To be a Hollywood great is to fly too close to the sun, to embody the dreams of millions while placing your fate in their hearts. Stars Of The Silver Screen celebrates the life of Marilyn Monroe.
Natalie Wood was Hollywood's golden girl. From child actress to adult star, Natalie lived her life on screen. Natalie was a major star with the public but not always a favorite of the critics.
Al Pacino has had a career spanning more than five decades, during which time he has received an Academy Award, two Tony's, two Emmy's, a BAFTA and 4 Golden Globe Awards. A method actor he was taught by Lee Strasberg, Pacino made an impact in The Panic in Needle Park (1971). International acclaim followed as Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972) receiving his first Oscar nomination. Serpico (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and ...And Justice for All (1979) followed. In 1993 he won his only Oscar for Scent of a Woman (1992). Other notable films include Scarface (1983), Carlito's Way (1993), Heat (1995), Donnie Brasco (1997), and Insomnia (2002).
Bill Murray's stint on Saturday Night Live won him both an Emmy and exposure. His celebrated deadpan comedic roles included Meatballs (1979), Caddyshack (1980), Ghostbusters (1984), Scrooged (1988), and Groundhog Day (1993). He began his long collaboration with director Wes Anderson in Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums and won a Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Actor and critical acclaim in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation.
Clint Eastwood rose to international fame as the Man with No Name in Sergio Leone's Dollars Spaghetti Western Trilogy, and Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry. Further early roles included the popular Where Eagles Dare (1968) and Kelly's Heroes (1970). The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), a film also directed was followed by the prison film Escape from Alcatraz (1979), Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004), Still acting to this day Clint Eastwood is a true movie icon.
Michael Caine's award winning career, now in its seventh decade, began in the 1960s with starring roles in British hit films, Zulu (1964), The Ipcress File (1965), Alfie (1966), and The Italian Job (1969). These were quickly followed by Get Carter (1971), Sleuth (1972) and The Man Who Would Be King (197. The 80's included, Educating Rita (1983), earning him a BAFTA and Golden Globe, and in 1986, an Academy Award for his role Hannah and Her Sisters.
Jean Simmons film career began in England in the 1940's with her memorable roles in David Lean's Great Expectations (1946), Powell-Pressburger's Black Narcissus (1947) and Olivier's Hamlet (1948) which she was nominated for an Academy Award. Moving to Hollywood the 1950's and 60's brought notable roles including Guys and Dolls (1955), winning her a Golden Globe, Young Bess (1953), The Robe (1953), Elmer Gantry with Burt Lancaster (1960) and the classic Spartacus (1960) starring Kirk Douglas, and the 1969 film The Happy Ending, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Susan Sarandon began her multi award-winning acting career in the 1970 film Joe, before appearing in the popular cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Her Academy Award nominated role in Atlantic City (1980), was followed by the iconic Thelma & Louise (1991), Lorenzo's Oil (1992), and The Client (1994), before winning The Academy Award for Dead Man Walking in 1995. Other notable films include: Pretty Baby (1978), The Hunger (1983), The Witches of Eastwick (1987) and Bull Durham (1988)
Canadian actor Christopher Plummer's award winning career has spanned six decades. Known for Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965), 1st Duke of Wellington in Waterloo (1970), Mike Wallace in The Insider (1999), Leo Tolstoy in The Last Station (2009) and J. Paul Getty in All the Money in the World (2017). Other notable films include Beginners (2010) and the powerful Remember (2015). His extraordinary body of work has won him Academy, Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA Awards.
Jeff Bridges began his career on tv series Sea Hunt (1958-60), with his father, Lloyd and brother, Beau. A major Hollywood star, Bridges earned Academy Award nominations for his roles in The Last Picture Show (1971), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), Starman (1984), The Contender (2000), True Grit (2010), and Hell or High Water (2016). In 2009 he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in Crazy Heart. Lauded for so many film including, Jagged Edge (1985), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), The Fisher King (1991), Fearless (1993) and the iconic The Big Lebowski (1998).
Sir Sean Connery, now retired, won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. His fame began as the first actor to portray the character James Bond in film, starring in seven Bond films, between 1962 and 1983. In 1988, Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Untouchables. His film career includes such memorable films as Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie, The Man Who Would be King, The Presidio, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October, Highlander, and The Rock.
Robin Williams rose to fame in the sitcom Mork & Mindy and established a career in both stand-up comedy and feature film acting. His extraordinary performances in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990) and Aladdin (1992) brought international stardom and fame. Many notable as well as box office hits followed, Hook (1991), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996) and Good Will Hunting (1997) for which he won his only Academy Award. Williams also received two Emmy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Grammy Awards.
Robert De Niro, winner of two Academy Awards, as the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, and Jake La Motta in the 1980 film Raging Bull and further nominations for the psychological thrillers Taxi Driver (1976) and Cape Fear (1991), The Deer Hunter (1978), Awakenings (1990), Silver Linings Playbook (2012). His extraordinary career has spanned crime, violence with Goodfellas, Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Untouchables (1987), Heat (1995), and Casino (1995). and comedy with Midnight Run (1988), Analyze This (1999), and Meet the Parents (2000).
Alain Delon is one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols from the 1960s. He achieved critical acclaim for Rocco and His Brothers (1960), Plein Soleil (1960), L'Eclisse (1962), The Leopard (1963), The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1965), Lost Command (1966) and Le Samoura' (1967). Delon worked with many of the great directors, including Visconti, Godard, Melville, Antonioni and Louis Malle.
Dame Maggie Smith has remained a prominent figure in British culture for six decades, with her extraordinary film career took note in her role in Nowhere to Go (1958), receiving her first BAFTA nomination. 2 Academy Awards later, with Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite (1978), Smith is also multiple BAFTA winner for A Private Function (1984), The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1988) and Tea With Mussolini (1999). A six-time Oscar nominee, for Othello (1965), Travels with My Aunt (1972), A Room with a View (1986), and Gosford Park (2001). More recently Smith has enthralled in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), and The Lady in the Van (2015).
Sir Ben Kingsley's career spans over 50 years. Winning awards in the Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild category. Best known for his Academy Award winning role as Gandhi (1982), his extraordinary performance in Schindler's List (1993) and his terrifying portrayal as the violent sociopath in Sexy Beast (2000).
Known for her role in Prime Suspect (winning multiple Bafta's and Emmys) Mirren's career spans over 50 years from Cal (1984), The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), The Madness of King George (1994), Gosford Park (2001), Calendar Girls (2003), and The Queen (2007). Dame Helen Mirren has the distinction of winning a Tony, an Oscar and an Olivier (known as the Triple Crown).
Redgrave is a six-time Oscar nominee, winning the Academy Award for her role in Julia (1977). Her career spanning 70 years include A Man for All Seasons (1966), Blow Up (1966), Isadora (1968), Mary, Queen of Scots (1971), Howards End (1992), Mission: Impossible (1996), Atonement (2007). Redgrave's Awards include Emmy, Tony, BAFTA, Olivier, Cannes, Golden Globe, and the Screen Actors Guild awards.
Legendary American actor Jason Robards received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in consecutive years: for All the President's Men (1976), and for Julia (1977), and nominated again in Melvin and Howard (1980). Other career highlights include, Hour of the Gun as A Thousand Clowns (1965) Doc Holliday (1967), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968), and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970).
Richard Dreyfuss is probably best known for his performances in Steven Spielberg classics Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of a Third Kind (1977). Dreyfuss starred in a host of classic hit movies of the 1970s through to the 1990s, including American Graffiti (1973), Stand by Me (1986) , Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Stakeout (1987) , Always (1989), What About Bob? (1991) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1994) . Dreyfuss won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1978 for The Goodbye Girl and was nominated in 1995 for Mr. Holland's Opus.
Basil Rathbone appeared in more than 70 films, primarily costume dramas and swashbucklers. Rathbone is best known as suave villains in Captain Blood (1935), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Tale of Two Cities (1935). He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in If I were King (1938). His most famous role, however, was that of his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes alongside Dr Watson played by Nigel Bruce in 14 Hollywood films produced in the 1940s.
Jon Voight was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including his breakthrough performance in Midnight Cowboy (1969). A Hollywood star in the 1970's starring in Deliverance (1972); the Vietnam vet in Coming Home (1978), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor; and a penniless ex-boxing champion in the remake of The Champ (1979). Other memorable roles include Runaway Train (1985). Mission: Impossible (1996), a corrupt NSA agent in Enemy of the State (1998), and the unscrupulous attorney in Coppola's The Rainmaker (1997)
Dustin Hoffman is perhaps known for versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. Collecting two Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards four BAFTAs and two Emmy Awards. His breakout role was in the classic The Graduate (1967). Hoffman's career films include Midnight Cowboy (1968) , Straw Dogs (1971) Little Big Man (1970), Papillon (1973) , Lenny (1974) , Marathon Man (1976) , All the President's Men (1976), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) , Tootsie (1982) , Rain Man (1988), and Wag the Dog (1977).
Julia Roberts established herself as a leading lady in Hollywood after headlining in Pretty Woman (1990). She has won three Golden Globe Awards, nominated for four Academy Awards, winning for Best Actress for her performance in Erin Brockovich (2000). The most bankable actress in Hollywood, her films also include Mystic Pizza (1988), Steel Magnolias (1989), Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), The Pelican Brief (1993), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Notting Hill (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), Ocean's Eleven (2001), Eat Pray Love (2010).
Richard Gere's career began in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and a starring role in Days of Heaven (1978). His breakout performance was in American Gigolo (1980), establishing him leading man sex symbol status. He went on to star in many films, including An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), The Cotton Club (1984), Pretty Woman (1990), Sommersby (1993), Primal Fear (1996), Runaway Bride (1999), I'm Not There (2007), Arbitrage (2012).
Dennis Hopper starred with James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and Giant (1956). Hopper made his directorial film debut with the iconic 1960s Easy Rider (1969), which he and co-star Peter Fonda wrote with Terry Southern, and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He appeared in Apocalypse Now (1979), Rumble Fish (1983) and The Osterman Weekend (1983). Blue Velvet (1986) and Hoosiers, again earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Hopper also portrayed villains Super Mario Bros. (1993) & Speed (1994)
Sissy Spacek made her debut with a minor role in Andy Warhol's Women in Revolt (1971) and received attention for her performance in Terence Mallick's Badlands (1973). Spacek rose to prominence in Brian De Palma's Carrie (1976), receiving her first Oscar nomination. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Country & Western singer Loretta Lynn in the Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). Other Oscar nominated roles roles include Missing (1982), The River (1984), Crimes of the Heart (1986) and In the Bedroom (2001).
Alan Rickman first cinematic role was as Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988). The Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), for which he received the BAFTA Award; Other films included Quigley Down Under (1990); Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990); An Awfully Big Adventure (1995); Colonel Sense and Sensibility (1995); Galaxy Quest (1999); Love Actually (2003); Rickman gained further notice for his film performances as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. His final film roles were Eye in the Sky (2015), and the voice of Absolem, in Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016).
Harrison Ford was born on 13th July 1942 in Chicago. He first shot to fame with an early career role in 1973's American Graffiti. In the decades to come, he has starred in Indiana Jones, Star Wars, along with action films and comedies.
Meryl Streep was born on 22nd June 1949 in Summit, New Jersey. Streep is an award-winning actress who is widely considered someone who can portray almost anyone. Her talents run the gamut from starring in hit comedies, musicals, and historical dramas.
Diane Keaton was born on 5th January 1946 in Los Angeles. She first became a household name in 1972's 'The Godfather' and its two sequels. Since then, this award-winning actress has been a leading woman in a wide variety of pictures, from 1977's 'Annie Hall' to 1996's 'The First Wives Club' to 2010's sleeper hit 'Morning Glory'.
Morgan Freeman was born on 1st June 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. Freeman is an award-winning actor whose film career had a somewhat late launch in 1980. He is known for portraying the voice of God, and some of Freeman's most well-known pictures include dramas such as 'Driving Miss Daisy' (1989), 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994), and 'Million Dollar Baby' (2004).
Tommy Lee Jones was born on 15th September 1946 in San Saba, Texas. Whilst he is best known as an actor, Jones is also a director, producer and writer. He has won awards at the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmy's and has also been nominated at the BAFTAs. Jones often portrays the classic tough guy and villainous roles in action films, as well as appears in police and military themed pictures.
Michael Douglas was born on 25th September 1944 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Douglas has won Oscar, Golden Globe, and Emmy awards. Some of his most well-known pictures include Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, and Basic Instinct.
Roy Scheider was born on 10th November 1932 in Orange, New Jersey. He was a character actor who became known for his action films and portrayals of police officers. Some of Scheider's most famous films include 1971's 'The French Connection', 'Jaws' (1975), 'All that Jazz' (1979), and 1997s 'The Rainmaker', which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Joseph Cotten was born on 15th May 1905 in Petersburg, Viriginia. He was one of the most popular male actors of the 1940s and also known for his friendship with Orson Welles. Cotton appeared in such classics as 'Citizen Kane' (1941), Alfred Hitchcock's 'Shadow of a Doubt' (1943), 'Gaslight' (1944), 'The Third Man' (1949), and 'Niagara' (1953) with Marilyn Monroe.
Daniel Day Lewis was born on 29th April 1957 in London. He is considered a method actor, known for his devotion to his roles in such films as My Left Foot, The Last of the Mohicans, and Gangs of New York.
Robert Donat was born on 18th March 1905 in Manchester, England. He was one of the most popular British actors of the 1930's among audiences and his film industry colleagues.
Ronald Colman was born February 9th 1891 in Richmond, England. He was an award-winning actor who was able to transition his acting career from silent films into talkies.
Harvey Keitel was born on May 13, 1939 in Brooklyn New York. His first credited film appearance was in Martin Scorsese's "Who's That Knocking at My Door". Keitel's most famous films include "Taxi Driver" and "Pulp Fiction".
Sally Field was born on 6th November 1946 in Pasadena, California. She has won Oscars, Golden Globe and Emmy Awards. Field is known for her appearances in 'Smokey and the Bandit' (1977), 'Norma Rae' (1979), 'Places in the Heart' (1984), 'Steel Magnolias' (1989), 'Mrs Doubtfire' (1993), and 'Forrest Gump' (1994), and for the Television series 'Gidget' (1965) and 'The Flying Nun' (1967)
One of the best actresses of her generation, Jodie Foster's accolades include two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards and three Golden Globes.
Sir Ian Murray McKellen's career spans six decades, achieving worldwide fame for his film roles, most notably Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Sir Peter Alexander von Ustinov was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. He was a fixture on TV talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career.
Ed Harris acts, directs, and produces. His performances in Apollo 13 (1995) and The Truman Show (1998), among others, earned him critical acclaim.
Gary Leonard Oldman is regarded as one of the best actors of his generation. He is known for his versatility and intense acting style.
Born in Germany to a German mother and American father, Willis moved to the US with his family when he was two years old.
Known for pursuing eclectic roles from a wide variety of film genres, she is recognised as one of the most prolific actresses of the 1980s and 1990s.
Mel Gibson is best known for his action hero roles, particularly as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocalyptic action series Mad Max.
Attenborough's first major credited role was provided in The Hundred Pound Window (1944) playing Tommy Draper, who helps rescue his accountant father.
Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January, 1940 - 25 January, 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades.
Tom Cruise is an American actor and producer. He began acting in the early 80s with breakthrough roles in Risky Business and Top Gun.
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, filmmaker & musician. His biggest roles include Dances with Wolves (1990), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), The Bodyguard (1992), and Waterworld.
Glenn Close is an American actress with a career spanning over four decades. She established herself as a Hollywood leading lady with roles in Fatal Attraction (1987) and Dangerous Liaisons (1988), both of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Timothy Francis Robbins was born October 16, 1958 and is an American actor, filmmaker, and musician. He is known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film The Shawshank Redemption, and has won an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards for his roles in the films The Player (1992) and Mystic River (2003).
Michael Keaton was born September 5, 1951 and is an American actor, best known for playing the DC Comics superhero Bruce Wayne/Batman.
John Malkovich is an American actor, director, producer and fashion designer. He received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Places in the Heart (1984) and In the Line of Fire (1993).
Widely regarded as one of the most popular actors of his generation, Samuel Leroy Jackson's films have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him the highest-grossing actor of all time. He rose to fame with films such as Coming to America (1988), and Goodfellas (1990).
Nicolas Kim Coppola was Born January 7, 1964 and known professionally as Nicolas Cage. He is best known for his performance in The Rock (1996), Con Air (1997) and City of Angels (1998).
Jeremy Irons was born 19 September 1948 and is an English actor and activist. His first major film role came in the romantic drama The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor.
Dame Emma Thompson is a British actress, screenwriter, producer, activist, author, and comedian. One of Britain's most acclaimed actresses, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
John Travolta is an American actor, singer, and prominent Scientologist. He rose to fame during the 1970s and starred in the box office hits Carrie (1976), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978) and Pulp Fiction (1994).
Matthew Broderick was born March 21, 1962 and is an American actor and singer. His roles include the Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), the voice of adult Simba in Disney's The Lion King (1994).
William Hurt garnered critical acclaim and multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor for Kiss of the Spider Woman.
The Stars of the Silver Screen team of Ian Nathan, Bonnie Greer, Derek Malcolm, Neil Norman & Stephen Armstrong meet to select their favourite Christmas movies of all time. Gathering for a Christmas lunch these legendary film critics and writers discuss the merits of 20 films from Bill Murray's star turn in Scrooged, the James Stewart classic, It's a Wonderful Life, Ingmar Bergman's Fanny & Alexander to Bruce Willis' memorable Die Hard.
