by AnonymouslySomebody

James Dean

James Byron Dean was born on February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana, to Winton Dean and Mildred Wilson. Dean’s father left farming to become a dentist and moved the family to Santa Monica, California, where Dean attended Brentwood Public School. Several years later, Dean’s mother died of cancer. His father sent him back to Indiana to live on his aunt and uncle’s Quaker farm. In 1949, Dean graduated from high school and moved back to California. He studied law at Santa Monica College, but eventually transferred to University of California, Los Angeles, and majored in theater.

After appearing in just one stage production, as Malcolm in Macbeth, Dean dropped out of UCLA. His first television appearance was in a Pepsi Cola commercial, and his first speaking part was in Sailor Beware, a comedy starring Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. To make ends meet, Dean worked as a parking-lot attendant at CBS Studios, where he met Rogers Brackett, a radio director who became his mentor.

In 1955, Dean moved to New York City and was admitted into the Actors Studio. He began performing in television shows such as Kraft Television Theatre and Omnibus. In 1954, Dean’s success in a theatrical role as an Arab boy in The Immoralist led to interest from Hollywood.

Over the next 18 months, he starred in three films. First, he starred in a film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel, East of Eden.  He would eventually be nominated for an Oscar for this role, making him the first actor in history to receive a posthumous Oscar nomination. His next film was Rebel Without a Cause, a role that would define his image in American culture. Dean then landed a supporting role to Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson in Giant which was released after his death. He received an Oscar nomination for his role, making him the only actor in history to receive more than one Oscar nomination posthumously.

When Dean wasn’t acting, he was a professional car racer. On Friday, September 30, 1955, Dean and his mechanic, Rolf Wütherich, drove Dean’s new Porsche 550 Spyder to a weekend race in Salinas, California. At 3:30 p.m., they were stopped just south of Bakersfield and given a speeding ticket. Later, while driving along Route 466, a 23-year-old Cal Poly student named Donald Turnupseed suddenly turned his Ford Custom in front of Dean’s Porsche. The two cars collided almost head-on, flipping the Spyder in the air and landing it on its wheels in a gully. Dean was killed almost immediately. He was only 24 and just started his acting career.

Films

  • Rebel Without a Cause [1955]
  • East of Eden [1955]
  • Giant [1956]

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by AnonymouslySomebody

Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando was born on April 3, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska. He grew up in Illinois and, after he had to leave a military academy, dug ditches until his father offered to finance his education.  Brando moved to New York and studied acting at Lee Strasberg’s Actors’ Studio. His teacher was Stella Adler who had often been credited as the principal inspiration in Brando’s early career, and with opening the actor to great works of literature, music and theater.

In 1944, he made his Broadway debut in John Van Druten’s sentimental I Remember Mama. In 1946, he acted in Truckline Caf, which New York theater critics voted him Broadway’s Most Promising Actor for his performance. In 1947, he played his greatest stage role in A Streetcar Named Desire.

He made his motion picture debut in 1950 when he starred in the movie The Men. He went on to play in the 1951 film version of A Streetcar Named Desire. Brando’s next movie was Viva Zapata! in 1952. He followed that with Julius Caesar and then The Wild One in 1954. Next came his Academy Award-winning role in On the Waterfront. During the rest of the decade, Brando’s screen productions ranged from Désirée in 1954, to 1955’s Guys and Dolls, and to The Young Lions in 1958. From 1955 to 1958, movie exhibitors voted him one of the top 10 box-office draws in the nation. During the 1960s, however, his career had more downs than ups, especially after the MGM studio’s disastrous 1962 remake of Mutiny on the Bounty, which failed to recoup even half of its enormous budget.  He was criticized for his on-set tantrums and for trying to alter the script. Off the set, he had numerous affairs, ate too much, and distanced himself from the cast and crew. His contract for making the movie included $5,000 for every day the film went over its original schedule. He made $1.25 million when all was said and done.

In 1972, Brando’s career was reborn. He was in the film The Godfather which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. However, he turned down the Oscar in protest of Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans. Brando proceeded the following year to the highly controversial yet highly acclaimed Last Tango in Paris, which was rated X. Since then, Brando has received huge salaries for playing small parts in such movies as Superman(1978) and Apocalypse Now (1979). Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for A Dry White Season in 1989, Brando also appeared in the comedy The Freshman with Matthew Broderick. In 1995, he starred in Don Juan DeMarco, and a year later, in The Island of Dr. Moreau. In 2001, he starred in The Score.

It is known that he has been married three times to three ex-actresses. Brando’s years of self-indulgence are visible, as he weighed well over 300 pounds in the mid-1990s. The actor died of pulmonary fibrosis in a Los Angeles hospital in 2004 at the age of 80.

Marlon Brando & Al Pacino
While shooting The Men
.
In The Wild One
In The Young Lions

Films

  • The Men [1950]
  • A Streetcar Named Desire [1951]
  • Viva Zapata! [1952]
  • Julius Caesar [1953]
  • The Wild One [1953]
  • On the Waterfront [1954]
  • Desiree [1954]
  • Guys and Dolls [1955]
  • The Teahouse of the August Moon [1956]
  • Sayonara [1957]
  • The Young Lions [1958]
  • The Fugitive Kind [1959]
  • One-Eyed Jacks [1961]
  • Mutiny on the Bounty [1962]
  • The Ugly American [1963]
  • Bedtime Story [1964]
  • Morituri [1965]
  • The Chase [1966]
  • The Appaloosa [1966]
  • A Countess from Hong Kong [1967]
  • Reflections in a Golden Eye [1967]
  • Candy [1968]
  • The Night of the Following Day [1968]
  • Burn! [1969]
  • The Nightcomers [1971]
  • The Godfather [1972]
  • Last Tango in Paris [1972]
  • The Missouri Breaks [1976]
  • Superman [1978]
  • Apocalypse Now [1979]
  • The Formula [1980]
  • A Dry White Season [1969]
  • The Freshman [1990]
  • Christopher Columbus: The Discovery [1992]
  • Don Juan DeMarco [1995]
  • The Island of Dr. Moreau [1996]
  • The Brave [1997]
  • Free Money [1998]
  • The Score [2001]

Awards

  • Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role [1973, 1952]
  • Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite – Male [1974, 1973, 1956]
  • Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actor – Drama [1973, 1955]
  • Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special [1979]
  • BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Actor [1955, 1954, 1953]
  • Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor [1952]
  • David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actor [1958]
  • Fotogramas de Plata Award for Best Foreign Performer [1972]
  • NSFC Award for Best Actor [1974]
  • NYFCC Award [1954]

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by AnonymouslySomebody

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand was born on April 24, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, to Diana Rosen and Emmanuel Streisand. Streisand’s father died from complications of an epileptic seizure when she was only 15 months old. Her mother raised Barbra and her older brother, Sheldon, by working as a secretary in the New York City public school system, but the family barely survived on the brink of poverty. In 1949, her mother Diana remarried to Louis Kind, a used-car salesman, while Streisand was away at a Jewish camp. Streisand’s half-sister, Rosalind, was born in 1951.

As a child, Streisand attended Bais Yakov School, where she sang in the school choir. Following elementary school, Streisand was a student at Erasmus Hall High School where she met future collaborator, Neil Diamond. Even before Barbra graduated from high school, she was traveling to New York City to study acting. At the age of 15, she met Anita and Alan Miller at the Cherry Lane Theater in Greenwich Village. Streisand negotiated a deal with the couple; she would babysit for their children in exchange for a scholarship to Alan’s acting school. It was one of two she simultaneously attended. She graduated from Erasmus High in 1959 at the age of 16. She was fourth in her class.

Instead of going to college, she moved to New York in 1950. While working office jobs and attending acting lessons, Streisand was encouraged to enter a talent night at a local club. She had never taken a singing lesson before. The evening was a resounding success, and she soon embarked on a career as a cabaret singer, dropping the middle “a” from her name so that it would stand out. Her vibrant soprano soon won Streisand a loyal audience at local clubs, such as the Bon Soir and the Blue Angel.

Streisand made her major debut in the Broadway show, I Can Get it For You Wholesale in 1962. She won the New York Drama Critics Award and received a Tony nomination for her performance; the cast album for that show was her first studio recording. Streisand signed with Columbia Records that same year and released her first album, The Barbra Streisand Album in 1963. She married Elliot Gould, and they were married for eight years. It became a Top 10 gold record and received two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. At the time, she was the youngest artist to receive the honor. She appeared in the show Funny Girl for more than two years, which earned her a Tony Award nomination. The song “People” from that show became Streisand’s first Top 10 single.

In 1965, Streisand turned to television with My Name is Barbra. The show received five Emmy Awards, and CBS Television awarded Streisand a 10-year contract to produce and star in more TV specials. Streisand was given complete artistic control of the next four network productions. In 1966, Streisand had her son Jason Gould.

In 1968, she made her big-screen debut in the film version of the play. In addition to winning the 1968 Academy Award for her performance, she won a Golden Globe and was named “Star of the Year” by the National Association of Theater Owners.

In 1969, she was in the musical-film Hello Dolly, and in 1970, she was in the musical-film On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. She was in the following films: The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) and What’s Up Doc? (1972). The same year, Streisand founded her own production company, Barwood Films. She starred in the first company’s project, Up the Sandbox. In 1973, she starred in the film The Way We Were, which featured her first No. 1 single and earned her a 1973 Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 1976 came A Star is Born, a film that Streisand produced. The project won six Golden Globes and offered Streisand her second No. 1 single, “Evergreen.”

In the late 1970s, Streisand collaborated with former high school choir mate Neil Diamond on the song, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.” The single went to No. 1, as did “No More Tears (Enough is Enough),” sung with Donna Summer. But Streisand had her biggest-selling album in 1980 with Guilty, which was written and produced by Barry Gibb and contained the No. 1 hit, “Woman in Love.”

In 1983, Streisand made the film, Yentl. It was her first film that she directed. She also was a screenwriter, leading role, and producer for the film. The film received five Academy Award nominations, and Streisand received Golden Globe Awards as both Best Director and producer of the Best Picture (musical comedy). The film also produced a Top 10 soundtrack.

In 1985, The Broadway Album returned Barbra Streisand to the top of the charts. In 1987, she was in the film Nuts. She not only starred in the film, but she also produced and wrote the music. In 1991, Streisand made the movie Prince of Tides. She starred, produced, and directed it. The film got seven Academy Award nominations and a nomination from the Directors Guild of America for her direction, making her only the third woman ever so honored. In 1994, Streisand returned to the concert stage after a 27-year abstinence. Her performance resulted in the Top 10, million-selling album, The Concert. The tour itself generated over $10 million for charities, including AIDS organizations, women and children in jeopardy, Jewish/Arab relations, and agencies working to improve relations between African-Americans and Jews. In 1996, Streisand tried her hand at direction again, with the film The Mirror Has Two Faces. Her Barbra Streisand: One Voice concert has, to date, channeled $7 million in profits to charities through The Streisand Foundation, which continues to occupy much of the artist’s energy and resources. In 1997, Streisand married James Brolin.

Most recently, Barbra Streisand recorded the 2000 album, Timeless: Live in Concert at her Las Vegas show on New Years Eve, and released both on CD and DVD. A year later, a new holiday album, Christmas Memories arrived. It was the artist’s first full-length studio album since 1999’s A Love Like Ours. In a sequel to 1985’s The Broadway Album, The Movie Album appeared in 2003. Streisand appeared in 2004’s Meet the Fockers. In 2005, a deluxe CD/DVD reissue of the original Guilty was followed a month later by Guilty Pleasures, a new album that reunited Streisand with Barry Gibb. In 2006, she returned to the concert stage, documented in the 2007 Live in Concert. In 2010, she appeared in Little Fockers. Streisand released the albums Love Is the Answer which reached gold-selling status in the U.S. and What Matters Most in 2009 and 2011. In 2012, she released her album Release Me. That same year, she was in the movie, The Guilt Trip.

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Albums:

  • I Can Get It For You Wholesale (1962 Original Broadway Cast) [1962]
  • The Barbra Streisand Album [1963]
  • The Second Barbra Streisand Album [1963]
  • The Third Album [1964]
  • People [1964]
  • My Name is Barbra [1965]
  • My Name is Barbra, Two.. [1965]
  • Color Me Barbra [1966]
  • Je m’appelle Barbra [1966]
  • Simply Streisand [1967]
  • A Christmas Album [1967]
  • A Happening in Central Park [1968]
  • What About Today? [1969]
  • Barbra Streisand’s Greatest Hits [1970]
  • Stoney End [1971]
  • Barbra Joan Streisand [1971]
  • Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments [1973]
  • The Way We Were [1974]
  • Butterfly [1974]
  • Classical Barbra [1976]
  • Streisand Superman [1977]
  • Songbird [1978]
  • Barbra Streisand’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2 [1978]
  • Wet [1979]
  • Guilty [1980]
  • Love Songs [1981]
  • Emotion [1984]
  • The Broadway Album [1985]
  • One Voice [1987]
  • Till I Loved You [1989]
  • Just for the Record [1991]
  • Back to Broadway [1993]
  • Higher Ground [1997]
  • A Love Like Ours [1999]
  • Timeless: Live in Concert [2000]
  • The Essential Barbra Streisand [2002]
  • Duets [2002]
  • The Movie Album [2003]
  • Guilty Pleasures [2005]
  • Love is the Answer [2009]
  • One Night Only: Barbra Streisand and Quartet at the Village Vanguard [2010]
  • What Matters Most [2011]
  • Release Me [2012]
  • The Classic Christmas Album [2013]
  • Back to Brooklyn [2013]
  • Partners [2014]

Films

  • Funny Girl [1968]
  • Hello, Dolly! [1969]
  • On a Clear Day You Can See Forever [1970]
  • The Owl and the Pussycat [1970]
  • What’s Up, Doc? [1972]
  • Up the Sandbox [1972]
  • The Way We Were [1973]
  • For Pete’s Sake [1974]
  • Funny Lady [1975]
  • A Star is Born [1976]
  • The Main Event [1979]
  • All Night Long [1981]
  • Yentl [1983]
  • Barbra Streisand: One Voice [1986]
  • Nuts [1987]
  • The Prince of Tides [1991]
  • Barbra: The Concert [1995]
  • The Mirror has Two Faces [1996]
  • Timeless: Live in Concert [2001]
  • Meet the Fockers [2004]
  • Little Fockers [2010]
  • The Guilt Trip [2012]

Awards

  • Academy Award for Best Actress [1964]
  • Kennedy Center Honors [2008]
  • Grammy Award for Album of the Year [1964]
  • AFI Life Achievement Award [2001]
  • Academy Award for Best Original Song [1977]
  • Grammy Award for Song of the Year [1978]
  • Grammy Hall of Fame Award [2008, 2006, 2004]
  • Brit Award for Best Selling Album [1983]
  • Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award [2000]
  • Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance [1987, 1978, 1966]
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song [1977, 1973]
  • Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal [1981]
  • Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award [1995]
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Motion Picture [1977, 1969]
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy [1984]
  • Grammy Legend Award [1993]
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Director- Motion Picture [1984]
  • Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special [1995]
  • Special Tony Award [1970]
  • Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance – Variety Or Music Program [2001, 1995]
  • People’s Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress [1978, 1977, 1975]
  • People’s Choice Award for Favorite Female Artist [1975]
  • Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special [2001]
  • Golden Globe Henrietta Award for World Film Favorites [1978, 1975, 1971]
  • American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist [1981]
  • David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress [1974, 1969]
  • Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievements In Entertainment [1965]
  • People’s Choice Award for Favorite All-Around Female Entertainer [1984]
  • People’s Choice Award for Favorite All-Time Musical Star [1988]
  • The US Glamour Award for Lifetime Achievement [2013]
  • Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Musical Variety [1995]

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