Monday, December 24, 2012

Chris "Huntsman" Hemsworth Biography


Though born in Melbourne, Australia, Chris Hemsworth saw quite a bit of the country in his youth when his family moved first to the Northern Territory before finally settling on Phillip Island to the south of Melbourne. He is brother to actors Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth. In 2004, he unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Robbie Hunter in the Australian soap opera "Home and Away" (1988) but was recalled for the role of Kim Hyde which he played until 2007. In 2006, he entered the Australian version of "Dancing with the Stars" (2004) and his popularity in the soap enabled him to hang on until show 7 ("Dancing with the Stars: Episode #5.7" (2006) when he became the fifth contestant to be eliminated. His first Hollywood appearance was in Star Trek (2009), but it was his titular role in Thor (2011) which propelled him to prominence worldwide. He reprised the character in the 2012 hit The Avengers (2012). His American representative, the management company ROAR, also manages Elsa Pataky and it was through them that the couple met, marrying in 2010. The couple have a daughter together, India Rose Hemsworth, who was born on May 11, 2012.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Zoe Kravitz Biography


Zoe Isabella Kravitz, the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, was born on December 1, 1988 in New York City. Zoe's love and interest in acting developed from classes she began taking while in school. Wasting little time, Zoe started working on two films during her senior year in high school; No Reservations (2007), directed by Scott Hicks, where she worked alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart, and The Brave One (2007), directed by Neil Jordan, starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard. In 2008, Zoe completed work on Assassination of a High School President (2008), alongside Bruce Willis. She worked with Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan on The Greatest (2009), which debuted at Sundance. Zoe has just wrapped on the latest Joel Schumacher film, Twelve (2010), co-starring Kiefer Sutherland, 50 Cent, Chace Crawford and Emma Roberts, which will be released in 2010. She recently wrapped shooting in New York on her first lead roles in the films, Beware the Gonzo (2010), opposite Amy Sedaris, Campbell Scott and Ezra Miller, and Yelling to the Sky (2011), the story of "Sweetness O'Hara", who has a sometimes-absent father and a present but mentally unstable mother. Outside of her film endeavors, Kravitz has kept busy with various projects. She is currently serving as lead singer and co-writer with her band, "Elevator Fight". Kravitz is also the new face of Vera Wang's "Princess" perfume. The campaign launches in November 2009. Zoe starred in 2008 in Jay-Z music video for his single, "I Know", off his "American Gangster" album. She was also featured with Jessica Alba, Ryan Phillippe, Tyrese Gibson, George Lopez, John Leguizamo and several other celebrities in Will i Am's "We Are the Ones" video during Barack Obama campaign.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Famke "Serleena Man in Black II" Janssen Biography


Famke Beumer Janssen was born on November 5, 1964 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and has two other siblings. She studied economics for a year at the University of Amsterdam, which she has called "the stupidest idea I ever had." Moving to America in 1984, Famke modeled for Chanel in New York City. Later, taking a break from modeling, she majored in writing and literature at Columbia University and studied acting with Harold Guskin. She then went to Los Angeles, California, where she continued to study acting under Roy London. Her first film was the crime drama Fathers & Sons (1992), where she played the love interest of Jeff Goldblum. Later, she became James Bond's enemy in GoldenEye (1995) opposite Pierce Brosnan. Famke received strong critical acclaim for her electrifying performance as the femme fatale Xenia Onatopp. Her career has bloomed since then with her starring in such films as House on Haunted Hill (1999), a reoccurring role on FX's "Nip/Tuck" (2003) and the blockbuster trilogy X-Men (2000), X2 (2003), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).

Thursday, November 29, 2012

James "Wanted" MacAvoy Biography


McAvoy was raised in Drumchapel, Glasgow, by his grandparents after his father, also called James and a roofer by trade, abandoned his mother when James Jr. was 7. He went to St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary in Jordanhill, Glasgow, where he did well enough and started "a little school band with a couple of mates". McAvoy toyed with the idea of the Catholic priesthood as a child but when he was 16, a visit to the school by actor David Hayman sparked an interest in acting. Hayman offered him a part in his film The Near Room (1995) but despite enjoying the experience McAvoy didn't seriously consider acting as a career, though he did continue to act as a member of PACE Youth Theatre. He applied instead to the Royal Navy and had already been accepted when he was also offered a place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He took the place at RSAMD and when he graduated in 2000, he moved to London. He'd already made a couple of TV appearances by this time and continued to get a steady stream of TV and movie work until he came to British public attention in 2004 playing Steve McBride in the successful UK TV series "Shameless" (2004) and then to the rest of the world in 2005 as Mr Tumnus in Disney's adaptation of 'C. S. Lewis''s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005).

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Patrick "the Professor X" Stewart Biography


Patrick Hewes Stewart was born in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England. He was a member of various local drama groups from about age 12. He left school at age 15 to work as a junior reporter on a local paper; he quit when his editor told him he was spending too much time at the theatre and not enough working. Stewart spent a year as a furniture salesman, saving cash to attend drama school. He was accepted by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 1957. He made his professional debut in 1959 in the repertory theatre in Lincoln; he worked at the Manchester Library Theatre and a tour around the world with the Old Vic Company followed in the early 1960s. Stewart joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, to begin his 27-year association. Following a spell with the Royal National Theatre in the mid 1980s, he went to Los Angeles, California to star in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987), which ran from 1987-1994, playing the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. After the series ended, Stewart reprised his role for a string of successful Star Trek films: Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). Stewart continues to work on the stage and in various films. He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his accomplishments in theatre, film and television.