The Many Faces of… Catherine Keener

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Catherine Keener was born on March 23, 1959 in Miami, Florida. When she was studying she majored in English and history. When she could not get into a photography class she chose theater instead. In 1986 she started appearing on TV shows, with her first bigger role as Lt. Cricket Sideris in the show Ohara, featuring Pat Morita. Her first movie was About Last Night. She earned her first Oscar nomination for her role in Being John Malkovich. She has starred in a big number of movies including S1m0ne, The Interpreter, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Capote (for which she received a second Oscar nomination), Friends With Money, Into the Wild, Synecdoche, New York and A Late Quartet. Continue reading

The Many Faces of… Idris Elba

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Idris Elba was born on the 6th of September 1972 in London. He made his first steps into acting when he was at school. In 1986 he helped his uncle to DJ at weddings and with that experience he started a DJ company together with friends. In 1988 he left school and went to the National Youth Music Theatre. He appeared in Crimewatch where he played roles in reconstructions of crime scenes. His first proper role was in Bramwell (1995). After this he appeared in various British shows like Absolutely Fabulous, The Bill, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Family Affairs, Ultraviolet and Dangerfield. What shot him to stardom was his starring role in The Wire, in which he played the character “Stringer” Bell. He has since starred in various movies, including 28 Weeks Later, RocknRolla, Legacy, The Losers, Takers, Thor, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Prometheus, Pacific Rim and Long Walk to Freedom. Continue reading

The Many Faces of… John Goodman

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John Goodman was born on June 20, 1952 in St. Louis, Missori. Het went to Affton High School and played football. He also appeared on stage. He received a football scholarship and went to Missouri State University. He joined the drama program and when he had to end his football career because of an injury he wanted to become a professional actor. He moved to New York, but had difficulties finding acting roles. He stuck with it though and eventually got work in plays, commercials and voiceovers. His first movie was a B-movie called Jailbait Babysitter in 1977. He started appearing in TV-shows as well and slowly rose to fame. He would work with Coen Brothers on several movies, his first being Raising Arizona. His role in the sitcom Roseanne is probably his most famous role, playing Dan Conner. According to IMDB he currently has appeared in an impressive 138 productions. Continue reading

The Many Faces of… Sam Rockwell

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Sam Rockwell was born on November 5, 1968 in San Mateo, California. He was raised by his father after his parents divorced. At the age of 10 he made his stage debut in a comedy sketch where he played Humphrey Bogart. Although he went to the San Francisco School of the Arts he dropped out. He went to an alternative high school which helped him in being interested in acting. He acted in an independent film and after graduating moved to New York. His first film role was in Clownhouse (1989). He appeared in small roles on TV Shows (NYPD BLUE, Law & Order) and movies (Last Exit to Brooklyn, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). He still struggled making ends meet, but slowly started becoming better known. He acted in Galaxy Quest, A Midsumer Night’s Dream and Charlie’s Angels. His role in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Matchstick men further helped him cement a place in Hollywood. He has since starred in a lot of big movies, but has also been appearing in independent movies. Continue reading

The Many Faces of… Jeremy Renner

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Jeremy Renner was born in Modesto, California on January 7, 1971. His first movie was in National Lampoon’s Senior Trip in 1995. He also was a guest on television shows like Deadly Games Strange Luck and Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane, The Net and Angel. He did not make enough with these roles so he also worked as makeup artist. He started making waves in 2002 when he starred in the film Dahmer. He aappeared in other movies like S.W.A.T., A Little Trip to Heaven and Neo Ned. Het had a supporting role in The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. His breakthrough came when he starred in The Hurt Locker. Other movies he was in include The Town, Thor, The Avengers, Mission: Impossible and American Hustle. Besides acting he is also a singer-songwriter. Continue reading

The Many Faces of… Oliva Wilde

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Oliva Wilde was born on March 10, 1984 in New York City. Both her parents are journalists, something which she said has shaped her in being very critical and analytical. Since she was two she wanted to become an actress. She studied acting at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland. She had her first acting role in 1995, but it wasn’t until 2003 that she started acting more appearing in TV shows like Skin and The O.C. She has appeared in movies like Alhpa Dog, Year One, TRON: Legacy, Cowboys & Aliens, The Change-Up, In Time, The Words, Rush, Drinking Buddies and Her. Continue reading

The Many Faces of… Jude Law

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Jude Law was born on 29 December 1972 in Lewisham, South London. Het started acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987 and appeared in several plays. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award and received the Ian Charleson Award for Outstanding Newcomer. He also acted on Broaway where earned a Tony Award nomination and the Theatre World Award. His first television role was in 1989 in The Tailor of Gloucester. He played several small roles he finally landed a leading role in The Crane. His role in the crime drama shopping meant a breakthrough for him. He acted in Wilde, eXistenZ, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Enemy at the Gates, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Road to Perdition, Alfie, Cold Mountain, Sleuth, Repo Men, Sherlock Holmes, Side Effects and many more. Continue reading

The Many Faces of… Sandra Bullock

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Sandra Bullock was born on July 26, 1964 in Arlington Virginia. Her mother sung opera and she regularly toured with her in Europe. She studied ballet and vocal arts and even sang parts in her mother’s productions. She attende Washington-Lee High School and was a cheerleader and performed in high school plays. In university she studied drama and she got her degree in 1986. She moved to Manhattan to start auditioning and take acting classes. She got a part in an Off-Broadway play and this landed her a role in a TV movie called Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman. She played a lot of small roles in various independent films and starred in the TV series Working Girl. Her first big supporting role was in Demolition Man, but it wasn’t until her role in Speed that she managed to really become succesful. She appeared in movies like While You Were Sleeping, The Net, A Time to Kill, Miss Congeniality, Two Weeks Notice, Crash and The Proposal. She earned an Oscar for her role in The Blind Side. Her most recent work includes the Heat and Gravity. Continue reading

The Many Faces of… Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch was born on 19 July 1976 in London. Both his parents are actors. He studied arts and was a member of the Rattigan Society, which was a club for the dramatic arts. He acted in several plays. He also played rugby and painted. When he finished school he tought English in a Tibetan monastery. After this he studied drama at the University of Manchester, followed by training as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
He continued acting in various plays and still does. In 2002 he started doing TV shows, first guest roles in Heartbeat, Spooks, Silent Witness among others. He starred in the miniseries To the Ends of the Earth and played in Stuart: A Life Backwards together with Tom Hardy. He has not stopped his TV worked, appearing in Van Gogh: Painted with Words in 2010 and also playing Sherlock Holmes. His movie work include roles in Atonement, The Other Boleyn Girl, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse, The Hobbit and Star Trek Into Darkness. Continue reading