Contemporary Actors Archives - Page 23 of 49

Tim Roth

Tim Roth has built up a considerable body of fine work in film since his debut in 1982 in “Made In Britain” as a white power skinhead. He has worked with Quentin Tarentino in “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction”.

TCM overview:

With a resume that boasted an assortment of villains and ne’er-do-wells, actor Tim Roth often had to avoid being typecast in order to play roles that demonstrated his extraordinary talents. Equally at home in both comedy and drama, Roth made an immediate impression as an unrepentant skinhead – complete with swastika tattoo on his forehead – in his first onscreen performance, “Made in Britain” (1982). He quickly became in demand after playing an assassin-in-training in “The Hit” (1984), then made a name for himself in the United States as a troubled Vincent Van Gogh in Robert Altman’s “Vincent & Theo” (1990). But it was his work with Quentin Tarantino in “Reservoir Dogs” (1992) and “Pulp Fiction” (1994) that cemented his status as one of the top stars of the independent world. Following an Oscar-nominated turn in “Rob Roy” (1995), Roth settled into playing varying degrees of malcontents before cracking big budget Hollywood with a major role in “Planet of the Apes” (2001) and stealing the show from everyone else. After disappearing into several foreign-made films, Roth re-emerged to play the arch-villain in “The Incredible Hulk” (2008), once again solidifying – and perhaps perpetuating – his image as Hollywood’s go-to bad guy.

Born May 14, 1961 in London, England, Roth was raised in middle-class Dulwich by his father, Ernie, a journalist and former member of the British Communist Party, and Anne, a landscape painter and school teacher. Forced to switch from a comfortable primary school to The Strand comprehensive in nearby Brixton, Roth encountered a rougher crowd unappreciative of his proper English accent. After quickly developing his cockney accent, Roth resigned himself to a life of taking speed and digging art in the midst of a nascent punk movement. While in school, he auditioned for a part in a musical version of “Dracula,” which sparked a previously nonexistent desire to pursue an acting career. He eventually made his way to Camberwell College of Arts, where he continued to delve into drugs, art and co-eds. But he soon dropped out of school and secured his Equity card while taking on a job selling advertising space while he worked fringe theater at night. Though many of the theaters were out in the middle of nowhere, Roth did manage to hone his chops on the works of Jean Genet and August Strindberg, though that sometimes meant performing to an audience of one.

Roth stumbled around for several years until he had one of those spontaneous, life-changing moments. In the early 1980s, while repairing a flat bicycle tire outside the Oval House, a community theater that was hosting auditions for a television movie to be directed by Alan Clarke. Instead of getting a tire pump, he was granted an audition, subsequently landing the leading role of Trevor, a violent and remorseless skinhead rebelling against anything that dares cross his path, in “Made in Britain” (1982). Roth was downright terrifying with a visceral performance, attracting immediate attention from audiences and critics. Roth made his feature debut with Mike Leigh’s wry working-class drama, “Meantime” (1983), playing a shy young man down on his luck struggling with his family to make ends meet. But it took Stephen Frears and a bottle of bleach to catapult Roth into the limelight. As the dyed blond apprentice killer learning his new trade from an old pro (John Hurt) in “The Hit” (1984), Roth offered a strong turn that was both brutal and endearing.

With a heavy helping of positive reviews, Roth was able to parlay his role in “The Hit” into a budding career, playing variations-on-a-thug in films like “Return to Waterloo” (1985), “Murder With Mirrors” (CBS, 1987) and “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” (1989). In a change of pace, Roth played a troubled character of an altogether different sort in Robert Altman’s biopic “Vincent & Theo” (1990), which examined the relationship between the Van Gogh brothers. Playing against actor Paul Rhys’ controlled take on Theo, Roth’s Vincent was rife with the energy and desperation of a creative, but ultimately troubled mind. He lent the same kind of force to his pairing with Gary Oldman in Tom Stoppard’s screen version of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” (1990), a wildly absurdist take on Shakespeare’s most notorious pair of supporting players. Roth’s game performance impressed aspiring filmmaker Quentin Tarantino enough to offer Roth the role of Mr. Orange, a critically-wounded undercover cop posing as a thief in the brutally violent crime thriller, “Reservoir Dogs” (1992). Adopting a flawless American accent and spending most of the movie wallowing in a pool of his own blood after a jewelry heist gone bad, Roth more than held his own with the likes of Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn and Steve Buscemi.

In the obscure, bleak independent drama “Jumpin’ at the Boneyard” (1992), Roth played a man who nearly beats his crack-addled brother (Alexis Arquette) to death after catching him in a robbery. Roth followed as real-life serial killer Charles Starkweather in the two-part miniseries “Murder in the Heartland” (ABC, 1993), earning critical plaudits for his frighteningly realistic performance. Reuniting with Quentin Tarantino, Roth memorably portrayed a small-time stickup artist who gets an unexpected comeuppance from a reforming hit man (Samuel L. Jackson) while trying to rob a coffee shop with his Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) in “Pulp Fiction” (1994). Buried beneath the hoopla surrounding “Pulp Fiction” was another crime thriller, “Little Odessa” (1994), starring Roth as a hit man for the Russian mob, assigned to do a job in his old neighborhood of Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. Though he received notice and acclaim for both parts, Roth found himself sinking deeper into the mud of being typecast as a crook or killer. Even a supporting turn in “Rob Roy” (1995), playing the scheming, obsequious fop Archibald Cunningham, was ultimately along the same lines. He did, however, wow critics and audiences enough to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

While he tried to break the tide with a comic turn as a bellhop – the unifying element in the four-part anthology “Four Rooms” (1995) – the results were mixed. Roth gamely tried to be what each director wanted, but came off more mannered than amusing. Meanwhile, he returned to form as the recently released convict whose attraction to a debutante upends her nuptial plans in Woody Allen’s musical “Everyone Says I Love You” (1996). Roth displayed a modest set of pipes when called upon to warble two songs. Paired with rapper Tupac Shakur in “GRIDLOCK’d” (1997), Roth once again plumbed the depths of a troubled man; this time, a drug-addicted musician trying to clean up. After appearing as the ruthless real-life Dutch Schultz in “Hoodlum” (1997), Roth went against type a bit in “Deceiver” (1997), playing a wealthy yuppie suspected of murder. Roth finally shed his bad guy image in Giuseppe Tornatore’s English-language debut, “The Legend of 1900” (1998). Cast as the adult incarnation of a music prodigy who spent his entire life on a luxury liner – a character that was more symbolic than real – Roth delivered a sweetly touching performance that allowed him to spread his wings.

Like many actors, Roth secretly harbored a desire to become a director. He eventually made his debut with “The War Zone” (1999), an intense family drama about a brother and sister who willingly engage in incest. In translating Alexander Stuart’s controversial novel to the screen, Roth took great pains not to sensationalize the material. Using an evenhanded approach, he meticulously crafted a powerful and devastating film. Displaying virtuosity with his actors, including the relatively unknown Lara Belmont and Freddie Cunliffe, Roth elicited amazing work and proved that if he ever grew weary of playing screen villains, he could easily find a home behind the cameras. His career in front of the camera continued unabated with a supporting role as the Marquis de Lauzun in the costume drama “Vatel” (2000), which he followed with a supporting role as a sleazy owner of a strip club in the dismal crime comedy “Lucky Numbers” (2000). After playing the lethal right-hand of a scheming Cardinal (Stephen Rea) in the martial arts-tinged actioner, “The Musketeer” (2001), Roth donned a prosthetic monkey suit to portray the militant General Thade in “Planet of the Apes” (2001). Though the film was a major disappointment, his portrayal was cited as the best, eliciting true fear in viewers.

Having settled into a comfortable career that encompassed both major Hollywood blockbusters and little-seen independents, Roth continued to play stock-in-trade roles as unrepentant thugs while delving every now and then into unchartered waters. He played a stage hypnotist in 1930s Germany with dreams of starting a Ministry of the Occult in Hitler’s government in “Invincible” (2002), then portrayed Oliver Cromwell, who helped depose Charles I (Rupert Everett) with General Thomas Fairfax (Dougray Scott), in “To Kill a King” (2003). After forgettable supporting roles in the drama “The Beautiful Country” (2004) and the supernatural thriller “Dark Water” (2005), Roth joined an ensemble all-star cast that included Danny DeVito, Kim Basinger and Ray Liotta for “Even Money” (2006), a compelling, but flawed drama that depicts various lives being destroyed by drugs and gambling during the weeks leading up to a championship basketball game. Roth then starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s return to directing, “Youth Without Youth” (2007), playing a septuagenarian professor struck by lighting who suddenly finds himself aging backwards and going on the run from international authorities.

Returning to the blockbuster world, Roth played Emil Blonsky/Abomination, chief adversary to Edward Norton’s “The Incredible Hulk” (2008) – a major blockbuster that became one of the summer’s biggest hits despite relatively mixed reviews. From there, the actor took on a rare leading role on the small screen with “Lie to Me” (Fox, 2009-2011), a procedural drama where he played a clinical researcher who uses his skills of interpreting facial expressions and body language to solve crimes for police and the FBI. The show received mainly good reviews from critics and started its three season run on a positive note with enough of an audience to make it a hit. But by the end of that initial season, however, viewership dropped off significantly – a trend that continued throughout the following two seasons until the network finally canceled the show in May 2011. Meanwhile, Roth continued to appear on the big screen, starring as an owl-like angel in the British-made suburban fantasy “Skellig” (2009). After playing a legendary action director who winds up dead in the indie showbiz comedy “Pete Smalls Is Dead” (2010), Roth was a New York detective who holds a key piece of evidence that can take down a shady businessman (Richard Gere) in the financial thriller “Arbitage” (2012).

The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.

Tom Hardy is one the rising young actors of British movies who is now making an international reputation with his roles in “Inception”, “Thinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and especially “The Dark Knight Rises”. He is currently making “Mad Max 4 : Fury Road” in the role undertaken previously by Mel Gibson. He was born in Hammersmith, London in 1977 . His first major acting role was in TV’s Band of Brothers” in 2001. Since then he has made his mark in such films as “Layer Cake”. An actor on the rise is Tom Hardy.

TCM overview:

Tom Hardy set tongues wagging in the U.K. with raw-nerved performances in “Stuart: A Life Backwards” (BBC, 2007) and “Bronson” (2009), and in the U.S. as well with a scene-stealing performance in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi blockbuster, “Inception” (2010). With this trifecta of projects, he found himself vaulted from rising U.K. heartthrob to Hollywood breakout-star-in-the-making. A native of suburban London, Hardy stumbled through an adolescence of recidivist juvenile delinquency and drug-addiction to channel his energies into drama. He won some high-profile early acting jobs, seeing his first major screen time in the youthful ensemble of the epic HBO miniseries, “Band of Brothers” (2001), and turning in an intense performance as the intergalactic villain in “Star Trek: Nemesis” (2002). A crack cocaine habit nearly derailed his career, but upon sobering up, he served notice he was a dramatic force to be reckoned with, winning raves and awards for his 2003 performances in the West End productions of “In Arabia, We’d All Be Kings” and “Blood.” He won the romantic lead of the Earl of Leicester in the 2005 BBC miniseries “The Virgin Queen,” the first of a series of critically lauded prestige television projects that would include “Stuart: A Life Backwards” and classic film remakes “A for Andromeda” (BBC, 2006), “Oliver Twist” (BBC, 2007) and “Wuthering Heights” (ITV, 2009). He would show a distinct penchant for playing tough guys in U.K.-produced indie features such as Guy Richie’s “RocknRolla” (2008) and “Bronson” before his hilarious turn as a dream-walking thief in “Inception” put him on the fast-track to higher-profile films, including Nolan’s much-anticipated third Batman film series installment and the title character in a “Mad Max” reboot. A sinewy ball of thespian intensity, Hardy earned his growing renown not only as a simmering bad boy, but as a ferociously charismatic leading man.

He was born Edward Thomas Hardy on Sept. 15, 1977, the son of Edward and Anne Hardy, a writer and artist, respectively, in Hammersmith, London, U.K. Growing up in East Sheen, an adolescent Hardy had developed a rebellious streak as he bridled against his suburban environs and rigid boarding school protocols. He developed an alcohol abuse problem as a teenager, wound up expelled from one school, periodically spent nights in jail cells for disorderly conduct, and even found himself arrested and facing serious charges for stealing a car and gun possession – all while still a teenager. He avoided doing hard time, he later said, only because his co-conspirator was the son of a British diplomat. At 19, his distinctive physiognomy landed him on a supermodel search competition on the U.K. morning show “The Big Breakfast” (Channel 4, 1992-2002), which he won, initiating a brief career in modeling. He attempted to focus his energies on acting, attending Richmond College for the Performing Arts, but wound up expelled again after skipping too many classes. He studied Method acting at Drama Centre London, but he continued to live on impulse; in 1999 he married a woman he had known only three weeks. He cut his studies short when he won one of a raft of plum parts for young actors who populated Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s ambitious “Band of Brothers,” the HBO miniseries that put faces on ordinary grunts of one U.S. Army company amid their journeys through WWII-torn Europe. A similar casting call would land him back in U.S. military garb for Ridley Scott’s telling of the U.S. military debacle in Somalia, “Black Hawk Down” (2001), and the military theme to his career continued with the lead in the French Foreign Legion drama, “An English Legionnaire” (2002).

Hardy’s next job had the potential of being a true breakthrough role, as he went shorn-headed to play the twisted, scheming young clone of Capt. Jean Luc Picard in the latest entry in the Star Trek franchise, “Star Trek: Nemesis.” But the film opened to bad reviews and concurrent with Peter Jackson’s much-anticipated “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and wound up severely under-delivering at the box-office. At one point in 2002, Hardy’s boozing and drug addictions caught up with him, and, as he recalled in the London Telegraph, he blacked out and woke up on a Soho street “with a crack pipe, covered in blood and vomit.” His marriage collapsed and, with his parents help, he checked himself into detox and submitted to a regimen of psychotherapy. He channeled his pathos into his craft, returning in 2003 to live theater by taking roles in “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings” and “Blood.” His performances lit up the critical radar, prompting The Evening Standard to bestow upon him its “Most Promising Newcomer Award” in 2003 and the Society of London Theatre to make him a nominee for its Olivier Award in the same category the next year. He picked up some inauspicious indie film parts in “The Reckoning” (2003), “Dot the I” (2003), “LD 50 Lethal Does” (2004), “EMR” (2004) and “Layer Cake” (2004), a caper film starring future-James-Bond Daniel Craig. But he would draw more buzz for his ongoing London theatrical work, including a turn in the visceral play about a family haunted by incest, “Festen,” in which he “exudes a dangerous unpredictability,” per the The Independent newspaper.

Hardy made the jump to Brit TV in 2005, reuniting with “Band of Brothers” star Damien Lewis in the ITV World War II drama, “Colditz,” the tale of Allied POWs held in the notorious German prison camp, specifically focusing on Lewis’ character’s escape to Britain to woo the woman Hardy loves and to surreptitiously thwart the latter’s own escape attempts. Hardy would turn up in a succession of BBC productions, including “Gideon’s Daughter” (2005); the remake of the opera “Sweeney Todd” (2006); a remake of the 1961 Brit sci-fi classic “A for Andromeda,” and the lavish serial retelling of Queen Elizabeth’s history, “The Virgin Queen,” with Hardy playing the Earl of Leicester, the love of the monarch’s life. Hardy diversified his résumé somewhat, founding his own repertory company, Shotgun Theatre Company, for which he directed a production of his father’s first play, “Blue on Blue.” He also earned paychecks for some low-budget sci-fi outings, “Minotaur” (2006) and “Flood” (2007); bolstered his indie credentials with turns in Sofia Coppola’s revisionist take on the notorious French queen, “Marie Antoinette” (2006) and the Brit ensemble romantic comedy “Scenes of a Sexual Nature” (2006); and ventured into series television as a handyman with an unseemly agenda in the BBC’s eerie small-town drama, “Cap Wrath” (2007). In 2007, he won the central role of the womanizing libertine Dormiant in the National Theatre’s production of George Etherege’s classic play, “The Man of Mode.” Also that year, Hardy had a supporting turn as a sleazy street thug in the indie crime thriller “w Delta z” (2007). It began a run of gritty roles in which he would bring texture and depth to unsavory characters: the scurrilous Bill Sikes in a BBC retread of “Oliver Twist;” a gay gangster in Guy Richie’s slick London underworld caper film “RocknRolla;” and notoriously violent Brit convict Charles Bronson in “Bronson,” for which he won the British Independent Film Award for best actor.

Largely hailed as his tour de force was Hardy’s portrayal of Stuart Shorter in the 2007 BBC outing, “Stuart: A Life Backwards,” dazzling critics and viewers in the role of a muscular dystrophy-stricken, homeless alcoholic who recounts a violent menagerie of abuse and crime that brought him to his low station. In 2008, the performance earned Hardy a BAFTA Award nomination. He showed true range in 2009, upping the ante on his bad-boy ethos in “The Take” (Sky, 2009), a crime-thriller miniseries in which he played an ex-con out to right all the wrongs done to his family while he was in prison. He also put his smoldering stamp on the role of Heathcliff in a dark ITV update of “Wuthering Heights,” playing the erstwhile Olivier role such that Kathryn Flett, writing in The Observer, referred to his portrayal as “thoroughly dangerous to know in all the right ways the man is sex on fire.” His co-star on both projects, Charlotte Riley, shared the sentiment, and she and Hardy began a relationship, eventually to be engaged in 2010. Early that year, he took his first major American theater lead in the U.S. world premiere of Bret Leonard’s play “The Long Red Road” at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. In summer 2010, he showed up in director Christopher Nolan’s special-effects thriller “Inception,” which starred Leonardo DiCaprio as a corporate espionage specialist specializing in raiding people’s minds in their dreams. DiCaprio hatches a one-last-heist scenario to reclaim his life, bringing along a team of dream specialists, including Hardy with his rapier-sharp patter as an in-dream shapeshifter. Nolan was impressed enough with his work that he would cast Hardy as the ferocious, chemically enhanced muscleman Bane in the third outing of Warner Bros.’ rebooted Batman film series, “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012). Hardy was also tapped to take over for the real-life scandal-prone Mel Gibson as the lead in George Miller’s long-anticipated fourth entry in his “Mad Max” series, “Mad Max 4: Fury Road.”

The above TCM overview can now be accessed online here.

Colin Morgan was born in Armagh, Northern Ireland in 1986. He plays the title role in the BBC television series “Merlin”. His films include “Parked” and “Island”. He has also been featured in “Dr Who” on television.

IMDB entry:

Colin Morgan is a Northern Irish actor, best known for playing the title character in the BBC TV series Merlin. Morgan attended Integrated College Dungannon, winning the ‘Denis Rooney Associates Cup’ for best overall student in the third year, before gaining a National Diploma in Performing Arts from the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education in 2004. He went on to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, where he graduated from in 2007. In November 2010, the Belfast Metropolitan College honored Morgan with an Award of Distinction for his contribution to the Arts

– IMDb Mini Biography By: Stefanie Gubbi)

Graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2007.

He is a vegetarian.

Has a brother named Neil.

His mother, Bernadette, is a nurse, and his father is a painter and decorator.

After studying at the Belfast Institute, he went to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.

Obtained a National Diploma in Performing Arts at Belfast Institute of Further & Higher Education in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2004.

Was still in drama school when he was cast by director Rufus Norris to make his professional debut in the title role of the stage adaptation of DBC Pierre’s Booker Prize winner “Vernon God Little” at the Young Vic in 2007. Colin Morgan has credited this role as his first big break.

Is Lactose Intolerant.

Is a strong swimmer.

Favorite actor is Sean Penn.

IMDB entry above can also be accessed online here.

Allen Leech is one of Ireland’s most promising young actors. He was born in 1981 in Dublin. He had a major role in 2003 in the movie “Cowboys and Angels” followed by “Man About Dog”. He also starred in the 2011 film “Re-Wind” with Owen McDonnell and Amy Huberman. He is currently best known for his part as Branson the driver in the highly popular television series “Downton Abbey”.

“MailOnline” interview:

Tom Branson has emerged as one of the major characters in Downton Abbey. Are you pleased?

It came out of nowhere. When I first joined, I thought I’d be the chauffeur for a couple of episodes, and now here I am running the estate! I love that you can find Branson downstairs chatting to Mr Carson or upstairs having a whisky with Lord Grantham. He’s the only character who transcends the classes. Incidentally, the ‘whisky’ we drink on camera is burnt sugar and water, so when you see Tom having a drink, it’s not alcoholic.

How do you kill time between scenes?

We’ve discovered a great game called Bananagrams. It’s a bit like Scrabble, and Maggie Smith is the champion.

Are you afraid of being killed off, like Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) or Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay)?

Yes, it’s pot luck! Any of us could be caught under a falling tree, or poisoned by Mrs Patmore [the cook]. If I was going to go, I’d like Thomas [Downton’s underbutler] to kill me. We could have a wrestle for the knife and Thomas could win. But don’t make that happen – I don’t want to be killed off!

Tell us about your new film, In Fear…

It couldn’t be further from Downton – and that’s exciting. It’s set in Ireland and is very contained, claustrophobic and frightening. I went to watch it and it genuinely made me jump, which was a bit daft as I knew what was coming.

Do you ever get starstruck?

I was lucky enough to go to the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles earlier this year – Downton won Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Drama Series.

Jeff Daniels had been looking in my direction but I assumed he was looking at the cast of Breaking Bad, who were on the next table. I couldn’t believe he’d know who I was when he came up and said hello. We had a drink and I turned into a crazy fan and told him how much I loved him.

What was the last party you went to?

My friend’s birthday last week. We got through the Groucho Club’s entire cocktail menu. I’m not going to lie to you, I didn’t feel great the next day.

What do you do in your spare time?

I run a lot. I was supposed to do a marathon this year but unfortunately I got injured beforehand. I’m toying with the idea of doing my first triathlon next year instead.

Do you have a hidden talent?

If I do, it’s so hidden, even I don’t know about it!

What plans do you have for the rest of the year?

I’m going to Australia to watch the Melbourne Cup, which I’m really excited about. Horse racing is big in my family: my mum and brother both own horses. My older brother is going to come with me and that should make the trip even more special.

In Fear is in cinemas now

The above “MailOnline” interview can also be accessed online here.

Val Kilmer is one of the most interesting American actor on film. As he is moving into character parts. his weight gain and maturity brings an extra shade and nuance to his roles. His early movies include “Top Gun” in 1984, “Willow” and as ‘Jim Morrison’ in “The Doors”. He starred with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro ion “Heat”, “Batman Forever”, “Deja Vu” and “Felon

TCM overview:

Once described as Hollywood’s most difficult leading man, actor Val Kilmer accumulated his share of proponents over the years to offset the howls of his surprisingly vocal detractors, few of whom would argue that his best work rivaled Hollywood’s top leading men. Kilmer first made himself known as the chief rival of Tom Cruise in the blockbuster “Top Gun (1986) before delivering an uncanny performance of poet-singer Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s “The Doors” (1991) and a mesmerizing turn as Doc Holliday in “Tombstone” (1993). Around that time, the public began hearing rumblings of Kilmer’s difficult on-set persona. While playing the Caped Crusader in “Batman Forever” (1995), Kilmer entered into the low-point of his vampish behavior, which led to on-set shoving matches between himself and director Joel Schumacher. Following a strong supporting turn in Michael Mann’s epic crime drama, “Heat” (1995), he had more on-set shenanigans with “The Island of Dr. Moreau” (1996), which actually marked the beginning of a turning point with his questionable behavior. Kilmer starred in such box office duds like “The Ghost and the Darkness” (1996), “The Saint” (1997) and “At First Sight” (1999) before taking more interesting turns with the crime thriller, “The Salton Sea” (2002). Kilmer had his strongest performance in years as a gay private detective opposite Robert Downey, Jr.’s dimwitted thief in the hilarious “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” (2005), which led to a revitalization of his image as one of the most in-demand actors for both major Hollywood movies and independent films.

Born on Dec. 31, 1959 in Los Angeles, Kilmer was raised by his father, Eugene, an aerospace equipment distributor and real estate developer who made – and lost – a fortune developing a ranch once owned by Roy Rogers, and his mother, Gladys. After attending Chatsworth High School, where he was classmates with Mare Winningham and Kevin Spacey, and the Hollywood Professional School, Kilmer became the youngest student at the time to be allowed entrance into the famed Julliard School. While at Juilliard, he and his classmates wrote and performed “How It All Began,” a play that was eventually produced at the New York Shakespeare Festival with Kilmer in the lead. Meanwhile, he landed parts in “Henry IV, Part I” at the NYSF and “As You Like It” for the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. Kilmer soon made his Broadway debut opposite Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon in “The Slab Boys” (1983). The following year, he made his feature debut with a starring role in “Top Secret!” (1984), a spy parody and all-around Hollywood spoof from the goofy minds of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker which later achieved a cult following.

Also at the time, Kilmer had a supporting role in “One Too Many” (ABC, 1985), a rather stark “ABC Afterschool Special” that cautioned teens against drunk driving. In the comedy “Real Genius” (1985), he played a brilliant science student at a fictional university who teams up with a freshman (Gabe Jarret) to stop a wayward physics professor (William Atherton) from experimenting on unsuspecting students. Graduating from teen comedies to big studio films, Kilmer kick-started his career by costarring opposite Tom Cruise in one of the biggest movies of any decade, “Top Gun” (1986), playing the cocky F-14 pilot and chief antagonist Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, who butts heads with an equally brash Navy pilot, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise), over the coveted Top Gun award. Despite upstaging Cruise with the critics, Kilmer was left behind in the dust professionally, as the other actor rocketed to superstardom. Meanwhile, he stumbled with his next few projects while murmurings that he was a “difficult” actor began to arise. After publishing My Edens After Burns, a collection of poems that included fond remembrances of former companion Michelle Pfeiffer, Kilmer displayed a flair for fantasy heroics as the dwarf-friendly lead in Ron Howard’s “Willow” (1988), a lavish but uninvolving fantasy from producer George Lucas that proved to be a commercial disappointment. While building his career throughout the decade, he also developed a reputation as something of a ladies man, dating a wide range of actress, including Cher – who was many years his senior – and Ellen Barkin.

Kilmer met his future wife Joanne Whalley on the set of “Willow,” and following their marriage in February 1988, the pair co-starred together in “Kill Me Again” (1989), director Tom Dahl’s post-modern noir about a seedy private detective (Kilmer) hired by a woman (Whalley) to fake her own death in order to escape mobsters from whom she had stolen money. Kilmer next earned considerable attention and plaudits for one of the best performances of the year when he carved out an uncanny portrait of tortured singer Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s metaphysical, but often muddled biopic, “The Doors” (1991). In order to secure the part, Kilmer videotaped himself singing Door songs. Though Stone was initially unimpressed, former Doors producer Paul Rothchild was struck by Kilmer’s ability to mimic Morrison’s voice. Stone cast the actor in the pivotal role, which proved in retrospect to be a wise decision: without Kilmer’s domineering performance, the film may have performed worse than it did, thanks to an uneven portrayal of the singer and weak supporting performances. Meanwhile, Kilmer’s method acting demands – including that everyone call him Jim on set – later prompted Stone to acknowledge that the actor “is passionate about his work; with the wrong approach, you may see a side of him you don’t like.”

Kilmer enjoyed a critical hit as the star of Michael Apted’s “Thunderheart” (1992), an engrossing crime drama in which he played a part-Sioux FBI agent who confronts his heritage while investigating a murder on an Oglala Sioux reservation. Part-Cherokee himself, Kilmer delivered a finely tuned performance noted for its subtle intensity. He put his film career back on commercial track with an acclaimed performance as the tubercular gunslinger, Doc Holliday, stealing the thunder from Kurt Russell’s strong portrayal of Wyatt Earp in the surprise hit Western, “Tombstone” (1993). Even though it proved to be successful both at the box office and with critics, “Tombstone” was marred with onset difficulties, including the firing of original director, Kevin Jarre. Let go after a month of shooting, Jarre later remarked that “[t]here’s a dark side to Val that I don’t feel comfortable talking about.” To back his claim, he relayed an anecdote to Entertainment Weekly about Kilmer taking a locust from an excited stand-in and eating it in front of him before saying, “As you know, I have a reputation for being difficult. But only with stupid people.” Meanwhile, Kilmer lost his father in April 1993, which precipitated a falling-out with his own brother, leading to their estrangement from each other for many years thereafter.

After giving a quirky portrayal of Elvis, complete with a rendition of “Heartbreak Hotel,” in the Quentin Tarantino-scripted “True Romance” (1993), Kilmer starred in “The Real McCoy” (1993), a crime thriller in which Kim Basinger played a burglar just released from prison and forced to pull one last heist to save her son. His on set troubles continued when news surfaced that he lost control during an argument with director Russell Mulcahy over changing his scenes, leading to him firing a prop gun at a car. Following a one-year absence from the screen, Kilmer had a banner 1995 when he was tapped by director Joel Schumacher to succeed the departing Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader in “Batman Forever” (1995). Pitted against notorious scene stealers Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones as the Joker and Two-Face respectively, Kilmer brought more intensity and humor to arguably the best installment of the franchise, a blockbuster earning over $200 million worldwide. But again, stories about Kilmer’s onset behavior emerged, with Schumacher refusing to mince his words when relaying details about a shoving match between the two: “He was rude and inappropriate. He was childish and impossible. I was forced to tell him that this would not be tolerated for one more second. Then we had two weeks where he did not speak to me – but it was bliss.” The normally gentile Schumacher later told Premiere magazine, “Val is the most psychologically troubled human being I’ve ever worked with. The tools I used to work with him – tools of communication, of patience and understanding – were the tools I use on my five-year-old godson.”

Both Warner Bros. and Schumacher were happy to see Kilmer leave the Batman franchise in favor of casting George Clooney for “Batman & Robin” (1997). But director Michael Mann, who cast Kilmer in a supporting role for his crime epic, “Heat” (1995), had nothing but praise for the actor. Mann was a lone voice of support from the directors encountering Kilmer in the mid-1990s; John Frankenheimer also had zero tolerance for the actor after taking over the disastrous sci-fi horror thriller “The Island of Dr. Moreau” (1996) from fired helmer Richard Stanley. Whenever Kilmer sought to contribute his ideas, Frankenheimer snapped and said, “I don’t give a f*ck!” Kilmer also ran afoul of a cameraman, whom he burned with a cigarette while seemingly joking around. Of Kilmer, Frankenheimer was unrelenting in his assessment: “I don’t like Val Kilmer. I don’t like his work ethic, and I don’t want to be associated with him ever again.” But of himself, Kilmer said, “Often I have been accused of being difficult, when in fact it’s a difficult character that I’m playing. (Hollywood) confuses the two. I work hard. I don’t know anybody who’s good at their job who doesn’t get into trouble.” Amidst the height of his reputation as a difficult actor, Kilmer was criticized for his performance in Stephen Hopkins’ “The Ghost and the Darkness” (1996), which earned the actor a Razzie award nomination for Worst Supporting Actor.

As if things were not difficult enough, Kilmer split with long-time wife, Joanna Whalley, shortly after the birth of their son, Jack, in 1995. But he soon found himself in the arms of model Cindy Crawford, though that particular relationship failed to last very long. Meanwhile, his penchant for casually slipping into different voices and guises led him to choose the role of Simon Templar, “The Saint” (1997). Though hopes for establishing a franchise were high, the ridiculously implausible story doomed Leslie Charteris’ debonair detective to inhabit yet another sub-par movie. By the time he voiced Moses in DreamWorks’ debut animated feature “The Prince of Egypt” (1998), Kilmer was determined to bury his bad boy image. He played the doting dad to his two children for journalists and ditched Hollywood for Pecos, NM, where he enjoyed fly-fishing and other outdoor activities on his 6,000 acre ranch. Back on screen, he played a blind man romancing Mira Sorvino, whose life is upended when his vision is restored in the mawkish “At First Sight” (1999).

Following a brief, but memorable turn as artist Willem DeKooning in director-star Ed Harris’ “Pollack” (2000), Kilmer made a career misstep when he starred as an astronaut on Mars in the seemingly commercial, but oxygen-deprived sci-fi vehicle, “Red Planet” (2000). He next starred in the meth-fueled neo-noir thriller “The Salton Sea” (2002), in which he played a crystal meth addict who tries to find his wife’s murderer by working with a pair of undercover narcotics cops (Anthony Lapaglia and Doug Hutchison) while trying to save his abused neighbor (Deborah Kara Unger). After a few little seen turns in low-profile projects, Kilmer returned to the limelight with his convincing portrayal of 1970s porn king John Holmes for the true-life crime drama, “Wonderland” (2003), based on the porn actor’s alleged involvement in the bloody drug-related murders on Los Angeles’ Wonderland Avenue in 1981. He next received positive reviews as a maverick government agent trying to recover a politico’s kidnapped daughter (Kristen Bell) in writer-director David Mamet’s crime drama “Spartan” (2004). Kilmer then starred as Moses in a controversial stage version of “The Ten Commandments” (2004), a glossy musical that appeared to many as being a Hollywood parody. The musical was forced to cut back performances for retooling following scathing reviews.

Kilmer reunited with Oliver Stone to co-star in the director’s epic drama, “Alexander” (2004), an ambitious, but ultimately failed look at the rise to power and eventual fall of conqueror Alexander the Great (Colin Farrell). Amidst the lavish excesses of Stone’s production and the endless narration from Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins), Kilmer delivered a convincing portrayal of Alexander’s controlling father, King Philip II. Following a brief appearance as an FBI instructor in “Mindhunters” (2005), he was nothing short of brilliant as a homosexual private investigator partnered with none-too-bright petty thief (Robert Downey, Jr.) who is dragged into a murder investigation in “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” (2005), written and directed by Shane Black. Undeniably, the comedic chemistry between Kilmer and fellow reformed bad boy Downey, Jr. was infectious both on screen and off. Following a supporting role in the period crime thriller “10th and Wolf” (2006), he took a supporting role as a government agent who has knowledge of why an ATF agent (Denzel Washington) suddenly has strange memories about the future regarding a cataclysmic explosion in “Déjà Vu” (2006).

Over the next few years, Kilmer kept something of a lower profile despite working steadily in small budget films and on television. Following an episode of “Numb3rs” (CBS, 2004-10), he was the voice of KITT in the re-imagining of “Knight Rider” (NBC, 2008), which started as a two-hour television movie and wound up being a short-lived series during the 2008-09 season. Kilmer next had roles in little seen features like the crime thriller “Conspiracy” (2008), the Western “Comanche Moon” (2008) and the prison drama “Felon” (2008). Continuing along with independent film, he co-starred opposite Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes in “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” (2009), Werner Herzog’s remake of Abel Ferrera’s crime drama, “Bad Lieutenant” (1992). After a supporting role in “American Cowslip” (2009), an offbeat black comedy about an agoraphobic heroin addict (Ronnie Gene Blevens), he played Dieter von Cunth, sworn enemy to distracted special ops agent, “MacGruber” (2010), played by Will Forte, based on his recurring sketch on “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 1975- ).

The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.

Sam Elliott, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer & Bill Paxton

Craig Parkinson. IMDB

Craig Parkinson is one of the leading young actors coming up on British film and television. He was born in 1976 in Blackpool. He featured in such television series as “Dalziel and Pascoe”, “The Bill” and “Holby City”. On film he has starred in “Ghosted”, “SoulBoy” and the remake of “Brighton Rock”. He is married to actress to Susan Lynch.

IMDB entry:

Craig Parkinson was brought up in his native Blackpool and attended Blackpool and Fylde College before, at age 17, moving to London to study at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

After several years in bit parts on TV, he came to notice as impresario Tony Wilson in the 2007 film ‘Control’ about the Joy Division singer Ian Curtis,played by Sam Riley (with whom he would again work in ‘Brighton Rock’) and made some impact on television in the second series of ‘Whitechapel’ as twins who were possibly descended from the Kray brothers.

Also on television he appeared in the 2013 ghost drama ‘The Secret of Crickley Hall’ with actress Susan Lynch,his real life spouse by whom he has a son. His theatre work has been varied,ranging from ‘Measure For Measure’ at the National Theatre to Mike Leigh’s revival of ‘Ecstasy.’

– IMDb Mini Biography By: don @ minifie-1

Christopher Lambert is best known for his role as ‘Connor MacLeod’ in “Highlander” in 1986. He was born in New York in 1957 as his father was a French diplomat in the UN. He was raised in Geneva in Switzerland. He is also know for his performances in “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan” and “The Sicilian.

TCM Overview:

A handsome, steely leading man in American films as well as those of his native France, Christopher Lambert gained worldwide fame with his first starring role in “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes” (1984) before becoming something of a pop culture icon through the “Highlander” (1986) franchise. Though the “Highlander” films, which cast him as an immortal Scottish swordsman, became objects of cult worship, they also typecast Lambert as a man of action in dozens of low-budget shoot ’em ups and historical adventures. If the marginalization bothered Lambert, he did not seem to show it, as he continued to work steadily into the 21st century, providing a touch of Continental charm to his soulful assassins and stalwart lawmen, which in turn endeared him to a vast audience of action fans.

He was born Christophe Guy Denis Lambert on March 29, 1957 in Great Neck, NY, the son of a French diplomat for the United Nations. His time in America was short-lived, as the family relocated to Geneva, Switzerland when he was two, and later to Paris when Lambert was 16. Acting captured his interest after he appeared in a school play at the age of 12, but his parents felt that the profession lacked stability, and after a stint in the French military, Lambert took a job at the London Stock Exchange. His tenure there lasted just six months, after which he returned to Paris to work at a friend’s shop.

He began to study acting, but lacked a sincere drive to learn the craft, an attitude that resulted in his expulsion from an elite French dramatic academy. Regardless, he began appearing in minor roles in French-language films in the late 1970s, including “Ciao, les mecs” (“Ciao, You Guys”) (1979) opposite Charles Azanavour, and “Asphalt” (1981) with Carole Laure. In 1982, a casting agent looking for an unknown to play the next big screen incarnation of Tarzan discovered Lambert, and was taken by his intense gaze, which, ironically, was the result of extreme myopia. Lambert went on to join a cast of international stars, including Ian Holm, Ralph Richardson (in his final screen role) and newcomer Andie MacDowell in Hugh Hudson’s “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes” (1984). Lambert’s highly physical performance as the abandoned child raised by gorillas in Africa who returns to his ancestral home in England was praised by critics, but did little to enhance his screen career.

After turning down scores of roles that required him to essentially repeat his “Greystoke” role, Lambert returned to France to hone his screen craft. There, he co-starred with the legendary Catherine Deneuve in “Paroles et musique” (“Love Songs”) (1985), a romance about a would-be musician (Lambert) who falls for his older talent manager (Deneuve). That same year, he earned a Best Actor Cesar for Luc Besson’s New Wave fantasy, “Subway” (1985), which cast him as a musician who falls in love with the wife (Isabelle Adjani) of a gangster from whom he stole important documents. But in 1986, Lambert would return to Hollywood moviemaking for his most iconic screen role.

Former music video director Russell Mulcahy cast him in “Highlander” (1986) as Connor MacLeod, an immortal 16th-century Scottish warrior who battled his ancient enemy (Clancy Brown) in modern-day New York. The science fiction film, which grew progressively more convoluted over the course of five sequels – four of which with Lambert in the lead – and a television series, cemented him the minds of audiences as an action star, a mantle he begrudgingly carried for the better part of the next two decades. In interviews, he stated that while he welcomed the chance to play more dramatic roles, he was keenly aware of his own limitations as an actor, and felt that he best served less challenging genres like action and fantasy. The genre was also somewhat hazardous to his health, as his sight issues prevented him from wearing contacts during fight sequences, which he performed while largely blind.

Lambert’s post-“Highlander” output was largely comprised of B-movies from both sides of the Atlantic. Some received theatrical releases in the United States, like Michael Cimino’s poorly received “The Sicilian” (1987), which cast him as a determined Italian gunman; Stuart Gordon’s “Fortress” (1992), with Lambert as a wrongly accused prisoner at a futuristic prison; or “Knight Moves” (1992), a wan thriller that paired him with actress Diane Lane, whom he had met during a publicity junket in Rome and married in 1988. After having a daughter, the couple would divorce in 1994. More often than not, he brought international appeal to direct-to-video adventures like “Gunmen” (1993) and “Adrenalin: Fear the Rush” (1996). There was a brief return to mainstream prominence with “Mortal Kombat” (1995), a modestly budgeted adaptation of the wildly popular video game, with Lambert in long white tresses as Raiden, a thunder god who aided the heroes on their quest. After that, it was back to a regular diet of low-budget action, including sequels to “Fortress” (2000) and the fourth “Highlander” film, “Highlander: Endgame” (2000). During this period, Lambert also made numerous films in France, and launched a second career as a producer of his own features, including “The North Star” (1996) and “Resurrection” (1999), as well as 2004’s “The Good Shepherd,” with Christian Slater as a conflicted priest.

In 2009, Lambert received stellar reviews for his turn as Isabelle Huppert’s fragile husband in “White Material,” Claire Denis’ gripping drama about a French family who discover that their African farm was in the path of a dangerous rebel army. The critical praise seemed to stir interest among the international community, and Lambert soon found himself cast in a wide variety of projects, including “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (2011) with Nicolas Cage and the supernatural thriller “Dark Star Hollow” (2011). In addition to his acting and producing duties, Lambert was also a successful businessman in Europe, with a top-ranked winery, a mineral water business and a food processing plant among his investments.

The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.

Andreas Wisniewski was born in 1959 in Berlin. He made his film debut in 1986 in “Gothic” with Gabriel Byrne and Natasha Richarsaon. The following year he made his mark in the James Bond in “The Living Daylights” and followed it as Alan Rickman’s henchman in “Die Hard”. He is a practicing Buddhist and facilitates meditation classes. He lives in Notting Hill, London. Interview here.

Cherie Lunch (TCM Overview)

Cherie Lunghi is one of the most attractive actresses currently in British film and television. She was born in 1952 in Nottingham. Her first major film part was as ‘Guinevere’in John Boorman’s tale of the Knights of the Round Table “Excalibur” in 1981. She starred in “The Mission” opposite Robert De Niro and Aidan Quinn. She had a popular run in the title role, of an executive running a football team, “The Manageress” and is also well-known for a series of’Kenco’ adds.. Recently she made an impact on “Strictly Come Dancing” on BBC.

TCM overview:

Leading lady of the British stage as well as British and American TV and films, beginning in the 80s. Cherie Lunghi first won attention in “Excalibur,” the 1981 feature film in which she was a rather sexually aware Guenevere to Nigel Terry’s King Arthur. In 1985, she was Michal, who caught the eye of Richard Gere in “King David” (1985), and was opposite Bryan Brown in the love story “Parker” (1984). Lunghi has also had key roles in “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” (1994) and “Jack and Sarah” (1995). She began as a stage actress with the Royal Shakespeare Company in England, appearing in productions of “As You Like It,” “The Winter’s Tale” and “King Lear.” Later, Lunghi would also star on the West End in “The Homecoming.”

American audiences may be more familiar with her work through TV. Lunghi’s first significant network role was as Nancy, the female lead of “Oliver” in a CBS production (1982). She played the sheltered daughter of Donald Pleasance lured into pregnancy by Ian Charleson and giving birth to a girl who grows up to become the central character of “Master of the Game,” a 1984 miniseries starring Dyan Cannon for CBS. Also in TV movies, Lunghi was interned by the Japanese in the World War II Singapore-based story, “Silent Cries” (1993), and was the undaunted Lucille Otis in ABC’s remake of “The Canterville Ghost” (1996). Lunghi has starred in one American series, the short-lived 1992 ABC effort, “Covington Cross,” in which she was reunited with Nigel Terry, her Arthur in Excalibur, this time playing her concerned father in the English countryside. The series had only a short run.

“MailOnline article 2012:

They used to say life begins at 40.Actress Cherie Lunghi, however, insists that 60 now marks the same turning point – even if it means acquiring a bus pass.

On reaching the landmark birthday this week she insisted that times have changed, and what was once viewed as old age has simply become an extended middle age.

Miss Lunghi said: ‘We dress and do our hair more youthfully than our mothers’ generation. ‘I have become quite accepting of the passing years. Nowadays 60 is the new 40.

‘I am extremely content and open to whatever life has to offer – including my bus freedom pass.’

She added in an interview with The Lady magazine that while once she was tempted to try and hold back the years by using Botox, she has given up because it is expensive and too time consuming.

Miss Lunghi, who made her name playing Guinevere in the 1981 film Excalibur and starred in The Manageress on TV, explained: ‘I didn’t get attached to Botox. It is costly and you have to remember to keep doing it.

‘I am simply not such a slave to my vanity and I don’t want to be, because as you get older you really have to start accepting the inevitable.

‘The more you fight and try to hang on to what you had, the unhappier and more disappointed you will be. It’s a shame because we spend so much of our youth unaware of what we have.

‘There is so much pressure to be thin and you constantly compare yourself to others. But confidence is something that comes with age and experience – it has to be earned along the way.’

The star is appearing alongside Kacey Ainsworth, Isla Blair and Denise Welch in a nationwide tour of comedy drama Steel Magnolias.

Miss Lunghi, who has a 24-year-old daughter from her relationship with British film director Roland Joffe, revealed that she is single.

She said: ‘I’m a romantic, and will only marry for love where there’s respect and compatibility. I’d like to be with someone if the right person came along. I really like male company. I like the male mind.

‘You would think men would want an independent woman who’s got her own interests and life, who’s been around the block a few times and is capable of being a bloody good partner.’

Collection of Contemporary Actors

Tim Roth

Tom Hardy

Colin Morgan

Allen Leech

Val Kilmer

Craig Parkinson

Craig Parkinson. IMDB

Christopher Lambert

Andreas Wisniewski

Cherie Lunghi

Cherie Lunch (TCM Overview)

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