Stars
Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson, an American actor, film producer, director, and screenwriter, is a three-time Academy Award winner and twelve-time nominee. Nicholson is also notable for being one of two actors who received an Oscar nomination every decade from the 1960s. He has played a wide range of starring or supporting roles, including comedy, romance, and darkly comic portrayals of anti-heroes and villainous characters. He played the “eternal outsider, the sardonic drifter,” who rebels against the social structure in many of his films.Compose Cognofile
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. was an American actor and film director with a career spanning 60 years, during which he won the Oscar for Best Actor twice. Marlon Brando is widely considered the greatest movie actor of all time. Brando concentrated his talents on movies after bidding the Broadway stage adieu. He is well-regarded for his cultural influence on the 20th-century film. Brando was also an activist for many causes, notably the civil rights movement and various Native American movements. Having studied with Stella Adler in the 1940s, he is credited with being one of the first actors to bring the Stanislavski system of acting and method acting, derived from the Stanislavski system, to mainstream audiences.Verbal Cognofile
Robert De Niro
Robert is an American actor, producer, and director mainly known for his collaborations with filmmaker Martin Scorsese. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2009, he received the Kennedy Center Honor, and in 2016, he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama.Compose Cognofile
Al Pacino
Alfredo James “Al” ‘Pacino established himself as a film actor during one of cinema’s most vibrant decades, the 1970s, and has become an enduring and iconic figure in the world of American movies. Pacino found himself often repeating the plots and voices of characters he had seen in the film. Bored and unmotivated in school, he found a haven in school plays, and his interest soon blossomed into a full-time career. Starting on stage, he went through a period of depression and poverty, sometimes having to borrow bus fare to succeed in auditions. He made it into the prestigious Actors Studio in 1966, studying under Compose Cognofile
Daniel Day-Lewis
Born in London, England, Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis is a retired English actor and one of the most respected actors of his generation, and he has also been hailed as one of the greatest actors in cinematic history. His numerous awards include three Academy Awards for Best Actor, making him the only male actor to have three wins in that category and only three male actors to win three Oscars. He won four BAFTA Awards for Best Actor, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. In June 2014, Day-Lewis received a knighthood for services to drama.Clarify Cognofile
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. Actor Robert De Niro described him as “an actor with the everyman’s face who embodied the heartbreakingly human.”Compose Cognofile
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for his comedic and dramatic roles, Hanks is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Hanks’s films have grossed more than $4.9 billion in North America and more than $9.96 billion worldwide, making him the fifth-highest-grossing actor in North America.Compose Cognofile
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins CBE (1937- ) is a Welsh actor, composer, director and film producer. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTAs, two Emmys and the Cecil B. DeMille Award. In 1993, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts. Hopkins received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003, and in 2008 he received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.Compose Cognofile
Paul Newman
Paul Newman (1925—2008), American actor and director whose striking good looks, intelligence, and charisma became hallmarks in a film career that spanned more than 50 years, during which time he became known for his compelling performances of iconic antiheroes. Screen legend, superstar, and the man with the most famous blue eyes in movie history.Verbal Cognofile
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. After graduating from high school, Denzel enrolled at After graduating from Fordham University(B.A., 1977), Washington began to pursue acting span> as a career and joined the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. After several successful stage performances in California and New York, he made his screen debut in the comedy Carbon Copy(1981).Verbal Cognofile
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier could speak William Shakespeare’s lines as naturally as if he were “actually thinking them”, said English playwright Charles Bennett, who met Olivier in 1927. Laurence Kerr Olivier was an English actor and director who was one of a trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. His family had no theatrical connections, but Olivier’s father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s.Compose Cognofile
Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon was born in Newton, Massachusetts, to Mildred Lankford Noel and John Uhler Lemmon, Jr., the president of a doughnut company. John Lemmon III was an American actor and musician nominated for an Academy Award eight times, winning twice. He starred in over 60 films, such as Mister Roberts, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Days of Wine and Roses, Irma la Douce, The Great Race, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger, The China Syndrome, Missing, Long Day’s Journey into Night, and Glengarry Glen Ross.Compose Cognofile
Michael Caine
Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite in London. He left school at age 15 and took a series of working-class jobs before joining the British army and serving in Korea during the Korean. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 130 films during a career spanning over 60 years and is considered a British film icon. As of February 2017, the movie he has appeared in has grossed over $7.8 billion worldwide. He is ranked at No. 20 on the list of highest-grossing box office stars.Compose Cognofile
James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart was an American actor, singer, and military officer. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart’s film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality he portrayed both on and off the screen, Stewart epitomized the “American ideal” in the twentieth-century United States. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him third on its list of the greatest American male actors.Compose Cognofile
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams was born on July 21, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois. He was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and a wide variety of voices, he is often regarded as one of the best comedians of all time. Williams began performing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles during the mid-1970s and rose to fame playing the alien Mork in the sitcom Mork & Mindy.Perceive Cognofile
Robert Duvall
Veteran actor and director Robert Selden Duvall was born on January 5, 1931, in San Diego, CA. Duvall majored in drama at Principia College (Elsah, IL). Robert’s career spans more than six decades. He has been nominated for seven Academy Awards (winning for his performance in Tender Mercies) and seven Golden Globe Awards (winning four). He has won a BAFTA, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Emmy Award. Duvall began appearing in the theater during the late 1950s, moving into television and film roles during the early 1960s, playing Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and appearing in Captain Newman, M.D.(1963), as Major Frank Burns in the blockbuster comedy MASH span> (1970) and the lead role in THX 1138 (1971).Verbal Cognofile
Sean Penn
Sean Penn is a powerhouse film performer capable of intensely moving work, who has gone from strength to strength during a colorful film career. He has drawn much media attention for his stormy private life and political viewpoints. He also is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He has won two Academy Awards for his roles in the mystery drama Mystic River (2003) and the biopic Milk (2008). Penn began his acting career in television, with a brief appearance in episode 112 of Little House on the Prairie on December 4, 1974, and directed by his father Leo Penn.Compose Cognofile
Morgan Freeman
Morgan was born on June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee, to Mayme Edna (Revere), a teacher, and Morgan Porterfield Freeman, a barber. He is an American actor, director and narrator. With an authoritative voice and calm demeanor, this ever popular American actor has grown into one of the most respected figures in modern US cinema. He has appeared in a range of film genres portraying character roles and is mainly known for his distinctive deep voice. Freeman is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Verbal Cognofile
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon Bridges was born on December 4, 1949 in Los Angeles, California, the son of well-known film and TV star Lloyd Bridges. He grew up amid the Hollywood scene with big brother Beau Bridges and became an actor, singer, and producer. One of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, he has won numerous accolades including the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as an alcoholic singer in the 2009 film Crazy Heart. Critic Pauline Kael wrote that Bridges “may be the most natural and least self-conscious screen actor that has ever lived.”Verbal Cognofile
Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier KBE is a Bahamian-American actor, film director, and ambassador. In 1964, Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the first Black male and Afro-Bahamian actor to win that award. He is the oldest living and earliest surviving Best Actor Academy Award winner. From 1997 to 2007, he served as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan.Compose Cognofile
Peter O’Toole
Peter Seamus O’Toole was a British stage and film actor of Irish descent. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic and with the English Stage Company. In 1959 he made his West End debut in The Long and the Short and the Tall, and played the title role in Hamlet in the National Theatre’s first production in 1963. Excelling on the London stage, O’Toole was known as a “hellraiser” off it. Verbal Cognofile
Clint Eastwood
was born May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, is an American actor, film director, producer, and composer. After achieving success in the Western TV series Rawhide, he rose to international fame with his role as the “Man with No Name” in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy of Spaghetti Westerns during the 1960s, and as antihero cop Harry Callahan in the five Dirty Harry films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These roles, among others, have made Eastwood an enduring cultural icon of masculinity.Clarify Cognofile
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California. Actor Gene Hackman dropped out of high school to join the Marines and then studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse Theatre. Hackman’s breakout film was Bonnie and Clyde. An Academy Award-winning actor, Hackman has played nearly every type of role imaginable, from politicians to super cops to military leaders to criminal masterminds. Some of his most famous performances include Popeye Doyle in The French Connection and Lex Luther in Superman. He is retired from acting. Compose Cognofile
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is the recipient of three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, one for acting in Syriana (2006) and the other for co-producing Argo (2012). In 2018, he was the recipient of the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award.Verbal Cognofile
Meryl Streep
Many critics have considered the greatest living actress, Meryl Streep, nominated for the Academy Award an astonishing 21 times and has won it three times. Meryl was born Mary Louise Streep in 1949 in Summit, New Jersey. She has won Oscars: 3 Oscar Nominations: 19 BAFTA Awards: 2 BAFTA Nominations: 14 Golden Globes: 8 Golden Globe Nominations: 29Compose Cognofile
Katharine Hepburn
Actress The Lion in Winter
Katharine Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907 in Hartford, Connecticut, to a suffragist and a doctor who always encouraged her to speak her mind, develop it thoroughly, and exercise her body to its full potential. An athletic tomboy as a child, she was very close to her brother Tom; at 14, She has won Oscars: 4 Oscar Nominations: 12 BAFTA Awards: 3 BAFTA Nominations: 6 Golden Globes: 0 Golden Globe Nominations: 8 Verbal Cognofile
Katharine Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907 in Hartford, Connecticut, to a suffragist and a doctor who always encouraged her to speak her mind, develop it thoroughly, and exercise her body to its full potential. An athletic tomboy as a child, she was very close to her brother Tom; at 14, She has won Oscars: 4 Oscar Nominations: 12 BAFTA Awards: 3 BAFTA Nominations: 6 Golden Globes: 0 Golden Globe Nominations: 8 Verbal Cognofile
Ingrid Bergman
Actress Casablanca
Ingrid Bergman was one of the greatest actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Era. Her natural and unpretentious beauty and her immense acting talent made her one of the most celebrated figures in American cinema history. Bergman is also one of the most Oscar-awarded actresses.Oscars: 3 Oscar Nominations: 7 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 2 Golden Globes: 4 Golden Globe Nominations: 8 Compose Cognofile
Ingrid Bergman was one of the greatest actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Era. Her natural and unpretentious beauty and her immense acting talent made her one of the most celebrated figures in American cinema history. Bergman is also one of the most Oscar-awarded actresses.Oscars: 3 Oscar Nominations: 7 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 2 Golden Globes: 4 Golden Globe Nominations: 8 Compose Cognofile
Bette Davis
Actress | All About Eve
Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Ruth Augusta (Favor) and Harlow Morrell Davis, a patent attorney. Her parents divorced when she was 10. Her early interest was dance. To Bette, dancers led a glamorous life. Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 11 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 1 Golden Globes: 0 Golden Globe Nominations: 3 Verbal Cognofile
Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Ruth Augusta (Favor) and Harlow Morrell Davis, a patent attorney. Her parents divorced when she was 10. Her early interest was dance. To Bette, dancers led a glamorous life. Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 11 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 1 Golden Globes: 0 Golden Globe Nominations: 3 Verbal Cognofile
Olivia de Havilland
Actress | The Heiress
Olivia Mary de Havilland was born July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents, Lilian Augusta (Ruse), a former actress, and Walter Augustus de Havilland, an English professor, and patent attorney. Her sister, Joan, later to become famous as Joan Fontaine, was born the following year.Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 5 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 0 Golden Globes: 2 Golden Globe Nominations: 3Compose Cognofile
Olivia Mary de Havilland was born July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents, Lilian Augusta (Ruse), a former actress, and Walter Augustus de Havilland, an English professor, and patent attorney. Her sister, Joan, later to become famous as Joan Fontaine, was born the following year.Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 5 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 0 Golden Globes: 2 Golden Globe Nominations: 3Compose Cognofile
Vivien Leigh
Actress | A Streetcar Named Desire
If a film were made of the life of Vivien Leigh, it would open in India just before World War I, where a successful British business person could live like a prince. In the mountains above Calcutta, a little princess is born. Vivien Leigh was a British stage and film actress. She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche DuBois in the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire, a role she had also played on stage in London’s West End in 1949.Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 2 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 1 Golden Globes: 0 Golden Globe Nominations: 1 Compose Cognofile
If a film were made of the life of Vivien Leigh, it would open in India just before World War I, where a successful British business person could live like a prince. In the mountains above Calcutta, a little princess is born. Vivien Leigh was a British stage and film actress. She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche DuBois in the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire, a role she had also played on stage in London’s West End in 1949.Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 2 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 1 Golden Globes: 0 Golden Globe Nominations: 1 Compose Cognofile
Audrey Hepburn
Actress | Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Audrey Hepburn was born as Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman, while her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was born in Úzice, Bohemia, to English and Austrian parents.Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 5 BAFTA Awards: 3 BAFTA Nominations: 5 Golden Globes: 1 Golden Globe Nominations: 9 Compose Cognofile
Audrey Hepburn was born as Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was a Dutch noblewoman, while her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was born in Úzice, Bohemia, to English and Austrian parents.Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 5 BAFTA Awards: 3 BAFTA Nominations: 5 Golden Globes: 1 Golden Globe Nominations: 9 Compose Cognofile
Greer Garson
Actress | Mrs. Miniver
Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson was born on September 29, 1904 in London, England, to Nancy Sophia (Greer) and George Garson, a commercial clerk. She was of Scottish and Ulster-Scots descent. Her childhood was a regular, if not non-descript life. Greer showed no early signs of interest in becoming an actress. Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson CBE was an English actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer popularized during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the Homefront; listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America’s top-ten box office draws from 1942 to 1946. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 7 BAFTA Awards: 3 BAFTA Nominations: 7 Golden Globes: 1 Compose Cognofile
Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson was born on September 29, 1904 in London, England, to Nancy Sophia (Greer) and George Garson, a commercial clerk. She was of Scottish and Ulster-Scots descent. Her childhood was a regular, if not non-descript life. Greer showed no early signs of interest in becoming an actress. Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson CBE was an English actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer popularized during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the Homefront; listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America’s top-ten box office draws from 1942 to 1946. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 7 BAFTA Awards: 3 BAFTA Nominations: 7 Golden Globes: 1 Compose Cognofile
Susan Hayward
Actress |I Want to Live!
Susan Hayward was born Edythe Marrener in Brooklyn, New York, on June 30, 1917. Her father was a transportation worker, and Susan lived a fairly comfortable life as a child, but the precocious petite redhead had no idea of the life that awaited her. She was best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model, Hayward traveled to Hollywood in 1937 to audition for the role of Scarlett O’Hara. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 5 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 2 Golden Globes: 1 Golden Globe Nominations: 2 Compose Cognofile
Susan Hayward was born Edythe Marrener in Brooklyn, New York, on June 30, 1917. Her father was a transportation worker, and Susan lived a fairly comfortable life as a child, but the precocious petite redhead had no idea of the life that awaited her. She was best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model, Hayward traveled to Hollywood in 1937 to audition for the role of Scarlett O’Hara. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 5 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 2 Golden Globes: 1 Golden Globe Nominations: 2 Compose Cognofile
Elizabeth Taylor
Actress | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was considered one of the last, if not the last, major star to have come out of the old Hollywood studio system. She was known internationally for her beauty, especially for her violet eyes, with which she captured audiences early on in her youth and kept the world hooked. She was an English-American actress, businesswoman, and humanitarian. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s, and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 5 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 3 Golden Globes: 1 Golden Globe Nominations: 4 Verbal Cognofile
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was considered one of the last, if not the last, major star to have come out of the old Hollywood studio system. She was known internationally for her beauty, especially for her violet eyes, with which she captured audiences early on in her youth and kept the world hooked. She was an English-American actress, businesswoman, and humanitarian. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s, and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 5 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 3 Golden Globes: 1 Golden Globe Nominations: 4 Verbal Cognofile
Judy Garland
Actress | The Wizard of Oz
One of the brightest, most tragic movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Era, Judy Garland was a much-loved character whose warmth and spirit, along with her rich and exuberant voice, kept theatre-goers entertained with an array of delightful musicals. Judy Garland was an American actress, singer, vaudevillian and dancer. With a career spanning 45 years, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Oscars: 0 Oscar Nominations: 2 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 1 Golden Globes: 1 Golden Globe Nominations: 2 Compose Cognofile
One of the brightest, most tragic movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Era, Judy Garland was a much-loved character whose warmth and spirit, along with her rich and exuberant voice, kept theatre-goers entertained with an array of delightful musicals. Judy Garland was an American actress, singer, vaudevillian and dancer. With a career spanning 45 years, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Oscars: 0 Oscar Nominations: 2 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 1 Golden Globes: 1 Golden Globe Nominations: 2 Compose Cognofile
Joan Fontaine
Actress | Suspicion
Born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland on October 22, 1917, in Tokyo, Japan. Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the “Golden Age.” Fontaine appeared in more than 45 films in a career that spanned five decades. She was the younger sister of actress Olivia de Havilland. Their rivalry was well-documented in the media at the height of Fontaine’s career. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 3 BAFTA Awards: N/A BAFTA Nominations: N/A Golden Globes: N/A Golden Globe Nominations: N/A Compose Cognofile
Born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland on October 22, 1917, in Tokyo, Japan. Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the “Golden Age.” Fontaine appeared in more than 45 films in a career that spanned five decades. She was the younger sister of actress Olivia de Havilland. Their rivalry was well-documented in the media at the height of Fontaine’s career. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 3 BAFTA Awards: N/A BAFTA Nominations: N/A Golden Globes: N/A Golden Globe Nominations: N/A Compose Cognofile
Jane Fonda
Actress | Klute
Born in New York City to legendary screen star Henry Fonda and Ontario-born New York socialite Frances Seymour Brokaw, Jane Seymour Fonda was destined early to an uncommon and influential life in the limelight. Jane Seymour Fonda is an American actress, political activist, environmentalist, and former fashion model. She is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Honorary Golden Lion, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 7 BAFTA Awards: 2 BAFTA Nominations: 6 Golden Globes: 4 Golden Globe Nominations: 11 Verbal Cognofile
Born in New York City to legendary screen star Henry Fonda and Ontario-born New York socialite Frances Seymour Brokaw, Jane Seymour Fonda was destined early to an uncommon and influential life in the limelight. Jane Seymour Fonda is an American actress, political activist, environmentalist, and former fashion model. She is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Honorary Golden Lion, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 7 BAFTA Awards: 2 BAFTA Nominations: 6 Golden Globes: 4 Golden Globe Nominations: 11 Verbal Cognofile
Jessica Lange
Actress | Tootsie
Jessica Lange was born in 1949, in Cloquet, Minnesota, USA, where her father worked as a traveling salesman. She obtained a scholarship to study art at the University of Minnesota but instead went to Paris to study drama. She moved to New York, working as a model until producer Dino De Laurentiis cast her as the female lead in King Kong (1976).Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 6 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 1 Golden Globes: 5 Golden Globe Nominations: 13 Compose Cognofile
Jessica Lange was born in 1949, in Cloquet, Minnesota, USA, where her father worked as a traveling salesman. She obtained a scholarship to study art at the University of Minnesota but instead went to Paris to study drama. She moved to New York, working as a model until producer Dino De Laurentiis cast her as the female lead in King Kong (1976).Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 6 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 1 Golden Globes: 5 Golden Globe Nominations: 13 Compose Cognofile
Julie Andrews
Actress | The Sound of Music
Julia Elizabeth Wells was born on October 1, 1935, in England. Her mother, Barbara Ward (Morris), and stepfather, both vaudeville performers, discovered her freakish but undeniably lovely four-octave singing voice and immediately got her a singing career. She rose to prominence starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady playing Eliza Doolittle and Camelot playing Queen Guinevere. Andrews made her feature film debut in Mary Poppins and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the title role. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 3 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 3 Golden Globes: 3 Golden Globe Nominations: 10 Clarify Cognofile
Julia Elizabeth Wells was born on October 1, 1935, in England. Her mother, Barbara Ward (Morris), and stepfather, both vaudeville performers, discovered her freakish but undeniably lovely four-octave singing voice and immediately got her a singing career. She rose to prominence starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady playing Eliza Doolittle and Camelot playing Queen Guinevere. Andrews made her feature film debut in Mary Poppins and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the title role. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 3 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 3 Golden Globes: 3 Golden Globe Nominations: 10 Clarify Cognofile
Shirley MacLaine
Actress | Terms of Endearment
Shirley MacLaine was born Shirley MacLean Beaty in Richmond, Virginia. Her mother, Kathlyn Corinne (MacLean), was a drama teacher from Nova Scotia, Canada, and her father, Ira Owens Beaty, a psychology and real estate agent professor, was from Virginia. Shirley MacLaine is an American actress, author, activist, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, headstrong, eccentric women, MacLaine is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 6 BAFTA Awards: 2 BAFTA Nominations: 9 Golden Globes: 5 Golden Globe Nominations: 19 Verbal Cognofile
Shirley MacLaine was born Shirley MacLean Beaty in Richmond, Virginia. Her mother, Kathlyn Corinne (MacLean), was a drama teacher from Nova Scotia, Canada, and her father, Ira Owens Beaty, a psychology and real estate agent professor, was from Virginia. Shirley MacLaine is an American actress, author, activist, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, headstrong, eccentric women, MacLaine is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 6 BAFTA Awards: 2 BAFTA Nominations: 9 Golden Globes: 5 Golden Globe Nominations: 19 Verbal Cognofile
Sissy Spacek
Actress | In the Bedroom
Mary Elizabeth Spacek was born on December 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, to Virginia Frances (Spilman) and Edwin Arnold Spacek, Sr., a county agricultural agent. Her father’s family was of Czech and German origin. Spacek is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, two Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four BAFTA Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. She has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 6 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 4 Golden Globes: 3 Compose Cognofile
Mary Elizabeth Spacek was born on December 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, to Virginia Frances (Spilman) and Edwin Arnold Spacek, Sr., a county agricultural agent. Her father’s family was of Czech and German origin. Spacek is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, two Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four BAFTA Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. She has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 6 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 4 Golden Globes: 3 Compose Cognofile
Ellen Burstyn
Actress | Requiem for a Dream
Ellen Burstyn was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Correine Marie (Hamel) and John Austin Gillooly. She is of Irish, French/French-Canadian, Pennsylvania Dutch (German), and Native American ancestry. She worked several jobs before she became an actress. Renowned actress and six-time Academy Award nominee. By the time Ellen Burstyn arrived in New York to study acting, she’d already worked as a Texas fashion model, a Montreal chorus girl, suffered numerous toxic relationships. Theater legend Moss Hart called her “a natural.” Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 6 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 1 Golden Globes: 1 Golden Globe Nominations: 7 Verbal Cognofile
Ellen Burstyn was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Correine Marie (Hamel) and John Austin Gillooly. She is of Irish, French/French-Canadian, Pennsylvania Dutch (German), and Native American ancestry. She worked several jobs before she became an actress. Renowned actress and six-time Academy Award nominee. By the time Ellen Burstyn arrived in New York to study acting, she’d already worked as a Texas fashion model, a Montreal chorus girl, suffered numerous toxic relationships. Theater legend Moss Hart called her “a natural.” Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 6 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 1 Golden Globes: 1 Golden Globe Nominations: 7 Verbal Cognofile
Helen Mirren
Actress | RED
Dame Helen Mirren was born in Queen Charlotte’s Hospital in West London. Excelling on stage with the National Youth Theatre, her performance as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra in 1965 saw her join the Royal Shakespeare Company before she made her West End stage debut in 1975. Since then, Mirren has also had success in television and film. She is one of the few performers who have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in the US. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 4 BAFTA Awards: 4 BAFTA Nominations: 11 Golden Globes: 3 Golden Globe Nominations: 11 Verbal Cognofile
Dame Helen Mirren was born in Queen Charlotte’s Hospital in West London. Excelling on stage with the National Youth Theatre, her performance as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra in 1965 saw her join the Royal Shakespeare Company before she made her West End stage debut in 1975. Since then, Mirren has also had success in television and film. She is one of the few performers who have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in the US. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 4 BAFTA Awards: 4 BAFTA Nominations: 11 Golden Globes: 3 Golden Globe Nominations: 11 Verbal Cognofile
Judi Dench
Actress | Skyfall
Dame Judi Dench was born Judith Olivia Dench in York, England. She made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years, she performed in several Shakespeare’s plays, in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Although most of Dench’s work during this period was in theatre, she branched into film work and won a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer. She drew rave reviews for her leading role in the musical Cabaret in 1968. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 7 BAFTA Awards: 9 BAFTA Nominations: 26 Golden Globes: 2 Golden Globe Nominations: 11 Verbal Cognofile
Dame Judi Dench was born Judith Olivia Dench in York, England. She made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years, she performed in several Shakespeare’s plays, in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Although most of Dench’s work during this period was in theatre, she branched into film work and won a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer. She drew rave reviews for her leading role in the musical Cabaret in 1968. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 7 BAFTA Awards: 9 BAFTA Nominations: 26 Golden Globes: 2 Golden Globe Nominations: 11 Verbal Cognofile
Susan Sarandon
Actress | Thelma & Louise
Susan Sarandon was born Susan Abigail Tomalin in New York City, NY. Sarandon is an American actress and activist. She has received an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards. Known for her social and political activism, Sarandon was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1999 and received the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award in 2006. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 5 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 2 Golden Globes: 0 Golden Globe Nominations: 8 Verbal Cognofile
Susan Sarandon was born Susan Abigail Tomalin in New York City, NY. Sarandon is an American actress and activist. She has received an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards. Known for her social and political activism, Sarandon was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1999 and received the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award in 2006. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 5 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 2 Golden Globes: 0 Golden Globe Nominations: 8 Verbal Cognofile
Sally Field
Actress | Forrest Gump
Sally Margaret Field was born in 1946 in Pasadena, California. Field is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for a Tony Award and two BAFTA Awards. Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 3 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 2 Golden Globes: 2 Golden Globe Nominations: 11 Compose Cognofile
Sally Margaret Field was born in 1946 in Pasadena, California. Field is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for a Tony Award and two BAFTA Awards. Oscars: 2 Oscar Nominations: 3 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 2 Golden Globes: 2 Golden Globe Nominations: 11 Compose Cognofile
Diane Keaton
Actress | Annie Hall
Diane Keaton was born Diane Hall in Los Angeles, Deanne California, to Dorothy (Keaton), an amateur photographer, and John Newton Ignatius “Jack” Hall, a civil engineer and real estate broker. She studied Drama at Santa Ana College before dropping out in favor of the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 4 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 3 Golden Globes: 2 Golden Globe Nominations: 9 Compose Cognofile
Diane Keaton was born Diane Hall in Los Angeles, Deanne California, to Dorothy (Keaton), an amateur photographer, and John Newton Ignatius “Jack” Hall, a civil engineer and real estate broker. She studied Drama at Santa Ana College before dropping out in favor of the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 4 BAFTA Awards: 1 BAFTA Nominations: 3 Golden Globes: 2 Golden Globe Nominations: 9 Compose Cognofile
Faye Dunaway
Actress | Network
An icy, elegant blonde with a knack for playing complex and strong-willed female leads, enormously popular actressFaye Dunaway starred in several films, which defined what many would come to call Hollywood’s “second Golden Age.” During her tenure at the top of the box office, she was a more than capable match for some of the biggest macho stars of the period. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 3 BAFTA Awards: 2 BAFTA Nominations: 4 Golden Globes: 3 Golden Globe Nominations: 11 Verbal Cognofile
An icy, elegant blonde with a knack for playing complex and strong-willed female leads, enormously popular actressFaye Dunaway starred in several films, which defined what many would come to call Hollywood’s “second Golden Age.” During her tenure at the top of the box office, she was a more than capable match for some of the biggest macho stars of the period. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 3 BAFTA Awards: 2 BAFTA Nominations: 4 Golden Globes: 3 Golden Globe Nominations: 11 Verbal Cognofile
Kathy Bates
Actress | Misery
Multi-talented, multi-award-winning actress Kathleen (Doyle) Bates was born on June 28, 1948, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Kathy discovered acting in high school plays and studied drama at Southern Methodist University, graduating in 1969. Things started moving quickly up the ladder after giving a tour-de-force performance alongside Christopher Walken Lanford Wilson at Buffalo’s Studio Arena Theatre in’s world premiere of “Lemon Sky” in 1970. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 3 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 2 Golden Globes: 2 Golden Globe Nominations: 6 Compose Cognofile
Multi-talented, multi-award-winning actress Kathleen (Doyle) Bates was born on June 28, 1948, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Kathy discovered acting in high school plays and studied drama at Southern Methodist University, graduating in 1969. Things started moving quickly up the ladder after giving a tour-de-force performance alongside Christopher Walken Lanford Wilson at Buffalo’s Studio Arena Theatre in’s world premiere of “Lemon Sky” in 1970. Oscars: 1 Oscar Nominations: 3 BAFTA Awards: 0 BAFTA Nominations: 2 Golden Globes: 2 Golden Globe Nominations: 6 Compose Cognofile