

Contents

Early life

Career

Acting

Producing

Breakup with Paramount

Management of United Artists

Relationships and personal life

Popularity

Controversy

Litigation

Oprah Winfrey Show

Scientology

Filmography

Discography

Soundtracks

Awards and nominations

See also

References