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Reeve was not just a handsome actor. He was a superman without wings or imaginary facilities. He had a divine power that kept his life full of hope and will. He stayed around 9 years on his wheel chair after a horse-back riding accident.
Christopher Reeve was born on September 25, 1952 in New York. His parents belonged to the writing field. HIs mother Barbara Johnson was a journalist and his father Franklin Reeve was a writer/professor. At the age of four, his parents got divorced. He had to move with his brother Benjamin and his mother to New Jersey. A few years later his mother got married to an investment banker. During college years, Reeve worked as a professional actor and was chosen to go to the famous Juilliard School of Performing Arts. Robin Williams was his roommate at Juilliard. After years of friendship, Williams dedicated Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award to Reeve.
Obviously, 'superman' (1978) was the biggest hit in Reeve's life, however it was not the only successful work. He started at broadway with Kathleen Hepburn in 'A Gravity Matter' (1976) and then he shifted to the cinema in movies like 'somewhere in time' (1980), 'street smart' (1987), and 'speechless' (1994). He also turned down roles like' pretty woman', 'total recall', 'body heat' and 'the bounty'.
In 1995, the tragic accident took place. Reeve did not lose hope. He and his wife Dana opened a 'Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Center 'in NJ, to teach paralyzed people how to accept their conditions and live independently.
He wrote many books, one of which is his best seller 'Still Me' an autobiography. He was writing another book about his life that he didn't have a chance to finish it.
On October 2004, Reeve died at the Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York. Reeve remained an icon for hope, love of life and courage.
''Your body is not who you are. The mind and spirit transcend the body''.
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His talent is extraordinary; it's hard to call him a comedian or the sex symbol that women chase. He is one of a kind. He is known to be the actor who plays conflicted characters, that society usually ignore or think that they are just regular people.
His Childhood:
Tom Hanks was born on July in 1956 in California, LA. 'The year I was born, 1956, was the peak year for babies being born, and there are more people essentially our age than anybody else. We could crush these new generations if we decided to'. He had a troubled childhood his parents got divorced and left him to experience a life full of step families. Till his early twenties Hanks didn't have an experience in acting but later on, he started at the a commnunity theatre. The owner of the theatre advised him to go to Cleveland and that was the first step at his career.
His Movies:
Happy Days (1974), Splash (1984), Big (1988), Joe versus the volcano (1990), The Bonfire of the vanities (1990), Sleepless in Seatle (1993), Philadelphia (1993), Forrest Gump (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), That thing you do (1996), You ve got mail (1998), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Castaway (2000), Catch me if you can (2002), The Terminal (2004).
He worked with Meg Ryan in three romantic comedies (joe versus the volcano, sleepless in Seatle and you ve got mail).
He also worked with the legendary movie director Steven Speilberg in three movies 'saving private ryan', 'catch me if you can' and ' the terminal'.
Awards:
Hanks won many awards and was ranked more than once on the Premiere magazine's 100 greatest performance of all time. He received the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award, presented by fellow Oscar winner Steven Spielberg. He was the youngest to receive the award.He also won the best actor oscars for two years for both films philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994). He is the second after Spencer Tracey who won both awards in the thirties.
His personal life:
He got married to Samantha Lewes on January 1978 and they have 2 children. Their marriage ended after 9 years. In 1988, he got married again to Rita Wilson-an actress;they have 2 children.
'I love what I do for a living, it's the greatest job in the world, but you have to survive an awful lot of attention that you don't truly deserve and you have to live up to your professional responsibilities and I'm always trying to balance that with what is really important'.
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Elia Kazan is known to be one of the most professional movie directors in the history of Hollywood. Kazan had a different spirit, that was highly shown in his work. Some find him compliated like most of his movies; others find him simple. He was and still a mysterious icon for many.
Kazan was born on the 7th of September in 1909,in Istanbul, Turkey. HIs Greek/Turkish parents immigrated to New York city when he was only four. His father was a rug merchant, that was convinced that his son will belong to his business. Kazan had a different plan and with the support of his mother he was able to be an artist. He graduated from Yale University school of Drama in 1920's. HIs first work was at the theatre as an actor in many plays 'Men in white', 'Waiting for lefty', 'Johnny Johnson' and 'Golden boy'. As for directing ' A street named desire'-later in the early 50's he presented the same story in the cinema and 'Cat on hot tin roof''.
His famous movies:
'The people of the cucmberland', 'A tree grows in Brooklyn', 'The sea of grass', 'Boomerang', ' Gentleman's Agreement', 'Pinky', 'Panic in the streets', 'A street car named desire', 'Viva Zapata', 'On the waterfront', 'East of Eden', 'Babydoll', 'The Arrangment' and ' The last tycoon'. Kazan's movies are known to be profound and they always discuss important issues, like the 'arrangment' ( a novel written by him). He discussed the double life of a Greek American and how he manages to live in a different culture.
Despite the fact that Kazan is a role model for many film makers and he helped in shaping the American cinema; some people were against him because of his political activity. Kazan was a communist and his first anger from the system is when the party members tried to interfere in his artistic work. Later he was accussed of 'naming names' of the party members to HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee). It was said he chose to do such a thing to preserve his career. Although this sounds indecent Kazan remained one of the most influential figures in the cinema world. His work has nothing to do with his political activity. At the same time, this story has many forms and no one knows the real reason behind Kazan's action.
His Personal Life:
Kazan's first marriage stayed more than 31 years till the death of his wife Molly Day Thacher, a playwriter. They had two daughters and two sons. His second marriage lasted for 11 years and ended the same end. His wife Barbara Loden, the actress died in 1980 left him with their two sons. Later he met Frances Rudge and they got married in 1982 till he died at the age of 94 in 2003.
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Audrey Hepburn
Audrey is an unforgettable icon in more than a field. She is a renowned movie star, a role model for the fashion lovers and a charity volunateer for many unicef projects. Her style was impeccable: simple sleevless short dresses, short hair cut , beautiful black eyes and a slim figure. She was a rebellious in a sweet and demure way. She was the first one to have a short hair cut ( a la gracon). People were shocked that a young actress is having her hair done like men do; surprisingly, her hair cut made her more feminine
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Bio: Know more about the international cinema leaders
Mohamed Bayoumi-Pioneer of the Egyptian cinema (3/01/1893-15/06/1963
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French Cinema
France is not only known for its eiffel tower, the french films have gained success since the invention of cinema. In the history of world cinema, France is known to be the inventor-in late 1800's, the first film was being introduced in a cafe in Paris. In 1910's, the American style influened the french film making but that influence was limited when it comes to the originality of the french cinema. Film makers like Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier and D.W Griffith had the opportunity to practice what they have learned from the Americans in terms of film art. In 1924, Abel Gance's film 'Napoleon' showed new camera movements and a greater length. Films were highly affected by the Germans and the Americans not only in techniques but also in production, particularly when films converted to sound production.
Later in 1930, French companies started sound production; one of these is Pathe Natan-a sign of a golden age in the cinema indstury . Pathe Natan produced many of the successful films including Jean Gabin's work. In this golden age, Jean Renoir appeared, who was and remained one of the greatest directors. Renoir fought to work under rigid circumstances, after the failure of many production companies until he worked with his friend the producer Pierrie Braunberger. They both made a great success out of their film 'Le Grande Illusion' that was heavily related to world war I. Such films made France the second country after the U.S, because of the originality, realism and presenting personal experiences that were very touchy
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The Modern Iranian cinema
The Iranian films have gained popularity and respect from the whole world, due to the high level of creativity. The Iranian film makers tend to choose real problems to be their subjects, like earthquakes, womens' rights, poverty,etc....They make artistic pieces out of rigid circmstances. Low budget is the reason behind their success in drawing the line between documentary and fiction. Lack of money is not the only obstacle that provoke film makers to reach their zenith, regulations and rules that are set by the government, has a stronger role. Women should wear the veil, no obscene language, no politics, sex and romantic scenes are strictly prohibited
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September 26th 2007 13:08
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