|
The Greatest Story Ever Told
''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' is a 1965 American epic film, epic List of religious films, religious film that retells the Biblical account of Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity of Jesus, Nativity through to the Ascension of Jesus, Ascension. Produced and directed by George Stevens, the film features an ensemble cast and includes the final film performances of Claude Rains and Joseph Schildkraut. The origins of ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' trace back to a half-hour radio series in 1947, inspired by the four canonical Gospels. The series was later adapted into a 1949 novel by Fulton Oursler. In 1954, Twentieth Century Fox acquired the film rights to Oursler's novel, but development stalled for several years. In November 1958, Stevens joined the project, agreeing to write and direct. However, in September 1961, Fox withdrew due to concerns over the film's projected cost and its thematic similarities to ''King of Kings (1961 film), King of Kings'' (1961), anot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Stevens
George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''A Place in the Sun (1951 film), A Place in the Sun'' (1951) and ''Giant (1956 film), Giant'' (1956). Born in Oakland, California, George Stevens worked in his parents' West Coast touring stock theater company as a child actor and stage manager. When cinema was replacing live theater, Stevens's parents relocated to Los Angeles. At the age of 17, Stevens was hired as an assistant cameraman, working on several Western film, Western films produced by Hal Roach. Within three years, Stevens became a cameraman on the ''Our Gang'' and Harry Langdon comedies. Impressed with Stevens's visual knowledge, Roach then appointed him to direct installments of ''The Boy Friends'' series. Stevens next moved to Universal Pictures and then to RKO Pictures. There, he directed several genre films, including ''Alice Ad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angela Lansbury
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American actress, producer, and singer. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles on stage and screen. Among her numerous accolades were five Tony Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards, 18 Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1997, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2000, and the Academy Honorary Award in 2013. Lansbury was born into an upper-middle-class family in central London, the daughter of Irish actress Moyna Macgill and English politician Edgar Lansbury. To escape the Blitz, she moved to the United States in 1940, studying acting in New York City. Proceeding to Hollywood in 1942, she signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Despite being largely seen as a B-list star, she received three Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Stewart (actor)
Paul Stewart (born Paul Sternberg; March 13, 1908 – February 17, 1986) was an American character actor, director and producer who worked in theatre, radio, films and television. He frequently portrayed cynical and sinister characters throughout his career. A friend and associate of Orson Welles for many years, Stewart helped Welles get his first job in radio and was associate producer of the celebrated radio program "The War of the Worlds", in which he also performed. One of the Mercury Theatre players who made their film debut in Welles's landmark film ''Citizen Kane'', Stewart portrayed Kane's butler and valet, Raymond. He appeared in 50 films, and performed in or directed some 5,000 radio and television shows. Biography Paul Stewart was born in Manhattan, New York, on March 13, 1908, as Paul Sternberg. His parents were Maurice D. Sternberg, a salesman and credit agent for a textile manufacturer, and Nathalie C. (née Nathanson) Sternberg; both were born in Minneapoli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Schildkraut
Joseph Schildkraut (22 March 1896 – 21 January 1964) was an Austrian-American actor. He won an Oscar for his performance as Captain Alfred Dreyfus in the film '' The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937). He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance as Otto Frank in the film '' The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and a Primetime Emmy for his performance as Rabbi Gottlieb in a 1962 episode of the television series '' Sam Benedict''. Early life Schildkraut was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of Erna (née Weinstein) and stage (and later motion picture) actor Rudolph Schildkraut. His family was Jewish. In 1910, he accompanied his father on his tour to the U.S. and returned to Europe in 1913. He began stage training with Max Reinhardt in Berlin shortly afterward, began his career on the stages of Germany and Austria, then made the transition to film. Schildkraut moved to the U.S. in 1920 and appeared in many Broadway productions. Among the plays in which he starred was a not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (; January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was a Greek-American actor. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on the crime drama series '' Kojak'' (1973–1978) and James Bond archvillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the film '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (1969). Savalas's other films include '' Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962), '' The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965), ''Genghis Khan'' (1965), ''Battle of the Bulge'' (1965), '' The Dirty Dozen'' (1967), '' Kelly's Heroes'' (1970), '' Horror Express'' (1972), '' Lisa and the Devil'' (1974), '' Escape to Athena'' (1979), '' Border Cop'' (1980) and '' Mind Twister'' (1993). For ''Birdman of Alcatraz'', he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Savalas released a cover of the Bread song " If", which became a UK number-one single in 1975. Early life Aristotelis Sav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Raymond
Gary Barrymore Raymond (born 20 April 1935) is an English film, television and theatre actor. Biography Gary Raymond was born in Brixton, London, the younger of twins and the youngest of three brothers, to theatrical parents, both of whom were variety artistes. His mother died of tuberculosis within nine months of the twins' birth, and the two were then in the care of a nanny. When Raymond was eleven years old, he won a scholarship to the Gateway School and remained there until he was sixteen. After training at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Raymond worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1950s, playing roles such as Macbeth, Oberon and Claudius, and others. He made his film debut as Charles Stuart ( King Charles II) in the British swashbuckling film ''The Moonraker'' (1958). He soon followed up with his role as Cliff Lewis in Tony Richardson's film adaptation of John Osborne's ''Look Back in Anger'' (1958), opposite Richard Burton and Mary Ure. Subsequent notabl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Claude Rains
William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and is considered one of the screen's great character stars who played cultured villains during the Golden Age of Hollywood. From McFarlane's ''Encyclopedia of British Film''. London: Methuen/BFI, 2003, p. 545 The son of a stage actor, Rains began acting on stage in his native London in the 1900s. He became a leading thespian on the West End theatre, West End, and an acting teacher at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He moved to the United States in the late 1920s and became a successful Broadway theatre, Broadway star, before making his American film debut as Griffin (The Invisible Man), Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man (1933 film), The Invisible Man'' (1933). He went on to play prominent rol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Among his other accolades are two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Award and a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award, in addition to nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Tony Awards, Tony Award. In 1999, he was ranked among the "AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, American Film Institute's 100 Stars". Poitier was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Poitier's family lived in the Bahamas, then still a Crown colony, but he was born in Miami, Florida, while they were visiting, which granted him U.S. citizenship. He grew up in the Bahamas, but moved to Miami at age 15, and to New York City when he was 16. He joined the American Negro Theatre, gaining his breakthrough film role as a high school student in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donald Pleasence
Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleasence began his career on stage in the West End before having a screen career, which included starring in a 1954 BBC adaptation of George Orwell's ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', before playing numerous supporting and character roles, developing a reputation for playing "nervy, unstable characters" including Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe in '' The Great Escape'' (1963), the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film '' You Only Live Twice'' (1967), SEN 5241 in ''THX 1138'' (1971), and the deranged Clarence "Doc" Tydon in '' Wake in Fright'' (1971). He also maintained an acclaimed career on the Broadway stage. Pleasence starred as psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis in ''Halloween'' (1978) and four of its sequels, a role for which he w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nehemiah Persoff
Nehemiah Persoff (; August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American actor and painter. He appeared in more than 200 television series, films, and theatre productions, and also performed as a voice artist in a career spanning 55 years. His first acting role was as an extra in '' The Naked City'' (1948). Persoff is best known for roles as Leo in '' The Harder They Fall'' (1956), as Little Bonaparte in ''Some Like It Hot'' (1959), as Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik in '' The Untouchables'' (1959–1963), as Rebbe Mendel in '' Yentl'' (1983), and as the voice of Papa Mousekewitz in the animated film ''An American Tail'' (1986) and its sequels. He also made appearances on episodes of ''The Twilight Zone'', ''Gilligan's Island'', '' Hawaii Five-O'', ''Adam-12'', and ''Law & Order''. Early life and education Persoff was born to Shmuel Persoff and Puah Holman in the city of Jerusalem in 1919. His father, Shmuel, was a silversmith, jeweler, and art teacher born in Chernihiv, Russian Empire ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sal Mineo
Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film '' Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955), which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at age 17, making him the fifth-youngest nominee in the category. Mineo also starred in films such as '' Crime in the Streets'', ''Giant'' (both 1956), '' Exodus'' (1960), for which he won a Golden Globe and received a second Academy Award nomination, '' The Longest Day'' (1962), John Ford's final western '' Cheyenne Autumn'' (1964) and '' Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' (1971). Early life and education Mineo was born in The Bronx, New York City, the son of coffin makers Josephine (née Alvisi; 1913–1989) and Salvatore Mineo Sr (1913–1972). He was of Sicilian descent; his father was born in Italy and his mother, of Italian origin, was born in the United States. Mineo's sister Sarina (1941–2024), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dorothy McGuire
Dorothy Hackett McGuire (June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947) and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress for '' Friendly Persuasion'' (1956). She starred as the mother in the popular films '' Old Yeller'' (1957) and '' Swiss Family Robinson'' (1960). Life and career Early years McGuire was born in Omaha, Nebraska,Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. . pp. 755–756. the only child of Isabelle Flaherty McGuire and Thomas Johnson McGuire. She made her stage debut at age 13 at the local community playhouse in Barrie's '' A Kiss for Cinderella''. Her co-star was Henry Fonda, who was also born in Nebraska and was making a return visit to his home town after becoming a success on Broadway. After her father's death, McGuire attended a convent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
