Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor, best known for playing Harry Potter in the feature film series based on the popular book series. Radcliffe has also made appearances in stage productions and a number of TV shows and films, including the ITV film My Boy Jack and the stage show Equus, for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.

Trivia

Liked to play pranks when he was 10. He took co-star Robbie Coltrane’s cellular phone and changed it so all the messages were in Turkish.

Has two border terriers named Binka and Nugget.

Tried reading the first Harry Potter book when he was 8 years old, but was unable to finish it. Finally read the entire book when he was cast in the lead role of the film

Has never actually seen the film The Tailor of Panama (2001) in which he appeared.

His favorite book from the Harry Potter series so far is number three, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

In February 2002, he was nominated for, and won “Best Newcomer” at the Variety Club Award ceremonies.

Received the Sir James Carreras Award For Outstanding New Talent for his role in Harry Potter at The Variety Club Showbusiness Awards 2002.

Voted Person of the Year 2002 by Time Kids.

Has stated that 12 Angry Men (1957) is the first black & white film he ever saw and is also his favorite film.

He named Jane’s Addiction, The Libertines, Rage Against the Machine and The Darkness among his favorite bands.

David Heyman, the producer for the Harry Potter films happened to be at a play that both Dan and Dan’s father, Alan Radcliffe, were at. After Heyman spotted Radcliffe, since both men knew each other, he was introduced to his son and when Heyman saw Daniel he thought he looked perfect for the part. In fact, that night at the play, Heyman couldn’t help just staring at Dan because he though he was perfect to play Harry. Daniel auditioned for, and got the part that he is now most recognized for, Harry Potter.

He enjoys listening to the music of Blur, Muse, The Music, Zwan and Brendan Benson.

A February 23, 2004 article in British newspaper ‘The Sun’ listed him as Britain’s third richest teenager behind only Prince Harry Windsor and Charlotte Church. He is said to be worth 5 million pounds.

Has earned 6 million pounds so far portraying Harry Potter, making him the second richest teenage in Britain behind Prince Harry Windsor’s 14 million pounds. [2004]

Can rotate his arm 360 degrees.

Is a big fan of Gary Oldman, his co-star in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004).

Is a supporter of Fulham Football Club although he doesn’t enjoy playing football himself.

He is a fan of Red Hot Chili Peppers and attended their London concert in June 2004.

Some of his favorite music groups are Stratovarius (Finland), Huey Lewis and The News (USA), and Tom Robinson (England).

Favorite actors include Aishwarya Rai, Christina Ricci, Cameron Diaz, Scarlett Johansson and Ben Stiller.

He originally disliked the “Harry Potter” books when he first read them.

Especially like the music group The Sex Pistols. He also plays the bass guitar.

He is a fan of indie rock. Some of his favorite bands include: The Zutons, Razorlight, The Libertines, Bloc Party, Hope of the States, The Futureheads and Kaiser Chiefs.

Delays between filming the second and third Harry Potter movies were caused because his parents wanted him to be able to attend normal school for a while.

Says he doesn’t read any articles or reviews about himself or his movies.

He supports Demelza House Children’s Hospice, which is a charity that cares for terminally-ill children in the Kent, East Sussex and South London areas of Britain. Dan always asks his fans to donate to the charity every Christmas and on his birthday instead of sending him gifts. In the book, ‘Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince’, the author J.K. Rowling named the character Demelza Robins after the charity.

He likes the music of The Strokes, The Clash and Pixies.

[May/June 2006] He sat his AS Levels in English Literature, History, and Religion and Philosophy for his AS levels (First year college exams).

Named Britain’s richest teenager with an astounding 23 million pound fortune, after he signed on a 8 million pound deal to make the fifth movie of the Harry Potter series.

Dan scared the make-up department crew when he came on set with bloodied sticking plasters on his face claiming that he had been fighting the previous day (just for a laugh).

His parents are Alan Radcliffe, a literary agent, and Marcia Gresham, a casting director.

Is also a big fan of The Killers.

Before working with Brendan Gleeson in the Harry Potter series, he worked with him in The Tailor of Panama (2001).

23 July 2007 – Appeared on BBC Radio’s Test Match Special, from Lords, London, on the final day of the England v. India test match. It was his 18th birthday and he was a guest on “View from the Boundary” hosted by Jonathan Agnew, the BBC’s cricket correspondent. He talked about his career to date, his love of cricket and his admiration for the grit of his favorite player Paul Collingwood. He appeared a second time in 2009 accompanied by fellow Potter cast member Tom Felton who plays Draco Malfoy.

Is very close to actor Gary Oldman.

His agent Sue Latimer is the mother (and agent) to his friend and fellow actor Freddie Highmore.

He is a huge fan of John Wayne.

Was ranked #6 on Forbes List of The 20 Top-Earning Young Superstars.(2007).

Named #23 on Empire Magazine’s 100 Sexiest Movie Stars. (2007).

Daniel Radcliffe

Was ranked #10 on Yahoo! List of 10 Most Popular Stars of 2007 on Yahoo! Movies. (2007).

Was ranked #79 on Forbes List of The Celebrity 100. (2007).

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $15 million.

Was ranked #29 on Entertainment Weekly’s ’30 Under 30′ the actors list.(2008).

Was ranked #3 on TV Guide Top 10 Teen Star Countdown (2008).

Was ranked #8 on Moviefone’s ‘The 25 Hottest Actors Under 25′(2008).

Named as one of London’s 1000 most influential people of 2008.

Ranked #11 on MSN’s top searched for stars under age 25 in 2008.

Ranked #1 on MSN’s top searched for male in 2007.

In the 2003 Comic Relief fundraiser, a lock of Dan’s hair sold at auction for 751 British pounds, the highest amount raised.

In 2008, Dan and the cast of Equus raised $203,746 for the charity, BroadwayCares/EquityFightsAids 20th Gypsy of the Year competition, setting a record for the most ever raised by a Broadway play. They not only beat the amount raised by other Broadway musicals but also came runner up for the best presentation, again beating out every other musical with their own song and dance. (The winning presentation was the Lion King’s). Dan wrote and sang the song. http://www.broadwaycares.org/events/gypsy.cfm.

Considers himself as an atheist and respects the work of Richard Dawkins.

The Guardian (UK) reported that Radcliffe has published some poetry under the pen name “Jacob Gershon.” Jacob is his middle name, and Gershon is the original Yiddish name from which his mother’s maiden name, Gresham, was derived.

In August 2009, The Trevor Project announced that Daniel Radcliffe had made a “major” donation to them and joined their “Circle of Hope,” a group of their high-donating supporters. The Trevor Project operates a national (US) crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth (who are four times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual children and teens). The Trevor Project was inspired by the short film Trevor (1994), about a gay boy who attempts suicide; the organization was started by the film’s creators in 1998.

Charisma Carpenter

Charisma Lee Carpenter (born July 23, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, for which she was nominated for four Saturn Awards. Her most recent role is playing opposite Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Bruce Willis in The Expendables (Summer 2010).

Trade Mark

Birthmark on her jawline.

Trivia

Became good friends with Susan Ward after both were turned down for the role of Maggie Cory on the soap “Another World” (1964).

Was a cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers’ football team.

Named by her mother after a brand of perfume

Auditioned for the role of Buffy on the TV show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997), but got the role of Cordelia after it was turned down by actress Bianca Lawson.

Lost out to Kelly Rutherford in Scream 3 (2000).

She has a tribal sun tattooed on her back.

Gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Donovan Charles Hardy, at 9:50 PM on March 24th 2003 at Cedar Sinai hospital in Beverly Hills.

After 7 years playing Cordelia Chase, 3 years on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997) and 4 years on “Angel” (1999), Charisma was not invited back as a regular for Angel’s fifth and final season. She agreed to return for the 100th episode although she wasn’t asked until Sarah Michelle Gellar turned down the chance to guest star in the episode. [2003]

Will be reprising her role as Cordelia Chase in the 100th episode of “Angel” (1999). The show is currently in its fifth season without her, considering the Cordelia Chase character is in a coma. [November 2003]

She’s Cherokee, Irish, Scottish, and Spanish on her mother’s side and French and German on her father’s side.

Has a rosary tattoo on her left wrist.

She held three state titles when she was thirteen years old and placed top five for a ballet routine at an international competition.

She tries to sign only personalized autographs so her signature cannot be sold on EBay or elsewhere. She also refuses to sign her MAXIM, FHM, or other revealing photos.

She is one of the only cast members from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997) and “Angel” (1999) who refuses to charge for her autograph at fan conventions. She does it for free.

Her guest spot on Lifetime’s “The Division” (2001) as a young woman attacked by an undercover police officer eerily resembles a real life incident nearly ten years ago in which Charisma and two of her friends were attacked by a former police officer in Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego. Charisma escaped unharmed, although one of her friends was seriously injured. The police officer, who had been stalking Charisma for almost a year, was sentenced to fifty years in prison.

The role of Delilah in The Faculty (1998) was written specifically for her, but she turned it down because it was too similar to her “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997) character, Cordelia.

Appears on the June 2004 cover of Playboy with a 10 page layout inside.

The scars her character Cordelia got after a fall in Buffy are actually real. As a young child, she fell into a swimming pool that was under construction at her home, and was run through by a piece of rebar.

After starring in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997), “Angel” (1999), and guest-starring in episodes of “Charmed” (1998), she has become the face of supernatural dramas on The WB.

Her character, Cordelia Chase, whom she had played for years on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997) and “Angel” (1999), was killed off in the landmark 100th episode of “Angel” (1999). It was her final appearance on the series, with the exception of archival footage.

Her characters on both “Angel” (1999) and “Charmed” (1998) could see into the future.

She is good friends with her See Jane Date (2003) (TV) co-star Holly Marie Combs. In fact, it was their friendship that prompted her to play Kira on “Charmed” (1998).

She has two half brothers, Troy and Kenny.

Was in an unaired pilot called “Like Cats & Dogs”.

She speaks Spanish; however, she states that she’s not fluent, despite being of Mexican ancestry and spending time living in Mexico as a child.

A fitness enthusiast, her outdoor interests include roller blading, rock climbing, hiking and sky diving.

Currently resides in Los Angeles, California with her two Golden Retrievers.

Has studied classical ballet since the age of 5, and pursued dancing as part of her high school curriculum, by commuting between Mexico and San Diego to take lessons at the School of Creative and Performing Arts.

Was discovered by a commercial agent while working as a waitress in Los Angeles to save for her college education.

Ranked #9 on Wizard magazine’s “Sexiest Women of TV” list (March 2008).

Attended high school in Las Vegas with Kamar De Los Reyes. She was a freshman when he was a junior.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman (born July 23, 1967) is an American actor and theatre director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films. He gradually gained recognition for his supporting work in a series of notable films, including Scent of a Woman (1992), Boogie Nights (1997), The Big Lebowski (1998), Magnolia (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Almost Famous (2000), 25th Hour (2002), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), and Cold Mountain (2003).

In 2005, Hoffman played the title role in the biographical film Capote (2005), for which he won multiple acting awards including an Academy Award for Best Actor. He also received two Academy Award nominations for his supporting work in Charlie Wilson’s War (2007) and Doubt (2008). Other critically acclaimed films in recent years have included Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007), The Savages (2007), and Synecdoche, New York (2008).

Hoffman is also an accomplished theatre actor and director. He joined the LAByrinth Theater Company in 1995, and has directed and performed in numerous Off-Broadway productions. His performances in two Broadway plays led to two Tony Award nominations: one for Best Leading Actor in True West (2000), and another for Best Featured Actor in Long Day’s Journey into Night (2003).

Trade Mark

Characters often run through a large range of emotions

Trivia

Has twice been nominated for Broadway’s Tony Award: as Best Actor (Play) in 2000 for a revival of Sam Shepard’s “True West;” and as Best Actor (Featured Role -Play) in 2003 for a revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night.”

He had the flu the entire time he appeared in Almost Famous (2000).

Has appeared in all of Paul Thomas Anderson’s movies, but has stated that he will not appear in Anderson’s upcoming film, There Will Be Blood (2007).

Brother of Gordy Hoffman

Has three children with girlfriend Mimi O’Donnell: Cooper Alexander Hoffman (b. March 2003), Tallulah Hoffman (b. November 2006) and Willa Hoffman (b. October 17, 2008).

Taught an advanced “Directing the Actor” class for one semester at Columbia University School of the Arts Graduate Film Division during 2003.

BFA in Drama – New York University, Tisch School of the Arts (1989)

Has appeared in three films with Julianne Moore: Boogie Nights (1997), The Big Lebowski (1998), and Magnolia (1999). They each then went on to appear in separate film in the Hannibal Lecter series. Moore played Clarice Starling in Hannibal (2001), and Hoffman played Freddie Lounds in Red Dragon (2002).

In his sophomore year of high school, he suffered an injury that prevented him from playing multiple sports.

In 2002, he appeared in 25th Hour (2002), opposite Edward Norton and Brian Cox; and in Punch-Drunk Love (2002), opposite Emily Watson. That same year, he appeared with both Norton and Watson in Red Dragon (2002), which was a remake of Manhunter (1986), in which Cox had appeared.

Grew up in upstate New York, outside of Rochester, in the village of Fairport.

When asked who his acting idols were, he named Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Newman, Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken.

Does not drink alcohol. He became sober when he was 22 years old and says that he quit because, “I was 22 and I was panicked for my life.”

Appears in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Red Dragon (2002). Both are remakes of earlier films (Purple Noon (1960) and Manhunter (1986)), and both feature him as a character named Freddie who is killed by the villain/title character.

While working as a lifeguard, he once met musician Miles Davis. Davis appeared in an episode of the TV series “Crime Story” (1986), and shared a scene with Stephen Lang. Lang appeared in Manhunter (1986) as Freddy Lounds, the character Hoffman played in Red Dragon (2002).

His performance as Truman Capote in Capote (2005) is ranked #35 on Premiere Magazine’s 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

His mother is a judge in Rochester, New York

After winning his Oscar for Capote (2005), he has been working with a filmmaker from his former high school in Fairport, New York, helping him with his project.

Goodfellas (1990) is one of his favorite films.

Philip and his girlfriend, Mimi O’Donnell, are expecting their second child [June 19, 2006].

He won 23 awards for his performance in Capote (2005) including the coveted Oscar.

His parents divorced when he was 9.

Has a younger sister named Emily Hoffman and an older sister named Jill Hoffman.

Mother: Marilyn Hoffman Connor.

Meet his girlfriend Mimi (a costumer designer) in 1999 while they were working in the play “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings”.

His father is Gordon S. Hoffman.

Auditioned for the role of “Cubby Barnes” in Ransom (1996).

“Law & Order: The Violence of Summer (#1.14)” (1991), in which he appeared, also featured another actor named Philip Hoffman.

As of 2008, he and Dustin Hoffman are the only two winners of a Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar to share a last name. Philip won for Capote (2005) and Dustin won for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Rain Man (1988).

At NYU was a founding member of the notoriously short-lived and volatile theater company the Bullstoi Ensemble with actor Steven Schub and director Bennett Miller.

College roommates at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with actor ‘Steven Schub’ (lead singer of ska band The Fenwicks) and Jimmie Corrieri (guitarist of The Fenwicks).

Upon accepting his Oscar for Capote (2005), Hoffman asked everyone to congratulate his mother, because “She brought up four kids alone, and she deserves a congratulations for that.”.

Beat Heath Ledger for an Academy Award for Best Actor in 2005 for his title role in Capote (2005), and then lost out to the late great actor for the Best Supporting Actor in 2008 to Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight (2008).

Is one of seven actors to have won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are Geoffrey Rush for Shine (1996), Jamie Foxx for Ray (2004/I), Forest Whitaker The Last King of Scotland (2006), Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men (2007), Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007), Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008), and Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009).

He is a big New York Jets fan.

Woody Harrelson

Woodrow Tracy “Woody” Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor.

Harrelson’s breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd. Notable film characters include basketball hustler Billy Hoyle in White Men Can’t Jump, bowler Roy Munson in Kingpin, serial killer Mickey Knox in Natural Born Killers, magazine publisher Larry Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt, country singer Dusty in A Prairie Home Companion, bounty hunter Carson Wells in No Country for Old Men, zombie killer Tallahassee in Zombieland, blind piano player/meat salesman Ezra Turner in Seven Pounds, conspiracy nut Charlie Frost in 2012, a delusional man who believes that he is a superhero named Defendor in Defendor and Cpt. Tony Stone in The Messenger. For The People vs. Larry Flynt and The Messenger, Harrelson earned Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

Trivia

Is a vegan.

Moonlights as the lead singer in the band Manly Moondog and the Three Kool Hats.

Graduated from Hanover College in 1983 with a degree in theater arts & English. Member Sigma Chi fraternity.

Was married to Neil Simon’s daughter, Nancy Simon. Has had relationships with: Carol Kane, Ally Sheedy and Moon Unit Zappa.

Was arrested in Columbus (Ohio) in June 1983, charged of disorderly conduct – he was dancing in the street, halting traffic; he later jumped out of a moving police van laughing maniacally and finally punched one of the two arresting officers to the ground.

Brother of Brett Harrelson and Jordan Harrelson.

Father Charles Harrelson was sentenced to two life sentences for the murder of Federal Judge John Howland Wood on the orders of drug dealer Jimmy Chagra, who reportedly paid him $250,000. Harrelson has claimed to be one of the “hobos” taken away from “the grassy knoll” right after the shooting of John F. Kennedy.

Admits to having been a sex addict.

Claims to have had 17 jobs in one year.

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People. [1990]

Activist for the legalization of marijuana.

A jury in Beattyville, Kentucky dismissed a marijuana possession charge against him. He was arrested in 1996 for planting 4 marijuana hemp seeds in rural Kentucky and in his defence he said he was challenging a state law that makes no distinction between marijuana and hemp, even though hemp contains little of the drug found in marijuana and can be used to make a variety of industrial products. [25 August 2000]

Woody and approximately a dozen other hemp activists and environmentalists took a bicycle tour down the west coast of America, starting in Seattle, Washington and 1000 miles later ending at the University of Santa Barbara in California. The tour was escorted by the Mothership, a Chicago city transit bus fueled by hemp oil and powered by solar panels. [April 2001]

The ex-son-in-law of playwright Neil Simon, one of Woody’s first plays was Simon’s “Biloxi Blues” in 1984.

He is on the board of the directors for the Ex’pression Center For New Media, an art school in Emeryville, California.

Is the owner of an oxygen bar in West Hollywood, California. [2001]

Lives with Laura Louie and their children in Costa Rica [2004]

Was set to star in the Danny Boyle’s firefighter drama “Worcester Cold Storage” with Ed Harris, but the project never came to fruition.

He is the first and, as of 2005, only regular cast member from “Cheers” (1982) to receive a nomination for an Academy Award.

Wanted to play Jake Brigance in A Time to Kill (1996), but author John Grisham objected to his casting.

Good friends with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Lovingly refers to his three daughters as the “Goddess trilogy”.

Woody and his wife, Laura, became the parents of their third daughter, Makani Ravello, on Maui on June 3, 2006.

Although he is a vegan, he is a raw foodist (which means he only eats raw and dried foods).

He climbed the Golden Gate Bridge and put up a sign that read, “Hurwitz. Aren’t ancient redwoods more precious than gold?” in protest of MAXXAM/Pacific Lumber CEO Charles Hurwitz, who once stated, “He who has the gold, makes the rules”.

He and Nancy Simon were married in Tijuana, Mexico.

Daughters: Deni Montana Harrelson (born March 5, 1994), Zoe Giordano Harrelson (born September 22, 1996) and Makani Ravello Harrelson (born June 3, 2006).

Lives in Hawaii [2006].

His father, convicted murderer Charles Harrelson died on March 15th, 2007 in a federal super-maximum prison in Colorado.

Friend of Owen Wilson.

His friends Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber and Jim ‘Soni’ Sonefeld of the rock band Hootie and the Blowfish wrote the song “Woody” about him. The number can be found on the group’s eponymous 2003 album.

Close friend of Michael J. Fox.

In 1991 he went to Nairobi, Kenya and lived in a tent on the outskirts of town for a few weeks to experience Africa and get away from it all.

He was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in March 2003 in Austin, Texas.

Was considered for the role of Lester Burnham in American Beauty (1999).

Maintains his residence on Hana in Maui, and his neighbors include Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. The three have been known to play poker together.

Orca is a 1977 horror film directed by Michael Anderson and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and starring Richard Harris, Will Sampson and Charlotte Rampling. Orca was poorly received by critics and audiences alike due in part to its similarities to the film Jaws released two years prior. Upon release the film received only minor theatrical success, but in recent years the film has achieved a cult following among fans of the eco-horror sub genre. Richard Harris enjoyed his experiences during filming, and took offence at any comparison between Orca and Jaws.

Trivia:

The killer whale was portrayed by a combination of stock footage taken at Marine World in Redwood City, California, and an animatronic whale which was filmed off the coasts of Malta and Newfoundland.

The Hills Have Eyes is a 1977 American horror film directed by Wes Craven and starring Susan Lanier, Michael Berryman, and Dee Wallace. It is about a family on a road trip who become stranded in the Nevada desert, and are hunted by a clan of deformed cannibals in the surrounding hills. The film was released in cinemas on July 22, 1977, and has since become a “cult classic”.

The film was remade in 2006 by French horror filmmaker Alexandre Aja.

Trivia:

Producer Peter Locke has a memorable cameo as Mercury, the imbecile-sounding gang member with the feathered head-dress who is only spotted twice throughout the film, firstly at Fred’s garage and secondly communicating with Mars and Pluto using a USAF radio.

The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant is a 1971 science-fiction horror film directed by Anthony Lanza. It is the earlier companion to the 1972 blaxpoitation film The Thing with Two Heads. The film is in the public domain.

Trivia:

In 1971, American International Pictures theatrically distributed this film on a double bill with Scream and Scream Again (1970) starring Vincent Price and Christopher Lee.

I Saw What You Did (1965) is a Universal Pictures feature film starring Joan Crawford and John Ireland in a tale of murder. The screenplay by William P. McGivern was based upon the 1964 novel Out of the Dark by Ursula Curtiss. The film was directed and produced by William Castle, and co-produced by Dona Holloway. The 2002 widescreen DVD release used the film’s original 1965 poster title “I Saw What You Did” And I Know Who You Are!.

Trivia:

Joan Crawford was paid $50,000 for four days work.

Josh Hartnett

Joshua Daniel “Josh” Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor and producer. He first came to audiences’ attention in 1997 as “Michael Fitzgerald” in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax. That same year, he received an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Breakthrough Male Performance. Hartnett gained fame for his role as Cpt Danny Walker in Pearl Harbor, and has starred since then for a variety of well-known directors such as Ridley Scott, Brian de Palma, Robert Rodriguez, Tran Anh Hung and Michael Bay.

Trivia

Chosen as one of Teen People Magazine’s “21 Hottest Stars Under 21.” [1999]

Born and grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

Auditioned for Remember the Titans (2000).

Started a production company, Roulette Entertainment, with Elden Henson (Elden Ratliff).

Has three younger siblings: Jessica, Jake, and Joe.

He was caught supposedly robbing a Dairy Queen when he was 16 (he and his friends were actually making a short film).

He went to Minneapolis South High School with actress Rachael Leigh Cook and Genevieve Gorder.

Was raised for the most part by his father, Daniel, and stepmother, Molly. His mother moved back to San Francisco after divorcing his father.

Josh also attended Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul Minnesota before attending South High School.

Josh was in a production of Tom Sawyer, he played the part of Huckleberry Finn.

Recently moved back to Minnesota (March 2002).

Quit football in high school because of an injured left knee.

One of Teen People’s 25 Hottest Stars under 25 (2002)

One of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People (2002)

Was scheduled to speak at a political rally in support of Senator Paul Wellstone the weekend the Senator was killed along with 7 others in a plane crash. On October 26th 2002 (the day after the Senator’s death), Hartnett appeared at a peace rally in St. Paul, Minnesota and spoke a few words in rememberance.

Was set to star as Clark Kent/Superman in Wolfgang Petersen’s Batman vs.Superman, but the project has been delayed until after Brett Ratner’s X-Men film.

Is a vegetarian.

He is of Swedish and Irish descent.

Was voted Bliss magazines 3rd sexiest male.

Dated his childhood sweetheart Ellen Fenster. They had been together for a number of years and about a year ago, they bought a $2.5 million mansion together in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In February 2004 the two decided to go their separate ways.

Was set to play the role of Tino in Deuces Wild (2002) but dropped out when he won the role of Danny Walker in Pearl Harbor (2001). The Tino role eventually went to James Franco.

Was considered for the role of Evan Treborn in The Butterfly Effect (2004).

Director Sofia Coppola directed both Josh Hartnett, and his former girlfriend Scarlett Johansson, but not in the same movie. Hartnett stars in The Virgin Suicides (1999) and Johansson in Lost in Translation (2003).

Is a huge jazz fan.

The film Hero Wanted (2008) was originally conceived as a starring vehicle for him although the script at the time was very different.

He graduated from high school with New MC from Kanser.

Friends with Ben Affleck and Jason Isaacs.

Attended Nativity of Our Lord elementary and middle school in St. Paul, Minnesota.

From 2004 to late 2006 was the boyfriend of Scarlett Johansson.

Released from Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on April 5, 2009 after being taken to the hospital on March 30, 2009 for a gastrointestinal problem.

Robin Williams

Robin McLaurim Williams (born July 21, 1951) is an American actor and comedian.

Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. He has also won three Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and three Grammy Awards.

Trade Mark

Wild improvised stream-of-consciousness comedy dialogue where he will do cultural references, impersonations and one-liners with rapid switching.

Is typically clean-shaven in his comic roles and bearded in his serious ones.

Frequently portrays offbeat and eccentric characters

Often plays characters lacking in self-awareness.

Frequently plays fathers or family men.

Trivia

Moved to San Francisco when he was 16.

Studied acting briefly at Julliard under John Houseman. Houseman told him he was wasting his talent at Juilliard and he should strike out on his own and do stand-up comedy.

Resides with his family in San Francisco’s Seacliff neighborhood.

Was set to play Drew Barrymore’s father in the film Home Fries (1998) and had the role during production, but pulled out of the part days before his scenes were to be shot.

April 11, 1983: Son, Zachary Pym “Zak” Williams, with Valerie Velardi, born.

July 31, 1989: Daughter, Zelda Rae Williams, with Marsha Garces Williams, born.

November 25, 1991: Son Cody Alan Williams, with Marsha Garces Williams, born.

October 1997: Ranked #63 in Empire (UK) magazine’s “The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time” list.

1997: Voted funniest man alive by Entertainment Weekly.

When he auditioned for the role of Mork from Ork on “Happy Days” (1974), producer Garry Marshall who told him to sit down. Williams immediately sat on his head on the chair. Marshall hired him, saying that he was the only alien who auditioned.

During the making of “Mork & Mindy” (1978), Williams departed from the scripts and ad libbed so many times and so well, that the producers stop trying to make him stick to the script and deliberately left gaps in the later scripts leaving only “Mork can go off here” in those places so Robin could improvise.

Album: “Reality . . . What a Concept”, on Casablanca Records, 1979.

Was set to appear on an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987) as the time traveler Prof. Berlinghoff Rasmussen, but a schedule conflict forced him to drop out (the role eventually went to Matt Frewer). He was inspired to seek a Trek role by his friend Whoopi Goldberg, who made several appearances on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987) as the bartender Guinan.

Is a fan of the sport of Rugby Union, and in particular New Zealand All Black star Jonah Lomu, who flew to San Francisco and gifted him with a signed All Black jersey. On a recent visit to New Zealand they were reunited on national TV, Williams humbly accepting another All Black jersey, except this time it had Jonah’s number 11 on the back.

Attended Claremont Men’s College, where he played soccer.

1998: Listed by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 25 Best Actors.

He is a fan of the comedy series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” (1969).

Studied at Julliard with actor Christopher Reeve. The two remained good friends until Reeve’s death in 2004.

Enjoys cycling and occasionally trains with Lance Armstrong.

After having won the Academy Award for Good Will Hunting (1997), he sent Peer Augustinski (who is his standard German dubbing voice) a little Oscar replica with a note: “Thank you for making me famous in Germany”.

Graduated from Redwood High School in Larkspur, California, north of San Francisco. Other famous alumni from Redwood include Gabrielle Carteris (“Beverly Hills, 90210″ (1990)) and Erin Gray (Kate from “Silver Spoons” (1982)), and Jason Branson, radio talk show guest/therapist and author.

2003: Won Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album for “Robin Williams – Live 2002″.

1980: Hit #104 on the Billboard Singles Charts with “I Yam What I Yam” (Boardwalk 5701).

2003: Ranked #7 in Star TV’s Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s.

Shares birthday with Josh Hartnett.

1996: He reached a unique milestone by having two of his films reach the $100-million mark in the US exactly the same week, Jumanji (1995) and The Birdcage (1996).

Was voted “Least Likely to Succeed” by his fellow graduates at Larkspur.

Early in his career, he told a reporter that he was born in Scotland. His original press releases do indeed list Scotland as his place of birth. He admits now that he was “under the influence” at the time he said this. He was really born in Chicago.

He was voted the 50th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

One week after Christopher Reeve’s tragic horse riding accident, Robin visited him in the hospital. However, he was dressed from head to toe in scrubs, spoke with a Russian accent, and had a surgical mask on. He was acting as if he was a real doctor and did a bunch of wacky antics. After he took off his mask, Reeve stated that, “That was the first time he laughed since the accident!”.

Helped his long-time friend Christopher Reeve pay his medical bills during his final years following the horse riding accident.

When “Blame Canada”, a song from South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999), was nominated for a Best Song Academy Award, it was Williams who performed the song at the ceremony because the actress who sang the song in the film, Mary Kay Bergman, had committed suicide a few months prior to the awards show.

He was considered for the role of Joe Miller in Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia (1993). Denzel Washington was cast instead.

An active supporter of the US Democratic Party, he has been outspoken about his opposition to the war in Iraq. However, he has become the most consistent entertainer of US troops since the war began, leading some to dub him the next Bob Hope.

Has been seen in playing paintball at public reservations near his Northern California residence.

He was a very overweight child. As a result, nobody would play with him. He started talking in different voices to entertain himself.

2004: Dedicated his winning the Cecil B. DeMille award at the Golden Globes to friend Christopher Reeve.

Most of his dialogue in Aladdin (1992) is ad-libbed.

Was a guest on Johnny Carson’s next to last episode of the “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” (1962), along with Bette Midler.

Is of Welsh and Scottish heritage.

He and his Being Human (1993) and Robots (2005) cast mate, Ewan McGregor, have both shared a role with Alec Guinness. McGregor, of course, played the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels. Williams appeared in Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet (1996), as Osric, a part that Guinness had played on stage opposite John Gielgud. Williams also shares that part with another Star Wars series actor, Peter Cushing, who played the same role in the same year in the film, opposite Laurence Olivier.

Co-owns the Rubicon restaurant in San Francisco with Robert De Niro and fellow Bay area resident Francis Ford Coppola.

1993: Wrote the foreword to Gary Larson’s book, “The Far Side: Gallery 4″.

2002: After a 20-year break from doing stand-up comedy, he came back with a show live on Broadway. It won a Grammy for best spoken word album in 2003.

Though he is highly regarded for his ability to perform numerous different voices, he only has lent his voice to five animated features: FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Aladdin (1992), Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1995) (V), Robots (2005), and Happy Feet (2006). However, he did have the occupation of doing voice-over work for a cartoon on Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), played a small role in the TV animated short A Wish for Wings That Work (1991) (TV), and has done narration for different rides and attractions at Disney World. He has also done the voice for the character “Dr. Know” in the movie Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001), which is in itself not a animated movie.

Has an older half brother, Todd.

1976: Performed at the opening of the San Francisco Comedy Competition against Dana Carvey, Harry Anderson and A. Whitney Brown.

Is a fan of “Doctor Who” (1963).

He’s a “Star Trek” (1966) fan.

Invented the curse word “Shazbot”, first heard in the situation comedy “Mork & Mindy” (1978) (in which Mork says the expression during the opening credits). Later, it was used in an episode of “The Simpsons” (1989) (Treehouse of Horror VI) with the Production Code 3F04, which aired on 10/30/95. In 1998 it was used as a voicechat option in the very popular “Starsiege Tribes” game and was carried over into the sequels, “Tribes 2″ and “Tribes: Vengeance”.

Considers Jonathan Winters and Richard Pryor as his comedic idols.

Was offered the role of The Riddler in Batman Forever (1995). It eventually went to Jim Carrey.

Was considered for the Bobby Wheeler role in the TV series “Taxi” (1978). It went to Jeff Conaway.

Was the second choice for the role of Frank in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), but he turned it down.

1993: Was turned down for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination in for his performance in Aladdin (1992), because he only voiced The Genie.

He likes computer and video-games.

Owns a home and vineyard in Northern California’s St. Helena district, hence the quip, “I love the smell of Napa in the morning.” Not-too-distant neighbors include football legend Joe Montana (Calistoga) and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (Rutherford), both of whom run their own vineyards.

Williams and Robert De Niro were the last stars to see John Belushi alive, albeit on separate visits to bungalow #3 of L.A.’s Chateau Marmont hotel that fateful day in March 1982.

Asked by James Lipton about what he would like to God say when he arrives in the heaven, Williams answered that “There is a seat in the front” in the concert of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Elvis Presley.

Was invited to the party Steve Martin was throwing that turned out to be his wedding.

He is one of the few celebrities to have a segment in Sesame Street that didn’t have any puppets or actors playing sesame street regular characters.

Has played both a fictional president in Man of the Year (2006) and a real-life one in Night at the Museum (2006).

He and his former wife frequently visited Australia during their holidays.

Met second wife Marsha Garces Williams when she was nanny for his and Valerie Velardi’s, his first wife, son Zachary.

Lives in San Francisco and Napa, California.

Speaks French fluently.

Was voted “Most Humurous” and “Least likely to succeed” in school.

Filed a lawsuit against Frank and Beans Productions, production company of a shelved movie called “A Couple of Dicks”. Williams claims that he received $6 million in “fixed compensation”, meaning that he would receive the money whether the film was made or not. [October 2008]

Checked himself into rehab to be treated for alcoholism. He already overcome a drug and alcohol addiction in the ’80s. He left rehab in September 2006. [July 2006]

Recovering at the Cleveland Clinic after successful open heart surgery on March 13, 2009 to replace his aortic valve.

His role in August Rush (2007) was modeled after the character of Fagin from Oliver Twist (1948), who was played in David Lean’s film by Alec Guinness. Guinness also played Osric in John Gielgud’s theatrical production of Hamlet. Williams played the role in Kenneth Branagh’s film version.

Was frequently called up by Steven Spielberg when he was filming Schindler’s List (1993). He would put him on speaker phone so he could tell jokes to the cast and crew to cheer them up. He used his character in Aladdin (1992) most of the time.

During the course of recording the voice of Genie in Aladdin (1992), Robin improvised so much they had almost 16 hours of material. He also ad-libbed so many of his lines that the movie’s script was turned down for a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award nomination.

Has appeared fully nude in The Fisher King and World’s Greatest Dad.

Studied acting with Michael Howard in New York City.