Birthday's to share this week : 19th - 25th February 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Miles Teller does on 20th February - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 30, 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 19th February

• Jeff Daniels - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Ray Winstone - Born 1957, turns 60 - Actor | Producer
• Benicio Del Toro - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actor | Producer

Monday 20th February

• Sidney Poitier - Born 1927, turns 90 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Mike Leigh - Born 1943, turns 74 - Director | Writer
• Peter Strauss - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor | Producer
• Miles Teller - Born 1987, turns 30 - Actor
• Brenda Blethyn - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actress  

Tuesday 21st February

• Tyne Daly - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actress
• Jennifer Love Hewitt - Born 1979, turns 38 - Actress | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer
• Ellen Page - Born 1987, turns 30 - Actress | Producer
• Sophie Turner - Born 1996, turns 21 - Actress
• Anthony Daniels - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Producer
• Kelsey Grammer - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer
• William Baldwin - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actor | Producer  

Wednesday 22nd February

• Jonathan Demme - Born 1944, turns 73 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Kyle MacLachlan - Born 1959, turns 58 - Actor
• Julie Walters - Born 1950, turns 67 - Actress | Singer
• Drew Barrymore - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actress | Producer | Director | Singer

Thursday 23rd February

• Emily Blunt - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actress | Singer
• Dakota Fanning - Born 1994, turns 23 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Peter Fonda - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer  

Friday 24th February

• Edward James Olmos - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Dennis Waterman - Born 1948, turns 69 - Actor | Singer  
• Billy Zane - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Director
• O'Shea Jackson Jnr. - Born 1991, turns 26 - Actor

Saturday 25th February

• Tom Courtenay - Born 1937, turns 80 - Actor
• Lee Evans - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Writer | Composer
• Sean Astin - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Director  
• James and Oliver Phelps - Born 1986, turn 31 - Actors
• Tea Leoni - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actress | Producer
• Rashida Jones - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer

Miles Alexander Teller was born in Downingtown, Pennsylvania to mother Merry, a Real Estate Agent and father Michael Teller, a nuclear power plant engineer. Growing up Miles lived in various places because of the relocation necessary in his fathers career, spending time in Florida, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. He attended the Lecanto High School in Florida where he played saxophone, piano, guitar and the drums, he was President of the Drama Club and played baseball too, hoping to turn the game into his vocation of choice. He then attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University where he studied method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.

He began his screen acting career by appearing in a number of short films - in 2004's eighteen minute 'Moonlighters', then 2007's ten minute 'Specific Recipe', 2008's eleven minute 'The Musicians' and 2010's eleven minute 'The Track Meet'. His feature film debut came in the 2010 drama 'Rabbit Hole' for which he was singled out by Co-Star Nicole Kidman for the role and also starring Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest and Sandra Oh. 2011 saw the remake of the classic 1984 musical dance movie 'Footloose' starring Andie McDowell and Dennis Quaid with Kenny Wormald in the lead role. The film received generally positive Reviews and returned US$64M from its US$24M budget. In 2013 he starred in '21 & Over' and then his more critically lauded screen performance to date in 'The Spectacular Now' with Co-Star Shailene Woodley and also Brie Larson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kyle Chandler. The film made just US$7M from its US$2.5M budget, but was well received by Critics.

'Whiplash' came next in 2014 for Director Damien Chazelle with Teller starring as promising young student drummer Andrew Neiman enrolled at the Shaffer Conservatory in New York, with Terence Fletcher (J.K.Simmons) as his over bearing domineering and abusive jazz instructor. The film gained universal acclaim, returned US$49M from its meagre US$3.3M budget and garnered three Academy Award wins, one Golden Globe win, three BAFTA wins and a SAG win with J.K.Simmons and Damien Chazelle receiving numerous accolades. All up the film took home 91 award wins and another 134 nominations.

That same year, 2014, saw RomCom 'That Awkward Moment' with Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan and Imogen Poots, and then the first in a recurring role as Peter Hayes in the first instalment of the Veronica Roth series of books to be adapted for the big screen, 'Divergent'. This was followed up by 'Insurgent' in 2015 and 'Allegiant' in 2016, with the final instalment 'Ascendant' in pre-production for a release later this year as a television movie, due to the lacklustre Box Office performance of the 'Allegiant' film bringing in US$179M from its US$110M budget outlay.

RomCom 'Two Night Stand' was also released in 2014, and then in 2015 the reboot of Marvel's 'Fantastic Four' franchise which had seen earlier live action adaptations in 2005 and 2007. Starring Teller as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic with Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, Kate Mara as Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman and Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm/The Thing with Toby Kebbell and Vicor von Doom, this picture tanked critically and commercially taking US$168M from its US$126M budget investment, and picking up several 'Worst' awards.

Comedy 'Get A Job' followed in 2016 with Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Alison Brie, Bryan Cranston and Marcia Gay Harden, and then true story comedy drama 'War Dogs' as Directed by Todd Phillips and Co-Starring Jonah Hill and Bradley Cooper about the real life arms dealers Efraim Diveroli (Hill) and David Packouz (Teller) who win a US Army contract to supply munitions for the Afghan National Army worth about US$300M without any prior experience, credentials, contacts or expertise in this field. The film received mixed Reviews and returned US$86M from its US$40M budget.

The biographical boxing drama film 'Bleed for This' was released in the US in mid-November last year, but has not seen a theatrical release in Australia. With Teller starring as Vinny Pazienza an American professional boxing champion and Aaron Eckhart as his trainer Kevin Rooney, the film charts the story of the boxer who after a near fatal car accident leaves him with severe neck and spinal injuries and not knowing if he'll ever walk again, let alone fight. And fight he does, in one of the most incredible comeback stories from inside the ring. Although the film received generally positive Reviews, it was a bomb at the Box Office taking just US$5.5M from its US$6M budget costs.

Next up Teller is lending his voice talent to the animated feature 'The Ark and the Aardvark' due later this year, then in PTSD effected returning servicemen and women drama 'Thank You for Your Service' based on the book by David Finkel also due later this year and in post-production. 'Ascendent' the last instalment in the 'Divergent' series is in pre-production and then 'Granite Mountain' is in post-production with Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Taylor Kitsch, Jennifer Connolly, and Andie MacDowell about an elite crew of men who fought a wildfire in Arizona in 2013 that claimed the lives of nineteen of their team..

Since 2013 Teller has been in a relationship with model Keleigh Sperry. All up Teller has 27 acting credits to his name and he has garnered four award wins and 21 other nominations including the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2015.

Miles Teller - increasingly in demand and taking on more adult mature film roles, is musical, a dancer, was very academic at school, and has ambition to succeed and go the distance. We wish you well Miles and Happy 30th Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 3rd - 9th July 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Toby Kebbell does on 9th July - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 34, 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 3rd July 

• Tom Cruise - Born  1962, turns 54 - Actor | Producer
• Tom Stoppard - Born 1937, turns 79 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Patrick Wilson - Born 1973, turns 43 - Actor
• Connie Nielsen - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actress

Monday 4th July

• Eva Marie Saint - Born 1924, turns 92 - Actress
• Neil Simon - Born 1927, turns 89 - Writer | Producer  

Tuesday 5th July

• RZA (aka Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Director
• Edie Falco - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress  

Wednesday 6th July

• Eva Green - Born 1980, turns 36 - Actress
• Jennifer Saunders - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Singer
• 50 Cent (aka Curtis James Jackson III) - Born 1975, turns 41 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Writer | Producer
• Kevin Hart - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Geoffrey Rush - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor | Producer
• Sylvester Stallone - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director 
• Ned Beatty - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor

Thursday 7th July

• Akiva Goldsman - Born 1962, turns 54 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Ringo Starr - Born 1940, turns 76 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Producer | Director
• Shelley Duvall - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actress | Writer | Producer

Friday 8th July

• Anjelica Huston - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Kevin Bacon - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Wally Pfister - Born 1961, turns 55 - Cinematographer | Director | Cameraman
• Billy Crudup - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actor | Singer
• Jaden Smith - Born 1998, turns 18 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter

Saturday 9th July

• Toby Kebbell - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actor
• Tom Hanks - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
• Jimmy Smits - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actor | Producer
• Chris Cooper - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor 
• Richard Roundtree - Born 1942, turns 74 - Actor
• Brian Dennehy - Born 1938, turns 78 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Kelly McGillis - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actress | Producer

Tobias Alistair Patrick Kebbell was born in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, England, and grew up in Nottinghamshire. He was raised by his mother Michelle Mathers, a cook and landscape gardener after she divorced her husband and father of Toby, Robert Kebbell, an engineer, when the young lad was just eighteen months old. Toby is the fourth of five children. He attended a Catholic Primary School, and at fifteen dropped out of school, and two years later joined a Carlton Television Workshop and attended an 'over 16' audition which gave him the framework to launch an acting career.

He came to early prominence at age twenty when cast by Director and Writer, Shane Meadows, in the British psychological thriller 'Dead Man's Shoes', Co-Wriiten and also starring Paddy Considine. Whilst the film did little by way of commercial success, critically it was hit appearing on many 'Top Film' lists - not only for the year of its release (2004) - but for all time - 'Empire', 'Total Film' and 'Time Out' voting it so. The young Actor also picked up an award nomination as Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards. This was followed up that same year with Oliver Stone's 'Alexander' alongside Anthony Hopkins, Jared Leto, Angelina Jolie, Colin Farrell and Val Kilmer, and then a year later in Woody Allen's 'Match Point' with Scarlett Johansson, Brian Cox and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

2006 brought horror film 'Wilderness' and then the critically lauded Anton Corbijn Directed biopic of Joy Division's frontman Ian Curtis, played by Sam Riley in 'Control'. Kebbell played Rob Gretton, the manager of the band, for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the British Independent Film Awards.

In 2008 Guy Ritchie cast Kebbell as Johnny Quid in 'RocknRolla' alongside Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy and Thandie Newton. The next year saw 'Cheri' Directed by Stephen Frears with Michelle Pfeiffer.

The new decade saw 'Prince of Persia : Sands of Time' with Jake Gyllenhaal; 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' with Nicolas Cage, and 'The Conspirator' with James McAvoy, and Directed by Robert Redford. 'The Veteran' followed in 2011, as did Steven Spielberg's 'War Horse' with Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Marsan, David Thewlis and Emily Watson.

'Wrath of the Titans' with Sam Worthington came next, then 'The East', and then Ridley Scott's 'The Counsellor' with Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz. 2014 saw Kebbell venture down MoCap territory with his role as Koba in 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' - a scarred bonobo ape and lieutenant to Caesar as played by Andy Serkis in the first instalment of this rebooted franchise 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'.

2015 gave us Marvel's attempt at resurrecting 'Fantastic Four' with Kebbell starring as Victor von Doom/Doom alongside Miles Teller (Mr. Fantastic), Michael B. Jordan (The Human Torch), Jamie Bell (The Thing), and Kate Mara (The Invisible Woman). The film recovered its budget and then some, but was critically panned. Then came 'Buddha's Little Finger' and the recently released Duncan Jones fantasy action epic 'Warcraft : The Beginning', with Kebbell returning to MoCap again for his role as Durotan a nobel orc chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan. The film has so far made US$414M off its US$160M budget outlay, but has not fared so well with the critics.

Next up there is 'Gold' with Matthew McConaughey; Timur Bekmambetov's remake of the classic 'Ben Hur' and 'A Monster Calls' with Liam Neeson all due later in 2016. 'Kong : Skull Island' with Tom Hiddleston, John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson is due in 2017, and then 'Category 5' with Ryan Kwanten as Directed by Rob Cohen. In the meantime Kebbell has starred in several short films, a couple of made of television movies, and television series 'The Street', 'Black Mirror' and 'The Escape Artist' as well as a number of theatre productions.

All up Kebbell has 38 Acting credits, he has one Award win and another four nominations. In 2009 he was linked to entrepreneur and founder/CEO of 'Peek.com' Ruzwana Bashir, but has since stated that he is in no hurry to marry. 

Toby Kebbell - quite possibly the most acclaimed, successful sought after Actor you have never heard of; right up there with Andy Serkis for their MoCap efforts and prowess; a Yorkshire lad done good and very much a star on the rise. Happy Birthday to you Toby, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 6th August 2015.

These days you can pick up just about any book, magazine or social media page and there'll be the greatest, the best, the worst, the most this, that and the other of all time, to stuff you should eat, drink, go, see and listen to before you die, and just about everything in between. We seem to have an insatiable appetite for someone's else opinion of the good, the bad and the ugly in life that is rated on some kind of scale and tells us just how many and what is considered great, best, most, worst or whatever!

And so last month I read with interest such a poll of the 300 Greatest Movies Of All Time as published in a certain popular Australian movie magazine that shall go nameless, but to which I have loyally subscribed since issue #1. Of those 300 I have seen 218, all 30 out of the Top 30, and 48 out of the Top 50. I'm fascinated by this stuff which of course is just someone else's opinion, often regurgitated, who may consider themselves an authority on the subject, and which can then be sliced, diced, repackaged and churned out again for another unsuspecting reader to dive into . . . like me! It got me thinking how much people take note of such lists, but I guess it must be a lot - because the magazines sell, the books get published, people 'like' the social media commentary and another Critic, Reviewer, Author or Blogger will publish another such list tomorrow no doubt!

Speaking of which, this week ahead there are four new films with which to tempt, that include a reboot of a superhero franchise that first appeared in a two film series in 2005; then an Aussie stage play based on a true story road trip now adapted for the big screen; a RomCom of a mis-matched pair consisting a OTT party girl and her would be boyfriend; and finally a foreign language life & death drama comedy that seems to have divided audiences but is likely to provoke thought & discussion.

In the coming week when you have sat through your movie of choice, drop your like minded cinema going readers a Comment, following this or any other Post, and share your own views, opinions, observations and critique of your movie experience with Odeon Online. Enjoy your film.

FANT4STIC FOUR (Rated M) - Back in 2005 Marvel released its first 'Fantastic Four' offering as Directed by Tim Story and made for US$100M grossing US$331M. Whilst a reasonable commercial success only, it was hardly hailed as a critical one, but, nonetheless it spawned a sequel in 2007 with 'Fantastic Four : Rise of the Silver Surfer' also Directed by Tim Story and made for US$130M but grossing only US290M this time around. Proving that you can do less with more, the Fantastic Foursome were mothballed as Marvel Studios, as they were to become, rolled out more & more of its rich comic catalogue, developed new franchises based on its source material, got bigger and better at it and raked in mega-bucks along the way! Which brings us up to 2015 and those fantastic guys have been bought out of retirement in a reboot costing US$122M with Josh Trank in the Director chair.

You know the story here but in case you don't, essentially four mere humans are thrust together and end up teleporting to a alternate universe (as you do!) and in so doing so have their physical form altered and new weird wonderful and wild powers and abilities bestowed upon them. Upon returning to life as the know it they discover their new found powers and so have to learn to control them and harness them as they are pitched against an old friend turned foe who threatens to bring our little green & blue planet to its knees! Starring Miles Teller as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Kate Mara as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, with Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm/Thing and Toby Kebbell as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom. With this first retelling already generating a sufficient amount of pre-release buzz, the sequel has been announced for June 9th 2017, and with Marvel's track record since that 2007 film there is little doubt that this will be a success. Fantastic!

TRAINWRECK (Rated MA15+) - Directed and Produced by Judd Apatow, this film was Written by, and Stars Amy Schumer as Amy Townsend a thirty something magazine writer who lives an over the top existence of men, booze, parties, promiscuity and complete lack of commitment to just about anything & everything. It is what her Dad told her 25 years earlier and the ongoing philosophy by which she has lived her life. Working at S'Nuff Mens Magazine she is tasked by her Boss, Dianna (Tilda Swinton) that she needs to write an article on a well known Sports Doctor, Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), even though she knows nothing about sports, doctors and doesn't want the gig! She has to go along with it and while interviewing the Doctor, researching her piece for the article and getting to know Conners she finds herself unwittingly falling for the guy (horror of horrors, what's a girl to do?) It seems also that the feeling is mutual and Conners is attracted to Townsend too. As time progresses and the couple realise they have much in common Townsend comes to learn that maybe the whole commitment thing isn't so bad after all and maybe it's time to get serious about being serious!

LAST CAB TO DARWIN (Rated M) - Originally a stage play released in 2003 under the same name, this big screen adaptation of the Reg Cribb story is based on the true life of taxi driver Max Bell who in the early 90's was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and chose to drive from Broken Hill in New South Wales to Darwin in the Northern Territory so he could end his life there by voluntary euthanasia. Here our taxi driver is called Rex and is played by Michael Caton who embarks on this epic road trip to end it all on his own terms and with some dignity still intact, but along his journey up to Darwin he learns a lot about himself and others, and that dying is as much about living as it is about sharing and caring. Also starring Jacki Weaver as Dr. Farmer and Directed by Jeremy Sims.

THE FAREWELL PARTY (Rated M) - Coincidentally another offering tackling the touchy subject of euthanasia, but this time set in an Jerusalem aged care facility where the residents have secretly built a device to allow the user to self-euthanise, which they intend to allow a terminally ill dear & close friend use. However, as more & more people become aware of the machine, so demand for its use increases, and so the group of friends have to deal with the decisions this forces them into, and the emotional upheaval that goes with this territory. Directed and Written by Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon this film stars local talent Ze'ev Revach as Yehezkel and Levana Finkelstein as Levana as ageing husband and wife team, and has so far picked up nine award wins and a further eleven nominations. This poignant dark comedy is a tale of compassion, friendship, love, loss and deciding when it's time to call it a day!

Four to choose from, and I'm not sure they're all fantastic but with two treading a similar pathway, another off the rails and the last off the planet there is choice it must be said that will give you something to ponder, something to discuss and debate, something to escape into and something that you may want to 'snog, marry, avoid'! Whatever you select for your filmic enjoyment in the week ahead, share your thoughts and maybe add another to your own list of movie recommendations as you compile you own 300 Best, Biggest, Baddest and Boldest films in the known universe stretching out to infinity and beyond!

See you at the Odeon!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 8th - 14th March 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Jamie Bell does on 14th March - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 29, 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 8th March

• Aidan Quinn - Born 1959, turns 56 - Actor
• Micky Dolenz - Born 1945, turns 70 - Singer | Songwriter | Producer | Director | Writer | Actor
• James Van Der Beek - Born 1977, turns 38 - Actor
• Freddie Prinze Jnr. - Born 1976, turns 39 - Actor | Producer | Writer

Monday 9th March

• Oscar Isaac - Born 1980, turns 35 - Actor
• Juliette Binoche - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actress

Tuesday 10th March

• Olivia Wilde - Born 1984, turns 31 - Actress | Producer
• Sharon Stone - Born 1958, turns 57 - Actress | Producer
• John Hamm - Born1971, turns 34 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Chuck Norris - Born 1940, turns 75 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Paul Haggis - Born 1953, turns 62 - Director | Producer | Writer

Wednesday 11th March

• Terrence Howard - Born 1969, turns 46 - Actor | Producer
• Johnny Knoxville - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Peter Berg - Born 1964, turns 51 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Jerry Zucker - Born 1950, turns 65 - Director | Producer | Writer

Thursday 12th March

• Aaron Eckhart - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actor | Producer
• Liza Minelli - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actress | Singer

Friday 13th March

• Common - Born 1972, turns 43 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Emile Hirsch - Born 1985, turns 30 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter
• William H. Macy - Born 1950, turns 65 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director

Saturday 14th March

• Michael Caine - Born 1933, turns 82 - Actor | Producer
• Billy Crystal - Born 1948, turns 67 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
• Quincy Jones - Born 1933, turns 82 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Producer
• Wolfgang Petersen - Born 1941, turns 74 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Jamie Bell - Born 1986, turns 29 - Actor
• Ansel Elgort - Born 1994, turns 21 - Actor

Andrew James Matfin 'Jamie' Bell was born in Billingham, County Durham, England to mother Eileen Matfin and father John Bell, a toolmaker, who left his wife Eileen before Jamie was born. Jamie has an older sister Cathryn. The young Jamie Bell was a pupil at the co-educational Northfields School in Billingham, and his involvement with dance began when he accompanied his sister to her ballet class, and was eventually invited in to the class to take part.Whilst at school he also attended the Stagecoach Theatre Arts School - a global franchise providing training in dance, acting and singing to children aged 4-18. He was a member too of the National Youth Music Theatre.

His screen debut is the stuff of legend with his first role on film and television came with 2000's 'Billy Elliott' for which he was chose from 2000 hopefuls over seven different auditions. Director Stephen Daldry was looking for a young lad who could act, dance and carry the required northern English accent - and he found this in Bell.The film won 57 awards worldwide and a further 62 nominations - including three Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, the BAFTA for Bell for Best Lead Actor and two other BAFTA wins and another nine nominations. Bell won fifteen awards for his role as Billy Elliott. The film cost just US$5M to make and grossed in the final analysis US$109M - a bona fide success on all levels!

Later that same year he starred in a single episode of televisions 'Close & True'. His next big screen appearance was in the 2002 British horror film 'Deathwatch' with Andy Serkis, and also that year an adaptation of the Charles Dickens book 'Nicholas Nickleby' which included amongst others Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent and Anne Hathaway. 'Undertow' came next in 2004 with Dermot Mulroney and Josh Lucas, and then three films in 2005 with 'Dear Wendy', 'The Chumscrubber' and Peter Jackson's remake of 'King Kong' with Andy Serkis again and Naomi Watts and Jack Black.

2006 brought another offering with big time Acting and Directing legend Clint Eastwood in 'Flags of our Fathers'. 'Hallam Foe' came along in 2007 with the Doug Liman Directed 'Jumper' in 2008 with Hayden Christensen, and then 'Defiance' for Edward Zwick with co-star Daniel Craig.

In 2011 we saw Bell in Kevin Macdonald's 'The Eagle' with Channing Tatum, 'Jane Eyre' with Mia Wasikowska, another British horror offering with 'The Retreat' and then with Steven Spielberg for 'The Adventures of Tintin' providing the voice of Tintin, alongside Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig once more. 'Man on a Ledge' came in 2012, 'Snowpiercer' in 2013 and 'Filth' that same year too, and Lars von Trier's 'Nymphomaniac : Vol II' also.

In 2014 he starred in the American period war drama television series 'Turn : Washington's Spies' now in its second season. Currently in post-production is the Marvel reboot of 'Fantastic Four' with Bell playing the role of 'The Thing' with this film due out later this year, with 'The Fantastic Four 2' announced recently for a 2017 release. In between time there will also be 'The Adventures of Tintin : Prisoner's of the Sun' in 2016 with Director Peter Jackson once more and Bell reprising his role as Tintin in providing his voice talents.

He started dating American Actress Evan Rachael Wood in 2005 but the two split in twelve months later. In 2011 the two rekindled their flame and in late October 2012 they married . . . but announced their separation in mid-2014. They have a son together born in July 2013.

Bell has sixteen award wins and seventeen other nominations to his name, from 26 acting credits so far. Only he and Christian Bale have won the Outstanding Performance by a Young Actor Award from the US National Board of Review.

Jamie Bell - still only 29 and so much achieved! Describing yourself as the Eminem of Northeast England, and not delusional, knowing that you are only 5'7" tall with slightly jug ears you nonetheless continue to make you mark with years of opportunity ahead with which to surprise and delight your audience - Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-