EMMY ROSSUM

Date of Birth
12 September 1986, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name
Emmanuelle Grey Rossum

Nickname
Em
Emmy Grey

Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)

Mini Biography
It would seem that 2004, the year of her 18th birthday, will be remembered as pivotal for Emmy Rossum due to her appearance in two very different films, The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and The Phantom of the Opera (2004). Emmy's performance in the latter film gained her a Golden Globe nomination, and should assure that she will be a memorable presence in many films to come.

Being born and raised in New York City provided Emmy with the perfect place to start her professional career. After passing an audition at the Metropolitan Opera when she was 7 years old, she performed in more than 20 operas in six different languages at Lincoln Center, alongside such figures as Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. She was directed by Franco Zeffirelli in "Carmen." She left the opera when she entered her teenage years, as she had grown too tall to perform as a child. Emmy also appeared in a Carnegie Hall presentation of "The Damnation of Faust." She graduated from the Spence School, a private institution in Manhattan, in 1996 and then earned a high school diploma when 15 years old by taking online extension courses offered by Stanford University (Education Program for Gifted Youth). She later enrolled at Columbia University and studied art history and French.

In a change of venue, Emmy created the role of Abigail Williams in the daytime soap opera "As the World Turns" (1956) in 1997 and branched out in performances in the made-for-television movies Genius (1999) (TV) and The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000) (TV), in which she played the title character as a young teenager. Other television work included "Snoops" (1999), "Law & Order" (1990), and "The Practice" (1997).

Emmy made her theatrical feature debut in the indie film Songcatcher (2000), with her good friend Rhoda Griffis, which won the Special Jury Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2000. Rossum received an Independent Spirit Award nomination in the category of Best Debut Performance for her performance as an Appalachian orphan. She played an aspiring songwriter (the title character) in the romantic comedy Nola (2003). Cast as the ill-fated daughter of a small-business owner in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003), she projected an aura of innocence that made her character's tragic death memorable and heartbreaking. This was her first major studio film.

After six months of filming her role as the fresh-faced but highly intelligent teenage damsel in distress The Day After Tomorrow (2004) in Montreal, she returned to New York and screen-tested for the role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera (2004) in full costume and makeup, and was finally selected for the part by Andrew Lloyd Webber after singing for him at his home. Although she was surprised to be chosen ahead of many better-known and older actresses considered for the part, the combination of her vulnerable, fragile beauty and fine, classically trained singing voice ultimately proved that she was perfectly cast. In preparation for the role, she took ballet classes for two months and started polishing her singing. Emmy has commented that, in her approach to acting, she draws heavily upon her own experiences, so she visited locations in Paris and conjured up what she terms "past memories" to draw upon in making her performance emotionally realistic. She stood on the roof of the Opéra Garnier, where Christine sings "All I Ask of You," and went underneath the opera house, where there is actually a gloomy, dark lake. She studied Degas's paintings of ballerinas in the Musée d'Orsay to learn how to stand like one.

Her next project Poseidon (2006) was a mainstream effort but since its release she has been more true to advice she obtained from Sean Penn when making Mystic River (2003) that she should be picky and only accept roles that are fun to do such as Dragonball: Evolution (2009).

Spouse
Justin Siegel (17 February 2008 - 28 December 2010) (divorced)

Trade Mark
Always kisses someone at least once

Dies or has a near death experience in each film

Beautiful soprano singing voice


Trivia
Attended the Spence School in Manhattan, an elite private girls' school that was also attended by Gwyneth Paltrow and Kerry Washington.

Has appeared in 20 different operas singing in five languages.

Had never seen the stage version of The Phantom of the Opera (2004) prior to filming the screen version.

Made her stage debut at seven years of age (she sang "Happy Birthday" for her audition) at the New York Metropolitan Opera. She made $5 a night singing with the children's choir. According to her, "There were horses onstage that were getting $150".

Her father is a banker and her mother is a corporate photographer.

Took cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in London.

In preparation for her role in The Phantom of the Opera (2004), she attended a séance at the Spiritualist Association of Great Britian, where a medium talked to her about her late grandmother.

Won Best Young Actress in 2004 Critic's Choice Awards

She obtained her high school diploma online via a Stanford University program.

Has celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which the body can't tolerate any foods containing gluten or wheat.

Is an only child.

Her favorite actors are Sean Penn (her Mystic River (2003) co-star) and Miranda Richardson (her The Phantom of the Opera (2004) co-star).

Attending Columbia University.

Hobbies include reading, horseback riding, and ballet.

Her favorite book is John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men".

Currently recording a pop album for Geffen Records [April 2006]

Cousin is Cecilia Becker, daughter of world-famous designer Vera Wang.

Her favorite designer is Ralph Lauren.

She is a fan of Audrey Hepburn.

Her favorite opera is "Carmen".

Used to be a vegetarian.

Studied acting with Flo Salant Greenberg of the Actor's Workshop in New York City for several years.

Is very close friends with singer/actress Ashlee Simpson.

Best friends with Leighton Meester, the actress and budding singer.

Was ranked #48 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 of 2010 list.


Personal Quotes
[on her audition with Andrew Lloyd Webber for The Phantom of the Opera (2004)] He had the most magnificent apartment I had ever seen and I was floored by it. I went in and started vocalizing with the accompanist and Andrew walked in as we were preparing. He didn't say hello, didn't introduce himself, and just sat down in front of me and said, "Shall we?" I thought to myself it was my one shot so I had better just stand up and do it, so I didn't introduce myself, I nodded to the accompanist and I did the two biggest numbers in the show. Then he stood up and said, "That was great. I'm Andrew."

[regarding her visit to a psychic who told her some accurate things about her late grandmother] I'm a very rational person but I pray every day.

The truth is, I probably didn't want to be friends with some of those girls [from prep school], because I found that a lot of their values were a little specious. Now, of course, all those girls are calling me and being like, "We should have lunch!" and I'm like, "Um . . . don't you remember how you didn't like me that much?"

I'm heavy on preparation . . . Some actors come to the set and don't know what scene they're playing, but that would make me crazy. It's not about control but perfectionism--my biggest vice and one of my biggest assets.

I'm convinced wearing those corsets for 14 hours at a time deformed me for life. I was 16 years old and still growing at the time of the shooting. I could barely breathe, and with Christine's intense emotions I hyperventilated and almost passed out. I think her name is Christine for a reason. She is Christ-like.

[about kissing Patrick Wilson in The Phantom of the Opera (2004)] In this one scene, it took three days to shoot and it's the scene where my character passionately kisses her fiancé for the first time. It was so complex with the snow coming down that it took three days to shoot. By the end of the three days I'd kissed him so much that my lips had swollen up--so much that I had to use an ice pack in between takes. Hardship, I know!

I like René Descartes' theory about a ball of wax. You can change its form from solid to liquid, but it's still the same ball of wax. With acting, you are the same person in a different form. You can only be what you know, and you only truly know yourself.

Sean Penn and Clint Eastwood have told me that I shouldn't feel that I need to be in the limelight or the spotlight all the time. A career is about longevity, as shown in their careers. So, I really want to only do the best things and work with the best people. That's what I strive to do.

I think of all my roles, I was best in Genius (1999) (TV).

... I'm on a TV show, which I'm so lucky to be on. It pays my rent, so I don't need to make a ton of money on music, and music has always been my first love. I'm not in this business for fame or money. That's something I learned from being a kid at the Met. The kids weren't unionized. We made 25 bucks a night and there were horses onstage - no joke - that were making $800. So when you're valued, at least monetarily, less than a farm animal, you realize you're there because you really love it.

[on if it it's a part of her career strategy to not be typecast as "a young hottie starlet"] ...actually don't think I have a strategy. I think in terms of instinct, if in my gut it feels like the right character, if I feel it's a story that needs to be told. Of course in retrospect it was an excellent idea to go do something that was not glamorous, because I think people did see me as princess-y after "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Poseidon" and big-budget movies. Looking back on it, if it was a strategy it would have been a really good one. It happened that I ended up emotionally attaching to a character that I was the right age for when they were casting it. This show ["Shameless"] had also been around for a couple of years. There was another incarnation of it at HBO with Woody Harrelson in the William H. Macy role, so I wouldn't have been the right age for it at that time. So much of Hollywood is luck.

[on if it appealed to her that the character of Fiona in "Shameless" is not glamorous] Yes, it did appeal to me to have a character who isn't in the least vain. As an actor, your own personal vanity can be a massive pitfall in terms of making a character believable. I feel more in this character to have my shoulders hunched and be in tattered clothes and have my hair knotted than I do when I'm dolled up.


Where Are They Now
(December 2004) Currently taking classes at Columbia University in the City of New York

(May 2008) Currently filming Dare (2009), a full-feature film from the Short Film of the same name (can be seen on "Logo").

(January 2009) Currently a spokesperson with a series of public service announcements for "Pinkitude.com", a breast cancer awareness website.

(March 2011) Manhattan, NY

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JULIANNE HOUGH

Date of Birth
20 July 1988, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Birth Name
Julianne Alexandra Hough

Nickname
Jules

Height
5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Biography
Julianne Alexandra Hough was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, the youngest of 5 children. Her mother is Mari Anne and her father is Bruce Robert Hough, a twice chairman of the Utah Republican Party. Her parents met in college, when they were both part of a ballroom dancing team. Her parents divorced and she has 9 stepsiblings from their second marriages.

Her mother was instrumental in her career in entertainment, enrolling her and her siblings in various performing classes from a very young age. She began her training in Latin Ballroom dancing at the Center Stage Performing Arts Studio in Orem, Utah. At age 10, along with her brother Derek Hough, she went to London, England, to study with coaches, Corky and Shirley Ballas. They attended the Italia Conti Academy with the Ballas' son, Mark Ballas. The three children performed as a pop music trio '2B1G' (2 Boys, 1 Girl) at dance competitions in the UK and the US. At age 15, Julianne won the Junior World Latin Champion and International Latin Youth Champion at the Blackpool Dance Festival.

During this time in London, her parents divorced. She returned to the United States to live with her mother in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she attended the Las Vegas Academy. After a year, she moved back to Utah to live with her father and graduated from Alta High School. She then moved to Los Angeles, California to begin her career in entertainment. Julianne quickly landed her first job as a dancer on the ABC game show "Show Me the Money" (2006). She then went on tour as a company dancer with "Dancing with the Stars" and joined the cast of "Dancing with the Stars" (2005/I) in season four.

Julianne is also known as a country singer. She released her debut album in 2008, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Country Album chart and #3 on the Billboard 200. Her first acting role was in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) at age 13. She has appeared in her first lead role in the remake of Footloose (2011). Julianne is also actively involved in charities and humanitarian efforts including the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Clothes Off Our Back, St. Jude's Children's Hospital and serves on the American Red Cross Cabinet.

Trivia
Julianne is the fifth and youngest child of her parents' marriage. Her siblings, starting with the eldest, are: sisters Sharee Hough, Mara Beth Hough and Katherine Hough; brother Derek Hough, who appeared with her on "Dancing with the Stars" (2005/I). (They also have 9 stepsiblings from their parents' second marriages.) All have been active in theater arts since early childhood, inspired by their mother's enrolling them in numerous performing courses; they billed themselves as "The Blond Osmonds".

Last name is pronounced "Huff".

Ranked #30 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.

Had surgery to remove her appendix on October 28, 2008.

Country music singer and professional dancer.

Ex-girlfriend of actor Kevin Connolly and singer Chuck Wicks [2008-2009]. At age 18, she was engaged to Zack Wilson in 2006.

Has 15 nieces and nephews - Paris, Willow, Skye, Star, Bronson, Max, Griffin, Evelyn, Hayden, Tyler, Latelyn, AR and Quaid Wise (from sister Sharee Hough), Aidan Poole (from sister Mara Beth Hough), Ariana Phillips (from sister Katherine Hough).

One of her idols is Dolly Parton.

Julianne was head girl at the Italia Conti Academy.

Niece of John Hough and Tina Hough, owners of the Roosevelt Hotel in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.


Where Are They Now
(May 2007) She and partner, Apolo Ohno, were crowned the winners of "Dancing with the Stars" (2005/I) Season 4.

(November 2007) She and partner Helio Castroneves are crowned the winners of "Dancing with the Stars" (2005/I) Season 5.

(December 2007) Signed a record deal with Universal Music Group and is expected to release a country single in early 2008.

(March 2008) Eliminated on "Dancing with the Stars" (2005/I) with Adam Carolla.

(November 2008) Was in fourth place on "Dancing with the Stars" (2005/I) with Cody Linley.

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DEBORAH KERR

Date of Birth
30 September 1921, Helensburgh, Scotland, UK

Date of Death
16 October 2007, Botesdale, Suffolk, England, UK (complications from Parkinson's disease)

Birth Name
Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer

Nickname
The English Rose

Height
5' 6" (1.68 m)

Mini Biography
Deborah Kerr was born on 30 September 1921 in Helensburgh, Scotland, the daughter of Captain Arthur Kerr-Trimmer. She was educated at Northumberland House, Clifton, Bristol. She first performed at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London. She subsequently performed with the Oxford Repertory Company 1939-40. Her first appearance on the West End stage was as Ellie Dunn in "Heartbreak House" at the Cambridge Theatre in 1943. She performed in France, Belgium and Holland with ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association, or Every Night Something Awful) - The British Army entertainment service. She has appeared in many films from her first appearance in Major Barbara (1941).

IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>

Mini Biography
Born Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer in Scotland in 1921, she was the daughter of a soldier who had been gassed in World War I. A shy, insecure child, she found an outlet for expressing her feelings in acting. Her aunt, a radio star, got her some stage work when she was a teenager, and she came to the attention of British film producer Gabriel Pascal, who cast her in his film of George Bernard Shaw's "Major Barbara" (Major Barbara (1941)) and Love on the Dole (1941). She quickly became a star of the British cinema, playing such diverse roles as the three women in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) and the nun in Black Narcissus (1947). In 1947 she "crossed the pond" and came to MGM, where she found success in films like The Hucksters (1947), Edward, My Son (1949) and Quo Vadis (1951). After a while, however, she tired of playing prim-and-proper English ladies, so she made the most of the role of the adulteress who romps on the beach with Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity (1953). The film was a success, and Kerr received her second Oscar nomination. She also achieved success on the Broadway stage in "Tea and Sympathy," reprising her role in the 1956 film version (Tea and Sympathy (1956)). That same year she played one of her best-remembered screen roles, "Mrs. Anna" in The King and I (1956). More success followed in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957), An Affair to Remember (1957), Separate Tables (1958), The Sundowners (1960), The Innocents (1961) and The Night of the Iguana (1964). Then in 1968 she suddenly quit movies, appalled by the explicit sex and violence of the day. After some stage and TV work in the 1970s and 1980s and swan song performances in The Assam Garden (1985) and Hold the Dream (1986) (TV), she retired from acting altogether. Kerr holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations for Best Actress without a win (six), but that was made up for in 1994, when she was given an Honorary Oscar for her screen achievements.

Spouse
Peter Viertel (23 July 1960 - 16 October 2007) (her death)
Anthony C. Bartley (28 November 1945 - 10 June 1960) (divorced) 2 children

Trade Mark
Playing 'classic' English ladies

Delicately pretty looks

Refined and repressed characters who go through harrowing emotional experiences


Trivia
Similar to her losing streak at the Oscars, Deborah was finally awarded a BAFTA "Special Award" in 1991 after being nominated four times. She did, however, win the New York Film Critics Award three times and the Golden Globe Award for The King and I (1956).

Her last public appearance was in 1994 when she was awarded an honorary Oscar after six failed nominations over the years. Miss Kerr, along with Thelma Ritter, is one of the few actresses to have received six nominations and not to have won an Oscar. On Oscar evening, Glenn Close presented a special tribute to her work, the Oscar audience watched clips of her films to music. Miss Kerr then appeared from behind the screen, obviously frail, in a blue pastel trouser suit and received a standing ovation from her peers. A life-long shy woman, Miss Kerr said, "I have never been so terrified in my life, but I feel better now because I know that I am among friends. Thank you for giving me a happy life." Following this, there was another standing ovation and Miss Kerr left the stage, which was to become her last official goodbye to Hollywood.

Awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1997/8 New Years Honours List.

Has two daughters from her marriage to Anthony C. Bartley: Melanie Jane Bartley (born December 27, 1947) and Francesca Ann Bartley (born February 23, 1951). Bartley was a WWII Royal Air Force squadron leader.

Her singing voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon in The King and I (1956).

Suffered from Parkinson's disease.

Joan Crawford was originally meant to play her role in From Here to Eternity (1953), but when she insisted on shooting the film with her own cameraman, the studio balked. They decided to take a chance and cast Ms. Kerr, who then was struggling with her ladylike stereotype, to play the adulterous military wife who has an affair with Burt Lancaster. The casting worked and Ms. Kerr's career thereafter enjoyed a new, sexier versatility.

Maureen O'Hara was originally meant to play her role in The King and I (1956), but Yul Brynner specifically asked for Deborah.

She is mother-in-law of actor John Shrapnel, who married her daughter, Francesca Shrapnel. She is, thus, also the grandmother of writer Joe Shrapnel and actors Lex Shrapnel & Tom Shrapnel.

Her brother Ted Trimmer was killed in a road-rage incident at the age of 78 (August 2004).

When she was a young girl, she had a strict "Victorian" grandmother who made her lie on her back, on the floor, for long periods of time, in order to "straighten her back" and ensure good posture.

She is the great-aunt of Benjamin Viertel.

In Italy, almost all of her films were dubbed by either Lidia Simoneschi or Renata Marini. She was occasionally dubbed by Dhia Cristiani, Andreina Pagnani and once by Gemma Griarotti in Quo Vadis (1951).

Was romantically involved with Burt Lancaster while filming From Here to Eternity (1953).

Originally when filming began on Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957), her co-star Robert Mitchum worried that Kerr would be like the prim characters she frequently played. However, after she swore at director John Huston during one take, Mitchum, who was in the water, almost drowned laughing. The two stars went on to have an enduring friendship which lasted until Mitchum's death in 1997.

Lived in Switzerland and Spain after retiring from acting, but returned to England to be with her family when her Parkinson's disease worsened.

Her surname is pronounced "car", not "care".

Her signature in cement for Graumans Chinese Theater in Hollywood was actually cast on the set of The King and I (1956) and not at the theater.

Patron of the National Society of Clean Air and Enviromental Protection in Britain from 1992 until her death in 2007.

Her aunt Phyllis Smale, running the Hicks-Smale Drama School in Bristol, became her first acting coach.

Born to Arthur Charles Kerr-Trimmer, a World War I veteran pilot who became a naval architect and civil engineer, and his wife Kathleen Rose Smale, she was originally trained to be a ballet dancer.

She was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film culture.

Deborah Kerr, her husband Peter Viertel and her biographer Eric Braun all died within the space of five weeks in the fall of 2007. All were aged 86.

Received one of the longest standing ovations of all Honorary Oscar-recipients when she was awarded with an Honorary Oscar for her body of work in 1994.

Daughter-in-law of Salka Viertel and Berthold Viertel.

Is one of four Scottish actors to have received an Academy Award nomination. The others in chronological order are Mary Ure, Tom Conti and Sean Connery. As of 2011 Sean Connery is the only one to have won an Academy Award (for his performance in The Untouchables (1987)).


Personal Quotes
All the most successful people these seem to be neurotic. Perhaps we should stop being sorry for them and start being sorry for me - for being so confounded normal.

I came over here [Hollywood] to act, but it turned out all I had to do was to be high-minded, long suffering, white-gloved and decorative.

I am really rather like a beautiful Jersey cow, I have the same pathetic droop to the corners of my eyes.

[speaking in 1969] When I was under contract to MGM, with people like poor Robert Taylor and so many others, the cinema's job was solely entertainment. It filled a public need then. Now the cinema serves so many other purposes; it functions as psychiatrist, politician, message-maker, money maker and, incidentally, entertainer. But it's no good regretting that things are different. Times have to change.

When you're young, you just go banging about, but you're more sensitive as you grow older. You have higher standards of what's really good; you're fearful that you wont live up to what's expected of you.

[on John Wayne] He's a warm, kind-hearted, loving, generous, intellectual genius.

[on Alan Ladd] He was awfully good in putting across what he had, in looks and in manner; he had something very attractive -- a definite film personality which he had worked very hard to perfect.

I'm almost hysterical at the thought of making people cry with joy 30-odd years after ]Cary Grant] and I did our stuff. I've certainly shed tears at An Affair to Remember (1957), even though I know all the tricks of movie magic that went into it. Believe me, Cary and I knew how to kiss. When we did a love scene, we may not have been trying to swallow each other but, for those brief moments, we just loved each other.

I was mad about ballet, but I grew too tall, and when I eventually realized I'd never become the second Margot Fonteyn, I auditioned for a play instead and got the part.

[about her famous romantic beach scene with Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity (1953)] It had to have rocks in the distance, so the water could strike the boulders and shoot upward -- all very symbolic. The scene turned out to be deeply affecting on film, but, God, it was no fun to shoot. We had to time it for the waves, so that at just the right moment a big one would come up and wash over us. Most of the waves came up only to our feet, but we needed one that would come up all the way. We were like surfers, waiting for the perfect waves. Between each take, we had to do a total cleanup. When it was all over, we had four tons of grit in our mouths--and other places.

[about her work in From Here to Eternity (1953)] I don't think anyone knew I could act until I put on a bathing suit.

[on Elia Kazan] As you know, people will give their right arm, literally, and most of their blood to work with him. He's got a kind of incredible instinct with people. He's so in sympathy with all the fears and frights of actors, through having done it himself. And he's got a personal magic that gets within your very being.

I'd rather drop dead in my tracks one day than end up in a wheelchair in some nursing home watching interminable replays of The King and I (1956).

[after completing her first Hollywood film, "The Hucksters"] I always wondered what it would be like. You come 6,000 miles and then, suddenly, you've done it. It's like having a tooth out.


Salary
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) £5,000
The Night of the Iguana (1964) $250,000

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EMILY BROWNING

Date of Birth
7 December 1988, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Birth Name
Emily Jane Browning

Nickname
Em

Height
5' 2" (1.57 m)

Mini Biography
Australian actress Emily Browning was born in 1988 in Melbourne, Australia. She has two younger brothers. Her start in acting came after a classmate's father, involved in the acting business, noticed her "acting all ditsy" in a school play. Emily found an agent and was soon filming on location for the Hallmark TV-movie, The Echo of Thunder (1998) (TV). She received more roles from there, including parts in The Man Who Sued God (2001), opposite Billy Connolly, and Ned Kelly (2003), opposite Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom. In that film, she had to hug Heath Ledger, and she said that all of her friends, who went to see the film, at the same time sent her a barrage of text messages about how lucky she was! Emily says she tries to avoid "cheesy" movies, and her big break came when she was on a press tour in LA for Ghost Ship (2002), that was filmed in Australia and released in America. In the same year, she won an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Young Actress, and was nominated for the same award, the next year. Emily received some scripts when she was in LA and sent in a video audition for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). She received a call and was asked to come to LA for a proper audition, which won her the part. She spent months in LA filming, for the second time acting opposite Billy Connolly. Emily said she enjoyed the experience of making a big budget film in America, and says that although she's not sure what is coming next, she's hoping to do some more Australian work.

Trivia
Got her start in acting after being noticed in a school play.

Won the coveted role of Violet in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) after her agent gave her a pile of scripts for which to submit video auditions. She was phoned by the director of Lemony Snicket and asked to come to LA for an audition, which won her the part.

For her underwater scene in Ghost Ship (2002), she had to wear little weights so her dress wouldn't float up over her face.

Her parents' names are Shelley and Andrew.

Has two brothers; Nicholas (b. circa 1995) and Matthew (b. circa 1997).

She wanted to be a fashion designer when she was little, but she was "discovered" as an actress at age 8 in a school play.

She was scared she was going to get fired while filming Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), because she'd be laughing at Jim Carrey so much.

Says she learned an American accent from watching "Sesame Street" (1969) as a child.

She has a cat named Jasper and a dog named Roxy.

She needed to wear heels for her costume in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) because Liam Aiken was much taller than she was.

Is featured briefly (archive footage from Ghost Ship (2002)) in the film Around the Bend (2004).

Took a 3-year acting break, starting in 2005, to finish school in Australia. She will return in the remake of A Tale of Two Sisters (2004), with Arielle Kebbel, Elizabeth Banks and David Strathairn.

Was cast as "Babydoll" in Sucker Punch (2011), after Amanda Seyfried was forced to drop out due to scheduling problems.

Replaced Mia Wasikowska in Sleeping Beauty (2011).

Has her nose and belly button pierced.

Ranked #90 in the 2011 FHM (Australia) list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".

In 2002, she won an AFI Young Actor's Award and in 2004 she represented them.

Has two younger brothers.

Per Stephenie Meyer's request, Browning was offered the part of "Bella" in Twilight (2008/I). She turned it down because she didn't want to be involved in a film franchise as it would distract her from her studies.

Ranked #28 in "The Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces From Around the World" for 2010.

Ranked #4 in the 2011 Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Faces.

She is a pescetarian (a vegetarian who eats fish).

Appeared as "Anna" in The Uninvited (2009) (a remake of A Tale of Two Sisters (2004)) with Arielle Kebbel (as "Alex") and Elizabeth Banks (as "Rachel").


Personal Quotes
I was lucky - the first eight productions I auditioned for, I got cast.

After Hollywood, you know if people are interested in you or in the fact that you've been in a movie. You know who your real friends are.

My family are very supportive and always have been. They weren't the kind of parents that pushed me into it. I know a lot of parents of kid actors I've worked with have pressured them into acting, but my parents are different. I'm really lucky to have them because they let me make my own decisions.

[on a scene that was cut in Sucker Punch (2011)]: I had a very tame and mild love scene with Jon Hamm. It was like heavy breathing and making out. It was hardly a sex scene... I think that it's great for this young girl to actually take control of her own sexuality. Well, the MPAA doesn't like that. They don't think a girl should ever be in control of her own sexuality because they're from the Stone Age. I don't know what the fuck is going on and I will openly criticize it, happily. So essentially, they got Zack to edit the scene and make it look less like she's into it. And Zack said he edited it down to the point where it looked like he was taking advantage of her. That's the only way he could get a PG-13 (rating) and he said, 'I don't want to send that message'. So, they cut the scene!

The whole point of our job is to be able to realistically portray a human being and if you don't experience life, if all you experience is acting and being on set, how on Earth are you going to be able to connect to real people and portray these characters? I realized if I want to do this, I have to have a life.

[on what you bring as an artist] You can't judge it and you can't analyze what you do, because what you bring is original and beautiful and special.

In my everyday life I'm a little bit nervous and not particularly brave. I feel like if I can be completely brave in my work then I'm doing something right.

I went to this weird little hippie primary school and we did a lot of plays. The first one was "Alice in Wonderland" and I played Alice. It was all in Italian - it was such a bizarre school.

I'm not going to do a pop album anytime soon. I'm not going to dye my hair blonde and wear pink mini-skirts.

I'm a massive daydreamer. I'm constantly lost within my own fantasies and my own thoughts personally, and I think maybe that is sort of represented in what we do for a living, the fact that we make believe everything and we escape into these other characters for a living.


Where Are They Now
(August 2004) Filming Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004).

(September 2005) At school in Melbourne, Australia, in Year 11.

(October 2006) Appearing in the music video, "Light Surrounding You", from the band, Evermore.

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ARIELLE KEBBEL

Date of Birth
19 February 1985, Winter Park, Florida, USA

Birth Name
Arielle Caroline Kebbel

Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)

Mini Biography
Arielle Caroline Kebbel (born February 19, 1985) is an American model and actress. Arielle is perhaps best known for her roles in films such as American Pie Presents: Band Camp, John Tucker Must Die, Vampires Suck, and Aquamarine, as well as TV series including The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls, and Life Unexpected, on which she played Paige Thomas. She is often considered a Scream Queen, due to her work in notable horror films including The Uninvited and The Grudge 2.
Early life and modeling career
Kebbel was born in Winter Park, Florida. Her mother, Sheri, is a talent manager and owns a production company. Kebbel graduated from Crenshaw School in Winter Garden. Arielle was a contestant at the 2002 Miss Florida Teen USA beauty pageant. Before pursuing a career in acting, Arielle was a fulltime model. She has since appeared in publications such as Maxim, H, Lucky, Men's Health, Stuff and FHM. She also has visited high schools in the midwest currently

Acting career
Within the first week of moving to Los Angeles, California, Kebbel successfully auditioned for her first major role portraying Lindsay Lister on The CW's Gilmore Girls. She went on to become a major recurring role throughout the third, fourth and fifth season. Arielle has since appeared in television shows such as Entourage, Grounded for Life, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Vampire Diaries. She has been cast in two pilots Football Wives and No Heroics both developed for ABC which have not been picked up.

In 2004, Arielle made her film debut portraying a major supporting role alongside Kevin Hart, Tom Arnold and Snoop Dogg in the hip-hop comedy film Soul Plane. She has also had numerous notable roles in films such as Be Cool, The Kid & I, American Pie Presents: Band Camp and Reeker.

In 2005, Arielle was announced to portray the role of Carrie Schaeffer alongside Sophia Bush, Brittany Snow and Jesse Metcalfe in 20th Century Fox's John Tucker Must Die. Filming took place in Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada during the summer of 2005. The film received negative reviews from critics and made a profit at the box office earning worldwide $68,821,702.

In 2005, Arielle signed on for another 20th Century Fox film titled Aquamarine starring Sara Paxton and Emma Roberts and Joanna(JoJo) Levesque. Arielle portrays the role of the film's villain, Cecilia Banks. The film was released in March 2006, and had little box office success with earnings of $23 million worldwide.

In February 2006, Arielle was confirmed to be starring alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and Teresa Palmer in The Grudge 2. The film is a sequel to the 2004 Horror film, The Grudge which was a remake of the original Japanese film. Arielle described her role of schoolgirl Allison Flemming as "The girl you see in the background of all the pictures that wants to be a part of everything but never really is". Filming took place in Tokyo, Japan in April that same year. The film was released on October 13, 2006. The film managed to be a box office success earning over $70 million worldwide.

In 2006 Arielle was announced to star in the Indie Sports/Drama film Forever Strong alongside Penn Badgley, Sean Faris and Neal McDonough. Filming took place in August 2006 in Salt Lake City. This is both Penn and Arielle's second film together, having appeared alongside each other in John Tucker Must Die. The film suffered in development hell and received numerous pushbacks. The film was released on September 26, 2008 Straight-to-DVD. Critical reception was generally negative.

In February 2008, Arielle was announced to star as the central character Katherine in the Indie Horror Freakdog alongside Sarah Carter. The film received a limited cinema release on August 22, 2008 and was quickly released to DVD in February, 2009. Critical reception was universally negative. However, Darrell Moen's review described Kebbel's performance in the film as "Brilliant" and the film being a "Star-Vehicle" for her.

In March 2008 Paramount Pictures announced Arielle was portraying the role of Alex Ivers in the American Remake of the 2003 South Korean Horror film A Tale of Two Sisters. Emily Browning and Elizabeth Banks were confirmed to be co-starring. Filming took place in late 2008 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Despite performances of the cast being well received, critical reception was mixed to negative. The film managed to have a mixed response from the box office and earned $40 million worldwide.

In 2008 Screen Gems announced Arielle was to be starring alongside Danneel Harris, Carmen Electra and Regina Hall in the Comedy Mardi Gras. Filming took place in New Orleans in late 2008. The film has suffered numerous pushbacks with no official release being announced as of July 10, 2010.

Arielle also starred in the comedy The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best, which premiered on September 9th, 2011 at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. The film, slated for a wider release in 2012, is the directorial debut for writer/director/star Ryan O'Nan, and also features Michael Weston, Andrew McCarthy, and Jason Ritter.

Kebbel will appear in 90210 as Vanessa, starting in early December 2011. She will have a recurring role on the teen drama.

Magazine sexiest rankings
2010 "ANSWER THIS" motion picture filmed in Ann Arbor MI

Source
The Mini Biography is from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arielle_Kebbel. IMDb is not affiliated with, and neither endorses, nor is endorsed by Wikipedia or any of the authors who contributed to this article. The Wikipedia content may be available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, version 3.0 or any later version, available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Additional or other terms may apply. See Wikipedia Terms of Use for details. This webpage may use the Freebase schema, licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/.


Trivia
Was a contestant in the 2002 Miss Florida Teen USA Beauty Pageant.

Ranked #95 in Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.

Graduated from high school one semester early with a 4.3 GPA.

She actually booked her first job of "Lindsey Lister" on "Gilmore Girls" (2000), within the first week of moving to Los Angeles.

Works closely with the charitable organization "ReachBack LA".

Was the December 2006 entry in Stuff magazine's 2006-2007 pin up calendar.

Attended the Maile School in Winter Park, Florida. Other graduates include: Phil Moore, Shannon McGinnis, Tristan Ramel Greye, and Mandy Moore.

Ranked #54 in Croatian FHM magazine "100 sexiest woman in the world of 2008" list.

Lived across the hall from David Blue in a Hollywood apartment complex from 2004-2005.

Ranked #48 in Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2009 list.

Daughter of Sheri Kebbel.

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ELIZABETH BANKS

Date of Birth
10 February 1974, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA

Birth Name
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell

Height
5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Biography
Actress Elizabeth Banks was born Elizabeth Mitchell in Pittsfield, a small city in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts near the New York border, on February 10, 1974. She describes herself as having been seen as a "goody two-shoes" in her youth who was nominated for the local Harvest Queen.

Banks left home to attend college at the University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated Magna cum Laude, and went on to attend the Advanced Training Program at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, from which she graduated in 1996. She then moved to New York and worked in the theater as well as obtaining her first roles on-screen, small parts in movies and guest-star roles on television series. Seeking more screen work, Banks moved to Los Angeles and the supporting roles soon came, and required that she change her name to avoid confusion with another actress named Elizabeth Mitchell.

Her first breakthrough role was as Betty Brant, the secretary of the cantankerous newspaper tycoon in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002). Banks followed up this performance with small roles in other movies: Swept Away (2002), Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002), Seabiscuit (2003), and The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005). In 2003, she won the Exciting New Face Award at the Young Hollywood Awards.

Although the winsome, beautiful Banks projected an exceptionally-charming screen presence that drew comparisons to Audrey Hepburn, she primarily remained in supporting roles. Audiences began to take notice when Banks took the lead in such films as Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) and as Laura Bush in Oliver Stone's biopic of George W. Bush, W. (2008/I).

In television, Banks was a recurring guest star on "Scrubs" (2001) as Dr. Kim Briggs, the love interest of Zach Braff's J.D. In 2010, she was cast as Alec Baldwin's love interest in season four of "30 Rock" (2006). Originally her character was only scheduled to appear in four episodes, but she was brought back as a recurring character for two more seasons, and earned Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for two consecutive years.

Now in the spotlight, Banks appeared in back to back films, co-starring in Our Idiot Brother (2011), Man on a Ledge (2012), What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012), and People Like Us (2012). She also won the highly coveted role as Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games (2012). In 2012-2013, she will also star in such films as Pitch Perfect (2012), Frank or Francis (????), and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013).

Banks married her husband, Max Handelman, a sports writer and producer, in 2003. They welcomed a son, Felix Handleman, who was born via a surrogate in March 2011.

Spouse
Max Handelman (5 July 2003 - present) 2 children

Trivia
Graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta. Was the first in her family to graduate from college.

Graduated from American Conservatory Theater's Advanced Training Program in 1998.

Enjoys fantasy football as a hobby.

Was considered for the role of Susan Storm/Invisible Girl in Fantastic Four (2005), as was Fernanda Romero.

Wife of Max Handelman. She and her husband work as a production team (Brownstone Productions). They met at the University of Pennsylvania.

College friends with Todd Lieberman.

Oldest of four children in a divided house. (Her mom was for the Boston Red Sox and her dad was for the New York Yankees.).

Converted to Judaism after marrying her husband in 2003.

Met President George W. Bush when Seabiscuit (2003) was screened at the White House. In Oliver Stone's W. (2008/I), she plays the role of Laura Bush, the president's wife.

Taking a course on flying the trapeze with a girlfriend (2008).

Her father, Mark Mitchell, was a factory worker for General Electric and her mother, Ann Mitchell, worked, until recently, in a bank.

As a young child, she was a contestant on the Nickelodeon game show "Finders Keepers" (1987).

Graduated from Pittsfield (Massachusetts) High School in 1992.

Poltergeist (1982) was the scariest movie she has ever seen. She saw it, with her sister, when she was eleven.

Is a major fan of David Letterman.

Turned down a role in The Crazies (2010) because the role was too similar to her character in Slither (2006), and she didn't want to repeat herself.

Got the role in Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) after Rosario Dawson turned it down.

Bad Santa (2003) is her favorite holiday movie.

Ranked #83 in the 2011 FHM list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World.".

Has a brother named Geoff.

Has a weakness for cupcakes.

Ranked #39 in the 2010 FHM UK list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World.".

In a 2012 interview with Slate, Elizabeth Banks said that she considered her role in the 1998 independent movie, Surrender Dorothy (1998), to be one of the worst mistakes in her career, so far. She also said that it was instrumental in her decision to attend drama school, so that she could receive training that would enable her never to have to be in this type of movie, again.

Returned to work 2 months after the birth of her son Felix in order to begin filming The Hunger Games (2012).

Former brownie and girl scout.

In 2012, she threw her support behind President Barack Obama in a highly personal video testimonial on the importance of federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Became a mother for the 1st time at age 37, when her son, Felix Handelman, was born in March 2011 via surrogate. Child's father is her husband, Max Handelman.

Became a mother for the 2nd time at age 38, when her son, Magnus Mitchell Handelman, was born in November 2012, via surrogate. Child's father is her husband, Max Handelman.

Welcomed a second son via surrogate mid fall 2012, named Magnus Mitchell.


Personal Quotes
I really think that we do a disservice to young people in America by not being more open about sex. Abstinence programs do not work. It's a natural, physical thing having sex.

I'm pleased that Hollywood hasn't figured out how to pigeonhole me yet..."

I love physical comedy. I love Oscar Wilde, I love Shakespeare comedies, I love improv. I knew I had a knack for it at a certain level, but I came into this business as a classically trained drama student and that was my reputation. When you live in a leading lady's body, which I do, you have to constantly prove that you are funny.

Every once in a while I play a true idiot, and they're really fun to play.


Where Are They Now
(2009) Appeared in a commercial for L'Oreal Paris "Preference".

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ABIGAIL SPENCER

Date of Birth
4 August 1981, Gulf Breeze, Florida, USA

Birth Name
Abigail Leigh Spencer

Nickname
Abby

Height
5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Biography
Born and raised in Gulf Breeze, Florida, Abigail entered the pageant system at the age of four and won a state title at the age of 11. She credits this early experience with helping her deal gracefully with disappointments.

An accomplished vocalist, she traveled with her church choir to Germany in her freshman year at Gulf Breeze High school. A highlight of her sophomore year was her audition into the Broadway Theatre Project, helmed by Ann Reinking. Along with continuing to study drama and dance, her junior year was spent focusing on student government. It was in her senior year of high school that everything came together for Miss Spencer. Along with choreographing, directing and starring as "Rizzo" in a local production of "Grease", she beat out hundreds of other young hopefuls for the role of "Becca" and got the call from "All My Children" (1970). After attending her senior prom and her high school graduation ceremonies, Miss Spencer headed for Manhattan and "All My Children" (1970). In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, Pilate's and dance class.

Spouse
Andrew Pruett (2004 - present) (filed for divorce) 1 child

Trivia
Two brothers, Sterling, 13, and Yancy IV, 25, in 1999.

Friends with "One Tree Hill" (2003) actress Bethany Joy Lenz.

Her son Roman Pruett was born on September 19, 2008.

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