Birthday's to share this week : 5th - 11th July 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Kevin Bacon does on 8th July - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 57, 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 July

• Huey Lewis - Born 1950, turns 65 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter
• Edie Falco - Born 1963, turns 52 - Actress

Monday 6th July

• Eva Green - Born 1980, turns 35 - Actress
• Geraldine James - Born 1950, turns 65 - Actress
• Sylvester Stallone - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actor | Director | Producer | Writer
• Kevin Hart - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Geoffrey Rush - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actor
• Ned Beatty - Born 1937, turns 78 - Actor

Tuesday 7th July

• Akiva Goldsman - Born 1962, turns 53 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Shelley Duvall - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actress | Producer

Wednesday 8th July

• Anjelica Huston - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Wally Pfister - Born 1961, turns 54 - Director | Cinematographer | Cameraman
• Billy Crudrup - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actor
• Jaden Smith - Born 1998, turns 17 - Actor
• Kevin Bacon - Born 1958, turns 57 - Actor | Producer | Director

Thursday 9th July

• Tom Hanks - Born 1956, turns 59 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Brian Dennehy - Born 1938, turns 77 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Chris Cooper - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actor
• Jimmy Smits - Born 1955, turns 60 - Actor | Producer
• Kevin Nash - Born 1959, turns 56 - Actor
• Richard Rowntree - Born 1942, turns 73 - Actor
• Kelly McGillis - Born 1957, turns 58 - Actress
• Courtney Love - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actress | Singer | Songwriter

Friday 10th July

• Sofia Vergara - Born 1972, turns 43 - Actress | Producer
• Jessica Simpson - Born 1980, turns 35 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Chiwetel Ejiofor - Born 1977, turns 38 - Actor | Producer | Director

Saturday 11th July

• Mark Lester - Born 1958, turns 57 - Actor
• Rachael Taylor - Born 1984, turns 31 - Actress
• Caroline Quentin - Born 1960, turns 55 - Actress

Kevin Norwood Bacon was born and raised in Philadelphia to mother Ruth Hilda - an elementary school teacher and liberal activist who died in 1991. His father Edmund Norwood Bacon died in 2005 and was a noted architect and Executive Director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. At age 16 the young teenage Bacon secured a full scholarship to the Pennsylvania Governors School for the Arts at Bucknell University. His teachings here cemented his desire and determination towards a career in the arts.

At 17, Bacon moved to New York City and after appearing in a production of the Circle in the Square Theatre School, gained his first role on the big screen in 'National Lampoons Animal House' in 1978, from which he anticipated recognition, fame and fortune. When this didn't eventuate he knuckled down and continued auditioning for theatre roles, and waiting tables, gaining occasional roles in television series including 'Search for Tomorrow' in 1979. and 'Guiding Light' in 1980/81.

After a number of roles in lesser films at the end of the 70's he gained a more significant role in the cult classic 'Friday the 13th' in 1980, with a number of theatre performances to follow over the next few years. In 1982 he won an Award for his performance in 'Forty Deuce', and after this made his Broadway debut in 'Slab Boys' with the still waiting to be discovered jobbing young Actors - Sean Penn and Val Kilmer. That same year came 'Diner' with Steve Guttenberg, Mickey Rourke, Daniel Stern and Ellen Barkin which really started to get the young Kevin Bacon noticed. Off the back of this success came his breakout role in 1984's 'Footloose' although after this he spent a number of years in the typecast wilderness.

1990 brought two further successful performances in 'Tremors' - the comedy horror film, and then 'Flatliners'. 'He Said, She Said' came next with only lukewarm Reviews. Deciding that he needed bigger fare and 'A-List' Projects if he was to truly advance his career and his star status he next secured Oliver Stone's 'JFK' in 1991 which he describes as a turning point in his career, and the year after 'A Few Good Men' with Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore. In 1994 'A River Wild' came out with Meryl Streep, and in 1995 he won an Award for his performance in 'Murder in the First' starring alongside Gary Oldman and Christian Slater. The space age telling of 'Apollo 13' as Directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris and Bill Paxton came next, followed up a year later by the dark thriller 'Sleepers' with Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman and Jason Patric.

Bacon made his Directorial debut in 1996 in the TV Film 'Losing Chase' which garnered him three Golden Globe nominations and the win for Best Actress Helen Mirren. His first turn as Producer came with 1995's 'Wild Things' with 'Stir of Echoes' next closing out the decade.










As the new Century clicked over he starred in an updated take on 'The Invisible Man' with Paul Verhoeven's 'The Hollow Man', with Clint Eastwood's acclaimed six time Oscar nominated 'Mystic River' with Sean Penn and Tom Robbins who both walked away with a golden statue. 'The Woodsman' followed in 2004, with less popular fare peppering the mid-decade up until Ron Howard's 'Frost/Nixon' in 2008, and then his Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild wins for his role in the HBO 'Taking Chance' in 2009.

In 2010 Bacon appeared in Matthew Vaughn's origin story of the popular & successful X-Men Series with 'X-Men : First Class', with 'Crazy, Stupid Love' in 2011, 'Jayne Mansfield's Car' in 2012, the forgettable 'R.I.P.D.' in 2013 and then the FOX TV Series lead role in 'The Following' from 2013 until it was cancelled earlier this year. Next up is '6 Miranda Drive' and 'Black Mass' with Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton and Benedict Cumberbatch both due later this year.

Bacon has eighty Acting credits to his name, five Producer credits and three Director credits. He has fifteen Award wins and a further nineteen nominations, and has been described as the most successful Actor never to have won an Oscar.

He has five siblings - Michael, Karin, Hilda, Elinor, and Kira. He is married to Actress Kyra Sedgwick and has been since 1988, and together they have a son Travis (born in 1989) and a daughter Sosie (born in 1992). He has starred in five films with his wife - 'Pyrates', 'Murder in the First', 'The Woodsman'. 'Loverboy' and the film they met on, 'Lemon Sky' back in 1988. In 2011 he learned that he and Sedgwick are 9th cousins as a result of their appearance on TV's 'Finding Your Roots'.




Bacon is also the subject of a trivia game 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon' based on the fact that his varied and diverse career connects him within just a few steps to just about everyone in the known universe! He also formed a musical band with his brother Michael, 'The Bacon Brothers', in 1995 and have released six albums of country and folk rock style music.

Kevin Bacon - he of the instantly recognisable voice, boyish charm and good looks, can play the anti-hero, the twisted villain, strong supporting characters, controversial individuals and often with an ensemble cast, but always keeping it real, and remaining grounded - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthdays to share this week : 17th - 23rd August.

Is it your Birthday this week?

Do you share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer or 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!

Check out too the spotlight on this weeks Birthday Boy on 17th August, Sean Penn, at the end of this feature.

Sunday 17th August

• Steven East - Born 1963, turns 51 - Freelance Cinema Correspondent at Odeon Online
• Robert DeNiro - Born 1943, turns 71 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Sean Penn - Born 1960, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Donnie Wahlberg - Born 1969, turns 45 - Actor | Producer

Monday 18th August

• Edward Norton - Born 1969, turns 45 - Actor | Producer
• Robert Redford - Born 1936, turns 78 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Madeline Stowe - Born 1858, turns 56 - Actress
• Christian Slater - Born 1969, turns 45 - Actor | Producer
• Roman Polanski - Born 1933, turns 81 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor

Tuesday 19th August 

• Matthew Perry - Born 1969, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Kyra Sedgwick - Born 1965, turns 49 - Actress | Producer

Wednesday 20th August

• Andrew Garfield - Born 1983, turns 31 - Actor
• Jean Allen - Born 1956, turns 58 - Actress
• David O. Russell - Born 1958, turns 56 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Sylvester McCoy - Born 1943, turns 71 - Actor

Thursday 21st August

• Hayden Panettiere - Born 1989, turns 25 - Actress
• Kim Cattrall - Born 1956, turns 58 - Actress | Producer
• Carrie Anne-Moss - Born 1967, turns 47 - Actress
• Peter Weir - Born 1944, turns 70 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Kenny Rogers - Born 1938, turns 76 - Singer | Actor

Friday 22nd August

• Kristen Wiig - Born 1973, turns 41 - Actress | Producer | Writer
• Ty Burrell - Born 1967, turns 47 - Actor
• Honor Blackman - Born 1925, turns 89 - Actress

Saturday 23rd August 

• Scott Caan - Born 1976, turns 38 - Actor
• Charley Boorman - Born 1966, turns 48 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Roger Avery - Born 1965, turns 49 - Producer | Director | Writer
• Shelley Long - Born 1949, turns 65 - Actress | Producer

Sean Justin Penn was born in Santa Monica, California. He attended Santa Monica High School and from his childhood was making short films with his buddies Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen who lived close by. He is the son of Actor/Director Leo Penn and mother Eileen Ryan is also an Actress. His older brother Michael Penn is a musician, and his younger brother Chris Penn was an Actor too, who died of heart disease in 2006. In his teens Penn knew that he wanted to act having been in and around film and TV all his life. He scored his first role playing in 'Little House on the Prairie' - an episode being Directed by his Father, Leo. This was followed by a handful of appearances in TV Series and made for TV Movies culminating in him taking acting classes in the late 70's with another up-and-comer, Michelle Pfeiffer.

His big break came in 1981 starring alongside a new fresh faced Tom Cruise in 'Taps' also starring George C. Scott, Ronny Cox and Timothy Hutton, and from here on in, there was no looking back. This was followed up by 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' in 1982 gaining him much positive endorsement from fans and critics alike. 

The 80's were Penn's proving ground with 'The Falcon and the Snowman', 'At Close Range', 'Casualties of War', 'Colors' and 'We're no Angels' proving to be the highlights, with the opposing lowlight coming in the form of 'Shanghai Surprise' with his then wife, Madonna. This was critically slammed, but he bounced back quickly with the advent of the 90's.

This decade saw standout performances bring more critical acclaim with outings including 'Carlito's Way', 'Dead Man Walking', 'The Game', 'U-Turn', 'The Thin Red Line', and 'Sweet and Lowdown'. The 90's also saw Penn turn his hand to Directing with his 'The Indian Runner' being a very acceptable Directorial debut, and then 'The Crossing Guard' a few years later.

As the new century crossed over, he remained active and equally prominent both in front and behind the camera. His work in 'I Am Sam', 'Mystic River', '21 Grams', 'The Assassination of Richard Nixon', and 'Milk' continued to bring him much acclaim and awards recognition, with his Directing interests continuing with 'The Pledge' and 'Into The Wild'.

His political opinions also brought him under the spotlight with his strong outspoken views against President George W. Bush - taking out a US$56K advertisement in The Washington Post in 2002 in the form of an open letter asking when the President was going to end the cycle of violence, the pending attack on Iraq and the War on Terror that he was propagating. Penn visited Iraq later that year and subsequently over the ensuing years formed relationships with a number of world leaders - President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, who praised him for acting against Bush, amongst others.  He was involved too in a number of humanitarian causes including his rescue attempt in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005; his relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake; and his support efforts after the 2012 Pakistan floods. He has openly expressed his views in support of same-sex marriage. In 2012 he visited the President of Argentina and was outspoken about the Argentinian/UK claim to the Malvinas/Falkland Islands and went on record hoping to establish the dialogue between the two nations so that common sense could prevail.

In the second decade of the new century he has starred in 'The Tree of Life', 'Gangster Squad' and more recently 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty', with 'The Gunman' currently in post-production for a 2015 release. 

His other film credits not already mentioned include 'Racing with the Moon', 'At Close Range', 'Judgement in Berlin', 'State of Grace', 'She's so Lovely', 'Hurlyburly', 'Before Night Falls', 'The Interpreter', 'All The King's Men', 'Fair Game' and 'This Must be the Place'. He has 55 acting credits to his name, ten Producer credits, eight Director credits and five Writing credits.

He won the Academy Award in 2004 for Best Actor for 'Mystic River' and in 2009 for 'Milk', and has three other nominations. He won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for 'Mystic River' and has four other nominations. and has three BAFTA nominations for 'Milk', '21 Grams' and 'Mystic River'. All up he has a global awards haul of 76 wins and 62 nominations to date. He has appeared in four films nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award - 'The Thin Red Line', 'Mystic River', 'Milk' and 'The Tree of Life'. He is only the second Actor after Jack Lemmon to have won Awards at the other three main international Film Festivals - Berlin, Cannes and Venice, and, he has won in three consecutive years at those Festivals - 1995 - Berlin for 'Dead Man Walking'; 1996 - Cannes for 'She's So Lovely'; and 1997 - Venice for 'Hurlyburly'.

He is good friends with Robert DeNiro with whom he shares the same birth date, and will often have co-parties to celebrate. Also he is close to Jack Nicholson and formerly Dennis Hopper after whom he named his son - Hopper Jack. He was married to Madonna from 1985 to 1989 and to Robin Wright from 1996 to 2010 with whom he has two children - daughter Dylan Frances born in 1991, and son Hopper Jack born in 1993. He has served jail time in 1987 for 32 days for assaulting an extra, and in 2010 was ordered to complete 300 hours community service and attend 36 hours anger management  therapy following his arrest for a violent attack on a paparazzi.

Sean Penn - often outspoken, sometimes controversial, at times unpredictable, politically opinionated, plays emotionally intense, often unsympathetic and violent characters, is multi-talented, much in demand and that's why we love ya - Happy Birthday from Odeon Online . . . and to me and Bob too!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-