Celebrity Names

[elvis]

George Burns

(January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996), born Naftaly (Nathan) Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.

He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became familiar trademarks for over three quarters of a century. Beginning at the age of 79, Burns' career was resurrected as an amiable, beloved and unusually active old comedian, in the film "The Sunshine Boys" for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, in 1975. He continued to work until shortly before his death, in 1996, at the age of 100.

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Billy Crystal

William Edward "Billy" Crystal (born March 14, 1948)[1][2] is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes When Harry Met Sally... and City Slickers. He has hosted the Academy Awards nine times through the 84th Academy Awards in 2012.

[buzzy]

Kenny Ball



The jazz legend, Kenny Ball, died peacefully at the age of 82 at 7:35 am on 7th March 2013 in Basildon Hospital from pneumonia. Betty and his three children were at his bedside.

Ken's son, Keith Ball, has been 'fronting' the Jazzmen whilst Ken has been in hospital. Ken's wish is that Keith and the jazzmen carry on Kenny's music which Kenny has been playing for the past 55 years.

I am particularly sad at Kenny Ball's passing away. He was born in Ilford, Essex, and as a young man I lived in Hainault which is a suburb of Ilford and I followed Ken whenever and wherever I could.

I had a small Jazz quintet group and played trumpet myself sometimes at Valentine's Park, Hainault, on Saturday evenings.

[elvis]

Bo Derek

born Mary Cathleen Collins; November 20, 1956) is an American film and television actress, movie producer, and model perhaps best known for her role in the 1979 film 10. The film also launched a bestselling poster for Derek in a swimsuit, and subsequently she became one of the most popular sex symbols in 1980s. However, Derek's later films were not well received by either the public or critics and her film career never recovered. Today she makes the occasional film, television and documentary appearance.

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Doris Day

Doris Day (born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff; April 3, 1924 is an American actress, singer, and animal rights activist.
Day began her career as a big band singer in 1939. Her popularity began to rise after her first hit recording, "Sentimental Journey", in 1945. After leaving Les Brown & His Band of Renown to try a solo career, she started her long-lasting partnership with Columbia Records, which would remain her only recording label. The contract lasted from 1947 to 1967, and included more than 650 recordings, making Day one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century. In 1948, after being persuaded by Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne and her agent at the time, Al Levy, she auditioned for Michael Curtiz, which led to her being cast in the female lead role in Romance on the High Seas.

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On this day .....

13 March 1970

The voting age in the UK was raised to 18

[elvis]

Della Reese

Delloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese (born July 6, 1931),[1] is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You Know?". In the late 1960s, she had hosted her own talk show, Della, which ran for 197 episodes.[2][3] Through four decades of acting, she is best known for playing Tess, the lead role on the 1994-2003 television show Touched by an Angel. In more recent times, she became an ordained New Thought minister in the Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles, California.

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Rafael Nadal

Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera [rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa]; born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. As of 11 March 2013, he is ranked no. 5 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; also his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted many experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player in history.

[elvis]

Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich

(pron.: /ˈnjuːt ˈɡɪŋɡrɪtʃ/; born Newton Leroy McPherson; June 17, 1943) is an American politician, author, and political consultant. He represented Georgia's 6th congressional district as a Republican from 1979 until his resignation in 1999, and served as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. Gingrich was a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.

In the 1970s, Gingrich taught history and geography at the University of West Georgia. During this period he ran twice (1974 and 1976)[3] for the United States House of Representatives before winning in November 1978. He served as House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995.

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Gerald Durrell

Gerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell, OBE (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was an English naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author and television presenter. He founded what is now called the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo (now Durrell Wildlife Park) on the Channel Island of Jersey in 1958, but is perhaps best remembered for writing a number of books based on his life as an animal collector and enthusiast. He was the youngest brother of the novelist Lawrence Durrell.

[elvis]

Dean Martin

(born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian.

One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th Century, Martin was nicknamed the "King of Cool" due to his seemingly effortless charisma and self-assuredness. A member of the "Rat Pack," Martin was a major star in four areas of show business: concert stage/night clubs, recordings, motion pictures, and television. He was the host of the successful television variety program The Dean Martin Show (1965–1974), and subsequently The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts (1974–1985).

Martin's relaxed, warbling crooning voice earned him dozens of hit singles including his signature songs "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?".

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Mario Lanza

Mario Lanza (January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor, singer, actor, and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16. He was born Alfred Arnold Cocozza. He changed his name to Mario Lanza when he appeared at the Berkshire Music Festival in Tanglewood, Massachusetts, in July–August 1942. His mother's maiden name was Maria Lanza.
After appearing at the Hollywood Bowl in 1947, Lanza signed a seven-year contract with MGM's head, Louis B. Mayer, who saw his performance and was impressed by his singing.

[elvis]

Lil Romeo

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Roy Plomley

Francis Roy Plomley (pronounced Plumley), OBE (20 January 1914 - 28 May 1985) was an English radio broadcaster, producer, playwright and novelist.

[elvis]

Pat Benatar (

born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski; January 10, 1953) is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She is a mezzo-soprano. She has had considerable commercial success, particularly in the United States. During the 1980s, Benatar had two RIAA-certified Multi-Platinum albums, five RIAA-certified Platinum albums, three RIAA-certified Gold albums and 14 Top 40 singles, including the Top 10 hits, "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", "Love Is a Battlefield", "We Belong" and "Invincible". Benatar was one of the most heavily played artists in the early days of MTV

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Bonnie Tyler

Bonnie Tyler (born Gaynor Hopkins[1] on 8 June 1951 in Skewen, Wales, United Kingdom[2]) is a Welsh singer. Her first hit single, "Lost in France", reached the top ten on the UK Singles Chart in 1976 and she was nominated for Best British Female Newcomer at the 1977 Brit Awards.[3] Soon after, Tyler underwent an operation to remove nodules from her vocal cords which left her with a distinctively husky voice. However, this did not affect her career and her 1977 single "It's a Heartache" became a hit in both Europe and North America

[elvis]

Tony Curtis (

born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925 – September 29, 2010) was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama. In his later years, Curtis made numerous television appearances.

Although his early film roles were partly the result of his good looks, by the later half of the 1950s he became a notable and strong screen presence. He began proving himself to be a “fine dramatic actor,” having the range to act in numerous dramatic and comedy roles. In his earliest parts he acted in a string of "mediocre" films, including swashbucklers, westerns, light comedies, sports films, and a musical. However, by the time he starred in Houdini (1953) with his wife Janet Leigh, "his first clear success," notes critic David Thomson, his acting had progressed immensely.[1][2]

He won his first serious recognition as a skilled dramatic actor in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with co-star Burt Lancaster. The following year he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in another drama, The Defiant Ones (1958). Curtis then gave what many believe was his best acting, three interrelated roles in the comedy Some Like It Hot (1959). Thomson[who?] calls it an "outrageous film," and a survey carried out by the American Film Institute voted it the funniest American film ever made.[3] It costarred Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, and was directed by Billy Wilder. That was followed by Blake Edwards’ comedy Operation Petticoat (1959) with Cary Grant. They were both “frantic comedies,” and displayed "his impeccable comic timing."[4] He often collaborated with Edwards on later films. In 1960, he co-starred in Spartacus, which became another major hit for him.

His stardom and film career declined considerably after the early 1960s. His most significant serious part came in 1968 when he starred in the true-life drama The Boston Strangler, which some consider his "last major film role."[4] The part reinforced his reputation as a serious actor with his "chilling portrayal" of serial killer Albert DeSalvo. He gained 30 pounds and had his face "rebuilt" with a false nose to look like the real DeSalvo.

Curtis was the father of actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis[5] by his first wife, actress Janet Leigh.[6]

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Charles Boyer

Charles Boyer (28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer became a star of 1920s French theater, but he found his greatest success in American movies during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised in romantic dramas such as Conquest (1937) with Greta Garbo; Algiers (1938) with Hedy Lamarr; and Love Affair (1939) with Irene Dunne. Another famous role was in the 1944 mystery-thriller Gaslight opposite Ingrid Bergman. He received four Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.

[elvis]

Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977)[3] was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation.[4]

A multimedia star, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings and motion picture grosses.[5] His early career coincided with technical recording innovations; this allowed him to develop a laid-back, intimate singing style that influenced many of the popular male singers who followed him, including Perry Como,[6] Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin. Yank magazine recognized Crosby as the person who had done the most for American G.I. morale during World War II and, during his peak years, around 1948, polls declared him the "most admired man alive," ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII.[7][8] Also in 1948, the Music Digest estimated that Crosby recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music.[8]

Crosby exerted an important influence on the development of the postwar recording industry. He worked for NBC at the time and wanted to record his shows; however, most broadcast networks did not allow recording. This was primarily because the quality of recording at the time was not as good as live broadcast sound quality. While in Europe performing during the war, Crosby had witnessed tape recording, on which The Crosby Research Foundation would come to have many patents. The company also developed equipment and recording techniques such as the Laugh Track which are still in use today.[9] In 1947, he invested $50,000 in the Ampex company, which built North America's first commercial reel-to-reel tape recorder. He left NBC to work for ABC because NBC was not interested in recording at the time. This proved beneficial because ABC accepted him and his new ideas.[9] Crosby then became the first performer to pre-record his radio shows and master his commercial recordings onto magnetic tape. He gave one of the first Ampex Model 200 recorders to his friend, musician Les Paul, which led directly to Paul's invention of multitrack recording. Along with Frank Sinatra, Crosby was one of the principal backers behind the famous United Western Recorders recording studio complex in Los Angeles.[10]

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Christopher Timothy

Christopher Timothy (born 14 October 1940) is a British actor, television director and writer. Timothy is known for his role as James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small or as Mac McGuire in the BBC soap opera Doctors.

[elvis]

Tony Danza

(born Antonio Salvatore Iadanza; April 21, 1951) is an American actor known for starring on the TV series Taxi and Who's the Boss?, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards. In 1998, Danza won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series for his work on the 1997 sitcom The Tony Danza Show.

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Dan Blocker

Dan Blocker (December 10, 1928 – May 13, 1972) was an American actor best remembered for his role as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza.

[elvis]

Ben Kingsley, CBE

(born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; Gujarati:કૃષ્ણ પંડિત ભાણજી; 31 December 1943) is an English actor who has won an Oscar, Grammy, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He is also known for his performances in the films Schindler's List (1993), Sexy Beast (2000), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), and Hugo (2011). Kingsley will play the supervillian the Mandarin in the upcoming film Iron Man 3 (2013).

Kingsley was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. In 2010, Kingsley was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Keiron More

Kieron Moore (born Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin Anglicised Kieron O’Hanrahan) (5 October 1924 – 15 July 2007) was an Irish film and television actor whose career was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s. He may be best remembered for his role as Count Vronsky in the 1948 film adaptation of Anna Karenina opposite Vivien Leigh.

[elvis]

Michael Keaton

Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor who became popular for his early comedic film roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, and later gained international fame for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne / Batman in Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns. He has appeared in various other films, including Night Shift, Mr. Mom, Clean and Sober, Pacific Heights and Jackie Brown, and has also provided voicework for Pixar's Cars and Toy Story 3.

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Kenneth More

Kenneth Gilbert More CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor, who had a high profile during the 1950s when he received several international awards and was one of the most popular film stars in the country.
Raised to stardom by the vintage car based film-comedy Genevieve (1953), he appeared in many roles as a carefree, happy-go-lucky gent. His biggest hits from this period include Raising a Riot (1955), Reach for the Sky (1956) and The Admirable Crichton (1958).

[elvis]

Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983), known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician who is considered the "father of modern Chicago blues". He was a major inspiration for the British blues explosion in the 1960s and is ranked No.17 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

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William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 – 23 April 1850) was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads.

[elvis]

Winona Ryder (

born Winona Laura Horowitz; October 29, 1971) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988) as Lydia Deetz, a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition. After various appearances in film and television, Ryder continued her career with the cult film Heathers (1988), a controversial satire of teenage suicide and high school life, which drew Ryder further critical and commercial attention. She later appeared in Mermaids (1990) earning a Golden Globe nomination, in Burton's Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Francis Ford Coppola's gothic romance Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).

Having played diverse roles in many well-received films, Ryder won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and an Academy Award nomination in the same category for her role in The Age of Innocence in 1993, as well as another Academy Award nomination for Little Women the following year for Best Actress. She later appeared in the Generation X cult hit Reality Bites (1994), Alien Resurrection (1997), the Woody Allen comedy Celebrity (1998) and Girl, Interrupted (1999) which she also executive-produced. In 2000, Ryder received a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California.[1]

Ryder's personal life has attracted significant media attention. Her relationship with Johnny Depp and a 2001 arrest for shoplifting were a constant subject of tabloid journalism. She has since revealed her personal struggles with anxiety and depression. In 2002, she appeared in the box office smash, Mr. Deeds. In 2006, Ryder returned to the screen after a brief hiatus, later appearing in high-profile films such as Star Trek. In 2010, she was nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, as the lead actress of When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story, and as part of the cast of Black Swan.[2] She also reunited with Burton for Frankenweenie (2012).

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Richard Burton

Richard Burton, CBE (10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award - for My Cousin Rachel (1952), The Robe (1953), Becket (1964), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) and Equus (1977) - six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role, without ever winning. He was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.