Adam Sandler

Birthday: 9 September 1966, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Height: 5' 10" (1.78 m) 

Biography

Adam Sandler was born on September 9, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York, to Judy and Stanley Sandler. At 17, he took his first step towards becoming a stand-up comedian when he spontaneously took the stage at a Boston comedy club. He found he was a natural comic. He nurtured his talent while at New York University (graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1991) by performing regularly in clubs and at universities. During his freshman year, he snagged a recurring role as the Huxtable family's friend Smitty on "The Cosby Show" (1984). While working at a comedy club in L.A., he was "discovered" by Dennis Miller, who recommended him to "Saturday Night Live" (1975) producer Lorne Michaels and told him that Sandler had a big talent. This led to his being cast in the show in 1990, which he also wrote for in addition to performing. After "Saturday Night Live" (1975), Sandler went on to the movies, starring in such hit comedies as Airheads (1994), Happy Gilmore (1996), Billy Madison (1995) and Big Daddy (1999). He has also starred in Mr. Deeds (2002) alongside Winona Ryder; Eight Crazy Nights (2002), an animated movie about the Jewish festival of Chanukah; and Punch-Drunk Love (2002). He also writes and produces many of his own films and has composed songs for several of them, including The Wedding Singer (1998). Sandler has had several of his songs placed on the "Billboard" charts, including the classic "The Chanukah Song" 

In the mid to late 1980s, Sandler played Theo Huxtable's friend, Smitty, on The Cosby Show (1987–1988). He was a performer for the MTV game show Remote Control, on which he made appearances as the characters "Trivia Delinquent" or "Stud Boy". Early in his career, Sandler performed in comedy clubs, taking the stage at his brother's urging when he was seventeen. He was discovered by comedian Dennis Miller, who caught Sandler's act in Los Angeles. Miller recommended him to Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels. Sandler was hired as a writer for SNL in 1990 and became a featured player the following year, making a name for himself by performing amusing original songs on the show, including "The Thanksgiving Song" and "The Chanukah Song".^[7] Sandler told Conan O'Brien on The Tonight Show that NBC fired him and Chris Farley from the show in 1995.^[8]

In 1994 he co-starred in Airheads with Brendan Fraser and Steve Buscemi. He starred in Billy Madison (1995) as a grown, though uneducated, man repeating grades 1–12 to earn back his father's respect, along with the right to inherit his father's multi-million-dollar hotel empire. In At the Movies, Siskel and Ebert gave the film a very bad review, and said of Sandler "...Not an attractive screen presence, he might have a career as a villain or a fall guy or the butt of a joke, but as the protagonist his problem is he creates the fingernails on the blackboard" with Siskel adding "...you don't have a good motivation for the character's behavior".^[9] He followed this film with other financially successful comedies such as Bulletproof (1996), Happy Gilmore (1996) and The Wedding Singer (1998). He was initially cast in the bachelor-party-themed comedy/thriller Very Bad Things (1998), but had to back out due to his involvement in The Waterboy (1998), one of his first hits.

Although his earlier films did not receive critical praise, his more recent films, beginning with Punch-Drunk Love (2002), have received more positive reviews - although they lack the meagre humour of his earlier films. Roger Ebert, in his review of Punch-Drunk Love, concluded that Sandler had been wasted in earlier films with poorly written scripts and characters with no development.^[10] Sandler has moved outside the genre of slapstick comedy to take on more serious parts such as the aforementioned Punch-Drunk Love (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe), Spanglish (2004) and Reign Over Me (2007). He played a loving father figure in Big Daddy (1999). During filming, he met Jacqueline Samantha Titone—his future wife and mother of his two daughters -— who was cast as the waitress from The Blarney Stone Bar.^{[citation needed]}

At one point, Sandler was considered for the part that went to Jamie Foxx in Collateral (2004). He also was one of the finalists along with Jim Carrey and Johnny Depp for the role of Willy Wonka in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).^{[citation needed]} He returned to more dramatic^{[neutrality is disputed]} fare with Mike Binder's Reign Over Me (2007), a drama about a man who loses his entire family in 9/11 and rekindles a friendship with his old college roommate (played by Don Cheadle). He starred in the film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007) alongside Kevin James, as a New York City fireman pretending to be gay to keep up an insurance scam so that his best friend's children can have benefits. Sandler headlined You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), a comedy about a Mossad agent who fakes his own death and moves to the United States to become a hair stylist. The film was written by Sandler, The 40-Year-Old Virgin writer-director Judd Apatow (who was an old roommate of Sandler's when both were starting out), and Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog creator Robert Smigel, and was directed by Happy Gilmore director Dennis Dugan.

"Like Will Ferrell, Sandler has layers of tenderness under layers of irony under layers of tenderness—plus a floating anger like Jupiter’s great red spot," wrote David Edelstein of New York magazine in a review of You Don't Mess with the Zohan. "Some performers become stars because we can read them instantly, others—like Sandler—because we never tire of trying to get a fix on them."^[11]

Sandler in 2009

Sandler starred in Bedtime Stories (2008), a fantasy film directed by Bringing Down the House director Adam Shankman, about a stressed hotel maintenance worker whose bedtime stories he reads to his niece and nephew begin to come true. This marked Sandler's first family film and first film under the Walt Disney banner.^[12] Keri Russell and English comedian Russell Brand co-starred.

In 2009, Sandler starred in Judd Apatow's third directorial feature Funny People. He played a very successful stand up comedian who finds out he has a terminal illness and he takes a young inexperienced comic, played by Seth Rogen, under his wing. Filming began in October 2008 and finished in January 2009. The film was released on July 31, 2009.^[13] At one point, Sandler was in talks to star in Quentin Tarantino's World War II film Inglourious Basterds, which he confirmed, but he did not appear in it due to a scheduling conflict with Funny People.^[14] Following the release of Funny People, it, along with Punch-Drunk Love were cited in the June 2010 announcement that Sandler was one of 135 people (including 20 actors) invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[15]

Sandler appeared in Grown Ups, teaming up with Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, and David Spade (all of whom have worked with Sandler before) for a film about five best friends from high school who reunite 30 years later on the July 4 weekend. Other costars include Salma Hayek (playing Sandler's wife), Maria Bello (playing James' wife), and fellow SNL alumna Maya Rudolph (playing Rock's wife), Colin Quinn, Tim Meadows, and Norm Macdonald. Sandler and Dickie Roberts scribe Fred Wolf wrote the script and Dennis Dugan directed the film.^[16]

Sandler starred in the 2011 film Just Go with It, with Jennifer Aniston, a romantic comedy written by Allan Loeb and Tim Dowling and directed by Dennis Dugan. He played a plastic surgeon who asks his office manager, played by Aniston, to pose as his wife, in order to prove his honesty to his much younger girlfriend, played by Brooklyn Decker. Sandler also provided the voice of a capuchin monkey in Kevin James' Zookeeper, released on July 8, 2011.^[17] In 2012, he starred in That's My Boy with Andy Samberg. The film was about a man, played by Sandler, who fathered a son, played by Samberg, with his teacher in high school. Then, years later, he visits his son on the eve of his wedding and clashes with the bride (Leighton Meester).

In 2011, Sandler pulled off an extraordinary double in which he won both Worst Actor and Worst Actress at the Golden Raspberry Awards for his film Jack and Jill. Not only was he the first person to win both awards, but he also was the first male actor to win the Worst Actress dishonor. The film also won every other award, becoming the first film to sweep the Golden Raspberry Awards.

Happy Madison Productions

Sandler has collaborated with Henry Winkler and Kevin James for several film projects, 2011.

Sandler formed his film production company, Happy Madison Productions,^[18] in 1999, first producing fellow SNL alumnus Rob Schneider's film Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. Happy Madison has produced all of Sandler's subsequent films to date with the exceptions Punch Drunk Love and Spanglish. Reign Over Me and Funny People were produced by Happy Madison but under the subsidiary label "Madison 23".

Sandler is known for consistently working with a core group of friends and associates through Happy Madison, frequently casting fellow SNL performers in various roles in his films. Sandler and Happy Madison produced SNL contemporary Rob Schneider's vehicles Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), The Animal (2001), The Hot Chick (2002), and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005), and The Benchwarmers (2006), with Sandler making cameo appearances in the middle three. Meanwhile, Schneider has appeared in cameo roles in Sandler films The Waterboy, Little Nicky, Mr. Deeds, Click, The Longest Yard, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and Bedtime Stories. Schneider had larger roles in Sandler films Big Daddy, 50 First Dates, Eight Crazy Nights, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, and Grown Ups.

The handprints and shoeprints of Adam Sandler in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, 2008.

Happy Madison produced David Spade's Joe Dirt, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, and The Benchwarmers, which also featured Rob Schneider.^[18] Spade additionally made a cameo appearance in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and had a prominent supporting role in Grown Ups. Sandler cameoed as a special audience member in an episode of The Showbiz Show with David Spade. SNL contemporary Kevin Nealon has appeared in ten Happy Madison productions or Sandler films, including Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, Little Nicky, Joe Dirt, Eight Crazy Nights, Anger Management, Grandma's Boy, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Just Go With It and the Dana Carvey vehicle, The Master of Disguise.

Happy Madison also produced Paul Blart: Mall Cop, the first starring vehicle for Kevin James. James had costarred with Sandler in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Grown Ups and made a cameo appearance in You Don't Mess with the Zohan. Happy Madison also produced James' second starring vehicle Zookeeper.

He appeared as the featured guest on the final episode of John McEnroe's eponymous CNBC talk show, airing in late 2004. McEnroe appeared as himself in three of Sandler's films (Mr. Deeds, Anger Management, and You Don't Mess with the Zohan).

Anna Faris, who appeared in The Hot Chick, became the first female actor to headline a production for Happy Madison with The House Bunny and will headline another film for Happy Madison in the near future.

Others who frequently appear in Sandler films include Steve Buscemi, Chris Rock, John Turturro, Jon Lovitz, Clint Howard, Norm Macdonald, Nick Swardson, and longtime friends Allen Covert, Peter Dante, and Jonathan Loughran. Covert starred in his first leading role in Grandma's Boy, also produced by Happy Madison productions.

Personal life

Sandler with his two daughters, February 2011.

On June 22, 2003, Sandler married actress Jacqueline Samantha Titone. Titone converted to Sandler's religion, Judaism, in 2000.^[19][20] The couple have two daughters: Sadie Madison Sandler (born 2006)^[21] and Sunny Madeline Sandler (born 2008).^[22] Sandler lives with his family in Los Angeles, but also owns homes in New York City and Florida.^{[citation needed]}

Political and charitable donations

In 2007, Sandler made a $1 million donation to the Boys and Girls Club in his hometown, Manchester, New Hampshire.^[23] He donated $2,100 to Republican Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign the same year.^[24]

Filmography

Main article: Adam Sandler filmography

Discography

Title	Year	Notes
They're All Gonna Laugh at You!	1993	2× Platinum
What the Hell Happened to Me?	1996	2× Platinum
What's Your Name?	1997	Gold
Stan and Judy's Kid	1999	Gold
Shhh...Don't Tell	2004

Adam Brody

Birthday: 15 December 1979, San Diego, California, USA

Height: 5' 11" (1.80 m)

 

Biography

Born and raised in San Diego, California, Adam Brody spent a lot of his teen years hanging out with his friends, having fun and surfing. Upon graduation, he convinced his parents to allow him to attend college in Los Angeles. However, instead of enrolling in school, he hired an acting coach, signed with a personal manager and soon landed the lead in the NBC movie-of-the-week, Growing Up Brady (2000) (TV), playing Barry Williams (Greg Brady). Soon after, Brody was cast as the lead in the MTV cult series Now What? His television credits also include a recurring role as Coop in ABC's "Once and Again" (1999); a recurring role as Dave in the WB's Emmy-nominated "Gilmore Girls" (2000); and standout guest starring roles in "Judging Amy" (1999), "Family Law" (1999) and "Smallville" (2001). Brody also starred in the Fox television series "The O.C." (2003), playing the son of Peter Gallagher's character.

In addition to starring in the skateboarding movie Grind (2003), Brody's feature film credits include a very small role in the 2002 hit thriller The Ring (2002) and the dynamic lead role as Patrick in Missing Brendan (2003), opposite Edward Asner and Illeana Douglas 

Brody was born in Carlsbad, San Diego County, California, the oldest son of Valerie (née Siefman), a graphic artist, and Mark Brody, a lawyer.^[3][4] His parents, both Jewish, were originally from Detroit, Michigan.^[5] He has younger twin brothers, Sean and Matt. Brody attended Wangenheim Middle School and Scripps Ranch High School, receiving "poor grades",^[6] and grew up in suburban San Diego, spending time surfing.^[7] He has said that while he was not a "Casanova", he had "cute girlfriends" and "pretty much lived at the beach".^[6] Brody attended community college for one year and dropped out at the age of nineteen, moving to Hollywood in order to become an actor.^[1] He subsequently hired an acting coach and signed with a manager.^[8]

Career

At the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival

After a year of training and auditioning, Brody landed the role of Barry Williams in the 2000 TV movie Growing Up Brady. He also was in the Canadian comedy television series The Sausage Factory. In 2001, he played a small role in American Pie 2, named as "high school guy". He was one of two high school guys who get chased away from Steve Stifler's party. He was cast in recurring roles on Gilmore Girls in 2002–2003 as Dave Rygalski, Lane's bandmate and love interest before his character left to go to California, or in this case, The O.C.. In 2003, Brody wrote "Home Security" (a short film),^[7] appeared in the feature film Grind and also in a music video of a song called "Too Bad About Your Girl" by The Donnas. Still in 2003, he began playing his most famous role to date, Seth Cohen, a slightly awkward teenager, on the television show The O.C.. Brody improvised some of the character's comic dialogue.^[7] The role turned him into a teen idol, with the character having been described by the Los Angeles Times as "TV's sexiest geek"^[7] and by Time as having "redefined" the screen persona of "unapologetic" nerdiness;^[1] his character (defined by director Jon Kasdan as the "new kind of nerdy Jewish guy: both self-deprecating and self-obsessed")^[1] has since inspired scripts to describe particular characters as "Adam Brody types".^[1] The role also developed Brody a female fan following and as a result, Brody was ranked No. 17 in Independent Online's "100 Sexiest Men Alive" of 2006,^[9] was twice placed on Teen People's annual list of "25 Sexiest Stars under 25", Voted as Elle Girl Magazine Coolest Guy Celeb and Coolest TV Star in 2005, Voted number 1 in UK CosmoGIRL as pin-up sex-symbol beating out Johnny Depp in 2005,^[10] chosen as one of the People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive in 2004 - 2006 and was the first male on the cover of Elle Girl.^[1][11][11] He also appeared thrice -2003, 2004, 2005- in People's Magazine "50 Hottest Bachelors".^[12][13][14]

During the show's run, Brody appeared alongside Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2005's film Mr. & Mrs. Smith and played a Hollywood studio assistant in the 2006 film adaptation of Thank You for Smoking.

Brody was signed to a seven-year contract for The O.C., playing the role of Seth Cohen, where he acted much like himself. The show was eventually canceled in 2007 and ended its run in February of that year; Brody has said that he is "not unhappy" with the show's cancellation^[11] and that although he was "fortunate" to be on a successful series, he was also glad to "not be on it for 10 years".^[1] After the end of The O.C.'s run, Brody turned to a full-time film career.^[7]

Brody with Greta Gerwig and Analeigh Tipton at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

His next film was In the Land of Women, a romantic comedy co-starring Meg Ryan and Kristen Stewart and released on April 20, 2007. In the film, Brody plays the lead role, a writer who returns to his mother's Michigan hometown in order to take care of his sick grandmother. Brody did not have to audition for the part, but was almost unable to appear in the film because of scheduling conflicts with the second season of The O.C.; the film's director pushed filming back eight months because he wanted Brody to star.^[7][11] The same year, Brody also appeared in supporting roles in the lower budget films Smiley Face, playing a pot dealer, and The Ten, as a skydiver.^[7] He also guest appeared in the Smallville episode "Crush".

Brody, along with actor Zac Efron, was in consideration for the lead part in the film Speed Racer, a role which was eventually given to Emile Hirsch.^[1] Brody was also set to produce a remake of Revenge of the Nerds, which was canceled early during filming.^[15]

In 2009, he co-starred with Josh Lucas in Boaz Yakin's drama, Death in Love, and in Academy Award-winner Diablo Cody's new horror film Jennifer's Body, co-starring Megan Fox.

In 2010, he appeared in Kevin Smith's film Cop Out, which was shot in NYC and co-starred Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan and then in The Romantics alongside Katie Holmes and Josh Duhamel. It was announced on July 1, 2010 that Brody landed the role of Detective Hoss in Scream 4,^[2] released in April 2011.

Brody voiced "Woodie" in the MTV animated series Good Vibes.^[16] In January 2012, it was announced he had joined the cast of Lovelace, a biopic about the late '70s porn star Linda Lovelace which will be directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and star Amanda Seyfried and Demi Moore. Brody will portray Harry Reems.^[17]

Personal life

Brody lives in Los Angeles.

Brody plays drums for the band Big Japan^[7] with actor Bret Harrison. He writes screenplays and songs during his spare time^[1] and has co-written, along with Danny Bilson and Paul DiMeo, a comic book miniseries for Wildstorm Comics called Red Menace. Brody has also volunteered as an actor with the Young Storytellers Program, which is dedicated to developing literacy, self-expression and self-esteem in elementary school children.

Brody has described himself as a "fake intellectual" and his sense of humor as sarcastic.^[1] He is a secular Jew^[18] and has stated that he "couldn't be less religious".^[3] Brody has said that when he moved to Hollywood he became "more nerdy" and embraced his "neurotic side".^[6]

Relationships

He dated The O.C. co-star Rachel Bilson for three years.^[7] The relationship ended in December 2006.^[19] He dated screenwriter Lorene Scafaria from 2010 to 2011.^[20][21] In February 2013, it was reported that Brody had been dating The Oranges co-star Leighton Meester "for weeks."^[22][23]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Never Land	Jack	Limited release
	The Silencing	Karl
	Roadside Assistance	Rusty
	American Pie 2	High School Guy	Unrated version
	According to Spencer	Tommy	Limited release
2002	The Ring	Kellen – Teen #3
2003	Home Security	Greg	Limited release
	Grind	Dustin Knight
	Missing Brendan	Patrick Calden	Limited release
2005	Mr. & Mrs. Smith	Benjamin Danz
2006	Thank You for Smoking	Jack
2007	In the Land of Women	Carter Webb
	The Ten	Stephen Montgomery
	Smiley Face	Steve the Dealer
2008	Death in Love	Talent agent	Limited release
2009	Jennifer's Body	Nikolai Wolf	Antagonist role
2010	Cop Out	Barry Mangold	Supporting Role
	The Romantics	Jake
2011	Scream 4	Deputy Ross Hoss
	The Oranges	Toby Walling
	Damsels in Distress[24]	Charlie
2012	Seeking a Friend for the End of the World	Owen
	Revenge for Jolly	Danny
	Some Girls	Unknown
2013	Welcome to the Jungle	Chris	Post-production
	Lovelace	Harry Reems	Post-production
	Baggage Claim

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Now What		MTV TV series
1999	The Amanda Show	Greg Brady	1 episode ("When Brady's Attack")
2000	Growing Up Brady	Barry Williams	TV Film
	City Guys	Customer #1	1 episode ("Makin' Up is Hard to Do")
	Undressed	Lucas	3 episodes ("#317", "#318", and "#321")
	Judging Amy	Barry "Romeo" Gilmore	1 episode ("Romeo and Juliet Must Die – Well, Maybe Just Juliet")
	Go Fish	Billy	1 episode ("Go Student Council")
	Family Law	Noel Johnson	1 episode ("My Brother's Keeper")
2000–2001	Once and Again	Coop	3 episodes ("Busted", "I Can't Stand Up (for Falling Down)", and "Cat-in-Hat")
2000–2002	The Sausage Factory	Zack Altman	Lead; 13 episodes
2001–2004	Grounded for Life	Brian	2 episodes
2002	Smallville	Justin Gaines	1 episode ("Crush")
2002	The Andy Dick Show	Himself	1 episode ("The Garage Sale")
2002–2003	Gilmore Girls	Dave Rygalski	Recurring (Season 3); 9 episodes
2003–2007	The O.C.	Seth Cohen	Main; 92 episodes
2004	MADtv	Seth Cohen	1 episode ("#922")
2006	The Loop	Keith	1 episode ("The Rusty Trombone")
2011	Good Vibes	Woodie	Main; 12 episodes Voice
2013	House of Lies	Adam	Guest Star; 1 episode

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Notes
2004	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Breakout TV Star Male[25]	The O.C	Nominated
		Choice TV Actor - Drama/Action Adventure[26]		Won
2005	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Chemistry[27]		Won	(shared with Rachel Bilson)
		Choice TV Actor: Drama[27]		Won
2006	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actor: Drama/Action Adventure[28]		Won
2010	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor: Horror/Thriller[29]	Jennifer's Body	Nominated

Aaron Eckhart

Birthday: 12 March 1968, Cupertino, California, USA

Height: 5' 10¾" (1.80 m)

 

Biography

Aaron Edward Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year. He left high school without graduating, but earned a diploma through an adult education course, and graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film. For much of the mid-1990s he lived in New York City as a struggling, unemployed actor.

As an undergraduate at Brigham Young, Eckhart met director and writer, Neil LaBute, who cast him in several of his own original plays. Five years later Eckhart made a debut as an unctuous, sociopathic ladies' man in LaBute's black comedy film, In the Company of Men (1997). Under LaBute's guidance he worked in the director's films, Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), Nurse Betty (2000), and Possession (2002). Eckhart has chosen roles in an eclectic range of movies, from science fiction film such as The Core (2003) and Paycheck (2003) to romantic dramas like Conversations with Other Women (2006) and No Reservations (2007).

Eckhart gained wide recognition as George in Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed film, Erin Brockovich (2000), and in 2006 received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking. In 2008 he starred in the big-budget studio film The Dark Knight as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Eckhart starred alongside Nicole Kidman in the film, Rabbit Hole (2010).

Early life

Eckhart was born in Cupertino, California, the son of Mary Eckhart (née Lawrence), a poet and children's author, and James C. Eckhart "Jim Senior", a computer executive. He is the youngest of three brothers. Eckhart was raised as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whose members are commonly know as Mormons, and served a two-year mission in France and Switzerland.

Eckhart's family relocated to England in 1981, following his father's job in information technology. The family resided in Surrey, South East England, first in Walton-on-Thames, later moving to Cobham. While living in England Eckhart attended American Community School, now known as ACS International Schools, where he was first introduced to acting, starring in a school production as Charlie Brown. In 1985 he moved to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, where he attended American International School of Sydney for his high school senior year; he further developed his acting skills in productions like Waiting for Godot, where he admits that he did a "terrible" production. In the fall of his senior year Eckhart left the school in order to take a job working at a mall movie theater. He eventually earned his diploma through an adult education course. This also allowed Eckhart time to enjoy a year of surfing and skiing in Hawaii and the coastal waters of France. In 1988, Eckhart returned to the United States and enrolled as a film major at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, but later transferred to Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. 

Career Early work

While at Brigham Young University, Eckhart appeared in the Mormon-themed film, Godly Sorrow, and the role marked Eckhart's professional debut. At this time he met director/writer, Neil LaBute, who cast him in several of his own original plays. After graduating from BYU, Eckhart moved to New York City, acquired an agent, and took various occasional jobs, including bartending, bus driving, and construction work. His first television roles were in commercials. In 1994 he appeared as an extra on the television drama series, Beverly Hills, 90210. Eckhart followed this small part with roles in documentary re-enactments, made-for-television movies, and short-lived programs like Aliens in the Family.

In 1997 Eckhart was approached by Neil LaBute to star in a film adaptation of LaBute's stage play, In the Company of Men. He played a frustrated white-collar worker who planned to woo a deaf office worker, gain her affections, then suddenly dump her. The film, his first feature to reach theaters, was critically well received, with Desson Howe of The Washington Post reporting that Eckhart is the "movie's most malignant presence" and that he "is in chilling command as a sort of satanic prince in shirtsleeves". In the Company of Men was a critical success, winning Best First Film at the 63rd annual New York Film Critics Circle Award. His performance won him the Independent Spirit Award in the category of Best Debut Performance. The film was ranked as one of "The 25 Most Dangerous Movies" by Premiere magazine.

The following year Eckhart starred in another LaBute feature, Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), as Barry, a sexually frustrated husband in a dysfunctional marriage. For the role Eckhart was required to gain weight. In 1999 he starred opposite Elisabeth Shue in Molly, a romantic comedy-drama in which he played the self-absorbed brother of an autistic woman who was cured by surgery. Eckhart also starred that year as a football coach, an offensive coordinator in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday.

Critical success

Eckhart first gained wide exposure in 2000 as George, a pony-tailed biker, in Steven Soderbergh's drama, Erin Brockovich. The film was met with reasonable reviews, and was a box office success, earning $256 million worldwide. His performance was well received by critics; Entertainment Weeklys Owen Gleiberman, wrote that Eckhart "may be playing a bit of an ideal [...] but he makes goodness as palpable as he did yuppie evil in 'In the Company of Men'." In an August 2004 interview, Eckhart claimed that he had not worked for nearly a year before he was cast in the movie. "I felt like I sort of was getting away from what I wanted to do as an actor. [...] I had nine months off, but it wasn't a vacation. Sure, I didn't earn any money for nine months, but every day I was reading scripts, I was producing my own material, I was taking meetings, I was working on my craft." 

Following the release of Erin Brockovich, Eckhart co-starred with Renée Zellweger in LaBute's Nurse Betty (2000). He next appeared in Sean Penn's mystery feature The Pledge (2001), in which he played a young detective partnered with a veteran detective, played by Jack Nicholson. The movie received generally favorable reviews, but it did not fare particularly well at the box office. The following year, he collaborated with LaBute in a film adaptation of the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Possession (2002). In 2003, Eckhart co-starred with Hilary Swank in The Core, a film about a geophysicist who tries to detonate a nuclear device in order to save the world from destruction. The film was critically and financially unsuccessful. Also in 2003, he appeared in The Missing, in which he played Cate Blanchett's lover, and in the action-thriller Paycheck opposite Ben Affleck. Paycheck, based on a short story by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, garnered generally negative reception. Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two stars (out of four), saying that he "enjoyed the movie" but felt that it "exploits [Dick's story] for its action and plot potential, but never really develops it."

The following year, away from film, Eckhart guest starred in two episodes of NBC's comedy sitcom Frasier, where he played a boyfriend of Charlotte, Dr. Frasier Crane's love interest. His next film role was in E. Elias Merhige's thriller Suspect Zero, a movie about an FBI agent who tracks down a killer who murders serial killers. Upon release, the movie received broadly negative reviews. Despite the reception, Eckhart's performance was favored by critics; Newsday wrote that Eckhart was a "classically handsome leading man ... but Merhige demands of him complexity and anguish." Suspect Zero was a box office disappointment, earning $11 million worldwide. Also in 2004, Eckhart starred on the London stage, opposite Julia Stiles, in David Mamet's Oleanna at the Garrick Theatre. The drama ran until mid-2004. For this performance, Eckhart received favorable critical reviews. In 2005, returning to film, Eckhart appeared in Neverwas as a therapist who takes a job at a rundown mental hospital that once treated his father (Nick Nolte). The feature was never given a full theatrical release, eventually being released straight to DVD in 2007. 

Worldwide recognition

Eckhart's next project was Thank You for Smoking, in which he played Nick Naylor, a tobacco lobbyist who researched the link between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer. Eckhart said that he felt challenged playing the role: "You have to say these words that are crazy, and yet do it with a smile on your face and have the audience like you. At one point, I'm doing a talk show with a kid who's dying of cancer, and he's going through chemotherapy and the whole thing, and I spin it so the anti-smoking people are the bad guys and I'm the good guy, and I'm this guy's best friend. I mean, it's whacked out." The film was screened at a special presentation at the 30th annual Toronto International Film Festival in 2005. It had a limited release in March 2006 and was released worldwide the following month. For his performance, Eckhart received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. A contributor of USA Today wrote that he gave a "standout, whip-smart performance" citing that as Nick Naylor he kept him "likable even in his cynicism." In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer review of the film, it was reported that "Under his chummy but compassionless smile" Eckhart radiated charm and "Naylor's true joys: manipulating arguments, steering debate, cooking words." 

In this same year, he starred with Helena Bonham Carter in Conversations with Other Women (2006). While promoting this film, Eckhart revealed that he wishes not to be typecast or repeat himself, saying he does not want to play any more villains. He appeared in the 2006 film noir The Black Dahlia—based on a real 1947 crime—as Sergeant Leland "Lee" Blanchard, a detective investigating the murder of 

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1997	In the Company of Men	Chad	Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance Satellite Award for Outstanding New Talent
	Slaughter of the Innocents	Ken Reynolds
1998	Your Friends & Neighbors	Barry
	Thursday	Nick
1999	Molly	Buck McKay
	Any Given Sunday	Nick Crozier
2000	Erin Brockovich	George
	Nurse Betty	Del Sizemore
	Tumble	"Man"
2001	The Pledge	Stan Krolak
2002	Possession	Roland Michell
2003	The Core	Dr. Josh Keyes
	The Missing	Brake Baldwin
	Paycheck	James Rethrick
2004	Suspect Zero	Thomas Mackelway
	Frasier	Frank	TV series; 2 episodes
2005	Neverwas	Zach Riley	Co-producer
2006	Conversations with Other Women	Man
	Thank You for Smoking	Nick Naylor	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead Nominated – St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
	The Wicker Man	Truck Stop Patron
	The Black Dahlia	Sgt. Lee Blanchard
2007	No Reservations	Nick Palmer
	Towelhead	Mr. Vuoso
2008	Meet Bill	Bill	Executive producer
	The Dark Knight	Harvey Dent/Two-Face	Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble People's Choice Award for Favorite Cast Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Scream Award for Best Villain
2009	Love Happens	Dr. Burke Ryan
2010	Rabbit Hole	Howie Corbett	Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead Nominated – San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
2011	Battle: Los Angeles	SSgt. Michael Nantz
	The Rum Diary	Sanderson
2012	The Expatriate	Ben Logan
2013	Olympus Has Fallen	President Benjamin Asher
2014	I, Frankenstein	Adam Frankenstein	Post-Production
	Divergent	Andrew Prior	Filming

Year	Ride	Role	Notes
2008	The Dark Knight Coaster	Harvey Dent/Two-Face	Ride

Arthur Darvill

 

Birthday: 17 June 1982, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK

Thomas Arthur Darvill (born 17 June 1982) is an English actor, known professionally as Arthur Darvill.^[1] He is noted for his work in the plays Terre Haute (2006) and Swimming with Sharks (2007), but is best known for his role as the Eleventh Doctor's companion Rory Williams in the television series Doctor Who.

Darvill's mother Ellie worked with masks, puppets and live acting as a member of Cannon Hill Puppet Theatre, which was based at Midlands Arts Centre, and toured England and the world. She is perhaps best known as the puppeteer and voice behind Why Bird from Playdays. Prior to the birth of his sister, Darvill went on some of the tours, helping with the setting up of the show. His father played the Hammond organ for artists including Edwin Starr, Ruby Turner, Fine Young Cannibals and UB40.^[2] Darvill attended the Bromsgrove School in Worcestershire from 1993 to 2000.^[1]

 

Career

Early work

Darvill joined Stage2 Youth Theatre Company at the age of 10.^[2] He was a member from 1991 to 2000 and landed a job on CITV in 2000, presenting the continuity links between the shows.^{[citation needed]} He left in 2001, founded his own theatre company (called Fuego's Men), and performed in the Midlands.^{[citation needed]} At the age of 18, Darvill moved to London with four friends from youth theatre, each having secured a place at a drama school. They moved into a house in White City together. Darvill trained in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and is trained in stage combat.^[2]

Darvill made his professional stage debut playing condemned criminal Harrison in Edmund White's Terre Haute, which ran at the Assembly Rooms during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. His performance was praised by Nicholas de Jongh of the Evening Standard and Susannah Clap of The Observer.^[3][4] Darvill appeared in Terra Haute's transfer to Trafalgar Studios in 2007.^[5] His performance gained him a Best Newcomer nomination at the 2007 Evening Standard Theatre Awards.^[6]

Darvill played Rob in the 2007 monologue Stacy, in a performance The Times described as "compelling".^[7] Later that year, he appeared in the Vaudeville Theatre's production of Swimming with Sharks with Christian Slater, Helen Baxendale, and Matt Smith (which gained him a London Newcomer Award nomination).^[8] In 2008, Darvill made his television debut in the ITV crime drama He Kills Coppers. The same year, he played Edward "Tip" Dorrit in the BBC serial Little Dorrit.^[9]

2010 onwards and Doctor Who

Darvill began playing Rory Williams, companion to the Eleventh Doctor, in the fifth series of the BBC's science fiction show Doctor Who (reuniting with his Swimming with Sharks co-star Matt Smith). He became a regular character in the sixth series, and confirmed that he would be appearing in the seventh series;^[10] however, the seventh series was his last.^[11] Darvill had a minor role as a stable groom in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, and played Mick Gallagher in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. In summer 2011, he appeared in Doctor Faustus at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London.^[2]

Darvill is also a musician and composer; he has written songs and music for the Bush Theatre,^{[citation needed]} and composed the score for Che Walker's 2008 play Frontline at the Globe Theatre.^[2] In June 2009, the musical Been So Long, based on Ché Walker's 1998 play, opened at the Young Vic. Darvill had worked with Walker for a number of years since they had first met at RADA, developing the songs and music for the show. The musical was performed at the Latitude Festival in July and had a run at the Traverse Theatre in August. Darvill received a Judge's Discretionary Award from MTM for his music.^[12][13] In 2010, Darvill helped promote the solo album of Fyfe Dangerfield, playing with him on sessions for Graham Norton's show and on Xfm.^[2]

Darvill has undertaken a number of radio and voice projects, including Doctor Who audiobooks. In December 2011, he played Keith Moon for BBC Radio 4's Burning Both Ends. In 2012, he voiced Gulliver in Radio 4's Gulliver's Travels and Sam in the short film Penguin.^[14]

He gave an interview and appeared on the front cover of the October 2012 issue of Gay Times. ^[15]

 

Personal life

Darvill plays the guitar and keyboard and formed an indie band called Edmund in his teenage years, named after Edmund Pevensie, his favourite character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.^[2] He enjoys cookery and attending the theatre and music concerts. He collects taxidermy.^[2]

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Sooty	Tom[16]
2008	He Kills Coppers	Police constable
2008	Little Dorrit	Edward "Tip" Dorrit	7 episodes
2010–2012	Doctor Who	Rory Williams	Series 5–7 (27 episodes)
2012	The Paradise	Bradley Burroughs	1 episode
2013	Broadchurch	Reverend Paul Coates
2013	The White Queen	Harry Stafford

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	Pelican Blood	Cameron
2010	Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll	Mick Gallagher
2010	Robin Hood	Groom
2012	Penguin	Sam	Short film Voice

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Little Shop of Horrors	Seymour Krelborn	Midlands Arts Centre[17]
2006	Terre Haute	Harrison	Wildman Room, Assembly Rooms Trafalgar Studios
2007	Stacy	Rob	Arcola Theatre
2007	Swimming with Sharks	Rex	Vaudeville Theatre
2010	Marine Parade		Old Market, Hove, East Sussex
2011	Doctor Faustus	Mephistopheles	Shakespeare's Globe
2012	Our Boys	Parry	Duchess Theatre

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	Doctor Who: The Gunpowder Plot	Rory Williams	Voice and likeness

 

Armie Hammer

 

Armand Douglas "Armie" Hammer (born August 28, 1986) is an American actor. After appearing on television and playing Billy Graham in 2008's Billy: The Early Years, he became known for his portrayal of the Winklevoss twins in the 2010 film The Social Network,^[1] Clyde Tolson in J. Edgar (2011), and Prince Andrew Alcott in Tarsem Singh's Mirror Mirror (2012). He plays the title character in the 2013 film The Lone Ranger.

Personal life

Hammer was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Dru Ann (née Mobley), is a former bank loan officer,^[2] and his father, Michael Armand Hammer, owns several businesses, including Knoedler Publishing and Armand Hammer Productions (a film/television production company).^[3][4] He has a brother, Viktor.^[5] His paternal great-grandparents were oil tycoon and philanthropist Armand Hammer^[6][7] and Russian-born actress Olga Von Root.^[8][9] His paternal great-great-grandfather, Julius Hammer, who had emigrated from Odessa, Russian Empire, "founded the Communist Party in New York".^[10] His mother's family is from Tulsa, Oklahoma.^[11][12] Hammer has described his background as "half Jewish".^[13]

Hammer lived in the Dallas enclave of Highland Park for several years.^[14] When he was seven, his family moved to the Cayman Islands, where they lived for five years, and then settled back in Los Angeles.^[15][16] He attended Faulkner's Academy in Governor's Harbour, Grace Christian Academy in the Cayman Islands (a school founded by his father), and later went to Los Angeles Baptist High School in the San Fernando Valley. He dropped out of high school in eleventh grade, to pursue an acting career, and subsequently took college courses^[16] (at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California and University of California, Los Angeles extension).^[17] Hammer has stated that "for all intents and purposes", his parents disowned him when he dropped out of high school and began acting.^[18]

In 2010, Hammer married television personality Elizabeth Chambers; the two were introduced by Hammer's friend, artist Tyler Ramsey.^[17][19]

Career

Hammer at the 83rd Academy Awards, February 2011

Hammer has appeared in the television series Veronica Mars, Gossip Girl, Reaper, and Desperate Housewives. Hammer played the Christian evangelist Billy Graham in Billy: The Early Years, which premiered in October 2008.^[6] The film garnered Hammer a “Faith and Values Award” nomination in the Grace Award category, which is awarded for the Most Inspiring Performance in Movie or Television by Mediaguide, an organization which provides movie reviews from a Christian perspective.^[20] He played Harrison Bergeron in 2081, based on the short story "Harrison Bergeron" by author Kurt Vonnegut, which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival.

In 2007, Hammer was hand-picked by filmmaker George Miller, after a long search, to star in Justice League: Mortal as Batman/Bruce Wayne. The film was to be directed by Miller, but Miller left the project.^[6]

In 2010, Hammer co-starred in David Fincher's The Social Network, about the creation of Facebook. He portrayed the identical twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, with Josh Pence, using CGI. Hammer stated that he had to learn how to row on both sides of a boat in order to play the twins, who are rowing champions.^[21] His next role was in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, a drama about J. Edgar Hoover. He co-starred with Julia Roberts and Lily Collins in Mirror Mirror (2012), playing Prince Andrew Alcott, rather than the traditional Prince Charming.^[22] In January 2012, he voiced the Winklevoss twins in an episode of The Simpsons titled "The D'oh-cial Network".

His upcoming roles include playing The Lone Ranger, alongside Johnny Depp as Tonto, in a 2013 adaptation of the radio serial,^[23] and stars in the 2014 thriller 2:22.^[24]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Flicka	Male Prefect	Film debut
2008	Blackout	Tommy
2008	Billy: The Early Years	Billy Graham
2009	Spring Breakdown	Abercrombie Boy
2009	2081	Harrison Bergeron	Short film
2010	The Social Network	Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss	Hollywood Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble of the Year Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
2011	J. Edgar	Clyde Tolson	Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated — Houston Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2012	Mirror Mirror	Prince Andrew Alcott
2013	The Lone Ranger	John Reid/The Lone Ranger	Post-Production
2014	2:22	Dylan	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	Arrested Development	George Michael "Star Dork"	Television program Episode: "The Immaculate Election"
2006	Veronica Mars	Kurt	Television program Episode: "Wichita Linebacker"
2007	Desperate Housewives	Barrett	Television program Episode: "Distant Past"
2009	Reaper	Morgan	5 episodes
2009	Gossip Girl	Gabriel Edwards	4 episodes
2012	The Simpsons	Winklevoss twins	Voice only Animated series Episode: "The D'oh-cial Network"
2012	American Dad!		Voice only Animated series Episode: "The Wrestler"