Chiwetel Ejiofor does on 10th July - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 40, at the end of this feature.
Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!
Sunday 9th July
- Kelly McGillis - Born 1957, turns 60 - Actress
- Courtney Love - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actress | Singer | Songwriter
- Brian Dennehy - Born 1938, turns 79 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
- Richard Roundtree - Born 1942, turns 75 - Actor
- Chris Cooper - Born 1951, turns 66 - Actor
- Jimmy Smits - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actor | Producer
- Tom Hanks - Born 1956, turns 61 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer
- Toby Kebbell - Born 1982, turns 35 - Actor
Monday 10th July
- Chiwetel Ejiofor - Born 1977, turns 40 - Actor | Writer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
- Sofia Vergara - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actress | Producer
Tuesday 11th July
- Rachel Taylor - Born 1984, turns 33 - Actress | Writer
- Stephen Lang - Born 1952, turns 65 - Actor | Writer
- Mark Lester - Born 1958, turns 59 - Actor
Wednesday 12th July
- Bill Cosby - Born 1937, turns 80 - Television Personality | Actor | Producer | Writer | Composer | Singer | Songwriter
- Brian Grazer - Born 1951, turns 66 - Producer | Writer | Actor
- Topher Grace - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor | Producer | Writer
- Cheryl Ladd - Born 1951, turns 66 - Actress
- Michelle Rodriguez - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actress
Thursday 13th July
- Patrick Stewart - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actor | Producer | Director
- Robert Forster - Born 1941, turns 76 - Actor | Producer | Director
- Harrison Ford - Born 1942, turns 75 - Actor | Producer | Writer
- Cheech Marin - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Director
- Cameron Crowe - Born 1957, turns 60 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actor | Songwriter
- Ken Jeong - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer
Friday 14th July
- Harry Dean Stanton - Born 1926, turns 91 - Actor | Singer
- Joel Silver - Born 1952, turns 65 - Producer
- Scott Rudin - Born 1958, turns 59 - Producer
- Jackie Earle Haley - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor | Director
- Matthew Fox - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor
- Deborah Mailman - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actress | Writer | Director
Saturday 15th July
- Celia Imrie - Born 1952, turns 65 - Actress
- Brigitte Nielsen - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actress | Producer
- Diane Kruger - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actress | Producer
- Ken Kercheval - Born 1935, turns 82 - Actor
- Jan-Michael Vincent - Born 1944, turns 73 - Actor
- Forest Whitaker - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
- Travis Fimmel - Born 1979, turns 38 - Actor | Writer | Producer
Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor was born in the east London suburb of Forest Gate, England, to Nigerian parentage - his mother, Obiajulu was a pharmacist and his father Arinze was a Doctor. In 1988 when the young lad was just eleven years old, he and his family were travelling in Nigeria to attend a wedding. After the celebrations, he and his father were involved in a head on crash with a truck, killing his father and badly injuring Chiwetel, who still bears the scars clearly visible to his forehead. He began acting in school plays at age fourteen at the independent boys school, Dulwich College. He was thereafter accepted into the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art but gave this up after his first year, because he was cast by Steven Spielberg to appear in his historical drama film 'Amistad' in 1997 - his big screen debut. He followed this up with 'G:MT Greenwich Mean Time' in 1999 which saw out the decade, as well as a number of stage appearances in 'Othello' in the lead role in 1995 at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London's borough of Camden, and then in 1996 at Glasgow's Theatre Royal. He also starred in a production of 'Macbeth' at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in 1997.
2000 opened up with 'It Was an Accident', and then 'My Friend Soweto' and made for TV movie 'Mind Games' both in 2001. 2002 saw the Stephen Frears Directed 'Dirty Pretty Things' alongside Audrey Tatou, then six episodes on the BBC's one season airing of corporate law firm series 'Trust' with Ian McShane and Robson Green. This led to '3 Blind Mice' with Edward Furlong, and then highly acclaimed Richard Curtis Written and Directed 'Love Actually' with an ensemble cast. 'She Hate Me' for Spike Lee with Anthony Mackie, and then 'Red Dust' for Tom Hooper opposite Hilary Swank. This led to 'Melinda and Melinda' for Writer and Director Woody Allen with Will Ferrell, Radha Mitchell and Jonny Lee Miller.
2005 saw action crime drama 'Four Brothers' for John Singleton with Mark Wahlberg, and then Sci-Fi actioner 'Serenity' for Writer/Director Joss Whedon. 'Kinky Boots' followed that same year with Joel Edgerton, for which Ejiofor received numerous award nominations including a Golden Globe, a British Independent Film and London Critics Circle Film Awards nods. Spike Lee cast Ejiofor again in the bank heist/hostage drama film 'Inside Man' with Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster, and up next with Clive Owen again was Alfonso Cuaron's drama near future Sci-Fi offering 'Children of Men' with Julianne Moore and Michael Caine too. Historical bio-pic 'Talk to Me' with Don Cheadle came next in 2007, and then another crime drama bio-pic this time for Ridley Scott was the multi-award winning 'American Gangster' with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. David Mamet's mixed-martial arts sport drama 'Redbelt', then historical drama 'Endgame' with William Hurt, Jonny Lee Miller and Mark Strong and end of the world big screen epic actioner '2012' saw out the decade.In the intervening period there were also further television and stage appearances. On television there were made for TV films of 'Twelfth Night' and 'Tsunami : The Aftermath' and on stage there were 'Blue/Orange', 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Peer Gynt' all at the Royal National Theatre in London, 'The Seagull' and then 'Othello' again at Covent Gardens NFP Donmar Warehouse Theatre.
Nigerian Civil War historical drama offering 'Half of a Yellow Sun' came next in 2013 with Thandie Newton and John Boyega, and this was followed by Sci-Fi drama 'Z for Zachariah' with Chris Pine and Margot Robbie, which was critically praised but commercially a dud! Ridley Scott's Sci-Fi drama 'The Martian' came next with an all star cast including Matt Damon as our Earthling stranded on Mars and all alone with Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, and Jeff Daniels all supporting the cause to bring him home.
2015 saw the release of psychological thriller 'Secret in Their Eyes' with Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts. John Hillcoat's crime thriller 'Triple 9' was released in 2016 and despite its all star cast that included Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Gal Gadot, Aaron Paul and Norman Reedus the film failed to make any real impact either critically or commercially. 'Doctor Strange' for Director Scott Derrickson and the fourteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starred Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role with Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Rachel McAdams and Benjamin Bratt and the film was hailed a critical and commercial success taking US$678M from its US$165M budget outlay.
This brings us up to date in terms of released movies, with appearances on BBC television series 'The Shadow Line' and 'Dancing on the Edge', and on stage in 'A Season in the Congo' and 'Everyman' back at the Royal National Theatre. Currently in post-production and due for release later on this year are 'Come Sunday' with Ejiofor in the lead role of an evangelist ostracised by his church for preaching that Hell does not exist. The film also stars Martin Sheen and Danny Glover. Then there is 'Mary Magdalene' for Director Garth Davies with Rooney Mara playing the Biblical Mary Magdalene, with Joaquin Phoenix and Ryan Corr also. Recently completed filming is 'Tonight at Noon' and also starring Ethan Hawke, Connie Nielsen, Joan Chen and Rutger Hauer.All up Ejiofor has 46 Acting credits to his name, two as Director and two as Writer both on short films 'Slapper' in 2008 and 'Columbite Tantalite' in 2013. He has amassed an awards haul of 53 wins and a further 75 nominations including an Academy Award nomination for '12 Years a Slave', five Golden Globe nods, one Primetime Emmy nomination, two SAG Award nods, and a BAFTA and an AACTA win also for '12 Years a Slave'.
Ejiofor is good friends with occasional Co-Star Benedict Cumberbatch and has been long term friends with Idris Elba. In 2008 he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by HRH Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the arts, and in 2015 in the Queen's Birthday Honour's List this was upgraded to a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to drama.Chiwetel Ejiofor - critically praised on the big screen, the small screen and on stage; equally at home in small independent fare as well as big budget epics; has often played in historically set films, depicting real life characters; likes to truly immerse himself into his roles; and is at home playing almost any genre - for which we keep watching and applauding the diversity, range and realism you bring to your roles. Turning the BIG 4-Oh this week - Happy Birthday to you Chiwetel, from Odeon Online.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
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