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Colin Callender
Sir Colin Nigel Callender (born May 1952) is a British television, film and theater producer. He is the former President of HBO Films and Founder/Chairman of Playground Entertainment, a production company based in New York and London. Callender played a key role in shaping the British independent production sector during the birth of Channel Four. He was also responsible for HBO’s unprecedented commercial and critical success, setting new benchmarks for quality film and television production. Early life and education Callender was born to an Orthodox Jewish family in London, the son of Lydia and Martin Callender. He has a brother, Neeman, and a sister, Claire. Callender holds a BA with Honours in Philosophy and Politics from the University of East Anglia. Career Early career Callender started in the entertainment industry as a member of Britain's National Youth Theatre and began his production career in 1974 at the Royal Court Theatre in London as stage manager working ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Order Of The British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom#Modern honours, knight if male or a dame (title), dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with the order, but are not members of it. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V, who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition was to be given for services rendered in the UK and overseas. Today, the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside the UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to cit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career he had considerable success in television roles. Olivier's family had no theatrical connections, but his father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's '' Private Lives'', and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' alongside Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madame Sousatzka
''Madame Sousatzka'' is a 1988 drama film directed by John Schlesinger, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It is based upon the 1962 novel of the same name by Bernice Rubens. __TOC__ Plot Indian immigrant Sushila Sen (Shabana Azmi) lives in London with her son Manek ( Navin Chowdhry), who is musically gifted. She supports them both as a caterer of Indian food, while Manek studies the piano with Madame Sousatzka ( Shirley MacLaine), who is a Russian-American immigrant. Madame Sousatzka, while highly talented, never succeeded as a pianist and thus lives through her students, particularly talented ones such as Manek. Manek is soon forced to choose between Madame Sousatzka and his mother, who both compete for his attention. The Russian pianist and teacher Madame Maria Levinskaya (died 1960) inspired the character of Madame Sousatzka. The plot is based on the experiences of Harold Rubens, a child prodigy pianist who began lessons with Levinskaya from the age of seven ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world. Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. The festival was formally accredited by the FIAPF in 1951. Cannes is one of the "Big Three" major European film festivals, alongside Venice and Berlin, as well as one of the "Big Five" major international film festivals, alongside Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance. History The early years The Cannes Film Festival has its origins in 1938 when Jean Zay, the French Minister of National Education, on the proposal of high-ranking official and historian Philippe Erlanger and film journalist Robert Favre Le Bret decided to set up an international cinematographic festival. They found the support of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Belly Of An Architect
''The Belly of an Architect'' is a 1987 drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway, featuring original music by Glenn Branca and Wim Mertens. Starring Brian Dennehy and Chloe Webb, it was nominated for the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) award at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. Plot American architect Stourley Kracklite has been commissioned to construct an exhibition in Rome dedicated to the architecture of the 18th-century French architect, Étienne-Louis Boullée, who until the 20th century remained little known. Kracklite's Italian colleagues express doubts about whether Boullée really belongs in the architectural pantheon; they note that few of his buildings were ever constructed and observe that Boullée was an inspiration for Adolf Hitler's architect Albert Speer. As he works on the exhibition, Kracklite's marriage and health deteriorate. He becomes obsessed with Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire, after hearing that Augustus's wife, Livia, suppos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jackie Gleason
Herbert John Gleason (born Herbert Walton Gleason Jr.; February 26, 1916June 24, 1987), known as Jackie Gleason, was an American comedian, actor, writer, and composer also known as "The Great One". He developed a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, and was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy, exemplified by his city bus driver character Ralph Kramden in the television series ''The Honeymooners''. He also developed ''The Jackie Gleason Show'', which maintained high ratings from the mid-1950s through 1970. The series originated in New York City, but filming moved to Miami Beach, Florida, in 1964 after Gleason took up permanent residence there. Among his notable film roles were Minnesota Fats (character), Minnesota Fats in 1961's ''The Hustler'' (co-starring with Paul Newman) and Buford T. Justice in the ''Smokey and the Bandit'' trilogy from 1977 to 1983 (co-starring Burt Reynolds). Gleason enjoyed a prominent secondary music career during the 195 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Schlesinger
John Richard Schlesinger ( ; 16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director, and actor. He emerged in the early 1960s as a leading light of the British New Wave, before embarking on a successful career in Hollywood, often directing films dealing frankly in provocative subject matter, combined with his status as one of the rare openly gay directors working in mainstream films. Schlesinger started his career making British dramas '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962), ''Billy Liar'' (1963), and ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1967). He won the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Midnight Cowboy'' (1969) and was Oscar-nominated for '' Darling'' (1965) and ''Sunday Bloody Sunday'' (1971). He gained acclaim for his Hollywood films '' The Day of the Locust'' (1975) and '' Marathon Man'' (1976). His later films include '' Madame Sousatzka'' (1988) and '' Cold Comfort Farm'' (1995). He also served as an associate director of the Royal National Theatre. Over ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julie Christie
Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. Christie's accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has appeared in six films ranked in the British Film Institute's BFI Top 100 British films of the 20th century, and in 1997, she received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement. Christie's breakthrough role on the big screen was in ''Billy Liar'' (1963). She came to international attention for her performances in '' Darling'' (1965), for which she won the Academy Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress, and '' Doctor Zhivago'' (also 1965), the eighth highest-grossing film of all time after adjustment for inflation. She continued to receive Academy Award nominations, for '' McCabe & Mrs. Miller'' (1971), '' Afterglow'' (1997) and '' Away from Her'' (2007). In addition, Christie starred in ''Fahrenheit 451'' (1966), '' Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1967), '' Petulia'' (1968), '' The Go-B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Bates
Sir Alan Arthur Bates (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor who came to prominence in the Cinema of the United Kingdom#The 1960s, 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from ''Whistle Down the Wind (film), Whistle Down the Wind'' to the Kitchen sink realism, kitchen sink drama ''A Kind of Loving (film), A Kind of Loving''. Bates is also known for his performance with Anthony Quinn in ''Zorba the Greek (film), Zorba the Greek'', as well as his roles in ''King of Hearts (1966 film), King of Hearts'', ''Georgy Girl'', ''Far from the Madding Crowd (1967 film), Far From the Madding Crowd'' and ''The Fixer (1968 film), The Fixer'', for which he received an Academy Award for Best Actor, Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1969, he starred in the Ken Russell film ''Women in Love (film), Women in Love'' with Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson. Bates went on to star in ''The Go-Between (1971 film), The Go-Between'', ''An Unmarried Woman'', ''Nijinsky (film), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, being one of the few actors who has achieved the Triple Crown of Acting. Irons received classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and started his acting career on stage in 1969. He appeared in many West End theatre productions, including the Shakespeare plays ''The Winter's Tale'', ''Macbeth'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', ''The Taming of the Shrew'', and ''Richard II''. In 1984, he made his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's '' The Real Thing'', receiving the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. His first major film role came in ''The French Lieutenant's Woman'' (1981), for which he received a BAFTA Award for Best Actor nomination. After starring in dramas such as '' Moonlighting'' (1982), ''Betrayal'' (1983), '' The Miss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Thorn Birds (miniseries)
''The Thorn Birds'' is an American television miniseries broadcast on ABC from March 27 to 30, 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Piper Laurie, Jean Simmons, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham and Philip Anglim. It was directed by Daryl Duke and based on the best-selling 1977 novel of the same name by Colleen McCullough. The series was enormously successful, being the second most widely watched television miniseries in history at the time, behind ''Roots''. ''The Thorn Birds'' scored a staggering 41.9 rating and 59 percent of the audience, and was nominated for sixteen Emmys, winning six. It was followed by a sequel miniseries in 1996, '' The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years'', showing some of what the characters experienced during the nineteen-year time gap in the original. Plot The series centres on the lives of the Cleary family from the 1920s until the 1960s, who are brought from New Zealand to the Australian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Winds Of War (miniseries)
''The Winds of War'' is a 1983 American war drama television miniseries, based on the 1971 novel of the same name written by Herman Wouk. It was produced and directed by Dan Curtis, while Wouk adapted his own novel to screen. Like the novel, the series follows the lives of the fictional Henry and Jastrow families as they intersect with the major global events of the early years of World War II. The series also includes segments of documentary footage, narrated by William Woodson, to explain major events and important characters. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring Robert Mitchum, Ali MacGraw, Jan-Michael Vincent, John Houseman, Polly Bergen, Chaim Topol, Peter Graves, Jeremy Kemp, Victoria Tennant, and Ralph Bellamy. The series was aired in seven installments between February 6 and February 13, 1983 on ABC. With 140 million viewers of part or all of ''Winds of War'', it was the most-watched miniseries at that time. It won three Primetime Emmy Awards (out of thirteen nomi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
