Birthday's to share this week : 22nd - 28th October 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Gwendoline Christie does on 28th October - check out my tribute to this Actress Birthday Girl turning 39, 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 22nd October

• Derek Jacobi - Born 1938, turns 79 - Actor 
• Christopher Lloyd - Born 1938, turns 79 - Actor
• Jan de Bont - Born 1943, turns 74 - Cinematographer | Producer | Director 
• Jeff Goldblum - Born 1952 turns 65 - Actor | Producer
• John Howard - Born 1952, turns 65 - Actor 
• Bill Condon - Born 1955, turns 52 - Director | Writer | Producer
• Spike Jonze - Born 1969, turns 48 - Director | Producer | Actor | Writer | Cinematographer
• Catherine Deneuve - Born 1943, turns 74 - Actress | Singer
• Saffron Burrows - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actress 
• Carmen Ejogo - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actress | Singer 

Monday 23rd October

• Emilia Clarke - Born 1986, turns 31 - Actress
• Alex Gibney - Born 1953, turns 64 - Producer | Director | Writer
• Ang Lee - Born 1954, turns 63 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Sam Raimi - Born 1959, turns 58 - Producer | Writer | Director | Actor 
• Ryan Reynolds - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actor | Producer | Writer  

Tuesday 24th October

• F. Murray Abraham - Born 1939, turns 78 - Actor 
• Martin Campbell - Born 1943, turns 74 - Director | Producer 
• Kevin Kline - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor | Singer 
• Jacqueline McKenzie - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actress | Writer | Director

Wednesday 25th October 

• Gale Anne Hurd - Born 1955, turns 62 - Producer | Writer   

Thursday 26th October

• Jaclyn Smith - Born 1945, turns 72 - Actress
• Rosemary DeWitt - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actress 
• Dylan McDermott - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor | Director | Writer | Producer
• Cary Elwes - Born 1962, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Rupert Wyatt - Born 1972, turns 45 - Director | Writer | Producer
• Seth MacFarlane - Born 1973, turns 44 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actor | Animator | Singer | Songwriter 

Friday 27th October

• John Cleese - Born 1939, turns 78 - Actor | Writer | Producer 
• Ivan Reitman - Born 1946, turns 71 - Producer | Director | Writer 
• Roberto Benigni - Born 1952, turns 65 - Actor | Writer | Director | Producer  

Saturday 28th October

• Kevin Macdonald - Born 1967, turns 50 - Director | Producer Writer 
• Joaquin Phoenix - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer
• Lauren Holly - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actress | Producer 
• Julia Roberts - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actress | Producer 
• Gwendoline Christie - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actress 

Gwendoline Christie was born in Worthing, West Sussex, England to a housekeeping mother and a sales and marketing father. As a child she trained as a gymnast and had designs on turning this into her professional vocation in life, but a spinal injury ended that career aspiration so she turned to acting instead.  In 2005 she graduated from the Drama Centre London, a college of the University of the Arts London. 

Christie launched herself onto stage first appearing in various theatrical productions including 'Pravda' in 2006 at the Chichester Festival Theatre, then 'Mirandolina' at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre and then in 2007 in 'Cymbeline' at London's Barbican Theatre. In 2007 she gained her first role in the short 63 minute drama Sci-Fi film 'The Time Surgeon'. She then returned to the theatre for 'Giantbum', 'Skin Deep' and 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' at the West End Theatre Royal Haymarket in London all staged in 2009. That same year she secured a minor role in Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' alongside the likes of Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Andrew Garfield and Tom Waits. She returned to the theatre once more in 2010 to appear in 'Dr. Faustus' again at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre, with her performance as Lucifer being described as a 'stand out'.

In 2010 she appeared in a single episode of the BBC Television series 'Seven Ages of Britain' covering the history of Britain's art and artefacts over the past two thousand years. Christie appeared in the seventh episode titled 'Age of Ambition' covering the period from 1914 through to the present day. In 2012 Christie was cast in her breakout role as Brienne of Tarth in the hugely popular and successful 'Game of Thrones' HBO Television series that has just seen season seven go to air with the concluding season eight be aired either in 2018 or 2019. Her character was first introduced during the second season, and is described as unusually tall, muscular and a plain looking woman. After appearing as a recurring cast member for two seasons, she was promoted to the main cast from season four onwards. 

Running concurrently Christie appeared in twenty-six episodes of the British science fantasy television series 'Wizards vs Aliens' which ran for three seasons over thirty-six episodes from late October 2012 through to late 2014. In the meantime, she was cast in a bit-part by Terry Gilliam again in 2013 'The Zero Theorem' with Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon, David Thewlis, Ben Whishaw, Peter Stormare, Tilda Swinton and Melanie Thierry. 

In 2015 Christie appeared as Commander Lyme in the final instalment in the 'Hunger Games' franchise of films - 'The Hunger Games : Mockingjay, Part 2'. The concluding film grossed US$654M off its production budget of US$160M and starred an ensemble cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour-Hoffman and Julianne Moore. The four films in the series were made for a combined US$493M and grossed worldwide at the Box Office a total haul of US$2.97B. 

Also that same year, Christie appeared as Captain Phasma in 'Star Wars : The Force Awakens', the seventh film in the 'Star Wars' series. Directed by J.J. Abrams the film starred Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, John Bodega, Domhnall Gleeson, Daisy Ridley and Andy Serkis amongst others and grossed just short of US$2.1B at the global Box Office off a budget of US$259M making it the third highest grossing film of all time currently. Christie will reprise her role as Captain Phasma in the soon to be released eighth film titled 'Star Wars : The Last Jedi' due in December and Directed by Rian Johnson.  

Coming back down to Earth with a massive bump, Christie cameoed as herself in 2016's 'Absolutely Fabulous : The Movie' with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley reprising the characters they made so famous in the hit televisions series of the same name - Eddy and Patsy respectively. 

2017 saw the mystery drama television series Co-Written and Co-Directed by Jane Campion 'Top of the Lake : China Girl' in which Christie plays Miranda Hilmarson, a Constable in the Sydney Police Force. This series is a sequel to a highly acclaimed 2013 production 'Top of the Lake' and sees Elizabeth Moss reprising her role from the first series joined by Nicole Kidman. 

This brings us up to date, with 'Star Wars : The Last Jedi' up next, then 'The Darkest Minds' due in September 2018 - a Sci-Fi thriller based on the Alexandra Bracken series of books concerning a disease that wipes out 98% of America's children, with the remaining 2% developing super powers and subsequently placed into internment camps. The story surrounds a sixteen year old girl who escapes and joins others on the run evading the government. Then there is 'The Women of Marwen' due in November 2018 and currently filming as Directed by Robert Zemeckis and also starring Steve Carell, Diane Kruger, Janelle Monae and Elza Gonzalez.

All up Christie has sixteen Acting credits to her name so far, and she has five award nominations, including a Saturn Award nod for Best Supporting Actress on 'Game of Thrones'. 

Gwendoline Christie - a statuesque 6'3" tall; trained in horsemanship, sword fighting and stage combat for her 'GOT' role; has been a mad keen fan of Madonna for as long as she can remember and was invited by the songstress to appear on stage with her at her Sydney gig in 2016. With your star beginning to now glow consistently brightly, in demand, and already acclaimed across stage, screen and television there is much to look forward to. Happy Birthday Gwendoline, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 1st - 7th October 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Lena Headey does on 3rd October - check out my tribute to this Actress and Producer Birthday Girl turning 44, 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 1st October

• Julie Andrews - Born 1935, turns 82 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Singer
• Stella Stevens - Born 1938, turns 79 - Actress | Director
• Brie Larson - Born 1989, turns 28 - Actress | Director | Writer | Producer 
• Randy Quaid - Born 1950, turns 67 - Actor | Producer
• Zach Galifianakis - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Writer | Producer 

Monday 2nd October

• Sting (aka Gordon Sumner) - Born 1951, turns 66 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Actor  

Tuesday 3rd October

• Tommy Wiseau - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actor | Writer | Director | Producer
• Clive Owen - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Producer
• Denis Villeneuve - Born 1967, turns 50 - Director | Writer 
• Sean William Scott - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actor | Producer
• Lena Headey - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actress | Producer
• Neve Campbell - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actress | Producer | Writer
• Alicia Vikander - Born 1988, turns 29 - Actress | Producer  

Wednesday 4th October

• Susan Sarandon - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Alicia Silverstone - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actress | Producer
• Dakota Johnson - Born 1989, turns 28 - Actress
• Armand Assante - Born 1949, turns 68 - Actor 
• Christoph Waltz - Born 1956, turns 61 - Actor | Director | Producer | Writer  
• Liev Schreiber - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Narrator 

Thursday 5th October

• Vic Armstrong - Born 1946, turns 71 - Stuntman | Director | Actor
• Clive Barker - Born 1952, turns 65 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actor
• Guy Pearce - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actor | Director
• Tom Hooper - Born 1972, turns 45 - Director | Producer 
• Jesse Eisenberg - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Jacob Tremblay - Born 2006, turns 11 - Actor
• Kate Winslet - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actress   

Friday 6th October

• Britt Ekland - Born 1942, turns 75 - Actress 
• Elisabeth Shue - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actress
• Olivia Thirlby - Born 1986, turns 31 - Actress 
• Ioan Gruffudd - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actor   

Saturday 7th October

• Marco Beltrami - Born 1966, turns 51 - Composer | Conductor | Songwriter | Producer
• Tim Minchin - Born 1975, turns 42 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Writer | Actor | Producer
• Shawn and Aaron Ashmore - Born 1979, turn 38 - Actors | Producers
• Olivia Munn - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actress 

Lena Headey was born in Hamilton, the capital city of Bermuda to mother Sue and father John Headey a Police Officer from Yorkshire, England, who was stationed on the island at the time of his daughters birth up until she turned five. At five years of age, the family relocated back to England, to Somerset, and then at age eleven onto Shelley, in West Yorkshire, near to Huddersfield. Attending the secondary school, Shelley College, Lena first gained an interest in acting, and came to the attention of a casting agent during a school production staged at the London Royal National Theatre, subsequently being cast in the 1992 'Waterland' Directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal and starring Jeremy Irons, Ethan Hawke, Pete Postlethwaite, David Morrissey and Maggie Gyllenhaal. 

The following year, 1993, Headey scored roles in episodes of 'Spender', 'How We Used to Live' and 'Soldier Soldier' before her next big screen outing in the highly acclaimed James Ivory Directed 'The Remains of the Day' with Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Christopher Reeve, Hugh Grant, James Fox and Peter Vaughan. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, and five BAFTA's winning one, amongst a haul of sixteen wins and 33 nominations. That same year came 'Century' with Charles Dance, Clive Owen, Joan Hickson and Miranda Richardson and then the live action 'The Jungle Book' in 1994 Directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Jason Scott Lee, Sam Neill, John Cleese, Cary Elwes and Jason Flemyng. 'Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets' was up next in 1995, 'Face' in 1997 with Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone, 'Mrs. Dalloway' also that year with Vanessa Redgrave, John Standing, and Robert Hardy, then 'Twice Upon a Yesterday' with Douglas Henshall, Penelope Cruz, Mark Strong and Elizabeth McGovern and 'Onegin' in 1999 with Ralph Fiennes, Toby Stephens and Liv Tyler. In between time through the '90's there were short films, made for television films including 'Fair Game', 'Loved Up' and 'Devil's Advocate' as well as appearances on television series including 'Gold' and 'Band of Gold', 'Merlin' and 'Ballykissangel' and 'Kavanagh QC'. 

2000 launched with RomCom 'Ropewalk' and then mystery thriller 'Gossip' with James Marsden, Norman Reedus, and Kate Hudson, followed by drama 'Aberdeen' with Stellan Skarsgard and Charlotte Rampling for which Headey won critical acclaim. Comedy crime caper 'The Parole Officer' with Steve Coogan and Stephen Dilane, then 'Possession' with Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart and Toby Stephens, and 'Ripley's Game' with John Malkovich, Dougray Scott and Ray Winstone, followed by crime comedy 'The Actors' with Michael Caine, Michael Gambon, Dylan Moran and Miranda Richardson. Horror adventure offering 'The Cave' came next in 2005 which fared poorly at the Box Office and critically, but Terry Gilliam's 'The Brothers Grimm' with Matt Damon, Heath Ledger and Monica Bellucci fared much better, as did 'Imagine Me & You' with Piper Perabo, with critics hailing Headey's performance as a lesbian in the movie.

Historical action fantasy '300' as Directed by Zack Snyder was released in 2006 with Gerard Butler, Michael Fassbender, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro with Headey in the role as Queen Gorgo - a role she would reprise in 2014's '300 : Rise of an Empire' with Noam Murro this time Directing.









A change of pace came next with 'St. Trinian's', then horror thriller 'The Broken', WWI biographical adventure film 'The Red Baron', then Hollywood set drama 'Whore' and then another horror thriller 'Laid to Rest' before Sci-Fi horror drama 'Tell Tale' directed by Michael Cuesta and starring Josh Lucas and Brian Cox. In the intervening years there had been further short film appearances, and television series appearances on the likes of 'The Long Firm' and 'The Super Hero Squad Show' in which Headey lent her voice talents to Mystique and Black Widow.

Headey headlined the television series 'Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles' over 31 episodes and two seasons in 2008 and 2009 starring as Sarah Connor with Thomas Dekker playing her son sent back from the future John Connor, as they both try to evade the government authorities as they scheme a way of destroying Skynet to prevent Armageddon. The show was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and all up picked up three award wins and a total 25 nods.

The new decade rolled over with 'Pete Smalls is Dead' with Peter Dinklage, the reboot of the Sci-Fi action crime film 'Dredd' with Karl Urban as Judge Dredd and Headey as Ma-Ma, the leader of a gang of drug dealers and the films principle villain. She starred opposite Ethan Hawke again in the Sci-Fi horror thriller 'The Purge' which was made on a tiny budget of just US$3M and recouped US$90M at the Box Office, and followed this up with fantasy action film 'The Mortal Instruments : City of Bones', then 'The Adventurer : The Curse of the Midas Box' with Michael Sheen, Sam Neill and Ioan Gruffudd, which in turn led to 'Low Down' with Peter Dinklage again, John Hawkes, Glenn Close, and Elle Fanning. 'Zipper' closed out 2015 with Patrick Wilson, Ray Winstone and Richard Dreyfuss.

Action horror romance (but not as Jane Austen wrote it!) 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' was released in 2016 with Lily James, Jack Huston, Sam Riley and Charles Dance, and then 'Kingsglaive : Final Fantasy XV' to which Headey lent her voice in this feature length Sci-Fi animated action adventure together with those of Sean Bean and Aaron Paul. Crime drama film 'Thumper' was released in the US in April this year, but has not seen a release in Australia (yet!). In the meantime, Headey has also lent her voice talents to the children's animated series 'Danger Mouse' and 'Uncle Grandpa'.

All this of course leads us into Headey's portrayal of Cersei Lannister in the HBO series 'Game of Thrones' which has so far aired over seven seasons since 2011 with Headey appearing in 58 episodes to date. Based on the George R.R. Martin collection of books 'A Song of Ice and Fire', Headey plays a ruthless queen for which she has received widespread critical acclaim, including Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2014, 2015 and 2106. All up the show has garnered 253 award wins and a further 422 nominations, with Season Seven recently finished airing, with the final season, Season Eight going to air in 2018.

Next up for Headey and due for release in 2018 is drama film currently in Post-Production 'The Flood' with Iain Glen, and also due in 2018 is biographical comedy drama 'Fighting With My Family' Written, Directed and starring Stephen Merchant with Dwayne Johnson, Vince Vaughn and Nick Frost.

All up Headey has 73 Acting credits to her name so far, and two as Producer. She has five award wins  - four of which are for 'Game of Thrones' and the other for film, 'Aberdeen', and an additional 35 award nominations including Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy and SAG Awards nods. For nine years Headey dated English Actor Jason Flemyng from 1994 to 2003. Thereafter she married musician Peter Loughran in mid-2007 with whom she has a son, Wylie (born in 2010). The couple separated in 2011 and divorced in late 2013. In July 2015 Headey gave birth to a daughter, Teddy, with Director Dan Cadan. Headey has actively campaigned on behalf of animal rights, and she also supports the LGBT organisation 'NOH8'.

Lena Headey - one time vegetarian; heavily tattooed; trained in archery, horse-riding; practices yoga often; and takes boxing classes too. Has starred with many of her GOT cast colleagues in film and television outside of the GOT series, including Peter Dinklage, Charles Dance, Stephen Dilane, Sean Bean and Peter Vaughan; and is happy to play to any genre taking in action, adventure, fantasy, Sci-Fi, horror, comedy, biographical, historical despite never having been to acting school and is self taught in her chosen profession. Ranked on numerous 'Hot 100' lists back in 2007, 2008 and 2009 especially and is known for her distinctive, mellow and rich tone of voice, her arched eyebrows and her calming personality. We await the outcome of 'GOT S8' with huge anticipation, and will continue to watch closely what you do next. In the meantime Lena, a Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 23rd - 29th July 2017

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau does on 27th July - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 47, 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 23rd July

• Ronny Cox - Born 1938, turns 79 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Woody Harrelson - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Shawn Levy - Born 1968, turns 49 - Director | Producer | Actor
• Daniel Radcliffe - Born 1989, turns 28 - Actor | Singer | Producer  

Monday 24th July

• Dan Hedaya - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actor
• Gus Van Sant - Born 1952, turns 65 - Director | Producer | Writer | Editor | Actor
• Doug Liman - Born 1965, turns 52 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Lynda Carter - Born 1951, turns 66 - Actress | Singer | Songwriter
• Jennifer Lopez - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actress | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Rose Byrne - Born 1979, turns 38 - Actress 
• Elizabeth Moss - Born 1982, turns 35 - Actress | Producer
• Anna Paquin - Born 1982, turns 35 - Actress | Producer  

Tuesday 25th July

• Matt LeBlanc - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• D.B. Woodside - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor   

Wednesday 26th July

• Mick Jagger - Born 1943, turns 74 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Producer | Actor | Writer
• Kevin Spacey - Born 1959, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
• Jeremy Piven - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actor | Producer
• Jason Statham - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actor | Producer 
• Helen Mirren - Born 1945, turns 72 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Susan George - Born 1950, turns 67 - Actress | Producer
• Sandra Bullock - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actress | Producer 
• Olivia Williams - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actress 
• Kate Beckinsale - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actress 

Thursday 27th July

• Cliff Curtis - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actor | Producer
• Julian McMahon - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actor | Producer
• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau - Born 1970, turns 47 - Actor | Producer
• Jonathan Rhys Meyers - Born 1977, turns 40 - Actor | Producer  

Friday 28th July

• Randall Wallace - Born 1949, turns 68 - Director | Producer | Writer    

Saturday 29th July 

• David Warner - Born 1941, turns 76 - Actor
• Stephen Dorff - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was born in Rudkobing, a small town on the island of Langeland in Denmark, to mother Hanne Soborg Coster, a librarian and father Jorgen Oscar Fritzer Waldau who died in 1998. He has commented in the past about his fathers struggle with alcohol and about his parents divorce, as a result of which Nikolaj and his two older sisters were mostly raised by their mother. He grew up in the small village of Tybjerg in southern Zealand - the largest and most populated island in Denmark (other than Greenland). Nikolaj studied at the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance in Copenhagen, where he was educated from 1989 through to 1993, and he was the youngest Actor to be admitted there. 

Coster-Waldau made his stage acting debut in a production of 'Hamlet' at Copenhagen's Betty Nansen Theatre in 1992 and '93 before securing his small screen introduction in television movie 'Slaget pa tasken' in 1993. In 1994 the young Actor scored his big screen breakthrough role in horror thriller 'Nightwatch' (not to be confused with the Timur Bekmambetov Russian fantasy supernatural thriller of 2004) which was well received in his native country. He then appeared in a number of locally made for television short films, and stage plays in and around Copenhagen, until being cast in his British debut feature film 'Bent' in 1997 alongside Clive Owen, Jude Law, Mick Jagger, Paul Bettany, Ian McKellen and Rachel Weisz, and Directed by Sean Mathias. More Danish productions followed including 'Wildside' with Mads Mikkelsen in 1998 which he also Co-Wrote, horror offering 'Angel of the Night' that same year, 'The Cable Club' in 1999 and 'Misery Harbour' seeing out the decade.

2000 saw Danish war time drama 'Foreign Fields', then two episodes on the short lived Channel 4 television adaptation of 'Lock, Stock . . . ' and then Michael Apted's 2001 'Enigma' with Kate Winslet, Saffron Burrows and Dougray Scott. Coster-Waldau launched his US career courtesy of Ridley Scott who cast him in 2001 as Delta Force Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon in 'Black Hawk Down' with an all star cast. More locally produced Scandinavian films followed including 'Stealing Rembrandt', 'The Bouncer', 'My Name Is Modesty' and 'The Good Cop' before being cast in 2004 in Richard Loncraine's tennis RomCom 'Wimbledon'. In 2005 Ridley Scott came knocking again, casting Coster-Waldau in the epic historical drama 'Kingdom of Heaven' again with an all star cast. 'The Headsman' (aka 'Shadow of the Sword') came next, and then crime thriller 'Firewall' for Director Richard Loncraine again with Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Robert Forster and Alan Arkin. 

Up next was comedy drama 'Filthy Gorgeous' with Isabella Rossellini, comedy thriller 'The Baker' with Damian Lewis, Swedish comedy drama 'Wonderful and Loved by All', Norwegian historical drama 'The Kautokeino Rebellion', Danish crime drama 'Himmerland', Peter Berg's Sci-Fi drama 'Virtuality' and then Danish action adventure 'At World's End' in 2009. In between time there was top billing for Coster-Waldau on Fox Television's Sci-Fi detective drama series that ran for a single season of eight episodes 'New Amsterdam', with the Actor playing immortal New York homicide cop John Amsterdam.

Western 'Blackthorn' followed in 2011, then Norwegian action thriller 'Headhunters' based on the novel by Jo Nesbo and Directed by Morten Tyldum and which was both a critical and commercial success in its native Norway, with a US version allegedly in the works. 2013 saw supernatural horror film 'Mama' with Jessica Chastain and Directed by Andrew Muschietti, taking US$147M from its US$15M budget outlay. A turn in the Tom Cruise post-apocalyptic SciFi offering 'Oblivion' with Morgan Freeman too proved to be another commercial success bringing in US$287M from its US$120M budget, before 'A Thousand Times Good Night' opposite Juliette Binoche and U2's Larry Mullen Jnr., and Nick Cassavetes comedy film 'The Other Woman' with Cameron Diaz in 2014, leading on to Danish thriller 'A Second Chance' later that year.

2015 opened with comedy drama 'Klown Forever', and then in 2016 Alex Proyas' epic fantasy action adventure offering 'Gods of Egypt' with an all star cast that included Gerard Butler, Bryan Brown, Brenton Thwaites, Geoffrey Rush, Rufus Sewell but despite this the film was panned by critics for just about every reason under the sun and it recovered US$151M in ticket sales from its US$140M budget investment. Later that year he also appeared in the fifteen minute short film Written and Directed by James D'Arcy 'Chicken/Egg' also starring Hayley Atwell.

This year in a Netflix Original Film he took top billing in 'Small Crimes' with Jacki Weaver, Robert Forster and Gary Cole, the Danish drama film '3 Things', and due for imminent release is prison crime drama 'Shot Caller' with Jon Bernthal and Benjamin Bratt. 'Domino' which is currently filming is due for a 2018 release and is Directed by Brian De Palma and also stars Christina Hendricks and Guy Pearce.

This brings us up to date, however, not forgetting the role that made Coster-Waldau a household name the world over as Jaime Lannister on the hugely successful HBO series 'Game of Thrones', based on the George R.R. Martin best selling fantasy action novel series of books 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. 'GOT' started screening in early 2011 and has just aired its first episode of Season 7. Coster-Waldau has starred in 46 episodes to date and plays a central character, for which he is paid two million pounds sterling per episode for this current season, making him one of the highest paid Actors working in television today.

All up Coster-Waldau has 52 Acting credits to his name, five as Producer and one as Writer on 1998's 'Wildside'. He has fifteen awards nominations including Critics Choice Television Awards, People's Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards nods - all for 'GOT'. Coster-Waldau is married to Greenlandic Singer, Actress and 1990 Miss Greenland Sascha Nukaaka Motzfeldt, with whom he has two daughters - Filippa (born in 2000) and Safina (born in 2003). They live in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. He has supported the Danish Red Cross since 2003, and in 2016 he has also supported (PRODUCT) RED in engaging with the private sector in raising awareness and funding to help eliminate HIV/AIDS across eight African countries. In late 2016 he was appointed a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador to help raise awareness and support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, fight inequality and stop climate change.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau - made his name in 'GOT' and we love you for it and remain glued to the screen because of it, but equally securing diverse roles on both sides of the Atlantic and increasingly in demand in both local Scandinavian and international television and film, loves a good dramatic story and portraying characters with secrets, twists and who don't follow the rules. 'All Men Must Die' Jaime Lannister - will you survive into the final season of 'GOT' - let's hope so. In the meantime Happy Birthday to you Nikolaj, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 25th-31st December 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Kit Harrington does on 26th December - 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 25th December

• Sissy Spacek - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actress
• Nicholas Hope - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor  

Monday 26th December

• Fred Schepisi - Born 1939, turns 77 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Steve Bisley - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor
• Temuera Morrison - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actor 
• Steve Le Marquand - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actor | 
• Jared Leto - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Director | Songwriter 
• Shane Meadows - Born 1972, turns 44 - Director | Writer | Producer | Actor
• Kit Harrington - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actor  

Tuesday 27th December

• Gerard Depardieu - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer  

Wednesday 28th December

• Stan Lee - Born 1922, turns 94 - Writer | Producer | Actor
• Denzel Washington - Born 1954, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Director   
• Maggie Smith - Born 1934, turns 82 - Actress
• Noomi Rapace - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actress
• Sienna Miller - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actress

Thursday 29th December

• Patricia Clarkson - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actress | Producer
• Lilly Wachowski - Born 1967, turns 49 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Charlotte Riley - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actress
• Alison Brie - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actress | Producer
• John Voight - Born 1938, turns 78 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Ted Danson - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Oliver Hirschbiegel - Born 1957, turns 59 - Director | Writer
• Jude Law - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actor | Producer
• Danny McBride - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Diego Luna - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer

Friday 30th December

• Bennett Miller - Born 1966, turns 50 - Director | Producer
• Tyrese Gibson - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Tracey Ullman - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Singer | Television Personality

Saturday 31st December

• Barbara Carrera - Born 1945, turns 71 - Actress
• Anthony Hopkins - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Ben Kingsley - Born 1943, turns 73 - Actor | Producer
• Taylor Hackford - Born 1944, turns 72 - Director | Producer | Writer
• James Remar - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actor 
• Val Kilmer - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer

Christopher Catesby Harrington was born in Acton, London, England, to mother Deborah Catesby, a former playwright, and father Sir David Richard Harrington, 15th Baronet and business man. The Harrington Baronetcy, of Ridlington in the landlocked East Midlands county of Rutland was first created in 1611 for James Harrington who lived from 1542 until 1614. Through his paternal grandmother, Harrington's eight-time great-grandfather was King Charles II of England. History lesson over, Harrington attended Southfield Primary School, and at age eleven the family moved to Worcestershire where he studied at the Chantry High School in Martley. His interest in acting was sparked at school where he preformed in several school productions. He went on to attend Worcester Sixth Form College where he studied Drama and Theatre, and following this at age eighteen he attended the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, from where he graduated in 2008.

Originally, the young Harrington had designs on becoming a journalist, war correspondent or cameraman. However, while at Drama School he landed a role in the National Theatre's adaptation of 'War Horse', and Harrington's performance was highly praised. This led quickly to another theatre production in 'Posh' in 2010 at the Royal Court Theatre. His first screen role came in 'Game of Thrones' as John Snow, with the show debuting in 2011 and quickly gaining a huge following, that sees Season 7 currently in production for a 2017 airing. The show has since become a worldwide phenomenon with Harrington's character so far surviving the first six complete seasons.

His first big screen role came in the supernatural psychological horror film sequel of the survival horror video game of the same name 'Silent Hill' from 2006. 'Silent Hill : Revelation' was released in 2012 and also started Sean Bean, Malcolm McDowell and Carrie-Anne Moss. Despite its moderate Box Office success bringing in US$53M off a US$20M budget, the film was panned critically. His first major role came in 2014 in the US$80M Paul W.S.Anderson production of 'Pompeii' which also starred Emily Browning, Carrie-Anne Moss again, Kiefer Sutherland and Jared Harris amongst others. 

In 2014 Harrington voiced the character of Eret in 'How to Train Your Dragon 2'. Featuring an ensemble cast of fellow actors providing their voice talents to this successful DreamWorks animated fantasy action offering the film returned US$622M from its US$145M outlay, spawning a recently announced third instalment in this franchise due for release in early 2019. That same year came another fantasy action epic offering 'Seventh Son' with Jeff Bridges, Alicia Vikander, Julianne Moore and Djimon Hounsou. The film made just US$115M from its budget of US$95M and was generally poorly received. Also that year was 'Testament of Youth' - the First World War drama based on the life of Vera Brittain who wrote the memoir of the same name. The film starred Alicia Vikander again, Emily Watson, Hayley Atwell, Taron Egerton and Dominic West. The film was well received but failed to recoup its US$10M budget.

'Spooks : The Greater Good' (aka 'MI-5') was a big screen adaptation in 2015 of the popular BBC Television series which aired from 2002 through until 2011. That year he also starred in a HBO Comedy film '7 Days In Hell' about a seven day tennis match opposite Andy Samberg and featuring a strong support cast of named actors and tennis players. He also appeared in the stage play 'The Vote' at London's Donmar Warehouse alongside Jude Law, Judi Dench and Timothy West in 2015, and this year appeared as Faustus in 'Doctor Faustus' at the West End's Duke of York Theatre.

Next up is Western thriller Directed by Martin Koolhoven 'Brimstone' with Guy Pearce, Dakota Fanning and Carice van Houten. The film had its Premier at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival in early September this year, but is yet to get a wider release. Currently filming for a 2018 release is 'The Death and Life of John F. Donovan' for Writer/Director Xavier Dolan and also starring Natalie Portman, Thandie Newton, Jessica Chastain, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates and Michael Gambon with Harrington playing John F. Donovan.  

All up Harrington has twelve acting credits to his name including 50+ episodes on 'Game of Thrones' so far, with Season Seven currently in production. This year he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award as Outstanding Supporting Actor on 'Game of Thrones' and he has twelve other nominations and two award wins both for his work on 'Game of Thrones'. 

He has been romantically connected with fellow 'Game of Thrones' Actress Rose Leslie (Ygritte) since 2012. Earlier this year he took active part in a United Nations video for the Refugee Agency, UNHCR (United National High Commissioner for Refugees) to help raise awareness of the global refugee crisis. He took part with the likes of Cate Blanchett, Keira Knightley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jesse Eisenberg and Stanley Tucci. 

Kit Harrington - he has royal blood and the aristocracy coursing through his veins - in real life and on television; has become one of the most recognised faces on television; is a self confessed fan of the horror movie genre; is fearful of flying, needles and spiders; loves to party; and is clearly on the up, in demand and recognised for his talents on television, on film and in the theatre. Happy 30th Birthday to you Kit, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 23rd-29th October 2016

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Emilia Clarke does on 23rd October - check out my tribute to this Birthday Girl 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 23rd October

• Emilia Clarke - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actress
• Alex Gibney - Born 1953, turns 63 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Ang Lee - Born 1954, turns 62 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Sam Raimi - Born 1959, turns 57 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Ryan Reynolds - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actor | Producer  

Monday 24th October

• F. Murray Abraham - Born 1939, turns 77 - Actor
• Martin Campbell - Born 1943, turns 73 - Director | Producer
• Kevin Kline - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor | Singer  

Tuesday 25th October

• Adam Goldberg - Born 1970, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Editor
• Gale Anne Hurd - Born 1955, turns 61 - Producer | Writer  

Wednesday 26th October

• Jaclyn Smith - Born 1945, turns 71 - Actress
• Rosemarie DeWitt - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actress
• Dylan McDermott - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor
• Cary Elwes - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Writer 
• Seth MacFarlane - Born 1973, turns 43 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer | Songwriter | Animator
• Jon Heder - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | Producer  

Thursday 27th October

• John Cleese - Born 1939, turns 77 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Director
• Ivan Reitman - Born 1946, turns 70 - Producer | Director | Writer
• Roberto Benigni - Born 1952, turns 64 - Director | Writer | Actor | Singer 

Friday 28th October

• Dennis Franz - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actor | Writer
• Kevin MacDonald - Born 1967, turns 49 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Joaquin Phoenix - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer
• Julia Roberts - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actress | Producer  

Saturday 29th October

• Kate Jackson - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actress | Producer
• Winona Ryder - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actress | Producer
• Robert Hardy - Born 1925, turns 91 - Actor
• Richard Dreyfuss - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer
• Rufus Sewell - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actor
• Ben Foster - Born 1980, turns 36 - Actor | Producer   

Emilia Isabelle Euphemia Rose Clarke was born in London, England where she grew up in Berkshire with her business woman mother, theatre sound engineer father and her brother. The young Emilia's interest in Acting were first sparked at age just three when her mother took her along to a theatre production of the musical 'Show Boat' which her father has worked on. She was educated at the independent Roman Catholic Rye St. Antony Girls School in Headington, Oxford, and then the co-deucational independent boarding St. Edward's School in Oxford. From there she attended the Drama Centre London, affiliated to the University of the Arts, London who's other notable alumni include Michael Fassbender, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Tom Hardy, Paul Bettany, Russell Brand and her 'Game of Thrones' Co-Star Gwendoline Christie. She graduated in 2009.

Whilst at St. Edward's Clarke appeared in two school plays, ten whilst at the Drama Centre London, and the Los Angeles Company of Angels production of 'Sense'. She gained her first small screen role on an episode of the BBC's 'Doctors' in 2009, and followed this up with the made for television movie for the SyFy Channel 'Triassic Attack' in 2010.

Her big screen debut came in 2012 in 'Spike Island' about the English alternative rock band 'The Stone Roses' gig on Spike Island, Cheshire, England in May 1990 and a group of friends who attempt, in the lead up to that gig, to get to the concert venue without transport, and to gain entry without tickets. This was followed up that same year with the twelve minute short film 'Shackled'.

2013 saw the black comedy crime caper film 'Dom Hemingway' as Written and Directed by Richard Shepard and starring Jude Law in the title role with Richard E. Grant and Damian Bichir. 'Terminator : Genisys' came next in 2015 with Clarke playing Sarah Connor to Jason Clarke as John Connor, Jai Courtney as Kyle Reece and Arnold Schwarzenegger as a re-programmed T-800 Terminator. Despite the film grossing over US$440M off its US$155M budget, a further instalment has been put on hold indefinitely, and Clarke has stated earlier this year that she would not be returning to the franchise.

'Me Before You' came earlier this year alongside Sam Claflin, which whilst earning a worldwide gross of US$207M from its US#20M budget and therefore a commercial success, received average critical acclaim only, although the performances of its two leads were generally praised. Clarke played alongside her 'Game of Thrones' Co-Star Charles Dance.

In the meantime and perhaps most significantly, Clarke has appeared in all six seasons so far broadcast of the hugely popular and much lauded 'Game of Thrones' television series for HBO. Playing the character of Daenerys Targaryen (aka 'Stormborn', 'The Mother of Dragons' and 'Khaleesi') - she is one of the shows most popular characters, and is set to return for season seven. She has won several awards and been nominated multiple times for her role in the cult series. Added to the demands of filming ten episodes per season for now six full televised seasons  on 'Game of Thrones', Clarke has appeared in single episodes of 'Futurama' and 'Robot Chicken', and starred in a Broadway production of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' in the role of Holly Golightly made famous by Audrey Hepburn in the classic 1961 film.

Next up is 'Above Suspicion' for Director Phillip Noyce with Jack Huston, Johnny Knoxville, and Thora Birch currently in post-production and due in 2017; 'Voice from the Stone' with Marton Csokas also due in 2017; the comedy 'Set It Up' due next year too, and in development for Director Oliver Hirschbiegel is WWI drama 'The Guns of August' with Charles Dance and Helena Bonham Carter also attached. All up Clarke has fifteen Acting credits to her name, she has four award wins so far and a further 22 nominations including three Prime Time Emmy nods for 'Game of Thrones' in 2013, 2015 and 2016 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Emilia Clarke - skilled at singing (ballads, blues, jazz and cabaret); athletic (rowing, swimming, running, tennis, skiing and sailing); has been ranked highly on numerous 'Top Lists' in the last five years including the #1 'Sexiest Woman Alive', 'Most Desirable Woman' and 'Most Beautiful Face', and for all her short time in the big and small screen acting business has left her mark that continues to keep her in demand, in the spotlight and her star shining brightly. Happy 30th Birthday to you Emilia, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 5th-11th June 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Peter Dinklage does on 11th June - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 47, 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 5th June

• Kathleen Kennedy - Born 1953, turns 63 - Producer
• Mark Wahlberg - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter

Monday 6th June

• Paul Giamatti - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actor | Producer
• Jonathan Nolan - Born 1976, turns 40 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Robert Englund - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor | Director
• Jason Isaacs - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Producer
• Sandra Bernhard - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actress | Writer

Tuesday 7th June

• Liam Neeson - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actor
• Karl Urban - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actor
• William Forsythe - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actor | Producer
• Ronald Pickup - Born 1940, turns 76 - Actor
• Bill Hader - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Michael Cera - Born 1988, turns 28 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Composer | Singer  

Wednesday 8th June

• Jerry Stiller - Born 1927, turns 89 - Actor | Producer
• Griffin Dunne - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actor | Producer | Director  

Thursday 9th June

• Michael J. Fox - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Producer
• Johnny Depp - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer
• David Koepp - Born 1963, turns 53 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Aaron Sorkin - Born 1961, turns 55 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actor
• Natalie Portman - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actress | Producer | Writer | Director 

Friday 10th June

• Jeanne Tripplehorn - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress
• Elizabeth Hurley - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actress | Producer
• Leelee Sobieski - Born 1983, turns 33 - Actress | Producer
• Andrew Niccol - Born 1964, turns 52 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Jurgen Prochnow - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor  

Saturday 11th June

• Gene Wilder - Born 1933, turns 83 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer
• Hugh Laurie - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Peter Dinklage - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer
• Shia LaBeouf - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director

Peter Hayden Dinklage was born in Morristown, New Jersey to mother Diane Dinklage, an elementary school music teacher and father John Dinklage, an insurance salesman, now retired. He was born with 'achondroplasia' - a common cause of dwarfism whereby those with it are effected by short stature typically being an average height of 130 cms, or 52 inches, for men and generally associated with late paternal age or inherited as a genetic disorder. Dinklage has a brother, a violinist, who is of normal build and stature. All that said, the young Dinklage got his first stab at theatre success in a school production of Margery Williams 1922 book 'The Velveteen Rabbit' playing the lead role of the young boy given the said rabbit as a present. He graduated from the private Roman Catholic all boys prep-school, Delbarton School in Morristown in 1987 having honed his acting talents throughout his school life. He then went on to the private arts college - Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont, from which he graduated in 1999 with a degree in drama.

He got his first break in the 1995 film 'Living in Oblivion' - a film about film making starring Steve Buscemi, Dermot Mulroney and Catherine Keener with Dinklage playing a dwarf actor complaining about being typecast. After a couple of uncredited roles, 1998 saw 'Safe Men' with Paul Giamatti, Mark Ruffalo, Sam Rockwell and Steve Zahn and comedy 'Pigeonholed' closing out the decade. A couple of appearances on television series episodes followed before 'Never Again', and then for Director Michael Gondry came 'Human Nature' with Tim Robbins, Rhys Ifans and Patricia Arquette in 2001, and then '13 Moons' a year later with Steve Buscemi, Sam Rockwell, Peter Stormare and Jennifer Beals, and 'Just a Kiss' that same year.

His breakout role however, came in 2003 with Tom McCarthy's 'The Station Agent' with Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Williams and John Slattery. For his performance as Finbar McBride, Dinklage won numerous awards and further nominations. 'Tiptoes' followed that same years with Gary Oldman, Matthew McConaughey, Patricia Arquette and Kate Beckinsale, with Jon Favreau's 'Elf' with Will Ferrell, James Caan and Edward Asner as Santa closing out that year.

In the years that followed there were a number of short films, television series appearances, and made for TV movies with feature films in between such as 'The Baxter', 'Escape Artists' a remake of 'Lassie', 'Fortunes', 'The Limbo Room', true Mafia courtroom drama 'Find Me Guilty' for Sidney Lumet with Vin Diesel, 'Little Fugitive', and 'Penelope' with James McAvoy, Richard E. Grant, Reece Witherspoon and Christina Ricci, with seven episodes on 'Nip/Tuck' closing out 2006.

The Frank Oz Directed 'Death at a Funeral' saw Dinklage star in this British version in 2007 with Matthew Macfadyen and Ewen Bremner, and then he starred in the US version of the same film in 2010 with Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Kevin Hart, Danny Glover and Keith David. In between time there was 'Ascension Day', 'Underdog', 'The Chronicle of Narnia : Prince Caspian', 'St. John of Las Vegas' with Steve Buscemi again, and then the Aussie RomCom 'I Love You Too', 'Pete Smalls is Dead' with Steve Buscemi once more and 'The Last Rites of Ransom Pride' closing out the noughties.

'A Little Bit of Heaven' with Kate Hudson, Kathy Bates, Whoopi Goldberg and Rosemary DeWitt kicked off 2011. Then came 'A Case of You' with Sam Rockwell once more and Justin Long, 'The Knights of Badassdom' with Steve Zahn again and Ryan Kwanten, then biopic 'Low Down' and 'X-Men : Days of Future Past' as Bolivar Trask.

Following on from these there was 'The Angriest Man in Brooklyn' with the late great Robin Williams, then 'Taxi', 'Pixels' for Chris Columbus with Adam Sandler and Kevin James, and 'The Boss' with Melissa McCarthy bringing us up to date. In the meantime, Dinklage lent his voice talents to 'Ice Age : Continental Drift' as Captain Gutt and 'The Angry Birds Movie' most recently as Mighty Eagle.

Let's of course not forget his multi-awed winning role as Tyrion Lannister on 55 episodes so far of 'Game of Thrones' for which he has won a Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmy's and a Satellite Award rounding out a 'GOT' haul of eight award wins and a further 27 nominations. Next up, currently in post-production of 'Rememory' with Anton Yelchin and Julia Ormond, currently filming is 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' for Martin McDonagh with Sam Rockwell once more, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish and Frances McDormand, and 'The Thicket' in pre-production.

All up Dinklage has sixty-six acting credits to his name, three Producer credits, and he has twelve award wins and 39 other nominations. In 2005 he married Erica Schmidt, a theatre Director with whom he has  daughter born in 2011. He has been a vegetarian since sixteen years of age, is a supporter of the American animal protection organisation 'Farm Sanctuary' and narrated 'Face Your Food' - a film promoting a vegan diet for ethical reasons.

Peter Dinklage - proud to be of shorter stature; proud to be an animal lover; frequently appears with Steve Buscemi and Sam Rockwell especially; a private hermit like person now of world renown thanks to 'GOT'; and clearly now very much in the spotlight and keeping us entertained and glued to the small screen and the big screen too. Good things . . . come in small packages! Happy Birthday to you Peter - from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-