Birthday's to share this week : 11th - 17th June 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Kodi Smit-McPhee does on 13th June - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 21, 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 11th June

• Hugh Laurie - Born 1959, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer
• Peter Dinklage - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Producer
• Shia LaBeouf - Born 1986, turns 31 - Actor | Director | Producer | Writer   

Monday 12th June

• Richard Ayoade - Born 1977, turns 40 - Actor | Writer | Director | Producer
• Dave Franco - Born 1985, turns 32 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Frances O'Connor - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actress  

Tuesday 13th June

• Malcolm McDowell - Born 1943, turns 74 - Actor | Producer
• Stellan Skarsgard - Born1951, turns 66 - Actor | Producer
• Tim Allen - Born 1953, turns 64 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Chris Evans - Born 1981, turns 36 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Born 1990, turns 27 - Actor 
• Kodi Smit-McPhee - Born 1996, turns 21 - Actor
• Ally Sheedy - Born 1962, turns 55 - Actress 
• Kathy Burke - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actress | Writer | Director | Producer  
• Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen - Born 1986, turns 31 - Actresses | Producers | Twin Sisters 

Wednesday 14th June

• Diablo Cody - Born 1978, turns 39 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Donald Trump - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Producer | Television Personality | President of the USA | Leader of the Free World   

Thursday 15th June

• Jim Belushi - Born 1954, turns 63 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | 
• Ice Cube (aka O'Shea Jackson) - Born 1969, turns 48 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Jake Busey - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor | Producer
• Neil Patrick Harris - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer
• Helen Hunt - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actress | Director | Producer | Writer 
• Courteney Cox - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actress | Producer | Director | Singer  

Friday 16th June

• James Bolam - Born 1935, turns 82 - Actor 
• Arnold Vosloo - Born 1962, turns 55 - Actor | Producer
• John Choo - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actor | Producer
• Daniel Bruhl - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor | Producer   

Saturday 17th June

• Ken Loach - Born 1936, turns 81 - Director | Writer | Producer
• Thomas Haden Church - Born 1960, turns 57 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Greg Kinnear - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Jason Patric - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor 
• Will Forte - Born 1970, turns 47 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer
• Louis Leterrier - Born 1973, turns 44 - Director | Producer 
• Scott Adkins - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actor | Producer

Kodi Smit-McPhee was born in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia to mother Sonja and father Andy McPhee - an Actor and professional wrestler. Kodi has an older sister, Sianoa, born in early 1992, and she is an Actress, Singer and Songwriter. When the young Kodi was about three years of age the family unit relocated to Melbourne.

Smit-McPhee's debut screen appearance came in the 2006 Stuart McDonald Directed 52 minute short film 'Stranded', and this was followed up by 'Fatal Contact : Bird Flu in America' with Joely Richardson and Stacy Keach. Another short film of fifteen minutes also appeared in 2006 - 'End of Town' and then four episodes on the first and only season of television series 'Monarch Cove', before biographical drama 'The King' about the story of Graham Kennedy, described as Australia's first and greatest home grown television superstar. These in turn led to Smit-McPhee's breakout role at the tender age of ten in the Richard Roxburgh biographical drama 'Romulus, My Father' playing the young son Raimond Gaita to father Romulus (Eric Bana) and mother Christina (Franka Potenta). Smit-McPhee won the Young Actors Award at the 2007 Australian Film Institute Awards, was also nominated for Best Lead Actor, and won a Special Achievement Award at the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards.  

'The Tender Hook' followed in 2008 with Rose Byrne and Hugo Weaving, and then another awards worthy performance in John Hillcoat's 2009 post-apocalyptic world adventure drama 'The Road' based on the Cormac McCarthy novel and starring alongside Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce and Charlize Theron. 

'Matching Jack' came next in 2010 with Richard Roxburgh, Colin Friels and James Nesbitt. More award wins and nominations followed for his performance in the 2010 Matt Reeves Written and Directed remake of the earlier 2008 Swedish film 'Let the Right One In', with horror mystery 'Let Me In' opposite Chloe Grace Moretz and Richard Jenkins. Aussie drama film 'Dead Europe' followed as did live action/animated Sci-Fi drama film 'The Congress' with Robin Wright, Paul Giamatti, John Hamm, Danny Huston and Harvey Keitel. 'Romeo & Juliet' with Hailee Steinfeld, Damian Lewis, Stellan Skarsgard and Paul Giamatti also arrived at our screens in 2013, as did 'A Birder's Guide to Everything' with Ben Kingsley. 

2014 saw Smit-McPhee work with Matt Reeves again in 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' with Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Toby Kebbell and Keri Russell. The same year also saw 'All the Wilderness' with Danny DeVito, Virginia Madsen and Isabelle Fuhrman, and then Sci-Fi post-drought apocalypse actioner 'Young Ones' with Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning. 

Western 'Slow West' as Directed and Written by John Maclean was released in 2015 and also starred Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelssohn, and this lead into the seven part one hundredth anniversary television drama mini-series special 'Gallipoli' with Smit-McPhee taking a lead role as seventeen year old Thomas 'Tolly' Johnson who lies about his age so that he can enlist in the First World War effort with his brother, and ultimately fight at Gallipoli in the raging, bloody and long drawn out battle that helped create the legend of the ANZAC's.

In 2016 Smit-McPhee starred as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in Bryan Singer's 'X-Men : Apocalypse' based on the popular and long running film franchise founded on the Marvel Comics characters. This ninth film in the 'X-Men' franchise stars an ensemble cast that you will be well aware of, and took US$544M at the global Box Office. 

Next up for Smit-McPhee is 'The Solutrean' Written and Directed by Albert Hughes and due for release towards the back end of this year. The film tells the survival story set 20,000 years ago during the last Ice Age as a young caveman struggles against the elements to find his way home after a hunting expedition goes awry. 

All up Smit-McPhee has 26 Acting credits to his name, having lent his voice talents also to the animated features 'ParaNorman' and 'Maya the Bee Movie'. He has already amassed three award wins for his performances in 'Romulus, My Father' and 'Let Me In' plus a further 23 nominations. Kodi is now a resident of Los Angeles, California where he lives with this Actress sister. 

Kodi Smit-McPhee - the young lad from Adelaide has done good; just 21 years of age and already has worked with some of the best Acting and Directorial talent in the business, and, has the accolades to prove it; is a star on the rise; in demand and sought after; and has got the talent to work across just about all genres. Happy 21st Birthday to you Kodi, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 7th - 13th February 2016

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Chloe Grace Moretz does on 10th February - check out my tribute to this Birthday Girl, turning 19, 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 7th February

• Ashton Kutcher - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Chris Rock - Born 1965 - turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Eddie Izzard - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• James Spader - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actor | Producer

Monday 8th February

• John Williams - Born 1932, turns 84 - Composer | Songwriter
• Nick Nolte - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor | Producer
• Seth Green - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Mary Steenbergen - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actress | Producer

Tuesday 9th February

• Mia Farrow - Born 1945, turns 71 - Actress
• Michael B. Jordan - Born 1987, turns 29 - Actor
• Tom Hiddleston - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actor
• Ciaran Hinds - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actor
• Joe Pesci - Born 1943, turns 73 - Actor

Wednesday 10th February

• Robert Wagner - Born 1930, turns 86 - Actor | Producer
• Michael Apted - Born 1941, turns 75 - Director | Producer
• Laura Dern - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Elizabeth Banks - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Chloe Grace Moretz - Born 1997, turns 19 - Actress

Thursday 11th February

• Jennifer Aniston - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actress | Producer
• Burt Reynolds - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Damian Lewis - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor | Producer
• Taylor Lautner - Born 1992, turns 24 - Actor

Friday 12th February

• Joe Don Baker - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actor
• Michael Ironside - Born 1950, turns 66 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Josh Brolin - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actor | Producer
• Darren Aronofsky - Born 1969, turns 47 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Christina Ricci - Born 1980, turns 36 - Actress

Saturday 13th February

• Stockard Channing - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actress
• Mena Suvari - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actress
• George Segal - Born 1934, turns 82 - Actor
• Neal McDonough - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer

Chloe Grace Moretz was born in Atlanta, Georgia to mother Teri Duke, a nurse, and father McCoy Lee Moretz, a plastic surgeon. Raised in very Christian surroundings, she has four older brothers - Brandon, Trevor, Colin and Ethan. In 2002 the young Moretz moved to New York City with her mother and Trevor, as her parents had separated and her brother had gained a place at the Professional Performing Arts School, which first sparked her interest in acting, and she would often help her older sibling with his lines.

As a result of her interest she gained a role on  the television series 'The Guardian' in 2004, with an episode on 'My name is Earl' a year later. She gained her big screen debut in 2005 on 'Heart of the Beholder' and then a made for TV movie, 'Family Plan' later that same year, but it was in the remake of 'The Amityville Horror' also in 2005 that brought her more widespread recognition and a Young Artist Award nomination for her role as the young Chelsea Lutz - she was just eight years old. 

From here with acclaim gathering as a child actress Moretz gained small roles in such film fare as 'Big Momma's House 2', horror film 'Room 6', zombie horror 'Wicked Little Things', straight to video horror 'Hallowed Ground' and the supernatural horror remake 'The Eye' in 2008' . . . do you see a pattern emerging here? In 2008 though there was a break from more recent genre specific tradition with crime drama 'The Third Nail' and drama 'The Poker House' with Jennifer Lawrence.  In 2009 'Not Forgotten' saw her team up with her one time 'The Guardian' star Simon Baker, and then '(500) Days of Summer' with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In the meantime, there had been episodes on 'Desperate Housewives', 'Dirty Sexy Money' and the voice of Darby on 87 episodes of 'My friends Tigger & Pooh'.

2010 saw Matthew Vaughn's comic book adaptation to the big screen of 'Kick Ass' to widespread critical acclaim for her role as Mindy McCready/Hit-Girl alongside Mark Strong and Nicolas Cage. That same year she returned to the horror genre with the remake of the Swedish cult classic supernatural horror from 2008 'Let The Right One In' with its Hollywood cousin 'Let Me In'. Now aged 13 she was described as one of the busiest actresses in Hollywood with a string of film and television roles already behind her and plenty more on the slate.

The next year came the crime thriller 'Texas Killing Fields' with Sam Worthington and Jessica Chastain, and 'Hick' with Eddie Redmayne, Alec Baldwin and Juliette Lewis before Scorsese's highly acclaimed 'Hugo' which won five Academy Awards and a further six nominations, as well as another 47 award wins and 156 other nominations from around the traps. 2012 saw her star in Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows' with Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Michelle Pfeiffer.

2013 brought with it a segment on the critically panned 'Movie 43', and a reprisal of her role as Hit-Girl on 'Kick-Ass 2'. 'Carrie' that same year was a return to the horror genre with a remake of the classic Stephen King novel which saw Moretz in the Sissy Spacek role from the earlier 1976 film.

The following year was another busy one with 'Laggies', 'Clouds of Sils Maria', 'If I Stay' and 'The Equalizer' with Denzel Washington in the title role. 'Dark Places' came next in 2015 with Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult and Sci-Fi actioner 'The 5th Wave' released very recently and a possible trilogy in the making if it performs well enough having made US$67M already off its US$30M budget.

Currently in post-production for release later this year is 'The November Criminals' with Ansel Elgort and David Strathairn, 'Neighbours 2 : Sorority Rising' with Zac Efron, Seth Rogen and Dave Franco, and 'Brain on Fire' with Carrie-Anne Moss and Richard Armitage, with 'The Little Mermaid' announced for 2017. To date Moretz has 57 acting credits to her name, 27 award wins and a further 39 nominations - not bad at all for a 19 year old!

Aside from carving out an acting career, Moretz has also appeared inside and on the cover of numerous fashion and lifestyle magazines including 'Vogue', 'Marie Clare', 'Elle', 'InStyle' and 'Flaunt'. In 2012 she was crowned with the 'Max Mara Face of the Future' Award, and 'Elle' gave her the 'Next Future Icon' Award in 2013.

Moretz resides in Los Angeles, brother Brandon is her Business Manager, brother Trevor is her acting coach, she starred alongside brother Colin in 'Let Me In' and with brother Ethan in 'The Third Nail'. She supports LGBT equality rights, and in 2014 Time Magazine named her as one of the 25 Most Influential Teenagers of the Year.

Chloe Grace Moretz - beautiful and clearly talented, an amazing track record already at just 19 years of age, a diverse range of roles in your acting choices, has starred in seven remakes, a fan of the comedy genre yet hasn't starred in too many, a lover of dogs and of sports especially football, basketball, ice hockey and gymnastics - Happy Birthday to you Chloe Grace, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-