Happy 56th Birthday Ron Howard!

For over fifty years, Ron Howard has captivated audiences first as a child star, then as a young adult actor, then as a writer, producer and director.













Ron Howard began acting at the age of two. He is the perfect example of how a child actor can successfully make the transition to an adult actor, director, producer, writer and successful family man.

In his 54 years in the entertainment business, Ron Howard has won two Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, one Daytime Emmy award, one Golden Globe Award and two Director Guild of America awards.

Ronald William "Ron" Howard was born on March 1, 1954 in Duncan, Oklahoma, the son of Jean Speegle Howard, an actress, and Rance Howard, a director, writer, and actor.

Ron Howard's younger brother, is Clint Howard, star of Gentle Ben and frequently appears in Ron Howard's movies.

Ron Howard made his acting debut at the age of two in an uncredited part in Frontier Woman (1956).

When he was four years old, he was cast as Billy Rhinelander in The Journey (1959).




From 1956 to 1960, Ron Howard (then known as Ronny Howard) appeared on episodes of The Twilight Zone, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Dennis the Menance and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

In 1960, Ron Howard was cast as Opie Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show (1960 to 1968).




While appearing on The Andy Griffith Show, Ron Howard continue to appear in movies such as Five Minutes to Live (1961), The Music Man (1962), and The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963). He also appeared in episodes of the television shows The F.B.I., Gunsmoke and Daniel Boone.

In 1970, Ron Howard appeared in The Wild Country (1970) but soon returned to televison as Bob Smith in The Smith Family (1971-1972).

In 1972, he was cast as Richie Cunningham in Love, American Style.




In 1972, Ron Howard gave a memorable performance as Private Walter, an underage solider in an episode of M*A*S*H.

In 1973, Ron Howard starred as Steve in the classic film American Graffiti.

In 1974, Ron Howard reprised his role of Richie Cunningham for Happy Days (1974-1984).




During Happy Days, Ron Howard continued to appear in films such as Grand Theft Auto (1977), The Shootist (1976), and Eat My Dust (1976).

Ron Howard career as a director began in 1960 when he directed Old Paint. He has directed such classics as Grand Theft Auto (1977), Night Shift (1982), Splash (1984), Cocoon (1985), Gung Ho (1986), Parenthood (1989), Backdraft (1991), Apollo 13 (1995), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Cinderella Man (2005), and Frost/Nixon (2008).

Ron Howard is also a successful producer. He produced the television series Arrested Development and films like The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Changeling (2008).

Ron Howard is also a successful writer. He wrote the story for Far and Away (1992), Parenthood (1989) and Grand Theft Auto (1977).

Ron Howard is a four time Academy Award nominee and won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for a A Beautiful Mind (2001).




Ron Howard has been nominated for three Daytime Emmys winning once for Outstanding Children's Animated Program for "Curious George" (2006).

Ron Howard has been nominated for six primetime Emmy awards winning twice for Outstanding Miniseries for: "From the Earth to the Moon" (1998) and Outstanding Comedy Series for: "Arrested Development" (2003).

Ron Howard has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, winning once for Best TV Actor - Musical/Comedy for: "Happy Days" (1974).

In addition, Ron Howard has won two Directors Guild of America awards for Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind.

Ron Howard has a Star on the Walk of Fame for Television.

On June 7, 1975, Howard wed his high-school sweetheart, Cheryl Alley and they have four children: daughters Bryce, Jocelyn, Paige and son Reed. In February 2007, Ron Howard became a grandfather.




Ron Howard is truely one of the most gifted and talented persons in the entertainment industry.

Happy Birthday Gavin MacLeod!

Gavin MacLeod has been a familar face on television and movies for over fifty years.

If you grew up watching 1960s televison, you remember Gavin MacLeod as Seaman Joseph 'Happy' Haines on McHale's Navy from 1962 to 1964.

If you grew up watching 1970s televison, you remember Gavin MacLeod as Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1970 to 1977.





If you grew up watching 1980s television, you remember Gavin MacLeod as Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat from 1977 to 1987.




If you love classic movies, you know Gavin MacLeod as one of the most memorable character actors working alongside Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Steve McQueen, E.G. Marshall, Susan Hayward, Gregory Peck and Donald Sutherland.

Gavin MacLeod was born Allan George See on February 28, 1930 or 1931 (sources differ as to the year he was born) in Mount Kisco, New York. His father was a Chippewa (Ojibwa) Indian.

Gavin MacLeod studing acting at Ithaca College, graduating in 1952. After serving in the Air Force, he moved to New York City and worked at Radio City Music Hall while looking for acting work.

Gavin MacLeod made his acting debut in an episode of The Walter Winchell File in 1957.

After two uncredited roles in the films The True Story of Lynn Stuart (1958) and Young and Wild (1958), Gavin MacLeod received his big break.

Gavin MacLeod was cast to play a police lieutenant in the film drama I Want to Live (1958) starring Susan Hayward.




The Hollywood elite noticed Gavin MacLeod and his next role was as Padua, District Attorney Horn (played by E.G. Marshall) assistant in Compulsion (1959).

Gavin MacLeod's next film was Pork Chop Hill (1959) starring Gregory Peck in which MacLeod played Sexton.

In 1959, Gavin MacLeod gave one of his most memorable performances as Ernest Hunkle in Operation Petticoat starring Tony Curtis and Cary Grant.

Blake Edwards, the director of Operation Petticoat quickly cast Gavin MacLeod as Professor Thayer in his next feature High Time (1960) starring Bing Crosby.

In 1966, Gavin MacLeod played Crosley in The Sand Pepples starring Steve McQueen.

Gavin MacLeod's most memorable performance as a character actor was in Kelly's Heroes (1970) in which he played Oddball's (Donald Sutherland) sidekick Moriarty.




Gavin MacLeod has also appeared in films such as Twelve Hours to Kill (1960), McHale's Navy (1964), A Man Called Gannon (1968),and The Thousand Plane Raid (1969).

Gavin MacLeod has appeared on episodes of My Favorite Martian, The Untouchables, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Hogan's Heroes, The Big Valley, The King of Queens, That '70s Show, Touched by an Angel, JAG and so many more.

Happy 80th Birthday Joanne Woodward!

Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward was born on February 27, 1930 in Thomasville, Georgia, the daughter of Elinor Trimmier and Wade Woodward, Jr..




Attending the premiere of Gone with the Wind in Atlanta, nine-year-old Joanne Woodward rushed out into the parade of stars and sat on the lap of Laurence Olivier, star Vivien Leigh's partner and future husband. She eventually worked with Olivier in 1979, in a television production of Come Back, Little Sheba. During rehearsals, she mentioned this incident to him and he told her he remembered her doing it.


As a teenager, Joanne Woodward won many beauty contests. She also appeared in theatrical productions at Greenville High and in Greenville's Little Theatre in Georgia. After high school, Joanne Woodward majored in drama at Louisiana State University.

In 1952, Joanne Woodward made her television debut on an episode of Tales of Tomorrow. She next appeared as Ann Rutledge in several episdoes of Omnibus.

During the early 1950s, Joanne Woodward devoted most of her time to television appearing in episodes of The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, The Ford Television Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

In 1955, Joanne Woodward made her film debut in Count Three and Pray.




Joanne Woodward's big break came when she was cast to play Eve in The Three Faces of Eve (1957). She would win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.

Alternating her time between Hollywood and Broadway, Joanne Woodward was an understudy in the produciton of Picnic which featured Paul Newman. In 1958, the two would appear together in the movie The Long, Hot Summer. The couple married on January 29, 1958 shortly after filming completed.





Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward would appear in nine more films together: Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958), From the Terrace (1960), Paris Blues (1961)
A New Kind of Love (1963), Winning (1969), WUSA (1970), The Drowning Pool (1975)
Harry & Son (1984), and Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990).





Joanne Woodward would also star in five films that Paul Newman directed or produced:
Rachel, Rachel (1968), They Might Be Giants (1971) , The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Nell Potts (1972), The Shadow Box (TV, 1980) and The Glass Menagerie (1987).

Joanne Woodward was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for Rachel, Rachel, (1968), Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973) and Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990).

In 1960, Joanne Woodward became the first actress to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Joanne Woodward has also won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress for The Three Faces of Eve (1957), Rachel, Rachel (1968) and Breathing Lessons (TV 1994).

Joanne Woodward has won three Emmy Awards for her performances in See How She Runs (1978), Do You Remember Love (1985), and American Masters: Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre (1989).


In 1986, Joanne Woodward received the Screen Actors Guild Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.




Most recently, Joanne Woodward appeared in Empire Falls (TV 2005).

Happy 78th Birthday Elizabeth Taylor!

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born on February 27, 1932 in London, England. Her parents Francis Lenn Taylor and Sara Viola Warmbrodt were Americans originally from Arkansas, Kansas who were living in London at the time. Her father was an art dealer and her mother a former actress whose stage name was Sara Sothern.




Elizabeth Taylor is a dual citizen of the UK and the United States as she was born both a British subject and an American Citizen by being born on British soil under the principle of jus soli, and through her parents under the principle of jus sanguinis.

Shortly before the beginning of World War II, her parents decided to return to the United States to avoid hostilities. They settled in Los Angeles, California.

At the age of three, Elizabeth Taylor began taking ballet lessons with Vaccani. Elizabeth Taylor appeared in her first film at the age of nine: There's One Born Every Minute (1942).

As a child actress, Elizabeth Taylor appeared in such classics as Lassie Come Home (1943), National Velvet (1944), Courage of Lassie (1946), Life with Father (1947), Julia Misbehaves (1948) and Little Women (1949).







Unlike many child stars, Elizabeth Taylor easily made the transition into young adult roles. During her 20s, Elizabeth Taylor appeared in such classics as Father of the Bride (1950), Father's Little Dividend (1951), A Place in the Sun (1951),
Ivanhoe (1952), Giant (1956), Raintree County (1957), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959),
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and BUtterfield 8 (1960).




She would receive Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role
for her performances in Raintree County (1957), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959).

She would win the Academy Award for Best Actress for BUtterfield 8 (1960).

During the filming of Raintree County, Montgomery Clift was seriously injured in an automobile accident after leaving a party at her house. It was she who found him first, got into the wreck and removed some teeth from his throat that threatened to choke him and saved his life.

As Elizabeth Taylor entered her 30s and 40s, she turned to more mature roles in Cleopatra (1963), The Sandpiper (1965), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), Secret Ceremony (1968), The Blue Bird (1976) and
A Little Night Music (1977).




Elizabeth Taylor would win her second Academy Award for Best Actress for Who's Afraid of Viginia Woolf (1966).

As Elizabeth Taylor approached her 50s, she turned her acting talents to one of her favorite forms of entertainment: Soap Operas. She would appear on both General Hospital and All My Children, two of her favorite shows.

During the 1980s, Elizabeth Taylor also appeared in the epic mini series North and South.

In 1981, Elizabeth Taylor made her Broadway debut as Regina Giddens in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes, for which she received a Tony Award nomination, the Drama Desk Award nomination and won the Theatre World Special Award.

During the 1990s, Elizabeth Taylor provided her voice on two episodes of The Simpsons, once as herself and once as the voice of Little Maggie Simpson.

Elizabeth Taylor also appeared in The Flintstones (1994). Her final appearance was on an episdoe of God, the Devil and Bob in 2003.

In addition to being honored with two Academy Awards, Elizabeth Taylor received the 1982 Cecil B. DeMille Award , the 1992 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, the 1998 Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2002 John F. Kennedy Center Honor, and has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures.

Elizabeth Taylor has devoted much of her time and energy to AIDS-related charities and fundraising. She helped start the American Foundation for AIDS Research.

She also has a passion for jewlry. Elizabeth Taylor started designing jewels for the The Elizabeth Collection, creating fine jewelry with elegance and flair. The Elizabeth Taylor collection by Piranesi is sold at Christie's. She has also launched three perfumes, "Passion," "White Diamonds," and "Black Pearls."

Elizabeth Taylor has been married eight times to seven husbands and has three children and nine grandchildren. She is also the godmother to Michael Jackson's children Paris and Prince Michael.

Happy 89th Birthday Abe Vigoda!

Abe Vigoda is a movie and television character actor who has proved himself in both gritty dramatic roles and as an actor with wonderful comedic timing.




Abraham Charles "Abe" Vigoda was born February 24, 1921 in New York City. The son of Lena Moses and Samuel Vigoda, a tailor. Abe Vigoda's brother, Bill Vigoda, was a comic-book artist who drew for the Archie comics franchise and others in the 1940s.

Abe Vigoda began his acting career at age 17 and plodded away in small theatre shows for over 20 years.

In 1949, Abe Vigoda appeared in an episode of Suspense entitled Lunch Box which marked. Roles soon followed on episdoes of Studio One and Dark Shadows.

In 1965, Abe Vigoda made his film debut as a waiter in Three Rooms in Manhattan.

In 1972, Abe Vigoda got his big break when he was cast to play Sal Tessio in The Godfather. He would reprise the role in The Godfather, Part II (1974).




In 1974, he would be cast as Detective Phil Fish in the now classic television show Barney Miller, a role which would earn him three Emmy nominations. He would reprise the character in the short lived spin off Fish.




A familiar face on television for the past forty years, Abe Vigoda has appeared in episdoes of Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Mannix, Hawaii Five-O, Wings, Law & Order, Mad About You, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Diagnosis Murder and many more television shows. Abe Vigoda also made frequent cameo appearances on The Late Show with Conan O'Brien.




Abe Vigoda also appeared in films such as Cannonball Run II (1984) Look Who's Talking (1989) Prancer (1989) Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) North (1994) and Crime Spree (2003).

On Broadway, Abe Vigoda has appeared in The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade, The Man in the Glass Booth, Inquest and Arsenic and Old Lace.

Abe Vigoda was married once, to Beatrice Schy from February 25, 1968 until her death on April 30, 1992. They had one child, a daughter, Carol.

In 1982, People magazine erroneously declared him dead. Abe Vigoda took the error with good humor, posing for a photograph showing him sitting up in a coffin, holding the magazine in question.

Erroneous reports of Abe Vigoda's death as well as questions of whether he is alive or dead have become a running joke, there is a website AbeVigoda.com lists Abe Vigoda's current state as dead or alive. In addition, A Late Night with David Letterman skit showed Letterman trying to summon Vigoda's ghost. Vigoda then walked in and declared, "I'm not dead, you idiot!" A November 2006 Conan O'Brien sketch showed an audience member summoning the dead. The "deceased person" turned out to be Vigoda.


Abe Vigoda's most recent appearance was in a Superbowl commercial for Snickers with Betty White.




Later this year, Abe Vigoda will appear as Mel in the movie Small Town Hero (2010).

Abe Vigoda, at the age of 89, is still very active. He currently has three film roles in pre production for upcoming movies Mobster Movie (2011), Mafioso II (2010) and The Driver (2010).

Happy 83rd Birthday Sidney Poitier!

Sidney Poitier was born on February 20, 1927 in Miami, Florida to Evelyn Outten and Reginald James Poitier. His family had traveled from Cat Island, Bahamas to Miami to sell tomatoes and other produce from their farm when Sidney was born prematurely on their trip to Florida.




Sidney Poitier began his acting career by joining the American Negro Theater, but was initially rejected by audiences. His tone deafness made him contrary to what was expected of African American actors at the time unable to sing or dance.

However, Sidney Poitier was determined to refine his acting skills. He spent the next several months to achieving theatrical success. On his second attempt at theater, he was noticed which led to him being cast in the Broadway production of Lysistrate for which he received excellent reviews.

In 1949, Sidney Poitier faced a difficult decision: leading roles on the Broadway stage of accept an offer to appear in the film No Way Out.

Sidney Poitier choosed the film No Way Out (1950) which led to more roles in the film industry.

In 1955, he was cast in the Blackboard Jungle (1955).

In 1958 he played opposite Tony Curtis in The Defiant Ones. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance becoming the first African American male actor to be nominated in a competitive category.




In the late 1950s, Sidney Poitier returned to the Broadway stage performing in A Raisin in the Sun. He would receive a Tony award nomination for his performance.

In 1961, Sidney Poitier reprised his Broadway role in the movie version of A Raisin in the Sun.

In 1963, Sidney Poitier became the first African American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field. He also won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance.







In 1965, Sidney Poitier starred in The Bedford Incident (1965). This would mark the first time he would play a role in which his character's race was not an issue.

Sidney Poitier also appeared in such films as Edge of the City (1957), Pressure Point (1962), A Patch of Blue (1965), Duel at Diablo (1966), To Sir, with Love (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! (1970), Buck and the Preacher (1972) and Sneakers (1992).




Sidney Poitier has also had a successful career as a director. He has directed such films as Buck and the Preacher (1972) and Ghost Dad (1990). His most successful film as a director is the 1980 Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder comedy Stir Crazy.


Sidney Poitier has received many awards including Cecil B. Demille Award (1982), AFI Life Achievement Award (1992), SAG Life Achievement Award (1995), Kennedy Center Honor (1999) and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures.

On August 12, 2009, Sidney Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America's highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.

Sidney Poitier is currently the Bahamian ambassador to Japan, a post he has held since 1997.




Sidney Poitier was to Hollywood what Jackie Robinson was to major league baseball: the man who broke the color barrier. An actor, director, and producer, he forever altered the racial perceptions long held by both motion picture audiences and executives.

Happy 100th Birthday Dorothy Janis!

Dorothy Janis was born Dorothy Penelope Jones on February 19, 1910 in Dallas, Texas.



When Dorothy was 15 years old she was visiting her cousin who was working on a film for Fox. The beautiful Dorothy was noticed at once and asked to make a screen test.



She was cast in her first film role in Kit Carson (1928) as Sings-in-the-Clouds. That same year, she played Thurya in Fleetwing (1928).

Within a year, although she was just 16, Dorothy Janis was signed by Metro to a 5-year contract. Metro said publicly that Janis was 18 and half-Cherokee; neither fact was true.

Dorothy's first film for MGM was The Overland Telegraph (1929).

She is best known for playing opposite Ramon Novarro in The Pagan (1929), her second film for MGM and overall her fourth film.




In 1930, she appeared in her final film as Chita in Lummox (1930).

Dorothy Janis was scheduled to appear in one more film entitled The White Captive. In 1930, Dorothy and the film compnay sailed to the for a tour of the Malay Peninsula to make a film to be entitled The White Captive. When the company returned to Hollywood at the end of 1930, however, the studio found that shot footage was virtually unusable, and worse yet, poor Dorothy Janis found herself at the epicenter of a tabloid scandal.




Sidney Lund, a newlywed sound technician who traveled with the White Captive company, apparently formed a crush on Janis during the 6-month trip, inspiring Mrs. Lund, a former vaudeville dancer, to file for divorce and to sue Janis for $25,000 for "alienation of affection."

Mrs. Lund eventually got her divorce and dropped her suit against Dorothy Janis.

Admist the scandal, Dorothy Janis traveled to Chicago to visit an aunt to get away from the Hollywood scandal. During the trip, Dorothy Janis met and fell in love with bandleader Wayne King.

The two were married on March 21, 1932 and were married 53 years until his death on July 16, 1985.

Dorothy Janis was an exotic beauty who made five films: four silents and one talkie. She retired in 1930 and currently resides in Arizona. She has two children and six grandchildren.

Few knew or could even have imagined that the happy housewife and mother of two and grandmother of six once wore a sarong in the Tahitian jungles listening to Ramon Novarro croon the "Pagan Love Song."