Neill Blomkamp does on 17th September - check out my tribute to this Director, Writer and Producer Birthday Boy turning 38, 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 17th September
- Baz Luhrmann - Born 1962, turns 55 - Director | Writer | Producer | Songwriter
- Bryan Singer - Born 1965, turns 52 - Producer | Director | Writer | Actor
- Kyle Chandler - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actor | Producer | Director
- Neill Blomkamp - Born 1979, turns 38 - Director | Writer | Producer
Monday 18th September
- Tim McInnerny - Born 1956, turns 61 - Actor
- Mark Romanek - Born 1959, turns 58 - Director | Writer | Producer
- Don Hany - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actor | Producer
- Jason Sudeikis - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer
- Patrick Schwarzenegger - Born 1993, turns 24 - Actor
- Jada Pinkett Smith - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actress | Producer | Writer | Director
Tuesday 19th September
- David McCallum - Born 1933, turns 84 - Actor
- Jeremy Irons - Born 1948, turns 69 - Actor | Producer
- Paul McGuigan - Born 1963, turns 54 - Director | Producer
Wednesday 20th September
- George R.R. Martin - Born 1948, turns 69 - Writer | Producer
- Gary Cole - Born 1956, turns 61 - Actor
- Chad Stahelski - Born 1968, turns 49 - Stuntman | Director | Actor | Producer | Writer
- Jon Bernthal - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actor
- Sophia Loren - Born 1934, turns 83 - Actress | Singer
- Asia Argento - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actress | Director | Writer
Thursday 21st September
- Jerry Bruckheimer - Born 1943, turns 74 - Producer
- Stephen King - Born 1947, turns 70 - Writer | Producer | Actor | Director
- Bill Murray - Born 1950, turns 67 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer | Director
- Ethan Coen - Born 1957, turns 60 - Writer | Director | Producer | Editor
- Angus Macfadyen - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actor | Writer | Director
- David Wenham - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actor | Producer | Director
- Luke Wilson - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
Friday 22nd September
- John Woo - Born 1946, turns 71 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Editor
- Nick Cave - Born 1957, turns 60 - Writer | Composer | Singer | Songwriter | Actor
- Scott Baio - Born 1960, turns 57 - Actor | Director | Producer | Writer
- Tom Felton - Born 1987, turns 30 - Actor | Director
Saturday 23rd September
- Jason Alexander - Born 1959, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
- Alex Proyas - Born 1963, turns 54 - Director | Producer | Writer
- Anthony Mackie - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor
Neill Blomkamp was born in Johannesburg, South Africa where he attended the independent and private co-educational Redhill High School located in Morningside, Johannesburg. It was there that he met Sharlto Copley at the age of sixteen. Copley gave Blomkamp the use of computers to pursue his passion and growing talent for animation and design, and in return Blomkamp helped Copley in creating 3D work for proposals on various projects that Copley was working on/interested in. At the age of eighteen, Blomkamp and his family relocated to Vancouver, where he attended the Vancouver Film School.
During the late '90's, Blomkamp began working in the film industry as a 3D animator, gaining work on such Sci-Fi television shows as 'Stargate SG-1', 'First Wave' and 'Mercy Point', and earthquake drama miniseries 'Aftershock : Earthquake in New York'. These led to Blomkamp scoring his first gig as Lead Animator on the Sci-Fi action drama series 'Dark Angel' which ran for 43 episodes over two seasons, and then feature film '3000 Miles to Graceland' with Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell in 2001. He then picked up work at two of Vancouver's noted digital effects studios - 'The Embassy Visual Effects' and 'Rainmaker Digital Effects' both companies working on televisions commercials, in television and on feature films. It was however, his work on his own short films that got him noticed by one Peter Jackson, including the two minute short film 'Tetra Vaal' that was Written, Directed, Produced and Edited by Blomkamp - a mock commercial for a third-world Police robot; 'Alive in Joburg' with a five minute running time that was Written and Directed by him too about extra terrestrials marooned in Johannesburg, and then 'Tempbot' and 'Yellow'. 
In 2007 Blomkamp was slated to Direct his first feature length film - an adaptation of the popular video game series 'Halo' after he had Directed three short live action films in 2007 set in the 'Halo' universe and known as 'Landfall'. Funding for the 'Halo' feature fell through and the project was cancelled, but with Producer Peter Jackson on board and a relationship being nurtured, attention was turned to Blomkamp's feature film debut, the Sci-Fi thriller 'District 9' based on his earlier short film 'Alive in Joburg' which Peter Jackson Co-Produced. The film was released in 2009 and starred Sharlto Copley in his first lead role as Wikus van de Merwe. The film was universally acclaimed, recovered US$211M from its US$30M budget outlay, and was nominated for four Academy Awards, one Golden Globe, and seven BAFTA's amongst its total haul of thirty award wins and another 114 nominations.
2013 saw the release of Written, Directed and Co-Produced Sci-Fi offering 'Elysium' set in an overpopulated and pollution ravaged Earth of 2154 where most of the world populace live in poverty while the rich and powerful live on a luxurious man-made space habitat within Earth's orbit. Starring Matt Damon in the lead role supported by Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Diego Luna, and William Fichtner, the film cost US$115M to make and recouped US$286M and received generally positive press, albeit not nearly on the same scale as for 'District 9'. It picked up one award win and ten nominations.
Back in 2015 Blomkamp announced that he was working on a treatment for an 'Alien' sequel with Sigourney Weaver set to reprise her role as Ellen Ripley. He later went on to confirm that announcement and that furthermore he was planning more than one sequel to the successful franchise. However, the project was shelved later that year when Ridley Scott began shooting 'Alien : Covenant'. Earlier this year the title of the film was said to be 'Alien : Awakening', although Ridley Scott subsequently stated that Blomkamp's film had been officially canned, although the Production Studio may have different ideas yet. The follow up feature to 'Alien : Covenant' is said to be titled 'Alien : Awakening' which is set to go into production for a 2019 release, and Directed once again by Ridley Scott.
Earlier this year, Blomkamp created his own film production company, Oats Studios, with the aim of producing a series of 'experimental' short films to be released via 'Steam' and free streaming on YouTube, with the intention of testing interest and audience acceptance of a given theme, before expanding these notions into full blown feature films. The first such film is a 22 minute offering Co-Written and Directed by Blomkamp and starring Sigourney Weaver, titled 'Rakka' about a dystopian future where an unknown group of aliens have colonised Earth and humans struggle to fight back.
The 27 minute 'Firebase' is a horror Sci-Fi short film also Co-Written and Directed by Blomkamp set during the Vietnam War where both sides face a new kind of terror threat that neither side could have imagined or were prepared for. This was in turn followed up by the four minute 'God : Serengeti' starring Sharlto Copley; and the four episode comedy mini-series 'Cooking with Bill' set as 1980's cooking equipment infomercials in which the cooking demonstrations by the two regular guest presenters go horribly and horrifically wrong.
'Zygote' followed as a 23 minute Sci-Fi horror film starring Dakota Fanning as one of two lone survivors stranded in an Arctic mine who are forced to fight for their lives as they are hunted by a new kind of terror threat. Also Co-Written and Directed by Blomkamp. 'Lima' came next of which details are very scant, and it is believed to be the final experimental short film in 'Volume 1' by Oats Studios.This brings us up to date in terms of so far published creative output. All up Blomkamp has seventeen credits as Director to his name, fifteen as Writer, eight for his animation and visual effects works, and five as Producer. He has twelve award wins and a further 35 nominations under his belt so far including 'District 9' Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for Best Screenplay, and a Primetime Emmy nod for 'Dark Angel'. Blomkamp is married to Canadian Screenwriter Terri Tatchell with whom she worked with her husband on the scripts for 'District 9' and 'Chappie'. They have one child together.
Neill Blomkamp - known for his seamless amalgamation of natural and photo-realistic computer generated imagery; often threads his own social commentary through the stories he depicts in his films; often works with Sharlto Copley; often shoots his films in his native Johannesburg; and while Sci-Fi is his first love he says that he could easily turn his hand to horror or military conflict. All of that said, based on your maverick style to date, your success, and your imaginative creative approach to story telling, we'll await your next offering with interest and keen anticipation. In the meantime, Happy Birthday to you Neill, from Odeon Online.-Steve, at Odeon Online-
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